This is the Message Centre for paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 1

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

I realize that when you're in direct line for the throne of a major country, you can't escape having millions of people know what you're doing, but isn't it a little ridiculous that even your Christmas gifts are common knowledge in magazines that millions of people read?

I'm assuming that the kid is about two years old and probably can't read yet, but where is the mystery of Christmas? Kate and William are probably reasonably good parents [or at least they always seem to be smiling whenever photographers are nearby], and even if they weren't it would be Buckingham Palace's business to make sure that nobody found out.

You'd think that after many centuries of screwed-up royals, society would have realized by now how badly they are served by such intrusiveness into their private lives. King William III? Bonkers! Queen Victoria? She made Howard Hughes seem downright sociable, requiring that any messages by written down and slid under her door so she wouldn't have to put up with people. Then there was Edward who rebelled against Victoria and probably saved whatever sanity he was ever to have as a result. Edward's grandson George was so traumatized by criticism that he stuttered. Prince Charles and princess Diane had a marriage blow up in full view of zillions of people, and poor Wills and Harry -- impressionable lads of 14 and 16 respectively -- were chastised by the press for wanting a little privacy in which to cope with their other's death. That they came off as well as they did seems almost miraculous.

And now little George can't even have his Christmas presents a secret from the world. I don't care what his future job will be, right now he's a toddler and should enjoy this stage of his life! smiley - sadface


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 2

Icy North

I suspect much of this media coverage is greater in your part of the world than here in the UK. These people only really exist for the tourists.

Oh, our other royal family - the ones at Downton Abbey will be appearing for the last time this Christmas. This may eventually help convince people that they don't really exist.


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 3

Gingersnapper+Keeper of the Cookie Jar and Stuff and Nonsense

~ smiley - ta ~ . .. smiley - bubbly . .. ...


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 4

Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~

What major country? The Empire has fallen. And John Major resigned years ago smiley - winkeye

smiley - pirate


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 5

Icy North

smiley - laugh

We were once a Brown Superpower...


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 6

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

"What major country?" [Pierce]

It's all relative, I suspect. Monaco and Liechtenstein are by no stretch of the imagination major in population or land area. China, India, and the U.S.A. are the top three in terms of population. Russia and Canada rank very high in terms of land area.

The top five countries in terms of GNP are:
U.S.
China
Japan
Germany
United Kingdom

I think we could consider the U.K. "major" for its GNP



Chile is hard to beat for North to South distance. Japan is second only to the U.S. for GNP.
Germany is third, and Britain is fourth.


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 7

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Sorry, please disregard the last paragraph of my previous post, as it was based on 2000 data. I used 2015 data for the top-5 material


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 8

Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~

It *is* all relative. If we compare the United States of America with the European Union we get another result.

Now back to square one: I pity the royals. But the grown ups among them have the option of abdication smiley - shrug

smiley - pirate


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 9

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

And some of them have made use of it, though not to the furtherance of good family relations or good reputations for themselves in posterity.


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 10

Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~

Yeah, I'm afraid abdication isn't enough to get out of the spotlight. It will take generations before royals can become mere mortals like the rest of us smiley - erm

smiley - pirate


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 11

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Unfortunately, there have been periods when the victorious royal found reasons for executing those from rival branches of the family. Henry VII and Henry VIII, for instance, ushered in the Tudors while making sure the last of the Plantagenet heirs never lived long enough to rule. But don't don't blame Richard III. His nephews apparently outlived him.


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 12

Pierre de la Mer ~ sometimes slightly worried but never panicking ~

Yeah, Richard III is getting way better press lately than what we have been used to since Shakespeare's days smiley - geek

smiley - pirate


What Kate got George: Christmas at the palace.

Post 13

paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant

Actually, Richard was framed, but after the Tudors left the throne the Stuarts began looking into the charges against him a little more closely and sympathetically.


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