Having a Queen and a Royal Family in this day and an age seems silly to me anyway but they bring in the tourists and the Prince's Trust actually does some commendable work so for under £1 a year in taxes they're pretty good value!
Their role being largely symbolic, she seems to have made some equally symbolic gestures, so fair play to her..and I 'll probably have an extra 5 pence to play around with in the next tax year as a result..Woo-hoo!

Etiquette? Whose etiquette? Where the heck is that written down? That certainly wasn't always the case--there's just no way, so one wonders where it came into the "rule books" that the queen couldn't repeat an outfit.

I feel like that about celebs as well, though--drives me crazy when some gossipista points out that a celeb wore a dress two different times and mocks them endlessly...

That's interesting. I'm never really sure whether or not Queen Elisabeth is big on etiquette and really out of not or if she's not. But it's nice to see that she as least have some common sense (although it's too nice to call that common sense, if she really had it she'd step down)

Kind of sad the 'lights off' rule is only in effect when times are hard. That should be an everyday rule... is in my house anyway.

I do like the queen, the royal family is wacky,tacky and true and really they make England seem a lot more interesting.

I can't comprehend the idea of royalty, I just can't!

Like why?

At least in England it is mostly for kicks, but places where Kings and their sons run everything because they claim some sort of noble blood is absolutely ridiculous to me.

The Queen is a bad ass mofo. That's cool that she's trying.

It is an unpopular little known fact that what Maria Antoinette actually said was:
Said let them eat cheesecake. She meant that genuinely.
While I am not able to provide an Internet source at the moment for the subject. I do know that once the "Old Farmers Almanac" printed that; so they agree.

long live the queen! or not, because.. I can't wait til the reign of King William!!

It's a nice gesture , recognition that others aren't doing well and to not flaunt your wealth more then what is apparent.

Common sense, really. Glad to see the Queen has it.

I'm sorry,. I just don't see this move as a decision by the Queen, personally. She's got a ton of handlers who try and maintain/repair her image and I'm sure this bandwagon move is not really her idea.

That said, it's a good move to make and I'm sure approval will rise.

Etiquette, shmetiquette. The degree to which I can't stand British royal traditions is so high I can't even compare it to anything else. The whole thing is so ridiculous. Do people really care about "royalty" anymore? What year is this, 1547?

I love my Queen.
pioneers... of course she's got handlers, but she knows the ins and outs of her country, is dedicated to not only her country, but to Canada as well. She does her best, she is a public figure and as so, could treat this situation in many different ways..
She deserves nothing but respect, personally.
Not everything is a publicity stunt....
maybe I'm naive.

The Queen is probably one of the most experienced and skilled diplomats left in the UK, a great tourism asset, and blissfully free of the ridiculous political posturing and circus antics we have been subjected to via the Commons for the last decade.

While we hold Princess Diana up as some eternal angelic cupcake, its less well-known outside the UK that her son has continued to fight the good fight of anti-GM and pro-organic/free range foods in Britain, champion British farmers and British foods, an uphill battle to say the least when British countryside and native breeds are disappearing at an alarming rate.

Are they a "normal family" - well..no. Of course not. Would they be "out of touch" with most of us? Obviously. But the woman is a figurehead, not my next-door-neighbour. I don't need her to be like me, I have me to do that job.

By that same token, I feel no need to "tear down the monarchy". In fact if anything, Blair was far more embarrassing than the Queen ever was. How that woman managed to not throw a strop at him in those years commands my respect, even if their lifestyle doesn't.

She has done her best to retain the feeling of restraint, respect and tradition in a world where all three of those things have been beat to **it with a tacky bat. As Nya delightfully said above they are "wacky and tacky", she in all her pastel-suited glory. But give me a break, she can wear pastel, she's my grandmother's age. She's seen world wars. She can wear a bird on her head for all I care.

Are all traditions good, no?

But sadly the good ones are too readily thrown out with the bad, which is unfortunate.

I for one think etiquette DOES matter. Serving by example DOES matter, and I don't find this wholly out of character for her to do this, simply because royalty can be educated on current affairs and decide that warrants a change like any one of us, she and particularly Charles have always respected nature and the environment and it only makes sense that this resonates out somewhat and takes the form of new palace guidelines. How can that be bad? Its just one more way to heighten awareness.

ks, I meant absolutely no disrespect, I'm just not going to say that she's the only one behind this. With her wealth of experience and her burden of responsibility, she's got to be an intelligent woman.

However, not every PR move is a "publicity stunt." Enhancing one's reputation is pretty standard among public figures. Working in the Public Relations industry for years (and working under politicians), I guess I just see things a different way.

sorry girl!
Misunderstood yah I guess...
Alot of skepticism is going around these days, politically and the like.. you are free to have whichever opinion you choose.
I didnt mean to be condescending or anything of the like, I just am protective of that lady.
She reminds me of my grandmother.! lol.