Prince William Current Events 18: January-May 2008

[Warren]

Welcome to Prince William's current events thread, part 20,
January 2008.​

Part 19, covering the period September to December 2007, can be found here.​

~​

 

[Duchess]

correct me if i'm wrong but as monarch isn't he going to be the ceremonial head of the armed forces? and if this is the case, shouldn't he have some training so that he knows what he's talking about when he talks to armed forces members? as for never seeing action, there are thousands of former armed forces member, all over the world who trained but never saw action...are they a waste of tax payer money as well? one day he will have to address soldiers and they will have far more respect for him for having gone through the training that they did even though he never went to the front line. some day, he will visit injured soldiers and that visit will work wonders for the morale of many of them and then all that training will completely worth every penny it cost to train him.

His visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital may not make him a saint but i'm sure it lifted the spirits of a lot of people. here is one of those times that we criticize him for not doing anything and then when he does something it's not enough. so he didn't rush down there but he went. he may not have gone down there of his own volition but maybe he did...we don't know.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

^ Thank you, Duchess. You took the words out of my mouth.

Heirs to the throne typically spend time training in the armed forces and in modern times it is not a given by any means that they will "see action". Why, I have just read an article about the Prince of Asturias. He trained in all the armed forces of Spain and it seems that he did it in the same way William is doing, with short stints in various parts of the military, and he never saw action. So I don't understand this sudden backlash against William. Why are people singling him out this way? It is nothing new. Why all of a sudden a prince must go to the front lines and be in a war? Prince Felipe never went to Bosnia, and never went to the Persian Gulf during the early 90s conflict. Why does William have to go to Afghanistan or Iraq, or else he is wasting his and everyone's time?


I so agree also about Royal Marsden! When he does something, it's not enough! It is never enough, never ever enough. People are too critical.

 

[BeatrixFan]

correct me if i'm wrong but as monarch isn't he going to be the ceremonial head of the armed forces? and if this is the case, shouldn't he have some training so that he knows what he's talking about when he talks to armed forces members? as for never seeing action, there are thousands of former armed forces member, all over the world who trained but never saw action...are they a waste of tax payer money as well? one day he will have to address soldiers and they will have far more respect for him for having gone through the training that they did even though he never went to the front line. some day, he will visit injured soldiers and that visit will work wonders for the morale of many of them and then all that training will completely worth every penny it cost to train him.

Ceremonial being the operative word. He can give out medals in a suit, he doesn't need to waste our money playing at soldiers. It's ridiculous, he'll NEVER see action so how on earth can it be worth money training him to do something he doesn't and will never have to do. Can't he address soldiers in a suit? Can't he visit them in a suit? The Queen's the ceremonial head of the forces and she does it quite well in a floral two piece. Ok she wore a uniform in the early days of her reign but now she doesn't, why does William have to?

 

[Duchess]

i'm not sure how much interaction you've had with veterans or soldiers but it means far more to them to have a uniform address them than a suit. you say that training him is a waste of money when he won't see any action but we can't say "never" because the past has taught us that these things that "can never happen" with the royals have come back to bite us in the @$$.

 

[Skydragon]

Even if all the training only gives him a basic understanding of what troops do, it raises him above the untrained man in the street, who on the whole has no idea what it is like to be yomping with a heavy rucksack across mountains and/or boggy ground. Has no idea of having to keep going when every muscle is crying out for mercy or is discovering muscles most of us, for all our trips to the gym, don't know exist!

Apart from anything else, the forces can instill a sense of personal discipline in a person. It also forges an unseen bond between the men/women who serve, whether in a war zone or running stores. As long as he is seen to complete the same training that any other man or woman is expected to complete, then he has ever right to wear a uniform. IF the military (ordinary ranks and officers) start to complain, then would be the time for the PTB to worry. Apart from a few gripes about his limitations being ignored to allow him the flight training and ultimately his wings, most serving men and women do not seem to have a problem with it.

