Emerging diplomat and global statesman Prince William posted this photo on Tuesday with the note “en route to Cardiff today to celebrate seaweed innovation!” William worked on Monday by visiting the national football center ahead of the Euros. Then he was back to work on Tuesday, doing an event for Earthshot? Wow, how does he have time to do the school run, look after his wife, do global statesman things AND be an environmentalist?? Not only that, it was like William wanted a cookie for not taking the helicopter down to Cardiff. “Look, I’m taking the train like a peasant!” Also, the vibe of the photo is very “divorced father’s dating site photo.”
Prince William is championing an unlikely crop: seaweed. The Prince of Wales, 41, visited Wales on June 11 to see how the sea-grown plants can be both food and an alternative resource in industry. William traveled to Cardiff by train, with a photo of his trip shared on social media showing the royal looking out the window with a phone and monogrammed binder on the table before him.
Once in Wales, he met with businesses that use seaweed to create products like fast food packaging. His office says he wanted to celebrate the “progress already achieved in Wales and learn about further seaweed innovations that could support the Welsh seaweed industry reach its full potential.”
The June 11 event at Cardiff Metropolitan University was set up by Prince William’s environmental project, the Earthshot Prize, and Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner to celebrate and uncover the wonders of seaweed. Two of the businesses represented at the showcase included Sustainable packaging startup Notpla, which won the Build a Waste-Free World category at the Earthshot Prize awards in November 2022, and the 2023 Earthshot Prize finalist Sea Forest.
Catching up with Pierre Paslier of Notpla, Prince William recalled a childhood golfing accident that left him with a scar on his forehead as he was shown the company’s golf tee made from seaweed.
Paslier tells PEOPLE, “He was looking at the prototype, and I asked him if he likes golfing. He injured himself famously as a kid and pointed to his head and said, ‘No golf for me.’ No golfing for him!”
I know it’s not fair, but I can’t help but think that if William had more personal charisma, we would take this kind of event seriously and actually spend time covering the nuances of these Earthshot projects. But that’s the thing about both Will and Kate – their disinterest and intellectual laziness is apparent from the word go. It’s hard to care about something when the royal patrons are just there for a quick photo-op and a story about a childhood injury.
Also: note how many people were holding cameraphones around William. The fact that NO ONE had taken photos of “Kate” when she’s allegedly been “running errands” is one of the biggest tells out there.
Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace and Avalon Red.
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (L) speaks with members of staff testing the salt content of food during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688698, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) speaks with members of staff testing the salt content of food during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688747, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) visits at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688827, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) speaks with members of staff during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688849, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) speaks with members of the public during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688870, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) speaks with members of the public during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688889, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales leaves at the end of a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688908, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
That’s quite a tan!
Wow, unless he has his father’s rosacea, it looks like they used makeup and/or retouching to try to reduce the appearance of his tan. Where has Huevo been hanging out on his many days off?
Totally makeup – concealer, foundation, powder, blusher…
That was my first thought! He looks tanned and a bit sunburnt with a ton of foundation and powder over it. When is/was the Craig family wedding in Kenya?
According to some he’s been in Romania, with rose flying there in a separate later flight.
He certainly hasn’t been taking “how to be a global stateman’s” classes, has he? Good golly. Why are all the pictures so creepy-looking? Is he repeatedly watching the Simpsons for how to look/act like Homer’s boss? I don’t think wedding photographers use that much filter!
The train photo has an AI look to it.
The train is not moving in that pic. Did we see him get off the train or was this just a photo and off he went in the chopper?
All the worst people on earth turn orange over time.
😂😂😂
So true!
Yes they do. Is this photo real or has it been fixed. Do we have photos of him getting on and off the train?
He looks so sereine looking afar to the future, without unwanted company sitting beside him
Maybe he’s keeping that chair empty to honor his missing wife.
The Single Life suits him 🤣🤣🤣
Is Chris Jackson now WillNot’s bff and personal photographer/photoshopper?
Only when Harry and Meghan are doing something he can’t get access to. He’s all over their appearances these days.
I think he should fly in helicopters as often as possible.
Hahahahaaha! Yes, please.
Some clown named “royalrogue” (WTF?) posted this pic on Twitter and then proceeded to go on and on about how handsome and intelligent and noble-looking he was, it was so sickening but a million bots hissed back “yes, master” under the post like sycophantic flames of hell. What kind of psycho hires SM accounts to say the opposite of what we all can see? Wilhem the Jaundiced, that’s who.
SM “sycophantic flames of hell.”
What a perfect phrase! 😂
Seriously, that’s excellent.
