Prince Andrew, Duke of York Current Events 6: November 2009 -

[Zonk]

Arms of HRH The Duke of York

Welcome to The Duke of York current events
part 6, commencing November 2009

Part 5, covering the period September 2008 to October 2009 , can be found here Prince Andrew, Duke of York current events 5: September 2008 to October 2009

[Skydragon]

The Duke of York has revealed he wants his daughters to join him on the globe-trotting trade ambassador junkets that earned him the nickname “Air Miles Andy”.

Daily Star: Simply The Best 7 Days A Week :: News :: Charles' KO junket bid

[Lighthouse]

What exactly does he mean by taking them with him? What does he intend for them to do?

[lumutqueen]

Originally Posted by Lighthouse

What exactly does he mean by taking them with him? What does he intend for them to do?

Taking them for experience, or a holiday. Further increasing the damning image we already have of him.
I don't see why Beatrice and Eugenie should be taken on tours with their father, when they are not the two royal children that need to experience. Plus they are both in Universities and taking them out of their environment would be damaging to them.

[Skydragon]

I took it to mean that they would be doing a similar job to Andrew. If the story is true, it shows Andrew has very little idea. 48% of businesses he was supposed to represent, apparently did not think he was effective (Telegraph article posted earlier) and that after a number of years in the Navy, what good will two young women do, with an even greater lack of real life/business experience?

[Lighthouse]

Good point Skydragon but if those figures are accurate then about half of his clients are satisfied. Should we expect a 100% success rate from Prince Andrew during these tough economic times?
At first I was offended by Prince Andrew's high flying position but now I've come around.
IMO most royals target the neediest people in society through charity work which is very good but there is a gap that Prince Andrew is filling here and I think it was good of him to not over look it. By traveling the world as 'special representative' for British businesses he's using his elite position for the good of his country and working his butt off to encourage economic growth and where there is growth there is stability and more jobs to go around.
So I think he should be able to take his daughters with him for experience but they should try to cut costs where they can.
According to his website thedukeofyork.org, last year the prince attended 529 engagements in his capacity as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. If his site is accurate it appears that many businesses are well pleased with his support and he is doing a good job. I would be inclined to let his daughter's go, they might learn something from it.

[AuroraB]

His two quotes:
1) "If that is the sort of thing they want to do I see no reason why not." Has he even asked them or is he just testing the waters?
2) "I could make use of them because they would take some of the burden off me." As undergraduates, what do they know about international business, politics, etc. I can't quite see them giving speeches, so how is their presence going to decrease his burden.

[Lighthouse]

Originally Posted by AuroraB

His two quotes:
1) "If that is the sort of thing they want to do I see no reason why not." Has he even asked them or is he just testing the waters?
2) "I could make use of them because they would take some of the burden off me." As undergraduates, what do they know about international business, politics, etc. I can't quite see them giving speeches, so how is their presence going to decrease his burden.

Use their charms perhaps? You know, they could show a bit of royal leg when meetings aren't going as well as expected
Seriously, from what I've read the prince has been doing this for ages (since 2001) and gets briefed. My guess is he's learned a lot on the job and he is supposedly respected for his knowledge. Who knows what his daughters would do though - listen and learn? He really needs to specify. It could be something as simple as manning his phones or entertaining. IMO at their age the main purpose would have to be getting experience. He's already taken Beatrice on his business trips to observe his work.

[AuroraB]

Getting experience not looking bored when daddy's giving a speech.
Starting by attending some of his functions in the UK would be fine.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by Lighthouse

He's already taken Beatrice on his business trips to observe his work.

Really, I understood it was to give the girl a supervised foreign holiday.

[Wisteria]

Originally Posted by Skydragon

Really, I understood it was to give the girl a supervised foreign holiday.

Well the "supervised" part is a jolly good idea.

[rmay286]

Originally Posted by AuroraB

His two quotes:
1) "If that is the sort of thing they want to do I see no reason why not." Has he even asked them or is he just testing the waters?
2) "I could make use of them because they would take some of the burden off me." As undergraduates, what do they know about international business, politics, etc. I can't quite see them giving speeches, so how is their presence going to decrease his burden.

