AIBU to think lots of engagements are not "work"?

[babsanderson]

Just reading the Court Circular and I am struck once again by the reality that many engagements can not remotely be called work.
So just looking at January so it is clear I am not cherry picking over many months, there are the following engagements.

1. Anne went to a Dinner with the Caledonian Hunt
2. The Duke of Kent attended a carol service
3. Duchess of Gloucester, Patron, the Arts Society, today held a Meeting via telephone with Dr. Florian Schweizer (Chief Executive). So basically a phone call.
4. Anne attended lunch at the Royal Yachting Association.

It is not even the time of year to attend Film Premiers, tennis matches, football matches and theatre premiers.

Have you posted the full day or just select engaments?

That's just a random list of examples, basically of people doing jobs you approve of.

What I'm curious to know is your definition of 'work' is. Is an influencer who gets paid a 5 figure sum to have her photo taken at an event working? Is a model who wears expensive clothes for a living working? Is a manicurist working?

Or are only jobs you deem 'worthy', with a little bit of hardship added in, 'real' jobs?

I'm a farmer. Is that a real job? I couldn't hack all the constant travelling to engagements and having to stay slim to fit into nice clothes etc etc. Nice once in a while but not every week.

What about a dog walker? Is that work?

It is work (and it would be hard to always be on your best behaviour, ever worked in customer service); but it beats cleaning toilets and it pays much better

The thread reminds me of a conversation Giles Brandreth had with the Queen about attending the Royal Variety show. He noted that she had obviously really enjoyed all the acts. She told them that wasn’t exactly true, but as she was on television and the performers’ families might be watching she obviously had to look like she had.

So yes, always on show. And like others who have had roles entertaining clients, it’s definitely work.

Like lots of other jobs.

Lunches/zoom calls/attending functions with clients are hard work. I’d much rather be sitting at my desk than going to a client lunch so the OP’s examples definitely sound like work to me!

Sure it's work but.. I have attended loads of lovely functions and events in my time as part of my work. Half the job is getting glammed up and getting there and back. If I had a personal secretary, wardrobe assistant, dresser, hairstylist and chauffeur then it would be easy peasy.

What the OP is missing is that the Court Circular is a representative sample of royal engagements, or royal travle, and other information which reflects what some of the principal members of the royal family, and associated officials have been doing or appearing throughout the week. It's not a timesheet, or a job description.

Some engagements don't make it to the circular
Some make it to highlight specific things, or because it's of interest to particular groups
Sometimes it's to highlight diplomatic appointments, or political moves
Sometimes it's simply notice that a particular church service took place

Some staffers religiously put all their principles movements in there
Some just update the odd engagement

It was started in the 1700s because King George III was annoyed that the press kept reporting that he was doing something he wasn't, or was visiting somewhere he wasn't. So he decided on an official record. Up until the 1950s it included all sorts of members of the aristocracy and their movements.

It's only in recent years that the press has used it to try to create a 'league table' of royal work - started by Tim O’Donovan, a retired insurance broker who for a hobby in 1979 and every year since has tried to compile all the data into a tally for each royal. I assume before 1997 when it went online he had to compile it from the printed paper!

www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/world/europe/uk-royal-family-workload.html

Not all work is physical labour. Not all jobs are research. Not all jobs are problem solving.

Some jobs are definitely all about making the right impact, developing contacts, bringing people together, mastering a brief and delivering its content.

Having to make small talk to all and sundry, without causing a diplomatic incident, whilst trying to ensure you make a favourable impression ('soft' diplomacy, relations management, public engagement) are all form of work.

The Court Circular has all the engagements the individual Royal Family members want to put on it. It is self reported and there is no criteria. But they care about it because the number of public engagements per member is reported by the media. That is why they put telephone calls on there.

derxa
Many people are vastly overpaid for their jobs. I assume that TV presenters interviewed and were chosen for these jobs for their skills. I am not aware that any member of the royal family was chosen to perform engagements for their skills or aptitude.

And having lunch with members of a Hunt, most of whom you will already know socially, is not hard work by any measure.

I have to look like I am enjoying all my nieces and nephews shows at school, which there seem to be a great many of. I am not working though. That is called being polite. It is not difficult.

Maybe not conventional work but a lot of it would seem like work and be mind numbingly boring.

Wasn't it Karen Brady whi said 'it's only work if you'd rather be doing something else

So I bet there's days, probably most days, they would rather not be doing these things.

Therefore it's work on those occasions.

I'm sure I had this argument with your twin soul Antelopevalley the other day - it's clearly not a full list of everything they do. It's a representative sample.

Honestly the only people who really seem to care about it are anti-monarchists like you.

I would enjoy these kind of occasions. I am very sociable. If it is so mind numbing make them paid jobs and interview for them. If you are sociable, well educated, and polite these are ultra easy jobs.

I'm guessing you wouldn't attend if it wasn't your nieces and nephews but some randommer you'd never met though.

@wordler Just because you state things does not make them true.

They're trained in protocol. Kate spent a long time learning the job. Meghan found out that it wasn't so easy after all

LOL - the irony!!!

@Coxspurplepippin If I got paid for attending, I would be there like a shot.

definitely work to me. Much rather curl up with a mug of cocoa