The Most Or Least Prepared Heir

[Rascal]

Best Potential - Current Generation of Heirs

Most of the monarchs in the world have been serving for the last 10-30 years, so we have some idea of how they are viewed and how they will be remembered in history.

I am curious what members of the forum think about the next generation - their heirs.
1. What are their strongest qualities?
2. What shortcomings/deficiencies do they need to conquer/develop before ascending to their throne?
3. Which of the current heirs will be most successful on the throne?
4. Which will be the most ineffective or biggest disappointment?
5. Which will have the best support from their family? the worst?
6. If you had to live in a monarchy, which would you most like to have as your monarch?
7. If you had to name them for posterity (i.e. Catherine the Great, Richard the Lionhearted, et.al.) what name would you bestow on them?

Hope you will enjoy considering the near future!

Rascal

 

[ashelen]

difficult questions to asnwer, the new generetion of princess most of them ex-commoners, are having great success, one more than the other but in general their are all success stories!

 

[Odette]

Only time will tell. At this point they are all shouldrered and protected by the monarchs who have been "on the job" and were "born to the job".
Once the current heirs and their commoner wives ascend to the throne things will change. Perhaps for the better or maybe not.
No one can know what challenges they will face and how they will respond. It will be fascinating to watch each of them and assess their work as time goes by.

 

[Royal Fan]

I Belive The Prince of Wales and Duke of Brabant will surprise everyone with their Good Leadership!

 

[Jacknch]

I think the strongest quality most of the current heirs have are their vitality and strengths of character. Secondly, they are managing well to try and balance the traditional elements of their roles with the modern era. They all need to work on this careful balance and help pursuade their countries that monarchy is relevant in this day and age and always will be.

I believe they will all be successful to one degree or another and I can think of no-one who will be a disappointment to their country. The Dutch royal family are, I think likely to get most genuine support from their families. I think most other royal families are supportive of the monarch, but I often wonder if it is genuine support or simply out of begrudging duty!

Being British, I must say I think PoW will be a good king although I envy Sweden with Victoria and Noray with Haakon.

As more naming them posthumously:

Charles the Eco-Warrior
Frederik the Navigator
Willem-Alexander the Strong
Haakon the Good
Victoria the Studious
Felipe the Tall/the Mighty

 

[Rascal]

Thanks for the reply and responses to the naming, Jacknch! I didn't want to throw my own opinions out there first because that sometimes affects the responses of others. Since you have the ball rolling, so to speak, here are my thoughts:

As more naming them posthumously:

Charles the Eco-Warrior (LOL)
Frederik the Navigator
Willem-Alexander the Strong
Haakon the Good
Victoria the Studious
Felipe the Tall/the Mighty

King Charles the Patient
King Philippe the Fertile
King Frederik the Cheerful
King Willem-Alexander the Loyal
King Haakon the Progressive
Queen Victoria the Gentle
King Felipe the Quiet

I think the strongest quality most of the current heirs have are their vitality and strengths of character. Secondly, they are managing well to try and balance the traditional elements of their roles with the modern era. They all need to work on this careful balance and help pursuade their countries that monarchy is relevant in this day and age and always will be.

I believe they will all be successful to one degree or another and I can think of no-one who will be a disappointment to their country. The Dutch royal family are, I think likely to get most genuine support from their families. I think most other royal families are supportive of the monarch, but I often wonder if it is genuine support or simply out of begrudging duty!

Being British, I must say I think PoW will be a good king although I envy Sweden with Victoria and Noray with Haakon.

I do agree that strength of character is the quality that is most important across the board. At times each of them have shown some weakness in character but they have also each shown a development in character. Most definitely this current crops of heirs is the most educated, trained, and aware of perhaps any other generation in history.

In regards to further development/challenges for improvement, I think the he is working on it quite a bit, but I don't know that the Prince of Wales has enough time left to counteract the ill will/resentment from the entire situation with Diana (PLEASE let's not get into a who was right and wrong discussion in the relationship). I do believe that his character and judgement took a huge hit as a result. As far as his decision to marry Camilla, he initially came off (IMO) as self-absorbed, spoiled, and stubborn. He has definitely improved but it seems like most people are looking forward to William ascending the throne rather than being excited about his father's time there.

With Prince Philippe, I believe his greatest challenge is to loosen up a bit. He always seems so serious to the point of being humorless and that can alienate people.

WA, Felipe, and Fred have all matured due to marriage and fatherhood and have seem to have found the balance they needed to be successful.

