To think Prince William preaching about climate change is another example the monarchy should not exist

[josil]

Is he having a laugh? His wife and him parade around in designer clothes costing thousands of pounds, live on multiple properties, fly around the world often in jets and he is telling US to do our bit?

I had a chat with DH earlier and we thought it would be a good idea for the queen to hand straight to William but now I'm not sure either and just wish the lot of them would go away and cease to exist as a royal family.

They're taking the piss - when will we no longer stand for a monarchy?

Ask a tourist in London watching the trooping the colour and the only reason tourists visit the UK is because of the RF.

😂

hilarious.

They can still do all that shit you know. They don't need actual royals.

They fly in over our house. It is pretty frequent

But it wouldn't be the same without a RF. And if it wouldn't be the same then the tourists would go to Italy. Or worse, France. Are you unpatriotic. Or even a remainer? British people going to their Gite in France is a good thing. Forcing tourists abroad is quite another. Do you hate flag sellers in Westminster?

I'm sure he means well, but I think the truth is that the avoidance of catastrophic climate change will not be achieved by individuals "doing their bit". The only way to effect real and lasting change will be through legislation, to force people to change their habits.

Ahahahaha “working”. It was a jolly.

Why people think the only options are a hereditary monarchy or the US/French system mystifies me. We would be more likely to emulate the German or Estonian presidential system, where the PM (or equiv eg. German chancellor) runs the show but there's a president, elected every 10 years, as ceremonial head of state who dresses up for the Trooping of the Colour etc and is more neutral politically.

But it wouldn't be the same without a RF.

Tell that to the people flocking to Versailles (much more visited than any U.K. palaces).

Are you unpatriotic. Or even a remainer? British people going to their Gite in France is a good thing. Forcing tourists abroad is quite another. Do you hate flag sellers in Westminster?

Whaaaat 😂

Why people think the only options are a hereditary monarchy or the US/French system mystifies me.

the ignorance is off the scale

Versailles? Try to hold the simultaneous thoughts that the UK is much better than France but without the RF, no tourist would visit the UK and they would all go to France. Does that help you understand it?

Does that help you understand it?

I think it's you that needs some help. 😆

France, having gotten rid of their own expensive and pointless monarchy, have a thriving tourism industry, which features their old palaces like Versailles (more visited than any U.K. royal residences) Getting rid of the royals could increase tourist revenue as we could open up all the royal residences properly. Win, win.

Michael Fagan? tried some malarky with HRH TQ's bedroom. Never again.

Michael Fagan? tried some malarky with HRH TQ's bedroom. Never again.

Well he didn't pay the ticket price. No freeloaders thanks

It wasn’t. If that’s your idea of a jolly, your holidays must be awful.

I see Versailles has made its perennial appearance. How lovely it could be if a republican thread could avoid mentioning it.

To expect a lady in her 90s to have tourists troop around one of her bedrooms when she's asleep or feels like a nap is clearly unacceptable. You'd find she's stay away from Buckingham and stay at Sandringham, Windsor, Balmoral or somewhere else. The only reason tourists visit London is because she's in residence. It's why they fly a flag or standard when she's in residence so the tourists know to go. Have you heard the complaints when a tourist gets it wrong and visit when there's no one around? It's why the DoY is asked to stay so they have someone Royal in residence. When Prince Charles and Prince William had COVID and bravely flew to Scotland or Sandringham, the DoY probably stayed and loyally flew the flag, so to speak.

How lovely it could be if a republican thread could avoid mentioning it.

it's only mentioned as a response to 'oh but tourism'. And it's mentioned because it's a very relevant correction that assumption.

the only reason you wouldn't want it mentioned is because it doesn't suit your argument

The only reason tourists visit London is because she's in residence.

Talking nonsense does not help this debate

The Caribbean tour was certainly a jolly, albeit a very unjolly jolly in the end.

Diving - jolly
Visiting an Kent sites - jolly
Staying in an amazing hotel suite - jolly

Being sacked on live TV - unjolly
Having to dance with people and pretend you're fine with this and it's fun- definitely unjolly.

Normal tours always included rest days. The Queen was having one at Treetops in 1952.

I agree, with two small objections: no one is perfect, even the people who care about the environment will occasionally behave wrongly. And at least he is talking about the issue, you never know, he might persuade the odd person to change a thing or two.
But on the wholeYANBU, he is a massive hypocrite.

FWIW, though- I think it's possible to have both an effective head of state and a royal family.

I think the model of monarchy that QEII has developed was great for her at the time of her post-war ascension. She was dutiful, still full of pomp and focused on charity work.
I think that what the current generation demonstrate is that we've moved beyond needing the royals for th charity/duty bit. Their hearts aren't really in it and we don't really need them - there are relatable and bona fide celebs who fill that role more effectively and enthusiastically.

I think after QEII passes, we should move to a more European style of monarchy where Charles and camilla do the head of state thing and the others all have normal jobs and earn their own cash. Only then could William speak about climate change without him looking preachy and condescending. Let them experience the cost of living crisis like the rest of us.
Anyway, that's my thoughts on it.

The royals have the potential to make a massive difference to climate and biodiversity if they had the will to leverage their assets, far more than an average family. Imagine if they re-wilded half of their agricultural land, created affordable farm tenancies for disadvantaged young people wanting to farm for the rest, opened access to their land for the public to roam for free. Committed to reducing flights to a few per year. They are an irrelevance in the modern world and should go once the queen dies.