Queen Letizia's Personality

[TheTruth]

Simply it is a question of time, she already has her activities in solitarily, and in others she accompanies her husband, and the firsts have been increasing in the last months. Her agenda always is busy enough.

They are never going to have two totally independent agendas like they seem to have other inheritors, who with the exception of the trips realize few activities together ... this it has never been the way of working of the Spanish Royal Family. There are acts that for its characteristics it is interesting that both come, and acts to which not. Like it is important that they travel together to different parts of Spain.

Yes, I believe it's tricky for her anyway to detach herself and at the same time represent the country next to Felipe. I think it has always been a big issue to moderate and promote the role of a royal who entered the family by marriage.

 

[ysbel]

{Response to deleted post removed - Elspeth}

I don't think that Letizia knew to the extent which she would have to curtail her personality. Realistically though she cannot overshadow her husband and her husband is not even King yet. Actually Felipe has to be careful that he doesn't overshadow his father because it is Juan Carlos who is the King so Letizia is not the only person in the Royal Family that has to curtail her expression. When the King and Queen, Prince and Princess of Asturias take to an event, both Felipe and Letizia have to make sure they show deference to Juan Carlos and Sofia and not steal their spotlight. The role of the rest of the Royal Family is to support the honor and majesty of the King; it is by its very nature a subservient role.

Until Letizia is queen, I think her role will be of necessity be more low key. She has three people right now who outrank her: the King, the Queen, Felipe.

 

[donnaK]

{response to deleted post removed - Elspeth}

Are their engagements really for the both of them? Would Felipe not still be carrying out the same engagements if he were still single? If they like working together, then they should but they should have let them have their own individual events also. I am very glad that Letizia is now carry out her own events, I really do believe that only accompanying Felipe on his must have been very hard for such a previously independent, successful woman.

The acts inside Spain right now have doubled or trippled compared to Felipe's single days. The acts abroad seem to be less. Felipe still went to the presidential inaugurations in South America, he and Letizia went to the openings of the Cervantes Institutes abroad, they seem to drop the official visits to other countries Felipe did when he was single, or he went with Letizia before Leonor was born ex. visit to Hungary and Brazil. I really like these two official visits (Hungary and Brazil) since now their trips abroad were so short and so business-oriented.

 

[Little_star]

{response to deleted post removed - Elspeth}

Until Letizia is queen, I think her role will be of necessity be more low key. She has three people right now who outrank her: the King, the Queen, Felipe.

That is the way it should be. There are some CP's who, imo, act as though they are the born Royal, if anything that is far worse.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

{Response to deleted post removed - Elspeth}

It's pretty obvious that Letizia did not know what she was getting herself into. If she had known I believe she had presented herself in a very different manner than she actually did at her official presentation and at her enagement day. She came across pretty bossy, telling Felipe not to interrupt her when speaking and to hold her gift - his new cufflinks - a bit more visibly into the camera whilst fiddling on his shirt. A few days before she had stated that it was her intention to leave TVE slowly - a complete misjudgement, as if this had still been her decision - , referred to her future role and work as a "project" and told the media she would follow "the priceless example of the Queen". Zarzuela's guys were obviously horrified by her appearance and did not hesitate to transfer her into the submissive shadow princess we see today. The result might be good for Spain many years from now but is obviously (quote ysbel) a tragedy for the woman Letizia.

 

[Little_star]

It's pretty obvious that Letizia did not know what she was getting herself into. If she had known I believe she had presented herself in a very different manner than she actually did at her official presentation and at her enagement day. She came across pretty bossy, telling Felipe not to interrupt her when speaking and to hold her gift - his new cufflinks - a bit more visibly into the camera whilst fiddling on his shirt.

That's your perception. I didn't find anything bossy or domineering about either of those things. I did find it rude of Felipe to interrupt his fiancee mid-flow. He should have known better.

A few days before she had stated that it was her intention to leave TVE slowly - a complete misjudgement, as if this had still been her decision - , referred to her future role and work as a "project" and told the media she would follow "the priceless example of the Queen".

What is wrong with refering to her work as a project? Moreover I hadn't realised complimenting the Queen is a bad thing. Silly me.

Zarzuela's guys were obviously horrified by her appearance and did not hesitate to transfer her into the submissive shadow princess we see today. The result might be good for Spain many years from now but is obviously (quote ysbel) a tragedy for the woman Letizia.

Laughing, smiling and sharing jokes in the recent Salamanca University event. Hardly the actions of a depressed woman.

For reasons I cannot fathom it seems some are determined to portray Letizia as being a terribly sad woman with no interest in life. It's a shame the photos tend to suggest otherwise.

