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.

the entire sacred mystery of state

Fuck me 😂 Versailles is well visited and it's sacred inhabitants went very un-sacredly, over 300 years ago.

They're all nothing more than interesting historic sites. Sans squatters, they'll be available for ticket sales all year round.

I want to see what the polls look like 5 years into Charles reign

So do I - though be prepared for an absolute tsunami of spin when he takes over, all of it insisting what an utterly noble king he is

Those who like this sort of thing will probably claim that he, too, "brings in more in tourism revenue than he costs". It seems a bit of a verbal tic really, and of course nobody ever produces anything credible to back it up

*almost

Thanks @Paperplain

Is there no recourse then if he barricades himself in a palace forever? Really, the suit cannot proceed at all?

Less than half of the age group most in favour of a republic then. Not boding well for anti monarchists.

Not boding well for anti monarchists.

As one of them, I’m not too worried.

Post Liz will be a very different story.

The Queen is one of the richest people in the world

This is simply not true. Her net worth is estimated at around $600M. Some sources have lower figures. As a previous poster said, she isn't even one of the richest in the UK.

When the Sunday Times Rich List first appeared they had the Queen as the richest person in the UK. This changed after a few years when they decided to exclude those Crown assets that aren't really hers but belong to the state, giving a more realistic view of her actual worth.

This changed after a few years when they decided to exclude those Crown assets that aren't really hers but belong to the state, giving a more realistic view of her actual worth.

It’s very difficult to pull all this apart though. These assets might belong to the state, but she has full usage and de facto ownership of them in her lifetime. It’s not like any of us can pop in to borrow a tiara that supposedly belongs to ‘the state’. Or bag Holyrood for the weekend, because after all it’s the people’s.

She lives a lifestyle far in excess of someone worth 600 million. Because of all these ‘state’ assets.

The jewellery collection she has total access to is worth 7 billion, for example.

I’m not sure is anyone’s estimated the palaces and antiques.

I was just imagining the state calling and asking HRH to loan them some jewels to jazz up Strictly Come Dancing, say, as they technically belong to the state.

I was just imagining the state calling and asking HRH to loan them some jewels to jazz up Strictly Come Dancing, say, as they technically belong to the state.

No, we can't borrow a tiara or bag Holyrood for the weekend, but nor can we borrow the Mace that sits in the House of Commons or bag Chequers for the weekend. They belong to the state. That doesn't give you and I the right to use them. However, it does mean that the government could sell Holyrood or the jewellery collection if it wanted and the Queen would have no say in the matter.

However, it does mean that the government could sell Holyrood or the jewellery collection if it wanted and the Queen would have no say in the matter.

I seem to remember she kicked up an almighty fuss about some paintings she like in one of her palaces being loaned to a public gallery, so this doesn’t bear out in reality. I doubt she’s too worried.

The point, though, is that the lifestyle she leads is far in excess of her ‘private’ worth.

@Blossomtoes

Less than half of the age group most in favour of a republic then. Not boding well for anti monarchists.

Boding very well. Steady decline in RF popularity over past 5 years and PA's only going to speed that up.

In the meantime at least the republicans can sit back and enjoy the show.

Steady decline in RF popularity over past 5 years

Any evidence for that? Because, try as I might, I can’t find any.

There's a lovely story in the Telegraph today about the queen's personal piper, and how he and his young children were shown a lot of kindness when his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It clearly meant a very great deal to him.

It doesn't of course necessarily mean we have to continue to have a monarchy, but I have quite a bit of sympathy for the queen.

Popularity of Royals in Australia -

"The latest YouGov poll showed support for an Australian republic at 62 percent*.

"As more Australians come to see how out of touch the British Monarchy is, the more we'll see momentum continue to increase."

"The idea of hereditary rule is as foreign to Australians as the British Monarchy, and Australians overwhelmingly want to know that important decisions affecting our nation's future are in Australian hands."

Popularity of Royals in Canada

Some 66 percent of respondents to an Ipsos poll said the monarch and the royals should not have a formal role in Canada. This is up four points since last year and six points since 2016

Popularity of the royals

A new poll has revealed Scots are far less royalist than other Britons.
In the run-up to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, just 41 per cent of people north of the border said they backed the monarchy.

However, only 28 per cent said they were opposed to the institution with 27 per cent describing themselves as ambivalent.

This compared with clear majority backing for the monarchy in England where 55 per cent were for and just 14 per cent against.

Delta Poll surveyed around 500 people in each of the four nations of the United Kingdom on behalf of the centre-right think-tank Policy Exchange. Support for the monarchy was 49 per cent in Wales and 52 per cent in Northern Ireland.

Popularity of the monarchy in Scotland

A new poll has revealed Scots are far less royalist than other Britons.In the run-up to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, just 41 per cent of people north of the border said they backed the monarchy.

@Blossomtoes

Steady decline in RF popularity over past 5 years

Any evidence for that? Because, try as I might, I can’t find any.

See the link I posted below with YouGov poll data from 2019-2021, for the other years just google and you'll see the overall percentage approval for continuing the monarchy has fallen from 68/9 to 61 in that time.

@TheKeatingFive

However, it does mean that the government could sell Holyrood or the jewellery collection if it wanted and the Queen would have no say in the matter.

I seem to remember she kicked up an almighty fuss about some paintings she like in one of her palaces being loaned to a public gallery, so this doesn’t bear out in reality. I doubt she’s too worried.

The point, though, is that the lifestyle she leads is far in excess of her ‘private’ worth.

I have no recollection of this, nor can I find any reference on the internet. If you have a link I would be interested. The Royal Collection is the most widely distributed art collection in the world.

@herecomesthsun

There's a lovely story in the Telegraph today about the queen's personal piper, and how he and his young children were shown a lot of kindness when his wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It clearly meant a very great deal to him.

It doesn't of course necessarily mean we have to continue to have a monarchy, but I have quite a bit of sympathy for the queen.

I don't understand why you have sympathy for a woman whose personal piper's wife died from cancer?

Employees' relatives being ill happens to most employers.

They went to see the family, had the children playing with their grandchildren, organised days out, sent presents to the HCPs, it did sound a bit over and above.

I hope the Queen reigns for many more years yet. If she lives to 101 like her Mother, Charles will be nearly 80.
Frankly I think it would be ridiculous to crown a King of that age or even much older in reality, just so he ‘gets a go’.
The coronation would cost many Millions so let’s ‘invest’ that in a younger King.
I would think more of Charles if he passed the Crown on to William, but I can’t imagine for a moment he would. With the behaviour of him and Camilla in the past I have no interest in them being crowned.
Passing the crown to William with Kate as his consort would give the country the opportunity of a younger Monarch, which may capture the imagination of the younger population who seem to be the ones most disillusioned with the Royal Family. Slim the ‘working royals’ right down to include Princess Anne and possible Prince Edward and retire all the Royal family elderly hangers on Dukes. I think in this day an age it’s an anathema to see hordes of them on the balcony. Within 15 or so years Williams family will be coming of age to start some duties. A few years ago I was involved in a visit by a very minor Royal who still occasionally appears on the balcony - lots of work in preparation and no one I spoke to felt buoyed or encouraged by the visit, most felt it a waste of time.
With the recent behaviour of Prince Andrew and Prince Harry the tide is turning increasingly against the RF - they need to change and do it quickly if the monarchy is to survive.