Queen Letizia and the Press


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It's so sad and embarrassing that people read so much into these things. First of all, Asa previous poster has stated, the title of 'Reyes católicos' does not exactly hold the monarch to the same parochial ideas as in generations past, given that Spain, as the rest of the world, has seen a sharp decline in the number of people that really hold true to catholic ideas and practices (the LA Times had an article in March that stated that only 1 in 5 Spanish Catholics reported going to church once a week).

Secondly, I think there are a lot of people who think the Infantas are wooden, remote or paralyzed. Didn't Leonor talk to photographers as she was leaving her grandfather's hospital after his last surgery? They smile, they hold hands with their parents, etc.

I do not understand people disliking Letizia. I am fond of her. But I am not from Spain :)
 
Duke, you always repeat the same and I say the same.

Today the monarchy in Spain is King Juan Carlos, and in a way he wanted to keep the institution anchored in the past because interest to maintain his privileges. His big mistake was not to see that society evolved and demanded other things, and so now there are many problems.

But Prince Felipe will have to answer to another Spain and other Spanish, they will not accept what is allowed to his father. And that's where Princess Letizia has her role.

Unfortunately seems King Juan Carlos has never been willing to change things if he has not been forced by pressure. And by not allowing progressive changes only compounded the future.

There is something very ironic, conservatives, old monarchists, the gossip press ... require Letizia being more royal than royal... what in Letizia is vulgar and plebeian ... in members of the Royal Family demonstrates simplicity and proximity. Members of the Royal Family can do many things without receiving any criticism, but if Letizia did the same criticism would be brutal. Many times the arguments are totally schizophrenic.

Very well said! Could not agree more.
BYe Bine
 
That statement that 'Letizia explains all' is actually correct, I would even go so far as to say she has been her own worst enemy. IMO the only time that Letizia looked bad was when she was in public with the SRF. Like it or not, people see things and, right or wrong, draw their own conclusions. I remember quite some time ago seeing Letizia standing on the podium beside her husband. He was in full dress uniform reviewing the troops, she was wearing Capri pants and flats looking for all the world like she had just stopped by on the way to the beach!

Whether she meant it or not it came across as showing utter contempt for the Military. And so another strike against her. Incidentally, recently I saw a photo of the same type of event and she looked absolutely perfect. Unfortunately I don't think it changed many opinion that were already set in concrete.
 
I do not understand people disliking Letizia. I am fond of her. But I am not from Spain :)



We should revisit old threads of summer holidays . Aim is always the same (to beat up Letizia in any way possible), the excuses are different.

Then she use to spend 2 weeks or so there. Then the stick to beat her with was always "she does not get along with Cristina ... it is all her fault... she is going to bring the monarchy down ....she is ill-suited to make friends with high society"! If that failed, then it was JC did not like her and never talks to her, irrespective of the evidence. If that failed then it was Elena that had issues with her. If that also failed, then she was bad mother, using her baby daughters to get press attention etc...etc. Yet nary a word about how Cristina and Inaki were the ones who had their kids front and center and always on the yatch. They were first to arrive, last to leave and used royal privileges to max

How the whole Cristina affair was laid at her door, day in day out, event after event was exasperating. Now that the truth has come out about Cristina and her husband (irrespective of whether she gets legally indicted or not), there is nary a self-reflection.:sad: Agenda is lets find something else because there will always be something else.

I am gobsmacked at how the summer crisis was invented and fanned. Now that F&L marriage appears to be ok, lets put it out that she hates her country and king because she did not drink.

While that story still has some legs, lets start a new one about her shielding her daughters too much.

And as with everything else, let the facts not get in the way of good old Letizia hate.:whistling:
 
After reading all your points of view, it is very clear for me that nowadays nobody can understand the real meaning of a Monarchy. If a prince gets married to a woman like Letizia, the monarchy will disappear sooner or later. If you all want to have princesses coming "from the other side", I say: not me.

