Some of that is par for the course, for a family that has never been far from the headlines in the modern media age. But the discourse reached a frenzied level this week – particularly in the unchecked realms of social media. As the event - a memorial service for William’s late godfather, former King Constantine II of Greece - was getting underway at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor on Tuesday, royal insiders revealed the Prince of Wales would miss it due to a personal matter.
Others have suggested it should have been easy for the heir to the throne to join his wider family at Windsor Castle as he only lives a roughly five-minute drive away at Adelaide Cottage and as his three children were at school when the event was taking place. If the role of monarchy is presence, continuity and unity, it was a stark visual seeing the royal family enter the chapel without several key senior faces among them.