The Duke of Cambridge emerges as feel-good prince the U.K. can rely on
It was the moment Prince William embodied his grandmother’s mantra of keeping calm and carrying on in the face of a crisis.
Reacting to the global panic about coronavirus COVID-19, the Duke of Cambridge raised eyebrows by daring to suggest that the media coverage might have been “a little hyped up”.
Speaking during a tour of Ireland with Kate, the father of three spoke about the outbreak as he chatted to emergency workers in Dublin.
“Does it seem quite dramatic about coronavirus at the moment?” he asked paramedic Joe Mooney. “I bet everyone’s like ‘ I’ve got coronavirus, I’m dying’, and you’re like, ‘ No, you’ve just got a cough’.”
While it is unclear how the paramedic responded, many watching were able to relate. With coronavirus having dominated the news all week, William appeared the royal voice of reason.
The Duke, 37, had earlier said the royal couple were taking advice on the coronavirus threat but planned to keep meeting people as usual.
The comments came after the Queen, who turns 94 next month, was spotted wearing gloves for the first time during an investiture on Tuesday, and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, joked that she was “self- isolating” during a visit to the Transport Museum on Wednesday, when she was photographed taking cover in a one- man air-raid shelter.
The lighthearted remarks were in stark contrast to pictures of commuters wearing gas masks on the Tube.
In speaking out amid the increasing hysteria over
COVID-19, William is fast emerging as the Windsors’ resident Captain Sensible.
Naturally, the moniker could be used as a criticism of a couple who appear “safer” and perhaps less “Hollywood” than Harry and Meghan, whose touchy-feely appearance at Thursday night’s Endeavour Awards reminded the world that they remain a force to be reckoned with — even as they prepare to lose royal status at the end of the month.
Yet as royal author Phil Dampier put it: “The point about the Cambridges is that, yes, they are safe — but that’s arguably exactly what the monarchy needs right now. That, and a sense of humour. The royals have to shake more people’s hands than anyone else so if they can do it with a smile on their faces, we all should.”
Moreover, following a second annus horribilis for the Queen, which saw her dragged into a constitutional crisis over Brexit, the Duke of York embroiled in a sex scandal and Harry and Meghan leave the Firm, William appears intent on spinning a positive message. In December, he launched the Earthshot Prize, his biggest charitable endeavour to date, in a bid to galvanize a decade of action to repair the planet. Described as “the most prestigious environmental prize in history,” the initiative, backed by Sir David Attenborough, aims to encourage and inspire people across the world to find innovative new solutions to one of the gravest problems facing the Earth.
A multi- million- pound prize will be awarded to five winners a year over 10 years, comprising at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest problems by 2030.
Comparisons will inevitably be made between William’s approach and Harry’s.
The tensions between the brothers in the run up to “Megxit” have been well- documented, and the royal couples will be reunited for the first time on Monday when they attend a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
Now back on speaking terms following a family summit in January, when senior royals thrashed out the details of the Sussexes’ “royal divorce” deal, all eyes will be on the quartet formally known as the Fab Four, for what will be Harry and Meghan’s last official royal engagement.
With the Sussexes embarking on a new life outside the Royal Family in North America, the onus has fallen even more heavily on William and Kate to take the monarchy forward without two of its star players. As they prepare to become the next Prince and Princess of Wales — the next step to becoming King and Queen — and with Charles and Camilla already in their 70s, the weight of expectation rests heavily on their shoulders.
Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1, will not be in proper royal circulation for another 20 years, meaning the spotlight on William and Kate will only intensify.
Royal watchers noted how “statesmanlike” William appeared in Ireland, insisting that the monarchy was “determined” to play a part in protecting the bond between the United Kingdom and Ireland, post-brexit.
“Legal treaties are vital in underpinning the relationships between states. But relationships between people are equally, if not more, essential, especially between the people of our two countries, whose lives, histories and futures are so deeply intertwined,” the Duke said.
With so much having gone wrong for the House of Windsor in recent months, William is leading the charge to put things right.