Bad-Tempered Princesses

[lashinka2002]

In regard to Mette-Marit I understood that there was a journalist/photographer on the plane that she was not informed of. This was a contributing factor to her blow up along with the phobia of flying.

Could you imagine flying along completely unaware that you are being watched/taped or whatever..... You could say or do something that could have severe consequences because your guard is down. Either way it was a severe oversight for whomever was suppose to inform her.

I don't think that Mette-Marit is a gold digger. She probably thought that there was no possibility for her & Hakon longterm because she was a single parent. If anything she was probably shocked at the prospect of marrying him and accending the throne.

 

[sara1981]

im not sure about British Royal Family? include late Diana,Princess of Wales? Sophie,Countess of Wessex? Sarah,Duchess of York? Princess Royal?

Sara Boyce

 

[karima]

I too don't find MM very nice either. I can't seem to see her sweeter side. but hey, she got the Prince

 

[Alexandria]

In regard to Mette-Marit I understood that there was a journalist/photographer on the plane that she was not informed of. This was a contributing factor to her blow up along with the phobia of flying.

Could you imagine flying along completely unaware that you are being watched/taped or whatever..... You could say or do something that could have severe consequences because your guard is down. Either way it was a severe oversight for whomever was suppose to inform her.

I recall this being part of the problem on that occasion, too.

I am not excusing her behaviour -- smacking someone is never right, no matter how immense your fear or phobia. However I can at least understand where she was coming from: A predisposition of a great fear of flying -- and on a small aircraft at that on this particular trip -- enhanced by a photographer trying to take your picture -- which is what I recall being the "breaking point" for her.

Mette-Marit is still no fan of the media, but I think she's at least adapted in the years since this incident. But back then she was very skeptical of the media and a photographer snapping your picture while you are in an elevated state of anxiety could push anyone over the edge. That doesn't excuse her actions but I do understand where is coming from.

 

[norwegianne]

I've tried to find incidents of her smacking her assistant. The only referrals I can find is that she blew up on her and scolded her loudly. She waved a finger at her, which almost hit Haakon. Had she smacked her, I'm quite certain that a number of articles at both VG and Dagbladet would have mentioned it. I've tried to find the video of the incident, but couldn't. If anyone has it (it was first sent on TVHaugalandet, I think) or a link to it, I'd be grateful.

Nothing excuses bad behaviour, and smacking someone is never right, as Alexandria pointed out. I do understand where she's coming from, but that's an entirely different matter.

 

[Reina]

Define sweetness. How is a princess deemed sweet?

 

[karima]

pleasant, charming, respectful.....?

 

[azile]

There are a few British royals who have been passed by here:

Princesses Anne and Margaret have long been surrounded by stories of their temper. Princess Michael of Kent has also been connected with stories of inflating her own grandeur. And, Princess Diana certainly manipulated the media in her own favour. Many of you have commented above about Mette-Marit's "two faces". What about Diana- playing the abandonned wife to the public while in private, providing information to photographers about where she would be and speaking so frankly to Andrew Morton?

I'm not saying any of these actions were not understood..... but clearly, there were some Princesses in England who had some tempers of their own!

Eliza

 

[ladybelline]

Interesting topic...but what about bad-tempered Princes?

I have a few ideas here...

 

[carlota]

according to HOLA magazine, spanish version, it says that she actually hit haakon...
http://www.hola.com/anteriores/2002/01/16/ho2998s4/

no video... but two photos.

 

[Victoria1999]

I still don't understand why MM got so upset on that airplane? I understood that she has/had phobia, but what exactly drove her nut?

Sometimes, I read news about the Norway Royal family and I understood that she is doing fine and she has adjusted already.

Can you please tell me more about her?



My opinion regarding MM being a crown princess is...yes, I don't think that she should be a member of a royal family. Besides, the son that she has, she does not have the appropriate family background (don't get me wrong, I am not saying that she has to be a royal born in order to be a princess). However, she is a crown princess and a future queen

 

[karima]

totally agree with you.
she is not a good example for her people and the rest of the world.

 

[Isabel]

totally agree with you.
she is not a good example for her people and the rest of the world.

