Duchess Kate & William traveled to Glasgow by train, not by helicopter

Evening Reception to Mark the Opening Day of the Cop26 Summit

No one knows when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge returned from their “half-term holiday.” They left on October 21st, and there was no sign of them anywhere until mid-day yesterday, November 1st. Of course we know that they were seen and photographed at Heathrow, but seemingly no royal reporter has any interest in reporting on where they vacationed, which plane was used, and whether or not it would have been smarter to vacation within the salty isles, especially given the Queen’s poor health.

I’d really like to know where they went in general, because I don’t think the vacation was particularly restful for Kate. She genuinely looked tired at the Glasgow events they did yesterday, and she didn’t look like someone who had two months and four days off for a summer holiday and then a ten-day autumn vacation. But the focus is on travel, and how Will and Kate traveled. Even though they took at least two flights for their vacation, they definitely want people to talk about how they tried to have a low carbon footprint while traveling to Scotland:

Kate and Prince William made sure to travel from London to Glasgow to attend the UN’s climate change summit using transports with an environmental footprint as low as possible. They crossed the Scottish border aboard a train and travelled from the station to the COP26 venue using an electric car.

These choices are particularly significant as Prince William is leading, alongside Prince Charles, the royal charm offensive at the summit to push world leaders to take decisive steps to protect the earth from climate change.

ITV royal editor Chris Ship took note of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s ways of travel and asked on Twitter whether the royals will ditch forever the use of more polluting transports.

He wrote: “William and Kate’s car from the train station was an electric @JaguarUK I-Pace. We also understand they used @AvantiWestCoast for the journey. Now is clearly not a time for Royals using helicopters. The big question: will this be a permanent change in travel, or not??”

Royal blogger Gert’s Royals said it is likely the Cambridges are paying particular attention to how they travel to environmental events such as COP26. They wrote: “Not a permanent change. But I think they are very aware of the criticism and pay particular attention when attending climate change and other environmental events.”

[From The Daily Express]

So they took the train to Glasgow and traveled to events by electric car, oooh, that will make people forget about how they have a dedicated private helicopter which choppers them back and forth to events and to Norfolk. That will definitely make people forget that they just took a big overseas vacation while the Queen was ill too!

The Daily Mail and other British outlets are making a big deal over Kate’s Eponine dress, because it’s an eco-friendly label and the dress is 18 months old. And yet… it’s a new dress to us. Just because she bought it in 2020, doesn’t mean that she actually needed to buy a new f–king dress. She also “recycled” her shoes and earrings.

Evening Reception to Mark the Opening Day of the Cop26 Summit

Evening Reception to Mark the Opening Day of the Cop26 Summit

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar Images.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

109 Responses to “Duchess Kate & William traveled to Glasgow by train, not by helicopter”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. ModeratelyWealthy says:

    “That will definitely make people forget that they just took a big overseas vacation while the Queen was ill too!”

    I mean, even if there was any uproar, RR would just deleted the story, then republish without comments with a new, Cambridge-friendly headline, yes?

    • Elizabeth Regina says:

      According to some researchers, the royal family contributed over 3,800 tonnes to the carbon footprint. The average family contributes about 50. Taking the odd train whilst you use your helicopter like an uber and wearing a new dress you’ve had lying around in your wardrobe does not cut it.

      • Truthiness says:

        Plus showing up with a new tan shows how committed they are. They may have taken the train last weekend but we saw them at the airport previously with no tan.

  2. Laughysaphy says:

    Oof that header photo is eerie. That vacant smile… Yikes.

  3. Noki says:

    She looks very red,so it was definitely somewhere hot. Isnt Mustique always their easy and quick get away destination? Princess Margret used to vacation there right? Was this another stalker plan Carole laid out for the family ?

    • notasugarhere says:

      That was the typical spot for January/February. They started going to the south of France in the summer about five years ago. And traipsing off to the moderately wealthy Matthew’s family hotel (freebie holiday anyone?). IMO this recent one might have been a skiing holiday.

