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The royal family

Prince Andrew has bolted to Balmoral

999 replies

Viviennemary · 08/09/2021 10:30

This according to guess who. The DM of course. To avoid getting papers served says the article. Maybe he's just gone for a nice break. Accompanied by Fergie.

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MummyJ12 · 12/09/2021 12:51

Post above should be VG not VA angry typing leads to typos!!! Sorry Blush

Ultraopaque · 12/09/2021 12:58

@merrymouse

I’d far rather the Royal Family have those places than to have them bought up by Oligarchs and wealthy Saudis.

Actually given recent revelations it could be argued that wealthy Saudis and Oligarchs are ‘buying’ Royal palaces. They certainly seem to be finding their upkeep in return for favours.

Yes the whole "grace and favour" operation has taken on a rather grubby air hasn't it? It was (allegedly) at the basis of Prince Andrew's relationship with Epstein and now Prince Charle's Foundation is (allegedly) implicated in a cash for honours situation involving Saudi billionaires.

Very dodgy indeed.

Roussette · 12/09/2021 12:59

I really can't believe you are making a case that Vladimir Putin has lots of palaces too so that makes it ok Shock

Putin is a dictator, Russia was communist until the 90s and it's democracy is weak. Why has he recently changed the law so he can be President for another couple of decades?

No comparison to our RF, last I heard we were a fully functioning democracy

derxa · 12/09/2021 13:10

@Roussette

I really can't believe you are making a case that Vladimir Putin has lots of palaces too so that makes it ok Shock

Putin is a dictator, Russia was communist until the 90s and it's democracy is weak. Why has he recently changed the law so he can be President for another couple of decades?

No comparison to our RF, last I heard we were a fully functioning democracy

I'm saying I'd rather have our Royal Family and a democracy than a massively corrupt modern day Tsar running the country. So you would boot out the Wessexes and turn Bagshot Park into a tourist attraction of no architectural or historical merit so you could wander around it.
Roussette · 12/09/2021 13:15

And watch The World's biggest bribe - Putin's palace that Navalny (his only political opponent) filmed. ,(It's on YouTube)
It's gobsmacking. Putin can have as many palaces as he wants because he just imprisons or murders anyone who gets in his way
And Navalny has been chemically poisoned and is now hanging onto life, in a Soviet prison
..just, for revealing this corruption

derxa · 12/09/2021 13:16

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose is what I'm getting at.

Roussette · 12/09/2021 13:18

Is that how you view how the NT run places.? Why would it lose its historical merit if they didn't live there?
It wouldn't

I don't

We won't have a Putin because as I say we are a democracy

MummyJ12 · 12/09/2021 13:20

As many of you guys know, I’m a RF fan. I’d much rather the royal family too. But I understand why people are questioning whether or not there is a future for the monarchy. Unfortunately, PA has thrown the family into crisis and put the Queen in a very difficult position. I’m not sure how this is going to all unfold.

derxa · 12/09/2021 13:21

Why would it lose its historical merit if they didn't live there? I don't think it has any in the first place.

Roussette · 12/09/2021 13:26

I agree *Mummy12"

I honestly was quite the royalist years ago. I've slowly changed my mind bit by bit because of different events. It's made me think....hang on a minute, this or that isn't right or fair or transparent

As the public we really really should be holding them up to scrutiny. Apathy and total acceptance is so wrong

MummyJ12 · 12/09/2021 13:27

Totally agree with you too Roussette Smile

Porridgealert · 12/09/2021 13:39

@MummyJ12

It looks as though he’s on the run quite literally. It also looks like he’s trying to get off on any technicality, him hiding from being served with legal papers is pathetic and ridiculous. Just shocking behaviour.
No, PA was served at the end off August as far as VRGs lawyers were concerned. Therefore, he wasn't avoiding anything by going to Scotland, where he goes every summer, because they weren't looking for him. If you think he was avoiding them, you must believe he hasn't been served. Your prejudice is against PA who you don't like. Condemning him without support from the facts.
MummyJ12 · 12/09/2021 13:46

The facts are that Prince Andrew’s legal team are disputing proper service. Therefore the service is void.
You don’t understand prejudice obviously, where have I said that I don’t like him? I don’t know him! I don’t like his behaviour. At all. You obviously think there is no case to answer. I would disagree. He needs to start cooperating.

Mamamia7962 · 12/09/2021 13:47

Porridge - I think the question is whether they were served legally and we won't know that until the court case tomorrow.

MummyJ12 · 12/09/2021 13:51

Absolutely this Mamamia7962

merrymouse · 12/09/2021 13:53

As much as anything I think the RF is a bad idea because of the harm the institution has done to the members.
I would have gone with the ‘better than Trump’ line until recently, but the whole thing just seems more and more toxic.

The happiest members currently seem to be the ones who get on with the job without doing much to cause interest to the global press - Princess Anne and the Wessexes.

But that’s also because the Sussexes and Cambridge’s draw the fire elsewhere.

