Britain’s future King Prince William’s solo visit to New York City is being praised by Americans and royal fans as it is in stark contrast to his younger brother Prince Harry’s ‘near catastrophic’ paparazzi drama.
The Prince of Wales’ trip to NYC is being called “class vs. crass” in comparison to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s last headline-grabbing visit.
Kate Middleton’s hubby William carried out several royal engagements, including the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit on Monday and Tuesday, but created no controversy or drama to sit in the headlines.
Royal expert Christopher Andersen said “It’s all a case of class vs. crass” as the author of “The King” compared the two brothers and their attempts to take a bite out of the Big.
Andersen explained to DailyMail: “When Harry and Meghan swept into New York last May, they flew in on a private jet and brought with them all the baggage and complaints they’d been carting around for years.”
He continued: “The Sussexes seemed determined to prove that they, like Princess Diana, were being unfairly hounded by the press. Almost as if on cue, Harry and Meghan’s visit climaxed with a purported two-hour high-speed chase through the streets of Manhattan — a chase that, to anyone even vaguely familiar with the city, seemed improbable at best. What drama.”
The expert went on: “It was just another stop on Harry and Meghan’s traveling grievance roadshow.”
In May of this year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as well as Markle’s mother Doria Ragland, attended the Ms. Foundation Awards. After the gala, some photographers, possibly irritated that they had been denied access earlier, began following their vehicle. A spokesperson for the couple called it a “relentless pursuit,” one that resulted in “multiple near collisions.”
William’s trip, in comparison, was drama-free. He took a commercial flight for his first visit to the city in 2014. Andersen said there are lessons the Duke and Duchess of Sussex can learn from William’s more low-key visit.
“By contrast, William was sticking to the script, focusing not on himself, but on climate change, the cause he journeyed to the U.S. to promote. A little decorum and self-restraint are things Harry and Meghan could learn from William and Kate, but that’s not what the Sussexes are all about.”
Royal expert Duncan Larcombe told the same outlet that William was backed by a well-organized team determined to make sure his visit would be foolproof.
“William was there to promote his Earthshot Prize … but he was still there as an official guest,” Larcombe explained.
“The visit would have been organized by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office here in the U.K. It was an official visit, whereas Harry and Meghan were on their own. … [And] they went to New York to collect an award. It’s interesting because it’s one of the criticisms Harry and Meghan faced,” he added.
“They walked away from royal life and royal tours, and yet they seem to be doing their own sort of mini ones that look and feel the same as official visits.”
