According to The Reaction, The Mail’s talk show, the late Queen was said to have been ‘stunned’ by Prince William’s statement on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
In today’s new episode, Mail columnists Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce question the timing of the Prince of Wales’s words on events in the Middle East, released on Tuesday, the day before a debate and vote in the House of Commons.
And the pair openly questioned whether the “passionate” statement calling for an end to fighting in Gaza was influenced by others, particularly the Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron.
Following the future king’s extraordinary intervention, in which he spoke of the “terrible human cost” of a war that has left “too many dead”, Pierce said he believes the late queen would have been “stunned by what he did” .
He said: ‘It is no coincidence that Her Majesty The Queen, one of the most traveled heads of state ever, has never been to Israel during her seventy-year reign. Because the State Department wouldn’t let her go to Israel because it was full of political symbolism and meaning.
According to The Reaction, The Mail’s talk show, the late Queen was said to have been ‘stunned’ by Prince William’s statement on the Israel-Gaza conflict. Pictured: Queen Elizabeth in June 2016
The Prince and Princess of Wales made a statement earlier this week about the situation in the Middle East. Pictured: Prince William at the BAFTAs on Sunday
In a new episode today, Mail columnists Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce question the timing of the Prince of Wales’s words on events in the Middle East.
‘And I think the Queen would be astonished at what he has done.
‘Because remember when she got involved in the Scottish independence referendum, all she said on a walk was: ‘I really hope people will think carefully before they vote.’
“But she didn’t make a written statement, very dramatic on black background, talking about the ‘darkest hour’ (as William’s statement was), well that’s Churchillian.”
He then questioned whether Lord Cameron, who is ‘pushing for a ceasefire’, was involved in the statement released by Kensington Palace shortly before William arrived to visit the London headquarters of the Red Cross.
Mr Pierce told the show: ‘The government should have signed this statement. The State Department would have been completely over it.
‘I can smell Lord Cameron’s influence in all this.
‘People tell me he’s involved, there’s a suggestion it might come from the Foreign Office, rather than this coming from William.
‘Did David Cameron do this to the future king? If so, in my view he has not done him a great favour.’
Prince William issued the royal family’s strongest statement on the conflict in Gaza on Tuesday
Mr Pierce questioned whether Lord Cameron, who is ‘pushing for a ceasefire’, was involved in the Kensington Palace statement
The comments came just days before Parliament voted on a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Pictured: a protest in Westminster Tongiht
Smoke rises during an Israeli ground operation in Khan Younis
Asked whether the Prime Minister or anyone else in the government asked the Prince of Wales to make this statement, the Prime Minister’s deputy spokesperson told the Mail: ‘Obviously we would never engage in discussions with the Palace, so that we can’t do that. provide guidance on that basis, but we welcome his comments which reflect the points the Prime Minister has made that are important to make.”
Speaking about the timing of the statement, which comes on the eve of a parliamentary debate, Ms Vine said: ‘I would question the timing because there will be a vote on a ceasefire in the House of Commons tonight.
‘And I’m sure it’s not William’s intention to influence the outcome of a parliamentary vote, because that would be quite constitutionally difficult, but whoever is advising him might have wanted to emphasize this.
Because that’s how it could be interpreted.
“The one thing, the only thing the (future) monarch should not do is try to influence Parliament.”
The prince should not be “so emotional about these things,” Ms Vine added, explaining that it is “not really his role.”
Mr. Pierce agreed, but said “in his statement, the future king wisely avoided using the word ceasefire.”
Following the latest Royal saga, the pair turned to the controversial dismissal of immigration watchdog David Neal after he raised national security concerns to the Mail this week.
Prince William, pictured today at the British Red Cross headquarters in London, released an impassioned statement saying ‘too many’ have been killed in the Gaza conflict
Prince William met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara during his visit to the country in 2018
The future king shook hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in 2018
Mr Neal highlighted the dangerous failures at London City Airport as he revealed how hundreds of ‘risky’ flights landed in Britain without proper passport checks.
He was sacked from his role as independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration on Tuesday by Home Secretary James Cleverly, with a mandarin informing the watchdog via a Zoom call.
Speaking about Mr Cleverly’s decision, Ms Vine said: ‘I don’t understand why he has been sacked.
‘I don’t understand why he (Cleverly) doesn’t say, ‘Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention, we will immediately tighten security at London City Airport’.
Mr. Pierce interjected: “And there’s one more point, Sarah, his title is independent watchdog. How can a minister fire an independent watchdog?’
Ms Vine concluded: ‘What we see today is just anger on behalf of the Home Secretary because something has happened that he doesn’t like and that makes him look bad.’
“Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds,” a spokesperson previously said on behalf of William and Kate.
William listens as Pascal Hundt, Senior Crisis Manager, International Committee of the Red Cross, dials in on a video call from Gaza
Later in the episode, Ms Vine said her ‘allergic reaction’ this week was to a story about an NHS trust saying hormone-filled milk from trans women is just as good for babies as women’s naturally occurring breast milk.
Disgusted by the story, Ms Vine said: ‘Actually, just no. At every level.
‘Can I just say that it is so insulting to mothers because breastfeeding is quite a difficult and controversial issue. Many people can’t do it, many people have difficulty with it.
‘It is the female identity that is being eroded here.’
The Reaction, where our columnists and special guests share their insights and views on the biggest topics of the day – no matter how controversial – airs every Wednesday at 6pm on the Daily Mail’s YouTube channel.
The latest episode can be viewed tonight on YouTube.com/DailyMail