18,857 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on May 9, 2023 5:16:31 GMT
Ithought there was something very fairytale-like about this photo taken from behind the two of them on the balcony looking out over the crowds. The ermine cloaks, the crowns looking unfeasibly tall, it is exactly what people unfamiliar with our monarchy think it’s all about. A friend was in London last week for business and as he was coming out of his hotel in Victoria an American couple asked him for directions to the palace. He told them where to go and as they walked ahead the woman said to guy “do you think there’s a chance we might see the King?”. I think they’re a huge pull for tourism and probably generate more revenue than they cost us. Watching this outdated show …I had to laugh the whole time….living and growing up in Rhineland…the similarities to carnival in Rhineland… but the Cologne Dreigestirn ..even the kids Dreigestirn are better dressed.. and if you think of the mllions of people in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz… etc. every year ..watching the parades on Rose Monday.. even their „military“ making more sense and fun as the real troups in London btw. most of the ceremonies are the same age… in 1823 the carnival military was created to make fun/ to mock the Prussian miltary… as Rhineland was kind of occupied by Prussia and was part of Prussia…totally different culture You watched though…
|
|
196 posts
|
Post by Peter on May 9, 2023 7:40:29 GMT
I always felt the popularity of Farage - like the man himself - to be slightly overinflated. He failed to get elected as an MP in the UK seven times I think, so not sure how a single-issue presidential bid would have gone. And UKIP getting wiped out at the elections last week indicates that schtick may have had its day...
Not too fussed on the monarchy, but any major change to how the uk political system operates would require people of the highest intelligence and integrity to develop and implement - and if Brexit (“I had no idea we import so much through the port of Dover!”) and Covid (VIP status for party political donors) taught us anything it’s that those are qualities sadly lacking in the political establishment at the moment…
|
|
215 posts
|
Post by eulenspiegel on May 9, 2023 9:46:22 GMT
Watching this outdated show …I had to laugh the whole time….living and growing up in Rhineland…the similarities to carnival in Rhineland… but the Cologne Dreigestirn ..even the kids Dreigestirn are better dressed.. and if you think of the mllions of people in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz… etc. every year ..watching the parades on Rose Monday.. even their „military“ making more sense and fun as the real troups in London btw. most of the ceremonies are the same age… in 1823 the carnival military was created to make fun/ to mock the Prussian miltary… as Rhineland was kind of occupied by Prussia and was part of Prussia…totally different culture You watched though… but only a few minutes…the most sincere moment was Prince Harry greeting some people with a smirk „Good Morning“ when coming in… And the biggest laugh was..when I returned later at the end…realizing that the royal planned everything…Princess Anne seated in front of Prince Harry…with her monstrous ridiculous …hiding him from the cameras…
|
|
|
Post by sukhavati on May 9, 2023 11:30:37 GMT
Awww...come on...let's state the obvious and drop him into Hamilton
|
|
18,857 posts
|
Post by BurlyBeaR on May 9, 2023 14:59:01 GMT
|
|
2,572 posts
|
Post by viserys on May 9, 2023 16:03:36 GMT
I do wonder how one would quantify exactly how much money they supposedly generate for tourism though? Ask everyone exiting Heathrow if they're here to see the Royal family? OK, let me try to explain this as a foreigner in a country with no monarchy (Germany): There are countless people, mostly elderly women, who read godawful gossip rags every week that are filled with "news" from various European royal families and celebrities. The British royal family gets ALOT of press, with perhaps Monaco and Sweden (due to Queen Sylvia being German) a distant second and third. The Coronation was screened in full here over three main channels and there are endless "documentaries" about the British monarchy, too. All of this generates an interest in England as a tourist destination. People may not specically want to see royal palaces like Sandringham (hardly any German would be able to pinpoint it as a map) but it plays into the general cliche image of England and London - royal guards in red with their bearskin hats, Beefeaters at the Tower, Tea Time, black cabs, red phone boxes and so on. From there it's only a small step to book a trip to London to see all of that for themselves. Once upon a time English rock music might have been the best ambassador for England - young people in the Swinging Sixties, who wanted to see Carnaby Street, the Cavern Club in Liverpool, shop the latest fashion, see the latest bands and so on. But it's been a long time since Britain was perceived as cool and trendy and Brexit hasn't helped. So the Royal Family is one of the last things left that is constantly in the German media in a rather positive fashion, something that keeps/gets attention and draws people to visit England for all these quaint cliches they imagine. At the end of the day they may not spend much directly on the Royal Family (such as entry fees to Windsor or picking up a tea towel with King Charles on it) but they would have been what keeps England/the UK in the consciousness here.
