Prince William went to Sandhurst after he graduated from St. Andrew’s. Sandhurst is still one of the most elite military academies in the world, and prominent families from around the world still send their sons (and some daughters) there. King Abdullah II of Jordan went to Sandhurst (and loved it so much he created his own version in Jordan) – you can see a list of prominent graduates here. Apparently, William knew an Afghan officer from his Sandhurst days and William asked his equerry to make calls to ensure that his Afghan friend’s family was moved safely out of Afghanistan last month.
Prince William “personally intervened” to help the family of an Afghan officer he knew from Sandhurst evacuate Kabul amid chaos at the airport. The Duke of Cambridge heard that a former cadet, who he met during training at the military academy in Berkshire, was trying to get his family out as the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan earlier this month.
The royal, 39, is reported to have asked his equerry, Naval officer Rob Dixon, to make calls on his behalf, the Telegraph reports. Mr Dixon was able to reach personnel in the region and the former cadet and his family were able to board a flight back to the UK.
The commissioning officers, special forces and soldiers from 2 Para, 16 Air Assault Brigade who began the evacuation operation, had been aware of the royal intervention, the paper claims.
Major Andrew Fox, an ex-paratrooper who served three tours in Afghanistan, praised the duke’s actions and said he had heard many stories of officers smuggling people through the gates that they knew from Sandhurst.
He said: “I myself got 2 Para to rush out into the crowd and grab someone for me. It’s fully in line with what we get taught in the Army in terms of values, loyalty, respect for others, all that good stuff. We’re trained to help where we can. The situation was so chaotic and was so, frankly, mismanaged, that people would do whatever they could to get out.”
General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander Joint Forces Command, was also reported to have said a number of British veterans had flagged cases of Afghan friends and ex-comrades who were at risk from the Taliban during the evacuation.
I’m glad William showed an interest and some compassion. I would nitpick about William basically telling his assistant to make the calls, but his equerry likely has many more military connections than William, and the equerry would know who to call. Now, who leaked it to the British papers? We’ll probably never know!! But seriously, I’m not going to mock William for actually being keen enough to ensure that his friend and his friend’s family got safely out of Afghanistan.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Do they save news for Cain to announce, every time Harry makes an appearance.
Sure seems like they do, doesn’t it?
Remember when it was reported that harry was trying to get the afghan Invictus team and their families out of Afghanistan?
No, and I can’t find anything on it. Can you link to the article where you found that information?
Firstly I am happy for this man & his family & hope they are safe& well. Glad William’s equerry was able to put in the calls to help (if reports are confirmed). Just imagine all the soft power the royals could use for good instead of running to tabloids.
Secondly I called it- said after the predictable slamming of H&M that we would see royals follow their lead on Haiti & Afghanistan. I had guessed info would be leaked about William calling soldiers (I didn’t predict his own rescue mission), doing donations (ok best wishes have been passed on by Chuck & Betty on Haiti) etc.
@Ainsley7 the telegraph had an article about concerns of Invictus athletes who were in Afghanistan. It’s behind a paywall but think I read screenshot a few weeks ago that the Invictus Foundation was trying to help evacuate
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/20/find-will-kill-invictus-games-athletes-trapped-kabul/
@ainsley7 here you go. https://archive.ph/2021.08.20-191623/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/20/find-will-kill-invictus-games-athletes-trapped-kabul/
And were those Invictus athletes and families helped or forgotten?
@ JRA not sure there’s been a follow up report but the Invictus Afghan team pulled images of their athletes from SM to protect anonymity so I suspect whatever moves are made will be done in silence to protect them. I hope they are safe.
And women for Afghan women, a charity highlighted in H&M’s message thanked Archewell for their donation in support of efforts to evacuate& relocate thousands of women & children they support & their staff in Afghanistan.
