Royalty Thread #9. Welcome Archie, the red headed heir, don’t care!

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Winnipeg said:
I am surprised someone was surprised to find Prince Charles doing something unintelligent. He is not known for his intellect or am I missing something.
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You are right. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I don’t get the impression that any of the actual born royals are very bright. Diana certainly didn’t bring a huge amount of brain power the the gene pool, but perhaps Kate has. Her parents are not highly educated, but they went from working for an airline to running their own multi million pound company and I think Kate did quite well in her Art History degree, so there may some intelligence there.

Of course, given the staggering number of mind numbing events a monarch must go to every year, maybe high intelligence would be a curse?
 
mag said:
You are right. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I don’t get the impression that any of the actual born royals are very bright. Diana certainly didn’t bring a huge amount of brain power the the gene pool, but perhaps Kate has. Her parents are not highly educated, but they went from working for an airline to running their own multi million pound company and I think Kate did quite well in her Art History degree, so there may some intelligence there.

Of course, given the staggering number of mind numbing events a monarch must go to every year, maybe high intelligence would be a curse?
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Wow - that is a rather condescending blanket statement. I think a majority of the royals are reasonably intelligent. Diane may not have gotten high exam results but she wasn't expected too or pushed in that direction. That doesn't mean she wasn't intelligent. Nor so Prince Charles - so he believes in homeopathy - if it works for him why shouldn't he. I know you think it is woo but I know several people who feel it has benefitted them - is it a placebo effect - who knows but it is their choice to use it and I don't decry them for it. And let's not forget Prince Charles was trying to get the world to talk about environmental issues - including the usage of plastic - many years before it became a popular cause. Again does he have high exam scores - maybe not but as I said that is only one mark of intelligence. And all of the Queens Prime Ministers have been astounded at her breadth of knowledge when they have their meetings with her. She never sat exams so we have no idea how she would have scored - but again I believe she is highly intelligent regardless of the lack of exam results.

Anyways I was trying to stay out of the homeopathy argument but saying that Prince Charles - and other royals - lack in intellect isn't really fair IMO.

Anyway Harry, Meghan and Archie are off to visit South Africa in the Autumn at the request of the Foreign Office:

Harry and Meghan to visit southern Africa in the Autumn
 
mag said:
You are right. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I don’t get the impression that any of the actual born royals are very bright. Diana certainly didn’t bring a huge amount of brain power the the gene pool, but perhaps Kate has. Her parents are not highly educated, but they went from working for an airline to running their own multi million pound company and I think Kate did quite well in her Art History degree, so there may some intelligence there.

Of course, given the staggering number of mind numbing events a monarch must go to every year, maybe high intelligence would be a curse?
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It would be difficult for any royal to focus on academic pursuits given the number of public commitments associated with the role. Obviously, some royals have had a chance to attend university (e.g., William, Eugenie, and Beatrice are all university graduates), but a full-time royal won't be able to develop a career based on their academic studies.

Nonetheless, they do have the opportunity to pursue their interests through hobbies, patronages and various initiatives. Kate seems to be choosing things that are close to her heart, like her recent Royal Photographic Society patronage. Queen Maxima does work related to her finance background, Crown Princess Mette-Marit has a project involving reading and literacy, and Queen Margrethe focuses on artistic pursuits (her son, Crown Prince Frederik, apparently has an MA in political science).

I'm sure some royals are none too bright, others are about average, and some are quite intelligent - like any random group of people. And now that they no longer have to marry other royals, there's more variety in the gene pool :)
 
Lorac said:
I know you think it is woo but I know several people who feel it has benefitted them - is it a placebo effect - who knows
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Science knows. It's not a matter of opinion like whether or not people should wear white after Labor Day.

Homeopathy doesn't work and I think it sets a bad example for someone of Prince Charles' statue to support it like this. I thought they had to vet their pet projects and I'm shocked this passed such vetting.
 
MacMadame said:
Science knows. It's not a matter of opinion like whether or not people should wear white after Labor Day.

Homeopathy doesn't work and I think it sets a bad example for someone of Prince Charles' statue to support it like this. I thought they had to vet their pet projects and I'm shocked this passed such vetting.
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I don't use homeopathic 'remedies' but as I said I know some who do and they feel it helps them and if it doesn't actually hurt them - except in their wallet - then I for one aren't going to tell them to stop doing what they want to do. It's called free will.
 
Lorac said:
I don't use homeopathic 'remedies' but as I said I know some who do and they feel it helps them and if it doesn't actually hurt them - except in their wallet - then I for one aren't going to tell them to stop doing what they want to do. It's called free will.
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If used to replace actual medical treatment, there are many situations in which it can indeed hurt them because of lack of proper treatment. If you treat a bladder infection with homeopathy for example and it spreads as a result of no proper treatment, it can result in kidney problems or sepsis. It can hurt people and it is irresponsible for Charles (or anyone in a powerful position like his) to promote it.
 
