To be edging towards an anti-Monarchy position purely because of the Cambridges?

[Buxhoeveden]

As a couple they are starting to grate.

Is it too early to focus on them?

I feel a bit sorry for James and Pippa too, tbh. Their every move will be reported on and interpreted as either "exploiting" or "embarrassing" their royal connections. They've lived in Kate's shadow their whole adult lives and it must be extremely difficult to establish an independent livelihood in those circumstances. I don't know what I would have done in their shoes.

Me too, Mitzy. Once my disposable income stretches to it, or I win the lottery, I aspire to nothing less than having my face immortalised on a marshmallow.

They do unofficial engagements too. Official ones are announced in advance and thus require extra protection, the attendance of the Lord Lieutenant etc.

I'm not posting any of this as an apologist for the RF.

Leave William alone. He works hard. Isn't he still flying ambulance helicopters ?
Isn't Kate allowed time off after having 2 children in a short space of time ?
I think Mrs. Middleton is some operator. Good luck to her.

SirChenjin - but why would she choose to work if she has two very young children? I wouldn't. I've worked full time my whole life, but I still didn't work when any of my babies were Charlotte's age.

If the children were older, that would be a bit different, perhaps. But I don't think she's any less entitled to this time with her children because of how hard (you think) she worked before they were born.

Royals don't get to choose to be SAHM - it's not part of the deal. She gets plenty of time with her young children in between engagements (the few she does) and she's hardly rushing home from a 9-5 to do the nursery pick up, make the dinner or put on a washing, is she? She's a shirker - has lived off her parents money, and is now doing the same with her husband and the state.

Once my disposable income stretches to it, or I win the lottery, I aspire to nothing less than having my face immortalised on a marshmallow.

A lofty ambition indeed!

I might do the same and distribute them to the needy of the parish. Sugary treats adorned with my beautiful fizzog. They'll be so touched.

I'm shocked that the personalised marshmallow business hasn't made James Middleton a multi millionaire yet. Shocked I tell ya.

Yes, I have to admit though I like Kate's swishy hair and Pippa's bum the Middleton spawn are unlikely to set the business world alight.

It's just that I can't really get that worked up about it.

SirChenjin James Middleton's company makes personalised marshmallows. Don't tell me there haven't been many times in life when you've thought 'oh but if only I had a marshmallow decorated with my beloved's face'

The thing about him donating his salary is all a smokescreen btw. If he worked every day for 70 years, it wouldn't make a dent in the money he takes away through the Public Purse in security and his money from the Duchy via his Dad. it is crown estate rather than personal property, so if they packed up the circus, all the profit and not just the tax would go to the government. As others have said, he doesn't work full shifts and has essentially taken a job and very expensive training, away from another officer for PR. It's all so transparent it's laughable that people like my sister still swallow it in this day and age.

I've been anti-monarchy for a long long time. We have a new baby and a cute toddler who are the centre of the attention of the world press. Only the parents are not happy about the intrusion. Fair enough. But they also need to keep a fairly high profile because if people had absolutely no interest in them they'd be in trouble. I think it's time for an end to this royal baloney.

Mitzy - there have been many times in my life when I've thought exactly that. Now that I'm aware of Mr Middleton Jnr's gift to the world of confectionary my gift problems are over.

Had Kate worked more in the two years before becoming pregnant the first time, I would have more empathy for her. If Kate has some invisible medical condition that requires her to rest a great deal then that may explain the tiny amount of work she undertook pre children/post marriage.

Sugary treats adorned with my beautiful fizzog.

That is a fucking lightbulb moment.

The face of the Madonna aka Saint Diana etched in an upmarket macaroon.

They are so light and fluffy that if they landed in a Cambodian minefield, they wouldn't set them off but could be used to mark them for clearance.

I'm going to get on to Laduree purveyors of over-priced, brightly-coloured sickly treats beloved by tourists and rich people with dinner parties to attend, but no imagination, first thing tomorrow.

Don't anyone try to pinch my business idea.

I'm saying that to the people on this thread. I'm not worried about the Middleton spawn.

The royals do earn their own wealth even if they stopped being royal they would still be the wealthiest family in the world. The cost on the tax payer is covered by the queen and her income tax

Totally incorrect!

