Around January 23/24, we heard that Prince Edward would be missing in action for a while following a four-day trip abroad, a trip which barely made any news or generated any headlines. In fact, Edward’s “time off” got more attention than the January trip. People were concerned that Edward – one of the few working royals yet to be hospitalized this year – was in poor health or something. But no, he was just sort of lazy. He ended up attending the First Days Gala on February 7th, and up until Wednesday (the 21st) that was his only public event in a month’s time. Thankfully, Edward had a big public schedule on Wednesday. Roll out the red carpet, the Duke of Edinburgh has returned to royal duties!
First up, Edward visited King’s College Hospital and he ended up putting on a plastic apron and bringing some food to various patients. The purpose of this visit was to speak to some of the young volunteers at the hospital who are working through the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. Edward is now the trustee or ambassador of the DoE Awards. Also: Edward is apparently a big germaphobe so you know he was in hell on that hospital ward. He probably doused himself in hand sanitizer before his next stop.
His next stop was the Salmon Youth Centre in London. Whoever organized this visit and staged the photographer did a bang-up job. They arranged it to look like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were visiting – lots of wholesome photo-ops with Black youths, playing table tennis and happily posing for group photos. Edward almost looked pleasant during these events. Well, “less grim,” let’s say. Also: he had no clue what he was doing with that table tennis paddle.
Last thing: Sophie and Edward’s rarely-seen conjugal coat-of-arms has been seen this week on their letterhead. This is a big deal because last week, everyone in Salt Island lost their collective minds over the Sussexes’ using Meghan’s coat-of-arms on their sussex.com site.
Our 2023 Impacts Report!
We are fortunate to have the support of HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh, as @LEAF_Farming honorary president, who has seen much of our work in action over the past 12 months.
Read a message from HRH in our report 👇 @RoyalFamilyhttps://t.co/uCfMPxxHwq pic.twitter.com/i368J31XrJ— LEAF Education (@LEAF_Education) February 20, 2024
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
-
- Prince Edward visits King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust today to hear from some amazing young people making a difference by volunteering on the wards as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) Featuring: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Feb 2024 Credit: Cover Images
-
- Prince Edward visits King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust today to hear from some amazing young people making a difference by volunteering on the wards as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) Featuring: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Feb 2024 Credit: Cover Images
-
- The Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the Salmon Youth Centre in London Featuring: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Feb 2024 Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the Salmon Youth Centre in London Featuring: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Feb 2024 Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the Salmon Youth Centre in London Featuring: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Feb 2024 Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the Salmon Youth Centre in London Featuring: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Feb 2024 Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the Salmon Youth Centre in London Featuring: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Feb 2024 Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Are people really that excited to see Ed that they grab out phones for selfies? Or do the crowds get briefings before meetings on how to act?
@equality – I dunno! In the pictures everyone seems to be genuinely pleased to see him and are naturally engaging with him. They don’t look like the normal “staged” photo-ops we usually see from the heir and his missing wife. You know the ones where one (or more) of the children is snapped rolling their eyes or where we get to see Invisible Barbie’s tonsils!
Duke of Edinburg is a huge deal for the youth in the uk. Not the person but the award and the camps behind it. A lot of my friends children take part in it. I can imagine these young people actually being interested in hem and finding him a bigger deal then the PoW or the KIng
I was going to write that perhaps he’s not getting that many events because people don’t actually care that much about him.
I’m curious to know how much public money Ed is getting for his “work”. they should all have a target number of events they need to do or at least something tangible for the british to know where their money is being spent. With everybody hardly working, why should the people still pay 100%? Im not worried: If meg and harry can be financially Independent, so can they. Fend
@StillDouchesOfCambridge, exactly ! And I think that this is one of the things that bother them about the Sussexes as well. Because people can see that they can be financially independent and one day more questions will be asked. For now they got the media protecting them by implying that the Sussexes are broke because they can be financially ndependent which is not true.
Edward is looking younger than William? How is that even possible?
He’s better looking than William too. Imo.
I’m not sure how to say this delicately but Ed is the best looking in that whole family because he doesn’t look inbred or like he just smelled 💩.
Well, he’s not braying like a donkey and gawping to show all his cavities, so that helps quite a bit.
I still think he looks ill. His clothes hang on him.
