William & Kate’s message:
“We’re not backing down”
Prince Harry and wife Meghan rocked the royal family in a series of searing accusations with their claims of racism during their Oprah interview in March – something the Palace fiercely denied.
And last week, Prince
William waded into one of the biggest race rows the UK has experienced after it emerged that there had been vile racist abuse on social media aimed at footballers Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka following the Euros final.
William made a statement via Twitter reading, “I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable.”
PRAISED
William’s statement was praised by social media users, receiving 108k likes and 12k retweets, with one posting, “So great for William to make a statement about this. A true example to all”.
It followed a number of well-received appearances by William and wife Kate – with fans delighted to see the couple with their son Prince George, who turns eight on Thursday, at the Euros final at Wembley.
And royal author Duncan Larcombe – who wrote biography Prince Harry: The Inside Story – now says that he believes William and Kate are making a statement with their recent actions.
Duncan says, “William and Kate are definitely on the charm
4
offensive right now – and it’s working. While William has always spoken out against racism, his statement this time was really powerful and especially relevant after Harry and Meghan’s accusation about the royal family.
“William and Kate have kept a dignified silence but now they’re letting their actions do the talking. It’s almost as if they’re sending a secret message to Harry and Meghan saying, ‘We’re going to keep going, we’re still here, we’re not backing down, we’re carrying on’. It’s a message to Harry that life continues – with or without him. There’s no doubt the Cambridges have taken his accusation that William is “trapped” in a role he doesn’t want and are determined to show that isn’t the case. Kate is full of smiles wherever she goes – she’s sending a message back to Harry and Meghan saying, ‘We’re happy, we’re fun – we’re not trapped like you said we are’.
POPULARITY CONTEST
“Harry and Meghan created a transatlantic popularity contest with William and Kate when they chose to speak out and
CLOSERONLINE.CO.UK
do Oprah – and it’s William and Kate who are now winning.”
Months on from the accusations, William and
Kate seem to have risen above the negativity and proved themselves to be a supportive, loving and “normal” family – despite Harry insisting the royals were the opposite.
During the Oprah interview, Harry, 37, claimed his family ignored requests for help over Meghan’s suicidal thoughts, saying, “I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect.”
He later added in a podcast interview that when he told his family about struggling in his twenties, he was told to “grin and bear it” and “get on with it”.
But earlier this month, William and Kate portrayed a very different picture of the family – with the heartwarming images and video footage of Prince George hugging his parents happily when England scored going viral on Twitter.
TOUCHING VIDEO
And – while Harry and Meghan caused controversy by keeping Archie’s christening private in 2019 – fans have seen a more personal side to William and Kate’s family during these last few months, with their Instagram page showing a touching video of them all together to mark the couple’s 10-year anniversary. They also launched their YouTube channel, where they regularly upload videos of themselves talking about topical issues or doing interviews, in May.
And royal expert Katie Nicholl says that she believes the couple have been keen to open up their
family life – and have taken a leaf out of Harry and Meghan’s book.
Katie says, “When the Sussexes left for the US, the family were not only two members down, but two very successful – and in Meghan’s case, glamorous – members down. It’s really been up to William and Kate to fill that void, and they’ve done that. They’ve solidified themselves as the nation’s sweethearts more than ever recently. And they’ve done so in a quiet, dignified way.
“We’re seeing the Cambridges do something really quite different. Their social media and YouTube videos let us in on the magic in a way that they haven’t before – [showing] just how much of a loving family they are.
“They’ve upped their game. It wasn’t a coincidence that when Harry and Meghan left, William and Kate appointed their head of social media as part of a wider team working at the Palace.”
Last week also saw Kate make an appearance at Wimbledon, where she was pictured warmly greeting the staff and friends in the crowd and cheering on the female finalists at the Women’s Singles Finals.
Fans were quick to spot how Meghan’s close friend, actress
Priyanka Chopra, seemingly “ignored” the clapping for Kate at the tennis, by fiddling with her scarf instead – which social media users suggested may have been down to the feud between the two duchesses.
And Duncan adds that he believes Harry and Meghan,
39 – who last week confirmed she is creating and producing a new animated series for Netflix, Pearl, that will focus on a 12-year-old girl’s “heroic adventures”, her first job since giving birth to their daughter Lilibet in May – will no doubt be back claiming more headlines before long.
Duncan adds, “Harry and Meghan are quiet now, but I suspect they won’t be quiet for long and they’ll be back in the limelight soon.
“They probably have a lot of plans and are figuring out their next moves. I really hope that they’ll focus on their new goals, their new life in LA, their new projects and their future – rather than focusing on their past grievances with the royals and the experience they felt they had. They’ve taken aim at the royals, and I really hope we’ve seen the last of it – but I imagine we haven’t.”
THEY’VE SOLIDIFIED THEMSELVES AS THE NATION’S SWEETHEARTS MORE THAN EVER