UKH

Are we sitting comfortably ? then I'll begin. In a land (not very) far far away there lived a young prince and his newly wedded princess bride. One day, tired of their arduous ribbon cutting duties and endless royal variety shows, they got to pondering the age old conundrum of 'Schrödinger's Cake', was it possible to 'still have their cake whilst having patently already eaten it ? perhaps moving the cake (in a box) to a the mythical Shangri La of Neverland just accross the shinning sea would allow the royal cake to regenerate without incurring those pesky blisters from the ribbon cutting scissors and chapped lips from kissing all those plebian offspring.

So despite having their many palaces freshly refurbed in precious metals and jewells, they 'up-sticked' and relocated to the land of milk and honey where they could live quietly as 'mega celebrities' whilst still having the old cake shipped in from the old country where the dutiful proles toiled all hours in the royal bakery to ensure a plentiful supply.

So long (suckers) and thanks for all the cake!

And they all lived happy ever after.

Apparently the daily mail has devoted 17 pages to this. 

I think I can sort of understand his point

Until the prince wakes up one day and realises his princess is as mad as a box of frogs. She exits and finds love with owners of yachts, shops and mansions full of cake. Prince uses his royal connections and she sadly dies of a cake over dose. Their offspring are forced to walk behind their mother's coffin on national tv, mentally disturbing them for life. The cycle continues. 

The King asked
 The Queen, and
 The Queen asked
 The Dairymaid:
 "Could we have some butter for
 The Royal slice of bread?"
 The Queen asked the Dairymaid,
 The Dairymaid
 Said, "Certainly,
 I'll go and tell the cow
Now
Before she goes to bed."
  The Dairymaid
 She curtsied,
 And went and told
 The Alderney:
 "Don't forget the butter for
 The Royal slice of bread."
 The Alderney
 Said sleepily:
 "You'd better tell
 His Majesty
 That many people nowadays
  Like marmalade
 Instead."
 The Dairymaid
 Said, "Fancy!"
 And went to
 Her Majesty.
 She curtsied to the Queen, and
 She turned a little red:
 "Excuse me,
 Your Majesty,
 For taking of
 The liberty,
 But marmalade is tasty, if
 It's very
 Thickly
 Spread."
 The Queen said
"Oh!:
 And went to
 His Majesty:
 "Talking of the butter for
 The royal slice of bread,
 Many people
 Think that
 Marmalade
 Is nicer.
 Would you like to try a little
 Marmalade
 Instead?"
 The King said,
 "Bother!"
 And then he said,
 "Oh, deary me!"
 The King sobbed, "Oh, deary me!"
 And went back to bed.
 "Nobody,"
 He whimpered,
 "Could call me
 A fussy man;
 I only want
 A little bit
 Of butter for
 My bread!" The Queen said,
 "There, there!"
 And went to
 The Dairymaid.
 The Dairymaid
 Said, "There, there!"
 And went to the shed.
 The cow said, "There, there!
 I didn't really
 Mean it;
 Here's milk for his porringer,
 And butter for his bread."
 The Queen took
 The butter
 And brought it to
 His Majesty;
 The King said,
 "Butter, eh?"
 And bounced out of bed.
 "Nobody," he said,
 As he kissed her
 Tenderly,
 "Nobody," he said,
 As he slid down the banisters,
 "Nobody,
 My darling,
 Could call me
 A fussy man -
BUT
I do like a little bit of butter to my bread

 Very good. Not sure about the analogy though.......surely the cake is there whether the box open or not😊

Brilliant Birdie. haven't heard that for 50 odd years. Thanks for the nostalgia.

Hasn't Prince Edward already achieved what harry and megan want?  Shouldn't be too hard for them to disappear.

As I watched the news last night, I commented that the Daily Express would (a) be exploding and (b) have 15 pages devoted to the story. It seems I wasn't far off!

Schrödinger's Cake?

Battenburg surely!

Is next week too soon for them to be financially independent?

And apart from that, does anybody care?

What an unpleasant bunch you lot are. 

Regardless of your views on the royals the lad has put himself up for service, quite literally in the line of fire, which is more than many on here. He haS then gone on to do huge amounts in the name of disabled sports and other causes.

