satire

Are You Kate Middleton, or Am I?

Photo: WPA Pool/Getty Images

I’m Kate Middleton!
Who are you?
Are you — Kate Middleton — too?
Then there’s a pair of us!
Don’t tell! They’d advertise — you know!

No, that is not exactly what Emily Dickinson wrote in her 1891 poem “I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” but you have to admit it’s pretty close. (A student of poetry might notice the words “Kate Middleton” were not included in the original, swapped for “Nobody.”) This way, however, is much more representative of the above photo.

Kate Middleton is seen here looking toward a glass door at Family Action CEO David Holmes during an event at the charity’s headquarters on Tuesday. And who is there, waiting for her in the glass? Why — it’s none other than Kate Middleton.

But which is the real Kate Middleton? Ah, it’s a difficult question. I certainly don’t know, and I would guess Kate Middleton herselves might have some difficulty with it, as well. The human, the animal body, that which holds the wants and needs and desires of the woman — is that Kate Middleton? Or is it simply the image? The flat reflection of the hair, the dress, the poise? The grin we all think we know so well without having any real idea of what’s behind it?

No, we are not the ones to answer the question of which is the real Kate Middleton in this photo. Our job is simply to look and wonder. Our job is to admire. But which version are we admiring, truly?

Are You Kate Middleton, or Am I?