Who cares if the Dutchess of Cambridge is having a girl.

You say it so well ,Gillybob.Who would have thought that in the twenty first century we would still have a Royal family.There is something radically wrong with a society where some folk have to buy their clothes from jumble sales and charity shops and someone else is actually praised for wearing a £200+ dress more than once.The trouble is that the celebrity culture is far too strong in this country.

I was also dreaming about the birth of a republic. I have very odd dreams. Another of last night's, which reflects a personal anxiety, was about a cattery with a large tabby attempting to prise apart prison-style bars, and a small tortoiseshell being given a bath and then zipped up in a towelling bag with her head sticking out while I fed her blackcurrant juice from a dropper. So you see dreaming about a massive sinkhole beneath the blue drawing room at Buck House wasn't that peculiar.

Blimey Absent what do you eat before you go to bed? Or is it just the result of a very over stretched imagination? Perhaps you should write fiction too.

Gawd absent obviously very vivid.

I don't eat just before I go to bed gillybob. I am considering having another go at fiction, having written a couple of novels in the past that eventually found their way into the recycling. Definitely could do better.

i dont mind admitting i,m a royalist , a great admirer of our queen ! if kates baby is a girl, she will be the first girl to succeed to the throne without having to wait for all the men to pop their clogs, and about time too x

Me too matson, and I hope it's a girl!

gorki Do you seriously think that if we didn't have a Royal Family, Mr and Mrs. President would buy their clothes in a charity shop?

Would we really want to be led by a blasted politician? And one who is just there as a temporary?

We have the Queen, the USA has The Flag... it's all much of a muchness.

The Press only write what people want to read and most of it is fiction anyway. Banana Republic or a Figurehead Royalty - I know which way I would vote. Do away with the Royals, whatever you think of them, and our National Revenue would be radically depleted and you can't quite see the attraction to Tourists of a President Cameron or heaven forfend, President Milliband.

Are we responsible for the press we have I was wondering. YOu'll have noticed gally that there is much less of it down under. And that it is less whinging, less gossip obsessed and less indignant than here? Are you still there by the way?

My feeling exactly merlot we would just have different families living it up in the palaces. (Cherie Blair anyone?) At least the royal family are relatively harmless and haven't started any wars themselves recently.

I do wonder if the next generation thinks differently though. I can remember when Diana was killed both my offspring, whilst agreeing that life lost at an early time is sad were totally unmoved as they said that they didn't "know " her. My nephew who as part of his masters course recently met Princess Anne at a function, and was clueless really as to her parentage etc. The royals just don't seem to touch their lives and there is no reason as to why they should really.

The idea that someone can be the head of a country simply because of the family they are born into is antiquated. At least a President has to be elected.

This rubbish about attracting tourists....why do people go to Paris?

Tourists don't just come to London because we have a monarchy.

Sorry, I clicked send too soon.

It's not rubbish, bluebell. Tourists who are interested in our monarchy have plenty to entertain them in London as well as many other attractions. If they go to Paris they will have plenty to interest them as well. Tourists will make the most of any city. That's what they've paid for.

I was wanting to emphasise the growing gap between the rich and the poor and was not suggesting a president should buy clothes from a charity shop.The point is that I just am not interested in a baby I am never likely to meet and feel there are more important things to be repoted in a newspaper or on TV.

I am not bothered if she has a boy or a girl.It wont affect me as I will most likely not be here when he/she becomes monarch.
I am getting sick and tired of the fuss the media is making of it, turning her into a celeb.There is already a headline on the front of the Daily Mail stating that the Duchess of Cambridge's mother will soon be the most powerful grandmother in the country!

perhaps Carole Middleton has already joined Granset in anticipation?

SeasiderI was just about to write that but you beat me to it!

It's really rather anachronisitc, isn't it, this idea that it should still matter a jot what gender the royal baby is? As if we couldn't change any silly rules making it matter that are still in place.

I agree pinkprincess she is not a celebrity she is just a young woman who has married into an extremely rich, privileged and slightly nutty family. The vanity of this family is such that they probably do believe we all worship and adore them.

Carole Middleton will be the only grandmother to this child given the fact that Williams mum ( specially chosen for the part) was got rid of is no longer with us. . Mind you I am in no doubt that once the baby arrives the media will set her up as some kind of patron saint of grandmas !

I do not care what gender the new Royal will be. Even though I do not follow the Royals I must acknowledge the amount of visitor revenue they bring into the UK. As one of the last remaining Royal families in the world the UK has millions of visitors who come just to see a Royal residence and other things connected to the Royals (strange as it may seem to us). They spend millions of pounds while here. The Queen also pays tax. Prince Charles does not receive a penny from the Government or from us via our taxes. He lives on the revenue from the Duchy of Cornwall. The civil list has been cut right back from what it was. Most of the Royal residencies do not belong to the Queen but belong to the nation. She and future Kings/Queens are just custodians. I do respect the Queen, for a 80 year old plus woman she works long hours, I certainly would not want her job for all the money in the world. To have to visit somewhere you do not particularly want to go must be a chore in itself and to always have to seem smiling and cheerful even when you are having a bad day must be a bore. As for the private health care she received recently, anyone can receive that if they pay for it, it is not just for the Royals, and a lot are joining private health schemes. After all it only costs the price of a few pints or a couple of pkts of cigarettes each week.

Oh and having a President would cost a hell of a lot more than our Queen, just compare the cost with the American President who often costs nearly a million pounds in security each time he travels with his special requirements of dozens of security men, numerous special cars, etc. etc. you only have to see his entourage.