Job Specification For A Princess


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KelliB said:
I love this sentiment, but honestly, could you really become a princess and remain the same old person the prince fell in love with? I don't think so. Yes, it may just be the outer shell that changes (the clothes, the jewels) but I can't help but think it would be so difficult to remain carefree, open and unselfconscious in that position.

It is obvious that your life will be upside down when you marry the Heir of a reigning dynasty. Princess Máxima, herself coming from a total different part of the world and absolutely unknown with monarchy in her homeland and in the United States, suddenly found herself seated in this position. She herself labelled that as 'Bizarre' in a television interview.

But overall we can say that most Princesses have not changed since their engagement. There is not much difference between Lady Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz then and the Duchess of Brabant now. There is not much difference between Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano then and the Princess of Asturias now. They remained pretty much their own selves.

Masako Owada, Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby and Mary Donaldson come in my mind as the Princesses whom have changed quite a lot.
 
Henri M. said:
There is not much difference between Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano then and the Princess of Asturias now. They remained pretty much their own selves..
Really, I think she has changed the most of all of them, I can hardly belive the energetic, outgoing person full of life from the engagement is the same one we see theese days.

Maxima on the other hand has not changed a mm in my oppinon, so I guess WA must be happy:lol:
 
In my eyes princess Mathilde and princess Masako changed a lot. I can tell you a lot of people in Belgium agree with me on the fact princess Mathilde changed a lot in a negative way, and that's such a pity! Princess Mette-Marit, princess Mary, princess Letizia remained being there own selfs as far as I know.
 
Eva-Britt said:
I can tell you a lot of people in Belgium agree with me on the fact princess Mathilde changed a lot in a negative way, and that's such a pity!

Ugh?

Negative?

Princess Mathilde?

Can you explain it?
 
Eva-Britt said:
I can tell you a lot of people in Belgium agree with me on the fact princess Mathilde changed a lot in a negative way, and that's such a pity!

Care to explain what negative way that Princess Mathilde has changed? I agree with Henri M. that Mary has changed alot since she became Crown Princess of Denmark.
 
Henri M. said:
The answer is: remain yourself.

That is all. The books and the dvd's can be thrown into the dustbin.

On the evening of his engagement, the Prince of Orange openly made a call to his fiancée, live on television: "I hope you remain the same Máxima" (meaning: don't let your new position change your vibrant personality and savoir-vivre we all felt in love with).

I don't think it has anything to do with being yourself. Obviously, there has to be a change in how a Princess acts in her public life compared to her previous life. I don't know if the OP was talking about putting on airs to appear to be more princess like versus learning etiquette, deportment, and things of that nature. I don't see anything wrong with that.
 
Larzen said:
Really, I think she has changed the most of all of them, I can hardly belive the energetic, outgoing person full of life from the engagement is the same one we see theese days.
Exactly my feeling. IMO it's Letizia who has changed the most.

Larzen said:
Maxima on the other hand has not changed a mm in my oppinon, so I guess WA must be happy:lol:
In my eyes it's Mathilde who hasn't changed a mm.
Perhaps the perception of her has changed but she herself seems pretty much the same,
personality-wise and look-wise.

Mette-Marit and Mary have certainly changed, and in a positive way I feel,
they both seem more at ease or more natural in their official roles nowadays.
They show commitment and strength.
Mary's look changed definitely.
But regarding their private sphere, their personalities,
they don't seem that different to me.

Maxima still has that warmth and vivacity she had 5 years ago,
(perhaps a little more reduced though).
Personality-wise she doesn't seem to have changed a lot.
But I must say regarding look and style she has changed to the worse.
IMO she looked so much more elegant and refined at the beginning than now.
I never particularly liked her fashion style but she looked more refined.

But in the end we can only notice the changes of looks
it's the husbands who really know whether their personalities have changed or not.:lol:
 
ricarda said:
Maxima still has that warmth and vivacity she had 5 years ago,
(perhaps a little more reduced though).
Personality-wise she doesn't seem to have changed a lot.
But I must say regarding look and style she has changed to the worse.
IMO she looked so much more elegant and refined at the beginning than now.
I never particularly liked her fashion style but she looked more refined.
I wasn`t really talking about clothes, hair, skin whatever, that is only so deep, more about appearance in public, the way the interact, behave, talk in interviews etc. And when it comes to that I dont think Maxima has changed alot, she seems to me the same one in Oslo a couple a weeks ago as the woman who was in Haakons wedding in 2001, the style has changed (and I agree not really for the better) but her personality not IMO. She makes still a very positive impression on me, esp "live" on TV (and I have to say when I first saw pictures of her back in 2000 my first thought was - vulgar:neutral: ), and I also saw her for real in Trondheim in 2002, friendly, waving and smiling to everyone without posing and pouting like a Miss Universe, which is nice when people have been waiting for many hours, some just hurried by and harldy looked left or right, and I still think she and her husband together has a certain presence, a friendly presence, but still something extra, for me atleast (maybe it is their height:lol:).
 
