Royals Fan Calls Out Prince William's Hypocrisy as He Steps Out of Electric Bus
When Prince William stepped out of an electric bus with Robert Irwin on Tuesday morning, he opened the floodgates to intense criticism on social media.
For the longest time, Prince William has been the modern figurehead in the royal family. It is evident from the causes he has chosen to pursue that they are mental health awareness, homelessness prevention, and environmental conservation. However, the discrepancy between words and actions sometimes peeks through, creating a friction that is hard to ignore. A similar incident happened when the Prince of Wales stepped out on Tuesday for Climate Action Week, and social media users were all over it.
William and Robert Irwin arrived at the Guildhall, London, by an electric double-decker bus for the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly. The banner on the bus was clear and loud, as it read, “I am London’s 3,000th zero-emission bus. Helping improve air quality for all”, but the prince's usual modes of transport are also equally clear, and they hardly include public commuting. The royals, including William, use private jets for international travel and have large entourages and huge cars to drive them around the city. It is not exactly a climate-friendly picture.
So, when the future king came out of the electric bus this morning, it felt more like a PR move than a genuine concern for the environment, and social media users were quick to point that out, as one X user asked, “Did Willy take a helicopter to the bus?”, while another added, “What does he do the rest of the year? Helicopters, multiple cars, private jets?” One X user pointed out, "Not holding him to account then over using helicopters and private planes and having numerous residences and overseas holidays?" while another wrote, "Apparently the path to saving the planet involves arriving by electric bus for the photo op after years of travelling by helicopter."
This is not the first time that William has been criticized for this reason. In fact, he is not even the first royal. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and even the most staunch environmentalist in the monarchy, King Charles, have faced this backlash, especially since they have advocated for sustainability while reportedly not practicing the same policies in real life.
However, William also testified that his initiatives through the Earthshot Prize have had a positive impact. He felt “more optimistic than ever” as he recounted a list of success stories, from the clean air policy in India to tree planting in Brazil, during his speech on Tuesday. “One day , people will look back at this decade and ask: when the evidence was clear, what did we do with it?” he asked via PEOPLE, “When we saw forests being restored, did we help restoration spread? When we saw clean air policies working, did we help other cities follow? When we saw the energy systems transform, did we fully commit? When we saw communities on the front line becoming leaders in resilience, did we stand beside them?”
The Prince of Wales concluded his speech by saying, “The challenge can still feel immense, but the proof is now in front of us. And history will ask what we did with it.” Well, unfortunately for the royals, social media users are already brimming with questions, because as William rightfully said, the “planet does not have time for inch-by-inch change”.
