Prince George at The Queen's funeral?

There are very nasty posters here today......

I feel that if handled correctly, children should know about death and attend funerals.

Yes, the Queen's funeral will be longer than a normal service with all the (rightly in my view) pomp and ceremony but that's what these children are born into and should begin to understand what is involved, even at a tender age.

Death can't be undone, it is a fact of life!

Handled correctly the children will be fine.

My granddaughter, aged three attended her grandfather's funeral and squeezing my hand for attention announced very loudly "Is that grandpa in that box?". She had a question and asked it (if loudly and at an inopportune moment!). She was part of the family and deserved to be there to help her understand that her grandfather had now died. Thereafter she was fine and spoke about him quite happily.

Well, yes Blossoming. In the newspaper. Exactly my point.

Just made up?

I wish I was as clever and perfect as you Lathyrus

Not quite sure why I deserved that?

I remember aged 13 I decided not to go to my grandmother’s funeral. Then I changed my mind as I thought if I don’t go I may regret it and it will be too late, whereas if I do go and am upset it is something I will learn to live with.

Personally I think if Prince George is to attend then the state funeral may be better than going to the private funeral where the Queen is interred at Windsor which could be more emotionally upsetting.

There was a time when women and children did not go to funerals. My grandmother never did even for her dh. Times change.

Gloryanny you obviously would prefer a republic, and you are entitled to that view, but the events over the last ten days have shown how rooted in this country our monarchy is and

I can think of no way that we can have a Royal family if they do not have children and I do not see how we can avoid people wanting to see photographs of the royal children and see them in public.

The Prince of Wales and his wife seem to have done everything they can to limit and control the amount their children are photographed or seen in public, but if they hide them away, then the children will be constantly hounded by papparazzi trying to get photos because that is the only way they can be obtained and I would say that is far worse for the children than their current policy.

It is also sensible for children in this situation to grow up getting used to being seen in public at state occasions because as adults it is going to play a significant part in their lives.

As I understand it there are three bits to the whole event tomorrow?

The State Funeral in Westminster Abbey.
Something in Windsor (?)
The private family interment in St George's Chapel.

The State Funeral is pomp and show, which is what you get for monarchs. Surely the right place for a nine year old to understand what's happened to his gangan is the private family interment?

M0nica

Gloryanny you obviously would prefer a republic, and you are entitled to that view, but the events over the last ten days have shown how rooted in this country our monarchy is and

I can think of no way that we can have a Royal family if they do not have children and I do not see how we can avoid people wanting to see photographs of the royal children and see them in public.

The Prince of Wales and his wife seem to have done everything they can to limit and control the amount their children are photographed or seen in public, but if they hide them away, then the children will be constantly hounded by papparazzi trying to get photos because that is the only way they can be obtained and I would say that is far worse for the children than their current policy.

It is also sensible for children in this situation to grow up getting used to being seen in public at state occasions because as adults it is going to play a significant part in their lives.

Really M0nica no one can tell what is ahead. Except you can see the timelines. George will probably not inherit until he's 40 or even 50. The other two will be the ones just hanging about with little clear about roles.
It seems a bit unnecessary to introduce him to his future aged 9. It's quite possible to raise children in the RF without publicity. Anne did it very well.
Of course if you want to promote the RF it's slightly different. Nothing like a cute kid to grab the public.

Anne’s children weren’t heirs to the throne.

Hmm. Is there any difference between using children to promote the Royal Family and using them to promote Republican views?

Now I don't want to mention the r-word, but..

What kind of system of government requires the risk of traumatising a nine year old child, in the name of duty?

volver

As I understand it there are three bits to the whole event tomorrow?

The State Funeral in Westminster Abbey.
Something in Windsor (?)
The private family interment in St George's Chapel.

The State Funeral is pomp and show, which is what you get for monarchs. Surely the right place for a nine year old to understand what's happened to his gangan is the private family interment?

I agree.

It's ok, here's the smelling salts ?

a miserable cute kid ? to promote the future king

Glorianny None of us knows what will happen next year, let alone even further into the future. With a smaller royal family it may well be that the younger royals will have normal working careers. There when needed, but otherwise with a clear seperate lives.

