Think about how messed up it is that the British Foreign Office, the royal palaces and the Commonwealth countries have to pool resources to ensure a “royal tour” goes well, only to have the tour be so offensive, the countries want out of the Commonwealth. In addition to that, when the Earl and Countess of Wessex are sent on tour, they’re truly not bringing any attention to the countries they visit. Sophie and Edward are not providing “tourism” for the money spent sending them on tour. They are too boring to be interesting royals and too tone-deaf to be effective soft-diplomats. And what’s worse is that the goal of the Wessexes’ Caribbean Tour was simply “do no harm.” They weren’t expected to actually achieve anything beyond “be neutral.” They couldn’t even do that. So this Wessex Caribbean Adventure is probably the last one of its kind.
Prince Edward’s royal tour of Caribbean will be among the last to take place campaigners predict as their trip has been marked by anti-colonial protests and calls for slavery reparations. The Earl of Wessex and his wife Sophie began a week-long tour of Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia last Friday in celebration of the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
As the tour has progressed, so too have calls for reparatory justice from campaigners across all three destinations on the itinerary – from open letters demanding reparations to outright monarchial objections on the streets. By the end of the tour, more countries in the Caribbean had indicated a future desire to divorce the British monarchy – namely Antigua & Barbuda and Saint Kitts & Nevis – just as Jamaica and Belize had, following the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s accursed excursion in recent weeks.
Responding to the Wessexes’ trip, Philip Murphy, author of The Empire’s New Clothes: the Myth of the Commonwealth, said: “It’s now clear that William and Kate’s ill-fated Caribbean tour last month wasn’t an outlier caused by poor planning. This is now likely to be the pattern for royal visits to the region and I expect they’ll peter out; 2022 looks like being a pivotal year.”
On Wednesday, Edward and Sophie were met by a group of protesters before a trip to a cocoa plantation in Saint Lucia where people held banners reading “repatriation with reparations” and “Queen say sorry” while playing drums and chanting. Shortly beforehand, the earl spoke to a road sweeper with a broom standing in front of the small crowd of Black people and joked “I hope you keep this lot in order” while pretending to wave the broom. This remark has been criticised as another “tone-deaf” gaffe.
CB and others have asked if the royals have always been this bad at touring, or if it’s the world that’s changed. I think it’s both – the royals have always been horrible at touring and there are always gaffes and racist comments and bad imagery, but before the prevalence of social media, the gaffes didn’t become international stories for the most part. The gaffes were treated as spicy anecdotes for royal biographies rather than “yet another example of royal colonialist oppression.” Now, do I believe that this is the end of this kind of royal-touring? I don’t know. Charles is supposed to go to Canada in a few weeks and I think that will be the end of Jubbly touring. But the royals were itchy to move around during the pandemic. They actually want to go on tour and make asses out of themselves, they’re desperate to be seen! Which makes it even funnier.
Photos courtesy of Instar.
-
- North America Rights Only – Castries, Saint Lucia -20220426- Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex meet staff of the British High Commission residence in Castries, Saint Lucia as they continues their visit to the Caribbean, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince Edward, Sophie Countess of Wessex -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
-
- North America Rights Only – Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia -20220428- Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex meet staff and students from a number of St Lucian schools, at Camille Henry Memorial school in St Lucia, as they continue their visit to the Caribbean, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince Edward, Sophie Countess Of Wessex -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
-
- North America Rights Only – Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia -20220428- Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex meet staff and students from a number of St Lucian schools, at Camille Henry Memorial school in St Lucia, as they continue their visit to the Caribbean, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince Edward, Sophie Countess of Wessex -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
-
- North America Rights Only – Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia -20220428- Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex meet staff and students from a number of St Lucian schools, at Camille Henry Memorial school in St Lucia, as they continue their visit to the Caribbean, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince Edward, Sophie Countess of Wessex -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
-
- North America Rights Only – Castries, Saint Lucia -20220426- Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex meet staff of the British High Commission residence in Castries, Saint Lucia as they continues their visit to the Caribbean, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince Edward, Sophie Countess of Wessex -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
-
- North America Rights Only – Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia -20220427- Prince Edward and Sophie Countess of Wessex on a boat at Ganters Bay jetty for a ride to Soufriere, Saint Lucia, as they continue their visit to the Caribbean, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince Edward, Sophie Countess of Wessex -PHOTO by: PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
The tours to Black countries will stop. The tours to predominantly white countries, particularly with conservative governments in place, and Asian counties like Singapore where the government is oppressive of civil liberties, and there is no threat of protests, will continue.
