That I have a lump in my throat more for the class system than the funeral

[JessicaJoens5]

Sat here with a lump in my throat after watching the funeral but I think it's more to do with realising just how unfair life is and what a lottery life can be.

A lot of people in this country are living on the breadline, children are born into poverty, using food banks, lots of homeless, children moving into hotels whilst their parents wait for a house and so much more. Now this is not a thread to bash the royal family as people but I can't help but feel a bit down at the fact that a lot of their lives are luck - luck to be born into a life of privilege or luck of marrying into it.

Now I'm not saying it's easy to be a royal but I know if I had a choice of choosing to be a person born into privilege with the risk of press following me or another person who is living in a tiny flat or house, struggling to pay bills and having to use food banks whilst working a minimum wage job, I know which one I'd choose.

Not really sure what the aim of this thread is but maybe other people had similar feelings from the funeral?

I assume you will not allow any of your children to inherit any of the wealth you might acquire if (eg) you won the lottery as you are against inherited wealth?

A child could be born into untold wealth and priviledge, but be beaten and abused by his father and unloved by his mother. Wealth and priviledge isn't a passport to happiness. A royal life is one in a goldfish bowl, touted by the media, torn down by the media, scrutinised and criticised. Meghan markle couldn't hack it for more than 2 years.

Yes, I’d actually much rather we had a president I didn’t like but was voted in by the country than someone randomly born that way and would think it largely, if not wholly, fairer.

It's bonkers that these people are born 'special' OP. Their ancestors murdered their way into power. I think of the other elderly ladies who died in recently in their 70/80/90s who led heroic simple lives serving others.

You're not 'keeping an argument' simple. You're espousing a privileged approach to wealth disparity. It doesn't work. If you care about poverty, wealth disparity, food banks, horrendous utility bills, lack of MH care, the fact the NHS is falling apart - then you need to vote. If watching a funeral gives you a lump in your throat then you really haven't been paying attention for the last decade of Tory government.
Even if you got rid of the RF, there would still be massive wealth disparity. There would still be a failing NHS. Absolutely all those problems that you say you care about, would still exist. But we'd have lost a tiny part of our democratic process and it would be replaced with exactly the sort of figurehead who would exacerbate all the problems of poverty and wealth disparity.
Those resources that you think would come to the people - wouldn't. Because if the last few years have shown us anything it's that the Tory government will sell everything off to either the highest bidder or to their funders. And they do not give a toss about people struggling with bills, or the NHS falling apart, or people dying. So those resources that we'd take from the RF - they'd be siphoned off-shore. And wealth disparity here would continue to increase. The only ones who would benefit are private companies and corrupt politicians. So, before we can do anything about the RF, we need to do something about our completely morally bankrupt political class.

I would really like to reduce the wealth gap and fund the NHS and education properly. I was thinking about that while I was watching - it's a great part of Britain that we have mislaid.

Saying that people will always be born into privilege, I think there are more very wealthy people now than there have ever been, more children who will inherit great wealth than ever before.

Agree op. I knew they were wealthy but the papers published yesterday their actual personal wealth. Absolutely sickening what that family have squirrelled away 😔.

Yes I agree with you. Like you say it’s luck. I mean, most of them have never actually done a days work in their lives.. my mum made me laugh today and said ‘I wonder if the queens ever stripped her own bed and put clean sheets on’. Charles has the toothpaste put onto his brush for him apparently.

But there’s also something fascinating about it, steeped in tradition and history.

Yes because the voting system in the UK produces such fair, virtuous, honest, decent leaders, who have nothing in their pure hearts except the good of the people in mind.

That's lovely and I'm glad you feel that way but I don't think a lot of privileged people do. You only have to talk about the benefits system and unemployment on here to realise that many people have no idea of the barriers and limitations the lower classes face.

Could say the same about having been born in this country and not Syria or Yemen
The RF are easy targets in an unequal world

Life has never been fair. It never will be.

No, but societies can choose to make it better or worse.
They can create systems that rely on inheritance, or they can build and maintain infrastructure and institutions that build the ability of people to work for themselves. To take simple examples, societies can choose to give everyone an allotment of land to make what they can out of it, or create an inherited class of slaves, or ensure that a few families own 90% of the land we all live on, and most of the rest is passed down by inheritance to those who need not work for it. They can even choose to have an inheriting class of owners who need not work forcing those that do to pay for air to breathe. They can choose to provide storehouses of knowledge of how to best use resources, and show everyone how to use them, or leave it up to the parents who can’t read well and charge thousands for training for pathways that will not exist in 5 years time. They can choose to provide public transport and communications enabling movement of all people or they can push the cost and ‘responsibility’ onto individuals thereby limiting mobility to the richest and best locations. They can also create status symbols out of transport or anything else involving viewing size and destructive power as the best, and thereby damage the common environment too. They can provide good local schools for all, or create systems of competing status and creeping symbols of exclusivity via religion or cost of uniform. They can work to provide common healthcare systems or privatise them so that only the richest can afford them, or systems that provide the best care only for the most vocal or those in family groups. And if they choose the exclusivity, status and greed paths they can look all surprised when people who were excluded by birth three generations ago are no better than they should be and don’t bother trying against enormous barriers that simply do not exist for others.

