On Monday, Prince William attended the “Christmas party” for Passages, one of the homeless charities of which he is patron. William helped prepare and serve the food and he spent time with the Passages employees, volunteers and the guests. Rota photographers weren’t invited, but William brought an in-house palace videographer and photographer to document the visit:
We had a great time at our Client's Christmas Party yesterday!🎄
A special thank you to our Royal Patron, Prince William @KensingtonRoyal, who joined us to prepare and serve food, and meet with those we support.
We hope everyone had just as much festive fun as we did🤗 pic.twitter.com/6N1Zh21Fv0
— The Passage Charity (@PassageCharity) December 12, 2023
So, it was fine. I mean, Kate got her poverty tourism and William did too. I’ll give William some begrudging credit – his years of work on homelessness would be okay, if only he wouldn’t bill it “I alone can solve homelessness and it’s all about ME.” Speaking of, the palace minions just couldn’t help themselves – the Mail dutifully wrote this up as “Now it’s William not Harry who’s the Prince of Hugs, as these heartwarming pictures show. Diana would have been proud…”
Prince William was always the proper Prince, restrained and a little formal. Harry was the hugger. But what a difference the past few years have made – as we saw yesterday, when he made a surprise visit to Christmas dinner at The Passage, a homelessness charity in London. It was a case of hugs all round from the once restrained Prince of Wales.
There was another royal embrace for charity walker Emma Webb, too, just a few days ago. She got the surprise of her life when William ppeared without warning, said ‘boo’ – and gave her a bear hug! Emma lost her 16-year-old daughter, Brodie, to suicide in 2020 and is raising awareness with a charity walk from Wales to London. It was day 13 of the journey when William pounced, moving Emma’s companion to tears. A video of the encounter, released by the Palace, went viral.
It was always noted in the past how closely William seemed to resemble his mother in appearance. Now he’s added the warmth of her gestures to his repertoire. She would have been proud.
Still thinking about how, by Harry’s own words, William “recoiled” when Meghan hugged him for the first time. Still thinking about how William and Kate went on a hugging spree after Meghan noted, in the Netflix docuseries, that she was surprised by how formal they were and how weirded out they were by an American hugger. Still thinking about how Harry and Meghan’s love language is physical contact, while William’s love language is… not that. So, William is making an effort to be a hugger now, and for that, he’s being praised and the Mail claims he’s stolen Harry’s “prince of hugs” crown. My God, these people.
Photos courtesy of the Prince of Wales’s Instagram.
So the not a racist family is continuing on with their fake charm offensive. Peg is now a hugger and better than Harry sure sure. They just can’t help themselves with this fake offensive. Look at me hugging the peasants.
It is a little bit funny that they’ll spend the rest of their lives pretending to be things that they aren’t to compete with people who don’t think about them at all.
I love this for them, it’s such an appropriate punishment. Take a non-hugger (which is perfectly acceptable and okay to be) and force them to publicly hug strangers for the press for years to come. Every single engagement will be extra uncomfortable for Angry Bill because he can’t stop competing with his brother.
It seems very odd to me that he can now hug random strangers, but he can’t bear to touch his own wife. Something is rotten in this state?
This will only continue to happen until the divorce is finalized. Then he won’t ever hug anyone ever again. The more I see articles like this the more I think the divorce will be announced the end of January or February.
I love that the very much not a hugging family will now how to spend the rest of their lives proving they are totally a hugging family. They deserve every bit of awkwardness and uncomfortableness this will bring them.
Really pathetic and sad how this dude is not even embarrassed about putting his jealousy of his younger brother on full public display. Zero sense of self-awareness here. That’s what happens to mediocre, insecure people like him who choose to surround themselves only with toadies.
A wwww, they are very keen to show the world that Willm has finally learned not to not flinch cringe and gag when hugging a peasant.
If he’s so great at anything🙄 why do they have to mention Harry or Meghan at all? These welfare losers can’t be in any newspapers over there without mentioning Harry or Meghan or both. It’s nauseating and pathetic! They should be talking about how his father and sister were outed as racists and the person who outed them was none other than Pigs Moron! No offense to Pigs.
