"Königskinder" by ZDF: Crown Princes and Crown Princesses, 2007 & 2009

[ricarda]

Obviously the political situation in Spain is problematic and Letizia is a more controversial figure than Mary, but that doesn't make the docu less sugary. No, in the end "love conquers everything" and Letizia has found her place in the hearts of the Spanish people.

But they cannot speak about problems when there are no problems.
That doesn't mean that ZDF was less objective towards the Danish couple.
The docus are based on the interviews they made.
And even Henrik Qvortrup who is quite critical about Frederik is positive about the monarchy and Mary.
So what is ZDF supposed to do?

[Royal Darkness]

Originally Posted by ricarda

They actually didn't point out anything of that kind. That's your own personal interpretation.
[...]
The only thing I agree on is the fact that there was no anti-monarchy-viewpoint. Why give it in the Swedish, Norwegian and Dutch case and not in the Danish, are there no anti-monarchists? But on the other hand there was no anti-monarchist in Felipe&Letizia's docu either.

You are right. I read it between the lines.

[Paty]

Hi, Royal Darkness can you give us a summerize of Felipe and Letizia Docu?

[Binz]

The ZDF is a public service German television channel and is an independent non-profit broadcaster. ZDF is funded through a television licence and advertising and is broadcast throughout Germany. It's still considered quality television in Germany.

Prof. Dr. Guido Knopp (responsible for the Programm) is the leader of the ZDF part contemporary history and events of the day. He was the editor of the FAZ and head of the oversea part of the Welt am Sonntag (two of the three most prestigious newspapers in Germany). For the ZDF he is responsible for some docus about the NAZI-time. Königskinder was just something to recover and to have a bit fun with.

Obviously he and his team are of the opinion CP Frederik is a very lucky man that he was able to find such a classy lady from down under. I doubt that he and his team think that she is perfect though obviously they thought it's useless to repeat the most silly accusations published in some danish tabloids and repeated by the even more ridiculous and untrustworthy german tabloids (as a German myself I should know about what I'm blabbing). I don't want to say anything about some message boards. Time will tell if Mary is just a short time royal star or if she is something of real substance. Obviously the responsible people for the Königskinder docu aren't the only one to rate Mary quite high. There is a book from a swedish writer with the title "Profession Princess" (more or less) in swedish. She wrote about 14 european princesses, guess who is on top of her list.

If you feel the urgent need to listen to something not so flattering about the danish CP couple, there are also some little interviews at the ZDF website. Among of the interview partner for the danish part is Henrik Overtrup. He is the editor of S&H. This is the tabloid with the most negative articles about the CP couple. Usual when Ekstrabladet (a republican tabloid) writes something negative S&H tries to top it some time later.

ZDF.de - Die Königskinder

choose at the right site
Mediathek Die besten Interviews zu den Königshäusern
then Interviews zu Frederik und Mary
the ckick an start (the little white arrow in the yellow field)
You have to cklick on every question after a short time a little video will start.

Don't be disappointed! Quite at the end when they ask Overtrup if Mary is a luck for the DRF, he said he thinks that CP Mary is one of the very big successes of the DRF. A bit later he also admits they couldn't find something really bad in Marys past and that's a good thing, Mary so he said is in many ways a good choice. And don't listen to Mimi Jakobsen (who thinks that one day Frederik will make a fantastic king) and Malene Birger.

Like it or not it's your problem not Marys or Frederiks.

[Larzen]

I dont know but everytime there is aquestion why Letizia and Felipe do or do not do something we hear about the difficult political situation

Originally Posted by Paty

Hi, Royal Darkness can you give us a summerize of Felipe and Letizia Docu?

