Marie-Chantal: Opinions

[IRIS1983]

I do not think Marie Chantal required to be called "majesty" it would be "Highness." When she speaks in the interview, she does not give importance to titles, but I do not like, because I think that in the lists of guests of royal houses of Europe appears as Princess. She should appreciate this more, although Greece is a republic , she shall no forget that she is in these weddings by the title of Princess

 

[MRSJ]

I have mixed feelings about M-C, but I do NOT think she is stupid enough to demand that anyone call her "Your Majesty!"

Especially since she's not a Queen- ruling or not thus Your Majesty isn't even her proper title.....

 

[Odette]

I am not a fun of MC by any stretch of the imagination, but I strongly believe that she is aware of who she is and how far she can go. Majesty is not a title I would think she expects to be called. However when a reporter from W magazine called for an interview years ago at the Connecticut farm he was told that Her Royal Highness was at the New York house...In the GRF website she is fashioned HRH Princess MC Crown Princess Pavlos so these are the titles the King bestowed upon her.

 

[doric44]

never had any problems with her or the GRF they are irrelivant now and when Constantine II dies.she will never be called Queen nor her husband King.
they will always be HH or HRH unless Greece brings back the monarchy but considering the present chaos and most likely future instabiltiy in the state of greece thats never going to happen

 

[christythedreamer]

Can anyone tell me what does the Danish RF members (especially Queen Ingrid and Margrethe) think of her?

I think MC is probably a nice woman but there's just something I don't like about her...

 

[dbarn67]

There's no way of know what the Danes think of MC. For awhile CP Mary dressed her kids in clothes from her stores; as did Princess Alexia. Queen Ingrid never spoke ill of MC before her death in 2000 but I would be surprised if she did. Queen Margrethe has also never spoken about MC so anything answer is only a guess. I suspect that the children keep each other's company more than we know. I remember an interview with Princess Theodora who said she spent time with Princes William and Harry growing up but there were never any pictures or discussions about such things. And Prince Nikolaos said a similar thing in a interview a few years ago. '

I don't have a problem with MC. She hasn't put a foot wrong since she married Pavlos. She's produced 5 lovely children and her marriage has stood the test of time. I also respect her business savvy. I don't love her but neither do I dislike her because I have not been given a reason.

 

[IRIS1983]

When a Royal Family attend to one wedding of another House Royal, the House Royal reigning, they represent to their State. When a Royal House non- Reigning attends to one royal wedding, they do not represent to one State, they represent one Dynasty.

The Dynasty has content and the content is THE STORY OF THAT ROYAL HOUSE. I think Marie Chantal do not represents the history of the Dynasty, but I think she knows it, and she prefers to be seen as a member of the Jet set, however I recognize that Marie Chantal position is difficult to support, for example, she carried the tiara of Queen Federika , in 40 anniversary of the coronation of Queen of denmark, the tiara had very story....

My opinion, I think that the conduct of Marie Chantal is not of one Princess.
I don´t see to Marie Chantal like one member of nobility, I see Marie Chantal like one member of jet set.

I expect you to understand that I say, I say this in good faith, I do not criticize the jet set. I differentiate, it is not the same one member of the Jet set than a member of the nobility. Many European nobility are now members of the Jet set. but I do not like it, because at the end it lose the history of the Dynasty and loses its essence which is the historical value.

 

[Carminha Stalker]

I like Marie Chantal a lot. I admire her as a woman who is enterprising even though she could be a millionaire "brat".Her children are beautiful and they clearly adore her.
I think she knows and respects her title but also that they are no more reigning in Greece, so she is not a member of a Royal Household and lives her life accordingly,
In many royal or princely marriages she has attended and very well dressed, always and dignified.
But her day to day life is of a modern woman with five children and a gorgeous husband.

 

[Jaya]

I remember a photo with Alexia and Pavlos with their mother and aunts Sophia and Irine in Mon Repo Palace outside the city of Corfu.
I'm not surprised that they didn't have all kinds of toys,simply because there weren't many kinds of them to be found in Greece.My mother has told me that she and her sister hadn't seen candies or chocolates until the age of 15.

They had toys and chocolates and ice cream and many other things.They were in Greece not the Congo at that time.. you also could get peanut butter there it was American naval bases everywhere please!
Maybe they did not have them so as not to become spoiled which they are not.

