Questions about Royalty

[Auroranorth]

Actually, she looked really pretty in that dress, but black is a no-go for royals unless they're in mourning or meeting the pope- hence, gaffe. Also, it was a ball gown worn to an event with no dancing. This is one of the reasons that I'd hate being royal- I'd probably slug a photographer who lunged at my cleavage.

[dwanollah]

I thought that dress was the bomb-diggity when I first saw it, too. But yeah, for a virginal 19-year-old preschool teacher newly engaged to the Prince of Wales? BIG controversy.

[suzyp]

Di wore that dress to an event where Princess Grace attended. I remember just being facinated by both of them (I was 9, all princesses were very interesting). Later, when reading a bio of Grace, I found out that Grace pulled Di aside and talked to her about the pressure of marrying into royality. I always wanted to know what Grace told her. So tragic that they both died too soon in car accidents.

[heyalice]

Can someone explain the British estate tax that made it necessary for Margaret's children to auction her stuff? Could their aunt not have helped out with this one?

[Peggy Lane]

Elizabeth won't even be able to help out her own kids not named Charles. Only the person who inherits the throne is immune from inheritence taxes, under the theory that the crown needs a degree of financial indepence and is incapable of making back the money lost during taxes.

[Mouse]

Why does the UK royal family have to draft everyone into performing official duties? The result is that the roster is bloated and a lot of these royals are part-timer at best. In other royal families, they have a handful of royals doing royal duties and that's it.

[Auroranorth]

The ones on a Parlimentary Annuity pretty much have to do it, whereas the minor royals like Prince and Princess Michael of Kent get paid by companies- which is why they were showing up to absolutely everything a few years ago.

[Mouse]

auroranorth said:

The ones on a Parlimentary Annuity pretty much have to do it, whereas the minor royals like Prince and Princess Michael of Kent get paid by companies- which is why they were showing up to absolutely everything a few years ago.

But there are minor royals who are on the official royal roster. Is there a way for them to just say "thanks, but no thanks"? I know that in the Netherlands, for example, the queen's nephews are princes, but they perform no royal duties and have regular jobs.

[happypenguin]

mouse said:

auroranorth said:

The ones on a Parlimentary Annuity pretty much have to do it, whereas the minor royals like Prince and Princess Michael of Kent get paid by companies- which is why they were showing up to absolutely everything a few years ago.

But there are minor royals who are on the official royal roster. Is there a way for them to just say "thanks, but no thanks"? I know that in the Netherlands, for example, the queen's nephews are princes, but they perform no royal duties and have regular jobs.

I think its a question of whether they want to say "thanks but no thanks or not". If you compare like with like in your example as far as I'm aware, Queen Elizabeth's nephew, Viscount Linley (Margaret's son) doesn't go into the whole public appearance thing and is relatively low profile and runs his furniture business.

Its perhaps the older generation of minor royals such as the Rent-a-Kents who show no liking to do a "normal" job and make their money by appearing for anyone who pays. I think this is going to change though, if you look at the present generation, Peter Phillips is in a similar situation to Prince Michael of Kent (grandson of a King/Queen) and he shows no sign of being interested in being a royal hanger-on. He works (in Formula 1) and you never really hear/see him unless its at a wedding/royal function of some sort.

[heyalice]

Does anyone truly believe when ER passes on, that it will be the end of the royal family as we know it?