Real Life Behind Royal Headlines with Journalist Kristin Contino: Ep 19
Highlights from the episode:
How a royal fashion blog sparked a whole new career
The behind-the-scenes challenges of palace press access
Why Princess Kate’s gold gown moment still gives Kristin chills
The tension between public interest and private lives
How Kristin blends fiction, history, and fandom in her novels
Podcast show notes:
You’ve seen the photos. The dresses. The headlines. But what is it really like to report on the royals for a living?
In this TNOTY episode, Kristin Contino, senior royal and celebrity editor for Marie Claire, joins me to talk about the surprising realities of royal journalism. Kristin shares about balancing public interest with palace access to what it’s like to pitch royal stories when the royal family is on vacation.
Kristin and I get into the careful choreography behind press coverage, Kristin’s take on Princess Kate’s most emotionally resonant moments, and the power of fashion to tell a story.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
The complexities of reporting on Meghan and Kate with nuance (13:39)
Kristin’s favorite Princess Kate look of all time (17:48)
How royal fashion sparked a career pivot (20:34)
Surprising behind-the-scenes work done by the royals (32:38)
Writing novels, covering royal events, and pitching stories daily (39:37)
If you’ve ever been drawn to a world that feels just out of reach, or wondered what it takes to tell stories about the people living in it, this episode is for you. I loved this conversation with Kristin because it reminded me that there’s always more to the story, especially when we take the time to look closer.
Tune in, share it with a friend, and let me know what resonated most.
Connect with Kristin Contino
See more from Kristin Contino on Instagram: @royallykristinc
Check out Marie Claire's royal section: https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/royals/
Be sure to subscribe to Things No One Tells You—Lindsay’s podcast all about the real, unfiltered conversations we don’t always have but should. From big names to everyday voices, each episode dives into the moments that shape us. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow along with Lindsay below!
Full Transcript
[00:00:00] Kristin: So, funnily, people love really random, like inside, like what they eat from lunch. Yes. Stories. Like I'm telling you, some of our most popular stories that I've written were like what Queen Elizabeth used to eat for lunch that helped her stay out.
[00:00:17] Lindsay: What was it?
[00:00:18] Kristin: Like, it was like Dover sole.
[00:00:22] Lindsay: Like every day.
[00:00:24] Kristin: Lik,e not every day, but she ate it a lot. One of the royal chefs had talked about her simple lunches and that she used to eat fish a lot and Dover Salt, stuff like that. And people love that sort of little things that make them normal. Yep. Those are like normal details.
[00:00:45] Lindsay: Hey guys, and welcome to this episode of Things No One Tells You, or TNOTY as we like to refer to it. This is a very special episode. They're all special, but the reason I say this is special is because it's that certain time of year, it's fall, which I love. I cannot get enough of the pumpkin, everything.
[00:01:03] but this is special because I also cannot get enough. Of the royal family. This is a true story. I've always been very interested in just following along the storylines. I think it's something that my mom sort of introduced to me when I was little, and I specifically remember, when there was the last royal wedding, making Melvin wake up early and just making pancakes and sort of decorating so we could sit there and watch, not necessarily his.
[00:01:29] Cup of tea, no pun intended, but I loved every second of it. So that's why I am so excited to share this episode with Kristin Contino, who writes about the Royals for Marie Claire, and she's amazing. Real quick, I wanna start with a little bit of levity. If you follow me socially, then you know that I like to do a joke of the day, so I brought one.
[00:01:50] What is the Royal Pup's favorite treat?
[00:01:58] Oh, it's good. Admit it. But anyway, Kristin Contino, so she writes for Marie Claire Magazine and everything that goes along with it. I expected in this conversation to hear behind-the-scenes royal stories. Everything about the fashion. The protocol, which I find fascinating, the flashy moments, and she definitely delivers on that.
[00:02:18] But also, what she lingers a bit on is how much of her work feels imminently, I would say, relevant, which I find really interesting, especially as a sports journalist, finding out the ins and outs of someone's job that is, which is basically covering the team, that is, the Royals, right? Prince William. As many of you may have seen recently spoke about the years since Princess Kate's diagnosis as brutal.
[00:02:44] He also labeled them without relief and as a reminder that even their headlines have real cost, and in that emotional space. Orla, their usually invisible do, has become meaningful, making small appearances and videos, and also portraits as a quiet connection, a sort of nod to everyday life, which I think is also very interesting.
[00:03:08] So in my talk with Kristen, senior Royal and celebrity editor for Marie Claire, we explore how to find. Space to see the royal families as human, not just symbols. And also how covering royalty really forces you to reckon with admiration, with distance, and with care. I hope you enjoy it. Kristin Contino, I am so excited to welcome and.
[00:03:34] am one of those people who loves to pay attention to the storylines that come out. I actually forced my husband to ve brunch and make pancakes during the royal wedding. So I think this is amazing. But, so Kristen, I've just explained, what it is that you do working for Marie Claire, the senior editor for Royals and Celebrity.
[00:03:53] But I just, I'm so intrigued to hear what your take is, because I'm guessing that. Maybe our careers are similar in terms of covering sports and covering the Royals, but maybe I'm totally wrong. What do you think?
