The Duke of Cambridge caused much excitement today with a speech he gave to British diplomats at the Foreign Office. In the speech, Prince William spoke about the importance of uniting with other nations:
‘In an increasingly turbulent world, our ability to unite in common action with other nations is essential. It is the bedrock of our security and prosperity and is central to your work.
Right now, the big questions with which you wrestle – in the UN, Nato, the Middle East and elsewhere – are predicated on your commitment to working in partnership with others.’
Story hungry hacks took his words as a hint that the royal is backing the In campaign in the EU referendum. While the story was soon doing the rounds, any celebrations in the remain camp were cooled by Kensington Palace. The palace issued a statement distancing William from the In campaign. They claim that the speech was not about the EU referendum — pointing out that he never mentioned Europe. Meanwhile a royal source has gone into further denial mode, telling the Guardian:
‘Talking about “working in partnership” and “our ability to unite in common action” is not expressing a political view. The only specific examples he spoke about were the Commonwealth and the illegal wildlife trade. The speech was praising the work of young diplomats.’
With Kensington Palace so eager to dispel the rumours, Mr S can’t help but recall that Buckingham Palace did no such thing when the Queen subtly intervened ahead of the Scottish independence referendum. Could this be a sign that Prince William is sitting on the fence… or might he actually want out?
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