William’s had a rotten 18 months. Many have remarked he’s appeared unusually sombre – and not just when standing next to Prince Andrew. Now royal author A.N. WILSON reveals: What’s eating William
Nor did he seem particularly overjoyed to be at the State Banquet for Donald Trump on Wednesday. While Catherine smiled at his side, and charmed The Don, William came across as pensive, less light-hearted than of old.
Of course, the banquet was a masterclass in soft power. At a sticky moment in world history, the pageantry at Windsor Castle seemed to be something much bigger than the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta which it often resembles.
When the world does not know what to make of Donald Trump, the King and Queen in their finery, the Guards regiments in their uniforms, the footmen and flunkies in their livery all cemented a bond that is truly momentous – namely the alliance between Britain and America.
Even those who question the desirability of having a monarchy could see that here it was performing a vital function with extraordinary aplomb.
But William, though dutifully being the first to welcome to the US President and his wife Melania when they arrived atWindsor, came across as less enthusiastic than he has been at formal royal occasions in years gone by.