[00:04:05] Kristin: No, I think it's very similar. I mean, it's just different topics, but,
[00:04:11] Lindsay: So first of all, out of the gate, I mean, what is, what would you say is something no one tells you about covering the royal family as a journalist,
[00:04:21] Kristin: I think what I found personally interesting, and this probably isn't true for everyone in the industry, but I grew up, my mom loving Princess Diana and all that in the eighties and nineties. And so that was something always kind of in the background of my life, and starting as a royal fan and then kind of progressing that into my career.
[00:04:44] It's. It's kind of weird, I'm not gonna lie. Like when you take, and this might be true for you too, in terms of sports. Like being a fan and then when that's your job, it changes that a little bit. So I think that, I guess, for me it's something that people don't tell you about. Like you'll look at things differently, and maybe something that was more of an interest or a hobby is now.
[00:05:11] It's not the same. And that's not really in a negative sense, per se. It's just different. Like I was with my friends in June, we went over to London and we were at Royal Ascot and a few events, and
[00:05:24] Lindsay: Oh yeah. The horse racing.
[00:05:25] Kristin: Yeah. Which was so exciting. Yeah, we definitely have to talk about that.
[00:05:29] But, they were like, Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. I'm shaking. When the royals went, and I was just like. Really? Yeah. Like it's exciting to see, it's nice to see them and ever, but it's different when it's your job. You just look at them as people, you know what I mean? Just like regular people.
[00:05:45] Lindsay: Well, so I, I really value, when I look back at how I started my first job in sports was I actually had been news first, and then I had an opportunity to go and work at a TV station in Miami. And my job description then became that. I was entering the sports department there, but my main job and focus was to report and host for a show called Fins TV.
[00:06:08] That was all about the Miami Dolphins, and really, it was focused on off the field. So what I loved so much about that experience is it was like a masterclass in. Observing and watching, and learning to understand how a football team was run. So it was much more than just you're talking to the players about stuff that they're not necessarily talking about or focusing on the field, but it really helped me understand all the inner workings of an NFL team.
[00:06:33] So, Kristen, what is it like, like as it was relative to me learning the inner workings of the team and Sure. There's a PR director, PR people that you have to ask about. What is it like, he infrastructure of the royal family as it pertains to what you have to deal with as a journalist? Like, how do you do your job?
[00:06:52] Kristin: So it's, I think it's super interesting how, especially like the different Royals, and I don't just cover the British Royals. I cover Monaco and Denmark, and I just finished writing an article about one of the princesses in Denmark. So everybody has their own teams, and how they distribute information is different.
[00:07:13] And sometimes you're more, with the British royal family, they're very good about sending out press releases, ahead of time, like. Princess Kate has an embargoed event in two days or whatever. So you know, you'll know about it in advance, and it'll seem like, oh, she made a surprise visit, but everybody is briefed about it ahead of time.
[00:07:34] Lindsay: So when it says an embargoed thing, that means that you guys know about it. You can't talk about it until they say
[00:07:40] Kristin: Yeah.
[00:07:40] Lindsay: When you talk about it. Carry on.
[00:07:42] Kristin: Yeah. And they'll, which is great that they let you know, the journalists know because then you can prepare in advance and know, okay, like this is happening that day.
[00:07:50] Or write a story in advance if you can. Which is really helpful. But that doesn't always happen. Sometimes there are true surprise appearances, and you're in the middle of driving your kid to practice or something.
[00:08:06] Lindsay: Has that happened to you? Can you share what it has?
[00:08:08] Kristin: Yes, it's happened before. I would say it most often would happen with the Sussexes is just because a lot of times their things aren't always announced in advance. But yeah, I've definitely been either in the car or out, or it's the end of the day and I'm like, oh geez.
[00:08:26] like something has happened, or I was on a cruise ship when Kate's cancer diagnosis was announced. I was with my family, literally starting a cruise. And I got an email from, I was just kinda scrolling my emails, waiting for a show to start or whatever we were doing, and I was like, oh my God.
[00:08:44] So luckily at that time, I was working at Page Six. At the time, I was covering royal fashion, so I wasn't covering the news side. It's definitely, and I would say more so for people in the UK, I mean, if you're in the UK and covering the royal family, like everything you know you're doing is revolving around what they're doing and what happens.
[00:09:04] It's much more difficult than here, ] would say.
[00:09:09] Lindsay: So I remember, like, there have been times, say, I wanna do a story on an NFL player, or whatever sport, fill in the blank, and you're going, if it's not directly to that person. What it sounds like, maybe it wouldn't be so much directly Princess Kate, or am I wrong?
[00:09:24] Like, do you, would you have a one-on-one relationship where you could say, Hey, I would love to do this. Let me talk to your team.
[00:09:30] Kristin: No, their team is controlling everything.
[00:09:33] Lindsay: And they, do you have opportunities where you get to talk to them?
[00:09:38] Kristin: Yeah, I mean I've, last year, I spoke one-on-one with Harry.
