Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Current Events 7: September 2016-September 2022

[Betsypaige]

Those documentaries recently aired on PBS. Very informative and entertaining. I posted about them on the thread Royal Transport: Land, Sea and Air in Royal Life and Lifestyle.

"The Secrets of Royal Travel" highlight the history of the British Royal Train used by the British Monarchy going back to Queen Victoria until now. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
https://video.wkar.org/video/episode-2-secrets-of-the-royal-flight-0hh9fb/

Ooh, there’s a thread for that? I have to check it out!

Yes, I really enjoy all Royal docs - and these were fun (I miss being able to travel, sigh). It’s funny how the Royal Train is more like comfy home than luxury palace, but understandable given how much time the “Principal” (usually HM) spends/spent on them. Naturally, Philip wasn’t a fan and made his objections known, lol.

Lucy Worsley is the best when it comes to Royal history - I love her !

 

[Betsypaige]

I like the art work by "doodle boy" Joe Whale to mark the mini Pre Christmas Tour.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55198752

That’s amazing...and he’s only 10!

 

[Alison H]

I would sincerely hope that they'll visit Tier 3 areas (and Level 3/4 areas in Scotland). This is where a boost to morale is most needed, and also where key workers have been under the most strain.

I'm sure they will. They'll understand that, even though the politicians don't care. Otherwise, it'd be rather like William's great-grandparents ignoring the bomb-devastated East End and going to visit a remote area which the Blitz hadn't touched.

 

[muriel]

Where I am there is a spiking and people are encouraged to stay indoors more. Some hospital staff are going on strike and retired medical people are urged to come and pitch in. There are still risks. And questions about the effectiveness of the vaccine. Have the tour but wait until there is no danger.

The infection rates vary depending on where you are, as do government restrictions. Thankfully, things in the UK are very different from parts of the US. The tour is fully compliant with local restrictions, so there really is no reason it shouldn't go ahead.

I am not so sure about this opinion being in the majority at this point. There are elderly people who would probably enjoy seeing this but would have to stay in due to COVID. It's not about the Cambridges or the royals. Donald Trump here in the US was widely criticized for his large rallies during COVID. And it would be a true celebration if all could participate without fear of COVID.

This is not a general tour across the UK meant to attract the masses. It is a tour targetted at frontline and support workers. There will be no mass meet and greet or walkabouts. The elderly, like everyone else, will just have to watch online.

 

[tommy100]

Maybe we need to stop thinking of a tour like the ones we saw the Queen undertake for her Golden Jubilee where it was publicised in advance and huge crowds encouraged. W&K are travelling to few key places around the country to meet and thank people for their hard work during the first few months of the Covid pandemic, rather than returning each night by helicopter of aeroplane they are using the royal train so they can stay on it inbetween. I don't see the fuss to be honest, many members of the RF have been working and making visits in the last few months without issue so why assume there will be huge issues now?

 

[Heavs]

The only thing different from things like their visit to Wales in August and other places before the 2nd lock down. The royal train is probably also cheaper and more practical than a helicopter.

I'm surprised there wasn't a visit this afternoon, weren't they supposed to start today?

 

[TLLK]

This is not a general tour across the UK meant to attract the masses. It is a tour targetted at frontline and support workers. There will be no mass meet and greet or walkabouts. The elderly, like everyone else, will just have to watch online.

Thank you for pointing this out. I have to admit that I am surprised that people are under the impression that the visits along the route will be comparable to a large scale political rally or one of the past Jubilee tours.

 

[Lady Daly]

Thank you for sharing the link and I also enjoyed the episode on the Royal Train. Fascinating to hear from those who have worked on it during their careers. I was most impressed with the driver who demonstrated how to park the train at the red carpet!

I'm glad you enjoyed the series. I accidentally posted the Royal Flight documentary instead of the train documentary on this Cambridge thread. I've updated it now ?
https://video.wkar.org/video/episode-1-secrets-of-the-royal-train-2udkam/

 

[evolvingdoors]

The only thing different from things like their visit to Wales in August and other places before the 2nd lock down. The royal train is probably also cheaper and more practical than a helicopter.

I'm surprised there wasn't a visit this afternoon, weren't they supposed to start today?

My understanding is it is also better for the environment. I read online today that Charles had the train converted several years ago to work on used oil vs whatever it was before (coals or petrol I assume?)

 

[Lady Daly]

Ooh, there’s a thread for that? I have to check it out!

