By royal biographer Emily Andrews
DUTY OR FAMILY? THE PRINCE OF WALES MUST DECIDE
It was the biggest gathering of British and foreign royalty since the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.The former King of Greece, Constantine, who had lived in exile in London for some 50-or-so years, was not only family to our own royals but to many on the continent.
Tino, as he was affectionately known, died last January but King Charles had wanted to honour his good friend and distant cousin with a memorial service at Windsor Castle.
As it turned out, Charles could not go to the service, at St George’s Chapel.
Due for another of his cancer treatments in London, it instead fell to Queen Camilla to represent her husband.
Nevertheless, Tino’s godson, Prince William, had been deputised to lead the British royals into the service (the Queen arrived last due to protocol) and to lead the congregation in a reading.
Yet, just 45 minutes before the service, he pulled out, citing a ‘personal matter’.
Obviously with his wife Kate still recovering from abdominal surgery and his father being treated for cancer, speculation ran rife.
Did this mean the Princess of Wales was desperately ill? Was something seriously, and terminally, wrong with his father? Was William ill? Conspiracy theorists were in their element.
Kensington Palace moved to quell the more hysterical, saying that the princess was still ‘recovering well’ and William’s indisposition had nothing to do with his father.
Which only fuelled even more crazy online speculation (which recently has included everything from Kate having a Brazilian bottom improvement, to divorce, to Charles having ‘disappeared’).
I understand that it was actually something very mundane (it was a Wales family matter) and that William had personally phoned his Greek relatives to apologise for cancelling.
But in my opinion this is one step too far in William’s mantra of putting family before duty.
He lives in Windsor – the service was virtually on his doorstep. What could possibly have prevented him from attending for just an hour, to represent his father and his country, to honour his late godfather (with
