Prince of Wales jokes about family tensions on visit to Army Air Corps
He also pledged to raise the accommodation concerns of soldiers and handed out bacon and sausage rolls to their families.
Wearing camouflage military uniform and the AAC's famous blue beret, William brought up the topic of accommodation when he chatted to servicemen taking a break from an outdoor physical exercise session.
The future king lightened the mood when he joked, after asking one soldier if he spent enough time with his family, 'some of them might not want to see you that much – it's a mixed bag'.
The monarchy has experienced family disruption over the decades from separation and divorces to the much-publicised falling out between royal brothers William and the Duke of Sussex.
In a recent television interview Harry, who is also estranged from his father the King, said he 'would love a reconciliation' with the royal family.
William arrived at Wattisham Flying Station in Suffolk in a Wildcat Helicopter, a reconnaissance aircraft in the AAC's fleet.
The prince is a former RAF helicopter search and rescue pilot who later spent two years flying air ambulances, and he flew himself back home after the visit to the ACC's headquarters to meet military personnel and their families.
As the servicemen rested from their physical activities, William told them 'I'm going to have a chat about accommodation, make sure they look at that,' and went on to say 'If they listen to me that's another matter,' and said the issue would be landing on a desk.
When he asked another group about accommodation and only received smiles in response, the prince said: 'I'll take that away, a lot of smiles going on, that's all you need to say.'
William later served bacon rolls and sausage baps in the 'Archer's Breakfast', a weekly social event held by 664 Squadron for its personnel and their families and said about the food 'very good smelling, making my mouth water'.
A long line of servicemen and their families quickly formed, and the prince quipped 'nothing worse then the smell of bacon in the room and you cannot eat it'.
Outside the cafe, William chatted to servicemen and their families including the children of Warrant Officer Class 2 Matthew Foster, Ida, aged eight and five-year-old Archie.
Asked by William what they liked, Ida replied 'school' while her younger brother opted not for lessons but 'play'.
The AAC is the combat aviation arm of the British Army, and is made up of several regiments and units including 664 Squadron, and uses Wildcat battlefield reconnaissance and Apache Attack helicopters to seek out and destroy enemy forces.
When William first arrived he entered a camouflaged covered tent, a mock-up of a mobile planning headquarters used when on deployment, and got to grips with a laptop used to plan missions under the watchful eye of Lance Corporal Sulabh Ale.
He ended his visit by presenting a King's Commendation for Valuable Service and award soldiers their promotion from Corporal to Sergeant.
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The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Canada braces as tariff deadline looms and talks with US ‘chaos machine' drag
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The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Canada braces as tariff deadline looms and talks with the ‘chaos machine' in the US drag
After months of tariff threats from the US and escalating trade tensions that have sowed anger in Canada and fractured a once-close alliance, the country is now fast approaching a 1 August deadline to reach a deal with the Trump administration – which has shown no signs of backing down. And observers are keeping a close eye on negotiations this week to determine whether too large a chasm has grown between the countries, resulting in what could be an explosive end to what was decades of free-flowing trade. Canada is also in a highly vulnerable position, as it has closely intertwined its economy with the US's, and is extremely reliant on a low-barrier trade environment, said William Huggins, an assistant professor in economics at McMaster University in Ontario. 'Canada has tried to negotiate sort of forcefully from a position of not acquiescing to every demand, but by the same token, has also realised it's not in the strongest position to do so … We've had to navigate carefully,' said Huggins. The Canadian public is also anxiously awaiting the deadline to strike up a deal. Economists and political scientists say the country's prime minister, Mark Carney, was elected on the belief that he's the right person to be at the helm of negotiations and lead Canada through a tenuous period with their southern neighbour. His successes or failures in this arena could affect public perception – as he has characterised his government as being the most adept in the crisis around its sovereignty due to the tariffs and Donald Trump's persistent claims that he'd like to make Canada the 51st state. '[Carney] is in a situation where he doesn't hold all the cards and whoever we put in was going to have to figure out a way through this … [His] ability to plan is severely limited by the chaos machine that is operating south of the border,' said Dennis Pilon, the chair of the politics department at York University in Ontario. On Monday, Carney said at a news conference on Prince Edward Island that the trade negotiations are at an 'intense pace' and that they are 'complex'. But he projected tentative optimism, stating that the negotiations are 'tough' because the government is standing up for Canadian interests. 'There is a landing zone that's possible but we have to get there. We'll see what happens,' he told reporters. But Trump spoke of the negotiations flippantly when asked by reporters outside the White House last Friday. 'We haven't really had a lot of luck with Canada … Canada could be one where there's just a tariff, not really a negotiation,' he said. So far, much of the talks have happened behind closed doors. There was a glimpse into what could be the dynamic between Carney and Trump when the prime minister had his first meeting with the president in the Oval Office in early May. There were positive tones in both initially offering praise for each other, but the encounter quickly grew tense as Trump repeated his annexation claims, which were subsequently rebuffed by Carney. Since March, Trump has imposed several tariffs on Canadian goods and energy resources. There is a 25% tariff on all goods, excluding potash and energy products. But there's separately a 10% tariff on energy resources, including potash. Additionally, there's a further 50% tariff on steel and aluminum imports and a 25% tariff on autos and auto parts. At this stage, the tariffs have seemingly not delivered a significant blow to Canada's economy, but that could change quickly. The Royal Bank of Canada noted in its June forecast that nearly 90% of Canadian goods are exempt from tariffs under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the free trade deal that replaced Nafta in 2020 and which provides a degree of insulation. In an assessment published by the Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) on Tuesday, it reported that energy exports have not been significantly affected by the tariffs, as most exports are compliant under the USMCA, and are therefore exempt from tariffs. Some of the insulation so far from tariffs could be from opening Canada