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?

@RedDwarves. What so your country survives without a monarchy in your country? Bloody hell .

I pray to everywhere becomes a republic.

I agree, OP, we do do these types of events well.

@Dreary. Yes I live in a lovely part if the country, but I also do a lot of charity work all over the country and believe it or not, there are many people struggling right now, but not to worry Dreary, you carry on sipping your tea.

Thanks @WrongOn you're right, inner cities are on a massive decline, no jobs and very little policing due to cuts but can afford a nice big wedding, ahhhh to be British.

I haven’t read the entire thread but as a non British I find the fascination with the Royals bizarre. The lining of the streets outside Windsor Castle, the buying of tacky Royal trinkets and the multiple threads about the wedding are odd. You pay for this family who are no more deserving than any other to live a very priveledged life. They seem (quite understandably) to absolutely hate the public part of their life. I don’t get the fawning. Having said that I think Harry and Megan make a beautiful couple and wish them well.

I'm not at all proud to be British...I did watch the wedding as I like Harry but tbh it made me feel uncomfortable...
It was beautiful but it made me feel that the royals ARE outdated despite the introduction of an African American divorcee... They have no idea of reality.

@Lego you'll here the usual bollocks how the Queen generates a lot of money for Britain, but not as much as it takes to keep her and her hangers on, there's been a poll that visitors would still visit London, wether there was a Queen or not, for Londons history because they never have seen her while coming here on holiday, all they see is Buckingham palace which would be there if we had a Queen to support or not. It's the Government that make all the decisions the queen doesn't make any, she's just a figure head that likes to hunt (another reason I don't like the royals) so I'm British and I don't get it.

I'm not a monarchist but imagine if corbyn or Thatcher was in power with no head of state to keep them in check

Yes - the Queen has been fantastic at bringing the country together after the division that Brexit has caused

Hang on - she's not said anything because she isn't allowed to. Being a figure head and all.

Other countries have a written constitution and an elected Head of State who is apolitical but can act as a figure head and as someone who ensures the elected Government follows the Constitution.

But bingo on Corbyn or Thatcher. Surprised Trump hasn't been mentioned yet. Other Head of State 'models' are available.

The princes popularity shines today

I think that most people in the UK are indifferent to the Monarchy.
Some actively support it and some actively oppose it.

A bit like the Truman show. When it ends, people will simply switch to 'another channel' to get their celebrity fix.

@Kalapattar. Well said. With an elected head of state who would be paid a respectable not astronomical wage and would house themselves in a house not a palace, they could make sure that the government follow all the rules or regulations.

More over paid elected idiots full of self importance and operating there own interest with back handers and bribery. I'd rather not.

The queen has dedicated her life to this country. She has brought up and trained her descendants to help and promote charities and good causes all over the world.
The queen has done very well out of this country, she and her family take out far more than they put in. As for "training her descendants", she's got to do something to justify what is given her. They're an unnecessary burden to a country that treats its poor and disabled so callously.

With an elected head of state who would be paid a respectable not astronomical wage and would house themselves in a house not a palace, they could make sure that the government follow all the rules or regulations

And who the media wouldn't obsess over and whose children, grandchildren and grandchildren's parents in law wouldn't also be obsessed over.

I really like the royal family and I'm in no means a republican. I also enjoyed Kate and Will's marriage a lot. However, today was an absolute circus. The amount of expense on a couple who won't be King and Queen was a shambles - 200k for an extremely simple dress was just wtf, especially considering Meghan prides herself on being a humanitarian. The entire spectacle of the thing irritated me in principle given that Harry had been complaining about lack of privacy recently too. I also felt incredibly sorry for Meghan's mother who was completely alone and at sea in the church, without even having been allowed to bring a plus one it seems, despite the thousands of guests. The preacher was also a total embarrassment. I'm pleased people had a nice time I'm just not really sure what the hell happened today and i don't understand why they had to do such a ridiculously large wedding.

Yes yes yes.

Bombardier I agree 100%
But you will get the usual lot bleating on ‘the royal family make hundreds of thousands each year through revenue/attracting tourists etc etc’.....
this all may well be true, but there is just nothing to them. So bland, never speak up or make a stand about anything, they just float around ‘supporting charities’ (making gestures like collecting flowers from small primary school children). None of the actual nitty gritty harsh reality of this charity work, or actually seeing and supporting people in real distress.

I’d respect them more if they were less extravagant, and were more in sympathy with the British public, in times of austerity.

No way did the security cost £30m. Wills and Kate cost £3.6m - this is likely to be around £3m. Some newspapers have done a reverse Diane Abbott and added some 00000

AnneElliot. Oh it did.

I stand corrected . But you should too as wills and Kate's security cost 6.53 million.

Behold my vast field of shits that I couldn't give about the royal wedding.
It spreads to many many acres.

I've never felt proud to be British because it's not an achievement of mine, merely an accident of birth. I feel similarly about anti-English Scots (I am Scottish) banging on about how they are proud to be Scottish (I know not everyone who is proud to be Scottish is anti-English but they do frequently coincide).

I digress. I do sometimes feel lucky to be British when I hear of atrocities and dictatorships in other countries. Royal weddings and suchlike have never made me feel lucky. I live in an absolute shithole of a town so seeing how the other half live makes me feel nothing, really. No luck, no envy, nothing. It's all so unconnected to me or my fellow inhabitants of my area that I cannot feel proud or lucky, because be it in Britain or not, it has fuck all to do with us. Can't feel lucky to be part of something I'm not part of.

Siwel the £3.6m was the additional cost. The £6m includes opportunity costs (the cost of cops that would have been on duty anyway).

Therefore £3.6m is the more accurate cost as it's the part that has to be paid by the Met - the balance was normal salaries that would have been paid for anyway.

www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-5645247/amp/William-Kate-s-royal-wedding-cost-police-6-3m-new-figures-reveal.html

See link which shows the Home Office paid the additional costs of £3.6m.

YABU

Windsor castle looked fantastic today despite the royals previously trying to burn in down. It certainly gave the stereotypical tourist image of how Britain should be perceived. It was the marriage of a German to an American though so not really very British in reality.

Normal salary that officers could have been policing their community but instead had to guard some rich people.