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Sykes: Prince William & Kate have embraced the power of being dull & boring

The Daily Beast’s Royalist columnist Tom Sykes wrote an opinion piece about Prince William and Kate’s Boston Flop Tour. What I appreciate is that Sykes and the other royal reporters know that they can’t keep polishing this turd (the Waleses) and pretending that everything they do is perfect and amazing. So instead, they’ve not-so-subtly lowered the bar yet again: it’s a GOOD thing that William and Kate are so dull and boring, that’s their superpower, that they’re unexciting, unambitious dishrags. From Sykes’ column:

The Dull Middletons: A friend of the Royalist’s dated Kate Middleton when they were teenagers at Marlborough College. The friend’s mother sometimes still tells how insanely “DULL” all the Middletons, including Kate, were. “Terribly nice, the nicest most inoffensive people in the world, but no fun,” is her settled opinion. After a half decade of trying to convince us that actually they are just as glamorous, racy and thrilling individuals as the Sussexes, the Waleses seem this week to have embraced the power of, well, being boring.

No distractions: At the outset of William and Kate’s royal trip to America, to present the environmental Earthshot Prize, they said that they were determined to not be “distracted” by any peripheral issues. Journalists assumed this was code for, “They won’t be answering any questions about Harry and Meghan, so don’t bother asking.”

Dowdy fashion: However, their borderline dowdy sartorial choices Friday night at the gala itself suggested another interpretation; that they weren’t about to allow Kate’s frocks to eclipse the conversation about the very serious business of saving the planet.

W&K’s real message. William and Kate are also telegraphing another message, which is: “If you want drama can tune to Netflix and catch the Kardashians—sorry!— the Harry and Meghan show. We are here actually trying to do something.” “Boring old public servants, us, just like granny” seems to be the theme that the couple have decided is their path to the future. Indeed, they have attempted to apply this argument to the chutzpah of Meghan and Harry releasing the trailer for their Netflix show on day two of their trip, with sources telling the Telegraph this was actually a good thing as it had pointed up the difference between Harry and Meghan (drama) and Will and Kate (service.) It was probably a slightly desperate bit of retrofitted spin, but ultimately, Friday was the day that the Waleses reclaimed the narrative.

Peg & Buttons, statespeople: The meeting with Joe Biden was an endorsement of their status as statespeople, not mere celebrities (although there were plenty of them at the prize-giving ceremony itself on Friday, including David Beckham and Billie Eilish). Time will tell if the Waleses have made a smart move by going nuclear on Harry and Meghan and comparing them to the Kardashians. However there is no doubt that there is now, at least, clear blue water between these two couples.

[From The Daily Beast]

The thing is, leaning into the “dull, boring” branding is their only option. If this was a real war, William and Kate would have bled out on the battlefield years ago, having been fatally wounded by the more charismatic Sussexes. The Sussexes take up so much space and William and Kate only had “dull and boring” left. I appreciate that Sykes made it sound like a conscious choice on Bill and Kathy’s part though, as opposed to “that’s just who they are.” Honestly, in some ways it’s a compliment to call them dull and boring, when really the Sussexes have exposed them and could expose them further as actively vile, actively racist, actively unpleasant.

Personally, I don’t think William and Kate’s aim has been to be boring, to fly under the radar, to be staid and dull. Whenever they tell us how they want to be perceived, they WANT to emulate the Sussexes, they want to be charismatic, credible, glamorous and important. They just can’t do it because they’re too dull.

James O’Brien’s monologue was pretty amazing. It’s all true.

Harry and Meghan have become 'hate figures' because of 'envy' and their ability to make a 'mockery of the Royal Family', James O'Brien explains.@mrjamesob pic.twitter.com/qVfsQFAblY

— LBC (@LBC) December 2, 2022

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.

East Boston, MA – Prince William and Kate Middleton arrive in East Boston during their first United States visit since 2014. Pictured: Prince William, Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 1 DECEMBER 2022 BYLINE MUST READ: Patriot Pics / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* Cambridge, MA – Royal fans made their way to Harvard this morning to catch a glimpse of Kate Middleton as she visited a children’s center. Pictured: Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 2 DECEMBER 2022 BYLINE MUST READ: Patriot Pics / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* Cambridge, MA – Royal fans made their way to Harvard this morning to catch a glimpse of Kate Middleton as she visited a children’s center. Pictured: Kate Middleton BACKGRID USA 2 DECEMBER 2022 BYLINE MUST READ: Patriot Pics / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Prince William And Catherine Princess Of Wales Visit To Boston – Day 1 The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, to attend the second annual Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Princess Of Wales Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 30 Nov 2022 Credit: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** The Prince and Princess of Wales meet the Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu at City Hall Boston, USA. Picture date: Wednesday November 30, 2022. Featuring: Catherine, Princess Of Wales Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 30 Nov 2022 Credit: Paul Edwards/The Sun/PA Images/I/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** The Prince and Princess of Wales, at Speaker’s Corner outside City Hall, Boston, USA, at the start of the countdown to the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony by lighting up Boston City Hall and landmarks across the city green. Picture date: Wednesday November 30, 2022. Featuring: Prince William, Catherine, Princess Of Wales Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 30 Nov 2022 Credit: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARim/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend the Wednesday night National Basketball Association game between the seventeen-time World Champion Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat at TD Garden in downtown Boston, USA. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 30 Nov 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** Prince William And Catherine Princess Of Wales Visit To Massachusetts – Day 2 The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Greentown Labs in Somerville, to learn about climate innovations which are being incubated in Boston. Featuring: Prince William And Catherine Princess Of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 01 Dec 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** Catherine Princess of Wales during a visit to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Boston, Massachusetts, as part of her ongoing work to elevate the importance of the early years to lifelong outcomes. Featuring: Catherine Princess Of Wales Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 02 Dec 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
Catherine Princess of Wales during a visit to the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Boston, Massachusetts, as part of her ongoing work to elevate the importance of the early years to lifelong outcomes. Featuring: Catherine Princess Of Wales Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 02 Dec 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony at the MGM Music Hall, Fenway Featuring: Catherine, Princess Of Wales, Prince William Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 02 Dec 2022 Credit: Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA Image/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony at the MGM Music Hall, Fenway Featuring: Catherine, Princess Of Wales, Prince William Where: Boston, Massachusetts, United States When: 02 Dec 2022 Credit: Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images/INSTAR/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**

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