|
|
|
Post by sph on May 10, 2023 1:34:16 GMT
So I suppose then, that they're effectively like celebrities. Like when people go to LA to see where the movie stars live.
It's interesting. The history of Kings and Queens is interesting. The fact that their family dramas are a sort of high-end soap opera to the rest of the world is interesting. I'm not saying we should get rid of them, just that the institution and the idea behind it does not sit entirely well with me.
|
|
|
Post by sfsusan on May 10, 2023 22:29:19 GMT
If you choose to have a head of state and you elect them, at least the people have the power not to re-elect corrupt, useless or otherwise bad ones. And, if the people still elect them in a fair election, well that's democracy in action. In the US, people continue to re-elect corrupt, useless and otherwise bad ones because of some conviction that "their" person is doing a great job... it's everyone else's representative who's corrupt, useless, etc.
|
|
215 posts
|
Post by eulenspiegel on Jun 28, 2023 9:51:48 GMT
|
|
215 posts
|
Post by eulenspiegel on Jun 28, 2023 9:57:36 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 28, 2023 21:55:10 GMT
I never had a high opinion of Charles as Prince of Wales a slightly eccentric, hypocrite who had a very privileged life. But since he has become King I have slowly grown to like him. He will always be a flawed man but above all he seems to be a good man and has done a steady job and took over seamlessly from his late mother.
|
|
|
Post by sukhavati on Jun 29, 2023 1:16:18 GMT
I never had a high opinion of Charles as Prince of Wales a slightly eccentric, hypocrite who had a very privileged life. But since he has become King I have slowly grown to like him. He will always be a flawed man but above all he seems to be a good man and has done a steady job and took over seamlessly from his late mother. What's interesting is how any of us come to our opinions of them without actually knowing them. For good or ill, the media shapes public perception, with the red tops continuing their negative campaign against Harry and Meghan. I'm old enough to remember Charles being on the receiving end of similar relentless negative coverage in the 80s/90s. Clearly the popular press cycles through who is going to be on the pedestal and who is targeted for mudslinging.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2023 10:05:44 GMT
Princess Anne had bad press in the early 1980's as being aloof, abrupt and unpopular. Prince Edward was seen as an embarrassment and having no real role or job. But now Princess Anne is regarded as a very professional "hardest working royal" - she may be a bit brusque but she likely gets that from her father. Edward and Sophie seem to come across well and he is the only of the late Queen's children who has had a successful first marriage.
Harry was hugely popular when he married Meghan but that changed and even Andrew has been popular in his younger days.
The late Queen herself drew criticism from some quarters at times but was maybe on a pedestal to a lot and was always the constant factor for most of our lives.
