To think the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge need to work on their PR strategy?

[SamanthaBrique]

In recent months they've been accused of being work shy and what's their solution? To release photos of them and the children on a luxury skiing break! Now I don't begrudge them a holiday, but why make it so public? If they wanted to release photos of the kids then they could've just released a few shots of George and Charlotte at Kensington Palace or Anmer Hall. I don't know who is advising them on their PR but AIBU to think they need to engage someone a bit more in touch with public sentiment?

If the royals want to actually fulfil their constitutional role, and wave at people and open stuff, then ok. If Charles wants to write a lot of letters reflecting his perculiar obsessions to government ministers, that's not ok.

I'm always baffled by the people who regularly assume on these threads that the only alternative to the Queen is 'some nutjob/mendacious politician' as elected head of state, as though that's some incontrovertible argument for the continued existence of the royals.

There is some rabid hatred out there for Kate and will at the moment.

Actually, my question still remains and that's absolutely devoid of any emotion: what's the logical purpose of a royal family?
Traditions are very fluid - there used to be a tradition of having slaves and crucifying them, throwing Christians to hungry lions, public executions, illiterate peasants and absolute power of the Church. They seem to be all gone, at least in our corner of the world.

The queen is very savvy I'm sure & has access to the best advice, it wouldn't surprise anyone if a contingency plan for dissolution of the monarchy and funding them in obscurity were already in place.
Did her maj really say 'excellent' (in the manner of monty burns ) when asked what she thought of kate and wills wedding? Great mental picture.

Saw this report about William in local newspaper.
Am a bit sceptical, it looks like a PR stunt. Seems odd for pilot to help with treating someone.

what's the logical purpose of a royal family

None, but there is nothing or objective or reasonable about hang, drawing and quartering one young woman who has had the misfortune to marry into it and put her children first.

I wouldn't care if I was prime minister...if I went on to have children and decided it was best for them that I be with them, I'd give the job up. This is simply not an option for Kate so we can't abuse her for not doing so.

There is a real contract between a parent and a child that is far more important than any weird 'unspoken' contract made with a nation (who largely doesn't want you anyway, except as something to kick), and it's an understanding that the child will be prioritised and cared for in the best way for that child.

Wills can't jack it all in for George and Charlotte.

I posted this in response to a couple of threads saying that if William and Harry opted out, then Andrew would be king. But George and Charlotte come after William. William would not be able to renounce the rights of his children.

I think Wills might be able to jack it in for his children. IIRC Edward VIII abdicated for any issue as well as himself. Not quite sure if the issue is changed because the child is already born, but I do know that other titles (Dukedom of Albany for one) have had rights given up both for the next heir and also their existing children.

Abdication requires an act of parliament. The act governing Edward's abdication specified that his children would not be in the line of succession. But that was because of the particular situation. If William abdicated on becoming king, George's rights would be preserved unless an act of parliament removed them. And William alone certainly does not have the power to remove his children from the line of succession.

"Seems odd for pilot to help with treating someone."

Seems utterly believable to me as a doctor. Someone sensible stabilising the patient's neck to allow the paramedics to get on with everything else is very useful.

In fact, I've done it myself after stopping at an accident about 6 weeks after having one of my children, so I was kneeling in the mud at the side of the road in maternity jeans, leaking milk because my baby really needed a feed, but this guy needed his head stabilised and the paramedics needed an extra pair of hands.

"Seems odd for pilot to help with treating someone."
Seems utterly believable to me as a doctor. Someone sensible stabilising the patient's neck to allow the paramedics to get on with everything else is very useful.

Of course you need all hands on deck if helping at an unexpected roadside accident. But this was an air ambulance, presumably full staffed, no doubt including personal security guards for HRH and prepared for all eventualities.

Anyway, not a big issue, patient was OK and it made a good photo op

Anyway, not a big issue, patient was OK and it made a good photo op
I could understand all the bile on here if William and Kate were awful degenerate people. But they're just not.

Apparently all acts of abdication require an individual act of Parliament and therefore the terms of each act are individually proscribed by parliament. So, yes, if William requested that G&C were removed and parliament agreed they certainly could be.

It's been done before too (though not by act of Parliament) when James II abdicated he also abdicated the rights of his children.

