Are the Royal Family losing their touch?

Callistemon21

Gilly3

Me three PECS.
Who were the couple in the same row as the York girls and spouses right on the aisle end? PA could have replaced them and sat with his family.

The Earl of Snowdon and his daughter?

I suppose there were two seats on that row and one on the end of the front row so it seems logical who should have sat where.

Gagajo I think even as a very old lady she has all her marbles and is canny I believe she is well aware of public opinion and wanted him by her side It was a clear message to her ‘subjects’

I think when Charles and Camilla are king and queen there should be those two and William and Kate that’s it
Anne is old enough to retire Andrew s not wanted and we see so little of Edward and Sophie they aren’t needed Harry s removed himself so that’s all that’s needed
That’s in answer to annie

Whitewavemark2

Aveline

Sigh. He's not a paedophile!

He is under American law. Under U.K. law he took part in sex trafficking. The Met haven’t ever had the balls to investigate, much like others in power who we should be able to trust but can’t.

Aveline is correct. It is not correct to call somebody who has sex with somebody under the age of consent a paedophile. A paedophile is sexually attracted to somebody who has not reached puberty and it is generally agreed that the age of puberty is normally around 12 years of age. Prince Andrew is many unpleasant things but there is no evidence to suggest that he is a paedophile.

Thank you Jane43. Others are obviously not aware of this.

Thank you for that information. So what is someone who rapes a person under the age of consent?

This would have taken place in the USA as I believe the age of consent is higher than the U.K.

Actually I guess I’ve answered the question.

A rapist.

As an admirer of the Queen, I think it sent a very bad message out to the public having Andrew escort his mother at Prince Philips funeral, it should have been Charles, mothers favourite or not. As someone 2nd always puts duty first this was a bad call. The public have to put up with this sort of thing whilst the Queen is alive, but his exit will be swift after. I felt sorry to William and Kate on that tour, they are a remarkable couple and very loved, this trip was outdated and came over as such. They were doing as instructed, by whom? The advisors need a shake up. With Harry putting the knife in whenever possible, hope he never visits again, Andrew with all shady money deals and friends, swanning all over the world on freebies, the ultimate freeloader, the royal family’s are in danger of holding their position, which would be a shame there are some good members still of the royal family, they should stop all subsidised apartments for all but the main eight, the rest work for a living they’ve had the education and the contacts.

we see so little of Edward and Sophie they aren’t needed

I must challenge that. They might not be seen at the most newsworthy, front page events, but they are quietly and diligently doing their bit, often at the more under recognised and not so headline grabbing occasions.

I think they are a huge support to the Queen, and I suspect will still be needed when Charles ascends the throne.

The one thing I like about HM is that her stylists put her in bold blocky coloured outfits that make her stand out in a crowd. Bookmakers even take bets on what colour she’ll be wearing at some of her engagements like Ascot ( this counts as a duty folks). Charles in a navy suit will not have the same appeal to photographers- this is when the focus will be on Camilla and Kate and what they are wearing etc. I seem to recall Charles hated that Diana got more attention than him so not sure how well that goes down. I think this basically shows how shallow the press are and the real position of the royals just as distractions to gawp at and gossip about.

Gilly3

Not that anyone would really want to sit next to Boris.

Best seat for both of them. Equally unpleasant.

I don’t think Charles would mind about Camilla getting attention, because he obviously loves her dearly and is very proud of her.

I don’t think she will command as much photo coverage as Catherine in the future, however, but C has shown that style and beauty wise, she is certainly on a par with her late mother in law.

vegansrock I think Charles adores Camilla so I don’t think he’d mind if she got attention but Camilla is quite laid back and I don’t think she looks for attention at all

I don’t think Charles would mind at all if Camilla got attention, they are a team, I loved Diana, hate the way they used her, but he’s not in competition with Camilla and they are happy together.

I think that it was perfectly acceptable for Prince Andrew to attend the service and to accompany the Queen, particularly as both ( for different reasons) would be avoiding the press by using a discrete entrance. However at that point I think he should have gone to his rightful seat in the front row with his siblings. The Queen could then have been escorted the last few yards by the Dean of Westminster.

I think he should not be playing a part in the Jubilee celebrations. His presence at his father’s memorial unfortunately caused far more publicity and comment than the event itself. Surely the Jubilee should centre entirely on the Queen.

