The royal baby

I'd say yes. I don't think Charles will ever be king. He will stand aside for William who will prove to be a popular king so I say yes, there will be something significant for the new prince to inherit.. 

I'm spectacularly ambivalent about the royals (except Charles who I think is rather pathetic, and not always benign in his ill-informed interferences). I'm quite happy about them becoming a gently marginalised picturesque tourist attraction, living in their rather odd rarefied bubble, opening hospital wings and keeping Hello! in business.

I don't think there is any real enthusiasm for a Republic (in England and Wales at least).

Bruce

I liked the comedian Chris Addison's tweet on the subject:

"A woman entirely financially dependent on the State has chosen to have a baby. The Daily Mail must be furious."

I didn't think Princess Zara and Mike Tindall's baby was due for another few months? Was it premature then?

I believe I will be as tired of hearing about this child as I was her pregnancy.  One cannot check out at the supermarket without being besieged by it photographically.  People magazine (& their checkout stand ilk) will be running an article every time the little bugger farts.

To be fair her husband does a pretty useful job as an helicopter pilot so he is not entirely indolent. Presumably he gets paid.

Bruce

"It's a boy Mrs Walker, it's a boy."

"A son ...... , a son ....... , a son."

John.

Perhaps they'll call it Mohammed Genghis Ebenezer...

steev

Surprised they didn't show the birth live on a big screen in Trafalgar Square. When is the BBC box set of 'Doors' available? I'd rather the Monarchy didn't exist, but if I could only get rid of one, I'd bin the BBC News channel. Lethargy will see him king.

Cheers,

OW

Turns out it's a GAL .....!

Private Eye's take on it.

http://www.thedrum.com/uploads...eEyeWomanHasBaby.jpg

I have absolutely no time for our German Royal Family of benefit scroungers. Fortunately I have just returned from France so have thankfully missed all the flag waving little Englanders and sycophantic news coverage

Were any of the present royal family born in Germany? Do they have German citizenship/German passports? Do any of them actually scrounge benefits? Or are you just an imbecile with a chip on his shoulder? 

The German Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family who live off "the civil list" ie benefit hand outs paid for by the taxpayer.
I wonder if they will be paying the bedroom tax on their under occupied palaces and castles?

I think he works about 2 days a month,thats on a busy month.

Nice work if you can get it.

Mista H

I am no Royalist but I have to defend him a bit. He works with a friend of mine, he makes a genuine contribution. He is highly skilled, respected and puts himself in danger. I apprecaite he does something meaningful (and difficult), albeit part-time. He has qualified to do it on merit. It is better than nothing, and lets face it he could easily do nothing. Not sure his Father ever had paid employment (or indeed his Mother come to think of it.!).

Bruce

Prince Albert was of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family and he died in 1861. The Royal family have been Windsors since 1917. How many generations does it take, in your esteemed opinion, before one is legally British and not German? Doctors working for the NHS are also benefit scroungers then? They too, live on hand outs from the tax payer. 

Windsor is a manufactured name created in 1917 by King George V to conceal the Royal familys true heritage at a time when anti german feeling was running very high.

( Now, therefore, We, out of Our Royal Will and Authority, do hereby declare and announce that as from the date of this Our Royal Proclamation Our House and Family shall be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, and that all the descendants in the male line of Our said Grandmother Queen Victoria who are subjects of these Realms, other than female descendants who may marry or may have married, shall bear the said Name of Windsor....)

^[Also doodlebugs and other bombers were manufactured by The Gotha company, no connection but obviously embarrassing to the Royals. The Royal family also contained Nazi sympathisers including Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother who was also known to refer to commonwealth subjects of certain ethnicity as "Nig Nogs" and "Blackamores". And the national embarrassment of Edward & Simpsons cavorting around Nazi Germany.

Prince Phillip is actually Greek but of German stock.

Below is a table showing the increasing cost to the taxpayer of The Civil List. On top of this at a time when many are suffering cuts, pay freezes, job losses etc the Queen is demanding a 7million increase.

The Civil list is not the only expenditure to the Taxpayer, the official cost is 40m but the real cost is believed to be between 100 to 200 million.

FACT -THE ROYAL FAMILY LIVE OFF BENEFITS PAID FOR BY US

None of us can calculate the income to UK PLC that accrues from tourism etc. I would not want to make any great assumptions as to wether they are in net profit etc, but at least recognise it is not a one way process.

FACT

Bruce

Aah the well worn income from tourism myth. This is not FACT as figures can not be ascertained and as you concede Bruce none of us can calculate the income from tourism. Tourists visit the country to see the sights which would include Castles, Palaces etc which would still exist if there was no Royal Family. There is no evidence to suggest that tourism significantly increases during Royal hoohas such as Weddings, jubilees etc There is no factual evidence that The Royal Family benefits the economy through tourism.
For more on the tourism myth
http://www.republic.org.uk/Wha...th/Tourism/index.php

Great independent link.

I'll move on. I prefer more nuanced debate.

Well what did you expect from someone with a Republican viewpoint?  Have a good weekend and enjoy some music, after all that is something we all share in common on these forums.