Prince William has been cooked – charbroiled – on the internet for the past twenty hours. William and his wife went to the Ukrainian community center in London to meet with volunteers and thank them for sorting through donations and getting those donations to refugee camps and Ukrainians. There were royal reporters and press pool at the visit, and the Press Association reported William’s comments to volunteers. The PA’s version got picked up widely across American and British outlets, including the Daily Mail. Here’s the Mail’s version, which is the Press Association’s version:
William told volunteers that Britain and the rest of Europe were united behind them and spoke of the shock at seeing war on European soil.
He said Britons were more used to seeing conflict in Africa and Asia. ‘It’s very alien to see this in Europe. We are all behind you,’ he said. But he added that he, like many, wanted to do more to help. ‘We feel so useless,’ he said.
Personally, I found “It’s very alien to see this in Europe” to be the most offensive part, but taken with “Britons were more used to seeing conflict in Africa and Asia,” it definitely came across as willfully ignorant and racist. Except that in a video of that moment, William didn’t say anything about Africa and Asia. From an ITV journalist who was there during the visit:
During a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre yesterday, Prince William said: “Everyone is horrified by what they are seeing. The news every day, it’s almost unfathomable. For our generation, it’s very alien to see this in Europe. We’re all right behind you.” Watch here?? pic.twitter.com/kQFbcivgvK
— Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV) March 10, 2022
Not to be nitpicky, but it’s perfectly possible that William made a reference to “Africa and Asia” to someone else at the event and it wasn’t part of this one conversation. That being said, it sounds more like the Press Association write-up took some liberties. And yet… William still f–king said “It’s very alien to see this in Europe,” which absolutely implies that it’s more common to see “this” in other parts of the world. You know, the parts of the world which aren’t majority-white.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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9th March 2022, Ukrainian Cultural Centre, London, UK
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridgea arriving at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.
Amanda Rose / Avalon.red,Image: 668191956, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Supplied by AVALON – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon – [email protected] London: 44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: 1 (310) 822 0419 Madrid: 34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Amanda Rose / Avalon
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London, UK, 09th March 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about
the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.,Image: 668411360, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGEPLOTTER / Avalon
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London, UK, 09th March 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about
the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.,Image: 668411550, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGEPLOTTER / Avalon
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London, UK, 09th March 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about
the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.,Image: 668411650, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGEPLOTTER / Avalon
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London, UK, 09th March 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about
the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.,Image: 668411767, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGEPLOTTER / Avalon
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London, UK, 09th March 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about
the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.,Image: 668411839, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGEPLOTTER / Avalon
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.
Meeting with members of the Ukrainian community and volunteers, Their Royal Highnesses will hear about the services offered at the centre, the incredible amount of donations they have received and the challenges they continue to face to get material aid where it’s most needed. As part of this The Duke and Duchess will be invited to help with some of the sorting and packaging of items donated.The Duchess gave homemade cakes to the workers ,The couple where shown around by Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko and his wife Inna Prystaiko.,Image: 668443483, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Ian Vogler / Avalon
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.
Meeting with members of the Ukrainian community and volunteers, Their Royal Highnesses will hear about the services offered at the centre, the incredible amount of donations they have received and the challenges they continue to face to get material aid where it’s most needed. As part of this The Duke and Duchess will be invited to help with some of the sorting and packaging of items donated.The Duchess gave homemade cakes to the workers ,The couple where shown around by Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko and his wife Inna Prystaiko.,Image: 668477814, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Ian Vogler / Avalon
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London to learn about the extraordinary efforts being made to support Ukrainians in the UK and across Europe.
Meeting with members of the Ukrainian community and volunteers, Their Royal Highnesses will hear about the services offered at the centre, the incredible amount of donations they have received and the challenges they continue to face to get material aid where it’s most needed. As part of this The Duke and Duchess will be invited to help with some of the sorting and packaging of items donated.The Duchess gave homemade cakes to the workers ,The couple where shown around by Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko and his wife Inna Prystaiko.,Image: 668482593, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Ian Vogler / Avalon
