Melody Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 So it's finally happened. Are people over there interested? Of course it's news over here, with Meghan Markle being American and all, but I'm not seeing much interest among Facebook friends other than in specific royalty groups. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 1 hour ago, Melody said: So it's finally happened. Are people over there interested? Of course it's news over here, with Meghan Markle being American and all, but I'm not seeing much interest among Facebook friends other than in specific royalty groups. I don't know if people are interested but the BBC has been giving it a lot of coverage. I wish them well - fingers crossed the media leave them alone once the initial frenzy subsides. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 zzzzzzzzzzzz 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 I'm very pleased that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged and I wish them every happiness for their future together. I am, however, bored rigid by the OTT coverage on the news. And to think that we have got months of this to go... 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Ditto, Jan. I'm very happy for Prince Harry; he and Ms Markle seem very well matched and I wish them a long and happy marriage. I do like a Royal Wedding but can heartily do without the articles and endless media reports. I hope - probably in vain - that the young couple will be left alone. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 I agree with you, Jan and Anna. They seem to be very much in love and I wish them well but the sheer hysteria surrounding it seems to smack of the Roman diktat of bread and circuses to keep the populace happy in the midst of Rome burning. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Lack of interest on social media is probably down to the demographic using it not having much interest in royalty. There's far more republican sentiment in Britain than Americans imagine too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 There are also still a lot of people who are monarchists/royalists (not sure what the distinction is!) - witness the huge crowds for royal events and jubilees. And I don't think the papers would give it such a lot of coverage if they thought their readers weren't interested. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Is the social media aspect not very much a reflection of one's involvement there? For example, I have a very limited Twitter presence and rarely, if ever, see items that I read elsewhere as having "gone viral." Thus I would not be at all surprised to hear that the engagement was hugely covered elsewhere yesterday. And if today's Times coverage is any guide - half front page, 4 news pages, first Leader, plus Times 2 supplement cover and 4 more pages - today's tabloids will be full of it. BBC 1 rearranged its schedule last night around a 'special,' in addition to half of the One Show carrying Mishal Hussain's interview with the couple. And I've just heard on the 2pm News bulletin that more detail on the wedding is due later today. If there's limited interest amongst the public at large, the media have clearly misjudged things. However, and interestingly, I note that the announcement itself is not recorded in yesterday's Court Circular. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 2 hours ago, Ian Macmillan said: BBC 1 rearranged its schedule last night around a 'special,' in addition to half of the One Show carrying Mishal Hussain's interview with the couple. Oh dear, guess I must have missed it then. I was battling recalcitrant software and a major deadline ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 1 hour ago, alison said: Oh dear, guess I must have missed it then. I was battling recalcitrant software and a major deadline ... Don't worry - I'm sure there will be more coverage for a day or two ... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 The coverage has majored on the fact that the Royal Family has crawled sufficiently far into the 21st century to countenance a mixed race marriage in a 'statistically off-succession' branch. We have a mixed race marriage and find the whole emphasis on this extraordinarily dated. What also got less coverage was today's news that the Catholic Meghan is however being baptised into the CoE - some habits die harder! She seems bright and energetic and has made her own way in life. I hope she isn't suffocated by the environment and sticks it out.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Quintus, you may find it "extraordinarily dated", but I'm afraid a lot of people in this country still struggle to deal with such things. Someone I know has recently moved from London to the country with his mixed-race wife and their children, and has been totally shocked at the amount of racism he's encountered. I think London had probably cushioned him from such things. And look at that member of the aristocracy - can't remember who at the moment - who has I think a mixed-race wife and has experienced some very racist attitudes as a result. I wish the couple all the best, but I'm not convinced it's going to be plain sailing for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 She's not a first in the Royal Family... http://aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/englands-first-black-queen-sophie-charlotte-born Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Janet, this article isn’t by a proper historian. There is no truth in it. All of her children were blue eyed blondes. This would not be the case if she was of mixed race ancestry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 21 minutes ago, Fiz said: Janet, this article isn’t by a proper historian. There is no truth in it. All of her children were blue eyed blondes. This would not be the case if she was of mixed race ancestry. According to the theory, whether it's true or not, Charlotte was many, many generations away from her 'Moorish' ancestor so could have had children looking pretty much anyhow. But from the journalistic / apartheid point of view if you have even homeopathic levels of African DNA you're still 'black'! Obama is referred to as black despite being mixed race, and now ditto Meghan. My Asian wife is a firm pillar of 'county Suffolk' along with representatives of a few other ethnicities, so I don't really buy the London v the sticks argument. I do get that the Royals are however a case apart, as they've been brought up in a different bubble to the rest of the world, so the poor dear does have my sympathies and best wishes. Having said that, my mixed race eldest son is friends with a minor royal from school days, goes to her parties in one of the London palaces from time to time and has never encountered any issues, so maybe it's only the senior-senior inner core that's remained hitherto entrenched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 Well, apparently neo-Nazi blogs and websites were having a meltdown over this announcement. Must say I couldn't manage to summon up any sympathy for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Don't know if this is true or just a joke, but on the radio yesterday they quoted the Irish Times as saying "TV star to marry former soldier". Good luck to them both, most people still like a happy occasion. