We expected to see some highly critical commentary of the Prince and Princess of Wales following King Charles and Camilla’s US state visit, and here it is. Basically, as soon as Charles and Camilla decamped (separately) from the US, all of the royal reporters and commentators were like… wow, that went better than expected, thank god Work-shy William isn’t king. It was perfectly obvious to everyone, even casual royal-watchers, that William and Kate would not have been able to handle that kind of important state visit, and that they constantly look like colonialist horse’s asses whenever they travel, which is rare because they’re so lazy. Well, now Richard Palmer has written about all of this and more – how “the pressure is on” William and Kate to get off their asses and represent the UK abroad. Don’t hold your breath, royalists.
A working-royal shortage: The King’s diplomacy masterclass in the US has boosted the monarchy but highlighted the shortage of family members undertaking similar blockbuster tours supporting British foreign policy. It has prompted calls for the Prince and Princes of Wales in particular to start travelling more to make the most of their own soft power on the world stage.
The Waleses are also under pressure from the Sussexes: But the apparent success of the US trip, coupled with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s high-profile quasi-royal visit to Australia last month, and Harry’s speech in Ukraine in which he challenged the US to uphold its historic security guarantees, has also highlighted the shortage of other royals with sufficient clout and star power to go on these missions. “It’s just the King supported by the Queen, and William and Kate,” said Richard Fitzwilliams. “They are the real stars.”
The 2022 Caribbean Flop Tour: The heir to the throne and his wife, who celebrated their fifteenth wedding anniversary on Wednesday, have not been on a major overseas tour together since their ill-fated trip to the Caribbean in 2022 to mark the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, when they faced protests and critics accused them of looking like out-of-touch relics of a bygone imperial age.
Work-shy Willy: They remain Britain’s most popular royals but William, 43, has struggled at times to shed criticism that he is workshy, despite explaining that the couple want to work in a different way, focusing on a campaigning style of engagements designed to have “impact” and bring change rather than the more traditional type of ribbon-cutting duties.
The laziest Prince of Wales in history?? However, William – who went on five foreign trips last year, three the year before, and five in 2023 – has travelled nowhere near as much as his father did at a similar age. When Charles was in his early to mid-40s, he visited up to 16 countries per year. Last year, the Prince of Wales’s foreign duties accounted for just 7.2 per cent of the family’s engagements abroad. It was similar in 2024 at 7.3 per cent. Before Kate’s illness, the couple accounted for 9.2 per cent of the total in 2023, and 18.7 per cent in 2022 when they completed 97 overseas royal duties including their Caribbean tour. Some royal watchers argue that in future they will have to step up at home and abroad, especially as they are the only working royals under 60.
Unease among diplomats: According to Patricia Treble, whose Write Royalty website measures royal workload by compiling a tally of official engagements each day, William undertook only 36 of 499 foreign engagements by members of the Royal Family last year. Treble’s figures are calculated using publicly available information from the Court Circular, the official record of the Royal Family’s activities. “That we don’t know whether he wants to increase that share in years to come, or when his wife will again return to foreign travel, must be of concern for not only the realms that require regular visits to keep their close bonds with their head of state and his heir,” Treble added. “But it also must provoke unease among diplomats who cannot be sure that they will be able to call on the soft power of royalty to help with their efforts.”
Missing the Sussexes: Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, believes Harry and Meghan’s trips have shown what the monarchy has been missing, adding to the pressure on William and Kate to travel more to the Commonwealth and on other big overseas tours. “The couple are not as visible as they need to be and they are certainly less visible than the previous Prince and Princess of Wales in their early days when they were firing on all cylinders,” he said. “They handle royal duties in a very different way…They can’t rely on their popularity forever.”
Kate will continue to focus on family: She and William have no regrets about focusing on family and quality, not quantity, of official engagements. “That will continue,” a royal source said. The couple, who take every school holiday off with their three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, are firmly settled in their new eight-bedroom Georgian Grade II listed home, Forest Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, which is expected to remain their main residence even when William becomes King. It will be handy for Eton, the favourite to be Prince George’s new school in September, although the family are keeping their choice under wraps for now. Other possible destinations are reported to be Marlborough or Wellington, a 20-minute drive from their home. “My gut feeling is that it will be Eton for George and Wellington or possibly Marlborough for Charlotte, and one of those for Louis,” said Melanie Sanderson, managing editor of The Good Schools Guide, who has been taking regular soundings.