 

[EllieCat]

I expect you to understand that I say, I say this in good faith, I do not criticize the jet set. I differentiate, it is not the same one member of the Jet set than a member of the nobility. Many European nobility are now members of the Jet set. but I do not like it, because at the end it lose the history of the Dynasty and loses its essence which is the historical value.

I know what you mean. Everytime I see Princess Charlene of Monaco I feel she does not look nor dress like the other princesses, but dresses like a model, or like you say, the 'jet set'. And as you say, nothing wrong with that, but I feel if you're in a position like that, then you should dress to the position.

Re Marie-Chantal, I know little about her, but she always seems to be pleasant and at the Royal Weddings she goes to, appropriately dressed. And Prince Pavlos is certainly pleasant on the eye, especially now that he doesn't have that severe hairstyle he used to have. Much like Prince Daniel has now; he could definitely have a softer hairstyle (and glasses) and would look much more approachable. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[mandy187]

My opinion on her

I used to like Marie Chantal. Despite she her noveau rich vibe, she seemed a down to earth woman, a good mother, a good wife, and very cultured. That Vanity fair about the "american royalty" with her sisters were too pretentious and unnecessary, but who does not make mistakes?

Now, watching closely, she seems like a cheap socialite, starving for media, exposing her children unnecessarily, like a stage mom. She wants her children to be famous, her daughter be model, actress, dont know... who to me doesnt fit for any of the roles, Maria Olimpia is just avarage looking, sorry. Also, she takes benefits from any royal connection, and has the "fortune" of her husband be related to members of ruling houses.

In addition, her and sisters marriages were completely arranged by her father new money. The daughter got the aristocratic/noble surname, and the husband is benefited with some millions. In high society cycles is relatively common it happen. Fortunately her marriage to Pavlos worked, despite of her sisters arragement have been a flop.

For the rest, she is a very elegant woman, well dressed, tasteful and exudes wealth. And I think she can be a fun person to get around.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Just the opposite here. When she first married Pavlos I thought she was almost a caricature of a pretentious and precious nouveau riche, in love with the idea of becoming a Royal princess. The infamous Vanity Fair article where she and her sisters were posing as latter day Edith Wharton heiresses/socialites was just cringe worthy.

But now I find her elegant(though not as impeccably dressed as before), warm, fun to be around and very approachable if her social media presence is anything to go by.

She is also a successful and hardworking businesswoman who has raised five apparently well-adjusted kids and maintained a successful marriage...in fact the ONLY one of the three spectacularly married Miller sisters to have done so.

There is a lot to admire about Princess Pavlos, imo.

 

[Stefanie]

I must admit I didn´t give a dime on that marriage. As far as I can remember Michael Jackson married Lisa M. Presley around the same time and I gave them a longer chance!
The more amazing that it still works. (Besides: the only marriage of the royal year 1995 that still lasts...) Elena Spain, my brother, Joachim Denmark, Stephanie Monaco - all over....
First I thought she was keen on becoming a princess or even a crown-princess. But we learned that she doesn´t seem to be interested at all in Greece or so. And Pavlos? To me he sometimes appears like a little simple and henpecked.
I still have no idea what their secret is. Maybe it´s LOVE....

 

[mandy187]

Just the opposite here. When she first married Pavlos I thought she was almost a caricature of a pretentious and precious nouveau riche, in love with the idea of becoming a Royal princess. The infamous Vanity Fair article where she and her sisters were posing as latter day Edith Wharton heiresses/socialites was just cringe worthy.

But now I find her elegant(though not as impeccably dressed as before), warm, fun to be around and very approachable if her social media presence is anything to go by.

She is also a successful and hardworking businesswoman who has raised five apparently well-adjusted kids and maintained a successful marriage...in fact the ONLY one of the three spectacularly married Miller sisters to have done so.

There is a lot to admire about Princess Pavlos, imo.

Oh, I understand. First time she gave me the impression of being a woman who bought a title and was using the prince as if it were a toy. When I read interviews with her, I thought "Oh, how appearances can be deceiving, she is an intelligent woman, and seems to be cool, also she's a really caring mother, sister and wife."