[00:09:44] I interviewed Meghan last fall, so, so. Yeah, and I've met William before. Yeah, it's nice when you can have those kinds of one-on-one conversations, versus just like at an event or you're in a group of people just kind of watching what they're doing. And it's a much more human connection, and think, like when I was saying, what people don't tell you or whatever.
[00:10:14] When you know people more, I'm not saying that you know them per se, but when you are having conversations with them and talking to them, it's hard to kind of view them as like, oh my God, it's the king, or whatever. It's just they're a norma.l Exactly. Normal person. Maybe not quite normal, but you know.
[00:10:34] Lindsay: Right, and you're getting to know the right, who they are at the core, what the things are that are relatable in your own life, et cetera. So it could, if you have a story idea to write something, can you bring it to their press team? Is that how that works?
[00:10:47] Kristin: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. So if I had an idea for an exclusive or an interview or something like that specifically, I would approach the press team.
[00:10:57] and it's nice to have those relationships with people and, collaborative and then, they, it'll go the other way as well. Like, oh, we have this, it's coming up, I would love for you guys to cover it. Just what happened when I interviewed Meghan last year? So nice to have those relationships.
[00:11:17] Lindsay: So, tell me about that when you interviewed Meghan, what was that experience like?
[00:11:22] Kristin: It was great. I went to Venice to interview her, and she was with an organization that, arch, well their foundation. Yes. Works with, called the Welcome Project. And there are some women from Afghanistan who have resettled in the US, and they get together; they're all in that general area in Southern California.
[00:11:43] And they get together. Cook together and have meals, and share stories, and it's kind of like building a connection. So there was a group of women there, and we had an outdoor dinner and just kind of, it was a holiday-based, it was, right before Thanksgiving. So it was nice to just like sit around the table and hear their stories, and Meghan had met most of them before, so they all knew her and were comfortable with her.
[00:12:07] And then, I got to speak with her afterward and just hear more about the work she does with them. And, she's just so invested in hearing about their stories. And the women just loved her so much, and it was just really sweet to see. There was one. Who was she? She was younger, in her early twenties, I think, maybe.
[00:12:26] And she had not met her before and was very overwhelmed, she, and it was really cute because she's like, you're so pretty, and hugged her and took a picture. It was really sweet.
[00:12:38] Lindsay: What is your take? I've watched a few episodes of her show on Netflix. I love it. I love the feel of it. Yeah. And I just was curious what you think, but also maybe what you sense as a perception from the other side, from the Royal family.
[00:12:56] Kristin: Yeah. I love the show too. I thought it was really like visually. Beautiful and just like, feel good, there are so many negative things. Like some of my friends are obsessed with watching murder shows. I'm just not, I can't do it, and I just wanna watch something pleasant, so I don't know.
[00:13:15], I loved it, but yeah, I mean, there's always that side of people who are just going to be negative about anything she does. So it's interesting. This kind of royal community, and especially on social media, people are very active, in the royal fandom, on social media. So I see both sides of everything kind of all the time.
[00:13:39] which is tough because I have friends, who I've had relationships with for years, or either bloggers or, whatever, Instagrammers and. I don't always agree with things that they say, on either side. But it's very, team, it's still very Team Kate. Team Meghan, which I just don't get, so it's, yeah, it's hard reading things like that, like I had said, when you have met a person and think that they're very genuine and kind and all the things. Reading things about them. And the same goes the other way. so,
[00:14:20] Lindsay: Well, so what is your take on that relationship with the royal family? With Kate and Meghan?
[00:14:29] Kristin: It's hard to say because everyone has their stories and opinions. Yeah. And, but one person says one thing and the other says the complete opposite.
[00:14:42] Lindsay: You're dialed in with both of their teams. Right. So, I would imagine maybe some people aren't, if you're a journalist, maybe you are. But yeah, so I just thought, I think your perspective is really interesting.
[00:14:54] Kristin: Yeah. It's hard because, as a journalist, you want to be fair and balanced.
[00:14:59] and I think. What I find personally difficult is, if you're writing a story about Meghan or Harry and it's positive, then you'll see people, I mean, literally this week I saw someone writing something like that who very much doesn't like them, saying, oh, you, someone, so must be a mouthpiece for the Sussexes.
[00:15:20] And it's like, or, you must be on their payroll. I was like, no. Yeah, just writing an article about something. Positive that happened. So that can be difficult because either way, people say, Oh, you wrote this beautiful article about Kate, and what about them? And it's not, it doesn't have to be an either-or,
[00:15:42] Lindsay: Right. It could. I get that because I think sometimes it's like if you are on the. If you have access and if you get a story that you're like, oh, that's, that is happening, that is a cool thing. Right. It's like perception can be such a driving force. And I do, I think about that a lot, actually. In journalism, it's like.
[00:16:06] Because also the other thing I was curious about is how social media and everything has changed your job. And I guess I would love to know like, like, what really, we know that there's such a ra, a rabid fan base, but what is it the people you find really want to know most as it pertains to the royal family?
[00:16:24] And how much has any of this for you changed because of social media?