Yes, I really enjoy all Royal docs - and these were fun (I miss being able to travel, sigh). It’s funny how the Royal Train is more like comfy home than luxury palace, but understandable given how much time the “Principal” (usually HM) spends/spent on them. Naturally, Philip wasn’t a fan and made his objections known, lol.

Lucy Worsley is the best when it comes to Royal history - I love her !

Yes, Lucy Worsley cannot be beat. PBS - Public Broadcast in the US carries her specials. FYI, I posted the Royal Flight documentary instead of the Royal Train documentary on my post, I've updated. https://video.wkar.org/video/episode-1-secrets-of-the-royal-train-2udkam/

 

[carlota]

a great idea to go on tour and thank the COVID workers! can't wait to see the pictures.

 

[Erin9]

This sounds like a wonderful idea. I like that they’re using the royal train.

 

[Betsypaige]

Yes, Lucy Worsley cannot be beat. PBS - Public Broadcast in the US carries her specials. FYI, I posted the Royal Flight documentary instead of the Royal Train documentary on my post, I've updated. https://video.wkar.org/video/episode-1-secrets-of-the-royal-train-2udkam/

I watch them religiously !

 

[Alisa]

As a health care worker (a registered nurse), I would tell them to say their thanks after all this have blown over.

They can help health care workers by staying put, avoiding all unnecessary travel (like this tour)and maintaining all the necessary Covid-19 precautions.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

As a health care worker (a registered nurse), I would tell them to say their thanks after all this have blown over.

They can help health care workers by staying put, avoiding all unnecessary travel (like this tour)and maintaining all the necessary Covid-19 precautions.

I agree with this. It shouldn't be one rule for us and one rule for them - if I'm forbidden from a trip to the town nextdoor to me which is in tier 3 and I'm in tier 2, it should be the same for the Cambridges.

Royals are still humans and as we have seen from Charles and William himself, aren't exempt from catching Coronavirus, or indeed spreading it to other people.

 

[Heavs]

I agree with this. It shouldn't be one rule for us and one rule for them - if I'm forbidden from a trip to the town nextdoor to me which is in tier 3 and I'm in tier 2, it should be the same for the Cambridges.

Royals are still humans and as we have seen from Charles and William himself, aren't exempt from catching Coronavirus, or indeed spreading it to other people.

But it's not necessarily one rule for them and another for us. They're travelling for work (which is allowed, even out of area) as long as they follow the rules of the higher tier should they go to one and keep following those rules when they drop back down a tier. The probably won't be stopping overnight in a tier 3 area.

I think there are questions about why it has to be done now and not in a few weeks once the vaccine has been rolled out a bit but it's not like they're going there for pleasure or some of the dumb stuff people have been doing even in tier 3 or taking the kids on Christmas shopping jaunt. I'm assuming the visits will only be to organisations that actually want them there to say thanks and provide publicity.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

But it's not necessarily one rule for them and another for us. They're travelling for work (which is allowed, even out of area) as long as they follow the rules of the higher tier should they go to one and keep following those rules when they drop back down a tier. The probably won't be stopping overnight in a tier 3 area.

I think there are questions about why it has to be done now and not in a few weeks once the vaccine has been rolled out a bit but it's not like they're going there for pleasure or some of the dumb stuff people have been doing even in tier 3 or taking the kids on Christmas shopping jaunt. I'm assuming the visits will only be to organisations that actually want them there to say thanks and provide publicity.

See, this is where I think work travel should be banned too. Things are pretty bad here at the moment. Unless it is absolutely necessary I believe nobody should travel out of their borough/district until things have died down. I saw 3 ambulances with COVID patients drive through my road in the space of 5 minutes last week.

My mother's office are mostly working from home. Many other workplaces are adapting to working from home here unless they can't, such as schools. Of course, these decisions are not in the Cambridge's control, but nevertheless it does not look in a good light (particularly when they travelled to the Scilly Islands in October when travelling was discouraged) to be touring the country when we're at the height of the pandemic.

 

[tommy100]

I think a lot of this is about perception - I think things are getting better in the UK tbh. Some areas are in the highest tier but some like where I live have done that and come out the other side.

I don't remember them travelling when it was not allowed in Oct, I know I travelled within the UK back in the half term holidays and don't remember it being against the rules especially sticking within your bubble in your own self-catering accommodation etc.

Let's see how it works out and how it is managed before assuming this is going to be a some sort of super-spreader style political rally.

