Despite living in london, i'm happy to say that i'm a citizen of a republic (Ireland), rather than a subject of the crown. So i don't have as much inate contempt for the royals as many of my British friends (who, with complete justification, don't see themselves as anyone's "subject" - especially not a septagenarian bat who has about as much in common with the average British person as a Yacqui Indian).
It's true that the British royal family is responsible for some of the worst historical attrocities that the world has known (i mean... just that whole "colonialism" thing - it's very depressing). But it never makes sense to blame people for the crimes of their ancestors... one of the nicest, most switched-on people i ever met is the grandson of a man who was "quite high up" in the Gestapo during WW2 for example.
Anyways, leaving aside history for a moment, it seems to me that the current royals are basically doing no more than running the most successful benefit-fraud in the country. Somehow the government and the people (cos there's a scary number of genuine royalists out there) are allowing a bunch of strange men and women sponge off everyone else for no other reason than being the descendants of the most successful and violent bullies in your nations history. Not only that; but you give them the symbolic ability to over-rule your democratically elecetd government? That's actually very very funny to many of us Johnny (or Paddy) Foreigners.
And before some brave royalist decides to stick out like a sore thumb here on U-Know! and defend them on the grounds of "well, they bring in so much tourist revenue......", i suggest you think about the vast (undeserved) wealth of the royal family and consider this other plan. Give it all to Richard Branson, for the sake of argument, in the form of a business trust (call it the Royal Windsor Foundation if you insist). Tell him to maximise the profits on the trust, with 90% of it going straight to the treasury (give him 10% to make it worth his while).
i suspect that the country would see a massive increase in the "royal" revenue as a result.
(and i'm only half-joking).
The death of Princess Margaret should be no more a cause of celebration than it should be a cause of national mourning. It is the passing of a woman who had the opportunity to live a life far more priveleged than almost anyone else. It is nonetheless still a very sad time for her family and friends (as death always is), and that fact shouldn't be forgotten.
Quite why anyone else should give a toss is beyond me, mind.
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