Its difficult to give a complete summary but here are some points, it focuses mostly on the lives they led before they married IMO, the different upbringings etc the history of the Bourbons

Also I had some trouble when they put german on top of spanish, it was difficult to understand as Im not fluent in german, so Im sure there are some mistakes

***********************

Spain, the home of the Prince and the Princess of the people

***
The narrators says something like Letizia plays the role of the "little dutyful wife" but it is no in her nature to play this role, that it is a marriage in a golden cage and asks wether the love will be strong enough so that they together can live up to the expectations of the spanish people.

and then a well chosen "expert" alla Julio Iglesias:
this right royal experts says it is obious how in love the couple is, and how important Letizia is at the side of her tall husband

Letizia comes from a family with no royal bloodlines, but Felipe stands by the side of his commoner princess

the narrator says he was always a welcome guests, esp amongst the women, Felipe was considered the best catch of the european gotha and that he could have had them all, the Thurn and Taxis princesses the habsburg daughters, even one of spains most famous tennisplayer:

Ms Sanchez-Vicario swoons over Felipe and says he is so tall and handsome, everyone thought heir Prince was so good looking and were in "love" with him. and She old him once, when she had got to know him, that she was in love with him when she was young. He was the dream of every woman

the the narrator says Felipe is supposed to have had 30 girlfirends/affairs, but the women who caught his heart would not be a Princess but the most beautiful face on the evening news.

The present Royal couple has brought the democraty back to spain

And then they do some funny/scary morphing of Felipes face into Felipe V, the first Bourbon on the spanish throne

and of Letizias face into Maria des los Mercedes, the first spanish born woman at the side of the spanish King, Letizia will be the second spanish born Queen. all other Princesses came from the forreign royal families.

also Letizia and Felipe must win the hearts of the Spaniards


Letizias former boss says he thinks the futer will be challenging for them, it is a difficult role where you just wait for your father to die so you can do the job you have been training for. He also says something like it will be difficult to fill their time with something worthwhile - at one point they will have granted 10 milllion spaniards an audience and wont know what else to do, just like Prince Charles who has become a carricature of himself, one becomes extravagant with time

then some descriptions of felipe, a man wihtout a scandal, a Prince who do not have any polo horses to fall of, A man with no mind of his own (like puppet I think they mean, not sure) as interesting a luke warm sangria, a mummys boy. But for the Press Letizia is the real poblem. A woman who wont be submissive enough for the role, a woman who wears to short skirts, who gestures to much, and who worse of allruins her fertility with her high stilettos, she is so thin, the diagnosis; anorexia.

Carolina of Waldburg says something like Letizia is always under immense scrutiny, what is she wearing, every gestures is watched, is she happy or sad, laughing or crying. It requires much disipline

Then something about Franco, Felipes grandmother thinks that the birth of Felipe helps the chances for the Bourbon to come back on the thrones

Felipe liked to tell jokes and the spaniards loves good jokes, says his biographer, once he should have told this joke about his father: JC went to a resturant and said to the waitor: Give me something I have not had before
and then the waitor says; have some brain then

Princess Sofia:
- I want to be there when the children comes home from school
- I bring them to school and pick them up when they are finnished
- I find that close contact with the parents are very important for the kids


About Letis childhood, she grew up with her two younger sisters, her aunt? says she was a very head strong girl, she wanted to do everything, and try again until she managed. She was a perfectionist already then.

She always knew what she wanted to do and would do better than everyone else, be a presenter at the radio.

Franco dies, Juan Carlos is back on the throne, and Felipe tries to pull his chair over to his mother during the ceremony, but a servant pulls it back towards his sisters. Felipe is now the new Heir

his most important lesson in politic he got during the coup- felipe is in evening school, the King sent a car to pick him at once, the situation was unsure, he had to be with the King in the Zarzuela the whole time, in the center of the events. JC told his son that he had to earn the crown everyday. After the coup the royal house was more popular than ever.

Letiza used to be a ballet dancer, for 10 years, her teacher tells: All the girls were fans of the prince and we had a competeion on who would write Felipe the best letter, Letizia won, and got a signed photo back from the prince, that is foresight, no?

Sofia decided that Felipe would go to Lakefield.
The Queens biographer Pilar Urbano says Felipe was a spoilt child and that the time in Canada was very difficult for him, but this helped him later when he went into the military academy in zaragosa.

We can hear Letizias first broadcast in the radio.

she fell in love and was married to her litterature teacher for a short time.
And a student video of Letizia in Mexico, I did not get what she was saying, sounds like a presentation of herself

And then about the painter Waldo Saavedra who fell head over heels with her, he said she was like an angel. his painting would later create a scandal, never before had there been a Queen to be that had shown her breasts. Later he said he was just "inspired ", that she only showed her face, the narrator finds it a very inventive explenation

Felipe in Georgetown. Pavlos sais they lived a normal life there, they shared a house and met women, in Washington noone recognised him, even if he is so tall, he is hard to miss.

