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.

Their personal trust funds are speculated to now be worth around £30million each and they have been entitled to the income on that since they were 25.

They really don't need the taxpayer to fund a privileged lifestyle but probably don't have enough income to support and office cost of £1m a year for public duties.

No-one should be expected to recruit a child carer for any reason other than they trust and like them.

I can just see the MN thread "AIBU to not want to recruit someone I dont want just to keep my DH's granny happy?"

disgustingly privileged?! What on earth does that mean?!? So their position of privilege disgusts you? Why? Who is entitled to be privileged in your view?
As PP have said, jealousy I think, especially with the OP.

Firstly, the royals make us money back, and aid international relations by providing an ongoing point of contact with foreign states/powers that transcends diplomatic limitations. States and powers who may have lucrative contracts available that give British people jobs, or openings to discuss regional military intervention in local conflicts instead of our own troops, and so on. They give us power economically and diplomatically, and consequently even several million pounds a year does see some return.

On another note, my eye is drawn to the mention of a foreign nanny amidst the outrage, just buried in there, and I am given to wonder whether - if we opened a Daily Fail - we might find a rage piece in there about Kate and Willy's foreign nanny? Does wondering this make me a bad person?

Wow grendels.. And he ballsed up his a levels to bolster that public image? Now there is devotion to the cause!

And I thought it was state schools that made bright kids feel they had to act dumb. Turns out it was eton all along!

They generate a massive amount of publicity for the country and British businesses.

They also don't cost us anything, except the security costs. The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry are all funded from the Duchy of Cornwall not the Civil List. Also William and Harry are independently very wealthy as a result of their mother's inheritance.

It strikes me that whatever they did, you would find fault.

I don't know how Kate managed to get through her entire 20's permanently unemployed. Was she not embarrassed? She lay around for ten years waiting for a ring on her finger, it's too much to expect that her post marriage life will be any different.

The pair of them are lazy scroungers, the royals are the biggest benefit claimants in the country and the most undeserved. The whole concept of royalty is ridiculous but if people are foolish enough to fund extreme privilege for these layabouts, then they're obviously going to continue leeching. Who wouldn't in their position?

Yes fideline, really. It was on the last thread slagging them off (so last season) it was something like the RF costs each British tax payer 62p a year but the benefits bill costs each British taxpayer 75p a week.

I'll see if I can find it.

Firstly, the royals make us money back, and aid international relations by providing an ongoing point of contact with foreign states/powers that transcends diplomatic limitations. States and powers who may have lucrative contracts available that give British people jobs, or openings to discuss regional military intervention in local conflicts instead of our own troops, and so on. They give us power economically and diplomatically, and consequently even several million pounds a year does see some return.

You mean like Prince Andrew? Wasn't he an economic envoy or some such nonsense?

Out of interest.... Where did the Duchy of Cornwall get its funds from then?

I am not a Royalist but I do like the couple. I think Kate should have done more with herself and I imagine she is extremely capable. It is sad.

Princess Di was a very special lady and it shows in William how humble and mannerly he is. I don't begrudge their money or lifestyle but they could do more.

I guess that they can't give it up - no matter what he does, he will be the queen's grandson and Princess Diana's son, and as such will attract media attention.

I would also guess that he's been brought up since birth being told that on no account must he refuse to take on his responsibilities.

I always think that the best argument for the abolition of the monarchy is that it is profoundly unfair on the monarch.

Yy northern. He's a spectacularly normal dude.

I did laugh last year when some poor woman who'd had to be rescued off a cliff because she broke her leg discovered that the pilot was the future king of England. Bwahahahaha. She'll dine out on that story for years, but really, he was just doing his job. She was spectacularly amazed at how normal the event was, and how the team worked and included him. Just like, well, anyone else, really.

I mean, it might have been the morphine talking, but somebody must have been flying the damned helicopter...

"I don't know how Kate managed to get through her entire 20's permanently unemployed."

She was hounded by the world's media every time she left the house and went to work for her parents' business. Lots of people go into the family business.

I understand people not wanting a monarchy - personally I can;t get any more excited by Bush or Putin as a money grabbing waste of resources head of state. But if you want to knock yourself out and on principal vote in your own personally selected waste of space then I'd understand.

Not sure why William and Kate are any worse than any other high profile privileged person who isn;t funded by the taxpayer (though arguable partly as their personal protection might be)

comparing Kate to Diana is a bit questionable.
That didn't end too well, did it?
Let's all slate Kate for being calm, composed and unfailingly polite. I know another Royal just like that.The Queen. Who, love her or loathe her, is an incredible monarch.

they do pull a lot of tourists into the country and earn tax revenues ans support spending - multiplier effect....

Not saying the self sustaining, but they do a bit.

just saying...

Of course they are funded by the taxpayer!

Well he can go back to the RAF then can't he Northern? But he just sacked it off the moment he got married and had a kid. It's just something the royals do - doing a bit of service stuff.

The royal family are still mainly funded by the public - whatever the ins and outs of W&K's individual circumstances. We still pay for their trips to Australia (and the fucking hairdresser)

Hilary Mantel was misquoted and did not mean it offensively. She's said so herself. She was sympathising with Kate Middleton.

I find them entirely inoffensive. Personally.

He got perfectly ordinary A-level results as far as I remember!

But yes, we all have an idea of him as being thick as two short planks, which apparently is not accurate.

Oh and my thery about why she doest say much, I think they wanted a 'silent partner' this time round. I think the establishment found Diana hard to manage in the end, she frequently outshone her husband and sometimes at his expense.

Maybe they keeping her more tempered..I hope ive put this over right.

Show me other people who got into st andrews with 'perfectly normal' a levels!

Duchy of Cornwall income is mostly property income with a financial portfolio, it started in 1337 for the Black Prince (who I think was played in The Knights Tale by the very delicious James Purefoy)

This is just so embarrassingly absurd. It doesn't matter what facts are in the public domain does it? The Royal family and William and Kate in particular are just a lovely target for the deeply stupid to rave at. Like I said below lazy of some of you.

The royal duties are paid for by the public purse though Kew, not by the Duchy.