Don’t Hate the Players, Hate the Game? Not Quite

When it comes to the royal family, we often find ourselves caught between two instincts. On the one hand, it feels unhelpful — even unfair — to direct personal hatred at the individuals themselves. After all, none of them chose the circumstances of their birth. They were born into a gilded system and raised in an environment that shapes their worldview in ways most of us can hardly imagine.

But that doesn’t mean we have to excuse the things they do — or fail to do. That’s where the line needs drawing.

It’s not about disliking Charles or William or any other Windsor as a person. It’s about objecting to the fact that they benefit from vast inherited wealth yet are exempt from inheritance tax — a privilege denied to ordinary citizens. It’s about the millions funnelled from the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, money that could otherwise contribute fairly to the public purse. It’s about the enjoyment of blood sports like hunting, still dressed up as tradition, while the rest of society has moved towards valuing animal welfare.

And just as telling are the things they don’t do. They don’t lead by example on issues where they could make a genuine difference — like voluntarily paying the taxes the rest of us owe, or reducing their reliance on public funds.

So, no, we don’t hate the royals as people. But we do take issue with the system that allows them to act in ways that would be unacceptable — even unlawful — for the rest of us. To criticise those choices is not to be cruel or mean-spirited. It’s simply to demand fairness.

Because respect should be earned, not inherited.