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.

*I think sometimes people confuse personality and "the monarch". The monarch regardless who wears the crown is a significant figure in our society, economy, laws, services. Do you really want President Boris Johnson? ....it's a safeguard to crazy dictatorships and wild politicians.

Forget who has it on, just think how that seat of power is more of a safety net*

Is it, though? The Queen does not get involved in politics. Parliament is supreme, and Royal Assent is just a formality. She can't even dissolve Parliament, nowadays.

Royal finances are an elaborate game of smoke and mirrors and need to be reformed. Essentially, if it's theirs, they should pay tax on it, and if it's ours, they should pay rent.

I think Wills and Cath would be up for a more Scandinavian monarchy. I just wish they'd stop dressing their kids like it's the 1950s.

Sadly, I don't think many people outside of MN care whether Andrew is charged or not.
Certainly no one who I know cares.
I don't hold with the tourism generating income. Many other countries have royal families who don't have tourists falling over themselves to see.
Tourism won't drop off simply because a lot of them will still want to see the palaces and the castles, particularly the Americans and Japanese. They go mad for it simply because they love our historical buildings.
If the UK is intent on keeping the RF, then it should be slimmed down to heir and spare only.
The rest of them should be set adrift to fund their own lives, like the rest of us have to.

I think there are bound to be serious discussions after the Queen is gone. She's been monarch for so long that there is a sense of security attached. No-one has that same attachment to next gen. And I think the commonwealth is definitely done after the Queen dies. And should be done. That will be the most decisive first step.

If Charles insists on becoming King (officially, I know he's King as soon as the Queen dies), changing all the stamps and money and having an expensive coronation and everything else involved, just for William to follow a few years later, it's going to be hard to see that as anything but a massive waste of money.

@Poetrypatty

His problem is that the jury of public opinion has already judged him guilty based on no evidence other than one photo and the unsubstantiated word of some woman.

I think he's also judged on his friendship with Epstein, and on that car crash of an interview he did.

Indeed. And this 'ah, public opinion has found him guilty' smacks of 'poor him', as though he is the one somehow hard-done-by.

Not a bit of it.

They hold a position of extreme, unelected privilege from which they can't be ousted via the ballot box or any legal means. Which means that yes, damned right they should be held to higher standards of accountability than your average citizen. Instead, the bar for the Windsors is set significantly lower. People 'oooh' and 'ah' over their pathetic jokes and banal small-talk as though they are witnessing the Second Coming. And when they behave in a wholly reprehensible manner, people are intent on making excuses for them.

'Trial by media' is seen as a bad thing. It is, but not for the reason the 'innocent until proven guilty' lobby keep parroting (in fact, it's presumed innocent till proved guilty; a very different thing). To me, when the Met is willing to rugsweep a young woman's serious complaint, when everyone hides from it even when he convicts himself out of his mouth on national TV, you have a problem.

It should be the necessary authorities holding these people to account for their actions, but they don't. The only people who have done so are the media. That's the root of the problem.

They really need to go. When Elizabeth's time is done, I suspect they have a problem. And none too soon.

They have more than enough money to support themselves. I think they should stop getting public money.

Not convinced that the Queen is actively harbouring Andrew or protecting him.

They will be acting on legal advice, as would most people in Andrews situation.

@Autumngoldleaf

His team, his poor bloody team are slogging their guts out to stop him facing justice. . Who is paying for his legal team?

Good point.

The very upper class are similar to the underclass in the sense that they both have nothing to lose and can behave appallingly...morals of alleycats.

The respectable working class and middle classes behave themselves. This is why they're lucky to have found Kate

Royal Assent is not just a formality. The Budget Crisis of 1911 was very nearly a revolution. It is the constitutional nuclear option, there in case some future govt. wants to lock up the oppostion or abolish elections.

The bar to dissolution is the dreadful Fixed Term Parliaments Act which was a bodge to suit Cameron and Clegg and needs to go.

