William appeared angry and unhappy at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral at Westminster Cathedral this week.
He looked to have lost weight, too. He gave the impression of bearing the burden of the world on his shoulders.
Nor did he seem particularly overjoyed to be at the State Banquet for Donald Trump on Wednesday. While Catherine smiled at his side, and charmed The Don, William came across as pensive, less light-hearted than of old.
Of course, the banquet was a masterclass in soft power. At a sticky moment in world history, the pageantry at Windsor Castle seemed to be something much bigger than the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta which it often resembles.
When the world does not know what to make of Donald Trump, the King and Queen in their finery, the Guards regiments in their uniforms, the footmen and flunkies in their livery all cemented a bond that is truly momentous – namely the alliance between Britain and America.
Even those who question the desirability of having a monarchy could see that here it was performing a vital function with extraordinary aplomb.
But William, though dutifully being the first to welcome to the US President and his wife Melania when they arrived at Windsor, came across as less enthusiastic than he has been at formal royal occasions in years gone by.
Admittedly, there were moments over the last few days when he did seem animated by Donald Trump and looked genuinely pleased to meet him. According to Vanity Fair magazine, William has also become close to him after being tasked with launching a ‘charm offensive’ towards him.
In February in Paris, what was initially proposed as a brief encounter between William and the President went on well over-schedule and lasted 40 minutes. Trump has variously described the Prince of Wales as a ‘good man’, ‘really very handsome’ and ‘doing a fantastic job’.
An armed man claiming to be law enforcement has been detained at the site of Charlie Kirk’s memorial in Arizona.
The ‘suspicious’ individual was carrying a gun and a knife when he was apprehended at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Friday, the New York Times reports.
Officials are also, ‘tracking several threats of unknown credibility’ ahead of the high-profile event on Sunday, ABC News reports.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15117275/armed-man-detained-charlie-kirk-memorial-site.html