Jake Tapperis addressing the controversy aroundPrince William’smisquoted statementabout the ongoingwar in Ukraine.
The remark quickly drew criticism online, with the “Africa and Asia” comment sparking accusations of racism. Tapper was among the many social media users who criticized William. On Wednesday, he shared a photo of Wallis Simpson and William’s great-uncle Edward, the Duke of Windsor, shaking hands with Adolf Hitler ina since-deleted tweet.
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Beside the image, Tapper took aim at William’s quote, “It’s very alien to see this in Europe,” tweeting, “Read a book about your own family, dude.”
Upon learning the news of William’s full remark, Tapper followed up his initial tweet with another message on Twitter Thursday and explained his thoughts on the situation.
“The original pool report on thisPrince Williamquote from the UK was inaccurate, so I deleted my tweet about it,“he wrote, before adding ina separate tweet, “Here’s video of the quote. It remains ahistorical to say for someone born in the early 80s it’s ‘very alien’ to see war in Europe. The Balkans conflict throughout the 1990s was hideous.”
The conflict Tapper is referring to is known as theBosnian War, which took place in southeastern Europe from 1991 to 1995. (William was 9 when the conflict began and 13 when it ended.)
Jake Tapper (left) and Prince William.Robert Alexander/Getty; Ming Yeung/Getty
On Wednesday, William andKate Middletonwere meeting with members of the Ukrainian community and volunteers to learn about services being offered at the center, as well as the challenges they continue to face when the misquoting incident happened.
The royal couple also spoke with Saleh Saeed, CEO of the Disasters Emergency Committee, to hear about the ongoing Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, to whichQueen Elizabethmade a"generous donation"last week.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson had no comment.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge previously offeredwords of support for Ukrainein a statement shared on their joint@KensingtonRoyalTwitter account.
“In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future,” the statement from the couple said. “Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton.Ian Vogler-WPA Pool/Getty Images
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyythanked Britain’s royal familyfor voicing their support for the country on March 1.
“Good will triumph,” he added.
source: people.com
