After months of virtual engagements, Prince William and Kate Middleton made up for lost time by embarking on a royal train tour around the United Kingdom. The couple went on on a three-day tour of Scotland, England, and Wales aboard the royal train—yes, the royal family has their very own train. The goal of the trip was to thank individuals and organizations that "have gone above and beyond in response to the coronavirus pandemic," according to Kensington Palace.
While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were photographed wearing masks and observing social distancing measures during their trip, they have still faced backlash for their decision to travel during the ongoing pandemic. Wales' health minister Vaughan Gethin released a statement criticizing the royals, saying: "I'd rather no one was having unnecessary visits. And people always have divisive views about the monarchy, but their visit isn’t an excuse for people to say that they are confused about what they are being asked to do.”
The Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also chimed in with criticism of the tour, as well. "The Scottish Government was advised about the intention to visit, and we made sure that the Royal Household were aware, as you would expect, of the restrictions in place in Scotland so that could inform both the decision and the planning of the visit," she said. "The Royal visit is a matter for the Royal household and the arrangements around it, and any questions about those arrangements, should be directed to the Royal household."
The couple also faced backlash for traveling by the royal train, which is actually quite costly. It was reported in June last year that traveling via royal train costs around $30,000 for a similar journey, which ultimately comes from taxpayer money. "Why are they taking the train? It's just a slightly ridiculous mode of transport to have their own train in the first place.They could have gone up by car or taken a scheduled train which would have cost a fraction of that," Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy group Republic, told Newsweek. "
These sentiments were echoed by social media users, as well. One critic wrote that their decision to spend so much money on travel "doesn't seem appropriate when so many in UK are in such a dire situation," while another added "Not only will it be a very expensive train trip but it is also a bad idea considering we are still in full Covid mode! They should both think[ing] about helping in more practical ways instead of making it all about them & good PR!"
Unsurprisingly, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have not commented on the backlash. The palace hasn't released an official statement, either. It's likely they won't address the situation publicly.
Photo: Getty