How much work goes on behind the scenes?

[auberginefortea]

I guess this has been done before, but I couldn't find it.

How busy do we think the Royals are beyond the list of engagements we see?

My BIL is a diplomat and I know a lot of his job is hosting people, having receptions, giving an opening talk at some event. But he's also busy managing people, writing reports, doing project management of some sort. I'd guess that the actual physical attendance at events is say 20% of his time.

How do we think that compares for the Royals?

Or do we think their staff carry much of the burden (writing the speech) and the work is reading a one pager in the car on the way to the event?

Be that as it may, 'working' as a principal in the RF sure sounds less arduous than wiping bums at a day nursery, working for the post office or mopping up drunks in A&E. Not to mention teaching sad kids or trying to keep a small business afloat. We have a very strange way of defining hard work and commensurate reward in this country when it comes to the RF.

QEII seems to be working all the time in The Crown.

I came here to say similar.

Teachers, nurses, cleaners, building labourers, tradespeople etc., all work very hard. We praise the wrong people. If we have a major weather disaster or similar, we need rescue, ambulance, doctors , nurses, plumbers, electricians, and so on.

I agree we have a strange idea of hard work. Why is it care workers, cleaners etc. are on minimum wage but actors, TV presenters, sportsmen etc. are paid ££££.

Yes their skill sets are different and most actors, sportsmen do not earn £££ but we do value some jobs more than others.

And actors/ sportspeople work very, very hard in incredibly competitive industries. The fact that some of them get paid a lot is down to market forces. One injury, one bad film and they may never work again. The Roysls don't need to worry about any of that, and they don't work as hard as ordinary people. I woukd guess they don't even work as hard as other aristos who are responsible for the upkeep of their stately homes, have to pay the bills, maybe manage events to keep large expensive places going etc. The Royals are never even challenged on what they say and do. Mainly because of the extreme deference that surrounds them

@Angrycat2768 And actors/ sportspeople work very, very hard in incredibly competitive industries.

My point is we don’t see most of what they do. Do you think I believe a newsreader only works a couple of hours a day as that is how long they are on screen or do you think I know there is a lot of hard work behind the scenes?

Do I think Usain Bolt only has to do 10 or 20 seconds work to win a gold medal or do I think he spends hours everyday doing gruelling workouts?

Do I think Lewis Hamilton just drives a car or do I think he spends hours every day doing gruelling workouts?

As a pp poster asked from 20, if not younger KC started working and is still working now. How do you know what he actually does each day?

The people you mention have to be at the peak of physical fitness themselves. Actors have to remember reams of lines. They cannot outsource their own physical fitness or practice. The Royals have armies of staff ( The Cambridges have 60+ staff) to do all the grunt work for, essentially about 3 months work a year. They have to memorise information about various people they are meeting, but at most it is a few minutes conversation at most where they can say what they like and the person being spoken to just has to smile and nod. Hardly the same as presenting an hours' news broadcast every day and appearing knowledgeable to millions of people/ asking question/ answering questions etc. I think you are naive to think they are doing anything like a full time job, or even your average part time job. And what they do do makes little difference on the whole.

@Angrycat2768 I never said they did a full time job what I said is they do more than people realise.

Personally I doubt that and think the complete opposite
And of course we'll never ever know will we? They are not answerable to us.

All we do know is..
They have a HUGE amount of staff and those people must be doing something. And, given Charles couldn't move an inkwell two inches without someone doing it for him,.I doubt very much most of what they do isn't done for them!

@Roussette judging someone’s behaviour less than 48 hours after their mum died and on a world stage is harsh.

It was obvious to anyone watching how careful and slowly William and Camilla were when signing the documents.

Feel free to ignore that example

There's plenty more like that. Everything is done for them, there's plenty of sources showing such

Lots. But probably not much by the actual Royal Family.

What you see in a job isn't really what the day to day reality is.

Across the road from where I work there's a paramedic station. As far as I can tell they spend their days drinking coffee, sitting around chatting and occasionally cleaning the ambulance. In the summer they bring their chairs outside and doze. They always seem so relaxed and cheerful when I pass them and are ready to talk.
Looks good to me. Can't imagine why they expect to be paid for that can you?

Except I know that isn't the reality, as you do too. That might be what I see, but I know full well that isn't the main bit of their job. I don't see that part.

Gosh, can't imagine you can like a full on paramedic position to what the RF do, that's ridiculous!

I am sure they have meetings with advisors etc, and spend time preparing, but I just don't think they are in pressurised positions like a paramedic, doctor, any health professional or anyone in that field might be! They always have a team solely dedicated to them...looking after them, every tiny bit of them, easing their path, following on behind.