He had no choice in his birth  circumstances and has a right, like  it or not, to have a little dignity and not to have to suffer, along with his wife, the barrage of shit and racism that they have received.

There are many royals who deserve your criticism. Harry isnt one of them. Get some humility FFS.

In other news - couple with young child decide to change jobs and lifestyle, relocate, and try become more financially independent (as their current setup is making them miserable and damaging their family life).

Why does anyone feel they have any right to tell them otherwise?

Oh yeah, the 'royal' thing. Well, Harry didn't choose that for himself.

And the main limitation on them becoming financially independent is security they wouldn't even need if it wasn't for him being a royal.

Good luck to them. Personally, I'd wind up the whole Monarchy nonsense, but since that isn't on the cards, what else are they supposed to do if it's all too much for them to cope with?

Whilst I don't really care either way about H&M, if I had £29 MILLION pounds I'd consider myself to be financially independent already.

Even if you had to defend your, and your family's, home and travel arrangements at all times from people interested in kidnapping and worse - at the same time as, whether or not you like it, having a huge public profile with media and others following your every move, and being expected to meet a number of obligations due to the status of the rest of your family?

They really don't have the option of just getting a nice 4 bedroom semi-detached house in the commuter belt and travelling to work by bus or by driving their trusty Skoda Octavia.

Also, I think that £29M his "net worth", not money he actually has - never mind actual income he can use for the above.

All the same, I don't imagine financial worries are likely to end up being a huge problem for them, no.

I'm not a big fan of royalty as an institution, or "celebrity culture" in general, but...

They're two young people who seem like they're in love and happy together and are trying to find a way to live the only lives they're going to get. They didn't choose their (separate) backgrounds or they way they're being treated now, and (unlike some other members of their extended family) I don't see what they've done to deserve it. The meanness and lack of kindness being shown to them saddens me - although it doesn't particularly surprise me any more.

I agree, the guys still a human, and a pretty decent one, whatever one thinks of his circumstances and royalty and what have you.

Anyone who claims royalty can f*ck right off and should be ridiculed without mercy. It is concept that has no place in a modern, enlightened society.

I would respect him if he said that the whole concept of is royalty so idiotic that he would have nothing to do with this whole charade anymore, and also gave back that nice pile that he was given due to his royal status, plus any income generated purely through is titles.

This is indeed cakeism of the highest order.

CB

Give them ten years and a bit of distancing and they just might

'It is concept that has no place in a modern, enlightened society.' Rationally I agree with you. Empirically, I'm not so sure; it will be a experiment on an epic scale to replace. And after all, we haven't been governed by a dictator since the 17th C; a constitutional monarchy may well be a factor in that. 

I think the Daily Mail, Express etc., much preferred him when he still thought it was funny to dress up as a Nazi.

I nicked that gag from the Daily Mash, they seem to be giving the story a lot of coverage too.  There's more than a grain of truth in this one, and it's more sympathetic to his point of view than you might expect..
https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/celebrity/its-not-a-real-fking-job-anyw...

I’m not a royalist by any means but the constitutional monarchy, refined as it is into an office which does nothing at all, is a good bulwark against either dictatorship or a four/five yearly nightmares of election of head of state/president/chancellor or whatever. Possibly the least worst option. However, sixth in line for the throne isn’t a persuasive title to millions of public money and social privilege, hence the unpopularity of the royal hangers-on. I’d love to see all adult royals outside the immediate succession have to earn their corn like everyone else.

Meanwhile Harry & Megan will no doubt be working Brand Royal to their own advantage in the US or Canada, only stepping back from the bits of the job they don’t fancy. Only thing is, they’ve just generated another votes of press interest around themselves, one that it’s difficult to see diminishing anytime soon.

No, he didn't, but he DOES have the choices of how he lives his life and how he uses his vast resources and privileges 

Erm yes, and he is doing just that.  He has said he is shunning, as the OP said, the ribbon cutting and all that nonsense to get involved with things which are self sustaining and self funding.  

Isn't he doing exactly what you are requesting him to do?

Hang on, are you saying that someone who who has no choice in their birth should be ridiculed for that chance event?  Any other you want to add to that.  His birth circumstances is not his fault and he cant dissolve the monarchy.

