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?

Struggling to understand just what a visit to a Commonwealth country has got to do with anyone in the UK? This tour, as others have said, would have been arranged a long time ago - it's not as though they just dropped in on a whim.
What boring sad little lives you must lead if this is all you have to carp about. The RF cancelling a tour is going to mean stuff all to anyone struggling atm, nor is it going to make a war - any war - go away. I imagine the rest of you are continuing your lives as normal, so why should they (or anyone else for that matter) not do the same.

I think you have to consider it from the POV of the people elsewhere.

I live in a Commomwealth country. Most of the time, we just have the GG who fulfills the role of the crown, which is fine and generally fairly low key. (Though, not without real expense involved.)

But fundamentally the GG represents the monarch, who is not just the head of the Commonwealth to which we happen to belong, but is actually our queen (or king,) our head of state. And the royal family is our royal family. William will one day be out king, and that is totally separate from his role in the UK.

So, yes, of course they should make an appearance here. And frankly after two years of covid people need symbols of the unity of the state that are beyond political shenanigans and conflicts that have been severely exasperated by the whole thing..

[quote HollowedOut]@Prescottdanni123 would they? I can’t think of the last time a royal went on a foreign tour and don’t recall any mention of racism because of that.

If they were actually able to read the room well enough to see that a lot of these commonwealth countries want out they wouldn’t be titting about over there. They’d arrange with the countries for some kind of referendum before turning up in thousand pound outfits, smiling benevolently and achieving the sum total of fuck all while pretending that it’s an actual job.[/quote]
Politicians can say they want out all they like, if they don't do anything about it, it's hot air and people should really ask what other agenda those political figures might have in making statements like that.

Protests are good news fodder but that doesn't mean that there aren't just as many who actually come out to see them.

Visits are coordinated with the countries themselves, they don't just show up.

I agree with a pp - if this is all you have to get angry about then yes how small minded.
This trip will have taken months to plan. To cancel would have been incredibly rude, and would have led to endless headlines (and threads) on ‘workshy Kate’ etc.
also the protests have been very small scale. The photo with the fence looked bad but a crowd came to watch a football match, and Kate said hello. Two minutes later she was out mingling with the crowd.
Honestly they cannot win. Also of course she’s going to wear nice clothes! If she wore high street people would say ‘are the people of the Caribbean not good enough for designer’ etc.
honestly stop trying to find offence. There are SO MANY more things in the world to get offended by!!

They are not poor commoners, so why is it now during leaner times for commoners that this is raised? It does make a difference to the royals they carry on as they have done for over 1000 years

YANBU

Gross on so many levels. And the ‘lower orders’ comment was clearly what the poster believes The Royal Family think of their non white overseas subjects. Sure they don’t mind shaking their hands through the fences but ugh… just imagine if one married one… just how dark would the babies be?!? 😉

It makes for uncomfortable watching, a couple oozing privilege, swanning about deprived communities in thousand pound dresses. What with COVID, climate change, and the Ukrainian war going on, this just feels like a distraction, an irrelevance, ‘look at the shiny shiny’. Someone upstream described them as baubles, and I think that’s perfectly accurate. Bread and circuses, eh?

While they are off swanning around going on about Katie's outfits and her botox/fillers and hair extensions and her hair been straight now there are people worrying about cost of fuel/heating and food and war going on so it does all seems abit over the top. Prince Charles and Camilla on over here in Ireland doing a tour but would not venture outside the front door to see them. Expensive trips and really all seem quite pointless now with what is going on in the world and they are facing a lot of hostility also from some of those countries that were treated truly awful. Not a fan of William at all. I think once the queen is no longer around the royal family will sizzle out as too many scandals. Sad to hear the queen not well as she as lived through so much.

There is a war going on & they are globe trotting, the country is in a financial crisis & think of the environmental issues of all the air travel they are taking. It is in extremely poor taste at this time, we are paying for them to be brought out like trained monkeys in each country they visit when there are people here who are worried sick about food & energy prices & people in Ukraine who are suffering & dying. It would have been better for them to have visited the relief centres in Europe if they have to travel at all.

@Alwaystheplusone

This tour is quite stunning in that it really feels like the beginning of the end for the monarchy. I think that William and Kate can feel it too. The meeting with the Jamaican prime minister was an absolute toe-curler.

I agree with this, I think the royals have no idea what to do about succession.

Tone deaf and out of tune with modern politics.

Time for more countries to follow the lead of Barbados and become republics.