Pilar Urbano: Queen Sofia was not amused with her sons women, he had many women, really many.

Carolina of Waldburg was considered the perfect queen, catholic, nobel and beautful. The press followed her everywhere.

she says. I rented a house with some friends in Madrid then we found out there were papparazzi in the house across the streets, you really cannot belive it. It was very difficult to live like that, with closed drapes.

Then about Eva Sannum, basicall a no-go a protestant model with divorced parents, a scandal

José Apezarena (felipes biographer) says it was difficult for Felipe to break up with her but he knew he could not marry against the will of the spaniards

the narrator says it was a bitter break up for the Prince, Felipe was determind this would not happen again.

Felipe should have noticed LEtizia on TV and arranged a meeting (just like TV-shop ey) the relationship had to be discreet, Letizia wanted it like that, she thought it could cost her career and her credibility.

José Apezarena says he did not find Letizia the right choice for Queen of Spain

- I would have not chosen Letizia. She really did not have the right qualifications. Her job, her family, her lack of political education.
-No, I would have not chosen her, I wanted someone like Sofia. But it was the Prince who chose her.”

Felipe had decide to marry him, when the King and queen thought of a profile for a daughter in law, than Im sure they did not think of someone like Letizia
-He insisted on marrying Letizia.
-He just introduced her to his parents. The King took the news well, Queen Sofia needed a more time.

A friend of Leti finds the critism of her "Let me finish" comment was stupid, it was lovingly ment she says.

After the terror in MAdrid, in Almudena she conforts the grieving, the Spaniards sees a woman with warmth and compassion.

LAter she would self be in tragedy her favourite sister comitted suicide with an overdose of painkillers. Letizia hurries to the appartment, she sneaks in unnoticed to the press.

Pilar Urbano says she was certain Letizia would bring a fresh wind into the the dusty bourbon dynasty, because she knew how the real world worked, she had stood in line for grocerys and lived in a small appartment

22 may 2004 the first wedding of a spanish heir in 100 yearrs takes place, 20 million Euros is the prize-tag. many spaniards considered the rain a bad omen, but notFelipe. infront of 1400 guests Felipe married the princes of the people. The kiss was as cold coffe.

Pavlos says tha yes it was grand but also intimate moments during the banquet. a wonderful show.

And a grain of gold from Mr Iglesias to finnish it of: Love is universall
More beautiful one cant say it, Good luck Felipe and Letizia

The end with fireworks and fanfares

[ricarda]

Originally Posted by Larzen

Its difficult to give a complete summary but here are some points, it focuses mostly on the lives they led before they married IMO, the different upbringings etc the history of the Bourbons

Also I had some trouble when they put german on top of spanish, it was difficult to understand as Im not fluent in german, so Im sure there are some mistakes

***********************

Wow, I am impressed, that must have been a lot of work.
And you got most of it right, just a few corrections.

Originally Posted by Larzen

then some descriptions of felipe, a man wihtout a scandal, a Prince who do not have any polo horses to fall of, A man with no mind of his own (like puppet I think they mean, not sure) as interesting a luke warm sangria, a mummys boy. But for the Press Letizia is the real poblem. A woman who wont be submissive enough for the role, a woman who wears to short skirts, who gestures to much, and who worse of allruins her fertility with her high stilettos, she is so thin, the diagnosis; anorexia.

This is not meant as a description, it's a summary of what is said about them by the media, given in a sympathetic tone.

And a student video of Letizia in Mexico, I did not get what she was saying, sounds like a presentation of herself

No, it was taken in Spain and she says that she will go to Mexico to study and that there are many machos in Mexico. She has been warned to talk to the police, they are the worst.

Felipe should have noticed LEtizia on TV and arranged a meeting

They say Felipe was working late at night all alone in his office and saw Letizia on TV, which means: also working. This is spoken in an ironic tone. My guess is because there were so many different versions of how they met, in most of them they were working, whereas a famous German TV-star who was the girl-friend of a prince for several years claims that they met one evening through Letizia's CNN-ex-boyfriend who was also a friend of Felipe.