That nice pile probably doesnt belong to him and probably belongs to the crown, and therefore us, and he is living there in trust.  Re: the charade thing.  Isn't that exactly what he is doing, shunning the whole charade.  So much so that he broke protocol and made his own statement with no knowledge of the senior royals.

He wants to go and make it alone with his young bride, and the mother of his offspring, without the stare of the horrendous tabloids and racism.  He wants to be self sufficient as best he can, perhaps using his celebrity to do good, make a difference, or have the temerity to make a living.  He cant help who he is and they may need some security to stop people trying to cause him and family harm.  Would you rather he was left to the mercy of the crackpots and terrorists?

So, do you want him to do nothing and simply disappear into the background, collecting royal payments for nothing?  Or would you rather he tries to make it alone, with a little dignity, without the shite British press following him.  

You do remember his mother, don't you?

If he shuns that they have to drop their titles, drop the claim to the throne, drop the security (as an ex member of the royal family shouldn't be a problem if they are kidnapped - 'business' can be mercenary that way'.) and run off to North America to make their own way in life (no fancy charity foundations unless they put the money in themselves either.)

He may not have chosen it but many people don't choose the life they are born into. He should have behaved with some dignity and if he had done so he could have had a relatively quiet life like Prince Edward.

Instead he has been brainwashed by his fame hungry wife who didn't believe everything she had heard about the royal family would apply to her, and now has her knickers in a twist whilst throwing tantrums that they have to leave the country.

Idiots both of them. I don't wish them the best of luck.

To be clear, a young lad - and ex serviceman - and his young wife and child who love each other want to be self sufficient and make a living without tabloid harassment and racism.  He also lives in the daily knowledge (because he cant avoid it) that his mother died due to media harassment and that his father didnt really help matters by having an affair and is known to have not really loved his dead mother and that his wider family  disapproved of his mother.

He cant help who he is but needs more security than most and happens to have a granny as a queen.

He then decides he wants a quieter, more normal life and he gets criticised for it because UKC wants its 'republic'.

Shameful.

Who gives a shit is he's an ex serviceman, has a young wife and child (nothing special there), his mother died when he was young and his father had an affair. 

(in fact nothing special with any of that).

He has a responsibility to behave in a certain way due to being in a position of great privilege. If he shirks that responsibility he can expect to be castigated for it. His 'family' are the head of the state and members are not expected run off abroad because their wives don't like living here.

Yesterday: "Bloody royals, sponging off everybody etc etc.."

Today: "How dare they aspire to be financially independent. it's so insulting to the Queen etc etc.."

Other than he's a prince and therefore was a special target whilst on a tour, oh and a prince, did I mention that.  So all of the above are under immense scrutiny and that his dead mother is still one of the most famous people on the planet decades after her death.  Dont forget that his family were probably not that bothered about it which is pretty well known.

Do you have any heart?

Other than he's a prince.

So he cant win here.  He either stays being a royal and sponging off the state whilst opening shops and launching boats or he decides he's had enough and wants to make it alone and become less visible.  Which do you want? 

He has no responsibility to anyone other than his wife and child and their safely and mental health.  

The rest is blah blah blah.  You sound bitter.  Are you a bit jealous because you weren't born a prince?

Have a like, sir.  

I thought his mother died because her driver drank too much and then drove through a tunnel much too fast and lost control of the car and crashed? I suggest you should not blame the media who were following the car  - it was up to her driver to drive her safely 

OMG. What bit don't you get. He does have a responsibility. People have a responsibility to their families (beyond their wife/husband & kids.) As per the first I don't 'want' anything but as I am British I have a vested interest in my head of state and he is behaving like a tw*t.  If he really wanted to become less visible it might have some credibility but he (well, they actually) don't (drop the website, drop the PR, drop the titles etc and it may have some veneer of sincerity) , they just don't want the responsibilities  they currently have.

If they want to be self sufficient than they should give up their privileges, to the last penny. Until they do so they are essentially guilty of benefits fraud on a scale that would see anyone else jailed for a long time.

CB

I'm not having a dig, but where does it get you to think along such lines?

Everything else aside, why are you referring to a 38-year-old woman married to a man almost three years her junior, as "his young wife / young bride"?

I am not having a pop. I am genuinely curious as to the emotive intention of this sort of language. I know that you and others are also referring to 35-year-old Harry as "young", albeit not as a "young husband". Again, I have no point to make and no axe to grind. Just interested. It did somewhat leap off the screen at me, for whatever reason. 

