Will the Royals Pay for Their Own Security?

Will the Royals Pay for Their Own Security?
Posted by Ryan W. McMaken on April 27, 2011 10:49 PM

Of course not, and it looks like their wedding will cost the taxpayers at least 80 million dollars. This isn't much compared to the untold billions that democratic politicians waste on their own profligacy, but it's still a fleecing of the taxpayer for a totally unnecessary and ultimately political spectacle.

So the taxpayers will pay millions for untold numbers of government police and soldiers to parade around as the royals ride by in some former despot's carriage on their way to a party.

The royal family is quick to point out that the party itself is being paid for by the royals themselves. The reception costs, which are themselves tiny compared to the security funded by the taxpayers, will be paid out by the royals to the tune of one or two million dollars.

Fair enough, but that money isn't really "private" either. The only reason the royals have all that property and money at all is because their ancestors stole it from the taxpayers of yesteryear. Long-dead Brits and subjects of the empire of long ago, who ran factories or worked in coal mines, paid for all that, and they were taxed all their lives to make sure the monarchs of old could live in luxury and send the sons of Scottish farmers off to kill and be killed in far-flung corners of the globe.

Virtually every member of any royal family today owes his title and wealth (assuming any is left from the old days) to the mere fact that his ancestors were better at murder and thievery than the local rivals. Generally speaking, kings were kings because they excelled at the business of coercion, taxation, and murder.

Why we afford the descendants of those people some kind of special attention or dignity is beyond me. Why not have the German taxpayers foot the bill for parties thrown by the descendants of Goring and Eichmann?

True, the European royals of today are mostly harmless, and certainly less harmless than democratic politicians, and I don't think that Prince Williams or Juan Carlos (to name two) are responsible for the crimes of his ancestors. But let them cover the costs of their personal hobbies and entertainments.

What happy day it will be when presidents are once again forced to pay for their own travels and diversions. Obama might actually take fewer than 10 romps around the globe every year on the taxpayer's dime. Let the plutocrats pay for their own bodyguards. The royals, being the quasi-politicians that they are, (and don't think for a second that the monarchy isn't used to lend legitimacy to the British state) would be a perfectly good place to start.

Note: The royals will also apparently be declaring an extra holiday for the event, costing private businesses billions.