Prince William and Kate Middleton's emotional VJ Day message sparks backlash
The Prince and Princess of Wales found themselves in hot water this VJ Day, despite issuing a sentimental statement online.
For those unfamiliar with the annual UK celebration, it takes place on the 14 August every year to mark the anniversary of Japan's surrender to the allied forces during World War II.
This year, it's 80 years since the monumental move, which came following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and commemorating the day, King Charles III addressed the nation from Buckingham Palace earlier today.
During the six-minute long declaration, the 79-year-old hailed the 'courage and camaraderie' of heroes who fought in the Pacific and Far East in 'humanity’s darkest hour' as 'a flame that shall blaze for eternity'.
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And later today, alongside Queen Camilla and Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, The King will attend a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Notably, however, two members of the monarchy will be missing from this year's festivities, despite usually joining the annual line-up.
We are, of course, talking about Prince William and Kate Middleton.
It was announced last week that the couple would be skipping the commemorate get-together, along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The Wales' later attempted to make up for their absence with an emotional statement, which they shared on X (formerly Twitter). It read: "Today, on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, we remember the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of all who served.
"Today we especially think of those British and Commonwealth troops who fought in the Asia-Pacific."
"We owe an enduring debt to the generation who gave so much, and to whom we will always be grateful. Lest we forget. W & C."
Despite their heartfelt words, the couple have since come under fire for skipping the royal engagement, being that such appearances are part of their job description as representatives of the monarchy.
One critic slammed in the comments: "Please start attending events and stop posting online stuffs!!!"
"You owe them?" another questioned. "Clearly you don’t think they’re deserving of one day of your time. Vacation is too important...".
Others pointed out that both William and Kate made appearances at high-profile sporting tournaments earlier this summer.
"In other words whatever you can’t be bothered to attend," a third hit out. "No football or tennis match there."
A similar debate was sparked on Reddit last week, after it was first made public that the couple wouldn't be making an appearance.
After one critic wrote on the discussion forum, 'All is not well in the House of Windsor', another user sarcastically suggested that the pair have endured a busy summer already.
"They have another holiday to take," they hit out. William took Charlotte to the women's football after all and Catherine's staff released some early years animated videos. They must be exhausted. They need a holiday."
Another agreed adding: "Come on, give Kate a break. She had to spend a whole 5 minutes firing off a quick email or phone call to her KP office staff telling them to post cute animated videos on YouTube!
"I bet she was just exhausted after all that!!"
A fourth suggested 'slashing their budget' 'if they aren't doing public engagements'.
"The entire selling point of the royal family is that they're meant to be busy people representing interests here and overseas, doing charity work and events etc," they continued. "If they aren't even doing that then they can pay for their own security etc."
Tyla has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
Topics: Kate Middleton, Prince William, Royal Family, UK News, Social Media
Rhianna Benson