[Jo of Palatine]

I found the article well worth the read and very interesting in it's assumption that it's the Royals who select their commoner brides/grooms because they are in accord with them - and that this is telling alot about the Royals of today.

You're right in that, Vanesa. But it is not necessary the fault of these young Royals, it's their parents/Grandparent who allowed them to enjoy the life of the jeunesse d'oré instead of seeing to it that they started early on with their upcoming duties. I know quite some middle-class entrepreneur who started educating their heirs from early days, so that the company would survive their taking-over. Why doesn't the reigning Royals follow that track?

One problem surely is that there is no real position in the workings of a representative monarchy for the heir. Even at age 60, The Prince of Wales has no real place when it comes to the dealings with the state - and that's what people realise and see. And William? Why should he behave like a Royal when he will in all probabilty have to wait decades for his becoming king. So he spends his time like young, rich men do: partying with girlfriends and working in a military job which offers officer's privilege and adventure. Just like Frederick of Denmark.

In addition even the work of the monarch is not very visible for his people. That the queen receives about 4 dignitaries in single audiences each day is not visible but happens behind closed doors. it would be necessary IMHo to introduce more occasions where the monarch is actually needed and to show him or her doing that. So people could again connect to their monarch after the mystique has been destroyed which gave the people at least the idea that the monarch was in fact working hard behind closed doors. Newpapers should be obliged to give the work of the RF at least a page daily - and the RF should see to it that these pages are filled with something. I have no doubt they could do that.

And one point I'd like to critizise about the article: Vanesa said that after some generations of marriages to commoners there would be no drop of Royal blood in the veins of the "Royals" anymore. While you could say so, OTOH it's important to note that still the reigning Royal is always in accordance to the inheritance laws the next senior relative to his Right Royal predecessor. For me this counts more than the ancient lineage of said Royal personality (which would always be there, of course: inherited from one monarch to the next of kin).