Duke & Duchess Of Cambridge tour … is it just me?

[PodgePie]

I am a huge royalist (obviously not Andrew but definitely William and Kate). However, I am struggling with their current tour, in a time of war, of crippling price rises and also Covid, it seems tasteless to be parading around in the sunshine in a stream of hugely expensive outfits, each one more luxurious than the next. I understand why international tours take place - and agree they have an important role - but shouldn’t this have been postponed given the climate?

Very good piece from Lisa Hanna.

The woman that reached out was 'not just anyone'. It was the Minister for Culture who she had met and who was trying to guide her towards a position for a photo.

@AnastasiaRomanov please don't even try to use covid for this. I have seen multiple photos of K&W even on this tour of them sitting close to and touching other people - if covid was that much of a concern they would either be wearing masks everywhere or not travelling in first place

Are we not in danger of getting things arse about face?
Jamaica INVITED them It was not their decision to go and lord it over them.
The itinerary was planned and agreed by both sides months ago, right down to the comfort breaks.
All kinds of discussions have taken place about events in the future.
Costs are planned to fall within their annual allowances.
Nobody has done anything on a whim.

Is it true that the host country pays for the clothing expenses etc? I'm sure I read that somewhere.

Did the royal family make "massive wealth" from slavery?

Royal African Company for a start - set up by James II before he was king - shipped slaves from Africa to S.America and English colonies.

It wasn’t just private individuals who profited from slavery, the government, industries and public infrastructure did too. Until its abolition, the slave trade was protected by the royal family as well as the government.

The whatabouttery isn't misplaced, but this tour will have been planned for years.

What is tone deaf about it is the blinkers wrt growing republicanism in the former Caribbean colonies, helped enormously by the Windrush debacle and the fact that people from Caribbean commonwealth countries have to apply for visas to visit the so called 'mother country'. They know when they're not wanted.

The tour is pretty cringe worthy in that context.

@BadgerB it’s a very good question, probably hard to answer with a hard numeric figure, I think the short answer is the royal family did gain a lot of wealth through slavery. And if you consider the wider British aristocratic system, which the royal family presided over and benefited from, it seems likely you could also track much of their wealth and the general current wealth of the state back to the time of industrial slavery too. The Guardian has a very brief overview of the basics here: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/23/british-royal-family-monarchy-historical-links-to-slavery

Of course the poorer people in Britain at the time we’re less likely to be benefiting quite so much from this industry and were probably horrifically exploited themselves (eg. Chimney sweeps) by the many of the same people. Though of course they certainly didn’t endure brutality and exploitation on the same level and scale as enslaved peoples.

And cash for honours has always been a thing. And where would a proportion of cash come from pre-abolition?

@TheKeatingFive

The idea that the people of Jamaica would take offence if Kate toned down the designer labels is ... quite something really 😆

Why? I'm sure the Jamaican women were dressed in their best clothes. How bloody patronising.

I'm sure the Jamaican women were dressed in their best clothes.

I have no idea what relevance that comment has. I'm talking about Kates clothes. And the notion that the Jamaican public (or indeed anyone) would 'take offence' if she spends less than five figures on a frock.

@CruCru

Kate has a really hard job. She must look glorious and never say anything stupid. If she wears something expensive she’s profligate. If she wears something from the high street it shows her commoner roots.

I suspect that if she wore cheaper clothes to visit a country like Jamaica, people there may take offence. I’m sure her clothes are expensive but it isn’t as though she only wears them once. Even if she wore cheaper clothes, the actual cost would be a lot more than the hanger price - her clothes are adjusted for her and weights are sewn into the hem of her skirts.

The tour is a bit old fashioned. Presumably it was arranged quite a long time ago.

Really? You think Jamaican people would be offended if Kate wore a £500 dress instead of a £2000 one? Why?

The underlying fact - that it is Jamaica who has to initiate the (independence) process - remains
They have been talking without action for at least a decade

However inconvenient that's very true - and after all the RF are hardly going to refuse independence and send a gunboat

As said, I'd much rather the RF's roles didn't exist at all and that therefore they wouldn't be there, but interestingly I've still seen nobody explain why Jamaica would invite W&K at all if so many really were against the visit

Does anyone think that Kate actually pays for her clothes?

Like an A-list celeb, she will surely have access to any and every designer who will be falling over themselves to supply her with outfits for free on the basis that her photo will be splashed all over the magazines, newspapers and social media world wide - an endorsement that money can't buy.

I don’t think they are allowed to accept free clothes for the reason that designers would use the royals for free advertising. I think Charles gives William money for this purpose.

Meanwhile, the future King and his second wife Camilla are visiting Ireland and having a whale of a time.

Ireland had a raw deal from Britain for 800 years, but all are welcome to visit and enjoy, it seems.

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60863313

This tour is quite stunning in that it really feels like the beginning of the end for the monarchy.

Fingers crossed!

[quote Myee]Meanwhile, the future King and his second wife Camilla are visiting Ireland and having a whale of a time.

Ireland had a raw deal from Britain for 800 years, but all are welcome to visit and enjoy, it seems.

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60863313[/quote]
You think the English should be banned

@SleepingStandingUp

Of course not, Ireland is a very welcoming country. Taking in thousands of Ukrainians as we speak. No chance of Her Maj allowing any peasants on her land and in her castles though.

Do you think the RF and the Ukrainians should be banned from Ireland?

Myee, where do you get the information about 'no chance' they were going to do this? They seem to be working on something involving Balmoral and Dumfries house.

www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/prince-charles-planning-take-ukrainian-26512655

@ToMockAKillingBird

Is it true that the host country pays for the clothing expenses etc? I'm sure I read that somewhere.

You're wrong.

@Havanananana

Does anyone think that Kate actually pays for her clothes?

Like an A-list celeb, she will surely have access to any and every designer who will be falling over themselves to supply her with outfits for free on the basis that her photo will be splashed all over the magazines, newspapers and social media world wide - an endorsement that money can't buy.

The Royal Family are not allowed to accept freebies!

[quote Myee]Meanwhile, the future King and his second wife Camilla are visiting Ireland and having a whale of a time.

Ireland had a raw deal from Britain for 800 years, but all are welcome to visit and enjoy, it seems.

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60863313[/quote]
They didn’t actually sell them as slaves though.

And to be fair they’ve already got their republic.