For those who die-hard royal watchers, the fact that Sarah Vine has chosen this moment to speak about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is very interesting. Vine is a Daily Mail columnist, a monarchist, a racist troll and, oh right, she also seems to be quite friendly with Rose Hanbury. There were photos of Rose and Sarah Vine walking together for a state dinner for Donald Trump last year, which the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended. Hm!! Anyway, Sarah Vine has some thoughts about the Tweedlekeens’ Pandemic Choo-Choo Tour and the Scottish First Minister Nicole Sturgeon. As we discussed, Sturgeon let her displeasure be known, but she did it with finesse and made it sound like William and Kate probably should have just stayed at home rather than create all of these public health issues and political gaffes. Now Vine is here to tell everyone that Sturgeon was the one making a huge political gaffe, because how dare Sturgeon try to dissuade two lazy layabouts from entering Scotland on busy-work duties?
MailOnline columnist Sarah Vine believes the “grumpy” reaction from the First Minister towards the royal visit has massively backfired on her, with Kate and Prince William a “reminder of all that is good about the British Crown and the Union, which Sturgeon especially is keen to dissolve”.
Commenting on the trip from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the columnist wrote: “It’s been a masterclass in how royalty can remain relevant in the modern age, and their popularity has rightly increased because of it. All of which probably explains why Nicola Sturgeon has been so grumpy about their trip to Scotland, and why the Welsh Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, has been equally disobliging. Both were chilly on the issue of the royal couple travelling during Covid restrictions, even though — as Kensington Palace has been at pains to point out — they’ve adhered to the letter to all the guidelines. And, of course, William has already had Covid.
“But let’s be honest, it’s not really about the rules, is it? Kate and William are victims of their own success. Because at a time when both devolved administrations have seized the opportunities presented by Covid to foster divisions and further dreams of independence, the Duke and Duchess are a reminder of all that is good about the British Crown and the Union, which Sturgeon especially is keen to dissolve.”
First Minister Ms Sturgeon said during her daily coronavirus briefing: “The Scottish Government was advised about the intention to visit. We made sure that the Royal Household were aware, as you would expect, of the restrictions in place in Scotland so that could inform both the decision and the planning of the visit. Any more questions on that should be directed to the Royal household.”
The SNP insisted Ms Sturgeon never attempted to stop William and Kate vising the country. A spokesperson said: “The First Minister welcomes the support shown by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for Scotland’s NHS.”
Is it just me or does it feel like English political commentary is basically daring Scotland to f–k around and find out? Like, if the Sarah Vines and Boris Johnsons of England actually cared about keeping Scotland as a complete partner in the United Kingdom, they would be behaving a lot differently. It’s just that thick vein of jingoistic, cloistered, “the English way is best” thing and they’re doing it to f–king Scotland, a country which would be happy to f–k around and find out. Really, the Cambridges were in the wrong. They crashed into Edinburgh on their keen busy work and then immediately fled, all while using the taxpayer-funded Royal Train.
Oh, and the embiggening of what was a shambolic tour for messaging and super-spreading – “It’s been a masterclass in how royalty can remain relevant in the modern age, and their popularity has rightly increased because of it” – like, has there been polling on this already? It seems to me like Will and Kate made asses of themselves and Sturgeon was the one who played it perfectly. But what do I know.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
Ahahahahahahaha 8breathes* ahahahahaha. Its also worth noting that VIne is married to Michael Gove – Tory lacky.
Ah ok, this makes even more sense now. Axe to grind.
Rose Hanbury did an internship with Michael Gove.
Is “internship” a euphemism for sex?
Exactly!
She’s a terrible human being who’s married to another terrible human being.
As for the article, it seems like she’s trying to make Sturgeon the villain of sorts. Like, “all the countries that make the UK are perfectly happy and love the royals yet Sturgeon is not and is part of her eviiiiiil plan to ruin it all”
She is awful.
For anyone who has forgotten, it is Sarah Vine we have to thank for the “niggling doubts” headline about Meghan.
Am NOT a fan of Sturgeon but Wales were also not happy about their visit. Oddly enough the Welsh health minister’s comments were left out.
