Balqis said:
Precisely, and you have done exactly that ie. selected examples that prove only your point about Letizia. All that you have described her as doing is wonderful, but it has been her husband or the whole family that has been there by her side bearing the brunt of what needs to done. Mary's horse show and fashion show solo engagements are first steps. They may not sound like the most stretching of engagements but at least she is out there. She has done similar things to Letizia with her husband or family around. But that's really irrelevant. This thread is about weight issues.
On the contrary, not every Spanish citizen or message board out there thinks that Letizia is doing so well. And in Letizia's case this is due to the fact that there are still lingering questions about her. Some have been very alarmed at how quick Letizia's and Felipe's courtship was for example. A simple interview before the wedding would have dispelled a lot of rumours and given Letizia a much more of a fresh start. And please the SRF do give interviews, maybe not all the time but they do during important occassions. For example Felipe has given interviews at his milestone birthdays. I still don't see why the royal couple didn't give one prior to their wedding.
I don't understand why people can't accept and understand and grasp that some royal families do things differently and that what is good in Denmark isn't necessarily good or workable in Spain, just as what works in Spain doesn't work for Belgium.
Most royal families rarely if ever conduct interviews. When do we ever hear Queen Elizabeth sitting down with the BBC?
Never. So just because Margrethe gives interviews in Denmark doesn't mean that Elizabeth is required to, or that Juan Carlos and Carl Gustav are required to, too.
I actually have a tremendous amount of respect for the fact that Felipe and Letizia didn't sit down and gab away about their courtship and other personal things. If neither of them are questioning the length of their courtship who is the press and everyone else to do so? Is there a standard amount of time that people, royals or not, must be together before they are allowed to become engaged and ultimately married? Is 2 years enough? 3 years? Maybe 5 years? Or be forced to wait 9 years like the Norwegian King and Queen? And what lingering issues would Letizia have to dispel in an interview? If its about her divorce, that's no body's business.
I think her wedding day was a pretty fresh start. An interview prior to her wedding day could not have given her more of a fresh start. And who is saying she or Felipe wanted a fresh start? A fresh start from what?
Everybody in Spain may not like Letizia, and that is par for the course. Everybody in Spain probably also does not like Juan Carlos, Sofia, Felipe, etc. Just as everybody in Denmark does not like Mary or Frederik or Joachim or Alexandra. No public figure has ever had 100% approval ratings and support, so why should Letizia be held to different expectations? Why should every single man, woman, child, cat, dog and hamster be madly in love with Letizia? And just as people don't like her doesn't mean that she isn't doing a good job. Its possible to not like somebody but approve of the decisions/choices they make, their hard work, dedication or commitment to an idea or project, etc. Just like you can like a particular royal or consider one of them your favourite but not always like what he or she wears, does or says. I like Queen Sofia but don't always care for some of the clothes she wears or things I hear about her, but that doesn't mean I like her any less on the whole. I just don't like one particular aspect about her.