|
|
5,596 posts
|
Post by lynette on Jun 30, 2023 23:17:02 GMT
I do wonder how one would quantify exactly how much money they supposedly generate for tourism though? Ask everyone exiting Heathrow if they're here to see the Royal family? OK, let me try to explain this as a foreigner in a country with no monarchy (Germany): There are countless people, mostly elderly women, who read godawful gossip rags every week that are filled with "news" from various European royal families and celebrities. The British royal family gets ALOT of press, with perhaps Monaco and Sweden (due to Queen Sylvia being German) a distant second and third. The Coronation was screened in full here over three main channels and there are endless "documentaries" about the British monarchy, too. All of this generates an interest in England as a tourist destination. People may not specically want to see royal palaces like Sandringham (hardly any German would be able to pinpoint it as a map) but it plays into the general cliche image of England and London - royal guards in red with their bearskin hats, Beefeaters at the Tower, Tea Time, black cabs, red phone boxes and so on. From there it's only a small step to book a trip to London to see all of that for themselves. Once upon a time English rock music might have been the best ambassador for England - young people in the Swinging Sixties, who wanted to see Carnaby Street, the Cavern Club in Liverpool, shop the latest fashion, see the latest bands and so on. But it's been a long time since Britain was perceived as cool and trendy and Brexit hasn't helped. So the Royal Family is one of the last things left that is constantly in the German media in a rather positive fashion, something that keeps/gets attention and draws people to visit England for all these quaint cliches they imagine. At the end of the day they may not spend much directly on the Royal Family (such as entry fees to Windsor or picking up a tea towel with King Charles on it) but they would have been what keeps England/the UK in the consciousness here. Interesting and on the whole a good analysis. But just to add that I have had chats with many taxi drivers, Ubers and black and they say that people ask to be taken to the Royal Stuff. You can visit “Buck House” like you can visit the White House. It works. The RF more or less keeps journos in their jobs, maintains the printed press and is an ongoing soap opera, entertainment. All in English the global lingo which tourists can mostly access.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Snow on Jul 20, 2023 20:59:59 GMT
Showing the acute sensitivity and compassion his supporters constantly tell us he demonstrates, at this time of straightened circumstance and national belt tightening, Ponce Charlie is limiting his pay demands to a a 45% increase.
Rejoice at this wisdom. After all the alternative could be elected and lets all fear who might get elected (for a defined and limited term).
PS I could add that I suspect that for the past month he's been on strike in support of this, but the evidence for whether he's actually at work or not is inconclusive.
PPS anyone know if the Met have made any more progress with their investigation into him selling Honours for cash, since the coronation?
God save us from the king. (To eradicate any doubt I'd like to state I'm also highly skeptical that God is worth the name).
End of todays rant.
|
|
2,794 posts
|
Post by ceebee on Jul 20, 2023 21:59:54 GMT
Showing the acute sensitivity and compassion his supporters constantly tell us he demonstrates, at this time of straightened circumstance and national belt tightening, Ponce Charlie is limiting his pay demands to a a 45% increase. Rejoice at this wisdom. After all the alternative could be elected and lets all fear who might get elected (for a defined and limited term). PS I could add that I suspect that for the past month he's been on strike in support of this, but the evidence for whether he's actually at work or not is inconclusive. PPS anyone know if the Met have made any more progress with their investigation into him selling Honours for cash, since the coronation? God save us from the king. (To eradicate any doubt I'd like to state I'm also highly skeptical that God is worth the name). End of todays rant. Am guessing Charlie's not your darling...
|
|
|
Post by sfsusan on Jul 20, 2023 22:27:08 GMT
PS I could add that I suspect that for the past month he's been on strike in support of this, but the evidence for whether he's actually at work or not is inconclusive. This is interesting. On my first visit to London in 1980, I happened across the Court Circular/Royal Diary and was impressed at how many engagements the Queen and Prince Phillip conducted... generally more than one a day, if I remember correctly. Reading the quoted comment, I wondered if the same information is published for current royalty. It is, and a quick search of the various calendars was very interesting: The King - 1 upcoming event, July 24 (calendar search was 20/07/2023-20/07/2024) The Queen - no upcoming events The Prince of Wales - 2 upcoming events in New York in September The Princess of Wales - no upcoming events The Duke of Edinburgh - 5 upcoming events between now and September The Duchess of Edinburgh - no upcoming events The Princess Royal - 23 upcoming events between now and October (with up to 3 events on a single day. On the 7th of September, for example, she's in Welwyn Garden City, then 2 events in London, including a dinner.) The Duke of Gloucester - 7 upcoming events between now and September The Duchess of Gloucester - 3 upcoming events between now and September My grandparents were from Cornwall, so I inherited a bit of their support for the monarchy (even though they emigrated to the US, where my mother was born). But one of the justifications for the cost of the royal family to taxpayers is they provide a visible yet non-partisan representation of the country. This implies a certain responsibility to actually provide that personal presence. Perhaps one way to tighten the purse strings would be "No play, no pay".
