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AIBU?

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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
TheCatsBiscuits · 23/10/2016 16:31

Yes, they take risks, but risks are easier to pull off when it's just you in the room. When you're standing next to someone who is universally hailed as the champion of streamlined elegance, with a model figure and minimalist style, chances are you're going to see yourself and your risky hat all over the internet as a meme.

NoncommittalToSparkleMotion · 23/10/2016 16:33

Her Madge must have said to the lot of them

The Duke of York wants his daughters to be full time Royals?
EverySongbirdSays · 23/10/2016 16:34

I think Harry had to give up the Army because they couldn't give him anything decent to do. He was a hostage risk and a significant target. He even had to have Protection when on his tours. It was a bit like letting a child play soldier. He fared better with a helicopter, but once they weren't needed, nothing for him to do.

It was the same for William, he couldn't see active service because it was too big a risk. I'm sure they'd rather do that than effectively be "good works tourists" whose job it is to be "on" all the time an be "nice" all the time and "say the right thing" sounds exhausting way to live.

Edward and Sophie did try and have "proper" careers but then Sophie got Fake Shiekd and I'm not sure what happened with Edwards theatre endeavours but I think it went tits up for him.

Imagine having all that privilege, but no real choice.

SamanthaBrique · 23/10/2016 16:34

This is what Eugenie wore to an event earlier in the year and I think she looks great. Kate wore a pale blue coat with white lacy embroidery that made her look like a Wedgewood plate.

The Duke of York wants his daughters to be full time Royals?
Pootlebug · 23/10/2016 16:35

"The fact is they don't have anything to acquire or achieve. They would have been better off going into sport like Zara"

Totally agree with the first part of this. The second part is somewhat insulting to Zara. Yes, the sport that she does is hardly one done in every school up and down the country, but they don't usually give out Olympic medals for being Royal.

Like several previous posters, I know someone who came across Andrew in his working life and found him to be an entitled twat.

I am ambivalent about the royal family. I don't love the idea, but I don't really want a president, and I do think they bring in tourist income. But I don't think Beatrice and Eugenie doing any extra would be in any way beneficial.

Cherylene · 23/10/2016 16:38

I knew someone who went to school with him and thought him a twat. No change there then.

cantstopeatingtoday · 23/10/2016 16:38

They are attractive young women and have nice shapely figures and obviously have the money to buy the best clothes around, but somehow, whatever they wearthey end up with that lumpy, lumoxing Kirsty Allsop look. A sort of frumpy farmers wife meets pantomime dame.

NotYoda · 23/10/2016 16:38

OP

Sorry, not interested in the royals, but I had a little laugh to myself when you reassured us it's in the Express, not the Mail. Like that's better Grin

hopetobehappy · 23/10/2016 16:38

If Charles wants a slimmed down "firm" (as they ridiculously call themselves) he should start nearer to home. The man has nearly 150 servants for heavens sake. What a waste of man power.

diddl · 23/10/2016 16:39

I'm not sure that they are overshadowed by Kate as such-I don't think that there has ever been that much interest in them.

Do Andrew & Charles not get on?

I think that there were noticeably few Royals on the balcony when William & Kate married-none of his Aunts & Uncles.

I suppose when Charles is King he wants to be represented by his own heirs, as HM is.

alltouchedout · 23/10/2016 16:39

I think Andrew thinks he would have made a much better heir to the throne than Charles and is cross about it.
I think know it's long past time we did away with the royals. It's when you try and explain to your dc that these people enjoy status and privilege due to an accident of birth that you realise how utterly, utterly ridiculous a hereditary monarchy is. (I've never been pro monarchy but these systems I genaively just don't get why anyone is).

EverySongbirdSays · 23/10/2016 16:40

Not really insulting to Zara, she did enter equestrianism with an advantage they could have worked just as hard at either the same or something else.

2kids2dogsnosense · 23/10/2016 16:40

Blimey Lisa

Looking at that picture you posted, if I were them I'd keep well out of the public eye.

