Royal Magazines (PdeV, Hello, Majesty etc)

[Elspeth]

Originally Posted by Lady Jennifer

I have a question for everyone & hopefully someone can answer this question..
In a few weeks I'm moving & I have a subscription to Majesty. I'm not too worried about getting it done at this very moment due to the mag being sent to my parents house (has been sent there since I was younger & at university). I want to forward the mag to my new home, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I'm on the majesty website.....I guess I would e-mail the people under subscriptions?
Thanks

When we moved, I think I just called them. There's something like a six-week lead time, but as long as the old ones are going to your parents' house, it shouldn't be a problem.

[Elspeth]

Originally Posted by Maricar

Thanks for this thread! It's so hard to get quality magazines dedicated to the royals here in the U.S. I've only seen Hello and the occasional People special. I've not seen Majesty and Royalty, but will be looking for them now, and see which one's better. I don't know any French so Point de Vue isn't an option for me.

What's the best place online to get these mags?

For serious royal enthusiasts, Majesty is far better than Royalty. You can find Majesty through the website or get it via Amazon if your local bookshop doesn't carry it.

Majesty Magazine - The Quality Royal Magazine

Amazon.com: Majesty: Magazines

[Marengo]

As a non frenchman I am getting a bit tired by the present course of Point de Vue, is it really necessairy to put Nicolas Sarkozy, Cecilia and/or the kids on the cover each and every week? This week they were rather original, they had Andree Sarkozy on the cover, mover of the president... a bit weird for a magazine that traditionally focusses on royalty. And when I opened the magazine I got a page with Selma Hayek, Maxima and Ingrid Betancourt all next to each other. Gushing about Maxima´s clothes next to a picture of a broken Ingrid Betancourt.... sigh.

[TheTruth]

Originally Posted by Marengo

As a non frenchman I am getting a bit tired by the present course of Point de Vue, is it really necessairy to put Nicolas Sarkozy, Cecilia and/or the kids on the cover each and every week? This week they were rather original, they had Andree Sarkozy on the cover, mover of the president... a bit weird for a magazine that traditionally focusses on royalty. And when I opened the magazine I got a page with Selma Hayek, Maxima and Ingrid Betancourt all next to each other. Gushing about Maxima´s clothes next to a picture of a broken Ingrid Betancourt.... sigh.

Oh dear, I do have this one too and even as a frenchwoman, I'm sick and tired of hearing about them every week. And what's this creepy page with on one side the poor hostage woman and next to her, the shinning ladies ?! The world is crazy.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Originally Posted by Marengo

As a non frenchman I am getting a bit tired by the present course of Point de Vue, is it really necessairy to put Nicolas Sarkozy, Cecilia and/or the kids on the cover each and every week? This week they were rather original, they had Andree Sarkozy on the cover, mover of the president... a bit weird for a magazine that traditionally focusses on royalty. And when I opened the magazine I got a page with Selma Hayek, Maxima and Ingrid Betancourt all next to each other. Gushing about Maxima´s clothes next to a picture of a broken Ingrid Betancourt.... sigh.

Well I am an American who enjoys Point de Vue, and I am certainly getting tired of the Sarkozys as well. If I hear Cecile referred to as "la nouvelle Jackie" (meaning Jacqueline Kennedy ) one more time I will scream aloud. Ms Sarkozy is an attractive and interesting woman but she is NO Jacqueline Kennedy, in my opinion.

I read Point de Vue to because I am a Royalty watcher. I don't want to read about film stars or politicians and their wives. We have People Magazine if I am interested, which I'm not!

Thanks for bringing this up!

[TheTruth]

Alright, I've just received the new release of Point de Vue and at the news page, I've learned that James Blunt has met the Queen. But underneath, there's written : "James Blunt : former soldier, he carried the coffin of the Princess of Wales during her burial." And I'm like "Really ?! I didn't know that!". So I've made my little search on it and it came out that they've written a big mistake. It's not Princess Diana's coffin but the Queen Mum's. I don't know if I should tell them but anyway, it's annoying to realise that such mistakes can be made in a serious magazine as Point de Vue.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Originally Posted by TheTruth

Alright, I've just received the new release of Point de Vue and at the news page, I've learned that James Blunt has met the Queen. But underneath, there's written : "James Blunt : former soldier, he carried the coffin of the Princess of Wales during her burial." And I'm like "Really ?! I didn't know that!". So I've made my little search on it and it came out that they've written a big mistake. It's not Princess Diana's coffin but the Queen Mum's. I don't know if I should tell them but anyway, it's annoying to realise that such mistakes can be made in a serious magazine as Point de Vue.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the "mistake" was intentional. Point de Vue like some of the other Royal mags like Majesty and Royalty Monthly realize that even in death the Princess of Wales sells...so they continue to use her name and her often. It's really annoying, IMO.

