I'm proud to be British and equally proud we have a Queen tbh, I am not a royalist as such however they add a bit of colour to our nation and are part of our heritage....plus I love all the scandal that come's out of the Windsor household

I really enjoyed the day. It's not often that Britain is centre stage so for the sake of 62p a head per year, or whatever it is, why not give the world a lesson in how to put on a right proper pageant? The Royal Family wield no [ureal[/u power, and are not outrageously expensive. Most European countries that binned off their Royals centuries ago seemed rather keen to tune in. Beautiful bride, fab setting, stirring music. I'm not sure exactly what alternative occasion could provide the same level of national engagement - let's face it, England are never going to reach the World Cup Final, so IMO we should enjoy a high profile wedding day for what it is, a rare occasion to indulge in some bunting/sausage roll/flag-waving eccentricity

Like I said its all about point of view, myself and millions worldwide disagree with you ,
yesterday was a great day for all of us

Good post. I don't have strong views either way re the royals but there's nothing wrong with folk who want to enjoying the celebrations and celebrating being British. It isn't the way everyone would want to do that but clearly many did.

I enjoy pageantry. You don't need a Royal Family to indulge in it. If you think that the Royal Family wield no [ireal[/i power then you're rather naive. Also bear in mind to whom the armed forces swear allegiance - it isn't to the elected government or even the country. Not that I think Charles is about to launch a coup, mind. Come to that, all our sitting politicians swear allegiance to the Crown rather than the country and the people who elected them.

The cost isn't a big issue for me [iper se[/i as an elected head of state would have to be financed and would most likely come out at a similar level. There is a lot of money wasted on hangers on though. It may not add up to much per head of population but added together could be usefully spent elsewhere.

I do have an issue with being a subject rather than a citizen, and with the whole feudal system that appends from the Royals. It's archaic and should have no place in a 21st century democracy.

I'd like to see the Royals 'retired' and GB become a Republic with an elected head of state. An arrangement could be made where they paid for the upkeep of those properties that they have exclusive use of while other properties pass to the state and are paid for from state funds. You can still have the pageantry but we can finally grow up as a country and start looking forward instead of back.

Millions worldwide support the Monarchy? Don't confuse tuning in to watch a pageant with support for a system of government.

I am sure they would rather have the chance to watch these things on ocassions (IE have the queen etc) than never see them again, trust me I am not confused or a royalist but neither am I bitter towards them for no good reason and lets use your argument for instance with our closest friends in the USA, i am sure the VAST majority would not agree with you and look with very envious eyes....
And there was an interview yesterday with a group in OZ (Australians not expats) who were up to watch and all had their flags etc and said "we are all part of the commonwealth so lets all enjoy the common bond"

Like i said if we were all the same wouldnt life be boring??

Personally I didn't watch any of it because I just don't care. I enjoyed the day off though.

What REALLY angers me are the militant republicans who demdn that every luistens to them and their wacky views about how it is all some sort of con of the working people and some sort of coalition plan to try and make us forget how we are all being taken to the cleaners etc etc

What a bunch of miserable losers who have NO RIGHT to spoil the enjoyment of those who like this sort of thing. Just because I am not interested doesn't mean I have to slag off those who enjoy it or foist my looney left views on them.

Just remember it is precisely those looney left views that have led this country into economic depression, with millions living on benefits who don't think they have any responsibility to find work, discipline their children, support them through education, instigate a work ethic and contribute to society.

I have better things to do with my life than blame the royal family for my OWN problems and the sooner these miserable people shut up the better for us all.

I work with a large number of American companies and am friendly with a fair number of Americans from a few different states. They all think the Royal Family is great to look at from the outside but no way to run a country. Not one of them would swap, and they find the fact that we don't have an elected head of state laughable.

It's the pageantry and the history they love, not the system.

So the economic depression is nothing to do with the banks and their policies over the past 20 years or so, and as you put it Just remember which political party most of those banks fund in this country, yes its our old friends, the tories, forcing many into benefits through their destruction of jobs, tax cuts for the rich, running the NHS into the ground, cutting defence spending at a time of political unrest in many countries, you say support them trough education whilst the coalition is putting students upto £50,000 in debt before they even graduate. As for the work ethic, many of the current govt haven't done a days work in their life yet lecture the poor on the "work ethic".

If you think that republicans are all 'loony lefties' then you really don't understand the issue. Mind you, I'm not surprised given that you also don't seem to understand the reasons for the depression.