Prince William is moving further in supporting gay rights and fighting bullying with an appearance on the cover of a gay magazine. The Attitude issue was planned weeks before 49 people died in the Orlando massacre, but publication came just days after the tragedy at the gay night club. The magazine said in a statement that such violence does not exist in a vacuum and snowballs from bullying.
The Duke of Cambridge also met with young members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community at Kensington Palace to hear about their personal confrontations with bullying.
“No one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason, and no one should have to put up with the kind of hate that these young people have endured in their lives,” Prince William said in an accompanying statement. “You should be proud of the person you are, and you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Prince William last April established a task force to help combat cyberbullying. He praised the LGBT individuals he met through Attitude for their bravery in speaking out against bullying, and he urged others who are bullied for their sexuality to tell an adult and seek help.
Although members of Britain’s royal family have championed causes, Prince William’s decision to appear on the cover of a gay magazine and meet with LGBT youth is pushing the envelope, according to royal watchers. Along with his wife, Kate Middleton, and brother, Prince Harry, William is taking on the kind of sensitive issues that Princess Diana supported. The princes’ late mother advocated for H.I.V. and AIDS patients in the late 1980s.
Prince William and his wife attended a somber ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in London on Tuesday to honor the Orlando victims and their families. They signed a book of condolences with their first names and wrote: “With our deepest condolences and with our thoughts and prayers to all those affected.” The royal couple also met with the U.S. Ambassador to London, Matthew Barzun.
Prince Harry wrote a letter to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer expressing his “most sincere condolences to the people of Orlando after the horrific attack on the Pulse nightclub on Sunday.”
“Having just spent time in Orlando I know what a warm and welcoming community it is. In spite of this senseless act, I have no doubt that the love and friendship of your city will remain strong,” Harry wrote. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones at this most difficult of times.”
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