The meaning of being part of a royal family is very deep, and if a person doesnt want to accept it like Letizia, it is better dont get married to a prince.

If she wants to be an anonimous person, and she wants her daughters are "normal girls", dont get married to become a member of a Royal Family.

The cases of other princesses in Europe are very different, especially the case of Máxima, who is one of the best princesses and now queen of nowadays, because she has understood very well what is her role in all senses.
 
@ Noor Mariam:It is funny that you expect CP Letizia to be perfect and flawless,but in the Middle East a lot of rulers are living a lifestyle that is the complete opposite of what The Holy Quran is teaching and the majority of people seems to find no offense in that...
Many of the royal spouses and children are not even publicly known,the royals have secret wives, children who are born to unknown "wives" and most of this is kept completely out of the public eye, something which everyone seems to find acceptable and normal,yet at the same time you expect European royals to present their children to the press 24/7...
You complain about Letizia´s lack of religious feelings,clothing and attitude while in your country a man gets jailed simply because he has written a poem about the Tunisian revolution which your glorious rulers found to be offensive because it may lead people to ask for more freedom of speech and political change.
Compared to the case of Mohamed Rashid al-Ajami,your accusations of CP Letizia sound irrelevant and trivial because none of her choices have violated human rights or taken away people´s freedom.
CP Letizia is certainly not flawless,so is nobody else,but she is definitely trying to do her best to fulfill her role and be a good wife and mother!
 
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@ Noor Mariam:It is funny that you expect CP Letizia to be perfect and flawless,but in the Middle East a lot of rulers are living a lifestyle that is the complete opposite of what The Holy Quran is teaching and the majority of people seems to find no offense in that...
Many of the royal spouses and children are not even publicly known,the royals have secret wives, children who are born to unknown "wives" and most of this is kept completely out of the public eye, something which everyone seems to find acceptable and normal,yet at the same time you expect European royals to present their children to the press 24/7...
You complain about Letizia´s lack of religious feelings,clothing and attitude while in your country a man gets jailed simply because he has written a poem about the Tunisian revolution which your glorious rulers found to be offensive because it may lead people to ask for more freedom of speech and political change.
Compared to the case of Mohamed Rashid al-Ajami,your accusations of CP Letizia sound irrelevant and trivial because none of her choices have violated human rights or taken away people´s freedom.
CP Letizia is certainly not flawless,so is nobody else,but she is definitely trying to do her best to fulfill her role and be a good wife and mother!


Sorry, I dont understand why you are telling me about Middle East issues, I am European and I am Spanish and I am devoted Christian Catholic, so I have a very good idea about the role of Letizia and about European monarchy.
 
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A) Maxima has the support of the DRF and I also remember what a fuss they made about a paparazzi pic, so b) the press doesn´t dares to rip her apart c) she has her own staff and is not dependent on her hubby. So, hm, maybe that´s why she is considered successful?? Because she was never a silent mouse either or can fake it very good, don´t know.
 
Where posters are from is irrelevant all points of view are welcome once they remain within the forum guidelines.
 
A) Maxima has the support of the DRF and I also remember what a fuss they made about a paparazzi pic, so b) the press doesn´t dares to rip her apart c) she has her own staff and is not dependent on her hubby. So, hm, maybe that´s why she is considered successful?? Because she was never a silent mouse either or can fake it very good, don´t know.

Exactly. Maxima and JC, Zarzuela wouldn't not be big enough to hold the two enormous egos. WA and Maxima have imposed a press code on the press to protect their private life that would never work in Spain. I really wish Letizia can have the freedom of Maxima traveling all over the world all the time, doing whatever she wants to do, let Felipe stay home, take care of the girls, and see how a certain sector of sexist Spanish press or sexist old monarchists have to say.
Maxima and Letizia were two smart career women, the essential difference is the country, the press, the in-law (Beatrice vs. JC) :cool:.
 
