The Royal Family #37

[RosieSparkle]

I have lurked on this thread for ages but one thing I really like when reading it is the largely balanced view that like any institution full of human beings, the RF has good elements to be praised and other elements that need to be critiqued or held accountable. I agree totally with @Great_Kate there seems to be a complete lack of nuance or balanced thought now, you either have to love someone or cancel them, no between. Same with the Meghan and Harry thing. I can have sympathy towards some of their grievances and past experiences while also acknowledging that in the last few months Harry especially has acted like a prize twat If Paul OGrady could look beyond any socialist or republican views he had to see Camilla as a person and enjoy their shared love of dogs, then it's a credit to him and shows what a decent man he was.

 

[jkroche95]

I've seen some American's getting really het up about the whole oath thing. Even though they've literally pledged allegiance to a piece of cloth every day at school.

 

[Honeystar]

The vilification of Camilla just highlights the everyday misogyny still so prevalent. It’s always the other woman, the home wrecker, the “side chick” but never the married man who people see as the villain.

 

[Isa_Drennan]

The problem with stuff like this is the royals get the rap when really it’s the government. Clearly I’m not privy to the conversations but I doubt Charles has asked for £8million to be spent on his new portraits or whatever. Anyone with a single brain cell knows that money could be far better spent in the current climate, or anytime really, but that’s down to our shitty government. It’s a bit like Boris and his obsession with a new royal ship or whatever it was that it then was revealed the royals didn’t even want or ask for

I make no secret that I’m a royalist BUT think there’s a lot that needs to be modernised and changed, including how much they cost. But they are a great scapegoat for the government when it comes to public spending. The problem here isn’t the new portraits, it’s the teaching assistant cuts and the blame for that lands squarely with the government

Feel obliged to clear up that no I’m not after an MBE nor do I think we should be spending 8 million quid on this, but it frustrates me how it’s the governments decision what the money is spent on yet somehow there’s alway someone else to blame

I’m no royalist but I agree with you wholeheartedly. The royals are not the reason why schools and other public services are underfunded. This is just distraction.

 

[FenellaTheWitch]

Or maybe he would have preferred not have a monarchy but was also not having extra strong feelings about it, so had no problem to accept the OBE and could see the value in Camilla’s work and maybe even like her as a person? I mean that’s a completely normal approach. Just because I prefer white wine doesn’t mean I can’t drink red and also enjoy it. It seems people have no idea that you can live happily even if things aren’t exactly as you want them to and that not everything has to be accompanied by deep feelings.
It would also be completely possible to support a republican movement and still accept the order and work with a royal charity and like a royal as a person.
Really, it seems people have no idea to be calm and balanced about anything anymore. Everything little thing gets polarised, it’s crazy. And at the same time everyone expects people to be accepting that a heterogeneous society has multiple views and ways of life. It certainly can’t be both though.

Spot on.

Everything is so binary and angry these days and it's exhausting.

 

[Lammington]

There comes a point in life where you realise that your parents have an identity outside of being your parents. That they have their flaws, their existence is not centred on you, and that they have an identity in their own right.
I suspect Diana died before Harry reached this point with her. He can see that his father is a flawed human, but his mother is forever preserved as this perfect maternal figure whose existence centred on him.

 

[thegirlscout]

Hunting to control the population is a necessary evil - there aren’t enough natural enemies to do so. People pay good money to be part of a hunting party. While I personally don’t see the appeal, as long as they act according to the law so be it. I do have a big problem with making it more cruel than it has to be. If some people like to dress up, and have a party afterwards that’s not my cup of tea, but this also doesn’t necessarily make them the devil incarnate.
On the other hand - human are known to be opportunistic and cruel. Some hunt animals with questionable or unlawful methods, others love to buy new tech every year while happily accepting this means child labour under the most horrendous conditions. I rather not think about my mobile I am typing on right now, as there’s a good and realistic chance at least one very young child died for it.

Hunting for population control - yes. But it doesn’t have to be cruel, it doesn’t have to damage the countryside, it doesn’t have to damage other wildlife. Staff go around blocking up escape routes which can lead to badger setts being blocked. The fox endures physical and mental cruelty before a painful, sometimes slow, death. All for the enjoyment of privileged hooray Henry’s. They don’t give a rat’s arse about anything apart from their entertainment. People say it’s a low hanging fruit and that people don’t give a shit but they should - it’s a backward practice and anyone who does it is mentally unwell. Royal or not.

 

[bubbadabut]

Why didn’t she keep away!! Why didn’t she say no! I could have had affair with a married man ( he did make a mistake ) they are separating!! I would never interfere in a marriage!!

I bet Julia Carling, Diane de Freundstein and Kelly Fisher (amongst others) wished Diana had kept away.

 

[Em_gardener]

This latest leaked story about the letters raises two big things imo -

1) Meghan literally sued The Daily Mail for publishing a private letter she wrote but now she presumably has leaked the intel about these letters and what they were about to The Telegraph. It doesn’t make Charles or the RF look good so it has to have come from them.

2) Harry had repeatedly said no member has reached out to them etc and yet actually Charles wrote to Meghan first? So which is it?

