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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

So what the fuck are Kate and Willy doing?

999 replies

RogueV · 17/04/2020 22:39

Isn’t there a princess in Europe that’s now working as a HCA?

A queen somewhere in Asia cooking for the poor?

Harry and Meghan delivering meals?

Bet if Diana was here she’d be out doing everything in her power to help the ordinary folk 💪

OP posts:
ArriettyJones · 18/04/2020 13:36

I agree with OneandTwenty - it wouldn't matter in the slightest. It's the prime minister that makes decisions; I know we're told that the queen studies the contents of her red boxes, but why?
She's supposed to stay politically neutral. And certainly stayed that way during Brexit.

@LaMarschallin

Exactly. The belief in the importance of royalty is a very flimsy facade.

Which is why I think we would rapidly become a republic if we ended up with a boy king. It would just be too archaic a situation, be a horrible position for a young boy to be in, would look as ridiculous as it was and wouldn’t get public support.

Which is an outcome I would like, but not if it was brought about in such a tragic way.

Anyway, regardless of what I think there is a huge machinery of courtiers very keen to avoid that outcome and absolutely determined that William should be kept as safe as QE2 and the PoW.

Pelleas · 18/04/2020 13:42

Which is why I think we would rapidly become a republic if we ended up with a boy king.

There would certainly be a difficulty finding a suitable adult regent. Harry would be the next adult in line but he's renounced his Royal duties. After that comes Andrew, who would clearly be inappropriate. So then you have Beatrice, Eugenie or Edward, none of whom have much gravitas or particular popularity.

Pelleas · 18/04/2020 13:44

^ actually, I forgot Anne in the above list. She has public respect but media relations aren't her strong point.

twirlycat77 · 18/04/2020 13:48

Er they’re following the governments guidance, looking after their kids, donating to charity and supporting mental health initiatives remotely

Donating to charity? Well apart from the fact we don’t have any proof, for someone who is worth millions (off the backs of taxpayers) any donation should be in the millions. Because we haven’t been made aware he’s done this we can safely assume he hasn’t. Absolutely disgraceful.......and all this “supporting mental health” we hear about seems to me something that sounds good and makes himself sound like he’s doing something other than swanning around a palace. What “support” is he actually giving?.....

The royals are very good at “supporting” things, but it’s usually little more than putting their name to it.

Wolfgirrl · 18/04/2020 13:48

Republicans, I wouldn't hold your breath. Any question you ask will be met with the usual:

  1. Damned if they do, damned if they dont (funny how it's always the dont!)
  2. What are you doing? (I'm not head of state. By that logic we dont get to criticise the government either!)
  3. They might be donating money and not telling anyone (cant disprove a negative. And they're happy to publicise everything else they do)
  4. We cant put the line of succession at risk (so what is the Monarchy actually for if not to help the country and lead by example at a time like this?
  5. Now isnt the time to criticise the monarchy (so if the worst pandemic in 100 years isnt a good time, when is? Only when the going is good? Convenient)
  6. What would you have them do? (See my above post with suggestions)
  7. Or simply 'oh bugger off', etc (assume they have no reply)
  8. Kate and Wills are just a young couple looking after their kids (no, you're confusing them with NHS staff, supermarket employees, bin men, the people actually keeping our country afloat. They are in training as Head of State, they have an abundance of staff and nannies. So no, they are not a normal couple).
OneandTwenty · 18/04/2020 14:02

Wolfgirrl

Star
ArriettyJones · 18/04/2020 14:08

After that comes Andrew, who would clearly be inappropriate. So then you have Beatrice, Eugenie or Edward, none of whom have much gravitas or particular popularity.

It’s not a very attractive selection, is it?

Mittens030869 · 18/04/2020 14:13

Maybe Kate? Especially if Wills is King for a short time so that she was actually Queen? Not likely if not, of course. Although I think it's very unlikely that The current Queen, the PoW and Wills will all die.

namechangetheworld · 18/04/2020 14:14

She has THREE little kids! Who do you want to look after them. Someone outside their household????

Yeah I can just imagine Kate on her hands and knees scrubbing shit off of the loo seat while drilling Charlotte on her spellings and trying to work out how to make a family meal out of two eggs and some tinned tomatoes.

If you think they're not living with a nanny, cleaner and chef you're deluded.

twirlycat77 · 18/04/2020 14:15

Excellent points wolfgirl. It makes me wonder.....what would have to happen to make these royalists realise the obscenity of a hereditary monarchy, and that it should have no place in an democratic equal society.

