Israel: What Will William Tell?

It emerged only after he had returned to the U.K that one potentially unpleasant incident marred Prince William’s visit to the Middle East.

I suspect that to prevent ‘copy-cat’ attacks, an otherwise total news blackout gagged reports of his convoy being stoned by Arab youngsters as it sped through the Jelazun refugee camp north of Ramallah.

“This was a very embarrassing event for Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority. The official excuse for the stoning of Prince William was that they didn’t ‘prepare’ the residents of the refugee camp for the Prince’s arrival”.

Wow! Really?

But that apart, it appears that the second in line to the British throne made a massive effort to make his historic official visit a resounding success and that he became an instant hit with all who met him.

This made me wonder once more about the lovely young man born to be the U.K.’s next-but-one king.

Certainly, he looks every inch and behaves in every possible polished way like a monarch-in-waiting and if events of the past few days are any guide then it seems he’ll be a splendid head of state. I’m sorry that there’s little chance of my ever seeing him crowned.

Still I’ve been pondering thus:

First, how William felt, for example, when asked to walk away backward from a stretch of stone and mortar at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. After all, he has been trained from infancy to pay similar homage to a living, breathing monarch – who is also his cherished grandmother.

Then those hard learned lessons of etiquette and diplomacy must also be employed – especially the golden rule about being on constant guard in the global village where the barest gesture may be captured, misinterpreted, then forensically analysed under the ultra-powerful lens of public opinion.

How many of us ordinary folk would swap our privacy for a life in the goldfish bowl, despite the huge privileges that it grants? Not too many, I bet!

Finally, I consider Catherine, William’s wife and future queen consort. She’s not simply a fashion-plate and super-mum. She is someone who has chosen a life in the harsh public eye and must be a incalculable influence on her husband.

She also harbours very fond memories of her days at the Assahera Nursery in Amman, Jordan. There, the daily curriculum included learning some Arabic and hearing verses from the Quran with stories about the Prophet's companions. Pupils also celebrated Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan along with Christmas. As the king’s consort, Catherine presently Duchess of Cambridge will also be the wife of the head of the Church of England. I sincerely hope this interesting mix will prove only advantageous, not just for Britain’s multi-faith society but for its continued superb relationship with Israel.

© Natalie Wood (29June 2018)