In recent months, Prince William has been getting some of the worst press he’s gotten in YEARS. You’d have to go back to the pre-Sussex days to find a time when William was being battered this heavily by his domestic media. It’s well-deserved though, and long overdue. I honestly believe that the energy around William (not to mention William himself) would not have gotten this bad if he had been facing the consequences of his own terrible decisions for years. Instead of saying “actually, William is horrible for what he did to Harry and Meghan,” the press has busied itself with covering for him and excusing him. Instead of saying “actually, William’s schedule belies his laziness,” they’ve gone overboard to praise him for “prioritizing the school run.” Instead of saying “actually, he’s a diplomatic lightweight and it’s a huge problem,” they’ve embiggened him and his pitiful international efforts, giving him every gold star they can for all of his big-boy statesmanship like “shaking hands with the UN Gen-Sec at a cattle-call photo-op.” Well, the Mail’s A.N. Wilson is on the case. This column is AMAZING. Some highlights:
William’s demeanor at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral: There was no mistaking the fact that William appeared angry and unhappy at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral this week. He looked to have lost weight, too. He gave the impression of bearing the burden of the world on his shoulders.
The main reason for William’s apparent discomfiture: Prince Harry. William’s younger brother is evidently trying to make a comeback. A few days before Trump’s visit, Harry embarked on his four-day, pseudo-royal tour of Britain. He also had tea with their father, and it seemed as if the slow process of a reconciliation had begun. Reconciliation, that is, between the King and his wayward prodigal son – not reconciliation between Harry and William. Of the two sons, Harry was always the boy favoured by Charles – which is one of the factors that has made Harry’s breach with the Royal Family so especially painful for the King. William is incensed by any notion of a comeback for Harry. The sense of betrayal he feels cannot be overestimated. Harry abandoned him and Kate, as well as the Firm.
They’re still trying to blame Harry for Charles & Kate’s cancer: Some have suggested that the stress caused by the savagery of Harry’s treatment of his own family might have contributed to either the King’s or Catherine’s cancer. Whether true or not, imagine that thought playing on William’s mind.
William is furious that Harry is still popular: How galling it would have been for the heir to the throne to see commentators in the Press suggest Harry’s four-day trip to Britain was a roaring success, a reminder of the cheeky chappy royal we have missed, and that his attempts at reconciliation should be welcomed.
Tina Brown’s claim that Charles is pissed at his lazy heir: In the past seven months, the Waleses have had five confirmed family vacations, a fact seized on gleefully by Ms Brown, a former editor of Vanity Fair and the New Yorker, to suggest William was workshy. It would, of course, be a cruel person who did not feel that the Prince of Wales deserved considerable sympathy. His wife has cancer, and both she and William have suffered all the strains this imposes, both on their own relationship, and on that with their three young children. What is more, those who sing the National Anthem, hoping that Charles will be ‘long to reign over us’, do so in the sadly realistic knowledge that the present reign might, in fact not be as long as we would wish. William therefore faces the prospect of becoming King when he is still a relatively young man. Four decades and more of public duty stretch ahead. Why would he not prioritise family life in such circumstances and spend precious time with George, Charlotte and Louis?
William’s lack of deference: It is becoming apparent that William likes to do things his way or, as a senior member of the royal household who has observed the father-son dynamic put it: ‘As direct heir, he sometimes seems to forget, whether by accident or design, that there is a hierarchy and that he ranks one below his father.’ Another source claimed that ‘deference does not appear to be in his vocabulary when it comes to the King’.
Casual Peg: When Queen Elizabeth II died, there was an outpouring of grief which did, quite genuinely, unite the nation. But united us in the recognition that we revered her – her dutiful acceptance of the burden and responsibility of her office without question. William appears to want things to be more casual. He told one interviewer that he would never be royal with a capital R. Yet if you are Prince of Wales, royal with a capital R is what you are.
William’s atheism: Queen Elizabeth was a woman of faith. Her Christianity defined her entire attitude to life. Charles, bafflingly, has said he wants to be the Defender of Faiths. None of us can guess what this is supposed to mean – and when we watch him entertaining fire worshippers and witch doctors in the gardens of Highgrove we would probably rather not ask too deeply. But William has made it clear that he is not a believer. Nothing wrong with this if we are talking of him as a private individual. But, again – as with the military – it is part of the job specification that the monarch is Supreme Governor of the Church. The heavy concerns of history are bearing down on William. Can he adjust the monarchy as he wants to? Can he do so while retaining public affection for the institution?
The Duchy money: Above all, to my mind, does he feel queasy about the £23 million per annum, he derives from the Duchy of Cornwall? Because by hanging on to the loot, he could jeopardise the monarchy. When the public is in love with the Royal Family, it is prepared to overlook their besetting sin, which is conspicuous consumption and lavish living. Does the King really need so many houses – the Castle of Mey, Birkhall, Sandringham and Highgrove? His properties in Romania are all privately owned, in addition to the palaces and castles which go with the job. If the public is in a mood to question the royals and their behaviour – as will happen once more when yet more revelations come out about Prince Andrew and the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – then they will rightly ask what on earth makes them think they are entitled to this vast amount of wealth. Particularly if it is in return for just 107 engagements per year performed by a man who does not seem to relish the role.
Oooof: Public sympathy for Kate and for the King – both of them visibly still far from well and deeply affected by Harry’s egregious behaviour – is palpable. But sympathy for them in person is not the same as being sympathetic to the idea of what they stand for…. The King in waiting needs to make a case for it if he is not to find himself booted out by a hostile public. Princess Diana once told me that during the English Civil War in the 1640s, her ancestor Earl Spencer had fought against the King on the side of Oliver Cromwell. This was historically untrue – in fact that Earl Spencer died fighting in the royal cause. But, she went on to say to me, she did not think there would be a monarchy after Charles had died. William will need to work hard and employ his mother’s radiant and irresistible charm if her prophecy is not to be fulfilled. Little wonder he seems so subdued.
Wilson also claims that William “is already being eased into his future royal role. The King delegates more to him than many realise,” and then Wilson cites this as an example: William “now oversees the shoots at Balmoral and Sandringham – a key job among family roles.” LMAO. You guys, William’s not lazy, he goes to meetings and organizes the shoots on the private estates!! The thing is, I do not believe William even does THAT. Overall, this piece is steeped in the palace talking points, but it’s actually a huge warning. William isn’t a man of faith, William is lazy, William lacks charisma, and if he’s not careful, this whole thing will fall apart very quickly. And yeah, ALL of this is about Harry, I have no doubt. It was always about Harry.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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