J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

I think the Royal Family probably picked Windsor because of Windsor Castle. Peerages often seem to have been given with place names rather than personal names, so I suppose there was a precedent for this. I know Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke chose to keep his own name when he was created a baron, but I think this was unusual.

Other people with German names also changed theirs too, because of the First World War. Names like Schmidt changed to Smith.

Ally

Thanks very much, Laura, that was most helpful.

So, I can look forward to a nice cup of tea boiled in a proper kettle and drunk out of a decent size cup in Courchevel in February in our Maeva apartment :D

You wouldn't happen to know, would you, if they provide duvets in the Maeva self-catering apartments? The previous apartments we've stayed in all have sheets and blankets, and my daughter simply can't stand blankets (typical fussy teenager).

The last few times we've been she's actually brought her own duvet and cover in her suitcase, only we got caught out in Bandol because she used one of those vacuum bags to make it small enough to fit in her suitcase, and they only had a dustpan and brush in the apartment! We both had to sit on the duvet to squash it small enough to fit back into the bag.

It doesn't really matter but it would be nice to know.

Thanks again,

Ally

Well,
It won't be my money anyway.

I don't earn enough to pay much tax. I should think the Royal Family probably get about enough out of me to buy themselves a piece of cake and a cup of tea each year, after my tax money has gone on defence, education, the NHS, social services, running 2 parliaments, prisons, etc. etc.

Ally

According to the website 'britroyals.com',
Our Queen is the 32nd great-granddaughter of King Alfred the Great who was the first effective King of England from 871-899.

In other words, the British Royal family have been around here in Britain for a very long time. Yes, they did marry into other royal families around Europe, but as Dave Mac said, it helped to ensure the stability of Europe - plus they weren't allowed to marry 'commoners' so who were they supposed to marry?

And why can't someone with a German surname be British? Or, someone with an Indian or French surname. Many of us have surnames originally derived from foreign surnames, since as I said at the beginning, Britain has been settled by successive waves of immigrants since the end of the ice age.

I think myself, that our Queen does a marvellous job, and I just hope that whoever succeeds her manages to do as well. I should think that it's a really hard job, and I'd much rather be cleaning toilets and making beds etc. than try and do what she does.

Ally

You won't have to shoot me Ian, I will be dead already from the shock of reading the appallingly racist remarks on this website.

Ally

Sorry I'm a bit late with this, but I've been cleaning for the last two days (Friday and Saturday changeover days).

Concerning the Royal Family (again),
where do you think British people came from?

It has now been proved that we are all descended from 'mitochondrial Eve' who lived somewhere in Africa (query Ethiopia) around 150,000 years ago. Thus none of us are 'native' Britons - all our ancestors came from somewhere else.

Anyone that has studied pre-history knows that the U.K wasn't permanently populated until very late on in the history of mankind, because of the ice ages. The ice ages didn't end until around 10,000 years ago, and ever since then Britain has been populated by successive waves of 'immigrants'.

We have had people from somewhere in the region of Iraq, the Celts from central Europe and Belgium, the Romans from Italy, Jutes and Angles from Denmark, Saxons from Germany, Vikings from Scandinavia, Normans from France etc. etc...

And during my lifetime we have had the Jamaicans, the Pakistanis etc. etc. and just lately we have had the Eastern Europeans - the Poles etc.

So, I would say the current Royal Family are very representative of the multi national modern nature of Britain.

Ally

Ian,
Really - I am very fond of the Queen, and some of the younger ones aren't too bad either, including Prince Charles (although I know he isn't that young any more).

We did get rid of our king once, a very long time ago, if you remember your history lessons, and then we decided to have one back again.

Ally

Sorry,
Can't go. Too busy ski-ing in Tignes at the end of October :lol:

Ally