Man, the Queen isn’t even dead yet and her obvious weakening is already (partially) leading to this. By no means do I think it’s all of it – these people have been waiting for these opportunities for decades and have built real political will in their countries for it. But I strongly doubt either Prime Ministerial meeting we saw with Kate and William and now these two bozos (the saviors of the monarchy!) goes the same way if the Queen is present or even active.
When England is forced to grow up after hiding behind her skirts for the last 70 years, it’s going to be ugly.
EXACTLY. Came here to say just that. You are more articulate than I, but they will still visit the white countries (where a disgustingly large proportion of people still think fondly of “The British Empire”).
Blujfly, your last sentence exposes the root of the real problem with the monarchy.
Co-sign 100%
I wish I could recall which clever celebitchy made a case that the only thing that Charles can do to leave any kind of legacy is to dismantle the monarchy. Because since I read that, I can’t think of any other way to resolve this mess.
i wish they could feel embarrassed. and I suppose they do. and instead they just take out their jealousy on meghan instead of trying to change themselves.
I agree. If they feel any embarrassment, it’s re-directed as blame towards PH & M. I don’t know how you convince yourself that you should go promote the monarchy/commonwealth to countries populated by POC when you drove out the one POC in your world, and have very few staff that are POC.
They are intentionally blind at this point.
I hope the Canada trip goes just as well.
In the 70’s, the Queen and Phil came to BC and my grandfather got to your Philip around our town. My grandpa was shocked at the overt racism and sexism from Phil. It actually changed how my grandfather saw our society and himself. But at the time, everyone (even my grandpa, to save face) laughed WITH Philip. Now we are laughing AT the royals. They have not changed, but a great deal of us have.
Phillip was a terrible racist. I know some people have a soft spot for him or a glamorous image of him, but he was inexcusably, openly awful, and we see his legacy in his children and some of his grandchildren.
I think it was Edward(?) who lamented after Philip’s death that all people wanted to recall about him was his racism, not the “good” that he did. I don’t think Philip did any good for anyone (his so-called environmentalism was rooted in his love for hunting big game, so protecting species in order to hunt them is not really a selfless act). I think he SHOULD be remembered for his racism, as that is a huge problem and no amount of living to an old age, or having a wife who is beloved by the people, or any other excuse, should excuse him.
@IZZY 😁
I fervently hope so as well!
Sophie, what is with the elbows on the table with guests? Is that your way of being folksy with black people or do you assume the older gentleman at the table wouldn’t have table manners. That man is certainly sitting with more respect and dignity than the way you are honoring him. This is not a kitchen chat at your home which he would never be an invited guest given the family’s history.
Hard agree! The rest of her body language is so stiff, it’s not like she could say she was so comfortable and having a jovial conversation. It doesn’t come across well, at all. Ugh they’re so terrible at their jobs. They are laughably incapable of actual diplomacy, soft diplomacy, anything.
Cast you eye back to Monty Python’s Upper Class Twit of the Year Contest—it’s been 50 years, still funny because it’s true.
They could follow what Kate did and go visit fellow monarchs. What is the point of the tours? They didn’t bring anything worthwhile to the countries visited and only half-listened (if that much) to the people they met with. How does the UK justify the expense? No diplomacy was achieved or anything to advance the UK or the countries visited. The money would have been better spent on starting to make reparations. With the internet, are influencers of any type needed to highlight a country’s tourism?
In the words of Edward, they’re there to listen, not take notes. Free the Commonwealth.
Whoever thought of this whole Jubbly Tour should be fired. If it was someone under Charles’ control or the government’s, either way this was inexcusable.
They’re too arrogant to stop the tours. I think Charles and Camilla are supposed to go to Uganda or something soon too.?
If they stop the tours what are they good for? They’ll keep on hoping people forget..just like they’ve done with every other scandal or issue
I noticed for the Canadian tour that, except for a brief stop in the capital, they are going to Newfoundland and the Northwest territories- basically, far away from populated areas and media glare. They are worthwhile places to visit of course, but I was suspicious that it might partly be to avoid any kind of scenes like the Cambridges faced. I’m very interested to see if there is any discussion or demonstration against the monarchy while they are here, especially in light of Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous First Nations. But will anyone even know they are here?
