Edinburgh's royal visit: 'It's absolutely wrong', readers react to Prince William and Kate's Capital visit

The Earl and Countess of Strathearn were in the Capital on Monday as they began their countrywide tour in Edinburgh.

The visit coincided with the announcement that the royal pair have become joint patrons of NHS Charities Together, with the couple meeting members of SAS as they made Edinburgh the first stop on a UK-wide festive tour to thank frontline workers for their efforts during the pandemic.

However, their visit to Scotland was met with mixed reviews as tough coronavirus travel restrictions still prevent many from seeing their loved ones and disrupt their daily lives.

‘It is so wrong - we have not seen our family all year’

“If they can travel and do all this then why the hell are we all being told to stay at home and do as we are told?” said Corrina Houston, and her anger was echoed by Lynda Connelly, as she said: “It is so wrong - we have not seen our family all year - one rule again for the royals”.

William Mackenzie was equally as displeased, commenting: “How can it be right for them to cross tiers but not us?”.

Kerry Philbin was also frustrated at the royals visiting with restrictions still in place, saying: “If it’s wrong for people to travel from Edinburgh to Ikea then they shouldn't be visiting", meanwhile Paul McCall felt it was double standards, commenting: “Rules for us and rules for them – the same as it always has been”, whereas Julie Logan called the visit a “bad PR stunt”.

Fiona Gillen was particularly scathing, saying the royals “were not welcome for a myriad of reasons – not least Covid.”

However, many readers felt it was the perfect morale boost after a difficult 2020.

Monica Reid was delighted to see the royals, saying: “They wore masks and socially distanced all the time. They are doing a good thing supporting all our heroes", and Gordon Stanners was also happy to see them, responding: “No problem with this whatsoever, it's work for them. Good luck to anyone able to travel around the country right now whoever they are.”

Kelly Peacock-Hardie was also more than pleased to see a royal visit to the capital, as she wrote: “They are trying to do something nice to lift spirits to try and make us feel better”, and Veronica Davidson agree with her, saying: “its part of their job and it cheers people up to see them.”

Lori Desborough felt it was simply their role, responding “They are working royals. We can travel in and out of Edinburgh and Scotland if necessary for work. They couldn't win. If they did no work in 2020, only worked from home, or were furloughed there would be complaints”, while Florence Dunnet said she was “happy to see this lovely couple”.

However, while Hazel Walker praised the thought behind the visit, she felt it wasn’t a good idea, saying: “It’s a lovely thing for them to do but we can't cross the border into England from Scotland, and they can, and they can also move freely around the country between tiers too?”, and Manni Jav echoed Hazel’s comments, adding: “Nothing against them but why are the rules different for them?”

While there were some ‘yes’ responses, many simply wrote ‘no’ to our question on whether the royals should have visited the Capital on Monday.

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