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Exactly. Maxima and JC, Zarzuela wouldn't not be big enough to hold the two enormous egos. WA and Maxima has imposed a press code on the press to protect their private life that wouldn't never work in Spain. I really wish Letizia can have the freedom of Maxima traveling all over the world all the time, doing whatever she wants to do, let Felipe stay home, take care of the girls, and see how a certain sector of sexist Spanish press or sexist old monarchists have to say.
Maxima and Letizia were two smart career women, the essential difference is the country, the press, the in-law (Beatrice vs. JC) :cool:.

I'd certainly add Maxima's personality, she's absolutely authentic and can win people over in a second by her appearance, very unique. I dont think that there was ever such a spark between Letizia and the spanish public.
 
I'd certainly add Maxima's personality, she's absolutely authentic and can win people over in a second by her appearance, very unique. I dont think that there was ever such a spark between Letizia and the spanish public.

It really depends if you like Maxima's messy and often over the top appearance or not. It probably suits the Dutch, but it doesn't mean it would work the same in another country. If you look at the crowd who went out to Letizia, there was certainly a spark. But Spain is a diverse country, a certain sector of population who don't like Letizia, would never accept her as the Princess of Asturias. At the end of day, the popularity of a consort comes and goes with the position (Princess Alexandra is the best proof), maybe except for Diana due to her global image, as long as Felipe stays on the top of the game.
No matter what people said of Letizia, she has made key contributions on Felipe's career. First made him fully aware of the business scandal involved Cristina and Inaki, thus he was neither a complicit (like his father) or a clueless like Mom and sister Elena. Also from the very beginning, they had worked together to improve Felipe's speeches. His excellent speech in Argentina is the reflect of years of work on his public speaking skill.
 
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What Maxima did incredibly well (from a dutch point of view) was when, in the discussion about her father's past, Willem-Alexander tried to defend his father in law with some unfortunate chosen reasons, it was Maxima who said in her first tv interview that WA had been 'a little bit stupid'....
That worked very well for her reception in the dutch public

I don't know if P.Letizia ever had such a moment, and whether the spanish people would respond similar to that...
Did Letizia actually ever speak out herself or is she just 'talked about'...?
 
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The only time Letizia dared to cut Felipe was at their engagement interview and she was criticized for that for years. In fact, she still is. I can't begin the imagine the field day Spanish press would have, if Letizia were to "pull a Maxima".
 
What Maxima did incredibly well (from a dutch point of view) was when, in the discussion about her father's past, Willem-Alexander tried to defend his father in law with some unfortunate chosen reasons, it was Maxima who said in her first tv interview that WA had been 'a little bit stupid'....
That worked very well for her reception in the dutch public

I don't know if P.Letizia ever had such a moment, and whether the spanish people would respond similar to that...
Did Letizia actually ever speak out herself or is she just 'talked about'...?

That's why I said the countries are different. If Letizia called her husband 'a little bit stupid' no matter how stupid things he did, she would have been seen breaking the protocol, not showing any respect for her higher ranked husband in public.
 
What i maybe have to add that in that Maxima/WA situation, the general opinion of the dutch people before that interview was that what WA had said was not smart and that the royals were not really seeing the problem...
When Maxima said the legendary 'he was a bit stupid' phrase she actually said what a lot of people had been thinking themselves and in one go showing that the royals *did* know there were issues with father's past;and did face up to it

But i can understand quite well that it would possibly not have worked in other situations and other countries

I'm not very familiar with the spanish situation, but i do like Letizia and Felipe together (and apart) and think it's a real shame that she (and him because of it) are having such a hard time with the press
 
What Maxima did incredibly well (from a dutch point of view) was when, in the discussion about her father's past, Willem-Alexander tried to defend his father in law with some unfortunate chosen reasons, it was Maxima who said in her first tv interview that WA had been 'a little bit stupid'....
That worked very well for her reception in the dutch public

Een beetje dom has become a famous expression in the Netherlands related to Maxima, I've seen it on T-Shirts and on mobile ringtones. In Spain there is a similar example with the King's ¿Por qué no te callas? towards Hugo Chavez who kept interrupting the president's speech.
 
