William and women's football

[Nono22972]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12413893/amp/Prince-William-not-attend-World-Cup-final-watch-Englands-Lionesses-face-against-Spain.html

One again, William's neglecting women's football. The Lionesses made history. It is the first time that the English team (male or female) reached the World Cup final since 1966. We all know that if the men had reached the final, he would've been there and probably would've brought George with him.

Queen Letizia and her daughter Sofia will be attending. What's William's excuse? You are président of the Football Association.

This is really disappointing but I'm not really surprised. The young generation of royals are such a joke compared to previous generations. Yes, the Queen’s children had their controversies but when it comes to royal work, they always got the job done.

I know it's moot since the tournament is over but the protocol excuses trotted out were hilarious.

Royals can't go to to a country before Charles officially visits it as King.
But he went to the USA last December.
No not the USA, a commonwealth country!
But Anne visited Canada and NZ earlier this year.
Well she's not the heir, the protocol only applies to the heir!

The thing about "Protocol" is that it is trotted out by Royal fans to embiggen those they support ... and to slam those they do not.

It's a very hand weapon, that Protocol!!

@Roussette @MrsMaxDeWinter the jet lag is my second favourite.

My favourite was that William couldn’t be at the football because he’d be supporting the British team, and therefore Australians would boo him because Australians are really bad sports.

(Because, you know, the British footie fans have never booed anyone)

Harry did not inadvertently do anything. He absolutely intended to spill everything in his book and documentary, for what are quite obvious reasons.

I know you don’t want this to be true, but how do you know it’s not true? Just curious.

(I don’t know it’s true either, for the record, but I have good friends who are diplomats and the amount of behind the scenes protocol is pretty high, and that’s not at the Head of State level…).

Sure he wanted to do it whilst also getting annoyed the media focus on him so much

He thinks it’s a battle but the media don’t care, it’s just more content to sell

**I know you don’t want this to be true, but how do you know it’s not true? Just curious.

(I don’t know it’s true either, for the record, but I have good friends who are diplomats and the amount of behind the scenes protocol is pretty high, and that’s not at the Head of State level…).*

I'm sorry but I struggle to believe that all the posters on here who came out with those excuses are privy to high levels of protocol.

Though my godfather was once an ambassador so perhaps I should ask him...

You can believe what you want of course AnnunciataZ. But that’s not answering the question, is it?

There are rules of protocol about all sorts of things, and while some have been relaxed, some are very much still in use. At QEII’s funeral and Charles’ coronation, for example, the seating plan in the Abbey was entirely dictated by diplomatic protocol, meaning Joe Biden at the funeral, and Jill Biden at the Coronation, were seated in the back row of the group of seats opposite the Royal Family members. That was said to be a snub by some in the US - including Donald Trump!

But despite the fact it was pretty foreseeable that a large section of the international audience would not understand the reason why and get annoyed, they stuck to the seating protocol. That was the foreign Kings and Queens first (in order of longevity), then heirs to the throne, then representatives of those countries where Charles is Head of State, then Commonwealth Countries, then the rest fo the world in alphabetical order. So the United States of America is in the back row…

The same was true of the recent Jordanian wedding, which various people elsewhere in the internet said showed that William and Kate weren’t that important as they were way back in the crowd. And that’s true, they are not, when the crowd contains several Kings and Queens - they will be seated behind all of them.

Of course there's protocol at state events like royal weddings and funerals! I never said there wasn't. I just don't believe the excuses trotted out on here for William not attending the football match, mainly because of the way the goalposts (no pun intended) kept moving.

But you don’t know it’s not true though, as I said.

Okay well I will defer to your superior knowledge of copying and pasting from Wikipedia protocol then...

Protocol applies when it suits the RF.

When it doesn't, it's cut through.
That's it really.

'On the bright side, we got to see a happy Queen Letty and Infanta Sofia, celebrating a glorious win with joyful exuberance. It was lovely to see members of a Royal family being warm and spontaneous, something that no-one can accuse HRH of being. So on the whole, it is, perhaps a good thing that HRH had all those excuses not to attend!'

What nasty, spiteful and rather desperate comments. There is plenty of footage of W being 'warm and spontaneous'. As a pp said did you actually see him at the Euros or infact any other sporting event?

I could not give a rat's ass that he didn't travel to Australia to watch a football match.

As a aside I do wish we would stop wirh the infantalising 'Lionesses' crap and call them the England Women's Football Team.

Love the snide comment! Actually I typed that all from my own brain. Do I get a gold star, Miss? 🤣🤣

William does often look uncomfortable in front of the camera. There are some photos where he has relaxed for a bit, but he doesn't appear to like being in front of the cameras

@Serenster

I have good friends who are diplomats and the amount of behind the scenes protocol is pretty high, and that’s not at the Head of State level…

I am happy to accept that you have good friends who are diplomats if you are also willing to accept that I too have good good friends who are diplomats, and they have assured me that half the Protocol stuff trotted out by Royal fans on Mumsnet, and sycophants in the Royal Rota, is made-up bullshit.

As a aside I do wish we would stop wirh the infantalising 'Lionesses' crap and call them the England Women's Football Team.

The 'we' is the media. That's what they call them everywhere.
As an aside... is 'the Matildas' also infantalising too?
It's just nicknames after all.

@Serenster lots of protocol was broken at the coronation. They kept the bits they wanted to keep and got rid of those they did not want to.

Exactly. It's not rocket science is it.

@Ivyusername

I've said more than once on here. What is wrong with commercial?

Yep 'Matildas' is equally as infantalising.

They may be 'nicknames' but they are silly nicknames in what is supposed to be a professional sport.

But we have it with the Rugby coming up (yay, can't wait!)

All Blacks, Wallabies, Springboks, Les Bleus... even the Japan team is called the Brave Blossoms!

It's a sport thing isn't it....

It’s also a very Australian (and New Zealand) sports thing - the Diamonds, the Opals, the Silver Ferns, the Black Caps, the Kangaroos - these teams are proud to be known by these names.

For those saying Willy doesn’t care about bad press - see the string of increasingly ridiculous excuses that have been offered . See also the bot farms deployed - very obviously too .

For those who thing the ‘royals’ are above such things - remember the many photos of Camilla laughing it up with Clarkson and Morgan
Willy, Charles each has their own ‘team’ - usually ex tabloid / PR . Clearly they brief against each other , they seem to hate each other ( Willy making a point of reading his ( hilarious) one sentence pledge through gritted teeth and no eye contact at the con a nation) Yeah really above it all

The real issue is the ‘royals’ are stuck, predictably, in the past .
They must know only gammons are influenced by tabloids these days

But how to influence the young ? Hey let’s stage me flinging burgers but on a closed set - can’t risk a boo or a real encounter …

He shouldn’t be president of an organisation that he repeatedly can’t seem to represent . He can’t risk the boos and they will happen everywhere .