They were there because they could be. If you could, you would too, as would I and everyone else here too I'd imagine.
As for being parasites, you're right fletcher. They should not receive a penny from the public. Oh, but that means they get to keep the money from their estates, right...? That way they'd be on average �90 million a year better off, as the �36.7 million paid to the civil list is overshadowed by the �125 million they pay to the exchequer every year.
I'm staunchly anti-royalist, and live in a republic. But even I know a good thing when i see one - as I stated in another post on this subject some time ago they're subsidising every one of you in the UK!