The Royal Family must tell the public the truth behind Prince William’s “unprecedented and inexplicable” withdrawal from a major engagement.
Speaking on The Reaction, their YouTube talk show, the Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce and Sarah Vine implored the royals to fully explain the Prince of Wales’ absence from a memorial service for his godfather at Windsor Castle yesterday.
Both now fear that the public is becoming increasingly concerned about the health of King Charles and the Princess of Wales.
They asked the question: ‘Why can’t the royals tell us the truth about Kate and William?’
William was supposed to accompany Queen Camilla to St George’s Chapel to give a reading in memory of the late King Constantine II of Greece, who died last year.
But just three-quarters of an hour before the start, he withdrew from the event for unexplained “personal reasons”, sparking a fresh wave of speculation about the full reason.
The Royal Family must tell the public the truth behind Prince William’s “unprecedented and inexplicable” withdrawal from a major engagement, Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce told The Reaction.
The Prince of Wales was last seen attending the Bafta Film Awards 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. He withdrew from the monument to King Constantine of Greece at the last moment.
Vine and Pierce have said the time has come for the Royal Family to end the speculation and explain why William needed to leave.
Kate’s abdominal surgery and the King’s cancer diagnosis earlier this month mean they are unable to carry out public duties, dramatically reducing the number of active royals.
Photographs of the service that emerged yesterday revealed a diluted Royal Family with the controversial figure of Prince Andrew pictured smiling at the service.
The tribute to Constantine II was an important event for William, who was close to the exiled monarch and is believed to have telephoned the Greek royal family to apologize for his departure.
But the terse statement issued to the press and public from Kensington Palace saying he left for “personal reasons” has only fueled online speculation.
The thing is, it wasn’t just a matter of him showing up for something. It was an integral part of the service. He was supposed to be doing a reading. said Mrs. Vine.
‘It just makes you think it’s a very serious thing for him to do that. That’s the thing.’
Vine called on the Royal Family not to leave a vacuum that is then filled with speculation and conspiracy theories, which is what is happening right now.
Ms Vine and Mr Pierce have said the time has come for the Royal Family to end the speculation and explain why William needed to leave.
Instead, Queen Camilla was the most senior member of the Royal Family present, with Prince Andrew also enjoying a prominent role.
Prince Andrew takes members of the Royal Family, including the Tindalls, to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle today.
Guests attend a service of thanksgiving for the life of King Constantine at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle this morning.
Queen Camilla leaves the service of thanksgiving for King Constantine at St George’s Chapel in Windsor today.
‘Nowadays, you can’t just not say anything. You have to give an explanation. I’m afraid that William not showing up like this for something he was such an integral part of is something they need to explain.
“I think both journalists and the general public are quite concerned because the signals coming from the Palace about both the King and the Princess and the Prince of Wales are not very good.
“If it was just the King or just William and Kate, it might be less, but it’s because they’re both and they’re pillars of the Royal Family, and that’s where the problem is.” That’s why people want to know, they just want to know a little more.’
Mr Pierce added: “It was exactly 45 minutes before the event at Windsor Castle that Kensington Palace stubbornly refused to tell us anything more, other than that it was a ‘personal matter’.
“This was the exiled king of Greece, a very, very dear friend of the late Queen and Prince Philip, he was Prince Philip’s sailing companion, very important in royal circles.
Zara, Mike Tindall and the Princess Royal attend the service at Windsor Castle today as they walk towards St George’s Chapel.
Prince Andrew; Sarah, Duchess of York; and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence at St George’s Chapel in Windsor today
(Left to right) Princess Alexandra, The Honorable Lady Ogilvy, Marina Ogilvy, Prince Andrew, The Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke of Gloucester at Windsor Castle today
Princess Michael of Kent (left) and Prince Michael of Kent attend the service today
‘I did the Royal beat for years at The Times, years at the Telegraph. It is unprecedented for such a senior member of the Royal Family to step down at such short notice.
‘The Order of Service printed, the Royals already on their way to the castle, the exiled Greek royal family already on their way.
“I had to tell him 45 minutes before and since he is de facto king, it was even more important, he was there, which makes it even more inexplicable that he withdrew at such short notice.”
‘It’s just extraordinary that William wasn’t there. He was very fond of his godfather, the exiled king of Greece.
“The other thing it meant then is that horrible Prince Andrew took control and that’s really bad optics. He just rushed to the front with Sarah Ferguson, loitered pointedly outside the chapel door, introducing people. He almost took over.
“Some now say he simply doesn’t have the same ethics as the Queen and her father. ‘The show must go on’. I don’t agree with that.”
The reaction can be seen and subscribed to on the Mail’s YouTube channel: Youtube.com/DailyMail. Episodes come out every Wednesday.