The United Kingdom’s Prince Charles last week went to the Swiss ski resort of Devos for the annual gathering of the good, the bad and the ugly of this world. He went ostensibly to address the gathering on climate change.
His mode of transport to Davos, Switzerland was a private jet, no surprise there. On his arrival in Switzerland, he used an electric car to travel to the venue. The excuse for the private jet was leaked to a sympathetic journalist to put it about that the Royal Air Force plane that would have carried him alone, had a mechanical problem. As a very high profile climate change campaigner, couldn’t a commercial flight have served a more appropriate alternative? Question raised by the Sussexes’ enemies last summer.
That would be unthinkable, of course. His private jet flight would cause ‘no harm’ and so not a whiff of anything in the newspapers, radio, and television. There has been no condemnation or even discussion of any kind. All that the royal reporters reported was the journey on the electric car, not the use of private jet. The point is that he uses private jet most times. So does his son Prince William. They both speak on climate change.
However, when the Duchess of Sussex was given a lift in a private jet back to the UK early last year by Mrs. Clooney, after her New York baby shower, the news media journalists and television presenters went ape crazy. The Duchess, the Duke and Master Archie’s invitation to Elton John’s family home also invited a mighty brouhaha of abuse. Even after Elton John had gone out of his way to defend the couple, journalists up to this day, still raise that flight.
The Duke of Sussex and his Royal family have always used private jets. No one had complained or linked the flights to climate change until the Duchess came on the scene. Not particularly a surprise to me, the tabloids singled out the Duchess for the jet flights. The Duke, who is responsible for his family and knew Elton John from childhood, was deliberately left out of the insults.
The Duchess, needless to say, has never spoken on climate change in public, I have heard of or seen. Last summer’s private jet to South of France was singularly attributed to her. What that shouts out in bold screaming letters is RACISM.
Let us take the ‘celebrity’ tag pinned on the Duchess by the usual racist suspects. These old farts have sought to brand the Duchess for being more of a celebrity than royal. They have not given reasons why, but they have continued to imply that ad nauseam. In the UK anyone, who has through any sort of publicity and ended up in any of the numerous television reality shows, is all of a sudden labelled a celebrity. These people, I am afraid to say, are not one wee bit like the Duchess.
The reason I can feel them think about the Duchess, but not spell out, is her interaction with members of the public and her famous family of friends. She was first accused of wanting to be the next Diana Princess of Wales. She has smiled, shown attention, listened and hugged children, so has her husband. In the tiny small Englander minds of these old farts, she should be arms-length from the public and not show empathy. The Royal Family, I heard some journalists say last year, show no emotion and empathy in public. And the Duchess, horror of horrors, was showing that in abundance on engagements. That according to these people, is the embodiment of a celebrity culture. The Daily Mirror’s royal editor complained as much in early December. He was not happy the Duchess allowed herself to be hugged by members of the public, when out on engagements.
To label someone as intelligent, educated and with a conscious to boot like the Duchess as a celebrity, is not only insulting but shows the crass level these people would stoop to tarnish her image.
If one considers that Prince Charles has gone out of his way to court actors and singers to help his Prince Charles Trust, the slurs against the Duchess, because of her professional background, is surely racist. Prince Charles only last year courted Lionel Richie and George Clooney and his wife.
If the Duchess was a white American, I doubt she would face such abuse for so long. This has gone on for almost four years. These people deny being racists, but, why make up stories about an individual for that length of time? Of course, they are racists. They have even recently paid her disgraceful and shameless father and the godforsaken far-flung siblings again, to aid their shameful propaganda against her.
The Sussexes know their only salvation is the court of public opinion and support. They know they would be able to defend themselves better outside the stifling constraints of being Senior Royals. The news media know that and so abused that protocol endlessly hiding behind press freedom. That is no more. They are going to fight fire with fire. With one bound, they are free to defend themselves properly against racism.