Pope Benedict XVI's Official Visit to Spain: November 6-7, 2010

[carinthia]

duke, thanks a lot! you are great in analysing the point!

 

[hana]

i totally agree with your point view

 

[black]

I am always amazed that a royal job is considered exhausting or stressful. Unlike "normal" people, royals dont work for a living, they do none of the things that usually fill peoples everyday lifes: they dont clean, cook, drive, queue up at the shops, they have everything they wish at their dispose and people around them who organise their life, even do their office work or write their speeches, not to forget the life-in nannies who look after the children when they are not at home. Given a day has approx 12 working hours, it should give enough time to be prepared for the average of 2-4 events they do per week, and very often these events are either in the morning, afternoon or evening, full day events are rare, visits abroad even more rare.

I know a lot of people who have stressful jobs because they either have full working hours or work physically hard or both, but I wouldnt apply this to any royal. I can accept that being under scrutiny and the full attention of the media might be stressful but this is what royals are there for and get quite a few privileges in return, not to forget that they have total privacy when they are at home.

No excuse for looking tired or exhausted during royal events, really.

well she could have just been cold. i dont think it matters if u have a nanny, u can still get cold
and i wouldnt so readily dismiss a person's lifestyle because it is dissimilar to yours. all that travelling is stressful. it doesnt matter even if u do it on a private plane/helicopter
besides, all this is conjecture anyway. there are quite a few pics of her smiling and greeting the people who came to see them so she wasnt 'awkward' the whole way

 

[lula]

That is only to see the nice part... to be always observed, analyzed, has to control each of your movements, lack freedom to say and do what you want and when you want, to live controlled by strict measures of safety, to have your life threatened, to support all kinds of gossips or lies about you... and the Spanish Monarchy is not precisely the easiest and the one that has the most enterteining acts. It's a different job, but that does not mean it can not be stressful.

Let's not forget that anyone can get sick ... I followed the events, and the Princess seemed not to feel well from the morning. The mass was on the outside and it was quite cold.

 

[Princess_Beatrix]

Let's not forget that anyone can get sick ....

Yes, I thought she didn't look well since a few events. Maybe she's having a cold or something like this. I hope she'll have her pretty smile back soon.

 

[crisscross1]

Pope Benedict XVI Visits Santiago de Compostela - Pictures - Zimbio

I absolutely love this suit that Letizia is wearing. It's a beautiful colour and very flattering on her tiny, trim figure

 

[Parrothead]

Why, oh why, oh why does there always have to be endless debate about how Princess Letizia appears in a photograph that captures a split second of a long event? Frankly, I'm so tired of coming to this board and hoping to see pictures and news of the royal family at an event only to find that it is bogged down with endless nit-picking on her.

It is to the point that if she were to single-handedly discover the cure for cancer she would still be beat up only because she did not discover it fast enough.

I would encourage all of the posters to take a step back and ask yourself, if you were in this position, how would you act? Meeting the head of a religion (and in this case also a head of state) is a very solemn, dignified, monumental, yet thrilling event. A photograph only shows a split-second of what is happening. Did she fall asleep at the event, did she yawn, did she whip out her cellphone to do a quick text? No she did not. She performed her duties as the crown princess of her country beautifully and yet she is still beaten up by the crowds on this board because of how she looked (to some posters) in a few photographs.

I would encourage everyone to take a deep breath and dial back the critique, it really has gotten out of hand and is making this board less-enjoyable for those of us who want to hear news and see pictures of a hard-working royal family.

 

[crisscross1]

Why, oh why, oh why does there always have to be endless debate about how Princess Letizia appears in a photograph that captures a split second of a long event? Frankly, I'm so tired of coming to this board and hoping to see pictures and news of the royal family at an event only to find that it is bogged down with endless nit-picking on her.

It is to the point that if she were to single-handedly discover the cure for cancer she would still be beat up only because she did not discover it fast enough.

I would encourage all of the posters to take a step back and ask yourself, if you were in this position, how would you act? Meeting the head of a religion (and in this case also a head of state) is a very solemn, dignified, monumental, yet thrilling event. A photograph only shows a split-second of what is happening. Did she fall asleep at the event, did she yawn, did she whip out her cellphone to do a quick text? No she did not. She performed her duties as the crown princess of her country beautifully and yet she is still beaten up by the crowds on this board because of how she looked (to some posters) in a few photographs.