José Apezarena says he did not find Letizia the right choice for Queen of Spain

-No, I would have not chosen her, I wanted someone like Sofia. But it was the Prince who chose her.”

No, he says: I feel like Sofia. (Before that he said that it took Sophia longer to accept Felipe's choice than Juan Carlos.)

LAter she would self be in tragedy her favourite sister comitted suicide with an overdose of painkillers. Letizia hurries to the appartment, she sneaks in unnoticed to the press.

Yes, and they say her showing emotions at her sister's funeral won her a place in the Spanish people's hearts. Oh, dear.

The kiss was as cold coffe.

Here they are quoting the press again, in a critical tone towards the press.

And a grain of gold from Mr Iglesias to finnish it of: Love is universall
More beautiful one cant say it, Good luck Felipe and Letizia

The end with fireworks and fanfares

Yes, that was IMO the most sugary ending of all sugary endings - thanks to Julio Iglesias. I wonder, why nobody complained about that.

[Paty]

Originally Posted by Larzen

I dont know but everytime there is aquestion why Letizia and Felipe do or do not do something we hear about the difficult political situation



Its difficult to give a complete summary but here are some points, it focuses mostly on the lives they led before they married IMO, the different upbringings etc the history of the Bourbons

Also I had some trouble when they put german on top of spanish, it was difficult to understand as Im not fluent in german, so Im sure there are some mistakes

***********************

Spain, the home of the Prince and the Princess of the people

***
The narrators says something like Letizia plays the role of the "little dutyful wife" but it is no in her nature to play this role, that it is a marriage in a golden cage and asks wether the love will be strong enough so that they together can live up to the expectations of the spanish people.

and then a well chosen "expert" alla Julio Iglesias:
this right royal experts says it is obious how in love the couple is, and how important Letizia is at the side of her tall husband

Letizia comes from a family with no royal bloodlines, but Felipe stands by the side of his commoner princess

the narrator says he was always a welcome guests, esp amongst the women, Felipe was considered the best catch of the european gotha and that he could have had them all, the Thurn and Taxis princesses the habsburg daughters, even one of spains most famous tennisplayer:

Ms Sanchez-Vicario swoons over Felipe and says he is so tall and handsome, everyone thought heir Prince was so good looking and were in "love" with him. and She old him once, when she had got to know him, that she was in love with him when she was young. He was the dream of every woman

the the narrator says Felipe is supposed to have had 30 girlfirends/affairs, but the women who caught his heart would not be a Princess but the most beautiful face on the evening news.

The present Royal couple has brought the democraty back to spain

And then they do some funny/scary morphing of Felipes face into Felipe V, the first Bourbon on the spanish throne

and of Letizias face into Maria des los Mercedes, the first spanish born woman at the side of the spanish King, Letizia will be the second spanish born Queen. all other Princesses came from the forreign royal families.

also Letizia and Felipe must win the hearts of the Spaniards


Letizias former boss says he thinks the futer will be challenging for them, it is a difficult role where you just wait for your father to die so you can do the job you have been training for. He also says something like it will be difficult to fill their time with something worthwhile - at one point they will have granted 10 milllion spaniards an audience and wont know what else to do, just like Prince Charles who has become a carricature of himself, one becomes extravagant with time

then some descriptions of felipe, a man wihtout a scandal, a Prince who do not have any polo horses to fall of, A man with no mind of his own (like puppet I think they mean, not sure) as interesting a luke warm sangria, a mummys boy. But for the Press Letizia is the real poblem. A woman who wont be submissive enough for the role, a woman who wears to short skirts, who gestures to much, and who worse of allruins her fertility with her high stilettos, she is so thin, the diagnosis; anorexia.

Carolina of Waldburg says something like Letizia is always under immense scrutiny, what is she wearing, every gestures is watched, is she happy or sad, laughing or crying. It requires much disipline

Then something about Franco, Felipes grandmother thinks that the birth of Felipe helps the chances for the Bourbon to come back on the thrones

Felipe liked to tell jokes and the spaniards loves good jokes, says his biographer, once he should have told this joke about his father: JC went to a resturant and said to the waitor: Give me something I have not had before
and then the waitor says; have some brain then

Princess Sofia:
- I want to be there when the children comes home from school
- I bring them to school and pick them up when they are finnished
- I find that close contact with the parents are very important for the kids


About Letis childhood, she grew up with her two younger sisters, her aunt? says she was a very head strong girl, she wanted to do everything, and try again until she managed. She was a perfectionist already then.

