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?

As someone who is poor I do feel a bit pissed off that some of the royals do very little and can still live a charmed life while others work their arses off and still struggle...I don't like the class system...love Harry though!

beachcomber Regarding the royals providing stability and constancy, i believe they do the opposite. They epitomise everything that's wrong in Britain with a class system that undermines the recognition of real merit.
Having a queen as head of state and church is discriminatory against other religions. It does nothing to help with multi culturism.

And why think Russia as an example of what we could be. Why not a country that does very well with a presidency and a hell of a lot cheaper too, Ireland. Why look for the worst example. I certainly don't think we're envied at all, more of a curiousity if anything. Rather like some strange kind of circus, good to watch, but definitely something they wouldn't want for themselves.

Work hard? All she's doing all week is visiting the flower show. That's a dream for many pensioners to have a day out there!

So its gone up from 50p a year to 365p in an hour. Soon you will reach the future if costing us each £30 a year with all the extras and assets that's should be owned and run to profit the people.

Why would you think you’re a country to be envied? As an Irish person abroad I make it clear I’m Irish and not British - as do a lot of others I know. When I have been mistaken for British and then corrected someone, I’ve always had a nicer attitude from the person who made the mistake. Not for a minute am I saying all British people are disliked - but what I am saying is that you often come across as assuming others want to be you. Just because people watch stuff like your Royal family events doesn’t mean we want it for yourselves - it’s watched out of a fascination with something different but it’s not watched with envy. Give me an elected President any day. I’m immensely proud of Irish presidents - for example look at Mary Robinson’s commitment to human rights and previously women’s rights. Her hands aren’t tied that way your Queens are to voicing her opinion. I understand being proud of your country and heritage. I’m hugely proud of mine - but don’t assume that means others envy me.

Of course Megan paid for her own dress! She has plenty of money of her own, being a Hollywood film star.

The "Royalty pay their own way" line is misleading. They do not pay for policing and security. Which is, to put it mildly, considerable.

What a miserable thread! I am only on page 7.
I loved the wedding. My favourite people are William and Kate. They looked so tired. Zara Philips! Poor thing. On a wooden pew.
I think most people can’t imagine on this thread what it’s like to see members of the royal family in the flesh and the boost they give the public. I saw the late queen mother (and some others) and I have very fond memories! Better than celebrities. Better than politicians. Not perfect people. But can you imagine being in your 90’s and going to public events?
Don’t worry, I think things will slowly change. To be honest after the fire in that very chapel things have changed. The queen knows she doesn’t have as much support. Tony Blair got rid of her boat. Even he regrets that now.

Bread and bloody circuses.... to keep the masses happy.

In the meantime we're going down the Brexit pan, have an economy growing slower than our neighbours, have more food banks than ever, have a rising xenophobia and right wing. Am I proud to be British, hell no. I have an Irish passport now, former Unionist now turned.

This nonsense perpetuates the English class system that holds the country back. Take it, take it bloody all.....

Good luck to the pair of them, but in the same way as to any other couple. They'll never no struggling to pay a bill, they'll never want for anything. Oh, and we pay.

Ok, well like 'em or loathe 'em Royal weddings and funerals are extremely well organised - and the funerals organisation is particularly impressive as it has to be done at short notice.
I wonder what the secret is.

We can put on a pageant like no other nation and that's something to celebrate.

The snippets I saw of the royal wedding were lovely.
Our royal family bring in more revenue than they actually cost us!
Increasingly I've found that people are becoming really mean, self centered and horrid.

Surely a person can only be proud of something they've achieved?

So unless you've achieved British nationality, I don't see how you can be proud to be British?

Just sayin'...

Gwonlondon

A miserable thread? it never fails to amaze me that when people have an issue with the super privileged royal family, that they're somehow seen as miserable or mean. So poor people who struggle to pay bills, have to put up with rising food prices, food banks, cuts to vital services, long waiting lists to see a doctor etc etc etc are miserable and mean because they object to the super privileged monarchy? , that one single family get so much while the poor continue to get poorer. Can you explain the logic behind that please, because it's mind boggling.