[00:16:29] Kristin: So funnily, people love really random, like inside, like what they eat for lunch. Yes. Stories. Like I'm telling you, some of our most popular stories that I've written were like what Queen Elizabeth used to eat for lunch that helped her stay out.
[00:16:45] What was it like? It was like Dover sole…
[00:16:50] Lindsay: Like every day?
[00:16:52] Kristin: Like, not every day, but she ate it a lot. And yeah, it was one of the royal chefs who had talked about her simple lunches and that she used to eat, fish a la carte, and Dover sole and stuff like that. And people love that stuff. Like, just stuff about what they eat or things about their houses or those kinds of little things that make them.
[00:17:16] Normal. Yep. Those are like normal details, which, funnily even not like stories about them wearing a tiara or something. Like, that's always gonna be interesting. But it's, I would say more so, the random details.
[00:17:32] Lindsay: It's like the 25 things no one knows about you.Yeah. So, from your perspective, what do you think is the most interesting outfit that Princess Kate has ever worn? Do you have one? Do you have a favorite?
[00:17:48] Kristin: I do actually. It's funny you asked that because I actually just wrote an article that I was planning for later this month, but okay. Her, so remember when she went to the James Bond premiere and she wore that gold gown and sequins?
[00:18:05] It was just, yes. Go. That is my favorite outfit that she's ever worn. It was just so unexpected. She doesn't usually go that over-the-top glam, and I just thought that was amazing. Like the sequin cape, it was great. I actually have, you probably can't see it on my wall, like under the 10, there's a little illustration of her wearing that.
[00:18:25] Lindsay: Oh, I love it.
[00:18:27] Kristin: My friend gave me that as a gift.
[00:18:28] Lindsay: I, so I love that. And that brings me back to like your fandom. Tell me how your interest in the royal family started, how it started and when did it start for you?
[00:18:39] Kristin: So, my mom, Princess Diana, all that stuff. I always loved Princess Diana, and so when I was little, that was my thing.
[00:18:48] but I wouldn't say I was really personally invested in the Royals as more of a fan. And I even studied abroad in London in college, but at the time, I was like, Ohh, cool. Like, I mean, Princess Diana had already died. Like, there was not a lot going on at that point because William and Kate weren't married yet.
[00:19:07] So I don't. I think, like when I was there, I really cared that much about the Royals. Like my friends and I were supposed to go to Buckingham Palace on a tour, and we skipped it and went to the pub. So that tells you my level of interest at the time. Okay. Yeah. And it was more like when William and Kate were dating, and when they got engaged, that's when I first became really more invested because I was personally very interested in her fashion.
[00:19:34] Okay. And so I went to London a few weeks before her wedding. It just, it was timed with a work trip for my husband, and I missed the royal wedding. And I was devastated. And I was like, if Harry, when Harry gets married, can we go to the wedding? And he was like, yeah, sure. And at the time, he was like, Not anywhere close to getting married. Because this was 2011. Yeah. And he was like, well, I never thought that would happen. Like when it came and I saidWellll, we're going. So, funny.
[00:20:06] Lindsay: And you're in Philly, right? Yeah. Okay. Okay. So that meant that you were getting on a plane and you were going.
[00:20:11] Kristin: Yeah. So we went, with my son who was four at the time. They didn't go to the wedding; they went to Legoland Windsor. But I went with one of my good friends who lives in the UK, and yeah, it's funny. But yeah, I was always just kind of interested in William and Kate, and obviously the queen was someone who I always looked up to.
[00:20:34] But I wouldn't say that my royal fandom really began until like 2010, and I started blogging because I was so interested in royal fashion, and that led to me writing for a Royal News site called Royal Central. And then from there, that's when I got my job at Page Six, and I was always freelancing, writing, and editing.
[00:20:55] Okay. In the background. My original background is in pr, so I did that jump from which was probably helpful for journalism. It definitely is helpful and it's. It's on a day-to-day basis when you see, and I know, you would have the same experience when you have PR people contacting you, and like, you know, where they're coming from, and you know what that entails.
[00:21:19] I think it's very helpful in my job, and I try to be, when I can, responsive. It's not always possible to respond to people, but I know what it feels like to be on that end and sending pitches and just getting ignored. So I think. It's definitely good to have that background, and like that background in pitching and being able to craft stories is really, yeah.
[00:21:42] Lindsay: That's also really interesting because I find that most times you have it go the other way. Yeah. Whereas you, a journalist, will end up going into pr. Right. So you're right. I think that's a really valuable thing. And you're right. It's like you. It's just people wanting to be seen. You don't wanna be like, yeah, that ignored what, so what was it about the royal fashion that really lit you up?
[00:22:07] Kristin: So Kate, in particular, her 2010s era of fashion. That's probably one of my favorite fashion times for her. But her and Pippa because, Pippa at the time was photographed like every day walking through London, and I loved her fashion too. I, she, and
[00:22:27] Lindsay: By the way, I don't wanna interrupt you, but I just saw something about her hair being chopped. I was like, Where has she been? I forgot about this. And I love her. I agree with you. Okay. Keep going.
[00:22:40] Kristin: She just was at, what was it? It was a race, and I, yes, the same thing. I was like, Where has she been? Because it was really the first time she's been spotted in public all year. Really?
