Are you in favour of the Royal Family?

[enzomari]

DM and I were discussing this last night, she's now in her Eighties and used to really like the Queen (not so much Phillip for some reason) but now really isn't bothered and thinks the RF, as is, should be abolished . I've always been a Republican but I was surprised at DM as she always seemed very pro RF but actually was pro the late Queen.

IMHO it seems so past it's sell by date but I'd be interested to know others opinions.

Why does George have to get sucked in? He's still a little boy and he can grow up to have a fairly normal rich boy life if we draw the line now.

Charles - business as usual
William - Scandi/Dutch style monarchy with a transition to elected presidency with similar constitutional powers on his death/abdication
George, or any member if the RF can stand for election if they want to.

Disgraceful when this includes footage filmed by the publicly funded public service broadcaster.

One thing I admire the Americans for (no idea whether this is intentional or happened by accident) is that they have a weird notion that if the taxpayer funds it, the taxpayer should benefit.

This is particularly striking when you see just how much NASA makes public as a federal body.

Compare and contrast with the UK where taxpayer funded content is "Crown copyright" which means you have to pay for it again if you want it. And that is before you jump the hurdle of whether you should be "permitted" to.

I found it really odd that Charles vetoed lots of QE2 funeral. Why? Just because he can or what...

It was obviously very moving (for some) it hit the right note, why limit what can be seen, and yes I agree we pay for the BBC through a licence fee so surely this is wrong.
We are led around like sheep by the royals sometimes.

Mysteriously they all seem to succeed in being Officers and pilots. I always thought those standards were high but fathers,sons, brothers manage to learn to fly and wear the uniforms of various elite regiments

To quote Fawlty Towers:

"There's enough there for a whole conference."

The upper classes have a rather proletariat fascination with the dressing up box.

It would be an interesting exercise (surely there is a YouTube channel that could do this) to examine in detail each appearance and decoration and decode and explain how it's warranted.

Or not as the case may be.

Even the nations favourite Winston "Big Winnie" Churchill was known to sport undeserved badges and uniforms.

There was a spoof page in "Not! The Royal Wedding" where Charles was modelling the Windsor collection.

Every time I see a thread about royals I think of the excellent and funny John Goodman film - "King Ralph".

I'd quite like John Goodman as our figurehead. The current lot can get in the bin.

This is what I’d be in favour of. The end of this royalty nonsense. And the pressure will be off the little boy and his siblings and descendants, who will be ordinary citizens after W’s death (hopefully 40+ years from now) who’ll pay their taxes etc like everyone else.

The more I read about the old Queen the more of a manipulator I think she probably was.

The more I read about the old Queen the more of a manipulator I think she probably was

She learned from the best.

Wasn't there a Wikileaks/ Panama papers that revealed her many offshore accounts stuffed full of tax free money, but people fawned over her ' frugality' because she had tupperware boxes of cereal!
I agree George should have a choice over being King, but I don't believe William has any desire to end his family's grip on the Monarchy. He just doesn't want to do anything for it. A bit like Harry, but Harry was stupid enough to think he could make it on his own. I suspect the reason the Sussexes haven't been stripped of their titles is because William doesn't want a precedent where his own kids could be stripped of theirs. Otherwise why would Charles have not done what he said he was going to do and stripped down the Monarchy? He could have equalised male and female children so no one but the heir could be Princes and princesses. It would be easy because Harry is estranged anyway. If William really wanted to set his children free from the Royal life he would have encouraged it. He hasn't. He's just decided to announce that when he's King he's going to reduce his own minimal workload even more.

Even the nations favourite Winston "Big Winnie" Churchill was known to sport undeserved badges and uniforms.

My favourite faux gongs are the ones paraded ever so, ever so seriously by Bea and Euge's hanger-on hubbies.

Even Eddie's 17 year old son is in on the bling box now too 🙄😁

Wasn't there a Wikileaks/ Panama papers that revealed her many offshore accounts stuffed full of tax free money,

Panama papers showed she not only had offshore accounts, there was also investment in the exploitative (and now thankfully defunct) Brighthouse.

Randy as trade envoy and other royals including TLQ had holdings in a shell company specifically designed to hide their wealth from the plebs:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/26/prince-andrew-held-investments-in-shell-company-set-up-to-keep-holdings-secret

I say it over and over but how anyone still supports this secretive institution is beyond me.

