Queen Letizia and the Press


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I agree with this assessment. Before meeting Felipe, Letizia was a very gifted journalist who would have stepped the ladder even further without engagement & marriage.

I don't see that she was 'on top of her profession' though. At the time of the engagement, Letizia was co-anchoring the TVE evening news, together with her boss, Alfredo Urdaci. In this role, she had been for approx. 6 weeks. I have no doubt that she was qualified for this role, but at the time there were many rumours in Spain that Felipe had a hand in Letizia getting this job at exactly that time in order to make her face known in Spain. Most Spaniards had never seen her face or didnt know who she was when the relationship became public knowledge.

If people think that not ageeing that Letizia Ortiz was kind of a Spanish Christiane Amanpour at the time means putting her down of course they are free to do so.

Actually most of us had seen her face in TVE news. She was a new, young, familiar face, carving a niche in reporting journalism.

The rumour/gossip about Felipe helping her getting a job at TVE came after their marriage, and from the same political quarters. The same lobby group wanting the monarchy in Spain gone so the head of state can be "elected" by the politicians.

It's the same powerful lobby that thinks Letizia is a danger to Spain. They don't want an educated, critically thinking woman, without noble, aristocratic or royal connections as queen consort and mother (and influence) to Leonor.

Tough.
 
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Good grief. This is starting to feel like the Inquisition.:eek:

Letizia is the most amazing, most brilliant, most accomplished of all the CP's who ever lived. No one is more impressive. Her marriage is perfect. Her children are perfect. Her hair is perfect. So are her feet.

Is that better?

You folks should warn non Leti worshipping posters that this is a FAN CLUB and dissent is not allowed. It's only fair.

Good night!

Funny you are calling her Leti. It's what Princess Letizia is called in forums against her. :whistling:

No need to be so antagonistic. The inquisition reaaaaally ended hundred of years ago.
 
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Please post a link to the video because this I would love to see and how to you came to this conclusion.

Can you give me a few days? I remember the short video but it won't be easy finding it again.
 
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Can you give me a few days? I remember the short video but it won't be easy finding it again.

Maybe on that occasion you can also provide the link where Queen Sofia acknowledged that being photographed with Inaki in Washington was a mistake (see post 280).

I find it funny that you tend to accuse posters who don't think that Letizia is the best thing on earth since sliced bread of gossiping or even having a political agenda while you continue to make claims about other royals without providing any source.
 
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I had my reservations about re-opening this thread and they were right,time to give this thread a break.

Thread Closed pending Moderator Review
 
Obviously the future King Felipe VI is very popular, much more popular than his wife:

Casi nueve de cada diez espa?oles ven al Pr?ncipe Felipe preparado para reinar - ABC.es
ABC is a monarchist newspaper so it´s logical that they can make-up the news a bit. But I would say this news is in line with what I´m hearing from relatives and friends and reading on the Internet lately.

Felipe is indeed more popular than his father and generally people is pleased that he´s taking over. The other main opinion is of course the people that disagree because they want a republic. But since most people I knew is neutral about that matter, the confidence on Felipe´s future role seems to be the general opinion.
 
It is clear the future queen is far less popular than her husband.
 
It is clear the future queen is far less popular than her husband.

That seems to be true. One has to wonder why certain people are so happy about that situation.
 
IMO Letizia has always been underestimated in the press.... Only now that she is queen they are starting to praise her for her values...
 
I don't understand why is there such a dislike of Queen Letizia? I've always found her to carry out her role in the highest standard, she has never (IMO) put a wrong foot. She under takes all her engagement as a professional. She clearly loves her husband and children and seems to have always place the Crown first. Wouldn't the Spanish people be proud of her? Can someone explain?
 
In my opinion this is because there is no distance between Doña Letizia and the public. How can there ever be? She was a colleague of all these media folks, she came into the Spanish livingrooms evening in and evening out, presenting the news. Suddenly that lady whom brought the news during evening meal is Her Majesty The Queen of Spain. The intrinsic feeling of a royalborn Greek Princess becoming their Queen and having a basic goodwill and understanding is lacking here. It is obvious that for many Spaniards and for sure the media, the monarchy has become a vaudeville in which one of their former colleagues suddenly is The Queen.

In situations when a fitness instructor from Örebrö becomes a Prince of Sweden and Duke of Västergötland or when a lady whom once served you a latte macchiato in a bar in Kristiansand is suddenly Norway's future Queen, this can not be too surprising. Then there is a feeling: Girl, you are no royal, you play royal!

Máxima and Mary are still somewhat 'alien' being spouses from the absolute other end of the world, without any history, neigbours, classmates, colleagues, friends or family in the Netherlands resp. Denmark. There lies a part of the explanation why they still have a sort of basic goodwill which Letizia and Mette Marit lacked. (Máxima had to overcome animosity anyway, being the daughter of a "wrong father" but her immense charisma conquered the hearts).

Look at the picture, this is the new Queen of Spain, this is how the Spaniards know her: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/06/19/article-2662329-1EE9F7FC00000578-371_472x423.jpg

Now she suddenly is Her Majesty and her children are highborn Infantas. It is a little stretch too far in the theatre of state. In my opinion there lies the explanation for the negativity and hostility towards Letizia while her spouse has a positive vibe amongst the public.
 
