Blighty's Virgin Queen threatened with foreign abduction

Royal Museums Greenwich has launched an appeal to save for the nation a fine reminder of when England's dealings with Europe involved not referendums but hostile navies at the receiving end of righteous storm and cannon fire. The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I. Pic: Royal Museums Greenwich A reminder of the good old days ( …

[Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse]

Why do we need 3 of them?

I'm sure if we're that bothered then someone will cough up the cost of a medical wing for it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Why do we need 3 of them?

Point of order! You'd not get much for £10m, you'd really need about £30m for a new medical wing on any reasonably sized hospital. Although having said that I'd not pay tuppence for the thing, so the actual scaling of our comparative unit is moot.

What I don't get is the desperate need to "save it for the nation". Is there something wrong with foreigners owning art that was created in England? If we're taking that approach, other might too. And that would spell trouble for the British Museum......

[lafnlab]

Re: Why do we need 3 of them?

If I had the money (and the inclination) to buy the painting, I'd donate it to Greece. I'm sure they'd love to have it.

[Chemical Bob]

Re: Why do we need 3 of them?

" Is there something wrong with foreigners owning art that was created in England?"

Well, we *are* dirty, smelly and uncivilized. I, for example, cannot even properly spell aeroopl... earo.... airyo...airplane.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Why do we need 3 of them?

To add to the National Maritime Museum's collection of 69,000 prints and paintings currently in storage?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12214145

Pirate flag, obviously.

[Jedit]

"someone will cough up the cost of a medical wing for it."

It's not a van Gogh, you know. (Although the buyer will probably be an American businessman.)

[patrick_bateman]

So there basically asking the UK to buy there car booty as the owners have run out of money.

[Martin]

So they're basically asking the UK to buy their car booty...

I'm quite impressed that you managed to get two different wrong usages of "there" in one short sentence.

[David Webb]

@Martin - English may not be their first language, or there could be dyslexia at work, or they could be Spanish and still pissed at Drake for having a game of bowls instead of going to thrash them.

[Doctor Syntax]

"@Martin - English may not be their first language"

A handle of patrick_bateman might be a clue about that.

[Steven Jones]

That's not to mention the use of an idiom common in the English language (cough up) and the use of "we're" indicating some sort of national connection. In any event, I suspect somebody whose first language was not English will have been rather better trained in these nuances.

I think this is very simple. Just a native English speaker being characteristically sloppy in the written form.

[David Webb]

Only clue I get from the name patrick_bateman is the main character from psycho.

[SteveK]

Only clue I get from the name patrick_bateman is the main character from psycho.

I thought that was Norman Bates? Or was that changed in a sequel/spinoff?

[David Webb]

American Psycho, played by a Welsh dude who went Psycho filming Terminator....... So there you go, he could be a Welsh dude pissed off at the English with Welsh as a first language?

[stilespj]

Now there!

Your just jellous that your not so edjumakated!

[Andy The Hat]

One of those auctions ...

Seller: "We'll offer this to the open market at £10m ... we've no idea if anyone will pay that much, the eBay and Paypal fees will be very high for a start."

Country: "We've got to raise £10m to buy it because that's what it's worth - the money-grabbing seller told us so it must be true ..."

It's only some greasepaint on an old bit of sailcloth. Either take it for the nation as it's of historical value and "it's ours because it's a picture of Queeny", or tell the seller to get stuffed and offer them sixpence as a starting bid.

I can't get £15k from the Lottery for a popular, totally voluntary educational outreach programme for 25000 people over 10 years, just watch them cough up a £5m donation for this ... Perhaps it can share vault space with the Churchill Papers to save money?

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: One of those auctions ...

But surely the seller will be paying income tax on this so the country will get back half of the money ?

[Steven Jones]

Re: One of those auctions ...

It will be liable to capital gains tax (20%), not income tax.

[Rol]

Re: One of those auctions ...

Depends entirely on who owns it. If the family own it, then yes, but as with most trinkets, they tend to be owned by shell companies registered in some idyllic corner of the world and thus not subject to any tax.

[batfastad]

Re: One of those auctions ...

> "It will be liable to capital gains tax (20%), not income tax."

Like fsck it will! Bahamas much?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: One of those auctions ...

But surely the seller will be paying income tax on this

Consider the scenario that the asset might be held by the beneficial owner's dad through an offshore trust, to avoid the taxes the rest of us pay?

Not implying that I'm referring to the useless dogf*cker Cameron, and obviously not wishing to imply that the Nulabour quisling is either useless, not f*cks dogs. You can make your own mind up about all of those concepts.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: One of those auctions ...

I assumed the owners, being a family descended from such a noble patriot, would willingly pay the income tax - that's what aristocrats do isn't it ?

Noblesse oblige and all that

[Chris G]

Time

For Baldric to come up with a cunning plan to save Queenie, with a little help from Blackadder of course.

[M7S]

Re: Time

I believe that's now Sir Baldric to you.

[Kane]

Re: Time

"For Baldric to come up with a cunning plan to save Queenie"

A plan as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?

[Wilseus]

Re: Time

The fox has moved on and is now working for the U.N. at the High Commission of International Cunning Planning.

[Nick Ryan]

Re: Time

Last I heard he was working in the language department.

Yeah, I'll get my coat.

[Stevie]

Bah!

Planne ye fyrst: allow ye Securytie Servyces to donate anne thimbleful of their budget and therebye generate Ye Goode Feelyngs for ye Moste Revyled Arm of Ye Govt.

Planne ye seconde: Let ye Qweeyn purchase ye paintyng on account of yt being a depyction of her naymsayke and relation-bye-dystante-cousinhood and lyke thatte.

[Kernel]

Re: Bah!

"Planne ye seconde: Let ye Qweeyn purchase ye paintyng on account of yt being a depyction of her naymsayke and relation-bye-dystante-cousinhood and lyke thatte."

Not sure that they're related at all actually - there was a bit of a shortage of suitable homegrown applicants shortly after Charlie 2, at which point a couple from the Netherlands who, being otherwise unemployed, quickly sent in their CVs and got the job. Once that contract was done I think the job was then outsourced to some German company who've been doing the work ever since.

That Euro-refugee who just took the job you were after is only the latest in a long line of "bluddy furriners" taking your jobs. :)

[Stevie]

Re: Bah!

Er ... Don't they all trace their lineage back to Charlemagne? Or is that only when it suits them?

No Euro-refugee took a job I was after, either. I don't live anywhere they can get to easily, and none of them are so desperate as to want my crappy job in any event.

[Wolfclaw]

Who cares for 98.9% of the poppulation that may never see the thing. £10m can do a lot more for kids with special s needs. Just an excuse for the luvvies to come crawl out of the woodwork and make the currnet posh owners a few quid !

[Wupspups]

According to Royal Museums Greenwich, "The portrait is in a fragile state". What's the betting that if they get hold of said portrait of Queenie they'll be after a few more pennies to restore it? A couple of million quid would probably do no doubt.

[jason 7]

Hands up...

...who will be really upset about this going?

Hmm no one? Yeah didn't think so. Amazing how the elite seem to think all of us are made of money.

99.99% of the population have far bigger things to worry about than a painting that only 4-5 people really care about.

[Hollerithevo]

Why not sell it to Spain?

Let them have the last laugh.

[Steve Davies 3]

Re: Why not sell it to Spain?

Sorry we don't take Euros.

OTOH, you can have if for free if you leave Gib alone for 200years.

Deal or no Deal?

[rjmx]

Sir Frances Drake?

> descendants of the famed Sir Frances Drake

That might explain his/her popularity among sailors on the Golden Hind ...