Ok. Replace young with new if it suits you better.  They are a newly married couple and are new parents which should be a special time.

Im no royalist but I feel for them. I have some sympathy and empathy.

Plus, they are younger than me. So they are young, sort of.

The UK is a dictatorship, a dictatorship of the ruling class which includes wee Betty and her landed gentry mob and all the capitalist class. 

So how many people in this ruling class of yours ? very few it the UK is really a dictatorship.

I get the unfairness of being born into a life of luxury, and/or a gilded cage, depending on one's point of view.

What I wonder, though, is how many of the people who grumble about it have done anything like joining a group or organisation, or party along republican lines, or whether they just fulminate to themselves and online and cause their own moods to sour, at the thought of the royal family.

It doesn't get one anywhere, to fulminate and to not do anything else...

I'm loving how much angrier people are getting about the couple hounded by racist bullies than about the nonce.

Being British appears to be an affliction more and more everyday.

Jesus Pefa, you've been on here variously talking about how you jet off to your foreign holiday home 4 times a year and how you like to keep a close eye on your stocks and shares portfolio. From where 95% of the globe's population are sitting You Are the capitalist class, landed gentry mob!

Oh, Pefa, I was waiting for something better than that, or, are you just warming up?

Dictatorship? What, a Queen that is lied to by the sham/fraud of a PM we have, and she either chooses or can't do anything about it?

Do you? I see just a little more unfairness inherent in the lives of the tens of thousands of UK kids brought up in care, with no luxury, no parents and no media profile to moan about how hard done by they are.

Nobody has a monopoly on such a perspective, I just don't see what's to be gained by grumbling about the royals. Post a link to something helping such children instead I guess (or as well).

Half the threads on here are grumbling about one thing or another, a fact you're well aware of as you've contributed to most of them. Why exactly are the Royals to be exempt?

https://cheshirepolice.taleo.net/careersection/mfss-external+cheshire+const...

There you go, closing dates the 17th. It's very rewarding. Some of the time.

We just had a General Election where one side wanted to help the poor and deprived of this country.
But, unfortunately, they didn't get in, so, f*ck the Establishment and their Royals!

One might call it a moment of clarity? I dunno really, it just suddenly struck me what grumbling will and won't do.

I shall have a peruse.

Quite right. The hysteria this story has generated while one senior royal has befriended a paedophile and is yet to give an adequate account of himself is beyond belief.

I wouldn't swap places with Harry for anything. Good luck to them.

If you say so. I mean, personally, I've never met her. I'd be interested to know what further insights you have into her ambitions and personality and how you gleaned them.

I'll always remember him talking about how welcome the privacy and 'mental space' was while serving in Afghanistan, in being away from prying cameras and journalists, he didn't put it exactly like that, but that was the gist. If that was the most effective way he'd found up to then of escaping from the press, I don't blame him in wanting to get away.

I did that for a few years only but now I don't, haven't been there in a year. 

I was joking, I don't have any shares. 

I take your point but getting back to the relevant points in Britain I am just an ordinary week to week living prole, getting by. 🙃

Tim- I was a member of the CPB for a good few years which was obviously Republican so I've done my bit as well as being a keyboard agitator 🙂

Archy- Boris/Queen both perpetuating the ruling class status quo imo 😉

Well actually the main reason she died was because the silly woman wasn't wearing her seat belt.

4 people in car, 3 not wearing seatbelt, 3 dead.

1 wearing seatbelt, survived.

OK, very good point. Although without the crash she would not have died

I think a dictatorship is usually taken to involve a powerful secret police, knocks on the door at 3am, and extra judicial disappearances etc.

We don’t have that. Yet. (Give it about 4 years mind you)

Aww, I feel a warm glow inside....we've finally found some common ground.

friends of friends inn't you sarcy idiot.

Several factors of course. No press following, lower speed, probably no crash. No drunk driver, better car control, maybe no crash.

Crash causes injuries, but no seatbelt increased severity to death.

Because the press loved her, they never came out with the "irresponsible, thoughtless mother dies in car crash because she couldn't be bothered to put her seatbelt on; leaving two young children behind" type story.

?