The State Banquet intended to honor the President of Nigeria and his wife at Windsor Castle was set to be an illustrious event. It promised a blend of tradition and elegance, with senior royals present to welcome the distinguished guests. The evening was to conclude with a grand unveiling of a new official portrait of the Prince and Princess of Wales, resplendent in their royal regalia. It seemed like the perfect affair.

However, the public response to the event’s coverage the following morning painted a different picture. The formal photograph of Prince William and Princess Catherine, who wore a gown in Nigerian green by renowned designer Andrew Gn and Diana’s tiara, was met with mixed reviews from readers.

Comments from readers reflected a range of sentiments. One questioned, “And this benefits the British public, how?”

Another remarked, “Another taxpayer-funded knees-up for the elite,” adding, “They are not hanging about spending our money this year.”

Some readers even compared the royal couple to “waxworks,” questioning the necessity of such lavish events.

Finally, there was discontent with the timing, given global circumstances, with one reader labeling it “criminal, given all that is going on in the world.”

To be frank, the commentators have not got it wrong. Is this really the right time for a State Banquet, with photos posted online of the elaborate, over-the-top tablescaping that would put Downton Abbey to shame? This, when ordinary Brits already weighed down by the cost of living, worry about what is to come in the Middle East and how it will affect their energy bills, food shop and mortgages.

And do we really need yet another ‘Official Portrait’, this one taken by a young Nigerian-born photographer, Christianah Ebenezer? Perhaps the Palace thought that the wide grins of the Prince and Princess of Wales would gloss over the Royal Family’s tone-deaf roboticism of recent weeks.

Do we really need yet another ‘Official Portrait’, this one taken by a young Nigerian-born photographer, Christianah Ebenezer?, asks Liz Jones

The Prince and Princess of Wales with President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel

The Royal Family is in crisis and William and Kate are behaving like ostriches. They need to step up, stop hiding behind medals, jewels and portrait photographers, writes Liz Jones

I imagine Kate’s face must be aching with all the performative gurning. There the couple were at the recent Baftas, failing to read the room that was more concerned with their Uncle Andrew’s arrest. Facing accusations of misconduct in public office, his homes had been searched and his emails scoured, yet on the Waleses ploughed.

There was Kate again, beaming as she handed out shamrocks to members of the Irish Guards and their Irish wolfhound mascot on St Patrick’s Day. But who cares? Is this the most urgent thing she could think to spend time on?

William, too, has been out and about in public: most notably, he appeared on a podcast to discuss his own male mental anguish when serving as a search and rescue pilot. Yet a heartfelt statement expressing support for the victims of Andrew’s friend, the late convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, came there none. Merely expressing your agreement for King Charles’s terse statement following Andrew’s arrest does not cut the mustard. 

William and Kate’s down-with-the-people routine – ordinary, relatable, open and honest about mental health, cancer, being parents – rings hollow when they keep schtum over a senior member of their family behaving badly.

It isn’t enough to shun their cousins Eugenie and Beatrice – which amounts to little more than banning the sisters from royal carriage rides at Ascot and Sandringham Christmases. Oh, boo hoo. Those privileges mean nothing to the rest of us.

The Royal Family is in crisis and William and Kate are behaving like ostriches. They need to step up, stop hiding behind medals, jewels and portrait photographers. Being a senior royal, our future monarchs, means more than rubbing shoulders with Leo DiCaprio at the Baftas as though nothing has changed. Because everything has changed: we need reassurance, gravitas, action, real consequences. What did you know and when? And why did you do nothing about the Andrew problem until your hands were forced?

It’s little wonder that people are beginning to see William and Kate as mannequins – and not just in their Official Portrait.

Show us how worried you are. Tell us how sorry you are. Stop being myopic. You are young parents; you have a daughter, for goodness’ sake. The time for ceremony and protocol is over, because you need to be frank with us: we can take it!

As one commentator wrote of the couple’s appearance in the new official photo: ‘The Royal Ken and Barbie.’ Now is the time to show us you are not made of plastic. That you are made of steel.