Chilled-out William and Kate win over Aussies
IT was the most fleeting of moments, but it said everything about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s relationship and the reason their three-week tour of Australasia has been such a success.
Arriving at Sydney Opera House this week for their official welcome to Australia, the couple walked up the steps to the building, admiring the Harbour Bridge bathed in autumn sun.
Wrapped up in the moment on her first visit to the city, the duchess failed to register the crowds behind screaming for her to turn so they could get a picture. The duke, ever the professional, touched her hand as a sign to turn around, prompting wild cheering from the throng as she flashed a perfect smile.
What a difference from the corresponding tour by the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1983, when Charles could not understand Diana’s rock-star popularity and quickly came to resent it.
Prince William not only un- derstands his wife Kate’s popularity, he actively promotes it. He knows that he comes a distant second to her (and both are outshone by Prince George), but he is clearly comfortable with that, partly because of his obvious love for her.
When Kate made her only speech of the tour — at a children’s hospice on Friday — William, playing cheerleader, even let out a “woo” as she was introduced.
The result has been that this is without doubt the most relaxed major royal tour there has ever been, another reason for its success.
A reporter who has followed the couple on all three of their foreign tours was struck, he said, on a daily basis by just how unstuffy the couple have been on this one. They have posed for endless pictures, competed at cricket and publicly poked fun at each other throughout their time in New Zealand and Australia.
The crowds that have gath- ered to see them have also been delighted at their willingness to pose for pictures with the public — once considered an unseemly breach of royal protocol — leading to a proliferation of “selfies”, many of which have turned up on Twitter and Facebook.
Chloe Skafte, a 19-year-old student, was close to tears and appeared to be struggling for breath after she gave Kate a bunch of flowers and took a selfie with her in Sydney, saying: “I can’t believe I met her. Oh my God, Kate Middleton.”
Camilla Love, an art gallery curator who met the couple at the Sydney Opera House reception, said of William: “He’s like one of us, with a different accent, which is nice. He was approachable and sets everyone at ease — not scary at all!”