The Royals jumping ship...

[Wolfgirrl]

A virus pandemic breaks out in the UK. Everyone is essentially on house arrest bar a few essential occasions. Businesses and workers facing going bust. People dying every day. Hospitals overwhelmed. Surely this would be a great moment for a morale boosting message from our beloved royals, who we pay to keep in the lap of luxury? Oh wait, a little recorded message has been deemed a health risk to the Queen (allegedly).

Oh well, they can always volunteer Buckingham Palace as a makeshift hospital or hub for supplies, etc, as I'm sure they want to do what they can for their beloved citizens, especially now theyve legged it out of London. Oh wait.

Seriously what are these people for and why do we pay for them again?

They do pay tax.

Finally. Reluctantly. And no inheritance tax for the sov.

Royal finances are notoriously opaque. Totally wrong in a publicly funded institution.

It's actually even worse than that, Cathy, since they've now got themselves an exemption from the Freedom of Information Act - not just for anything which should be kept private but for the whole lot

But then I guess that's easy to do when you've no understanding of accountability and no worries about an election

@puzzledandpissedoff

Whattt? Why would they need that unless they've something to hide..?

Any ideas @Alsohuman @Clavinova @Mamamia456 ?

Hmm. Now why could they possibly need that if all is hunky dory and above board, Puzzled?

Not much of an advertisement for us now are they
it's as if the royal family are now the UK's donald trump

Why would they need (the FoI Act exemption) unless they've something to hide..?

I wouldn't know, but perhaps they just thought it would be handy?
It was bad enough that Charles got officially criticised for his paedophile support, so maybe they wanted the impertinent plebs to be prevented from questioning anything else?

Just been looking it up; the absolute exemption for the RF from the FoI Act was created by a 2010 amendment in the Act ... before that any enquiry had merely been subjected to the "public interest" test

I'm trying to remember which of the many scandals took place just before 2010 but am out of luck unless anyone else knows? (Charles's support of Peter Ball was revealed later, and presumably only then because the IICSA report wasn't a royal document)

Kate Middleton's fashion-icon status contributed an estimated $205 million to the economy in 2015.

Another myth.

I have no doubt sales for clothes KM wears go up after she wears something in the public eye, but the same is said for celebrities, models, social media 'influencers' etc. People will always need clothes, it is not a struggling industry and a lot of the time the clothes they wear are from luxury brands that dont need the promotion.

From an ecological point of view I thought it was pretty much evident fast fashion is a fucking disaster. Just because it generates money 'for the economy' doesn't mean it's a good thing.

We need fewer 'fashion icons' (especially state funded ones) changing their look every three days and more pragmatism.

Looking at the FOI thing it seems to relate to communications from the sovereign, heir and second in line. Could Charles (as is his wont) have been interfering even more blatantly in government business than usual or lobbying for yet more funds from the magic money tree to be diverted the royals way and not want the peasants to know?

A maximum of 100,000 turned up to watch Harry and Meghans wedding. That's 0.1% of our population. Less when you consider a proportion of those people were not from the UK.

13 February 2018

Edinburgh Castle 13 February 2018 - the 'crowds of hundreds' that turned out to greet the beardy one and the actress-without-any-noticeable -career one.

As 13 February 2018 was a Tuesday and a lot of the people in that 'crowd' appear to be children (where would a royal visit be without the female royal simpering over some small child?) I think it would be a fair guess that a lot of that 'crowd' was bussed there for the photo op by the powers that be just to make up the numbers.

Just as I was forced, when I was at primary school a few decades ago, to stand at the side of the road and wave at a car which I was told had the Queen in it as it shot past.

Looking at the closer photo it occurs to me 'they' probably had a good look at the school roles too to make sure a school with a suitably wide ethnic diversity was selected to be dragged in. Not stupid these people.

Argh! - 'rolls' not 'roles'

Crying with laughter here 😂😂

Now its Kate and Wills turn to do a staged 'phone call photo', they're 'launching a mental health initiative for the pandemic' aka tweeting a few links on their Instagram so they are justified in putting their feet up until this is all over.

The initiative cost £5 million and was paid for by Kate and Wills as they care so much about mental health and can easily afford it. Oh wait, my mistake, it was paid for by the tax payer.

About as much use as a chocolate teapot.

They dont even have to put themselves in any danger now. They could all do something and give the proceeds to the emergency fund- get a book of photos together, sacrifice their sovereign grant, donate all the proceeds from the Duchy of Cornwall etc etc. Why arent they paying for the mental health initiative? It's a bit tone deaf after the papers printed their home with the tennis courts and swimming pool when peoples mental health is being affected by their one 5 minute walk a day and being shut in to a flat or house not being allowed out and they aren't even paying for it! It seems they are aware there is some unrest amongst the peasants so they throw us a crumb every now and again in the hope of buying themselves another few generations of unearned privelege.

@noodlenosefraggle

Spot on.

@Clavinova can you dispute that, without changing the subject or only addressing one tiny part of it and avoiding the rest?

Just read Kim K has donated $1 million to coronavirus in USA. Can we assume from this Kim is more of a humanitarian than the RF? And why dont the RF do the same?

It's a government initiative, they're the face of it. Kim's family has made lots of money from their church "charity", but good on her.

@thisenglishlife

And the monarchy has made lots of money out of us, but they're not donating.

Funny how theyre always the 'faces' of things and never the 'doers'. But then I suppose that would mean actually doing something.

What a complete waste of space the royals actually are. Buckingham Palace should be immediately assigned to the NHS whether the queen likes it or not. If not there one of the other umpteen homes she has. She should be volunteering one ffs.

Funny how theyre always the 'faces' of things

Or faces ON things.

I'm just glad we have self-adhesive stamps these days so I don't have to lick the Queen's backside every time I want to post a letter.

@yesterdayhasgone

For those who cry 'but its unsuitable', it could be used for a multitude of reason. Storage of supplies. Charity hub. Accommodation for the homeless that PW said he is so concerned about, or nhs staff that are isolating from their families.

Apparently they are urging people to follow Public Health England's advice. Don't suppose we'll hear much about not hot footing it to second homes in the country.

God, I love this thread for highlighted just exactly what is shit about the ridiculous set up in this country (as if most right thinking people didn't know anyway).
Excellent work Wolfgirrl and others.

Funny how theyre always the 'faces' of things
Do anyone know if Kate has held her own fundraiser before? One that her team has organised, rather than the charity? Each has a charity ball, but they organise that.

Do anyone know if Kate has held her own fundraiser before? One that her team has organised, rather than the charity? Each has a charity ball, but they organise that.

Whether she has or she hasn't is irrelevant.

It still isnt her dipping into her own pocket or resources to help. It is asking other people to as usual. And she wouldn't do any of the arranging anyway, her staff would. She would just turn up and enjoy herself.

I agree, I was just interested.

Wolfgirl I don’t believe for a minute it’s unsuitable. I don’t believe it’s in a dangerous condition even. The queen asked for renovations to be paid by taxpayers and it was approved, like everything else they ask for. Frogmore lying empty after £2.5 million. Where DO they get those figures from. It’s like Monopoly money where the royals are concerned.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Buck house has got over 700 rooms and vast halls......all fully maintained. It should be requisitioned immediately.