I know I called Victoria "the Gentle" because I think she is approachable and sensitive. I don't mean this in a power-hungry way, but I think that Victoria needs to be more aggressive/decisive about what she wants to accomplish. I believe that the people love her and appreciate what she does, but I don't know if they respect her in the same way I feel Elizabeth II, Margrethe II, or even her own mother Queen Silvia are.

I certainly don't wish to see any of them being called upon too soon, but it would be interesting to see what this generation will bring to the world of royalty.

Rascal

 

[MAfan]

But together with Philippe is Mathilde, who doesn't seem humorless, and I think people appreciate her...

 

[LadyLeana]

King Philippe the Fertile

You really are a rascal!

I'm afraid Philippe is just an introvert kind of person, and he will never really "loosen up". Just like his uncle Baudouin, only B had everyone's pity for losing his mother and being forced on the throne to save the monarchy. So people didn't mind.(I don't mean to sound to severe here, or pretend this all means nothing to a child/young adult, but I genuinely believe this softened people's opinions about him)
And according to several people who should know, the Duke of Brabant is actually a very funny kind of guy, who just freezes when he sees a camera pointed at him, like a rabbit caught in the light of a hunter. So I suppose that's just something he'll have to learn how to deal with. Which he's trying.

I don't know about his capacities as a leader, but I believe he'll have a hard time once he gets there.

 

[Royal Fan]

Heres an interesting thought What will be their ages when they become Monarchs

 

[MAfan]

You really are a rascal!

I'm afraid Philippe is just an introvert kind of person, and he will never really "loosen up". Just like his uncle Baudouin, only B had everyone's pity for losing his mother and being forced on the throne to save the monarchy. So people didn't mind.(I don't mean to sound to severe here, or pretend this all means nothing to a child/young adult, but I genuinely believe this softened people's opinions about him)
And according to several people who schould know, the Duke of Brabant is actually a very funny kind of guy, who just freezes when he sees a camera pointed at him, like a rabbit caught in the light of a hunter. So I suppose that's just something he'll have to learn how to deal with. Which he's trying.

I don't know about his capacities as a leader, but I believe he'll have a hard time once he gets there.

Yes, I agree with you; I have no doubts that he will be a good King, and that he and his belgian-born Queen will help to resolve the internal troubles of Belgium; but their life will remarkably change, and I pray God to make as far as possible the day when Philippe will become King of the Belgians.

 

[Rascal]

Actually, LadyLeanna, I'm a thoughtful, sensitive, caring individual...

Okay, you got me! I am a bit of a rascal!! Hope I didn't offend.

But I do agree that Philippe will have a difficult time. Given the state of tension within Belgium, I believe that he will probably have the most difficult time of all the current heirs.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Only time will tell.

yes and we may all be wrong. in the beginning king juan carlos was called "el breve" (the short) not because of his body length but because his reign was supposed to be short but 34 years later he's still around.

i'll have a try:

King Charles the Reformer
King Philippe the Last King of Belgium
King Frederik the Husband of Queen Mary
King Willem-Alexander the Strong (Jacknch, I agree!)
King Haakon the Progressive (Rascal, I agree!)
Queen Victoria the Superwoman
King Felipe the Last King of Spain

 

[Rascal]

King Frederik the Husband of Queen Mary

LOL, Duke of Marmalade! I definitely believe that Mary outshines Frederik in much the same way that Diana did Charles. I'm hoping that their story ends VERY differently than the POW couple.

Thanks for the responses!

Rascal

 

[LadyLeana]

Actually, LadyLeanna, I'm a thoughtful, sensitive, caring individual...

Okay, you got me! I am a bit of a rascal!! Hope I didn't offend.

Not at all, you made me laugh I still smile when I read this.

King Philippe the Last King of Belgium

I hope you mean to say all those who follow him will be Queens? I'm not really so naive, obviously, I just hope you're wrong...

I was thinking more along the lines of Philippe the Wooden... but that's not nearly as original as yours, Rascal...

 

[Lumutqueen]

Great question aurora.

The best prepared I think are Charles, Prince of Wales and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

Hmmm yes.
I think CP Frederik is very well prepared aswell.

Least prepared. Propably Henry VIII son Edward and i know this is going way back. More recently i think if Princess Caroline is going to do what people say she will and bypass herself and give the throne to her son, Andrea.
I think he isn't very well prepared for the role.
x

 

[RubyPrincess168]

Prince Charles of Wales wouldn't be on my list of most prepared. Just because he's had the longest period of time for preparation doesn't necessarily mean he's prepared.

