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Will and Kate's 'rulebreaking' trip to Scotland sparks row
What was meant to be a morale-boosting royal tour through England, Scotland and Wales by Prince William and Kate, has instead sparked a furore amongst Scottish politicians and residents.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are travelling on the Royal Train, arrived in Edinburgh on Monday, despite the fact that crossing the Scottish border was made illegal at the end of November.
During her daily briefing on the day of the royal train’s arrival, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon appeared to take a subtle swipe at the fact the royals had technically broken the rules.
“The Scottish Government was advised about the intention to visit, and we made sure that the Royal Household were aware, as you would expect, of the restrictions in place in Scotland so that could inform both the decision and the planning of the visit,” she told reporters when asked about the visit.
“Any more questions on that should be directed to the Royal household.”
The pair are attempting to spread festive cheer to frontline workers ahead of the Christmas holidays. Their first stop was to the the Scottish Ambulance Service Response Centre in Newbridge.
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However, Tory MP’s slammed the ‘reminder’ by the First Minister, calling it “rude” and “petty”.
“This man is the future King of Scotland,” one MP told the MailOnline. “It is very unsubtle and I think it will backfire on her because there are a lot of loyalist Scots who would be pretty appalled that she would behave in such a rude manner. She should know better.”
Fellow politician Murdo Fraser agreed, telling the Herald Scotland: “It seems very petty to be criticising the Royal Family for wanting to thank Scottish NHS staff for their heroic efforts.
There were many though, who agreed with Mrs Sturgeon’s take on the matter, with one NHS worker even calling on the police to comment on Twitter.
“I absolutely do not understand why the #RoyalTrainTour is being allowed in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is in tier 3. No non essential travel into or out of region,” Dr Katrian Farrell, a haemotologist at NHS Forth Valley, wrote.
And Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University Medical School, asked, “Aren't we all in a pandemic & living under travel restrictions?”
But there were plenty of people who defended the royal couple online.
“Kate and William are demonstrating a real understanding of the needs of the British public,” one person wrote.
“[Nicola Sturgeon] has never heard of the importance of the feel good factor clearly!” another agreed.
That feel-good factor certainly came out when the pair arrived at the Holy Trinity First School in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
There they treated the school children with an organised visit from three reindeer - Chaz, Crackers and her six-month-old calf Echols, from Rent a Reindeer.
Kate and William also thanked teachers for their efforts, before moving to to the Batley Community Centre in West Yorkshire, where they met volunteers who have supported elderly members of the community throughout the pandemic.
The couple’s last stop of the day was at FareShare in Manchester. There they recognised the efforts of volunteers and organisations across the UK who have supported vulnerable families throughout 2020.
“I know you've had a particularly hard time over recent months, as has the whole of the North of England,” Prince William said in his speech.
“I'm really glad we've been able to come and talk to some of you in person about how you've all been doing.
“Catherine and I felt that it was extremely important to visit just some of the heroes that have emerged this year to thank you for all that you have done.”
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