Yes. The timing is obvious. It is never a bad thing for doing something to help someone but turning round and leaking it to one up his brother on the heels of his GQ speech is petty at its finest. We all know if it was Harry who helped a friend and their family get out of Afghanistan, the press would frame it as him “using his royal privileges and title“ to help other “elites” and not caring about the rest left behind. Just like they chose to but a negative spin on him praising vaccines creators into “lecturing the media”.
Very odd story. The Daily Mail ran this as its top story, ‘ William to the Rescue’, and then suddenly the story which didn’t get many clicks disappeared. This is a PR stunt by the Palace turned wrong. The Cambridge’s are clearly floundering and completely adrift regarding their ultimate plan to be the most popular couple and saviour of the Royal Family. The Fail has been given a job to make the RF look good. William knows that the Fail could turn against him at any moment if they wanted to. He doesn’t make money for the Fail and the only relevance is to keep comparing him to his brother and William needs to know that this will happen forever nobody is interested in the Cambridge’s unless there is a Sussex story.
Or the BM would have framed it as Harry getting political. I hovered my cursor over the headline and wouldn’t you know it, since it involved William, the headline is entirely neutral. No snark or negativity or anything.
This is only a rumor/leak/PR. No one has confirmed it actually happened.
This. TOB likes to take credit for others work.
Hmmmm… Keen and Able?
Sorry, meant to say Abel. But the point still stands! 😀
Does this go towards his work quota? As in “Will made a phone call. See, his working hard!”
😀😀😄😄
Lol.yes, it certainly does. Probably brings his numbers up to 12 events so far for the year
😆😆😆
I’d be more impressed if Wills stuck his neck out for any of the other thousands of families left behind. One family? That’s all the pull he had? Really?
I really really don’t want to mock him — he did assist in getting someone’s family safely out of what was, obviously, a very desperate situation…but (sorry) there is still an underside of privilege here that I can’t help myself from pointing out.
I’ll mock…
He told someone to make a phone call to get his friend and their family out. No more than that. He’s in a high enough position where requesting someone to make a phone call or few has that power and he does it almost never. Just the same as making a call to get articles silenced or approving racist attacks against his sister in law and nephew.
It’s a phone call away for him.
My first thought was well don’t stop there, William.
I’ll mock. He made a phone call to get someone else, who has contacts and a work ethic, to help the family of another really privileged person he met at Sandhurst. That is all he did. It is the barest of minimums, not even a blip, but I imagine we will be hearing about this family for the next 18 months, if they actually exist. I feel like there is some palace aide scrambling around for a suitable family to provide “proof”.
Nevermind, this is the “working royals”, they don’t have to prove anything, to anyone, apparently. They can just wake up and collect taxpayer money, without anyone digging deeper.
Yeah, didn’t the UK hotline for refugees actually connect to an animal shelter??
So the government is worthless and the royals can intervene on behalf of friends (and friends only)?
I’m glad that family got out safely, but they shouldn’t be the only one and it’s another example of the royals using their influence for personal reasons.
The royals have incredible influence and they use it frequently to protect themselves in the papers from their own awful behaviors like sex trafficking, rape, affairs and inflating their own funds by shutting down public services to the differently abled. as an example.
I understand will could never save enough people, but where he chooses to throw his priorities is never to helping others that can never repay. I’m sure his friend is one he benefits from.
This is what I was thinking. I’m happy for the family that he helped, and I’m sure that they are eternally grateful. But what about the others who don’t have royal connections?
Yeah, this bothers me. He could be advocating for all the servicemen and their families who need to get out of Afghanistan. He could be making calls and working with the UK government to get them visas.
Imagine being that powerful that you could ask someone to make a few calls and safeguard someone’s life. If only he could be more energised, imagine what more he could achieve!
Yeah it shows that Royal Family can do a lot more than what they are doing now to help people in need. Harry and Meghan wanted to do more as working royals but they were prevented from doing so.