Photo looks touched up. He must have practiced the statesman expression in the mirror. So pathetic.
I’m sure he DID practice in a mirror and it is still off. He should have done an action shot of reviewing and taking notes of what was in the binder, or on the phone on an important business call while looking in the binder.
Now he just looks like idle Willy staring off into space instead of doing his homework.
I think the binder is full of empty papers, just like the bloated orange man’s from that interview. OOOh look look how important I am, I have a binder and everything!
@atorontogal: that binder is such a prop! It looks like it contains two plastic protector pages–the kind that come with the binder–then a couple-three pages of paper. That’s it! Why bother with the big, leather binder with the gold-embossed W with a little crown on it?
We all knew he and Kate were going to pop up with big boy/big girl portfolios after Harry was photographed with the “Archie’s Papa” one in NYC.
This one is a doozy, and such an obvious prop, down to the famous red boxes red.
Maybe he has a scrap book of his pictures in that red folder
That red folder is his Harry Look Book.
This comment wins the day, SarahLee.
Like Trump’s minions, he carries around binders full of blank paper to look important.
Hahahah~ Look! He has a binder!
Okay William, here’s a fig newton. Now keep taking the train.
The more he desperately tries to look relatable, the more he looks like a big giant phoney.
Maybe he has comic books in the red folder.
The monogramed Trapper Keeper (eye roll) serves only to remind us that he hasn’t yet done his homework.
Look at the video of his response to the lady who said that she has the same name as Catherine compared to his response on Monday to the kid who said his name was William
In the first picture that’s the lady who he’s shaking hands with in the white sweater
It’s screaming he’s enjoying this time being alone, not sharing the spotlight 😉 and he’s getting headlines even if they’re already on the side of the daily fail
He has been enjoying it since the first moment he started leaving Keen behind. Like his UN statesman trip to NY. In hindsight she might have had health issues already back then, but my impression was always that Egg preferred to play the single hunky statesman and he still does.
Kaiser’s point about the phones is SPOT ON. NO WAY would Kate be seen chocolate shopping and no one took a pic.
Also – It would be so nice if William gave 1 f&*k about the environment for real. He could genuinely do so much good but is only there for a photo op. Charles made the environment his thing and since William has no ideas in his head, he figured why not I’ll do the same but I will be even more of a big boy than my dad and get lots and lots of celebrities to come to my party. Sigh.
At least this photo op does shine a light on some good work out there. Kudos to those scientists! Keep up the awesome work!!!
Every. single. plebian. in that photo has a phone in hand. I’d argue that the miasma around Bill actually distracts attention away from the good works.
Good point. He has to be front and center in everything.
I think it’s cute she says ‘camera phone’. It’s a phone! 😉
I noticed that! Why I love iPhones, their cameras are insane! I keep imagining an apple camera being invented!
Oh, God, I think I say this. Is this a GenX and older thing?
Omg, so incredibly staged. So modern with his cell phone and yet so traditional with his Red Leather Royal Binder ™. And such an intellectual, staring pensively out the window while contemplating the wonderous properties of seaweed.
Should he not be reading his briefing notes not gazing out of the window?
He was just checking out Grindr Cardiff and is dreaming about his hookup to come.
I suppose he could, if the pages weren’t blank.
It’s so hiliariously staged!!! When Charles and/or Camilla post these kinds of pictures, they always show them reading or talking to aides or something that shows they are preparing. William is just gazing out the window at the passing scenery like he’s contemplating the scenery or something.
Also, interesting he took the train – they got some criticism for the helicopter last year to Wales so I wonder if this is in response to that. Or maybe someone thought it would look bad to show up in a helicopter for an Earthshot event?
Oh yes, you reminded me of the fateful Tartan Tour – didn’t it turn out that W&K flew by helicopter to the Scottish border and then boarded a train there so the BM could say they took a train to Scotland?
Whoa. He is red. Is that a sunburn?! While his father and wife both have cancer?!
This is actually a good visit. Wish they profiled the companies more though. They sound interesting.
What’s up with the lack of editing? There’s always a surprising amount of errors in the excerpts but I feel like there’s been even more over the last few weeks. The BM need to hire @celebitchy. She doesn’t let that many slip through.
this excerpt is from People, so not british media. But usually the error in an excerpt is from Kaiser or CB as they’re cutting and pasting (a word gets dropped etc).
Ahh thanks for the correction
His few Homer Simpson combover hairs on the top are not doing him any favors. He really should buzz it all very short and have some dignity about balding.
Either go bald or get implants, but ditch the Homer!
His eyes look different and touched up. Weird photo.
The tan, sunburn and foundation combo brings out the color of his eyes a bit more.