 

[royalone3]

Most people seem to be looking at this topic in black or white opinion.While I understand that William sould have a good understanding of how the military operates,spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on training that could be uses on another pilot seems like such a waste.William has always wanted to be a helicopter pilot,and he should be able to follow his dreams,but should it be at the expience of the public?

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

Most people seem to be looking at this topic in black or white opinion.While I understand that William sould have a good understanding of how the military operates,spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on training that could be uses on another pilot seems like such a waste.William has always wanted to be a helicopter pilot,and he should be able to follow his dreams,but should it be at the expience of the public?

If William has military training, he might be a better-disciplined, better-oriented person and monarch, and would not that be in the public interest?
He must know how to be the best monarch, how to excel in the role, and these experiences can only help him. How can it hurt him to understand how the armed forces work? How can it hurt the public to have a knowledgeable monarch?

 

[BeatrixFan]

If he needs the army to give him discipline then he's a lost cause. If it's strictness he wants then let him join a nunnery and have done with it. The whole things a joke - at our expense.

 

[Duchess]

a lot of young people have had their lives turned around by joining the military. you shouldn't let the fact that you think william is a waste of oxygen cloud your judgement. you should be open minded and see that this could be the opportunity that turns what you think is a lazy waste of taxpayer money, into someone that could do something positive in the future.

 

[Skydragon]

If he needs the army to give him discipline then he's a lost cause. If it's strictness he wants then let him join a nunnery and have done with it. The whole things a joke - at our expense.

I said self discipline, which is lacking in a lot of people and has nothing to do with strictness or discipline coming from somebody else.

Many young men and women join up for a short stint and come out with a direction of what to do with their lives, which they lacked before. I'm all for bringing conscription back in!

 

[andrew]

taxes

Reading through these posts and posts in other threads I keep bumping into comments about how much the Royal Family costs the taxpayers. Maybe the taxpayers have to pull out a few extra pennies or pounds for them but they should take in consideration how much Britain and British people earn from the Royal Family. There is the profit from the Crown estates which exceeds by far the amount of the Civil list. And there is the money that tourist(interested in the monarchy) bring into the country.

I live in a republic and I must say that our President costs us dearly, not only his paycheck, protocol, houses, his bodyguards but the election that takes place once in five years, and there is NO benefit from him. So the money invested in our president is a waste whereas your money spent on the royals is a GOOD INVESTMENT.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

I just think that William is quite far from being a lost cause. A person can always benefit from a little bit more knowledge and discipline. I don't believe education is ever a waste of money, and these military exercises are going to be an education for William. He is expected to be a king someday. He should have a taste of all aspects of the military, government, diplomatic services, etc. because he will be dealing with these things as a monarch, as his grandmother is doing now. He will need to know how to relate to so many people from different areas.

 

[zembla]

He would benefit more by going to graduate school...

 

[daisygoogles]

William has alot of years before he comes to the throne. I don't think it would be a good idea for him to go out and look for a job like his uncle Edward did. That just wouldn't work at all. So I guess to prepare for the life ahead of him it is a good idea to become a part of all the armed services. And going to graduate school is a great idea also. Really, what else is there for him to do? He will take on more charity causes and more royal duties but I think the more experience he has under his belt about all the differnt types of people around the UK the more well rounded, confident and experienced he will be when the time comes for him to be king.

 

[Skydragon]

He would benefit more by going to graduate school...

Do you mean return to university? What would that bring to his future role? He is not going to be head of any university, he is going to be head of the armed services. In the forces you meet and mix with people from so many different walks of life and social classes, which cannot be truly claimed, as yet of the universities.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

^ Yes, here I must agree with Skydragon. While I do love academia, being a professional student myself, and would never underestimate the values of pursuing another degree, for William I believe going back to university could be a bad idea. For him, it could be just prolonging or delaying his maturity. He would probably just dive further into the party lifestyle and try to ignore that he is a royal prince for three-four more years. No, it is better that he is doing things now that will help him to become a better man and royal.