There's a book you need to read. By
Norman Baker. Seriously

That’s such a ridiculous comparison I can only assume you intended it ironically. Of course waiting around and drinking tea is part of a paramedic’s job! That is the reality, just as stabilising car crash victims, delivering babies, dealing with hoax calls, and handling repeated calls from the psychologically vulnerable is. They are paid, like firefighters, A and E staff, 999 call handlers etc to be there, trained, equipped, ready and waiting, for when they are needed.

It is really in no way an appropriate comparison to people whose (inherited) jobs involve showing up nicely dressed and having read a briefing, being polite to a lineup, reading a brief speech by someone else, possibly doing something mildly symbolic like plant a tree or pretend to play with a cooperative child, and then be whisked off by your minders.

They literally are symbolic bodies to be looked at.

And, realistically, what else could they do? They’re generally not well educated, despite expensive schooling, have no practical skills, no comprehension of how their subjects live, no useful experience, and aren’t even of use as another pair of hands at a food bank or homeless shelter or litterpick because the security isn’t going to be workable, and their verbal ‘contribution’ at any visit involves being unexceptionable. The media is more interested in their body language, hair or clothes, than in whatever the ‘cause’ is.

All they can do is smile and wave and allow their names to be put on a carefully-vetted letterhead. But let’s not pretend it’s work as most peoole know it.

It was obvious to anyone watching how careful and slowly William and Camilla were when signing the documents.

If Willy could manage it calmly at half Chuck's age and Camilla could manage it calmly even without a lifetime's training in 'protocol' it shouldn't have been beyond a man who spent over seventy years waiting for the top job and drilled daily in duty and expectation not to hiss at his lackeys in public.

The fact he did it in front of the world's cameras and followed it up a few days later with snarling at a pen absolutely begs questions about what happens when the palace gates are closed.

have no practical skills, Apart from being able to fly helicopters, ride horses etc. Princess Anne has an HGV license Prince William worked for the Air Ambulance for a while.

But let’s not pretend it’s work as most peoole know it.

I'm currently wading through 'Endgame' and it's actually not the appalling dross it's been made out to be.

Scobie skirts round a few things I'd like him to be a bit less vague on (Harold's apparently magnificent investments mainly) but there's an interesting few paragraphs on the Doolittle's decision to whittle down the patronages (currently now about 20 as opposed to 300 odd) while deepening their involvement in those they keep. Can't see a lot of evidence those 20 are benefitting massively given the perma-languishing down the engagement list but there we are.

Also noteworthy is the Doolittle's joint determination to take the bulk of school holidays off. Scobie details at least fourteen weeks worth and it didn't include a couple of half terms. Contrast that with the 20 or 25 days holiday most working parents get to play with and that's without competing with colleagues for the prime dates.

He also reveals the Duchess doesn't intend to put her shoulder fully to the royal wheel for another ten to fifteen years 'until the kids are adults'.

If she waits the full 15 even Louis will be 20 with George at a positively ancient 25. Just how long can she string it out for?!

What use is flying helicopters or riding horses in the real world?

None

Tell that to those in need of an Air Ambulance.

Exactly
I think I live in the real world as much as anyone. I can lamb a sheep, drive a tractor etc. The RF are all closer to this world than many on here. I bet they all have mucked out stables. They have many transferrable skills. They'll be fine when the Revolution comes. As for the uselessness of riding horses, Zara has made a career out of it.

The question this thread poses is about how much goes on behind the scenes. I said more than we know, as it’s not visible.

I have never said the RF do a full time job. As I said previously they do have a working life that goes beyond what many, not all of us, do so pacing is appropriate.

Princess Anne (and Zara Tindall not a working royal) are both medal winning Olympians and reached the top of their sport. As a pp pointed out that takes a lot of hard work. Princess Anne was also undertaking engagements whilst being a top sportswoman. Prince William was an air ambulance pilot (part time I think) along side doing engagements.

Do I think they work a 40 hour week with 5.6 weeks leave and have to commute, cook the evening meal, shop for food and clean and maintain their own homes with no help. No I don’t, but I for one would not want to swap places with them.

I'm sure all of the royal family are "working" really hard

A very very privileged career that 99.9% of the population can only dream of

Honestly I think sometimes that posters on here don't live in the real world but in some sort of fantasy land where people like the Royal family live

Life is not like that. It's being brought into sharp focus with something DD is doing..involving .a struggling family who do not have a laptop or internet between them and a son who is trying to do better at maths that my DD is tutoring. But yeah Zara can ride horses at the highest level in the world and has mucked out stables whoopy doo
Give me a break

But I was only answering the pp who said that the RF have no practical skills. I'm sure your DD is doing valuable work and her clients have it tough. But it's not a competition. We all have our place in this world. As for the saintliness of NHS workers well they signed up for the job and they get paid for it. I've worked for the NHS and as a teacher. I knew what I was getting into when I signed on the dotted line.