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Here is a photo of Prince William attending the FA Cup match in England over the weekend. He’s the president of the British Football Association, so attending the game actually counts as work for William. Will has actually stepped out several times following the birth of his second child – after being largely MIA for the first three months of the year, William seems to be trying to get his public-appearance numbers up, finally. Which brings up an interesting question, raised by one of the Daily Mail’s columnists: why didn’t William attend the State Opening of Parliament?

Few watching the Queen perform her duty at the State Opening of Parliament could fail to have been impressed by her dignity and stoicism. There she was in her 90th year, weighed down by the heavy Imperial State Crown and the burden of duty which she has carried without complaint her entire adult life. Prince Charles and Camilla were there to support the Queen, but one absence was noted: that of Prince William.

The Queen reportedly hoped her grandson would attend, not least because she considers the State Opening of Parliament to be the high point of her constitutional duties. Wouldn’t it, therefore, have been a wonderful tribute to his grandmother for William to have supported her on such an important day? What an emphatic symbol of the permanence of our monarchy, and the security of succession, it would have been to see the Queen backed up by both Charles and William.

Instead, Prince William was still enjoying his six-week paternity leave, helping wife Kate and bonding with their new daughter and young son. Which is all very well, but it’s not as if he can’t break away from Kate and the children for a few hours. After all, he’s off to watch his beloved Aston Villa play Arsenal in the FA Cup final at Wembley — where, as president of the Football Association, he will present the trophy to the winner. And he managed to find time this week to give a down-with-the-kids interview to Gary Lineker. Lineker asked William when he’d take Prince George to his first football match, and he replied: ‘I’ll have to pass that by the missus, see how I can get away with it.’ Oh dear, a new dad complete with estuary English.

The point is that William is a Prince and he should behave like one. He should stop modelling himself on David Beckham and start modelling himself on his grandmother. Above all, he should stop giving the impression that he is the most reluctant of royals, a prickly, pick-and-mix Prince who enjoys the trappings of royalty while shirking its duties.

Prince Charles first attended the State Opening when he was 20. William is nearly 33 and still hasn’t been. To see three generations of monarchs present and future at Westminster this week would have sent a powerful message to the nation — and, crucially, a loving one to his dear grandmother.

[From The Daily Mail]

Is this too harsh? I don’t think so, although I will allow for the idea that William didn’t attend because Prince Charles didn’t want him to, maybe. But if the Queen wanted William to attend, wouldn’t that supersede? One of the weirdest parts about covering William and Kate’s minimal public appearances is that they actually do get many of the fun assignments: they go to galas and premieres, they get to count football and tennis matches as royal events and their royal tours seem like half-vacations. They don’t seem “interested” in the boring stuff of royal work, the actual statesmanship and diplomacy and legacy-building for future generations. It would be great if William showed an interest. And yes, I do think William comes across as “the most reluctant of royals, a prickly, pick-and-mix Prince who enjoys the trappings of royalty while shirking its duties.” Word.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty.