Why is the Queen so quiet?

[SapphosRock]

I wish she would say something, even a ten minute video urging the nation to pull together and do what we need to do in these challenging times.

I imagine it would be a boost for older people stuck at home, I know my MIL would appreciate it. She loves the Queen.

What she going to do assure us that if the bread shelves remain empty we can always eat cake instead?

The Queen has had all her appointments cancelled. She has got a few weeks off for the first time in her life. I bet she is getting sloshed every night and having a lie in. She'll pop up soon but right now is chilling out for the first time in her life since she was crowned.

PieceOfMaria

so really no point to her then

Well whether there is, or isn’t a point to her is a matter of opinion, but either way the ‘point’ of a monarchy is not a political one.

What is it then?

If she addressed the nation in a time of crisis "greedy selfish twats" wouldn't listen.

She has to be "apolitocal". I thought that the monarchy were apolitical because they could say if they felt they disagreed with the government.
(So she's a Brexiteer, is she?)

So, really: what is she for?

I could draw a pretty picture to stick on stamps in lieu of her maj.

I’m not here to defend the monarchy or to debate whether or not there is a point to the monarchy, I don’t necessarily disagree with you. I’m here to say there is nothing to thing to be gained by pressuring a very elderly lady to address the nation at this time.

Oh please come on people . Shes a mother and a grandmother with an ailing husband who might not survive this.
I respect my elders whether the queen or the lady next door. This attitude of nastiness is why people are raiding the shelves and leaving nothing for the more vulnerable members of society.

Would you like strangers to slag off your elderly grandmother like this ?

@Dreamprincess I'm genuinely glad that you feel that way - that's a level of selflessness that many in the UK right now would do well to follow.

My point was just that many (who may not feel the way you do) might not feel the same. Lots of older and vulnerable people are scared, including neighbours of mine and my friends' relatives (I have no elderly relatives myself). Perhaps 'sympathy' was the wrong word to use, maybe empathy would have been better.

The Queen will not suffer unduly, whatever happens - if she becomes ill, she will be made comfortable and given the very best care. She will not go cold or hungry. Sadly very, very many older and vulnerable people will, and if they become very ill they can't be guaranteed care. That level of inequality - so stark at the moment, but always there, even when we're not facing a pandemic - is extremely troubling and completely unjust.

Like I said, I don't wish her any harm, of course I don't. But it does seem completely wrong that due to an accident of birth she will get the very best of everything while millions of other people will suffer horribly.

Dontforgetyourbrolly

Oh please come on people . Shes a mother and a grandmother

Sooo....

What difference would it make if she couldn't or didn't choose to have children?

That's totally irrelevant.

I respect my elders whether the queen or the lady next door

So do I. In fact, I'm doing the lady-next-door's shopping without "raiding the shelves".

Would you like strangers to slag off your elderly grandmother like this ?

I think neither they nor I would care.

I suspect that if every tax payer in the country paid 60p (or whatever it is) a year to them, they (and I) would be absolutely delighted to rake in the cash and suck the criticism (sorry: slagging off) up.

I am wondering what they would do if the Queen passed away of coronavirus, as the streets would be packed for a funeral, which they obviously cant have.

To be clear I dont wish that for the Queen even though I am not a royalist, I wouldn't want anyone to have this, but I did think about it.

I was wondering that. The PM might be in charge, but she should have recorded a brief video to lift the spirits, her or Charles. Up until few days ago she was business as usual - no time to record a brief message to us, commoners?

The monarchy is pointless. And finished.

The Pope walked the streets of Rome and people cheered on him from their balconies. He then went to pray for everyone in a local church. A small gesture, but meaningful. He's elderly too, and he's not in charge in practice either. He could have chosen to hide away completely like the Queen, but he chose not to. Speaks volumes about leadership and what they really care about.

Frankly if i had to watch (IYSWIM) a completely privileged pampered woman in her palace tell me to, in effect, keep calm and carry on as much as possible restricted to my house - I'll explode.

She is a pointless anachronism and the less we see and hear from her and her family the better.

She's shown her true colours after Aberfan, having thought about it, we probably shouldn't be surprised she has not changed.

If the queen or any other member of the family wanted to help, they could offer something practical. Funding a new emergency hospital. Offering a palace or two to be repurposed as a hospital.

Yes. After years of receiving public funding, despite having vast private wealth as well, you’d think the Crown could cough up at this sort of time. Especially if they are not doing their normal “job” either. Maybe payments to them should stop like they do to most people who aren’t working?

Personally, I think that this is William's time to step up given that both Charles and Lizzie are in the at risk group.

A sensible, stoical address from her might finally get some of the older people to bloody listen

So so true !!!!!!!!

I hope the UK will come to senses after this pandemic and abolish the monarchy, there's absolutely no way they should be maintained by us. Neither will there be any money for them, the way things are going!

My colleague is convinced she is dead and they are keeping it secret because there couldn’t be a state funeral at this time.

I think is more likely that she’s isolating to avoid that outcome, but I agree it’s very odd that there hasn’t been any kind of address to the nation. If it’s because they fear for her health, it is perhaps a sign that she should be thinking about retiring.

When she was a young woman she trained as a mechanic and military truck driver in WWII, her family stayed in London throughout the blitz to give moral support to all the people who couldn't leave.

Blimey, so did thousands of others who then lived lives of hard bloody privation and work. I'd really like a royalist/monarchist to tell me why we need such a vast network of royalty all smiling, waving and asking us to donate money to charity. We don't need them. But blimey they need us.

My own elderly mother is stuck in her house on her own and i have no idea (because i'm in a different country) if any of her neighbours will pop round to see if she needs anything. So I'll spend my concern on her and others like her.

Personally, I think that this is William's time to step up given that both Charles and Lizzie are in the at risk group

I think it's far more appropriate for the whole ridiculous thing to take the opportunity to cease completely.

CV19 is likely to be a reset for many societal values. The royal family should be part of that. It is utterly out of date, unthinkably expensive and now even the 'but the tourists...' argument is null and void.

The thought of cossetting a handful of pointless figureheads as the country rebuilds from this is sickening, frankly.

She's not hiding away. Or at least she wasn't until very very recently. She started wearing gloves for her engagements but kept going. Now she's following official advice (leading by example) to self isolate as she's in a high risk group. She has a strong sense of duty to the public. Unlike most of our self serving MPs. I certainly don't begrudge her self isolation. Those saying she'd get the best care. Yes true but she's still at very high risk given her age.

I suspect she hasn't yet made a speech because Boris and Cummings don't want her to. Until very recently our government was desperately trying to downplay the situation. The Queen making an address to the nation wouldn't have fitted with that aim.

She always used to wear gloves for engagements - when did she stop that?

PP mentioned retirement? hahahahahahaha. Never. She honestly and seriously believes that she is queen because God said so. (and of course her family all loathed Uncle David because he didn't believe that and pushed off leaving her father to be king) and you don't turn God down by resigning from the job He gave you. So, unlike Beatrix in the NL who saw that her son had time to be a father to his young kids for a while, then had him take over, ours will hang on until she's pushing up the daisies. Which is actually ok by me as long as she's the last one.

I think it is actually really poor that the palace hasn't at least put out a message on her behalf. Really poor.

Maybe they are in a bunker?

I wonder how many of us currently feel that the 67p a year we each pay to keep her and her family in cosseted luxury would have been better spent on ventilators, hospitals and the NHS generally.

'I think it is actually really poor that the palace hasn't at least put out a message on her behalf. Really poor'.

THIS.

'She has a strong sense of duty to the public. Unlike most of our self serving MPs'.

How do you know that she has a sense of duty, what do you base that perception on? You are presuming a lot by stating that. Although some MPs may be self serving you confidently assert that 'most' of them are and the Queen isn't but you have no way of knowing yet you make that presumption of her superiority.

I would rather judge her sense of duty by her actions. I see no evidence of it or of any desire to support her people during this crisis. No words of comfort either from her or from someone speaking on her behalf, and no deeds of comfort either; no offer of material support (eg making available some of the palaces and money we provide her with). No leadership.