Andrew returning to public life

[antelopevalley]

"Prince Andrew — who recently paid a multimillion-pound settlement to Virginia Giuffre to keep her allegations of sexual abuse, which he denies, out of court — is set to make a controversial return to public life on Monday.

As a member of the Order of the Garter, this country’s oldest and most senior order of chivalry, Andrew, 62, will appear alongside senior members of the royal family at the Garter Day service at Windsor Castle."

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/palace-to-support-andrew-in-rebuilding-his-life-as-poison-prince-makes-surprise-return-to-public-duty-r6jskx9b3

Tam- Na-Ghar was left to W by the Queen Mother.

W & C were up in Glasgow a few weeks ago giving primary school kids in the East end a talk on 'empathy'.

The fucking nerve of them

Thank god Glasgow city Council spent nothing on the jubilee

I think there is a fine line between lecturing and focusing public attention on good causes. Some don't seem to know where the line is. I do think W and K know most of the time. They really need to walk the talk though on climate change. It isn't possible to take private jets/live in huge houses which aren''t energy efficient/buy lots of very very expensive clothes that only get a few wearings and talk about your commitment to climate change. Never mind the fleets of SUVs etc.

And it's now w&Ks

Roussette · Today 18:38

Raspberryjam22
Tam- Na-Ghar was left to W by the Queen Mother.

“And it's now w&Ks”

What’s your point ?

I would've thought it was obvious.

4 enormous houses/palaces for the not monarch, not next in line, but one after that.
Ostentatious and too much
Not all RFs operate like this

Thing is William is having to step up already in a big way. They are going to have to shoulder a lot of the burden as C and C aren’t going to be up to doing all of it now that the Queen is on her way out. However multiple houses/palaces seems unnecessary. I wonder what will happen to Amner once they move.

They have said they are keeping Amner.

Yes I know but will it just lie empty most of the time?

Probably. Kensington Palace apartment will at least be used when they visit London.

Shoulder a lot of WHAT burden please? Prancing around cutting ribbons and getting bouquets from little kids while whole towns and approaches are shut down for security reasons.
I really don't know what the heck they really do, apart from adding up their investment income every night before the staff tuck them all in.😊

Amner will be kept for them for holidays and weekend retreats, all by helicopter of course. Who knows how much notice tthey give for their arrival? Little probably.
Ditto KP for a bit of work and touching base with the massive amounts of staff awaiting their arrival.
Scotland... well... that's for high days and holidays once a year.
That's it. Laughable

You are probably right that they give little notice which means staff need to clean and keep the houses ready for them to arrive at any time.

Thing is William is having to step up already in a big way.

I don't doubt being in the public eye so relentlessly is enormous pressure, but the idea that having to do short engagements a few times per week is some terrible workload is out of touch.

He's an able-bodied, educated man who's not even 40. Surely most able-bodied men in their 30s go to work every single day? And actually work, generally all day? That's pretty much the minimum of what's expected of adults who aren't unwell, disabled, carers, or raising small children. Look how scathing society and MN are about adults who are on benefits, even if they are disabled.

Add up all the events William does, it probably doesn't add up to two full days a week, and how many of those 'work engagements' are things like going scuba diving, or attending Wimbledon Final or a movie premiere? The Cambridges sometimes go weeks without a single engagement or even a phone call listed under work engagements on the court circular. Other times the only "work engagement" listed for a particular day is a single phone call. (And before people start claiming they do loads of work that's not listed, that's highly unlikely looking at all the stuff they do list as work.) He has few projects of his own and none compare to the ones his dad and granddad ran.

Any non-royal fit healthy 39yr old man who only worked maybe 10 hours a week, considered one phone call to be a day's work, and regularly took whole weeks or even months off, despite being waited on hand and foot, chauffeured or helicoptered to work, having an army of servants and office staff to do all the grunt work for him, and being able to create his own well-funded projects, would be universally decried as unusually workshy.

Why is the bar so low for William even an ant couldn't limbo under it?

Yes, even if he had ten engagements per week he'd be driven to them all. But, that said, I do think he needs his wits about him constantly, no slipping in to auto pilot. Having to tell your uncle that he cannot be seen in public without completely damaging your relationship with your cousins could require a lot of diplomacy. I don't blame B&E for their father's behaviour but they seem a bit precious, like cutting Kate and Camilla out of a photo. Is that hurt feelings?. Their reaction to their Dad being cut out? I doubt B&E say ''oh it's fine William! Do what has to be done, we get it!''.

I think the way that the Yorks (S, B and E) gush over each other on their social media is quite revealing of how B and E were raised. I've seen some of their messages in the press, and they often say something about one of them 'deserving' something (with full gush).

And I see S is bigging up A again:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10915863/Andrew-good-man-says-Duchess-York.html

Such a weird family.

Why is the bar so low for William even an ant couldn't limbo under it?