These people are pathetic— it takes Harry and Meghan to show them how to be ordinary humans. Such a dysfunctional family supported by the gutter, biased media.
It is funny that the hugger Prince is still not touching his wife more than a few seconds. But, sure, hug the peasants so they will let you be a publicly funded billionaire.
“Hug the peasants so they will let you be a publicly funded billionaire.” 😆😂🤣
I think the British media is just running out of things to flatter Will with. It’s got to be a struggle at this point. And Harry or Meghan’s name seems to be a requirement in every article so this was a twofer.
“Anything Harold can do, I can do better!” 🙄 mmmhmm Willy.
Why do I think William is very proud of that title 🤣🤣🤣 you see Harold, I won, I won 🤣🤣🤣
I’m getting embarrassed for these people, it’s that stupid at this point.
I wonder what it feels like to have to write and publish this utter garbage. Are they dying inside a little more every day. Do they enjoy writing fiction. Are they settled in to the fact that they were never journalists and don’t mind tabloid writing. Enquiring minds want to know what it feels like to shill for billionaires who continue to bilk a country filled with struggling people!!
It’s like two Third graders trying to up each other by writing who is better at giving hugs. That’s what’s important? That he is the real hugger in the family? Six months ago it was Kate. It’s winter time, people are cold and hungry. Why don’t they focus on that! This clown show family is utter garbage.
It’s hard to believe that this is even real. A hugging competition.
As much as I detest *not a racist* Bulliam the Incandescent, he doesn’t look as fake as Royal Racist KKKhate McButtons while hugging people.
While he does come across as intense, even scary at times in photos, people seem to be… comfortable around him. His not speaking with that stilted posh accent that Mumblina does so well probably helps people feel a bit at ease.
But Prince of hugs? At least they got the -g right, even in the right position, for Wordle, I mean. 😁😇
“what a difference the past few years have made” – omg, what has happened in the past few years that could have changed William’s behavior? WHAT? Such a mystery! Think people think!!!!
Guess we’ll never know.
As for the actual visit – like so much of what they do, this visit would have been fine (a little tone deaf considering his multiple homes…..) but KP had to go and act like William is going to end homelessness by declaring it so, and that just doesnt do him any favors.
I agree it’s the over the top statements that are the issue with William. But this engagement was actually helping others and while there was a videographer, he is interacting with the people. It’s too bad the kids didn’t show up with him and help him here because this is what Diana did with the boys. She had them meet real people and didn’t do a PR video in isolation.
It’s a standard feel-good Christmas event, so good for everyone. As for the sycophancy–I like the backhanded compliment of how now, in his 40s, is he starting to copy his mother’s acts of kindness.
And no, Diana would not be proud of his ‘nanny, nanny, haha, I’m the Prince of Hugs now!’. She’d be deeply ashamed of him.
Can. William be any more embarrassing. He also looks uncomfortable going in for hugging and those he hugs don’t look thrilled.
That business about him saying “boo” then hugging he woman who lost her daughter to suicide is giving me major second hand embarrassment. He’s incredibly awkward around the common folk.
Didn’t William say that he was going to provide housing? He said that right? It’s saying grandiose things like that and then not following through.
The Royal Family is taking the wrong lessons from Scobie’s book.
I can envision his scaring children as he tries to hug them. And scaring adults too.
Yes, that perma-sneer on his face doesn’t help, does it?
Is it crack? Why are these people like this?
^^^
If only they had acknowledged that the way Harry and Megan engaged and interacted was a good thing and an expanded mindset was a good thing.
But, NOPE, it’s a zero-sum game with these people and if you’re getting attention, there’s less for me.