  4. MMadison says:

    I find it ridiculous when royals make point of reducing their “carbon footprint”. It’s for show only. The next day we all know they are back to using the helicopter to fly from KP to Anmer without a care in the world about “carbon footprints”

    • Chloe says:

      I mean… the keens are very aware of their image and charles was ripped to shreds yesterday on twitter for his carbon footprint despite advocating for policies against climate change.

      I think they are very cautious of looking like hypocrites. Key word in that sentence is looking because they ARE hypocrites. The press just won’t call them out on their carbon footprint and then reports it when they travel sustainable. That way it looks like they are the true eco-royals.

      • Jan90067 says:

        See, I don’t think they are, for the mere fact that they WILL STILL travel by private, by heli, and by Land Rovers…and the fact that they MEDDLED to get Green exemptions for royal properties. This is ALL performative for them.

        Yes, Charles has “cared” about this for a long time…but for OTHERS to do/make changes/sacrifices, not himself.

      • GraceB says:

        It’s not just the royals though. I’m pretty sure that just about everyone at that event is a hypocrite. I’m no fan of the royals, but at least they’re making a small effort.

      • Nic919 says:

        Is everyone there a hypocrite? Likely. Is everyone there an unelected member of a hereditary monarchy supported by taxpayer living an unending and luxurious lifestyle? No.

    • TigerMcQueen says:

      Exactly. It’s performative. So what if they took a train and an electric car to get to that one event when they use private planes, helicopters, SUVs for the other 99.9% of stuff?

      Also, I found the wording in the story odd. “They crossed the border in a train.” Did they actually take the train the entire way???

      • Nic919 says:

        If they were dealing with the plebs at Euston station in London and all the delays because of a fallen tree, we would have heard about it.

  5. Hannah says:

    Not to be a b****, but WTH is happening to Kate’s face? First pic ‘literally’ looks like it’s crumbling. Someone help a gal out — is this from being too thin or could it be bad plastic surgery?

    • Dhianna says:

      Girl has had too much work done on her face. Lumpy and drooping.

    • Aidevee says:

      I think she looks beautiful, but not happy, calm or rested. I genuinely worry for her.

    • Becks1 says:

      It’s a combination of things – being too thin, having too much work done – but its also that these pictures are not photoshopped. I noticed that right away even in the pictures KP posted on their social media. They’re not photoshopped so it can be jarring if you’re used to mostly seeing photoshopped pictures of her.

      • notasugarhere says:

        This. This is how Kate really looks, has looked for at least 10 years. Smoking, drinking, tanning, being too thin. Nothing shocking unless you are used to the hyperphotoshopped pics.

  6. Becks1 says:

    Did Charles arrive in Glasgow by private jet? if so, then I’m assuming this is similar to the FlyBe stunt – the Cambridges have to make sure they can one-up Charles for this occasion.

    But obviously we’re not talking about their private jets and helicopter usage.’

    I will say though that I think its interesting that someone like Chris Ship is asking if this is a permanent change or not – to me that’s basically him saying “so is this just performative for this conference or are the Cambridges going to do better going forward?” We all know the answer to that.

  7. Enny says:

    Oh, the length is a no for me!

    That’s all I got.

    • BeanieBean says:

      I couldn’t believe when I saw that length! Yikes!

    • jo73c says:

      the dress is fug, & the shoes don’t go. she looks so tired – I am about 10 years older & still got the remains of yesterday’s make-up on, and still looking fresher than her.

  8. Sofia says:

    I will LOL at Chris Ship and Gert’s Royals going “are we sure this is going to be a change for the Cambridges?” and you know they want to say “no probably not. They’ll be back to their old ways soon.”

  9. Zut Alors says:

    This is the first time I’ve seen her and thought she looked too thin. I hope everything is well with her.

