The Popularity Of Royals In Their Own Country

[Mirabel]

I know last sentence is your opinion, but could you elaborate on "not being stunningly beautiful..." In order to make that statement, a comparison has to have been made. So CP Victoria is as "not...stunningly beautiful" as who? With whom are you making this comparison?

One example would be Victoria's sister, who is much more physically attractive but not as popular or as important.

It's true that people tend to focus their attention on the younger, more glamorous royals, but that is inevitable. They simply provide more topic for discussion.

(Nevertheless, the Queen, who will be 90, is still arguably the most popular member of the BRF).

 

[LadyRohan]

Now Anne looks like the milk spontaneously turns sour when she passes your house.

I really don't know where these posts are headed, but these kinds of descriptions are both unseemly and not descriptive of how royalty is perceived. With the title of this thread being about domestic popularity, a thing which is near impossible to quantify, this thread can go in any direction, but I find that to characterize and sometimes come close to abuse various members of different royal families, on account of their appearance, language skills or other silly features, seems to negate some of the key words many attribute to royalty; class and decorum.

As I don't think anybody really has disputed, a younger and attractive royal fills more pages in glossy magazines. Is that what accounts for who is the most popular? In the UK, Princess Anne is seen as one of the most hard-working member of the RF, and is generally held in very high regard. Whether or not someone chooses to characterize how she looks or carries herself in an unfair way, is not a barometer on anything but that individuals lack of manners.

When Donna Paola married into the Belgian RF, it is true that she was perceived as far more glamorous than her sister-in-law, and therefore photographed and reported about more often. The affection with which Queen Fabiola was held however, was never dimished by Paola featuring on front pages of magazines, and when she passed away last year, there was a genuine sadness amongst Belgians that I doubt very much will be on display when Queen Paola is no more some day.

The thing which yields continual support from the population at large, is hard work, a perceived proper lifestyle and genuine warmth. People see through faux behaviour and attitudes, and beauty of youth never lasts. That is why I'm quite sure Queen Maxima will continue to be immensely popular in the Netherlands. She has, ever since she arrived to the country, been outgoing, direct, respectful, warm and genuine. She has worked hard on the language, and most Dutch men and women that I know enjoy her slight accent and respect her very much for her behaviour towards people and her work to be a good support for her husband and a genuine Dutch citizen. The colourful clothes and vibrant attitudes is just the surface of the Dutch Queen, and most people in the Netherlands seem to have taken her solidly to heart. When the Princess of Orange becomes an adult, I'm sure she will be photographed loads, but that does not diminish the warmth the Dutch in general have for their Queen.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

One example would be Victoria's sister, who is much more physically attractive but not as popular or as important.

It's true that people tend to focus their attention on the younger, more glamorous royals, but that is inevitable. They simply provide more topic for discussion.

(Nevertheless, the Queen, who will be 90, is still arguably the most popular member of the BRF).

Princess Madeleine has always been the star of the royal family, by far more the talk of the town than her sister Victoria. The Margaret and Elizabeth scenario repeated. But as soon as Princess Madeleine lost her jeunesse, became engaged wit Jonas Bergström, broke that engagement, seemed to be a bit clueless, found Christopher O'Neil, she is now just a momma with kiddies and goes the same way as her aunts: princesses in the royal periphery.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

[...]

As I don't think anybody really has disputed, a younger and attractive royal fills more pages in glossy magazines. Is that what accounts for who is the most popular? In the UK, Princess Anne is seen as one of the most hard-working member of the RF, and is generally held in very high regard. Whether or not someone chooses to characterize how she looks or carries herself in an unfair way, is not a barometer on anything but that individuals lack of manners.

[...]

For me Princess Anne is the unsung hero of the royal family, without any doubt the hardest working royal, she has inherited the work ethics of her parents. But this thread is about popularity and exactly my point is that a young, fresh, glamorous and warm royal appeals so much more to the public and scores high on popularity while Anne, probably the "model royal" will never "win" these popularity polls.