The difference is that if in Spain Juan Carlos says (or he said it, now things have changed), the king was natural, spontaneous, sympathetic, "Borbon" ... if Letizia say it is a scandal of incredible dimensions.

Infanta Elena can go to Mango, supermarket, dress with a spanish flag or go to the concert last hit on TV ... and they say she is close to people and down to earth ... if Letizia does it, she does not have taste, a commoner who does not know the rules of royalty.

For example, they do not accept that Letizia treat Felipe as her husband, and talk to him as a wife to her husband speak, they want her to save him reverence as a Prince.

The press and especially gossip press is often very elitist... they do not accept someone as they is now the princess.

And no Duke;), if Prince Felipe had chosen a noble or royal woman, the case would be reversed ... and then they accuse her of being detached from reality and be a snob.

I think one of the problems is that King Juan Carlos has never treated the "in law" as family members with institutional importance. Probably if the king had publicly supported them more, they would not have been so easy victims for the press.
 
After reading all your points of view, it is very clear for me that nowadays nobody can understand the real meaning of a Monarchy. If a prince gets married to a woman like Letizia, the monarchy will disappear sooner or later. If you all want to have princesses coming "from the other side", I say: not me.

The meaning of being part of a royal family is very deep, and if a person doesnt want to accept it like Letizia, it is better dont get married to a prince.

If she wants to be an anonimous person, and she wants her daughters are "normal girls", dont get married to become a member of a Royal Family.

The cases of other princesses in Europe are very different, especially the case of Máxima, who is one of the best princesses and now queen of nowadays, because she has understood very well what is her role in all senses.

One thing many of us do understand is when someone's posting in a thread are nothing but spiteful attacks against someone they really don't know or has never met, that means one thing and one thing only. Someone's got some sort of agenda against the Crown Princess and is willing to twist any posting in the thread to suit their purposes.

Not only do I not understand someone doing this, I also find it very sad.
 
Look, I am no expert on Letizia, but she does not appear to be warm, friendly or ebullient. Maxima is all that. She is not messy, as one poster said. She is who she is. Lovely, warm and friendly. Don't compare people, they can never be the same. If Filipe is happy, it is no one business. The great royal marriage of his parents is a sham. Be kind to Letizia.
 
Look, I am no expert on Letizia, but she does not appear to be warm, friendly or ebullient. Maxima is all that. She is not messy, as one poster said. She is who she is. Lovely, warm and friendly. Don't compare people, they can never be the same. If Filipe is happy, it is no one business. The great royal marriage of his parents is a sham. Be kind to Letizia.

Bravo. I love Letizia and do not envy her situation right now. (politically as far as her in laws are concerned) She is a strong woman whom I admire.

I really like Maxima, but sometimes she is "too much" for me. I am more like Letizia - everyone has different personalities!!! :)
 
So, if you are not Spanish, you can not understand the matter.

True to some extent, but I am educated and like to think of myself as a fair person who tries not to make grand presumptions about people I do not know. I also have the right to share my opinion on Letizia here, or defend her as far as giving her the benefit of the doubt.
 
Letizia is not jolly or bubbly, but appears to me very warm and friendly, especially towards those normal or underprivileged citizens. She is probably the only female royal in the family who has lots of personal contacts with people she met through charities she supports.
 
I don't know much about the SRF or Letizia but they seem like a good family. We can only see so much from the outside. Pictures are only pictures & they mean nothing unless you really know what's going on. All I can say is that Letizia seems like a nice, intelligent and interesting woman. She has to have some good qualities about her for Felipe to choose her as his wife over the millions of women in this world. The press can bash Letizia all they want. But Letizia, being a former member of the press, knows the game. My guess is when she's had enough, she'll know how to approach the situation.

