Duke and Duchess of Cambridge: Official Visit to Pakistan - October 14-18, 2019


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Considering how 'complex' this tour was it would have been nice for the Cambridges to address important issues like this one (especially since it was a topic that Diana spoke on a lot). Instead of taking 4 helicopters to a remote glacier to warn us about climate change. Or the constant talk about how they were dressed.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/worl...dren-test-positive-for-hiv/ar-AAJnrSK?ocid=st

The point of the tour was to foster good will, not create a diplomatic incident.
It wasn't their place to speak about something like this, important though it is.
It would probably have been regarded as an insult by the government.
 
The point of the tour was to foster good will, not create a diplomatic incident.
It wasn't their place to speak about something like this, important though it is.
It would probably have been regarded as an insult by the government.

How would this be a diplomatic incident? I'm interested in how the kids are being taken care of and how those outside of Pakistan can help/support them. William & Catherine had the ability to bring more attention/assistance to the situation and programs set up to help them...it was an opportunity lost.

A diplomatic incident would have been something like the reception that some of the ministers walked out of for various reasons.

I do realize that it is a mutually agreed-upon event from both governments. I'm just saying I would have come away with more from the tour if it was focused on more tangible things like that versus the clothes they were wearing.
 
We'll leave aside for the moment that this news article was dated yesterday, so in order to highlight this issue, the Cambridges would require a time machine.

There is no reality in which the Pakistani government would sign on for this to be part of the tour. Therefore, the only way for the Cambridges to highlight it would have been to go off-script and decide independantly of the Pakistani government that they were going to travel to the region.

The Pakistani government would have been highly annoyed and there would absolutely have been words between the Pakistani government and the British Foreign Office.

No amount of scare-quoting the word complex is going to change that.
 
Climate change, poverty allivietion, mental health, orphaned children, youth education, diplomatic relations... but sure you, who've been active in other threads rightly criticising the media coverage of the Sussexes, for once chose take their coverage of the sartorial choices of the Cambridges as being a true reflection of what they did during their tour. A tour deemed by Pakistan and UK alike as having been very successful. How very consistent of you.

I'm just saying I would have come away with more from the tour if it was focused on more tangible things like that versus the clothes they were wearing.

JR76 pointed out all the tangible things about this tour. You picking a random article that has nothing to do with the Cambridges and ask why didn’t they address it is disingenuous.

Pakistan like a lot of countries has many problems, too many to address on any one visit. I’m sure if I looked I can find an article about a problem in South Africa that wasn’t addressed by the Sussexes on their visit.

If you’re really interested in the tour just browse the thread. Lots of substance about the visit and what was accomplished.
 
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Its been quite common for a while now for the RF's tours to focus on one or two themes, these are often things that the royal/s are passionate about or champion but also areas that the FCO want highlighting. If they picked issue after issue then all that would happen is none of the issues would get any real coverage or discussion. Also bear in mind a lot is said in private that may not be said in public. I'm not sure how BaiSoSo was expecting the Cambridges and those planning the tour to be able to predict the future. The tour did highlight several projects that the UK was supporting and that will have an impact on the UK's ability to provide support and demand reforms if necessary that may make something like the article quoted by BaiSoSo less likely to happen.

In terms of taking 4 helicopters, people in glass houses and all that.

As for clothes, thats up to the media as its their coverage and their choice to talk about clothes over "substance" issues. That said, I would say on this forum and in the media coverage I have seen, there was plenty of coverage of the issues, highlighting the people and places visited and what that meant rather than just a 4 day fashion show.

There are plenty of issues in any country, including Pakistan, that could be discussed and highlighted during a tour, picking all of them is not possible. They choose those they also have personal knowledge and understanding of and promoted those.

Some peoples reaction reminds of a saying my grandparents always use - "much always wants more"
 
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Goodness, there is suddenly a lot of defensiveness, I merely expressed what I would have like to have seen on the tour...what I get out of tours and providing some feedback/discussion. I didn't talk negatively about anyone other than the people who were continuously saying that was a complex tour and pointed out that the complexity was avoided.

There was a multi-page spread of the clothes Catherine wore in one of the papers when there were literally 900+ kids suffering from HIV in one town. That just tells me that the priorities are all wrong (with society in general).

I get that the Cambridges have to work with the Pakistani government and they don't get to make all the decisions, but I would have liked to have seen something more impactful.
 
I don't know why you are getting personal. I simply said that for a complex (Kensington Palace & BM word) tour I would have liked to seen a topic like this covered. I didn't even criticize the Cambridges or call them names or demand they quit their roles.

The media spent more time talking about what William & Catherine were wearing...that isn't complex. Nor was there a need to take 4 helicopters to show a melting glacier & to give a speech on climate change. Here was something current and need of immediate attention and there wasn't a peep said about it.

You know, it is possible to say you wished the re-used needles and HIV had been a topic William & Kate had had on their radar for the tour without dissing the things they did cover.

Bringing attention to the glacier melting may not have been important to you but it must have been important to those involved in planning the tour. And there really wasn't a practical way to get to it other than the helicopters.

William & Kate were not involved in the coverage of their clothing choices--that was the media--so criticizing them for that makes no sense.
 
Let's move on please, the discussion should be about the tour itself, not about the coverage of the tour or what the schedule of the tour should or should not have included.
 
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