to ask should people still be bowing/curtseying to royalty

[bringincrazyback]

...in this day and age?

And if so, why?

(Usual disclaimers apply: long-standing member, not a journo, no Daily Fail affiliations. Question inspired by something that's come up in a book I'm reading; I'm curious to know what others think. Personally I think it's an obsequious practice that should have died out decades ago.)

I guess she's holding onto her daughter's hand because she's worried that she might not be able to get up again!

@squishee

We could have a lying cheating avaricious venal politician as head of state

Er, I thought BoJo was head of state?

Bloody hell no! Boris is the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister is not the Head of State.

The Queen is the Head of State.

She is built up by the press. What wonderful service she has given. Well she's been well rewarded for it. And the Queen Mother thd nations favourite granny. Nobody could stand her.

I think Fergie went for the full ballet curtsey and regretted it there. She looks like an absolute melt.

Never mind the courtseying, I’d like to see the whole institution gone and replaced by a head of state elected by the people rather than there through accident of birth. Then if they are incompetent , dishonest etc, they are voted out. Ireland has a good model for this. Other benefits are that it’s cheaper too.

The Irish system has been admirable, I think (mostly), for electing its President.

Agree @Sloth66 and just to forestall any cries of "but then we'd get president Blair/Cameron/Johnson" - yes it's possible but we'd be able to vote them out after a certain amount of time!

With a monarchy you don't know who you'd be stuck with - we may be lucky with QEII but we could've just as easily had someone like the ex king of Spain whose reign was beset by scandal.

I think the argument that we can't possibly have a Presidential system because other people might vote for a guy you don't like is, at best, anti-democratic.

Personally I'd vote for a massive philanthropic figure, not a former politico. JK Rowling for me, thank you. Or Brian Blessed

I think the bar for behaviour is set quite generously. True, Andrew could have been born first. But we don’t really know the Queen as a person at all.
However we do know that she and Charles lobbied aggressively to avoid climate related costs their activities and estates incurred in Scotland. They look after themselves and their own interests behind a cloak of secrecy.

But we don’t really know the Queen as a person at all

^^This. I agree, we don't know her or her character at all. We know she's done her duty for decades and for that we assume the best obviously.

But given this is a person that has never given an interview, never expressed her views on anything, we have no idea, we can only express a view on her by her actions but we are fed what we should be thinking about HMQ by the press, given that is pro-royalty, pro-Queen, we actually haven't a clue.

Definitely Brian Blessed for life president. Imagine how cheering it would be to have him exhorting the entire nation not to let the bastards get us down in his Christmas speech.

That curtsy of Fergie’s is begging forgiveness for the 90s like nothing else.

I would never bow or courtesy to anyone. Equally I would never call anyone Sir or Madam.

It all infers that they are better than you!

I think Fergie went for the full ballet curtsey and regretted it there. She looks like an absolute melt.

Thank goodness Beatrice was there - I think she’d have fallen over otherwise!

Absolutely not - I dislike the praise that these people get for nothing more than the family they were born into. They have done nothing to earn the status nor respect. There whole existence is steeped in the legacy of theft. And yet many would still praise and curtsey these people.

@SpindleWhorl

I think Fergie went for the full ballet curtsey and regretted it there. She looks like an absolute melt.

Haha! I suspect the curtsey was vodka-enhanced.

At no point in our history should we ever have bowed and scraped to any king or queen. But I would have liked to shake Boudica's hand and buy her a drink.

They curtsy to each other in private depending on their seniority.

Apparently Meghan was unhappy at having to curtsy to Kate

I would be surprised if a mere mortal didn't need to curtsy.

But it's ridiculous.

YANBU

At Cop26 Charles is a hypocrite

Billboards up in Glasgow showing Charles William as hypocrites.

Helicopter flights
Private jet
Lots of large homes
Private train

Huge carbon footprint. asked to rewild their land in a delivered petition

Haven't heard back.

We should abolish the monarchy

Apparently Meghan was unhappy at having to curtsy to Kate

I'd be noping the fuck out of that, too. Your sister in law? Fuck that!

I’d be happy to curtsy to the Queen. But I love all the history and ceremony, and think HM’s doing an amazing job.

They curtsy to each other in private depending on their seniority.

They only curtsy to the Queen (and perhaps Prince Philip) in private.

They done away with curtsying in private otherwise a while ago (partly because it gets complicated and partly to prevent blood princesses having to curtsy to married-ins) so she wouldn't have had to cutsy to Kate privately until Kate is Queen.

It's a ridiculous practice, along with flag waving and cheering for royals. The whole institution of monarchy should be dismantled. The idea that one family reigns over us ( and we actually pay them to do so ) is preposterous in a modern world.

(obviously they don't curtsy to Philip now. That would be odd!)

Nope. But I’d like a republic anyway. Had enough of the RF and their dramas. Andrew and his mum bailing him out are the last straw for me.

I’m not bowing down to anybody. They are not better than the rest of us.