To think that after all the money spent on their military training that Harry and William should have proper jobs?

[Sixweekstowait]

Just that really - all they ever seem to do is go to sporting events

Oh

There are many people in this country who have never paid their way including people on benefits.

Talking of the Armed Forces, I also know a few ex servicemen and women who retired early on officer pensions and never served in any conflict or indeed did anything that special to warrant a £100k payout and a pension in double figures for the next 40 years or so.

Plenty of people get something for nothing in this country. 99% of them you never hear about.

I think the Royals on the whole do a very good job and are very significant in terms of generating tourist revenue.

We get 160 million from the royal estates. This was an agreement made. That 160 million would be given the the government in return for funding from the public purse.

This agreement was made a long long time ago and it is still being upheld, despite the fact the 160 million is probably more than they're receiving from the tax payers.

yes what is a 'proper person' and what criteria must be met to achieve such status?

"oh had he? fair enough but my question still stands - official engagements anyone? or do you just think they are fun and no different than part of a regular social life? "

Some are. Some aren't, but whatever they are, 62 in a year does not strike me as a demanding job!

Compared to a lot of royals they've come much closer to proper jobs than a lot of them. What do Andrew's daughters do?

If we went republican tomorrow they'd keep a lot of the money, property etc. They'd then be at total leisure to holiday and live the life of Reilly. No different to any number of sons and daughters of billionaires the world over.

I don't really care that much about them as long as they get on with their role without hashing it up.

He wasn't doing the full time job plus public engagements though, was he? He was given time off to do them, it's not like he had to pop off and cut a ribbon after a full shift. And public engagement includes all sorts including things like theatre/cinema trips, attendance at football matches. Also, he stopped working as a search and rescue pilot after George was born. I don't feel particularly strongly about whether there should be a royal family or not but I do think the idea that they work very hard is laughable. I think they are very good at making us believe that they work hard. I think there was a royal commentator, can't remember who that said the royal family are expert at making two days work look like a week's work.

Sorry but I wouldn't like to be the queen. Having to show her face everywhere, she's elderly now and could do with the break! I think the only reason she hasn't stepped down is she doesn't want to burden the rest.

62 in a year does not strike me as a demanding job!

In addition to his other job too of course .

I don't think anyone is denying that they have a luxurious lifestyle but in contrast to the older generation of royals and Andrew [who I admit sounds like a tit] I think they come across well, do work and appear to be extremely popular with the majority of the general public so they're not going anywhere .

Prince Harry still has a proper job, I'm not sure about William.

I used to quite like the monarchy, but tbh William and Catherine have turned me right off it and if there were a vote to turn this country into a Republic I'd vote "yes" without a doubt. Those two come across as incredibly lazy IMO.

62 official engagements is not a lot, regardless of wether he has a job or not. DH has a full-time job in the RAF, is my carer and still does at least 2 weekends a month as a Community First Responder.

I know it has been said on here many times before that Harry is an excellent pilot, I've no doubt that he is. But how many more would be if they were given the opportunity?

I actually felt sad the last time I was in Paris: all those lovely Place's but nothing to have any "pomp and circumstance" over - it seemed such a waste. I am really glad we aren't a republic.

Go on then.. tell me why you think the queen doesn't have to pay taxes, OP.

"I think the only reason she hasn't stepped down is she doesn't want to burden the rest."

I think more that she sees it as her duty to be Monarch until she dies.

Sorry but I wouldn't like to be the queen. Having to show her face everywhere, she's elderly now and could do with the break! I think the only reason she hasn't stepped down is she doesn't want to burden the rest.

Being monarch isn't something you normally "step down" from. Sure Edward VIII abdicated but that was a very unusual situation.

She might not stop being Queen but she can, though, hand over most of her responsibilities to Charles and the others. I think this is increasingly what is happening and it has the knock on effect that William and Harry are having to take on some of the things their father would previously have done. Hence, the business about William doing some Estate management training or whatever it is so he can take on administration of the Duchy of Cornwall.

I think that over the years she has decreased her workload quite a bit, hasn't she?

I think that she has a cousin (Alexandra) who still does quite a bit as well.

In some ways the "young" Royals have the best of both worlds.