It's difficult to judge but I think the Scandinavians - CP Frederick of Denmark, CP Haakon of Norway, and CPs Victoria of Sweden - are the best prepared. And I agree with Andrea Casiraghi as least prepared and I'd add CP Pavlos of Greece too, if he were ever to return to the throne.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Prince Charles of Wales wouldn't be on my list of most prepared. Just because he's had the longest period of time for preparation doesn't necessarily mean he's prepared.

You are right but that's not the reason. The reason is that his agenda, the topics he gets involved in and the influence / connections he was able to establish during this long period of "waiting" time are massive and unchallenged among his peers. But to be fair, Britain as a monarchy is massive and will not only a need a heir who is up to the challenge but also adds substance and personality, maybe more than other countries will require. It took Charles many years to be taken seriously by the British public, only in the past years he finally got there.

 

[RubyPrincess168]

You are right but that's not the reason. The reason is that his agenda, the topics he gets involved in and the influence / connections he was able to establish during this long period of "waiting" time are massive and unchallenged among his peers. But to be fair, Britain as a monarchy is massive and will not only a need a heir who is up to the challenge but also adds substance and personality, maybe more than other countries will require. It took Charles many years to be taken seriously by the British public, only in the past years he finally got there.

I guess it's not as obvious (the work he's done) to those of us on the other side of the pond. He seems to spend alot of his time on organic gardening & farming. I don't know how seriously people here take him (I guess I don't). But you're right in that Britian's monarchy - duties, responsibilities, etc. - span a much larger portion of the globe than the other monarchies of the world. It's really not fair then to compare Prince Charles' readiness with those of his fellow heirs-to-thrones.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I guess it's not as obvious (the work he's done) to those of us on the other side of the pond. He seems to spend alot of his time on organic gardening & farming. I don't know how seriously people here take him (I guess I don't). But you're right in that Britian's monarchy - duties, responsibilities, etc. - span a much larger portion of the globe than the other monarchies of the world. It's really not fair then to compare Prince Charles' readiness with those of his fellow heirs-to-thrones.

Yes correct this is the way I meant it and I agree that for reasons of the much wider scope, background and history of the British monarchy it's difficult to compare Charles to others. What Charles' public reception really gave a boost is his engagement in the "green" topic, something he has been promoting almost for decades but has been laughed at and ridiculed for. Since it became "in" to be green and Al Gore put being green on a global map, Charles is being recognised as a person with a true motivation and not, unlike many others, jumped on the bandwaggon to have their share of publicity. I live in Britain and from my perspecitve he is seen as "ready", after leaving his personal troubles behind he almost acts like an "Elder Statesman" in some respects these days. It's rather his son William who is the one considered being lightyears away from "ready" in the public discussion.

 

[madeleine victoria]

King Charles the Reformer
King Philippe the Last King of Belgium
King Frederik the Husband of Queen Mary
King Willem-Alexander the Strong (Jacknch, I agree!)
King Haakon the Progressive (Rascal, I agree!)
Queen Victoria the Superwoman
King Felipe the Last King of Spain

I have to agree with King Frederik the Husband of Queen Mary. This one I expected to come-out

 

[Lilla]

I have to agree with King Frederik the Husband of Queen Mary. This one I expected to come-out

I have to disagree. For members on this forum it might seem to be right. But in Denmark there is no doubt that it is Frederik who is to become head of state and that Mary - even though she is extremely popular - merely is his wife. That will not change when he is King.

My guess would be:

King Frederik the Beloved

or simply: Pingo (which is what he is called today)

In Greenland my guess is that he would be called:

King Frederik the Inuit

 

[Madame Royale]

King Frederik the Beloved

King Frederik the True

Heres an interesting thought What will be their ages when they become Monarchs

Charles: Late 60's to early seventies
Frederik: Mid 50's
Victoria: Early 50's
Haakon: Late 40's
Willem-Alexander: Late 40's to early 50's
Felipe: Mid 50's
Philippe: Mid to late 50's
Guillaume: Mid to late 40's

 

[Bones]

1. What are their strongest qualities?
2. What shortcomings/deficiencies do they need to conquer/develop before ascending to their throne?
3. Which of the current heirs will be most successful on the throne?
4. Which will be the most ineffective or biggest disappointment?
5. Which will have the best support from their family? the worst?
6. If you had to live in a monarchy, which would you most like to have as your monarch?
7. If you had to name them for posterity (i.e. Catherine the Great, Richard the Lionhearted, et.al.) what name would you bestow on them?

