Princess Anne’s South Pacific tour isn’t a colonialist mess, but it is pretty boring

princess-anne’s-south-pacific-tour-isn’t-a-colonialist-mess,-but-it-is-pretty-boring

Today will mark two full weeks since we’ve seen the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge publicly. They are in the wind, partially because their kids are off from school (I guess), although I’m sure we’ll probably hear about a vacation at some point. William and Kate’s absence has another function – they are trying not to make news during Princess Anne’s South Pacific tour. Anne was sent to Australia and other South Pacific Commonwealth realms for the Jubbly year. These are photos of Anne in Australia and Papua New Guinea in recent days.

You might have seen some royal reporters whine about how no one is criticizing Anne for “colonialism” like William and Kate were criticized. It’s true – Anne isn’t being criticized, even though she’s technically doing some of the same kinds of events, like troop inspections and watching people dance and interacting with people of color. There are several reasons why Anne hasn’t been criticized though. One, her tour is barely getting any attention, good or bad. She’s barely even making headlines locally, much less back in the UK. Two, she’s not dressed up as a colonialist viceroy surveying her empire. She packed sensible pantsuits and a few hats, all of which have likely been in her closet for decades. That alone has changed the imagery – she looks like a dowdy, sensible senior woman doing a sensible job. Three, she’s not recoiling from people of color or greeting people behind a chainlink fence.

Anne’s husband Sir Timothy Laurence is with her on the tour too. He has not made any news whatsoever. He never makes any news. He is a fedora-wearing icon of minding his business and keeping his mouth shut.

Photos courtesy of Instar.