As Rachel Reeves struggles to balance the books, the Royal Family should forgo a £46 million increase in their funding. AIBU?

Even William has basically said what the Royals do is busy work and he doesn't want to do it! Many people are charity patrons- sportspeople, actors, celebs who do the same thing in their spare time, and dont expect the place to be repainted/ toilet seats taken out etc.
Sara Cox has raised £6m for CIN. Charles paid £5m in tax last year yet people criticise CIN for raising money for things that should be paid for through taxation. Chances are William has paid less, as he's decided not to reveal what he has paid. Even though he is rumoured to be a billionnaire- richer than the King.0

I've asked this question so many times and never get a response. I wonder why?

What duties do the Windsors do?

Most of their ‘duty’ is a PR fig leaf. The Windsors benefit from being linked to charities not the charities themselves.

William does next to nothing .

They have a choice. They can walk away. Yes it would be a constitutional crisis, but they can.

I'm only off topic because people replied in the way they did to my first comment.
Undemanding and pleasant duties are only thus if you have a choice.
I was simply pointing out to those who think that the royals are a parasitic drain on taxpayers money that's there's a far bigger parasitic drain on that resource that needs to be dealt with too

I'd also like to know the answer to this? Also, if we really MUST have a royal family, why can't they pay for their own privileged lifestyles? After all, they certainly have enough money.

There will always be a small core of people who need help.
Everyone else could either study to get a better paid job or work more hours but most won't.

I think you're absolutely right. And anything to do with the Monarchy is a political hot potato and would erode votes quite possibly

They're all going to get a bit of rude shock when the gravy train derails as it will sooner rather than later.

Our country is running on fumes now.

What now? £300 per day?? For life? Even fraudsters like Michelle Moan? Jesus christ...what with the money grabbing lazy arse royals and this, it's no wonder we're in debt. I despair. Off to my lowly paid job now in order to support these leaches.

I suspect happy to is... inaccurate. People with disabilities or caring responsibilities incompatible with work, people actively searching hard for work without luck...

Also, if we set the moral standard that everyone needs to pursue a job that can keep a family out of poverty... who's working at the supermarket, providing care in nursing homes, being a band 5 nurse in the South, collecting bins, managing hotel receptions, serving food in cafes, staffing nurseries, being a teaching assistant or any of the 1000s of jobs that wouldn't cover a family as a sole or main income.

Back on topic, I think I would respect the Royal Family more if they declined the grant/donated it to specific causes.

I would house MPs in something like a Holiday Inn under a bridge near the train station somewhere. The prisons are over-full or else that would be the logical place for most of them.

I would replace the so-called royals with their Mme Tussauds replicas (how long would it take anyone to discover the difference?) and, having recovered what I could of the assets the family have helped themselves to, let them go seek refuge with some of their "royal" counterparts to whom they are related overseas. Hopefully they would have luck with this route and not be abandoned and left to their fate as the Romanovs were by the British Royal family in 1917, when George V refused to offer his cousin and his family asylum lest it stir up anti-royal feeling here!

What a feckless, self-interested lot they are and always have been.

This is off topic but I wonder if the seeming reluctance of MPs to tackle Windsor greed is linked in any way to maintaining the current FPTP system . The UK isn’t particularly high on the democratic index - that’s partly to do with the medieval remnant that is the monarchy but surely it is partly first past the post too.

BTW , there is groundswell of support for many reforms re the Windsors - and there are longstanding public reps who have worked to expose the injustices imposed on us .
I think the establishment knows that one crack - eg no more swearing allegiance to Charles rather than the people , or insisting on financial transparency re the Windsors - and the whole facade crumbles .

@User198174 Also, the idea that members of the monarchy will be upstanding and incorruptible if we give them enough money is shown to be hopelessly idealistic by the (piss artist) formerly known as Prince Andrew.

This! A lot of books on political theory argue that corruption exists because politicians don't get paid enough. It's a nice theory but practice suggests that nobody has yet done anything about human greed and often there isn't an amount of money big enough that some people will ever be satisfied with.

The idea that the royals are somehow incorruptible just because they don't need the money or the titles is just as theoretical as an argument that any king is without sin because he is the Head of Church. And are they truly apolitical or is it easier to be apolitical in a system where two main parties from which people elect their government have practically become the right and the left arm of the same body, which is being so heavily lobbied and influenced by transnational corporations and the superwealthy that it may just as well declare it its sole purpose to legislate and regulate in their favour rather than any interests of the people of the country?

As for representing "our interests" abroad... I am sorry but I am not seeing how they are being adequately represented by cutting ribbons, shaking hands and kissing babies on their overseas travels (all by private jets, of course!).

I think they're being sarcastic? If not, I'd also like to know exactly what they ALL do for the money they receive...and I mean actual work...not "they attract tourism'.

What exactly is it that they do for us ?

Benefit claimants do nothing profitable for the country.

Surely a "hard working " Royal is an oxymoron? 😄