The royalists say that William and Kate do things with quiet dignity. I don’t think leaking this information to the press qualifies as quiet or dignified. Also, the royalists said that the Royal Family talking about Afghanistan was political, I would think that William getting involved in this was political too. But at least he showed some interest in the plight of Afghan soldiers. And I hope that he will do all that he can to help the soldier and his family get resettled in the UK. There’s a report that came out today that there is a lack of housing for 6000 Afghan refugees that have arrived in the UK.
I agree. While if this is true and he helped a family get out, I am happy he did it, BUT, the fact that this was coincidentally leaked like 30 seconds after Harry got some good press with the GQ awards, it’s got that air of ick floating around the good deed.
That is a Europe spread problem. There is a lack of housing for the refugees almost everywhere. European governments were grossly ill prepared for this catastrophe despite the writing being on the wall for a while.
There is a lack of housing for really a lot of people here in BC Canada. Our governments left housing to developers who must make money, and it ultimately screwed us all. I understand it’s the same in Toronto.
So governments internationally have created a housing shortage so their buddies can make more money.
I am disgusted….
In Toronto, can confirm.
And all the housing the developers are making are shoebox condos that are not suitable for families and still cost a ton of money. Barely any rental buildings being built anymore, and nothing is affordable.
@Gail Hirst – I’m in Victoria BC and the lack of affordable housing is dire. Tent cities springing up all over the place and students having to live out of their cars. Rents are atrocious and all the new builds are teeny-tiny condos with a certain percentage saved for rentals that start in the upper $400K range for 350 sq. feet. Who can afford to pay $2000+ a month for a bachelor?
We’ve got the same problem in Los Angeles. Acres of luxury apartments and condos, nothing for the average American family.
Yeah, we all know if Will and Kate do ANYTHING they scream it from the rooftops. There is no quiet dignity with these two.
“But at least he showed some interest in the plight of Afghan soldiers. And I hope that he will do all that he can to help the soldier and his family get resettled in the UK.”
That would be terrific, wouldn’t it? It’d be even better if he would turn that glancing concern into continual advocacy for Afghan refugees. I don’t see that happening, but it’d be great. C’mon, Prince Incandescent! Here’s your chance to show Harry a thing or two! Step up! (not gonna happen)
Apparently Windsor Castle is “vast”. Maybe Wills could set his friend’s family up in his new pad…??
Obvs this has made it into the press to make him look good after Harry’s GQ appearance. Of course the BM will hail him for helping but what about all the others left behind, those who don’t have royal connections? The women and girls who will be murdered/sexually abused/forced to marry taliban forces and the torture/murder of those who helped the allies – what ‘intervention’ will Cain give them to ensure their safety?
I’m sorry but I am finding it difficult to say anything nice about him pulling this stunt. Considering what is happening and going to happen to those left behind inc. those foreign nationals who were not able to get out in time.
The genocide in Afghanistan has only just begun!
What about the women and girls left behind who could be abused by the Taliban? Well, DU, they should have gone to Sandhurst. That was THEIR lack of forethought.
I’m glad he managed to use his position to get a friend out. That’s all I want to say.
On the one hand he uses his position to get a friend out of harms way on the other he leaks his brother’s secret location to the rabid tabloid dogs.
This is a good thing he did, period.
I don’t think others in the family would have been able to express their compassion without it being labeled “political”, interfering, and damaging. That is on the media and the member of the family who are out to backstab, but still.
This jumps out at me; he did not make a phone call. An equerry was asked to make the call. In my heart, I believe Prince Harry would have picked up that phone himself. Am glad his friend is safe. A big thank you to the equerry as well.
This was not a kind deed done to help his friend, if it were we won’t have read about it. This was a kind deed done to help william look good by helping someone hence why we all know about it
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 6:1-4.
Still, for the friend’s sake, I am glad that Will snapped his fingers and asked someone to help.
I’m sure the friend pleaded. And not to diminish the horrors those people are facing, but these stories get built up for effect.
Did this person want priority treatment? Or did they really see no avenue of escape?
Could they all have made it without Will’s help? Or was this just elites helping elites?
