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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:
Noodlenosefraggle · 22/04/2020 08:44

It must be difficult as a child growing up knowing that you are always second best to your sibling and that the attention is always on them. It doesn't matter how much wealth you have, you can still have mental health problems, suffer from low self worth
It is the Royal Family as a family and as an institution itself that does this to it's own children. Princess Anne was dumped far enough down the succession to realise she had to make her own way but being brought up to be a spare has done untold damage to Margaret, Andrew and Harry. That is the fault of the Royals. They know this happens yet there are stories like that of the Queen Mother only inviting William and Charles to tea because they are the heirs. They allow the dysfunction to descend through the generations, repeating the same mistakes. Severely cutting them down to one nuclear family with the younger ones expected to make their own way would benefit them as well as us.

Leighhalfpennysthigh · 22/04/2020 12:14

No one asks to be born into the Royal Family. It must be difficult as a child growing up knowing that you are always second best to your sibling and that the attention is always on them. It doesn't matter how much wealth you have, you can still have mental health problems, suffer from low self worth

My dad didn't ask to be born to a German Jewish family who ended up in a concentration camp - and not coming out again.

That start in life - like the start many, many children still have in this country - was so much more difficult than any child born into the Royal Family. Whilst anyone can suffer mental health problems, not everyone has enough money to fund private help or take time out to recover. Money may not lead to happiness, but it can make misery and pain a lot easier to cope with.

StoneofDestiny · 22/04/2020 14:08

No one asks to be born into the Royal Family

Nobody asks to be born!
Many of us were born into very much more challenging circumstances, many lose both parents early or even ever know one, or maybe none! Some people’s upbringings bring further challenge.
Being born a second child in a seriously wealthy over pampered family is not a challenge!
We all have to rise to the challenges we are faced with and try and get the help we need. I can assure you being in the royal family gets you immediate access to all the help you need and to never wait in line for it!

StoneofDestiny · 22/04/2020 14:12

Do you really think any of the royal family would give up their ‘woe is me privileged positions’ to earn their crust in the factory, office or retail centres. Even thinking about Andrew, Edward, Kate, Beatrice, Sophie to name a few, doing a proper job, makes me laugh. They want their cake and to eat it all alone - as long as we buy it!

twirlycat77 · 22/04/2020 14:55

I think it’s obscene how much they take off us. The worst thing is, how they’re so convinced that they’re worth it.

derxa · 22/04/2020 16:15

Do you really think any of the royal family would give up their ‘woe is me privileged positions’ to earn their crust in the factory, office or retail centres Would you?

StoneofDestiny · 22/04/2020 16:37

Derxa Not if I was in a privileged position where other people paid for my pampered life!

But if I was in that position I wouldn’t complain about it / and I’d make sure I was relevant to everyone and do some work of substance that meant I could keep my pampered life!

StoneofDestiny · 22/04/2020 16:39

Derxa .....but in real life, my social conscience wouldn’t allow me to be kept in luxury at the expense of people less fortunate than me

derxa · 22/04/2020 16:41

Not if I was in a privileged position where other people paid for my pampered life! In the past I've worked for the NHS and was a teacher. Tax payers paid for my pampered life.

Pelleas · 22/04/2020 16:46

Derxa Surely even the highest echelons of NHS and teacher salaries are tiny compared to the Royals' wealth? And I daresay in either of those professions you work fairly hard for your salary.

C130 · 22/04/2020 16:51

I am fairly certain that those who work for the NHS, and teachers actually work hard for their living.

derxa · 22/04/2020 17:00

Derxa Surely even the highest echelons of NHS and teacher salaries are tiny compared to the Royals' wealth? And I daresay in either of those professions you work fairly hard for your salary. It's all relative. Consider the Kinnock family who have amassed a lot of money from the EU budget and the public purse. NHS chief administrators who earn more than the PM and don't seem to accountable in this Covid debacle. None of them would even consider giving up their salaries and going to work as cleaners.
I should imagine that if and when William becomes king then it'll all be scaled back. And that would be sensible.

Pelleas · 22/04/2020 17:05

Consider the Kinnock family who have amassed a lot of money from the EU budget and the public purse. NHS chief administrators who earn more than the PM and don't seem to accountable in this Covid debacle.