After watching a little more, I realized she used the title, which no longer exists, to promote herself and her "perfect butter family", appear in magazines, and use for self-centered reasons.

I mean, look at things that Greece is going through. But what she does is post on instagram photos showing the life of luxury she has. Like a tacky noveau riche, she seems to be saying "give cake to them." I'm not saying she has the obligation to help Greece, because it is a country that literally did not want them. But I think it pretentious she using the title princess just promote herself, you know?

In addition, her daughter is a copy of Paris Hilton. I do not see anything special that girl. And I come across stories like this: Princess Olympia of Greece - fashion's newest 'It' girl | Daily Mail Online I was just happy to see the comentaries that people people didn't digest it.

Probably they paid for it. Also, I'm sure the thousands of followers on her and her daughter instagram , she bought. Yes, there are websites to buy followers, and this is something common among companies, and some lower famous people.

I say it because compared with actual famous people, and members of reigning royal houses, the ratio of the numbers do not make sense. She is at best a micro celebrity, and probably a well-connected wealthy woman, but there are other rich women like her, and the number is absurd.

I work with press relations, and know several celebrities and specially, wanna be celebrities who do it. Pay to appear in newspapers, buy followers, hire photographers to appear beautiful in pictures, pay to their song plays in the radio etc ...
She just being a socialite pretending being a princess, it is very obvious what what she does...

Also, she has good things, it's not the end of the day. She being a working businesswoman is really nice of her. I hope her children get her example, even if they don't seem so. And think she's beautiful, I agree, she used to me more elegant a long ago, now sometimes she has a matron look. Nothing against, and anyway, I still think she's fashionable.

 

[fandesacs2003]

@mandy187, I fully agree with you except one point. MC Is much classier than her daughter. O do not understand why this girl became a such low level Paris Hilton pale copycat. She is rich, not ugly and a real Princess by blood, related to the highest European Royal families. She does not need to behavior like this. What a fail for CP Paul and Mc.

 

[Marengo]

Well, the girl is 19 or so? She attended a few fashion shows and posed for a few magazines. But other than that it seems she just started university. Hardly Paris Hilton at this point, fortunately. Let's hope it stays that way.

 

[eya]

@mandy187, I fully agree with you except one point. MC Is much classier than her daughter. O do not understand why this girl became a such low level Paris Hilton pale copycat. She is rich, not ugly and a real Princess by blood, related to the highest European Royal families. She does not need to behavior like this. What a fail for CP Paul and Mc.

I agree so much with both.

 

[WreathOfLaurels]

I don't like MC but Ido think some people out there are being over-harsh. I think that MC's real problem is not that she is some over-ambitious harpy, although she is ambitious, but a very high strung, perfectionist, "Type A" personality, with a somewhat superficial cast of mind - if I'm being fair she does not seem egregiously stupid but nothing special intellectually either. These type of people place a lot of stock in maintaining outward appearances and social standing, often as a means of fulling some inner void.

Reading between the lines, her childhood sounds like it wasn't very happy despite the honking huge silver spoon that was in her mouth at birth. Bob Miller was too busy with work and overcompensated for his absence, emotional and physical, with money - he spoilt them (don't care what MC and her sisters say in interviews - they WERE spoilt). Maria-Clara/"Chantal" on the other hand was cold, hypercritical, and hard to please - I would guess that that was a manifestation of Chantal's own anxieties over her own sudden change of wealth and social status along with projecting her own insecurities and fears on to her daughters - very common in parenting and mostly unintentional. This is actually a really common family background for those with eating disorders - pace Alex's Anorexia.

Material indulgence and emotional neglect is a very dangerous combination for children and I think its in fact amazing that MC and her sisters did not turn out worse.

Also, in terms of looks, MC has high cheekbones and a narrow jaw which can give her a
hard, pinched look in some pictures - "Resting Bitch Face" is sometimes the term used for this phenomenon, her mother Chantal also looks like this in most pictures I've seen of her. The very flat sleek hairdos she favors don't help - they are also useless for tiaras - along with the whole "over groomed" look does not help either.

However, Pavlos seems to like her, her children seem happy, and some people out there seem to like her so maybe they know something we don't. Or maybe i'm being overgenerous -

As for MO, for Pete's sake she's only 20, leave her alone and let her have some fun,
I think she'll be fine.

