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


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Fem said:
I was thinking exactly the same about this tour, that it was actually requested by the government. The Cambridges were pretty happy to conduct all of their work through Zooms and calls and so on for so long, the tour's weird timing... Maybe the government thought they want to give people a little "pick-me-up" before Christmas.

And no, if it was requested by the government, barring some serious problems (a health issue?) they can't really say no.
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For all the seemingly tone-deaf issues of the Cambridge's holiday to the Scillies, you are right, there is no way whatsoever the BRF decided to send them off on a 'Happy Jaunt' when it is obvious that they, like most other parents, would rather be safe at home with their children. The sheer magnitude of the organisation required to set up such a tour in a time of National Pandemic can only be enabled by the Government. Just the logistics of using the Royal Train is an out of left field situation for the Railways involved and that doesn't happen on the whim of the BRF but rather the order of the government.

I am disgusted that the Prime Minister has not taken ownership and that Nicola Sturgeon is attempting to turn the tour into a political argument.
 
Rebecca English
@RE_DailyMail
·
3h
Royal sources tonight stressed that William and Kate were travelling for work - to thank front line workers who have done so much for the country. The visits were planned in consultation with the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, they say.


Rebecca English
@RE_DailyMail
·
5h
FWIW, the Scottish First Minister didn’t try to ban them and confirms TRHs weren’t breaking any rules. But her lack of enthusiasm is awkward.


As predicted, they spoke with all three country governments before undertaking the tour - so seems like the Scottish gov didn't ask them not to come but then the First Minister took issue with it when asked. A bit like the "i'm not shouting at you but I'm not condoning what you're doing" parents do.
 
MARG said:
For all the seemingly tone-deaf issues of the Cambridge's holiday to the Scillies, you are right, there is no way whatsoever the BRF decided to send them off on a 'Happy Jaunt' when it is obvious that they, like most other parents, would rather be safe at home with their children. The sheer magnitude of the organisation required to set up such a tour in a time of National Pandemic can only be enabled by the Government. Just the logistics of using the Royal Train is an out of left field situation for the Railways involved and that doesn't happen on the whim of the BRF but rather the order of the government.

I am disgusted that the Prime Minister has not taken ownership and that Nicola Sturgeon is attempting to turn the tour into a political argument.
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I will not defend their private holidays, but this is something completely different. It's work. And I completely agree with you, the amount of work that had to happen to make this tour work in a safe way for everyone is a bit outside of possibilities of the BRF - which are not small by any means - so while nothing is officially said (yet), I think this tour was requested by the government.

Nicola Sturgeon is backing away from her words slightly, probably amidst of simply lying to everyone :lol: It's a shame to see the Cambridges and this tour getting dragged into a political conflict between her and UK's government, especially since quite a lot of royal watchers do not understand the intricacy of this relationship. Shame that people quite happily jumped to the opportunity to drag them through mud.
 
Angela Levin has retweeted Robert Jobson (who has attached the Daily Mail article on Nicola Sturgeon and the SNPs' reaction). Robert Jobson himself is a royal contributor in the Evening Standards

Angela Levin @angelalevin1
If the Royals ignored Scotland what's the betting that Nicola Sturgeon would have criticised them just as ruthlessly.
3:38 AM · Dec 8, 2020·Twitter Web App​
https://twitter.com/x/status/1335986960209498113
 
AC21091968 said:
Angela Levin has retweeted Robert Jobson (who has attached the Daily Mail article on Nicola Sturgeon and the SNPs' reaction). Robert Jobson himself is a royal contributor in the Evening Standards

Angela Levin @angelalevin1
If the Royals ignored Scotland what's the betting that Nicola Sturgeon would have criticised them just as ruthlessly.
3:38 AM · Dec 8, 2020·Twitter Web App​
https://twitter.com/x/status/1335986960209498113
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Quite likely. Whilst also saying they didn't want them anyway as well as that this proves no one from Westminster cares about Scotland.

