emtishell
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Gosh that tells me that Mary got the golden ring at an even bigger cost. She seems to love her family and want them around but the DRF didn't even pay a plane ticket for a godparent is wild to me. And Mary clearly didn't have enough money to share which means she's had either limited control or has her own spending priorities that interfere with the slush fund part that could've brought family across the globe. Either one is a terrible scenario.
I am not sure I agree with this. MEdiana pays for Am-bi-ur out of her pocket $ then there is that trust fund that pa slurpeey set up for all donaldson clan thx to danish $$ then there is MEdiana's constant yearly overspending. if some bean counter was managing how she spent her $ then she'd have only ONE pair of nude laubatins instead of 'th amount of the shoes.  and if floppy frodo's $ goes to upkeep of slaves staff, then MEdiana can have pocket money of 200 year in year out... G  The part about the DRF not paying for any of the family to attend the wedding is definitely true, as is the reason why at least her brother and his family didn’t attend Xtian’s or Izzy’s christenings. I briefly knew Mary’s SIL (I won’t say we were friends, more like we had friends in common, and were often in the same social settings) but that was 2008/2009. Whether something changed when the twins were born to pay for a ticket I don’t know, we had moved away by then. ok. then why didn't MEdiana pay for her family to come on over? nothing would have stopped her buying tix for her family. heck, one of her fugly outfits cost the tix for all her family... G  It won’t have had anything to do with money. They would only have had to pay for economy airfares. No hotels, no hire cars, no food. I would imagine Mary didn’t have the money prior to the wedding. The DRF would have been controlling the purse strings. And it wasn’t just airfares (which for a family of 5 from Perth would have been around AU$10K), they also had to pay for accomodation etc. They did not stay at the palace. The only “meals” would have been at the official events. Plus the cost of clothing, it was expected they dressed to a certain standard. Leanne (the SIL) was lucky that a local designer agreed to lend her an outfit for the wedding. Alex’s parents were very wealthy, so hard to compare. As to why Mary didn’t pay for them to come to the christenings? Maybe she did. Maybe she paid for each sibling in turn as they were godparent? All I know is Leanne saying they didn’t go because they couldn’t afford to.
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getafix
Most Exalted Member
Reputation: 4079
Offline
 Virgin Islands, British
Posts: 23868
Bye-Bye MEDiana Who!!!!
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Gosh that tells me that Mary got the golden ring at an even bigger cost. She seems to love her family and want them around but the DRF didn't even pay a plane ticket for a godparent is wild to me. And Mary clearly didn't have enough money to share which means she's had either limited control or has her own spending priorities that interfere with the slush fund part that could've brought family across the globe. Either one is a terrible scenario.
I am not sure I agree with this. MEdiana pays for Am-bi-ur out of her pocket $ then there is that trust fund that pa slurpeey set up for all donaldson clan thx to danish $$ then there is MEdiana's constant yearly overspending. if some bean counter was managing how she spent her $ then she'd have only ONE pair of nude laubatins instead of 'th amount of the shoes.  and if floppy frodo's $ goes to upkeep of slaves staff, then MEdiana can have pocket money of 200 year in year out... G  The part about the DRF not paying for any of the family to attend the wedding is definitely true, as is the reason why at least her brother and his family didn’t attend Xtian’s or Izzy’s christenings. I briefly knew Mary’s SIL (I won’t say we were friends, more like we had friends in common, and were often in the same social settings) but that was 2008/2009. Whether something changed when the twins were born to pay for a ticket I don’t know, we had moved away by then. ok. then why didn't MEdiana pay for her family to come on over? nothing would have stopped her buying tix for her family. heck, one of her fugly outfits cost the tix for all her family... G  It won’t have had anything to do with money. They would only have had to pay for economy airfares. No hotels, no hire cars, no food. I would imagine Mary didn’t have the money prior to the wedding. The DRF would have been controlling the purse strings. And it wasn’t just airfares (which for a family of 5 from Perth would have been around AU$10K), they also had to pay for accomodation etc. They did not stay at the palace. The only “meals” would have been at the official events. Plus the cost of clothing, it was expected they dressed to a certain standard. Leanne (the SIL) was lucky that a local designer agreed to lend her an outfit for the wedding. Alex’s parents were very wealthy, so hard to compare. As to why Mary didn’t pay for them to come to the christenings? Maybe she did. Maybe she paid for each sibling in turn as they were godparent? All I know is Leanne saying they didn’t go because they couldn’t afford to. thx for all this Empti  it still smells to me. not wot you wrote. just something is orff. there are ways that could have been found for her family to be there - if MEdiana wanted them there. I have always gotten the impression that once you are no longer suit the carpet, you get get discarded. JMO. that's why I think something is agreed with Am0-bi-ur that she sticks around. and in silence. otherwise, she would have sold that story for $$. she has been in need of $ few times from what I can remember. maybe it was ahrm,...diplomatic way of saying, MEdiana did not pay. did not want to pay. we could not afford it. so we did not go.  I wonder if MEdiana still takes suitcased of her cast-off clothing to her 2 sisters? G 
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ANDREW DENTON: Yes. What did... When you first met, what did you see in each other? CROWN PRINCE FREDERIK: What did we see in each other? We saw... Well, it's a bit hard. It's a bit blurry, in a way, because it was just after the Olympics had started and it was one of those evenings where...