The Sovereign Grant Annual Report states that the Sovereign Grant was £37.9 million for 2014-15. She doesn't pay tax on this.

She doesn't pay tax on benefits in kind, like security and transport, etc, provided by the police and armed services. Neither does she pay tax on gifts. If being Queen were a 'proper job', all these would be taxable.

The royal family are exempt from income tax, so what they pay is a voluntary contribution. The details of the payments are private. The Queen pays a sum equivalent to income tax on her private income and income from the Privy Purse (which includes the Duchy of Lancaster) that is not used for official purposes. Anything she can claim was spent in pursuit of her duties is excluded.

They are far from the wealthiest family in the world. There are entrepreneur families like the Sassoons and Waltons; loads of other royal families from Thailand to Brunei via Liechtenstein and Monaco; various banking families and property owners. They're not even the wealthiest family in Britain.

The Queen's private wealth comes from investing on assets that were not taken over by the Crown Estate. Thus, it was not earned and you could say the same about most of our aristocracy. Admittedly, it would be hard to sort out how much of what they own personally 'rightfully' belongs to the people and how much to them personally. The Crown Estate was supposed to draw a line between them, which I suppose it does somewhat.

I agree with the OP. I was never particularly anti-monarchy before. Charles was a patron of a charity I used to work for, and he did some good awareness raising and some genuinely good low-key work behind the scenes.

The monarchy needs shaking up though, and I had hoped that Kate and Wills might do that. But they've really disappointed me. I know Queenie must be a fearsome old matriarch to try and rebel against, but I really wish they would push the boat out a little bit more in terms of trying to be more normal. I just find their entire lives to be so blatantly orchestrated. I do understand why they're like this, but I think they could push back a little against protocol sometimes.

I like that they have that connection to the Middletons and spend Christmas there etc, as like the Middletons or loathe them, they are a lot more 'normal' compared to the restricted circles Wills has previously had to move in.

But all these bloody holidays to Mustique etc have tipped my sympathy over the edge. I wish Kate would show some more vulnerability and personality and bring something of her own to the table.

How do we know she isn't bf?

"How do we know she isn't bf?"

Well, if she is she must be a champion expresser...............

What pisses me off is that the Cambridges are in the perfect position to really shake the country up and advocate worthy causes across the generations. Few spokespeople can relate to so many age groups at once. Everyone from six year olds through to ninety-six year olds are at least going to be vaguely aware of what they are championing.

But instead the whole family are toeing the traditionalist, conservative line of keeping Great Britain Great with a Stiff Upper Lip and Polite Smile in our Sunday Best. What a load of outdated crap. Stuff like that is what our fabulous National Trust etc. are for. At least organisations like the NT are preserving lovely stuff for future generations. None of our children are going to thank Kate Middleton for selling her photos to Hello magazine, or whatever tosh she's done. It's such a waste of so much potential influence!

Having googled some of the photos that we Brits aren't allowed to see, looking at all her days out without Charlotte; as Bertrand says she'd have to be expressing gallons...

So do you think she should be pursued by photographers? silverblur?

Perhaps next to those photographs newspapers could publish a list of engagements from the Court Circular.

Do you think most people would like that or wouldn't?

It's such a waste of so much potential influence!

Kate Middleton might be passionate about the issue of people fleeing warzones for Europe.

Unlikely, but let's say she was.

How do you think that would go down?

News story this week about intrusive paparazzi bothering George.
William is flying helicopters PT out of Cambridge (happens to be my ambulance trust).
Kate had a baby... girl? Charlotte (6 middle names) Windsor.
Can't remember any other news about them this year.

What did they whinge about? What entitled thing did they say? Actually, I don't care. Bemused that people know so much about them, I hear or see very little.

"It's such a waste of so much potential influence!

Kate Middleton might be passionate about the issue of people fleeing warzones for Europe.

Unlikely, but let's say she was.

How do you think that would go down?"

I don't know. But wouldn't it be fantastic if she tried!

I'm not a Diana fan either- but I remember the impact the pictures of her cuddling HIV+ babies had. And the increase of awareness about land mines because she got involved.