The Royal Family of Sweden is losing its popularity Just have a look at the recent statistics, Jonc93
Silvia has done nothing wrong She is a good woman But she's a commoner
I'm a monarchist and I believe that at least the Crown Prince or Princess, the future Monarch, must marry into Royalty
Many of us believe that all these commoners, that invaded the European royal families the last 50 years or so, are sent by the Devil to eliminate and vitiate the Monarchy
I'm not sure yet if I believe in this theory But what shall any rational person think of these women? Just remember the current Crown Princesses
These are our beliefs and opinions You shouldn't expect from someone like me to think like you or express similar opinions
Hi, Anne83. Before making my remarks, please let me assure you that I completely appreciate your viewpoint and in no way do I expect you to think as I do nor do I expect you to share my opinions. In fact, I salute you for having an opinion and expressing it.
As a long-time follower of the Swedish Royal Family, my opinions obviously do not match your own. I believe Queen Silvia's actions, track record, and reputation speak for themselves, so I won't be addressing her specifically in this post.
I am more interested in the fixation you have on "royals" versus "commoners" and the potential impact on the monarchy when an heir marries a commoner. As you are a self-proclaimed monarchist, I encourage you to use all of the resources available to us and research monarchies in general and the Swedish monarchy in particular.
In my own research I have come to understand that EVERY monarchy started from a leader who was victorious in battle, that is why most if not all monarchies for so long were male-dominant, as men were the ones who gained the glory on the battlefield because they were physically stronger. If the leader was not strong but had the most land (or cows, or what-not) many times they became the most wealthy and/or influential and were chosen as a leader for a particular group of people/village/territory and had to defend it to maintain it or hire people to do so.
Another way monarchies came into being was through the Roman Catholic Church. Because of a person or family's strong faith (usually exhibited in the form of a substantial monetary contribution to the church), the Pope would occasionally "elevate" them to "princely status" thus making them and their descendants "suitable" for marriage into other royal families. This also was the origin for the "God-given right", "by the grace of God", "anointed by God" phrases in many coronations and titles. The monarch determines his/her style and title and somewhere along the way, to add legitimacy to his/her claim, they added the blessing of "God" as the reason why he/she was the most legitimate claimant, as most people blindly followed the church (whatever church) and its leaders.
Unfortunately, your position on royal-royal marriages was once held by most of the royal families which resulted in extensive inbreeding. This inbreeding has been scientifically proven to risk mental and physical birth defects and because society is more educated about science, most countries have specific laws regarding marrying of one's relatives limiting it to a certain number of generations (usually more than two) difference before a license is granted to marry.
Regarding commoners being sent by the devil to eliminate monarchies or in their capability to destroy a system of government, it would seem that the following monarchies might disprove that theory as well as the presumption that the "commoners" have been "invading" the monarchies for the "last 50 years or so":
The genesis of our topic -
Sweden:
Silvia Sommerlath, current consort, wife of Carl XVI Gustaf (wed in 1976)
*Worked briefly as a flight attendant, worked in the Argentine consulate in Munich, was an educational host for the 1976 Summer Olympics, and was Deputy Head of Protocol for the Winter Games in Innsbruck. Fluent in six languages as well as Swedish sign language for the deaf.
Karin Månsdotter, wife of Eric XIV of Sweden (1567 morganatically, 1568 officially)
*prior to wedding was a waitress at a tavern, maid for the king's sister, then mistress of the king
Helena Pedersdotter Strange, wife of Canute II of Sweden (1225, although exact year is not certain)
*Often called Queen Elin, she was the daughter of a Danish knight
Norway:
Sonja Haraldsen, current consort, wife of Harald V (wed in 1968)
*daughter of a wood merchant, she studied fashion design and obtained an undergraduate degree in French, English, and Art History in Oslo
Japan:
Michiko Shōda, current consort, wife of Emperor Akihito (wed in 1959)
*daughter of an honorary chairman of a flour milling company, she met the then crown prince while playing tennis.
Spain:
Julie Clary, during the Bonaparte reign, wife of Napoleon's brother Joseph (Guiseppe) Bonaparte (wed in 1794)
*Sister to the commoner Queen of Sweden Desiree, born Clary
Jordan:
Rania al Yassin, current consort, wife of Abdullah II (wed in 1993)
*Worked briefly in banking with Citibank and IT with Apple Computers before meeting the then Crown Prince Abdullah.
Lisa Najeeb Halaby, last wife of Hussein (wed in 1978)
*An American with a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Princeton University, became the Director of Facilities Planning and Design for an airline her father was commissioned by the Jordanian government to design.
Alia Baha ad-Din Touqan, 3rd wife of Hussein (wed in 1972)
*Daughter of a Jordanian ambassador, worked for the Royal Jordanian Airlines.
Antoinette Avril Gardiner, 2nd wife of Hussein (wed in 1961)
*Renamed Muna al-Hussein upon her marriage, she was working as a secretarial assistant when she met the King.
Morocco:
Salma Bennani, current consort, wife of Mohammed VI (wed in 2002)
*Worked in IT before meeting the King
Lesotho:
Karabo Motsoeneng, current consort, wife of Letsie III (wed in 2000)
*A student when she met the King, she continues her studies in biology
Malaysia (as well as some of its individual sultanates):
Rozita binti Adil Bakeri, current consort, wife of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin of Terengganu and current Yang di-Puertan Agong (King) of Malaysia (wed in 1996)
*Known as Sultanah Nur Zahirah after her wedding
England:
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, wife of King George VI (wed in 1923) *More commonly known as The Queen Mum, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother is the mother of the current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Although the daughter of a British peer, legally she was born, and on the day she married was still, a commoner.
Elizabeth Woodville, wife and Queen Consort of Edward IV (wed in 1464)
*The first commoner to marry an English sovereign.
The current royal family of Sweden - the Bernadottes - descend from the commoner French general Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte and his commoner wife, Desiree Clary. This commoner was the adopted heir of a childless monarch after political/military/influential leaders of Sweden elected him as the new heir. While this "election" of a crown prince may be strange, remember that many monarchies were due to elections or appointments by the winning allied powers in wars, including the defunct royal house of Greece and the current royal house of Norway. In fact, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, was offered to become king of Estonia at one point, but he declined.
In more modern times, the criteria you give for the potential success of a monarchy (royal-royal marriages) has been proven wrong in Russia, Austria, Brazil, France, Greece, Mexico, Portugal, Romania, all of the territorial kindoms, duchies, counties, and principalities - as well as the united kingdom - of Italy, all of the territorial kingdoms, grand duchies, counties, and principalities - as well as the united empire - of Germany, and Bulgaria.
If you are still reading this, Anne83, I repeat that I don't intend for you to think as I do. I just provide you with all of this information and invite you to consider that other possibilities could have caused the downfall of the eleven forementioned countries. I can think of at least two - ineffective leadership by the monarch himself and/or outside political/ideological forces that gained greater influence among the people of the country.
I haven't researched every one of those countries, but as far as I know none of them (including Greece with the much-reviled Queen Frederika) ceased to exist because of anything to do with the consort of the king.
Obviously I have gone WAY TOO FAR to provide evidence as to why I feel/believe the way I do. I'm sure that the other posters suggesting you provide evidence of why you feel the way you do would be happy with just one or two reasons. Just a thought?
Rascal