‘I hope you keep this lot in order’ ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!? I’m feeling extra salty this morning, working in London for the minimum living wage, struggling to buy groceries at the moment, living in a 2 bed flat with 2 other roommates as I technically live in the livingroom. For goodness sake, I would love to have the opportunity to be gifted a house and clothing and expenses for simply being born from the ‘correct’ womb. I work hard af now, but if I were given any sort of opportunity to do something beyond just barely getting by, I would be sweating and working myself to the bone 7 damn days a week. Ugh I am fed up with the monarchy. How are they allowed to be this bad at their jobs? They’ve clearly never heard of an appraisal, performance incentive, hell, even performance review.
Too true. The very concept of Royal tours is wrong but it is made even worse by the fact that the Windsors are so tone-deaf, stupid and entitled. Edward looks like the village idiot in these photographs and, by all accounts, behaved and spoke like it too.
So despite the two unfortunate tours of 2022, we might at some point in some other year still be “treated to” Tour Capsized in the Caribbean, Part Three….
Agreed, those photos are definitely not flattering.
That line jumped out at me as well. It made my head explode. What a dumb ass! I wish that man had taken his broom and whacked him over the head with it – that would have made an awesome GIF and it may have even become my screensaver. Then the man who hit him could have said he was just joking around – and Edward is being hyper sensitive reacting poorly to what was just a joke. They are SO BAD at their jobs. It’s astounding how poorly they perform.
I wonder if the royals are delusional enough to think that the “privilege” of having them visit and supposedly churn up some tourism (which they don’t actually do, but let’s not allow facts to get in the way) counts as “reparations”? I can absolutely see them believing that.
Agreed and yes, it’s absolutely delusional. These tours amount to nothing more than a vacation for them and at a huge cost to the host countries, not to mention the officials & otherswho have to take time away from regular duties to entertain them. Dreading the upcoming visit to Canada.
I have a Masters in Anthropology, which involved spending a great deal of time in Native American/First Nations reservations and communities in both the US and Canada, and I’ve stayed in touch with many of those people. Now, I don’t know if any plans have been set in stone, but the people I know up there definitely seem to be organizing SOMETHING to coincide with the royal visit. And rightly so, considering the recent confirmation of the vile crimes committed against First Nations children. They are more than entitled to a bit of righteous anger, and they deserve to have their voices heard, royal feelings be damned.
Now, now, Miranda. You’re forgetting that really neat photo of THEMSELVES that Sofie and Edward brought. I’m sure that’s got to make up for the oppression, don’t you?
The look of the PM’s face when he was given that signed photo was, I think, the highlight of my week, maybe even my month!
The stupidity and absolute blindness of presenting a photo of yourself to anyone who isn’t family or in love with you is overwhelming. I hope that at least the frame was nice so that it can be used.
They’re not even nice frames, just a job lot of standard royal-branded frames they’ve had made, and must have crate-loads. In that clip that’s going around where Harry says how embarrassing the tradition of visiting and giving a photograph of yourself is, you can see pics on the table with the same frames.
Lol, what’s over is the Commonwealth.
@IForget, how is this tour regarded by regular people like us in England, if at all? We know the coverage by the RM, but are most people paying any attention to it? I would be pissed if I’m facing rising prices for food and gas and housing, while these idiots were spending my taxpayer money to go make asses of themselves.
Well technically I’m an immigrant. I moved here from Canada 8 years ago, so I feel like my opinion may not resonate with Brits who grew up here. All my friends know I’m a Republican (in the anti-monarchy sense of the word, absolutely not the American sense of the word lol). I vaguely try to keep them in the loop and if they’re ever aware of any tours, they’re neutral at best. Whenever I give them the low-down on what’s happening, they turn on the Royals. So far, not a single person knew that the Wessexes were abroad.
What has been your experience? 🙂
Edited to add, most people are distracted with our failing government, so the Royals don’t even register. I suspect they’d be even more upset if they knew the Royals were pulling the same shite as the Tories!
I’m in the US, and most of my friends, who keep up with news and are well read, don’t care about this tour, the prior flop tour, or the royals in general, other than to be shocked by the carelessness and laziness of them. They do believe that Meghan was treated badly and are glad she’s back home.