[...]

[...]

The affection with which Queen Fabiola was held however, was never dimished by Paola featuring on front pages of magazines, and when she passed away last year, there was a genuine sadness amongst Belgians that I doubt very much will be on display when Queen Paola is no more some day.

[...]

What made you conclude that? "Genuine sadness amongst Belgians"? I have never ever seen a royal funeral of a once Queen with more desolate and empty streets than the one of Queen Fabiola. Even the few commuters I saw on television did not stop and pay respects to the royal cortège passing by... See this article in Het Nieuwsblad ("Only a 500 people assemble in front of the cathedral" / "It looks like the Queen was not beloved at all" / "Spanish tourists were shocked by the lack of public interest")

Picture: arrival of Queen Fabiola, a consort, at the cathedral in Brussels

Picture: arrival of Prince Bernhard, a consort, at the New Church in Delft

Picture: Queen Fabiola, a consort, arrives at the Church in Laeken, where she will be interred

Picture: Prince Bernhard, a consort, arrives at the square in front of the church where he will be interred

 

[Jacknch]

I don't think the popularity of one royals over another is an exact science and one cannot gauge popularity based upon a poll or how much the royal in question is focused on in the media.

Very few people I know personally take much interest in royalty yet I am always surprised when they seem to know more about the royals than I thought they would - and very often when asked who their favourite royal is the answer is quite different to what I imagined.

The media may very well put some royals on a pedestal, whilst ignoring others and it does seem to help shift extra copies of some publications. Yet, I think the reality can be different and people still have their favourites whatever the newspapers print.

 

[NotHRH]

One example would be Victoria's sister, who is much more physically attractive but not as popular or as important.

It's true that people tend to focus their attention on the younger, more glamorous royals, but that is inevitable. They simply provide more topic for discussion.

(Nevertheless, the Queen, who will be 90, is still arguably the most popular member of the BRF).

I knew someone would make the camparison between CP Victoria and P Madeleine - it sad these days most people only see beauty in bottle blondes like Madeleine. Why can't you and others realize not every woman can be a tall slender blonde? I find CPV a natural beauty - if her sister wouldnt uactually wear so much makeup, I could figure out if she is a natural beauty also. Unfortunately PM is the prototype for what most people consider a "beautiful" woman. I would totally melt if I was in King Felipe' s presence, but I realize not every guy has to match his standard for me feel blissful in their presence.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Well Princess Madeleine had an immense beauty (see picture) she attracted all camera's like a magnet. Now she has settled with Mr O'Neill, is a mama of two kiddies and older, the Madeleine-mania has become less and now it is her sister Crown Princess Victoria, maybe or better said: Princess Estelle, getting all the attention. It all fits in the natural cycle of things.

 

[NotHRH]

Well Princess Madeleine had an immense beauty (see picture) she attracted all camera's like a magnet. Now she has settled with Mr O'Neill, is a mama of two kiddies and older, the Madeleine-mania has become less and now it is her sister Crown Princess Victoria, maybe or better said: Princess Estelle, getting all the attention. It all fits in the natural cycle of things.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-91z5BnasQMI/T0WEeUPsmjI/AAAAAAAAGRs/IhsASWR56Bk/s1600/TiarasSweden.jpg CPV and PM have the same face - only their coloring is different - I do not see either sister possessing "immense" beauty, but both are pretty ladies

 

[Mirabel]

I knew someone would make the camparison between CP Victoria and P Madeleine - it sad these days most people only see beauty in bottle blondes like Madeleine. Why can't you and others realize not every woman can be a tall slender blonde? I find CPV a natural beauty - if her sister wouldnt uactually wear so much makeup, I could figure out if she is a natural beauty also.

Of course, opinions differ, since beauty can be a subjective thing.

I think Madeleine would generally be considered beautiful, but IMO, Victoria is rather plain, although she has a certain appeal.

But, as has been pointed out, looks fade, and other traits become far more important.

