"France accused of snubbing Battle of Waterloo..." Topic

… bicentenary commemoration.

"France has been accused of snubbing the bicentenary commemoration of the Battle of Waterloo after it emerged that the country has failed to confirm whether any officials will turn up to remember France's "glorious defeat" at the hands of the British and their allies.

Starting on June 18, some 240,000 spectators will attend what has been dubbed the "most impressive reconstruction" ever seen in Europe over five days. A total of 5,000 actors are expected to take part in two huge re-enactments at Waterloo, along with 300 horses and 100 cannon, at a cost of around €7.00 EUR million (£5 million).

A member of the Royal Family is expected to attend, as are top figures from the other nations that made up the British-led coalition of armies…"
Full article here
link

Amicalement
Armand

Are there actually still "royal people" in the world?
Regards
Russ Dunaway

"Are there actually still "royal people" in the world?"

None that matter in the larger scheme of world events--just tired, over-bred, ceremonial figures useful only for a wave or two and a ribbon-cutting at a retirement home.

And whether the French send a representative to the commemoration is a big yawn. No one will miss them in any event among all the Allied high-fiving going on from dawn till dusk.

Can you blame them? It's like the American spin on WW2. We did all by ourselves……….nope, not true……….9

Well, we Brits sure couldn't have won the Battle of Waterloo without the French!

History is a set of lies agreed upon.

--Napoleon Bonaparte

+1 arthur and joker, you other lot you'd jump to be 'Royal' tired or not, not so?
I'd give my royal hind quarter tp go see this live, even if there is a ruddy great anthill on the battlefield now :)
Cheers and excited about the forthcoming celebrations even if the Frenchies can't see the magnificence of the occasion, their loss (was that a pun :)
Wonder how many M. Napoleons in full get up we'll have for the occasion?

Well, having seen the recent coverage of V.E. Day, and [then] Princess Elizabeth's part in leading a conga line from Trafalgar Square right through the Ritz Carlton and on to Piccadilly, while wearing her Women's Auxiliary uniform — I would certainly vote for her for Queen and Royal Person!

True that terrement. I think….. The US NAVY won the war in the pacific, the red army won the war in Europe. No-one won the Cold War, we are now both bankrupt.

Ya, the Soviets won the war by having 20 million causalities -- that's sure a way to win a war ????
Regards
Russ Dunaway

Well, we Brits sure couldn't have won the Battle of Waterloo without the French!

And perhaps not without the Prussians either. ; )

Well we celebrate Anzac Day in commemoration of our glorious defeat at Gallipoli.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Funny thing, the French have nothing to be ashamed about at "Waterloo", or whatever you call it. They lost, but with honour, against superior odds. If anyone is to blame it is not the fighting man of L'Armee du Nord.

Now do not get me started on 1940, the Levant, or Operation Torch and Vichy……..I guess I was lucky and never grew up in an occupied country, and hindsight is wonderful, but there is much more shame there than in 1815.

I saw an article about how in 1945 a majority of french believed russia won the war. But now most french think it was the USA

History is a set of lies agreed upon.

--Napoleon Bonaparte

Well, he would know, he was the master of 'lying like a bulletin'. To be fair to him though, he only rewrote the history of Marengo twice…

None that matter in the larger scheme of world events--just tired, over-bred, ceremonial figures useful only for a wave or two and a ribbon-cutting at a retirement home.

Hard to know how seriously to take such a facile statement! The genuine respect and affection with which the British and Dutch Sovereigns are held by their peoples to give but two examples, is a complex and deep emotion. Probably alien to such a puerile mind. Much easier to hold allegiance to a retired party hack, no doubt.

Well I am the 9th son of an Iowa farmer who helped fight the Japanese in WW2, Two brothers and myself serving in the USMC also and fighting in Vietnam -- named my company "OLD GLORY" – "OLD GLORY" for a precise purpose and anyone that actually thinks they are "ROYAL PEOPLE" can kiss my common behind !!!!
Regards
Russ Dunaway

417, take the statement, facile or otherwise, however you want. It was--and is--my personal view, and if you think my mind is puerile, knock yourself out. I'm neither British nor Dutch, so I don't know about the "genuine respect and affection" you claim they hold for their monarchs. That's perfectly fine if they do, and equally OK if I don't share it. As for "retired party hack," I'm clueless as to your intended insult in that regard. Did you suddenly get up on the wrong side of the bed? I'm surprised at you, since your posts are generally well thought out.

To be honest I dont come across much genuine respect and affection for the royals, and I live in the UK. Most people seem at best uninterested or of the opinion that their time should be up. We should have a referendum on weather to make them have proper jobs, seen as we pay for them.

PS.

Why should the French feel obliged to attend a celebration of their defeat.

The French should be there to honour the valliant soldiers that fought and died there in defence of the same tricolour that still flies over France today.
But then the French always have a very ambigius relation with Waterloo. (just look at the number of French commemorative monuments erected over the years (far exceeding those of the allies in the last 25 years or so)

Sorry Navy, I'm UK and I have no respect for parasitical royals. We all have opinions.

We also all have rectums; both are often full of the same stuff.

Here, for the benefit of non-UK readers, is what the fuss is all about:-

link

One of the things that sustains the monarchy in the UK is that most republicans in this country are spiteful, small-minded, and – as we see on here – ill-informed (the odd polite realist, such as Billy Bragg, is the exception).

The UK monarchy is NOT funded by the taxpayer; it is funded entirely from the Crown Estates – which are run on a commercial basis, and which frequently win awards for good management. These contribute 100% of their income to the Exchequer, of which 15% is returned in the form of the Sovereign Grant, which goes on typical Head of State activities: entertainment, building maintenance, and staff salaries. This grant applies only to the Queen and her husband; all other Royals that you read about derive income either from proper jobs, or via the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster (both of which have similar set-ups to the Crown Estates). The average annual surplus from this arrangement is £200.00 GBPM+ – WE DO NOT SUBSIDISE THEM.

And that's before you look at their contribution to stuff like tourism.

It also seems rather odd that wargamers, of all people, should use the term "parasite" to describe folk who have fought for this country (Phil, Andy, Harry) or saved lives as an SAR helicopter pilot (Will). But, as I said, most republicans in this country……