Lorac said:
Wow - that is a rather condescending blanket statement. I think a majority of the royals are reasonably intelligent. Diane may not have gotten high exam results but she wasn't expected too or pushed in that direction. That doesn't mean she wasn't intelligent. Nor so Prince Charles - so he believes in homeopathy - if it works for him why shouldn't he.
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You are correct. Rereading my post, I was too harsh. Saying “not bright” was wrong. I guess they don’t appear to me, as a general statement, to be particularly intellectually inclined.There were a number of comments from teachers who had taught Diana and consensus seemed to be that she was not particularly intellectual. Of course, maybe out of the public eye they are. Who knows? This latest patronage certainly seems to support my thought that there is not a ton of critical thinking going into what is supported. Of course, I suppose other than the Queen, who is going to tell Charles he shouldn’t be supporting this cause?

As to Prince Charles, if he came out said that he believes the earth is flat, would you consider him to be intelligent or possess critical thinking skills? Because “believing” in homeopathy is the same thing. It does not work. There have been many studies done. It does not work. I know many people think that it isn’t hurting so why worry. The thing is, it is hurting. Homeopathy preys on sick, desperate people. It take their money, it takes their time, and it often keeps them from treatments that could help them.

There is a small pharmacy near where I live. They sell homeopathic “remedies” right next to actual remedies. You could easily pick up a children’s homeopathic fever reducer by mistake, especially if English was not your first language. So a parent does that, gives it to their child, the child’s fever continues to climb and they have a seizure. But it harmless, right?

Prince Charles should know better. He is being reckless and self indulgent.
 
mag said:
You are correct. Rereading my post, I was too harsh. Saying “not bright” was wrong. I guess they don’t appear to me, as a general statement, to be particularly intellectually inclined.There were a number of comments from teachers who had taught Diana and consensus seemed to be that she was not particularly intellectual. Of course, maybe out of the public eye they are.
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Some Royals might be intellectually inclined and engage in critical thought, but the public probably wouldn't know. Royals do a lot of public service, and try to communicate with people on their level. Then they have their causes and projects. Coming across as intellectually superior to the general problem would be bad form.

Given their demanding schedules, at the end of the day they probably just want to be entertained by a show or a movie or an easy-to-read book - not debate philosophy.

Who knows? This latest patronage certainly seems to support my thought that there is not a ton of critical thinking going into what is supported. Of course, I suppose other than the Queen, who is going to tell Charles he shouldn’t be supporting this cause?
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Well, Charles may believe that homeopathy has legitimacy. Or there could be something else going on - such as he is supporting it due to personal connections or friendship.
 
Does no one fact check before posting? :wall:

From 2013

The Royal family has long been devoted to the practice of homeopathy - in fact, to this day, there is a court homeopath, a position that seems as anachronistic as the royal horologist or the master of the Queen’s music. The Queen’s father, George VI, was a firm convert to the cause, as was his father, George V.

Indeed, Her Majesty is not only devoted to homeopathy, which she also uses on her animals, but the broader spectrum of alternative medicine - and it is said that her avoidance of illness during her 60 years on the throne is due to supplementing her conventional medical regime with herbal remedies.

But it is Prince Charles, famously so in tune with nature that he talks to plants on his Highgrove estate, who is alternative medicine’s staunchest supporter among the Royals - and indeed one of its most enthusiastic advocates in the UK. The practice is, he told the World Health Assembly in Geneva in 2006, “rooted in ancient traditions that intuitively understood the need to maintain balance and harmony with our minds, bodies and the natural world”.
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This is getting really off topic but homeopathy covers a large range of non-traditional medicine. Is acupuncture and a lot of Eastern medications (like tiger balm for muscle soreness) homeopathy? Or using witch hazel to sooth the itching of mosquito bites? Or the eating of probiotics like yogurt to prevent yeast infections? Or are we referring to the very specific "starving" of diseases with water and herbs and whatever?
 
canbelto said:
This is getting really off topic but homeopathy covers a large range of non-traditional medicine. Is acupuncture and a lot of Eastern medications (like tiger balm for muscle soreness) homeopathy? Or using witch hazel to sooth the itching of mosquito bites? Or the eating of probiotics like yogurt to prevent yeast infections? Or are we referring to the very specific "starving" of diseases with water and herbs and whatever?
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None of those things fits within the ambit of the dictionary definition of homeopathy.
 
Japanfan said:
Given their demanding schedules, at the end of the day they probably just want to be entertained by a show or a movie or an easy-to-read book - not debate philosophy.
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Thinking critically does not require you ever debate philosophy.

