Prince William’s ‘Cruel Twist’ Pits Him Against King Charles During 1 Historic Moment Claims Royal Commentator
King Charles is set to mark a significant moment in his reign as he presides over his first Parliament opening as monarch. However, one royal commentator claims a “cruel twist” pits Prince William against his father during this momentous occasion. Here are the details.
Prince William and King Charles’ battle for headlines has a ‘cruel twist,’ says a royal commentator
Daniela Elser of News.com.au believes King Charles’ first state opening of Parliament may be overshadowed by his son, Prince William. This “cruel twist” of dueling social calendars has father and son with key events scheduled on the same day.
However, the event that will get the most press coverage has yet to be determined. Elser feels William and Kate will generate more headlines by appearing in Singapore at the Earthshot Prize on the same day Charles presides over Parliament with Camilla, Queen Consort, by his side.
Elser wrote, “Ask yourself. If you were a newspaper or website editor, what picture would you want to use?”
“A photo of Charles looking dead serious and ruddy-faced? Or a lovely shot of the prince and princess with the latter no doubt looking her usual marvelous, sparkly self?” she continued.
“Crusty septuagenarians doing their jobs, or glam superstars taking a dazzling turn on the red carpet? Exactly,” Elser stated.
The royal commentator believes this scheduling snafu is a “cruel twist of the timetabling gods.” She claims when the day plays out, “it will be only the latest instance of William getting one over his dear old dad.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton generate more front-page news than King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles
King Charles has faced this press conflict regarding his firstborn son and wife before. Case in point: Charles’ coronation. There, all eyes were on Kate Middleton, Prince William, and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Elser discussed Charles’ May 2023 coronation, which was featured via slickly produced videos shared on William and Kate’s joint social media account. Subsequently, the couple were featured as prominent players, with the monarch seemingly secondary in the clips.
“In May, His Majesty was crowned atop the 13th Cosmati Pavement inside Westminster Abbey. However, if you followed the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts, you could be forgiven for thinking the entire event was nothing more than an opportunity to showcase how damned good the Waleses looked in formal robes. King who? Queen what?” she quipped.
Elser shared how William and Kate’s social media account produced “glossy video after video.” They starred their family like “they were the Kardashians of the SWI set.” She believed that in these clips, both Charles and Camilla were “reduced to blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em guest stars in their historic moment.”
Just one month later, Charles and William were again battling for headlines. Prince William’s in-depth interview with The Times overshadowed the king’s first Trooping the Color.
Are these continued royal conflicts part of a master plan or a coincidence?
Ultimately, this type of royal coincidence does occur as the House of Windsor tries to balance its yearly calendars. However, as King Charles and Prince William position themselves as the monarchy’s future, Daniela Elser says the latter sends mixed public signals.
“While none of these are potentially deadly instances, cumulatively they look like an impatient William trying to seize as much of the media oxygen and attention as possible to make himself look like the most exciting King-in-waiting since the invention of the phonograph,” Elser wrote.
Subsequently, the royal commentator believes William must “bide his time and stop trying to overeagerly set himself up as the King-in-the-wings.” Also, Charles must keep “his ego in check when his much more popular son and daughter-in-law nick the limelight.”
King Charles will next appear at RAF Coningsby to mark the 80th anniversary of Operation Chastise. Prince William is headed to New York City this fall to attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit.
