Kitchen Garden Forum

I find it really hard to remember he's now King Charles. For all my 60+ years he's been Prince Charles.

We met him in Bangladesh in the early 90s. Absolutely charming. Very nice guy, so good luck to him. Can't be easy inheriting a job when you're in your mid 70s.

I think the Dutch have the right idea - abdicate when you get to retirement age. But abdication is a terrifying thing for British royalty after all the Wallis Simpson fiasco.

2 years being king would do me I could retire with more money than I’ve ever dreamt off ,I could also do something about the homeless

Yeah, I suppose there is the money. But your life's not your own. I just keep hoping for the jackpot on the lottery.

Crikey! I see your point, Robo. It was in my usual online paper today that his private fortune is estimated to be worth about £1.8 billion! It includes the world's best stamp collection, worth about 100 million, famous paintings, racehorses, etc. How the other half live, eh?

I know life ain't fair but it's quite shocking that a person, or even a family, could have so much when so many people have so little. The choice between heat or eat, food banks, homelessness...

When I was about four years old, before I went to school (my granny taught me to read and write), I drew a picture of me and Prince Charles. I added the dialogue, "When I grow up I will marry Prince Chalels (sic), I will be a princees (sic again) and we will have babies." (Considering we lived in a council house this was quite a grand ambition.)

It would be really fun if I could excavate that picture from storage somewhere but it's probably long gone.

LOL! When I did eventually meet him decades later, making polite conversation, he asked if husband and I had children. I replied that we didn't. He said, "Oh, I don't blame you they're far too expensive!"

Aye, they would be if you send them to Eton.

All the wealth surrounding the monarchy isn't irrelevant, especially to those who who feel they would like some of it but would they also like the enforced adherence to duty,attending functions when they,re unwell , having to be nice to unpleasant people,, having every instance of your private life subjected to oublic scrutiny and never being able to retire no matter how elderly or infirm you become.
I,m happy to remain a private citizen in a Monarchy, especially when i look around and see what sort of moral leaders alternative systems produce.

Anybody who loves nature and is keen on gardening must have their soul in the right place!

Yeah, the monarchy can seem like a bit of an anachronism these days but when you consider the alternatives, eg Prime Ministers, Presidents, other Heads of State, perhaps we are better off. But do they really need quite so much money when others have to use food banks? Of course it mostly won't be liquid wealth - it'll be tied up in land, property, etc, much of which creates employement and wealth for the area.

It's a tough one.

Is anyone having any kind of coronation party? I kinda wondered about doing something on the floor where our flat is. I'm not much of a royalist but we don't currently have a social life and I like feeding people and having parties.

I am usually a republican but when I look around at the past prime ministers that would be likely to stand in a presidential election I turn back to the monarchy.

There’s a Garden party at the Manor house in the afternoon but, it’s not really my cup of tea….it’s my busiest time of the year, so it would only pile the pressure on, to catch up with the work….

I,m not really mobile enough now to "party" but we'll watch on tv and have a nice meal with perhaps some fizz afterwards. Our village is holding a party in the afternoon with barbeque, bar and all the associated kids' entertainment on our village green so hoping the weather will be better than the last one!

But I can,t believe it. Because it,s a bank holiday weekend our local council have reorganised our normal Friday bin day collection to the following day, ie Coronation Day. I wonder how the refuse collection folk feel abouti that!

The bin collectors probably think it’s a load of rubbish, Primrose…..sorry…

Nothing going on down here in our little cul-de-sac! It's not that we are not friendly but such a mix of ages others have accepted invites to the street with the bouncy castle for the youngin's, or just can't get out, or the crowd will disturb others recovery from their bad head space! Not selling it well I know, but it is stronger than that as we look after each other privately & quietly. You can't pat yourself on the back for just being kind, it fits as given back!

Katy Perry is good at the Windsor concert, everyone seems to be enjoying it.

The British always put on a good bash….

"I am usually a republican but when I look around at the past prime ministers that would be likely to stand in a presidential election I turn back to the monarchy."

Thinking we should have bloke that organized the coronation to run the country.