The people who get a boost from seeing members of the royal family (including the appallingly racist queen mother of all people) are people like you who look on the royals as their betters. Please don't include the whole population in these people who get a boost from them. I can assure you they don't. They're just ordinary people fgs.

As far as i'm concerned there's nothing about them to admire. As for being 90 and going to public events? well i can assure you that many 90 year olds, if they had a house full of servants to run your bath, lay out your ironed clothes, serve you a meal and then bring a chauffeur driven car to your door to just step into and then get driven to a lovely event, they'd jump at the chance, lets not pretend that's a chore fgs....but if they couldn't, just goes to show what good living, private doctors, a house full of servants and no money worries can do in the long term. Oh how easy it is to fool the masses. How they must secretly laugh at the flag waving, over excited fools who are so happy to throw millions at them year after year but never question the wrongness of it all.

I think you might find other Nations put on equally good pageants.

it never fails to amaze me that when people have an issue with the super privileged royal family, that they're somehow seen as miserable or mean.

I don't know if you saw the Queen's speech a few years ago about Britain living within it's means, moving off from a welfare economy, and into an economy where work pays.

She said this while wearing a hat so heavy with jewels it would probably with a sudden movement break her neck, and sitting on a throne made of gold.

It was darkly comic.

How is it possibly self-centred to dislike the idea of an inherited monarchy? Is it somehow selfless to admire people who have inherited vast wealth by luck? Lots of other countries put on good pageants too and frankly I'm not sure in any case that pageantry is really a cutting-edge differentiator in terms of 21st century national wellbeing and prosperity.

Never saw that, @marchin haha priceless.

I love posters being accused of enjoying watching the Queen Mother.

She’s been dead for at least 15 years.

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

I didn't watch the wedding. Not because I have bad feelings towards the British Royal Family. I simply and honestly didn't care. I had a look at the dresses afterwards because I like looking at nice dresses but I genuinely didn't see any point in watching someone else's wedding.
Not for a second did I envy the British for their Royal Family. Why? What is so great about kowtowing to a family whose only demand to fame is the fact that their ancestors managed to become aristocrats? Why should I want to envy a Head of State who comes with a list of warnings (do not touch, bow, do not shake hands, when she stops eating her dinner, you have too etc.). I personally believe that those things belong to the past when people actually believed themselves inferior to those in higher positions.
I believe we are all equal and should be treated as such. Yep, the wedding was nice and glittery, some dresses were really great. Panem et circenses. But it was also a huge waste of money that could have gone on something else to celebrate a family living comfortably from the money of others.

The “paid for it themselves” line is more than a little disingenuous

Every year the RF receive a sovereign grant from the Treasury ( that’s us folks) this year the grant was 82M

Just take that in for a moment. 82M

We’re not sure where else money comes from but Prince Charles earns a significant amount from the Duchy of Cornwall, land that is his because he inherited it.

I for one would like my forced contribution back. These people do not care about you, you are at most a fawning backdrop to the unbelievably privileged lives which you help pay for.

God save the Queen.

Panem et circenses. Yes you are so enlightened and the rest of us are sheep blah blah blah.

No, Megan paid for her wedding dress herself out of her own money. She is after all a famous film star with a fortune of her own. So that's not disingenuous.

Envied for your monarchy throughout the world? There are indeed things other countries envy you for - voting, free health service, free education, freedom of speech, the welfare state. Your Monarchy - nope, not on that list. I would see the Monarchy like the UK's as a group of entitled people who inherited wealth because their ancestors were on the right side of history and the right side of the sheets. I cannot see how they as individuals achieved anything but being born into a wealthy family with all the privileges that can bring. Exclusive (expensive educations), the right to live and travel in luxury and wear expensive clothing and jewels. No doubt some of these elite are nice people and do some good work - but it doesn't make them any better than anyone else. I would have far more respect for people who help charity and set up charities and who do so without the privileged start this family have had.

As someone else up thread has said - they must think all those waving people as just peasants to be waved at.

I see nothing to envy you for in supporting such a system.

Republicans should be careful what they wish for. Would you really want to end up with President Johnson or President Farrage?!

Something I often note is how riled many people get when the RF are criticised, it’s as if they take it personally.
Bloody brilliant job on their part and on the BBC that they can manage to persuade people that the RF are somehow their own.