To wonder why people 'love' the royal family?

[PrincessFiorimonde]

I mean, it's nice that the queen is an old lady, and I respect all old ladies just for being old and surviving to their 80s, and having nice manners (as the queen seems to).

And it's nice that William and Catherine got married last year. But then, lots of other people also got married last year. And some of them also wore nice frocks (not William, of course).

So why else do people 'love' them?

[frillyflower]

My friend met the queen for 3 minutes - the queen was very ungracious and rude. Sorry to spoil the illusion an all ...

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

I live in the town that held the Derby today. The Queen drives home more or less down my road. I don't usually bother to stick my head out but happened to be driving up the road as I saw the police outriders come down so I ditched the car and went over to join DH who is a bit of a flag waver

The streets were heaving. Loads and loads of people of all ages, all with flags, all chattering excitedly and all waving like mad when she drove past. It's a small sample but people had come from all the streets around to catch a 5 second glance at her as she drove by and they were buzzing once she'd gone. In my arse would they be voted out.

[WhiteWidow]

We can call it our own. Just because it's not us personally doesn't mean it's not us as a country. It's nice that we have something to our culture. We can enjoy the royal family without having to be involved it in.

I love the fact that we have a monarchy.

[CrispyCod]

I love the Royal Family because they have enabled me to earn lots of money.
So it's Hip Hip Hooray from me

[Cuddler]

also im not keen on patriotic stuff.i do think the street parties that will happen are nice but you dont have to have a royal family to have a party!

[Cuddler]

not keen on the royal family,they are all disturbing to look at and dont seem to have much personality,but then i suppose they dont get much chance to show it.I would prefer we didnt have one tbh.

[violathing]

People are celebrating being British and enjoying the extra hols - not celebrating the Queen's reign. a different point It i only fairly recently that she had to pay income tax on her vast fortune. Wonder if she has to pay Inheritance tax?

[LauraShigihara]

I'm sure that only other members of their family actually love them but I can say I do love a bit of patriotic stuff and they are the personification of that. They come with a history and I confess to being a teensy bit fond of the old girl who has served her country way past the age of retirement.

The rest of them leave me a bit cold though.

[RedHotPokers]

I don't love the Royal family, and I think most people I know don't either.
I honestly am totally ambivalent about the whole thing. Couldnt give two hoots if we have a queen or not.

What I do love is a 4 day weekend .
Plus I love communities coming together to do village fetes, parties, markets etc.
And I don't mind watching a bit of pageantry (in the same way as I can admire a beautiful Cathedral despite not being religious).
Plus I am quite a history buff so I like to know about ye olde Monarchy.

So I'll enjoy this weekend, and take part to a certain extent, but it doesn't change my mind about thinking that present-day monarchy is a bit pointless although I do worry that all of us non-monarchists may be 'encouraging' the royalists somewhat this weekend

[PrincessFiorimonde]

Ah, FreudianSlipper, I do agree. What was that thing Philip said the other day about wanting to unzip some woman's dress? The old perv. I note that the papers described his comment as 'one of his classics'. What a git wit.

[FreudianSlipper]

i have no idea

i cringe when people talk about them being so normal and they suddenly start speaking in a quaint way over using words such as marvelous and delightful. reminds me of blackadder and baldrick, gentry and peasant, the peaseant knowing his place .... this is how people start to behave around royals watch how they laugh at prince phillips crude remarks jokes

[noddyholder]

She is not a fashion icon its a fad she looks like Olive oil in the Queen mothers cast offs

[SundaeGirl]

Ridiculous. I can't sing - I'll never be Adele. I can't ride a horse - I'll never be a jockey. Does that really mean I can't love them?

[PrincessFiorimonde]

Well I don't want President Blair or President Cameron, either. However, even if people voted either of them in (please see that: voted - it's how a presidency is supposed to work), they can also vote them out again after a fixed period of years.

[runronnie]

cant say i love them, but i do respect what they do, and the alternative makes me shudder

President & First Lady Blair anyone?

Even the yanks look to the Kennedy Family as a type of "first" family. I guess its the continuity and the stability of knowing who is in charge

[Whatmeworry]

I Dont love them but the media keeps on telling me we all do.

[Corgito]

But don't you think that part of the affection/admiration/whatever stems from the fact that they have very little say in the matter? If they were all wiped out in a plane crash tomorrow and, as in the plot of 'King Ralph', the flunkeys worked out you or I were the next in line, how pissed off would you be that you were now expected to drop everything, pick up a sceptre and spend the foreseeable future pinning medals on people, being stalked by the paparazzi and saying 'how interesting'?

[noddyholder]

[PrincessFiorimonde]

Yes of course our daughters/grand-daughters can marry in to the royal family. What a great example to provide them with - darling, you might not ever achieve 'greatness', but at least you can marry in to it.

[Corgito]

People love the familiar. Random things like landmarks, soap operas and radio stations stir up big emotions. Long-lived celebrities get the tag 'national treasure'. The Royal Family, and especially the Queen, is one of those constant features of life that we don't give all that much thought to most of the time, but we'd miss if it wasn't there.

[HMQueenElizabeth]

We are not 'barred from joining the royal family' at all... We can marry into them.
Kate Middleton did this recently.

[HRNiceViperness]

I don't see the point in having a referendum on this until there is a prospect that there might be a majority for change. Note that Australia, where republican sentiment is much stronger and opinion polls much closer have not voted for abolition. There isn't even the remotest possibility that the Monarchy would be voted out, and so I think it would all be a waste of time and money.

On the other hand, it would certainly give the Monarchy a fresh mandate. So perhaps it should happen.

[noddyholder]

It is ingrained in the English from an early age that a whole swathe of people are 'better' simply due to an accident of birth and these scroungers are at the very top of that pile

[violathing]

We should have a referendum about being a republic like France (off with their heads! ) The queen does a fab job but the job should not exist, it should be a job that is earned and not an automatic birthright. I wonder if the royals will be thought of so highly when Charles and Camilla take charge?