To find Prince William a bit smug

[strawberriesandpecans]

I'm sure he means well, it's just that he seems to be lecturing everyone on the environment while he travels by helicopter a lot and has a mansion. Also I just find them quite twee and irritating, particularly at the moment when so many people are struggling. AIBU?

@Bubblebu

one of the things which annoys me about Attenborough is that he does not appear to be mentoring anyone from the generation below him - its like a lot of that generation - just keeping all of the limelight exclusively to himself for decades and decades. Hogging it all for themselves.

I think DA does do more when the camera is off. He was mentoring a boy from my DS’s school who had a special interest in wildlife. Tragically the boy died in an accident and DA became patron of a fund in his memory and does a lot for it. I know he does other things like this elsewhere but without publicity. I guess we don’t know everything about these people. Though I do get what you’re saying @Bubblebu.

@strawberriesandpecans yep agree, I don’t mind being lectured by someone with credentials and expertise in a given area. I do mind someone putting me right when I’m not sure they know more than I do. It’s unfortunate (or fortunate) for the royals that they have no real insight into how normal people live and I feel they or their courtiers/advisors have somehow conflated or perhaps correlated privilege with intelligence or better awareness, and forgotten that among the proles there are sharper, more knowledgeable and more learned people who don’t need to be put right about their carbon footprint or anything else. But I guess it’s a tricky line to steer if you are wheeled out as a figurehead and expected to speak on such matters, the speech written so that a Royal is just reciting someone else’s opinion. Harry’s problem is that he’s stepped off the tightly controlled machine and is now out there, free to share poorly formed opinions that I expect his infinitely cleverer wife understands but he doesn’t.

@Friendsoftheearth

But not everyone is lecturing others on a subject that they do not even come close to achieving themselves make

IF they gave up their huge houses, gas guzzlers, private jets, stopped hunting and genuinely made inroads to practising what they preach, they would earn a great deal more respect than they do now!

I don't totally disagree with you and the preaching irritates me as much as the next person. But I do think people tend to draw a cut off somewhere above themselves - allowing them to pass that judgement on others but refuse to accept it for themselves.

As an example, most people will judge the huge excesses of the RF but not recognise that they themselves also have huge excesses when compared to 90% of the world's population. And I include myself as being guilty of that.

I look at someone in the RF spending £000s on a private flight and think it is a grotesque waste of money and energy, because it's more than I would (or could) spend. But know for a fact that my spending £100 on a pair of shoes is an immoral level excess in the eyes someone who spends less than $1 a day on food. Especially as I already have other pairs of shoes.

I don't know the answer. Just shooting my thoughts out.

@eddiemairswife

I don't see why he couldn't carry on being a helicopter pilot.

But he wasn't one really was he ? He was only there for the publicity and then he left.

@TheKeatingFive

I think the fawning over the kids is weird. They are perfectly average kids. As sweet/adorable/cute/charming as millions of others.

YABU - we're a nation of armchair critics, always hoping to see the worst in people. He comes from a notoriously cold family. He was sent to board at a notoriously cold set of schools from an early age. He lost his Mother - perhaps the only really demonstrably affectionate family member - in tragic circumstances while still a boy. Is it really weird that he might fawn over his children? Perhaps he enjoys a family life he never had as a child. Perhaps he is careful to model affection to them that he never had. Honestly, he damned if he does damned if he doesn't. His affection towards the children is fawning. A lack of affection would be noted and weaponised against him. An engagement in tricky issues of the day like the environment and mental health is seen as smug and hypocritical (even though charities in the field are delighted he's speaking out). A lack of engagement would be seen as smug and selfish. I suspect he would like nothing more than to trade his helicopter and mansion and security detail for normal life, without the scrutiny. But that's not really an option. It hasn't worked well for Harry and Megan in their attempt to escape. I'm a republican, would love to not have the royal family . . . . but also feel pretty sorry for a lot of them, absolutely trapped in this stupid non-job you never applied for, under massive amounts of scrutiny and constant criticism.

Yeah, not a huge fan.

And I could just about forgive the inevitable cluelessness that comes with that absurd level of privilege if he hadn't, being honest, lost his looks so young.

Honestly, he damned if he does damned if he doesn't. His affection towards the children is fawning.

I meant the public fawning over the kids, not him. I have never particularly noticed him interacting with the kids, affectionate or otherwise.

3 kids
2 homes
travels by helicopter between them

A great environmentalist

Basically he is just a bit dim.

TBH I think anyone criticising him for having children is being ridiculous. Producing an heir is pretty much top of the to do list for anyone in line to the throne. Yes, he could have just had one or two kids but they're in a weird position and perhaps he and Kate felt George should have back-up from siblings.

IMO I don't think his recent documentary was very preachy - it was focused on solutions, as the Earthshot prize is.