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Hester
Board Helper
Warned
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Gosh that tells me that Mary got the golden ring at an even bigger cost. She seems to love her family and want them around but the DRF didn't even pay a plane ticket for a godparent is wild to me. And Mary clearly didn't have enough money to share which means she's had either limited control or has her own spending priorities that interfere with the slush fund part that could've brought family across the globe. Either one is a terrible scenario.
I am not sure I agree with this. MEdiana pays for Am-bi-ur out of her pocket $ then there is that trust fund that pa slurpeey set up for all donaldson clan thx to danish $$ then there is MEdiana's constant yearly overspending. if some bean counter was managing how she spent her $ then she'd have only ONE pair of nude laubatins instead of 'th amount of the shoes.  and if floppy frodo's $ goes to upkeep of slaves staff, then MEdiana can have pocket money of 200 year in year out... G  The part about the DRF not paying for any of the family to attend the wedding is definitely true, as is the reason why at least her brother and his family didn’t attend Xtian’s or Izzy’s christenings. I briefly knew Mary’s SIL (I won’t say we were friends, more like we had friends in common, and were often in the same social settings) but that was 2008/2009. Whether something changed when the twins were born to pay for a ticket I don’t know, we had moved away by then. ok. then why didn't MEdiana pay for her family to come on over? nothing would have stopped her buying tix for her family. heck, one of her fugly outfits cost the tix for all her family... G  It won’t have had anything to do with money. They would only have had to pay for economy airfares. No hotels, no hire cars, no food. I would imagine Mary didn’t have the money prior to the wedding. The DRF would have been controlling the purse strings. And it wasn’t just airfares (which for a family of 5 from Perth would have been around AU$10K), they also had to pay for accomodation etc. They did not stay at the palace. The only “meals” would have been at the official events. Plus the cost of clothing, it was expected they dressed to a certain standard. Leanne (the SIL) was lucky that a local designer agreed to lend her an outfit for the wedding. Alex’s parents were very wealthy, so hard to compare. As to why Mary didn’t pay for them to come to the christenings? Maybe she did. Maybe she paid for each sibling in turn as they were godparent? All I know is Leanne saying they didn’t go because they couldn’t afford to. John Donaldson is an exploration geologist in private enterprise - they’re paid a fortune in WA. Mining boom, anyone? Of course they had the money to make a trip to Europe. In 2004 it wouldn’t have cost any more than $6,000 in airfares for the whole family. Of course they stayed with family. How many bedrooms do the DRF have access to? (Papa Sluuuurrrrpson used to stay in one of the DRF residences when visiting - he told the media ALL the detail).
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emtishell
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Gosh that tells me that Mary got the golden ring at an even bigger cost. She seems to love her family and want them around but the DRF didn't even pay a plane ticket for a godparent is wild to me. And Mary clearly didn't have enough money to share which means she's had either limited control or has her own spending priorities that interfere with the slush fund part that could've brought family across the globe. Either one is a terrible scenario.
