Perhaps the common expectation would be the the Royals would gift one another with jewels and gold, but in reality their gifts were refreshingly ordinary. Prince William and Prince Harry clubbed together to give the Queen a Blu-Ray player. Queen Elizabeth owns several race horses and enjoys watching horse race footage, so was reportedly delighted.
The Queen and Prince Philip exchanged token gifts in a nod to hard times. (The Queen is generally noted not to go overboard and prefers practical gifts.)
Earlier in the year it was reported that William would be giving Kate a chocolate brown labrador; Kate was spotted in Selfridges buying Givenchy perfume for her beau. The young princes also set Prince Philip up with a whoopee cushion which, after several failed attempts, eventually caught him out.
Other small details are being reported about the royal holidays. At the Sandringham event, none of the public was allowed cameras this year. Prince William gave a long-time visitor to the church parade a hug. And the bishop who conducted the church service teased the Royals about their knowledge of the TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, saying that such knowledge did not do them credit.
Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy are still expected to make an appearance in Sandringham, but no news on this has yet filtered through.
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Comments
This year Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall 11 days visit cost 2,57 millions dollars to Canadian taxpayers. The Queen and her Prince 25th trip to the country in 2010 will cost $3.5 million.
This money could be better spent on food for the poor. Some weeks ago, Moisson Montreal last campaign was short 100,000 dollars. On a monthly basis, this non-profit food banks serves more than 115 000 persons and things are getting worst. Not only children one-third of those who receive supports but also the number of employed Montrealers customers is up by 78% in 2009.
In her annual Christmas message, the Queen said that for those facing the continuing effects of the economic downturn, 2009 was a difficult year for many. She urges the British people to show compassion and concern for those less fortunate. She should do what she preach, forget her trip to Canada and make sure the money go were it is needed.
Elected heads of state aren't free. There are several valid reasons one can think of for abolishing the monarchy in Canada and elsewhere, but cost is not one of them because in actuality elected heads of state tend to cost more. If the monarchy were abolished the cost of funding it would just be relocated to funding an elected head of state; it would not mean more money for poor people.
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