Prince and Princess of Kent retiring

[antelopevalley]

The Prince and Princess of Kent are retiring. Prince Michael is “involved in around 100 charities and organisations, including being a patron for a large number of these”. Although classified as a “non-working” royal, each year he undertakes more than 200 public engagements for the not-for-profit sector – funded by his own household, rather than the taxpayer.
Princess Michael is “actively involved in around 45 different charities and organisations” according to the website, “including animal and wildlife trusts and health and welfare charities”.

I think it's a bit odd that royals don't normally retire, this makes more sense. But obviously most royals don't see retirement the way other people do and I assume their work is light enough that they can carry on as long as they do. It's not the same as being a nurse or teacher, where they're often knackered by retirement age.

I thought Prince Andrew was a sensible retirement age when he got booted out of public life, but maybe the money stopping too is the problem.

Good for them, he is 80 and she is 77.

Retiring doesn't mean having to cut down in any way...

The Queen is still paying their rent on their KP apartment to the tune of £120,000 p.a.and only did that after there was a hoo hah about it in 2002. Up till then, they were paying £69 a week for a massive Kensington Palace apartment, 5 bedrooms, 5 reception rooms, 4 room office.

She pays this 'in recognition of their royal engagements'. If they're retiring, who will be paying this then?! Why can't they? Prince Michael of Kent has directorships, a consultancy business and he was selling access to Putin and Russian business men, but that has had to stop since Ukraine obviously.
Apparently the Queen agreed to pay them a 'pension' when they retire. {hmm]

The sooner our RF is slimmed down the better.

What is Andrew doing for money now he’s retired?

So the Queen was paying them then to do engagements out of the public purse. I did not know that. I am sure she will still pay for them.

The Queen pays for apartment out of her own money: I presume she will pay for the pension too. This is historic: after Prince Michael's father was killed in WW2, his mother was left almost penniless looking after three small children. The Queen therefore committed to housing them (not sure if it had been started by George VI).

Interesting articles laying bare Prince and Princess Michael on their retirement.

Daughter of an SS officer who joined the Nazi party in 1930. Wear racist broach to meet Meghan. Called her black sheep Serena and Venus (William).
Prince Micheal caught on tape selling royal access....................

@ginandtonicformeplease The money the Queen has is from the public.

She looked really unwell at the Jubilee I thought.

@notanotheroneagain Princess Kent is well known to be racist.

Whilst you should condemn Princess Michael of Kent's racist comments, her father had very little to do with her upbringing and it is not her fault he was in the SS.

It’s high time the rest of the Kent’s and the Gloucesters retire. Start the slimming down now. Would many people be thrilled to receive a visit by them?

I didn't care one way or the other for either of them. But then she deliberately wore that awful Blackamoor brooch to a Christmas lunch when meeting Meghan for the first time. Dreadful woman.

I don't understand the woman.
She had seemed to have said she learnt her lesson when she pretended to be mixed race or 'half caste' as she calls it. And when she told those African Americans to go back to the colonies at a NY restaurant.

You would think she would be more careful.

She's the racist one. She won't be missed.

Oh but they will defend her fiercely !

At the time though there were so few people available to be working royals — a lot of the generation above had died young. The Queen needed her cousins.

Ok yes, they might seem unnecessary now, but if you wanted a royal patron for your organisation or charity, without them you wouldn't have had one. The next lot of working royals were the Queen's own children.

Apparently not. The Queen reportedly described her as being ‘too grand for us’.

I feel sorry for them. They were asked to be working royals when the Queen’s children were younger. Richard of Gloucester was an architect and had to cut back on his work when his brother died (who had also been asked to give up his diplomatic career).

I feel sorry for them.

I don't. Lived a life of luxury and racist to boot.

Totally out of touch with modern life.

This. I couldn't if I tried, feel pity for a racist. Never!

It wasn't just the brooch. It was the smug, guarded smile she had on her face. This is one of the people who is supposed to be my 'better'.

I thought William said they were very much not a racist family. Yet nobody has ever called out this woman and a few others.

Because they do not care about racism.

The whole concept of a monarchy is based upon the premise that some people are better than other people by virtue of their birth and 'breeding'. It's not that much of a stretch to see how that could also apply to racist ways of thinking.