Prince William wants a cookie for taking the train to Cardiff rather than the helicopter
Emerging diplomat and global statesman Prince William posted this photo on Tuesday with the note “en route to Cardiff today to celebrate seaweed innovation!” William worked on Monday by visiting the national football center ahead of the Euros. Then he was back to work on Tuesday, doing an event for Earthshot? Wow, how does he have time to do the school run, look after his wife, do global statesman things AND be an environmentalist?? Not only that, it was like William wanted a cookie for not taking the helicopter down to Cardiff. “Look, I’m taking the train like a peasant!” Also, the vibe of the photo is very “divorced father’s dating site photo.”
Prince William is championing an unlikely crop: seaweed. The Prince of Wales, 41, visited Wales on June 11 to see how the sea-grown plants can be both food and an alternative resource in industry. William traveled to Cardiff by train, with a photo of his trip shared on social media showing the royal looking out the window with a phone and monogrammed binder on the table before him.
Once in Wales, he met with businesses that use seaweed to create products like fast food packaging. His office says he wanted to celebrate the “progress already achieved in Wales and learn about further seaweed innovations that could support the Welsh seaweed industry reach its full potential.”
The June 11 event at Cardiff Metropolitan University was set up by Prince William’s environmental project, the Earthshot Prize, and Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner to celebrate and uncover the wonders of seaweed. Two of the businesses represented at the showcase included Sustainable packaging startup Notpla, which won the Build a Waste-Free World category at the Earthshot Prize awards in November 2022, and the 2023 Earthshot Prize finalist Sea Forest.
Catching up with Pierre Paslier of Notpla, Prince William recalled a childhood golfing accident that left him with a scar on his forehead as he was shown the company’s golf tee made from seaweed.
Paslier tells PEOPLE, “He was looking at the prototype, and I asked him if he likes golfing. He injured himself famously as a kid and pointed to his head and said, ‘No golf for me.’ No golfing for him!”
I know it’s not fair, but I can’t help but think that if William had more personal charisma, we would take this kind of event seriously and actually spend time covering the nuances of these Earthshot projects. But that’s the thing about both Will and Kate – their disinterest and intellectual laziness is apparent from the word go. It’s hard to care about something when the royal patrons are just there for a quick photo-op and a story about a childhood injury.
Also: note how many people were holding cameraphones around William. The fact that NO ONE had taken photos of “Kate” when she’s allegedly been “running errands” is one of the biggest tells out there.
Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace and Avalon Red.
Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (L) speaks with members of staff testing the salt content of food during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688698, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon 
Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) speaks with members of staff testing the salt content of food during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688747, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon 
Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) visits at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688827, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) speaks with members of staff during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688849, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon 
Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) speaks with members of the public during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688870, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon 
Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) speaks with members of the public during a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688889, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon
Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales leaves at the end of a visit at the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, in Cardiff, on June 11, 2024, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales.,Image: 880688908, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: GEOFF CADDICK / Avalon 
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