 

[lula]

Duke, do not exaggerate, I am bored of that the people exaggerate what was a simple anecdote in which the principal culprit was the prince ... but clear always it is necessary to blame her, if he had not interrupted anything it would have happened .

Certainly, it is logical enough to think that the " gray men of Zarzuela " already had an idea nearby enough of that the Princes were going to say to the press.

She always was conscious of the change that was giving to her life it was going to be a difficult change, and that should face many things. She is not a silly woman who was thinking that it was not going to suppose effort or sacrifice. Probably, many things that were hoping that they were of a way had to change. But the fund is what does not change.

For example, the advertisement of the wedding rushed for the filtration to the press, when apparently they had it foreseen for weeks later. There are things that until they do not take place, are not known in that they are going to end. Probably her desire had been to say goodbye well of her work and of her companions, but the things rushed and she did not have opportunity. Also about a beginning Zarzuela was thinking it of lodging her in a house where she could have certain freedom, but they finished having to lodge her in the Zarzuela.

For her to face the press had to be a difficult moment. Do not forget, she had to assimilate what was meaning to go on to another side, in a radical way. She has had to learn that the persons that she has face already they are not her companions, already not her friends ... they are persons who are going to observe and to judge her it. She had to change her mind totally, and assimilate that the person that a few days was to her side sharing her work, now was in ther other side.

 

[Amelia]

{response to deleted post removed - Elspeth}

For reasons I cannot fathom it seems some are determined to portray Letizia as being a terribly sad woman with no interest in life. It's a shame the photos tend to suggest otherwise.

To you perhaps they suggest otherwise, to me they don’t. To me she has become a shadow of the woman Felipe introduced as his future Queen. I don’t think that she is a sad woman, I think that she is a woman who is very much in love with her husband and her children but I do think that she is an unfulfilled woman. However, all we really have to go on is photographs so no one really knows what she is thinking and feeling.

 

[donnaK]

Amelia, I don't think any previous hard-working, full of energy 'princess-perfect' would have chosen to do so few to have the press or tax payers question if she had done enough to earn her keep.

 

[ysbel]

{response to deleted comment removed - Empress}

The fact that Alexandra, another driven and successful careerwoman who had married a prince, announced at her second wedding that she was glad to get her private life back and then shortly thereafter started cutting back on her engagements, looking for jobs on the directorates of some boards and talking about moving away from Denmark shows a woman who is slowly moving back to an active but very normal non-royal life. Alexandra doesn't look like a Sarah Ferguson who is desparately trying to hold onto her royal mystique.

Letizia, like Alexandra, was successful and a high achiever as a news anchor who showed an air of self-confidence. Now she does look constricted. I don't fault the family because that's the way the role of Princess of Asturias has to be but I do wonder as I have always wondered how long Letizia can keep up this lifestyle and this role that is so foreign to her.

 

[donnaK]

Did she talk about 'project' since I don't remember her exact words in Spanish ? Even so, she was talking about the 'common project' (translated by some English articles) shared with Felipe, not her own project. I think that's just another way to say she would share life and work with him as he always wished his wife would do. On 'leaving TVE gradually', she probably meant some unfinished news articles or projects that needs the transition since she already agreed with her former boss on Friday before the engagement that it was her last newscast.

 

[ysbel]

{Response to deleted post removed - Elspeth}

I don't know how much exposure Letizia would have gotten to the royal family as a news anchor and reporter. Did she ever cover the royal beat? Even if she had been a royal reporter, there are a lot of reporters who become news items themselves and they get surprised and dismayed at what its like to be on the opposite side of press scrutiny. They are used to scrutinizing others; not being scrutinized themselves. Letizia would be very unusual if she hadn't been caught offguard by the experience of becoming an object of press interest and criticism.

But I think more profoundly for Letizia and the other princesses, that royal families are the most secretive of all public institutions so that just because we think of life inside a royal instituion as one way, when we look from the outside, invariably the true day to day lives of the royals are much different than we can imagine. Diana mentioned it, Sarah mentioned it, I believe Alexandra experienced it. Mette-Marit has had her bouts of a lack of self-confidence. True, there are aspects of the Spanish Royal Family that are peculiar only to them; however, there is a common challenge for all these commoner wives who marry into royal families and that is that its impossible for them to tell what its going to be like until they are married and actually living the life.

 

[Elspeth]

I've deleted a bunch of off-topic digressions, some of which came after a moderator warning to stay on topic.