 

[WreathOfLaurels]

There's two more things I'd like to add to why MC has become such a popular target of derision for many on the is forum, and online more broadly:

1) is it that Pavlos is the one we are really criticising? Let's be honest - he's a disappointment, he has failed in most business ventures (anyone remember PeriscopePost.com? Last time I looked the domain name was up for sale) and his 'attempts' at being taken seriously are frankly embarrassing. However since we don't want to admit that, we can all just blame the wife instead and keep hoping he'll turn himself around... [SARCASM ALERT]

2) is it that she's not what a lot of us were hoping for as a future matriarch of the Greek Royal clan? A lot of the criticism seems focused on the fact that the Miller family are nouveau riche and that her parents are both from blue collar backgrounds (a lot seem to get particularity hung up on the fact her mothers not Caucasian - same as some is the complaints about Queen Letezia who has a Filipino grandmother). Is it that we are all disappointed he did not marry a Greek woman, preferably one who was not a scion of the shipping families and had a proper education and career? Or that MC was too plebeian in her family roots?

Neither reason is a fair one to criticise her for and some of it is just (unjustified) snobbery and racism. However I do find it interesting that some of the criticism of MC are similar to what some people say about Leti. Both are small women with much larger husbands but both seem to be the larger personalities (this was also the case with Pavlos and Felipe's mutual grandparents Paul and Frederika). Both are not what many expected as Royal brides and both are often accused of not acting as befits their station.

 

[Countessmeout]

Honestly befits what status? There is no Greek royal house any more and never will be. Unlike Letizia, she will never be queen and she will never represent a country. I highly doubt any hatred of Letizia is racism, how many people know she has any Philippino blood?? MC's mother being from Ecuador may be better known but she is still very 'caucasian' looking.

Considering the popularity of Kate whose parents worked as a pilot and flight attendant and come from coal miners, I also don't think being 'new money' is an issue for most people on these boards.

As for not being Greek, that is common enough in royal spouses. It isn't surprising that Pavlos didn't marry a Greek. Its not like he grew up in Greece. It isn't like the Danish princes who married foreigners instead of a Dane. Pavlos was 7 months old when his family left Greece. He spent his first few years in Italy and for a time with his Grandmother Ingrid in Denmark but London has been his home for over thirty years, besides when educated in the US. He was 37 the next time he was in Greece. So whatwas he meant to do, seek out any Greek woman in London to try and fall in love??

 

[Blog Real]

I think Marie-Chantal is not really close to Letizia of Spain and Mary of Denmark. But she's really a friend of Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina. It's just an observation.

I think Marie-Chantal would be a good Queen. But I think that Marie-Chantal is not interested in Greece and she just wants to keep his life as is.

I'm not sure if Marie-Chantal will be a good wife to Pavlos, when he is the head of the Royal House.

 

[COUNTESS]

As someone said, the royal house is a fiction at this point. What will change? She will live where she is living, do what she does now and no one on earth, except a handful of people on this site will ever notice.

 

[Curryong]

Quite true. MC is occasionally seen at weddings and other social events but it's not as if she is popping up on everyone's radar every five minutes. Yes, she has working class roots and also has loads of money. If she were really Crown Princess and there was a viable Greek monarchy that might be contentious for some. However, unlike Leti for instance, Marie-Chantal will never be a consort to a King. There are two or three Royal Forums/Tumblrs who know about her and that's it. 99 people out of 100 wouldn't know MC from a bar of soap, as we say in Australia.

 

[WreathOfLaurels]

I wasn't commenting on MCs relationships with the other CPss or queens, I was pointing out the parallels - that's something different.

Yes Leti and MC have nonwhite anscestiy, a lot of modern royals do, and there is nothing wrong with it in my opinion.

What I was commenting on was that a number of the negative judgements others have made - frankly I don't care what she does and I think the fact MC has done something on her own steam admirable (Pavlos is the one I take issue with).

