Back in December, when COVID-19 cases were surging in the UK (which was a prelude to what we’re seeing there now with beyond-alarming case numbers and hospitals overwhelmed) and people were being advised to stay home and stop the spread, Prince William and Catherine embarked on a train tour so that they could thank people for their contributions over the last year. The timing…wasn’t great. And they were criticised for it, with Scottish officials making public statements about how they really weren’t all that supportive of the Cambridges coming to visit.
Scottish publication The National requested more information about Will and Kate’s visit through the Freedom of Information Act and have revealed this week that the Cambridges “ignored two Scottish government warnings not to travel to Scotland”…and they did it anyway. It wasn’t a good look at the time and it’s definitely not a good look now with these emails being released of what, specifically, the royals were advised by government officials. Which was to stay the f-ck home like everyone else.
Will and Kate, as we know, pushed ahead anyway, and the royal rationale is that they care so much about the people, you know? And they wanted so badly to let the people know how much they care, to express their gratitude…that they did the most royal thing they could do: they overruled government advice from Scotland because the train must go on. Don’t you love it when royals overrule public health and safety guidelines?
For why?
It tells you how much they wanted, felt they needed, to get out there. Because they really just had to connect with their subjects? The people they rule and overrule? Or because… well…
Remember, at the time, there was a lot of anxiety over The Crown. Everyone was talking about The Crown and before that we were talking about how William had COVID but kept it a secret. Their insistence on ignoring the advice of Scottish officials and going on the road anyway might give us some insight into how desperate they may have been to change the narrative.
That’s funny because we are told that if there’s one thing the British royals never are it’s DESPERATE. The whole point of being British royal is that they never need anything or want to be anywhere because what they have and where they are is what and where everyone else aspires to. They are supposed to be the opposite of eager – and if there’s anyone in the royal vicinity who shows even a flash of eagerness, they are shut down and shut out, banished out of court. And yet here we are, the Cambridges, William and Catherine, out here doing the MOST.
I mean, of course, they’ll spin it like it was a testament to their devotion to the commoners that they went against the guidelines because they are an Essential Service – seriously, they’re apparently classifying the work that they do an “essential service” but I don’t know if, during a pandemic, two royal people waving from a train can be gymnasticked into an essential service, as hard as they might try. Which in and of itself is remarkable, that they tried THIS HARD to be get their faces on the front page. Not that I don’t like this new Try Hard side of the Cambridges. In fact, I like it very much. Looking forward to seeing more of it in 2021.