I think you're moving towards a different debate with those points. Other people being paid unjustifiably large salaries or acquiring wealth from the public purse, doesn't make it right for the Royals to do so - it simply highlights a wider issue of wealth inequality in the UK.

Nonetheless, all the wealth examples you mention are still a drop in the ocean compared to the Royals. Let's begin by deposing the (by far) worst offenders - then we can move on to consider others.

Clavinova · 22/04/2020 17:14

Actually, I'm quite impressed with Princess Beatrice - I didn't know she had it in her!

www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/201209179318/princess-beatrice-mont-blanc/

www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2016093033811/Princess-Beatrice-first-royal-complete-triathlon/

derxa · 22/04/2020 17:21

Let's begin by deposing the (by far) worst offenders - then we can move on to consider others. They may be hard to get rid of. Consider the German nobility which still exists.
www.handelsblatt.com/today/companies/aristocratic-firms-a-prince-among-businessmen/23571452.html?ticket=ST-847374-g4njm5gJc5jlDKcQtQCP-ap6

BurneyFanny · 22/04/2020 18:22

Pretty sure the kinnocks were elected

StoneofDestiny · 22/04/2020 19:06

Derxa

I reached the top of my profession in a public service job - I can assure you that neither I or anybody I worked with earned enough for a pampered life.
Teachers and NHS pay taxes too by the way - until very recently, the royals didn't even do that!

I do recall a lot of stress, a lot of hours, no access to 'overtime pay' and certainly nobody offered me chauffeurs, a private train, palaces including 'holiday' palaces, nannies, dressers, secretaries, private health care, dressers, butlers, servants, ladies in waiting, valets, cooks etc etc.

But wait - I have to pay for the royals to have all of that plus much more.

Clavinova · 22/04/2020 19:13

I reached the top of my profession in a public service job

Why do you keep going on about the royals doing factory jobs or similar? You give the impression of someone used to a minimum wage job.

Alsohuman · 22/04/2020 19:28

I reached the top of my profession in a public service job - I can assure you that neither I or anybody I worked with earned enough for a pampered life

If this is true, you worked at a national level and would have been on a six figure salary. That’s pretty pampered to most people.

LaMarschallin · 22/04/2020 19:42

Why do you keep going on about the royals doing factory jobs or similar? You give the impression of someone used to a minimum wage job.

Maybe because, based solely on their present qualifications, those are the sort of jobs many of the royals could realistically get.

Clavinova · 22/04/2020 20:24

The younger royals have university degrees and Prince Charles appears to be picking up recognition awards all over the place:

"2016 Prince Charles named Londoner of the Decade by The Evening Standard"

www.standard.co.uk/news/the1000/prince-charles-named-londoner-of-the-decade-heres-his-speech-in-full-a3339886.html

"His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is the recipient of The GCC Global Leader of Change Award, 2017, for his outstanding contribution to global environmental preservation and protection and for his passionate vision for a better future for humanity."

eco-age.com/news/gcc-global-leaders-change-hrh-prince-charles

GQ's Men of the Year Awards 2018;
"Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to philanthropy."

www.womanandhome.com/life/royal-news/prince-charles-gq-awards-speech-300936/

Pelleas · 22/04/2020 20:30

The younger royals have university degrees

Unless their degrees are in in vocational subjects, they'd almost certainly go into min wage jobs like the majority of graduates have to nowadays.

derxa · 22/04/2020 20:39

Unless their degrees are in in vocational subjects, they'd almost certainly go into min wage jobs like the majority of graduates have to nowadays Oh for pity's sake. That didn't seem to happen to Bea and Eug, did it. You might get rid of the Royal Family but then they'd be aristos with connections.

Wolfgirrl · 22/04/2020 20:57

@derxa if they are all supremely qualified super humans, why are they not making the most of their extraordinary talents in this time of national crisis?

CathyorClaire · 22/04/2020 21:05

The younger royals have university degrees

Not all. Just Harry had to be 'helped' through the only A-level he got a pass grade in. His dad got into Cambridge with very indifferent A-level results.

That didn't seem to happen to Bea and Eug, did it

Nor did 25 days annual leave.