[00:22:49] Lindsay: With her husband
[00:22:50] Kristin: In a public event.
[00:22:51] Lindsay: Yeah. And then I was well, wait a minute. All this stuff is happening, right?
[00:22:54] Kristin: Yes. Yeah, I don't know why she doesn't go to more things, but, yeah, I was very invested in Pippa at the time too, so I, just loved how they dressed and it was more, it was relatable to someone who was, in their late twenties, early thirties, buying from Zara or, I, I remember the first dress that I wanna say. It was like. 2011 or 12, I guess. Kate wore the Zara dress, and it was a black and white kind of brocade dress with a bubble skirt, and that was the first thing I ever bought that she had worn. And it, I just feel so special when you can track that down and you're like, I'm wearing the same thing as them.
[00:23:38] and so I liked that she had that accessibility where you could go out and buy the same thing and not spend thousands of dollars. And I started blogging and sharing. Kind of more affordable copies of expensive things that she wore, and that was really fun. That was a fun period to be able to do that.
[00:23:59] Lindsay: That's really cool. How much do you think that their lives are just like ours? Are they or not?. And I'm talking now about the Royal focusing on Kate, and
[00:24:09] Kristin: I think probably more than some people might think, just, like George and Charlotte and Louis are. Going to school, like any other kids, running, and playing sports.
[00:24:20] Like Kate and William will go to their sports matches, soccer, whatever they're doing. Justt like normal parents. And I know, just like some friends in the UK who know people who are in similar circles, say that, they're very involved with that kind of thing. Like they're just.
[00:24:40] At the soccer match, like everybody else. So I think that's nice that they do have that kind of, more normal background to grow up in, which, I don't think William and Harry had quite as much, yeah. They had more than previous generations. They definitely did. But I think George and Charlotte, and Louis take it to, another level of having more privacy.
[00:25:03] and they definitely are. Keeping them out of the public eye while still kind of bringing them to things and showing pictures when they can. So I think it is a nice balance. I think as they get older, they'll probably have to bring them to more things and have the public know them better, with George, at least, since he's going to be the king. So it'll be interesting when they start to do that.
[00:25:29] Lindsay: It's, I think for anyone that's listening or watching that is really interested in something like you are a perfect example of how you can be invested and be a reporter basically. On something that you really love.
[00:25:46] Right. So is it, what would you say is something that has surprised you that you learned after the fact, after you've gotten the job that you have?
[00:25:58] Kristin: I dunno if anything has surprised me per se. Maybe more of the difference in. Like writing. So when I was on at Page Six, I only covered fashion. I worked for Page Six Style.
[00:26:13] And so I would do celebrities as a whole, a lot of housewives and stuff like that. And King Kardashian and everybody, and also the Royals. And so it would be fewer and far between when I would cover Royals, 'cause they're not always out and about. There's not always something to write about.
[00:26:30] Whereas in my role now, I'm covering Royal news and fashion. Yeah. So I'm covering everything. When there's a slower time, like we were talking earlier, oh, off camera, about how August is a slower time of year, there's, everyone gets away, everybody's away. There's not a lot to cover.
[00:26:50] So in, yeah, in terms of that, I guess it's surprising when you realize, oh, like you have to think of things to come up with and write about during a time when you know there's really nothing going on in, kind of royal circles that call it silly season, because that's when. The media starts. Making up shit.
[00:27:10] Lindsay: Likewise,
[00:27:11] Kristin: Not, just like coming up with things to come up with or stir the pot because nothing is going on. So yeah, it's, this will actually be my first summer in silly season, so to speak. So it should be interesting. But I think it's good to flex your journalistic skills in that sense?
[00:27:33] Yeah, 'cause you have to think of like, okay, what stories can I come up with during a time when nothing is going on? Perhaps like, how do you do that? I would say that interviews are really important. So there's a lot of royal, a few royal books coming out right now. So I have, I was just doing an interview yesterday with someone.
[00:27:52] I have a former butler. A lot of the former Palace staff will go on these kinds of PR retainers, where they'll work with an agency, and they send out quotes and things like that from them. So those are always like great sources, like Princess Diana's former Butler, Paul Burrell, does a lot of that stuff.
[00:28:11] Yeah. And interviewing them, or kind of coming up with topical seasonal things, like what did the Queen like to do when she was at MR? Or like, what are your personal stories about summertime with Diana and that sort of thing? So I try to do a lot of that. Also, with Royal Books coming out, there's always an opportunity for new stories because I think, in addition to the normal tidbit, what they eat for lunch, things, people are really interested in nostalgia, or kind of like new old stories, especially about Diana in particular.
[00:28:46] S,o like anything that comes out, about this person said she did this in the eighties, or people are always interested in that, and it's surprising how many new stories you can. Come up with just people doing interviews or on social media or whatever, or sharing, her hairdresser, sharing a tidbit about some interaction they had, or those types of things.
[00:29:11] I think that's always nice to get the perspective of people who worked with someone or actually knew them. On a more human level, what they were like. So I think those are always good to fill those times when there's not a lot going on.
