AIBU to suggest the Royal Family is no longer required

[cocktailclub]

I feel they have become irrelevant.
Who cares that a 95 year old can't have Christmas at one of her country homes? It's headline news that she's staying at Windsor castle. What a joke.
The whole lot of them are pampered lazy entitled and should just be phased out.
We will still get money from tourrism because the history is fascinating. They can all live out their lives in luxury but enough is enough. They make political statements, break the law (allegedly) and require a whole heap of financial support.
Get rid .

Lets face it the royals benefit it a lot more than we do. They must be laughing their socks of at us. A family of billionares getting more and more money from the public. You couldn't make it up.

@HeddaGarbled thanks for sharing the article.
The Guardian make some good points.

I really agree it is time to talk about the future role of the monarchy. In my mind there isn't one, they have become irrelevant.

I am not saying cut them all lose without protection because the intrusion into their lives would be unreasonable (apart from Prince Andrew if he ever does face justice, he will
Be in safe custody)

I am suggesting we start a long term plan to let them become an independently wealthy family who don't get any funding. Also if they choose not to keep their many homes then they can return them to the state. Their huge staff teams can be offered alternative employment such as in museums, the care sector, hospitality etc. we have the vacancies.

Once this current generation have passed, no more protection required unless they choose to fund it.

@Viviennemary

Lets face it the royals benefit it a lot more than we do. They must be laughing their socks of at us. A family of billionares getting more and more money from the public. You couldn't make it up.

Well put. Also making speeches all the time

The Queen about families. Like she can teach us about family values because the royals behaviour is not values based imo

Charles and William about the environment (and Harry and Meghan) whilst flying around having a billion different outfits for everything. And growing prohibitively expensive organic food for Waitrose.

Kate on parenting. Yes it's such a struggle when the nanny needs time off, oh wait just get the back up nanny in. Oh and she's so drivel wearing dresses more than once. Firstly, she probably has multiples of the ones she likes and secondly they cost thousands so not really the same as me wearing my M&S jumper for two years running

Edward doesn't say much at all which is good but then I wonder what is the point of him?

And Andrew and bloody Sarah Ferguson. He's so honourable. He's been implicated in a sex offenders sordid world and he's a dodgy salesman at best.

What's wiring with the British public they actually listen to the sh*t they spout and are in awe of them.

@NarcissaMalfoysManicure

They’re a bunch of lazy paedo-protectors.

I wish people would remember that Andrew (unpleasant though he seems) has not been convicted of anything (yet).

And don't say he should go to the U.S. and stand trial. It would be beyond stupid to go against the expensive legal advice he is getting

I have a slightly unusual take on this in that I think we should get rid because no-one should have their lives irrevocable determined by the family they were born into.

At least with a presidential model people volunteer for it.

Well said Badgerb

I'd far rather live in a constitutional monarchy than somewhere where some one is tried and convicted via presumption and gossip column.

And don't say he should go to the U.S. and stand trial. It would be beyond stupid to go against the expensive legal advice he is getting

Legal advice that we are paying millions for, yep.
Literally, a massive legal team here in UK and another one in the US

@SonicBroom

I care.

This

@MintJulia

Well said Badgerb

I'd far rather live in a constitutional monarchy than somewhere where some one is tried and convicted via presumption and gossip column.

And this

YANBU.

@Anordinarymum

I like the Queen. She represents everything that is good about Royalty. She is dedicated and honest and has led a blameless life which makes me respect her and admire her. She means something. The world loves her. It is because of her that the UK is respected and looked upon as something special. She has upheld a decency which is an example to all and her faith in God is unwavering and steadfast.

The behaviour of some of her family is questionable to say the very least and I find it impossible to look up to people who hide behind the monarchy and think themselves above the law.

The treatment of Diana by Charles, and the fiasco with his son, to say nothing of the scandal with his brother, and the reports of certain members of the family who are lazy yet live a lifestyle we could only dream about are undeserving of the titles they use, and the privileged lives they continue to lead are unpalatable to me

Oh, and how did you come to have the queen in your acquaintance?

Unless there’s something you’re not telling us, no, you DON’T know her. At all. You only know what the rest of us know, which is actually very little, and only what the media presents to us. There will be a lot hushed up. She probably doesn’t even know herself, because she has never lived outside the confines of that institution, she has literally been bred to behave and think a certain way her whole life and to assume the general public to be deferential towards them all.

