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:yes:
A magnificent building built by ROYALS as a romantic token of love. Who wouldn't buy into that? People overseas buy into the Royal family in the same sort of way - something magical. Almost no visitor to London would not include a visit to Buckingham Palace in their itinerary and the thrill of the thought that they might also get to see a glimpse of the Queen, just adds to that attraction.
And most of the attractions are centred around the history and buildings of their respective royal families.
That's because he is largely inaccessible.
A parasite? Don't be so harsh on yourself
For all it's worth I respect the job the Queen has done as a monarch. Can you imagine Charles or, god forbid, the likes of Harry as head of State? What if they turn out to be a disaster?
And then of course is the matter of being an entire family being on the take, not just the actual head of State. Siblings, children, grandchildren, cousins...
Proof therefore that you don't need the royal family to still exist in order to buy into the traditions it represents.
I couldn't disagree with your more. The Royal Family are 'living history' and having them about enhances the experience for visitors above just visiting a lifeless exhibition. The Royal family and its associated pageantry are an important attraction.
In British law, a commoner is someone who is neither the Sovereign nor a peer. Therefore, any member of the Royal Family who is not a peer, such as Prince William of Wales or The Princess Royal, is a commoner, as is any member of a peer's family, including someone who holds only a courtesy title. Diana was a commoner.
Do you really think for a second that either William or Harry would be allowed to marry a working class single mother if they wanted to keep their royal status? LOL!
Even the likes of oh-so-perfect Kate Middleton and her upper class family struggle to make the cut, for the grand capital crime of describing a toilet as a 'loo' in front of her Maj.
It's contemptible and alienating to the many millions of "subjects" who are anything less than rich and powerful.
Aladdin, you're talking nonsense, dude. Kate's parents were an airline pilot and an air hostess. Hardly 'upper class' - or 'rich and powerful'. In fact, they are as 'common' as you or me.
They are certainly millionaires.
But you are actually illustrating my point by revealing that information about her parents. As it has been widely documented in the media, Her Majesty is not amused by Kate Middleton's mother and her terribly vulgar ways (I mean, would you want your son to marry someone whose mother describes a bathroom as a 'loo'? Heaven forbid!).
So a privately educated (in one of the best schools in the country) purer than pure English Rose is still met with reservations because of her family's not so aristocratic background and use of language. Do you think that's normal or healthy?
And to repeat my earlier question, do you think the Queen would allow William to marry a single mother?
They're a bunch of deluded people dettached from anything resembling normal life (by their own choosing and self-belief of being somehow superior and more worthy than their "subjects"). They deserve contempt not admiration.
Lol! Suddenly you believe everything that you read in the papers????
Self-made millionaires selling party accessories etc. They became millionaires through hard work. One can hardy point a finger at them for that.
Even if the 'loo' incident wasn't true, I think the fact that the Queen does not approve of the relationship is beyond questioning.
So do you think the Queen would allow William to marry a single mother or not?
Her 'approval' is 'beyond questioning'???? On what grounds of fact do you base that assertion? Do you think the Queen relays her concerns in off-the-cuff remarks to journalists, do you? If William knew Kate was so unacceptable to his grandmother, why would he still pursue a relationship that would be going nowhere?
Regarding William and a single mother, she may well not 'approve' but in this day and age, would not have much say in it. She is wise enough to know her reservations would be unacceptable to the greater British public.
I think you greatly underestimate the lengths the royals will go to preserve the traditions they see as right.
Again, I put it to you, why would William continue to see Kate when he might fear his grandmother's opinion? Perhaps the Queen is not all that fond of Kate's parents after all but, as with relationships/marriages everywhere, often the in-laws are not particularly popular anyway.
Do you think Charles would stand by now and watch his children be miserable and unhappy, as he was, to keep some 'tradition' alive? From the day they were born, Charles broke with tradition (not having his sons circumcised, for instance) and the fact that he gets involved with all sorts of high profile issues is an indication that he is not going to be a reclusive monarch as they had been in the old days.