Yes, he does not look well
Agreed @Brassy Rebel – He does not look well (and hasn’t for some time) Perhaps the time off is due to something he’s picked up during his travels.
He looks so ill that I worry about him. His clothes hang on him, and haven’t been taken in, since he was ill. While he’s smiling, and looks a bit better than he has in the past year, he has not regained the weight he lost. I wish we knew what this is… post-Covid?
I definitely think he is ill. Something is wrong. It could be that he doesn’t like shaking hands because he is trying to protect a weak immune system.
If he had botox to smooth out the facial skin, when he smiled, he would truly look like PW’s better looking twin instead of uncle!
I saw a photo of Edward kneeling down with just the side of his face and his bald head-and I legit thought it was William. I had to read the caption that it was Edward. Oof.
Sorry – I was going to come here to write – what the heck is with the BRF genes? – the men all age horribly! He is NOT a silver fox for sure!
The Hanoverian genes are strong AF amongst the male line. The Duke of Kent could pass as Edward’s dad, or as William’s grandfather. Prince Philip was a handsome man, but none of his sons resemble him all that much. Harry probably comes closest, I think.
Both the Queen and Philip looked very healthy right up until they were in their 80s but their children are definitely not faring as well surprisingly.
All the male working royals are looking like they are in the race for the top crypt keeper award. Wonder what is going on over there?
In light of Mary Pester’s comments yesterday, was it Edward she was referring to as he looks like he has lost more weight here? He looks dreadful. is he alright?
He looks like he has lost more weight..perhaps, this why he took one month off?
He looks ill for a while now.
He has really started to go down hill the last few years-and more than just simple aging. There is absolutely something going on with him-he does not look well at all.
I was thinking he was aging a la the Duke of Kent; some people get skinnier as they age due to loss of muscle.
My thought was that she was referring to Edward.
He looks sick. William looks sick. Charles is the only one with an excuse for looking sick. It looks like half the family has cancer. Is there lead in the water at these royal residences? Something is not right.
My last attempt to ask about why Edward looks the way he does was blocked. So, I’ll just echo your sentiments. I can’t believe that they’re people (above) saying he looks good.
Gabby, I agree about William as well. I’ve asked the same question for a few days now. He just doesn’t look physically well.
I remember that in the early ’90s, Edward was interviewed for a documentary (possibly “Elizabeth R” or “Monarchy: The Royal Family At Work”) and he talked about how difficult it was to get media attention when all the charities involving animals and kids were already taken by his parents, his elder siblings and sibling-in-law, and his cousins. I don’t think he really saw role for himself, especially when Diana and Fergie were still doing royal engagements. Obviously, he was wrong and I wonder if he was prepared to take on the role.
He and Sophie had their own careers. For a time Edward was producing documentaries about british history
You can still find some of his stuff to stream. I wonder if he makes much in royalties.
@Tessa
I remember those documentaries. They were really good!
Also didn’t he do something after Windsor Castle(?) caught fire about the restoration?
He has made a four day trip abroad in January, plus his engagements on the 7th and yesterday..hmm…He has definitely outworked his nephew..
IT’s funny and sad when “working” 6 days in two months outdoes someone.
Well not just someone the most senior working royal while the King is ill… is Willi or Cowmilla technically the most senior? But Willi is the heir. And Edward, who I think looks awful ( as in very unwell) works harder than Willi.
Yes but nobody knew he had an overseas trip. A waste of time and money?
I think the delivery of food in the hospital and meeting with the youth volunteers is really nice! The “working” royals should be out doing these events every day of the week. Whether they are a royalist or not, I’m sure it perked up everyone’s day. Service is universal, as we all know, so the royals should give real volunteer work a try much more frequently as it is their full time job.
I never thought Eddy was sick I just think it’s a mixture of we barely see him or don’t care to see him and Windsor genes they don’t age well.
I’m not sure what pictures you’re looking at, but the ones I’ve seen of him for the past few months looks like a man in seriously declining health. He’s lost a tremendous amount of weight in a very short period. To be clear, I’m not saying that, as a matter of fact, he’s unwell. I’m just saying, he doesn’t look well.
He’s done more work than that – not a lot more, but more – he did events 2/7, 2/8 and 2/9 and then 2/20 and 2/21. It looks like he’s done 10 events in February.