    • Haylie says:

      I’m as concerned about Kate’s wellness as she was about Meghan’s during both her pregnancies.

    • Elizabeth Regina says:

      Like someone said one of her greatest achievements is going from slender to underweight. Not to body shame but how can her fans not see how unwell she looks. Photos can be airbrushed but raw videos tell another story. I want to genuinely feel sorry for her but she did want the spotlight so here we go.

    • Jaded says:

      Every time I look at her I’m reminded of a piece of twisty pink licorice. She has that gristly look of too much exercise and too little food.

  10. Feeshalori says:

    This is such grandstanding, they’ll all be back to their private mode of travel right after the summit. And the only good thing I can say about Kate’s dress is that I like the color on her.

  11. Zapp Brannigan says:

    In that second photo Kate looks like she’s doing a Tommy Cooper “Just like that” impression.

  12. Merricat says:

    Looks like the Kate-bot needs recharging.

  13. Eurydice says:

    I’m always transfixed by the way the tabloids word things – “They crossed the Scottish border aboard a train.” That could mean they traveled from London on a train, or that they took a helicopter to the border and got on a train there, or anything else in between.

    • Nic919 says:

      That’s exactly how I read it. They took the helicopter to the closest major train station in the north of England and then took the train to Glasgow.

    • notasugarhere says:

      Good catch!

    • Jaded says:

      That’s how it struck me…”they crossed the border into Scotland by train”. They think they’re so clever but we will find them out and judge them harshly.

    • Over it says:

      But was the train emptied out for them?

    • Harper says:

      I saw on Twitter Sunday night that the royal reporters trying to take the train up there were severely delayed by trees on the tracks. There is no way our Royal Highnesses were not alerted that the train schedules were massively delayed. It sure sounds like they flew up somewhere to avoid the mess and hopped on just in time to cross the Scottish border.

  14. Cathy says:

    Eek, that dress is giving off 1980s vibes, but in a bad way, a very bad way. Like something from the sale rack at C&A? (Circa 1985?) Was it picked out by CarolE for Kate to wear today?

    And this is pedantic of me but shouldn’t the leaf on her poppy brooch be pointing towards 11 o’clock? (It’s to represent the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month that the Armistice ending WW1 was signed.) It’s typical Kate, she almost gets it, but not quite. I hate to think of all the traditions that she’ll stuff up once she’s FFQ because she’s too lazy to learn how to get it right.

    I’m going to get off my soapbox now.

  15. ABritGuest says:

    That electric blue is really nice but this coat dress is more Kate’s usual style. Camilla’s dress looks wrinkled. I remember when that caused meltdowns for a certain duchess.

    Their travel by train & using their electric car is just for show for the conference. We just saw them arrive at the airport with a SUV car & that private helicopter isn’t going anywhere. I can’t blame royals, government officials etc if for security reasons etc they have to travel a certain way but they can lead by example by not lobbying to be exempt from green laws like the queen did. So can’t take them seriously.

    And seems the royals have a vested interest in the climate movement

    https://bylinetimes.com/2021/10/04/windfall-queen-will-be-one-of-the-biggest-beneficiaries-of-uks-green-agenda/

    • ABritGuest says:

      I saw a picture that Kate’s coat dress with hair up was reminiscent of Selena joy from A Handsmaid Tale & it totally is.

    • Elizabeth Regina says:

      I agree. This green agenda is all about the money for them. The queen made over £17m last year alone from their wind farms. Yet they have the audacity to accuse others of grifting.

  16. Dee says:

    New to us dress, styled all wrong, starting with those boring shoes. Ugh.

  17. Maria says:

    Going just one or two shades darker for lip color would be so helpful for her.

  18. notasugarhere says:

    There’s a big orange billboard up about William’s carbon footprint. Private jets, multiple houses, all of it. Charles isn’t the only one taking a public hit about travel at this event.

  19. Giiiirl says:

    Her outfits are so boring. She looks vacant and sad. Someone get her out of this establishment!