He may have plans to downscale/modernise the monarchy but he's not the monarch (yet), he's not even next in line.

I suspect he would like nothing more than to trade his helicopter and mansion and security detail for normal life, without the scrutiny

Depends what sort of normal life I'd have thought? Long hours as say an electrician living in a tiny house, perhaps not.

@TheKeatingFive

He doesn't fly in private jets unlike his useless brother and and his narcissistic wife.

Yes he does

To be fair sometimes he doesn't. He just hires a commercial plane to fly his family and security detail about. All 20 of them...

As if that's less environmentally damaging than taking a (much smaller) private jet. People fall for it though, so I suppose you could argue that he understands the general public better than Harry.

I wonder if he's done Rishi Sunak's career online skills quiz?!

It's just suggested I'd make a good funeral director, a cake decorator or an environmental health officer 😂
At least it didn't offer me 'Bingo Caller' or 'Fish Frier' !

William could dream about 'what might have been' if he tried it.... but he's got a job for life of course..

"We're on an absolute precipice." But you still chose to have three children, didn't you Wills? And not just that, but children whose carbon footprints will be many, many, many times as large of those of an average child in a poor African village.

This is true of all children born in the west. I do agree about him though.

I did wince when he was staring wistfully at birds in the nature reserve in Norfolk when we've all seen photos of him blasting other birds to bits with a shot gun.

A bit like when they were trying to pretend how difficult lockdown had been with three boisterous children off school. Maybe they forgot about the Nanny and domestic staff who wait on them hand and foot.

William has only ever known privileged and fawning servants. You can visit as many homeless shelters as you like but it can't teach you the harsh realities of a life you have never known. There are some things he can never understand.

I know he lost his Mum and that is tragic but lots of people have lost a parent without being wrapped in a protective bubble.

I find the all of them annoying tbh, Will, Kate their children and Harry and Megs. The only ones I don’t mind too much are the older ones like Charles and Camilla and the Queen.
David Attenborough is becoming more and more irritating as well.

@dayswithaY

I did wince when he was staring wistfully at birds in the nature reserve in Norfolk when we've all seen photos of him blasting other birds to bits with a shot gun.

A bit like when they were trying to pretend how difficult lockdown had been with three boisterous children off school. Maybe they forgot about the Nanny and domestic staff who wait on them hand and foot.

William has only ever known privileged and fawning servants. You can visit as many homeless shelters as you like but it can't teach you the harsh realities of a life you have never known. There are some things he can never understand.

I know he lost his Mum and that is tragic but lots of people have lost a parent without being wrapped in a protective bubble.

Very true dayswithaY

‘They would do very well to stop being so smug, after all it won't take much to turn the tide of opinion post covid, we are all going to be paying off huge sums of public debt.’

The tide of public opinion won’t turn at all. We could all be on the bones of are arses reduced to having food packages airdropped to us. Nevertheless, as soon as we start getting angry at the government and mega wealthy, their friends in the media will just shout ‘hey look there’s an immigrant, it’s their fault!’ and the mega wealthy can comfortably go back to counting their money knowing most of the British public will turn their guns on the foreigners. Works every time.

I like them as a family. I think he may have a temper...just a vibe

Interesting podcast episodes of “You’re Wrong About“ on Charles and Diana (mainly Andrew Morton and Tina Brown as sources, some other sources too), including his upbringing - alleged that he had an inflated sense of his intellectual abilities - and early speeches, eg environment and vegetarianism!

Some interesting parallels with Wills and Harry’s do-gooding efforts.

I’m a republican and would prefer to slash public subsidies for the Royal Family.

He doesn't bother me, he's nowhere near as bad as Harry

A mansion Lol. He's the future king, so palace? Would you like him to live in a council estate?

Yes.

I like Prince William.

Wills and Kate appear a happy, close and devoted family. He is clearly passionate about conservation.

They are doing a good job of giving their kids a relatively normal life.

A bit smug? He is the smuggiest smug thing in Smugdom. No wonder - he gets to swan about with his unearned wealth and lecture us proles. Living the dream - I'm not surprised he has resting smug face.

He doesn't bother me, he's nowhere near as bad as Harry

I prefer Harry myself

Wills and Kate appear a happy, close and devoted family. He is clearly passionate about conservation.

Until now I didn't realise he was passionate about it at all

I like Prince William too.

I am from his mums generation.
I watched the news as he was born.

He is doing what we expect of of him as 2nd in line to the throne.

What do you want him to do? Smoke fags and hang around
Islington High Street while he leaves his baby mama at home in Kensington Palace with 3 DC's?

How can he be less smug?

I suspect he is only in this position as his father is Prince of Wales.

He could raise sheep in Northants on his the land that surrounds his mothers ancestral estate, but i
am guessing he has the weight of a 1000yr old crown weighing heavily on his conscious.

The boy cannot do right for doing wrong.