It certainly could be done.

James II was actually deposed, but it was treated legally as an abdication. The rights of his Catholic children were removed, but both his daughter Mary (with her husband William) and his daughter Anne became monarch.

And If William abdicated, his wishes regarding his children would not really come into it if they were adults. Even if they were minors, there could be a regency.

I highly doubt William will abdicate. They have no idea about real life. How would they live without all the priveledges? It would be too much to take, no matter how much they like to pretend they want a nice middle class quiet life. I think it's more likely that the pressure of public opinion once the Queen dies will mean they just get drawn down to the absolute minimum. Ceremonial Head of state and family given one London and one Country residence and that's it. Brothers\sisters\cousins etc of Head of State will just have to fend for themselves. Why does the adult son of the Head of State need 147 servants? How do the profits from the Dutchy of Cornwall support that?

My view is that Kate has thrown a very bright light on the Royal Family. She's a very ordinary woman, from an ordinary family. I think many people are looking up and saying, 'hang on, why am I funding this woman's life?'

Somehow, we turn a blind eye when it's 'Royalty' but Kate doesn't have that particular dust to throw in our eyes.

The Queen was apparently concerned about the public perception of Kate's lack of work ethic, and she was obviously right. Hence, the Duchess of Dolittle etc.

Kate is a woman, in her 30's. My personal perception of her is that she is extremely tough, won't give a toss about what's being said, and basically has got what she wanted. I don't buy for one second that 'she happened to fall in love with William'…he could have been unutterably vile and she would still have pursued him with single minded ambition.

I don't care what they do, or don't do. Just stop expecting the tax payer to fund it. Stop wheeling out crappy PR stunts. Stop treating the public like a thick, gormless cash cow.

I think in short, the 'Kate Effect' is to force the scales to drop from the eyes of the public, and whilst many have affection for the Queen, a great many also think this whole charade should end with her.

The idea of a Royal Family these days is utterly ridiculous.

James II officially abdicated even though he was deposed, he was deemed to have abdicated by his actions chucking the Great Seal in the Thames and fleeing the country.

William couldn't abdicate for adult children. But if he became King tomorrow (he can't rule himself out of the line of succession without marrying a Catholic) and chose to abdicate and wanted any minor children to also be effectively abdicated I cannot see any circumstances where parliament would force a minor child onto the throne without the consent of their parents.

It would either go direct to Harry via an act of Parliament or possibly at a push to a Regency with Harry and George allowed to decide at 18 if he wished to officially take up the post.

Yes next year is what I read Fugg. Of course it was probably the DM I read it in

"Deemed" is right. James did not voluntarily abdicate and he and his Catholic heirs certainly didn't recognize his flight from Britain as an abdication.

What is absolutely glaring -regardless of what diehard royalists say - is that the older royals do appreciate the absolute necessity of good PR to their key "organisational activity", which is "reigning by unlucky consent".

The history of the RF in the last 40 years demonstrates that clearly; Civil list reform; income tax agreements; "the way ahead group" etc.

They are clearly NOT complacent about their roles and their continued relevance.

W & K seem to have a contrasting attitude, though. Maybe it will work out for them. Maybe it won't,

Reigning by unlucky consent!?

Should be public consent

"Of course you need all hands on deck if helping at an unexpected roadside accident. But this was an air ambulance, presumably full staffed, no doubt including personal security guards for HRH and prepared for all eventualities."

BlackMarigold, have you ever seen an air ambulance?! Do you know how much extra space there is for all those staff? I've been on one (not as a patient thankfully!) and they are very, very tight. Doing anything once on board is nigh on impossible.

You've got the pilot, the doctor and a critical care paramedic normally (sometimes another critical care paramedic instead of a doctor).

Part of being "prepared for all eventualities" is ensuring that the non-medical people/the pilot on board can make themselves useful and can hold things/people or pass the right things to the doctor/paramedic.

I'm very anti the institution, but not them on a personal level. They're fallible humans like the rest of us.

The thing that staggers me on threads like this is conjecture about the state of their relationship, what Kate's motivations were in marrying him, whether she loves him, etc.

None of us have a clue and our commentary only reveals our biases. It's ridiculous to remark on it.