[00:29:28] Lindsay: What is the royal family's perspective on people who you said go on retainer after?
[00:29:37] They leave the service of what they're doing, like the butler, et cetera.
[00:29:41] Kristin: Yeah, I mean, I don't know about some of the, there's a few, butlers or gardeners or cooks or whatever, and right. I don't really know what their opinions are them specifically. I know, with Paul Burrell, there was, I don't know if you know a lot about him, but.
[00:29:56] He was like, he was involved after Diana's death. There was a lot of bad blood between him and William and Harry, and I know, like he's not viewed favorably in that sense. By them, or at least, wasn't for a long time. I can't imagine that's changed. But I don't know about the others.
[00:30:16] It's interesting, though, because. The Queen, when she was a child, had a nanny, and it was her nanny and Princess Margaret’s, and she went on and wrote a book, and the Queen Mother had approved her, I guess, to write these stories for a magazine. And she ended up getting banished, like by the royal family.
[00:30:36] And she was very beloved, like part of the family. And she wrote this book, and it's verysweet. It's like the sweetest like. Just the nicest book, and I don't know why the queen mother, yeah. Just totally cut her off, and no one spoke to her anymore. So it's interesting now to see like queen Elizabeth Dresser, Angela Kelly wrote this whole book about dressing the Queen, and that was approved by her and endorsed. And then, years before it was, this woman wrote a book, but it was totally cut off. So I guess times have changed in that sense.
[00:31:12] Lindsay: Right? Or I guess it depends, right? Like what is content, but you're, it is fascinating. If you could you could choose a theme, a story that you would love to write, do you have something out there that you would love to be able to get access to talk about or explore?
[00:31:31] Kristin: So touch is Sophie. Probably one of my favorite royals, if not the favorite. And I think she is just so interested in the work. She does a lot of work on sexual violence against women. And I would love to speak to her about that because I think it's such an important topic. And in the royal world, there's a lot of like.
[00:31:54] Soft causes, and so to go for something like that is not really the norm. And Queen Camilla is the same. She does a lot of domestic violence work, and I think the two of them are just fascinating, like what they do in terms of that. But also, Sophie has traveled to Ukraine and to places that most real women like wouldn't necessarily go. So, I would love to talk to her about that. That would probably be my number one.
[00:32:27] Lindsay: Is there, what is something that you think people should know that you've observed or witnessed about the Royal family?
[00:32:38] Kristin: I think kind of going back to what I just said is the amount of work that they do for these charities and causes around the world, and not just in Britain, but you know, around the world. I think. Maybe a lot of people think like, oh, they're just raiding around in fancy dresses and Taxpayers paying for them, but they do so much, in terms of these organizations, nd like Prince William has his Earth Prize and is working with climate change and environmental things and all these things.
[00:33:10] like King Charles, I mean, in the seventies, he was talking about environmentalism when nobody was talking about that. And it was very considered, like a weird hippie thing to do. And now, I mean, everybody is into sustainability, but he was kind of. Banging that drum like, 40 years ago. So I think that the work they do is really important, and they kind of lead by example.
[00:33:34] So I think that sometimes, I mean, Americans definitely probably don't know as much about that kind of stuff because I think Americans are more interested in the drama aspects of stories and. The clothes, probably.
[00:33:50] Lindsay: Yeah, right. The hats, the clothes. I also think something that I'm curious about is how much, I don't wanna use the word freedom, but how much like ownership can they put on themselves?
[00:34:05] Like, or is it really heavy-handed, have times changed, or is it like you are expected to do this? You know what I'm saying?
[00:34:16] Kristin: Like in terms of like champion, like a cause
[00:34:19] Lindsay: Well, no, I mean, could be a cause, but I just mean like the day to day, like what are they expected to do day to day, how they have to carry themselves.
[00:34:28] I, Princess Kate, want to go out and get a hot dog somewhere. Can she just do that? Do you know what I'm saying? Like Yeah. A horrible example, but I. I would love to. I loved what she just did recently, where she came out and she was talking about visiting the hospital. Where she was speaking about how.
[00:34:51] People don't share how difficult it is after you get cancer treatment. And it was, I just found that so eye-opening because to me, that sounded really authentic. Like, wow, she's admitting this thing that is, yeah, has the potential to be hugely relatable and especially here in the us, just so, I think such a thing that people can say, oh my gosh, yes.
[00:35:15] And so. I'll be honest, I got the kindest rejection letter I've ever had in my life from her press team because I was like, please, I wanna talk to her about this. Not, but I was like, you've gotta try for it. Because I just thought her power to reach people and the fact that she's opening up about that seemed really personal to me.
[00:35:37] but I don't know, maybe it's not, but I thought, and so I guess my point is how much. It seems to me like this is gonna sound horrible, but she plays the game very well, and I think she's someone that I would just love to be friends with, and that she seems so put together, so confident, and like she knows how to handle her stuff.
[00:35:59] Do you know what I mean?
[00:36:00] Kristin: Yeah, she does.
[00:36:00] Lindsay: She might not like it.