They aren't particularly plain girls, but next to the natural elegance (and excellent dress sense) of someone like Kat, they don't appear at their best, do they?

BowieFan · 23/10/2016 16:41

Actually YuckYuckEwwww I met her several times during my charity work and she never had the press with her. She did so much work out of the public eye.

NotYoda · 23/10/2016 16:42

Someone needs to take Kate's shoes in hand. Nude is soooooo over

OurBlanche · 23/10/2016 16:43

The thing is, if the royal family ceased to be the WHOLE of the profits would be ours. I suspect that you have a very simplistic view of the Crown Estate!

Salient points: it was given to the nation... it is run by a private organisation... if the monarchy dissolved there would have to be some sort of resolution: killing them all off, offering them a sizeable chunk of estate to walk away... then what?

How do we replace the millions they bring in as tourist attractions? The works they do for the country, charities - worldwide and very local? How do we ensure that every 'good thing' that is currently supported by the Crown Estate continues to be supported?

And on and on...

Billben · 23/10/2016 16:44

Dear God, they really do remind me of pantomime dames.

Cracking comment Grin

hopetobehappy · 23/10/2016 16:45

and I do think they bring in tourist income.
There is no proof at all of that., and what is so wrong with a president. It's only because we've never had one. I'm sure if we'd always had a president and we were asked if we wanted one family instead, who we were going to give massive wealth, umpteen palaces and huge privilege to there would be a unaminous NO. It's ridiculous.

ample · 23/10/2016 16:45

Charles wants and aims to streamline the monarchy.
Andrew knows this and panic is setting in for the number two son; for when his mother (upon her death) passes the crown to Charles, Andrew knows his family won't get a look in.
The girls are adults now and should be working and paying their own way. They will use their titles and connections as much as they like but ha! top working royals they will never be.

Sophie & Edward's children are titled Lady and Viscount. Sophie herself isn't a princess as she was given the title Countess of Wessex.
Louise not being known as Princess Louise has nothing to do with Charles and his plan to streamline.

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge is also is not a princess even though she married a prince. She will be Princess of Wales one day unless the title is abolished (which makes sense to me).
As far as I understand it, both Kate and Sophie have the title HRH.
As for the civil list. I could be wrong but I think it's the Queen & Phillip who get money directly from the civil list now. Charles (and Camilla) draw an income from his Duchy of Cornwall.

I always thought Andrew & Fergie were well matched with their money-grabbing ways. If still married I'm pretty sure Fergie would have loved the idea of a Windsor reality show, from which they could blatantly squander not unlike those Kardashian people.
It sums them up in a nutshell.

alltouchedout · 23/10/2016 16:46

Oh dear, typos galore :(

ample · 23/10/2016 16:47

'is also is' 🙄

ricepolo · 23/10/2016 16:49

Kate doesn't necessarily have great dress sense-she has a stylist (and hairdresser) who seemingly accompany her everywhere. Her figure and wardrobe are all anybody ever comments upon about her (I have yet to see an article which doesn't itemise what she's wearing): she seems to have little role beyond clothes-horse.

IMHO, more kudos to B and E for not going down the same route.

MsJamieFraser · 23/10/2016 16:50

I feel sorry for his daughters tbh, it's awful that they get backlash due to their outfit choices and their holiday destinations!

I cannot really see a reason why they should receive such hated.

derxa · 23/10/2016 16:54

She was the most narcissistic self-publicising whinger - he only cause she was interested in was herself! I loved Diana warts and all.

hopetobehappy · 23/10/2016 16:55

Ourblanche We wouldn't HAVE to give them anything if they walked away.Theyve had enough already. It really is that simplistic.
How do we replace the millions they bring in as tourist attractions? we wouldn't have to because I don't believe they do. If anything I think we'd make more, think of all those huge empty palaces. But the majority of tourists don't come because of the royals anyway. France does rather well.
There is no "on and on" . We really shouldn't have them.