Prince Harry’s engagement

You're right - the rather privileged life-style is in payment for the hours of duty they perform on behalf of the nation and the Commonwealth. The lack of privacy and the rude mocking is not deserved imo.

Who are/were the non-political Heads of State in the world?

1940 - one king and wife, 2 children

1964 - one queen, one husband , 4 children.

Just two more children

Jalima, our world is paying mortgage/rent, cars passing the MOT , or not. Saving for birthdays/Christmas , shopping for groceries on line. Poor bus services, expensive taxi runs, just the normal day to day things. The homeless are not in that world either.

But they have worries as we do. The thought of one's children and grandchildren being mocked constantly must have an effect , that isn't our world.

"Slimmed down" !??? 1940- 1 king, 1 Queen, 2 children

2016 1 queen, 1 Do E, 1PoW, IDof C, 1 P. Andrew, 1 Princess Royal, 2 E&C of Wessex, 1P William and 1 Kate . I can't be bothered to do the rest. Of course it's slimmed down

Actually, the Royal Family has been greatly slimmed down, or at least the ones we pay to do the work we require of them.

I wonder how far this can be taken
I don't know but Edward IV is in my family tree

Just call me HVRH
Most do have, or have had 'proper jobs' including me

No more silly than a group of people who imgine that just being related to a monarch somehow makes a person special and someone who must be treated differently. I wonder how far this can be taken. We used to marry the RF off to the aristocracy in different countries, and at least get rid of some of them. Now there aren't many left to take them, so we are importing spouses or using home grown ones. This is resulting in the RF getting larger and larger. Far too many of them, they need to get proper jobs.

are detatched from our world
Well, I think they may all have more experience of visiting refuges, homeless shelters, hospices, hospitals, running with disabled servicemen, helping the young eg The Prince's Trust etc etc than I ever have.
I'm not saying I have no experience of the lives of those less fortunate than me, but not as much as the Royal Family, and I too, am lucky enough to be able to go back to my humble but warm abode - although it's no palace.

How many charities would suffer if the Royal Family did not support them with their time (and possibly money).

They are already 'on show' enough trisher without turning them into a sideshow for the titillation of republicans.

Not sure 1am, but lets put it down to a rather silly hypothetical observation not worth commenting on, and leave it at that!!

How on earth is HS2 going to benefit the NE. It's only going to Leeds and Manchester.

Do people know how far Leeds and Manchester are from, say, Newcastle?

Are these news items written by geographic illiterates?

Perhaps it was tongue in cheek niggly and my reaction too swift if so.

But Iam64 they would of course be entirely free to refuse the position and get themselves a proper job if that was what they preferred. (Unlike many in the past who had no choice about where they lived or what they did). I just wonder how many of them would be happy to take up the offer as long as they were allowed to keep their rank.

I agree Iam, very strange post, hopefully tongue in cheek! even so, unnecessary and rather cruel. I wonder how other countries view their RF's? I know our Dutch friends are very at ease with theirs, I wouldn't know about Scandinavia or Spain.

Iam, perhaps because they are very wealthy, live privileged lives, in some ways , are detatched from our world , it is easy for some to forget they are human beings, they love, have fears, grieve, bleed as we all do . Their greatest crime for some is I think their wealth , as if wealth solves everything .

trisher- I was shocked by your suggestion that the RF are " installed in heritage buildings and opened to the general public (much like they used to in lunatic asylums)....."
You may feel I'm a cap toffing peasant for my response but I assure you, I'd feel the same if you'd suggested that for anyone.
It's a real curiosity that people who take a similar approach to the need for good public services, ridding our schools and workplaces of bullying for example, throw principles out there window when discussing the RF

"It points out that prime office rents in Newcastle are around one-fifth of rents in the West End of London, adding: “HS2 offers businesses the opportunity to relocate or expand their operations in the North East and Tees Valley and realise significant cost savings while retaining easy access to opportunities in the capital.”

And existing businesses will benefit when it becomes easier to work with partners in other parts of the country, particularly the software technology, gaming and creative businesses based in Newcastle and the growing number of software companies in Sunderland and DigitalCity on Teesside."

Can anyone explain how or why IT and software companies in the North East would benefit from HS2?

I've posted on other threads about using the RF as a tourist attraction and charging to see them, but I've just had another idea! We could alot them to the regions, so everywhere would get someone. They could be installed in heritage buildings and opened to the general public (much like they used to lunatic asylums). We'd have to find a reasonable way of deciding who went where, I suspect no one would want Beatrice and Eugenie!

Tourism certainly in London depends heavily on foreign nationals in our hotels, coffee shops, street cleaners etc, bit ironic that people think the royals benefit an industry which hardly employs any Brits.

Yes dj it was the Grand Central. The experienced was spoiled by massive (dangerous) overcrowding . The York Christmas Market was heaving too and very hard to walk around. Would have been nicer to go mid week .

I haven't even bought any cards yet never mind wrote any ?
Note to self: get a bloomin' move on woman !

I'm off
Don't let the thread meander too much please or I won't be able to keep up at all

Yes, so should I. I got a shock this morning when someone on the radio said it was three weeks tomorrow to the big day.

Do try and keep up.

I should be writing Christmas cards!

gillybob yes, the group I belong to does that all year round. One member collects essentials but also lovely toiletries to take to a local Women's Refuge.
So if anyone is given toiletries this Christmas that they won't use then they would be much appreciated at your local refuge, as well as the normal essentials of course.

"Camilla was at a charity yesterday which supports battered women, she has chosen charities which draw little attention,"

Who said that refuges got little attention?
I didn't dismiss them. I said they should get more.
Don't you agree?

Jalima, not just trains but trains in the north, very important