Noodlenosefraggle · 18/04/2020 14:27

I then see people in the public eye running exercise classes for kids, dance classes, art tutorials, school tutoring, reading stories - all virtually.
I think all this shows is that celebs, for all the slagging off people do of them have skills and talents that can be utilised. Will and Kate patiently do not.

LaurieMarlow · 18/04/2020 14:29

I think all this shows is that celebs, for all the slagging off people do of them have skills and talents that can be utilised. Will and Kate patiently do not.

Quite. And what, precisely is the point of them?

HarrySnotter · 18/04/2020 14:31

I wouldn't really matter what they were doing, people like you would find something wrong with it anyway.

Wolfgirrl · 18/04/2020 14:32

@harrysnotter refer to point 1...

LaurieMarlow · 18/04/2020 14:35

Great points wolf

What astonishes me is that the royalists have such low expectations/standards for these people.

They’re so happy to confer all this money and power on them and then don’t seem to mind when all they do is swan around in extensive mansions, looked after by staff, doing bugger all.

I find it very strange.

KatherineJaneway · 18/04/2020 14:36
Biscuit
Pelleas · 18/04/2020 14:36

Mittens030869 I think Regents in this country have to be blood royals so that would rule Kate out.

TSSDNCOP · 18/04/2020 14:40

Selfish bastards should be out doing a fucking virtual boot fair to raise money for PPE.

They're everything that's wrong with this country. In the week he should be flying around in an air ambulance and she should be in a car park doing CV testing at the very least, it's what would happen in Scandinavia (or whichever comparable nation is the MN fave this week).

Wannabangbang · 18/04/2020 14:41

William will one day be king and his children heir to the throne, I'm sure the queen doesn't want him and his wife galavanting about dicing with death. Lets be honest they are the Royals, they are special and i can't see why people can't cut them some slack. They've given up other parts of their lifes such as privacy for example because they were born into monarchy. The royals do a lot for charity. Why the hatred for them. Jealousy isn't a good look

ArriettyJones · 18/04/2020 14:41

Maybe Kate? Especially if Wills is King for a short time so that she was actually Queen? Not likely if not, of course. Although I think it's very unlikely that The current Queen, the PoW and Wills will all die.

She’d be a more attractive choice and I think there’s precedent, albeit ancient.

More realistically (thankfully), I hope William takes us down a more scandi-royal route when he accedes. I do think he’s as down to earth as any royal could be and has a good head on his shoulders.

Cnoc · 18/04/2020 14:43

What astonishes me is that the royalists have such low expectations/standards for these people.

They’re so happy to confer all this money and power on them and then don’t seem to mind when all they do is swan around in extensive mansions, looked after by staff, doing bugger all.

Yup, it's mystifying. There are people in minimum wage jobs or living on tiny state pensions whose lives have involved grinding hard work and effort just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, and they sleep out on the routes of royal weddings to wave little flags and buy commemorative teatowels and are absolutely signed up to a system which inculcates birth privilege and institutionalised inequality. Bread and circuses, sure, but it's still deeply strange.

LaMarschallin · 18/04/2020 14:46

She has THREE little kids! Who do you want to look after them. Someone outside their household????

THREE I tell you, THREE!

That's like...

counts on fingers - shoves tinfoil hat back up over eyebrows

Gah! Touched face with hands!

Washes hands during six verses of "God Bless the Prince of Wales"

Anyway, it's a big number.
So, she'll be educating her socks off. Personally. All the time.

Good grief - what if she had FOUR?!

(Apparently, it's been known to happen.)

Or, at least, she'll need someone to educate the royal progeny and explain that putting 4 (count them!) question marks after an interrogative statement makes you look a tad deranged.

Picassoh · 18/04/2020 14:47

Well anywhere they were to go the security had to go. Then they’ve got their kids to go back to and look after and as they are not key workers, it makes sense for them to not leave the house.

Diyhaircutgonewrong · 18/04/2020 14:48

Kate and William are doing all the right things, IMO.

I agree, after all it is very difficult to do something 'wrong' when you do nothing at all!

Diyhaircutgonewrong · 18/04/2020 14:50

She has THREE little kids! Who do you want to look after them. Someone outside their household????

they have minions and a nanny, in case you don't know. and many families have still one parent working outside home. One of them could get their royal and thus far useless arses in gear at least.