I guess the indifference of regular people is the probably the worst feeling for them – they live for attention and envy.
Charles tour involves the natives of Canada. He’s a jackass. Last summer 1000s of native children bodies were found. In 1964 QE/PP visited a orphanage in Kamloop. The children were abused as per the monarchy order. They took 10 kids for a walk and was never seen again. The International Court of Brussels charged her with crimes against humanity and child trafficking. The heifer is still here.
Per Reuters, this did not happen: https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-missing-children-canada/fact-check-debunking-claims-about-disappeared-school-children-in-1964-in-british-columbia-canada-idUSL1N2LM0VL
It doesn’t matter if that particular walk didn’t happen. They DID kidnap thousands and thousands of children and they DID sexually assault and torture them and there ARE hundreds and hundres of bodies being dug up right now. And this was done by the crown and church (and other governments like the US).
@Connie: that didn’t happen. Focus on real crimes, not made-up conspiracies.
A few clarifications about buried children at residential schools (I live in the Province of BC), First the use of the term Indian is offensive, racist and colonial. They are referred to as First Nations or indigenous peoples. It is a fact that by the use of ground penetrating radar that anomalies have been identified that may be bodies of children in a number of locations, it will necessitate the exhumation of these sites to determine exactly what lies below. Hundreds and hundreds of bodies have not been dug up, any exhumation will be conducted with the cooperation of the First Nations taking into account their cultures, and in accordance with appropriate laws by qualified people.
I also think it’s both. The royals aren’t acting in a way that they previously hadn’t before. There was always at least a strong stench of colonialism when doing tours to CW countries particularly predominantly non-white countries (remember those pics of W&K being carried in Tuvalu?) but due to the state of the world, social media and countries building resentment towards the monarchy, it’s what causing people to realise that the royals are actually pretty useless and CW countries especially really don’t need them on a scale not dealt with before.
It’s been hiding in plain sight but interpreted very differently. The narrative has shifted and they have not, in large part because they cannot but also do not (yet) realise they need to. Ordained by god and all that, they genuinely believe they are superior to the rest of us.
Absolutely. I think time has run out on their out-dated style of diplomacy or whatever this was. Interestingly, once it was obvious to everyone that they (the Cambs and W’s) were coming across as out-of-touch relics, their bots and supporters started to change their message. So instead of pretending the media or SM was blowing everything out of proportion (“It’s the squad and the liberals wah wah wah”), you’re seeing a lot of commentary about “Well then, if they’re so unhappy being in the CW…they should all just leave!” Which, to me, reads as an admission that there’s nothing remotely salvageable about their positions. I think BP has totally given up on the CW and I love that.
I agree with all of that @Sofia, and would like to add that their treatement of Meghan made the whole world aware of their racist behaviour. When that happened in real life, while The Crown was reminding the world about their horrible treatement of Diana, it build up to a perfect storm. Most people would have slumbered through a few decades more, without the RF on their radar had they behaved towards Meghan.
I think you are exactly right, Couch potato.
@Sofia, agree with everything you wrote, and I wanted to add that Brexit has shown England’s declining authority/prestige in the world, and that has driven a cost-benefit analysis by CW countries.
Desperate to be seen and an apparent lack of shame is a trippy combo.
It was reported that the Palace would take the lessons from the Cambridge tour and revise the Wessexes tour but it seems that they just told Edward to leave his military uniform at home. There was no real difference between the two tours. Maybe it was too late for a total revamp but Edward and Sophie still came off as imperial tourists and hopefully this will be the last tour especially in the Caribbean. The world has moved on and these tours bring absolutely no value to the countries that are visited and only expose the Royals for the racists they are.
Well, they avoided fences and didn’t ride on the back of any vehicles.
They also told Sophie not to dress at all fashionably too, apparently. Although Keen seemed to have gotten that same memo so I don’t know. Sophie should have just asked to borrow something from Anne and saved the money.
Sophie looks like a melty, swampy mess. She can’t handle this tour- the work, or the climate.
Caribbean folks are just over these people and their tone deafness and racism.
On another note, Sophie shoes and clothes are bad and Edwards is no better.
