JonathanB wrote on 04/09/12 at 19:30:45:

You clearly haven't visited yet The Hague on the third Tuesday of September or the Queen's tour on Queen's Day (April the 30st, so grab your chance).

http://www.nrc.nl/inbeeld/2011/04/30/de-koninklijke-familie-in-thorn-en-weert/

http://www.bastion-oranje.nl/koninginnedag.htm#Tocht van koninklijke familie

The community of Katwijk (60 000 people) has four voluntary associations dedicated to the Dutch monarchy.
I am not sure how stupid they are, but trust me, they are ardent.

The community of Zaandam is something else though. Queen Wilhelmina hated it because there were so many socialists. As a reaction the community named three streets after her husband; she had a bad marriage. When in the 80's Queen Beatrix visited Zaandam only 400 people showed up out of 120 000.

Stefan Buecker wrote on 04/08/12 at 09:27:31:


The 'British' royal family is, of course, German.  Perhaps you'd like them back? .
I wouldn't be too sure of the 'lacking political power' bit either.  That's the official line, true, but if you search around you'll see it's not the whole story.
Oh, and I don't buy the 'tourism' line either.  I've heard Americans do go to France from time to time as well.

Going back to the original post, I don't think Markovich should worry too much about upsetting English/British people with this thread.  There's a sizeable swell of republican feeling here.  You almost never get to hear about it in the mainstream media and we - I'm one of them - are by no means the majority - but there are plenty of us here too.

Similar to what others have said, my experience has been that the most ardently and stupidly pro-royals that I've met have all been American.  A friend of mine has a story that I can't top, though:-

She happened to be in the states the day that Diana died.  She was in a bar and went to the toilet.  One of the other bar goers followed her in.  My friend was in a stall - in mid-dump if truth be told - and this other women started knocking on the door saying "I just wanted to say how sorry I was about your Princess".

Antillian wrote on 04/08/12 at 18:08:19:

Without monarchy half the Germans should start working again

Antillian wrote on 04/08/12 at 18:08:19:


Orf with his head!

Without royalty, we wouldn't have this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC0bi9sJO6U

I have never taken particular interests in Ghanaean history nor politics, but one reason for its stability and (relative) welfare might be that they've also a king (in Kumasi, the second biggest town, the king of the Ashanti people). My "theory" is that the Ashanti, who are the biggest ethnic group in Ghana, feel somehow represented and taken care of by their king, whereas the Non-Ashanti see themselves represented by the republican government in Accra. So there's not so much need for that sort of trouble which one encounters so often in African countries, where the several ethnic groups quarrel with each other for political and / or economical dominance.

A sociologist or politicist interested in Ghana might prove me wrong, but that hasn't happened yet.

The royals may indeed be good for tourism, but they still have some privileges that can't be defended in a democratic society - though somehow there's a doublethink that seems to prevent it from becoming a issue. Here in Sweden for example the King (and probably all his family too) can't be prosecuted for any crime, be it drunk driving or even murder. So much for everyone's equality before the Law...

Markovich wrote on 04/08/12 at 02:00:54:

If Queen Beatrix or Crown Prince Willem Alexander ever gets the chance to meet you neither of them will have to worry. Both prefer a handshake to the guillotine and will be happy enough if you call them Mrs. and Mr. Van Orange Nassau.
At the other hand Queen Beatrix does have a political function. She plays quite an important role in the Dutch cabinet formation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_cabinet_formation

Another important event is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_from_the_throne

As she doesn't write it and its content usually is not very interesting - the papers usually publish it a few days before - the most debated point is commonly the hat she wears.