Tatiana Maria
Majesty
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2013
- Messages
- 6,764
- City
- St Petersburg
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- United States
It appears to me that William Isvy's profile differs somewhat from the usual choice of a groom for a daughter of a Habsburg archduke and a Belgian royal princess. I would expect someone from a traditional Catholic royal or noble family, but, as I said before, royals now go to "normal" schools and universities and have normal jobs, so it is inevitable that their social circle will be enlarged to include especially the upper middle-class and wealthy burghers. With an expanded social circle, marriages outside the narrower royal/noble bubble are also more likely.
I would say the schools and jobs of royals generally remain significantly more elevated than those of the average citizen, but yes, you are right about the enlargement of royal social circles, and I see you are right about spouses from Catholic royal and noble houses being the norm on both sides of Princess Maria Laura's family. Of her six aunts and uncles, four chose their spouses from noble families. The same for Amedeo, her sole married sibling. Her cousin and close friend Olympia is married to Prince Napoléon (though I believe Olympia's only married sister has a commoner husband), and her sister Princess Luisa Maria reportedly has a partner from a noble family, although their brother Joachim's long-term partner Victoria Ortiz is an upper-class commoner.
Well, I think there is a slight difference between Lorenz's and William's family trees to say the least.
Is there any information on William's family tree other than the fact that his mother is British and his father is French-Moroccan? Depending on the country, it is certainly possible to have noble ancestors, or even belong to a noble family, while being a plain Mr.
Note that William Isvy graduated high school from a prestigious fee-paying school in an upscale area of London, rather than a state school as with most Britons, which suggests that his family is well off.
I am not trying to be picky or implying that William is not a suitable husband for Maria Laura, but we cannot deny that it is an unequal marriage, which is becoming the norm for younger royals.
Because she is a princess and he is a commoner? I'd say the most important is that they are equal in character, values and general outlook on life.
In the language of European royal history, equal and unequal marriage refer to the legal status or social class of the spouses, not their character or values. By the 19th century, most European royal houses (including the Belgians) had introduced official or unofficial requirements concerning acceptable rank for consorts, whereas in the 21st century most will, in theory if not necessarily in practice, accept consorts of any social class. That is why the family origins of royal fiancé(e)s, and the evolving norms, are of historical interest.