Hi, BeatrixFan. So I see you and I are fascinated by the parallels between the studio system and royal families.
Indeed. I think it's interesting to look at the life of someone like Joan Crawford and compare it with the life of someone like Sarah Ferguson. Joan was an MGM star, the Queen of Hollywood. Every word she said to the press was carefully passed by LD, everyone was "Miss Davis" or "Mr Gable", her image was processed and carefully prepared - but the moment she stopped selling tickets at the Box Office she was out. Sarah Ferguson never cleared everything she said by the Queen, she tried to be a commoner Princess, her image was pretty ghastly and so it was inevitable that she'd take a fall. So, whether you play by the rules or whether you don't, it's when you stop being a benefit to "the firm" that you're dispensed with. Why? Because neither the old fashioned studio system nor the Royal Family can afford mistakes.
I think what they have in common is the business of imagemaking.
Spot on. It's all in image. Joan Crawford's success only took off once she had an individual image. When she first signed onto MGM, she was rather plain. So LD Meyer had her made-over. She was given trade-marks - eyebrows, big lips, shoulder pads. Sarah Ferguson had the same make-over but she never kept it up. She slipped into the untidy hair, the frumpy clothes and a very clunky way of dealing with the public. So image-making can only be successful when the person being given an image keeps it up.
Now all this in relation to Kate Middleton is quite telling. Notice that Kate has been making a slow entry onto the public scene. At first we saw her only at the odd polo match. Then it was at every polo match. Then we saw her at William's graduation at Sandhurst. It's been a slow and gradual introduction just like LD Meyer slowly introduced his stars. He gauged the public reaction just like the Queen is doing with Kate. If the headlines are good and the people are happy, we see Kate more. If they're bad, she'll disappear. The truth is that whether you're working for the King of Hollywood or the Queen of Great Britain - you play by the set rules.
And what is a "true princess" may I ask BeatrixFan ?
Well, there's a very set criteria IMO but it depends on circumstances. If we're talking about a Princess by birth, then it rarely goes wrong. Princesses by birth can be a little more individual if they want to be as long as they turn up at ceremonial events, look good and serve on a few charitable boards of charities they really care about. They're there to support their parents and to represent the country. Princesses by marriage however are very different. They must always stay one step behind so as not to outshine those who are Royal by birth and they should support their husbands. That is their prime function. To support - if they shine in their own right then that's fine as long as they don't try and upstage their husbands or (even worse) their husband's family. They have to look good, have a good relationship with the public but keep their heads down so as not to take centre stage. That isn't their job and it never has been.
For each case, we've got good examples. Princess Alexandra of Kent has been the perfect Princess by birth. She works extremely hard, she married well, shone through and the British people love her very much. She looks glamorous, she knows how to deal with situations and she has class. She's got a style of her own but she also takes on the traditions and the set code that our Royal Family have stuck to for years. The Duchess of Cornwall on the other hand has been the perfect Princess by marriage. She's resisted every opportunity to shine. Everything she says has obviously been cleared with Charles but she gives it a spontaneity that makes it seem like we're hearing it for the first time. She looks good, she has style and she's there when she needs to be - BUT above everything she's there for Charles. Camilla supports Charles and that's her main role. She doesn't upstage or seek attention, she just does her duty and I suppose that's what we expect from our Princesses. Whether by birth or marriage, they have to do their duty whatever the cost may be. And surely that's what we want all the members of our Royal Family to do?
. I think Kate will blend in...not make any waves. Based upon everything that I have seen from her (other than the red coat at the graduation) she seems pretty low key. But I think that was an error in judgement (although she did look good!)....sometimes you make a mistake every now and then...and sometimes you have good advisors.
