Tweet

More from @KateWilliamsme

Prof Kate Williams 💙

@KateWilliamsme

10 Apr

@BBCBreakfast

Was great to hear Hannah Cockcroft, multi times Gold Paralympian talk on @BBCBreakfast about her experience of winning the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Founded in 1956, now running in over 140 countries.

@BarackObama

As @BarackObama said yesterday on Prince Philip, ‘he found a way to lead without demanding the spotlight, serving in combat...touring the world to champion British industry’. Thank you for having me today @BBCBreakfast

As we were saying, the Duke had to tell his wife in 1952 her father had died and she was Queen - which they did not expect for some years. Next year is her Platinum Jubilee and would also have marked his 70 years as Consort, both supporting the Queen and creating his own role.

Read 5 tweets

Prof Kate Williams 💙

@KateWilliamsme

9 Apr

During the Allied Invasions of Sicily in 1943,Philip’s ship HMS Wallace (covering soldiers going ashore) was targeted by German bombers . ‘We were the target for tonight & they would not stop until we had suffered a fatal hit’, said Harry Hargreaves,serving with Philip.

HMS Wallace couldn’t outpace the bombers. The crew were sitting ducks. With 20 mins before Bomber due to return, Philip, the First Lt had an idea. Crew would throw a wooden raft over side & attach smoke floats. So it would look from sky as if Wallace had been hit and was smoking.

Wallace then sailed away fast for a few minutes, shut off engines, waited in silence, hoping the bomber wd be fooled by the raft. We ‘cursed the stars or at least I did’ said Hargreaves. Then heard the scream of bombs. But not for them - plane aimed at raft, to finish the job.

Read 6 tweets

Prof Kate Williams 💙

@KateWilliamsme

3 Apr

In 2010, landing cards of Windrush arrivals were destroyed. Then people who’d come as kids, like this little boy, now seniors, threatened w deportation, loss of NHS treatments, benefits. Many lost everything & suffering continues. But #SewellReport says no institutional racism.

@ppvernon

On how report barely mentions Windrush, put brilliantly by @ppvernon - ‘if they had focused on the scandal, they would have had to admit that there was a systematic, structural failure in the way that the Home Office targeted the Windrush generation’ theguardian.com/world/2021/apr…

In 2018, twelve Commonwealth Caribbean countries asked for a meeting to discuss the Windrush scandal with the government before the Commonwealth Heads of Gov meeting held in UK, were denied. So much for the hands of unity in the Commonwealth..

Read 5 tweets

Prof Kate Williams 💙

@KateWilliamsme

18 Mar

@theipaper

In 1911,Emily Davison hid in cupboard in Parliament chapel, part of suffragette effort to avoid being counted on Census Night (one group spent night on Wimb Common). E spotted by a cleaner & entered as ‘found hiding in crypt’. Thank you ⁦@theipaper⁩ inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyl…

Here’s Emily Wilding Davison’s census form from the Parliament UK site, rights with the National Archives. parliament.uk/about/living-h…

Not Davison’s first time entering clandestinely into Parliament - she hid in the heating system (!) previously to challenge Asquith. St Mary Undercroft, the HoC chapel where she hid was built by Edward I but fell into disrepair & by time of huge fire of 1834 was a wine cellar (?)

Read 5 tweets

Prof Kate Williams 💙

@KateWilliamsme

8 Mar

@CNN

Thank you @CNN⁩ ⁦@PamelaBrownCNN⁩ - talking #HarryandMeghan. We don’t know what will be said with ⁦@Oprah⁩. But the facts don’t look good: a Black woman married into the RF & then comes sexism & racism. #Meghan did what other royal women did -but she got attacked.

Lots of coverage saying interview will be damaging. Point is, what went on in 2018/19 was damaging - prejudice, racism (inc mass meltdown over Frogmore) and they had to leave. Whether she speaks about unfair coverage or not (I expect so), it is the case. #HarryandMeghanonOprah

And as I said, of course everyone must be heard about the workplace - this is vital. But where was the immediate investigation into 2019 Mail story on Andrew shouting and poss physically threatening an aide? Stories on other royals shouting too. Let alone on Andrew’s behaviour.

Read 5 tweets

Prof Kate Williams 💙

@KateWilliamsme

20 Feb

@BBCBreakfast

Thanks for spotting me on @BBCBreakfast - as I said, Harry and Meghan are a great loss to the RF - and we have to look at ourselves as a country, the racism against Meghan has been relentless. We think people who marry into the RF are our dolls to torment.

I also said that I think the half in /half out model is the future for the younger siblings, as in the Euro royals. It will happen eventually. It could have worked now. The Mayhew said that their Sussex Xmas card reached 250 mil - that star power has been lost to the RF and UK.

The thing is that whatever Harry and Meghan do - even a zoom call to a local poetry group - gets huge coverage. When it does, we call them attention seeking. We are obsessed by them - and we punish them for our obsession with them.

Read 6 tweets

Share this page!

Prof Kate Williams 💙

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

More from @KateWilliamsme

Prof Kate Williams 💙

Prof Kate Williams 💙

Prof Kate Williams 💙

Prof Kate Williams 💙

Prof Kate Williams 💙

Prof Kate Williams 💙

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Like this author's thread?