I wonder if reconciliation is possible?

[sunnyblackwidow]

With Prince Philip now gone, the queen not as robust as she once was and grieving her loss, Prince Charles looked distraught today, Harry with a new baby on the way, memories of Diana's funeral today....I wonder if now isn't the perfect time for them to just all get together show their love for each other and clear the air (perhaps without Meghan's presence as she seems to inflame things).

I think it'll be telling how long Harry chooses to stay in the UK before he returns to the US (a clear indication of whether he's willing to hang around for a little while to mend fences or rush back home to Meghan and Oprah and Gail) I really wish the best for them all, family is everything but I'm not holding my breath.

See, the thing about MM is that she comes across as not being genuine. I get it she's from a completely different arena, but Royals are Celebs but they're not IYSWIM. She's very LA and that's natural and fine, except a lot of people really struggle to relate to that lifestyle and ethos (it's very externally focused, even their existentialism seems to be about how they're perceived as "good" people). It's certainly not going to enable anyone to fit naturally inside the Royal system.

You know that new boss that walks in and starts changing things before they even understand how it works? That's MM in the eyes of the Palace system, except she was the office junior. To MM the palace system is an outdated, unnecessary system that requires a person to live in ways she finds wholly unacceptable.

Neither side is wrong just diametrically opposed.

Canada were happy to pay for their security whilst they were working royals. They could have lived permanently in Canada with Harry representing the Commonwealth and had security/lifestyle.

I don’t think we in Canada would have been happy to pay for security if they had chosen to stay in Canada. In any case, we knew it was always meant to be a pit stop.

Everyone knew it was only a pitstop. I don't know who they think they were kidding that it wasn't.

@Andylion

Canada were happy to pay for their security whilst they were working royals. They could have lived permanently in Canada with Harry representing the Commonwealth and had security/lifestyle.

I don’t think we in Canada would have been happy to pay for security if they had chosen to stay in Canada. In any case, we knew it was always meant to be a pit stop.

I thought the CAnadian government had clearly said they would NOT to happy to pay for security on an ongoing basis? Why should they be? Canadian taxpayers paying for a couple who wanted to live in luxury whilst doing nothing for the country?

Also, that nonsense about them going to the Canadian Embassy to say thank you?
My eye!
Probably sorting out the details.

I expect everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief when they left. Especially Princess Anne.

@Viviennemary

I expect everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief when they left. Especially Princess Anne.

@Viviennemary

I expect everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief when they left

I'm dumbfounded that so many ethnic minority people so readily believed her version of events. I mean this thread is a prime example of just how psychologically safe it is to be black in the UK.

psychologically safe it is to be black in the UK.

wtaf ?

@Lockupyourbiscuits

It’s not a popularity contest It’s not primary school

Lol. Popularity contest is exactly what it is! Hence the PR - always happening but in overdrive since Harry left. I didn’t know that William was turned down by Netflix . Fascinating. I’m sorry , but William has no charisma . Even when the dressing up box comes out , still zero. He also lacks warmth. Mind you , they all do .

Except Harry - in the clips I’ve seen he seems likeable and genuine . Maybe he is neither of those things in reality, but he comes across as genuine and that’s all that matters.
I’m sure W and K did heave a sigh of relief when Harry left.
But they are wrong to. When Harry left the last of the ‘common touch ‘ went too. That alone will do much more damage long term than an Oprah interview

Actually I don’t think the monarch needs charisma, quite the reverse. The most successful modern constitutional monarchs are boring. If the monarchy is to survive it needs to offend no one and also not give too much away. Charles’ popularity problems stem from the fact that he tried to show us the ‘real him’ in his interviews but it just meant that he came across as week and spoilt.

What William has understood and what the Queen understood when she banned any further showing if the 1969 documentary is that there needs to be an element of mystery, of the unknown, otherwise they are just ordinary people. I think William understands this , he gives away just enough information to seem familiar to the public but not enough that people can know him, he doesn’t emote or moan in public. We can speculate and gossip but very few people actually know.

The mantra is talk about your work and other people don’t talk about yourself because once you do it will be open season.

I think you are deluding yourself if you think there is any mystery left regarding the royals.
It is 2021.
I agree - mystery was once royalty’s greatest defence. Hundreds of years ago that is when the little people could be fed any old tripe like
‘ god has appointed me’
It cannot exist now in the modern world.
That shipped has long sailed and it can never come back. So now royals must try to garner support in the same way other famous people do. Unfortunately for the royals, most famous people became famous due to skill or ability or magnetic personality. The remaining royals have none of those things
Hence the pier declining popularity and relevance .
Hence the constant tiresome PR exercises that only serve to alert more people to their pointlessness , hence this thread

i will be interested to see what happens to the RF in the future.
I can't see the younger generation wanting them.
they are all so out of touch with normal folk.
swanning around pretending to be just like us.