I disagree with you and Victoria 1999. Yes, Mette-Marit lost her cool and showed a huge lapse in judgement, however, I hardly think that she can be labeled as one of the world's worst people. That is unfair. That would put her right up there with Hussein and Hitler. I hardly think that MM's tantrum has left that kind of negative mark on the world and the psyche of the human race.

Mette-Marit had a major phobia and this incident occurred before she decided to seek help for it. Clearly she was already nervous and anxious and the reporter most likely sensed that and took great advantage of it. MM, which is not to her credit, gave the jerk exactly what they wanted-a Princess freaking out.

However, I do think that she is a credit to people who suffer from illnesses, especially psychological ones and phobias. She realized that if she was going to be CP of Norway, that she would have to get some help and she did. From the looks of it, MM has overcome her fear of flying. I still don't think that she is a big fan of the media, but she doesn't come off as being cold, IMO. For those who want to see her sweeter side, simply look at pictures of her with her family. She literally glows and I rarely see her happier at any other time.

Mette-Marit's family background is extremely unconventional, however many royals have family backgrounds that are also unconventional. The only difference is that when their ancestors were having numerous affairs, some even having their wives killed and anyone who posed the slightest threat to them,stealing, conquering entire countries and forcing them to convert, they didn't have to deal with the media age in which new articles and photographs would pop up every second on the internet.

She is still the Crown Princess of Norway, and people are simply going to have to deal with that. The same as those who are still bashing Mary of Denmark and Letizia of Spain. You may not like them and can find anything to blame on them without the least bit of objectivity, but the Princes chose them and not anyone on this board or anywhere else in the world.

 

[lashinka2002]

Oh please...
There was an incident. Big deal. None of us will ever truly know what happened, who was in the right or the wrong.
Yes she is crown princess & yes she is human therefore just like the rest of us. We all make mistakes.
I'm a little distressed at the lack of respect for Mette-Marit. I think that it took a great deal of courage to take on a life time role such as this one. It must be very difficult to have your every move placed under a microscope for people to judge. I think she makes a wonderful crown Princess and will on day be a great Queen.
The British Royal family makes her look like an angel

 

[lashinka2002]

I also disagree with Victoria1999

 

[Isabel]

Oh please...
There was an incident. Big deal. None of us will ever truly know what happened, who was in the right or the wrong.
Yes she is crown princess & yes she is human therefore just like the rest of us. We all make mistakes.
I'm a little distressed at the lack of respect for Mette-Marit. I think that it took a great deal of courage to take on a life time role such as this one. It must be very difficult to have your every move placed under a microscope for people to judge. I think she makes a wonderful crown Princess and will on day be a great Queen.
The British Royal family makes her look like an angel

Exactly!

 

[karima]

Isabel
I'm not saying MM is the worst person in the world and I am not referring to the flying incident. I just do not find her a very good example for her people and the rest of royalty because of her past and her lack of upbringing. Sorry to say, but royals are not ordinary people.

 

[azile]

Upbringing? I disagree with you completely. I think it's the "normality" of Mette Marit and many other princesses who have married into European royal families (Sophie, Mary, Maxima etc) that makes us love them.

Quite frankly, I find these princesses, who are a little more down to earth, much more relevant and relateable.

Thank goodness this is no longer the 19th century..... or would you prefer it to be?

Eliza

 

[karima]

no, no,no....they have to embody change and modern times but still in a classy way.
Why does modernty means stuck values? in my mind, I totally welcome down-to-earth and commoner as princesses but they also have to be examples. that is what I mean. As an example, how are you going to tell your children that drinking and driving is not good if you have done it in the past. your children will simply tell you that you too have done it. I mean it might not be a great example but what I am trying to say is that the fact that she has a son and was a single parent is not a bad thing as such but for a crown princess, it is way too much, i think. The fact that her father is into weird things too make it too easy for people to pick on her.

 

[karima]

erratum: Why does having principles means stuck values

 

[azile]

Why must we judge these women only by the events of their pasts? Is their true "example" to us how they have learned from past mistakes and now are doing meaningful things with their lives?

I think that many of these princesses with "shady" backgrounds are better role models than those who were brought up in more "impecable" families. Do you really mean to tell me that Princes Marie Chantal of Greece, because she is well-bred and came to her marriage with a clean past, is a more relevant princess than Mette Marit or Letizia? I would argue that exactly the opposite is true.

