Prince William and Kate Middleton Face Backlash For Making Children Wait in Heavy Rain
Images of schoolchildren standing in the rain during the Wales visit sparked criticism online, with some questioning the optics of the carefully staged royal engagement.
Royal visits are very carefully choreographed affairs, in which handshakes are timed, and their movements and walkabouts are planned. And the British are anyway very stoic about bad weather. Children, especially, are expected to bear it without complaint. And the group of schoolchildren waiting in the Powys drizzle to meet Prince William and Kate Middleton did exactly that. Their royal hosts, however, did not quite inspire the same consensus — and what followed online was anything but restrained.
Footage and images from the engagement showed schoolchildren standing in the rain as the Prince and Princess of Wales made their rounds, while William was seen retrieving an umbrella for himself before approaching the waiting group. For many watching online, that did not sit well.
The reaction on social media was quick, with one user writing, "LOL the fact that he had to go get an umbrella for himself before he would walk over and talk to the kids.” Others piled on with their own observations. "He always looks so stilted in doing basic normal things, like many royals," another commenter added, noting wryly, "But then again, I am from the PNW, and we are kind of umbrella phobic here."
Questions raised after very young children kept outside in the rain for royal photo op
by u/NewTooth740 in RoyaltyTea
And not all responses were that straightforward. One observer offering a backhanded defense, pointing out that William appeared to be angling the umbrella to offer some cover to the children he was speaking with, then adding, "You'd think the teachers/parents would've thought of umbrellas tho?"
But others were in no mood for balance, and the image of a future king retrieving shelter for himself while children stood damp in the Welsh drizzle proved too resonant a symbol to leave alone. Another extended the thought writing, "I wonder if these kids know that when they grow up they will be footing the bill for these royal grifters and their lavish lifestyle of debauchery."
And as expected, Princess Diana was a part of the conversation. "His mother would be ashamed of his adult self," one user wrote, adding, "I don't know how he could've grown up seeing her smile and shake hands with people all while being in a horrible situation, and he can't even pretend to have a fraction of her grace. Does he think that's only a trait women should have?"
This comparison has followed William persistently, held up against a son who, fairly or not, is increasingly read as guarded and performative in equal measure. It is often Prince Harry who is understood to have the same qualities as his mother. And then there was perhaps the most gently devastating observation of all: "They were told they were going to meet a prince and princess, probably expected something a bit more Disney-esque than woolen coats and brollies."
This is not the first time the Princess of Wales has drawn criticism for engagements with schoolchildren that observers have described as stilted or performative. And it is all the more awkward because the couple is building their public image on the idea of an accessible, modern monarchy; a group of wet children and a solitary umbrella make for an uncomfortable view.
