To think the royal family are a bloody embarrassment

[MariaAngustias]

Just that - why are we paying for this bunch when we could be spending the money on essential services? Let the Queen continue then after her just get rid of the whole bloody lot of them. We have and alleged paedo, a whinging multi millionaire in his 30's moaning constantly, an allegedly corrupt heir to the throne meeting dodgy russians for money....... just go, enough. Seriously - this is all Jeremy Kyle for poshos.

@StoneOfDestiny No don't worry it won't be centuries or anything like. Public sentiment is changing. Even though monarchism is still rife on here (mn deleted my carefully-selected single biscuit offering, posted after a certain funeral earlier this year), on RF threads there are noticeably fewer people blithering about the benefits of royals to tourism and noticeably more references to parasites and nonces.

Yes theres a definite shift in opinion. The tide is turning.

Biggest bunch of council house dwellers in the UK.

I think the fact that the RF vanished to their mansions where they stayed throughout the pandemic, and were nowhere to be seen, changed some opinion.
They weren’t missed, it was clear they had nothing positive to contribute, and were perhaps seen at the irrelevance they really are.
Meanwhile, low paid hard working key workers, the real heroes, carried on.

I think the fact that the RF vanished to their mansions where they stayed throughout the pandemic, and were nowhere to be seen, changed some opinion.

They weren’t missed, it was clear they had nothing positive to contribute, and were perhaps seen at the irrelevance they really are.

Well quite.

Expensive irrelevance.

@LizzieSiddal

I think we’re all watching the beginning of the end of the monarchy. The fact Andrew can dodge legal papers by hiding behind tax funded security is the end of any respect I have for any of them.

This with knobs on. I'm disgusted that police officers have been ordered to be part of it and refuse to take the papers. I don't pay tax to protect arrogant, salacious Princes who should be in court.

My views on the monarchy have taken a considerable volte-face entirely due to this. I was really pretty pro but now they can all fuck off, far far away.

They can give the throne to Anne with Sophie as a sort of Queen-Sister.

@ponyexpress22

Think they generate a bit of tourist revenue. Possibly net net they don’t cost us anything

No proof of that whatsoever, but even if they did it's a weak argument for having them.

Versailles generates plenty of £££££ as a tourist attraction but France haven't had a royal family fir centuries

Cringeworthy that the royals are now arguing papers have not been properly served in Andrew. Instead of him stepping forward to say 'I'm here, give me the papers now'. Better still, "I'm innocent and I'll fly over and prove it" He is hiding behind his mums annual kilt wearing holiday to prevent them getting to him. The whole institution stinks.

The deafening silence from the Queen, Charles and William - all of whom have made sure we've heard their opinions on Harry and Meghan.

It's plain to even the most stupid royalist that the law does not apply to them because of who they are. They really believe the should not be held to account for their behaviour.

Such a shame Harry and Meghan are providing a distraction from Andrew - it suits the Palace that they do.

All he is doing is proving his guilt IMO.

Cringeworthy that the royals are now arguing papers have not been properly served in Andrew.

How fucking pathetic

Trying to get off on technicalities

But royalists still say she's "never put a foot wrong".

They served them to his address and handed to an employee. That's good enough for a commanor.
Ofcourse he knew. The obnoxious sleaseball though let's be clear one doesn't sweat what what.

Interesting that the royals are the ones dragging the royals down. Everyone of them has been self serving - rules don’t apply to them, finance no object (as long as they are spending our money) and a huge administrative layer protecting them from proper scrutiny. They are imploding - and have themselves to blame. Great!

They served them to his address and handed to an employee

They handed it to an officer of the law! A police officer. Oh the irony.

Model ours on the other European royal families. Streamlined.

Here's Queen Mathilde of Belgium walking and running around the 20 km road race n the capital on Sunday talking to competitors:

www.lesoir.be/394369/article/2021-09-12/la-reine-mathilde-pris-part-aux-20-kilometres-de-bruxelles-photos

The Dutch King worked part-time secretly as a commercial pilot for KLM for many years.

They are both currently reigning sovereigns. The British RF's style really needs a huge adjustment.

We aren't paying for them, they pay for themselves through tourism etc.

I can understand the rest, but with how Harry was treated by the British press, he has every right to moan IMHO.

Wouldn't want to be in his shoes tbh, I feel so sorry for him and Meghan.

@Charlene91

We aren't paying for them, they pay for themselves through tourism etc.

I can understand the rest, but with how Harry was treated by the British press, he has every right to moan IMHO.

Wouldn't want to be in his shoes tbh, I feel so sorry for him and Meghan.

If course we're paying for them......hugely. I thought most people accepted by now that the tourism thing is a lie, there's no proof whatsoever that they create revenue through tourism. How arrogant of them to suggest tourists only come because we have a working monarchy....as if that's all Britain has to offer. They really don't pay for themselves at all.The RF cost a fortune.

So apparently the judge has said PA must be served by "alternative means". In person service, email and 1st class post all ignored. Can't use carrier pigeon as PA would obviously shoot it. Whatsapp? Military helicopter?

The French have plenty of "royal cache" tourism...with zero royals for over 300 years!

The royals aren't needed for that, only the history.

See also: The Forbidden City. China doesn't even have aristocrats!

If anything, the present set are dimishing the value of the historical cache with their gormless antics.

@ChurchofLatterDayPaints

So apparently the judge has said PA must be served by "alternative means". In person service, email and 1st class post all ignored. Can't use carrier pigeon as PA would obviously shoot it. Whatsapp? Military helicopter?

If he doesn't hurry up and accept service it'll be megaphones outside royal palaces, photos of Andy and service on the side of a bus, mass pamphlet drops around Buckingam Palance, service via live primetime tv interviews and handing flowers to the Queen, Anne, Will&Kate, Ed&Sophie on walk abouts... wrapped in served documents.

This isn't going away.

Military helicopter. The nerve of him ignoring previous attempts.

If there is one thing those who work in the legal system hate its a lack of respect for the law. That offends them personally. Rape, murder, abuse, they are innured to that.

I would have thought turning up at Crathie Church on a Sunday would do the trick! This is all becoming a ludicrous farce.

'We aren't paying for them, they pay for themselves through tourism etc.'

But that just isn't true, of course we are paying for them.

Accounts for the Sovereign Grant, which funds the Queen and her household’s official expenses, show the monarchy cost the taxpayer £67m during 2018-19 (an increase of almost £20m in the previous financial year). And I don't think that includes the massive security costs for protecting all of them.

And as has been well argued many times on this thread, there is absolutely no evidence that they generate revenue through tourism. People want to see the trappings of monarchy - palaces and artefacts etc. - not the RF themselves. In fact with the monarchy gone there would be better access to these things (eg access to the Royal art collection - supposedly 'held in trust for the nation' is abysmal); so it could be argued that tourism would increase without them.

That is true. Id love to go in to buck pal.