Duke & Duchess Of Cambridge tour … is it just me?

[PodgePie]

I am a huge royalist (obviously not Andrew but definitely William and Kate). However, I am struggling with their current tour, in a time of war, of crippling price rises and also Covid, it seems tasteless to be parading around in the sunshine in a stream of hugely expensive outfits, each one more luxurious than the next. I understand why international tours take place - and agree they have an important role - but shouldn’t this have been postponed given the climate?

It reeks of colonialism

YANBU
Parasites, every one of them.
Like tapeworms with tiaras.
I bear none of them personally any ill will and wish them no harm but this country’s obsession and obsequiousness towards people who are born into a particular family is puzzling

@PodgePie

I am a huge royalist (obviously not Andrew but definitely William and Kate). However, I am struggling with their current tour, in a time of war, of crippling price rises and also Covid, it seems tasteless to be parading around in the sunshine in a stream of hugely expensive outfits, each one more luxurious than the next. I understand why international tours take place - and agree they have an important role - but shouldn’t this have been postponed given the climate?

I just had the same thought this morning - when I saw Kate in a (albeit beautiful) green ball gown - it is so far removed from what is happening in the world right now. And as for those photos of them shaking hands through a wired fence!

I am pretty neutral about the Royals and have just clocked the 'fence' pictures. I think if there hadn't been a whopping great war going on there would have been much more public comment about them.
And Kate is perfectly good at her job but I do think she gets up in the morning and slips into her pretty dresses singing "I feel pretty...' While William I imagine thinks 'Yah I've got my mate Raheem here, its all good..' And it's not really is it?

it is so far removed from what is happening in the world right now. What's that?

Thanks EdithWeston that sounds good and appropriate. I just found a report on it. He had said as much as he could have in his position.
Boris Johnson (and all the PMs prior, it’s not a new question) have the power to decide on financial reparations for slavery, not the UK’s royal family. www.bbc.com/news/uk-60856763

It looks to me like they were well-received in both Belize and Jamaica. A few protesters but that happens when anyone goes anywhere. Happens in the UK to visiting heads of state too.
There have been ongoing wars throughout the Middle East for years. Should no heads of state have been allowed to leave their country and go on a state visit during those years? Were people appalled when Barak and Michelle Obama took their children on state visits while these wars were going on?

[quote HollowedOut]@Prescottdanni123 would they? I can’t think of the last time a royal went on a foreign tour and don’t recall any mention of racism because of that.

If they were actually able to read the room well enough to see that a lot of these commonwealth countries want out they wouldn’t be titting about over there. They’d arrange with the countries for some kind of referendum before turning up in thousand pound outfits, smiling benevolently and achieving the sum total of fuck all while pretending that it’s an actual job.[/quote]
Any country can leave the Commonwealth but even Barbados that just removed the Queen as head of state, hasn't left. And there are countries that were never even British colonies that have joined. I guess the royal family respect these countries enough to let them decide on and organise their own referendums. Clearly they think they are far more capable than you do, probably because they read the room.

When I read this and other threads about the royal family, I always think of my uncle who always came to stay with us when there was a royal event like the Jubilee or a wedding so as to be near London and go and watch in person. And yet I heard him say more than once (and I'm talking quite a long time ago) that if there were a referendum the majority would vote to end the monarchy. I didn't really believe it then but I wonder now....

Yes colonialism and slavery were utterly abhorrent. William said that, stating the obvious but also necessarily. Of course it all ‘reeks of colonialism’ but that is this history of Jamaica. The UK ‘reeks of colonialism’ and reeks of slavery, it’s how we made our money. It’s in the fabric of our historical buildings and institutions, our food, our culture. It’s absolutely in the roots of the Commonwealth ‘family’ of countries. Yet the Royals are allowed to be seen here in the UK aren’t they? In London, in Bristol etc? In America?

It’s got to be better to do it how they’ve done it. So that the Royals and everyone else keeps on acknowledging the history and learning more about it, rather than pretend it didn’t happen because it’s so awful. Then we can try to build out inequality and racism and the other legacies of colonialism and slavery. We can think about what historical apologies mean or don’t, and what is the right thing to do about reparations.

