Indeed why? The Royal family in its current guise is a disgrace and those who blindly follow it as ‘tradition’ and our heritage baffle me. This traditional element of our heritage has failed to overthrow legislation that bars Royals from marrying Catholics or converting. A truly great message being delivered from our ‘head of state’ there! I have no problems with the queen living in Buckingham Palace and being given a budget and healthy living expenses for trips she undertakes that garner income for the UK. However, take into account that:
'If only the queen’s personal assets are taken into account, she is worth several hundred million dollars, according to the Sunday Times Rich List and all royal possessions are added to the mix, her wealth runs into the billions.'
Those who argue the Royals bring in money- what about the Crown Estate and such things that the Royal Family hold in trust for the nation. The queen owns several Leonardo Da Vinci paintings. Would it not be in the nation’s interest to have these in a gallery? Why does the Queen require Balmoral as well as Buckingham Palace. Can she not use her immense wealth to pay for accommodation like everyone else?
As for comments that they make money or the wedding will be covered by tourism yes that may be the case, although no one has actually provided concrete evidence. Regardless of that one has to take into account staggering facts such as Prince Charles is granted power over the Duchy of Cornwall, an estate of some 135,000 acres located mainly in southwest England, valued in March 2007 at about $1.2 billion, up from $835 million in 2003. In 2006/2007 Prince Charles built a new town, Poundbury, on duchy land, where he has tested his ideas about architecture, the environment and town planning. The prince pocketed about $31 million, before taxes, from the duchy, up from about $20 million four years earlier. That is one example of many, but surely a man of such personal wealth can foot the bill for his son’s wedding. The Royal family as an institution belie the UK’s position as a democratic nation. They paid taxes for the first time in 1993 and when the queen dies, for example, the next monarch will pay no inheritance tax on her private wealth, as long as she leaves it to that heir. I for one refuse to support such an imbalance in how citizens are treated in the name of ‘tradition’. Congratulations to William and Kate and I hope they make good Royals who modernise. People are born poor, people are born rich and thus have greater opportunities but very few are born into a position of guaranteed immense wealth. It is obscene that we as citizens of the UK fund people who are born into such a position.