The Kate-Effect Hits The Alphabet

God I love the alphabet. So many letters to chose from. You can make up all kinds of words and stories and blog posts with them. This week, taking a page out of Sesame street, the royal world decided to focus on the letter 'D'.

For the last few days, the letter D has taken on a significance and prominence we could never have predicted. Prior to Tuesday, it was just the fourth letter of the alphabet. Used to spell words like decalogue and deinotherium. Kate's visit to Grimsby changed that.

During her visit to Grimsby, as Kate greeted crowds on her walkabout she was handed a teddy bear and a woman overheard her say "Oh, is this for our d ... " before stopping herself. The media replayed the video from the moment, listening to the audio for clues as to whether Kate had almost said 'daughter'. The verdict is still out on whether Kate actually said 'D' at all, but no matter. If hearsay is all we have to work with, well then so be it. The Kate effect had hit the alphabet and everyone was deliriously off and running.

A split second suddenly had the world on the edge of their seats. Did the letter D mean we had finally unlocked the secrets of the royal womb? Had Kate slipped up and revealed the sex of her baby? Could this much anticipated fetus/savior of the monarchy be...a daughter?

Calmer heads wisely recognized that there are other words that begin with the letter D. Could Kate have been taking the teddy bear for her d....driver?...dog?..dietitian?...doula?...detective?..dance instructor?...dermatologist?..designer? It became Sesame Street for royal watchers and toddlers as we rediscovered D words. Some even wondered if Kate was being devious to throw us off the scent.

With all of the media furor surrounding 'D' I will add another word to the list.

Desperate.

© Marilyn Braun 2013

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