Princess of Wales to attend Wimbledon Men’s Final

[PrettyFlyforaMaiTai]

Kensington Palace have confirmed that Princess Catherine will be attending the Wimbledon Men’s Single Final on Sunday.

news.sky.com/story/princess-of-wales-to-attend-wimbledon-mens-singles-final-13177335

Surely the difference is here she gets to be out of the spotlight and is just a spectator whereas with the causes she wouldn’t be able to escape attention at all?

Glad you have good self esteem SentebalesChair
but that’s not the same for everyone and it’s not really got much to do with my post.

Thanks for such a thoughtful reply.

I agree that society will never be equal for the reasons you have listed. But I believe that whoever represents us should try as much as possible to lead by example and represent values which, as far as possible, seek equality and social justice, even when that is unattainable if that makes sense. We should at least aspire towards it.

I also agree with what you have said about figureheads but I think an elected President would do as equally a good job without the massive disparity in wealth and circumstances. Many other successful liberal democracies countries have elected Presidents. Russia is a bit of an extreme example!

The credibility of the RF is undermined imho when William for example visits a homeless shelter but we know he will inherit vast estates and castles. He is asking us to contribute to these charities when he himself has at least three or four homes and access to many others. No doubt he is personally very genuine about his support for charities such as Centrepoint etc, but surely you can see that his message is undermined by his circumstances? It comes across as hypocritical and therefore lacking in credibility.

Edited to say: Very interesting point about George but let’s not pretend that Royalty are going to suddenly start marrying bus drivers or factory workers. It would be great if they did mind you!

On that we will agree to differ. I believe it does.

And I have a worry for those who seize upon the words of a journalist and apply it to themselves.

Because they may also vote for an elected representative.

And that also worries me.

'The credibility of the RF is undermined imho when William for example visits a homeless shelter but we know he will inherit vast estates and castles.'

So, what are you saying? That the only person qualified to talk about homelessness is a homeless person?

Many heads of state around the world, including the' democratically elected' ones, have untold wealth and multiple properties.

Many people with great political influence (Musk/Besos/Branson) are unelected. Their fortunes eclipse those of the rf.

It's the way the world turns - has always turned. If a person with influence can shine a spotlight on a need should they be dismissed because they are wealthy?

Yes agree about the realities of equality but that doesn’t mean that it is not a good principle to strive for.

We don’t just accept “oh we will never level the playing fields ” so let’s not bother in the first place!

An acceptance of the realities of the real world means you have to battle for many years to make even small improvements and create change over time.

And yes of course the journalist was trying to create froth. But some people have commented on it because there is an element of truth in it and it’s struck a chord.

So, what are you saying? That the only person qualified to talk about homelessness is a homeless person?

No but the one I know and used to volunteer for is mainly staffed by Catholic nuns and monks and the lay volunteers I assure you, are not rich or titled. Many of them are ex services or pensioners. Suffice to say I think they can truly understand what the service users are going through.

Many people with great political influence (Musk/Besos/Branson) are unelected. Their fortunes eclipse those of the rf.

I am not saying that is ideal either, they should certainly pay more tax, but at least they have earned their wealth and have proven to be able in their specific fields through their own efforts.

And if say Branson stood for President, we would have a choice as to whether we wanted to vote for him or not. Based on the quality of his Internet customer service care, I doubt he would succeed! 😀

But we, ordinary people, would. have a choice about who represents our nations.

And I have a worry for those who seize upon the words of a journalist and apply it to themselves.

And can you imagine seizing on anything Allison Pearson says in her woeful Telegraph opinion column? She's on a par with Owen Jones in the Guardian. They're like Viz Comic parodies of a right and left that doesn't exist.

@Whatdoyouneedsonia32789 I think another point worth considering is that there are countries with a notably high standard of living and welfare structure, eg Norway/Sweden/Denmark/Belgium and the Netherlands who all have monarchies and show very little sign of wanting to get rid of them. Social equality and high welfare standards are not predicated on the absence of a monarchy but rather the political will to make sure those things are central.

As far as marrying a bus driver goes, I wouldn't rule it out. There were plenty of sniffs about Charles marrying Diana the aristocrat rather than someone from the rather small pool of European royals but Kate marrying William raised no eyebrows (quite rightly) Things change and not always for the worse.

'Suffice to say I think they can truly understand what the service users are going through.'

Some of them may have been homeless, but those who haven't will likely have as much of a clue as Prince William. You may not like it, but the fact that William is involved in the issue generates far more interest among the general populace.

Musk, Branson and Bezos (particularly Bezos) haven't 'earned' their wealth. Most of their wealth has been generated on the backs of people earning minimum wage and being treated like a cog in a wheel while doing so. . Which makes them far worse than someone who just inherits their wealth in my eyes.

'Ordinary people' vote for the likes of Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, Viktor Orban. I don't see any of them being terribly interested in reducing homelessness.

We've had millenia to sort the issues of inequality out. Nothings worked because, well, human beings.

I am not saying that is ideal either, they should certainly pay more tax, but at least they have earned their wealth and have proven to be able in their specific fields through their own efforts.

I agree with the point above above the billionaire’s wealth being built off exploitative capitalism in many cases. But also, looking at your comment above, surely by that token the Royal Family have also earned their wealth, as most of it - the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster, their land holdings around Windsor - come directly from them being best at politics and warfare in the medieval era and passing that wealth onto subsequent generations?

@Serenster
My grandparents left nothing ( financially) when they passed away. I inherited £10,000 when my parents died, my children look to inherit £300000 from me and a similar sum from their father. That's simply what the Royal family have done just over a longer period! Their family "employment" was war and conquering, mine was retail and local government! But we have both benefitted from our ancestors, the Royal family have just been better at it ( and doing it longer!) than me! It doesn't make them superior in any way, just luckier! But with wealth and land comes power. Give me another 20 generations or so and my family could be in charge ( or back down the mines, depends on how lucky they are!)

Catherine looking well and nice to see Charlotte with her . I hope they have a lovely day .
I now await the bitchy comments .

It’s so lovely to see her. I wish she didn’t look so thin, it’s worrying.

I'm fully expecting to see George in Germany.

She is looking well, I agree a bit thin but she is ill and didn't have the padding I have to start with.

I heard an interview on Radio 4 about Homewards last week. It was with a homeless charity expert and they said that William is doing good work pulling people together, facilitating pooling ideas and looking for area specific answers. They also said that this sort of collaboration between experts was much needed. I see no evidence William thinks he can change much himself but I do think he has learnt from Charles and Anne that the royals' advantage and purpose can be shining a spot light on what others are doing and bringing people together to find solutions to problems they maybe can't solve apart.

Lovely to see Catherine and Charlotte

I like the “Wimbledon Purple” dress !

I notice that Pippa is there as well, good to have support.

The cheer when she came onto Centre Court was immense.

Good to see her (and Charlotte too)

Kate looks great - really healthy. Not too thin at all. I hate these comments.

I wasn’t being bitchy , it was said out of concern .

What a wonderful reception for Catherine and Charlotte. Brought a little tear to my eye. I love tennis but today for me wasn't about the tennis. It was seeing her. ❤️ . just as I thought Pippa is there to support her, as always. They always seem so close, I guess when you don't know who to trust you know you can rely on your family.

THAT is what the British people think of the PoW, writ large.

She’s painfully thin, said absolutely out of concern.

I just don’t see ‘painfully thin’ 🤷‍♀️ She looks really well to me.

Really sweet how she got a standing ovation from so many people - it was quite touching!