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwel Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 I am very happy for them, not because he is a prince and she’s an actress, but because 2 people have found love together. I couldn’t care less what their backgrounds are, I just hope they will be very happy together. Any relationship has tough times and they will be cushioned from some of the more worldly worries that most folks have but then they will have other crosses to bare that less high profile people can’t imagine. I hope they weather it together happily. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 I hope they are happy together and I'm pleased to see the royal family taking a rather less conservative attitude than previously. (It has crossed my mind however that the situation may still have been different if Prince Harry actually had any realistic chance of becoming king!) By the time he marries he will be 6th in line to the throne if I've counted correctly, so a relatively minor royal really. I think that those who are hoping for an event on a par with previous major royal weddings are in for a disappointment. Apart from Prince William, none of the Queen's grandchildren has had a State wedding, and from what I've heard on the news this will also be a private family wedding. OK, a BIG private family wedding, but certainly not a major public event. Which is as it should be in my opinion. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 And hence why we shouldn't get an additional bank holiday for it, in that case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 6 hours ago, alison said: And hence why we shouldn't get an additional bank holiday for it, in that case. Boo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 He's the second son, not heir to the throne and I don't remember Prince Andrew's wedding being a bank holiday. I believe Mayor Khan says Londoners should get the day off which makes sense if the wedding is at the Abbey or St Paul's as the city will be gridlocked anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 6 minutes ago, MAB said: He's the second son, not heir to the throne and I don't remember Prince Andrew's wedding being a bank holiday. I believe Mayor Khan says Londoners should get the day off which makes sense if the wedding is at the Abbey or St Paul's as the city will be gridlocked anyway. The wedding will be in Windsor. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 On 01/12/2017 at 00:21, alison said: And hence why we shouldn't get an additional bank holiday for it, in that case. Given a significant chunk of the population is now self-employed in one way or another, bank holidays are for many people a direct and painful strike to the wallet - a day with no pay. I can't think of any impending national event where I would to sacrifice a day's revenue! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted December 2, 2017 Share Posted December 2, 2017 I've always thought Bank Holidays were a waste! As an employee I would much rather have had an extra week's leave that I could take when I chose. I would just keep Christmas & Boxing Days and Good Friday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 3 hours ago, Quintus said: Given a significant chunk of the population is now self-employed in one way or another, bank holidays are for many people a direct and painful strike to the wallet - a day with no pay. I can't think of any impending national event where I would to sacrifice a day's revenue! Well, if they're self-employed, nobody's forcing them not to work the Bank Holiday. I frequently do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneMarriott Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 9 hours ago, Quintus said: Given a significant chunk of the population is now self-employed in one way or another, bank holidays are for many people a direct and painful strike to the wallet - a day with no pay. I can't think of any impending national event where I would to sacrifice a day's revenue! For those working in the NHS, police, emergency services and many other sectors, a bank holiday is a chance for extra pay, as I remember only too well from my cash-strapped student nurse days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 46 minutes ago, AnneMarriott said: For those working in the NHS, police, emergency services and many other sectors, a bank holiday is a chance for extra pay, as I remember only too well from my cash-strapped student nurse days! Not necessarily for newer employees. I think that, apart from Christmas Day, it tends to be expected as part of their contract! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 7 hours ago, alison said: Well, if they're self-employed, nobody's forcing them not to work the Bank Holiday. I frequently do. depends on the job - if your clients are not there, then working is not an option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted December 3, 2017 Share Posted December 3, 2017 13 hours ago, Jan McNulty said: I've always thought Bank Holidays were a waste! As an employee I would much rather have had an extra week's leave that I could take when I chose. I would just keep Christmas & Boxing Days and Good Friday. In a lot of settings it is . I currently work in the private sector in something which isn't service/ life critical ( although for some of us being deprived on the product we supply might be seen as life ending / altering ) , the building i work in will be closed from 2359 24/12/17 to 0001 26/12/17 , and the dept i work in will be closed from 1400 on christmas eve until 0700 boxing day ( and from 1400 NYE to 0700 new years day) - these closures reflect the fact the products we send out won't be beign collected on christmas eve and there won;t be deliveries on christmas day, boxing day and new years day ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 On 03/12/2017 at 01:10, alison said: Well, if they're self-employed, nobody's forcing them not to work the Bank Holiday. I frequently do. I assume you work from home, Alison, and not in an office? As a contractor, I would find it difficult to work if the office is shut for the day! Bad enough over the Christmas period, when half the permanent staff seem to be off sick with hangovers "working from home". Hope the royal couple are very happy. I think the mixed race thing has been blown up by the press. It is not that remarkable in this day and age, surely? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 Most of the people I used to work with wouldn't have let the office being "closed" stop them, Fonty I knew someone who frequently went in on weekends simply because it was the only time she could get any real work done without being interrupted! And under normal circumstances I would be working in an office. I'm looking forward to "normal" being resumed sooner or later I guess there are offices and offices ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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