To use the description of a different politician (but not his actual politics or recent problems) she's "a noun, a verb and independence". Although obviously Scottish people (who currently live in Scotland) can vote how they wish next time.

It's very unfortunate that she misspoke about things earlier and that everything was planned *with* the Scottish government even if she herself wasn't a personal fan of the idea. Because obviously Kensington Palace alone (or at all?) can't force all this to take place without agreements from everyone else and with all the proper logistics, precautions and a mountain of risk assessments in place.

That said taking out the politics many of the people they actually met seem to have enjoyed it despite the weather.

And that was a very heartfelt letter to Manchester.
 
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Katymcwaity said:
I don’t care who asked them to go. I think this is the wrong time to do it. I really don’t think its essential work either. A royal visit is the icing on the cake but not the cake. I’m not surprised Nicola Sturgeon is upset, shes seem to have had tight control during the virus and probably doesn’t want to have a Barnard Castle type responsein terms of people saying sod it, I’ll do what I like. There are thousands of people who haven’t seen relatives for months, who are obeying all the rules and apparently a nice train ride with no doubt a large number of assistants and aides to give people a pat on the back(not that I have anything against pats on the back!) is deemed essential is just a kick in the teeth.
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There has been more than one ' Barnard Castle' type event for Nicola Sturgeon to deal with, it has all turned political which is sad. I think you really need to live here to fully understand what has been going on. Not for this thread so I will leave it at that
 
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Surprised over the chilly welcomes by officials.

Looking forward to the pictures of the senior royals later today in Windsor.
 
iceflower said:
Here are two galleries and an article of today, December 8:


** gettyimages gallery ** rex gallery **


** dm article: Now WALES joins Nicola Sturgeon in swiping at Royals: Prince William and Kate Middleton arrive..**
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Thank you iceflower for the links to the pictures and Daily Mail article.

Chris Ship has picked up Vaughan Gething's (Minister for Health and Social Services of Welsh Government/Assembly, Labour MSs of Cardiff South and Penarth) interview on BBC Radio 4.

Chris Ship @chrisshipitv
First @NicolaSturgeon in [Flag of Scotland] now @vaughangething in [Flag of Wales]
Welsh Health Minster gives William and Kate’s #RoyalTrainTour a frosty reception as they arrive in Cardiff: He’s not "particularly bothered or interested" & better if "no-one was having unnecessary visits"
[Camera]
@ChrisJack_Getty
9:05 PM · Dec 8, 2020·Twitter for iPhone​
https://twitter.com/x/status/1336250552703979523

At this point, I'm not really surprised by these two Labour and SNPs politicians, who are just making their republicanism and pro-lockdown restriction approach more obvious.

In the DM article, from reading Vaughan Gething's response to an interview, I could tell that he's not a monarchist.
'I'd rather that no-one was having unnecessary visits.'
'People have views about the monarchy. But their visit isn't an excuse for people to say they are confused about what they are being asked to do.'
'I'm not particularly that bothered or interested.'
'Because I don't think that is going to be an excuse for people to say, ''I should go and behave in a different way''.'
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Apart from the Conservative Party, the DUP (who has the most number of seats in Northern Ireland Assembly) are probably staunch supporters of the monarchy. William and Catherine, however, did not visit Northern Ireland for this tour.
 
AC21091968 said:
Apart from the Conservative Party, the DUP (who has the most number of seats in Northern Ireland Assembly) are probably staunch supporters of the monarchy. William and Catherine, however, did not visit Northern Ireland for this tour.
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I would imagine we will see a trip to NI in the coming days or week - little hard to do a train tour there considering crossing the Irish sea on the royal train would be challenging ? I am sure they won't forget NI as one day they will be King and Queen of the entire UK


What I have loved most about this trip was the story of Kate and Len and finally getting to meet in person and the cute gifts they exchanged. It was a thoughtful touch to include a stop to meet Len and his wife. Kate is truly shining as an asset to the Royal family and she has really stepped too up during this Covid crisis
 
Ugh, these government officials are so out of touch....maybe for them the visit is unnecessary, but for ordinary people, it might very well be. They should both have sucked it up....
 