Someone on Twitter was going on and on about how dreamy his eyes were in this photo. Between the tan/makeup and tinted contacts, it’s all just a little boy on a stage.
Did Jecca Craig’s cousin’s wedding happen yet? Maybe he was in Africa getting that tan…
That binder looks like it is filled with four or five blank sheets of paper.
Yes, exactly! I thought the same a bit further up. This is like that staged photo of Kate in her office, pretending to chat on her land line, with a blank notepad in front of her and surrounded by books that were bound in quilt fabric to complement her jacket.
You mean when she slapped an end table with some fictional books behind the couch and had her pen in her non dominant left hand?
Yeah it’s the same nonsense.
Please show me a 40 year old who attends this stuff with a paper binder and not some form of electronics like a laptop or tablet.
I’ve already given a cookie to Tom Sykes this week for stating the obvious so William’s not getting one for taking the train. He should be doing this for every engagement he has outside of London. I suspect KP decided that he should travel by train because he used a private jet to go the Duke of Westminster’s wedding last Friday.
I mean the train photo could be photoshopped to look like it’s moving and he hoped back into his helicopter straight after.
The DM article about that photo was truly hilarious, they’ve managed to find five tweets (which are definitely not bots) praising William the Stateman.
Narcissus peering at his own image through the window.
Firstly I’m not going to knock him for travelling by train and going to see an Earthshot project. I’m not even going to knock him for the staged photograph – after all it shows that he is actually working. My problem is that as a high profile champion of the environment it shouldn’t be a big deal that he’s catching the train (he should be championing rail travel at every given opportunity*.) Like other posters I believe he doesn’t do enough to promote the projects Earthshot are sponsoring. Even in this brief visit he’s going there to “learn more.” Surely as the founder of Earthshot, he should be on top of this by now and telling the world about the innovations in the pipelines? IMHO it would have been better if he’d said he’s going to see the innovations that he’d heard so much about and then told us what some of new projects were. I really dislike being a downer on this exciting project but, I’m going to hazard a guess William spent longer on the train than he did at the University.
*Yes I know, the train timetables in Britain are a work of fiction but, the point stands train travel is far more ecologically friendly than single journeys on the Ubercopter.
Oh please. QEII worked when traveling. I bet Peg was scrolling on his phone.
Awe look at Peggy heading out for another “learning experience” field trip day just like millions of elementary schoolers worldwide.. I bet he even gets a gold star ⭐️ on his daily report also. “Field Trip Boy” is how I view him now🤷🏻♀️
Seems I’m not the only one who is noticing William looks…refreshed? I don’t think it’s all photoshop and tanner. Botox? Laser treatments? In the video from D-day he appeared much more poised and, dare I say hunky and handsome, than I’ve seen him in years/decades. Same for wedding clips. Wonder what’s going on?
The real reason Will needs Harry and Meghan back: they could advise him on moisturizer. He is dry and ashy af.
The red binder to give the red box, showing William is monarch in waiting? William is certainly measuring the drapes at BP as well as his coronation robes with this picture. Charles can’t be thrilled because it also looks like William can’t wait for Operation Menai Bridge to commence, although William doesn’t want to put in the work for the job upgrade.
I’m disappointed it’s not a Pee-Chee folder.
I thought the color choice was very deliberate as well. Red binder, next stop, red boxes?
Be assured that sunburn is NOT from the UK weather – its been warm and sunny but not THAT warm and sunny -plus lots of days where its raining and colder.
Wonder where he was and with whom??
Romania.
Could it be from Normandy?
It’s been mostly sunny in Romania.
No, I don’t believe that rumor but after this grueling train ride, it’s time for another vacay!
I just came back from two weeks in Scotland and Ireland, and on our first day in Edinburgh, Price Edward was in town.
We were staying on the Royal Mile and the (very small) crowd of people outside where he was showing up to have an event had cameras out to catch a glimpse. Of EDWARD.
I refuse to believe these supposed sightings that have Kate out and about. At least someone would have snapped a picture.
At #Annalise – Carol would exact a very high price for that. And will get it.
Back to topic although there may be a connection, I see a massive change in W’s face, not cosmetically, but attitude. He looks haunted, haunted & totally preoccupied, and has done for some weeks. It’s another three weeks til the UK General Election, a period when the RF musn’t make waves, but from July 5 the gloves can come off and what a buzzing time that will be to slip out any unpalatable news.
Just saying.
The title of this article made me laugh so hard!!
And I agree about William’s tan – where’s he been off to lately?
I don’t think they would need to meet in a PUB to have this conversation, tho.