The British High Commissioner to Australia snubbed Prince William during his visit to the country last week.
Baroness Amos, who was previously an unelected Labour Party politician in the UK, marked William’s first solo foreign engagement by getting on a plane and flying from Canberra to London for a "training course".
The Foreign Office defended Valerie Amos, saying William’s status as Prince of Australia meant that all his arrangements were handled by the Australian government and that, as Queen Elizabeth is head of state in Australia, the High Commissioner had no function to perform during the visit.
It is highly unusual for ambassadors or high commissioners to be absent from their post during a royal tour and this was presumably a snub authorized by the British prime minister, Gordon Brown.
Amos has no background in diplomacy and took up the Canberra post in October ahead of Andrew Pocock, a distinguished veteran of the diplomatic service.