Hallo girl said:
There has been more than one ' Barnard Castle' type event for Nicola Sturgeon to deal with, it has all turned political which is sad. I think you really need to live here to fully understand what has been going on. Not for this thread so I will leave it at that
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If I remember rightly, Sturgeon's second minister had to resign, didn't she?
 
Denville said:
If I remember rightly, Sturgeon's second minister had to resign, didn't she?
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There was also the SNP MP who travelled to London and back when she was demonstrating symptoms of COVID.
 
Now Downing Street? This is so weird.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1336290294355140610

Also, in an extraordinary development, Downing St is refusing to back William and Kate's tour of the country, which has raised eyebrows. Repeatedly asked if it was Covid compliant or backed by PM, the spokesman would only say it was "a matter for the Palace."
 
Heavs said:
And that was a very heartfelt letter to Manchester.
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Yes, very much appreciated. Also noted that they visited the food bank centre named after the mother of Marcus Rashford, the young footballer recently awarded the MBE for his work in ensuring that meal vouchers were provided to underprivileged children even during school holidays. Without boring people outside the UK with the details, it was a much talked about campaign.

I find it very hard to believe that they'd have undertaken this tour without discussions with Downing Street.


The SNP MP mentioned in earlier posts travelled from London to Scotland by public transport after she'd tested positive for the virus. She also spoke both in the House of Commons and in a church service whilst she had symptoms.


Vaughan Gething can be very rude. He was forced to apologise earlier this year, after he left his microphone on and was heard swearing about another member of the Welsh Assembly.
 
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:previous: On a much happier note, I am full on smitten with the Duke and Duchess after watching those videos of their chatty visit to all the flag waving littles with reindeer antler headbands and Santa hats. With Christmas music playing in the background. Oh, and actual reindeer. Merry Christmas, keep the Royal Train rolling!

Footnote: Apparently my post is out of sequence, as I am referring back to their visit to Berwick-Upon-Tweed.
 
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ACO said:
Now Downing Street? This is so weird.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1336290294355140610

Also, in an extraordinary development, Downing St is refusing to back William and Kate's tour of the country, which has raised eyebrows. Repeatedly asked if it was Covid compliant or backed by PM, the spokesman would only say it was "a matter for the Palace."
Click to expand...


A second response from Number 10 in which he states that he's pleased with the warm reception that the Cambridges have received on their hugely, valuable train tour. He notes that it is a morale booster for those healthcare workers on the frontline.




https://twitter.com/x/status/1336305852609867776
 
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Well- that’s just weird. First- Downing Street gives a chilly response. THEN- they say how pleased they are with this tour. What is up with that?!

I don’t see this tour happening without the government’s request/approval in advance.

Aside from Downing St’s response, it’s sounding like an opportunity for anti- royals to whine.
 
I think it is clear some phone calls were made. That said this tour of course was in conversation with the government. No way it was not but that doesn't change the oddly chilly welcomes (before the quick turn arounds) that were given. Just so odd.
 
Erin9 said:
Well- that’s just weird. First- Downing Street gives a chilly response. THEN- they say how pleased they are with this tour. What is up with that?!

I don’t see this tour happening without the government’s request/approval in advance.

Aside from Downing St’s response, it’s sounding like an opportunity for anti- royals to whine.
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There has been a fair amount of turmoil within the Communications team at Downing ST in recent weeks, but what we saw today was plain incompetency. Inexcusable, IMO!
 
muriel said:
There has been a fair amount of turmoil within the Communications team at Downing ST in recent weeks, but what we saw today was plain incompetency. Inexcusable, IMO!
Click to expand...



Agreed. The initial response from Downing was inexcusable.

I’m not up on what’s been going on with the Communications team at Downing lately, but this shouldn’t have happened. Their initial response made it sound like Kate and William woke up and decided to take this tour blindsiding everyone. Or just ignored government advice and did it anyway. Please. No way did this happen without the government.
 