Why don’t they just get rid of the queen then? For example Jamaica, I believe prime ministers there have been saying for years that they want to, and polling suggests so do the majority of Jamaicans. I don’t really get why they haven’t done it. The UK isn’t going to say no, there’s not going to be a war for independence. If you have political and public desire for it, why not?
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I think perhaps they are hoping for a large dollop of cash as reparation for the vile slavery their ancestors suffered. Slavery was abolished in Britain in 1779, and in all British territories in 1838, so we are talking about the sufferings of, probably, the great-great-& several more greats- grandparents of the present population. Would be a bit of a stretch for UK tax-payers to fund just now. Maybe the U.S would help - they still had slaves until 1863, and traces of "Jim Crow" until the 1950s

I agree it's ill timed but there are wars all over the world that have been going on for years
The Queen hasn't got long, that's obvious, so the RF are trying to stop the commonwealth countries leaving in droves

What is tasteless is the media headlines ' look at Kates pretty dress" when all around are much more important things .
It feels like distracting a toddler .

Polling support for the monarchy in Britain remains very high.

In Australia, at the time of the referendum, it was low sufficiently so that when people actually voted in the real poll, the 'keep' result was unexpected.

That referendum seems like only 5 mins ago but it was 1999. So I expect enough time has passed for a 'once in a generation' question to be put again.

I guess the royal family respect these countries enough to let them decide on and organise their own referendums

Agree - they're also still waiting for Jamaica to act on its (apparently) settled decision that was first spoken of in 2012 - just before the Diamond Jubilee trip by the Queen's representative

@romatheroamer

When I read this and other threads about the royal family, I always think of my uncle who always came to stay with us when there was a royal event like the Jubilee or a wedding so as to be near London and go and watch in person. And yet I heard him say more than once (and I'm talking quite a long time ago) that if there were a referendum the majority would vote to end the monarchy. I didn't really believe it then but I wonder now....

I remember the last Jubilee there was a real fear from the Palace that no one would turn up to celebrate and it would be a disaster. Instead it was a massive success and hundreds of thousands came out in London alone. So they must be reasonably popular.

I couldn't believe the photos with the wire fence. Wtaf.

Jamaica has been saying that its departure is imminent for a decade, but has not yet actually started the process. If they really want to go, then they need to turn words into actions

It's happening. This is what was said by Jamaica PM to W&K who were stood in front of him. Rather awkward

Changing constitutional arrangements is costly and difficult, so it’s unsurprising that lots of governments and citizens stick with the status quo. Doesn’t mean the status quo is good.

Those of us who’re republicans would prefer no royal visits in the UK either!

Would be a bit of a stretch for UK tax-payers to fund just now

As a total aside, we've only just paid off the government borrowing to fund the Slavery Abolition Act (1835). It was fully repaid in 2015.

That's because of the way it was borrowed, not the amount, but it means that cash cost of emancipation lasted pretty much to the present day.

@montysma1

What possible difference does it make to the residents, of a, country whether some rich woman dresses well? Could anything be less important?

I think it would consider, by many, as "disrespect" towards the host country if she wore cheap, off-the-peg for them and designer glamour for Europe and the U.S.

@Dontforgetyourbrolly
The Queen hasn't got long, that's obvious, so the RF are trying to stop the commonwealth countries leaving in droves

Out of interest, which countries are looking to leave the Commonwealth?

@SarahBellam

It makes for uncomfortable watching, a couple oozing privilege, swanning about deprived communities in thousand pound dresses. What with COVID, climate change, and the Ukrainian war going on, this just feels like a distraction, an irrelevance, ‘look at the shiny shiny’. Someone upstream described them as baubles, and I think that’s perfectly accurate. Bread and circuses, eh?

what an ignorant comment - they are the head of state of those countries not just the UK

so it’s not about what you in Blighty think - it’s not irrelevant to them

and not everyone outside the UK is in a deprived class….. jeeZ

The time of kings and queens has passed. The monarchy is outdated and archaic. I do like Will and Kate, they seem lovely, but they should, along with the rest of the royal family, stand down and become regular civilians. The fact that there is this “alpha” family that we have to bow down to and revere is purely medieval nonsense.

If they stayed in the UK, they'd be accused of only caring about England, and then this would turn into accusations of racism because England is predominantly a white country

What??

No one has been calling on the RF to go on a Royal Tour anywhere. OOf course it wouldn't be racist if they didn't go

Imagine the stick Harry and Meghan would have got from the press and public for doing this.

That’s because Harry and Meghan no longer represent the Royal Family.