Eugenie’s wedding

Lucylastic - a lot of Scottish people wouldn't choose Alex Salmond.

Nannan2 - Scotland has a separate NHS from England and Wales which we pay for through our taxes. We have free prescriptions because the Scottish Government makes it a priority to do so.
Scotland also has a separate education system and charges no university tuition fees, also funded by our taxes.
If you wish these advantages for your part of the UK, I suggest you look to your government to reprioritise and provide them.

I agree with others that the cost is insane and that there is absolutely no reason why the public purse should pay for security for a Windsor carriage ride. The bride is a very minor figure at the extreme edge of the royal family. I'm not aware that she undertakes any royal duties and her wedding is of little interest to most of the population.

Her courtesy title is an anacronism in this day and age - others have mentioned the fact that Princess Anne's children have no titles. Indeed neither the Countess of Sussex nor the Countess of Cambridge are called "Princess".

Eugenie is just opening herself up to more of the usual ridcule, you'd have thought that she and her immediate family would have learned their lesson by now: they are an irrelevance.

The suggestion that the whole event takes place within the castle grounds is very sensible, I doubt that the security costs for this would be much more than an average day when HRH is in residence.

If I had to choose between May or Corbyn , heaven forbid, I would vote for May, not because of her politics, just she does have dignity. And we would have to have a new National Anthem which would be suitable for the four countries. Let’s stick with the Windsors please

The wives who are called duchess are taking their husbands name, they are not made a duchess. Diana was not a princess, she was the wife of the PofWales, suppose she could have been Mrs Wales, and Camilla can be Mrs King when Charles becomes king

Personally i wouldnt want Theresa may as a president- she never seems to know what shes supposed to be doing?like a rabbit caught in the headlights- and also,did our country learn NOTHING from having a lady in the chair last time?Thatcher didnt end well either...dont get me wrong,some women are well able to 'rule'- take our queen,and all women are as capable as men in any job,but sometimes,you have to choose the right person for the job,and lets face it none of the ones on offer were suitable....

I agree with the slimming down of the RF. I have no issue with Anne (one of the hardest working Royals) & her children. Zara has worked hard for her achievements, I believe some others are not aware of how 3 Day Eventing works, Zara does not own her horses & Mike Tindall has earned recognition through his career as a Rugby International. Peter holds down a job.

Prince Edward & Sophie carry out engagements.

Prince Andrew "Air Miles Andy" resents the fact that he is having his "nose pushed out of joint" by Charles' wish to slim down the RF, it's only because he's Queen's favourite son that he does get away with as much as he does. I agree Beatrice & Eugenie work but they aren't like the rest of us who are/have been employed, they have as much time off as they require for holidays etc. Yes they are Princesses but are still minor royals.

It seems to me that it's a case of "anything Harry can do I can do better/equal". They should have been told NO to the inviting of the general public & a definite NO to the carriage ride through Windsor. If the wedding is televised I will probably watch until Eugenie arrives just to see the fashions (& to see if VB smiles if she's invited), no further interest & if I lived in Windsor I would be elsewhere on that day

Andrew's girls ( and Andrew) seem to have an over inflated idea of who they are and how important they are. Whatever kind of wedding either of them wants let them have it so long as not one penny of public money is spent. Annsixty's post sums it all up for me.

Or perhaps Rufus Sewell, Jalima?

*without royal families

who would Gransnetters choose to stand for President?

Oh, let's see. Could it be one of our esteemed former PMs? Tony Blair? David Cameron? No doubt BoJo and Farage would be in like Flynn with their applications. Or a sleb? One of the Katies - Hopkins or Price? I quite fancy Aidan Turner or Cillian Murphy (literally ), though I guess their being Irish might pose a bit of a stumbling block.

And also,any child of a prince or princess,should BE a prince or princess themselves,its a bloody load of nonsence if you ask me!and why do they have to make them dukes&duchessess after weddings?its a load of ridiculous nuttiness!And why do all news/magazine reports still keep saying "megan markle" when clearly shes not anymore!(or has she chosen to keep her own surname as a very modern lady?)

The Australians are very keen on the Danish Royal Family now that they have their very own Crown Princess.

If we followed Germany we could have May or Corbyn as head of state

"The Royal family is not the main reason that tourists visit the UK" I didn't say it was the main reason, but one would be aware when up in London on a day to day basis, certainly around Buck house, nearby where I worked for quite a few years, there is an inevitable draw for some tourists to such a place and the other royal palaces, when I last visited Kensington Palace it was overrun by them, they aren't free. It is also noticeable how some overseas visitors buy into the pomp and panoply that surrounds the royal family, but by all means assume that we only believe this because that's what the bloody Daily Mail says. When I was in Copenhagen I visited the Rosenbourg Castle an old palace once inhabited by their royals, not because I'm a mad keen fan of the Danish royal family, I know hardly anything about them, but because it was merely a tourist attraction, a bit like Buckingham Palace is in London. Lucylastic I think most of us have visited a multitude of countries that are functioning democracies and thriving industries so what!

Dont even get me started on why scotland should ALL have free prescriptions but we,in England,dont- even though there NOT independant of Great Britain!!!........

Thanks Hollycat, that explains the puzzle.

Zara's doing just fine without a title though!

Jalima1108 Edward's children ARE entitled to be Prince and Princesss because Edward is a male child of a reigning monarch. Princess Anne's children were not, because Anne is female, tho they were entitled to be Lord and Lady. However Blair thought there was a republican movement about at the time of their births and the Queen and Edward were persuaded to drop the Prince and Princess to Viscount and Lady and the Queen signed Letters Patent to that effect. Personally I think they were diddled out of their rights.

When Scotland is independent
Probably not in Alex's life-time though.

I agree,if she wants the security etc that prince Harry had her father should be footing the bill,hes not exactly poor is he?- us ' normal' folk(i.e.non- royals) are now having to pay for our own items that previously were on prescription,to save NHS money,so i see no reason our cash (via councils)should have to pay for a royal wedding bill of a 'royal' who wont work for her queen&country- albeit however 'minor' !

But Scotland voted against independence

When Alexandra did her bit there was just Queenie and her sister and the fact their father died when she and her brothers were small children, their mother was from Greece, should she have been sent back to Greece or did her dead husbands brother do the right thing by housing this family?

When Scotland is independent we would probably choose Alex Salmond as president, in recognition of the huge political contribution he has made to his country.
The rest of the erstwhile UK could have whomsoever they chose as president, we Scots would care not.

The fact we have a royal family brings revenue to our land. People from other countries are fascinated by them and prepared to visit and spend money here.....all to our benefit. Also....I suspect a deal has been cut with one or another of the gossip magazines...
Finally....it isn't just the cost of policing such events but also the fact our police are already over worked and under staffed that is wrong.

I imagine that the Yorks feel that although Eugenie is no. 9 in line to the throne, she is after all the Queen's grandchild and a princess of the blood. Harry had a lot of pomp and circumstance - he is also a prince of the blood, the Queen's grandchild and after all only no. 6 in line. He too married a commoner who was treated as a real princess (which Eugenie is) on her big day. Actually, I don't see why EITHER of them should be paid for, but you can imagine the family "discussions" over this. As regards royal engagements, the Yorks have been frozen out haven't they. I seem to remember Princess Alexandra was expected to do her bit, so why can't these two?