UKers and The Royal Family

[RedGlitter]

Buttercup made me wonder about this when she asked here if I thought Americans would have liked to have had a royal family.

I would like to ask the UK members if you like having your Royal Family?

How do you feel about them?

Do they and their pageantry give you a sense of pride? Or do some of their antics embarrass you?

Who was/is your favorite member? Your least favorite?

What would you say is the best thing about them and the worst?

Do you resent having to keep them in their gilded lifestyle? Or do you consider that necessary?

Do you find the American fascination with them weird?

I'm interested in knowing this and also anything else you have to say about them.

Thanks.

[spot]

RedGlitter;1000239 wrote: I would like to ask the UK members if you like having your Royal Family?


The simple matter as far as the United Kingdom is concerned is the possible alternatives to our current constitutional monarchy.

Every country has a Head of State. Each Head of State has differing powers within that country. Either the position is hereditary or, each time the position becomes vacant, someone has to be appointed to it or elected to it.

In every country there have to be real people who are Head of the Armed Forces, Head of the Judiciary, Head of the Legislature, Head, if there is one, of the National Church. Every one of those people can abuse their office for their own benefit or that of their party.

The UK constitutional system gives all those positions to the monarch and then has day-to-day functionaries beneath her to do the actual job. The person actually doing the job ends up with far less power than they would if the monarch weren't above them. The constitution entrusts those roles to the monarch under an agreement that the monarch will only exercise that power in times of emergency. For a hundred years that's exactly what's happened. Nobody has used the office of Head of the Armed Forces, Head of the Judiciary, Head of the Legislature or Head of the Church of England for their own benefit or that of their party. I don't think you'd find that's the case in any other country on earth.

Nothing else is as important as that constitutional function, the one that avoids having an appointed or elected Head of State who changes on a frequent basis and has access to that degree of power.

The cost of this advantage is paid by a single family who are obliged, solely because of their loyalty to the office they're born into, to live their entire lives in the glare of worldwide gossip and opinion. One can only feel sorry for them and grateful that they submit to the ordeal. The country benefits, the family suffers with very few complaints over the years. They know their duty. The longer the system can continue, the longer we can avoid the alternatives. All the alternatives are far worse.

[kazalala]

Thats bit harsh Ian:wah: I dunno they are people with feelings the same as us, they are just brought up in a different world really. I dont suppose they asked to be born in to royalty, and i think i definately wouldnt like to live their life I loved the Queen Mum. I like the Queen, and like the princes William and Harry, and i LIked Diana:) They must always be having to think about anything they do or say in case they offend Although it seems Prince Phillip does'nt have that ability

[Imladris]

RedGlitter;1000239 wrote: Buttercup made me wonder about this when she asked here if I thought Americans would have liked to have had a royal family.



I would like to ask the UK members if you like having your Royal Family?

How do you feel about them? In general I like having them, it's a link to our history stretching back hundreds of years.



Do they and their pageantry give you a sense of pride? The pomp and ceremony is something to be proud of, as a country we do that well. If you take the time to research it (I don't usually!) there are reasons for all the traditions that again link us to our past. Or do some of their antics embarrass you? Yes - it's a knockout particularly!



Who was/is your favorite member? Your least favorite? fave - the Queen, always dedicated, always hard working and Princess Ann, she works hard and seems to be fairly grounded. Least fave - don't really have one, just like some more than others



What would you say is the best thing about them and the worst? the best - probably the things they do that don't get much publicity but they do them anyway, lots of the charity work that doesn't get into the press but the recognition for the people involved with the charities mean so much. The worst - the younger Royals falling out of nightclubs half-cut.



Do you resent having to keep them in their gilded lifestyle? Or do you consider that necessary? No and yes.



Do you find the American fascination with them weird? Not at all, you have strong links historically with us, you share a language, we find you fascinating why shouldn't you be interested?



I'm interested in knowing this and also anything else you have to say about them.

Thanks.


:D :driving::-6

[gmc]

RedGlitter;1000239 wrote: Buttercup made me wonder about this when she asked here if I thought Americans would have liked to have had a royal family.

I would like to ask the UK members if you like having your Royal Family?

How do you feel about them?

Do they and their pageantry give you a sense of pride? Or do some of their antics embarrass you?

Who was/is your favorite member? Your least favorite?

What would you say is the best thing about them and the worst?

Do you resent having to keep them in their gilded lifestyle? Or do you consider that necessary?

Do you find the American fascination with them weird?

I'm interested in knowing this and also anything else you have to say about them.

Thanks.


Ambivalent is the best way to put it. We have a peculiar constitution that works for us of which the queen is an important part. It's unwritten so we don't have the hangups about changing things with the times countries with written ones seem to have and argue about what we want rather than whether we should.

The monarchy is useful on those occasions when you need something we can all identify with. On the other hand republican sentiment ebbs and flows depending on what is happening at the time. Real power lies in parliament-(nowadays we keep our army small to make sure they don't take over) all it would take is a snap of the fingers to do away with them-though I doubt we would execute them in this day and age.

[G#Gill]

I agree with Spot.

Why is our Royal Family so popular internationally ? Because other countries envy us still having a traditional 'Head of State', with all the pomp and ceremony that goes with it - The Royal Family is probably our biggest tourist attraction ( and for that alone, they should be retained IMO ). I believe the Americans are so fond of our 'royals' because of all the 'pomp and ceremony', and because they are a 'family'.

True, certain members of the royal family cause a stir - this is only because they are all in the public eye most of the time. If they were just a family like 'Joe Bloggs' family, no notice would be taken of the various shortcomings - and it must be so difficult to 'behave' 100% of the time, after all they are human beings with human failings, just like you and me.

However, I cannot see who will be suitable to take over the mantle of 'King' or 'Queen', except possibly young William.

I quite like Prince Philip, he is a grumpy old curmudgeon now, and he is not afraid to voice an opinion. Although there have been some very notable times when he hasn't put his brain into gear before opening his mouth - and that is unforgivable. Princess Anne is very like her father, and she doesn't suffer fools easily, either. She is probably the hardest worker of all the 'Royals'. Charles also can speak his mind, and has set feelings on things ecological, but he has damaged his reputation over the Camilla business - it's just a pity those two didn't get married long before Diana came on the scene, when they were both single (not sure who's fault that was !).



All in all, I believe that for all their shortcomings etc, the Royal Family bring far more money into the UK than money used for their 'upkeep', and they also bring a certain traditional stability - which, I believe, is envied by many countries throughout the world.

Can you imagine Gordon Brown as an all-powerful president ?????

Mind you I don't suppose it really matters, as we're headed rapidly towards being a 'third world' country anyway! This is my opinion.

[RedGlitter]

I appreciate all of you for replying. I'm enjoying hearing your side of it and I hope you guys have even more to say. I'm finding this interesting.

[SlipStream]

Don't rate em tall:)