Farage barrage at royals
He labels Harry ‘Prince of wokeness’, attacks ‘Charlie Boy’ over climate change ... and mocks the late Queen Mother’s weight
NIGEL Farage has launched an astonishing attack on the Royal Family, pouring scorn on Prince Harry’s ‘wokeness’ and branding the Queen Mother a ‘slightly overweight, chain- smoking gin drinker’.
In an incendiary speech at a dinner in Australia, the Brexit Party leader lambasted Prince Charles, who he dubbed ‘Charlie Boy’, for his views on climate change.
Much of his ire was reserved for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Mr Farage claimed Harry had become ‘the Prince of wokeness’ since meeting Meghan Markle – and his popularity had ‘fallen off a cliff’.
The term ‘woke’ describes people who support equality issues, but is also used as a sarcastic insult for those who are overly politically correct.
Mr Farage said the once party-loving prince, who served on the frontline in Afghanistan, used to be one of the most popular members of the Royal Family.
He seemed to speak approvingly of his antics as a younger man, saying: ‘Here was Harry – young, brave, boisterous, all-male, getting into trouble, turning up at stag parties inappropriately dressed, drinking too much and causing all sorts of mayhem.
‘And then, a brave British officer who did his bit in Afghanistan. He was the most popular royal of a younger generation that we’ve seen for a hundred years. And then he met Meghan Markle and it’s fallen off a cliff.’
Mr Farage mocked Harry’s admission that he and his wife have decided to have only two children due to the environmental effects of a large family.
He said: ‘We’re all completely ignoring the real problem the Earth faces, and that is the fact the population of the globe is exploding but no one dares talk about it, no one dares deal with it.
‘Whether Prince Harry has two kids is irrelevant given there are now 2.6billion Chinese and Indians on this Earth.’ Mr Farage was speaking at a meeting of the Right-wing Conservative Political Action Conference in Sydney on Saturday.
Although media were barred, leaked recordings have emerged.
It is unusual for a politician, particularly one who holds office – Mr Farage has been an MEP since 1999 – to publicly criticise members of the Royal Family.
One of the few royals to escape his wrath was the Queen, who he lauded as ‘an amazing, awe-inspiring woman’, adding: ‘We’re bloody lucky to have her.’
But Mr Farage turned his guns on her son, saying: ‘When it comes to Charlie Boy and climate change – oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.’
He went on: ‘If I want the Queen to live a long time to stop Charlie Boy becoming king, I want Charlie Boy to live even longer and William to live forever to stop Harry becoming king. Terrifying!’
Mr Farage is currently on a speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand, with tickets for some events priced at £50 to £170,
‘May she reign for a very long time’
including a ‘VIP meet-and-greet’. A spokesman appeared to suggest yesterday that his comments were taken out of context.
But Mr Farage seemingly refused to back down about Prince Charles, telling Sky News Australia: ‘All I can say about the Queen and his succession is this – the Queen Mother was a chain-smoking gin drinker who did not look after herself at all and lived to 101. The Queen is 93 and looks fit, may she reign for a very long time.’
In 2008, Mr Farage was the sole MEP who refused to applaud a speech given by Charles on climate change at the EU, saying the prince’s advisers were ‘naive and foolish at best’.
Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press secretary, last night angrily accused the ‘braggart’ politician of trying to boost his profile. He said: ‘Why does he need to bring up the Queen Mother who died 15 years ago after a lifetime of service? As for her drinking? People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.’
He added: ‘Harry and Meghan will no doubt do what everyone else should do: ignore him.’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced public criticism for their frequent comments on social activism and climate change.