Charity Engagement Yesterday

[AshTreesEverywhere]

The Royal Family attend public engagements that are jollies such as Film Premiers and Wold Cup Finals. But yesterday William and Kate visited a Food Bank. So what did this work involve?

William and Kate travelled 10-15 minutes to the Windsor Foodshare, a food bank. They played around with a shopping cart and cracked “jokes” about who was being more useful (neither). They met with some of the food bank workers and barely spent an hour on this photo-op.

That is one of their average 150 engagements a year.

When has anything they do remained private ?

They push every phone call for gods sake

😂

They could have very well donated a truck full of donations on the condition it remained private.

That's just your imagination. Proof or it never happened.

How’s anyone going to get proof of an anonymous donation? It’s unprovable by definition, that’s the whole point.

That's kind of my point. Saying they 'probably donated anonymously' is completely pointless. If they did donate, they should announce it, as part of their cause, otherwise it never happened. We can see they didn't donate.

One of the current working royals visited a charity shop as the charities patron during the time where mask wearing was in place and did a full shift getting fully stuck in. They enjoyed it in particular as they were wearing a mask and no-one recognised them.

You can’t see a negative. Just like you can’t prove one. Why is an anonymous donation pointless? I’m sure the recipients of an anonymous donation don’t think it is.

And if they had made a donation that would have been wrong as well, I can imagine posters on here saying how patronising, “let them eat cake” . Nothing Kate and William do will keep the usual crowd happy on here.

You don't understand. I'm not saying anon donations are pointless. I'm saying that posters on here speculating that they donated anonymously is what is pointless. Because it's just guesswork, ie making something up to try to defend them. It doesn't wash.

If W&K were smart they would have donated food publicly, it would have been a great photo opportunity for the food bank and would have done so much more to highlight the need for donating. and it would have made them look good too, rather than just turning up to pose for pics for a few minutes. And it would have looked even better/more generous if they'd given some of their own Duchy products away for free, rather than cheap or generic stuff. But I digress.

Maybe some would. I wouldn't. Like Charles's fridges, I've posted more than once that that was a good thing to do.

So why would I say... how dare they donate. It looks far worse to come empty handed than to arrive with some boxes of donated food.

@Bugeyedowl

But suggesting that they didn't donate anonymously is also guesswork. As I way to attack them and try to make them look bad. It works both ways.

At least they didn't take anything away with them

Headline:
Kate Nicks Tomato Soup

Crass

The difference being these paper pushers aren't funded to the tune of 350 000 000 a year

Who gets £350m per year? Sovereign grant is £86M.

I'll take the 86 million... where do I sign?

This visit clearly backfired on them. When you've got Richard Palmer of the Royal Rota going on twitter to defend them, then there's an issue here. Personally my opinion is that just turning up for an hour with no follow through on their social media with details of the food bank and how to donate is a missed opportunity. The optics of arriving empty handed and Kate not even taking her coat off are not good.

For the Royal Family to be relevant they need to look at a new working model. I know this isn't about Harry and Meghan, but Kate and William could certainly be well advised to follow their more approachable and hands-on way of doing things.

Our country is suffering and Kate and William need to change their approach and provide meaningful interaction and help in order to consolidate their position. Odd that King Charles has more of a handle on it than they do.

Not that my opinion changes things, but I've long felt William and Kate are disengaged and just going through the motions.

Totally agree @DaphneduM

I do feel a bit sorry for them in that the more they try, the worse they come across. I just wish they could be a bit more natural but it seems that protocol is God and Kate, for instance, is so busy trying not to do the wrong thing that she just comes across as a bit robotic and not very natural. She looked so smart to be visiting a foodbank... she just rocks jeans and boots and I am just not sure why she couldn't have dressed down.

(Cue Royalists saying we would be criticising her for not dressing up. Nope. It just puts people more at ease in my opinion)

Give over. Every time you mention that figure someone puts you straight. It’s almost as if you think you say it often enough it will be true.

Richard Palmer's tweet

'So I’m not quite clear why there has been so much bile directed at William and Kate online. It’s almost as if it’s coordinated by “fans” of the Sussexes or other cyber warrior groups.'

He's not wrong, is he. It doesn't matter what they do, they can't do right. If they'd taken donations it would have been 'look at Lord and Lady Bountiful', if they'd publicised how to make donations it would have been 'they shouldn't be political'.

Kate tries to do the right thing and she's robotic and unnatural - she's obviously very conscious that every tiny thing she says, every move she makes is going to be ripped apart.

She didn't wear jeans so she's too smart. Sorry, Roussette but many would have criticised if she'd worn jeans, it would have been 'she can't even be bothered to look smart' (they had another engagement straight after so she probably tried to dress as suitably as possible for both).

People who have met them say how friendly, natural, engaged and informed they are, but I guess if you're agin them you're agin them and nowt's going to change.

Just pick, pick, pick all the time.

@Coxspurplepippin

I knew it! It's just my opinion. She doesn't have to look like a fashion model every single place she goes. When she does sporting stuff she dresses down and looks fab! If anyone criticised her for turning up at a foodbank with donations, to help for a few hours, wearing jeans... they need to give their head a wobble!

Giving to a foodbank and telling people how to donate, to me, is not political. Others might disagree.

I just don't think it's working for them at the moment, that's all. You call it pick pick pick, I call it constructive criticism! And I know I'm not the only one to think like this! As I said in my post before, I do have sympathy in that they can't do wrong for doing right, I know that.

I've said it a million times on here... the RF will be around for many decades to come, I just think they need to modernise, change the way they do things, and I had high hopes that would happen with Charles. Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen.

Hmmmm thinking about it.... I think the phrase should be 'they can't do right for doing wrong'
Not what I said!

If the late Queen had visited the foodbank, would she have gone wearing a jumper and trousers? No she would have worn the full rigout.
Kate wasn't dressed like a 'fashion model. She was wearing a pretty unremarkable outfit. Some of you sound like Hilary Mantel or Nina Myskow

I wonder who William and Kate have to advise them? Or if they ignore the advice given? Because they keep making mistakes.
I think Charles is much worse as an individual, but gets this stuff right more often.