Not welcome? Prince William was greeted with boos from protestors while attending an event meant to honor the Royal Navy’s submarine service.
Hundreds congregated outside Westminster Abbey to express their discontent with the proceedings. BBC reported that members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament repeated “shame on you” as William, 36, and defense secretary Penny Mordaunt arrived at the service.
The royal even participated in the occasion, reading a passage from the Bible. “I’m surprised that he would come and support something that could destroy our planet,” activist Omar Ahmed told the outlet.
The event was intended to honor 50 years of continuous deterrent at sea, as well as the peacekeeping initiatives of the Royal Navy. However, those efforts include a submarine that patrols with nuclear missiles. Some believed that the gathering celebrated nuclear weapons, leading to the protests.
The Duke of Cambridge is third in line to the throne, behind his father, Prince Charles. However, his late mother Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell confided in Us Weekly in April that William would make a better king than his dad. “[William] has far less baggage than his father,” he said at the time. “He has his mother’s touch and has the ability to reach, to listen and to be understanding. It would take the monarchy to another level and back onto the world stage in a proper and meaningful way.”
Burrell noted that Duchess Kate plays a role in his theory too. “I do not think that the nation has a keen appetite to see [Charles] sat beside his queen, Camilla. I think that the nation would be quite happy for the crown to pass from him to his first son,” he explained. “Ask the nation because I think that there is a greater number that would rather see King William VI and Queen Catherine ascend the throne.”
The former royal aide pointed out that while the country would prefer “a young king in touch with the people,” he doubted that Charles, 70, “would give up his right to be king easily.”