 

[tommy100]

I would say the most popular royals appear to be:

Queen Maxima
Queen Elizabeth II
Prince Harry of Wales
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Mary and Fred of Denmark

Apart from these I'm not sure. I suspect for example Henri and MT of Luxembourg are popular in their country but i also hear rumours some people dont like MT, same with Silvia of Sweden. I can't really think which, if any, Belgian royals are popular.

I think its intereating that we see Maxima popular at the start of her tine as Queen and now see elizabeth II enjoying massive popularity now as she approxaches the end of her reign. I think this is a similar pattern for all, as the years go on and Maxima's daughters outshine her as they grow up her popularity will dip before going up again as a well repected older Queen.

 

[eya]

My opinion is that it's popularity has nothing to do with how beautiful is one or not. Popular is anyone who shows interest in his country and its people and works for it. Great example Queen Elizabeth. And naturally the younger generation to draw interest from the older but this is not related to the popularity.

 

[Osipi]

My opinion is that it's popularity has nothing to do with how beautiful is one or not. Popular is anyone who shows interest in his country and its people and works for it. Great example Queen Elizabeth. And naturally the younger generation to draw interest from the older but this is not related to the popularity.

That's just it in a nutshell. Its the group polled that would relate to a certain aspect and denote popularity. Young females would be more apt to vote Prince Harry as *the* most popular royal because he's a single, good looking royal. A group of environmentalists perhaps would vote Charles as their hero while the Eleanor Roosevelt Society for Women that do Good Works could also call themselves The Princess Royal Admiration Society.

Seeing as the majority of levels of interests in royalty stems from their exposure to the media, its not surprising that beauty, fashion, hair styles and Jimmy Choos figure into the prerequisites of what makes one "popular" or not.

 

[Mbruno]

I would say the most popular royals appear to be:

Queen Maxima
Queen Elizabeth II
Prince Harry of Wales
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Mary and Fred of Denmark

Apart from these I'm not sure. I suspect for example Henri and MT of Luxembourg are popular in their country but i also hear rumours some people dont like MT, same with Silvia of Sweden. I can't really think which, if any, Belgian royals are popular.

I have the impression Queen Mathilde is popular in Belgium.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

I have the impression Queen Mathilde is popular in Belgium.

She does not have the Paola-mania or the magnetism of Máxima. I think she will be popular amongst the people who have a warm heart towards the monarchy. Belgium is a difficult country. The desolate and empty streets, the lack of interest and the poor decorum around the funeral of Queen Fabiola, the ever sarcastic tone in Dutch-speaking press and the negativity towards all and everyone which is 'the state' makes it difficult to have a clear idea on how popular or loved members of the royal family are. The impeccable Mathilde (in my eyes) is often compared with her so much more exuberant colleague Máxima, but that is a case of the grass being greener at the other side, I think.

 

[Mbruno]

She does not have the Paola-mania or the magnetism of Máxima. I think she will be popular amongst the people who have a warm heart towards the monarchy. Belgium is a difficult country. The desolate and empty streets, the lack of interest and the poor decorum around the funeral of Queen Fabiola, the ever sarcastic tone in Dutch-speaking press and the negativity towards all and everyone which is 'the state' makes it difficult to have a clear idea on how popular or loved members of the royal family are. The impeccable Mathilde (in my eyes) is often compared with her so much more exuberant colleague Máxima, but that is a case of the grass being greener at the other side, I think.

I don't know about "lack of decorum", but Queen Fabiola's funeral mass was one of the most touching services I have ever seen.

On your last point, Maxima's "exuberance" sometimes strikes me as too flamboyant for a queen. Mathilde IMHO is more dignified. Since Philippe ascended the throne, the Belgian monarchy has regained much of its charm and glamor (which were really lacking, especially under Albert and Paola), without being inappropriately exuberant at the same time.

Having said that, Belgium is indeed a tough country to reign over because of the ethnic/linguistic divide and the negativity coming not only from the Dutch press, but also from France.

