William on Graham Norton

[viques]

Poor Harry. As if his week hasn’t been bad enough he has now had to watch his brother appearing on the best talk show , holding his own, looking comfortable and relaxed, keeping up with the banter, making half decent jokes, telling stories against himself with humour.

Makes Harry’s attempt at tv chatting seem even more uncomfortable.

“Call me William” versus “I am a prince.”

Whatever William is or isn’t doing, today’s Observer article, alongside the near-incandescent anger of Duchy tenants many of whom have been lifelong royalists speaks volumes. Their anger and dismay at how they feel they are being treated should surely give him food for thought.

There are good and bad ways to manage change, and simply digging in your heels and telling people to sort it out for themselves is not a solution. It certainly doesn’t look like the actions of someone who genuinely cares about the people affected by his decisions.

I’m not sure I understand your question.
Firstly I was referring to the fact that William and Charles pose in their flat caps and tweeds on duchy land leaning against trees lol - giving the impression that they own it and referring to it as ‘private’

It is not private . The memorandum of understanding that is often quoted is of zero legal value . It’s a note . A memo . Could be ripped up tomorrow- and I hope it is .

As for William running things . Of course he is not . Even if he were hardworking - which he is not - he doesn’t have the knowledge or skills .
He did pack the board with private equity specialists and commercial property developers as soon as he took over however so his motivation is clear . He is selling off low revenue farmland to massively increase his rental income by building . He is not donating anything - he’s motivated to boost his take.

To those concerned about foreign buyers owning uk land - who will be buying 20% of the Duchy ??

The last parliamentary debate on Windsor finances was over 15 years ago. The anti monarchy mood is growing quickly . I know the public accounts committee is looking into the duchy and I hope reform is coming .

You do know you can start a thread on your topic of choice, right? It’s not for you to say what others should discuss.

@IAmATorturedPoet

Your point is void

PM Andy Burnham will not be lining his pockets with rents from the housing will he ? And if he were , he’d have to stump up the corporation tax and capital gains tax wouldn’t he? William doesn’t .

Oh and don’t forget William’s much trumpeted ‘low rent’ housing among the 2500 houses he’s building is 30% /35% of the total- that is the required legal minimum .

What a rude dismissive comment.

The point @IAmATorturedPoet makes is very apt, no matter how inconvenient you find it, while we are talking about your proposal that people have their rightful property seized.

Forcing property owners to sell their land at a reduced rate is pure theft.

I’m sure you’ve done nothing to help create housing. Your constant derails of this thread are tiresome. Start your own thread on the topic and argue with whomever is interested in joining.

I don’t think it’s void at all, but I’m not in the least bit surprised that you think it is 😁

Ooh, I’ve just realised I haven’t yet posted about PW appearance on GN, where are my manners. Anyway, I thought he came across very well, he is very comfortable talking about a wide range of subjects, from serious issues and the work being done by others through his Earthshot initiative to more lighthearted chat. I’d certainly let him buy me a drink at the bar! 😁

what a absolutely miserable response

let’s get back to Graham Norton

I think we agree on this!

I thought he got it absolutely right - relaxed, not pushing himself forward, interacting with the other guests well, not showing off, able to laugh at himself and be teased.

And not embarrassing.

Bit like Harry on Stephen Colbert then it's 15 all - now.

He has a humility and warmth about him.

The whole Duchy of Cornwall oyster issue is interesting. How long does it take for a non- native oyster to be accepted as a native oyster?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2k7n2jv29o

Also there has been lots of complaints about Duchy properties not being up to code. William became Duke 4 years ago. Charles was Duke for about 50 years of his adult life. Why was so many properties not up to code when William took over?

I agree.
Being his ‘authentic self’ I’d say.

I see the Erskine May fallacy persists.

Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice is the definitive work on parliamentary procedure, currently in its 25th edition, and is available free online for anyone to consult.
The particular passage which some people suggest prevents Members of Parliament from debating the conduct of the Royal family does not in fact do so; it simply states how such debates should be conducted: 'based upon a substantive motion, drawn in proper terms'.
This also applies to the Lord Chancellor, Governors-General and judges.

