Diana and Attitudes to Marriage

[Penny Lane]

Interesting reading I enjoyed the article I do have a rather gossipy question though.The article brought up Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend as well was the Duke and Duchess of Windsor as couples who paid the price and had to scrafice in one way or another for the choices they made but it also brings up Prince Andrew and Koo Stark,were they actually considered a love match? I have never been very clear on how serious they were.

Thanks.

[COUNTESS]

Everyone pays the "price". Charles has tried to become victim. Diana foolish and young, married poorly. That's another whole story. Queen Margarethe is wiser than Elizabeth. It is better having your enemy inside your tent, than on the outside, doing untoward things. All the chilren have been pawns. Elizabeth's son had a mistress from the beginning, she never said, hey that's awful. The Danes are far more realistic, than the British who see themselves as demi Gods.

[MARG]

Originally Posted by ysbel

I'm not quite sure how much the British Royal Family influenced the other families, simply because the British Royal Family has maintained its separateness from the other royal families. That can be seen in their preference for British brides even at a time when all the other families were marrying royals.

I think you have a good point there Ysbel. It seems that a sort of "Royal Xenophobia" has existed in Britain. Even Prince Phillip had the be "anglicised" and made "British" with a deal of slight of hand on the part of Lord Mountbatten to make him "acceptable" to the BRF even more than the people! That set in train a sequence of events that really need not have happened had the Queen's children been able to widen their horizons.

Originally Posted by ysbel

But I find more troubling the fact that Joachim's popularity still took a beating even though he and Alexandra maintained their decorum. So maintaining silence and decorum is no guarantee that the royal will come out unscathed if they marry someone who becomes more popular than they are.

It seemed that the Princess Royal managed to "pull off" a halfway decent divorce and of course their handling of their children has been exemplary. But Andrew and Sarah didn't regardless of theyr too handling all aspects of the divorce to the benefit of their children.

Originally Posted by ysbel

I think the main influence of the situation with Diana and Alexandra will influence royal families to choose brides that don't pose a competition to the popularity of their spouses or that of the whole royal family. Which may make the families more boring but if the public is going to turn against a royal if the couple has behaved as discreetly as Joachim and Alexandra did, then I don't see that the families have any choice.

Almost all of the European Crown Princes have married commoners who seem to have become idolised and adored by their future subjects. Maxima, Mette-Merret, Mary and Letizia. All have one thing in common . . . they are neither royal nor even aristocratic. Their lives are defined by the men they married and all seem to have strived to form close ties with their spouses families and not only be seen to support their husbands but to actually create a 21st Century Crown Princess job description.

Time will tell and noone is more aware of the pitfalls than each of those strong women. Maybe that is the difference, they are all mature self-confident women that made an informed choice and are willing to work to ensure their own and their families stability and happiness.

[COUNTESS]

And, to all knowledge, their husbands are not keeping a mistress somewhere.

[Lady Ann]

wonderful article The Truth .........

[Lighthouse]

I really like the article but suspect Queen Margarethe is much more modern than Queen Elizabeth II and perhaps her modern outlook equipped her to better empathise and communicate with her ex daughter-in-law, receiving positive press in the process.

Royal families could still get much bad press if a commoner divorcee is embittered enough to launch a campaign to destroy the reputation of the crown prince and his family. The press will always latch on to good stories. Regardless of who someone marries it could still end up messy.