I would encourage everyone to take a deep breath and dial back the critique, it really has gotten out of hand and is making this board less-enjoyable for those of us who want to hear news and see pictures of a hard-working royal family.

Well said Parrothead, I thought she looked beautiful, well and happy. I too don't quite understand what people expect from her.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Let's not forget that anyone can get sick ... I followed the events, and the Princess seemed not to feel well from the morning. The mass was on the outside and it was quite cold.

apparently she was well enough to attend a rock concert the same night far more exciting to watch Jon Bonjovi instead of the Holy Father

 

[black]

apparently she was well enough to attend a rock concert the same night far more exciting to watch Jon Bonjovi instead of the Holy Father

well lets wait till we get some pics of her at the concert and u can comment on how she looks terrible and not doing her job well there too...

 

[Lumutqueen]

well lets wait till we get some pics of her at the concert and u can comment on how she looks terrible and not doing her job well there too...

Where did DukeofMarmalade say she looked terrible?

The attend a rock concert, rather than participating in a state visit is a bit out of order.

 

[black]

she didnt attend the concert instead of participating in a state visit cuz a) it wasnt a state visit and b) she went after the engagement. in her time. which she is perfectly entitled to do.
besides, i was kidding cuz of all the nitpicking that goes on.

 

[Lumutqueen]

It's an apostilic visit, and I say it was a pretty big event for the Pope to visit Spain. Letizia could have made the effort to look like she actually wanted to be there. Peopl say she was ill, obviously not ill enough to prevent her looking very happy at the concert.

 

[lula]

I was waiting for you...She was uncomfortable in the meeting with the Pope, and at the end she walked quickly down the hall, and the bodyguards, that followed her immediately, waited for her in the corridor when they saw where she was going. Really she did not seem be well. In the photos of the concert she enjoys it, but at some her face continues not being good. Let's wait for news.

 

[black]

It's an apostilic visit, and I say it was a pretty big event for the Pope to visit Spain. Letizia could have made the effort to look like she actually wanted to be there. Peopl say she was ill, obviously not ill enough to prevent her looking very happy at the concert.

well not too many (if any) have commented on her looking unhappy in the spanish media. there are pics of her smiling and greeting the ppl there to see her as i have previously said. so, i dont think this 'discussion' will get anywhere as we clearly saw two different sets of pics

 

[donnaK]

true, but JPII was unique due to his long reign (many people cant remember any other pope before him) and his ability as "fisher of men".
Ratzinger is much older and much more conservative, a spiritual minded person on a different intellectual level.

whatever, Sofia in any case is more professional or a much better actress than her D-I-L, would never give such a revealing look to JC while Letizia needs to make clear to Felipe that she is not enjoying herself.
http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Pope+Benedict+XVI+Visits+Santiago+de+Compostela+nbBQ_EbxCzdl.jpg

I'd not compare the two couples, JC and Sofia rarely looked at each other .
It looks like a normal picture of them looking at each other, I really can't tell she was telling Felipe she didn't enjoy the visit from this picture. I have seen much worse pictures of Sofia looking at others (ex. her son), but it didn't mean anything since pictures only captured a split of a second.

I was waiting for you...She was uncomfortable in the meeting with the Pope, and at the end she walked quickly down the hall, and the bodyguards, that followed her immediately, waited for her in the corridor when they saw where she was going. Really she did not seem be well. In the photos of the concert she enjoys it, but at some her face continues not being good. Let's wait for news.

Didn't she go to the restroom ? Maybe she had wanted to go during the meeting, not because she didn't feel well .

 

[Winnie]

apparently she was well enough to attend a rock concert the same night far more exciting to watch Jon Bonjovi instead of the Holy Father

Hell, I agree with that!

 

[madeleine victoria]

Well, Letizia looked lively in the Bon Jovi pictures. What do you expect from someone who watches a rock n roll concert? Stay put and never get into the groove? If I was watching his concert live, I will enjoy the event as well.

These are 2 different events. One which is a very solemn event and the other being not. And I agree with someone here who posted that while pictures are part of the whole event, we really cannot judge one's personality or character for that matter. They are a hardworking couple just like the other royals. And yes they don't do laundry and wash dishes but can you imagine being in the public eye everyday? Yes, the moment she said "yes" to Felipe, she accepted that her life will change. I do think that being in the public eye and being a private individual does have its similarity. Both has its own difficulties. Its just in the different level.