Overnight, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla were the VIP guests at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games but there’s just one thing from the night that seems to be making headlines.
When former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie welcomed the royal couple in his speech, the Channel 7 cameras cut to Duchess Camilla who was pictured leafing through the pamphlet for the event.
Cue the mass hysteria over the Duchess of Cornwall’s supposed disrespectful gaffe.
Watch the moment unfold in the player above!
Naturally it didn’t take long for the Twitter lynch mob to jump on their moral high horse and go to town on the 70-year-old. At one point, #Camilla was even trending online.
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“I can’t get over Camilla being bored during this speech & reading instead 😂 #openingceremony #gc2018,” one user penned on Twitter.
“My goodness doesn’t Camilla look bored? #GC2018,” another added.
“Camilla bored with this opening ceremony, as is the rest of the world flicks through ceremony booklet #GC2018,” @tjmatagi said.
“I mean Camilla couldn’t look more bored if she tried” a third unfairly quipped.
While @MissKaySera made a rather valid point, noting: “Cut them some slack. It’s not like the #GC2018 open ceremony was riveting 🙂 #camilla #CommonwealthGames2018.”
And we can’t help but agree! The 2018 Opening Ceremony has been widely slated for being a tad tacky and naff, from bare bums to Ricki-Lee’s lip syncing, we probably would have dozed off if we were in the crowd so bravo to Camilla for actually staying awake.
Besides, at least she was actually engaging with the content and taking an interest in the Games’ brochure. It wasn’t like she was trying to while away the time deep in the scroll on her phone.
It’s also important to note that Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla had been on their feet working around the clock all day, meeting with thousands of locals at Brisbane’s Botanical Gardens, then heading to the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital to meet the kids, make lamingtons and watch dance performances, before going to the Opening Ceremony to deliver a speech and sit through a three-hour long ceremony.
We need a nap just thinking about such a busy day full of small talk, hand shaking and constantly being “on.”
Morgan Freeman nods off in the Late Night audience in 2013.
Chrissy Teigen gets some zeds at the 2017 Oscars.
Yes, the royals get to live an incredibly privileged life but in return, the public project impossibly high standards onto them and scrutinise their every move/outfit/comment.
They might get to live in fancy palaces, but I’d much rather my anonymity and ability to have a drunken night out without it making global headlines any day of the week.
Whatever you think about the monarchy, there’s no denying they have an incredible work ethic and Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla are some of the hardest working royals in the House of Windsor.
Last year the future King of England clocked up the most royal engagements with a staggering 550 appearances, while Camilla notched up an impressive 227.
To put that in perspective, Prince William performed 190, Prince Harry 191 and Duchess Catherine 106.
So let’s give Camilla a break, she’s only human after all.
Leave Camilla be, she actually didn’t do anything wrong.