 

[zembla]

Do you mean return to university? What would that bring to his future role? He is not going to be head of any university, he is going to be head of the armed services. In the forces you meet and mix with people from so many different walks of life and social classes, which cannot be truly claimed, as yet of the universities.

It doesn't matter how much he mixes with all different people...because he'll never be just like any other civilian. Royal families aren't much different than celebrities to me, especially a family as high profile as England's...I can understand the image reasons for some decisions. But he isn't exactly inviting any of his new service friends into his inner circle...at least not the under-privileged ones.

If he becomes King it will be his government, right? Why not spend time learning more about it, learn more about foreign relations, policies, etc...travel more...

Afterall his brother seems to be focusing a lot on the armed services...splitting duties could benefit them both, IMO...

 

[HRH Kimetha]

Getting one's wings is an education in itself. I've been through ground school and took a few flying lessons myself. It takes some brain power to read and calculate navagational charts, fuel loads etc. And, other military personnel who approached their training as pilots probably had flying a life long goal as well. Usually, it is the excitement and the enthusiasm of being around aircraft that drives the soul to want to learn to fly. He will definately understand more aspect of soldiering than most. By the time he is done, he will have learned to drive a tank, fly an aircraft and may even learn how to helm a submarine or frigate. I also don't think that it is wrong or crazy for him to seek out a PhD in conservation or another area that he is passionate about, if he wants to. Life is an education. He has the time, money and standing to take advantage of being able to pursue a lifelong education of living.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

^ HRH Kimetha, that was stated as I could not done better myself. Exactly so. I cannot agree more. Experience is experience period. I am glad to see William's advisors mapping out a course of variation for him. It has been said that after his military tour, he will learn about the diplomatic services. By doing these stints in various areas, he will find his passion, whether it is conservation, health services, organic farming, or rehabilitation for troubled youths.... whatever it is. He can only find what he wants to make into his passion by trying different things. His father was already or nearly a 30-year-old man when he founded The Prince's Trust, and was even older when he got into the criticisms of careless architecture, environmentally-destructive farming methods, etc. Prince Charles learned about these things from years of living, reading, experiencing. I don't think anyone would say that Prince Charles's living, reading, and experiencing has been a drain at taxpayer expense.

 

[Skydragon]

It doesn't matter how much he mixes with all different people...because he'll never be just like any other civilian. Royal families aren't much different than celebrities to me, especially a family as high profile as England's...I can understand the image reasons for some decisions. But he isn't exactly inviting any of his new service friends into his inner circle...at least not the under-privileged ones.

If he becomes King it will be his government, right? Why not spend time learning more about it, learn more about foreign relations, policies, etc...travel more...

Afterall his brother seems to be focusing a lot on the armed services...splitting duties could benefit them both, IMO...

May I correct you, nicely.... It is the UK not just England.

It doesn't matter whether he invites them into his inner circle, he has met them, spoken to them, listened to them on a regular basis. Although it should never be presumed that because someone is under privileged, they do not have powerful friends. We know one who is a refuse collector!

If he becomes King, he will have no say in what the government says or does, he will be expected to keep any opinions to himself.

 

[zembla]

May I correct you, nicely.... It is the UK not just England.

It doesn't matter whether he invites them into his inner circle, he has met them, spoken to them, listened to them on a regular basis. Although it should never be presumed that because someone is under privileged, they do not have powerful friends. We know one who is a refuse collector!

If he becomes King, he will have no say in what the government says or does, he will be expected to keep any opinions to himself.

Well that's unfortunate...and it kind of just makes the royal family look like some kind of decoration. Hopefully as the times change and by the time he reaches that position, he will feel compelled to be more than what's expected.

And I get what you mean about the inner circle but it still comes off like it's all for show. Like...Look at me, I can talk to "real" people and understand them and their needs.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

Like...Look at me, I can talk to "real" people and understand them and their needs.

