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| Kate Middleton and Prince William (Image: Metro) |
It's not like The Daily Mail to complain about any member of the royal family. It's been a long time and has come about under somewhat surprising circumstances. They are annoyed with 'workshy' (their words, not mine) Prince William as he took his wife Kate Middleton and their two children for a discreet, yet brief, skiing trip - and the cheek of the couple who decided not to inform the press.
Now, there are many reasons why I, and perhaps many other media junkies, would roll our eyes about The Daily Mail's (and Daily Star's 8th March front page) moan. It isn't really their business to know the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's every whereabouts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are perfectly entitled to escape the limelight for a few days. Sure, the Mail, being the second highest circulated newspaper in the UK that possesses the most number of people in the world actively seeking gossip on their site, emphasise their stories about Prince William are among the most popular. But that doesn't give them the automatic right to know his every step.
Despite this debacle, the whole paper whine has fascinated me - not because of the backlash it has caused, but of the fact that none of the media had any idea of this holiday until a series of photographs of the royal's trip were randomly revealed. Historically, wherever the royals were, there was a big chance that prior to the planned trip, it'd be mentioned in some capacity. For the press to be blind about this is significant not just to the industry and their relationship with the family, but more revealing, for Prince William as he is breaking the rules of being a typical royal in Modern Britain.
Prince William has been a media target ever since his birth. Being the first son of heir apparent Prince Charles, and Princess Diana, he was always seen as the most powerful and influential individual - similarly with his first born, George from 2013. Throughout William's childhood, he has been used to his parents constantly in the public eye, especially between his parents' highly publicised split in December 1992 and Diana's untimely death in 1997, when he was just 15 years of age.
William was raised during the time when the 'tabloid' phenomenon was reaching its peak in popularity. So when an apparent royal scandal would occur, it'd be made a bigger deal than first deemed. Divorces and marriages to non-royals weren't so widely reported and noticed pre-Murdoch. And William would notice that his parents were the centre of attention and hence he'd be a prime paparazzi target.
Brilliantly portrayed in Steve Hewlett's BBC documentary series Reinventing the Royals in February 2015, it was obvious to see Prince William's discomfort of the press's prodding. As he matured, and the royals' press office became more particular in what went to print, their strained relationship has reached a new gear, more so over the past five years when he married Kate.
I wrote on this blog over three years ago about how Kate could walk into the trap Diana fell into unless she kept sweet with the family she married into. Since then, it is reportedly clear she has achieved this and she hasn't been exposed of any scandal as of yet. But I suppose back then, I was oblivious to the fact she has a husband who likes to keep things low key.
William and Kate have tried very hard to portray their nuclear family as 'normal' and 'down to earth', yet while his father Charles appears to thrive on royal duties as too does Queen Elizabeth, William, second in line to the throne, sees it almost as a chore. Sure, he seems to enjoy playing an integral role with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Football Association (FA) as Vice Royal Patron and President respectively. However, unlike his father and grandmother, he avoids political photo opportunities and obviously won't inform media where he vacates. And as portrayed in a recent Channel 5 documentary series, Inside Buckingham Palace, frequent media appearances are important duties for the family, or the public would be 'asking questions'.
The public opinion of course is vital to the royal family, and their aides recognise William and Kate as the most popular. Perhaps, if it wasn't for them, more than imagined may ask what the point of a monarchy is today. However, as William isn't keen on key media duties, I question if he wants to be a royal at all. After all, it wasn't his choice to be one, he was born into it.
I don't want to speculate anything, particularly about the future of the monarchy. Yet, as William isn't embracing duties his father and grandmother thrive upon, come 30-40 years from now, King William V may be seen as the Radical One, the Secret Republican, who wants to simply be 'one of us'. Should this be the case, nobody would want to stop him.
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