• UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    What official role exactly, does he play in Canadian politics?

    In explicitly politics? Not much. But as a royal dignitary, he’s entitled to a host of benefits reserved for the Monarch and their representatives.

    While Canada might not pay money directly to the monarchy, the country’s ties to the House of Windsor could cost taxpayers more than $58.7 million annually.

    The $58.7 million would not cover more recent costs to taxpayers, like then-Prince Charles’ three-day visit to Canada in May 2022, which totalled at least $1.4 million or more.

    In 2022, the Canadian government also spent nearly $400,000 on hotel rooms during the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II; a figure that included a luxurious $6,000-a-night river-view suite for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife.

    Governor General Mary Simon, who is the monarch’s representative in Canada, racked up an over $80,000 catering bill with her entourage during a March 2022 trip to the Middle East that reportedly cost more than $1.3 million, according to the National Post. The newspaper also reported that Simon’s first official overseas trip to a German book fair in Oct. 2021 fair cost taxpayers over $700,000.

    Other recent monarchy-related costs have still not been released, or are not yet available, like those associated with the RCMP giving a horse to King Charles as a gift in March, as well as costs tied to sending a Canadian delegation to the King’s upcoming May 6 coronation ceremony. In 2022, Canadian taxpayers also bankrolled Platinum Jubilee celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne, which included a $187,500 grant to the Monarchist League of Canada to distribute 70,000 educational booklets. The Royal Canadian Geographical Society has received $257,000 in similar educational funding to celebrate King Charles’ coronation.

    As brother to King Charlies, whose personal incomes were estimated at around £20 million/year as of 2023, its safe to assume he’s influential purely based on his enormous personal fortune. How much of a role a second-son to a British Billionaire actually plays is always up for debate. Andrew’s a notorious fuck-up and moron, so you’d like to think he doesn’t play a significant role in UK-Canadian relations. But Canada’s got its own crop of idiots and assholes - several also tied up in the Epstein scandal. So who is to say what he’s been up to behind the scenes?

    • Auli@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      They don’t even list a cost they say could cost us this much. Not that it does.

      • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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        21 hours ago

        Yeah, could is doing a fair bit of lifting. What, does he have to decide to stay here full-time? Well, sure, if he did that, I’m sure security, dignitary visits, etc. could ramp us up to those numbers, but the entire royal family usually only costs us a few million a year for their visits. Increasing that by a factor of 20 for just one individual seems a bit alarmist.

        Now, I can accept there are perfectly legitimate reasons to want to get rid of the monarchy, I just don’t see it as worth it from a pragmatic or financial standpoint. If they decide to have more impact than their quaint celebrity status and their names on a few rubber stamps, I imagine a lot of people like me would shrug and say, “Welp, end of a era, looks like we’re designing some new money.” I expect prince Andrew deciding to cost us almost $60M while having to put up with his presence would do it. And don’t think the rest of his family doesn’t know it.