Prince Andrew, Duke of York Current Events 7: Feb 2015 - Sep 2022


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They aren't getting any benefit though from their territorial designation. Nothing extra comes their way because of that designation. Nothing changed other than having a title when they, or their fathers, were given these titles - there is no land or money involved - nothing.


As for them getting involved and getting their hands dirty - when William and Harry did that they were pilloried as a 'stunt' - the royals simply can't win - if they do something like that it is a stunt, if they turn up to give moral support it isn't enough, if they do nothing it is they are unfeeling - they simply can't win.


When Beatrice was born there was no question about her taking the princess title she is entitled by the 1917s LPs. The BRF was riding a huge wave of popularity and having a little princess to go with the two princes was seen as a good thing and when Eugenie came along it was even - two little princesses and two princes.


That the BRF's popularity plummeted in the 1990s and the desire for a smaller royal family came about didn't mean that was the way things were in the late 1980s. As a result of those demands Louise and James have been effectively deprived of the Princess and Prince titles they would have had had the 1990s turned out differently.


The main reason, I suspect, why they didn't accompany Andrew is that the Queen, Charles and William actually don't want them doing anything. It was reported in 2012 that Beatrice wanted to do more for the Jubilee approached William for his support and was turned down. I suppose he wants only Kate as the working royal woman in his generation and as the years go by the York girls will increasingly be nothing more than society flibberty-gibbets as they have been largely sidelined by the power brokers within the family.
 
SnowBirds said:
As for his daughters, they are not working members of the firm, they just have a title attached to their name all because their father wanted it that way.....so they live their lives according to what they want to do, and since they are not supported by the taxpayer they in a sense have no obligations to the royal family/firm. It is the media that makes them more then they are.......for the media wants to sell papers, so we can but should not expect them to go to the areas of crisis and help out.
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This is where noblesse oblige comes in. They are not working royals so they cannot be expected to do such things, but they are of the highest birth, otherwise they wouldn't have the HRH style. They may not have asked for it, but they have it. They are Royal Highnesses and Princesses, and a social obligation comes with that. They may not like it, and may not thank their father for it, but if they choose to keep their styles and titles then they should occasionally do things just because it is right and honourable to do them. And turning up to fill a few sandbags would have been a good way to show they have a sense of the social responsibility that attaches to their rank.

Yet their father should be the first one there filling the sand bags, getting his hands dirty, bringing food and supplies out of his own pocket (I am sure he has enough money to lend a helping hand) and getting down helping the people any way he can with out someone holding an umbrella for him so that he stays dry......a bit of a snob, JMO.
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Hell, yeah!
 
I would have thought that the UK was advanced enough that it actually has the machines to fill sand-bags as we have at the SES here in NSW.


It is also a skill and isn't as easy as it looks - having filled them by hand during SES training some years ago I speak from experience ... but we don't have to do it anymore as we have the machines that fill them at a much faster rate than anyone can do it by hand. However you have to have completed the course to operate the machine - so have the skills - which I doubt that any of the royals have.
 
:previous: Even if they are filled by machine, it seems they still need to be put into place manually. William and Harry moved a few sandbags about in February last year, so some of the younger Royals could pitch in doing that, and it would be good exercise for Andrew. I'd pay to see Andrew shifting sandbags. :D
 
The article is more bothered about the umbrella holding, which does make him look pompous as even his mother the Queen hols her own umbrella. Even if it was only for a moment its a ridiculous photo for Andrew or his staff to post online.
 
:previous: I love the way so many people seem to tacitly ignore the statement in the article that the man holding the umbrella was not Andrew's "anything". Sebastian even blithely uses it in his headline and the photo caption speaks of his visit undermined by his brolly man. Yet the main text explains that the man merely offered to hold his umbrella over Andrew as a courtesy and was not a member of Andrew's entourage and certainly not his lackey.

As to the whingeing about him taking two weeks to visit, having lived through a devastating natural disaster, nothing made me angrier than the great and the good slumming it for a photo op! Their presence took vital human resources away from the coalface, so to speak, just to chauffeur them around and provide protection, and at some points even endangering people because they had to be seen in the Red Zone!

What utter and willful hypocrisy to pillory Andrew for not wanting to tie up senior personnel chatting and getting in the way of the relief work!
 
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Andrew's visit was not a single photo opportunity and must have taken time to organise as his visit covered a range of venues and people - Royals do not go on official visits immediately there is a crisis. Their visits would be disruptive and I think Marg is right in her post above (# 157)

There are times when he deserves criticism - this isn't one of them IMO

For the record - here is the official version of what he did from the CC

7th January

The Duke of York today visited West and North Yorkshire to see the impact of the recent floods on homes and local businesses and to meet those affected.

His Royal Highness this morning visited flood affected factories in Kirkstall Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire.

The Duke of York afterwards attended a briefing on the flooding, at Leeds Civic Hall and was received by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of West Yorkshire (Dr Ingrid Roscoe).

His Royal Highness this afternoon met members of the local community in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.

The Duke of York afterwards met representatives from the emergency services, York City Council and The Yorkshire Regiment in York who have been involved in the flood relief.

His Royal Highness later visited residents and business people in Todmorden, West Yorkshire.
 
Exactly - he didn't just go to one place affected but to several. However being Andrew even if he had been there on Day 1 and personally loaded sandbags and rescued people and property 24/7 with no rest at all he would still be pilloried for a) not doing enough b) taking up resources c) any other reason people can think of.
 
