Prince William May Have Broken Royal Protocol by Talking Brexit Politics

It’s increasingly accepted as fact—especially in the wake of the Trumps’ recent visit to London—that royals such as Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle are forbidden by royal protocol from discussing politics. Of course, viewers of Netflix’s The Crown are likely more familiar with this, as the show depicts Queen Elizabeth II’s rise and her struggle with the role of monarch. But during a recent event, Prince William may have veered too far away from those conventions.

Today, while he was out with his wife, Kate Middleton, at a meeting with farmers in England’s Lake District, Prince William boldly inquired about the farmers’ opinions of Brexit, the divisive political measure that would have the United Kingdom exit from the European Union. Specifically, Prince William asked if the farmers are “worried” about Brexit, since he and Middleton had been informed that it may bring about a “perfect storm” for farmers, as People reports.

After William inquired about it, one farmer, Sam Rawling, reportedly told him, “I was quite surprised that farmers voted for Brexit, to be honest. It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas.… The worst case post-Brexit is absolutely dire.… The worst case scenario is a real black hole that a lot of farmers would struggle to get through.” That could even include the value of farms decreasing by half and a 40 percent tariff on lamb exports.

William’s questioning didn’t end there, though, as he also asked about climate change, which has been a pressing issue for the royals. At Prince Charles and Donald Trump’s recent meeting, William’s father reportedly attempted to inform the president about just how dire climate change is. (Trump has referred to climate change as a “hoax,” tweeting back in 2012, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”) Afterward, Trump had apparently absorbed some of what Charles was saying, as the president later stated of their conversation, “What he really wants and what he really feels warmly about is the future. He wants to make sure future generations have climate that is good climate, as opposed to a disaster, and I agree.” While William didn’t get into his own stance on the issues, his questions seemed to say it all. Soon, he’ll be vying with Prince Harry for most woke royal. (Not including Meghan Markle, of course!)