Originally posted by Gabriella@Apr 5th, 2004 - 5:24 pm
They seem as if they are really popular with the people right now. I read somewhere that they are being hailed as the "People's Monarchy".
I read this in a BBC article, about the Spanish royal family being hailed as "the people's monarchy." It was about how members of the royal family were the only ones to reach out and console the grieving family members after the memorial mass while members of the government stood around watching. (The article added that members of the government felt that they
couldn't comfort the grieving families because they were partly responsible by chain of actions, such as supporting the U.S. alliance against terrorism and then sending Spanish troops. I am not sure that I completely believe this, but it is what the article said. Personally, I think the government should've been the first people to comfort the grieving families.) But in this way, the monarchy acted as the bridge between the government and the people.
As unfortunate as the events of March 11 were, and in no disrespect to I mean to demean the horribleness of those terrorist acts or the sad loss of lives, but the subsequent actions taken by the family the day of the terrorist attack and in the weeks after leading up to the memorial mass have shown the Spanish people how important and special their monarchy is. All members of the royal family showed tremendous compassion and sympathy with those who were hurt and/or those who lost family members, friends and loved ones. Even the "newest" (not technically official yet, I know) member of the royal family, Letizia showed tremendous concern and compassion.
I read that according to the Spanish press, they were most impressed with Queen Sofia during these weeks. She is normally quite stoic and unaffected emotionally by things, or at least does not show her emotions easily, but during the memorial mass she was the one member of the royal family who cried the most. I know that crying the most doesn't mean anything, but it does show how affected Her Majesty was by the event.
And also, I think that however opposed some of the Spanish people felt about Letizia becoming their future Queen this coming May, Letizia's actions and her behaviour at this time certainly demonstrated that she is capable for the task at hand. She may not be the Spanish people's perfect ideal of a future Queen, but in her own way and with her own style, she is capable. In a way, I think it was a trial by fire for Letizia, and certainly from what I have read and seen, she passed the test.