Why can't we see examples in how these woman live their lives today and leave the past in the past?

Eliza

 

[karima]

I was not too keen on talking about her, the subject of MM has been brought on and is monopolizing this discussion. I was merely talking about Princesses in general.
In any case, to me, Marie-Chantal is not a Princess, she is not from a reigning family.
Also, How did MM learn form her past mistakes? How is she a role model? I mean, the fact that a C prince married a commoner is no news, many have done it in the past and it is great.
I don't see any difference between MM and Stephanie of Monaco. The flying incident is relevant to me because I sincerely believe that she was scared.

PS: Eliza, this is an amicable discussion :0

 

[lashinka2002]

what I am trying to say is that the fact that she has a son and was a single parent is not a bad thing as such but for a crown princess, it is way too much, i think.

I don't agree with karima at all.

I think that there seems to be a stigma following Mette-marit around because of her "undesirable past". The point is that its her past. Her upbringing is her past. The royal family has taken the time to train her for the future & it will be an ongoing learning process for her.

As for her being a single parent & crown princess it is not much. We are in the 21st century. Mette-Marit did the best thing that she could. She had her son & supported him. I don't think she should be knocked for that because that's what this stigma seems to do is just knock her down. I congratulate Mette-Marit on unifying her entire family and not allowing little Marius to be pushed aside. (because that I'm sure could have easily happened with such a stigma)

I must defend Stephanie of Monaco as well. Although some of her choices in men may have not been the best, she is a wonderful mother and is also to be congratulated on taking full responsibility of her children. Not an easy task.

Some how I never seem to hear about the men who cause the most of these single parent situations, it seems the women are frowned upon for moving on??

I know were completely off topic now....

 

[karima]

I know a lot of ordinary families, not royals at all that would definitly not agree on their son marrying someone who has such a past. sorry to say so but that is the truth. May be it is a matter of culture. I am from the middle east and a there, a woman should not have a past, specially if she marries into royalty!

 

[karima]

By The Way, The Topic Is Bad-tempered Princesses....

 

[Genevieve]

I was not too keen on talking about her, the subject of MM has been brought on and is monopolizing this discussion. I was merely talking about Princesses in general.

Last time I checked this thread was an open discussion. The question asked about bad tempered princesses. It did not exclude anyone or ban the discussion of a particular princess. If the direction of the thread has been about one incident in reference to Mette-Marit then why can't we continue the discussion if some people so desire? Isn't that how discussions go? Especially such an open ended question as this one?

 

[Genevieve]

I know a lot of ordinary families, not royals at all that would definitly not agree on their son marrying someone who has such a past. sorry to say so but that is the truth. May be it is a matter of culture. I am from the middle east and a there, a woman should not have a past, specially if she marries into royalty!

Why is it "such" a past? She had a son out of wedlock and partied as a young woman. That may not have been the norm in the 1800s but it is fairly common in 2005, in both rich families as well as your perfectly average ones.

It's not as if Mette-Marit's past was that she murdered someone or was in jail for robbing banks.

 

[karima]

no problem. all of us have a right to our opinion that is why we all meet on this great forum.

 

[sommone]

I have to say I do have an extreme fear of flying like MM, and I wasn't on a small plane with a camera in my face....I can't necessarily say whether or not I would have snapped if I had been placed under the exact same cirumstances that she found herself in. To this day, I never fly...I will never fly again. I wonder if she apologized to the journalist?

 

[Isabel]

I was not too keen on talking about her, the subject of MM has been brought on and is monopolizing this discussion. I was merely talking about Princesses in general.
In any case, to me, Marie-Chantal is not a Princess, she is not from a reigning family.
Also, How did MM learn form her past mistakes? How is she a role model? I mean, the fact that a C prince married a commoner is no news, many have done it in the past and it is great.
I don't see any difference between MM and Stephanie of Monaco. The flying incident is relevant to me because I sincerely believe that she was scared.

PS: Eliza, this is an amicable discussion :0

Marie Chantal is a Princess. She received the title (albeit complimentary) because she married a Prince. Not being of reigning royal family doesn't make one any less royal. It simply means that the government of your country is no longer a functioning monarchy. Your family lineage and bloodline have not been taken away.