“ppeared without warning, said ‘boo’ – and gave her a bear hug! ”
That sounds more like assault to me
I’m picturing this when Will forces his hugs on the peasants
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mcL7Ur/
🤣🤣🤣🤣
IKR?! Especially jarring with the next sentence stating she lost a child to suicide… maybe not the person to give jump-scare hugs
I watched that video the other day. The whole thing is weird. The poor lady is dragging some huge thing down the street in the rain, her friend tries to whip out an umbrella so they won’t both get drenched, then William shows up talking ’bout “Boo!” And then, strangely enough, he doesn’t even bother walking her to the finish line or whatever. He just thanks her for doing what she’s doing, then he’s out of there.
This is awful. I don’t want to watch it, it sounds like such a mean thing to do. This poor woman. For gods sake, W, donate to her cause, walk with her, something. Be kind.
“moving Emma’s companion to tears” – so Will said BOO and made someone cry, and that’s being translated into “moved to tears” ? LOL these dweebs.
The video was on Twitter. William sneaked up behind Emma Webb then jumped out in front of her with a loud “boo!”. This is not the way one greets someone one wants to honor.
If the video went viral it’s because William’s behavior was vile.
Pegs isn’t quite “right”. Something is definitely “off” about him. He’s so cringey and so awkward in his own skin. Maybe that golf club he took to the head as a child left lasting damage. Naturally the Firm wouldn’t make such information known to the public.
I’m sure these homeless people are oh so happy to get a hug instead of housing from the richest guy around. I’m sure he gives the “bigliest” hugs ever and outdoes PH.
He really managed to be photographed with a lot of POCs! See, he’s also totally not racist!!! 🙄
I was going to type something very snarky but decided against it, I guess I really do have a heart🤣🤣🤣
When was Harry “Prince of Hugs”? Oh well, I guess if the can’t take away Harry’s title as Duke of Sussex, they can give him “Prince of Hugs” and take that away.
That quote at the bottom of the Instagram, “Together we can end homelessness,” is kind of weird, considering how long PW has been affiliated with helping to eradicate homelessness. Maybe time for a progress report?
I did notice that Mr Very Much Not a Racist Family very carefully, just loke his wife come to think of it, chose to pose with POC. And I noticed that he resembles his father in that profile pic at the end of the carousel. Which is kind of funny when he’s copying his brother in invoking his mother.
Why does the rota, in fact all the British media insist on treating us like idiots? There never is, and never will be a SURPRISE VISIT. It has to be checked out for ingress and egress, it has to have full threat analysis, security have to Check out the staff who are working there to see if any of them have a shady, anti royal past. And noooo, no photographers other than Williams ones, so we know they will have a “aren’t I a wonderful huggy prince. NO, your a bloody rage monster who has taken jealousy to a whole new level.
Hugs are the only thing Peg gives out because they’re free. Are you homeless? Here’s a hug for you!
He gives the “odd smile,” too — he’s truly a prince among men.
This slick video did him no favors; he put on an apron but the camera doesn’t capture him doing any work in the kitchen. LOL
It would have been great if the video had showed him actually doing work.
It kinda thought the same thing–he’s there, he has an apron on, but he’s not really doing anything. And he didn’t even push up the sleeves of his cashmere sweater.
They continue to add fuel to the fire, don’t they. Headlines guaranteed to further alienate them in reader’s minds.
I don’t think William recoiled from getting a hug from Meghan because he didn’t like her. He was likely very attracted to her and she’s his brother’s significant other.
William’s problem with Meghan’s hug was he wanted deference and felt some kind of way when she wasn’t wowed by him🙄
He probably expected her to curtsey. Ditto Kate. It stunned them when she was her usual friendly, self-assured and confident self and not in awe of them. Wankers….
I am not a fan of hugging, unless you are my close family/friend.
No need for anybody in the BRF to be hugging the public.
Handshake, use both hands if you’re that happy, big smile, move on.
It’s all PR.
You don’t see Albert of Monaco hugging people at his appearances.
I bet the royal protection officers wish it would stop too.
Keanu is friendly and sincere when he interacts with his public, keeps his hands off, which I love him for.
Be more Keanu.