up to other markets. TD said that in the past four months, Canadian businesses rapidly moved to reorient supply chains and export to non-US markets. Now about 30% of exports go outside the US – a level not seen since the pandemic, when TD notes there was disorientation in trade. But TD also warned that the negative effects of the tariffs might be beginning to emerge. It said that Canadian exports to the US are 'generally underperforming' in tariff-targeted industries, particularly steel and automaking. Canada's auto exports fell to levels not seen since late 2022, following the April imposition of tariffs. Automakers have also 'slashed' production in response, it said. Andrea Lawlor, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University, said that while there haven't been many layoffs or a complete reorientation of production lines yet, industries targeted by tariffs are preparing to do so. Lawlor also said that Carney has been prudent in his negotiation strategy so far, and right in waiting for deals to be brokered between the US and other nations, as they were this month with Japan and the EU, to help inform Canada's strategy. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion And despite concerns about marred relationships with First Nations people, pushing forward controversial infrastructure legislation and his quick scrapping of Canada's digital services tax – which many, including top former diplomats, viewed as fawning capitulation toward Trump – the prime minister is still enjoying fairly positive polling in his term's infancy. Abacus Data reported at the end of June that 52% of Canadians surveyed approve of the Carney government. The research firm states it shows that his post-election honeymoon period is 'far from over'. Lawlor said the best outcome for Carney in the negotiations is a favourable trade deal – however, there has been signalling from Carney, in his discussion of 'tough' talks so far, that Canadians may have to accept a baseline of tariffs. 'Many Canadians just simply will not be satisfied if that is the outcome,' she said. But due to Carney facing limited criticism of his interactions with the Americans so far, Lawlor said she believes the prime minister will not face extreme negative blowback if he doesn't trounce tariffs for good this week. But he will be more vulnerable if the tariffs start to place downward pressure on multiple industries, she said. As Canadians are waiting and watching for the Friday deal deadline, the real fears are around the cementing of a new world order and whether long-term business and consumer decisions need to be made in response, said Preetika Joshi, an assistant professor at McGill University in Quebec that specialises in taxation. 'If you were a business owner and you knew Trump is going to be in power for only three, four years, would you necessarily make big, significant changes in your supply chain … or would you just wait it out?' she said. But given some grim messaging from those close to Carney – Canadians might be facing tough decisions. Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for Canada-US trade, said last week there's a lot of work ahead of them and minimised the 1 August deadline. 'We're going to continue to work toward the 1 August deadline,' said LeBlanc to reporters in Washington. 'But all of these deadlines are with the understanding that we'll take the time necessary to get the best deal,' he said. Deal or no deal, the negotiations might reveal that there isn't a best-case scenario, said Joshi. 'What we were used to before Trump, where there were very little tariffs, that reality is slightly over,' she said. 'We'll have to wait and see … but the reality is that there are going to be some tariffs.'
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Prince William was 'human shield' in tense moment between Kate Middleton and Meghan
A body language expert has interpreted a tense moment between Princess Kate and Meghan Markle, pointing out William's act of protection to separate the 'feuding' women A body language expert has decoded a tense moment between the Princess of Wales and Meghan Markle, and thrown light on Prince William 's supposed act of protection for his wife. The dramatic moment occurred back in 2018, two years before Prince Harry and Meghan quit their royal duties and relocated to America. Despite being a united front on the surface, and often being dubbed the Fab Four, an awkward moment inside Westminster Abbey seemed to show cracks forming between the senior royals long before the Sussexes bid farewell to their royal life. The situation occurred in July 2018, as the late Queen led a tribute to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Air Force. More than 2,200 people attended the ceremony inside Westminster Abbey, with senior royals then meeting veterans, personnel, charity representatives and members of the civil service, before returning to Buckingham Palace for a flypast of 100 planes. As Kate and Meghan stood in the Abbey and prepared to greet the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, William stepped in between them, with body language expert Judi James describing the Prince of Wales as a 'human shield' in the moment. There have long been claims that long before Harry and Meghan left the royal family for a new life abroad, the relationship between Kate and Meghan was growing increasingly strained, as James said is only solidified with this tense moment. James told The Mail: 'Superficially, and with the benefit of hindsight, now that we know about the tricky relationship between Meghan and Kate, this looks very much like a devoted and protective husband strategically and very pointedly stepping between his wife and her nemesis in the form of a human shield. 'William's body language shows he is clearly aware that Harry and Meghan have honed into position behind him and he immediately ducks his head to move to stand next to his wife, even sucking his lips inward in what is often a signal of regret.' While the body language expert shared her thoughts on the potentially awkward situation, she also explained the moment from another point of view, and clarified that William's positioning may have been a way of helping to welcome Meghan into the Firm. Judi said: 'There is a spatial gap between William and Meghan that doesn't really show at this angle. When the royals greet their hosts at services like this, there is something of a royal queue with gaps that can turn into a log jam if a royal keeps chatting, as Kate often can. 'Meghan was new to the royal Firm and William's body language to this point had shown him being friendly and welcoming. This movement and change of position could be the kind of adjustment you make to the position of a group at a party when someone new comes to join in. 'It is rude to keep your back to the newcomer as it is a sign of rejection. So, we often shuffle to ensure we encompass the new arrival. Meghan would not have been allowed to join William and Kate here as the pecking order is firm, but it would be completely conceivable for a very polite William to move in to place to ensure his back is not turned against her as she arrived behind him.' 'It is conceivable that William was trying to be polite to Meghan here, although it is also equally conceivable that he might turn himself into something of a buffer between the two women as he did so if he was aware of any friction.'