Not a lot, to be sure, and there was a long break in there. But considering William has done…what, 4 events?….thus far, Edward is outpacing him significantly at this rate.
Yeah, I was thinking he has done more than 2 days. It just doesn’t get covered much. And I know him and Sophie do separate events but I swear they used to do some together?
The hospital visit is the type of visits the Royals traditionally have done and honestly this is good. No criticisms from me! I’ve always had a soft spot for Edward. Its kinda ridiculous because he was born a Prince and has a very privileged life but knowing how awful his family is it kinda must suck to have been born 4th in this family. His oldest brother would be King and then his sister is his dad’s fav and his other awful brother is his mom’s fav. Then there’s Edward. He tried to make his own way and failed and had to come back to royal life.
He is very thin but I agree with others who have said that the Windsors just age poorly. Hopefully he is not sick.
His parents The Queen and Philip aged very well.
He does look like he is thinner but we don’t see him often enough to be sure.
Germaphobe, my @$$. Walking around a hospital, in the middle of a BSL-3 airborne pandemic, with no mask on? If it’s a question of being seen, there are disposable respirator masks with fog-free windows now “so people can see you smiling”.
The hand sanitizer use to combat the miasma of aeosolized viruses currently circulating (Covid, RSV, Influenza, measles), by contrast is the medical equivalent of security theatre. Shame on Edward and other royals for not setting a better example, especially given that his own brother is currently clinically vulnerable.
With bsl-3 airborne pandemic are you referring to covid?
What do you mean the hand sanitizer is security theatre?
It’s a combo of two BSL-3 pathogens currently: Covid and now TB are circulating worldwide. There is a raft of variants of each; at least one of the TB variants circulating is antibiotic-resistant now. So that’s fun. Standard protocol in TB treatment centers for at least 100yrs now has been to wear masks around patients; but everyone outside of those spaces, is out rawdogging the air :shrug:
Hand sanitizer and hand washing absolutely has it’s place for preventing the spread of illnesses spread by fomites (germs on surfaces) like norovirus, and fecal-spread pathogens like cholera; as well as by droplets (heavier particles that can be spread by coughing/sneezing/gobbing on the sidewalks).
Droplets are heavier than aerosols. Aerosolized virus is what you get when smaller particles of germs hang in the air like smoke for several hours. Scientists have repeatedly proven across the world with well documented studies that Covid is an aerosolized virus. The more people in a space, the higher the concentrations of virus. Asymptomatic spread is common now, thanks to enthusiastic public participation in the virus’ evolution. (Asymptomatic in the acute phase does not mean “this virus is not dangerous” btw, hence the BSL-3 designation.) Wearing respirators and using HEPA filtration w/ UV is the best defense. Respirators of N-95 grade or better, worn when leaving the house, can protect you no matter what variant is circulating; it’s a non-pharmaceutical intervention that works across all strains of many pathogens.
Hope that clears up your questions?
Thank you for the detailed answer below
Not a problem!
Additional things to be aware of: When the first wave of Covid hit, The Reproduction number of the virus (how many people one infected person can infect) was around R3. Covid now has mutated to where it’s now an R6. That means any infected person will infect 6 other people, who will each infect 6 others, exponentially.
SARS-Covid attacks human immune systems and makes them unable to fight off additional waves of Covid & other infections. This is a problem, b/c we’re losing herd immunity over measles now thanks to anti-vax movement.
Measles is an R18 virus.
Even more dangerous: Measles has been shown to cause “immunity amnesia” – every vaccine you’ve ever had, every cold/flu your body has survived, all that immunity programmed into your cells? Measles wipes it all out. And now we have symptomatic & asymptomatic Covid, which destroys the ability to acquire immunity b/c there is immune system dysregulation, including depletion of the CD4 compartment and T-cells.
Covid also persists in reservoirs in human tissues, like other viruses. We literally needed research to repurpose antivirals like, years ago. China is actually doing it, the west isn’t.
The best defense is not to acquire (additional) infections.
Where’s my tiara, would you recommend still wearing masks on airplanes?
Yes. Planes, trains, subways, buses, any form of mass transit. Basically, just assume that when you go out in public, you will be walking past someone who is infected with Covid, not wearing a mask.
