Shame the female royals didn't walk too

[redsunshinedasiy]

Kudos to Anne who went against tradition and stood up front with her brothers and walked (and also to all the grandchildren who did the vigil) but it's a shame to see all the other females in the funeral stay crawling slowly in a car while all the men walked, just seems so old fashioned (particularly when Anne has gone against it and she is the eldest female!!)

This makes sense to me.

They should have done a spreadsheet with a pie chart to make sure the quantity of people who were part of it were of equal sex, gender, race, sexuality etc.

Then the "I'm so offended by everthing" people wouldn't be upset.

Maybe it’s just what the queen wanted. 🤷‍♀️

Can you imagine if MM had decided to walk? She would have been crucified! 😅

Also people saying 'I would have preferred to walk'. Would you really? You would be confident to march perfectly with the military without messing it up, while the world watched? Sure.

🙄

Zara has children who have just walked into a chapel wither her, and both Eugenie and Beatrice have children who are still very young and most likely breastfed. Having a nanny does not stop a mother's wish to feed, comfort or be with their child, regardless of whether their farther is present or not.

Mothers cannot get it right from wrong can they?

Peter Philips and Earl Snowdon aren’t military but managed the walk so no reason why Zara, Louise, Beatrice and Eugenie couldn’t?

Did you make your feelings known to Zara before hand?

Maybe she would have walked if you thought she should.

In all seriousness, why is it assumed any of the women of the RF wanted to?

I fairly recently left the armed forces after 23 years, in a job that would reasonably be described as make dominated. On my time there have been some fairly big changes- for example, as part of my joining process I was asked if I was a homosexual, and if I’d replied yes, then I would legally have been barred from joining.

Although there are more women doing my old role (and the majority of them doing it well) than ever before, the change hasn’t been significant- women are still very much the minority. And this is despite a lot of changes regarding the Terms and Conditions of Service and HR policies/practices to make it more so, as well as significant and targeted recruitment campaigns to do so. Mainly because, the role just isn’t that interesting to most women. I’ve been personally involved with STEM events and engagement with local colleges and youth groups etc, and for every girl/young woman who was interested in what I did, there were a lot more who instantly switched off, because it just isn’t their thing. Which personally, I understand, but find it a shame.

I dont know who Earl Snowdon is to be fair, is he a fairly senior family member, as Peter Phillips is being the oldest grandchild?

I dont know what role Zara, Louise, Beatrice and Eugenie would be said to have apart from being family members? Not the child of the deceased, not the children of the current monarch and not the oldest grand children?

Earl Snowden is the son of the Queen's only sibling.

But why wouldn’t it be a attractive career for women? The forces aren’t just about the fighty fighty ‘pointy end’ stuff. Comments like that are just patronising to those of us women who have, and do serve. Just because it doesn’t appeal to you doesn’t mean it isn’t an appealing career, and there are many varied roles out there which women perform brilliantly every day.

It may not have been immediately evident today because first and foremost parades such as that are about conformity, so everyone should blend in. Equally- the guards regiments, whilst performing ceremonial roles, are first and foremost infantry, which until fairly recently women were excluded from because of the nature of the work historically. This is no longer the case but it takes time for those women to trickle through and reach sufficient seniority/experience.

I think everyone did a tremendous job today, and I’m massively proud of everyone who participated and paid their respects, in which ever way they did it.

It was right that they didn’t. The press would have didn’t the whole time talking about their shoes etc. It was appropriate that it was just Anne.

I was playing spot the black or brown person. Couldn't get to 10 for the whole ceremony. Not counting guests from Commonwealth countries.

I was a bit surprised that Zara, Beatrice and Eugenie weren't also walking as grandchildren. Appreciate that Peter may be the oldest grandchild, but it then seemed a bit odd that Zara wasn't there with him.

But it's the Queen's call.

Why is it patronising? In what way are you patronised by me saying that?

Havent you noticed there is an overrepresentation of women in teaching, nursing and social work

There is an underrepresentation of women in the armed forces, police etc

Some things attract more males, some things attract more females. Its ok, its ok to have differences in the sexes.

I dont know why there has to be pretence that everything can be attractive to everyone and that goes for jobs, hobbies, exercises, interests, etc.

Are Zara and Phillip twins?

Hear, hear.

The male grandchildren are the eldest grandchild and the sons of the new king. The nephew is the eldest child of the Queen's beloved sister. They are not counterparts to Beatrice and Eugenie

But by saying it’s not generally a career enjoyed by women, it is patronising, because many many women do enjoy those roles. Plus there is so much diversity of roles in the forces, that there is no singular ‘armed forces job’ anyway. Teaching, nursing etc. may be predominantly female, but I don’t think people go so far as saying that these are jobs that aren’t at all appealing to men (and these jobs also exist within the forces).

It’s great to have differences, let’s all play to our own individual strengths. But saying that the forces aren’t normally a desirable career for women only shows your ignorance as to the range of roles that exist (including god forbid nurses and teachers!)- the infantry do not represent all of the armed forces!

Anyway, I’ve said my piece, I think everyone involved should be tremendously proud of the job they did today, and hopefully the family can now grieve privately.

Is it or is it not a fact that the majority of the applications to the armed services are from males?

If so, then what I said is correct, its not generally a desirable career for women.

I didnt say,, and dont put words in my mouth, that no women find the roles desirable, I had already earlier in the thread countered a number of posters who claimed there werent enough women in the procession when I saw lots. I know that lots of women do join the armed forces but most women are not attracted to the military, in the same way most men are not attracted by teaching or social work

Find better things to feel patronised about for goodness sake

^ Agree

I can think of a few reasons the late HM the Queen may have made her plans in this way, including :

• to keep the focus as it should be on the occasion rather than a media circus on the trivial details of the RF females outfits (as is always the case for Royal Weddings)
• to highlight Anne’s role (and why not indeed)
• lastly and I think most importantly: she may well have been burned by the divorces of 2 of her sons, the media attention on & tensions with the late Diana, with Sarah Ferguson, more recently with Meghan and the fact that the public is not entirely 100% accepting of Camilla… the only uncontroversial ones are Kate & Sophie really… given that it’s hard to predict what would be happening in advance keeping the focus on her own DC & immediate line may just have made more sense to her

How on earth does Kate wear those shoes and not trip. Is it practise and practise?

"The reasons why what happened happened is because someone decided it would happen for maximum effect and pomp and presence."

Yes, this. Protocol and tradition dating back to C19th aristocratic mourning customs when women were considered too delicate and emotional to (in many cases) even attend the funeral, let alone walk behind the coffin. They went in the carriages if at all while the men accompanied the coffin, since they could be relied on not to have a fit of the vapours or faint etc.

It's like the tradition of women being given away by a male relative at their wedding. Some women say, ah it's tradition. Others say, that tradition.

Anne is in the that camp, in flats and trousers, re being too delicate to walk at a funeral. Others are following the tradition and protocol. It's a choice (since Anne) but it's absolutely not because these particular women were looking after the kids.