Beautiful memorial service for Prince Philip

I suspect Drakeford is savvy enough to know that whatever his personal beliefs a lot of the Welsh population don’t share them Callistemon21, so I highly doubt he will do anything controversial. The DoE award is a brilliant thing I think (although I do pity the granddaughter of the Gran who posted this morning to say she is doing her gold award in the Beacons at the moment, as it’s terrible weather up on the mountains today).

Sunak and Patel were there, at least one of them singing their heart out at the hymns.

David Attenborough, who is a humanist, I believe, was also there.

Hypocrisy?

??

Self combustion of the Daily Express I mean!

I didn’t know Drakeford was there , yes hypocrisy

Gosh volver if that was the outcome of him not attending the service it would have been so worthwhile.

I don't suppose it has crossed anybody's mind that Drakeford might have been there to show respect to a person we are told is the best of men?

I suspect that there were a few people in the Abbey who weren't Christians, either.

Is Mark Drakeford going to ban young Welsh people from taking the D of E award?

I don't love it Grany

Pantglas yes, he was there, bold as brass - I am disappointed that he didn't stand up for what he believed if he is a republican and send another Welsh politician who is not a republican in his place.
Hypocritical.

I thought better of him.

Can you imagine if Drakeford hadn't gone to the memorial?

The Daily Express would have self combusted.

I wish that man had the cojones of his convictions and had refused to turn up on Tuesday at Westminster, if he’s a republican, and stayed at home to rescue our healthcare in north Wales from the devastating effects of his party’s mismanagement ever since devolution, Grany.

I love it - well done! - ‘Welsh Labour Government has said it will only distribute copies of the Queen’s 70th Jubilee book on an opt in basis to schools that actively ask for copies. The Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford is a self-confessed republican’

All 18 of these royals live in state owned homes, mainly in St James's Palace, Kensington Palace or Windsor. They pay little or no rent at a huge cost to the taxpayer. Most of them do very little in return. They also have second, third and fourth homes.

After William and Kate's 'charm offensive' in the Caribbean last week, their three host nations have all declared they will become republics...

Hazysky

H & M don't want the media furore
to die a death. That is the pproblem.
More to come next month.

Media attention directed at their 'projects' and involvement in various charities, or whatever it is they actually do, is not the same as the media frenzy over reporting every move they make, what Meghan wore to which event and what it (media) thinks they are going / not going, to do, and why, and sources close to the couple said that..... or this about them.

... and then inviting comments from the readership.

The press is not informing us, it's not giving us news that it thinks we need to know, it's pandering to the conjecture and gossip. Which it does frequently with other high-profile individuals, to maintain its circulation, in print and online. It's a never-ending feed of speculation, and its readers thrive on it.

H & M don't want the media furore
to die a death. That is the pproblem.
More to come next month.

The heads of State at the memorial service are descendants of
Victoria so very distant relations

Lucca

I’m not a supporter of harry and Meghan in spite of what some think and say. But:
“We are not interested in Meghan and harry” is nonsense. No opportunity is ever passed by to mention them.

Imagine the scenario. harry and Meghan both come to the memorial …oh it’s the harry and Meghan show.
Harry comes on his own…..oh how disrespectful that Meghan couldn’t be bothered to come.
Harry comes and sits next to William…..surely he should be in the row behaving ?
Harry comes and doesn’t sit next to William…..clearly harry doesn’t want to be with his brother.

... exactly!

He would've been damned if he'd come, and now he's damned because he didn't.

“We are not interested in Meghan and harry” is nonsense. No opportunity is ever passed by to mention them.

Our 'poor' Queen probably copes with the whole affair far better than most of the commenters. She's 95 years old and has learned a thing or two, as most of the elderly do.

If people are really sympathetic towards her, the kindest thing they could do is just shut up about H&M and let the media furore over these two die a natural death. Not keep heaping coals on the fire.

I've no idea what TVG is.

Anyone??

volver

But it is all about “buying in”, isn’t it?

“Buying in” to the fiction that a huge event in central London attended by heads of state and senior politicians was just a family celebrating someone they’d lost. Or that possibly the most famous woman in the world insisting on having her errant son by her side, when his reputation is in tatters, isn’t a political act.

And if you buy into that, you might buy into anything.

Yep! You certainly might!
Let’s carry on in our usual GN way.
Even the idea that . . .
Oops no, TVG would count that as a cross thread reference!

I love every minute of occasions like this. It’s as good as going to the theatre, and it’s one of the few times we hear really high quality music on television. The choir was superb.

Members of foreign royal families sat alongside the Duke’s wider family and friends, as well as more than 500 representatives of the Duke of Edinburgh’s patronages and charities.

and Sir David Attenborough

Queen of Denmark. King of the Netherlands. King of Spain.

etc.

Who were the heads of state who attended ?

Good balanced post maddyone.

But it is all about “buying in”, isn’t it?

“Buying in” to the fiction that a huge event in central London attended by heads of state and senior politicians was just a family celebrating someone they’d lost. Or that possibly the most famous woman in the world insisting on having her errant son by her side, when his reputation is in tatters, isn’t a political act.

And if you buy into that, you might buy into anything.

It’s unbelievable in this day and age that the Queen’s children have to bow and curtsy to her. It’s one of the reasons why I feel that the monarchy has had its day.
I think the Queen showed poor judgment when she allowed/wanted Andrew to accompany her. Of course Andrew hasn’t been found guilty of anything, and of course everyone is innocent until proved guilty, but given that he made a huge settlement to the complainant, it looks a bit suspicious. But of course Andrew should have been at the service, it was for his father after all. I enjoy watching these state occasions, I enjoy the people watching and ceremony of it all, but I’m not sure it sits well with me really. It elevates the status of the person being remembered, it makes them more important than you or I. I believe Prince Philip did a lot of good work, and he supported his wife magnificently, but………..