One of the reasons why I’m simply incapable of giving Prince William the benefit of the doubt at this point is because he sends his people – his friends, courtiers and advisors – to smear and attack Prince Harry constantly. William thinks he’s keeping his hands clean and that we can’t see through his stupid game. Remember when Harry revealed that William had privately accepted a seven-figure settlement from News Group Newspapers, a settlement which left William deeply compromised? William’s reaction was to send his “friends” out on a briefing spree to tell everyone that William “absolutely hates Harry now and will never forgive him.” William has made his position abundantly clear for years: the next time he’ll speak to Harry will be at their father’s funeral. Well, William is currently upset that Harry and Meghan are about to upstage him. The Sussexes’ tour of Colombia starts this week (I guess??) and William’s “friend” had a lot of sh-t to say:

A friend of Prince William has told The Daily Beast that Prince Harry should apologize for taking cocaine as a young man on his and wife Meghan Markle’s forthcoming tour of Colombia, due to begin Thursday.

The friend said: “Harry admitted to doing coke in his book (Spare). His trip to Colombia should include an admission that the country has been destroyed by narco-terrorists servicing wealthy drug users in the west, and he should stand up and apologize for his own participation in that disgusting trade. That would be a helpful intervention.”

Harry and Meghan’s quasi-royal tour of Colombia is due to begin on Thursday this week. In a statement announcing the tour, the government said that the couple were going there in recognition of their “global leadership in fostering a safer online environment,” adding that this was also part of the goal of a conference dedicated to ending violence against children, to be held in Colombia this November.

Asked about the stated motivation, the friend of Prince William’s witheringly told The Daily Beast: “I can’t imagine online trolling is the biggest risk to children being exploited, enslaved and murdered by drugs gangs.”

Windsor loyalists have expressed irritation about the trip to The Daily Beast. One source recently told The Daily Beast: “I’m afraid it shows the utter contempt they have for the king and for very long-established ways of doing things. Royal tours have always, always been about diplomacy, building bridges and reinforcing friendships on behalf of Britain. This tour may well have the noblest intentions, but it is clearly not being carried out on behalf of Britain, and yet they still basically portray themselves as British royals. It shows you exactly why the royals want these two kept as far away as possible.”

The Duke wrote in Spare that cocaine “didn’t do anything for me” when he took “a line” aged 17. He also said, “Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.” Harry implied in his book and in interviews that he has continued to use marijuana for mental health reasons. Marijuana remains illegal in many jurisdictions and its production and distribution has been widely linked to gang crime, slavery and other human rights abuses, as well as ecological damage.

[From The Daily Beast]

Marijuana has been widely decriminalized in many American states, and in California, it’s legal to purchase and grow marijuana. I’m not ignoring the global drug trade, but in many states these days, marijuana is literally a legal, profitable and above-board industry. I’m sure Harry is smoking Californian-grown strains, I’m just sayin’.

The swipe about cocaine is so stupid and petty from William, especially given that I’m sure he’s snorted more than a few lines in his life. I also find it really racist that William’s first instinct – and the first instinct of his team and “friends” – is to associate Colombia with drugs and narcoterrorism. Harry and Meghan are visiting Colombia at the invitation of the Colombian government, with an agenda agreed upon by the government and the Sussexes. Colombia clearly wants the Sussex sparkle and the international tourism boost which will come from showcasing their multifaceted society, all while focusing on the issues the government and the Sussexes want to discuss. The same thing happened with the Sussexes’ Nigerian tour. All of those salty, racist British people screamed about crime for weeks, but H&M’s tour made me realize that Nigeria is beautiful and a real tourist destination.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.