If they didn’t exist I’m sure the papers would be digging up dirt on Princess Anne and complaining about her appearance.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/09/2021 13:54

As the public we really really should be holding them up to scrutiny. Apathy and total acceptance is so wrong

Absolutely this - even though they do their very best to avoid scrutiny

BTW, for whoever asked it seems we're actually the fifth oldest monarchy. It's also complicated further because it hasn't been a direct line and various "houses" have come and gone over the years (also "Windsor" was only invented to 1917, though that was same people, different name)

www.oldest.org/politics/monarchy/

PeriWrinkles · 12/09/2021 15:14

@Roussette

Is that how you view how the NT run places.? Why would it lose its historical merit if they didn't live there? It wouldn't

I don't

We won't have a Putin because as I say we are a democracy

We'd perhaps LIKE to be a democracy, true.

At the moment we're only a democracy in name, due to: not having a clear public understanding of what the RF and our institutions actually do and who they actually serve (Privy Council, HoL etc); having a messy, uncodified constitution that creates untold confusion; having since 1945 placed blind faith in the idea of deference to king/queen and country without stopping to question why other European monarchies were crashing down left right and centre, believing Britain to be somehow stable, superior and special when in fact it's corrupt AF and built on horrendous inequalities that are now apparent in PA's vile behaviour; not actually being a United kingdom at all, but a very divided one (Wales, Scotland and the disgrace of what England did to Ireland), thus weakened by splits and not strong enough to force a revolution or referendum as has happened in other countries; abdicating our personal responsibility to ELECT decent leaders instead of forcing the queen to abdicate instead. Basically we're medieval sheep that have only recently learned how to bleat, pathetically, at the unfairness and corruption of the institutions we still don't understand properly.

Our political system is structurally unsound and mired in filth and we don't like to admit that. We like to pretend it isn't. Structural weakness is tradition, so it's fine. Instead of protesting or burning tyres or guillotining or creating new, workable, affordable leadership systems (see Rep. of Ireland) we like to recycle official propaganda and comforting assumptions and then spout them at each other, instead of asking the tough questions like why the should the royals be paid millions and have 19 massive residences for doing absolutely nothing except proclaiming their own glory and entitlement, and the even tougher question as to why we let them do it.

But they should watch out, because if you look at other European monarchies, most recently Spain, the institution's fortunes and future depend heavily on public opinion. After the Juan Carlos scandal, the popularity of the Spanish monarchy fell to 50 percent and started to climb again only when the new guy proved to be more likeable and not (apparently) take kickbacks. Contrast that with Denmark and Norway with no major royal scandals and where the popularity of the monarchy is about 80 percent. And contrast again with Italy & France etc where people got so fucked off with the whole royalty scam that they destroyed it.

PA's behaviour and Epstein links go beyond financial corruption and "being rich" into the realms of depravity and his mother defends and protects him. She'd be ripped to shreds if she posted about it in AIBU - yet there's a 70 percent approval rating for the RF? Bunch of loons we are.

Roussette · 12/09/2021 15:23

@PeriWrinkles

I wish I could write like you
Great post

derxa · 12/09/2021 15:34

not actually being a United kingdom at all, but a very divided one (Wales, Scotland and the disgrace of what England did to Ireland), thus weakened by splits and not strong enough to force a revolution or referendum If you think all people in Scotland want the rule of Queen Nicola you're very much mistaken. Our Education system has gone to the dogs under the SNP, drugs deaths horrendous and the Covid response no better here than anywhere else in the UK. English people are always articulating about what we Scots want. Scottish independence would be ten times worse than Brexit.

Stircraazy · 12/09/2021 15:36

@PeriWrinkles you should stand for Parliament, and once you get in set up an educational course for the 90% of us blinkered ignoramuses in the country.

Farfalle88 · 12/09/2021 15:39

@derxa

not actually being a United kingdom at all, but a very divided one (Wales, Scotland and the disgrace of what England did to Ireland), thus weakened by splits and not strong enough to force a revolution or referendum If you think all people in Scotland want the rule of Queen Nicola you're very much mistaken. Our Education system has gone to the dogs under the SNP, drugs deaths horrendous and the Covid response no better here than anywhere else in the UK. English people are always articulating about what we Scots want. Scottish independence would be ten times worse than Brexit.
Agree!
Stircraazy · 12/09/2021 15:55

Queen xxxxxx Nichola - OMG I've never hated a politician til her - we're going to have a public owned green energy hub - oh yeah, I'm sure the Chinese, Danes, rich landowners being paid millions for the privilege of allowing these foreign owned companies to cover the hills in wind turbines will hand it over to the Gov. hahaha
And us the plebs are having our electricity put up by another 12.5% in Oct to fund these foreign companies and financial investment bods.

PeriWrinkles · 12/09/2021 16:06

@derxa

not actually being a United kingdom at all, but a very divided one (Wales, Scotland and the disgrace of what England did to Ireland), thus weakened by splits and not strong enough to force a revolution or referendum If you think all people in Scotland want the rule of Queen Nicola you're very much mistaken. Our Education system has gone to the dogs under the SNP, drugs deaths horrendous and the Covid response no better here than anywhere else in the UK. English people are always articulating about what we Scots want. Scottish independence would be ten times worse than Brexit.
No you're putting words in my mouth and missing the point (the existence of, not the reasons for, national divisions) while also illustrating the differences I was talking about. Sturgeon's no doubt staging a shitshow just like the blond buffoon that I didn't vote for either. It's slightly more than 0.01 percent of Scottish people that want independence though isn't it?

The point is there's no unity here.