Richard Kay at the Daily Mail is on a tear! His new column made it to the cover of today’s Mail, with the headline: “What IS Going On With the Royals?” The online headline is: “Never in memory have the royals had so many troubles at once. If not yet a crisis for the House of Windsor, it’s getting perilously close…” As you can see, Kay and the rest of royalist class have been shaken to their core by Prince William’s failures and by the missing Princess of Wales. They’ve been in a bad way all week as conspiracies spread like wildfire across social media and they can’t contain the story or the optics. Some highlights from Kay’s piece, in which he also goes on a very strange tangent about Prince Harry.
Unsettled: Bad news, as the proverb has it, comes in threes. A king fighting cancer, a princess stricken by an unknown debilitating illness and a vanished prince with no explanation for his absence have contributed to a febrile and dangerously unsettled atmosphere. Just why William was unable to attend the memorial service for his godfather — a man with whom he enjoyed a uniquely poignant bond — remains unknown. However, the most cursory of glances at the rampant speculation on social media ought to persuade even the most unyielding of royal aides that wherever there is a vacuum surrounding a public figure, it will be filled.
Uneasy tidings: Every day seems to bring more unwelcome tidings about the welfare of the royals to whom so many millions look for reassurance. The tragic and unexpected death of Princess Michael of Kent’s son-in-law Tom Kingston has only added to this sombre and uneasy undercurrent. Nine months on, the post-Coronation glow that enveloped the country at the prospect of a new reign under King Charles III has dissipated. And gazing at the remnants of our first family on display at Windsor this week it was impossible to escape the conclusion that it has suddenly become a threadbare institution.
The left-behind royals are uninspiring: The other working royals who were visible on duty on Tuesday are even older — the Duke of Gloucester is 79, the increasingly frail Duke of Kent is 88 and his sister, the stylish Princess Alexandra who was taken into St George’s in a wheelchair to attend, is 87. These then — together with Prince Edward and Sophie who were not present at the service — are the public faces of the Royal Family. Through no fault of their own, they are hardly an inspiring bunch. Here surely was the evidence that a slimmed-down monarchy — King Charles’s decades-long dream — is not truly fit for purpose.
Harry’s security case: As for Harry, those claims last week that he had offered to ‘help out’ by picking up some royal duties while his father is being treated for cancer look increasingly hollow. The loss of his High Court challenge to the Home Secretary over his downgraded security status almost certainly means he will not end his self-imposed exile. His claim that he had been treated unfairly in the changes to his police protection was firmly rejected. Under such circumstances courtiers do not believe his vanity would allow him to return to the royal fold.
Are the Windsors in crisis? Aides insist it is not a crisis. Not quite. Or as one long-standing courtier muttered with distinct discomfort yesterday: ‘Not yet.’ Usually in times such as these officials will offer consoling words of reassurance: it was like that in the dark days of the Diana era and when other domestic matters suddenly erupted to become issues of public confidence. The fact that little was being said added to the sense of apprehension that all is not well within the royal house.
Conspiracies abound: The Palace refused to say whether his non-attendance had anything to do with Kate although it added that the princess was recovering well. What they would not be drawn on was what the ‘personal matter’ was that kept him away from Windsor, where, incidentally, he lives. Of course, William has every right not to share private and quite possibly deeply personal concerns with either the media or the public. But the silence has been a gift to conspiracy theorists. Contrast his and Kate’s approach with that of his father’s. Up until this week Charles has effectively shared bulletins about his treatment with photos of his activities.
Does the British public have a right to know? There is a compelling argument that as head of state, the King is not strictly a private person and the public have a right to know about any ailments, as happens in other democracies such as the U.S. and France. Many suggest this should apply equally to the heir to the throne. There is an expectation from the taxpayers, who fund the royals’ privileged lifestyle, of the right to know not just when things are going well with the monarchy but when they are not — as is most certainly the case this week. By saying nothing, they invite speculation.
Never before: All in all we know precious little. We don’t know how ill the King is or what kind of cancer he is being treated for. Nor do we have a clue about Kate’s health apart from an initial statement that she had undergone ‘planned abdominal surgery’. It is against this backdrop that the stability of the Royal Family, which for all the years of the late Queen’s reign we took for granted, suddenly looks to be in jeopardy. Never in modern memory have the royals had so many multiple troubles at the same time.
Camilla looks tired?? Considering her worries about Charles and her nervousness on the public stage, Camilla acquitted herself well this week although she seemed fatigued. She may be a reluctant performer but she has been a fast learner and her unfussy ordinariness has proved her biggest asset. She is 77 later this year and the question is how long she can keep it up? No Charles, no Kate, no William and no Harry — no wonder Camilla looked tired. What is all the more extraordinary is that the task of keeping the show on the road should fall to the very woman who was once seen as a threat to the monarchy — but is now celebrated as its saviour.
Honestly, the only person I’m not worried about is Camilla? She doesn’t look tired, she looks rejuvenated and happier than ever. Her plan worked out perfectly, she got everything she wanted and she’s the last one standing. As for the Harry stuff… Kay is saying that with the royal protection issue, Harry will never come back for more than a quick visit. That’s not about Harry’s “vanity,” it’s a very real issue of his safety, and Charles and the courtiers have made it clear that they do not give a f–k about Harry’s safety or that of his family.
But really, Kay is very mad about Prince William and Kate and all of the Kensington Palace bungling. That’s what it all comes down to, that’s the thing they’re all trying to avoid saying outright: that William needs to get his act together, that they cannot believe a 40-something heir is this childish and incompetent, that they’re tired of covering for him. Oh well!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.