I had lunch with a few friends today and one was reporting on the billions and millions that had been left to the remaining members of the royal family when another friends remarked, 'Don't you think it would have been nice if the queen had left something for the people as a gesture?'

It’s not something I would want but to see what others thought I had a look at yougov polling

Two thirds of Britons (67%) say they think the UK should continue to have a monarchy, up five points since the Platinum Jubilee in May. Only 20% say we should have an elected head of state instead.

There is certainly little appetite for putting the question of the crown’s existence to the public. Just 22% of Britons want to hold a referendum on the monarchy, with almost three times as many (64%) opposed.

and other stuff re 6 point up tick after Jubilee and death of monarch

The royals are privileged for sure. But I think there is ignorance about what their very existence brings to this country. Financially they bring in far far more than they cost. They are in effect self supporting - they have handed over the income from their estates and are given an allowance in return. They employ thousands of people. The Royal Warrant boosts the income of many businesses. The Queen and now King pay taxes.
Arguably, if the monarchy was abolished and their estates handed over to the government then the government would not have to give them the 15% allowance (currently 25% due to the renovations and repairs to Buckingham Palace). But would the income be at the same level? Would tourists flock to see the Royal residences if there were no Royals? Would the public spend millions on souvenirs of the Royals? Would the charities the Royals support and do work for her the same income without their input? No.

Yabu.

There is no comparison that is why they're Royalty.

It's like another world.

I find many of these threads full of false concern considering the level of distasteful comments on wc class threads or threads about benefits, low income workers and those in social housing.

All of sudden the educated middle earners are concerned once the upper classes splash the cash on a very unique celebration.

Whenever I see the Royal Family at these sort of occasions I thank my lucky stars I am not them. No ownership over your life, can't come and go as they please, having to mourn the death of your parent in front of millions of people, their life is the definition of a gilded cage.

It isn't fate though? You aren't a lottery brought to right womb? I don't understand this way of thinking. I was born into poverty and abuse but if I hadn't been born into that I wouldn't have been born into anything. Everyone posting their own thoughts on this forum has privilege that some people in this world will never know. In my life I have seen the the worst of humanity and the best of it. I don't focus on the worst I try to make a difference and that's good enough for me. Getting upset that someone out there is born into the right family, and feeling sad that it isn't me (because this is what this thread is essentially about), is actually quite destructive, and I refuse to buy into that type of victimhood if I'm honest.

I voted you are being unreasonable because for me no amount of money is worth the loss of freedom.

I was thinking the opposite actually. I can't imagine having to live my life having my every move scrutinised by the media, being watched by the entire world while grieving for my mother. Yes, they are born into a life of wealth, but they don't have the privilege of the freedom most of take for granted.

Absolutely. Everyone going on that they would never be able to choose this as a career. Its not a career, its a prison sentence

I think this a lot and did think again today, I bet Zara and Peter Phillips thank their mother every day in their heads and particularly on days like this that they are not part of the circus

This is also my understanding @mondaytosunday . Being salty about them is irrational. They make us money, they don’t cost us when you bet it out.

Either people don’t understand this or they are resentful for other reasons. Offended at the idea that someone is more “important “ than them? Feel left out by the historic British identity that they represent? I’m not sure. It can’t be £ because the royal circus brings in money.

Would tourists flock to see the Royal residences if there were no Royals?
y e s

You’re right about the gap between rich and poor but I don’t think the royal family should be the target here - they do actually work hard for the nation (mostly, with the odd exception and the perma-moan bot Harry) but I think ire should be more dorecyed at the Philip Greens who strip businesses and their pension funds of all assets by borrowing against them, paying themselves dividends and then saying ooops🤷🏼‍♀️ when the money runs out. We should encourage entrepreneurship but the moment a company makes £100k profit (over costs) then full tax should be paid so they can’t take min wage and then pay themselves mega bucks with bugger all tax on the ‘dividends’.

Interesting comment @Charlize43 We were reflecting earlier that Queen Victoria left a great deal to her people, like land for public parks and museums. I wonder if any of the modern royals will do the same.