Royalty the queen and her family.

Imagine being hated for just existing, then being hated some more no matter what you do and knowing that a large section of the population would only be happy if you were sent to live in a derelict house on a sink estate, and even then only if they had photographic evidence of your misery. Preferably published in in some dire red top rag.

I don't think anyone said this or feels like this.
For me, the revenue they bring is irrelevant. It doesn't justify having a monarchy.

Lucca

That’s more than one per day !!

See Franbern’s post.

If we take working days per year as, say, 228 (so not counting weekends, bank holidays, allowing five weeks annual holiday), yes, it’s more than two engagements a day for each of them.

If we had an elected head of state, we might get that many from one person, maybe from two if there’s a willing spouse or partner, but I doubt the rest of his/her family would be attending their own events.

There’d be a big shortfall. Apparently the RF carried out 3567 engagements between them in 2019. A lot more than I would have guessed.

So the £1.8 billion in revenue the RF bring to the UK is a myth? NellG

Not a myth exactly but needs to be seen in context....

Overseas visitors spent £22.5 billion in the UK in 2016, so any contribution to that due to the RF is less than 10%. UK exports were worth £543bn that year so again the £1.8bn is trivial.

I don't hate anybody, and I don't think they should be punished just because they have had the bad luck to be born into a family that doesn't let you choose your own path in life. They can go on living in their castles and country houses as long as they like.

I just think a modern democracy shouldn't rely on inherited privilege in any part of its government.

So the £1.8 billion in revenue the RF bring to the UK is a myth, as is the fact that they cost each taxpayer about £4.50 a year?

And their mere existence induces such dislike that people want the institution of monarchy destroyed without a backward glance?

I assume that the theory is that if we rip away all that privilege and have them thrown into the proverbial gutter we can reclaim that £4.50 and feel all righteous and partisan.

Or we could just get over it and accept that being born a royal must be akin to emerging from one of the rings of hell and that £4.50 or thereabouts each is not much compensation for having to be pilloried by all and sundry on a daily basis just because you were born into a particular family.

Imagine being hated for just existing, then being hated some more no matter what you do and knowing that a large section of the population would only be happy if you were sent to live in a derelict house on a sink estate, and even then only if they had photographic evidence of your misery. Preferably published in in some dire red top rag. Imagine if your whole existence just served to satisfy the dissatisfactions of the populace...

Actually looking back, Lucca quoted those figures as hours. But my answer is still relevant.

Yes, Lucca, the figure was for individual engagements. I checked before posting.

That’s more than one per day !!

See Franbern’s post.

But when we finally got to the truth of the matter, I must say that I find Prince Charles’s 521 public events a year and Princess Anne's 506 quite impressive for people of around 70 years old

You need to consider what the events were, total number of hours and did they have to drive through rush hour traffic after their long hard day to get home cook dinner and clear up afterwards!

Maggiemaybe is that what was meant ? Or was it hours worked ?

I’ve no strong feelings either way about who we should have as head of state.

But when we finally got to the truth of the matter, I must say that I find Prince Charles’s 521 public events a year and Princess Anne's 506 quite impressive for people of around 70 years old.

I don’t think anyone can defend the heredity principle in this day and age - that a person can be “born into” a role without any reference to their intelligence, sanity, health, suitability or whatever. The current incumbent is in her 90s and has tried to do her job of waving and shaking hands reasonably well but the wealth and privilege that come with that role are indefensible. They don’t bring in tourists, how many tourists see the Queen? More tourists visit Versailles in Paris than Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. Historical sites, theatres, shopping, galleries and museums ( when open ) are what brings in tourists. If we had an elected Head of State there is nothing to stop Prince William or Charles standing and being elected and I’d be happier with that.

Lovely news Maghan and Harry.

Hopefully we will have a vote to change to a democratically elected Head of State

Quote from twitter.

Why do we sing "God Save The Queen* when she lives in a palace has no bills to pay whatsoever and has the best health care. Why are we so stuck in the past that created this apathy to thoses in actual need?

I have just seen that Meghan and Harry are expecting their second child. He or she will still be in succession I believe.