This thread is for a discussion of Princess Letizia's personality, and how it affects and is affected by her royal role. It isn't about every other princess in the world, their husbands, their duties, their fashion and makeup, or what they eat for breakfast. ysbel was making a very specific point with the comparison between Princess Letizia and Princess Alexandra of Denmark in terms of their personalities and their royal role; it wasn't an invitation to chew over the remains of Princess Alexandra's marriage or start yet another round of one-upmanship between fans of Letizia and fans of Mary, since these subjects are irrelevant. Anybody wishing to argue about that is welcome to contact me by PM, but please keep it out of the thread.

Let's please get this thread back on topic.

Thank you.

Elspeth

Royal Forums admin

 

[lula]

I do not believe that no woman turned into Princess knew totally like it was going to change her life ... and they did not know it totally because until one does not experience the things, and until the things do not produce one to does not know like is going to react.

There is something that many people forget here on having done their commentaries. Since they were known, from the beginning of the relation she was the cautious one, because she was conscious of what could lose. It was the absolute discretion, with the complicated thing that it was, more when you have a relation with someone as the Prince and when you live surrounded with journalists. Really it is surprising what they obtained. And probably if they obtained it, it is because she had lose very much, if she had been only one more girlfriend in the life of the prince, today her professional career would be destroyed, and of it she was very conscious.

I have found an interview with the journalist Carmen Enriquez, with does commentaries that seem to me to be interesting. She has been for 17 years the journalist that has followed the information of the Royal House for the public television, and therefore also she has been a companion of the princess.

Carmen Enríquez:

She is speaking about a problem that had when she began to work for the way of treating the prince and later she comments...

Also I had some difficulty with the Princess of Asturias. The first time that I saw her after her wedding, she went to me for my name and asked me how I was. I answered her that very well and I was interested for her. Immediately, I realized that I had treated her as you and apologized, because already she was not the companion of draft that I knew in television.

- Who has influenced more whom: dona Letizia in the Prince or vice versa?

- Don Felipe has found in his wife everything what was searching in a woman. Now he is more relaxed, more free, is happy with his daughters. It is something that has humanized and balanced him , and favors more the relation with the others.

- How has it changed the marriage to dona Letizia?

- In her public appearances she has lost spontaneity, because the protagonism belongs to the Prince, but she continues being natural and warm. The maternity makes her see the world from another optics.

 

[highpriestess]

The maternity makes her see the world from another optics.

I read a lot of criticism of Letizia's not having a higher public profile with amusement these couple days. I don't think some posters here have kept up with the envolvement of feminism.

Before the '90s, feminism is all about a woman succeeding in a men's world. She must be as tough as a man and willing to sacrifice relationships/marriage/family for career. Basically, she had to turn into a man. It changed in the '90s. A woman's success is no longer judged by career alone. It's about choice. A woman's success can be based on a good marriage, a balance work and family life or a fulfilling career.

Letizia's goal is not success of her own by developing a high individual profile. It's success of the TEAM, specifically she and her husband. IMO, she's doing very well in that aspect. I think that is more admirable than someone who succeeds individually at the expense of the team.

As for anyone who worries that Letizia may not find this team life satisfying, please remember now the TEAM includes her own daughter. She is working on preserving the monarchy for not just her husband but also her daughter. Through her hard work, her daughter will reign Spain one day. Is there any motivation stronger than this for a mother?

 

[Marengo]

Isn't the goal the 'succes' of the monarchy rather than the succes of a family unit?

 

[highpriestess]

Isn't the goal the 'succes' of the monarchy rather than the succes of a family unit?

Since a lot of posters were questioning satisfaction for Letizia in a personal term, I responded in kind. Plus, for someone who was not born into the monarchy, the concept of the success of the monarchy may be more distant than the success of herself, her husband and her children.

 

[IloveCP]

Letizia seems like a smart and strong woman and very hard-working and I think she will make a great queen.

 

[Blog Real]

In my opinion Letizia is a very intelligent woman and has been gaining more confidence in her role as a member of the royal family over the years.
I think now the great goal of Letizia and Felipe too, is to return to make the monarchy popular and preserve the institution so that Leonor can one day also become queen.

 

[Jasminpink3]

Letizia has definitaley choleric personality. She is a perfectionist , careerist, brave ,strong-willed, born leader type. This personality type is the most successful among the other types because these people always achieve their purposes. Hilary Clinton , Nikolas Sarkozy, Vladimir Putin just a few names who have the same temperament as Letizia.

Four Temperaments - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes! To me, She should be INTJ.
It confirms my guess that as mentioned above, Hillary Clinton and Vladimir Putin are also INTJ!

 

[Prinsara]

Why is it that Queen Letizia is not popular with the Spanish people. I have seen similar comments but never fully understood the reason.

To the best of my knowledge, the old-guard monarchists don't like her because she's divorced, supposedly atheistic or at least certainly someone who keeps her religious sensibilities to herself (which is not the greatest thing when you're a Catholic Majesty), from a family with recent working-class roots, and tends to act and dress like someone who keeps Franco nicely rotating in his relocated grave.