I do like that William is at The Passage, he has a history with them and his appearance brings them PR. He is wearing an apron with the big Logo on in several photos I’ve seen.
It’s Christmas, every charity is at top speed in the season, donations, events, they need to get their charity PR. Nothing to complain about, IMO.
JaneS, was there any video or photos of him cooking and/or serving? The only sentence that I though was interesting was, “It was day 13 of the journey when William pounced, moving Emma’s companion to tears.” Pounced? Huh.
‘Be more Keanu’ has a nice tone to it. 😊
This institution is gross. William is not a hugger and, as Pinkosaurus has said, that’s fine. To force folks to hug people just to fan the flames of gossip or to try to become popular is abusive. Cuz I don’t believe this is William’s idea. I think he’s been informed that he has to emulate his brother. Should he be polite? Yes. Should he have to sacrifice bodily autonomy? No.
OnThisDay, well said. I totally agree.
Harry seems to be a natural hugger, very comfortable.
William should not be forced or told how to behave. Let people have their personal boundaries.
Janes, we’re on the same page. I like your example about Keanu, and the point about the protection officers. It’s also a safety issue.
Harry would never behave like that. He’s a hugger but doesn’t lunge at people. He’s respectful of boundaries. He hugs people who indicate that’s OK by word or gesture.
I wish SM and the press would stop this William vs Harry line.
So much hardship in life.
H&M have their charity they support. W&K do it as their job.
I do think Charles and William should both be giving more $$ from their personal wealth.
Donate $100K, 20x to different charities, slap a sign up with your name, PR all day long.
Get the $$ out to help. What the hell is $2M a year to these wealth hoarders?
Hmm…the press were snippy about Harry and Meghan’s video because it showed Meghan hugging people but it’s ok when William does the same in a video. There was a big story about a guy who was sleeping outside an McDonalds in London who was soaked with water by a security guard who was attempting to get him to move. I haven’t seen William showing any concern for this guy.
That picture of William in the kitchen! Lots of times when there are photos like this of him (and also ones of Kate) where I think “What a big gawk”. And to see both of them together clomping around it’s just so icky.
They both look so tall and awkward around other people.
You cannot fake being a real hugger nor can you fake being comfortable in your own skin.
I don’t want to get into the comparison with the Sussexes again so I’ll compare Will to someone else. How about Travis Kelce? He is considerably bigger and taller than William and he is able to give great hugs and connect with other people. Oh, and he has a great relationship with his brother whom he professionally competes against. And he talks of his mother with love and respect.
William and Kate are just weird uncomfortable people and it shows in their demeanor.
A great comparison, Cali. Travis is comfortable, confident and empathetic. William has none of those qualities.
That is a fantastic example. The Wails have gone through other brief periods of hugging people, apparently to get back at Harry and Meghan, just like the “call us Will and Kate” cycles in and out. It’s truly like being stuck on a hamster wheel, watching the same issues come around and around and around.
I’m waiting for Kitty to produce another tiny pan of [insert baked sweet here], to gift the volunteers of whatever organization. Wasn’t it something related to the Ukraine the last time?
“Now he’s added the warmth of her gestures to his repertoire …” wow, it only took 41 years …
Seriously pathetic.
I just hope that all of the people featured in this promotional video for William agreed explicitly to be filmed.
I read about this woman and also watched the video. She seemed genuinely thrilled. William has treated his brother and sister in law like ***t but he seems to try at having people skills, whether it’s simply copying someone else or not. He is far better than Kate at this kind of thing and does engage well with groups when he’s on his own, or so it seems/looks. I feel William looks out for Kate when they’re together with people – like he’s waiting for the next bit of nonsense she’s going to spout, or because he can sense how uneasy/bored she is.
If HM never happened, there wouldn’t be any of these hugfests from WK – it’s more like they’re forced to do it.
“Prince of Hugs”
Huh.
Here, you dropped the “T”
Brilliant response.
People of color are placed front and center for 80% of the video. It’s completely obvious that the palace wants to portray him as very much not a racist.