Because this story came out from Will’s team we won’t know. Just like the story will saved a man in air rescue. Which was pretty far of a stretch.
I think that this intervention was in response to H&M’s statement that was released a few weeks ago calling for the international community to help those in need both in Afghanistan and Haiti. And while it was great that William did Something to help someone else, it does appear that he’s always one step behind his little brother.
So much for political correctness! He’s a hypocrite. He’s allowed to inject himself into a very political situation with no pushback. I think their all full of 💩. A good shortage is happening. The poor will starve to death and the rich will eat and fart!
So royals CAN be political, when it suits them. They CAN intervene in something that affects someone they care about, when they want to.
Got it.
Baldimort is the future commander in chief of the British armed forces. It would have been more impressive if he pulled his weight and helped all Afghans who worked with British forces.
It would not be hard to figure the identity of an Afghan National who attended Sandhurst at the same time as William. By printing this story they are potentially endangering the life of this Afghan officer and his family. As a commenter pointed out Invictus removed the names of Afghan athletes because as members of the Afghan Army they would be high value targets of the Taliban. And I doubt if we will hear much about them. Because they will be targets wherever they go. The Daily Mail was actually soliciting for people to contact them with info about the family. Media coverage will put their lives in danger. As an officer this man and his family would have been on priority list to get out so I’m not sure how much difference William’s phone call made. IMO. This story was leaked because Charles gave a speech thanking the soldiers who deployed for the evacuation. Then, it was announced that Queen was supporting them getting operational medals. After not saying anything this was the first response by the royal family to what was happening in Afghanistan. Obviously, William wasn’t given anything “official” to do. So they inserted him to the news this way. I hope they leave this family alone.
This. In fact, I doubt William had anything to do with that an and his family escaping. If be went to Sand burst, then this man is absolutely privileged and likely would have been a priority to be rescued. I think KP needed William to have an “Afghan thing” and just went searching until they found this guy who knew Baldy and decided attach baldy to the story for good publicity.
Nothing involving William, Kate, and good deeds should ever be taken a face value. The other shoe always drops with them and it’s always revealed to be a stunt for clout and attention.
So the royals can respond to the events going on in Afghanistan. So where are all of the folks saying that the royals couldn’t do this because it would be political?
I could see other posh Britons who went to Sandhurst asking William if he would also help out and William asking his equerry to make some calls and then of course leaking it to the press.
I told people who claimed it was too political for royals to comment on Afghanistan that it wasn’t and we would see them following up after H&M. Today Charles is praising soldiers in unit hes a corporal of for their Afghan evacuation efforts.
I think this was leaked to show the FFK was doing something too.
I do think Charles praising the work of the soldiers who did the rescue efforts is better than William seeking praise for telling a guy to make a few phones calls for his school buddy at the elite military school. Charles is not praising himself but others which is a much better look.
Whatever William’s motivation, I’m glad this officer and his family were able to get out.
This reeks of privilege and in very bad way, IMO. I have no sympathy for Billy’s “noble” action. I think this is shamefull. It’s exactly Royal Family and other powerful and wealthy MO. Like: “it’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know”. So, Will’s acquaintance from Sundhurst used his connections to save himself and his family. Understandable for this Afgan man. But for Will to leak this – it’s tone deaf. It’s like – if you don’t have connection, your life is worth nothing.
Achewell foundation donated money to Charity helping Agfan women and girls to get to safety. This is real noble action.
This. Who you know, where you went to school, not what you did. Obviously on the individual level, the story is powerful and I’m glad that family made it out, but on the larger structural level, this is about how those with privilege, wealth and power will be saved.
It was probably all the equerry. We had a lot of people in the us using whatever connections they had to bring various names to the attention of people who could do something about it. Largely troops (former and current) who had served with an individual.The equerry likely served because William sure wasn’t there. He could know the person from sandhurst but more than a decade and he remembered him or kept in touch? I doubt it. Could be wrong but I’ve grown cynical of him to say the least. I could see him taking credit.
