Kate and William need to get back out on another royal tour (Image: Getty)
Princess Kate and Prince William have consistently proven themselves to be two of the most popular members of the Royal Family, both at home and abroad.
Even as newlyweds they were already out and about charming the world on a series of successful royal visits, from Canada to the US, before tours in Australia, India and Pakistan, among others, followed.
In the past few years however they have been noticeably absent from the world stage, naturally in part due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and their three children all starting school, meaning they need to be at home more.
It is also true that their last big royal tour to the Caribbean did not exactly play out as planned, with many criticising it as a symbol of past colonialist sentiment.
But it is now time for the Waleses to shrug off these concerns and see the world again, to nurture important links with the Commonwealth and promote themselves as the future of the Firm for all people to see.
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Kate and William in Australia (Image: Getty)
In the past Kate and William have always played well with the public, whether at home or abroad, as their array of trips over the last decade or more has shown.
Their image as happy newlyweds in Canada and the US, where they went just a few months after their wedding, was infectious, as the world had still not yet come down from the high of their glorious wedding day, which was televised around the world.
The couple further enchanted the public when they brought baby George along with them to Australia and New Zealand nine months after his birth, an important move as Princess Diana broke new ground for the royals when she took an infant William with her to the region in the 1980s.
Charlotte tagged along too a few years later, cementing Kate and William’s status as hard-working parents trying to juggle their duties with family life, and when Charlotte was photographed having a tantrum in Germany it made them appear even more relatable.
Diplomacy and maintaining international friendships is of course the major reason for these visits, but it cannot be overstated how seeing the Prince and Princess of Wales as normal and accessible future monarchs will help the Firm boost its standing in all countries they visit.
Kate was captured being a relatable mother in Germany (Image: Getty)
It was this relatability factor which seemed to be the sticking point when it came to the Waleses last tour, a trip to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas in March 2022.
While they were their usual charming selves, an unfortunate image of them greeting Jamaican locals behind a chained fence was slammed as them showcasing their position as colonisers, as the local people made a stand for independence.
One planned trip in Belize was called off due to protest fears, and everywhere they went rumblings of reparations for slavery followed them.
It seemed that the royals in this part of the world had come to be seen as at best outdated, and at worst a symbol of the tragic and painful history of racism and colonisation that the Caribbean nations wish to put behind them.
Australia too has seen a growing movement for republicanism, with another referendum on the question all but guaranteed if Anthony Albanese wins another term in office.
The Waleses were criticised for the image portrayed in their Caribbean tour (Image: Getty)
Fortunately the royals took prompt steps to address the concerns raised in the Caribbean, as in a speech in Jamaica William expressed his “profound sorrow” for the “appalling atrocity of slavery”.
He said: “Slavery was abhorrent and it never should have happened. I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history.”
King Charles too has always made it clear he would support any country’s democratic decision to become independent, as he did in 2021 when he travelled to Barbados to commemorate the nation’s independence.
If countries such as Australia and Canada also decide to leave the monarchy behind it will undoubtedly be a blow for the King, but the Firm will be doing the right thing by moving with the times and not harkening back to the distant Kings and Queens of old.
The key selling factor of Kate and William is their accessibility and understanding of what it means to be a 21st century monarch in an ever-changing world.
Kate and William have been getting a popular reception in the UK (Image: Getty)
Which is why it is so vital for them to start touring the world again and promoting the Wales brand as an international one once more.
By embarking on more royal tours they can continue to show how the monarchy is moving forward and listening to the people, rather than being subdued by one misjudged photograph.
If the royals want to stay relevant they need to show themselves out among all their people, getting to know them and all the countries they represent.
With Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in tow, the Wales clan would be a royal force to be reckoned with.
