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.

@Whammyyammy

Yanbu. I've always supported the Royal family, but with whats gone on the last few years I dont. Plus all the hangers on, that we as taxpayer's pay to live a life of luxury.

I only like the Queen, William, Harry and Kate.

Kate who wore multiple coats on the same day during their train tour when many of the country were on furlough and suffering financially?

That sounds like a life of ignorance or arrogance to me? I wonder which it is?

I do love threads like this, where posters decide what should be done with the money "they" apparently pay to keep the Royals afloat. Even if the Royals were given the shove you would have absolutely no say in what would happen to any of this money.

"There’s plenty of evidence that they’re interfering in policy making."

Oh yes. It's the message it gives as well, that and the House of Lords that people born with titles are somehow better. Not very democratic.

The UK will never be a republic. It's had a monarch since its inception this will continue.

Unless anyone fancies a revolution? Now can't say I fancy my chances storming Buckingham palace with a pitchfork whilst live ammunition and fixed bayonets are pointed at me.

Parliament will never ever dissolve the monarchy, look how that ended before...

I completely agree with Charlie's plan to slim it all down though. That's needed. We don't need random princesses and princes with obscure titles and names living off grants.

@gofg

I do love threads like this, where posters decide what should be done with the money "they" apparently pay to keep the Royals afloat. Even if the Royals were given the shove you would have absolutely no say in what would happen to any of this money.

If the parties put it in their manifestos, we would.

I agree that they generate income from tourism etc. I have no feelings particularly on the antics of a rich dysfunctional family.
I object to one family being "better" and able to rule over us peasants, even if it is mostly ceremonial these days.
I don't like how people fawn over them. They are humans and no better or worse than anybody else because they were born into a royal family (better or worse in a general sense, not talking about any specific actions/alleged actions of some!)

If the parties put it in their manifestos, we would
Parties can put what they like in their manifestos. Doesn't mean it will happen.

The ones behaving well are great but the rest are a disgrace.

It isn't the Queen's fault if Johnson lies to her though?

If the parties put it in their manifestos, we would.

What world are you living in?

@Echobelly

What's mostly embarrassing is that presumably the rest of the world thinks Brits all love and go on about the royals when most are totally indifferent.

Oh yes. I remember after Diana's death, the TV full of wailing people when most people just got on with their lives. And things have changed again since then.

I can’t see why a country needs a monarchy ? Do they have the power to stop the government from doing something that isn’t in the interest of the state? When Johnson was trying to prorogue Parliament it wasn’t the Queen who vetoed that. She didn’t stop Blair going into Afghanistan even though there were mass demonstrations and Marches. So other than mouthing platitudes at times of crisis and doing charity work what is their purpose? I have friends and acquaintances who do an amazing amount of work for charities and foundations in addition to working full time. A Royal Family who travel around shaking hands and opening buildings and living in immense privilege in return seems absolutely ludicrous. And that’s without factoring in them protecting a possible paedophile and getting a free pass when they engage in very shady access for cash and other shady dealings.

@CoronaPeroni

All the money from the Crown estate, etc, should be used to fund essential services such as NHS, cheaper public transport, etc. All the money from the Crown Estate (this year c. £250 million) goes to the Treasury. So it's up to the government what they do with it.

Can I just correct that a moment? Because it’s a common misconception which paints the Royals as benevolent saints who willingly hand over money from their personal coffers in order to help their beloved subjects.

This isn’t true.

The Crown Estate is a publicly owned asset. The Royal Family are given 25% of the profits from it every year as the Sovereign Grant. Which currently stands at around £70 million a year.

The Duchies also belong to the public, but we don’t see any of the profit, which goes straight to the Queen and Charles. They can effectively manage it how they wish. Which usually means squeezing out every last drop of profit and treating their tenants pretty shoddily.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/09/prince-charles-vetted-laws-that-stop-his-tenants-buying-their-homes

If the parties put it in their manifestos, we would

Oh, like the Tories' manifesto pledge not to raise taxes?

The Royal Family and the upper echelons of British society have colonisation (exploitation of foreign lands, people and resources) to thank for their vast wealth and influence. Those days are gone now I am afraid.

