[imported_Fluffy_Bunny]

take no notice of those coffee sippers my man, it's their fault if they don't want to be part of our glorious Commonwealth because their great grandfathers decided to throw some tea in the river or something a few hundred years ago. Had this unfortunate incident not taken place our rebel colonial friends may have had the priviledge of being part of our internatinal party gang.

I take particular pride in serving in Her Majestys premier service, there's a certain romance to living in a realm rather than just another republican state & I enjoy the links & assosciations the monarchy & Commonwealth give us with other countries. Rather than being completely detatached I'm proud of the fact my country can share a bond with the Commonwealth allies & that many people have cousins or relatives living in Commonwealth countries. There's also the similar history that the countries have for fighting for the old cause & many people can claim their ancestors died for King & Country, two of my direct ancestors have.

Whilst I am a Royalist you can't compare me to those vomit-inducing idiots who sobbed their pathetic little hearts out in 1997 over a woman they knew nothing of any real substance of. I think Harry has a curious sense of humour, probably quite a laugh to party with & no-body actually knows Charles or the rest personally so they can't really judge. I do know that he is worthy of some respect.

The Duke of Cornwall is the Heir to the Throne in a Constitutional Monarchy, therefore is unelected. So what? That's the British system, for whose 'unelected' Monarch thousands have sacrificed themselves either to make Britain great or keep Britain free. Democracy is no panacea - Hitler was an elected politician. It is not right to judge Charles so quickly. Do people just gauge his character from the infantile portrayals on the US networks? Charles is a patron of 360 charitable organisations, gained his flying wings at RAF Cranwell, become a Helicopter pilot on an Aircraft Carrier, came to command a coastal minehunter & earned his jump wings with the Parachute Regiment. In the year to March 2004, does a he helped to raise, directly or indirectly, £100 million for charity? He's hardly done nothing for anyone.

On the topic regarding tex: Taxpayers pays for the Civil List - money used to fund the Queen's duties as head of state. It pays for the costs of staff and running the Official Household. Within this, the only individuals to personally receive an income are the Queen, as Head of State, and Prince Philip. And they pay income tax. The Prince of Wales receives nothing from the public purse, but gains an income from his personal estates, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall. In fact, the Civil List was introduced in the nineteeenth century, in lieu of the income from Royal lands and esates; today this income dwarfs anything the Civil List pays out, so in reality the taxpayer receives a benefit from the List.

Here's to the Monarchy beer: I like the silly symbols & strange uniforms because it gives one a sense of identity. I do hope there's little chance of having a revolution, the French never really caught on to the idea & it would be incredably bad form to see one of those decapitation devices on Horse Guards Parade.