It’s the tabloids interest and the way that they have turned the RF into celebrities, that has caused people to feel as if they know them intimately, avidly following the ups and downs of their lives. It’s all make believe of course, but the tide can turn.

Perhaps on the death of the queen, there will be disenchantment with what follows. We, the general public are very fickle, and the younger generation may feel less warmth towards this privileged wealthy family.

I agree that that it would be good for the weekly meetings to cease, the content of which is never disclosed of course, and I think that the Guardian has done us a service uncovering some of the hidden influence going on.

We can all find examples of poor presidential leadership but equally there are very many republics that function very well.

Is there still a place for this extreme classism in a western democracy? We are talking about a hugely wealthy family who could have made a decision to step back from the sovereign role over time. If it is true that they have used their influence to benefit themselves at expense of citizens then we need to know.

Unfortunately the owners of other media outlets have a foot in the establishment, or benefit from it ,so are less likely to be critical. The Duchy of Cornwall is pretty feudal!

Thanks for the link Grany. I'm not an expert by any means so I've just been googling to find out more about the Duchy. It was set up by Edward III to provide an income for his son and heir. Its unbelievable what Charles owns eg parts of Dartmoor, Isles of Scilly. It would almost make me laugh, it's so ridiculous.

I thnk it would be a great start to stop them havng any influence over parliamentary business. Stop the weekly meetings and the necessity for the monarch to sign any bills and show them things can run without them. Taxing them properly would be good as well.

I think things can change and thanks to the recent Guardian scoops, people realising how much the queen and P Charles do have a say in politics. And the republican movement have written a letter which people can sign asking housing minister not to give P Charles preferential treatment should not be exempt from landlord lease as people not able to buy the land that their house sits on.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ToCA6vS71LQ

And on the Republic Campaign YouTube channel one of their videos explains how the Royals do not work hard.

It would be hard to get rid of them, though, with the sort of people who get into politics in the UK, old school tie and all that.

So true. The whole system stinks and as Grany said, who is there to oppose it?

Whoops! Just goes to show not to post when you’ve had a ? of an evening! What I meant was those were not actual days worked but official engagements, some of which may just have been for the odd flying visit, or receiving someone at Highgrove for example. Still doesn’t add up to a full working week as most people know it, especially the many who are juggling several jobs and childcare at the moment, and barely scraping a living.

It just seems an anachronism in the 21st century that U.K. born citizens are actually subjects of the Crown. In fact the RF is an expensive luxury and irrelevant in a mature democracy such as U.K.

The Royal Family’s workload is counted by engagements/visits/meetings not by days or hours.

Greenehyedgirl obviously meant 521 and 506 HOURS in the year,( not days). Incredible when so many teachers these days are working something like 70 hours every week. And, I am certain other people are doing similar.
Is it the same people who say what a wonderful, hardworking job these over-privileged people are doing, that also think that teachers have school holidays off and finish each day when the pupils go home???

It seems ridiculous in this day and age to have a family like that. The European mainland seems to do it better and they seem to have cut some of the more obvious class stuff out. Personally I think the French and the Russians had it right though the way they went about it was a tad extreme. It would be hard to get rid of them, though, with the sort of people who get into politics in the UK, old school tie and all that.

Green eyedgirl. “ in 2019 Charles “worked” for 521 days and Anne for 506 days.”

When I was at school they told us there were only 365 days in a year?

(I do agree though about RF being a bit of an anachronism )

It’s interesting that there are so many myths about the RF which are not borne out by evidence. For example that the RF brings in “pots of cash in tourism” which is not true. That they are “hard working”. The last information I could find was that in 2019 Charles “worked” for 521 days and Anne for 506 days.

I don’t know about Grans on here, but when I was working I worked a hard 37.5 hours a week, meaning to achieve Charles workload I would only have to work for roughly 14 weeks a year.Taking into account “work” for the royals sometimes means turning up for half an hour, and cutting a ribbon, it cannot be compared to a regular days work. There’s plenty of time for leisure activities of huntin’ shootin’ and fishin, with a bit of skiing at Klosters thrown in.

I believe the RF are a mediaeval left over relic, along with the aristocracy and with no relevance in a modern democracy, but just help to promote our ridiculous class divide.