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STOMACHS were turned across Britain when papers picked up a story on Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales stealing the show at a veterans dinner this week.
The copy – filed by a press agency we’ve chosen not to name – mentioned how Middleton was told she was the most appealing thing on the menu by one of the oldies at the Chelsea Pensioners on Monday.
It may have made a few converts to bolster the numbers of the 28% of Britons who back the UK becoming a republic, as was revealed last week.
That is the highest the number has ever been, according to Ipsos, the company that conducted the research, and its only likely to grow as young people become turned off by the monarchy.
READ MORE: We need to be clear about what kind of republic we want to be
Gideon Skinner, the head of political research at Ipsos, said that previous royal occasions such as the Jubilee had boosted public support for the monarchy – something not seen in the wake of the coronation.
He said: “Unlike Charles and William’s personal ratings, and unlike the examples of the previous Jubilees, that support for the institution itself has not seen a further boost after the coronation ceremony.”
Middleton endures forensic grilling on her role from an eight-year-old
To return to the story about the Princess of Wales, it was reassuring to see she was grilled by some sceptical primary children gathered at the Chelsea Flower Show, who appeared unconvinced at her insistence being a royal was hard work.
She told the weans: “You have to work hard, but you know the best thing about it is meeting kiddies like you.”
These children may yet make good journalists as they pressed her on this claim, with the Princess (who let’s remember is technically “at work” while milling about the UK’s finest flower show) insisting: “They help support all the different people in the country, showcase all the amazing work being done and look after everyone.”
But one child thought that didn’t look like much work and asked if she made the laws of the land.
Middleton’s curt reply: “The Prime Minister makes the laws.”
If that Paxman-style grilling is anything to go by, the next generation have well and truly seen through the royal charade.
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