Because he is top of the pile. Anyone at the top of the pile gets to do the same - Obama, Johnson, Merkel, Putin. You don't get to be top of the pile and then work yourself into the ground. Rewards for being top of the pile. You are trying to apply metrics that don't apply to those at the top of the pile.

Charles is apparently meant to work very hard. He is reported to work well into the evening or night most days. Reading briefings, doing research, preparation etc. It's not just the hand shakes etc, it's the prep beforehand. Making sure you know exactly what a charity is doing, who works there, who to speak to etc. I know they have aides, but they need to be totally on top of their game at all times, look interested and engaged, be switched on every minute. That is exhausting. Even if they do have drivers and lackeys. One of the things I really noticed was Meghan Markle mentioning how totally exhausting this is . I get the feeling she wasn't prepared at all for the sheer physical and mental exhaustion that sort of 'work' generates. There is absolutely no room for an off day, feeling out of sorts, or having a memory lapse. Add to that the fact that there are hundreds of cameras trained on you every second virtually, catching every expression , which will then be analysed , criticised and reported on across the world. For women, there is the emphasis on clothes. Too expensive, too drab, too revealing, they look fat... on and on and on.

Every Xmas there is an expectation that they will attend church, be wheeled out for public display and the day is spent at a stuffy function which hasn't changed in over a hundred years. Children are in the nursery, and the whole thing is choreographed to a tee. No fun in pyjamas or opportunity to spend the day somewhere else Kate managed it for the odd year, but now is expected to be at Sandringham every time. August is spent at Balmoral, come what may.

No amount of houses, castles, clothes or staff could compensate for that as far as most people are concerned. This why Harry struggled to find a wife for years. Who would want to spend their life as public property? They are performing martinets. That takes its toll.

Obviously I am talking about working Royals. For people like Zara or the York sisters, it is a whole different ball game, as they get the perks without the stress and scrutiny on the whole. This is why I imagine Charles wants to slim down the monarchy, quite rightly.

Also, attending functions like film premiers is far from enjoyable in the sense we might imagine. They are there to meet and greet, appear poised and happy, look like they are having a marvellous time. In fact they can't relax for a single minute. Kate is very good at looking like she's having a great time. William often looks tense and stressed. Wimbledon is probably an exception to this as the cameras are on the action and the Royals aren't there to meet and greet unless it's a final.

Err I’m pretty sure being president of the US (or anywhere) requires a lot more work and talent than turning up to events, speaking for a couple of minutes (if at all), grinning gormlessly and then being free to indulge in various hobbies rather than holding down a job. I’m absolutely no Johnson fan but to compare any state leader to what William does is ludicrous. William is also ‘top of the pile’ solely because of when he was born and who he was born to. No talent or even a modicum of work required. And no, being a part-time helicopter pilot doesn’t compare to leading a country either.

If she is that frail and " not understanding", it's time for her to step down.

Queen Victoria was rarely seen after Albert died. These days the public would be baying outside the Palace and she'd be ripped to shreds in the Press.

Well if you’re head of state and can’t be arsed to do your duty for 40 years, I’d imagine people would get pissed off.
anyway, the Queen is the only one who takes this duty seriously and even in her 90s works harder than her work shy grandchildren. All the others just want it on their own terms - privacy, adulation, and minimal work. Wills and Kate do film premiers and sporting events and do the bare minimum. They have a deal with the press that they are left alone in return for a few photo ops a year. Any cheating scandals are hushed up. They are not hounded or vilified by the press at all so I don’t know why anyone feels remotely sorry for them.

I gather he’s pushing for his bloody daughters to be working royals as well and the ghastly Fergie is never far away either. Wouldn’t bother me if I never saw any of that 4 in public again, they’re all a waste of space.

Tequila I couldn't disagree more!

You make out they are doing it all... the preparation, the research, the hard graft beforehand. No. Everything will be prepared for them. They basically just have to read a few bullet points, smile and shake hands.
No staying up till 1am preparing a presentation, then waiting on others for their input to your presentation which doesn't come or is not what you asked for. Then travelling to the venue, getting caught up in traffic despite leaving 2 hours before you should, bricking it whilst wondering if you will make it in time to set up the necessary techy stuff, whilst trying to get someone on the phone to do it for you because of an accident on the motorway. And so on. Been there, done it. And you call what they have to do 'exhausting'?

What I detailed is exhausting, not being handed everything on a plate.

As for the holidays in Balmoral... 6 weeks doing exactly what you want with staff on hand to make it happen. Walking, swimming, rambling, hill climbing, grouse shooting... whatever whim takes their fancy. No press intrusion, just pure indulgence. Then there's all the attendances at Wimbledon, lucky Kate, I'd have given anything for just one ticket this year. I did public ballot, nothing. Then film premieres, lucky sods, best seat in the house and getting to meet the stars of the film.

I agree on the gilded cage scenario, I would hate every minute but let's not talk about it being 'exhausting'. Making a couple of phone calls in a week like W&K do, is not 'exhausting'.