During Prince Harry’s four-day visit to the UK, Daily Mail columnist Amanda Platell could not shut up about how much she despised every single thing Harry was doing. Not only that, but Platell spun out several ideas for the many ways in which “King William” will eventually punish his brother. The whole thing was so toxic, it made me advocate for Harry leaving the UK and never coming back. But Harry had other ideas, obviously, and he ended up getting hugely positive coverage in the British press. Well, instead of just going all-in on her Harry hate-athon, Platell is now attempting to do the funniest volte-face of all time. “You know how I said King William will strip the Sussexes’ titles and ban them from the UK? Nevermind, William and Kate suck, actually.” I’m paraphrasing, but only barely.
Ahead of Prince Harry’s whirlwind four-day ‘pseudo royal tour’ many, myself included, dismissed it as just another desperate and calculated attempt to ingratiate himself into the royal fold. After all, that’s what he and his wife Meghan depend on to make their Netflix millions. Yet I have to confess I was perhaps too cynical. Harry’s visit brought us something we have not seen for a very long time from the royals – laughter and joy.
Which leaves many of us asking why William and Kate have decided to hide away and become the Prince and Princess of Boring. There have been fantastic pictures of Harry larking around with children in need, images like those of the cheeky Harry of old. Dare I say, the kind of pictures that Princess Diana generated during her short life even after she lost her HRH title.
And that is why Harry’s visit should be a wake-up call for his estranged brother William. In my book, he should stop skulking and be the man he was born to be. While Harry was cheering up ill children, a sombre Prince William was worthily chairing a conference marking World Suicide Prevention Day in Cardiff – admittedly an important cause. While Harry was in London high-fiving staff at the Diana Awards set up in honour of their Mum, Kate was sent off to not one but two events at textile factories.
Yes it is easy for Harry to fly in for four days and capture the world’s attention, but then he followed it up with a surprise visit to Ukraine. There he promised that, after helping through his Invictus Games to rehabilitate soldiers who had lost limbs, he would offer that chance to the men, women and children in Ukraine who had been similarly wounded in the war.
And then came the bombshell. On her Fresh Hell Substack, respected royal biographer Tina Brown claimed King Charles is currently ‘less irritated’ by Prince Harry than he is by William….I have to agree with Tina Brown on one thing – that Harry’s triumphant tour has been a great success in PR terms and is ‘bad news for the Prince of Wales’.
Especially at a time when the latest survey revealed, shockingly, that support for the Monarchy has dropped from 86 percent in the Eighties to its lowest level since records began, with only half of Brits today supporting what many see as an outdated institution. The only images we ever see of William smiling is in the home videos he and Kate reluctantly release of them and the children frolicking, not on royal duties seen by the public but hidden away around one of their many homes.
While Harry obviously didn’t plan on that “crumbling support for the monarchy” poll to come out in the middle of his visit, it’s hilarious that it happened that way. It was like a direct cause-and-effect before our eyes – an old, cancer-ridden king avoiding his family in a gothic castle in Scotland, a workshy heir pitifully screaming “don’t forget about me” during thrown-together last-minute events, and the charismatic ginger prince who walked away from the whole toxic lot. It feels like Kate and William actually wish they were just “boring.” Boring could be efficient, boring could be ho-hum, dutiful and visible. Instead, they’re lazy, barely visible and clearly desperate.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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