Despite being thousands of miles away in his California mansion, Prince Harry was still the center of attention through no fault of his own during Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s disastrous Caribbean tour.
Prince William and his wife visited Belize, Jamaica, and The Bahamas ahead of Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee to get the celebrations started.
The 8-day trip was supposed to seal the relationships with these three nations and prevent them from ditching Queen Elizabeth as head of state like Barbados, which has opted to become a Republic.
The heir to the throne and his spouse failed to convince the countries and were met with protests and angry people who demanded apologies and reparations for slavery.
The pair was called tone-deaf after a series of unfortunate pictures from the trip were published.
Prince William did his best to save face by acknowledging that slavery was abhorrent and supported the three countries’ decisions to cut ties with Her Majesty in a closing speech.
According to prominent royal experts, in his remark, the Duke of Cambridge took a subtle dig at his younger brother by saying that he and his spouse are committed to a life of service instead of “telling people what to do.”
Prince William said: “I know that this tour has brought into even sharper focus questions about the past and the future. In Belize, Jamaica, and The Bahamas, that future is for the people to decide upon. But we have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with communities in all three countries, understanding more about the issues that matter most to them.”
He added: “Catherine and I are committed to service. For us, that’s not telling people what to do. It is about serving and supporting them in whatever way they think best, by using the platform we are lucky to have.”
Prince William also stated: “It is why tours such as this reaffirm our desire to serve the people of the Commonwealth and to listen to communities around the world. Who the Commonwealth chooses to lead its family in the future isn’t what is on my mind. What matters to us is the potential the Commonwealth family has to create a better future for the people who form it, and our commitment to serve and support as best we can.”
Dissecting Prince William’s speech, royal biographer Angela Levin suggested the jaw-dropping comment was a dig at Prince Harry for the following reason: “I think he’s right, I think that worked very well to say what he felt without telling people what to do – which I thought was also a dig at his brother.”
Another royal and body language expert, Jesús Enrique Rosas, echoed the same sentiment by claiming that Prince William went after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by mentioning service and the usage of his platform.
Rosa stated: “Yes, not telling people what to do. Like, you know, Meghan calling U.S. senators on their personal numbers or Harry saying that if you are not happy with your job, you should quit.”
He continued: “Not to mention when William adds, ‘By using the platform we are lucky to have,’ because even being ‘trapped’ as working royals, it seems that this is a very nice platform to bring awareness into real-world affairs. Who could have known?”
After the failed trip, the Daily Mail is reporting that Prince William plans to change the way things are done.
Sources said a royal revolution would push him to tear up the rulebook and run affairs “the Cambridge way.”
The person added: “The prince believes that for him, the days of ‘never complain’ are over. He definitely won’t be speaking out regularly but believes if the monarchy has something to say, then it should say it.”
Time will tell if the changes can modernize the monarchy.