So many funny quotes and asides – “The couple, who take every school holiday off with their three children….” Yep. Will and Kate think they deserve to take off for “school holidays” too, and that “good parenting” is “never working during your kids’ five months’ worth of school holidays.” The thing about the 2022 Flop Tour – “critics accused them of looking like out-of-touch relics of a bygone imperial age” – is really funny too, because anyone with sense would have told them “okay, you actually have to modernize your whole vibe and energy, you can’t just wander around these tours in your colonizer cosplay.” William and Kate really decided that if they couldn’t play colonizers abroad, then they weren’t going to travel anymore! And here we are, four years later, and they just look like they’re too lazy and close-minded to actually DO THE WORK. Anyway, Palmer suggests that Kate will probably skip the trip to the US in July, but she might go to India in the fall, for Earthshot. The last time she was in India, she flashed everyone at a war memorial. Sigh…
Photos courtesy of Instar, Cover Images.
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North America Rights Only – Jamaica, Jamaica -20220324-
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge depart Norman Manley International Airport, in Jamaica, to head to the Bahamas on day six of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
-PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William
-PHOTO by: INSTARimages.comDisclaimer:
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North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220322-
Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge meet locals during a visit Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae in Kingston, Jamaica, on day four of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
-PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge
-PHOTO by: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARimages.comDisclaimer:
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- North America Rights Only – San Ignacio, Belize -20220321- At a special reception at the Mayan ruins at Cahal Pech in San Ignacio, Belize, hosted by Froyla Tzalam, the Governor General of Belize, in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, during day three of their tour of the Caribbean. -PICTURED: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220324-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 6
Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean who have recently completed the Caribbean Military Academy’s Officer Training Program, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day six of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee.-PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge
-PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages.comDisclaimer:
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- North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220324-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 6 Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean who have recently completed the Caribbean Military Academy’s Officer Training Program, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day six of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220324-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 6
Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean who have recently completed the Caribbean Military Academy’s Officer Training Program, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day six of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee.-PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge
-PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages.comDisclaimer:
This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded
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North America Rights Only – Grand Bahama, Bahamas -20220326-
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to Daystar Evangelical Church Abaco in The Bahamas, to learn about the impact of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and to see how communities are still being rebuilt, on day eight of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. Abaco, a chain of islands and barrier cays in the northern Bahamas, was hit by winds of up to 185mph during Hurricane Dorian in 2019 leaving 75% of homes across the chain of islands damaged and resulting in tragic loss of life.
During a visit to Fish Fry in Abaco, a traditional Bahamian culinary/.
During a visit to the Memorial Wall to remember victims of the 2019 hurricane at the Memorial Garden in Abaco.
During a visit to Grand Bahama Children’s Home, which provides a home environment to vulnerable children who are not able to live with their families
-PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge
-PHOTO by: INSTARimages.comDisclaimer:
This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded
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North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220322-
Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge meet locals during a visit Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae in Kingston, Jamaica, on day four of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
-PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge
-PHOTO by: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARimages.com
Disclaimer:
This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded
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Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge
Where: Kingston, Jamaica, Jamaica
When: 22 Mar 2022
Credit: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARim**North America Rights Only**
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Prince and Princess of Wales (William and Kate) attend Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II’s Royal Wedding Banquet at Al Husseinieh Palace in Amman, Jordan, on June 1st, 2023.
Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: Amman, Jordan
When: 01 Jun 2023
Credit: Abaca Press/INSTARimages**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- North America Rights Only – New Providence, Bahamas -20220325-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, at the Baha Mar resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to with meet community leaders and people from across the Bahamas’ many islands, on day seven of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – London, UK -20220323- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge arrive for a dinner hosted by Patrick Allen, Governor General of Jamaica, at King’s House, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of the royal tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Patrick Allen, Lady Patricia Allen -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
