Why Prince William Was Called out for Throwing King Charles ‘Into the Firing Line’

England’s team the Lionesses made it to the Women’s World Cup Final this summer, but their patron Prince William decided not to travel to Australia to watch them play. The prince sent his well-wishes and encouragement to the team in a video message, but decided not to take the flight to demonstrate his commitment to fighting climate change. According to a report by Express, many pundits in the U.K. criticized this move, believing it reflected poorly on the king and the monarchy itself.

England’s Lionesses played against Spain at the World Cup final in Australia back in August, and as critics pointed out, Spain’s royal family sent representatives to watch. Criticism of Prince William got even stronger after the match when England lost, as some believed the heir should have been there to support them. Prince William is the patron of the U.K.’s Football Association, not to mention one of the highest-ranking members of the British royal family. As the role of royalty has become more symbolic in recent years, his critics argue that publicity stunts like this have become even more important.

Instead, the prince posted a video on social media where he and his daughter Princess Charlotte wished the team “good luck” ahead of the match. He said: “Lionesses, I want to send you a huge good luck for tomorrow, we’re sorry we can’t be there in person but we’re so proud of everything you’ve achieved and the millions you’ve inspired here and around the world. So go out there tomorrow and really enjoy yourselves.”

Royal expert and publicist Leah Brown told Express: “The primary impact of King Charles not supporting the Lionesses, and the PR stunt played by Prince William using Charlotte to garner public favor when delivering an unpalatable message, is that it calls into question the role of the monarchy in contemporary Britain. I have some sympathy for King Charles’ position. In this instance, the nominated individual, namely William shirked his responsibility thus throwing others into the firing line.”

Brown also referenced the speculation that Prince William chose not to attend because of the high carbon footprint of air travel. She said: “I am unsatisfied that climate change concerns were the driver behind non-attendance. It was disappointing to have no state support alongside the Queen of Spain. Charity causes and investitures aside, the idea that the royals are anything other than performative suggests this event ought to have been attended at least by a female royal representative.”