Royals at Sandringham.....

My D does "eventing" Zara rides other people's horses and gets sponsored to do so. Apart from her beloved Toytown.

I missed that!

I too would have bought houses for my daughters, my post stating the properties were bought by the Queen was a reply to a post saying the properties were handed over by the Queen

Are people forgetting that Zara's father is a well-known equestrian too?

Annie, where is your evidence that Zara's horses are from the Queen's stud farm? Mark Phillips bought Zara's most successful horse, Toytown, for her after seeing him jump.

The Royal Stud at Sandringham produces young racehorses. Event horses need to be of a heavier build and are usually a mix of thoroughbreds/hunters although some ex racehorses can be re-schooled to become eventers.

Zara is known to bring on young horses for racing as she and Mike Tindall own racehorses but one of her own event horses, High Kingdom, actually belonged to a racehorse owner.

Racing and eventing are two completely different equestrian sports.

reminder: buy lottery ticket tomorrow

If I could buy my DC houses I would.

I know people who have done and I see nothing wrong in that.

Good points Eloethan

Anyone who has to get up at crack of dawn to feed and dress their children, rush them off to nursery then go to work does not have the worlds press waiting for a frown or a yawn

I think you find the queen did not own Gatecombe Park, Bagshot Park or that awful building Andrew and Sarah lived in, the queen bought them as wedding gifts. William and Kate live in a house which is owned by the queen and like Harry and Charles and Andrew live in royal residences in London, Charles bought Highgrove and Llwynwermod

I saw The Queen and Princess Anne when I was a child, what shocked me was that they were in colour!
*ilovecheese^
I saw Princess Anne last week and she was definitely in colour!
(no, I wasn't lining the streets to catch a glimpse)

Of course money doesn't take away problems or guarantee happiness but unhapiness and difficult times are made worse when there are awful money worries - and serious money problems alone are enough to cause anxiety and depression and family strife.

There is a world of difference between having a nanny/nannies plus other domestic help in your home and having to get up at the crack of dawn to feed and dress your children and rush them off to nursery, and then rush home from work in order to avoid a financial penalty for picking them up a few minutes late. That's apart from the shopping, cooking, washing, ironing, cleaning, etc, that working mums (and hopefully dads too) have to fit in in their "free" time. Really, let's not pretend that the royal family is "just like us".

All properties were handed over by the Queen.

Eloethan lost your sense of humour? My post was in reply to a post on The Blairs, no need to be so protective ?

My main criticism of the Windsors has always been the cost of security for the minor royals. I have not critcised queenie

The Tindalls are comfy, no royal duties, turn up for all celebrations, live on property bought by the queen , horses from the queens stud farm. They can be and look relaxed

You've made a few critical comments about the queen in the past anniebach but it seems that almost any topic can be turned into an anti-Corbyn dig.

Top marks for the most natural couple go to Zara and Mike Tindall.

It's the two prince's who looked miserable and stand-offish, not the duchess's.

Poor Kate under such scrutiny. She may just have had her period. I always looked half dead on my first couple of days.

I notice that after reports of Meghan " not attending the shoot with Harry on Boxing Day ", went. Was her " refusal " part of the media's false news to stir up the animal rights mob ? Or do we believe that Meghan is two-faced ?
Both Meghan and Kate attended.

I love animals too and if I'd said I'm not going to something like that, I sure as Hell wouldn't have gone but at the same time showing no objection to others going.

I saw The Queen and Princess Anne when I was a child, what shocked me was that they were in colour!

Perhaps she is still feeding Louis.
He looks like a bonny baby, that could be taking it out of her if he's a hungry baby and if she's not eating enough.

Only one of the one young women needs the staying power of the queen or queen mother

Having babies in succession takes it out of the best of us and Kate is no exception, but she didn't have much meat on her to start with and neither has Meghan. She is painfully thin with sparrows ankles.
Compare the two with the robust Queen Victoria who had nine when there were no mod-cons like today.

The present Queen and her mother are/were robust individuals. It's the outsiders who aren't. It'll be interesting to see if both young women weather the same storms and have the same staying power.

I think I read somewhere that HM's favourite Prime Minister was Harold Wilson.