The GRF may well be a 'fiction' but it's a fiction that some on this forum seem to have some strong opinions about to judge from how quick your responses were

Quite true. MC is occasionally seen at weddings and other social events but it's not as if she is popping up on everyone's radar every five minutes. Yes, she has working class roots and also has loads of money. If she were really Crown Princess and there was a viable Greek monarchy that might be contentious for some. However, unlike Leti for instance, Marie-Chantal will never be a consort to a King. There are two or three Royal Forums/Tumblrs who know about her and that's it. 99 people out of 100 wouldn't know MC from a bar of soap, as we say in Australia.

I only found about her when I accidentally read about her in a copy of Hello! Magazine that somone gave us - first thing I remember thinking was "who the hell are these people?!" . My morbid fascination really can't be explained as most people in NZ would not know about her either!

 

[emmeleia]

Pavlos in choosing MC as his bride, managed to safeguard a high standard of living. Otherwise, based on his work and family income, he was not able to live in utter luxury, maintaining luxurious lifestyle and houses in various parts of the world, even a private air jet.
Ok, Greeks kicked off his father from King. Pavlos will not become a King never. But his great success, in my opinion, is that he managed to live as a King, through marriage.
And bear in mind, they will try to marry Konstantinos-Alexios to one of the heiresses-crown princesses of Europe, so that the dynasty goes on.

 

[fandesacs2003]

Pavlos in choosing MC as his bride, managed to safeguard a high standard of living. Otherwise, based on his work and family income, he was not able to live in utter luxury, maintaining luxurious lifestyle and houses in various parts of the world, even a private air jet.
Ok, Greeks kicked off his father from King. Pavlos will not become a King never. But his great success, in my opinion, is that he managed to live as a King, through marriage.
And bear in mind, they will try to marry Konstantinos-Alexios to one of the heiresses-crown princesses of Europe, so that the dynasty goes on.

This marriage is a perfect deal, out of course of her mutual attraction. He gave her a high title, and connection with all the European royal families and she offered money. A perfect match. Who can expect better ? In both sides.
As for her kids, Maria Olympia has all the assets to marry a crown Prince and become a queen, but...... Considering her style an behaviour I would not wish it to everyone.
For Constantinos why not? In example the young princess Elisabeth of Belgium ? Or Dutch?

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

There have not been royal-royal marriages for long, in the the royal Houses. Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart, Stéphanie de Lannoy, Beatrice Borromeo, Paola Doimi de Lupis Frankopan, examples of alliances with noble families. A marriage of a Greek royal (themselves with a commoner mother) with another royal seems unlikely, but you never know.

 

[Countessmeout]

More likely with the defunct houses actually, but among each other usually. They tend to socialize in the same circles, though I don't think the Greeks do. I am thinking Sophie of Isenberg and George Friedrick of Prussia. Sophie's sisters: Katherine married Archduke Martin of Austria-Este (younger brother of Lorenz) and Isabelle is the Dowager Princess of Wied (husband Carl died last year, her son is now Prince of Wied). Lorenz and his siblings all married titles except Gerhard: he a Belgian princess, Martin an Isenberg, and the two sisters married Counts. The Duke of Apulia is married to Princess Olga of Greece (his parents the Duke of Aosta and Claude of Orleans). Marie Isabelle of Orleans is married to Prince Gundekar of Lichtenstein. Of course the obvious of Caroline of Monaco and Ernst-August of Hannover. Prince Alois of Lichtenstein and Duchess Sophie of Bavaria. His brother Constantijn married a Countess. Prince Nikolaus of Lichtenstein and Margarethe of Luxembourg. Nora married a Spanish Marquis. I am sure there are plenty more.

The Greeks, or at least that branch, don't seem to move in those circles though as much. The British royals are the ones we see them with, I think their kids are more likely to marry like their dad, into wealth.

 

[WreathOfLaurels]

My intention wasn't racist and I critising those who were being racist about it. What I was trying to drew attention to was the fact that MCs ancestry was often used as an unfair excuse to critise her and that there were parallels with Letizia. I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea but it wasn't my intention and I apologise for any offence caused.

 

[iceflower]

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This thread has been cleaned up. It's not a thread about Queen Letizia, Queen Máxima, Crown Princess Mary or any other royal lady, it's a thread about Crown Princess Marie-Chantal only! Please stay on topic of this thread and stay respectful towards the persons you discuss. Further off-topic posts will be deleted without notice. Thank you for your understanding!