News for the next 9 months

[legalbeagle]

You miserable bunch. I is still waving my flag whotever you say innit.

[Brendan]

Fergi, who has a host of Ducks and Barons etc in her family tree was still considered a commoner.

[Loz]

Jeremy Wrote:

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> It's a good job she's not from the nobility, the

> royal family probably need to expand their gene

> pool a little bit.

I thought Diana already did that with Harry?

[wee quinnie]

Do we assume the money for this comes from whatever the original budget was for the Royals last year, or is this going to require an additional wodge?

[Jah Lush]

Is there no escape from the fucking royal wedding? As well as everything else in the media about this tedious subject I shall also be ignoring this thread for the next nine months.

[Ridgley]

Magpie - her parents are middle class thats is not common

[Jeremy]

Loz Wrote:

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> Jeremy Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > It's a good job she's not from the nobility, the

> > royal family probably need to expand their gene

> > pool a little bit.

>

> I thought Diana already did that with Harry?

True, but that didn't help William much, did it?

[VeryBerryCherry]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> Indeed Hal. I said as much earlier. It's just

> the media frenzy to come that bothers

Yes, I totally agree. Good luck to them and the news is great. The media frenzy is the real problem.

What really bugged me most of all today was the TV news media comments that, ?It is not likely that they will marry in Westminster as this is too much of a reminder of his mother?s funeral?... No, YOU reporting it every 10 minutes is too much of a reminder of his mother?s death.

It?s that attitude and stance that annoys me most, the tone is always as though they are standing on, only as bystanders like us, commenting on the media frenzy as if they have no part in it!

[HAL9000]

What are the odds: The Queen abdicates, the succession skips Charles and William becomes King soon after the euphoria of the wedding?

One couldn?t wish for a better public relations opportunity to facilitate such an unusual transition, in my view.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Doubt it. Charles' job now is to provide a buffer for his son, during which time the Prince can have a life and career before becoming King.

The Queen is of the old school and will stay on the pot until she falls off it (which could be another 10 to 20 years), Charles will have say 10 to 20 years, so William has 20 to 30 years before he ascends.

[mockney piers]

com?mon?er   

?noun

British .

a.any person ranking below a peer; a person without a title of nobility.

b.a member of the House of Commons.

Brendan has it. Ridgely, I'm fascinated by what you would consider to be 'common'

[Loz]

HAL9000 Wrote:

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> What are the odds: The Queen abdicates, the

> succession skips Charles and William becomes King

> soon after the euphoria of the wedding?

I agree with MP - pretty much zero. And nor should it, I believe. I mean, the poor bloke has been waiting all his life for the job and I think he'll do it just fine. Charles will be almost certainly about 70 when he takes the throne, so he will not hold onto it for a great deal of time, anyway.

I am 50/50 monarchist - not good for Australia, but the system works for Britain pretty well and I cannot see it being abolished here any time soon. It doesn't actually cost much and provides a pretty good service for the money. And just consider the alternatives...

[HAL9000]

The longer the succession is delayed, the greater the risk it passes to an allegedly illegitimate lineage.

In a worst-case scenario - would Harry's succession be sealed by a paternity test or would he go the way of his mother?

[Loz]

Good point HAL - I say the monarchy is safe, but should William have a nasty helicopter accident, the resulting constitutional crisis could actually bring the monarchy down.

Unless, of course, the white Fiat makes a reappearance...

[Tarot]

I would have thought he,d have kept that ring for his possible daughter, or have it made into a pendant. Might be a nice sentiment his mothers ring etc,but it seems his mothers spectre has just put a wedge between them. I dont know of any woman that would not have liked her own ring.

[Brendan]

Loz Wrote:

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> It doesn't actually cost much and provides a

> pretty good service for the money. And just

> consider the alternatives...

Giving the royal family free run of Buckingham palace and paying them a stipend of a few million quid a year plus expenses in order to perform their constitutional duties would represent value for money. Allowing the Crown and select group of aristocrats to own almost 70% of the country does not.

[Ridgley]

I always thought, that commoner is a person who comes from a less well to do background or is this too much of watching up stairs down stairs Mockeny;-)

[Polly D]

Agree a bit weird to give Kate his mother's engagement ring, given the state of that marriage, but (to me), if one thing came out of yesterday's news and coverage it's that Will seems, well, quite nice and normal really.

[Loz]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Loz Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > It doesn't actually cost much and provides a

> > pretty good service for the money. And just

> > consider the alternatives...

>

> Giving the royal family free run of Buckingham

> palace and paying them a stipend of a few million

> quid a year plus expenses in order to perform

> their constitutional duties would represent value

> for money. Allowing the Crown and select group of

> aristocrats to own almost 70% of the country does

> not.

You are extending the concept of monarchy to something that would not change in the event of GB becoming a republic.

The annual upkeep of the monarchy is in the millions. Replacing it with an elected President would cost roughly the same, minus the tourist pulling money. And do you think Britain's interests are best served by a visit to (insert name of country we are trying to impress) by the Queen or President Tony Blair?

Also, you can bet that the upcoming wedding will be a (big) net plus to the economy.

[legalbeagle]

Tarot Wrote:

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> I would have thought he,d have kept that ring for

> his possible daughter, or have it made into a

> pendant. Might be a nice sentiment his mothers

> ring etc,but it seems his mothers spectre has just

> put a wedge between them. I dont know of any woman

> that would not have liked her own ring.

Well I wouldn't care. If I loved him and was happy, and it was a significant thing for him to give me a particular piece of jewellry, or none at all, I wouldn't care.

[HAL9000]

I can't help feeling it may be a carefully thought-out public relations exercise to dispel any perception of extravagant expenditure during a period of massive public spending cuts by demonstrating that even the heir to the throne is into recycling.

If it isn?t ? it?s a lost opportunity.

[Tarot]

If they were normal,say Joe Bloggs that ring would have been sold and proceeds shared with other brotherB)

[HonaloochieB]

Any news whether there'll be a national holiday yet?

Soon as anyone hears, let us know, there's a looby.

[HAL9000]

Just sharing this link as I found it quite interesting: Ancestry of Kate Middleton

[HonaloochieB]

I heard the Cam make mention of a national holiday a few days ago. Good work posh bloke.