Erin9 said:
Agreed. The initial response from Downing was inexcusable.

I’m not up on what’s been going on with the Communications team at Downing lately, but this shouldn’t have happened. Their initial response made it sound like Kate and William woke up and decided to take this tour blindsiding everyone. Or just ignored government advice and did it anyway. Please. No way did this happen without the government.
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They've had to walk back or "explain" various things that I won't get in to to stop this thread getting more political. And there's been a lot of staff change since the fall of Cummings. As well as ministers completely contradicting each other in the press and media.

I wonder if that's what happened here, the right hand doesn't know what the left is up to? Or they felt they had to echo Scotland and Wales in "follow the rules!" without acknowledging their part in setting it up, so that it's not "damn Westminster" again.

I can believe W&K wanted to do something special but I have a problem believing that they were so gung ho about a complicated tour just a couple of weeks before Christmas, right out of lockdown and leaving their kids for a few days knowing there would be complaints about safety and rules, that they organised this and bullied almost all governments of the home nations into it without someone putting their foot down if zero governments really wanted it and it didn't come from A section of government.

They could have done the same thing from the comfort of their home as they've been doing for months and planned something special/in person for the new year if they wanted a big thank you/PR push for themselves. Or a visit to just Manchester say.

It's all a little bit strange but again the visits do seem to be genuinely appreciated by those that have had them.
 
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Erin9 said:
Agreed. The initial response from Downing was inexcusable.

I’m not up on what’s been going on with the Communications team at Downing lately, but this shouldn’t have happened. Their initial response made it sound like Kate and William woke up and decided to take this tour blindsiding everyone. Or just ignored government advice and did it anyway. Please. No way did this happen without the government.
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I don’t think many people understand to what extent the government controls the Royal Family’s official activities. Senior royals can barely decide what to have for breakfast without input from the government and it’s inconceivable that Kensington Palace would be able to send the future King and Queen on a tour that included stops in England, Scotland and Wales without direct input AND SUPPORT from Downing Street and the appropriate ministers in Scotland and Wales.

The UK is having an interesting political moment and it sounds like the politicians have forgotten themselves and brought the BRF and specifically William and Kate’s tour into the endless squabbling and street fighting that are supposed to remain behind closed doors. Making statements then having to backtrack, having to release two statements over a straightforward matter - it makes the government look incompetent at a time I assume it doesn’t want to signal any sort of weakness.
 
TLLK said:
A second response from Number 10 in which he states that he's pleased with the warm reception that the Cambridges have received on their hugely, valuable train tour. He notes that it is a morale booster for those healthcare workers on the frontline.




https://twitter.com/x/status/1336305852609867776
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That doesn’t do zip...pleased or not, the PM publicly not supporting William and Kate is a bad look. It shows that there’s no communication between he and the BRF, and it shows that there seems to be a break between them. It also obviously means that the government didn’t initiate this tour idea, but...I can’t imagine the BRF deciding on their own to do this?
 
I can't believe for a minute that William and Kate would have gone off on a tour without it being discussed with, or possibly initiated by, Downing Street, especially given that the Royal Train is notoriously expensive to run.


I do feel sorry for them. You try and do something nice, and get a load of grief! The people they've actually visited have genuinely seemed very pleased to see them.
 
Alison H said:
I can't believe for a minute that William and Kate would have gone off on a tour without it being discussed with, or possibly initiated by, Downing Street, especially given that the Royal Train is notoriously expensive to run.


I do feel sorry for them. You try and do something nice, and get a load of grief! The people they've actually visited have genuinely seemed very pleased to see them.
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I think the last point is the most important - they’ve seen the faces of the people, unlike anyone in government. That, I hope, is what William and Kate take from this, not petty comments from petty people.
 
I whole heartedly agree. I am disappointed by the lack lustre response from the various devolved nations. Throughout the pandemic, the Duke and Duchess have demonstrated their support for key workers and charities through Zoom calls and visits. This tour is a natural progression and I can imagine considerable risk assessments were taken.
 
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