To think Prince William and his wife are lacking appreciation of their position

[fideline]

and good fortune?

He just seems a bit of an over-privileged posh boy?

I know everyone says he has lovely manners, but we can expect a bit more than that, surely?

They have just hired a 'forrin' nanny a) after making an enormous PR fuss about not having one b) at a time of high UK unemployment.

The list of god-parents for their baby was a bit multi-barrelled and No foreign royals, as is traditional, but Not the slightest whiff of any demographic diversity either.

There seem to be a LOT of luxury holidays going on with these two.

The uni course he is doing has been especially designed for him and seems designed to prepare him for inheriting the enormous (private) Duchy of Cornwall. Not exactly public-spirited?

In the much-hyped first post-baby interview, he was keen to promote a charity saving Kenyan Rhinos. Nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but the line between animals he shoots for fun and animals he wants to save is unclear and anyhow a charity for under-privileged (UK?) children would have been the nice, publicity-shrewd thing to do, maybe?

For a couple with a great deal of expensive PR expertise at their disposal they seem to be slightly missing the mark a bit too often.

Okay I posted earlier in this thread to say I was 'for' the royal family. Not exactly a fan but not opposed to them because of tourism/tradition etc.

But reading this morning that they have gone to the Maldives on another holiday I have revised my opinion.

Not only is this extremely frivolous of them but it is insensitive and frankly very stupid of them, they will lose a lot of supporters by doing this.

There are people really struggling in this country who will feel bitter and even betrayed that some of their taxes are going towards the added security and other costs of these holidays (I am assuming the actual cost of the holiday will not be paid for by us because they will get it free from the PR company of the resort).

(I don't think leaving a seven month old baby is the end of the world! 'Ordinary' people do this all the time for a variety of reasons. I know there is a divided opinion about this but in my opinion it will not harm a baby at all! And I don't think that should be the issue here)

People do all sorts with their babies. Had been assuming they had gone for a family holiday, though.

This Maldives trip has given me a little bit of the rage tbh.

Wasn't she just in Mustique?

Leave them alone. It's been at least six weeks since they had a holiday.

Everything about the 'royals' gives me the rage

So I am steadfastly ignoring them until the republic gets here!

You'll get a cricked neck anti and anyway *Mama's right, we should have more compassion.

Am envious of winter sun but not of lifestyle. Feel Kate is a little out of touch.

A little??? Someone really needed to tell her several years ago that this is the 21st century and waiting around to get a man to marry her isn't really necessary as women can earn their own money now!!

Normally the kind of thing you'd expect a parent to point out though, isn't it zee? And i don't think that was ever going to happen.

Exactly, fideline, but then Mummy is the biggest social climber in the UK! Shame, as she really is a sort of working class hero

Prince Charles is a pretty egocentric, entitled kind of bloke, looks like William is going the same way. Diana would not be impressed.

I can't stand any of the monarchy and i would prefer that my 50p per week or whatever it is went to all the sure start centres that are being shut down.

Viva La Revolution!

Anyone born into the immediate line of succession is bound to end up egocentric to some degree. It is the entirely inevitable consequence of being encircled by social climbers and sycophants. Not to mention employees.

But Charles is a good egg who has tried to understand things from different angles and step outside his birthright. I think he deserves huge credit for that.

William is an entirely different character.

republic.org.uk/

I am choking on my Duchy of Cornwall toast here.

More of them should actually have proper jobs. If royals in other countries can, they should. Bleating about needing privacy or time to prepare to be on the throne is just an excuse. Ultimately if there was less flapping around playing the privilege card there would be less day to day interest in them and they could do what they liked. Don't fall for that nonsense. They, and their entourage, are playing the public. It's social engagement 'lite'.

Did you know there is a secret organisation called the Monarchist League, whose aim is to reinstate monarchies everywhere and support privilege indiscriminately? Their members are dotted about public life and manoeuvre to ensure the retention of privilege at all costs. I am not a conspiracy theorist but it is obvious to me we are, to some extent, being milked. At the moment I am reasonably happy to go along with it, but in the future, who knows?

There is nothing stopping him flying helicopters.

Not with you on the Prince William opinion OP. He had no choice in being born into that family etc, Kate on the other hand however... Then again I wonder how much choice one truly has in being chased by a Prince? Personally I wouldn't want to be either, imagine never ever having to put a foot wrong 24/7 a day.

Of course they put feet wrong

I bet they kick kittens and sacrifice the homeless during satanic sex rituals every Tuesday.

I mean who in their right mind would try to grass them up!

But he's 30 & has done pretty much what he wanted until now.

That's not bad, is it?

Didn't he resign from the helicopter flying before he was pushed?

I do like the Queen. And feel sorry for Prince Charles as he was brought up in the 'olden days' when we were just emerging from the doff the hat to those born into privilege days. He always looks like he's shocked that the world has changed. And at least he tried with the Princes Trust stuff to set some sort of example to the rest of the elite that 'one really ought to have some sort of philanthropic cause that offers a leg up to some of the lower classes'.

However his brother Andrew (no reason for him not to have knuckled down in a job befitting his educational attainments) the utterly useless Edward (rolls eyes) William, Harry and their WAGs; have that parasitic quality about them. They leech off the rest of us and their lifestyle of indolence and excess is an affront to all the young people on this country struggling to find work above NMW and who will never have the security of owning their own home.

Why have none of the rest taken the example of Anne and her brood. Apart from Zara being in the Olympics and her Rugby bloke I wouldn't recognise Anne's son if he say down to dinner in my kitchen tonight... And that's how it should be with monarchy in the 21st century. Shuffled out for a few civic occasions like Remembrance Sunday then back to the day job and the semi in Staines - thankyou.

So next time William is on the telly and he goons on, high fiving the bloke serving in Costa's, taking selfies with tramps and dressing George in the bobble hat knitted by the lady who's been standing out side Buckingham palace for 30 years... think who is paying for this and why do we continue to do so ... After all we can change the law quite quickly to stop benefits.. So why not all this Royal business?

Seriously. The job description reads . Wave, smile, high five, selfie, speech( written by someone else) eat, drink home to bed. Surely that should be paid at NMW if you compare to a health care assistant that actually does care for sick people is on about 7.20 an hour? If they were actually paid what they're worth this weekend Kate'd be lugging her bottle warmer down to a self catering cabin at Minehead where they'd be enjoying an out of season weekend so George can get his first glimpse of the sea and have 50p ride in a postman pat car outside the arcade.

As Jim Royal would say... Maldives my arse!

antiabz .