Japanfan said:
Well, Charles may believe that homeopathy has legitimacy. Or there could be something else going on - such as he is supporting it due to personal connections or friendship.
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If Charles believes homeopathy has legitimacy then he is not thinking critically or displaying an even average intellect. There is enough scientific information out there and enough studies have been done to convince anyone with any intellectual curiosity that homeopathy is bullshit. Clearly, based on @Vagabond ’s post the apple has not fallen far from the tree. I may have to rethink my walking back the “not very bright” comment.

I do not understand why people are so hung up on belief. It doesn’t matter how much one “believes,” it doesn’t make it a fact or make it true.
 
canbelto said:
Yes but I still don't understand what it actually is. Maybe because I haven't actually ever practiced it?
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The idea is that an infinitesimal amount of a harmful substance will produce a beneficial effect. If the dose is so small as to be undetectable, how can it be proven even to be present in the dose administered, let alone effective? Not that I have searched very hard, but I have yet to find any answer beyond an ipse dixit.
 
So moving on from homeopathy, (and clearly I am still feeling a bit snarky) nothing says “he doesn't want the public to show interest in him because of his sister.” Like doing an interview when the only thing you have done in your life that would warrant an interview is, you guessed it, being the brother of the wife of the heir to throne.


www.insider.com

Kate Middleton's brother James gave a rare intimate interview where he opened up about his 'crippling' depression and said he leads a 'separate life' to his sister

Kate Middleton's younger brother James said he doesn't want the public to show interest in him because of who he is related to.
www.insider.com www.insider.com
 
Diana sure had emotional intelligence or people skills.

I suggest Prince William is excellent at people skills too (and Kate too). I also think Kate is smart. Really good addition to the family. Prince William picked well and shows good judgement
 
Winnipeg said:
Diana sure had emotional intelligence or people skills.
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That's debatable as it is thought she may have had borderline personality disorder and outside of public interactions, she was very unstable in her relationships with people.

She did have the kind of charm and empathy that people with BPD are known for, but that doesn't usually translate to healthy relationships for them. They tend to be very black and white with people. If you disagree with them or are not instantly available when they want you to be, they interpret it as betrayal or abandonment and will lash out or (in modern parlance) ghost you--often both. I'm not sure you can say that someone like that has good emotional intelligence or people skills.
 
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This might not be a popular opinion but I don't think the royals are necessarily encouraged to be highly intelligent. Highly intelligent people tend to question things. They tend to want to change things, and not in 100 years, right now. Highly intelligent people tend to find formal ceremonies and extremely structured interactions boring. Highly intelligent people are often also extremely opinionated. An actual ruling royal should be highly intelligent. However an essentially ceremonial role like the BRF -- not really. Grace, diplomacy, tact, and elegance are valued over intelligence.
 
The Queen's most important responsibility is to ask her Prime Minister questions at once a week. That means reading what is in her dispatch boxes. And she has heen doing so for the past sixty-seven years. I suspect that if she were a blithering idiot, word would have leaked out by now, but I could be wrong.
 
There is a large continuum between blithering idiot and super intellectual. Not to mention not all smart people are necessarily intellectual. It's not the only way to be smart.
 
canbelto said:
This might not be a popular opinion but I don't think the royals are necessarily encouraged to be highly intelligent. Highly intelligent people tend to question things. They tend to want to change things, and not in 100 years, right now. Highly intelligent people tend to find formal ceremonies and extremely structured interactions boring. Highly intelligent people are often also extremely opinionated. An actual ruling royal should be highly intelligent. However an essentially ceremonial role like the BRF -- not really. Grace, diplomacy, tact, and elegance are valued over intelligence.
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:confused::slinkaway Um.....................how do you encourage someone to be highly intelligent?

Do you have a link to your information?
 
Winnipeg said:
Diana sure had emotional intelligence or people skills.

I suggest Prince William is excellent at people skills too (and Kate too). I also think Kate is smart. Really good addition to the family. Prince William picked well and shows good judgement
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Given the way BOTH Charles and Diana behaved during and at the end of their marriage, I am not sure either should be credited with great emotional intelligence or people skills.
 
AxelAnnie said:
:confused::slinkaway Um.....................how do you encourage someone to be highly intelligent?
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Good question. I would think first by modeling high intelligence (i.e. parents/teachers displaying it through conversations/choice of reading materials) and demonstrating that it is of value. Second, through encouraging activities that promote intelligence (debating, participating in spelling bees).

Of course, we are only referring to intellectual intelligence here. There are other kinds of intelligence. Royals would need to exercise a high level of social/emotional intelligence in their daily dealings with the public as well as dealings with leaders and dignitaries. They would also need to given information about various things or issues - I would issue there are briefings for that.
 
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