The Monarchy, by arrangement with the UK government, pays all its income to the government that gives some of it back. The Monarchy actually pays a higher rate of tax than anyone. Every UK taxpayer gains a little each year because of the Monarchy.
Neither Her Majesty nor her father, had any influence in the Empire or its breakup. they were constitutional monarchs.
Well yeah, but my father's family were Tory loyalists, we wore red during the 10 years of civil unrest. My family ended up in Western New York trying to escape to Canada to avoid the gangs of continentals with their strange ideas of representative governments, but they settled down in the Niagara Frontier because it was so far away from New York and Philadelphia that they figured that they were going to eventually become part of Canada, eh?
As I recall, her daily schedule had her doing an average of two or three events a day, every day. For 70 years. Bridge openings, gallery shows, schools, universities, Boy Scout festivals, hospital visits, charitable functions, quilting exhibits, etc etc etc. Dinner would be routinely taken with 650 of her closest friends, each of them watching every bite she took. I've talked to people who spoke with her and Phillip personally during such events; they were focussed, personable and charming - interested in you and what you were doing. I don't think she slept in the same bed one week at a time. Hundreds of official visits overseas, jet-lag as lifestyle and being polite to everybody.
Inherit the wealth, inherit at least some of the responsibility, I'd say.
And spent a few hours every day going through official papers, Government business, replying to letters etc, apparently. Fewer late in life, I believe, but who can blame her. Not a job most of us could bear for a year, let alone a lifetime, I think.
True enough, but then she took on some responsibility in her life's work. All of us in the West have inherited some of the wealth of empire - yes, even Americans. Our current relative wealth is partly based on having arranged the world's affairs to our advantage, so we have inherited responsibility too.
The monarch's wealth predated the Empire. Blame William the Conqueror.
No British Monarch since him has done anything to expand the wealth of the family, have they?
One reason she liked Balmoral more than her other residences was she could go for walks and to the local shop and do exactly that. There are numerous anecdotes of tourists in the area asking her if she'd ever seen the Queen walking around locally.
He had far more lands and wealth than any monarch of the last two hundred years.
And ran the government with it.
From what i have seen the royal family is quite witty When they are being themselves Rather than “the icons.”
Right. I would think that pointing out that she dragged herself to meetings at 96 to see one government out and another one in two days before she was dead would be enough to shut up the "but what did she do every day?" naysayers.
That assumption was his mistake.
The Duke of Edinburgh was notorious, and these days, oh so politically incorrect, but some of the things he said were so fucking funny, and so true.
They all seem to have endearing personalities and I attribute that to the relationship between the Queen and the Duke. She pointed out how important a sense of humor was to their family, and in my opinion, the most endearing moment I've witnessed was during Her Jubilee when HM said something to the effect of, "Your Hignness, Mummy..." The look she gave him was priceless because you knew that wasn't the first time he'd called her both by title and 'Mum' at the same time. It did seem to be the first time he'd teased her like that in public and it was SO heartwarming. (A 73 year old man calling her 'Mummy' just melts your heart.)
John Lyndon won't be saying much. He has been dead for over 320 years