When it comes to Sophie’s “royal work” clothes she’s damned if she dresses to to nines and damned if she dresses like she just stepped off a cruise ship. With regards to her clothes, I really feel for Sophie or any working female royal for that matter.
Well, we are given photos to look at. Sorta comes with the territory of viewing this type of medium.
After all, Sofie IS the real victim here.
Come on. She definitely shouldn’t be dressed as if she just stepped off a cruise ship and some of her outfits definitely give off that vibe.
She’s too casual and underdressed. If she were in Sydney or in Rome, Sophie wouldn’t dress like this. There’s a medium between heavy brocade coat dress and capris with wedges. And at least wear local designers.
How about she dresses appropriately period, a simple light pants suit or some such….would she dress like this if she were visiting a European country? All these fugly dresses and cork slippers and wedges are just ridiculous.
Yes, poor Sophie … Someone clearly forced her to take a free trip to the Caribbean. Also, her dress is frumpy as hell. And those shoes … shudder.
If you’re going to represent the queen (so weird that’s still a thing), at least do it with some genuine warmth, personality and style.
What is with her orthopedic disco wedges
I have no confidence for Canada. The Windsors may go 0 for 3.
I just think that all posts about these two should feature their pic with Prime Minister Philip Pierre instead. Maybe have it cropped to just show his face. That’s the reaction they inspire in us.
These tours seem to lack purpose and seem really long. Unless they are going for a specific reason, what exactly are they for? Also, the royals just aren’t exactly bringing their A game and seem so ill-informed and badly prepared to respond to politics and economic issues. These minor royals need to get real jobs because this isn’t it.
A lack of purpose and focus seems to sum these tours up, sadly. So many missed opportunities to show them to be useful.
Even coming up short in the gift giving department sort of sums it all up!
Honestly, custom aside, could no one use a little thoughtfulness and creativity when selecting a gift for the Saint Lucian PM? Something that highlighted British-Caribbean ties maybe?
I’m guessing no one thought of amazing British artist Stephen Wiltshire whose mother’s Saint Lucian. His backstory is so inspiring and his drawn from memory cityscapes are just incredible.
I don’t think the tours will end. They don’t react and respond that quickly!
Just the fact that the Wessex tour happened at all is a solid example! The Cambridge tour was a disaster with the horrible imagery, the protests and even being fired on live TV! Not to forget the horrific fashion. Kate also dressed solely for the cameras and not for the situation. Just see the bright pink vampire dress she wore.
This tour should have been cancelled at once. No one cares about them (except maybe us!) or even really knows who they are. The Cambridge tour was so awful and sparked so much discontent. To then send another less important contingent while the newspapers and social media in the area are still upset about the last one is a kind of arrogance the crown is famous for. Of course they were greeted with protests.
They didn’t even bother to upgrade the gift! They actually gave a picture of themselves as a gift! (I know it is the normal gift but seriously. Read the room!). It just highlights what leeches they are. The country is hosting them. Paying for their security, housing and probably transportation along with tons of receptions and dinners. Not to mention the hours of work the foreign office and the host country did to plan out their time. And they give a photo of themselves to the head of state! And that’s it?!
Honestly the only change I bet they did was to leave the white military dictatorship costume at home.
So I look forward to many more future humiliation tours. The Cambridges and the Wales might just stick to the whiter places in the world. But I doubt they are willing to give up the adoration and superiority they feel when being carried in chairs by people they consider lesser than them.
Come on. She definitely shouldn’t be dressed as if she just stepped off a cruise ship and some of her outfits definitely give off that vibe.
She’s too casual and underdressed. If she were in Sydney or in Rome, Sophie wouldn’t dress like this. There’s a medium between heavy brocade coat dress and capris with wedges. And at least wear local designers.
Aw look at Edward dressed in his tropical whites and everything.
I know everyone’s pretending the pandemic is over but it really bothers me to constantly see the royal family not wearing masks when the people they’re having a meal with or meeting in tarmac or whatever (aka, people also being photographed) are masked and they aren’t.
Like they think their air is so rarefied they can’t infect others, and yet. TQ, OC, Camilla, and more have had Covid and given it to others.
What on God’s not-so green anymore earth, is she wearing?
Sorry, all the appeal and charisma of cold margarine those two.
LOL
No one is going to leave the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is an old boys club, nothing more. It is not political. Countries want to remove the monarch as head of state, that is something completely different and has nothing to do with the Commonwealth.
