Prince William has confirmed he will marry Kate Middleton next year

[phipps]

I wonder if we will get a Bank Holiday for it.

Excellent posts cucumber

I too hate being a 'subject' and having someone totally unelected sponge off us.

It's 2010 not 1610, we don't need a King to lead us into battle FGS.

Viva la Republic

Agree Polyhymnia and Maybemore

So dull, hasnt done anything. So privileged to get all that education and do nothing with it!

Would love her to be veggie -and non caucasian - the Royals could do with an injection of a bit of colour!

I am so uninterested in all the sycophantic nonsense we are going to subjected to. Yawn yawn!

I do find it genuinely depressing how much grovelling and how little incisive comment is being made on all channels.

I understand a wedding is a nice thing and look forward to the Hello special but do I want to pay for it NO, do I want to hear about it for the next 6 months NO, do I want a day off YES!

Background of current Crown Princesses/Princes

Denmark stylish Australian Estate Agent
Holland stylish Argentian Banker
Norway stylish Single mother and waitress
Sweden stylish Gym owner
Spain stylish Newsreader
Jordan stylish Banker/IT specialist

and UK dull, frumpy Kate Middleton done nothing, is nothing!

Her looks are irrelevant really I think.

But yes with you on the:

a wedding is a nice thing and look forward to the Hello special but do I want to pay for it NO, do I want to hear about it for the next 6 months NO, do I want a day off YES!

HonestyBox: had a feeling your reaction might be along the lines of your last post... (Hence my caveat when I quoted you.)

BadgersPaws: interesting about king consort. I think (but have not Googled to check) that Mary I's husband Philip of Spain was the only king consort? I guess resistance to Victoria's suggestion was due to a fear that some foreign princeling would gain control of our cherished throne, blah blah blah.

I think Sieglinde, who mentioned the crown estates, is right in that a couple of weeks ago it was reported that the Civil List is to be suspended. Instead, the royals will in future receive a percentage of the crown estates as their income. (Again, haven't Googled, but do seem to remember this in the news.)

at least they could have named the specific day - now there will be endless speculation on every 'news' programme - I wonder if today is a day someone wants to bury bad news - looks like the next 6-8 months will be good for that

'but must say I'm hardly impressed by the choice of Kate M. '

As long as they suit each other I don't see why we need to be impressed. You can't please everyone, so there is no point in trying. At least they know each other properly.

If we call them boring enough, do you think they'll consider hot-footing it to Vegas? That I would like to see.

Just orf to buy my new hat.

Boring.

"I think (but have not Googled to check) that Mary I's husband Philip of Spain was the only king consort"

I'm not sure....

Philip seems to have been titled "King of England", but Mary had to nominate him as regent in the event of her death before any child was of age, and on her death he didn't become King. Which sounds to all intents and purposes the same as a King Consort.

"the Civil List is to be suspended. Instead, the royals will in future receive a percentage of the crown estates as their income."

It had better be a small percentage.

The Civil List is about £8 million.

The Crown Estates generate us over £200 million.

The Royal Family are just a bit meh and pointless really but always nice to hear of a wedding. As long as I'm not paying.

Badgers, yes good point that he didn't inherit the throne. Perhaps he was 'king consort for as long as Queen Mary shall live', or some such wording?

Yes, must be a small percentage of the crown estates' income, but I'm sure it's right because I remember reports that if that income goes up, the royals will do better than they do under the current system.

I don't buy into 'they're pointless' argument.

We need an independent figurehead of some kind to do charity work, give people awards, meet and greet foreign dignatories and currently the best we can come up with is the Queen. So the person marrying our future 'independent figurehead' ought to have something about her.

I was no great fan of Princess Di, thought she was more than a little dim but at least she seemed to have an independent character. Kate M could have been doing charity for 8 years if she didn't want/need a paid job but as far as I can see she goes to the gym, clubs and shops and polo.

maybemore - didnt Kate Middleton work for Jigsaw?

I couldn't agree more

I'm amused by the number of my friends on Facebook who have spent the last six months objecting because the elected representatives of this country are now not of their preferred colour and flavour, but still fall over themselves to express their delight for these unelected spongers.

I read she helped out with her parent's party business.

I read that as "panty business"

BeenBeta - yes, for about five minutes. And part-time.

If tax payers paid for the pope's visit/security I can't see a hope in hell of us not paying for this.

The monarchy is pointless

Here's a link to the story about the Civil List and the Crown estates. Amounts vary in all versions; the one I saw first was in the Indy.

www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/royal-cuts-could-make-charles-the-richest-king-in-british-history-14982895.html

Monkey's. Chuff. Give. A. Couldn't. So. As Paying. I. Not. Am. Long.

[rearrange into republican phrase of your choosing]

Yes, badgerspaws, my point too. I object to what we're paying NOW. Even if we do need an independent figurehead blah, can't we get a cheaper one? I'd do it for my now salary...