A source at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office whispers that there is a sense of frustration at the lack of ‘limelight royals’ – those who will attract crowds and headlines – available for the Government to deploy. 

There is some annoyance that Wills consistently declares himself unavailable. Difficult family circumstances were perfectly understandable, says the source, and the FCO were suggesting only short-haul, short-duration trips for William sans Kate. 

So they were somewhat surprised that he was able to head to South Africa last month to support his Earthshot Prize. He also made three trips to Germany to watch the Euros and turned up at the recent Notre-Dame reopening to glad-hand Donald Trump.

One of the stories from this article: https://archive.ph/yQPVF

Posted by Main_Scientist_3672

9 comments

  1. It’s not shocking with his history of being, well, work-shy. He’ll do what he wants and if he doesn’t want to do it, nobody can make him. It has nothing to do with Charles or Kate’s health, it’s because he’s arrogant and lazy. He will continue this when he is king. He’ll do his glamorous projects that don’t bore him like meeting normal people or ribbon cutting, or go to watch the football but won’t do much else.

  2. I love it when we get bitchy headlines like this.  No real shock here, he’s been making it clear for some time that he is not a fan of the royal model of shaking hands and cutting ribbons, and these visits are exactly that.  Sounds like someone is having a hard time getting through to the Wales office and decided that press headlines is the way to spur him to action.  It’s never worked before, don’t know why they’d think it would now.

  3. Im suprised they are Frustrated. Its been a tough year for Williams family it makes sense he would want to be in the country more. Given he did Earthshot recently and Went to France to meet Trump maybe he will be more happy to do more next year

  4. I thought that it was the Foreign Office that had The POW go to France and set up the meet and greet with Trump? I don’t think that is something the Royals are able to set up without the government being involved in some way.

  5. Hmmm three young kids and a wife with cancer. I know he has plenty of support, but I can understand why he’d want to stay home as much as possible and is selective about what he does.

    I got the impression that the Notre Dame thing was from FO pressure, but what do I know.

  6. I’ve always thought that William recognizes how ridiculous the concept of monarchy is and is secretly working to end the entire thing when he is king. He clearly doesn’t want the job but also doesn’t want his children to be burdened with it so he’s stuck. If the whole thing were to collapse tomorrow, he and Catherine would be just fine fucking off to the country with their millions of dollars and you’d never hear from them again.

  7. I think he struggles that he doesn’t have a definitive role or portfolio for foreign policy. Instead there is a scattered approach to what he shows up for or represents. As if he can just be called to show up versus doing something of value. At least in his mind. For a young man, he has appeared angry and /or weary for a long time now.  I feel for him. It’s a difference of being of service and being used as a prop. 

  8. Isn’t that just the price they must pay to keep a monarchy going these days?

  9. I think William has had a tough year. Both his wife and father have been ill. We have no idea what has gone on behind the scenes. How emotional this time has been. What emotional issues, if any, their children went through.

    This sounds like some toffee nosed git who got told NO by William and is now having a go at him in the press.

    William has a lot of his mum in him. Its been said he’s extremely strong minded. I don’t blame him if he put family first this year. I believe he said on an engagement recently that its been a terrible year or something like that.

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