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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Prince William to leave the armed services

259 replies

baffledmum · 12/09/2013 12:07

I am a fan of the monarchy but this has just made me stop and think...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24065166

Hmmm – not going to a “full time royal” = part-time royal then. What's he doing with the rest of his time?

I'd be happy to give up my job to focus on royal work and charity duties if someone can tell me where to apply! Or am I just being mean and unreasonable that he can afford to? Envy

OP posts:
FlapJackFlossie · 12/09/2013 12:25

He is a millionaire from his mother and grandmother's inheritance. He can do what he likes !

Maybe he is going to take extended paternity leave as so many on here advocate Grin

ShatnersBassoon · 12/09/2013 12:27

I'm surprised he stuck at it for seven years. I can't fault him, most people in that position would do the same.

Sokmonsta · 12/09/2013 12:28

Career break to help raise George maybe? Perhaps he's going to be a sahd so Katherine can go back to work.

LifeofPo · 12/09/2013 12:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

treaclesoda · 12/09/2013 12:34

I'm not a huge fan of the royals, but I know loads of people who have been in the armed forces through their 20s then left at around his age, so if it's good enough for the ordinary man it's perfectly reasonable that he might have had enough too.

He has huge inherited wealth at his disposal, so he can support himself.

Misspixietrix · 12/09/2013 12:38

LifeOfPo Grin OP YDNBU! I'm not anti-royalist but some of the stuff they do / say is a bit eyebrow raising. Like when Kate said she wasn't going to have a Nanny. She's changed her mind now. Fair enough just don't try and play to the Media to be someone you are not. She would be one of many working and I use that term loosely Mums who has to rely on Childcare/Nannies to fit around Work Commitments.

RunRabbit · 12/09/2013 12:40

YABU for "I am a fan of the monarchy".

kim147 · 12/09/2013 12:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SoupDragon · 12/09/2013 12:44

Prince William is currently considering a number of options for public service, the palace added, with a further announcement to follow in due course

YoniMitchell · 12/09/2013 12:49

But he's not really going to be 'supporting himself' is he Treaclesoda? They're moving into a Royal palace, with staff and security presumably provided. I don't think they'll exactly be setting up direct debits for their utility bills.

Good point Misspixitrix!

kim147 · 12/09/2013 12:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

curlew · 12/09/2013 12:50

Good. It'll shut the "oh, he works really hard, just like normal people" and "Kate's just like any other Service wife" brigade up for a while.

Misspixietrix · 12/09/2013 12:53

Thankyou Yoni and precisely. Oh dear god can you imagine the Electric Bill? Wink. Not in the least bit jealous

MarmaladeTwatkins · 12/09/2013 12:55

He should do some volunteering down the local charity shop.

meditrina · 12/09/2013 12:57

It also says he's going to be working on this.

If it helps as many people as his father's charity, The Prince's Trust, that'll be a damned good thing.

Chusband · 12/09/2013 12:59

I imagine he'd rather like to stay in the forces but it was only so something he could do while young, free and single. It's a case of fun's over, now you have to get on with your real job.

treaclesoda · 12/09/2013 13:25

yoni you're right, he won't really be supporting himself, but on the other hand, I don't suppose he solely lives off his RAF salary at the moment either, so in that respect I don't see it as being all that different to how things are at the moment.

I'm not a fan, but I care so little about them that I can't get myself annoyed by them either, if that makes sense. I feel indifferent.

YoniMitchell · 12/09/2013 13:43

But you'd have a fleet of cleaners Misspixietrix!

diddl · 12/09/2013 14:17

Do they join the forces purely because they are then also allowed time off for "Royal Duties"?

He's done a bit in the past 7(?) years, & I doubt that it all fell on him time off/holiday allowance!

Well, if he's to be King, perhaps 30 is the age to start doing the job!

Oblomov · 12/09/2013 14:22

Don't know why I'm surprised.

meditrina · 12/09/2013 14:24

Well, the Queen is old, and Prince Philip is ill, so I suspect there will be a rebalancing of Royal duties. But that will surely be evolutionary, and it seems likely he'll take a growing role, and more would probably be incompatible with operational search and rescue deployment. I think we'll see a gradual change, which might be why there isn't a 'big bang' announcement just because of him leaving the Forces in readiness.

notyummy · 12/09/2013 14:25

There are plenty people with the same sort of inherited wealth doing less work. But I like the idea of working images food bank.

BoozyBear · 12/09/2013 14:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

diddl · 12/09/2013 14:39

"There are plenty people with the same sort of inherited wealth doing less work."

But he's not living on his own inherited wealth, is he?

He has homes in Kensington Palace, at Sandringham, so he has the privileges of royal life for atm little "royal" work.

Onesleeptillwembley · 12/09/2013 14:43

Maybe he's going to take a leaf out of his idle wife's book and do nothing.