Haha yes, they all wear these chocolate christmas coins. It's pathetic.

It sums it up with Ed like this... I mean WTAF...

I've nothing against Edward to be honest, he's one of the best of the bunch, but really ...why is he wearing this ridiculous garb?

So surprise surprise Charles has also met with a Chinese businessman who MI5 assessed to be a security risk .
Charles wanted someone to pay off his failed housing enterprise in Scotland ( debts of 20 million I think) and Charles’ fixers sought out someone likely to ‘donate’ ( just as Charles scrambles round the Middle East begging for money )
The Windsors have taken billions from
the people of tue UK yet put our security at risk because they are too mean to put their hands in their own pocket
They’d sell the uk out in a heartbeat

So will Charles boot himself out of Sandringham ?

We know about Andrew and Epstein but where’s the pressure on Charles re Saville/ Mountbatten /Ball / COE abuses ?
Double standards re spies too ?

Oh I should add - Charles’s office was asked what due diligence was done in advance of the Chinese businessman’s meeting with Charles - can you guess?
There has been no response re due diligence from Charles office

A bit like the Duchys scandal of William and Charles ripping off the NHS charities and the intestate- no response .
Utter disdain for the ‘subjects’ they are bankrupting

The Windsors have taken billions from the people of tue UK yet put our security at risk because they are too mean to put their hands in their own pocket They’d sell the uk out in a heartbeat

Charles I was accused of soliciting foreign aid to put down the troublesome peasants in merrie old englande. Since most of the powers he was grubbing for help from were Catholic, it was a pretty clear indication of how he viewed his subjects.

Just to note: It wasn't me that made not wanted Charles III to be head of the established church of England. But while he is, he can damn well take responsibility.

Yet more sleaze round Charles's Scottish vanity project?

Who'd have thought.

Won't be his fault though. It never is.

Whatever next. Archived article as it's behind a paywall

"King met Chinese financier deemed security risk by Nato ally"

The article covers it in great detail. It sounds very murky. Heaven forbid Charles should ever put his hand in his own pocket.

archive.ph/f7QcS

Yes a vanity project connected with Dumfries house I think- described as a ghost town and 20 million in debt

Thanks for the archive link I should have done that .@Extiainoiapeial

Now I’m wondering if they knew there would be an article about Charles so set up Andrew to deflect . And I’m also ( cynically ) wondering if the unasked for information about Charles’ cancer treatment was also timed to elicit sympathy
Someone in the press isn’t playing the game re the Windsors ..
Or perhaps it is William ? They all seem to hate each other

But I’m sick of the lot them - their greed , their corruption , their internecine back stabbing

But I’m sick of the lot them - their greed , their corruption , their internecine back stabbing

You do realise that is the textbook job description of any Royal in history.

Coming soon, on Netflix

their greed , their corruption , their internecine back stabbing

The Cleopatras.
The Tudors
The Hapsburgs

It's a one trailer fits all franchise.

Lol
Of course we add the Saxe Coburg Gothas to the list but the sickening thing is they pretend to be saintly and caring . Few are fooled these days so what’s next ?

A lot are fooled unfortunately. I just don't get it.
It's almost like part of my brain is missing... the bit that looks up to this dysfunctional family.

One thing I do know..... we are a lot in the dark, there is so much we don't know. They are protected by the media and parliament relentlessly. That is why I have sympathy for Harry & Meghan, I imagine he knows a lot of how it all works.... and he knows it is protect the Monarchy at all costs even if it means throwing some under the bus...cast aside those who don't play the game.

And we never will know where their money ends and the tax payer funding begins. The people who look after the royal finances will never open the books. Reading the article about the shell companies posted earlier, it was apparently embarrassing to see where the investments were/are. Then there are the possessions. Gifts? No one has filled in the register for years. I suspect a full accounting would result in people asking awkward questions.

Yes. Their ' private owned' estates Valmoral and Sandringham came coincidentally after they put the begging bowl out to Parliament for more money because they were apparently skint. They have been tsking the piss for centuries. At least prople in the Middle Ages had some backbone and knew exactly what these people were like, instead of fawning and bleating about ' President Blair!