Thanks for the clarification!
I have to admit, before the Sussexes came along I just thought of the Commonwealth as a support group for those nations colonized and oppressed by the UK.
The British government cut back foreign aid significantly but it is concerned with the growing China-Russia influence in black and brown countries. So the counter measure is to send British royals in and be hosted (expense paid for) by these poor nations. Boris gets to check off his foreign policy checklist. The royals get to lord over their fake empire in their deconstructed crinoline and hat for parasol outfit for photo ops to reassure the people back in England they still have an empire full of happy black and brown servants.
These political stunts will go away because they were never effective as a diplomatic tool. What matters to poor countries that were former colonies are the foreign aid (really, really wimpy substitution for reparation), investments, and friendly immigration policies. The royals are useless symbol, more problematic than helpful.
The Chinese bank on foreign office policy neglect=failures and the idiocy of these clueless royals. The Chinese slowly and quietly have been making strategic investments with money and personnel in these former colonies.
That these royals can’t read the geopolitics despite all their Oxbridge and London School of Economics trained palace aids with their beribboned, honorary titles and high level civil service background tells us what an absolute sh*t show the whole set up is. Money, titles, looks can’t buy common sense or brain power.
The singular goal of the British monarchy is to survive beyond QE2. There isn’t any higher calling here. Their survival isn’t about symbolism, the country or its people. It’s about keeping their fancy electric Land Rovers, their palaces and country manors, their mistresses, the state 24/7 security, the heavily tax subsidized royal lifestyle by the forelock tugging citizenry. THIS is literally the history of English monarchy in its thousand year existence.
I remind myself sometimes that many poor countries were deliberately pauperised……
It was good to learn that PM Philip J. Pierre told the UN General Assembly back in September last year that “Caribbean countries like ours..were exploited and underdeveloped to finance the development of Europe..”.
And of course trying to prop up the now disproven myth of “We don’t need the EU, we have the commonwealth”… Truth: Their better off without us and they can hold referendums too.
On the plus side, Charles can use this failed tour as an example of Edward’s worthlessness to the crown, to deny him any further titles/perks.
I think the Canadian tour will be as much a flop as the Caribbean tours. There is literally nothing Charles and Camilla can do to expunge the legacy of horrors the church and royal family visited upon Canada’s First Nations peoples. I hope this will be their final and “mea culpa” tour here but the fact that their itinerary is staying deliberately away from major centers says a lot. The royal family is running scared and the Cornwalls appear to be minimizing their exposure to more visible antipathy in the wake of the Cambridge’s and Wessex’s abject fails.
I agree. I don’t really understand why British royals need to go abroad to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. They are trying to force people outside the UK to celebrate and acknowledge them. It’s like Edward and Sophie gifting a photo of themselves to St. Lucia PM. (The photo capturing that moment was priceless.)
Visiting indigenous people, expecting them to be dressed in full regalia to welcome these two white royals for photo ops and PR so gossipy racist tabloids can sell those images to the English people is most definitely not soft diplomacy.
People around the world are tired of hearing useless platitudes from rich, overindulged royals. The days of trading with cheap trinkets is over.
The royals need to show up with a very big mea culpa check. Otherwise, don’t come.
The Charles & Cowmilla tour is going to be just as disastrous. Mark my words!
Between Trump and the royal family, the myth of white superiority is over. It’s nothing but a mass delusion that is dying a slow, wrenching death. The question is how far are they willing to go to maintain it?
Trump and his followers in the GOP were willing to murder a cop and injure nearly 200 more. We could be witnessing what is just the beginning. Hopefully not.
@Sal, it’s as if you read my mind!
One of the things the two Royal Capsized in the Caribbean Tours unwittingly did was to expose in real time to a globally dispersed audience the myth of White superiority versus the reality that any number of Black people can readily and easily outclass their White “betters” in terms of intelligence, poise, intellectual rigour, warmth and empathy.
What a thrilling time to be alive….!
How many of these commonwealth tours were a dumb idea co-signed by the government thinking “Don’t worry about Brexit, the commonwealth will save us! Go out there and show the world they still want to be our friends!” And it backfired spectacularly because well, the Royals are the Royals and every country they’ve visited would be better off without tying themselves to a failing island nation comparable in size to their own but with worse weather.