To feel extremely bloody proud to be British today?

[hehitmeanditfeltlikeakiss]

I take our country for granted because I live in a town that is the polar opposite of what Windsor looks like. But wow - watching the Royal family today I got shivers down my spine and felt so overwhelmed with emotion.

In the past I've looked at ways of emigrating because I've been fed up of living here, but I've just realised that it's a free country and to feel better about life I can actually make the move and go and live somewhere nicer (ok, maybe not Windsor but still).

We're so lucky aren't we?

Or did it mean that the tax payer actually only contributed 30K although the total cost was 200 - 400K?

Gosh, some people are getting misty eyed over this wedding.

This thread has really brought out the whingers and moaners

You mean people who think that the Monarchy is outdated and an anachronism.

Love the name calling though.

Well said, OP. I love being British and our free country. I don't agree with everything the royals do, and I am not "gammon" or a racist . But I felt uplifted by the dignified, carefully planned, colourful, joyful expression of happiness that we saw yesterday. Flag, horses and carriage, gospel choir, sermon, Meghan's mum, the lot. British identity does exist. We love a good party on a sunny day. The royal family are not responsible for politics. They support charities, our defence services, communities, the commonwealth and although they're also pampered and anachronistic, I'd so much rather have the royals than some robotic, grey, joyless, functional president in charge.

Strange comments about blood up-thread. Blood doesn't have a nationality.

I'd so much rather have the royals than some robotic, grey, joyless, functional president in charge.

Yes, we're clearly doing so much better with our robotic, grey, joyless, functional Prime Minister in charge...

I quite like Mrs May actually. She's discreet, not robotic. I've had enough of the slicker types like Macron, Blair and so on.

If our RF are such a shower of shit then why were so many reporters and film crews from all over the world in Windsor this week?

They are sales people selling a product they know people gobble up.

You could not possibly buy the affection that the Royal family brings to our shores from around the world.

it's not free. We are buying it.

I'd so much rather have the royals than some robotic, grey, joyless, functional president in charge.

I don't look to the head of state for entertainment.

I quite like Mrs May actually. She's discreet, not robotic.

I don't dislike her (and also have an instinctive aversion to the 'slicker' types) - it's just a shame she's so staggeringly incompetent and obviously unsuited to the job. That level of performance is hardly unknown in republics, though.

I don't dislike her

Neither do I. But I am willing to cut her some slack. I can't imagine a worse peace time mess than the one she wading through.

Mrs May has got a shit deal.
She didn't want brexit but has to lead the country through it with loud and media hungry brexiteers and remained on both side.
She is got to deal with some of the worse financial Times in modern history.

Totally agree with you OP. It was a great day

Britain is pretty much the most mongrel nation there is - invaded by Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans

This is completely untrue. Most of these waves caused no major population change or genetic change and were largely superficial, with the possible exception of the Saxons.

Couldn’t give a toss about anybody’s race or nationality, but the above is a completely historically inaccurate claim.

I'd so much rather have the royals than some robotic, grey, joyless, functional president in charge.

Well the queen and Philip are hardly bundles of joy either. But why would you get a "grey, joyless" president? The queen is only a figure head anyway, but at least with a president it would be just a wage for him/her, he wouldn't require financial support for all his family, first class travel for all his kids, etc etc, nor would he require umpteen palaces fully staffed. In fact we'd save a fortune.

If we had a presidency like Ireland it would be two and a half times cheaper....the best bit being, if they're no good, we get to vote them out. It's what's called democracy.

You could not possibly buy the affection that the Royal family brings to our shores from around the world.

How do you explain the affection people have for other countries with no monarchy?

"This is completely untrue. Most of these waves caused no major population change or genetic change and were largely superficial, with the possible exception of the Saxons.

Couldn’t give a toss about anybody’s race or nationality, but the above is a completely historically inaccurate claim."

You're talking absolute rubbish.

If you think a modern Brit is ethically identical to a Brit 2,000 years ago, you simply don't know any history.

We are a mongrel nation, a melting pot, and that's that. You may, for weird political reasons or barely disguised racism, object to the truth, but it doesn't make it any less true.

If you're Welsh or possibly Scottish, you might have some justification, as the original native Britons were pushed out to the fringes. If you're English, you're simply talking absolute rot.

Or 'lying' as it's commonly known.

If our RF are such a shower of shit then why were so many reporters and film crews from all over the world in Windsor this week?
The same reason they clamour round Trump, anything to sell a story. I think the rest of the world just think we're a bit of an oddity, having a "royal family", like an old relic from a bygone era, they love to spectate but are grateful they have nothing like it themselves.

if they're no good, we get to vote them out. It's what's called democracy

I know what democracy is, thanks. We have a representative democracy and get to vote out our government if we don't like them.

We may sometimes end up with a "grey" Prime Minister (John Major the grey man, for example). But we don't have to choose between a monarchy or a political leader in this country, as we would with a republic, because we get to have both. And as this is a democracy, if people aren't happy with that any more, they are welcome to use political channels to change it.

How do you explain the affection people have for other countries with no monarchy?

It could be anything. Good weather, nice beaches, the language, culture, architecture, traditions, history, whatever. Every country has its own unique mix of things which people may like, and in the UK that includes the royal family.

It could be anything. Good weather, nice beaches, the language, culture, architecture, traditions, history, whatever. Every country has its own unique mix of things which people may like, and in the UK that includes the royal family.

I am an immigrant to this country, and I too think it is great. But that's despite the RF. It's actually surprising to see so much fawning over the RF, because back home I just assumed it was the press taking the piss here. Nope, they really are popular here. When I was living in the US, I used to laugh at how the British press would really take some serious liberties with the truth and talk about how americans just love the RF (just like they did with this wedding). I'd be surprised if many americans even knew it was going on.

If you think a modern Brit is ethically identical to a Brit 2,000 years ago, you simply don't know any history.

We are a mongrel nation, a melting pot, and that's that. You may, for weird political reasons or barely disguised racism, object to the truth, but it doesn't make it any less true.

No, YOU don’t have any knowledge of history and are repeating a myth.

The Romans, Norman’s and Viking’s only came here in very small numbers and did not make significant genetic changes to the population. There are currently no traces of DNA changes caused by those groups.

The Saxon’s did cause some changes because of intermarriage.

White British DNA patterns still largely follow the distribution of tribal groups in the 6th Century and are a relatively homogeneous group.

And no, Scots, Welsh and Irish are not a distinct Celtic race.

If you actually fancy actually looking at some genuine academic research rather parroting half understood soundbites you can find some here:

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2015-03-19-who-do-you-think-you-really-are-genetic-map-british-isles#

This article details how little our DNA changed

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530134-300-ancient-invaders-transformed-britain-but-not-its-dna/amp/

We may sometimes end up with a "grey" Prime Minister (John Major the grey man, for example). But we don't have to choose between a monarchy or a political leader in this country, as we would with a republic, because we get to have both. And as this is a democracy, if people aren't happy with that any more, they are welcome to use political channels to change it.

But before that happens we talk about it, and give our different opinions on why we think having an unelected family as head of state, church and armed forces is wrong. If we can't get change through "political channels" anytime soon, that doesn't mean we have to keep quiet neither.

The cost of the wedding has been pointed out. But has anyone mentioned the couple's decision to suggest charity donations instead of gifts? They chose the Children’s HIV Association, Crisis, Myna Mahila Foundation, which aims to empower women in Mumbai slums, Surfers Against Sewage, Scottys Little Soldiers for bereaved Armed Forces children, StreetGames which encourages community sport, and The Wilderness Foundation UK.