It’s interesting that this visit has turned into a tiny bit of a political row with shots taken at the devolved governments like in this Fail article & more anti royal sentiment than I’m used to. There’s quite a snarky article on this trip https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/wills-kate-tour-britain-welcome-23136886.amp?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar&__twitter_impression=true
Anyway Sarah Vine is one of the daily fail’s most vile columnists. She’s been awful to Kate in the past to the extent the Guardian even had an article defending Kate against her nasty comments about Kate’s appearance. Still as is the case since Meghan came on the scene, now Kate has never ‘put a foot wrong’. considering the Cambridges are nearing 40 & richly rewarded for their ‘efforts’ her going on about their maturity& dedication etc was pure sycophantic drivel . The bar is in hell for these two.
I used Sturgeon because Vine focuses on her in the article (even though the Welsh minister is mentioned)
That daily record article – ouch.
@sofia – ah i didn’t realise that.
@becks1 – The Daily Record is the Scottish version of the Fail. A tabloid rag.
WOW! That Daily Record OP is mental. In all my years (im 49, working class born, west of Scotland raised so the Daily Record was a mainstay in our home for decades & if my father didnt buy it, I did) and I have NEVER seen them be so damning in anything. They’ve always played it kinda safe even though they’re a mildly left wing focused newspaper who may talk politics but are never really political, but this is something else! I take my hat off to you Daily Record for being bold enough to publish this wee OP!
Omg. The daily record piece was brilliant. I especially loved this line “Touching a marshmallow with her gloved hand, Kate said: “I’m going to have that marshmallow on my fingers all day” – reassuringly hygienic in a pandemic.” LMAO
That Daily Record piece is my new favorite place on the internet. I have bookmarked it so I can read it over and over again, like a comforting bedtime story.
Okay finally getting round to reading the Daily Record piece – hahahahaha. Scottish snark at its best.
A few of my favourite quotes:
‘They thanked a hospital cleaner, telling her that she was “one of the most important people in the whole organisation”. Hopefully her bucket was nearby.’
‘Kate who changes designer coats, the way we change our pants..’ (For US readers, she means knickers)
‘For the Welsh leg, Kate wore a £1500 kilt and tartan scarf, possibly because she thinks Wales is in Scotland. ‘
‘And they unwrapped secret Santa presents with students – on which there was a spending limit of £10. By way of explanation, Kate, a spending limit is… oh never mind.’
I feel bad for the leaders in Wales and Scotland who are trying their best to get people to take precautions and stay home. That is hard to do when you have others come in and plan events and ignore precautions. It would have looked better for the royals to support the governments’ efforts instead of defying their orders.
And the part where she claims that the leaders of Scotland and Wales are using the “opportunities of covid” on purpose to sow dissent and division. WTF? That just sounds like an awful thing to say. Like they’re so happy that this awful pandemic has come and killed a bunch of their citizens because at least they can say mildly snarky things about the BRF? That totally sounds like a sinister BRF thing. The BRF and their sycophantic press pack are always pleased to use completely non-related solemn events to stick it to their “enemies.” Remembrance Day ceremony? Sure, let’s use that to deny Harry a wreath and then write shit about him. Meghan’s miscarriage? Yes, let’s use that to make statements about how this is “personal,” and shouldn’t be spoken about, so we’re not going to offer any normal family words of support or encouragement. Harry and Meghan are literally so isolated and stressed out that she’s nearly in tears on the South Africa documentary? Perfect time for smears! So of course Sarah vine thinks that Scotland and Wales are grateful for the horrible pandemic that is putting many of their citizens out of work, leaving children unfed, isolating families, and killing people, because it’s providing them a great opportunity to smear the BRF? Such projection.
“ The Duke and Duchess are a reminder of all that is good about the British Crown and the Union.”
Um, if by “good” you mean entitled, lazy, tone deaf, above the law, privileged, and irrelevant, then yeah, sure.
Just logged on to comment on this too!
Arrogance, vanity, dishonesty, work shy, inherited wealth and position based on the invasion and slaughter of other nations, trying to eradicate other cultures and religions is the “best” that the crown and union have to offer? Shooting unarmed civilians having a peaceful protest is the “best” of the union, like on Bloody Sunday? Vine and her ilk can keep their union, their crown and their British exceptionalism. Bill and Cathy are the latest in a long line of all that is rotten in their system.
Vine needs to cut back on the edibles. She is so high.
Well, I’d certainly have to be high to write the drivel that woman does.