Jobs in the military that they have chosen, with time off for relatively few official engagements.

Plenty of soldiers (sailors, airmen) get time off for 'other' duties. It's not peculiar to the Royals.

I have a friend who has just competed in the Commonwealth Games. For the last 6 months she has had 2 days a week 'off' for training. She finished work completely mid June to train full time, went to the games, and is not due back at work till 1 Sep.

I know another soldier that has a day off every week during the football season because he is a trainied physio for a 'proper' footy team.

For 2 years running I had 2 months off to train and then compete in the Army Snowboarding Championships, and know people that had more in the lead up to the Winter Olympics.

We have soldiers permanently training (and not doing their 'day job') for sports such as bobsleigh and skeleton.

There is even a unit, nicknamed "Sports and Pastimes" where serious athletes get posted because they can guarantee time off for training and competitions.

In my career I have had time off for expeditions and exercises such as a Reef survey in Malaysia, trekking in Nepal, diving in Malaysia, Egypt and Gibraltar, and snowboarding in Canada. I have been sent to NZ at short notice to assist with a legal issue and travelled back to warzones as a civilian to check stuff we did was still in place.

All of the above was at MOD expense.

One Royal Engagement "on duty" a week? Pah, chicken feed

Eve. Never managed to get away for adventurous training but have done 2 historical battlefield tours. Never been on an exercise to a great location either. I have seen lots of sand and dust at high altitude though!

not particularly worried about them having 'proper' jobs, but reading the palace diary in the Torygraph it would seem the future king and his missus do very very little. Queenie is busy most days as are the Wessexes and Princess Anne - it makes me spit feathers a bit when I see headlines about how 'utterly exhausted' Kate is being a mum of two . . . . Have a lot of respect for the Queen, but think maybe the royal family have had their day.

Compared to a lot of royals they've come much closer to proper jobs than a lot of them. What do Andrew's daughters do?

Beatrice and Eugenie aren't really the taxpayers' problem their father pays the rent on their apartment, they've both got/had jobs, they don't have police bodyguards. Whatever they are up to, it's not funded by us - and is therefore no doubt pretty much what they'd do as the offspring of a wealthy family if we didn't have a Royal family (and no doubt what all their mates do) with a bit of added patron of this, visit to Berlin to promote British trade of that.

It's been made very clear (eg at the Jubilee) that the core Royal Family is now the Queen, Philip, Charles and Camilla, the Cambridges and Harry. Everyone else is being quietly pushed into the background and having to pay for themselves even if that does mean (as noted above) people like the Wessexes maybe haven't got the memo and still do a lot of the engagements.

I know it has been said on here many times before that Harry is an excellent pilot, I've no doubt that he is. But how many more would be if they were given the opportunity?

He wasn't given the opportunity because he was royal though - he got it through the same channels as anyone else. And in fact now being royal can damage his career since it limits what he can do (and I don't think he'd stop being a target if he decided somehow to stop being royal, if he can even do that?).

Wow desertmum - I missed Kate's baby no. 2 totally!!! For that matter, I haven't ever heard her whinge about being 'utterly exhausted' either.

If you mean Charles as the future King, he still does his bit - but he is at the age where many would be looking at retirement. No hope for him - nor the Queen and Prince Philip!

People don't tend to get given the opportunity to be pilots- they have to apply, pass selection, pass initial training then pass flying training, then pass the operational conversion unit, then have to keep doing well.

William would not have been selected if he wasn't future head of the armed forces as he needs specs to fly. To get in to the RAF as an ab initio pilot, you need 20:20 vision. I always thought that William should have respected this and carried out another role that his eyesight would have allowed thus have more credibility. I also think that Beatrice should have joined the armed forces too. Not Eugenie as her scoliosis would have put paid to that.

Do you normally get into Sandhurst with a C and a D at A level? Not,non this occasion, a snipe, but a genuine question.

You can, yes. If you have performed well at pre RCB and RCB - which Harry did. I know an officer that got in, qualified and is now a decorated Lt Col (ahead of his cohort) who actually failed the rest of his exams and got in with one D in Chemistry.

But Beatrice isn't supported by us in any way, so surely she should be able to make her own career (or life) choices, as any normal person might.