Prince William calls for end of war in Gaza, breaking decades of tradition
Prince William broke with decades of tradition to not interfere in politics on Tuesday, as he called for an end to the war in Gaza “as soon as possible” in remarks the UK prime minister said “echo” his sentiments.
“I remain deeply concerned about the terrible cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October,” the Prince of Wales said in a statement shared to X. “Too many have been killed.”
“I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible,” he said.
The prince also called for more aid to be allowed into Gaza.
“There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza,” he said. “It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released.”
“Sometimes it is only faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home.
“Even in the darkest hour, we must not succumb to the counsel of despair. I continue to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found and I refuse to give up on that,” William concluded.
The prince was moved to make the statement after seeing “the extent of the human suffering that is on display,” a spokesman for the royal told the Daily Beast.
He noted that William has been following the situation in Gaza closely since he visited the region in 2018 and called for “lasting peace in the region.”
It is understood that the statement was approved by the British Foreign Office before it was released, and reflects the UK government’s thinking.
In fact, a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the prince’s comments “echo those that you have previously heard from the prime minister as well.”
“The prime minister has said before on a number of occasions that too many civilians have lost their lives,” the spokesman said in a statement to the Telegraph.
“And we want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, so it is consistent with the government position and we welcome that intervention.
“It is important that we speak [with] one voice as a nation,” he added.
But some in the UK slammed William for breaking with the tradition not to interfere in politics set forth by his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
“I’m not sure that our future King should be doing this,” wrote Nigel Farage, who once led the nation’s Brexit movement.
“He should stick to the BAFTAs.”
Andrew Percy, a Tory member of Parliament, also claimed “the underlying principle of our constitutional monarchy is that members of the royal family do not engage in contentious political issues of the day on which there are divergent and strongly held beliefs in this country,” according to the Telegraph.
“Members of the royal family would do well to remember that.”
William’s remarks came as he takes more of an active role in the royal family following his father’s cancer diagnosis.
On Tuesday, he visited aid workers for the British Red Cross who are involved in humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip, and admitted the violence he had seen in the area left him “deeply moved as a father,” the Telegraph reports.
The prince is set to carry out visits this month intended to recognize the human suffering and distress from the war as he also draws attention to the global rise in antisemitism, according to the BBC.
Meanwhile, members of Parliament are set to vote on whether to call for a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
