Prince Phillip

Lots of criticism it seems about Philip. I have read a lot and watched him over the years and he has tried to do a lot. He is grumpy but so?

SHW, or something that in any other person would have required a stretcher but Philip was too stubborn to accept one!

sodapop
Apologies, Edward the 7th not St Thomas.

My in laws, same generation as HM and PP, were intensely private people. I found out the hard way that she hated people seeing her in hospital and didn’t appreciate people calling at the house without notice. Totally opposite to my family who would have been hurt if they had been ignored or bypassed.

My Mum cleaned for various older affluent people as I was growing up and majority of them had separate rooms often with single beds. One couple in particular adored each other but didn’t share a bed which is their prerogative. Presumably they either followed their familial pattern. My OH often sleeps separately though it’s not a problem if and when we share a bed. He snores VERY LOUDLY and I like to read til I fall asleep, often in the early hours of the morning.

It’s interesting how the media and some members of the public state unverified opinions as facts about HM and her family. Pity she’ll never be in a position to defend herself or her loved ones. I thought she looked rather pale and uncertain on the news a few nights ago but most 90+ year olds have good and bad days I guess.

At the opening of Parliament ReadyMeals any of us who may want a republic for instance, such as Sinn Fein supporters, since the minute they decided to take their seats, they'd have had to either drop their stance against the crown or perjure themselves by swearing a false oath several of the SNP MP’s crossed their fingers and held them aloft on tv.

Is that what they were meaning? Non-allegiance?

I do hate the fact that you can’t correct your own posts! Shades of controlling Big Brother!

You can Sussexborn if you preview your post first. I don’t always - and then get cross with myself for being too hasty!

I have more respect for Sinn Fein MP’s than the SNP MP’s who publicly snubbed the oath.

The Royals never seem to visit their family when they are ill. I don't believe the Queen even visited her mother or sister towards the end either.

It's pretty poor, in my opinion, and doesn't reflect well on her, especially as she is on her Christmas break now. It's not as if she has to use that time, like most people, to rush around getting last minute shopping in, cooking it and clearing up afterwards but would still find the time to visit sick older members of the family! I can't see H and M rushing back either!

Anniebach I am inclined to agree. I thought it looks a bit childish to be crossing their fingers, as well as disrespectful to the basis of oath taking - and God, if they were swearing the religious form of the oath. Sinn Fein have at least maturely stated their position.

If the queen visited a hospital, parking would be restricted, visitors checked, corridors cleared

@Sussexborn, actually there is nothing constitutionally stopping the Queen making statements defending hers and her family's personal decisions and habits, should she wish to. She has put a lot of personal choice into the way she interprets her role. Most people seem to agree her ways have been wise. But I think we will see changes of mode during future reigns.

The Queen is sensible keeping to ‘never complain, never explain’ . She has no wish to feed the media.

So Prince Philip was flown by helicopter from the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk to London before being driven to the King Edward VII Hospital in Marylebone.

Pity there was no helicopter to rush Donna Gilby to hospital.
Poor woman, 47y died on Thursday after lying in the street for six hours waiting for an ambulance in South Wales.

She had previous conditions too, suffered two mini strokes.

I can’t help but think - no wonder all the Royals look so well with top notch physicians and surgeons on stand by. No waiting for a GP appointment for them! Got a twinge? Anxious about some worrying symptoms? “Do get Jeeves to make a call please”.

I imagine he's got a UTI and has gone a bit more doolally than would be OK for a Christmas houseful to deal with.
I'm probably wrong, of course. Maybe he'll be helicoptered off to Sandringham in time to say, "You stupid boy" to Andrew over Christmas lunch.

Urmstongran- totally agree with you. So why did they say he had been driven in an 'ordinary' car then???

I like to think that if the Queen is on Gransnet, she's using the name Brenda.

Yes there is no doubt that easy access to top medical care has played a part There have however been some cases in the news recently about long waits for ambulances where the patient could have been helped into a car without causing any extra problems, but people tend to be worried about doing so, and the health service doesn't help by not having A&E at all hospitals so anyone who might have helped with a lift isn't sure where they would take them. I checked out my own local health area's guidelines for what to do when there is an emergency or urgent care need, and it listed when to call 111 and when to call an ambulance and when to use your local urgent care centre - but nowhere was there a list of hospitals you could take an emergency to if you were taking them yourself - leaving totally no choice but to call 999 in an emergency.

jura2, the initial reports were just saying "he didn't travel in an ambulance" so people were assuming it was a car. Actually I think the helicopter probably landed a little way away and he did the final few minutes by car. I have also read since that he was initially taken to the local hospital near Sandringham, and from there it was organised to transfer him. That must be the "planned" bit. I don't suppose the initial spell in the local hospital had been planned.

The Royals never seem to visit their family when they are ill. I don't believe the Queen even visited her mother or sister towards the end either.

It's pretty poor, in my opinion, and doesn't reflect well on her, especially as she is on her Christmas break now.

Different families do things differently. I don’t think it reflects poorly on her at all.

There is a lot to complain about with the royals, but that seems like a silly stand to make

The Queen was with the Queen Mother when she died, at least that was reported at the time. The Queen Mother’s niece was also there. Her name escapes me, she is now dead also, but featured in many Royal documentaries. She and the Queen were very close I believe.

Maybe he'll be helicoptered off to Sandringham in time to say, "You stupid boy" to Andrew over Christmas lunch.

I'll let you know, Paperback. The helicopter flies over us as we live alongside the Kings Lynn to London railway line and they use it to navigate. We heard it heading south last night so maybe it's waiting to take him back to Sandringham.

Who knows??

Violetham, I agree with you re Charles. He and Camilla are not going to be popular with a lot of the nation. People have long memories.

Many people accept marriages break down

Summerlove, you say "the royals" but the only examples you give are of the queen and who she did and didn't visit in hospital. I wonder if we can remember instances of other royal couples and how they dealt with hospital stays? I am not sure I can, other than when Kate has been in hospital William has visited daily. When Charles had a broken arm, Camilla travelled to be near him (even though he was still married to Diana, technically). No I think we're so used to the Queen and her ways of being the Queen that we're somehow assuming the rest of her family are the same in certain respects that they might not be. The Queen and Duke are doing what suits them as a couple and all the other couples I hope feel free to have their relationships their own way.