She always knew what she wanted to do and would do better than everyone else, be a presenter at the radio.

Franco dies, Juan Carlos is back on the throne, and Felipe tries to pull his chair over to his mother during the ceremony, but a servant pulls it back towards his sisters. Felipe is now the new Heir

his most important lesson in politic he got during the coup- felipe is in evening school, the King sent a car to pick him at once, the situation was unsure, he had to be with the King in the Zarzuela the whole time, in the center of the events. JC told his son that he had to earn the crown everyday. After the coup the royal house was more popular than ever.

Letiza used to be a ballet dancer, for 10 years, her teacher tells: All the girls were fans of the prince and we had a competeion on who would write Felipe the best letter, Letizia won, and got a signed photo back from the prince, that is foresight, no?

Sofia decided that Felipe would go to Lakefield.
The Queens biographer Pilar Urbano says Felipe was a spoilt child and that the time in Canada was very difficult for him, but this helped him later when he went into the military academy in zaragosa.

We can hear Letizias first broadcast in the radio.

she fell in love and was married to her litterature teacher for a short time.
And a student video of Letizia in Mexico, I did not get what she was saying, sounds like a presentation of herself

And then about the painter Waldo Saavedra who fell head over heels with her, he said she was like an angel. his painting would later create a scandal, never before had there been a Queen to be that had shown her breasts. Later he said he was just "inspired ", that she only showed her face, the narrator finds it a very inventive explenation

Felipe in Georgetown. Pavlos sais they lived a normal life there, they shared a house and met women, in Washington noone recognised him, even if he is so tall, he is hard to miss.

Pilar Urbano: Queen Sofia was not amused with her sons women, he had many women, really many.

Carolina of Waldburg was considered the perfect queen, catholic, nobel and beautful. The press followed her everywhere.

she says. I rented a house with some friends in Madrid then we found out there were papparazzi in the house across the streets, you really cannot belive it. It was very difficult to live like that, with closed drapes.

Then about Eva Sannum, basicall a no-go a protestant model with divorced parents, a scandal

José Apezarena (felipes biographer) says it was difficult for Felipe to break up with her but he knew he could not marry against the will of the spaniards

the narrator says it was a bitter break up for the Prince, Felipe was determind this would not happen again.

Felipe should have noticed LEtizia on TV and arranged a meeting (just like TV-shop ey) the relationship had to be discreet, Letizia wanted it like that, she thought it could cost her career and her credibility.

José Apezarena says he did not find Letizia the right choice for Queen of Spain

- I would have not chosen Letizia. She really did not have the right qualifications. Her job, her family, her lack of political education.
-No, I would have not chosen her, I wanted someone like Sofia. But it was the Prince who chose her.”

Felipe had decide to marry him, when the King and queen thought of a profile for a daughter in law, than Im sure they did not think of someone like Letizia
-He insisted on marrying Letizia.
-He just introduced her to his parents. The King took the news well, Queen Sofia needed a more time.

A friend of Leti finds the critism of her "Let me finish" comment was stupid, it was lovingly ment she says.

After the terror in MAdrid, in Almudena she conforts the grieving, the Spaniards sees a woman with warmth and compassion.

LAter she would self be in tragedy her favourite sister comitted suicide with an overdose of painkillers. Letizia hurries to the appartment, she sneaks in unnoticed to the press.

Pilar Urbano says she was certain Letizia would bring a fresh wind into the the dusty bourbon dynasty, because she knew how the real world worked, she had stood in line for grocerys and lived in a small appartment

22 may 2004 the first wedding of a spanish heir in 100 yearrs takes place, 20 million Euros is the prize-tag. many spaniards considered the rain a bad omen, but notFelipe. infront of 1400 guests Felipe married the princes of the people. The kiss was as cold coffe.

Pavlos says tha yes it was grand but also intimate moments during the banquet. a wonderful show.

