Is it all William Hague’s fault?
The world is in a state of shock with the announcement that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are to divorce. I imply nothing improper in the conduct of the former British Foreign Secretary – quite the contrary, he is a happily married man. But I wonder if Lord Hague’s endeavours contributed indirectly to his friend’s marital strain.
Great credit to Angelina Jolie. A brave and inspiring woman dedicated to empowering others
— William Hague (@WilliamJHague) May 14, 2013
Brad and Angelina had been together for 12 years and confounded early
rumours of disharmony. They have six children (three adopted). There has been speculation that Pitt had “grown close” to the French actress Marion Cottilard while filming the forthcoming spy thriller Allied.
What if he had? It would hardly be the underlying problem. It would seem to be a symptom rather than the cause of the relationship failing. Angelina and Brad had set off in different directions. Brad remained besotted with Hollywood – which is a state of mind not merely the location for the American movie industry. He remains absorbed by all the vanity, hedonism and degeneracy.
Angelina’s attention has turned to higher things. This is where Hague comes into play.
In Johannesburg today with Angelina Jolie Pitt to address African Union leaders on sexual violence in conflict.
— William Hague (@WilliamJHague) June 12, 2015
She has become concerned with making the world a better place. There is nothing unusual about film stars rocking up for a photo opportunity at some charity event. They might be rather clueless about whatever it is they are supporting but they get some publicity, so does the charity and the media have some pictures.
Everyone’s a winner. A few of those would not have caused undue difficulty – after all Brad could tag along with Angelina.
But there is more to it. It is apparent, to even the most cynical, that Angelina has decided to take her humanitarian mission rather seriously whether the rest of us do or not. She is a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Hague spotted the depth of her commitment and took the time to nurture her interest.
.@DavidThomsonWV Summit is biggest moment so far of campaign, but in no way the end. Angelina Jolie & I will work on it long term #askFS
— William Hague (@WilliamJHague) May 21, 2014
They launched the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative in May 2012 a campaign led by the British Government. They flew to the Congo and Rwanda together. Hague declared that it was Jolie’s film In the Land of Blood and Honey – concerning warzone rape in Bosnia – that prompted him to make the issue a priority for Britain’s G8 presidency in 2013.
Of course the level of recognition could all go a bit far at times. Jolie was made a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George – a rare honour for non-British citizens, Kofi Annan and Israeli President Shimon Peres being among the other recipients.
Apparently there was some back chat among Foreign Office mandarins over Jolie’s suitability but Hague brushed aside such concerns.
Dominic Cummings, a former Government Special Advisor, has blogged scornfully that “as the black flags of ISIS fly and Putin seeks to break NATO, Hague poses for the cameras with Angelina.” Cummings adds: “Hollow, hollow, hollow.”
The Hague/Jolie friendship has continued since Hague left the Foreign Office. In May this year they both made “Visiting Professors” at the LSE “to contribute to new MSc programme in Women, Peace and Security, the first of its kind internationally.”
This appears to have been something of a gimmick given Jolie’s lack of academic credentials. Still, I suppose after taking money from Saif al-Islam Gaddafi it was a chance for the LSE to show it is on the side of the angels. At any rate it’s another way for Hague and Jolie to keep in touch.
At @WiltonPark with UNHCR envoy Angelina Jolie, delighted by her support for our initiative on stopping rape in war pic.twitter.com/jHCRRpxS
— William Hague (@WilliamJHague) November 14, 2012
Hague and Jolie are an odd couple but that is precisely why they have something to offer each other. Hague is an historian (ironically enough a biographer of Pitt the Younger…though Brad is not thought to be a relation of the 19th century prime minister), a statesman, highly intelligent and well-connected around the world.
He is also a capable communicator, very witty and has a practical, common sense approach to problem solving that reflects his Yorkshire roots. That is the mind that is at Angelina’s disposal as she pursues what has becomes her life’s work.
When it comes to a high minded discussion about the intricacies of international diplomacy, the bewildered Brad simply wouldn’t be able to compete. Yet that is what she is increasingly preoccupied about. Not some vacuous babbling about show business gossip.
But there’s something in it for William, too. He could scarcely have dreamed to have ever had such glamorous friend when attending a Rotherham comprehensive in the 1970s and bunking off to speak at the Conservative Party Conference.
Grateful for Angelina Jolie's support for UK team of experts being deployed to help survivors of rape in #Syrian conflict
— William Hague (@WilliamJHague) December 1, 2012
Even when he became Conservative Party leader in 1997 he was scarcely associated with celebrity. In the era of Cool Britannia they all wanted to schmooze with his great rival Tony Blair instead. Noel Gallagher of Oasis turned up at a Downing Street reception. Hague hit back by attending the Notting Hill Carnival and drinking out of a coconut but this only made matters worse. The cool crowd became even
more disdainful.
Now some of the Angelina stardust can rub off on Hague and some of his gravitas can rub off on her. Apparently the response from Brad has been to hit the bottle. As the saying goes, there were three in the marriage.
While Pitt may be the culprit by failing to measure up as a father or husband he might reasonably reflect that his wife is the one who has changed. She has been on a journey and it is Hague who has been showing her the way.
