Princess Kate and Prince William have been criticized by a royal commentator for their “lazy” attitudes towards Royal Family engagements, in an astonishing attack.
Despite undertaking 172 and 123 engagements in 2023, respectively, the royal couple’s numbers pale in comparison to Princess Anne’s impressive 457 outings this year.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, royal commentator Gareth Russell shed light on the situation, emphasising that Prince William is showcasing his mother’s influence by prioritising family life.
Russell said: “This is where you very much see that William is Diana’s son. Recently, there has almost been a perception that he is Charles’s son and Harry is Diana’s son. But you know Diana was immensely close with William.”
Russell acknowledged the impact of Princess Diana on the monarchy and suggested that the Prince and Princess of Wales may not be as affected by the criticism as other royals might be.
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He explained: “This is the Diana impact on the monarchy, so I don’t imagine that William and Catherine are as wounded, as maybe other royals would have been by this level of press criticism.”
However, Russell also highlighted a potential danger to the couple’s reputation due to their current work-home life balance.
He warned: “The danger for them is that even though this is almost certainly motivated by prioritising their home life, it has enabled their critics to paint them as lazy. That reputation can take quite a bit of time to shirk off at the moment.”
Amidst the challenges faced by the monarchy in recent years, Prince William and Princess Kate were expected to be the “star players” of the Royal Family, attracting positive publicity.
However, Russell cautioned: “If they’re not seen as often, there is a risk that they enable their critics to write the story for them.”
Russel argued that undertaking as many public engagements as possible is best for not only William and Kate’s public image, but that of the Royal Family as a whole also.