And a grain of gold from Mr Iglesias to finnish it of: Love is universall
More beautiful one cant say it, Good luck Felipe and Letizia

The end with fireworks and fanfares

Larzen,

I haven´t words for your "translation of Docu" Thanks you very much, i apreciate very, very, much your work.

Thank you

[lula]

Ricarda, on how they were known Felipe and Letizia only there is a version, not which is another version to that you have listened. I do not know if it will be different of these histories of the German yellow press.

The Princes knew themselves in a private dinner offered by a journalist, to this dinner the Prince was invited, something that the rest of guests did not know. The Prince comes sometimes to lunchs with journalists to speak about today's news. One of the companions of Letizia's work, invited her to go with him because that day his wife could not go. Letizia was and there they were known. So much the owner of the house who was organizing the dinner as the companion of work of Letizia they have told the history.

[Emmily]

Originally Posted by Larzen

José Apezarena says he did not find Letizia the right choice for Queen of Spain

- I would have not chosen Letizia. She really did not have the right qualifications. Her job, her family, her lack of political education.
-No, I would have not chosen her, I wanted someone like Sofia. But it was the Prince who chose her.”

Felipe had decide to marry him, when the King and queen thought of a profile for a daughter in law, than Im sure they did not think of someone like Letizia
-He insisted on marrying Letizia.
-He just introduced her to his parents. The King took the news well, Queen Sofia needed a more time.

This surprised me. I thought the Queen was the one who took the news fine but that the King was the one who had problems with Felipe's choice.

[Marengo]

Ah, that sounds rather reasonable :). But still I have to make a sidemark. I think locals (in any monarchy) know much better what is going on, what the political power etc. of their royal family is than foreigners. Foreigners usually only tend to see pictures of a happy couple on a balcony, in a carriage etc. while we get more serious articles in newspapers and political magazines.

It seems people are more interested in the sugary side, also here. One picture of Leonor in Mallorca will get a zillion responses while a post about Belgian King Albert II breaking off his holidays to mediate between the parties that have to form a gouverment doesn´t get any attention at all. Now the latter shows the political relevance even in this time, but not many are interested (on this forum, in Belgium the news is much more important of course). That people are more interested in the sugary side is ok, but that doesn´t mean that the political relevance isn´t there.

[johann]

Originally Posted by Marengo

Ah, that sounds rather reasonable :). But still I have to make a sidemark. I think locals (in any monarchy) know much better what is going on, what the political power etc. of their royal family is than foreigners. Foreigners usually only tend to see pictures of a happy couple on a balcony, in a carriage etc. while we get more serious articles in newspapers and political magazines.

It seems people are more interested in the sugary side, also here. One picture of Leonor in Mallorca will get a zillion responses while a post about Belgian King Albert II breaking off his holidays to mediate between the parties that have to form a gouverment doesn´t get any attention at all. Now the latter shows the political relevance even in this time, but not many are interested (on this forum, in Belgium the news is much more important of course). That people are more interested in the sugary side is ok, but that doesn´t mean that the political relevance isn´t there.

I disagree with you – at least with the general way you expressed your opinion. If one is interested in a country, it´s history, culture and political system it is no problem at all to get access to serious newspaper articles etc. from the country in question. One just has to take the effort. And as you came up with Belgium: there are messageboards where “foreigners” show more knowledge and rationality than at least 75% of the Belgian posters at the “Het Laatste Nieuws” forum for example. And sometimes the perspective from abroad also results in a more neutral view on certain aspects/occurrences. That Beatrix´s “De Groene Draeck” is maintained by the army f. e. would have deserved a more extended and critical discussion IMO. This discussion was not carried on here, not even or may I say especially not by Dutch posters. And that nobody is interested in discussing King Albert´s political role during the political crisis in Belgium these days also has to do with the fact that there are just a few people who really feel responsible for the BeRF forum. Just writing down that Albert interrupted his holiday to mediate between the parties is maybe too little effort to stimulate a discussion. Plus many of the oh´s and ah´s about Leonor´s pretty curls and whatnot are written down by Spanish TRF members. So IMVHO it´s unfair to say that royalty watchers from abroad are most of all interested in the sugary side and have no insight. And IMO ricarda is not wrong at all when she senses prejudice (I would even call it chauvinism) in the replies of certain TRF posters.

