If we didn’t have the royal family...?

[Emma8899]

How would it work? Inspired by another thread. A few people saying that it should be dismantled when the Queen dies.

In reality, how would that work? What would become of the royal family if we decided we just wouldn’t have a monarchy anymore? Obviously they would be normal aristocrats in theory but without the tourism and tax payer money, would they have to get normal jobs?

I’ve never really thought about it before but I can’t really see how we would ever be without the monarchy?

Well they would be the same as the royals that aren't quite royal enough to be in the spotlight.

I dont know why tourism would stop though, not like you actually see the queen on your tour is it. People would still come to see everything they always have.

I think we should get rid. I've zero interest in having a king. I think they're a waste of money and a hang up from the past that we aught to move on from. Their history, recent and old is nothing at all to be proud of.

I think saying the queen had a military career is a bit of a stretch...a couple of years in the Auxiliary Service during the war or something. Neither do Beatrice and Eugenie have full time meaningful jobs judging by the holidays they seem to take pre covid. They are employed by companies for the perceived prestige of having a royal. I do wonder why when they all get the best educations money can buy that none of them seem to go into really demanding or worthwhile roles such as medicine, law etc. Too much like real work I suspect.

At the very least when the Queen goesit should be pared down drastically to Charles and the subsequent Prince of Wales. I’d also like to see our royals behaviour, and our attitude towards them, be more like the Scandinavian version with far less distance and reverence.

If they don’t pare down they will be abolished anyway.

If they were doing proper jobs and subject to proper contracts they would have been sacked long ago.
Sophie and Fergie / abuse of position/corruption
Beatrice and Eugenie/ lack of time served
Andrew/bringing the role into disrepute
Philip/bringing the time into disrepute / or are we thinking his ‘gaffs’ in the real world wouldn’t be seen as the racist and misogynistic spouting they are
Edward/ abuse of privilege (just warranted a stern word from his brother, would have been sacked in the real world)
William and Kate/ lack of time served

They'd be like all the other rich old money people at that level. They'd keep the properities that family members have bought and are not in the Crown estates - Balmoral, Sandringham, High Grove etc. They'd keep all their personal wealth portfolios. Even if the monarch and heir lost the two Duchy incomes they would still be very wealthy.

They'd have to downsize loads of staff positions etc, and would have to create some money making opportunities from their estates - tourism, arts venues etc to keep the estates repaired and functioning. The Crown Jewels would be a state asset but most of the Queen's massive collection of jewels is owned by her so that would be another form of income for them, flogging that off.

But they'd also have no responsibilities to do anything else apart from please themselves. Which is exactly like the hundreds of rich old money families do already.

They wouldn't necessarily lose their titles - just the structure of the institution. So there would be other money-making opportunities using their titles - which they are not allowed to do right now.

I think they'd love it. They'd be hunting, shooting, fishing, partying etc with all the privacy afforded any private citizen.

The government would a lot of the soft diplomacy bargaining chips they use with other nations - yes, they'd still be able to have the state dinners etc but lots of the foreign politicians like the optics of being hosted by the Queen / old monarchy etc

Reality is that none of them will ever see a poor day again whether the monarchy stays or goes.

I don't really care anymore, the tourism and pageantry can carry on without them as it does in France for example post the Sun King and Versailles etc.

A republic is much more acceptable to me anyway, than a privileged elite that we pay for, purely due to an accident of birthright.

The Queen has a personal fortune of about £350 but she's not even in the top ten of rich aristocrats in the UK.

news.yahoo.com/the-richest-aristocrats-in-britain-is-led-by-a-28-yearold-duke-084304412.html

@MagicSummer

I love the whole lot of them - they do a brilliant job and do so much for our country. Leave them alone - who would you prefer? Some left wing President Corbyn to 'equalise' society?

yes, obviously 😀 why would a more equal society be such a terrible thing?

I imagine we'd more likely get BoJo but at least we could vote him out, as a op said.

as a pp said, not the op, sorry

I wonder if other European monarchs have those nutters who wait outside the hospital for the first glimpse of the new royal baby

I love the whole lot of them

Wow
I doubt they love you or any of us back.

I wonder if other European monarchs have those nutters who wait outside the hospital for the first glimpse of the new royal baby

Or who give up their Christmas Day to stand, rain, hail or snow to watch them going to church. Weird.

@StoneofDestiny

I wonder if other European monarchs have those nutters who wait outside the hospital for the first glimpse of the new royal baby

Or who give up their Christmas Day to stand, rain, hail or snow to watch them going to church. Weird.

Omg yes! Forgot about them. Just madness!

I’m not British so the RF are just a fun quirk of living here - but the Royal obsessives are really something else!

@veeeeh

Reality is that none of them will ever see a poor day again whether the monarchy stays or goes.

I don't really care anymore, the tourism and pageantry can carry on without them as it does in France for example post the Sun King and Versailles etc.

A republic is much more acceptable to me anyway, than a privileged elite that we pay for, purely due to an accident of birthright.

I don't know - isn't pretty much everyone where they are as an accident of birth? Lucky or unlucky in terms of parentage, family situation, genetics, social class, charm, even things like a work ethic usually come from our genetics or the way we were raised or some undefinable thing inside of ourselves.

It's not like the political class are particularly representative of the population.

I'm not fond of the idea of a nation where the head of state is elected, but I'm not sure that it's much better if the head of state is someone we think deserves the job. It seems a better idea to see it as the sort of thing where no one deserves it, it's not a reflection on merit, as such. If it was an elected position it inevitably would be, though.

It's not like the political class are particularly representative of the population
They are chosen by the electorate to represent us. Like them or loathe them, people voted them in.

The royals are chosen by no one and it's the luck of the draw who we get - could have been Andrew representing us. Bad enough we've had to suffer and support Princess Margaret, The Queen Mother and Prince Philip - all known for their openly racist attitudes. Only by chance did Edward V111 abdicate - he was a Nazi sympathiser!