The summer games are almost over and I’m Olympics-ed out! So I thought we’d take a look back at our favorite royals and judge how well they represented their country and their athletes! I’ve limited the discussion to Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton, Prince William and Prince Harry. I’m only allowing the Queen in the running because she’s the face of the nation. Kate, William and Harry were hyped up beforehand to have a great responsibility in being very visible and promoting the games and the country so let’s judge them the most!
OK so let’s go started. Lady’s first. Kate Middleton was probably the royal in the spotlight the most. While apparently only working with one pair of skinny jeans and two different blazers she managed to show up for just about every Team GB event where they had a chance to medal. She was in the bleachers to cheer on her field hockey chums. She went to the sea to root on the rowers. She even had enough spare time to congratulate the U.S. girls gymnastics team! She was animated, bubbly, excited and warm. She was basically everything you wanted from a future Queen and the whole world got to see it. And she did a lot on her own since William had to skip out and go back to work early in the second week. Perhaps, more importantly, for the first time in over a year, she managed to put a stop to the baby bump rumors and gave attention where it was really due – the athletes – which was no small feat.
Now for Prince Harry. Everyone’s lovable scamp was almost as visible as Kate. He made us laugh as he ooed and aahed at the women’s beach volleyball finals; made our hearts skip when he played the dutiful nephew and let Princess Anne smack him playfully on the cheeks during the equestrian stuff, and made our smutty eyebrows raise when he sat close to Sarah Ferguson during cycling and didn’t bother to acknowledge her. That was really bizarre! Anyway, there were no shots of Harry stumbling out of clubs; no midnight trysts with the athletes or too many flirtaticous shots with Kate. He was the quintessential British gentleman and scallywag. I’m beginning to think we set the bar too low for Harry. Basically if he doesn’t drop an f-bomb or grab a chick’s boobs we give him two thumbs up. He’s the dark ginger horse in this race but he just might come out the winner as these royals get older and even more comfortable with their roles.
And finally William. William’s at a disadvantage because he did leave early for work which might just impress enough of you to vote for him. But before he hit the road, he made many appearances and some have people still talking. True, he looked like he was ready to fall down dead from boredom during the opening ceremonies (but, honestly, who wasn’t?) so I ragged on him a bit for that at the time but he recovered beautifully! How can we forget the hug seen round the world!? I can’t remember what event it was for but some Team GB person won gold and Kate and Wills were so excited they hugged each other with glee. Kate bared her midriff! William looked like he actually liked his wife! And that’s not all! He placed his hand on her leg when they were sitting. Don’t pretend you didn’t notice. EVERYONE noticed! These little flirtations were enough for the bookies in London to amp up bets again that William and Kate’s baby will definitely be born in 2013. But are the public displays of affection enough to give William the edge?
Then there’s the Queen. She jumped out of plane, looked bored during the opening ceremonies and then left for Scotland soon after. I’m not hatin’ on her. She’s old and has had a busy year. Let her play with her corgis in peace!
OK, so that’s all I’ve got. There were plenty more exciting incidences of the royals doing their part but my fingers are tired. So enjoy the poll and let me know what you think! Who impressed you the most or do you think the royals didn’t do enough?
Photo Credit: CHP/FAMEFLYNET