The British Royal Family: God save us from the Queen

We Canadians share our Royal Family with 15 other countries or Commonwealth of Nations. The Monarchy has been rooted in our soil since approx. the 16th. century when they lay claim to this land. Among other roles and "duties" the Queen is regarded as our Head of State. Meaning, she is the employer of all govt. staff, owns all state land, buildings and contents, copyright for all government publications and is the owner of all state companies (i.e. The National Film Board, Bank of Canada, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp.). The Head of State also is supposed to maintain Democracy and assure that there is no abuse of power.

But really, who are these people? How much money do they cost us? What is the benefit of having a hereditary group of posh rich people rule over us for centuries? There are estimates that the Queen is worth billions but of course that's her "own" personal wealth. Monarchists (people who love anything Royal) say the family only costs us about $1.72 each a year for their duties, such as tree planting ceremonies and rich vacations spreading the "word" of Canadiana across the globe. Surely this "job" of Her Excellency is worth the price of a cup of coffee, isn't it?

To help you decide here are some words from the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. These have all been documented by journalists covering him at one point or the other over the years.

"How do you keep the natives off the booze long enough to get them through the test?" Said to a driving instructor in Scotland.

"If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed." Said in 1986 to a group of British students in China.

"You are a woman, aren't you?"After accepting a gift from a Kenyan woman.

"If it has four legs and is not a chair, has wings and is not an aeroplane, or swims and is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it." (1986)

"British women can't cook." (1966)

"You managed not to get eaten then?" Said to a British student in Papua New Guinea.

"Deaf? If you are near there, no wonder you are deaf." On a visit to the new National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff, said to a group of deaf children standing next to a Jamaican steel drum band.

"Do you still throw spears at each other?", Said in 2002 to a Indigenous Australian businessman.

"Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed." (In 1981, in reference to the economic recession.)

"Do you know they're now producing eating dogs for the anorexics?", Said in 2002 to a blind, wheelchair-bound woman who was accompanied by her guide dog

"In the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, in order to contribute something to solve overpopulation." Foreword to Fleur Cowles, If I Were an Animal.

For more interesting Royal quotes visit Wikiquote.org

Personal video by Prince Harry. Just some harmless racial banter yes?:


Here we have Prince Philip breaking into giggles at the mention of Chinese people:


Last but not least, we can't forget Prince Harry and his famous Halloween costume. Tell me, would your kids think this was fun to wear as a gag:


Opinion Pole Findings:

Opinion poles over the years tend to show an equal split on whether we should keep allegiance to a Monarchy or get rid of it. However, in more recent years there seems to be a majority who favour severing ties with the Crown when the Queen passes. Still most poles show that a large number of people do not have any opinion about our Royals at all.

An interesting side note became clear in the 2007 Angus Reid Poll"The popularity of the young Prince William was also gauged in this poll and the unlikely concept of him passing over his father and succeeding his grandmother received surprising support, especially among similarly-aged respondents. This trend seems to reinforce the view established in a 2002 poll indicating that 65% of Canadians value members of the royal family more for their celebrity status than their role in our government. Consequently, as the young, bachelor prince ages, raises a family and endures the scrutiny deserving of a prospective head of state, this opinion is widely expected to wane considerably".

So, do you still believe the Royal Family is needed in Canada? Or should we move past all this and save a bunch of money? Stay tuned for more on the Royal bunch in future blog posts.