    • Chrissy (The Original) says:

      She could leave of her own free will but she won’t. She knows she’s a nobody without the title, and besides, CarolE would kill her if she did.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Carole’s goal has been achieved – her grandson.

      • Nic919 says:

        Diana set the precedent to leave an unhappy royal marriage and so Kate can do this too. But she does not because she wants the perks and the rank and she will put up with a lot for it. After all she tolerated a lot of cheating during the dating years that most other women would have refused to do.

        She is choosing this.

      • Tessa says:

        Carole probably would be up in arms if Kate wants to leave. So many years Carole worked towards this!

  20. Chaine says:

    I actually like the dress and that color of blue. Only the extreme length of it is wrong. I like that she has her hair up for this event for once, too. She does look sunkissed. The vacation must have been someplace warm.

  21. Cj says:

    Her husband must be exhausting to deal with at the best of times, and I imagine the push to do more work, feeling one-upped by his brother, his pet project not getting the headlines he wanted, family tensions etc etc means it is not the best of times. If only she had some clue, some very obvious and apparent clue, before she jumped into this line of work.

    • Tessa says:

      She got away with not supporting herself for years with no full time work pre marriage, to me it was no surprise she would not want to work after the wedding. Or take as much time off as possible.

  22. jazzbaby1 says:

    Her face is sliding off already. Wow.

  23. Amy Bee says:

    It’s been posted on twitter by a stan that Kate returned to London last night by plane albeit a budget flight. So the answer to whether the Cambridges will maintain their eco-travel agenda, is no. I’m sure William is returning to London by helicopter. As for Kate’s dress, it’s new. It may be from last year’s collection but it’s new. She could have repeated a dress previously seen by the public instead of bringing out a new dress from her wardrobe.

    • JT says:

      So they left the event separately? Couldn’t they have just traveled together to be more efficient or does William have another event to go to for COP26?

      • notasugarhere says:

        Given Eurydice’s comment above, they may have traveled separately by two different helos to the border. Gotten on a train and crossed the border to Scotland ‘together’.

    • Becks1 says:

      Kate going to Glasgow for less than one full day, regardless of how they traveled, just seems so inefficient to me. What was the point of her going? Why bother? She should have either gone for multiple days or just stayed home.

  24. Sunday says:

    Not to be a buzzkill but electric cars don’t mean a thing if the electric grid they’re pulling from isn’t clean energy itself. Just another empty gesture for tabloid talking points.

  25. The Duchess says:

    How can a person look so stressed and restless after coming off a week-long luxurious beach vacation? She should be looking the polar opposite. Kate needs help and fast!

    • Jaded says:

      She’s stressed because she has to play-act with Grumpy and interact with grown-ups.

    • Haylie says:

      Envy and hatred are eating her alive inside out. Jowls n’ Scowls is just radiating her rotten inner core on her outer shell.

      • Eating Popcorn says:

        There is a picture of her with Trudeau and she looks downright venomous, I wonder if he brought up The Duke & Duchess of Sussex?

      • Nic919 says:

        She was very snotty with Trudeau when they did their second tour. There is footage of her holding Charlotte and basically ignoring as Trudeau was trying to interact with George.

  26. MangoAngelesque says:

    I can’t imagine that either Kate OR William are particularly enjoyable to be around; Kate’s automaton facade slips when Will is around because he isn’t particularly interested in pretending to be interested in her anymore. Other people still indulge her to various degrees, so she can look more or less animated or even comfortable at times (like when she’s around attractive males sportsmen, or a single Harry), but when the camera catches those dead-eyed moments, I think that’s the real her.

    And Will just can’t be bothered to act like he’s amused by the super-keen show she puts on. He actually smiles at other people, and shows interest. But with her? Forced. It’s just weird.