You do have to question this I think. On the day that the news is full of the photo Kate took of the kids with the Queen this is released to take the headlines. There’s been a lot of talk that Harry and Meghan wanted a photo of “Lilibet and Lilibet” but the Queen said no, was Meghan that jealous that Kate was allowed to do what she wasn’t that she leaked this?

Oh I don’t know it’s all such a mess I’m sick of the two of them and this bloody rehashed royal racist story that I think most people have already determined wasn’t a racist comment at all

It's yet another contradiction in their story and in their morals. They're above the rules they expect everyone else to follow. I didn't even make the connection with the photo about the grandkids and great grandkids but now that you've pointed it out it makes total sense. They felt left out and now they're lashing out. It's the same pattern that they've always followed.

 

[thegirlscout]

I don’t have much problem with her, but I meant in the sense of Andrew and Harry. Harry write about her pretty scathingly and begged his father not to marry her, he’s was never going to take her advice on help or family matters no matter how well she gets on with her family.

I think Harry is deeply damaged and it’s easier for him to blame Camilla than to see that his parent’s relationship was toxic and they (if Diana had lived) would have been better off, maybe even friends, as the years went by.

 

[travelbug20]

Genuine question, those who feel Camilla shouldn't be "Queen Camilla" would you feel the same way in years to come with Kate? Do you think she should also be Queen Consort Catherine?

I totally get that for us all "The Queen" is Elizabeth, but we do have to move with the times. I think when HMQ issued the statement regarding Camilla being known as The Queen Consort it was more about stating it wouldn't be Princess Consort as had been speculated. The Queen Consort isn't a title, it's a role, as far as I believe. So Queen Consort Camilla isn't actually a title, it's just highlighting her role. Her role is The Queen Consort, her title is Queen Camilla, Phillips role was The Prince Consort, his title was Prince Phillip?

 

[bubbadabut]

The vibe I got from the sausages story is that the issue wasn’t Harry having one less, it was because they said “because he will be king one day” as a reason why William had more, which is a freaking weird response to a kid asking for more sausages. Like, just say “he gets one more because he’s two years older”, that makes way more sense.

The way the RF treat people is so cooked and I hope they don’t pull that nonsense with the newest generation. At least Charlotte and Louis will have each other - I agree with the poster who said having more than one spare is a better dynamic.

The thing with that kind of family story in "Spare" is, Harry can get away with saying whatever he wants. No one, apart from William can corroborate that sausage story. Harry knows that William is unable to come out and refute it. Therefore he can say things like "Willy got an extra sausage because he's going to be King one day". It fits his narrative completely.

Anything he says that happened behind closed doors can be taken with a massive pinch of salt. He's such an obnoxious, spoilt brat that I can imagine him replying "well I'm a fucking Prince, bitch, now gimme my sausage". But obviously he'd never tell us that bit.

 

[BonBon27]

A little anniversary pic today.
I can’t believe it’s been 12 years since I sat with my commemorative biscuit tin and watched the whole day of coverage!

 

[hehehe]

It's yet another contradiction in their story and in their morals. They're above the rules they expect everyone else to follow. I didn't even make the connection with the photo about the grandkids and great grandkids but now that you've pointed it out it makes total sense. They felt left out and now they're lashing out. It's the same pattern that they've always followed.

They excluded themselves vindictively and overestimated their importance as usual and now that it's blown up in their faces once again they're lashing out because their own actions and decisions are always someone else's fault.

The fact that the two of them are middle-aged behaving like this is really embarrassing.

 

[jkroche95]

I think Kate wore something maybe slightly boring to ensure the headlines were not about her outfit but instead about the visit. The somber air to the visit was more important than wearing a new outfit.

 

[Boring Monday]

She looked genuinely happy and at ease. Such a shame her obvious love of sport and the outdoors wasn’t utilised for her ‘project’.

 

[Boring Monday]

just look at them all

Oh lawks.
please don’t let her look like she’s wearing my 1970’s swimming cap.

 

[Honeystar]

Almost certain none of you will agree but I think William looks here. Day to day I think he’s so unattractive but the minute he has a tan, sunglasses and an open neck I still swoon like I did when he was a teenager!

 

[Andouilette]

I think Philip took control of a lot of the family dealings, once he started getting much older and moved out to the country and then passed away it just fell apart. I don’t think Charles is great at dealing with the family problems either and why would any of them listen to Camilla?

I'd listen to Camilla. Her children seem to lead happy lives, she has a deep and loving relationship with her extended family and she has oodles of friends. Goodness me, she even gets on well with her serial shagger ex husband!

 

[milkyway]

I really liked Camilla’s outfit today. I think she suits blue.
The protests interest me. I don’t think people would have done that to the Queen but feels like Charles is more fair game l?

I find the protests odd, it seems like Charles is trying to reduce the cost of the RF to the public and seems to me much more aware of social issues, climate change, cost of living problems etc, than QE II ever was.

If it’s a democratically elected head of state they want instead of a monarchy - the general public hasn’t exactly done a great job of electing those in charge for the past 13 years imo