Things are in suspended animation at the moment because the queen is still here.
Once she passes things will change more quickly than people think .
Charles will not be popular and William is very like him and will not be able to reverse the downward trend .

Viviennemary

I expect everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief when they left. Especially Princess Anne.
.......
Why would they and why especially Princess Anne who has always been fond of Harry and is the most egalitarian of her generation of royals?

Mystery probably the wrong word I suppose I mean anonymity.

Logically I think you are right about monarchy however I am not sure that there is any great agreement on what we should have in its place. I suspect Charles is safe and maybe William for a while I doubt George will be King but who knows the monarchy has survived against all the odds before

Do not confuse hard working with egalitarian. Anne is fiercely protective of the institution and would not brook any threat , she was no fan of Diana and is another who rarely gives away anything of herself and her true thoughts

"Logically I think you are right about monarchy however I am not sure that there is any great agreement on what we should have in its place."

I agree. Without consensus on how to elect a future president/head of state, it would be impossible (legally and constitutionally) to abolish the monarchy.

It's been fascinating to look at poll data from YouGov and Ipsos MORI over recent months. Support for the monarchy has increased since the Oprah interview. It's around 66% (keep the monarchy) to 33% (abolish). No revised data as yet following Prince Philip's death.

With regards to young people (16-25) - when asked if they would like to replace the Queen with an elected head of state and who they would vote for, most said yes, then chose......Prince William (followed by David Attenborough).

Once a majority of the population are apathetic re royals ( they don’t have to hate them , apathy is growing and it’s more dangerous) I’m sure it isn’t beyond the wit of man to replace the current structure.

The guardian investigation into the royal family attempting
( succeeding? I don’t know) to influence legislation is very interesting. It doesn’t appear to be widely known but these things grow slowly.

And as the royals are so dedicated to their charities I’m sure they would continue to ‘work’ for them whether we had a monarchy or not . Don’t you ?

As for legislation, as I say , many other countries have a managed to remove / distance their royals from links to government . In sure the UK could do the same

I’m posting too much -so one last thing

I read that charities don’t benefit much or at all from royal patronage .
Makes you wonder who is really benefitting , royal PR machine perhaps?

giving-evidence.com/2020/07/16/royal-findings/

[quote Taketheredpill]I’m posting too much -so one last thing

I read that charities don’t benefit much or at all from royal patronage .
Makes you wonder who is really benefitting , royal PR machine perhaps?

giving-evidence.com/2020/07/16/royal-findings/[/quote]
MM haters post here, like 50 posts a day. So I think you can post as much as you want.

Once a majority of the population are apathetic re royals ( they don’t have to hate them , apathy is growing and it’s more dangerous) I’m sure it isn’t beyond the wit of man to replace the current structure

It's apathy which many republicans like myself are largely pinning their hopes on, especially now they've no more weddings to sell for a while
Granted there's the Platinum Jubilee, the Queen's funeral and Charles's coronation to come before long, but after those it looks a little bleak and it's likely to be a while before there are any more high profile babies to coo over too

I agree that some of the RF's "attempts to influence legislation" perhaps aren't widely known, but it's not for lack of some details having escaped their attempts at secrecy. Unfortunately it seems some simply don't want to know, and there's not much to be done about that

Taketheredpill thanks, too, for that excellent link about the effectiveness (or otherwise) of the RF for charities ... I hadn't seen that one before and it's clearly well researched with further links where appropriate

It won't stop the endless repetition of "They bring in much more than they cost", but it's always good to have another source of facts

Very interesting discussion. I agree that apathy is the killer. We are spoon fed this diet of what the royal family PR machine wants us to hear and see.
Soon, gone will be the days of the Queen and the giving no interviews so whatever we think, we really do not know her. We know she has worked hard for 70 years but that is it.
When she is gone, everything will change. The older royal tea towel queue outside all night generation will be going or gone and I think- if it is to survive - it needs not only pruning down, but excesses reined in.

I mean... do the RF really really need twenty six royal residences? It's obscene. About two are smaller, but the rest are huge castles and land.
Charles... show you mean business... give some of them back to the British public or the National Trust or whatever. Unless he makes move to make a difference, it will hasten the end of the monarchy.