  27. Cessily says:

    The thumbnail photo is giving off “YOU” vibes in a big way.. lol

  28. Emma says:

    The dress maker does use vintage fabrics “whenever possible,” whatever that means (probably means “rarely”). But what a forgettable look on Kate. She just can’t get it right.

  29. Mina_Esq says:

    Someone give them a gold star sticker, STAT! That’s how you reinforce positive behaviors in young children.

  30. dido says:

    “Her eyes always find the camera!” – Derangers about Meghan, and yet never about KKKate here

    • Nic919 says:

      One royal forum used to have a thread of every time Kate looked directly at the cameras and it happened quite a lot. It was actually a bit funny because so many photos were of Kate looking directly and no one else around her doing so. She hasn’t changed in that regard but they projected this onto Meghan as with everything else.

      • notasugarhere says:

        James Whittaker once said Kate knew how to find the cameras even more than Diana.

      • Tessa says:

        She was playing to those cameras for years. She made these exaggerated expressions when she was at a racetrack, outrageously mugging and she looks right at the cameras at tennis matches and she certainly did at the Bond film premiere. Diana took an interest in the people around her and interacted, Kate does not.

  31. Coco says:

    To me, the last picture looks like Kate is a restroom attendant who will offer Camilla a towel when she gets off the toilet.

  32. AmelieOriginal says:

    Apparently Kate’s vest at the scouting events was made from recycled materials, so they are paying attention to optics and what they wear and how they travel when they are attending climate change related events. I doubt they will refrain from using helicopters and private jets to get places completely, lots of celebrities and famous people do that. But I think we will be seeing less of that from everyone (hopefully) going forward. Helicopters should only be used for emergencies like search and rescue and getting to hard to reach places for nature documentaries, not ferrying rich people around just because they can afford it for the convenience.

    As an aside, I bought two rompers from Patagonia from REI this summer, not knowing beforehand they were made from recycled materials (or that Patagonia as a company has the reputation of making a lot of their clothes from recycled materials). They are two of the comfiest outfits I own and I pretty much lived in them this summer. Highly recommend shopping from them!

    • Nic919 says:

      Wouldn’t it have been less wasteful to simply rewear a vest she has worn multiple times before? While the vests of recycled material are a good idea for those who don’t have a vest, it is simply performative for Kate to wear something new when she has similar attire already.

      • Becks1 says:

        She has SO many of those vests, field jackets, all of that. Yes, wearing something from recycled materials is great, rewearing something you already have is better.

        You notice no one ever praised Meghan for wearing recycled items when she wore Rothys.

      • AmelieOriginal says:

        Oh definitely! I wasn’t praising her for wearing a vest made from recycled materials, but like the article noted I was highlighting that the Cambridges are definitely paying attention to what they wear when it comes to events related to climate change/the environment. Both Kate and William rewore outfits they had previously worn for the Earthshot prize ceremony (Kate’s lilac dress and William’s velvet green blazer). I was surprised Kate wore a new dress for the formal evening reception and she definitely could have recycled an outdoorsy outfit, we know she has plenty of outdoorsy wear so we didn’t need to see the performative new vest from recyclable materials.

      • Jan90067 says:

        Not just “so many” of the same items, but of the SAME COLOR as well! And how many times have we seen the same dresses just in different shades/colors. This woman has TEN YEARS worth of clothes she’s worn. once, MAYBE twice. How about no more NEW clothes (and Jewelery) for the next ten years??

      • Amy Too says:

        It’s so weird it’s like they pick one or two things only when they want to pretend to be climate change activists. They came by train and electric car but wore new clothes and Kate flew out today. They wore old clothes for Earthshot and came by electric car but Kate had all new accessories, they had a big fancy in person party, and Will and Kate are still going to travel to all the ceremonies in person even though they told other people not to. They only try to do something environmentally friendly when it’s a specific climate related event, but even then they can’t fully commit. It’s like theme dressing for them, which shows that they don’t actually care. They’ve picked this cause because it’s trendy and makes them feel important when they get to tell other people how to live their lives, chastise their brother for not meeting their expectations, and get in the room with world leaders. But they’re so obviously not living it. Climate change involves the same amount of theme dressing/theme acting as something like a Scouts visits or a yachting outing. It’s all just dress up.