I am not sure I agree with this. MEdiana pays for Am-bi-ur out of her pocket $ then there is that trust fund that pa slurpeey set up for all donaldson clan thx to danish $$ then there is MEdiana's constant yearly overspending. if some bean counter was managing how she spent her $ then she'd have only ONE pair of nude laubatins instead of 'th amount of the shoes.  and if floppy frodo's $ goes to upkeep of slaves staff, then MEdiana can have pocket money of 200 year in year out... G  The part about the DRF not paying for any of the family to attend the wedding is definitely true, as is the reason why at least her brother and his family didn’t attend Xtian’s or Izzy’s christenings. I briefly knew Mary’s SIL (I won’t say we were friends, more like we had friends in common, and were often in the same social settings) but that was 2008/2009. Whether something changed when the twins were born to pay for a ticket I don’t know, we had moved away by then. ok. then why didn't MEdiana pay for her family to come on over? nothing would have stopped her buying tix for her family. heck, one of her fugly outfits cost the tix for all her family... G  It won’t have had anything to do with money. They would only have had to pay for economy airfares. No hotels, no hire cars, no food. I would imagine Mary didn’t have the money prior to the wedding. The DRF would have been controlling the purse strings. And it wasn’t just airfares (which for a family of 5 from Perth would have been around AU$10K), they also had to pay for accomodation etc. They did not stay at the palace. The only “meals” would have been at the official events. Plus the cost of clothing, it was expected they dressed to a certain standard. Leanne (the SIL) was lucky that a local designer agreed to lend her an outfit for the wedding. Alex’s parents were very wealthy, so hard to compare. As to why Mary didn’t pay for them to come to the christenings? Maybe she did. Maybe she paid for each sibling in turn as they were godparent? All I know is Leanne saying they didn’t go because they couldn’t afford to. John Donaldson is an exploration geologist in private enterprise - they’re paid a fortune in WA. Mining boom, anyone? Of course they had the money to make a trip to Europe. In 2004 it wouldn’t have cost any more than $6,000 in airfares for the whole family. Of course they stayed with family. How many bedrooms do the DRF have access to? (Papa Sluuuurrrrpson used to stay in one of the DRF residences when visiting - he told the media ALL the detail). Hes, as I said, this is all from the horses mouth. We lived for several years in Kalgoorlie. We knew lots of geos in the mining industry. It can be boom or bust, life teeters on the gold price. Gold price is down, exploration stops. We knew a couple of guys who had to resort to second jobs when things were bad. The Donaldsons never came across as wealthy people who could whip the whole family to europe at will. They went for the wedding, they stayed in hotels, it cost them a lot of money, the DRF didn’t help with costs. They didn’t go to X or I christenings due to the cost. AFAIAA John went on his own to Vinnies (but not sure about that). Whether Mary’s choice or the DRF choice not to help with costs, I don’t know. TBF Mary copped enough stick when it seemed her dad was there on the DRF dime, I can only imagine the outcry if they funded her whole family for events.
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shastadaisy
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They might have preferred not to take that incredibly long flight unless it worked with their respective jobs and commitments in Australia. Jane came and stayed for a while after Christian was born.
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Hester
Board Helper
Warned
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They might have preferred not to take that incredibly long flight unless it worked with their respective jobs and commitments in Australia. Jane came and stayed for a while after Christian was born.
It’s absolutely standard for Australians to take kids on long-haul flights. 24 hours? No drama!
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amster
Baby Member
Reputation: 11
Offline
 Australia
Posts: 20
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They might have preferred not to take that incredibly long flight unless it worked with their respective jobs and commitments in Australia. Jane came and stayed for a while after Christian was born.
It’s absolutely standard for Australians to take kids on long-haul flights. 24 hours? No drama! Not really. In fact, only one family member has taken their small kids on a long-haul flight to Europe, and that was because they had the funds to afford business class for them all, and were self-employed so they could set their own schedule. I didn't travel overseas until I was 16, and my parents were considered well off. It's a long way and a lot of money, most families don't do it until the kids are much older or sometimes not at all.
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Hester
Board Helper
Warned
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They might have preferred not to take that incredibly long flight unless it worked with their respective jobs and commitments in Australia. Jane came and stayed for a while after Christian was born.
It’s absolutely standard for Australians to take kids on long-haul flights. 24 hours? No drama! Not really. In fact, only one family member has taken their small kids on a long-haul flight to Europe, and that was because they had the funds to afford business class for them all, and were self-employed so they could set their own schedule. I didn't travel overseas until I was 16, and my parents were considered well off. It's a long way and a lot of money, most families don't do it until the kids are much older or sometimes not at all. I first flew overseas when I was two years old and first flew overseas on my own when I was the minimum age to do so. I’d say it’s very unusual for a well-off Australian family not to do long-haul. We’re a rich country with a very entitled middle class of climate wastrels! My family often flies long-haul economy regardless of the kids’ ages. It’s just not true that an exploration geologist wouldn’t have the funds or inclination to travel to Europe. The number of Australians in Europe in 2023 should have been a national embarrassment!!!
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Maria
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They might have preferred not to take that incredibly long flight unless it worked with their respective jobs and commitments in Australia. Jane came and stayed for a while after Christian was born.
It’s absolutely standard for Australians to take kids on long-haul flights. 24 hours? No drama! Not really. In fact, only one family member has taken their small kids on a long-haul flight to Europe, and that was because they had the funds to afford business class for them all, and were self-employed so they could set their own schedule. I didn't travel overseas until I was 16, and my parents were considered well off. It's a long way and a lot of money, most families don't do it until the kids are much older or sometimes not at all. I first flew overseas when I was two years old and first flew overseas on my own when I was the minimum age to do so. I’d say it’s very unusual for a well-off Australian family not to do long-haul. We’re a rich country with a very entitled middle class of climate wastrels! My family often flies long-haul economy regardless of the kids’ ages. It’s just not true that an exploration geologist wouldn’t have the funds or inclination to travel to Europe. The number of Australians in Europe in 2023 should have been a national embarrassment!!! Anecdotal evidence is just that. Anecdotal.
