<p id=”par-1_48″>No one can argue with the fact that <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-william/?swcfpc=1″>Prince William</a> and the Princess of Wales (<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/dont-be-fooled-this-is-what-kate-middleton-was-really-like-in-school.html/?swcfpc=1″>formerly known as Kate Middleton</a>), had a rough 2024. At the start of the year, it was announced that the princess had undergone planned abdominal surgery and would remain hospitalized for several days. </p>
<p id=”par-2_68″>Kate then slipped out of the public eye for weeks and that sent off alarm bells for many royal fans. It also had people spreading vile lies and coming up with outrageous rumors regarding her whereabouts. Eventually, the rumors got so out of control that the princess was pretty much left with no other choice but to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/real-reason-kate-middleton-didnt-announce-cancer-sooner.html/”>reveal publicly that she had cancer</a> and was undergoing chemotherapy. </p>
<p id=”par-3_69″>Kate was never expected to just jump back into her royal duties without a recovery period and time away to focus on her health. William was expected to miss some of his engagements as well to be by <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/royal-commentator-says-husbands-should-not-prince-william-kate-middleton-public-avoid-tension.html/”>his wife</a>‘s side. However, his absence has opened him up to the same criticism he has received in the past and now Taylor Swift’s name has been brought into it. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-attend-a-ceremonial-welcome-for-The-President-and-the-First-Lady-of-the-Republic-of-Korea-at-Horse-Guards-Parade-2.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Prince William and Kate Middleton attend a ceremonial welcome for The President and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea at Horse Guards Parade” class=”wp-image-3762319″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Prince William and Kate Middleton attend a ceremonial welcome for The President and the First Lady of the Republic of Korea at Horse Guards Parade | Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images </figcaption></figure>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-prince-william-and-kate-have-been-criticized”>Why Prince William and Kate have been criticized </h2>
<p id=”par-4_16″>Hearing Palace staffers and aides complain about some royals and their behavior is nothing new. </p>
<p id=”par-5_74″>When he was still the Prince of Wales, several members of King Charles’ staff called him <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-charles-has-two-men-help-him-get-dressed-every-morning-and-iron-his-shoelaces.html/”>“The Pampered Prince,” </a>and those who worked with the late Princess Margaret said that she used to have her aides put out their hands while she was smoking cigarettes so she could <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/former-royal-employee-says-princess-margaret-used-her-servants-as-human-ashtrays.html/”>use them as human ashtrays</a>. And more recently Palace employees claimed that Prince Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/meghan-markles-ex-aide-finally-opens-brutal-time-working-duchess.html/”>“bullied” people on her staff</a>, prompting an investigation. </p>
<p id=”par-6_22″>The old complaint from Palace insiders for William and Kate that is popping back up again is about their work ethic. </p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Kate-Middleton-and-Prince-William-attend-a-reception-hosted-by-the-Governor-General-in-Nassau-Bahamas.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Kate Middleton and Prince William attend a reception hosted by the Governor General in Nassau, Bahamas” class=”wp-image-3744012″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Kate Middleton and Prince William attend a reception hosted by the Governor General in Nassau, Bahamas | Paul Edwards-Pool/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-7_68″>The <a href=”https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/uk-news/workshy-prince-william-annoys-officials-34287031″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Scottish Express</a> noted that: “William had conducted 71 royal engagements in 2024 up to the middle of November, well shy of the 217 carried out by his aunt, Princess Anne. The figure placed him eighth on the list, behind the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Kate had only carried out 11, although she took a step back from royal duties to concentrate on her health.” </p>
<p id=”par-8_33″>Of course, their work or lack thereof last year is excused given the circumstances with Kate’s health but the criticism is nothing new as the two have been labeled “workshy” for years. </p>
<p id=”par-9_36″>“William carried out 110 (engagements) in 2023 and Kate 96, some way behind Anne on 212 and King Charles on 197. And despite his own cancer battle, the king still managed to carry out 186 engagements in 2024.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-palace-aides-have-hit-back-with-a-taylor-swift-jibe”>Palace aides have hit back with a Taylor Swift jibe</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter” id=”emb-3″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-width=”550″ data-dnt=”true”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start <img src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/1f1ec-1f1e7.png” alt=”🇬🇧” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” /><img src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/1f1fa-1f1f8.png” alt=”🇺🇸” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” /><img src=”https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/14.0.0/72×72/1f91d.png” alt=”🤝” class=”wp-smiley” style=”height: 1em; max-height: 1em;” /> <a href=”https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@KensingtonRoyal</a> <a href=”https://t.co/VlD6V0PiEL”>pic.twitter.com/VlD6V0PiEL</a></p>— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) <a href=”https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/1804489925246529747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>June 22, 2024</a></blockquote><script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
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<p id=”par-10_69″>The same <a href=”https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-william-kate-middleton-irritate-34768227″>Scottish publication</a> also reported that “It has not gone unnoticed that the Prince and Princess of Wales have taken on just one — the Royal Marsden Trust — of the late Queen Elizabeth’s 376 patronages … the king wanted William and Kate to take on the English National Ballet, whose former patron was the disgraced Prince Andrew. But they refused, prompting Queen Camilla to step in instead.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_24″>After their refusal, one irritated Palace aide said: “Maybe William would be more interested if the Taylor Swift fan club asked for a patron.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_41″>That was of course in reference to the viral video and photos from June 2024 of Prince William <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-william-went-singing-stage-taylor-swift-busting-moves-concert-viral-video.html/”>singing loudly and dancing about</a> at the pop star’s concert where he took his two oldest children, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-george/?swcfpc=1″>Prince George</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/princess-charlotte/?swcfpc=1″>Princess Charlotte</a>. </p>