And a question for British peeps? I’m in NO WAY discounting the need to get Afghan translators, ngo workers etc out of the country. They’re in MAJOR harm’s way. That said, the uk left British citizens behind. How will William’s actions play given the xenophobia in some parts of the country?
Speaking of which, I learned a new word today, equerry. I had no idea.
I thought they took care of horses.
I doubted family that could afford to send their child to exclusive school will be in Afghanistan! All of that is made up after Harry spoke up about Afghanistan and for you to report it as a fact is awful.
The funny thing is, they leaked this to step on Harry’s global positive press from his GQ speech yet I haven’t seen any non-British outlet report this William story. I don’t know if it’s because it’s not confirmed or because no one cares. Either way, it’s a bad look that no one outside of the UK seems to even think about William. Hell, maybe not the UK either because the man lives down the street yet GQ still chose a zoom call with Harry in California over an in-person speech from William.
William and his status hold no real gravita with people who care about getting things done. It’s common knowledge that he really doesn’t care about anything that doesn’t directly affect him and he has accomplished nothing charity-wise even with the enormous resources a available to him. Harry, OTOH walks the walk and gets things done. Harry has been open about his struggles and is working to overcome them and grow as a person. Harry has gravitas while Willie is seen as a snivelling bully who throws his weight around from the comfort of his many homes and then steals others’ ideas. William’s a coward!
I really don’t believe this story. It is no longer even featuring prominently on Daily Mail website and has been relegated to the sidebar (of shame). I suspect a lot of people aren’t buying this, and if it is the case, it is a sad reflection on the House of Windsor and the FFK. I do hope I’m in the wrong about this.
It’s heresay from the rota ratchets, desperate to get Will some shine. The fa t that legit outlets outside of the UK aren’t reporting it is telling. Everything William “does” is shady.
I also don’t believe this one bit. Either the press, Wilileaks, or both want William to be seen on Harry’s level and made up this story. This doesn’t even sound like something he would even do. He’s got charities under his foundation closing left and right, but sure he going to get “political” and “rescue” a “friend” from Afghanistan. Sure Jan. Or maybe I’m just an ass.
No, JT, you’re not an ass. I had my doubts about the story as soon as they mentioned Will had a “friend.” Plus he’s Afghan? Yeah.
There’s something about this story that seems unbelievable to me too. The only reason I’m hesitating is because they wouldn’t make up an outright lie, would they? Something happened and someone was helped but the rest may be untrue?
If things did happen as described in this article, then I’m thankful this family is safe. As for William, asking his equerry to make some calls was the least he could do, and he shouldn’t have leaked it to the press. If William had that much pull, he should have done much more and tried to save more people.
Yes, l noticed that too. The story is dodgy PR gone wrong. Nobody is buying this story. The Palace are so desperate to promote Will, even the Daily Fail that have some kind of agreement to be pro Cambridge know that no matter how much they try the Cambridge’s just don’t have what it takes to shine.
The article’s a bit odd when you read it. It mentions that various ex-Sandhurst people intervened to help Afghans they knew. It’s pretty vague about what William did (it seems to amount to telling his equerry to make some phone calls). I suspect William spotted a bandwagon he could jump on. Because they can’t identify the individual in question, it can’t really be confirmed or denied. And the immediate leaking to the press is not a great look, whether or not the story is true.
It might have been nice if William or his vacuous wife had said something about the plight of refugees generally, but let’s face it, that was never going to happen.
If this is a true story, good on the family for getting out. It sucks that mostly those with connections and powerful friends were able to get out but I am not going to side eye an Afghan family that was a Taliban target using whatever means possible for leaving Afghanistan. It was a great thing for William to do, to use his pull for this one acquaintance of his. But I really don’t care about William’s side of the story, I would rather hear from the Afghan officer himself should he ever choose to share his story (and he may not because he fears retribution from the Taliban and that is totally understandable).
