Whoah! Double standards in criticism of Royal Family gifts.

[Northernlurker]

here

So The Earl and Countess went off to Bahrain and both got gifts. She got some rocks, he got a rug. Neither belongs to them personally. They accepted them on the advice of the FO and on behalf of the state. Now there is pressure to return the gift - but hang on.......all the pressure is on her. Wtf? They both got gifts and actually if anybody the pressure should be on the apalling William Hague. Is nobody going to call on Prince Edward to give back the rug - or is it only female royals who may be consdered to have made an error?

There's a wig/rug joke in there somewhere
Yes, there does seem to be a focus on ol'Sophie. But she's not liked, is she? Could it be that more than the fact she's a woman? Or that jewellery is a more personal gift than a rug (which would clearly just be used in a Royal household).

I don't know. I'm trying to think of other examples. Wasn't there a similar story with Cherie Blair?

I think the difference is the value of the gift. A silk rug might be worth a few hundred, or a few thousand. The 'lavish sets of jewels' the Countess is reported to have received are believed to be worth millions. Funnily enough, there's an old episode of Yes Prime Minister "The Moral Dimension" where Hacker's wife would like to keep the gift of a vase from the 'Qumrami' government but is told it's government property because it's over a certain value. Plus ca change

I think its because the media do not like her, I don't know why. I also think it stinks that its her being targeted and not them as a couple, she is being lauded as some kind of Marie-Antoniette

There's also the slightly thorny matter that the Bahrain authorities violently suppressed protests quite recently. Should anyone have been there accepting anything in the first place? Or does 'real politic' and the endless quest to secure oil supplies mean that we have to occasionally suck up to and accept gifts from administrations we'd otherwise give a wide berth to?

I'd be perfectly happy - in fact would prefer - for them to give all gifts back. What pisses me off though is the focus is all on her - when she didn't accept it as a personal choice and that there are a number of men who did make this choice and yet get off totally scot free.

Why wasn't the Foreign Office lambasted? Yes Cogito agree with you, why the need indeed.