In the Battle of the Brothers, Wills has scored a winning goal.
As social media hums with the irritating drone of well-intentioned celebrity ‘friends’ leaping to defend the Duchess of Sussex, William has executed a PR masterstroke.
Just after 8am this morning, the entire Cambridge family plus nanny walked across the tarmac at Norwich airport to board a scheduled flight to Aberdeen for their annual visit to Balmoral.
The Duke of Cambridge can be seen with his children at Norwich Airport this morning
Kate Middleton walks behind her husband and and other two children while she holds Louis
What’s more, they chose FlyBe, a no-frills budget airline. I wondered whether the on-board snacks passed Kate’s strict dietary requirements?
It’s unlikely that Pringles would be found in the Cambridge picnic hamper. The flight might have been planned for weeks, but the timing proved to be impeccable, coinciding with Harry and Meghan facing ‘jet-gate’ and a storm of criticism over whether their mode of travel was in sync with their green credentials.
By chance, I’m also visiting Norwich airport tomorrow for a flight to Scotland, and looking forward to the prospect of walking through the same departure lounge as our future King (only joking). I am sure the Camrbidge entourage was whisked through security and boarded last, to avoid prying eyes. There’s some cachet in being a Prince, even if you are losing your hair.
William’s choice of airline was absolutely guaranteed to stoke up the furore surrounding his brother’s use of private jets – as he must have known it would. There’s no love lost between the pair when it comes to playing the media when it suits them. The royal family regularly travel on scheduled flights (air miles Andy more than the rest of them put together) – but choosing FlyBe is really flaunting your worthy credentials.
Harry and Meghan are pictured stepping on board a private jet at Nice Airport on Saturday
I’ll admit I’ve naughtily travelled on private jets in the past – who could refuse a free lift with free food, free drinks and a lovely swiveling chair, a luxurious loo and only six other people for company, one of whom was Hugh Grant! Does that make me an environmental vandal?
Probably, but before you accuse me of environmental vandalism I do other eco-friendly things like growing tomatoes and potatoes (no air miles), I walk every day. I write on the back of used sheets of paper. I recycle contentiously and I make chutney. I still wear designer clothes from 30 years ago. Is that enough? Probably not for today’s eco-zealots.
I can’t get that worked up about whether Meghan and Harry are hypocrites for accepting a free lift from Elton John after preaching the green gospel to anyone who’d listen. I have accepted free flights from Elton John too, before you start digging through ancient history.
It’s shameful for Meghan’s pal actress Jameela Jamil (pictured in Hollywood on August 13) to start lecturing the rest of us who don’t happen to be people of colour
I do think, though, that Meghan deserves better friends and she needs some professional help to rein in all the blabberers who mouth off on her account. Their attempts to stick up for her are not only clunky, they place her in a worse position because she can’t comment.
It’s shameful for her pal actress Jameela Jamil to start lecturing the rest of us who don’t happen to be people of colour, telling us that it’s ‘not safe’ for Harry and his wife to travel on scheduled flights because of the danger of assasination or hijacking.
Her pea brained tweet ranted ‘dear England and English people, just say you hate her because she’s black’…..you’ve all lost your marbles…it’s 2019…grow up’.
Environmentalists are perfectly entitled to complain about the use of private jets and argue that carbon off-setting isn’t compatible with your stated manifesto of saving the planet.
Stylist Jessica Mulroney (pictured with her friend Meghan in Toronto in March 2016) was quick to jump on the bandwagon and retweet Jameela’s twaddle
Jameela’s the one with a pea brain, for equating legitimate criticism with racism. And her claim that any dissenting voices – still permissible in a democracy where we value free speech – are bullies, pure and simple, is breath-takingly stupid.
Another pal, stylist Jessica Mulroney was quick to jump on the bandwagon and retweet Jameela’s twaddle, which prolonged the furore. On Good Morning Britain, Idris Elba’s wife Sabrina Dhowre told presenter Richard Madeley there was a very good reason why famous people travelled on private jets – to get away from the rest of us!
When Richard suggested Idris and Sabrina could simply travel in 1st class, she said ‘it’s not that easy’ and waffled about ‘transportation staff’ taking photos.
On Good Morning Britain, Idris Elba’s wife Sabrina Dhowre (pictured) said there was a very good reason why famous people travelled on private jets – to get away from the rest of us!
Have you ever heard such cack? I’ve got news for Sabrina – people take my photo humping suitcases at the train station, and they even inspect my trolley at the Tesco checkout, to find out I use toilet rolls like normal earthlings. Fame is fame, it’s all relative. Someone is going to take your picture – no matter what class you travel in.
What Meghan and Harry need is a strong, trustworthy media handler. Someone who stops idiots like Jameela rushing onto social media and making Meghan (by default) look ill-informed and naff.
Of course the couple deserve privacy. And, so far as I am concerned, they can travel how they like. But they need to edit their celebrity cheerleaders carefully if we aren’t going to have this kind of thing happen again.
And, as William and Kate showed today, actions speak louder than Tweets.