If 'commoners' can marry into the royal family - why have a 'royal' family -

[HacketteofHacks]

I totally respect the Queen and think she's been largely a force for good...
But at work we were talking about the tour that's on now.. my boss pointed out the the definition of a royal family was that its lineage is 'predetermined by God'.
Well that is archaic in itself - my boss (who is no royalist) the. pointed out that once members of a royal family marry commoners they lose this 'untouchable special-Ness'.
I think he had a good point...
He's from Jamaica so hence we were all having the conversation .

Quite happy to do it now - Liz could abdicate! It could be her last gift to a grateful nation .

Is the tide beginning to turn like a huge tanker out in the middle of the sea?

There seems to be a lot of negativity towards the RF now that HM is in the departure lounge.

@Blimecory

Where did he get that definition of “predetermined by God” from?

This was true in the age of absolutism, but not so with a constitutional monarchy. I think the royal family business is comical and cannot understand the interest and adoration.

The queen has shares in Brighthouse I've recently found out.

You're actually told before meeting the royal family at an event that you don't have to curtsey or bow.

Too fucking right, I don't. Imagine being the obsequious flunky peddalling this crap.

It's just ludicrous. Embarrassing. "Her Majesty understands if you chose not to prostate yourself in her Royal presence." Well, booga-fucking-loo.

@IKnowYouDontTurnTheLightOn

Quite happy to do it now - Liz could abdicate! It could be her last gift to a grateful nation .

She never will.

Too stubborn and wants to continue to rob hardworking people to fund her lazy family and particularly slimey second son as is her god given right

@crepesncream

The queen has shares in Brighthouse I've recently found out.

You are kidding?!

The divine right to rule comes from the Middle Ages, when to be fair the monarchs had a real chance of dying in battle and had the responsibility of deciding whether or not to lead 100s of men to their very gruesome deaths.

Life then was absolutely terrifying for most people, most of the time, so it's easy to see why religion was such a massive deal. The monarchs, being human, took advantage. Now they just take the piss royally, and we let them. No justification for any RF in any country in 2022.

It's all an absolute load of tosh in a modern society. I follow the news on it very sporadically (ie whenever I take a guilty gawk at the mail online and it's soap opera stuff).

That said, I enjoy documentaries about the history of the royal fam, but it's the history I'm interested in.

As someone who studies Art history, the pure wealth and privilege associated with the royal private collection is absolutely jaw-dropping and to my mind should not belong to just one individual or family. (This should apply globally, imo, not just to the british).
Problem being the way things are the Chinese would probably swoop in and buy everything (as they have in France) and I'm not sure that there are procedures in place to protect the heritage for the people of the UK and indeed the world.
It would just probably end up with one bunch of extremely rich people exchanging goods for money behind closed doors.

Those shares were apparently three grand in a fund that then chose to have shares in Brighthouse - she didn't sit there with a copy of the FT saying 'oh, Philip, we could make some money investing in that awful television HP scheme that the poors use. Do you have three thousand in your pocket?'

And they've gone into administration since then.

There is nothing royal about them. They are just basically descendants of some family who said "I am the boss of this area", way back when

Do you have a flag …?

Prostrate :)

I've never been an admirer of the queen but even less so when I saw her give two fingers to the world after her son Andrews shameful interview. It was an awful message to the world about how she really felt about it all I think.

@Brefugee

Where did he get that definition of “predetermined by God” from?

The queen believes that guff which is why she won't abdicate. Divine right of kings - they are chosen by god to be born from the right golden womb.

It is unbelievable in this day and age that this twaddle is still pandered to.

The Queen won’t abdicate because at her coronation she promised to serve her country for her lifetime. What a brilliant job she has done

The royal family disgust me. I would be delighted to see the whole institution scrapped.

It's one thing to get rid of the monarchy, but what do we do about the more anonymous nobles who own vast texts of land and incredible properties that generate huge incomes while they dodge taxes. At least the high profile royals provide some kind of service.

Tracts

@Myee I do wonder if the tide is turning - we shall see!

@user1471505494 I’ll assume you’re not being sarcastic . In what has she done a brilliant job? I ask this every time this is said and not ONCE in my 50 plus years on this planet has one person answered the question! 🤷‍♀️

I think that the treatment of Meghan Markle and (to a greater extent) Prince Andrew’s noncery has resulted in a reduction in public support.

But the die-hard Express readers who camp out to see the Royals and wave their daft little flags aren’t the sort of people who are concerned with trivialities like racism and hebephilia. They’re not for turning. I’m surprised they haven’t turned up on this thread tbh with their tourism, Tupperware and President Blair cliches.

Thankfully they can't self fertilise, although that really would indicate they're predetermined by God. The Queen's coronation does have a ethereal and religious feel to it.

They are just symbolic

But they're not.

They can and do use their influence to both whine and witter at genuinely elected politicians (see Charles' Black Spider memos) and to see off or amend legislation that isn't in their interests (see the dutiful queen's record. One of the most recent scores was to get the tax on shooting, yes, shooting! at Balmoral reduced to below that paid by local pubs and restaurants).

to.

. What a brilliant job she has done

What exactly has she done that was brilliant?
Like all those arduous tours holidays she did on our behalf? Don't think I've ever benefited from what the queen's done. She thinks of herself and the monarchy, certainly not us commoners.

I thought Cherie Blair handled meeting the Queen pretty well, way more elegantly than the stick-insect deep curtsey mess that May did. And as pp have said, you don't have to bow/curtsey at all. I never have, except as a rather small child handing a bunch of flowers to Her Maj.

Must be bloody weird (for Kate) after growing up “normal”

nah. I have harboured a long held belief, based on nothing at all, that she went to the Uni (didn't she take an extra gap year to get the timing right) with the explicit aim of getting herself a prince. Well done her. But she is so bland. So so bland.

The queen has shares in Brighthouse I've recently found out

This was revealed in the Paradise Papers but she got shot and distanced herself from her nebulous 'advisors' like a rat up a drainpipe when it came out.

Much like Charles and Fawcett the Fence who has now taken the rap fallen for the third time on what may yet prove to be his usual trusty rubber sword.

[quote IKnowYouDontTurnTheLightOn]@Myee I do wonder if the tide is turning - we shall see!

@user1471505494 I’ll assume you’re not being sarcastic . In what has she done a brilliant job? I ask this every time this is said and not ONCE in my 50 plus years on this planet has one person answered the question! 🤷‍♀️[/quote]
I am absolutely not being sarcastic. I have the greatest admiration for this wonderful lady who has served her country for nearly all her adult life