 

[TLLK]

Early photos of the couple at the train station.


[QUOTEThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have just left London Euston on the Royal Train on a three-day tour of the country to celebrate the best of Britain in the coronavirus pandemic.][/QUOTE]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1335710218509033472

 

[Heavs]

Travel was allowed during half term, although many did cancel their holidays.

https://publichealthmatters.blog.go...vel-aware-and-enjoy-october-half-term-safely/

I think the "tour" will mostly end up being photos of very socially distanced visits, outside where at all possible of various worthy and possibly overlooked people and organisations which look pretty much like any other engagement they've carried out starting in July until the 2nd national lockdown. The only difference is that they're on the train and not going back to Kensington or London overnight.

I get why many are sceptical and don't think any travel should be allowed. I did a double take when I saw the headline yesterday. "Tour" automatically brings up a lot of images (at least it does for me) that are *very* out of place for a pandemic and I don't think it's like that. But we'll see tomorrow I imagine.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

I think a lot of this is about perception - I think things are getting better in the UK tbh. Some areas are in the highest tier but some like where I live have done that and come out the other side.

I don't remember them travelling when it was not allowed in Oct, I know I travelled within the UK back in the half term holidays and don't remember it being against the rules especially sticking within your bubble in your own self-catering accommodation etc.

Let's see how it works out and how it is managed before assuming this is going to be a some sort of super-spreader style political rally.

My town is one of the London COVID hotspots, so things are bad here and we are at the height of our pandemic. I know elsewhere in the country you get the opposite picture though - I have friends further in the Kent countryside and they have said you wouldn't think there was a pandemic.

My perspective of things is probably warped compared to other Brits here, because we are so bad here. Despite being in tier 2 - the tiers don't always match the coronavirus rates of the area!

 

[TLLK]

My town is one of the London COVID hotspots, so things are bad here and we are at the height of our pandemic. I know elsewhere in the country you get the opposite picture though - I have friends further in the Kent countryside and they have said you wouldn't think there was a pandemic.

My perspective of things is probably warped compared to other Brits here, because we are so bad here. Despite being in tier 2 - the tiers don't always match the coronavirus rates of the area!

And completely understandable Hereditary Princess as I too live in a large metropolitan area (Los Angeles Co.). Considering that this three day journey would require the coordination of national and municipal governments as well as the NHS, I believe that we'll see the Cambridges' schedule taking all of the necessary information into consideration to limit possible infection.

 

[yukari]

Talking about twitter, George Freeman (a Tory MP, ex-Minister of State at the Department for Transport) drops this tweet about this tour:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1335519823799922688

As the inevitable TwitterTroll Anti-Royal attack on #RoyalTrainTour comes:

Mountain railway Rail is by far the greenest mode of transport
Mountain railway We need a culture shift to promote rail travel as the high-status alternative to jets
Mountain railway Rail links are key to the UKFlag of United Kingdom

First the Crown and then this. I don't know that politicians are into royal watching as well ....

I wonder, if this tour is at the request of the government (as most of the royal tours were/are, and considering this tour seems to have no relation to the Cambridges' current projects), could they say something like "Sorry, but no. We won't do this. We'll definitely get backlash for this trip. What about say, we give example 'to stay at home during pandemic'?"

 

[AC21091968]

Talking about twitter, George Freeman (a Tory MP, ex-Minister of State at the Department for Transport) drops this tweet about this tour:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1335519823799922688

First the Crown and then this. I don't know that politicians are into royal watching as well ....

I wonder, if this tour is at the request of the government (as most of the royal tours were/are, and considering this tour seems to have no relation to the Cambridges' current projects), could they say something like "Sorry, but no. We won't do this. We'll definitely get backlash for this trip. What about say, we give example 'to stay at home during pandemic'?"

For the BIB, Conservative politicians are generally staunch monarchist or even royalist and usually defends the Royal Family (or sit on their side). I could not even think of any republican/anti-monarchist MPs in the Conservative Party. On their social media accounts, they even wish happy birthday to prominent senior working royals (as well as George, Charlotte & Louis) and wedding anniversary to The Queen & Prince Philip.

I agree with you that there could be a possibility that this tour is requested by the government. I think William did have a virtual conference (Zoom) with a business owner in Manchester. And I also think Catherine (or other members of the Royal Family) also talked to the nurses and medical staffs virtually. Overall, I think there is a slight relation to the Cambridge's project, but perhaps less obvious.

