To never sing "God save the king"

[boombang]

To be fair, I was never going to - I am a republican, and I did respect the late queen, so used to sing "God save the Queen". She came from a long gone era, and she fought in the war.

I have always thought the monarchy should end with her, I have always thought it was a horrible system, grossly unfair to those caught up in it, and very very annoying - I do understand the point about the prime minister using the monarchs authority though, and understand it would be hard to dismantle - not least because it would mean whatever prime minister of the day volunteering to have all that automatic power taken out of his/her hands.

But the events of the last two days have changed my mind, it is beyond annoying, it is an insidious evil

The media outright calling cancer victims "lesser mortals" - the description of someone putting on pretty clothes and waving as "the bravest woman in Britain" and the huge distress caused to thousands of normal people through this.

We shouldn't have a monarchy. We shouldn't have this system where someone is seen as a better, braver, more important person because they are part of the monarchy, and other people being publicly and firmly denigrated, because whatever their situation, however they are feeling, whatever their abilities and whatever their achievements, they are not good enough,

why? no reason, other than not being royal

Kate and Charles, if you read this, I have nothing but good wishes for you. Apart from obviously you are in the best possible position to access treatment and survive cancer, I feel sorry for you - I wouldn't want your lives.

But I have really for the first time taken on board how inherently damaging this system of having a royal family really is

I did not take the journalist view in the same way as the OP.
My DH is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy, and the point is that this is quite exhausting and some days my DH is just very tired (and does not do much).
I took the article that the PoW having decided she was going to the Trooping of the Colour, felt she was committed to attending regardless of whether she woke up in the morning feeling exhausted.
She is in the public eye, and everyone is looking to see... has her hair fallen out?
Oh, she looks thinner than usual...., what is she wearing...., etc.
That is the point.
Most people (including my DH), can take each day one at a time, and do not have the world's media watching them.
As it is, my DH does not wish me to tell our wider family about his cancer, although we have told our adult DC. My DH really can't bear everyone asking him 'How are you?' in that very serious voice. Apart from feeling tired, he is trying to carry on as much as possible. But this has meant our DC often forget, and expect too much from him.
I wish the journalist was not so sycophantic about the royals and the PoW especially, as this just puts more pressure on her.

Meanwhile, I hate the language surrounding cancer; eg; X has lost his 'battle' against cancer, which always sounds as though it is the fault of the person themselves.
Or 'Fighting' cancer, etc

I really dislike our National Anthem, and it is a bit of a durge. And I agree with people who say it is about Royalty rather than the country, etc
The French "La Marseillaise" is much more inspiring.