Princess Anne was never in line for the throne once her two younger brothers were born, so her family were of much less interest to the press when they were young. The press only began to become obsessed with themwhen they started out on their distinctly non-royal adult lives. The situation of the Prince and Princess of Wales with three children who are in immediate direct line to the throne is very different.

If he’s there tomorrow all the Republicans will say how dreadful for the Royals tto use a child.

If he’s not there they’ll say how dreadful the Royals prevented him from attending the funeral.

And all the while the Republicans are using him in the same way, for their own ends.

Hypocrisy flourishes. Or maybe self-delusion.

Either way, a Republic made of people like that.

No thanks.

I know it is not the same thing, but Prince Charles attended part of his mother’s coronation, alongside the Queen Mother. I assume his nanny brought him in for the key moments, so that he was there but did not have to be there too long. He was far too young at that point to understand that one day he would be king.
Personally I would take Prince George to the short service at Windsor rather than the State Funeral, but it is up to his parents to decide what is best for their son. I am sure both he and his sister will be at their grandfather’s coronation, and maybe Louis, for part of it.

Lathyrus

If he’s there tomorrow all the Republicans will say how dreadful for the Royals tto use a child.

If he’s not there they’ll say how dreadful the Royals prevented him from attending the funeral.

And all the while the Republicans are using him in the same way, for their own ends.

Hypocrisy flourishes. Or maybe self-delusion.

Either way, a Republic made of people like that.

No thanks.

For heavens sake. Stop it.

Expressing concern for a nine year old being used for PR purposes hardly compares with parading him before the world to "prepare" him for his future. Which might not happen if his parents have any sense.

Most (all?) the republicans on here have avoided personal comments about folk who idolize a family with more money than Croesus and a particularly obvious method of PR, who have convinced them that they are the only ones worthy of leading this country. Till now obviously.

Somebody yesterday said they didn't support a republic because Republicans aren't nice people. Well monarchists are easily led and deluded. Nasty enough?

You couldn’t care less about a nine year old. You’re just using him.

Be honest with yourself even if you have to keep up the facade on here.

Avoiding personal comment? You mean like the one blossoming made about me? Or didn’t that count.

Or the very personal comments about George’s family. They don’t count either? Because they’re Royals and Republicans can say whatever they like about them.

People who are so anxious about protecting a child don’t hesitate to abuse the people he loves on a public forum.

Like I say hypocrisy or self delusion?

To be fair lathyrus the most unpleasant comments I have seen about the royal family are from their supporters. I often find it breathtaking.

You know what I think do you?

Monarchists are psychic too, are they?

Ridiculous post.

i think it's Paul Bquirrel

I think this is entirely up to the children themselves and their parents. It’s not just George and Charlotte, there are other children who could potentially attend the funeral, there is Edward and Sophie’s son who is 14, Peter Phillips’ daughters, and Mia Tindall who is 8. If attendance is based on age, they would all be there as well as George and Charlotte. Surely it’s their choice?
My son was 9 when my husband/his dad died, By that age children are quite able to decide for themselves what they are comfortable doing. He wanted to go, and I wanted him to do what he wanted to do.

I think we should all mind our own business. Let William and Kate do what they think is right for their children.
I always did what I thought was right for my children and If people disagreed they could mind their own business as it has nothing to do with them and their opinion was not asked for.
All families are different, what suits one does not suit the other.

Casdon

I think this is entirely up to the children themselves and their parents. It’s not just George and Charlotte, there are other children who could potentially attend the funeral, there is Edward and Sophie’s son who is 14, Peter Phillips’ daughters, and Mia Tindall who is 8. If attendance is based on age, they would all be there as well as George and Charlotte. Surely it’s their choice?
My son was 9 when my husband/his dad died, By that age children are quite able to decide for themselves what they are comfortable doing. He wanted to go, and I wanted him to do what he wanted to do.

A sensible post!

Pass the smelling salts

38 years ago when my mother in law died we were asked by extended family not to take our children aged 9 and 7 to her formal, very traditional church funeral. They stayed with kind local friends, I collected them after the service and they joined us at the gathering held in my brother in laws home. Our elder son will remind us now how much he hated not being at the funeral, he had wanted to say goodbye to his much loved Nanna. I wish I’d listened to him and not the family. I hope William and Catherine listen to their son and daughter not the voices of others.