Caribbean Visit of King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima & Pss of Orange, Feb/Mar 2023

[Somebody]

On the one hand you insist that Amalia was not sheltered as some posters write on the other hand you deny to accept that if Amalia was all that prepared by NOT being sheltered she is expected to do much better, look less uncomfortable, less hiding like a shy toddler, showing more self- confidence and being expected is no ranking to others but would be natural behaviour IF a person had had the experience. Plus she has had counselling for years, so whats really wrong with her, she is not he first in both families facing mental challenges.

Obviously something went wrong, she is not well prepared, or still too shy or ???
I am not her judge and for me it is f.e. not unthinkable that she simply would prefer s.th. else for her future, 2023, an intelligent young girl, rich parents, BUT
constantly being criticised in the media ... for playing a powerless role in a constitutional monarchy in a small country facing climate change worth it?
IMO a clear NO.

I, like many others, wish her well.

Royals are humans and make mistakes, too. Maybe Amalia will one day appreciate the way her father prepared her, maybe not-only she can know.
We can only have opinions about it, like we can only have opinions about our neighbours' families.
And after all, we all face daily life's challenges so don't take it too serious.
FeelU

I'd say you sincerely underestimate the impact of being under serious (read: life-threatening and fully altering your life) security threads/risks. So, to remark that "we after all face daily life's challenges and therefore shouldn't take it too serious" is woefully ignorant of the very difficult situation she is in. Had she not been in that situation, she might have behaved quite differently than she did this time - she herself stated that 'it is still really hard on her' (which I think is a very honest response and not something everyone would be willing to admit).

Other than that, the Dutch royal couple indeed took the decision to not focus her whole youth on 'preparing for her role' by having her do lots of royal engagements but rather focused on 'allowing the princess (as well as her sisters0 to fully get to know her/themselves' before fully diving into the role she once will occupy as in their view that is the most important part of preparing someone to fulfill that duty. This means that she has had several 'public appearances' a year but was not expected to do solo engagements nor give speeches. That part of her role has gradually been introduced since she turned 18. She did several solo visits to the armed forces, speeched at the Council of State, attended a Council of State dinner and now made her first major (2-week!) trip to other parts of the Kingdom.

And in terms of whether she would want a different role. She discussed that in the book that was published for her 18th birthday (which provides a very good insight in her thinking: and she seems very well prepared in terms of understanding what is required of her). She has fully reconciled herself with her duty in life.

 

[Mbruno]

On the one hand you insist that Amalia was not sheltered as some posters write on the other hand you deny to accept that if Amalia was all that prepared by NOT being sheltered she is expected to do much better, look less uncomfortable, less hiding like a shy toddler, showing more self- confidence and being expected is no ranking to others but would be natural behaviour IF a person had had the experience. Plus she has had counselling for years, so whats really wrong with her, she is not he first in both families facing mental challenges.

Obviously something went wrong, she is not well prepared, or still too shy or ???
I am not her judge and for me it is f.e. not unthinkable that she simply would prefer s.th. else for her future, 2023, an intelligent young girl, rich parents, BUT
constantly being criticised in the media ... for playing a powerless role in a constitutional monarchy in a small country facing climate change worth it?
IMO a clear NO.

I, like many others, wish her well.

Royals are humans and make mistakes, too. Maybe Amalia will one day appreciate the way her father prepared her, maybe not-only she can know.
We can only have opinions about it, like we can only have opinions about our neighbours' families.
And after all, we all face daily life's challenges so don't take it too serious.
FeelU

Many heirs at that same age looked like they would rather be somewhere else or do something else with their lives. In fact, CP Frederik comes to mind in that respect. And the jury is still out on Prince Christian (to be fair, not an heir yet).

I think Leonor, who was and is very sheltered, is a bit of an exception because her parents, in a country where the monarchy is constantly under threat, take their "jobs" extremely seriously (no time for the "royal fun" that we see often in Scandinavia and the Netherlands with the lavish family social events and so on).

Elisabeth, on the other hand, just seems to be an exceptionally well-rounded young woman (scholar, athlete, soldier, etc.) who has been brought up in a rather conservative, but happy family (although the broader Belgian RF is somewhat dysfunctional, Philippe and Mathilde's nuclear family is not). That helps to build her self-confidence, I think.

I also sometimes question the way Maxima and Willem-Alexander raised their daughters (who seem a bit frivolous), but I am sure Amalia will do OK by the time she finishes her education.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

It is not easy for her as the media-attention was massive.

The Princess of Orange swarmed by the media during the King's Visit to the Caribbean: picture

However, I am sure she will make an amazing Queen, the spitting image of her great-great-grandmother Queen Wilhelmina at the same age: picture Amalia and picture Wilhelmina.

 

[valeas]

I'd say you sincerely underestimate the impact of being under serious (read: life-threatening and fully altering your life) security threads/risks. So, to remark that "we after all face daily life's challenges and therefore shouldn't take it too serious" is woefully ignorant of the very difficult situation she is in. Had she not been in that situation, she might have behaved quite differently than she did this time - she herself stated that 'it is still really hard on her' (which I think is a very honest response and not something everyone would be willing to admit).

Other than that, the Dutch royal couple indeed took the decision to not focus her whole youth on 'preparing for her role' by having her do lots of royal engagements but rather focused on 'allowing the princess (as well as her sisters0 to fully get to know her/themselves' before fully diving into the role she once will occupy as in their view that is the most important part of preparing someone to fulfill that duty. This means that she has had several 'public appearances' a year but was not expected to do solo engagements nor give speeches. That part of her role has gradually been introduced since she turned 18. She did several solo visits to the armed forces, speeched at the Council of State, attended a Council of State dinner and now made her first major (2-week!) trip to other parts of the Kingdom.

And in terms of whether she would want a different role. She discussed that in the book that was published for her 18th birthday (which provides a very good insight in her thinking: and she seems very well prepared in terms of understanding what is required of her). She has fully reconciled herself with her duty in life.

My opinion is not based on the caribbean trip only (sorry should have mentioned this) and no I do not underestimate her situation,
and yes I know the book. She said something like, if her father died now she did not feel ready to "reign", so to say she is not fit for the job suits that well.

The dutch RF seemed to act lets say naive (some say arrogant) in a series of situations, this might be of Amalia's situation, too.
Her uncle expected his daughter not to be bothered from press while she seemingly seeks her future in "influencing business" and media LOL

The comparison between our daily life challenges was meant to calm our fellow poster who IMO takes things a little too serious.