  33. diana says:

    So I guess they heard the criticism..

  34. What says:

    Even new it was a total turn off. I thought the low bun was an try at the meghan in New York which failed miserably. I may be wrong, but besides the nest she had at the movie premiere. When has she pulled her hair up this tight? And it’s still outdated and matronly. I will agree with everyone she may have a good wardrobe pic or vibe once or twice-then goes back to the matronly outdated clothes which she’s known for. Which screams copy Kate when she trys and fails to do Meghan.

    • Jan90067 says:

      Shame she can’t adopt a signature working style, like Victoria and yes, Meghan. Kate *does* look good with her hair in a low pony. It’s a sleek and professional look, and it’s not in her face, or hanging around it like Spaniel Ears.

  35. NiqGee says:

    Why does she keep wearing these ugly matronly dresses and hairstyles? Is she trying to look old on purpose? Because there are ways to look conservative and serious without looking old. I really wish she would kopy more of Meghan’s style beats because at least then she will look like her age.

  36. Queen Anne says:

    I might be seeing things but when I look closely at the pictures of the 2 at the train station they look like they are photoshopped into the picture. In one it looks like part of her hair is missing on top, a part of an umbrella is sticking out from nowhere, strange luggage right behind them, white shadowing all around William. I’m not an expert but it appears photoshopped to me. Look at her legs in the one where kate is looking down. There is something off in every picture. In one it looks like William has an egg on his head. Again, I might be seeing things.

  37. MMadison says:

    All the money and access that Camilla has to the best of the best and she wears this …WTF

  38. Isabella says:

    It’s a good dress for once. Just needs to be shortened. I don’t know why Kate stopped showing her legs. At least she tries to be cheerful–and that’s something. William is such a sour puss. He makes a terrible diplomat. Nobody is cheered up just by meeting him, unlike Harry and Meghan.

  39. What says:

    Must be hard for both of them. People who always talking about the H&M, but you forget C&C’s love story. Like it or not, Kate in particular is reminded about two different couples that are not afraid to display pda where it clearly comes across as love. While she can pretend all she wants that her man loves her it’s clear to everyone else he doesn’t

  40. jferber says:

    Aaren, I think Will looking at Kate with contempt is one of his favorite hobbies. He’s smug and sadistic, in my opinion. He absolutely enjoys being the disdainful prince. He does it with Kate, Harry and Meghan. But I think if he married a woman he could respect, he’d be quaking in his boots, because obviously a competent mate would actually shake his crumbly foundation since his natural talents and work ethic are, shall we say, scant. If I were her, I’d divorce him for mental cruelty. He’s very belittling to her.

  41. HeatherC says:

    I’m going there. I’m going to comment on her weight. Slender is one thing. But if I can see and count your tracheal cartilage rings….that’s a whole other thing that is NOT good. (top photo)

    • CrystalBall says:

      You are absolutely right. She looks exhausted and underweight, ike someone in the grips of a serious eating disorder. It is worrying to see she isn’t being helped.

  42. Lizzie says:

    And how will they travel home? Anyone think there is a plane waiting or they will fly with Charles?

  43. AmB says:

    News flash: “Recycled” != “worn more than once”.

  44. Cottage Cat says:

    It really annoys me that Cambridge groupies say that Meghan “always” looks for the cameras, when here’s Middleton, all style without substance, going straight for it with her usual “I know you all know what I am, but I played the long game and bagged weak William”.

  45. CrystalBall says:

    An out-of-season, out-of-date dress – she thinks she’s so smart because now it isn’t new and no one can copy her. But wait a minute – is that the distant sound of British Vogue laughing at her? Oh yes, it is!