Kate Middleton proves Omid Scobie’s cruel Stepford Wife jibes are far from the truth – from abseiling cliffs in Wales to confident speeches for her Shaping Us campaign

Omid Scobie is sure to have ruffled feathers in the Palace with his cruel assessment of the Princess of Wales in his new book.

In End Game, which hits shelves in the UK today, the author launches into a character assassination of Kate Middleton – branding her ‘cold’ and also claiming her workload means she is ‘technically a part-time working royal’.

On top of this, Scobie, 42, then goes onto criticise the Princess’ willingness to support The Firm by claiming she’s earned herself the nickname ‘Katie Keen’ among staffers.

However, the most damaging comment Scobie makes about the Princess is labelling her a ‘Stepford-like royal wife’ who is ‘too scared’ to do anything more than photo ops.

In the 11 years since she married into the Royal Family, Kate has proven time and time again that she’s more than willing to throw herself into all kinds of royal engagements – from training with the England women’s rugby team to bravely abseiling down a cliff in Wales.

What’s more, the royal has also earned herself the nickname the ‘Children’s Princess’ due to her natural ease with youngsters and her ongoing Shaping Us campaign, which focuses on the importance of the first five years of children’s lives. 

Here FEMAIL takes a look back at the ways in which Kate has proven she’s anything but the ‘Stepford Wife’ Omid Scobie claims.

Action Royal!

One year after she married into the Royal Family, Kate Middleton showed off her impressive hockey skills when she met the Team GB squad for a solo engagement ahead of the Olympics. 

Kate has played since junior school and was captain of the 1st 11 at Marlborough College.

Proving this was anything but a mere photo op, the Duchess got stuck into the action and was seen enjoying a laugh with the players.

The royal wasn’t afraid to poke fun at herself after missing the goal – and jokingly covered her mouth in mock shame. 

In 2016, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge embarked on a royal tour of India and Bhutan – where Kate happily showed off her competitive side again. 

During the eight-day tour, Kate got stuck into a game of football against her husband – displaying razor concentration as she aimed for the goal. 

Later in the trip, Kate and William were challenged to try archery – the nation sport of Bhutan.

After a few failed attempts to hit the target, the Duchess was allowed to step closer towards it – before bursting into giggles and apologising for her efforts. 

Later that day, the mother-of-three embarked on a three-hour trek with Prince William to a remote, cliff-side monastery which is 10,000 feet above sea level.

Proving she was up to the challenge, Kate joked that the excursion had ‘burned off the curry’ the couple had eaten during the trip. 

After reaching the summit, the couple even declined an offer of water or to sit down on the two specially created seats which had been placed under a parasol. 

The following year, Kate wasn’t afraid to go head-to-head with her husband again when she raced against him and Prince Harry at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The then mother-of-two tied her hair back as she pelted full throttle alongside her husband during the 100m sprint.

Despite losing the sprint, Kate and William appeared particularly flirtatious and were seen exchanging a high five and embracing after the race.

After Prince Harry stepped down as a senior working royal, Kate took over his role as the royal patron of Rugby Football League  – and happily dusted off her trainers once again in February 2022. 

Competitive Kate looked delighted to be stepping into her brother-in-law’s shoes and giggled, laughed and smiled her way through the drills at Twickenham Stadium, led by head coach Eddie Jones.

Wearing her hair swept back into a high ponytail, the mother-of-three was in her element as she tore across the pitch, joined in a scrum and even scored a try.

Unafraid to throw herself in the deep end, Kate put her arms around England players Jamie George and Ellis Genge in a mock scrum and was lifted into the air in a line-out, prompting a fit of giggles. 

A few months later, Kate was pictured meeting new recruits at the Pirbright Training Academy in Woking – where she enthusiastically climbed in a tank, like her late mother-in-law Princess Diana. 

Photos showed the Princess flashing a cheeky grin while donning a helmet and also happily speaking with the trainee soldiers.

