German gossip mag Bild published a picture of the Duchess of Cambridge with her skirt blowing up around her waist after climbing out of a helicopter in the Blue Mountains. She appeared to be without petticoat or knickers, begging a few questions we won’t bother to ask here. The British press apparently refused to purchase or publish the shot snapped by a local onlooker but after it was made public in Germany, the Sydney Daily Telegraph (Murdoch press) did under the headline: “My bare lady: Derri-heir to the throne is fair game” describing as “ridiculous” the antiquated etiquette that stopped publication in Britain “in a world in which flesh and commercialism go hand in hand”.
Several days later, the Duchess stayed at The Dorchester hotel overnight after meeting up with her family to attend the wedding of her first cousin. This brought criticism because hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei are being boycotted by celebrities after he implemented full sharia law further oppressing its population. WfaAR does have to ask why we tolerate such people as part of our government. John Rees from WA (link below) has some insightful things to say about why monarchies are surviving because they are now indistinguishable from celebrities and wealthy families, not to mention the emergence of political dynasties in countries like the USA. [“Like it or not, monarchies are enduring for several reasons” by John Rees, The Conversation online, 7 June 2014]