They are lead to believe that they are more special than others and have people bowing at them it's no wonder they are as they are. I don't know the answer, as a president would be bad in other ways

I think it's time to let it all go. It's clearly a miserable way to live for members of the Royal Family - like being an animal in a zoo the whole time. Wildly unhealthy. It also costs a fortune, which is not a priority for the UK's nations now. And the idea that anyone is fundamentally better than anyone else (or above the law) is just offensive. Let this lot quietly wind down, keep a home per family and security whilst they are alive, as I wouldn't wish harm to come any of them (except for those dodging statutory rape charges). But go with good grace - hand back most of the palaces and huge estates to the countries they should belong to (eg Buck Place to England, Balmoral to Scotland). No one needs more than one home, and they can be used to generate tourist income, as a genuine public service to rebuild social security after a horrendous pandemic.

People saying ‘do you really want President Boris Johnson or President Blair?’ are missing a simple point; you can vote them out if they’re shit. A bunch of parasitical inbred halfwits? We’re apparently stuck with them.

Poor Kate, grew up wanting one thing and one thing only. Studiously worked to get it and maintain it even when it was a bit rocky and might not get the ultimate trophy after all.

Just wait til you hear they get a say in running the government!

It seems to me quite bizarre that people find William and Kate 'down to earth' or 'middle class.' They live in mansions and travel between them by helicopter or chauffeured police accompanied convoy, their kids are at private schools, they spend thousands upon thousands on clothes, they have servants. They get the best of the best be that food, healthcare, childcare, accommodation. All courtesy of the taxpayer.

I'll go with an elected president separate from the PM, my first choice would be President Rashford

There is every reason to suppose that were there an election for head of state in the UK, the Queen would win by a landslide.

I think the only way forward is to cut out all the hangers on and only have the monarch, their spouse and direct heir as 'working royals'. The rest will have to make their own way in life. Most of the crown properties should also be returned to the British people and put to good use as museums or the like.

That way the monarchy will be more like a ceremonial presidency than the current bloated affair. I think the monarchy will survive, more out of apathy than anything else, but only if it's trimmed down to the core figures.

@Jaysmith71

There is every reason to suppose that were there an election for head of state in the UK, the Queen would win by a landslide.

Great. Then we could vote her out in 4 years if she wasn’t up to it. Until then, we’re stuck with her.

Agree. There is no justification for a royal family anymore. The Queen is an admirable woman in many ways and the current lot will be no more badly behaved then any past royals but the whole notion of a monarchy is so outdated.

Might not need to vote her out in four years.

@VladmirsPoutine

Poor Kate, grew up wanting one thing and one thing only. Studiously worked to get it and maintain it even when it was a bit rocky and might not get the ultimate trophy after all.

That would be poetic justice.

I'm sure she's a perfectly pleasant person. She's also poster-woman for dutifully keeping your trap shut like a 1950s relic and has done the sum-total of nothing for the entirety of her adult life.

This isn't the kind of 'role model' I'd want any daughter of mine to emulate.

I'm always amazed by posters who seem to think that the royal family should be stripped of their lands and possessions. Land and possessions that they actually own and have inherited? I'm sure some posters would be quite happy to live in places like North Korea judging by what they consider to be reasonable state intervention/ownership!

I'm also sure many members of the Royal Family would be happy to be "deposed". And then they could sit and enjoy their money like other rich people do without the burden of public service, having to open community centres and make small talk with members of the public etc etc.

I like the Royal Family and the history and culture it represents. Would you really prefer President Boris or whichever other numpty elected by the Great British Public. I can't imagine anything worse than a US style government.

I know fuck all about politics but I can imagine that a PM having to visit the Queen and explain him or herself every week must temper some of the most mad policies?

We don't really pay for them.

Like many wealthy families a chunk of what they have is private family wealth. The crown estate is separate, its effectively a public asset of the monarchy and most of the money it makes goes back into the Treasury after paying royal expenses. The point being that its debatable whether it would actually attract anywhere near as much tourism as it does if not associated with the sitting monarch, so as a nation we probably actually benefit financially.

I don't understand how you can spare the energy to be embarrassed by the Royal Family when we have VOTED IN Boris Johnson as our PM!