To not want to pay for another scrounger?

[weatherall]

Poor Kate's with child again.

When will these scroungers stop pumping out sprogs they expect all the rest of us to pay for?

How you can say being an air ambulance pilot is a hobby is beyond me - let's hope no-one you love ever needs to be rescued by any of these guys!

That is deliberately twisting of what I said.

I said that if he can donate the salary to charity (hopefully back to the charity that paid it in the first place) then he doesnt need this job. It is something to do that he enjoys because he doesnt like doing official engagements full time. Its a hobby (definition - something one does in ones leisure time for pleasure). It is a demanding hobby that needs a lot of training and a not insignificant amount of nerve, but a hobby nonetheless. Something to fill the time instead of being on ribbon cutting duty all the time. I wonder how many of his former colleagues would have killed for a chance to do that and support their families at the same time?

So many royalist sycophants on this site..it's so predictable. Wake up people! For what it's worth I agree OP, although the way you worded it was a little blunt!

For what it's worth I don't care either way tbh, however to say that those who do like/want the Royal Family are sycophants just because they don't agree with you is very lame and just as predictable as the things republicans say.

Try duty, rather than hobby. That's far more accurate.

You're all arguing about feck all. It's totally irrelevant if Kate's pregnant- sick or not , if Harry's in mortal danger or not and if William is or isn't taking the job someone else may actually need .
It's irrelevant because these facts change nothing .
It's irrelevant if the monarchy make or lose us money .
It's irrelevant if the queen does or doesn't take the role seriously .
It's irrelevant if Charles does or doesn't pay taxes .
It's all of no consequence as the concept of inherited position is totally ,completely and absolutely morally wrong .
Sadly I can't see the Great British public ever allowing the penny to drop.
Look at the shit Disney churn out . This fantastical ,vomit inducing crap is pumped into our kids imaginations .Glittered merchandising further enforcing kids to buy into this Royal trap .
These same kids attend CofE state schools and again the concept of a hierarchy via birth is enforced and applauded .
Look at the average six year old girls toy shelf -princess crap abounds .
Another generation fails to see how foolish and star struck they are.

UncleT How is it his duty? Its a job many men would kill for, he is doing it through choice and not because he needs a job to support his family. If any other person did that they would be criticised, but because he is a Windsor its considered "duty"? Nope, not buying that for one second.

As a member of the ruling family he feels a duty to help the country in some practical way and to the very best of his ability. He has done so. Serving the country is a tradition in the family. Calling it a hobby is not just wrong but also ludicrous. Real work is done and real lives saved.

Real work is done and real lives saved.

No one is denying that, least of all me. But the fact is that he left the army in order to be a full time royal, didnt like it and is doing this rather than full time public engagements. Lets not pretend that this anything other than someone who likes flying and is in the privileged position of being able to pick and choose his jobs and do them for fun and not because he has bills to pay. If I did that job would it be called duty? No. It would be called a job. An accident of birth does not automatically give someone a sense of altruism and "duty".

Once Kate's provided the heir and a spare she should watch out for herself....

Sorry, but no. There is no basis at all for the assertion that he has no motivation other than a love of flying, other than pure assumption (prejudice) on your part.

Oh come on, it's a self-elected duty. I could decide I have a Duty to the People Of South East London, and solemnly swear to serve and protect them till my last gasp and to pass this duty down to my heirs. I would look, frankly, completely bonkers. If I did this on the basis that a few hundred years ago my ancestors had slaughtered and politicked their way to the top of the pile and that's why I was taking on this duty, I would look even more bonkers.

Genuinely surprised by number of pro-royals here. I imagined a different demographic for MN. Interesting.

Has anyone else found it interesting (and entertaining) to see the transformation from Kate Middleton, bog standard fairly posh quite pretty girl with no need for a job, to (drum roll) The Duchess ? She has learnt to don a special royal facial expression and smile weakly at the masses. And to clothes-horse herself around in modest knee-length things. But any number of other standard fairly posh pretty girls could have made this transformation.
To me, this, if nothing else, illustrates the ludicrous nature of the "royal-pleb" distinction. What the hell DOES IT MEAN?? Why do so many of us love it. It's weird.

He self-elected to be born Royal and into the tradition of service? How odd. Love to know how.

But the fact is that he left the army in order to be a full time royal

I thought he had to leave the armed forces due to his failing eyesight meaning he could no longer carry out the flying role that he was trained to do. He can fly an air ambulance because the eyesight criteria for that is different.
How many people who are forced to leave a job on health grounds have a break whilst they assess their options and then return to a different job that they are capable of doing?

motherinferior, I have just read of your duty to the people of South East London. Please tell me what you're planning to wear this season?

I am going to wear nude heels and a Safe Twopiece, obviously. I shall beam vaguely, and withhold giving any opinions about anything interesting. I'm fascinated by the transformation too.

Don't be silly, re the 'choice' - it's always a choice as to whether to go on serving in the family firm. And the 'tradition of service' is slightly pant-wetting, frankly. But if you want to continue in this forelock-tugging manner, don't mind me.

Well no, it's established fact. His father did it, their uncles, etc. All you seem to have is insults and supposition.

Some people seem to be born with the genetic defect that makes them want to bend at the knee and tug their forelock, thank goodness I wasnt born with it!

Well in that case, motherinferior, please do tell us where you'd like to go on holiday and we'll all cough up.

He has a choice. He is only 2nd in line to the throne because he chooses to continue to be so. He could abdicate on behalf of him and his line and it was pass to Harry and I dont think anyone would criticize him for that.

Alternatively, people like me who, believe it or not are not necessarily natural royalists, get sick of the unnecessary venom and outright nastiness, and thus feel inclined to speak up.

Bogey, I do think it would be pretty hard and unusual (though not impossible) for any individual to leave this lifestyle. How many people give up all their advantages and inheritance? The majority of us would probably act like they do in that situation.

What I find weird is that we (collectively, as a society) all prop up this system. We bang on about them all the time, read about their pregnancies and horses and clothes, think of them as benevolent figureheads. Totally bizarre. Having said that, I don't know what we could do to change it. It would need a total system shift which is probably hard to achieve without people being really horrible to each other (cutting off heads, etc.).

written just out of interest what President model do you want?

it doesn't take long to find a system not based on birthright, though similar to ours. Whilst the queen is technically head of state of canada and australia, the duties are exercised by the GG, who effectively acts as head of state.

I am not proposing this model ideal, not least because it is muddled by the monarchy. I am just mentioning it as a proof of concept. you don't need birthright.

mofherinferior .......you will make sure your dresses are properly weighted won't you? we don't want any embarrassing slip ups. If you do decided to speak we shall all hang on to your every word of course.

The reason given for him leaving the armed forces was to become a "full time royal" (Whatever that means) and help his grandmother. After deciding that was rather boring( he'd have been hard pressed to fill an hour of his day) he decides ( like a child in a toy shop who can have anything he wants) he decides he wants a far more exiting job, flying for the air ambulance......and guess what he gets what he wants. My point is that he and Harry basically get to do what they want to do, if there were no vacancies in the air ambulance, one would be made. This is the way it has always been with royals, they basically want to get their cake and eat it. They want all the perks and privileges of their royal lifestyle but also feel constrained by it and so expect and get to do more exiting things. What makes people think they do these jobs because of a sense of duty is beyond me.

What makes people think they do these jobs because of a sense of duty is beyond me.

Because they are Royalty and that means that they cannot be selfish, demanding and spoilt! No, they are hardworking with a sense of duty and service, silly!