The reason that there are so few debates is simply that the government does not wish to allocate time to them. (The opposition, in turn, does not wish to use any opposition day time on them, but in my opinion the responsibility lies with the government of the day.)

ETA Apologies - I hadn't refreshed and missed a lot of posts 😳

hanks for the clarification if anything, it reinforces my point. Erskine May and parliamentary procedure can be used to shut down debate on the royals before it even begins. But the bigger issue is that neither the Government nor the Opposition will ever allow a substantive motion challenging the monarchy, its privileges or its accountability to see the light of day. So the system effectively prevents scrutiny at both ends: procedural rules can then close down debate, while political parties ensure that meaningful challenges never get far enough to be debated in the first place. That is precisely the problem. Constitutional convention should not become a convenient shield against legitimate parliamentary scrutiny.

The last parliamentary debate on Windsor finances was over 15 years ago. The anti monarchy mood is growing quickly . I know the public accounts committee is looking into the duchy and I hope reform is coming .

The last debate on the Sovereign Grant Bill 2026 (soon to be Act) was on Wednesday 14th October, just under 2 weeks ago.

The National Audit Committee reviews the annual accounts of the Sovereign Grant each year, as it does for other government departments.
The Public Accounts Committee reviews the annual accounts of the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall each year, as required by their Management Acts.
All these accounts are publicly available documents.

Constitutional convention should not become a convenient shield against legitimate parliamentary scrutiny.

We agree on that point. Government ministers and members of parliament have responsibilities in a constitutional monarchy which they should not shirk.

That does not mean that regulations should be erroneously quoted as stating what they do not.

Looks like it was whipped to death to double their money. The Windsors and their pernicious talons into Parliament should never be underestimated. Black Rod don't let them in.

hansard.parliament.uk/Commons%E2%80%8F/2026-09-14/debates/13D1E461-75F4-4330-97B7-DF62DBCBE6EE/SovereignGrantBill?

The most interesting part of this Sovereign Grant Bill is that it adjusts a problem with the original 2011 Act.
It inserts a new section (section 6 if I recall correctly) which places a duty on the Treasury to adjust the amount of the Sovereign Grant, including to reduce it where the Royal Trustees thinks the standard calculation results in an amount which is too great, and to state 'an appropriate amount for the relevant financial year'.
This removes the previous difficulty where the Trustees were bound by the calculation in the Act and could not easily reduce the amount.
It also reduces the level at which the Reserve is required to be kept.

Anyway, we have left Graham Norton far behind.
I thought William came across well. He seemed comfortable in the company, happy with the conversation, and very ready in giving examples of Earthshot winners.

And here you have it Ordure, Ordure

5.23pm
Brian Leishman
(Alloa and Grangemouth) (Lab)
Share this specific contribution
My sense of patriotism does not come from a flag, an anthem or the royal family. Instead, my patriotism comes from things like our national health service; movements such as that of the Levellers, who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality and religious tolerance; and how Britain stood up to and defeated the evil of fascism, both abroad during the second world war and at home in places like Cable Street, where Jewish residents, Irish dockers, trade unionists, socialists and others united to stop the British Union of Fascists movement from marching through Jewish neighbourhoods. That is the sort of patriotism I love.
I have the utmost respect for any citizen who believes that the royal family is a fundamental part of British life. I have no issues with that opinion; people are entitled to it, but it is simply not one that I share. There were many reasons why I joined the Labour party. One was to change—
Madam Deputy Speaker
(Caroline Nokes)
Order. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman is expecting this, but it is important that he focuses his remarks on the Sovereign Grant Bill, and not wider issues to do with the monarchy, patriotism or why he joined the Labour party.

"interesting!" 😂

Any way just watched a clip of Graham Norton - didn't that Earshot price winner look like a young Prince Harry !

Did you read that back before you posted?