I don't believe that at all. I think he would have received praise. Save the platitudes and meetings of rescue personnel for another time.

I'm old enough to remember the disaster at Aberfan in Wales and how a young Charles wanted to go and help the rescue attempt, begged but wasn't allowed. I still think it was a huge opportunity missed to bond with the Welsh people.
 
In my earlier post I said it was " a ridiculous photo for Andrew or his staff to post online".
I agree its a good thing Andrew went to York to offer support , my point was anyone with half a brain can see its a bad photo to share publicly. Yes its now a true representation but still Andrew or his PR people should have taken one look at it and deleted it. Instead they put it on twitter and made a bit of IMO a pompous statement to go with it. Should it detract from what he was there to do and the effect the floods have had on the people in York? Of course not.

On a separate note, I'm surprised Andrew still has his own website, it made sense when he was the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment in an official role, but now as a member of the RF why does he have his own website and not use the main royal.gov.uk?
 
Any VIP visiting during a time of natural disaster can be disruptive to the relief effort going on. Better they wait until the Major crisis is dealt with and then visit when people have the time to speak to them about it.
Rather than fill sand bags Prince Andrew or the York girls could have helped out in relief centres talking to old folk offering some kind words or serving up food.
 
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Tarlita said:
Any VIP visiting during a time of natural disaster can be disruptive to the relief effort going on. Better they wait until the Major crisis is dealt with and then visit when people have the time to speak to them about it.
Rather than fill sand bags Prince Andrew or the York girls could have helped out in relief centres talking to old folk offering some kind words or serving up food.
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The first is what Andrew did - waiting until people had time to speak about it.

The second idea is counter to the first as having them there would have been disruptive - and cause security headaches as Andrew has security 24/7 which would have taken away security from the relief effort. Don't forget that before any member of the royal family is able to make a public visit there is a reccy for security purposes - which has to take place a few days or more in advance which itself is distracting to the emergency personnel. The last thing they need is a VIP with a security force in tow (who can't pitch in as they have their own duty to perform) taking up space etc while they are trying to actually do the job they have been trained to do.

The girls aren't working royals and so have no role to play at all. They are clearly never going to be asked to step up so why bother and be accused of doing a PR stunt. Better to stay away and not be condemned as they would have been. Eugenie is probably back at work these days anyway while who knows what Beatrice is up to - if she does genuinely have a job in NY then she too is also probably back at work. I don't blame the girls for not going - they know that they aren't wanted or needed for that sort of duty by their family so why bother putting themselves out when those who are actually supposed to represent the family and nation haven't bothered.
 
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Iluvbertie said:
The girls aren't working royals and so have no role to play at all. They are clearly never going to be asked to step up so why bother and be accused of doing a PR stunt. Better to stay away and not be condemned as they would have been. Eugenie is probably back at work these days anyway while who knows what Beatrice is up to - if she does genuinely have a job in NY then she too is also probably back at work. I don't blame the girls for not going - they know that they aren't wanted or needed for that sort of duty by their family so why bother putting themselves out when those who are actually supposed to represent the family and nation haven't bothered.
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Because they are Princesses "of York", regardless of whether their grandmother and/or uncle and/or cousin (whoever is actually making the rules these days) does not want them doing anything "official", and the fact their relatives haven't bothered should not necessarily stop them from letting the people of York know that they care. If they do. They might not, of course.
 
If either or both aren't back at work is there some impediment (physical, mental, emotional) that would stop Eugenie or Beatrice from volunteering at a relief centre or helping the people of York or Cumbria get their lives back on track? Instead of waiting for others to do something, of course.
 
Curryong said:
If either or both aren't back at work is there some impediment (physical, mental, emotional) that would stop William or Harry from volunteering at a relief centre or helping the people of York or Cumbria get their lives back on track?Instead of waiting for others to do something, of course.
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I made a slight correction to your original post.

William listed his occupation as Prince of the U.K. and isn't Harry also a Prince of the U.K.?

Are York and Cumbria located outside the U.K.?
 
^ I put in my original post on this subject that I felt that Andrew, the Cambridges, Harry and the York princesses would do a great deal of good by going up north and helping in some practical way. I pointed to Charles's two visits in two consecutive years to flooded Cumbria and the food he and Camilla contributed at Ballater.

I can't see why any healthy and able adult from the Royal family can't lend a hand to people in crisis. However, the most recent posts here have discussed whether the York princesses should make the effort as they aren't considered as part of the working BRF. In my view that shouldn't matter.
 
 
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I remember when it was built looked like a supermarket it really did look so awful. Hasn't been used in years anyway. Wonder what will be built in it's place?
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
Nothing lost. While the British isles are studded with fabulous estates, they managed to build the most ugly estate ever. Good that the sore pimple in the landscape has been flattened again!
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Supposedly, the Yorks disliked the finished building.

So, why did they approve the plans in the first place?
 
I'm sure if he wanted to travel on that plane he could have, imagine anyone, for example, telling his sister she couldn't! Maybe the delay meant other arrangements had to be made to get to a certain event for a certain time.
 
With regard to Sunninghill Sarah always said, after it was built, that they had decided to build the house there because the Queen and Prince Philip had once had a house in the vicinity which had burned down. A bit of an ill-fated spot, then! Sarah inferred that Sunninghill was really Andrew's baby and she had just gone along with everything as she would have been happy to live anywhere.
 
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