Prince William came under some scrutiny from unimpressed viewers during the coronation of his father King Charles today (Saturday May 6).
The Prince of Wales had a significant role during the service at Westminster Abbey which involved him swearing allegiance to the King.
William, 40, also kissed Charles on the cheek after kneeling down in front of him. But the heir to the throne seemed to irritate some onlookers with his approach, with one slamming royals for ‘not working hard’.
Prince William ‘called out over coronation contribution’
As it turns out, several observers took their gripes about one aspect of William’s coronation contribution to Twitter. Similarly to some members of the clergy involved in the service, William referred to a cue card while reciting his pledge.
But this puzzled and even irritated some of those watching at home, who suggested the Prince should know his lines off by heart. One Twitter user spluttered: “Oh my God, the cue cards at the coronation! William reading a cue card to pledge allegiance to his father! Members of the clergy reading scripture from cue cards. Have they not had enough decades to practice?”
Similarly, someone else reflected: “Would have thought Prince William could have memorised his #Coronation lines.” And a third person put it: “Even William can’t memorise his lines? #Coronation.”
‘Prince William could’ve taken some time out of his schedule’
Elsewhere, another social media user sarcastically indicated they felt William should have been on top of what he had to say. They tutted: “I’m particularly enjoying the cue cards. Prince William could’ve taken some time out of his schedule to learn a few lines of allegiance to his father, could he not? #coronation.” But not everyone agreed with this point.
Someone else countered by saying: “Nit picking. Anxiety can make you fluff things up.”
But another reasoned with the original poster: “You’d think. But then the King had 74 years to learn his lines and still didn’t know them off by heart.”
‘Don’t be too tough on William’
Meanwhile, former Corrie actress Nicola Thorp also complained about a perceived ‘lack of preparation’. She tweeted: “William had 40 years to learn two lines and still read from a card that someone else held in front of his face. And people say the royals don’t work hard.”
But again, not everyone believed that to be a reasonable position. “Don’t be too tough on William,” protested one royal fan.
Everyone makes mistakes, even if they are well prepared.
And another wrote: “I guess he wanted to ensure that he didn’t mess up on such a momentous occasion. Everyone makes mistakes, even if they are well prepared. Some still manage it when they have cue cards right in front of them.”
Additionally, another person defended William by speculating he may have suffered from nerves if he didn’t have the reassurance of a prompt.
They claimed: “Everyone had cue cards, even the Archbishop for Holy Communion and the Lord’s Prayer. How nervous would YOU be having to recite critically important medieval language in front of thousands and a telly audience? William was brilliant, as was King Charles. Critics, sit down.”
Read more: Opinion: Kate and William warning: ‘You’re starting to come across as disingenuous and fake’
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