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Henny
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They might have preferred not to take that incredibly long flight unless it worked with their respective jobs and commitments in Australia. Jane came and stayed for a while after Christian was born.
It’s absolutely standard for Australians to take kids on long-haul flights. 24 hours? No drama! Not really. In fact, only one family member has taken their small kids on a long-haul flight to Europe, and that was because they had the funds to afford business class for them all, and were self-employed so they could set their own schedule. I didn't travel overseas until I was 16, and my parents were considered well off. It's a long way and a lot of money, most families don't do it until the kids are much older or sometimes not at all. I first flew overseas when I was two years old and first flew overseas on my own when I was the minimum age to do so. I’d say it’s very unusual for a well-off Australian family not to do long-haul. We’re a rich country with a very entitled middle class of climate wastrels! My family often flies long-haul economy regardless of the kids’ ages. It’s just not true that an exploration geologist wouldn’t have the funds or inclination to travel to Europe. The number of Australians in Europe in 2023 should have been a national embarrassment!!! Spot on Hester  it is not unusual for Aussie families to travel overseas for holidays. You would only have to look back to when Covid 19 struck to see the huge number of Aussie families who were on holiday overseas and couldn't get home because the Aus. Government closed the borders. Not to mention the million or more that are working overseas at any given time, many of them take their family along with them. 
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Hester
Board Helper
Warned
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They might have preferred not to take that incredibly long flight unless it worked with their respective jobs and commitments in Australia. Jane came and stayed for a while after Christian was born.
It’s absolutely standard for Australians to take kids on long-haul flights. 24 hours? No drama! Not really. In fact, only one family member has taken their small kids on a long-haul flight to Europe, and that was because they had the funds to afford business class for them all, and were self-employed so they could set their own schedule. I didn't travel overseas until I was 16, and my parents were considered well off. It's a long way and a lot of money, most families don't do it until the kids are much older or sometimes not at all. I first flew overseas when I was two years old and first flew overseas on my own when I was the minimum age to do so. I’d say it’s very unusual for a well-off Australian family not to do long-haul. We’re a rich country with a very entitled middle class of climate wastrels! My family often flies long-haul economy regardless of the kids’ ages. It’s just not true that an exploration geologist wouldn’t have the funds or inclination to travel to Europe. The number of Australians in Europe in 2023 should have been a national embarrassment!!! Anecdotal evidence is just that. Anecdotal. There are 180,000 Australians living in the UK right now, and Australian 770,000 tourists landed there last year - many on their way to Europe, especially Italy. We’re committed travellers!
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MissF
Baby Member
Reputation: 2
Offline
 United Kingdom
Posts: 7
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Before his retirement, John Donaldson was an academic mathematician, not an ‘exploration geologist in private enterprise’.
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Maria
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They might have preferred not to take that incredibly long flight unless it worked with their respective jobs and commitments in Australia. Jane came and stayed for a while after Christian was born.
It’s absolutely standard for Australians to take kids on long-haul flights. 24 hours? No drama! Not really. In fact, only one family member has taken their small kids on a long-haul flight to Europe, and that was because they had the funds to afford business class for them all, and were self-employed so they could set their own schedule. I didn't travel overseas until I was 16, and my parents were considered well off. It's a long way and a lot of money, most families don't do it until the kids are much older or sometimes not at all. I first flew overseas when I was two years old and first flew overseas on my own when I was the minimum age to do so. I’d say it’s very unusual for a well-off Australian family not to do long-haul. We’re a rich country with a very entitled middle class of climate wastrels! My family often flies long-haul economy regardless of the kids’ ages. It’s just not true that an exploration geologist wouldn’t have the funds or inclination to travel to Europe. The number of Australians in Europe in 2023 should have been a national embarrassment!!! Anecdotal evidence is just that. Anecdotal. There are 180,000 Australians living in the UK right now, and Australian 770,000 tourists landed there last year - many on their way to Europe, especially Italy. We’re committed travellers! Sure. But without more knowledge about John’s personal economic situation we do not if his family is and since they rarely come up here, it’s seems safe to say the Donaldson family isn’t a family of committed Europe travelers.
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Maria
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Before his retirement, John Donaldson was an academic mathematician, not an ‘exploration geologist in private enterprise’.
We’re discussing Mary’s brother, not her father - both are called John 
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