Prince William was called petulant and accused of overshadowing his grandfather's thanksgiving memorial service when he released a statement about the Commonwealth after he and his wife, Kate Middleton, returned from their Caribbean tour. Some were concerned that he created unnecessary drama and stole the limelight from what may be Queen Elizabeth II's last public sighting.
Prince William Called Petulant And Accused Of Creating A Row
The Duke of Cambridge allegedly overshadowed his grandfather, Prince Philip's memorial, by creating unnecessary drama. Carole Malone, an English TV presenter, and journalist, made the comment against Prince William after the latter released a statement supporting the Caribbean nations — Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas — that wished to be independent of the monarchy.
For Malone, while Kate Middleton's husband's statement warmed the heart of some royal fans, it was a display of "petulance."
"William has created a row that never needed to happen," Malone said, per The Express reports. "This is his petulance, I think as well, we thought he’d change and become a bit of a grown-up, but he hasn’t."
She continued, "Have we forgotten that tomorrow is Prince Philip’s memorial? It could well be the last public outing that the Queen does. He has now overshadowed what may be her last public appearance with this row that never needed to happen. He didn’t have to say anything, he could have just kept his mouth shut, he could have just thought of his gran instead of going on and responding to criticism of him."
Dan Wootton also said that Prince William's move to address the backlash from the Caribbean tour was unprecedented. The royals usually ignore criticisms due to their mantra.
"Huge risk to publicly disavow the ‘never complain, never explain’ mantra," the GB News host said.
Prince William Issue Overriden When Queen Elizabeth Arrived At Memorial Service With Prince Andrew
The concerns about the Duke of Cambridge overshadowing Prince Philip's memorial service were forgotten on the day itself. What caught the public's attention was Queen Elizabeth II's escort.
Her Majesty arrived at Westminster Abbey with her favorite son, Prince Andrew, as her escort. The 95-year-old royal had a walking stick in one hand, and held her son in her other hand. The Duke of York became front and center at the event because he was the one who assisted the Queen when she made her way inside the chapel.
The sight of Prince Andrew raised several eyebrows because they didn't expect to see the disgraced royal taking the center stage. However, according to royal biographer Robert Jobson, it was the Queen who "insisted" to have her second son as her escort despite the disapproval from senior members of the royal family.
"It does make some sense that he accompany her because he doesn't have a partner," Jobson told People. "A settlement has been paid, but he's guilty of nothing in the eyes of the law. She has faith in Andrew. Even if he disappears from public life, he's been able to pay tribute to his father, who after all, was very proud of his service in the Royal Navy, where he fought in the Falkland Islands conflict."
Stay tuned for more news and update about the royal family.
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