1. Strongest qualities for most of them seems to be their spouses or their children who seem more often than not to be more popular than the heirs themselves.
2. The Duke of Brabant and Prince of the Asturias do need to try to lighten-up and open up a little more. Prince Charles is really going to have to get it through his head that he does not and should not need to share his opinion on everything.
3. Most successful, as it is now, would probably be Hereditary Princess Caroline of Monaco who has probably had more experience and time for preparation than most. She also knows how to handle filling big shoes and balance the social side and the "duties" side.
4. Most ineffective, I'm afriad might be the Prince of Wales ("King George VII"). My concerns about him is that he will not be able to keep his opinions to himself and that in trying to please everyone he might end up pleasing no one. I think the monarchy will survive him but I doubt the Church of England will.
5. Not sure on that one, I don't know that any of the heirs have bad relationships with their families, they all seem to have good relationships.
6. If I went to go live in an existing monarchy it would probably be Monaco or Liechtenstein. If the area I live in now were to magically become one I would probably favor King Juan Carlos since this land did belong to the Spanish Crown for several hundred years in the past.
7. "Charles the Plant Whisperer" - "Willem the Smiling" - "Philippe the Good" - "Guillaume the Giant" - "Caroline the Survivor" - "Felipe of the Good Taste in Women" - "Haakon the Egalitarian" - "Frederick Down Under" - Victoria I'm not sure about how it would translate in Swedish but when I think of her the term "Steel Magnolia" comes to mind. Last but not least is "Alois, King of England, Scotland, Ireland and France" (just a friendly nudge to the diehard Jacobites out there)

 

[lyndaW]

I found all of your thoughts very interesting. I would think (personally) I would add CP Naruhito to not being ready to take over

 

[HRHofNothing]

Every one of the heirs are to be judged differently when we access if they are prepared or not. It is obvious that Victoria will not need the same level of preparation that Charles and Williem-Alexander need/needed.

One common denominator across the board when trying to judge their preparedness is IMAGE. The importance of image cannot be understaded-esp. in those Monarchies that are completely ceremonial. One has to give the image that one is doing something for the country at all times- wether it be true or not. IMO, this is where Fred fails miserably. He could be the greatest constitutional scholar that Denmark has ever known, but his image is that of a lazy, do-nothing guy and in the long run it will cost him (it seems atleast on this board-it is already costing him. Haakon has the same education levels that Fred has but he has managed to carve himself a niche and gets tons of positive press for this, Victoria is on her way to doing the same. Willem-Alexander and Charles are there.

The Duke of Barbant is a curious case. He seems to be well prepared but it seems was expecting to accede when his Uncle died and when his Father decided NOT to renounce his rights, he lost all interest or something. Also, IMO on a personal level he does not seem to be happy with life in general.

 

[TLLK]

Prince Charles of Wales wouldn't be on my list of most prepared. Just because he's had the longest period of time for preparation doesn't necessarily mean he's prepared.

It's difficult to judge but I think the Scandinavians - CP Frederick of Denmark, CP Haakon of Norway, and CPs Victoria of Sweden - are the best prepared. And I agree with Andrea Casiraghi as least prepared and I'd add CP Pavlos of Greece too, if he were ever to return to the throne.

Of the current monarchs, I believe that King Abdullah of Jordan was the "least prepared" in that he was not expected to become King. He was well-educated, but he expected to continue as an Army officer. His uncle was the designated Crown Prince until the late King Hussein chose to name Abdullah to the position.

 

[auntie]

Every one of the heirs are to be judged differently when we access if they are prepared or not. It is obvious that Victoria will not need the same level of preparation that Charles and Williem-Alexander need/needed.

One common denominator across the board when trying to judge their preparedness is IMAGE. The importance of image cannot be understaded-esp. in those Monarchies that are completely ceremonial. One has to give the image that one is doing something for the country at all times- wether it be true or not. IMO, this is where Fred fails miserably. He could be the greatest constitutional scholar that Denmark has ever known, but his image is that of a lazy, do-nothing guy and in the long run it will cost him (it seems atleast on this board-it is already costing him. Haakon has the same education levels that Fred has but he has managed to carve himself a niche and gets tons of positive press for this, Victoria is on her way to doing the same. Willem-Alexander and Charles are there.