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2023 0:20:46 GMT
I think the royal family should be scaled back and don't like lots of aspects of how they do certain things. But I'd take King Charles over an elected head of state any day. If we ever did become a republic I'd want a US style President not a ceremonial one but with their two limited options they clearly have no-one up for the job.
The Royal Family have never done engagements in August as they are at Balmoral and a lot of places they visit are often closed in the summer.
Princess Anne still putting in a good stint I see.
|
|
4,044 posts
|
Post by kathryn on Jul 27, 2023 12:43:05 GMT
The suggestion in Spare regarding ‘Royal engagements’ is that some members of the family are gaming the system to make it look like they are doing more than they actually are.
Which makes me wonder about Princess Anne! Is she actually the hardest-working Royal or is she (Olympian that she is) just the best at figuring out how to work with the rules to win a competition?
|
|
1,140 posts
|
Post by theatrefan62 on Jul 28, 2023 11:41:14 GMT
PS I could add that I suspect that for the past month he's been on strike in support of this, but the evidence for whether he's actually at work or not is inconclusive. This is interesting. On my first visit to London in 1980, I happened across the Court Circular/Royal Diary and was impressed at how many engagements the Queen and Prince Phillip conducted... generally more than one a day, if I remember correctly. Reading the quoted comment, I wondered if the same information is published for current royalty. It is, and a quick search of the various calendars was very interesting: The King - 1 upcoming event, July 24 (calendar search was 20/07/2023-20/07/2024) The Queen - no upcoming events The Prince of Wales - 2 upcoming events in New York in September The Princess of Wales - no upcoming events The Duke of Edinburgh - 5 upcoming events between now and September The Duchess of Edinburgh - no upcoming events The Princess Royal - 23 upcoming events between now and October (with up to 3 events on a single day. On the 7th of September, for example, she's in Welwyn Garden City, then 2 events in London, including a dinner.) The Duke of Gloucester - 7 upcoming events between now and September The Duchess of Gloucester - 3 upcoming events between now and September My grandparents were from Cornwall, so I inherited a bit of their support for the monarchy (even though they emigrated to the US, where my mother was born). But one of the justifications for the cost of the royal family to taxpayers is they provide a visible yet non-partisan representation of the country. This implies a certain responsibility to actually provide that personal presence. Perhaps one way to tighten the purse strings would be "No play, no pay". The issue with that list is what constitutes an 'event'. Just because some aren't attending events, doesn't mean they aren't working on bigger things behind the scenes for their charities/organisations (e.g. Williams homeless initiative or Earthshot, or Kates early years projects). Princess Anne maybe turning up somewhere for half an hour to open something, but is she doing anything behind the scenes for her charities. I don't know the answer, just that mearly looking at engagements and events is possibly a narrow view.
|
|
4,044 posts
|
Post by kathryn on Jul 28, 2023 11:49:38 GMT
Kate and William always take school holidays of engagements. .
It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the kids are no longer at school - I’m a bit sceptical that they’ll actually do more, having established this routine.
|
|
|
Post by londonpostie on Jul 28, 2023 12:29:05 GMT
You'd think H and M could make a podcast episode about all that .. oh, wait ...
|
|
2,206 posts
|
Post by theglenbucklaird on Jul 28, 2023 15:21:56 GMT
You'd think H and M could make a podcast episode about all that .. oh, wait ... I was thinking about time they did some work and maybe they could pick up some slack
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2023 15:28:48 GMT
Charles has Government papers to read through.
There has always been a bit of a joke that Wills is on the lazy side and maybe when Granny was the Queen and Charles was the heir he didn't have to do quite so much. But now he is the heir I can see him having to step up.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Snow on Aug 14, 2023 8:24:29 GMT
|
|