@DismantledKing

Of course you’re right, OP, but a freakishly high percentage of the population have a slavish, forelock-tugging veneration for this bunch of embarrassing anachronisms, built out of post-empire nostalgia, a failure to understand how an elected ceremonial HoS could work, a misunderstanding of the tourist dollar, and a liking for tabloid fodder.

Yep.

Yes, but YANBU is currently winning and you wouldn't have seen that 20 years ago. Things are changing. You will of course get some silly reactions, like the poster who said OP is whining and people who say it's 'nasty' to say anything about the Queen, but in general attitudes have changed a hell of a lot.

@gardeninggirl68

You sound a bit whiny yourself op!

And bitter

Don’t be ridiculous

Parliament will never ever dissolve the monarchy, look how that ended before...

It ended badly because Parliament made the idiotic decision to go to a hereditary model for Lord Protector.

The only ones I respect are the Queen and Princess Anne - hardworking and full time royals. The rest are a waste of space (and money) - part timers and don’t add value

The point of a constitutional monarch is that our loyalty is not to a politician but a unifying figure who represents contituity and is above politics.

The classis description of the power of the British Monarch is they have the right, "To advise, to encourage and to warn."

Assuming you don't want a President Thatcher or President Blair, it would be ever so easy to establish a British Commonwealth with the constitutional functions of the head of state vested in the Lord Speaker. That's Norman Fowler.

You can also amend the acts of sucession and have parliament choose a new monarch from anyone who is a descendant of Sophia of Hanonver. Grumpy Annie would be good, or just skip a generation to Wills.

The argument that they generate money through tourism is largely bollocks. Tourists don't get to meet Liz et al or have a snoop through their homes! If Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle were turned over in their entirety to the National Trust and we could actually see all the rooms that would be a lot more interesting and attractive to visitors I would say.

@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. If he dodges this I think the public outrage will be deafening! If he is innocent (which I don’t believe), let him prove it.

I like the Queen. I think she has maintained dignity in the face of those cheap shots from Harry & Meghan - I feel embarrassed for them but that’s another thread.

I’m no royalist but tourists love the Monarchy probably more than we do. As a brand in and of themselves, they generate a lot of revenue.

Kate & William do some good work promoting various charitable/current causes and they’re not tone-deaf like the other two. They can read the room & I do think they’re quite relevant in their approach. So I don’t mind them. It’ll be interesting to see how they take things forward in the future. I reckon they’ll do an ok job actually.

Charles is a dinosaur & does not appeal to the current sensibilities of the nation and n any respect. He’s not going to do the brand any favours, or appeal to the public when he becomes King. Aside from anything else he seems utterly incapable of moving his facial muscles, which is odd.

@girlmom21

We don't pay for them, realistically. They bring in more money in tourism etc than they'll ever cost us.

You can't quantify their cost, because the Mountbatten-Windsors are the only citizens of these islands who are exempt from the FOI Act. They pay tax at a rate they think they will, which we are not allowed to know, and which only happened in the first place because there was a public outcry. And of course, this is what's enabled Charles to engage in his financial shenanigans with impunity, and to allow his aide to be a fall guy when his shady doings came to light.

They are a shower. No wonder they don't want their financial goings-on exposed to public scrutiny. The FOI exemption, incidentally, extends to every member of that family.

So as to value versus cost, none of us can possibly know. Because they don't want us to know. That in itself is the key problem. As to what they 'bring in', this again isn't quantifiable but it's laughable to suggest that the entire UK tourist industry is based on a family of unelected stuffed shirts. Check out the most visited tourist attractions in the UK, including the many beautiful cities outside London. We have a rich artistic, literary and cultural nation, which in Europe is probably rivalled only by Italy.

We are doing fine as a nation in our own right and on our own merits. We don't need one unremarkable, intellectually inadequate, decidedly morally dodgy family to ensure as much.

@CounsellorTroi

A lot of support for the monarchy is based on respect for the person of the Queen. Once she has gone they are going to find things a hell of a lot more difficult.

Yes, not British myself but love the Queen, she is so regal, and the history, so interesting! Visited Windsor a couple of years ago and enjoyed it so much. I do think once the Queen has passed it just won’t be the same anymore, the family don’t have that, they’re a little cringe.