Rule Britannia! The Queen owns the seabed.

Ok, leaving aside Crown Estates, which she now gets an income from, there is her vast personal collections of art, antiques, jewellery.

I've actually just watched an old Antiques Roadshow. A man brought in bits of a dinner service that had been huge when it was made, but since split up. The expert said that most of it was now owned by the Queen, and then started valuing it - plate GBP10,000, fruit bowl 15,000, trembleuse 15,000.

I think it is beyond immoral that she could sell a fucking soup bowl and pay for respite care for the poor woman on another thread who has lost it with her autistic son and shouted that she hates him, because her anti-depressants aren't working anymore.

The Crown Estates put millions/billions into the Exchequer each year of which HM gets a small part back.

I am a monarchist too, and would not like to see the Queen replaced by a President of any kind. The monarchy is a huge draw for tourism; they do stacks for charity; those in HM Forces hold their commissions straight from her, so it is for Queen and country; as others have said she provides an overview like no other of procedure and trends in events; when the Royal Yacht was around the trade brought in after invites to dinners, cocktail parties etc on the yacht was immense. I think someone ought to quantify the money she brings into the country.

Two out of her three sons have been in HM Forces, one fighting in the Falklands; and two of her grandchildren are also in, one having fought in Afghanistan, so they do 'proper' jobs, and I don't think doing Search and Rescue is a cinch either. Presumably those of you who are anti would refuse to be rescued by a helicopter piloted by Prince William as it would be against your republican principles?

Three more scary words and a reason to keep the monarchy: President Peter Madelson.

I don't have a problem with monarchy per se (power becomes hereditary pretty quickly anyway, even if it started off democratic - eg Megawati Sukarnoputri, Gloria Arroyo, and of course the Georges Bush).

What I do object to is the absolutely mind-melting personal wealth of the Queen.

I think that morally, it is national wealth accrued with national armies, not personal wealth, and I think it is absolutely vile that she is sitting on Leonardos, hundreds of millions of pounds of jewellery, vast parcels of land, the seabed (!) while her fellow countrymen are hyperventilating about what's going to happen to them when they lose the 20 quid a week or whatever child benefit is.

Bicycle monarchies are not a bad concept at all.

I don't think we need them as tourist attractions. The French tourist trade seems to do well without a monarchy.

In that case I can say that I've always suspected them to be the same poster.

Allegedly.

We should gently and gradually withdraw funding from the royal family and let them make a living for themselves. They'd manage fine and we'd save a bit of cash.

Panhead My god.... I have travelled all over the world, and I have never heard the indigenious people of any country I have been in slag off their own country. That's what makes it so refreshing to visit other shores.

Only the British would slag off their own! Absolutely incredible.

I've got some spare one way tickets to China (the land of the free) Would you like some?

Panhead. Are you a socialist? Didn't George Orwell say it is only the British Socialists who hate their own country? How bloody right he was!

If you think people in this country are 'robbers and burglars' why don't you live somewhere else? If you have such a poor opinion of this country?

I would!

Panhead. If you think we are 'chavs off the world' think again! we have produced the most inventors, scientists, wonderful painters, penicillin etc; shall I go on?

This is a fantastic country, true we do have a few people some condsider 'chavs' I consider them working class and normal, and IMO the salt of the earth.
Have you visited Muswell Hill (London) and seen non-chavs? Some so far up their own arse, they can't see daylight! So PC they look down on others who are not, whilst living in one of the wealthliest areas of London, a million miles away from 'chavs'.

No this is a great country and those rather nasty 'chavs' built it!.

Chil - if there could be a President Tony Blair, he would have had to have been voted in by the electorate, who would then have a chance to vote for someone else a few years later. There wouldn't then be President Ewan Blair or whoever his eldest child is.

This is the 21st century and these people get immense wealth, privileges and special treatment that they have not earned (prince Andrew as a special trade representative? What a joke!).

miffy- there's no reason The Crown estate can't sell off the seabed like they have all of their affordable housing; see my previous link.

At least if the queen owns the sea bed the govt can't sell it off. A pity she doesn't own air traffic control, the railway system and the posties too.

I'd like to see her bank statements

I too would like to see the inside of the queen.

Not the entrails though. Perhaps just a kidney.

thank you. It makes my blood slightly hot. But I am British. So it never reaches boiling.

Hear, Hear Pan

or meritocracy even!

fuck me. She is 'one of us'. Just by dint of birth she has been amassing power and authority without even asking for it. No meritocaracy. No competition.

and no, we are NOT widely respected in the world. Historically we are robbers and burglars - that's how a tiny island off the coast of Europe got to be so "big". We as a nation are despised and looked down upon. And sometimes feared for our aggression and ignorance.

Figurehead of being the 'chavs of the world'? No thanks.

Chinghehuang. I feel you are right in wanting to see the more human side of our lovely Queen. I do think as does County it would have to be very carefully managed, as to not make her one of us, which she is not.

The Queen is a wonderful figurehead for this country, and we are widely respected because of her.

Russia seems to think it 'owns' Antarctica!

I would rather the Queen own our seabeds, than the government. The Queen is not a leech and she has never 'put a foot wrong' unlike our politicians, who are on the whole a bunch of hypocrites and reprobates. Particulary the Labour party elite. Of which we had our lovely,snidey,sneeky,immoral President Blair!

Long live our lovely Queen!

mycounty, I would love to see the Queen interviewed like her son was recently. It's nice to see the human side of the untouchable royals.