Can you do it as well as The Queen, or...... for that matter, as well as Diana did? Without judging? Can you do it for a thousand people in a single day? How well would just anyone go out and meet 100 veterans' families and talk to them and make them feel like they are the most special people in the crowd, and do this for each and every single one of them? I find it sad that the common public underestimates the skill necessary to be a modern royal.

 

[BeatrixFan]

I will say that I learned a fair few social interactivity skills by watching the Queen but sadly people seem to pick up on it. For example, I always do the word tennis HM does;

Queen : And what do you do?
Peasant : I wash carrots
Queen : Carrots. How fascinating. And have you been doing that for a long time?
Peasant : Yes about 500 years
Queen : 500 years? Well that it is impressive

And it does work and it makes people feel like you're interested but twice I've been told "God you're like the Queen with your questions". So maybe it's a strictly royal thing.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

^ I know just what you mean. The Queen has mastered the skill of asking people questions about their work, their lives, their experiences. And she puts on the brilliant show (if it is even a show) of listening rapturously. But I must be fair! Diana did it too! Charles does it! Camilla does it! All these people were/are brilliant at this skill. And they do it many times a day, with many people, maybe sometimes 100 people. That is a special skill and it must be learned. I think one learns it from experience and from watching others do it.

 

[zembla]

Can you do it as well as The Queen, or...... for that matter, as well as Diana did? Without judging? Can you do it for a thousand people in a single day? How well would just anyone go out and meet 100 veterans' families and talk to them and make them feel like they are the most special people in the crowd, and do this for each and every single one of them? I find it sad that the common public underestimates the skill necessary to be a modern royal.

I think if I was a royal...I would have a hard time with it. Being honest, that is a very isolated bubble to live in and while they may do it convincingly like you said...it is what it is...it's duty.

With William, he could hang with a typical guy in the service from a working class background. But that guy is not going to be invited into private clubs for late night fun with the privileged people he hangs with.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

I think if I was a royal...I would have a hard time with it. Being honest, that is a very isolated bubble to live in and while they may do it convincingly like you said...it is what it is...it's duty.

Probably so. I still think it is arguably the most admirable feature of royal duty. I often think it would be ideal if I could emulate that feature in my daily life, and sometimes I manage to do it, yet other times I forget, or I become careless or selfish, or whatever. It doesn't really even matter if the royals just do it for show or not. They do it, and it has the double advantage of making their visitors feel special and enhancing their own (the royals') understanding, i.e. about carrots. The carrot example is silly, but you can apply it to anything. I think the royal duty aspect of William's life can be viewed as a burden, yes, but also can be viewed as a unique advantage. Yes, he has a private life with his privileged set of people. He also has a public life where he is being exposed to other varieties. His is a highly compartmentalized life, typical for a royal, although I understand many people in all walks of life have this kind of compartmentalization as well. There is nothing wrong with that. I actually admire people who compartmentalize their lives, especially if they do it well.

 

[BeatrixFan]

I think if I was a Royal, I'd be a Princess Margaret type; "I'm not interested in your phonetic language programme for abandoned smurfs now fetch me a Gordons".

 

[reen]

BeatrixFan, that is so funny. However, if any of the Royals were reported to the meda saying that now, imagine the fuss. Still, all in all, Margaret's children turned out fine, which gives her mega points for me. I really don't think I would like her as a person, though.

I think William will turn out fine. He shows a willingness to go uncomfortable places, which I greatly admire. I don't think you can really start to judge him with regards to Royal duties until he gets out of the Armed Services and is about a year into his public duties.

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

^ I know just what you mean. The Queen has mastered the skill of asking people questions about their work, their lives, their experiences. And she puts on the brilliant show (if it is even a show) of listening rapturously. But I must be fair! Diana did it too! Charles does it! Camilla does it! All these people were/are brilliant at this skill. And they do it many times a day, with many people, maybe sometimes 100 people. That is a special skill and it must be learned. I think one learns it from experience and from watching others do it.

I disagree. I think they are actually interested. It is probably their only real entertainment at that moment. They seem like they are interested in other people's lives, kinda of like how people like to gossip..