I don’t think the world does love her actually. My kids (teens) only just know who she is. And they’re English. She’s rarely on telly or in the public eye in any real way. I think she refuses to step down because she knows that will be the end of the Monarchy and she doesn’t want to witness the aftermath.

Monarchs don't tend to step down, it's a til death sort of a deal.

And they don't tend to step in, either.

Monarch dies, long live the king/ queen.

Current Queen never expected to be queen.

Scandalous abdication, her dad died only 56, boom queen at 25.

I mean it's a fairly old traditional thing. Just is what it is.

This is interesting-

The youngest British monarch at the start of her reign was Mary, Queen of Scots, who became queen aged 6 days in 1542.[16] The youngest king was Henry VI, who was 8 months and 26 days old at the time of his accession.[14]

The youngest queen consort was Isabella of Valois, second wife of Richard II, aged 6 years 11 months and 25 days when she became queen in 1396.

Anordinarymum

Just reading few posts.

Not interested in discussing the meat of your post. But I think the wonderfulness is a bit overstated. I read it and remembered the zero comment for days after lady Di died. That's didn't go down well.
Whatever anyone thinks of her, she had been in family, it was a sudden death when she young, and the mum of her GCs. Also if so fab why not say erm getting kids to walk in public to funeral etc that's a bit much.

(Monarchs) don't tend to step in, either ... Current Queen never expected to be queen

Neither did her father before her or his father before that, meaning that "stepping in" is actually massively precedented, and not just in the UK

Agree with many that dismantling things would be complicated and expensive, but that doesn't mean it's not worth doing
Sometimes, a principle matters more than the costs and trouble involved

I suspect a few years of Charles as King will see massive growing support for an alternative.

It's started already. Protecting Andrew? Knighting Tony fucking Blair? They've lost the plot.

@SpankyPankhurst

It's started already. Protecting Andrew? Knighting Tony fucking Blair? They've lost the plot.

Exactly. What gives them the right? They were born into privilege but that doesn't wash anymore. Knighting Tony Blair is a joke. They like him because he guided them through Diana's death and made sure they didn't completely alienate themselves. All about what he did for them. I won't mention the war. And Andrew, he should be entitled to a fair trial. But when I say fair I mean fair as in he's a public figure funded by the tax payer in the most. So provide evidence to dispute the claims by all means but don't use your top lawyers to play games to get the case dismissed on a technicality. Play fair and offer actual evidence not expensive legal argument. That's what a public figure should do. And the rest of them off skiing in the chalet that was purchased in some dodgy way as well.wasn' it? Noticeably Andrew hasn't left the safety of the Royal estate probably for fear of extradition

I like the Queen. She represents everything that is good about Royalty. She is dedicated and honest and has led a blameless life which makes me respect her and admire her. She means something. The world loves her. It is because of her that the UK is respected and looked upon as something special. She has upheld a decency which is an example to all and her faith in God is unwavering and steadfast.

Oh, what happy little fairy stories we tell ourselves! In reality, Elizabeth Windsor's notably poor judgement has come extremely close to destroying the monarchy as an institution at least twice: when she demanded public money after the Windsor Castle fire and the aforementioned debacle of Diana's death. She tried to claim £millions in fuel costs from a fund set up to help poor and vulnerable people. She forks out fortunes worth of public money to protect her son from facing trial. What about the notorious tax letters from the 1970s? Or the many tales of her shocking rudeness towards members of the public? I think we need to start being honest rather than fall for the current media-manipulated sycophancy.

The foreign papers are currently full of an anti Royalty story the British press are not publishing. The idea the world looks up to us because of the Royal Family is a fantasy. Don't believe me? Reda the foreign press and see what they actually think.
I think once upon a time the British Royal Family did use to be looked up to by many abroad. That ship has sailed. There is still amongst some a bit of admiration for the Queen. But Charles and William are both unpopular abroad.

Totally agree Royal
The PA debacle round the world has made us a mixture of a laughing stock or to be pitied

@Roussette yes the foreign papers are full of Andrew and another Royal Family member. And it has been trending on Twitter in the kind of countries that tend to care about the British Royal Family.
I assume people that think other countries look up to our RF never read any foreign press.