Followers of the British Royal Family will be aware that often the royals try to upstage each other in media coverage,.
For example, when Prince William arrived for an event for his charity Earthshot in Boston, Massachusetts, last December, for example, the trailer for Prine Harry and Meghan Markle’s new documentary was showing on local TV.
Meghan’s famous “Are You OK?” interview was released on TV the same day as Kate set off for a tour of Pakistan.
And just this week, minutes before William and Kate were due to lay a wreath for Queen Elizabeth II on the first anniversary of her death, an emotional-looking Harry was spotted paying tribute to his grandmother on a conveniently timed visit to her burial place in Windsor, near London.
Now it seems like it is tit for tat as Prince William and Princess Catherine upstaged Harry’s launch of the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany by appearing on a podcast hosted by Princess Anne’s son in low, former rugby player Mike Tindall.
Saturday’s Invictus launch represented the culmination of two years of work for Harry, and he duly delivered a rousing speech at the opening ceremony in Germany.
Harry said: “You, and your families, are once again part of a team, surrounded by people who know what it means to serve, who have a good idea of what it’s taken to get here, who see and know you, and who respect you through a shared experience.
“This year’s Games is a Home for Respect. Think about that word for a second. Respect. What does it mean to you? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Some people may act as if respect is something veterans are asking for; that people with injuries—whether visible or invisible—have to demonstrate they are worthy of it.”
He added: “These games are not solely about medals, PBs or finishing lines—they are about overcoming any and all perceptions that have held you back, especially those you’ve placed on yourselves. Because all of this, all of us—are here because of you.
“This isn’t a gift. This isn’t a handout. This is yours. Take it.”
It was a pivotal moment for Harry, widely seen as a last chance to detoxify and relaunch his brand. And yet, just hours earlier, William and Kate released their headline-grabbing podcast of themselves, together with Anne, chatting to her son-in-law, Mike Tindall, and two other hosts, for Mike’s sports podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby.
Prince William is the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, his wife Catherine is patron of the English version and Princess Anne is patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, and the podcast was recorded to support the beginning of the Rugby World Cup, which is taking place in France.
To cap the resultant flood of coverage overshadowing the launch of the Invictus Games, a glowing Kate showed up on Saturday evening in Marseille to watch England’s first game of the tournament, wearing a stunning white Alexander McQueen suit.
In his interview, William praised the 2012 Paralympics as a “huge moment for disability sport taking off. And it’s obviously got bigger and bigger since then.” In another world, where interviews hadn’t been given and books hadn’t been written, it would have been unimaginable for William not to add, “…and it is so brilliant what my brother is doing in Germany this weekend….”
But of course, interviews have been given, books have been written, and instead of warm endorsement, a slightly awkward sense of unfinished business hung in the air, albeit briefly before the laughter and backslapping resumed.
The podcast, needless to say, elicited much media coverage, despite the fact that there was little said in the interviews that was newsworthy.
In large part this was because the podcast was not just an audio affair: a full, hour-long video version, with immaculate lighting and perfect sound, of the conversation was posted on YouTube.
Source: The Daily Beast.News agencies. Youtube.
