When we tweeted pictures of the 18 royals, quite a few people had no idea who some of them were. Not surprising, as they don't make much of an appearance these days. But they still get significant subsidies from the state, including security and palatial apartments.
This is Richard, (Duke of Gloucester), a cousin of the Queen (son of the last king's brother), and his wife, Birgitte van Deurs (Duchess of Gloucester). The official royal website describes them as "full-time working members of the Royal Family."
In 2019 the Duke of Gloucester's engagements added up to about six weeks of full time 'work' for the whole year. Despite having never served in the armed forces, he dresses up in various uniforms. The couple have a palatial home in Kensington Palace.
These are Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Michael is also a cousin of the Queen. Princess Michael's actual name is Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz. In 2004 she was accused of racially insulting diners in a New York restaurant.
Prince Michael served in the army and achieved the rank of Major. Despite this he now wears the rank and uniforms of Vice Admiral in the Navy and Air Commodore in the RAF. The couple also have a palatial apartment in Kensington Palace.
There are two more Kents on the list. The Duke of Duchess of Kent. Edward, the Duke of Kent is the older brother of Prince Michael and another of the Queen's cousins. The Duchess is Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley.
Despite leaving the army in 1976 as a Lieutenant Colonel, he managed to get himself promoted to Field Marshall in 1993. The couple also have a palatial home in Kensington Palace. In 2019 Edward managed the equivalent of a staggering six weeks full-time 'work'.
Finally, there's Princess Alexandra. Another of the Queen's cousins, the royals refer to her as a 'working member' of the family. In 2019 her official engagements added up to the equivalent of eight weeks full-time 'work'.
As well as having a private residence in London, Alexandra also has an apartment in St James's Palace.
All of these people cost the tax payer huge sums of money for the sole reason that they are related to the Queen.
🚨🚨 BREAKING NEWS: The Met Police are trying to ban Republic's anti-monarchy protest at Trooping the Colour, but we're still planning to rally for an elected head of state this Saturday. Here's the rundown 👇👇 #NotMyKing #AbolishTheMonarchy
Enough nonsense about royal duties and engagements. It's worth getting back to why we should #AbolishTheMonarchy, why we campaign for a republic.
Monarchies are corrupt and corrupting, they rest on feudal values, and our monarchy is bad for equality and democracy. 🧵
On a matter of principle we should reject the monarchy. It is an institution that celebrates inequality, that sees it as the natural order, rather than a problem to be resolved - except when posing for cameras with homeless people.
These principles matter. We compromise our committment to democratic values by retaining the monarchy, Lords and established church. Democracy rests on the idea that we're political equals, coming together as free citizens to govern ourselves. Monarchy stands against that idea.
It may appear trivial, but this kind of nonsense misleads the public about what kind of man we have as a head of state, and about the role of monarch. So it's worth taking a couple of minutes to look at what is actually being claimed here, and the evidence.
#NotMyKing 🧵
The only sources for the claims are the royals, none of whom are well versed in 'hard work', and 'insiders', which is probably their press team. As for the paperwork, it's telling that it's just "paperwork" and we're never told exactly what it is he's supposed to be doing.
It is written in sweeping terms that avoid direct claims, such as there being no "average" day and how many engagements he does. The reader is left assuming this all amounts to a busy schedule. A look at the Court Circular shows he has long stretches without any appointments.