To think Prince Charles will be our last Monarch

[Jemima232]

Given that it could be another thirty years before Prince Charles dies, I was wondering if he will be our last Monarch.

I think that a lot will have changed by the time Prince William is due to accede the throne and that the Monarchy will have been abolished by then.

Yes- can anyone name 3 charities William and Kate are involved with?

Bertrand I cannot name one charity with which K & W are involved.

Centrepoint?

Just looked Kate’s up. She has some good ones- but i was completely unaware. Shame she’s not a bit more “attention seeking”!

Action on Addiction is a good one.

And I see that she is a Scout Leader (!)

The fact that we don’t really know what charities Kate represents goes to show that she doesn’t do much for them. She doesn’t use her role to throw light on these charities, which could help them in their fundraising.

I struggle to imagine how it would actually happen though - becoming a republic. Presumably there will be no civil war!

I assume that the monarchy will become even less relevant than it is now over time. They’ll have less public money. Most of them will be expected to get normal jobs. People will fawn less and care less but they’ll still technically exist. Kind of how they are less relevant and important now compared to at the start of QE’s reign.

Well we have seen this week that the Monarch has no power at all, just nods and signs what is put in front of her. That is her role, a figurehead purely and simply, but much loved by many just the same.

Charles is a caricature of himself. Did he ever work a day in his life I wonder? He is next you see.

Anyway, regardless, the role of the Monarchy is being questioned by many now. And the old adage of "well they bring in the tourists" would still apply to their castles and estates and Buckingham and Windsor whether they were there or not. Has any tourist ever seen them outside of a wedding or Remembrance Day? I doubt it. I've never seen them IRL myself. Have any of you?

Trim it down to Queen/husband and maybe King/wife as figureheads and let the rest of them go off into the sunset. I doubt any of them will ever see a poor day no matter what.

Brexit may change things. I say that only because the country is fractured and the monarchy is just a means to sign a piece of paper with a gun at her back (figuratively of course).

Pomp and ceremony we do really well in UK, but no reason that cannot continue if things are trimmed right down. Sure they are all financially ok anyway whatever happens!

One of Kate’s charities is an organisation I have quite a lot to do with. Not sure whether the fact I didn’t know she was involved says more about her or me!

I really hope you're right. In fact I hope even Charles isn't crowned. Pointless bunch.

I have no clue what drives William and even less clue about Kate (we barely even hear her speak so it’s impossible to form an impression of what she’s about)

I've often wondered if their approach is the result of William being coached by the Queen. It's known that she used to have him round for tea when he was at Eton, so maybe - knowing Charles is a busted flush - she was keen to encourage her own way of doing things?

I'm a republican, and very much hope that I live long enough to see the Monarchy disbanded.
Just wondering would people also want to see the end of the aristocracy (not the people, just all their many titles.)
Also the Royals are somewhat adept at blurring the lines between what they own in their own right and what is owned by the Crown. It would be interesting to see what they claim as their own and would it be questioned.

(I remember reading that just one of the Queen's brooches-the one she calls Granny's chips - would be worth £50m due to the size and clarity of the 2 stones. The Royal provenance would add far more value. Their wealth is probably incalculable but they always seem to want more.)

Granny's chips

Are those the ones from the Cullinan diamond?

I remember seeing a programme on television about the crown jewels when she gestured casually at an enormous diamond brooch she was wearing, saying "This was made from a couple of chips".

I looked down at my hands and eyed a couple of my rings and thought "No. Actually, those are chips".

(I'm very fond of them though )

(Chipswise, it was a bit like comparing triple cooked chunky chips with frites)

Yes, LaMarschallin, they are; there's a great article about them here: orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/cullinans-part-2-grannys-chips.html

I admit it seems to me a bit much to call 94 and 63 carat diamonds "chips", but there you go

there's a great article about them here

Thank you!
They are whoppers, aren't they?

They certainly are ... and in case you didn't see the link, here's how the stone came to be cut and what happened to the rest of the bits:

orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/queens-top-10-diamonds-1-cullinan.html

The Queen has no say in who inherits the throne after her death/abdication: Parliament has controlled this since the 17th century. So the only way for Charles not to become king, assuming he survives her, would be if an act of parliament changed the rules (ain't going to happen) or if Charles chose to abdicate (ain't going to happen).

And, as much as Charles irritates me, and as much as I'd like to see the back of the RF as an institution, it seems a bit harsh blithely to talk about disinheriting him after the man has spent his entire life having to hang around, waiting for his mother to pop her clogs.

I've often wondered if their approach is the result of William being coached by the Queen. It's known that she used to have him round for tea when he was at Eton, so maybe - knowing Charles is a busted flush - she was keen to encourage her own way of doing things?

I think it very much is. There are parallels between William and Kate’s life, especially in Anglesey and Norfolk, and the Queen’s life in Malta. She and Philip had intended for her to be a military wife for much longer than was possible.

It’s always been said that Philip has always resented that they were landed with the Queen and consort roles so young, and it undoubtedly affected their parenting roles, so it’s no real surprise that she’s encouraged William to live the life he wants for as long as possible.

Omg the Mohawk children. I had no idea.

You might want to check where some of that's come from, Marciplex; I'm the first to admit I haven't a clue what happened, but some of the reports scamper along the margins of the surreal

Unless anyone has a reputable source … ?

I hope so. Would rather it was the Queen tbh.

I can't help but think that both HM & PC are happy for W&K to be able to be with their kids so much whilst they're young.

They probably appreciate the Middletons as well.

Can anyone remember the charities that Diana used to support?

I think like Kate, a lot got lost in the blurb about clothes!