Here are the first photos of Prince William in Cape Town, South Africa. He’ll be there for four days, I think, and he’s leaving either Thursday or Friday. The Kensington Palace brain trust thought it would be smart counterprogramming to schedule this Earthshot mess for the same week as the American presidential election. It’s not that I expect the rest of the world to hold their breath for the American election, it’s that William wants a lot of attention from America and the American media, and America is much more focused on our own sh-t right now. It just occurred to me that it’s more than possible that the Duchess of Sussex posts some kind of “I Voted” photo and that it would easily steal Slumlord Willy’s Keenshot thunder.

Anyway, the first photos show a man who is so pleased to be away from his wife and children. William genuinely looks happier than we’ve seen him in months. He’s also trying to cosplay his younger brother, especially all of the events Harry ticked off when he was in South Africa and Lesotho in September. Harry posed in front of a mountain range, so did Willy! Harry lovingly embraced his Lesotho family, while William… caved in his shoulders to avoid touching South Africans. Harry was photographed deep in discussion with African activists, so William also had to gawp and jazz-hand his way through a photo-op. Remember, this is supposed to be William’s emergence as a global statesman. To William, that means copying (in the most superficial way) everything Harry does. Which means that William knows that Harry is actually the global statesman, right?

While we should be on the lookout for any Sussex thunder-stealing, it’s also very possible that William’s trip will be overshadowed back in the UK with this weekend’s revelations about the Duchy of Lancaster and Duchy of Cornwall. It’s very possible that even more reporting about William’s slumlord rentals will come out this week. The timing of all of this is fascinating to me.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.