So much has already been commented on so I’ll just say when I look at that photo of William looking up, all I see is Mr. Toad!
HAHAHA! I can’t un-see it now.
https://www.gretchenellenpowers.com/news/mr-toad-8×10-gouache-on-paper-once-upon-a
Never thought of it before….he sounds like him too.
“Here is the infamous Mr. Toad at the wheel of his greatest weakness, the motor car. In describing his attributes and characteristics it would be best to quote him on himself: “I’m such a clever Toad.””
He does! All boasting and gas as Badger says.
Wind in the Willows was one of my favorite books when I was in grade school. Did not know then or care/think about where the author was from. Now it’s even more interesting to me. I want to re-read it now. I’m pretty sure I still have my original copy from a 100 years ago.lol Correct me if I’m wrong, but Mr. Toad, at the end, came to be a self aware Mr. Toad and was decent. I don’t see the same self-awareness happening with Will.
@ JANETDR
Wasn’t expecting that, Mr. Toad. I almost choked on my coffee, take it easy on a senior citizen. Lol.
Haha! You see it though?
Interesting development. Andrew Fox who is quoted in the story retweeted the link but said it was weird his quote was included in this story. Apparently, the journalist has his number called and ask general questions about veterans helping afghans they knew. Not specifically about William. They position his quote claiming he’s directly praising William’s actions but if you read it it is just a general quote. The other thing that is strange to me about this story is the mention of William equerry by name. It has never been reported that William had an equerry on staff. I don’t think this story is made up. They wouldn’t go that far. I do think it’s a case of extreme embellishment. To try to get William some PR related to the Afghanistan crisis. The story is getting no traction among the carnival which tells me that they know it’s just PR. Also, perhaps someone pointed out that the fact this was leaked is self serving and endangers the Afghan officer and his family.
Like I said, the other shoe always drops with Cain and Unable. They’ve never ever do anything g out of the kindness of their hearts. This was a PR grab from Baldy and KP because they can’t take all the global positive press Harry is receiving for his GQ speech.
Right. Just the timing of the story is suspicious. It reportedly happened one month ago. The story was finessed, and Will’s name was massaged into the events, and it was leaked a day or two after Prince’s Harry’s event IN THE U.K. I think William and his people were stung by Harry’s recent event in what Will considers to be his own backyard.
If this was done as a PR stunt for William it’s in very bad taste. Which I think it is.
The Express now has a story up titled Harry Dealt Huge Blow after William’s Afghanistan Heroics Revealed and it’s not known if Harry has been able to help fellow members. It’s mentioned that Andrew Fox “praised” William.
If William truly understood honor, integrity and had the safety & security of the officer at heart-this story wouldn’t have made it the papers this quickly.
Thanks for pointing this out. It is nothing more than exaggeration to make William look good and it has failed, people can see through this silly PR stunt.
Looking over the excerpt again, I wonder if the equerry was trying to get people he knew out of Afghanistan, and William let him use his name for extra pull with the people the equerry was calling. There’s just something so strange about this story especially now that we know Andrew Fox actually wasn’t talking about William.
Very fishy, which is why the Fail quickly pulled away from making it the top story. A PR mess up.
Sure, Jan. This is desperate attempt at pro-Military PR from William.
Nota
Pro military? I was thinking more humanitarian to counter Harry’s platforms. Harry is well respected in the military circles, but I’d say all his causes are linked by humanitarianism.
I see what you’re both are saying nota & Wiglet Watcher. William/rota is/are trying to attempt at associating him with a military/humanitarian endeavour. The elephant in the room with this story is that it was made publc now!. Maybe it is just the American side of things. True military personnell are vague and do not want anyone to know what they’ve been doing until much after the fact. Yay! Will. You’ve done so much whilst doing nothing on vacation
The rota clowns didn’t pick up this story about William to make it a big deal. They know it’s going to backfire on their favorite prince and put him at an ugly light .