 

[tommy100]

I nearly put Mathilde down on my list but I feel whilst popular there isn't the mania or obsession the other royals I mentioned can generate. I think the Belgians like Mathilde but I feel almost the whole Belgian RF are seen as being a bit boring.


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[tommy100]

I think that's what a lot of people on here and elsewhere think but I've seen a few things now saying they always poll highly among Danes and another poster visited Denmark recently and the locals said they were popular.


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[Lee-Z]

I nearly put Mathilde down on my list but I feel whilst popular there isn't the mania or obsession the other royals I mentioned can generate. I think the Belgians like Mathilde but I feel almost the whole Belgian RF are seen as being a bit boring.

With K.Albert alleged daughter Delphine Boël and P.Laurent's occasional drama; translate boring with "un-eventful" and it might actually not be such a bad thing

But popularity is a difficult to grasp phenomenon: in the NL during the last years of his life P.Claus (father of the current king) was the most popular member of the RF and that certainly had nothing to do with looks and also not wit "most exposure"; in his case imo it was his personality and disposition which endeared him to the public.

 

[tommy100]

I think there's a trend that the older members of any RF become highly popular almost like a "National Treasure"


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[Osipi]

I think there's a trend that the older members of any RF become highly popular almost like a "National Treasure"

This is so true especially in the case of Queen Elizabeth. Its very hard to find any kind of discouraging word about her. She's been The Queen for the majority of the planet's population for their lifetime and she's iconic around the globe.

I'd venture to say too that she is perhaps the most easily recognized woman in the world.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Personally I would have preferred Stéphanie de Lannoy or Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz as Queen of the Netherlands. It is strange to see that "Calvinist" Netherlands has such an exuberant Queen, not too afraid to glitz and glam but also not to look like a mess on heels. Such a person one would expect in Spain and such a restraint and under-the-radar person as Letizia, one would expect such a figure behind the big and bold blonde King... But strangely enough the catholic and true latina Máxima also seems to touch protestants and also in Calvinist areas the public interest is big when Máxima visits something there. It is a strange world...

 

[Jacknch]

Please note that several posts have been deleted as they are off-topic. This thread is about which royals are popular in their own countries, not about the work ethics of individual royal.

 

[Jacknch]

Personally I would have preferred Stéphanie de Lannoy or Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz as Queen of the Netherlands. It is strange to see that "Calvinist" Netherlands has such an exuberant Queen, not too afraid to glitz and glam but also not to look like a mess on heels. Such a person one would expect in Spain and such a restraint and under-the-radar person as Letizia, one would expect such a figure behind the big and bold blonde King... But strangely enough the catholic and true latina Máxima also seems to touch protestants and also in Calvinist areas the public interest is big when Máxima visits something there. It is a strange world...

Willem-Alexander certainly is a "larger than life" character and exudes boldness and strength, so in some ways it seems fitting that he chose an exuberant wife to match him. But also, the Dutch I wonder have been used to queens who are exuberant and had/have characters quite unique amongst their peers through the generations.

 

[Lee-Z]

Willem-Alexander certainly is a "larger than life" character and exudes boldness and strength

That's what I like about international forums: l would never in a million years have come up with that description for him, but it's good to know that he is perceived like that by others

 

[NotHRH]

Personally I would have preferred Stéphanie de Lannoy or Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz as Queen of the Netherlands. It is strange to see that "Calvinist" Netherlands has such an exuberant Queen, not too afraid to glitz and glam but also not to look like a mess on heels. Such a person one would expect in Spain and such a restraint and under-the-radar person as Letizia, one would expect such a figure behind the big and bold blonde King... But strangely enough the catholic and true latina Máxima also seems to touch protestants and also in Calvinist areas the public interest is big when Máxima visits something there. It is a strange world...

