Bizarre is the right word to describe Paola’s stupid action. Now the backlash and the negative comments are getting even louder and stronger. PPL are not stupid, there is a huge discrepancy between her actions and her words. And the wording of her open letter was most unfortunate indeed. Seems she is bathing in self-pity after she realized what the public thinks of her skills as mother and now she tries to portray herself as loving and attentive mother of her “most vulnerable child”. Go figure. And btw what does Albert think of his wife’s action?And the saga continues...
Newspapers speak about a 'bizarre letter' of Paola.
With clear 20/20 hindsight over this family crisis I think the dynamics of the (I'm sorry, I don't know what the correct title of the Dowager Queen and Ex King are) glaring abyss that lies between the parents and if not all their children, definitely their youngest.For what I've been able to see, Belgian media (and the people commenting on it) are pretty unforgiving towards Albert and Paola in this issue, call them cold and unfeeling and say that the letter is just something to save face.
BTW: why wasn't it done in both her and Albert's name? That's another PR blunder tbh.
I agree with you here and this shows that if siblings could put aside their differences to come for their brother in his hour of need, why couldn't their parents do the same?
Frankly, Philippe has been trying to involve Laurent in activities since he became King and was one of the few who publicly supported him (or at least didn't shun him outright) during his Navy trial days, I think everyone knows that and this whole issue kind of show that he's a better man than his father ever was, at least more family oriented and forgiving.To be honest I found the attitude of Albert & Paola has been very cold towards their younger son's hospitalisation and not what you'd expect from his parents.
Well here's the thing, for most ordinary people the only things that cause that sort of fracture is crime related. Even then most often parents love their children whilst being broken-hearted at their shortcomings.Who knows what really happened in family.Usually when a member of a family is seriously ill, everybody rush to him and forget the past....
It is quite interesting that when Albert was king regnant, there was very little criticism on him, and a lot focussed on Filip. Now Filip is king, the newspapers seem to have swapped father and son in their search for an easy target within the RF (Laurent often obliged for this role too). Since 21 July Filip can do no wrong in the press while all of a sudden his father is critisized a lot. It is an interesting mechanism.
I do not know for what reasons Albert and Paola stayed abroad. But like almost any parent in the world I am quite sure that they hope for the best for all their children, dispite what mistakes they may have. They won't be the first people who have difficulties in seeing their child(ren) taking over their job. In many family businesses the same thing happens. In my own country prince Bernhard always found it very difficult to listen to his daughters commands from The Hague and at times he went his own way, making telephone calls to journalists etc. to give his side of a certain story.
And although I sympathize with Laurent's situation, not all can be blamed on his parents. He is 50 y/o man by now and is responsible for his own life. There are many people who had a difficult upbringing but who were able to find a way to deal with it and move on.
RTL.be info
this is a quite interesting article about the "news" Prince Laurent has found when he woke up.
Apperently King Philippe is "not pleased" by the way his own mother delivered her own statement about Laurent. Since the enthronement he had wished for his family to have a coordinated communication under the supervision of his own press office. And personally I find it a good idea since the family has always had problems with the press due to a mismanagement of the communication.
But they say the councellor of Albert and Paola thought to skip the royal guidelines and give the Belga Agency this bulletin himself. I recall a couple of years ago someone in Belgium complaining about these courtiers who used to be around Albert and Paola (old noblemen and officers) who had no idea how to manage a modern royal family and always put a spoke into Philippe's wheel
another interesting thing is that apparently the Palace (Philippe) is negotiating with the FAO to obtain an ambassador position for Laurent. This shows how great Philippe is and how supportive for his brother he is.
RTL.be info
this is a quite interesting article about the "news" Prince Laurent has found when he woke up.
Apperently King Philippe is "not pleased" by the way his own mother delivered her own statement about Laurent. Since the enthronement he had wished for his family to have a coordinated communication under the supervision of his own press office. And personally I find it a good idea since the family has always had problems with the press due to a mismanagement of the communication.
But they say the councellor of Albert and Paola thought to skip the royal guidelines and give the Belga Agency this bulletin himself. I recall a couple of years ago someone in Belgium complaining about these courtiers who used to be around Albert and Paola (old noblemen and officers) who had no idea how to manage a modern royal family and always put a spoke into Philippe's wheel
another interesting thing is that apparently the Palace (Philippe) is negotiating with the FAO to obtain an ambassador position for Laurent. This shows how great Philippe is and how supportive for his brother he is.
I am quite sure there is a valid and important role he can have in an official capacity.
You are right. Given the state of the relationships within the Belgian royal family, it would be deemed expedient for King Philippe to centralise communications, thereby managing the PR in a more coordinated way.... [snipped] In the case of the Belgian Royal Family, I think it is vital that King Philippe continues to take charge of communications and to stamp his own seal, so to speak, on how the family is perceived. He is the King and he should be in charge of everything now!
... [snipped]
It is quite interesting that when Albert was king regnant, there was very little criticism on him, and a lot focussed on Filip. Now Filip is king, the newspapers seem to have swapped father and son in their search for an easy target within the RF (Laurent often obliged for this role too). Since 21 July Filip can do no wrong in the press while all of a sudden his father is critisized a lot. It is an interesting mechanism.
I do not know for what reasons Albert and Paola stayed abroad. But like almost any parent in the world I am quite sure that they hope for the best for all their children, dispite what mistakes they may have. They won't be the first people who have difficulties in seeing their child(ren) taking over their job. In many family businesses the same thing happens. In my own country prince Bernhard always found it very difficult to listen to his daughters commands from The Hague and at times he went his own way, making telephone calls to journalists etc. to give his side of a certain story.
And although I sympathize with Laurent's situation, not all can be blamed on his parents. He is 50 y/o man by now and is responsible for his own life. There are many people who had a difficult upbringing but who were able to find a way to deal with it and move on.
This mess is getting worse:
"Royal observers in the Belgian press said Paola took the unusual step fearing Laurent was being ignored by Philippe and his wife, Queen Mathilde".
Hospitalised Prince Laurent of Belgium 'improving' says mother Business Standard
In first instance it did not look too serious at all. The Prince was admitted into hospital because of fatigue. Then it became a pneumonia. The Prince was brought into a coma but the expectation was only for a limited time. A sudden return of King Albert and Queen Paola could also have led to wild speculations about a detoriation or an acute emergency. All this while the Prince was (and is) in good hands and looked after by many. It is difficult to judge from the outside but I have no reason to disqualify King Albert and Queen Paola. They probably agreed with Claire to stay away, they probably were in daily contact with the medical team. Who knows.
This situation would almost be funny if it weren't so serious. The old adage of "too many chiefs and not enough indians" comes to mind. One Dowager Queen is OK but following abdication perhaps it would have been better if they had reverted to Prince and Princess like the Dutch model then everybody would know who was in charge.
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I agree with your post, MARG, but for me this situation is evidence that abdications do not really fit with the concept of monarchy. As much as we all like the spectacle of the big parties for the new monarchs and seeing the tiaras being worn by different heads, abdication is not as straightforwardly positive as some seem to think. Some countries can make it work reasonably well, but it clearly brings with it enormous difficulties, both personally and publicly.
Within any royal family, each member more less has their place; an understanding of their position and what their duties to The Firm are. With an abdication that all changes, which can't be easy for anyone.