The Duke of Barbant is a curious case. He seems to be well prepared but it seems was expecting to accede when his Uncle died and when his Father decided NOT to renounce his rights, he lost all interest or something. Also, IMO on a personal level he does not seem to be happy with life in general.

WOW! you hit it on the spot. I totally agree with you on every word, I do think image is very very important, and a main factor to how the royals are perceived and jugded. Being British myself, I can tell you that Charle's image improved greatly after Diana passed on and his warm relationship with his sons emerged. (prior only Diana seemed a doting parent) and when he remarried and seems so happy and the couple do their duties so effectively.

 

[auntie]

Of the current monarchs, I believe that King Abdullah of Jordan was the "least prepared" in that he was not expected to become King. He was well-educated, but he expected to continue as an Army officer. His uncle was the designated Crown Prince until the late King Hussein chose to name Abdullah to the posistion.

I always wonder if PHassan really beleived he would be the ONE, after all he was made CP when there was an attack on KHoussein's life and his oldest son was 4. QNoor's eldest, Hamzah was groomed for kingdom, and yes, Abdulla had little time to prepare, a few months, yet it shows us how mistaken we can all be, Frederick and Philppe may yet be the best of their generation.

 

[Lilla]

The importance of image cannot be understaded-esp. in those Monarchies that are completely ceremonial. One has to give the image that one is doing something for the country at all times- wether it be true or not. IMO, this is where Fred fails miserably. He could be the greatest constitutional scholar that Denmark has ever known, but his image is that of a lazy, do-nothing guy and in the long run it will cost him (it seems atleast on this board-it is already costing him.

Well this is your oppinion HRHofNothing and as it is your impression I naturally will respect it. But I do find it critical when you try to voice the oppinion of other members on this board. Anyway, if your impression - of the oppinions members have posted on this board regarding CP Frederik - is the one quoted above, I can't do anything about it. But it is clear to me that we haven't read the same posts.

When it comes to the oppinion of the Danes I will surgest you read this article published the 13th of april 2009 : Danskerne: Margrete bør gå - Avisen.dk Translated into English the headline says: "The Danes: Margrethe ought to step down"

In Danish it sayes that a poll made among the Danes shows that "Kun en ud af tre danskere mener, at Dronning Margrete skal fortsætte som regent, når hun næste år fylder 70" and that: "76 procent af danskere i meningsmålingen mener, at Kronprins Frederik nu er klar til at overtage posten (som Konge)".

Translated into English: "Only one out of three Danes think that QMII shall continue as Regent, when she turns 70 next year" and that: "76 % of the Danes in the poll thinks CP Frederik is ready to become King".

It seems to me that the Danes don't quit concur with you or the posters on this board on behalf of whom you are trying to speak - whoever they are .

IMO all the CP's are prepared for their future roles as regents. The only thing lacking for each of them in order to fully take the responsibility, is for the present heads of state to either abdicate or die. Regarding CP Charles - he has been ready for decades.

 

[HRHofNothing]

Well this is your oppinion HRHofNothing and as it is your impression I naturally will respect it. But I do find it critical when you try to voice the oppinion of other members on this board. Anyway, if your impression - of the oppinions members have posted on this board regarding CP Frederik - is the one quoted above, I can't do anything about it. But it is clear to me that we haven't read the same posts.

When it comes to the oppinion of the Danes I will surgest you read this article published the 13th of april 2009 : Danskerne: Margrete bør gå - Avisen.dk Translated into English the headline says: "The Danes: Margrethe ought to step down"

In Danish it sayes that a poll made among the Danes shows that "Kun en ud af tre danskere mener, at Dronning Margrete skal fortsætte som regent, når hun næste år fylder 70" and that: "76 procent af danskere i meningsmålingen mener, at Kronprins Frederik nu er klar til at overtage posten (som Konge)".

Translated into English: "Only one out of three Danes think that QMII shall continue as Regent, when she turns 70 next year" and that: "76 % of the Danes in the poll thinks CP Frederik is ready to become King".

It seems to me that the Danes don't quit concur with you or the posters on this board on behalf of whom you are trying to speak - whoever they are .

IMO all the CP's are prepared for their future roles as regents. The only thing lacking for each of them in order to fully take the responsibility, is for the present heads of state to either abdicate or die. Regarding CP Charles - he has been ready for decades.

I don't knwo what posts you are reading but if you read the answers in this thread alone, you will get the impression that Fred has the image of not being well prepared to be king Simply count the number of posters that have listed him as being unprepared. That is his image and it has nothing to do with with the reality of the situation is.