Well the Netherlands is NOT Calvinist according to Wikipedia, which may be why the country has no problem with her exuberant personality. Fact from Wikipedia: While 56,1% of the Dutch population are not members of any religious community, the other 43.9% are distributed over a diversity of religions. 34% of the Dutch population is affiliated with a Christian church. The largest group, 23.7%, is Roman Catholic. The rest is distributed over a multitude of Protestant churches making up the 10.2% of the population. The largest of which is the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, which in fact is an alliance of three churches, two Calvinist and one Lutheran

 

[Mbruno]

Willem-Alexander certainly is a "larger than life" character and exudes boldness and strength, so in some ways it seems fitting that he chose an exuberant wife to match him. But also, the Dutch I wonder have been used to queens who are exuberant and had/have characters quite unique amongst their peers through the generations.

Willem-Alexander is a "larger than life figure " ??? I'm sorry, but you must be the first person to make this claim, which BTW goes against the conventional wisdom.

 

[Mbruno]

Well the Netherlands is NOT Calvinist according to Wikipedia, which may be why the country has no problem with her exuberant personality. Fact from Wikipedia: While 56,1% of the Dutch population are not members of any religious community, the other 43.9% are distributed over a diversity of religions. 34% of the Dutch population is affiliated with a Christian church. The largest group, 23.7%, is Roman Catholic. The rest is distributed over a multitude of Protestant churches making up the 10.2% of the population. The largest of which is the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, which in fact is an alliance of three churches, two Calvinist and one Lutheran

The Calvinist ethos actually still dominates Dutch culture even though only 16 % of the population now claims membership of Calvinist churches.

 

[Curryong]

Well, Diana was the greatest media star ever in the BRF and immensely popular within Britain and abroad. She brought enormous crowds to her engagements and sold more glossy magazines than any other Royal before or since. Would she have broken the mould and continued to be popular in her fifties, with adult sons and daughter in law in the magazines, or would her star have faded over the decades I wonder, as Princess Margaret's did? (I know Diana wasn't a Royal at the time of her death but I do wonder if her incredible popularity would have been maintained.)

 

[Osipi]

To be honest, in Diana's case, that is something we will never know. Going by what I've witnessed here in the different threads, Diana's seem to have long periods of inactivity until someone bumps up a thread and then its a flurry of activity and then goes silent once more.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I don't know about "lack of decorum", but Queen Fabiola's funeral mass was one of the most touching services I have ever seen.

On your last point, Maxima's "exuberance" sometimes strikes me as too flamboyant for a queen. Mathilde IMHO is more dignified. Since Philippe ascended the throne, the Belgian monarchy has regained much of its charm and glamor (which were really lacking, especially under Albert and Paola), without being inappropriately exuberant at the same time.

Having said that, Belgium is indeed a tough country to reign over because of the ethnic/linguistic divide and the negativity coming not only from the Dutch press, but also from France.

It was indeed a deeply moving Funeral Mass, as unpretentious and lovely as the late Queen Fabiola herself.

Notwithstanding the lack of crowds standing outside in the ghastly rain and windswept streets of Brussels the day of her obsequies Queen Fabiola and King Baudouin were one of the most admired and respected of monarchs in their heyday.(I have dozens of archival articles and magazine covers to prove it) They had dignity, courage and warmth, and they had those qualities at a time when the populace actually noticed and cared about such things.

Duc...IF it's true that the people did not mourn such a queen at her death it says more about them and their current values than it does about her, imo. The people who count most-her family and her Royal peers-certainly mourned her. Even the small Royal children appeared desolate at her loss. Will Royal Europe and the BRF mourn the once beautiful Paola as much as they did the "Nun Queen"? I kind of doubt it. Her own children reportedly have a strained relationship with her as her mothering skills were apparently not ideal. They loved and preferred the Nun Queen.(except Laurent)

Paola had beauty and glamour and fertility...but that's all she had and it's why the tabloids loved her. Then-as now-it's those qualities that sell covers and when those qualities are gone it's all over.

I love Maxima but when she first came on the scene I agree with you Mbruno...I found her a bit de trop, like an over-excited Labrador. But she has toned it down considerably and is, in my opinion, a woman of elegance and formidable intelligence. The Dutch are lucky to have her.