Some strains can infect you through eye mucosa. Remember when that Omicron strain hit that caused all the kids to get raging goopy pinkeye? Yeah. Another tip I learned is that a study showed the eye drop Lumify can reduce viral load. CPC mouthwashes can also reduce viral load. Lumify can last about 6hrs so before you go out and as needed through the day. Enovid and Xylitol sprays work, iodine less so – Xylitol and iodine use should be monitored if you have thyroid or diabetic conditions iirc.
The best mask brand depends on your country, how they fit. Ear loop masks do not fit test as well as the ones with straps around the back of your head. I’m in the US and I use 3M Aura.
I totally agree. He should have been wearing a mask.
That was the first thing I wondered about. Especially as being described as a germaphobe who does not look well.
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
@Where’s My Tiara: Thank you for answering questions that I didn’t even know that I had. This information that you’ve provided is very much appreciated.
I echo Blithe. Thank you.
Thank you also for the Covid precaution info. I would like to add that a health department counselor encouraged wearing wrap around glasses/ goggles in public.
At least he looks like he’s enjoying himself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone play table tennis in a suit before. Did he even score? And in these “we aren’t racist photo ops” with Black people, there are always a couple of them who won’t disguise their true feelings, as exhibited by the 2 youth standing behind Mr Ed. Their facial expressions are 😂😂
But kudos to him for at least showing up since Willy Nilly is busy playing dodge ball with the way he’s avoiding these types of events.
That was a nice message from honorary prez Sophie about LEAF. I wonder how old that message is. Regardless, it was smart PR of LEAF to use it and other patronages and charities should do the same since most of the senior working royals are rarely seen anymore. Speaking of, where’s Kate?
Ahem, not a female and NOT just Edward, Edward was always the overlooked one, and yes I give him hell for playing at “military” with his UNEARNED medals and uniform, but still don’t like to see dumb animals suffering.
Oh wow, he is really starting to look like his grandfather King George VI. Look up pictures. I agree he kind of doesn’t look great, like he’s sick. I hope he’s ok.
He is the absolute spit of George VI, it’s an uncanny likeness!
Those are the bread and butter events that justify the existence of the monarchy. William and Kate would do well to understand. Nobody need another advocacy campaign or foundation or NGO, shine light on the existing ones and encourage their staff and volunteers by showing up. And side note: this is absolutely a good way to hold a table tennis paddle. It’s not ping pong
He looks engaged in these photos. Happy to be there, relaxed, paying attention. No obvious uncomfortable faces on the kids right next to him. And as someone said, he’s holding the table tennis paddle correctly.
Maybe he tried Ozempic? His shirt fits ok but the suit hangs off him. His skin color looks reasonably healthy but the texture looks more slack than it should. His hair looks sick. Something more than age and genetics is going on with his appearance.
I was wondering about Ozempic as well, barring his being sick.
I’m not sure why anyone would want to take a photo of him, but of the ones left I dislike him the least. He seems like he’s a decent person who at least isn’t a backstabbing tool. I wonder if he’s sick because that double breasted suit is hanging off of him like he’s a coatrack. I thought it was depression from losing his mom but I’m genuinely concerned now that he does even fewer engagements and has to take breaks between those engagements. I hope he’s okay.
I know somebody who was at school with him when he spent a couple of terms in New Zealand. Says that Edward was dumb as a bag of hair, but basically decent and good-natured. Pretty much Tim Nice-But-Dim.
I hope to hell they got approval from the patients and teens in these photos. Because if someone photographed me in a hospital gown while a royal grinned in my direction, I’d be angry. Same if I was a parent of one of those teens.
I know I’m very cynical, but I hate the way the royals use people as props for their own self-promotion.
I am impressed by these pictures. They remind me of the stance and style (leaning in, looking convivial and engaged) that used to be customary with Diana, Harry, Meghan, and the older Duchesses of Gloucester and Kent. There’s a sort of real warmth and style of connection. I know you might call it noblesse oblige, but I think Edward is the most valuable team player for warmth and the Princess Royal for energy.
I like Edward. Glad to at he is well.
Lol – no one else noticing the kids photobombing with the devil horn symbols at the back? Love it 😀
He looks deathly ill.