My one complaint is that Letizia needs a bigger role in the SRF. She's a smart woman, why not give her something? All the other CP's have their charities they support. I know Letizia is very capable of having a role that's similar to Maxima, Mary, MM, Kate, Victoria, Mathilde & Rania. There's so much out there for her.
 
My opinions about Letizia dont come from newspapers or tabloids. In fact I hate tabloids and gossips. I have always been very interested in the role of all the European princesses of nowadays, and for lot of Spanish people Letizia is a wrong choice by Felipe. She is very "teenager", she is a married woman and a princess nowadays, but her behaviour is very inappropiated....It is not normal she goes out with her girlfriends every weekend until last hours in the night to pubs or discos, she is not 16 or 18, she is 40!! We all expect that she stays at home with her husband and daughters. If she wants to go out with the Prince, it is perfect but not going out like a teenager. It is not only a matter of marital status and age, it is also because nowadays she is Princess of Asturias and future Queen.
Mette-Marit of Norway had a "crazy" past, but nowadays she is a princess and she have had a great and perfect evolution.

Regarding the book written by her cousin David, I havent read it, for me it is rubbish !! But it is a fact that the book had an impact on the news specially at first moment. It is disgusting that her cousin behaved like a traitor. But it is also true that things her cousin David explained in his book were not new for us...Lot of people knew about her abortion and others, it is only that people didnt speak about it only for respect.

People working for Royal House dont have a good opinion about her, that is a real fact, not a gossip.

To sum up, Letizia must be very conscious of her role and position nowadays, she is not more Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, journalist, single and anonimous citizen living in a flat and going out whenever she wants and doing whatever she wants....Now she is a princess and the future Queen.
 
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We are in the twenty-first century, and women are not slaves to their husbands. Women of 30, 40 or 50 can go out with friends, go to dinner, go to a concert or dance, and that's not a problem. God thank Franco dead and women in Spain do not need the permission of their husbands for everything.

The prince goes out sometimes with friends ... he goes to a bar or a weekend skiing ... and no criticism because he is a man and prince. Infanta Elena also goes out to parties with friends and goes to concerts ... but there is no problem (she is praised for being down to earth).

The princess lives and works with her ​​husband in Zarzuela, probably they are one of the royal couples that have more activities together. Almost all employees are men and many military ... in the palace she has no woman to share anything... is normal once a week that she wants to see her friends and do things with them. Women all of them professionals, of the same age and some who also have husbands and children.

The gossip press only speaks when Letizia goes out alone with her friends, or she goes to a concert 4 times a year... in twitter there are dozens of comments talking about when the prince and princess go to the movies or to dinner. On Sunday Letizia and girls were seen at a mall in Madrid, previous week the whole family went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant ...

In May, the prince was photographed over a weekend in Mallorca, and nosy reporters took to mean that the prince was alone and the fault was of Letizia ... reality was discovered on the internet when many people started to say that they had seen Letizia with girls and other friends in a park, that they were on a beach or the couple was at night at a bar.

In August said they were not doing things together ... when all July weekends, there were comments from people on twitter who saw them in restaurants, at the movies, as a couple or with their daughters.

In short, the press creates an artificial story, because what sells is the scandal... curiously the more the press tries to sell it, people comment more spontaneous every time they see the princess, the couple or family anywhere.

All princesses are women of their generation, that sometimes go out with their​​friends and without husbands, and travel alone overseas leaving husband and children... sometimes for official events, others for visit the family, shopping, to go a party, a fashion show or relax.
 
True to some extent, but I am educated and like to think of myself as a fair person who tries not to make grand presumptions about people I do not know. I also have the right to share my opinion on Letizia here, or defend her as far as giving her the benefit of the doubt.
I wholeheartedly agree.:flowers:
 
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