Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

Absolutely agree with you Honeysuckle. I’m a republican really but the Dutch way would be much better in my opinion. Our Queen is no longer able to do the job, such as it is, and should no longer be our Head of State, in my humble opinion. And the next in line is Charles who is already an old man. We would be better to jump to William, but that won’t happen.

I agree too and for all the same reasons.

Totally agree. The Queen should have retired at age 65 . Ridiculous state of affairs.

Agree Honeysuckle I found the program very interesting.

Agree but it's still a monarchy

An independent accountable head of state would now be having a quiet chat with PM
The monarchy fails to represent and defend the national interest against misgovernment. Monarchy only acts in its own interests and self preservation

Haven’t seen the programme, but totally agree with everything you’ve both said Honey and maddy.

I agree too but can imagine that abdication is a dirty word in the Queen’s mind after what happened with uncle David.
She is nothing if not regimented in the way she lives her life and this is seen as stability and much admired. There is little chance of her changing now. Besides it is too late anyway to make a difference.

I agree with you Honeysuckleberries. I didn't see the program but I might go and look for it.

I think the problem comes when people conflate the idea of a Head of State with a constitutional duty, with a god-given right to reign over a country that must not be questioned. When Charles is King, I think that will be less of a widely held position.

Like maddyone, I would prefer a republic but a good compromise would be a monarchy like the Dutch one.

Sounds like a pretty good compromise. No need for dire warnings of a President Trump.

Or a President Zelenskyy

volver

I agree with you Honeysuckleberries. I didn't see the program but I might go and look for it.

I think the problem comes when people conflate the idea of a Head of State with a constitutional duty, with a god-given right to reign over a country that must not be questioned. When Charles is King, I think that will be less of a widely held position.

Like maddyone, I would prefer a republic but a good compromise would be a monarchy like the Dutch one.

I totally agree. I've thought for some time that our RF could well take a leaf out of the book of some of the European royals such as the Dutch and the Danish. Not so much pomp and ceremony, for a start.

It was a good watch. It showed the riots and unrest in Holland as well. I had forgotten all about them. It was fascinating how political Queen Beatrix was. I’d like to see more factual documentaries about other royal families too.

nanna8

Totally agree. The Queen should have retired at age 65 . Ridiculous state of affairs.

When the Queen was 65 Charles was in the middle of his marriage meltdown - might not have been a good move!

I wish I had seen the programme too, perhaps I can get it on catch-up, but I hope it didn’t shrink from the many differences and shortcomings of the Dutch Royal Family and our own.
For instance, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands sought to broker a deal via the Vatican in which senior Nazis at the end of the second world war would be helped to escape Europe in return for Germany releasing the Belgian king, according to newly discovered documents.
Diaries of her war-time foreign minister, Eelco van Kleffens, suggest that Wilhelmina, the great-grandmother of the current Dutch King, Willem-Alexander, ordered her government in March 1945, two months before the end of the war in Europe, to scope out whether top Nazis could be offered an escape route as a trade.
The independence of Indonesia, which saw more than 150,000 Dutch troops stationed there as decolonization force, was regarded as an economic disaster for the Netherlands. With the certain loss of the prized colony, the queen announced her intention to abdicate, doing so on 4 September 1948.
So perhaps comparisons with our RF should not be entirely one-sided.

I don't want to have the Dutch Royal Family, I want our own to be more modern. Complaining that the Dutch Royal family maybe did bad things 80 years ago is not relevant.

I didn’t watch the programme but totally agree The Dutch are much more progressive than us we are very stuck in old stuff not only with the Queen but in general
I like the Dutch way

What would you want changed ?

I would like a republic

Monarchy is wrong in principle, practice and bad for our politics

One family given a job for life power and privilege no one else can aspire to be a Head of State

Monarchy fails to represent and defend the national interest not holding government to account. Why would people vote to keep this?

Monarchy has a say in politics vetting legislation to benefit their own interests.

Don't think William would give up the £22 million from Duchy of Cornwall when he is next in line do you? Same with Charles he would get the £22 million from Duchy Lancaster

The RF fly around in jets and helicopters their favourite method of travel and the most polluting while pretending they are climate aware using public money every day as they get plenty of days off

We pay Prince Charles more than £22m a year. That's more than six times the combined salaries of all democratically elected heads of state in Europe.
#AbolishTheMonarchy

What about the British monarchy do you want changed ?

No such thing as a good monarchy tell me what's good about it You can't think of anything can you.

Abolish the monarchy

Change! No chance. The RF keep out whole unfair class system in place. Look at the House of Lords, instead of cutting the numbers they have increased with our dear PM being able to expand it at will. How can we possibly be living in a democracy.

Anniebach

What about the British monarchy do you want changed ?

We need to realise that Head of State is a post with responsibilities that cannot be fulfilled by a person in their mid-nineties, even if she is dutiful and admired. So, in absence of a republic, it would seem that a very large number of posters on this thread think that we should have a person in that role that can fulfil the responsibilities that Heads of State in other countries can. Because we are missing out.

That is not a treasonous or foolish position. And people are of course entitled to think we should stick with the same person till they pass away because they believe that's what monarchies do. But looking at the Dutch one (and the Spanish one, I think) monarchs abdicate when they think someone else can do the job better. That is a perfectly reasonable position for us to hold.

I agree that the way the Dutch Royal Family handled things was eminently sensible.
However rightly or wrongly Queen Elizabeth feels bound by the promise she made to the country at her coronation. What happened with her Uncle affected her a great deal.
I still support the monarchy despite everything.

I would prefer an elected head of state. It is time to put an end to a privileged family ruling over us.