[00:36:01] Kristin: I think it's, she does a balance of telling you something, but not telling too much. Like, we were saying with her, talking about what it was like having cancer. Like, at no point in that did she say, I really, it was like when you have, so it's, yeah, so it's personal, but at the same time, it's like she could, you could relate that to anyone.
[00:36:33] Which is interesting because she's talking about an experience she had. So people, I think automatically were like, oh, she was saying it was hard for her, which she was, but also, yeah, she didn't say I or me.
[00:36:45] Lindsay: That's very interesting because I squarely took it like she's saying hers to the point that I was like, oh my goodness, like this must have been more intense than maybe other people, people really realized. So that is,
[00:36:59] Kristin: and I'm sure she was, saying about herself, but I've, something, and I guess I pay more attention to it, but when I was reading that, I was like, oh, she didn't say I, so people automatically, take that as her saying, X was very hard.
[00:37:15] and she has said things about. Herself personally before, but I think that, when she is sharing stuff, like she's definitely careful of, what she is sharing and trying to keep as much personal as she can. 'cause it's such a, it's such a private battle and a private experience that I think, she needs to keep some of that, to herself.
[00:37:39] Lindsay: Well, I think it's really awesome what you do. And I can't wait to read more of your things because I just think it's fun. It is something that everyone wants to read, but the expertise it takes behind it to do, to navigate, it's really like the truest form of journalism, and it's pretty awesome.
[00:37:57] Right. Thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome. So is there something that you can share that you have coming up, that you're writing about, that people, that you can tease for us? What can people look for? Besides the outfit that you shared?
[00:38:11] Kristin: Yeah, Princess Kate's 10 Best Evening Gowns coming up.
[00:38:16] So yeah, since it is a slower time, it's, there's not any big, Wimbledon was just there. Yeah. And, I just did a story about Royal Ascot that was really fun to work on. So I don't have any big things like that coming up yet. But yeah. It's always, there's always something which I think is one of the best parts of the job is that there's always something, something to write about.
[00:38:41] Even when there's not something going on, something is going on. And I think it's interesting. In an industry that's so focused on what these specific people are doing that you can still be busy all the time when they're doing nothing.
[00:38:58] Lindsay: And do you have to come to the table with your things, or will you have an editor or someone who's like, Hey, I want this X, Y, Z.
[00:39:03] Like, do you have to just constantly be sort of coming up with suggestions?
[00:39:07] Kristin: Yeah, I come I do my own ideas every day. So that's nice, 'cause it's not always that way, in journalism. But yeah, I come up with my own pitches every day, which is great. And, being able to have that control over what you're writing, I think, is really important.
[00:39:23] And my team at Marie Claire is amazing. Everyone is so friendly and supportive, and, again, you don't always see that in the journalism world. So that's it, it's a really nice environment.
.[00:39:37] Lindsay: Besides writing for Marie Claire, you've also written books, novels? Okay. Can you share what you've written about?
[00:39:45] Kristin: Sure. So, actually, one of my books is a royal theme book, and it's about a woman who was obsessed with Princess Diana and kind of lived in London in the eighties when they got married, Diana Charles, and then became a compulsive hoarder of the royal family. I'm an Ophelia, not based on my own experience.
[00:40:08] and then, she goes on a hoarding reality show with her daughter, who was a morning host in New York. So that was a lot of fun to write. And I think, the research part, like there's a scene where they go, she and the. Boyfriend, later husband, goes to Diana and Charles' wedding and camps out. And it's really fun to kind of write that from the experience of someone who has been to a royal wedding, but you know, in this era, not that era, and researching that.
[00:40:36] Yeah, that was fun. And I have another novel, called The Legacy of Us, that came out in Awesome 2015. And that's more of a multi-generational story with different women in a family and how they inherit a cameo necklace, like each of them through the years, and it was my first novel. Oh, that's awesome.
[00:40:57] Then yeah, Prince William actually has a copy of a house full of Windsor. When I was at the Coronation, they did an event, William and Kate at a pub in London, and my friends and I had literally just got off the plane. Went to go, hang out there. And, so we met William and Kate were kind of on the other side of the crowd, and I was going to give her the book.
[00:41:19] So I said to him like, Oh, can you give this to Kate? And we had a really nice conversation. Because actually, the pub, this is really crazy, but the pub that they met at, that we were standing outside of, actually, it was in my book, they went there in a scene in the book. So it was a really weird coincidence.
[00:41:34] So that was, yeah, surreal. That happened. But yeah, he was great about it. And yeah, it was just funny because I was like, they went to this pub. Did you get any feedback from him? I didn't. I shoulda have asked later. I never did. If Kate actually
[00:41:54] Lindsay: Still can, you can. Got it. I still can be like, remember three years ago.
[00:41:59] That's awesome. Kristen, is there anything else that you wanted to share before we end?
[00:42:07] Kristin: You have to come to Royal Ascot. That was one thing I had to share.
[00:42:11] Lindsay: Tell me what Royal Ascot is?
[00:42:12] Kristin: You'll love it.
[00:42:13] Lindsay: Yeah. I've heard great things. I know that you like a horseback ride. That's something that. You picked up later, too. I would love to hear. Do you? How's that going for you?
