Royals with Disabilities or Special Needs

[Meraude]

Originally Posted by Danishla

I love this thread and I know we are talking about serius disability here but I wanted to bring up the example of Princess Victoria dyslexia which she made public, and I feel it was so edifying and an example to people who suffer from a similar condition. So, yes I believe that public recognition elevates and humanizes their positions in society in a very special way.
BBC NEWS | Europe | Swedish princess reveals bullying secret

King Carl Gustaf (and prince Carl Philip) are also dyslectic, and who knows if there have been other dyslectics in the Bernadotte family, as before the king heirs to the throne were privately educated.

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Dyslexia is not the same as autism or reduced mental capacities.
As for physical disabilities I recall the last emperor of Germany had a bad arm.

[Meraude]

As for heir to the throne with physical handicaps, the Spanish infante Jaime Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia , renounced his rights to the Spanish throne for himself and his descendants, making his younger brother Juan, father of Juan Carlos, the designated heir of king Alfonso XIII of Spain.

[Tsar bobo Iv]

why did they let Charles II of Spain be king are was he a puppet king

[Kruununprinsessa]

Originally Posted by Tsar bobo Iv

why did they let Charles II of Spain be king are was he a puppet king

Yes. His mother was his regent, and for the most part ran the country. Spain was not in a great place at the time, and his reign was pretty much ineffectual. He became king in the first place because his only brother died at 16. If he'd lived Charles wouldn't have been king.

[Tsar bobo Iv]

Originally Posted by Kruununprinsessa

Yes. His mother was his regent, and for the most part ran the country. Spain was not in a great place at the time, and his reign was pretty much ineffectual. He became king in the first place because his only brother died at 16. If he'd lived Charles wouldn't have been king.

thank you for clearing things up for me

[regardez]

I remember something about the Wessex's little girl having eye problems? Or did I make that up?

[Iluvbertie]

Louise does have extropia. There have been conflicting reports as to whether or not she has had surgery for it.

It wouldn't stop her becoming Queen however.

[TLLK]

I have to agree with those who have stated that the severity of the disability would determine if a person could be eligible for the throne. For those family members who are unlikely to inherit then I do believe they could remain in the line of succession. However if this is the heir to the throne it would depend upon the type and severity of the disability.

The former French royal family has this issue with its eldest heir due to his severe mental disability. He retains his titles but would never be able to live on his own or assume any duties.

[Andolini]

As I am from the United States, my first thought was Franklin Delano Roosevelt - though he was not a monarch, he was paralyzed due to polio, but kept his "braced" legs hidden throughout his 4 (!) terms. I am not that old, but from what I learned, it did nothing to slow him down, and his extraordinary wife declared "I am my husband's legs". I think he is an excellent example, though he was not a king, of how a physical disability does not mean the person cannot do the job they intended and wanted to do.

[sarahedwards2]

In the olden days, if a mother gave birth to a baby that had a mental disorder (for example Down syndrome), the child was institutionalized. The family was told the baby had died, and it was never to be mentioned again. It was as if the child never existed.

[nascarlucy]

My half brother was born with Down Syndrome in 1970. My father and step-mother were told to have him institutionalized as he would never be able to do anything. Thankfully they didn't listen to the Doctors who were wrong. Sadly other children never got a chance and were just locked away, out of sight, out of mind.

Some of this had to do with not really knowing that much about people who had Down Syndrome and another factor was many people in the old days were very uncomfortable around anyone who had any noticeable physical or mental challenges. Today this still exists to a certain degree.

In cases of physical disabilities or challenges, the mind is not always affected so someone who had a deformed limb or was born without a limb or born without a kidney or who had cerebal palsy could be a heir to the throne as these generally don't affect a person's intelligence. For the most part, these individuals would be able to have children.

With learning disabilities and mental challenges, the mind is affected to varying degrees. Some people have learning disabiities which are mild or who are able to overcome these difficulties or they compensate for it by having a good memory of things or learning to read in a different manner. People are around to help them out so that the effect of the learning disabilities is minimal to them.

Mental challenges could be mild or severe. This is a much more difficult call. Someone who is mentally ill can be of average or high intelligence level. However, someone who is severely mentally ill or mentally ill to the point where they can't function and can't think rationally would not be an heir to the throne. When it comes to mental illness, this is a tricky one as there are varying degree of mental illness. Not everyone who is mentally ill is dangerous to others.

[Happiness is sweet]

One of the sheikh's of U.A.E. (i think dubai) is dyslectic.

[leidi]

Prince Emmanuel of Belgium has a learning disability, I'm not sure which one and he's attending a special school now.

[sarahedwards2]

Originally Posted by Happiness is sweet

One of the sheikh's of U.A.E. (i think dubai) is dyslectic.

So is Princess Beatrice.

[Mermaid1962]

Isn't Prince Harry rumoured to have a learning disability as well? It certainly hasn't affected his ability to fly complicated machinery.

[NGalitzine]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

Isn't Prince Harry rumoured to have a learning disability as well? It certainly hasn't affected his ability to fly complicated machinery.

For Harry I believe it was just a case of not being academically inclined since he alwasy knew he wanted a military career and he has done rather well on his military exams as a helicopter pilot.

[NGalitzine]

Originally Posted by leidi

Prince Emmanuel of Belgium has a learning disability, I'm not sure which one and he's attending a special school now.

dyslexia.
..

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

Isn't Prince Harry rumoured to have a learning disability as well? It certainly hasn't affected his ability to fly complicated machinery.

From what I understand, when it comes to learning disabilities, it's about teaching the child strategies to help him/her process things easier. If Henry does indeed have a learning disability, then while he was in school, he was taught strategies to help him get his work done and understand what he was learning. Those strategies could very well have been more than helpful in his training as well. Also, more often than not, those who have learning disabilities are very, very intelligent, but because of the LD, their academic performance and intelligence level don't match up.

[Blue_]

Originally Posted by NGalitzine

dyslexia.
..

Where do you get that news from? I tought nobody knew about?