The Prince and Princess of Wales have gone viral for their photographs, once again.
An adorable photograph of their two youngest children, Charlotte and Louis, shared on Wales’ social media accounts showing the children watching England play in the Euro 2019 final has caused a truly embarrassing stir.
This time, it’s not Photoshop, but Kate and William’s smaller-than-giant TV.
The endearing image of the little prince and princess, dressed in personalised England football shirts and watching television at home, has inadvertently sparked a kind of transatlantic culture war and has driven square-eyed Americans crazy.
“Surely Kate can afford a bigger screen than that!” read one US tweet in disbelief.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have gone viral for their photographs, once again.
An adorable photograph of their two youngest children, Charlotte and Louis, shared on Wales’ social media accounts showing the children watching England play in the Euro 2019 football final has caused a truly embarrassing stir.
“That can barely be 40 inches,” snorted another, aghast that the third and fourth in line to the throne have to sit so close to the screen to watch England lose again.
In the land of super-plus sizes, I can understand why the American public might be surprised.
Aiming to recreate the IMAX experience for your daily dose of “Yellowstone” and “The View,” in the U.S., bigger is always more, but here, bigger is definitely… No better, at least not for the most refined and perceptive viewer.
Of course, British royalty can make flashy, grand, ostentatious displays when the occasion calls for it (from wearing diamond-covered crowns to riding in million-dollar gold carriages), but extending such ostentation to their cultural habits would be unthinkable.
In simple terms, as with many of the peculiar nuances of British culture and etiquette, it is a question of class.
You see, nothing says a nouveau riche faux pas like a giant TV in the home, especially when there are several of them fixed to the walls of every room in the house, ready for you to mindlessly flip through the channels whether you’re in bed, on the couch, or even in the kitchen.
I fear that American influence is rapidly seeping toward our shores.
Along with home bars and hideous garden hot tubs, XXXL TVs have increasingly become the vulgar staple of those with something to prove.
Intent on outdoing everyone else, in their minds a giant TV is a hallmark of success and the kind of essential modern convenience to brag about to their equally dumb peers.
But what it really reveals are simplified priorities and a lack of books and conversation.
Contrast this with “rich old man” England, where often the bigger the house, the smaller the television, particularly in those stately, airy buildings.
The Prince and Princess of Wales issued an extraordinary mea culpa in March after admitting she “edited” a picture (above) showing her celebrating Mother’s Day with her children.
You’ll probably find an extensive library and even some Turners and Constables on the wall, but the TV will be so basic that you may need to manually adjust its aerial to get a clear picture, and you can forget about streaming and multi-channels altogether.
This will, of course, be the only set available in the property: it will be placed discreetly in a corner, away from the dining room and as far as possible from the bedrooms.
Wealthy homeowners don’t aspire to see a nearly life-size news anchor in their living rooms; rather, they opt for functionality and encourage their children to explore life beyond the screen.
Perhaps it’s time for more of us who are tempted by the big and bold to follow Kate and William’s lead and channel a more minimalist visual experience, which is certainly far more elegant.