Abdication?

And I would want my 56p to go to a person who hasn't a roof over their head, different values I suppose
Well, I think I can afford another 56p to go to the homeless, I would have to put it in a charity box as a non-tax payer.

The Australians would love to have Princess Mary over there!

She is always in the magazines in Australia, much as Catherine et al are here.

Are you Danish MargaretX? If so, would you prefer it if Denmark were to become a republic? This is a genuine question and I am genuinely interested.

The Danish Queen Margarethe has stopped all payments to her family excepting Frederick the Crown Prince and Fredericks eldest child. All other sons and grandchildren get nothing- that is from taxes.

merlotgran. I too am perfectly happy for it to come out of my 56p! I think Princess Eugenie works for a London Art Gallery, She got a perfectly respectable degree from Newcastle University, and has worked ever since as I understand it. As you said her sister works in New York, she also a degree from London University, if anyone's interested?!! Prince Andrew was a career Naval Officer and was on active service in the Falklands, retiring from active service in 2001, which is perfectly usual for service personnel. With a very senior rank he has no doubt retired on a very substantial pension as all service personnel do, my DH did the same, but not with such an exalted rank!! What he's done since is his business ditto my DH, and I have no problem with it.

different values I suppose

I'm not going to rise to that, anniebach

Quite funny actually.

But it isn't one 56p is it? And I would want my 56p to go to a person who hasn't a roof over their head, different values I suppose

Well if it comes out of my 56p I don't mind.

I don't think you can buy a Cornetto for that.

We have twenty six windsors plus children who live in state owned buildings, most also own one or more country houses, we pay for protection for homes and family but the costs will not be made public

She may workl there but she has a flat in St James

At least one of Andrew's daughters, lives and works in New York, not St James's Palace.

What work does Andrew and his daughters do? As the daughters live in St James Palace they have been pensioned off?

I agree, but they do pay for their own outfits, and it's not their fault if the press pick up every last detail and bandy it around. Blame the press not the people being talked about?! On the other hand a lot of the public love to see and gossip about every aspect of royal life including and perhaps particularly, clothing!! So maybe the public are partly to blame?!!!

Thanks Elegran. All the properties, whether owned by the Crown Estate or the Queen, provide all year round employment and in some cases this will be in remote areas where job opportunities are thin on the ground.

Some of the so called 'hangers on' are, like the Queen, direct descendants of George V and their grace and favour appartments in Kensington Palace are similar to tied properties albeit on a grander scale. They all performed official duties in the past but are now 'pensioned off'

The younger Royals who are not part of the 'senior team' are expected to support themselves.

I think my 56p is well spent.

I like the Queen and Prince Philip. I like the idea of 'The Queen'.

I don't like the hangers on.
I think a lot of people feel the same so when we see news items telling what who is wearing what and how much it cost, when people are struggling to live and feed their families more than ever, it stings a bit.

That's when people start saying abolish the lot of them.

Just the monarch for me, with a lot less pomp please.

Good post Elegran and sums it up in language we can all understand. Sounded like a good deal to me and probably, bearing mind the tourist draw, cheaper than a republic!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_royal_residences
Scroll down to "Current royal residences by type of residence" to see which are state-owned, which belong to the /crown Estate, which are privately owned etc.

The Crown estate en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Estate "is neither government property nor part of the monarch's private estate"

Once upon a time, a monarch owned the whole country, granting the use of bits of it to those who had helped them win it by conquest and would help govern it. The costs of government and of funding an army to defend it and/conquer other land was met by the monarch himself from income from his possessions.

"Historically, Crown Estate properties were administered by the reigning monarch to help fund the business of governing the country. However, in 1760, George III surrendered control over the Estate's revenues to the treasury, thus relieving him of the responsibility to personally pay for the costs of the civil service, the national debt, and his own personal debts. In return, he received an annual grant known as the Civil List." Each monarch agrres to the continuation of this arrangement upon accession

"The revenues from these hereditary possessions have been placed by the monarch at the disposition of Her Majesty's Government and thus proceed directly to Her Majesty's Treasury for the benefit of the British nation."

Scroll down to "

We don't, as stated!

Just how many cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws do we house and supply with body guards?

Simply curious.

They have. Only immediate members of the family have round the clock protection, the others, only when they're on official duties, this includes Prince Andrew and his family, and Prince Edward ditto. I think you'll find other heads of state have the same, particularly in these times of increased terrorist threats.

I thought they had had their bodyguards taken away?
(remember that photo where the DGD looked scared?)

Does America house the presidents cousins, in laws, nieces and nephews , supply them all with body guards

Ummmmm!!!

Who? Me? Never!!

Are you taking the Michael?!!!!!