“All that is good”…the British peoples’ well-to-do saviors. This is too “Christmas Carol” for me, alms for the poor and all. Can we expect a live manger scene next?
I don’t think support for Scottish independence has ever been as high as it is now, and the sight of the Cambridges enjoying a concert on a deserted platform of Edinburgh Waverley is unlikely to put a dent in that.
Amen!
It’s so weird because England treat Scotland terribly and talk crap about them constantly, but are desperate for the union to remain intact.
Colonists gonna colonise!
@Belli, it’s really the same thing that they did to H&am, abuse and bully and then when they leave act surprised because, hey we’re so great how could you leave?!
My husband is Scottish, I’m English. Until I met him I had never been to Scotland, never considered going (terrible weather – it’s never not rained when I’ve been there over the last 14 years). However when I did I was amazed at the amount of times I encountered abuse of the English. I was at a wedding in Scotland when the groom’s father came over and said “I don’t know why everyone hates the English, I’ve never had a problem with you” and some years later I was introduced to someone by my mother in law as my husband’s “English wife”. When the world cup was on this escalated to verbal and physical abuse. I had no knowledge of this until then and now I have my opinion is that England doesn’t really care too much about what Scotland does which is shared by everyone I know.
I’m sorry people said this to you. It’s unacceptable. As a Scot, we’re not all like this. However, your first sentence of describing why you had never been to Scotland is flippant and dismissive and the perfect example of English behaviour toward Scotland throughout the centuries.
They want that oil money.
ding! we have a winner!
Everything. And I mean actions and inactions globally everything, can be brought back to oil.
Sort of like an abusive boyfriend telling you you can’t leave, you’re never gonna get anyone as good as him to put up with you. While he’s living off your wages.
Yes! This is the perfect example! Thank you x
When you have people like Sarah Vine, Piers Morgan and Katie Hopkins liking and defending you then you have made some bad life choices. These are vile human beings and no one should want their praise.
Exactly! If you need those people to defend your pandemic tour, then maybe you should have just stayed home.
That sound the BRF does not hear is the cracking of the myth that their historical relevance has value in the present day. It took the dying breath of a man calling for his mother to become the final shove after decades of complaints, lawsuits and protests against the U.S. confederate preservation. I hope nothing so tragic happens again, but it is only a matter of time now until the BRF is pulled off their pedestals and names sandblasted off institutions and flags folded. Tik tok.
Just so you know it should be tick tock, unless you’re referencing the platform TikTok
Yes, Beth, I am aware of the historical spelling of the cadence of time.
But you see, Beth, I was making a subtle point by using a present day derivation to denote the march of time.
Still, in the future, Beth, I will keep your admonition in mind when making a point so that you don’t waste your time.
@xcity
Take it down a notch – Beth was trying to be helpful.
Brilliant reply @xcity. Way to show you know what you’re saying and deconstruct it for those who think you don’t know what you meant.
In her piece, she also took a swipe at Harry and Meghan for leaving the Royal Family but she did admit that they were “arguably the brightest stars” in the Royal Family. She like the others can’t praise William and Kate without criticising Harry and Meghan.
I’ve been reading a lot of the comments on twitter about this tour and people really do NOT seem happy. Of course the Cambridge stans are falling over themselves to praise it on the KP social media accounts, but on actual news accounts, like BBC, the responses have been negative to lukewarm at best (lots of “nice idea, wrong time” and that’s pretty much as nice as it got.)
so based on my twitter research, I would say no, Sarah Vine, this has not boosted Will and Kate’s popularity. What I WILL say is that she’s right that this has reminded people about the relevance of the royal family and “all that is good about the British Crown” – i.e. the royal family is not relevant and there’s not a lot good to say about the monarchy at this point in time.
I have not seen so many non royal Twitter peeps comment so negatively about those two before. It was a massive error in judgment.
When I read that she thinks this has boosted their popularity I was like “popularity” as in notoriety? Popularity as in more people are technically aware of them, thinking about them, and speaking about them, even negatively? They’re more notorious and infamous right now than “popular.” But sure, Sarah, go with “popular.”
The only people who think this fakakta tour was a success are the RF, the rota, and the batcrap crazy Keenbridge stans. Everyone else thinks this was idiotic.