Maxima has a genuineness (is that a word ;)) that seems bone deep. When she smiles (really smiles) you can see it in her eyes. Her vivacity is wonderful, and makes her seem real and approachable.
Letizia, I think, seems to hold herself back sometimes. My profile pic of Letizia with this crazy googly-eyes look (It's also on the caption this thread) is one of my favorites of her, because she is so funny! At the same time, I think many others, as well as me, like her for her elegance and beauty-a little like a china doll. I don't think I would necessarily want her to be exactly like Maxima, but..I feel like there has got to be some middle ground.
Mary has done well, and although she is this very elegant woman who just seems naturally graceful, she still seems like the girl next door. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it is in the way she relates to people, and that she isn't afraid to laugh. She has become a million (or more) dollar asset to Denmark.
Mathilde- It is interesting to me to hear such different opinions on Mathilde. She strikes me as just being someone who seems rather mild-mannered, but kind and sweet. However, I could be completely wrong. I hope I'm not.
A woman who suprised me with her transformation was Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. I wasn't prepared to like her, but now, I prefer her to many of the other members of the British royal family! She takes life with a smile and a laugh, and works hard at her role.
 
ricarda said:
Maxima still has that warmth and vivacity she had 5 years ago,
(perhaps a little more reduced though).
Personality-wise she doesn't seem to have changed a lot.
But I must say regarding look and style she has changed to the worse.
IMO she looked so much more elegant and refined at the beginning than now.
I never particularly liked her fashion style but she looked more refined.

I do share Ricarda's opinion. About the slight reduction on her warmth, vivacity, etc. today I went through the "Maxitour" video footage in the DVD which was released for the wedding. She was obviously amused about the incredible amount of attention she was receiving from a (up to that moment) foreing land and people. She was also trying to act accordingly to what was expected from her, but she probably knew that her charisma was the key factor for the Maximania.
5 years later, she doesn't really need to validate this anymore, but to start acting like a future Queen (or whatever the title she will finally carry). So maybe that's why she has reduced the outstanding expressiveness.

About the clothes...sometimes she looks wonderful and sometimes you might wonder "what was she thinking when she pulled out THIS out of the wardrobe?" ;) ...
 
Princess Masako hasn't changed as much as being forced into a straitjacket that doesn't suit her. The fact that it led to a nervous breakdown means the original Masako is still there but can't cope with the expectations of the people who would change her to suit their preconceptions of what a princess should be.
 
I agree all the princesses' fashions have changed but when it comes to their personalities they are still the same women who fell in love and married their princes.They have tough roads ahead of them being they will be future queens to their homeland or adopted homelands in the future.
 
From B.T.'s article
Requirements of a princess from Catarina Hurtig's book:


  1. Fertile – she must be able to have children
  2. Be a good mother
  3. Interested in fashion and beauty
  4. Able to keep a tight reign on her temperament and always appear in control
  5. Sense of social occasion and like to meet people
  6. Be discreet and able to keep confidences
  7. Be able to talk without being imprudent
  8. Kind and obliging, but at the same keep a certain distance. BUT without appearing cold and arrogant
  9. Show an interest towards the outside world
  10. Able to talk to all kinds of people
  11. Appear warm, soft and accessible
  12. Have a good relationship with her mother-in-law, the Queen
  13. No skeletons in the cupboard, such as embarrassing episodes from her youth
  14. No embarrassing family relations, who make scandals or talk out of place to the press
 
Last edited:
From B.T.'s article
Requirements of a princess from Catarina Hurtig's book:


  1. Fertile – she must be able to have children
  2. Be a good mother
  3. Interested in fashion and beauty
  4. Able to keep a tight reign on her temperament and always appear in control
  5. Sense of social occasion and like to meet people
  6. Be discreet and able to keep confidences
  7. Be able to talk without being imprudent
  8. Kind and obliging, but at the same keep a certain distance. BUT without appearing cold and arrogant
  9. Show an interest towards the outside world
  10. Able to talk to all kinds of people
  11. Appear warm, soft and accessible
  12. Have a good relationship with her mother-in-law, the Queen
  13. No skeletons in the cupboard, such as embarrassing episodes from her youth
  14. No embarrassing family relations, who make scandals or talk out of place to the press


These are great, but I don't think that being a princess should be like a career you follows. I think that if there isn't in YOU to be a princess, you'll never be, even if you try hard to do it...and beware; I'm not speaking of these who were BORN princess. You all must know by now, that I'm a traditionalist, but I must be frank on this: some BORN princess are not real princess and they behaved in a way not acceptable for a princess (it's the same for a prince, this is not related to genders); some commoners were natural princess, even if they weren't born in a nobility family. Is that simple. I can't explain exactly why...

I do not say which princess with blue blood in her veines are not princess by their behaviour, for this is not fair. But I'll mention some "commoners" who weremore worth in their new position than "real princess". They are just a few, but their example could be certainly followed.

Princess Grace of Monaco (born Grace Kelly) was one of them. Some people likes to throw dirt into her life before her marriage to Rainier of Monaco, but she was a LADY. Who can deny it? People, in Monaco and all around the world, loves this woman who makes her little new country widely known in the whole world. She was fertile, good mother, interested in fashion, she always appeared having control over her temperament, likes to meet people, etc, etc...Well...Resuming: chapeau to this woman who after a while could change herself into a real Princess, as Cinderella did.


Shabanu Farah of Iran (born Farah Diba): This commoner, daughter of a militar father, was a perfect lady. An Empress. Nobody could accuse her to try to bring "bourgeois points of view" to the Iran court. And she was fully interested in her countries political and social issues. Everybody knows that without her, White Revolution would not have been the same. Women of Iran has a lot of things to be grateful to this woman, who much more than Princess Fawzia of Egypt and Queen Soraya was interested in their lifes and the future of the country.


Empress Michiko (born Michiko Shoda): Another great lady who knows what an Empress must do, and is not here and there complaining about her lost freedom and such. I admire her a lot.

Queen Alia of Jordan: nor words needed to depict this lady of the ladies. Her people is still crying for her absurd , too early death.


I don't remember more names, but sure they are..I must think a little and I know that some others will come out...I'm pretty wasted today. Too much work!

Well. The fact is that I think that a commoner can become a Princess (and vice-versa! :D), but it's not a thing you'll see very often.

Vanesa.
 
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