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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

The Duke of York wants his daughters to be full time Royals?

918 replies

MidnightVelvetthe7th · 23/10/2016 14:45

www.express.co.uk/news/royal/724136/prince-andrew-requests-princesses-beatrice-eugenie-kensington-prince-charles-queen-william

This is a Sunday Express link, not a Fail one.

So Andrew wants both of his daughters to have full time royal roles funded by the public & have larger apartments at Kensington Palace. Given that the only time I ever see them in the news is for dreadful outfits & holidays, to me they are embarrassing & a bit cringy.

Andrew is complaining that they are overshadowed by William, Catherine & Harry. But if you believe & support a system of privilege by birth such as the monarchy, then it stands to reason that the direct heirs are more important than the rest.

Does Andrew have a point & IABU?!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
15
RatherSheepish · 26/10/2016 17:52

Princess Alexandra is also rumoured to have been a paramour of Prince Phillip's back in the day!

BigGreenOlives · 26/10/2016 17:53

Princess Alexandra was taught to smoke by her grandmother Queen Mary .

MrsJayy · 26/10/2016 17:56

Smoking lessons blimey

originalmavis · 26/10/2016 17:58

My grandma used to give us advocaat with lemonade when we were very little. She didn't smoke though. Bad grandmas are fun.

VanillaSugarandChipSpice · 26/10/2016 18:05

I love love love this thread! I am reading a book called "at home with The Queen" which I bought at Sandringham and it is an eye opener. Balmoral loses over £1m per year, even though it's open to the public. Prince Philipp wants to make more money out of sandringham by cutting down the trees & selling them as lots but Charles won't let him. If anyone member of the royal family is staying in a property at the same time as The Queen then they have to book an appointment to walk in the gardens as the Queen doesn't want to meet anyone in their walks.

I once met Prince Andrew at an embassy thingy. I asked me what I did (for a job) and I said "Nothing, I'm a lady of leisure Wink" and he drew himself up to his short height (bet you didn't know THAT! and said in an affected sarcastic voice "Hooooooh, you're a laydeeeeeeeeeeeeee of leshuuuuuuuuuuuure, are you?" and fucked off and i thought TWAT!!!!!

VanillaSugarandChipSpice · 26/10/2016 18:11

Right. Everyone bows to The Queen then in order of precedence for the first time that they see them that day. But NEVER to their parents.so George & Charl won't need to bow to their parent unless it's a formal pomp & c function.

Spent the day with a friend today who claims that Charles is going to change his name upon succession as he doesn't want to be called after a spaniel so he will be George VII instead.

My brother was at school with the Duchess of Kent's nephew and we were all at a charity cricket match (at the big hice) when I accidentally nearly killed the nephew with a cricket ball.

GingerIvy · 26/10/2016 18:15

I've heard that said about Charles previously - about using the name George once king. So, if you were William and Kate, would that kind of annoy you, as it's the name of their son?

QueenoftheAndals · 26/10/2016 18:20

He can call himself whatever he likes but it'll take years before people refer to him as anything other than prince Charles!

DanGleballs · 26/10/2016 18:27

The previous kings called Charles weren't exactly role models so apparently he doesn't want to be associated with the name. I wonder why his parents chose the name Confused

hopetobehappy · 26/10/2016 18:35

I don't know about any of the rest of you but I would never ever bow to any of them. We are all equal.

lalalalyra · 26/10/2016 18:49

Princess Alexandra is the Queen's cousin. Her father was the Duke of Kent, brother to King George VI

QueenLizIII · 26/10/2016 18:58

That is quite standard to name change.

Elizabeth II's father is named Albert Frederick Arthur George. he was known as Bertie. But he was then King George VI and not King Albert.

OlennasWimple · 26/10/2016 19:11

Ginger - I reckon W&K were well aware of Charles' name-change plans when they were picking baby names. (Though that would make a great Baby Name post on MN: "I really want to call our boy George, but it's the name that his granddad is likely to choose when she is crowned - WWYD?")

I wonder whether the name changing comes from the same root as popes changing their names upon coronation? Or Catholic baptismal names?

Onthecouchagain · 26/10/2016 19:33

Dole scum

GingerIvy · 26/10/2016 19:33

OW yes, which kind of makes it odd that they chose that, doesn't it? Then again, I find myself wondering if the general public will find it odd (and unbelievably pretentious) that he changes his name, especially when it's the name of his grandchild? Yes, I get that there's a precedent there, but stilll... will it further dampen public opinion against him? I suspect it might.

QueenLizIII · 26/10/2016 19:40

Anyone remember Marina Mowatt, Princess Alexandra's daughter.

She was at one point living in a cottage on Crown Estate land, Windsor Great Park. Her landlord was her Second Cousin, the Queen.

She claimed housing benefit and council tax benefit from Slough Council for the cottage while her daughter attended nearby private school St George's n Windsor.

Beyond belief for the great granddaughter of King George and Queen Mary.
Couldn't her family pay her rent after all she could afford school fees.

EverySongbirdSays · 26/10/2016 19:57

The one I know about is Buckingham Palace swimming pool. Servants are allowed to use it, but if you are in the pool and a member of The Family enters, you have to IMMEDIATELY leave, you can then stay if invited, but have to first demonstrate that you are leaving and not hang about for an invite

EverySongbirdSays · 26/10/2016 19:59

That is bad that the Queen expected rent from her and got her to claim it from housing benefit Shock

The child may well have been on a grace and favour basis at the school

DanGleballs · 26/10/2016 20:01

Perhaps her parents paid the school fees for the grandchild but refused to pay the rent?

VanillaSugarandChipSpice · 26/10/2016 20:12

Marina's ex husband is a charmer. A friend lived in Teddington and the Ex hangs around The Anglers & Tide End Public Houses muttering "I married a Princess and I'm still fcking broke."

VanillaSugarandChipSpice · 26/10/2016 20:13

Royal servants are paid £20k salaries, provides with central London apartments and then told to pay the market rent.

lalalalyra · 26/10/2016 20:30

Marina Mowatt most likely didn't pay the school fees herself. Her parents didn't speak to her (no-one did after she did that photoshoot), but I believe they funded their grandchildren's schooling.

I wouldn't be overly surprised if they refused to pay her rent. Angus Ogilvy seemed to be (to an extent) a 'pay your own way' person. He turned down an Earldom when he married Princess Alexandra and they rented their home rather than having the grace-and-favour set up that Princess Alexandra's siblings both had.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 26/10/2016 21:26

Anyone remember Marina Mowatt, Princess Alexandra's daughter

Sure do ... wasn't it her who caused a stink by claiming her parents tried to force her into a termination when her first child was conceived "out of wedlock" as they used to say?

QueenLizIII · 26/10/2016 21:31

Princess Alexandra was also the daughter of that current monarchs 3rd child.
Her children are relatively unheard of.

B & E are offspring of the monarchs 3rd child. they and their children should go the same way.

SenecaFalls · 26/10/2016 21:36

Changing to a different regnal name really isn't all that common. Bertie did it after the abdication to establish a connection to his father George V.

I think that the fact that William and Kate named their son George maybe signals that Charles will actually be Charles III. I think he played with the George idea when the Queen Mum was alive because the notion pleased her. But he has now been PoW longer than any previous one and known as Charles. I don't think he will choose a different name.