[ysbel]

I didn't see the program about Felipe and Letizia but I would say the other programs were sugar-y. They reminded me of a children's program here in the States that takes current events and dumbs them down so that children can understand what's going on in the news. Its fine for 12 year olds; a little annoying for adults.

[Marengo]

Well, has been a source of extensive moderating discussions to get more activity in the Belgian part of these forums, I personally have tried many things to get more replies there (still trying), but without much succes. In the end if our posters are not that interested there isn't much we can do, we can not force people to post there.

--

My point about ´locals´ is that it is easier for a local to be well-informed etc. and hence they usually are. I don´t get the ins and outs about the Belgian formation for example in my Dutch newspapers. I wonder if they are mentioned at all in US newspapers. Likewise I would be surpirsed if any news about the costs of the ´Groene Draeck´ would appear in a foreign newspaper, hence it is more difficult for foreigners to be informed about that. Only a few will know, while almost all Dutch people are aware of the publicity that it caused here.

--

The oh-and ah-remarks didn´t relate to foreigners or not foreigners, as you can read when you re-read my post. It is just an observation that more posters are interested in children, dresses, tiara´s etc etc. than the political relevance of a monarchy. There is nothing wrong with that of course, nothing at all, just an observation.

--

If you or any other poster feel that any poster is showing chauvinisim you can easily prove him/her wrong with just telling the facts.

[ysbel]

I am a foreigner and I consider myself knowledgeable about the British monarchy but the other monarchies I would say no.

That is not due to lack of interest but lack of understanding the native languages of the countries. For the British monarchies, I can read first hand accounts of the participants in a situation in their native language. For the other monarchies of Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark, I have to go by second-hand translated accounts of what was said and I've found that the material that is translated into English about these monarchies is less than half of the material that is written in the native language. That is a real barrier to understanding what really is going on in a country regarding its monarchy.

I was disappointed in the lack of substance of the Königskinder program because I do speak German fluently and I was hoping for an informative series. There were some high points such as the interview with the Nobel prize winner about Victoria's future role with the Nobel prizes but other than that, I was disappointed.

Perhaps the Germans like myself are foreigners to a monarchial system of government and although I don't view the monarchies as great fairytales, I think that in the absence of understanding how a monarchy works as a systerm of government which is harder to understand when one is living outside a monarchy, the tendency is to view the monarchies as a source of fairytales and beautiful princesses.

[lilytornado]

I watched the series, except the Mary and Frederik part. I have to agree it was very sugary, and I was somehow disappointed, but I should have expected nothing serious. Yes, there is a fairly big group of royalty watchers in Germany, but somehow royalty watching is considered to be a grandmother's hobby , and the only magazines where you can read something about royalty is the yellow press ( and they are well known for new strange headlines every day: Mette-Marit: twins!, Letizia threatened by the queen, Deadly disease for Màxima, and so on).
The only time you see the royal families normaly on TV is for new babies or weddings. So I think the ZDF thought the sugary part of royal life was the main interest of the German TV viewers, and maybe they are right.

Strangel, the didn't inlude a Belgian part in the series, but also the yellow press never writes anything about them. I don't know why this is the case, before I joined the Royal Forums, I only knew that Belgium had a royal family, but never knew of Mathilde, etc; maybe because I never heard my grandmothers talking about them...

[Kelly]

I was wondering if there is another way to watch the videos because everytime I click on video, it shuts down my internet connection.

[principessa]

ZDF has a new part of Königskinder. It will be broadcasted on 07-07-2009 at 20:15. It is about William and Kate and called "William and Kate - The prince and the beautiful from the country".

Die Königskinder - ZDF.de

[Lena]

As it seems they also got a new part on Victoria & Daniel. It will be aired one week earlier
ZDFroyal - ZDF.de

[principessa]

There will be two more parts:

21-07-2009; 20:15
Frederik und Mary - Die perfekte Prinzessin (The perfect princess)

28-07-2009; 20:15
Felipe und Letizia - Die gezähmte Prinzessin (The domesticated princess)

[Tilia C.]

I am curious whether these parts are really new or if they just updated the old serious. No doubt the new parts will be as sugary as the old ones, but I'll watch them anyway!