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Last week, I read a lot of the analysis following Prince William’s sudden statement on the Middle East conflict. I was once again reminded of how unnecessary this entire royal storyline was. It’s clear that William wanted his statement to act as a “preview” for his visit to the British Red Cross headquarters in London, but instead of just an apolitical focus on humanitarian efforts in Gaza (and letting the visit speak for itself), William arrogantly inserted himself into a sensitive sh-tstorm for no other reason than he wanted attention and he wanted to compete with Harry. Kensington Palace has done wall-to-wall damage control on William’s boneheaded move and they’re desperately trying to finesse the situation to make it sound like William is a bold, emotional and at times impulsive leader. Baked into this is a rewrite of the past five years, including William’s assault on his brother. I sh-t you not. Some highlights from Kate Mansey’s recent piece in the Times:
The 2019 assault on Harry: The future King William, however, has pinned his colours to the mast. In his autobiography, Spare, Prince Harry accused his brother of being aggressive, pushing him onto a dog bowl. It revealed an impulsive side to William, a temper perhaps inherited from his father and, if reports of the time are accurate, King George VI.
Impetuous Peg: When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex effectively accused the royal family of racism in their interview with Oprah Winfrey, William was furious. Understandably so. He snapped when a reporter shouted a question about the allegations during an engagement, responding: “We are very much not a racist family.” Again, he appeared impetuous when his godmother Lady Susan Hussey was revealed to have asked a black guest at Buckingham Palace where she was “really” from? Keen not to be drawn into the debacle, particularly as he was about to board a plane to the US for his Earthshot awards, William gave instructions to an aide to address the claims. Speaking with the prince’s authority, a Palace spokesman said the actions were “unacceptable”, adding: “Racism has no place in our society.”
Why speak out about the Middle East now? William and Kate are understood to watch the television news together and William is said to get updates from Sky News on his phone. Like many people, and perhaps particularly millennial parents of young children, as William is, he has been appalled by the latest atrocities in the Middle East. The images of maimed children are unending. Aides say that, like his mother before him, he feels the burden of using his platform as a royal to make a difference.
It’s all part of the plan, you guys: Yet there’s also something more seismic happening here. Sources say it is part of a plan for William who, with no time to lose, is manoeuvring from being the well-meaning Duke of Cambridge, who champions mental health causes, to someone altogether more serious. Someone people around the world can recognise as a legitimate king-in-waiting. He has only been Prince of Wales for 18 months and is now the heir to a 75-year-old monarch with cancer.
A presidential office: One look at William’s office — for it is much more of a professional office than a royal court — shows that his outlook is much more presidential. He is in the process of hiring a chief executive and has confirmed the appointment of Lieutenant Colonel Tom White, the Queen’s former equerry, as Kate’s private secretary.
He’s still being “launched” as a global statesman: Action in the face of horror is clearly William’s forte, if the past week is anything to go by. So what does this new office hope to achieve as it launches Prince William as a global statesman? Aides say there are two prongs to William’s ambitions: legacy and impact. With regards to the latter, Kate and William seem to have it in spades. Together they seem to have an alchemy of magisterial glamour. Legacy is something a little harder to grasp: it’s impossible to tell if you’re doing a good job until you’re looking back from a future vantage point.
In the reeds: “He’s in the reeds,” a Palace source says. “And by that I mean he is across his briefs. He has done his homework and he’s thought about it.” The message is clear that his Middle East intervention was a tactical and deliberate attempt to continue to establish him as a king-in-waiting on the world stage.
“He is across his briefs. He has done his homework and he’s thought about it.” No, he hasn’t. The president of BAFTA was too lazy to even read summaries of the nominated films, which led to a sleazy gaffe. He couldn’t even talk about the Russian invasion of Ukraine without sounding uneducated and out-of-touch. He regularly throws temper tantrums and hissy fits when something doesn’t go his way. He has a short temper. He violently attacked his brother and threw Harry to the ground. While William IS impulsive, that’s not the bigger problem – the bigger problems are that he’s lazy, mean, short-sighted, arrogant and violently stupid.
Prince William’s most egregious gaffes
From complaining about homemade cupcakes to making inappropriate comments, Prince William often puts his foot in it. Sign up for our mailing list and get the top 10 stories about Prince William’s gaffes! We only send one email a day on weekdays.
– Katie at Celebitchy
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 21: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge talks to aid workers during a visit the London headquarters of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to learn about the ongoing support for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine on April 21, 2022 in London, England.,Image: 684836224, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
Britain’s Prince William, The Prince of Wales, leaves after a visit to the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. The Prince of Wales undertakes engagements which recognise the human suffering caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East and the subsequent conflict in Gaza, as well as the rise of antisemitism around the world. The Red Cross are providing humanitarian aid in the region via the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, including Magen David Adom in Israel and the Palestine Red Crescent Society.,Image: 848683419, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kin Cheung / Avalon
The Prince of Wales viewing military hardware with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Blaszczak, during a visit to the 3rd Brigade Territorial Defence Force base, in Rzeszow, Poland, that has been heavily involved in providing support to Ukraine.
Featuring: Prince William
Where: Rzeszow, Poland
When: 22 Mar 2023
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages
**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The Prince of Wales viewing military hardware with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Blaszczak, during a visit to the 3rd Brigade Territorial Defence Force base, in Rzeszow, Poland, that has been heavily involved in providing support to Ukraine.
Featuring: Prince William
Where: Rzeszow, Poland
When: 22 Mar 2023
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages
**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The Prince of Wales visits the Hala Koszyki food hall to meet young Ukrainian refugees who are now living and studying in Poland, and members of the Polish community hosting them, during his trip to Warsaw, Poland.
Featuring: William, Prince of Wales
Where: Warsaw, Poland
When: 23 Mar 2023
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages
**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The Prince of Wales during a visit to the British Red Cross at its headquarters in central London, to hear about the humanitarian efforts taking place to support those affected by the conflict in Gaza
Featuring: William, Prince of Wales
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 20 Feb 2024
Credit: Kin Cheung/PA Images/INSTARimages
**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