I know people are often quite rude about Prince Philip but he was the one that actually started the slow and gradual process into modernity for the Royal family. But this even more enlightened, new age of media has ensured that the Royal family has to change, is changing and will change. I think Charles and William are up for the challenge.
You can't compare the Spanish royal family to ours because since 1931, there wasn't one and so when Juan Carlos was crowned, it was in the modern era. He was able to come in as a 'new monarch' and was able to set his ground rules accordingly.
Probably not Charles, seeing as he was all but forced to marry a woman he didn't love at all (and it was Brenda and Philip doing applying the pressure of course).
It is both wrong and tragic that parents will choose their children's spouses for them. It happens all the time all over the world of course- so long as we all agree that anyone who does that is not a very nice person at all, regardless of whether they might be peasants in India or the Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the other Commonwealth realms.
When have visitors to Buckingham Palace ever got to see members of royalty? It doesn't even make it into the top 10 tourist attractions in London ffs, so I'm sure taking away the possibility that the queen might be inside isn't going to hit the tourist numbers to London massively. Maybe they'll even increase with it being opened up more. Who said anything about getting rid of things like the changing of the guard?
If you don't want Royalty, have a proper debate rather than attacking them as individuals because they are old people of a completely different generation. I am quite sure that your own Spanish grandmother would disapprove of things which a modern person would accept quite happily (e.g. if you married a divorcee ... shock and horror to her Catholic beliefs).
I used Buckingham Palace as an example. I never stated that it was the top attraction. And most of the time, people don't catch a glimpse of her - but they do entertain the possibility. And why would they continue to change the guard if there wasn't anyone to guard? It would be axed in a cost cutting exercise.
If your child came home and said they were getting married to a prominent bnp member/activist would you embrace the situation positively for the sake of your child ?
It's all very well for you to like the monarchy and think it's the best system around. But don't try to pretend the royals are jolly nice people or have not done deplorable things as well.
Are you, or do you work for, a Mr Al Fayed?
It was the fuggin' Duke of Edinburgh what done it!!
Can you imagine having such man as a King and not being able to remove him? How much damage to the countries interests would have he done by the end of his reign?
Whilst I agree that the Duke is awesome and is a reminder of a byegone age of Britain, I don't agree with your view that were he king, he would have damaged the country's interests by now.
Whilst the monarch has technical power (e.g. all land in the UK is technically the property of the monarch and all laws must be signed by the monarch or a delegate), practically speaking, theirs is a largely ambassadorial and ceremonial role.
Perhaps it's because he acknowledges that he is, strictly speaking, a subject of his wife and thus the attention is, more often than not, on her, he can perhaps get away with this. I don't think that, were he the head of state, he would be daft enough to say half of the things he does.
I personally love the fact that we have a royal family. It's part of our national identity, a major tourist draw and under a constitutional monarchy, which is what we've basically had since Magna Carta and power has continued to devolve from throne to ballot ever since, we've done incredibly well for ourselves.
Perhaps it's because you're a foreigner (and I mean this in a non-Nick Griffin way), that you have a more cynical view of our Royal Family. Whilst I speak Spanish and have been there more times than I care to mention and I understand why Juan Carlos II enjoys such a special place in the hearts of most Spaniards (not least for his "por que no te callas" comment to Hugo Chavez), the Spanish Royal Family do not arouse the same sense of pride in me as they might do in your average Spaniard.
To those who oppose and would abolish the monarchy, what would you have instead?
I think that it is good to have the head of state as someone who is free of political considerations and does not have to worry about the kind of short-termism that tends to dominate elected politics. Can you imagine the Church run by a Government department? Or would it be devolved back to Rome?
For those who would abolish the monarch, you do realise that were the monarchy to be abolished tomorrow, the most likely candidate for President of the UK would probably be Peter Mandelson. Just think about that.