In April 2023, Kate also proved she still has the same childhood adventurous spirit as she got stuck into some abseiling. 

The royal, 41, looked totally at ease on the mountain as she enjoyed an afternoon of climbing with her husband Prince William. 

Dressed in a practical pair of jeans, £175 walking boots and a £145 outdoors jacket, the mother-of-three was all smiles as she worked her way down the cliff-face.

When asked by instructors if he had abseiled before, William said: ‘It’s been a while’.

Before heading over the edge, Kate was heard reminding her husband: ‘We’re not racing!’ 

Later that evening, the Prince and Princess of Wales then bought some pizzas for the mountain rescue team and were seen speaking to locals at the pub. 

‘Children’s Princess’

Over the past few years, Kate has earned herself the nickname the ‘Children’s Princess’ among royal fans as a result of her ongoing work highlighting the importance of the first five years of children’s lives. 

In January 2020, the royal embarked on a series of engagements to promote her landmark survey on early childhood development.

Proving to be anything but a mere photo op, the beaming Princess delighted children and their parents with her natural warmth, prompting royal supporters to praise her ‘amazing’ ability to connect with families. 

The nickname has echoes of Princess Diana, who was affectionately known as the ‘people’s princess’. 

Many also noted it is a reflection on what a hands-on mother she is to her own children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.

Writing in the comments section of the Kensington Palace account, one royal supporter posted: ‘I love seeing her with children. She relates well with people of all ages but with children she has a different type of glow. She clearly loves them.’

Another added: ‘It’s always exciting to see HRH with kids…she glows different and seems to really enjoy being with them, and working with them…says so much about what kind of a mum she is to her little kids.’ 

In June, Kate also charmed a group of primary school children at the reopening of the Young V&A museum in London. 

‘I’m 41, shh don’t tell anyone,’ Kate quietly revealed to the youngsters, who had moments earlier welcomed the delighted royal with a showering of hugs. 

During the tour, Kate stopped and spoke with students at the nearby Bethnal Green primary school and found herself in the centre of a group hug.

The mother-of-three beamed at the youngsters as they wrapped their arms around her waist.

Later in the tour, the Princess was also seen engaging with other young children and dishing out high fives.

Confident Public Speaker

In his bombshell book, Omid Scobie claims that Kate Middleton ‘often stumbles on her words’ and labelled her ‘naturally timid’.

However, this wasn’t the version of the Princess of Wales that royal fans saw when she officially launched her Shaping Us campaign in January.

The royal kicked off her new ‘Shaping Us’ initiative, which saw an ambitious advertising blitz in cinemas and on billboards across the country with a glitzy reception at BAFTA in London, where she described the programme as her ‘life’s work’. 

In a speech at the event, the 41-year-old showed her dedication to the campaign, saying: ‘The campaign is fundamentally about shining a spotlight on the critical importance of early childhood and how it shapes the adults we become.

‘During this time we lay the foundations and building blocks for life. And it is when we learn to understand ourselves, understand others and understand the world in which we live.

‘This is why it is essential, to not only understand the unique importance of our earliest years, but to know what we can all do to help raise future generations of happy, healthy adults.’ 

The following month, Kate confidently interviewed Roman Kemp about his mental health in a promotional video, which saw them taking a walk together in the Hertfordshire countryside.

When asked about why she wanted to take on the project as a mother herself, Kate told Roman: ‘The importance of having healthy and strong relationships in a child’s life is really critical.

‘Having a nurturing environment and having experiences in which a child can really understand and discover not only themselves but the world in which they live.

‘These are the key things we should be focusing on in early childhood because they set us up for so many things later on in life.’

In May, the Princess of Wales opened the Eurovision final in spectacular fashion with a touching piano tribute to Ukraine. 

Showing that she’s no shrinking flower, Kate donned a stunning a Jenny Packham one-shoulder blue chiffon gown as she played the piano from the Crimson Drawing Room at Windsor Castle.

