azile said:
You also really helped me think about what I define as "modern"- and sincerity is a major factor. When I think about "Traditional " princesses, I think of individuals who are removed from the people. Someone who is what Henri M. seems to favour- a silent woman who is there for appearances only and acts only as an image or figurehead. I think that's why I prefer our current Crown Princesses- these are all women who seem to connect with people, have passion for specific social causes and who get involved with real people.
I agree with you totally- Sincerity is not always what it seems. We will never know for certain, although there certainly are royals who are known to be less than kind and warm in private! Maybe sincerity is something that is truly only known over time. Because we all have individual opinions about who is sincere, maybe we never all fully agree! Maxima is one of the people who appears, to me, to be quite sincere. She is quite extroverted and wears her heart on her sleeve- it's maybe a little easier, because of her personality, to see her emotions and to evalute if she is sincere in a particular situation. In contrast, Mary (who I believe is much more introverted) is more difficult to read but, I think, just as sincere!
Oppie makes sucha great point and I toss out two questions for discussion-
1. Was there ever a time when princesses were expected to "Just shut up and be pretty" and there were not any expectations (social involvement, for example)?
2. Is sincerity something we all evaluate in a princess? How do we determine this? How does it change how we evaluate Maxima?
Thanks again, Ysbel. As a "modernist" (!) I realize we're in much closer agreement than I intially thought!
azile, another great point and two great questions!
Well to pose my humble answers:
To number 1, were princesses ever expected to be pretty? Well when princes were expected to marry royal princesses, they didn't have any guarantee that the royal princess would be pretty, just that she would be royal. Some princes got lucky, like Edward VII (husband of the beautiful Queen Alexandra) or the Emperor of Austria, (husband of the enchanting Empress Sisi) but more often they were like Henry VIII when he married Anne of Cleves sight unseen. I'm sure she was a lovely person but Anne of Cleves was a bit dowdy.
Actually it can be said that royal consorts had more influence and power in previous days because they often stood in the place of their husbands who were absolute rulers. When the husband was away or incapitated, he often left his wife in charge as regent. That meant she ruled the kingdom. Henry VIII appointed his Queen, Catherine of Aragon as regent when he went to compete in the Field of the Cloth of Gold, and he later appointed his sixth Queen, Katharine Parr, as regent when he went off to war in Europe. Charles V le Sage of France named his Queen as regent in case he died before his heir came of age although she died before him. These men did not see their wives as just window dressing IMO.
Marie of Guise, dowager Queen of Scotland and Anne of Austria, dowager Queen of France both ruled their prospective countries after their husbands died leaving a child as heir.
and to your question number 2, how do we define sincerity.
Sincerity, to me, means that a person gives off the same impression as they really are. That doesn't necessarily mean that I like them; somebody could look like a nasty person and really be nasty (that's sincerity but not nice) but still I wouldn't like them.
Actually I think Queen Beatrix gives off incredible sincerity. She is the inheritor of the House of Orange and she is aware of the importance of the institution and her role in preserving it. At the same time, she cares greatly about people. She cares about her family, she was sincerely devastated when her beloved husband died and she seems to care about other people. Her care for both the institution and for individual people is what makes me believe in her sincerity. The needs of the institution and the needs of the individual are often at odds and I can see her going back and forth between the two; honoring the institution and caring for the individual and trying to figure out how to make it all work; much the same as does a mother does between two children who are very different but she adores equally.
Does she always make the right decision? That would be impossible but I believe she is sincere in her choices and sincere in her dedication to both her heritage and her family and the people around her.