to think William and Kate's Christmascard this year was badly judged?

[tinkywinkyshandbag]

So not only has William been hectoring us about climate change and sustainable travel, but there's been a pandemic which has been a pandemic which for many people has been financially devastating, and for most of us a holiday seems a distant pipe dream. So this year of all years they have chosen a photo of themselves all looking tanned and relaxed on a (presumably free) holiday. Just feels a tad ill judged?

@mathanxiety It just seems to me you are over-reaching to find something to attack them with, and I say this as someone who wishes we could get rid of the Monarchy. There is nothing wrong with Khaki (the Irwins at Australia Zoo say hello) or sheepskin rugs (seriously?, are you really going to insult farmers now who struggle like buggery?). I like reading a lot of your sensible posts on other threads but you seriously sound deranged and very insulting on this one even if you don't mean to be.

@mathanxiety

The props and the setting don't say 'British Royal Family, 2021'.

They say 'British Royal Family, 1881', when Britons shot tigers and posted animal skin rugs home, when Britons had themselves photographed on elephants, camels, and other animals not native to Britain in places a long way from England, and took photos intended to broadcast that it was the most natural thing in the world for Britons to take tea on a lawn in front of a ruined palace or temple, as if there was little difference between far off lands and the Home Counties, or dress in tweed and shoot grouse and deer on land from which the native inhabitants had been evicted.

Ok, I see that, but you're acting as if the only people who own animal skin rugs are those that shoot the animals themselves. Sheepskin rugs can be bought by anyone. It seems your issue is not that ordinary people do it, but it is the RF that is doing it so it is an emperialistic and colonialistic look? If so ok, but I just see it as a family sitting on a rug. Supporting an Australian/New Zealand industry.

Nothing more than that.

@julieca There is more to the Commonwealth than just Britain. In many countries the Queen is head of, it is summer in Christmas. The RF have a duty to represent all countries of the Commonwealth, not just the UK.

I haven't said anything about being enlightened, @gofg.

Yes, I am talking about the visuals, @ClaudiaJ1.

It's fine for the non-royal Irwins to sport khaki at the zoo. It harkens back to the age of imperialism when the British RF do it, with an animal skin and elements of local culture included too, in a country which was created by imperial civil servants drawing straight lines on a map in an age when that was considered the God-given right of peoples believed themselves superior to those they governed.

Supporting Australian/NZ agribusiness is extremely problematic for the RF, since
1 - British sheep farmers were shafted by the UK government earlier this year by means of a trade agreement with Australia. The agreement has gone down like a bucket of cold sick with British sheep farmers,
and
2 - The RF is supposed to be politically neutral.

The visual details in the photo are completely tone deaf.

Agree, it's insensitive and v badly judged. No one needs to see that after 2 years of restrictions, loss and financial hardship

I haven't said anything about being enlightened, @gofg.

You don't have to say it - it comes across in your increasingly stupid posts @mathanxiety. Maybe I should have used "superior" instead.

British sheep farmers were shafted by the UK government earlier this year by means of a trade agreement with Australia. The agreement has gone down like a bucket of cold sick with British sheep farmers, Talk about clutching at straws. I am a British sheep farmer and prices have never been better. The Royal Family have always been strong supporters of agriculture mainly because they are farmers themselves.

The RF are farmers? Really? PC does vegetables for Highgrove, but none of them are farmers surely, they just own land and others do it for them.
Well done PC for supporting small farmers and speaking out but that's it, they're not farmers in the true sense of the word.

Prices of lamb might never have been better for you derxa but you know about the struggle for other farmers, hence the mile long tractors through Swindon city centre past their MPs office only last week.

@DropYourSword No, it wasn't at all! I was referring to the picture itself!! I didn't realise that if you 'quote' a picture it doesn't show in the reply.

I’m so sorry @MargotMoon - totally got the wrong end of the stick with your post! Apologies.

The RF are farmers? Really? PC does vegetables for Highgrove, but none of them are farmers surely, they just own land and others do it for them. You say this because your definition of a 'farmer' is someone who does it all themselves. I don't. I have people who do it for me. The royal family have farm managers who organise other people to do the on the ground stuff. Farmers are not one homogenous lump. There are arable farmers, beef farmers, sheep farmers, etc etc. They all have problems unique to their sector.

Of course farmers are generally annoyed with Brexit problems etc but it's nothing to do with the royals. It always astonishes me how people pontificate on here about things they know absolutely nothing about.

With all due respect derxa you don't know what people on here know.
You appoint yourself as the only person who knows anything about farming on MN.

@Roussette

With all due respect derxa you don't know what people on here know. You appoint yourself as the only person who knows anything about farming on MN.

There are quite a few farmers on here who are a lot more knowledgeable than me but I will speak up where I see nonsense.

Which bit is 'nonsense', according to you?

@Roussette

Which bit is 'nonsense', according to you?

You said that the Royal family are not farmers. Prince Charles, Princess Anne and the Queen all have farms. In the past the Queen Mother had her own estate with a herd of prize winning beef cattle. I know that because I saw those animals at the Highland Show many decades ago. www.castleofmey.org.uk/about/the-castle-of-mey-trust/longoe-farm

Yes, they all have farms, they're landowners. I wonder how many hours a week they concentrate on keeping 'their farms' afloat... they will have the most skilled Farm managers in the country running everything for them.

@Roussette

Yes, they all have farms, they're landowners. I wonder how many hours a week they concentrate on keeping 'their farms' afloat... they will have the most skilled Farm managers in the country running everything for them.

I can't disagree. I don't understand why this is a problem for you. They're developing best practice and championing farming. For me that's all good

It's not a problem, it is what it is. And my original post on this stands... for me anyway!

I agree with Roussette on this. It's not a problem as such, but they are hardly facing the same risks and financial problems that most farmers face are they? They may aim to make a profit, or at least break even, but the reason they can experiment with best practice is that they are not going to be homeless if they get it wrong. So while they may align themselves with farmers, and support farmers, which is good, they are not exactly in the same position as most farmers.

@Slowchimes

I agree with Roussette on this. It's not a problem as such, but they are hardly facing the same risks and financial problems that most farmers face are they? They may aim to make a profit, or at least break even, but the reason they can experiment with best practice is that they are not going to be homeless if they get it wrong. So while they may align themselves with farmers, and support farmers, which is good, they are not exactly in the same position as most farmers.

What farmers are homeless? I'd rather the Royal family own farms than the greenwashing companies who are buying up family farms in Wales and planting conifers. Posts like this reek of envy and spite

derxa surely you can agree that they are in a priviliged position as far as their farms and farming. There would never be a situation where they might lose their farms, would there?
If you can't agree with that, the conversation is a bit pointless!

@DropYourSword

I’m so sorry *@MargotMoon* - totally got the wrong end of the stick with your post! Apologies.

No problem, it did look like I was being arsey

@PigeonLittle

To save someone a Google

Thanks for the pic.

And big YAWN to them....

@PigeonLittle

To save someone a Google

Thanks for the pic.

And big YAWN to them....