Earlier this month, Kate made another confident television appearance when she opened Children in Need with an impassioned speech.

‘Tonight is all about helping to support, champion and empower all children to be the very best they can be, which is crucial for their future health and happiness,’ the mother-of-three explained. 

She continued: ‘Our relationships, surroundings and experiences during the earliest years lay the foundations that shape the rest of our lives.

‘And yet sadly, we know that for too many people, stressful and traumatic situations in early childhood can cause harm and it can take many years to overcome.’

She concluded: ‘It is vital, therefore, that we nurture every childhood and why the sorts of projects supported by Children in Need are so important. 

‘They help the very youngest, most vulnerable members of our society feel safe, secure and loved in these important, formative years, so that they can enjoy their childhoods now, and grow to reach their potential and thrive in the world in later life.’

Later this year, Kate will Christmas Eve host her Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey for the third year in a row.

In addition to the Westminster Abbey service, 12 community carol services will be held across the UK, hosted by lord lieutenants and supported by William and Kate’s Royal Foundation.

Last year, many of the royal family and the Middletons headed to the event.

The first since the late Queen passed away, Kate said that the concert was dedicated to her husband’s grandmother ‘and to all those who are sadly no longer with us’.

During the concert, Kate talked emotionally of Queen Elizabeth’s affinity with the festive period ‘as a time which brings people together and reminds us all of important values’.

In a clear swipe, Scobie writes Kate’s lifestyle is something most parents could ‘only dream of’ and that Palace aides were afraid to push her do to anything that ‘makes her uncomfortable’ before the Queen died. 

Scobie claims Kate ‘didn’t want to make’ her widely praised Blue Peter appearance in 2019.

Describing it as a ‘low-pressure, small-stakes’ appearance, Scobie says Kate was ‘a bag of nerves’ and ‘well out of her comfort zone’ before the taping’, which was suggested by then press secretary Christian Jones. 

‘Where other senior royals are out and about several times a week, meeting people across the length and breadth of the country, Kate has long maintained a smaller work schedule that helped her check off the required royal boxes while saving time for her roles as a mother and a wife,’ he writes. 

Scobie adds that William manage to circumvent Kate’s lower workload by allowing her role to produce an heir, and spares, first.

He adds that Palace gatekeepers are ‘vigilant’ of Kate, never pushing her too hard ‘as the road to Queendom is a marathon, not a sprint’.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwiliam added that ‘Scobie was always likely to aim for sensation.

‘One sure way of getting headlines is to aim a few blows at the Princess of Wales. It is important to understand Scobie’s attitude to the institution of monarchy, which he claims faces a crisis that may mean extinction or, at best, irrelevance.

‘He is, or at least, was, known as the unofficial spokesperson for the Sussexes. The review in the New York Times of Endgame, which is published tomorrow, was far from flattering.

‘Scobie’s attack on Catherine’s workload shows how little he understands about what the Waleses are trying to do, as they balance their royal commitments and family life so well.

‘He moans that Catherine ‘has no plan to increase her workload for 10-15 years’ or until her children reach adulthood. The Palace are currently reviewing royal patronages. Unlike the late Queen, Prince Philip and Charles when Prince of Wales who were attached to numerous institutions, the Waleses have selected a few and do a great deal for those they have chosen. Catherine’s focus is on early childhood.

‘They are both enormously popular at home and abroad, with levels of support the Sussexes would envy! Scobie believes that the late Queen found Catherine “coachable” in contrast to Diana and he apparently regards Meghan as ‘ the new Diana’.

‘His prose is execrable, what”coachable”presumably means is that she was prepared, together with William, to dedicate herself to being the monarchy’s future. What better example to learn from than Queen Elizabeth who is iconic.

‘Diana as we know was a genius at reaching out to those in need but also wilful.

‘Perhaps Omid Scobie will provide examples in the book where Meghan actually does something worthwhile, other than talking about doing so and trashing the royal family.