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Royal visit ‘unnecessary’ and should not be an excuse to behave differently, says Wales’ Health Minister

08 Dec 2020 2 minute read
Picture by Frankie Fouganthin (CC BY-SA 4.0)

William and Kate’s royal visit to Wales is “unnecessary” in the middle of a pandemic, Wales’ Health Minister has said.

Vaughan Gething was asked by Radio 4 Today if he agreed it was the right time for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to visit Wales.

“I’d rather that no-one was having unnecessary visits and people always have divisive views about the monarchy,” he said.

“But their visit isn’t an excuse for people to say that they are confused about what they are being asked to do.

“I’m not particularly bothered or interested because I don’t think that is going to be an excuse for people to say ‘I should go and behave in a different way and I should act as if the harm that is being seen in front of us in every part of our healthcare system is not taking place’.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are currently travelling around the UK on a three-day tour to thank communities for their efforts during the pandemic.

Welsh Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies, however, said they were “the words of a detached minister”.

“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are clearly carrying out public duties (i.e. work) and I for one welcome them to Wales with open arms,” he said.

 

‘Aware’

Vaughan Gething’s comments came after it was revealed that Nicola Sturgeon tried to block Kate Middleton and Prince William’s trip to Scotland.

Scotland’s First Minister today said the Scottish Government advised the couple about the restrictions when they were told about the trip.

Under current Scottish regulations, it is illegal to travel between England and Scotland unless you have a reasonable excuse.

“The Scottish Government was advised about the intention to visit, and we made sure that the Royal Household were aware, as you would expect, of the restrictions in place in Scotland so that could inform both the decision and the planning of the visit,” she said.


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