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Duc et Pair, I agree with most of your recent post in reference to hostility towards Letizia. But, having been in contact with a few Spanish friends lately, the joke now [behind closed doors] seems to indicate that there is coming a 180° turn indicating that Letizia's "common" principles are proving a large step above some royals. She has been shunned for ten years now without mercy by the jealous and controlling. I give her credit if now she does her own thing and proves them wrong, which I seriously pray she will. Ten years of media crap would be enough to demoralize anyone, but her strong character seems to have brought her through. I am sure that Felipe and Queen Sofia had a lot to do with this even though it is not their way to publically acknowledge. Now, in fact, King Felipe seems much more relaxed and content while in the presence of his wife and daughters. Must have been awful knowing for years about his brother-in-law's inventive bookkeeping and what it would do if it became public information. Plus, while the media was chastising Letizia they were not paying too much attention to Cristina and her new found wealth and spending even though they knew the amount of her husband's income [published]. That I truly believe was deliberate on the part of the jealous and controlling. May they all rot.
 
I hope things will turn a bit better for Doña Letizia. The latest figures in severall polls have shown an improving appreciation for the new King. Doña Letizia has some little increase in approval but these are the "honey moon months" for the new royal couple. The media are so exaggerating about `the transformation` of Doña Letizia. Well, I need new glasses because I see no 'transformation' of the Letizia before and the Letizia after the abdication. It is all wobbly and I am afraid when the summer months are over the press has re-sharpened their knifes and are ready to criticize Doña Letizia, no matter about what.
 
letizia is in 4th position in the royal family in popularity.
 
I hope things will turn a bit better for Doña Letizia. The latest figures in severall polls have shown an improving appreciation for the new King. Doña Letizia has some little increase in approval but these are the "honey moon months" for the new royal couple. The media are so exaggerating about `the transformation` of Doña Letizia. Well, I need new glasses because I see no 'transformation' of the Letizia before and the Letizia after the abdication. It is all wobbly and I am afraid when the summer months are over the press has re-sharpened their knifes and are ready to criticize Doña Letizia, no matter about what.

I saw some journalists doing a backflip, before the proclamation she wasn´t fit to be Queen and after it she suddenly was and everything was rosy :rolleyes: Let´s see how this will look like at the end of the year.
 
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I think that much more significant than the polls some papers organize, are the crowds who are waiting for Letizia at the events she attends, and how she interacts with them. There has never been any problem in that, not when she was the Princess of Asturias and not now when she is the Queen. There are large crowds waiting to see or meet her.
 
Sofia had been called 'the Greek' for many years. Her popularity has been the last 10-20 years after she became grandma, a suffering wife and mother image also gained much sympathy from the public.

I saw some journalists doing a backflip, before the proclamation she wasn´t fit to be Queen and after it she suddenly was and everything was rosy :rolleyes: Let´s see how this will look like at the end of the year.

That's right, some journalists have been looking for the steps down. Some criticism is normal, expect to happen from time to time since no one is perfect, but fabricating rumors/lies, fierce attacks would be much less from now on, since the press knows who is the boss in Zarzuela and Zarzuela wouldn't leave a blind eye as the last 10 years. No doubt over the years, some senior officials from Zarzuela had been behind some of the rumors/attacks from the media on Letizia for various reasons, this likely wouldn't happen unless circumstance changes.
 
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Sofia had been called 'the Greek' for many years. Her popularity has been the last 10-20 years after she became grandma, a suffering wife and mother image also gained much sympathy from the public.
You are 100% correct. I remember that very well and always felt sorry for her living in a strange land with different language. Her husband didn't seem to care all that much and her brother had his own "extra life on the side" to enjoy that he also didn't care about his sister's problems in the media.
Sofia was one of the last of the "suffer in private" queens while smiling and pretending all is perfect in public. Times have changed in most of the world, thank God, and wives should not put up with that crap anymore.

I give Letizia credit for not turning on all the nasty items printed about her for the last 10 years and hope that she remembers all the perpetrators. Hopefully K Felipe will have her back, unlike his father's treatment to his mother.
 
Sofia was one of the last of the "suffer in private" queens while smiling and pretending all is perfect in public. Times have changed in most of the world, thank God, and wives should not put up with that crap anymore.

That is just pure speculation. Every marriage has/had its ups and downs. The present Grand Duchess of Luxembourg has had severe crises in her marriage. She was even halted at Findel International Airport when she wanted to flee the Grand Duchy.

Only a few weeks after the most romantic Disney-esque photoshoot of a princely couple in love, Prince Joachim of Denmark and his spouse Alexandra announced their separation. It was all smiley-smiley all the time while the marriage was in total shambles.

The just abdicated King of the Belgians and his spouse Paola have been on various brinks of divorces but were urged to stay together for the sake of their children and the monarchy. With professional smiles they continued until the day of today.

It is very well possible that there are royal couples at this very moment with pretty shaky marriages but whom decide to go on, with stiff upperlip et al and continue despite everything. I would not stick my hand in the fire for your assumption that Queen Sofía is/was the last to "suffer in private". Besides that, Doña Sofía is everything except the "suffering" kind of lady.
 
:previous:Bit OOT, but wasn't GD of Luxembourg halted on the border in a taxi on her way to Frankfurt Airport?
 
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