The republicans don't like her because they'll invent or exaggerate any flaw to damage the monarchy, so Letizia is cold, controlling, thinks she's better than everyone, etc.

I think Letizia is as introverted and guarded as someone in her position can be, she's protective of her girls and Felipe, and she wants to do everything professionally, which can all lead to the impression she's not spontaneous enough or that she is stuck up... but although I'm not Spanish and came in without preconceptions, I have always gotten the impression she's very nice, in addition to being intelligent and hardworking.

It's also probably just Spain, as now-beloved Sofia and in the past Victoria Eugenia were also greatly disliked. Other than being the easiest targets, why pick on the consorts, I don't know.

I see her as an ISTJ, actually. Very very business-like and dutiful and she likes her routines, sometimes a little too much. (Elizabeth II was said to have the same personality.)

 

[Saragli]

You bring up very good points Prinsara. I also think that Queen Letizia's "unpopularity" is overblown by those that don't like her. From my what I understand many Spaniards like and respect her. But to expand on those points I think many people had/have a hard time with her because they knew her already. She was a relatively well known journalist and was not a blank-slate when she became engaged to Felipe. She was also divorced and rumoured to be an atheist and republican. The traditionalist can't stand that, in their eyes, she is the antithesis to Queen Sofia.

 

[Somebody]

I guess the problem is that those who might feel some connection to her in terms of her views and personality are less likely to be monarchists (so they might be critical of anyone in the royal family), while she is very much NOT what the monarchists expected of Felipe for his wife and consort.

The fact that she was divorced and clearly didn't care much about the Catholic church prior to meeting Felipe is of course frowned upon by the more conservative and roman catholic aristocracy. The fact of the matter is that she didn't have a religious wedding for her first marriage, something that even those that don't tend to go to church might still do, so, the rumors of her being an atheist do have some basis in her own behavior. Note that if she had been religious and had had a religious marriage the first time, she would not have been able to marry Felipe in the Roman Catholic church (and therefore probably not at all).

 

[Prinsara]

I guess the problem is that those who might feel some connection to her in terms of her views and personality are less likely to be monarchists (so they might be critical of anyone in the royal family), while she is very much NOT what the monarchists expected of Felipe for his wife and consort.

But that really doesn't matter. Sofia was unimpeachably royal, dutiful, perfectly supportive and in no way overshadowing of Juan Carlos, converted and has freely demonstrated her faith ever since.... and she was really, really disliked by a sizable section of Spain, anyway, monarquistas included (in her case for being Greek and not pretty enough, things she couldn't control).

Without taking this off-topic, one might ask what the issue with Spain's personality is, not the women.

Or perhaps this thread should now be "Queen Letizia's Personality and Popularity", to widen the discussion.

 

[PhillyMonarchist]

You bring up very good points Prinsara. I also think that Queen Letizia's "unpopularity" is overblown by those that don't like her. From my what I understand many Spaniards like and respect her. But to expand on those points I think many people had/have a hard time with her because they knew her already. She was a relatively well known journalist and was not a blank-slate when she became engaged to Felipe. She was also divorced and rumoured to be an atheist and republican. The traditionalist can't stand that, in their eyes, she is the antithesis to Queen Sofia.

if she is a republican still she is doing bad job at beinga republican

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

At this point, nobody has to like Letizia anymore. She does her job well enough - people have accepted that and moved on. It think the hardcore times the tabloid press has given her are over. Looks are fading, and so is the interest since other protagonists have entered the stage, young, good looking girls who will start life and relationships soon. Plenty to write about, especially Sofia.
At this point, Letizia is hardly relevant for the monarchy, the important figure for monarchists has always been Felipe anyway.

 

[PhillyMonarchist]

At this point, nobody has to like Letizia anymore. She does her job well enough - people have accepted that and moved on. It think the hardcore times the tabloid press has given her are over. Looks are fading, and so is the interest since other protagonists have entered the stage, young, good looking girls who will start life and relationships soon. Plenty to write about, especially Sofia.
At this point, Letizia is hardly relevant for the monarchy, the important figure for monarchists has always been Felipe anyway.

its not like she is the queen or anything like that

 

[Blog Real]

Letizia is more popular now than she was a few years ago, at least that's my perception. People seem to like her, and even when she has official solo events, there are always lots of people there to see and greet her.
Letizia comes from a normal middle class family, obviously she had her convictions, which is normal, but I believe that after 20 years in the royal house and mother of the heiress, she clearly defends the monarchy and knows how much the institution she represents is important for Spain. Everything else is in the past. And she has done a good job.