I think all this is just hypothetical. The article in the Sun is just based off a couple of quotes from the interview Andrew did with The Telegraph recently (that was discussed in the last thread). Somehow the Sun has turned a couple of quotes into a whole story, including supposed quotes from Charles' aide and a description of Charles as being "infuriated"! (Over something that might hypothetically happen in the future, when he might or might not be king!) No one is saying that Beatrice and Eugenie are going to take over Andrew's job or that they even want to; some reporter just asked Andrew whether he thought it was something they might do in the future and he basically said he could use them if they wanted to do it. But the reporter raised the possibility, not Andrew.

Beatrice and Eugenie are still in school and I don't think that even if they did take over parts of Andrew's job, they would do it right after graduation.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by Lighthouse

Good point Skydragon but if those figures are accurate then about half of his clients are satisfied. Should we expect a 100% success rate from Prince Andrew during these tough economic times?

It didn't say how many refused to take part and if he is good at his job, I would expect at least a 70% satisfaction rating or I would replace him. No company would keep a salesman who is only 50% effective!

IMO most royals target the neediest people in society through charity work which is very good but there is a gap that Prince Andrew is filling here and I think it was good of him to not over look it. By traveling the world as 'special representative' for British businesses he's using his elite position for the good of his country and working his butt off to encourage economic growth and where there is growth there is stability and more jobs to go around.

Here we most definitely disagree, he is not stimulating economic growth, (thank goodness otherwise the recession could be deeper than it is). He didn't 'overlook' anything, they needed a job for him, so they gave him one! I have serious doubts as to whether he is 'working his butt' off, the evidence to date suggests not.

So I think he should be able to take his daughters with him for experience but they should try to cut costs where they can.... ....
If his site is accurate it appears that many businesses are well pleased with his support and he is doing a good job. I would be inclined to let his daughter's go, they might learn something from it.

Would you expect the site to say 'he is bloody useless but it keeps him occupied, the real work is done by trained staff'? The girls need to earn a place on any UK team and that means a few years under their belts of living and working.

[Wisteria]

A suggestion. First, do the girls play golf? If not they could start having lessons.

[rmay286]

Prince Andrew was just in the UAE and gave a very in-depth interview there:

Magazine - The National Newspaper

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by rmay286

Prince Andrew was just in the UAE and gave a very in-depth interview there:

Magazine - The National Newspaper

No doubting he has a fan there, I read the article but I wouldn't say it was an 'in depth' interview.

[Mermaid1962]

That article covered a wide area: the Navy, his marriage, his daughter, his sister-in-law, his ex-wife, and his role as Special Representative. What I found most interesting, though, was that he said that the government asked him to leave the Navy to take on his current position. Thank you for posting this, rmay286.

Originally Posted by rmay286

Prince Andrew was just in the UAE and gave a very in-depth interview there:

Magazine - The National Newspaper

[rmay286]

You're welcome. I thought it gave a more personal glimpse into Prince Andrew's life than other interviews I've seen--what he likes to read, for example, or what he does when he gets home (calm down his excited dogs, apparently! )

It was also interesting to read that his engagements have doubled since 2005, but I was getting that sense already. I don't remember reading as much about Andrew's role as Trade Ambassador back then, but now it seems like he's in a different foreign country almost every week.

[Mermaid1962]

I'd really like to see someone put out a serious biography of the Duke of York when he turns 50 (like my husband) next year.

Originally Posted by rmay286

It was also interesting to read that his engagements have doubled since 2005, but I was getting that sense already. I don't remember reading as much about Andrew's role as Trade Ambassador back then, but now it seems like he's in a different foreign country almost every week.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

That article covered a wide area: the Navy, his marriage, his daughter, his sister-in-law, his ex-wife, and his role as Special Representative. What I found most interesting, though, was that he said that the government asked him to leave the Navy to take on his current position.

It's amazing the way some of the facts have been altered to fit a self publicist article, IMO. There were questions raised when Andrew was given a job within the naval command, that he was neither qualified or had worked for, (I posted an article some time ago on how he was jumped to the position). He left the Navy after 22 years, because that was the amount of time he had signed up for. He was lucky that the DoK was willing to gracefully retire when they couldn't find anything else for him.

I have read it through 3 times now and can find nothing 'in depth', just a few (probably prearranged) questions and it is worthwhile noting that it doesn't say anything about the businesses he has not helped, just a claim by the reporter of a couple of major deals he has allegedly struck, (all by himself)?

It may be amazingly simple to sell himself to his fans and non Brits but it will be a hard job to sell himself and the little he appears to be doing, to the UK.

I don't mean this, in any way, shape or form as an insult or dig at anyone, but can anyone explain why the Yorks find it easy to sell themselves to the US and Canada?