In terms of lockdown/tier systems, there has been multiple robust debates (for v.s. against) in Parliament especially within the Conservative Party or those with right-leaning views. Of course, different regions of UK have differing response/attitude towards COVID-19. The Telegraph, The Spectator, The Express and possibly Daily Mail & The Sun are pretty much against further lockdowns and the tier systems.

 

[muriel]

See, this is where I think work travel should be banned too. Things are pretty bad here at the moment. Unless it is absolutely necessary I believe nobody should travel out of their borough/district until things have died down. I saw 3 ambulances with COVID patients drive through my road in the space of 5 minutes last week.

We are not at the stage where travel is banned in the country, government guidelines on the matter are clear. People are travelling as and where they need to, just taking the sensible precautions along the way. In Tier2 & 3 (which is the vast majority fo the country), there are restrictions on mixing in domestic settings, but offices are open, public transportation is open, and, life goes on. The tour has been planned in keeping with the government guidelines, so I think we will be fine.

Let's see how it works out and how it is managed before assuming this is going to be a some sort of super-spreader style political rally.

Well said! I fear a lot of us are pretty scarred by some of the events in the US in recent months to be quite cautious about these things now.

 

[Alison H]

My perspective of things is probably warped compared to other Brits here, because we are so bad here. Despite being in tier 2 - the tiers don't always match the coronavirus rates of the area!

That is certainly true, and it's causing a lot of bad feeling! I gather that Stratford-on-Avon is threatening to take legal action.

Infection rates here in Greater Manchester are falling rapidly, thankfully. However, we have been under additional restrictions since the end of July, longer than any other part of the country. Businesses here are suffering badly. Eating places are now forbidden to open at all except to offer takeaways. I went to a favourite independent café for a takeaway yesterday and the distressed owner apologised for having only a small selection to offer me - they cannot serve much fresh stuff as it goes off quickly and they're now selling so little in a day, and they've had to run down their stock of frozen stuff as they can no longer afford the electricity to run all the freezers. Yet they only get the same financial support as businesses in Tier 1, which are trading almost as normal.

People cannot see loved ones in other parts of the country. It's only in the last few days that people have been able to visit relatives in care homes.

A visit from William and Kate, even if we couldn't actually see them in person, would be a big morale booster. OK, not for some people, but certainly for others. Without wanting to get political, people feel badly let down by politicians of all parties, who don't seem to care a jot about the North and Midlands. If we could see that the Royal Family do care, it would mean a lot.

 

[Heavs]

I agree with you that there could be a possibility that this tour is requested by the government. I think William did have a virtual conference (Zoom) with a business owner in Manchester. And I also think Catherine (or other members of the Royal Family) also talked to the nurses and medical staffs virtually. Overall, I think there is a slight relation to the Cambridge's project, but perhaps less obvious.

In terms of lockdown/tier systems, there has been multiple robust debates (for v.s. against) in Parliament especially within the Conservative Party or those with right-leaning views. Of course, different regions of UK have differing response/attitude towards COVID-19. The Telegraph, The Spectator, The Express and possibly Daily Mail & The Sun are pretty much against further lockdowns and the tier systems.

The Cambridges and other BRF members have done a lot of Zoom visits with keyworkers and other frontline staff. This is just the in person version.

I don't know who's idea it was but I doubt it is supposed to be some sort of "wag the dog" political attempt as people are capable of reading about more than one news item.

They and the rest of the BRF were doing in person visits from July to November I don't think this is very different and as far as we know everything went smoothly. I do understand people's concerns but I've also seen people react (elsewhere) like they're going on a boozy Christmas train party that ends in an orgy in a Scottish castle and not visiting various probably under publicised provincial towns and cities to officially thank and acknowledge people and organisations.

 

[eya]

"Thank you to transport workers everywhere for keeping the country moving throughout this difficult year.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

William & Catherine"


https://www.instagram.com/p/CIfZ-polM_l/


They arrive in Edinburgh


https://www.instagram.com/p/CIffQjFHgmz/

https://twitter.com/x/status/1335878972517871618

https://twitter.com/x/status/1335881486931726336

 

[An Ard Ri]

The Duke and Duchess leaving London's Euston station on Sunday evening

 

[iceflower]

Here are two galleries and a pictured article about today, December 7:


** gettyimages gallery ** rex gallery **


** dm: Royals arrive in Edinburgh: Prince William and Kate Middleton are greeted by bagpipes as they step off train in Scottish capital ..**