Sarah Vine and Rose H were both at that State Dinner as plus ones for their husband’s jobs and would have been told who to walk in with based on a seating chart neither had anything to do with. I’m fairly sure they don’t know each other and their social and professional circles only overlap at formal Royal events (which are rare).
As for the rest, Sarah V’s husband is a Tory Minister and she’s a columnist for the Daily Mail. She will parrot the official party line of the Royal Family unless either the paper or the Tories turn on the Royals which is incredibly unlikely.
Rose actually worked for Michael Gove I believe.
I hadn’t realised. Maybe they do know each other then, although if so, Sarah V seems to be very pro-Kate. It’s interesting – Rose H comes across as a typical aristocratic wife. I hadn’t realised she was/is interested in politics.
There is a whole cottage industry created around covering and supporting the royal family. These are the dregs that they are forced to work with.
But all the spin in the world can’t make “fetch” happen and they will continue see diminishing returns as they realize they backed the wrong horse.
PLEASE NOTE: COVID19 is not like the chicken pox. You can get Covid more than once. This woman is a hot mess!
And even if Wills already had it, (and that somehow really did make him immune for life), I didn’t realize that the main cost/benefit analysis that KP was doing, and is now actively sharing with us, was “Is this safe for Will and only Will?” What about Kate? What about the rest of the RF whom they posed with and chatted with at the end? What about all the people they saw? The schoolchildren? Their parents? The people on the train with them? The frontline workers? The NHS workers!? You know, those people they were meant to be thanking? It seems wildly out of touch and so sanctimonious to be like…
“Hey you guys know this could turn into a super spreader event and people could get sick?”
“Oh, we also worried about the unwashed masses getting us sick. But that’s okay, Will already had it!”
…when they are the ones who are traveling around, across multiple countries, interacting with hundreds of people, often maskless, basically making themselves vectors for the disease on a purposeful mission to spread it all across the UK.
“But let’s be honest, it’s not really about the rules, is it?”
It’s about the rules. Comments on articles in the National were SCATHING – and the anger was about the one rule for “them” and one rule for everyone else. Sure there were some general comments about the useless two some, but there was absolute fury about the flouting of the rules.
As someone said upthread – if the people defending you are Vine, Morgan, and Hopkins, you’ve made some awful life choices.
looks like DM is giving Scotland the Meghan treatment, just daring them to leave. and like Harry & Meghan, I do hope Scotland does exit (Scexit?)
Celtsit! Yes, I know, the Scots aren’t the only Celts. But I like the sound of “celt-sit.”
Scotxit works for me.
So the COVID tour was such a success that if course the first minister of Scotland and the welsh health minister had to be “grumpy” about it. Makes total sense. 🙄
Will has actually had it but Kate has supposedly not. So is she considered expendable? I don’t get Vine’s point with that argument. And what if Kate got it and infected the Queen at their end party or goes home and takes it to one of the children or servants? Although, I guess, she would turn it around like Princess Michael and blame it on the servant.
And I guess she doesn’t realize that once you have it, you can get it again. But they’re rich and powerful, so they’ve either already got the jab or they can just get the same cocktail that trump did. Nevermind the peons that they interact with.
This tour was not a great idea and the fact that several people must have signed off on it shows how out of touch the BRF is. There are SEVERAL sensible and safe ways they could have shown their support…. it was overreach as one of the articles said yesterday.
Nice try, lol. Scotland didn’t want to see them. Way to go, Sarah Vile. Gotta love all these bullshit spins on how this “tour”, this glorified train ride, was some sort of success. They’re “easy with each other.” Maybe they’ve come to some sort of understand about Wills’ affair.
@NAOMI
“looks like DM is giving Scotland the Meghan treatment, just daring them to leave. and like Harry & Meghan, I do hope Scotland does exit (Scexit?)”
BINGO! I’m sitting here laughing at these people who think insulting Scotland or attacking Nicola will secure Scotland😂if anything its now closer to a majority supporting independence. Once Brexit happens and people see the low currency and recession they’ll fully support cutting their ties to the sinking ship
The royal PR machine is going to wear themselves out between attacking netflix for charles and camilla and blowing sunshine up the a**es of bill and cathy.
They must be exhausted.
Full time job trying to look tone deaf terrible people look like saints.
The tour was for William and Kate to bring cheer to the places they visited. They achieved nothing of that sort. They instead brought irritation and displeasure. They should’ve just stuck themselves in KP.