As for Ascot, I agree that it is unlikely that the Queen will attend each day, although as one of her horses is a favourite to win one of the races, she may make an exception on that day. However, the idea that Andrew would be sitting in an open carriage being cheered down the course beggars belief.

I think the Royal family is in a precarious position at the moment and I hope that the Queen is being made fully aware of this rather than being sheltered from the fact

The Royal Family has a strong survival instinct. It has been in many a precarious position during the Queen’s reign but so far the British public has been prepared to forgive and forget and carrying on waving the flag. Perhaps the Queen thought that since Charles and Camilla have been forgiven then the same will apply to Andrew.
Interesting that the Royal women seem to be evaluated on their sense of style and beauty. No wonder Anne put two fingers up to that a long time ago.

Maybe PA has got sweaty legs Gilly3,he needs air circulating around them.

I don’t think the public will forgive and forget in Andrew’s case. The Diana, Charles, Camilla saga was very different and most people understand that marriages fail, divorces happen, and infidelity is common, and so despite this unhappy saga being played out in front of the public, most would see it as part of life. We can also see that Camilla has made Charles happy, and that she gets on with her royal duties quietly and diligently.
However, Andrew has been accused of some particularly unsavoury behaviour involving very young women, and also of associating with extremely unsavoury people. Now we have the accusation of suspicious dealings with regard to money as well. It is fairly well known that he is arrogant and entitled. Whilst he has not stood up in court and been convicted, he has certainly been convicted in the court of public opinion. It seems very likely that he did indeed engage in these activities because he has paid a substantial amount of money to the victim in order to avoid a court case.
If the Queen is hoping that Andrew’s misdemeanours will be forgiven and forgotten I think she is very much mistaken. These events will not be forgotten by the public, and if Andrew continues to be seen at the Queen’s side during public events, the monarchy is likely to lose much public support.

I didn’t know other women have come forward and said they
had sex with Andrew ,

There's a whole other thread about people's plans for street parties and so on.

It's PR. Pure and simple. Bread and circuses.

We'll see how that goes.

Anniebach

I didn’t know other women have come forward and said they
had sex with Andrew ,

Read what Epstein offered the men both in the USA and his private island.

Windsor was a frequent visitor to both, and I suspect not for the good of his health.

His announcement at the time of paying out the 12 million that he was going to do everything in his power to stop the sort of activities both Epstein and friends took part in and to support the women who had suffered as a result is beginning to ring very hollow.

Arrogance and entitlement are hard qualities to overcome aren’t they?

We had a kind of small street party during lockdown for the 75 years anniversary of VE Day. We all sat outside, it was a lovely day, and some people dressed in 1940s style clothing, and we took our own drinks and nibbles. All socially distanced of course.
I won’t be attending any street parties for the jubilee. I might watch a bit on television.

Whitewavemark2

Anniebach

I didn’t know other women have come forward and said they
had sex with Andrew ,

Read what Epstein offered the men both in the USA and his private island.

Windsor was a frequent visitor to both, and I suspect not for the good of his health.

His announcement at the time of paying out the 12 million that he was going to do everything in his power to stop the sort of activities both Epstein and friends took part in and to support the women who had suffered as a result is beginning to ring very hollow.

Arrogance and entitlement are hard qualities to overcome aren’t they?

There's a mini industry engaged in saying things like "It was never proved", "innocent till proven guilty", "where are all these other women then" "She loves her son" and all the rest of it.

The Reputation Management firms must be in overdrive.

The RF are not a quaint vestige of our glorious past, they are a nexus of power intent on maintaining that power in the modern world.

Now I sound like Grany

Yet Whitewave surely after that payout others would do as
Giuffre did ?

Former royalist, and now hold republican views, once QE dies I think the monarchy should be redundant. While it was a memorial service and a ‘family’ event. The worlds press was trained on PA, and I thought it very calculated on his end to walk his mother in, he knew how it would be seen and received, and doesn’t care the damage it will cause to her Majesty’s public image.

I’m fed up with the rest of them. I don’t care for Prince Charles because of Diana, and I agree with his organic etc views but think he is wildly out of touch, and I think Kate and William, and I’ll be pillared for saying it, are very old fashioned. None of my nephews or younger relatives think they are relevant or modern.

The only one I like sans the Queen, is Anne. Sensible and no nonsense type. But I don’t like her enough to support continuing with the monarchy though.

Interesting comment on Kate and William DillytheGardener, I agree.

Princess Anne once almost ran me over in a Land Rover outside Murrayfield. I don't think it was intentional. Probably.