[00:42:22] Kristin: Good. Actually, I'm going later tonight. Even though it's 95 degrees here, it's horrible. Yeah, I actually was inspired by the Queen to start riding, just because. I thought, okay, if she's 96 and she's still riding, I surely can do this as an adult.
[00:42:40] Yeah. And I mean, only as a kid had been on only rides or on vacation on a little trek, nothing crazy. So I was a straight-up beginner. And so I've been doing it since, yeah, she died in 2022, so coming up on three years.
[00:42:56] Lindsay: Wow. So you have not done it at all?
[00:42:59] Kristin: No.
[00:43:00] Lindsay: Were you nervous?
[00:43:00] Kristin: Not at all.
[00:43:02] Not really. Which I probably should have been. But, yeah, I jump and everything, so it's really, it's a great stress reliever, and I love animals, so I think, just being around animals and, like Queen Kamilla does. With a horse, too, and Princess Ian in terms of emotional support, animals, and therapy.
[00:43:27] Yeah. And I think, I totally believe that because I think horses are so, like, they know what you're thinkin'. So yeah, I love it. But real ASCO is really fun just in the sense that it's nothing like in the US, where you could go to the Kentucky Derby, which I haven't been to yet, but you know, people are wearing hats and whatever.
[00:43:45] But this is like. My horse trainer was like, This is like stepping into a PBS masterpiece. Oh really? Theater. 'Cause ever, people have the top hats on and the full tails. Oh
[00:43:55] Lindsay: Wow.
[00:43:55] Kristin: Suits. Even though it was so hot the one day we were there, it was so hot, and you're not allowed to take your coat off or your hat.
[00:44:05] Or anything unless, yeah, they have to tell you if you're allowed because it's a certain temperature. And they hadn't, and the guys I was with were dying, it was so hot.
[00:44:14] Lindsay: Oh my gosh. Why is that the case that you can't take your hat off?
[00:44:18] Kristin: You're just tradition. But yeah, they were sweating to death.
[00:44:24] Lindsay: Oh my God.
[00:44:25] Kristin: But it's so fun. Just to see even the fashion, anybody who's interested in fashion, like when you go to a race, there's always, yeah. The most interesting outfits and hats and everything, and yeah, it's a really great day out. I mean, there's nothing like it.
[00:44:40] Lindsay: Is there really big and in fashion over in London, and just in general, have you seen any interesting trends?
[00:44:50] Kristin: So polka dots, specifically white dresses with black polka dots. Wow. If I had like a dollar for every time I saw someone wearing one at Royal Oco, really? I could have bought a bottle of champagne. Like it was crazy though. My friend got dragged into a news segment on ITV racing because they were like, We're doing a story about people wearing polka.
[00:45:10] Specifically white background with black. Yeah. It was like all these women were wearing different versions of Yeah. Polka dot dresses. It was really fun. So many people, yeah, with polka dots and kind of like eighties influence outfits too. Which is fun, I love the eighties influence. So yeah, there's a lot of that.
[00:45:29] And the butter yellow, which I feel like should be over by now, but it's not.
[00:45:35] Lindsay: That was my bridesmaid's dress color. Yeah, after a while, it's kinda like, okay, all right. Gotta move on enough. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Okay. So we should all go out and buy polka dots for now.
[00:45:47] Kristin: Yes.
[00:45:48] Lindsay: Kristen, thank you so much.
[00:45:49] So again, every you people can read, about fashion and the Royals and celebrity, and Marie Claire, that's where you, you do your stuff. Do your writing anywhere. Where else can people follow you? Where should people go?
[00:46:03] Kristin: I am on Instagram, royally Kristen, Kristen, with an i.
[00:46:08] Lindsay: Amazing. Thank you so much.
[00:46:10] This has been so entertaining. Thank you. Maybe we can team up and do Royal Ascot sometime. Yes. Amazing. I appreciate Kristen's time, and I also appreciate learning about how her job works and that sometimes, it's similar to journalists in other fields where you're just getting a call anin d the middle of the evening or whenever it is with news that breaks.
[00:46:28] And also it made me think about how much pressure also that must be in a way to just. Keep their relationships up as she talked about having an exclusive and taking that to the press team. It sounds like a really fun job, but also one that comes with a lot of high, high demand and big pressure.
[00:46:49] So anyway, I am so appreciative of Kristen taking the time to join me. I also love hearing all the recent stories and love that we're seeing more of them in the news. Especially with. Prince William is out there deciding to share what he experienced, and what his family is going through with Princess Kate.
[00:47:06] So, Kristin Contino, you can read her work. And Marie Claire, we know that there will be a lot more coming up. And as always, thank you for listening to this episode of Tina Knotty. If there's something that you would love to hear us talk about, we wanna hear from you. And also, if you could leave a review, follow us, and subscribe.
[00:47:26] We'll see you next time on Things No One Tells You. Thank you so much. Thanks so much for joining me. I can't wait to see you back here next week. Please don't forget, follow and subscribe to things no one tells you. And of course, if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, don't forget to leave a five-star review because that's really what helps people get more.
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