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?

Have any of you bleating republicanists even considered how much the royals give to the country?

This even alone had brought £500 million in tourism.

The Sovereign Grant is about 15% of the profit from the Crown Estate.

The Queen's private income, the Privy Purse comes from land and assets that have been in the royal family for hundreds of years.

The Royal Family are what tourists come to see. If you want to bleat about people having money bleat about Corbyn who reckons he's down with the boys but earns about £130,000; bleat about people like Bob Crowe earning over £100,000 a year and saying he was proud to live in a council house.

Yes, the Royal Family are prosperous, but they are not the richest in the country, and they work very hard. Seriously, even for that money, I would not wish to live my life in the spotlight.

It's not 'bleating' to think that there is no place for inherited monarchy in a modern supposedly meritocratic democracy. And what on earth has Jeremy Corbyn got to do with the wedding yesterday? He gets paid for his job just like most other people.

Apart from France and new York have more tourists visiting than the UK and London! No they don't bring in 500m.

Yes the land they've ceased has been in the same ownership for a long time. How is that good that just a few families own almost all of the land?

They don't work that hard, their appointments are on the website. A nice dinner once or twice a week and visiting somewhere new to open while the roads are all closed off so no traffic. Piss easy compared to working in tesco and living in poverty.

'The Royal Family are what tourists come to see. '

You seriously think when people pay their entrance fees to visit Holyrood Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Tower of London or any of the others they expect to see a member of the royal family? No, they pay to visit the building. They come to see the building, the Crown Jewels, just like they pay to visit Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral or the myriad of other historical attractions extant today. Tower of London hasn't been used as a royal residence in centuries but it still draws record numbers of tourists.

Versailles gets more tourists than Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle put together. And the French, rather famously, are a republic.....

Some people are easily bought with bread and circuses, it seems...I am not sure why a Royal Wedding is anything to be proud of vicariously, or what ownership is extended to the British people for it?

And the French, rather famously, are a republic..... But secretly they wish France still has a monarchy. All the presidents in recent times have been little Emperors. L'etat c'est moi. Macron, Pompidou et al
All Sun Kings.

Christ almighty....
Why can't people like you wake up and stop bowing and scraping to people who are NO BETTER than you are ....and whose unimaginably luxurious lifestyle YOU'RE funding ?
And don't give me any of that tired old crap the Establishment wheel out by bleating how many millions the royals bring in through tourism.
Paris gets more visitors than London every year. So that shuts down your argument completely.
The concept of an unelected Head of State by birthright and centuries of favouritism to their hangers on and ill gotten gains by taxing the poor and aggressive imperialism is obscene in the 21st century and nothing to be celebrated.
People like you are the willing subjects and slaves of the Establishment who want to keep you in your place.
Don't you see ?
Get off your knees and wake up.

Everyone overseas who watched the wedding is now planning their trip to the UK thinking it is all going to be castles and cream teas.

They are going to be bitterly disappointed.

Am feeling very much kept in line by the establishment ! What claptrap. The monarchy is the least worst option ; the family costs about 1p per day to maintain and they work hard. How many of us have grandparents still working in their nineties ? Do you honestly think if we didn't have the monarchy there would be no poverty ? They are exactly what tourists come to see and Windsor will have had a huge boost by the wedding. Some Americans actually thought Windsor was in London and now have another reason to visit.. Everyone loves pageantry, and we do it better than anyone. We are envied for our monarchy in countries all over the world. We are very lucky. It was a lovely day, and fun. What a load of sourpusses! - take your chips off and give your shoulders a break!

Sakura - do you really believe all tourists are that stupid?

'We are envied for our monarchy in countries all over the world. '

Do you have a source for this? I find that highly doubtful.

'How many of us have grandparents still working in their nineties ?'

How many had grandparents die before 90 from poverty-related illnesses?

We don't actually need a head of state you know

Interesting. Who would keep the Government in check if they decide not to obey the Constitution?

Who would stand up for the Constitution?

The Judiciary? But who would be independent and able to say "Hang on, you're not following the Constitution?"

The Queen has kept very quiet on recent issues that may well have been unconstitional.

This even alone had brought £500 million in tourism

How do you figure that?

Well, if the tourists come to see the royal family they must all be bitterly disappointed. I've lived in the UK almost all my life and driven past both Windsor and Buckingham Palace on countless occasions and I've never seen a single one of them. It's a bit like whale watching.

People come out with nonsense. Stop falling for the PR bullshit. There isn't a shred of evidence that tourists come here because of the royals. Buck house isn't even in the top twenty of most visited places. Britains rich heritage has never depended on the monarchy. We'd probably get far more visitors if the palaces were empty and thrown open to the public, rather like the Palace of Versailles in France, Buck house can't compare to the number of tourists who go there.

The Queen has kept very quiet on recent issues that may well have been unconstitutional

Kalapattar - not quite sure what you mean by this. Which recent issues and also when has the Queen not kept quiet? I don't ever recall her offering an opinion on political matters.
Anything she may have said to the Prime Minister is between them.

I don't ever recall her offering an opinion on political matters

No matter what she thinks politically, should a Head of State raise concerns if the Government / Prime Minister is acting in a way that is unconstitutional?

Maybe she mentioned it to Theresa May at the regular meeting? Something about the role of Parliament in Brexit negotiations? As it happened, a private citizen had to go to the courts to ensure that the Prime Minister followed the rules.

Fat lot of good our Head of State did then.

Beachcomber i've never read such a load of clap trap in my life. I honestly don't know where to start. Everything about your post is wrong. They dont cost 1p a day, they don't work hard, the only reason they're still going strong in their 90s is because of their super privileged lifestyle, their own private physicians, the lot, and no we certainly aren't envied for our monarchy around the world, what ever makes you think that.

Calling republicans "sour pusses" is pathetic, but even if we were, rather that than fawning, cap doffing, gullible sycophants.

news.images.itv.com/image/file/1330411/stream_img.jpg Remember the hat?

she paid for her own dress

They generate about £500 million per year in tourism for the UK.

if you don't like lies, then don't perpetuate them.

The loss to the taxpayer for the last RW: the LSE was closed for a day.

Biscuitraider - re your last line, no, am none of those things. After Dickensian childhood, passed 11+, grammar school, worked till i was 72 and never felt other than lucky to live here. Perhaps youd be happier under a regime such as in Russia or Venezuela, At least every 4-5 years you get a chance to change our 'leader' in fair and open elections and where the opposition hasnt been imprisoned or disappeared. Quite simply, the monarchy represents constancy and a sense of stability, they are admired and I do think we are envied.

Quite simply, the monarchy represents constancy and a sense of stability, they are admired and I do think we are envied

Many countries seem to manage ok without a Monarchy and cope with a Head of State who is not a dictator and where the country isn't like Russia or Venezuala.

It's funny how those countries never get mentioned in these debates. The ones happily getting by without a Monarchy but who still have free elections.

Yes - we are lucky to live in the UK. Very lucky. BUT - we could do better.

Do people really think that the UK is envied by other countries? Have they ever met a foreigner?