What Is The Point Of "Royal Correspondents"?

[Untitled]

they don't know anything and can't say anything if they do...

watching the news feels like a competition to say as little as possible with the maximum words...

nice work if you can get it!

[lankeela]

Always makes me smile how they can make no news last so long!

[THECORBYLOON]

Do you think you could do a better job?

[Peter Pedant]

not quite - Nicholas Wychell earned the official hate of any unionist for marching over a union picket line
35 1/2 y ago.
Long memories.

[Hopkirk]

It makes me laugh that can't say she might be going to die, or so it seems.

[Untitled]

Oh I could definitely be a royal correspondent Corby

"and now we return to buckingham palace. Lots of tourists here today, we've already spoken to a few who have expressed not just their concern for the queen and her family but of course also their deep respect for her long years of service... as all of you at home will know the queen is, er, not here but so many messages of support are pouring out here that really do show how much support her majesty has not just in britain but also throughout the world"

easy peasy

[barry1010]

They can (hopefully) identify every member of the extended royal family and understand how they are all related including the foreign branches; they know not to refer to the queen as 'her royal highness'; the press officers for the royal family communicate directly with the 'favoured' ones.
Some royal correspondents have been excellent.

[Peter Pedant]

// It makes me laugh that can't say she might be going to die, or so it seems.//
taboo speech - - but taboo words (poo) abound

also - she's gonna DDDIIIIIEEE !
also has other connotations - think of Tony SOprano holding a knife to.... someone's neck

also the way of saying, as tho you WANT it

so I can see why - - anyway no one knows until she does

[jno]

like any other specialist reporters, they're expected to have wide and deep knowledge of their subject, not all of which will be relevant to any given story; by and large they need to be able to vamp till ready while they await official announcements. If any of them were foolish enough to announce a royal death before it happened, or before it was officially notified, they probably wouldn't be royal correspondents for long.

[Peter Pedant]

crowds gathering outside Buckingham Palace....
1901
prio to THAT william IV 20th June ( 1837, that is!)
and I dont think crowds gathered

Also, the casualty lists 1914 were published outside the Palace and the War Office, ( and Times front page) until the names covered the whole of the front page when it was all stopped
and War Office only
( so you had to take the train, down to London to find out if your son was dead)

[Paigntonian]

Pedant: If the names were on the front page of The Times why would you need to travel to London? Your premise is mistaken anyway. Of course families were notified by the War Office. Not having a very good day are you.

[gingejbee]

I'm sure Pedant won't mind my saying that it's "Nicholas Witchell"...

[naomi24]

Untitled, it’s not easy peasy. Anyone who thinks that couldn’t do the job.

[FatticusInch]

//they don't know anything and can't say anything if they do...//

Not dissimilar to Lord Geidt.

[Paigntonian]

Pedant: You're really not having a good day. It's accepted language that 'unionist' refers to the political arrangements between parts of the UK. If you're referring to trades unionists and picket lines you should you the correct term - trades unionists. Hope that's is helpful.

[Peter Pedant]

that is what the old people told us when we were kids
( go up to London) and THAT was from down your area Paignton. - But if you were there and can say - "no it wasnt like that" - then I defer to greater experience

and they stopped when the whole of the front page of the London Times was covered -


which I though must have been first day of the Somme ( 50 000 casualties)

[Paigntonian]

Pedant: How could I have been there? It was 107 years ago.

[davebro]

All the hoo-haa is just another example of how the British Monarchy has gone well past its use-by date. She's an old lady, she can't live forever, get over it.

geez - anyone would thing it's 1922 not 2022.

[Paigntonian]

davebro: If your mother has passed away, or when she does, I hope that she was, or will be, treated with respect.

[davebro]

//davebro: If your mother has passed away, or when she does, I hope that she was, or will be, treated with respect.//

My mum died on her own of a sudden heart attack but I don't see the relevance.