[Marengo]

In the mean time this weeks Point de Vue has Lorenzo Betancourt on the cover, son of Ingrid Betancourt. Rather an odd thing for a glamour/royalty magazine, but I suppose the French news on the cover sells better than their usual nichemarket. And the cartoons that I never understand show Ingrid Betancourt too (of course Betancourt is much more important than, let´s say, Princess Benedikte at a horsing event, but still I find it odd to have news stories like this in a royalty/society magazine.

[kalnel]

Sometimes I think Point de Vue has been trying to remake itself into a magazine more like Paris Match, with more celebrity, entertainment, and political figure coverage. It's been sliding this way for years -- maybe they figured everyone would lose interest in royals after Diana's death.

I liked the old format, with 3 or 4 feature articles on royals and sections in the front and back with short pieces and gossip, much better than the current setup. The stories were better, too -- they went much more in depth on weddings, christenings, funerals, etc.

They seemed to have more exclusive, longer interviews with people like Alexander of Yugoslavia, the Count de Braganza, the French enfants, German princes, Michael of Romania, etc. Now it's all Kate Middleton's fashion sense, Maxima's shoes, whether Frederik and Mary are on the rocks, and other gossip.

(I think that the writing isn't as sophisticated as it used to be either, because my French isn't great, and these days I can read Point de Vue without needing a French-English dictionary. I feel certain my French isn't magically improving, so it must be the magazine. )

BTW, I live in the U.S. and subscribed through Express Mag for years, and it was very reliable. For the last year or so, I've been reading the entire magazine online through Relay. It costs about the same as the paper magazine, but I don't have to wait for the mail and I can preview the contents before buying it. It's also nice to be able to save issues I really like without having magazines pile up around the house.

kal

[helenw]

I liked the old format, with 3 or 4 feature articles on royals and sections in the front and back with short pieces and gossip, much better than the current setup. The stories were better, too -- they went much more in depth on weddings, christenings, funerals, etc.

I agree. I much preferred the older format as well. There seemed to be more pictures.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Originally Posted by kalnel

Sometimes I think Point de Vue has been trying to remake itself into a magazine more like Paris Match, with more celebrity, entertainment, and political figure coverage.

When Point de Vue devoted an article on the wedding of Eva Longoria and Tony Parker my heart sank. I completely agree that the magazine has been leaning more and more toward celeb news....and I can also read it without a dictionary and my French is FAR from perfect!

[Carminha Stalker]

You know, I have always enjoyed Point de Vue, but after they decided to change into a magazine I cannot explain what it is, I hardly ever buy it. I´m truly disappointed with them, because in the end they´re neither fish nor fowl.

[TheTruth]

Bad news for us, readers of Point de Vue : Mr. Sarkozy is apparently having a nice time with former model and singer, Carla Bruni. I bet it's going to make the front page ....

[Marengo]

I saw the front page of Point de Vue on the television journal too, so it will be Carla Bruni on the cover for the years to come, unless Albert of Monaco will marry any time soon. sigh.

The last time I bought the magazine was a few months ago when they had two articles on the fortune of the late Count of Paris.

[norwegianne]

Originally Posted by Marengo

I saw the front page of Point de Vue on the television journal too, so it will be Carla Bruni on the cover for the years to come, unless Albert of Monaco will marry any time soon. sigh.

The last time I bought the magazine was a few months ago when they had two articles on the fortune of the late Count of Paris.

I subscribed for a while, but in the end found that it wasn't worth it - I got much more royalty related news from other magazines.

[kalnel]

Originally Posted by TheTruth

Bad news for us, readers of Point de Vue : Mr. Sarkozy is apparently having a nice time with former model and singer, Carla Bruni. I bet it's going to make the front page ....

Too bad you didn't make that bet at Monte Carlo, because you win -- just looked at this week's cover and there's Carla.