Our Queen is every bit as much the monarch of Belize and Jamaica and their Head of State, as she is of Britain

Except citizens of Belize, Barbados and Jamaica need visas to visit their head of state in her gaff. Not to mention the scandal of Windrush victims being jailed in some cases as HM's government destroyed proof they had the right to stay in the UK I have deep respect for the queen for her public service, but the monarchy is anachronistic, and cannot be based on personal charisma alone, as we've seen with this lot - cyphers.

@FlowerArranger

I don't think William and Kate had any choice regarding the nature of the tour. However, I do wish she'd stop wearing such outrageously expensive clothes. Given how everyone has to tighten their belts, it is entirely inappropriate. There are plenty of labels that offer a choice of stylish dresses of the kind she seems to favour. There is no reason why she shouldn't wear dresses that are not unique.

She is the epitome of bland and wears the dowdiest expensive clothes. Which adds insult to injury.

The money spent on the trip could have been donated to the Ukrainian campaign for one thing. Really?

but shouldn’t this have been postponed given the climate?

It's the Platinum Jubilee tour - so there wasn't that much choice of when.

And I don't think it would be right to just tell the countries that their Head of State visit was off (the Cambridges are formally representing the Queen). How patronising would that be?

It's up to the countries concerned whether they decide to change their head of state. Very condescending to be telling them they're doing it wrong.

Self determination is an important matter.

It's their choice, on their timing. Until they make that choice, then it is right for them to be able to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee with the Royal Tour they are hosting.

So if we got rid of the RF would that make BJ our president? No thanks. It’s a bit ironic talking about privilege when the people actually running our country and taking money from our pockets also had a very big advantage from being born into wealth and status. I’d rather see efforts go into getting more “common people” into the government, where it really matters. At least the RF do a lot for charity.

@Wartywart

Royal tours can do a lot for tourism, to look on the positive side. Belize certainly looks fabulous with the Mayan ruins etc.

Belize is insanely popular with American tourists, I don’t think it is struggling amor particularly needs the approval/publicity from the British RF.

Sorry but going out to an active war zone for a photo opportunity would be crass and cynical and do worse than nothing to help anyone whatsoever. The royals have donated money to Ukraine. It’s been reported.

Unless they speak Ukrainian or Russian, or have medical skills or practical experience in supporting refugees (they don’t) and could actually do a job (which they couldn’t for security and diplomacy reasons), then they would be a massive burden to the aid agencies trying to help people in agonising need and trauma.

And throwing Buckingham palace open to house European refugees when they did not take them from Syria, Afghanistan and the countless wars before those? When the security risks would be so high for the hosts and the refugees? How would that possibly work, or help anyone?

Being a royal may be financially cosseted and in lots of ways ‘luxurious’ but it is a job and looks hideously stressful and boring. It is lacking in any kind of personal choice whatsoever. Royalty really isn’t what it’s imagined to be in the princess movies. It’s not just being really rich and wearing clothes and being loved by everyone. They’re diplomats 24/7 of the most stressful kind. Yes there’s a million times worse situations to be in obviously, but I wouldn’t swop with them if I had the choice. The Commonwealth countries deserve to see a representative of their Head of the Commonwealth just as much as the UK deserves to. They’re just doing their job.

Petrol and food costs will be affecting the places they’re visiting too, as Covid will have done. They’re highlighting local products and how scenic the locations are and the what’s wrong with that.

Apparently William has speeches to make as representative of the Queen where he’ll comment on the historical colonial relationships and presumably slavery so I’m interested to see how that is going to be handled.

I think it's OK but I do wish in general the RF would tone down the ostentatious wealth generally and have thought this from when Diana first starting wearing ridiculously expensive clothes. It's all too tone deaf for my liking.

I'm dreading when Charles becomes King George. He's just been too spineless and weak for me to have any respect for him. He has qualities I admire too but I do not think he will make a good king.

It’s not just the tour, it’s just all a bit odd. Kings and queens and princesses living in big pretty castles wearing tiaras and ball gowns.

Apparently William has speeches to make as representative of the Queen where he’ll comment on the historical colonial relationships and presumably slavery so I’m interested to see how that is going to be handled

Done, and he expressed 'deep sorrow', saying slavery was abhorrent, "should never have happened" and "forever stains our history".

People do appreciate the outfits aren’t just a Duchess playing dress up right, they’re a showcase for British fashion and design around the world. You know, to increase business and support the economy.

Better than them saying sorry commonwealth we don't actually care about you right now. I disagree with the whole thing anyway but now seems a good a time as any.

Why are you a ‘huge royalist’

The reasons likely to be behind your discomfort with royal visits apply to many other, bigger aspects of the institution.

For example: the Queen being head of state for countries - direct continuation of imperialism. ‘Honours’ referring to the ‘British Empire’.

And what is the ‘important role’ royal visits play?