There's not a big royals article in the magazine this week. There's a story about Queen Elizabeth's former dresser and an historical profile of the Bourbons, but that's about it. Other than that it's Carla, Nicolas, Oprah Winfrey, and Al Gore. ;-(

Fifteen or 20 years ago, the December 25 issue of Point de Vue would have had stories about all the pre-Christmas events the various royal courts were attending, maybe an historical piece on traditions in different royal families, and an "inside" story on the Christmas preparations at some famous castle somewhere.

Even the most banal pictures of Caroline of Monaco handing out presents to Monaco's children, Princess Benedikte lighting a Christmas tree, Princess Elena attending her children's school events, and a story about how the Tsar visited Queen Victoria one year beat Carla, Nicolas, Oprah, and Al any day!

Also, I meant to ask everyone -- what do you all think the best royals magazine is now that Point de Vue is covering celeb news? Here in the U.S., I think our other choices seem pretty much limited to Hello, Majesty, and Royalty. (And I'm not even sure if Royalty is around any more.)

In big newsstands in major cities, you can sometimes find Point de Vue, but it's hard. Here in the Washington, D.C. area, I know of only four stores that carry it.

[norwegianne]

Originally Posted by kalnel

Also, I meant to ask everyone -- what do you all think the best royals magazine is now that Point de Vue is covering celeb news? Here in the U.S., I think our other choices seem pretty much limited to Hello, Majesty, and Royalty. (And I'm not even sure if Royalty is around any more.)

If you're going for pictures, without a lot of text, I think that the magazine Royals is moderately okay (as I don't subscribe, and have only seen a couple of numbers). They're not very deep when it comes to text - but the few editions I've seen seem to focus fairly much on royals...

[CaliforniaDreamin]

The problem with Hello! is that although they usually have at least one good royalty related article, the lion's share of the mag is devoted to British TV stars who, if you don't reside in the UK you have no idea in hell who most of them are!

These starlets are invariably posed on the cover, spouting the good news about their "miracle" pregnancies or babies after years of "heartache" blah blah blah. There are lovely photos of some nice mansion or another in the Cotswolds or someplace, and oh yeah. The starlet will be planning a huge white wedding with all the trimmings as soon as she gets her post baby figure back. (Does ANYONE get married FIRST anymore, then have a baby??!)

I am sure I sound like a terrible snob but it's the way I feel. There is no safe haven for those of us who have no use for tabloid celebs and like to read about the world of Royals and high aristocracy. We are a dying breed. Royals don't sell as well as Britney, Paris et al as much as it pains me to admit this.

[Liz]

LOL That's so true, CaliforniaDreamin I subscribe to Hello and usually I have never heard of about 75% of the celebs that are featured in the magazine. I consider myself pretty "up" on most things across the pond but when it comes to British television programs I haven't a clue. And I have found that most of the Royal news is already reported here on the board, so when there is an article on one of the Royals in the magazine, it's old news by the time it reaches my door.

[kalnel]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaDreamin

These starlets are invariably posed on the cover, spouting the good news about their "miracle" pregnancies or babies after years of "heartache" blah blah blah. There are lovely photos of some nice mansion or another in the Cotswolds or someplace, and oh yeah. The starlet will be planning a huge white wedding with all the trimmings as soon as she gets her post baby figure back. (Does ANYONE get married FIRST anymore, then have a baby??!)

I am sure I sound like a terrible snob but it's the way I feel. There is no safe haven for those of us who have no use for tabloid celebs and like to read about the world or Royals and high aristocracy. We are a dying breed. Royals don't sell as well as Britney, Paris et al as much as it pains me to admit this.

I know just what you mean! I get a few of the British TV shows here, but apparently very few of the ones that have celebs who appear in Hello.

It's probably just as well. I like several of the sitcoms, but I have a really hard time following the British soaps because of the accents. My British friends tease me mercilessly, because Eastenders makes no sense to me at all unless I turn on the closed captioning. Might as well be in Greek as far as I'm concerned.

I always laugh at the way all the celebs in Hello pose in their bare feet -- you'd think England in February was like Malibu in June. This week there's a spread about Fergie (the duchess, not the singer), and there she is, sitting next to her shoes...

And, yes, it is depressing to realize that Paris, Britney, et al, all sell better than the royals. There's just no glamour to today's stars -- the royals are the only ones who even come close.

kal