Máxima's Protocol and Etiquette Education

[Picmajik]

Originally Posted by ashelen

Marengo, thank you so much for this explanation , I did not know about everybody had to stop to eat when the queen stop to eat, what i wonder is, all this royals dinners, state dinners or only between the royals, is very important the conversation I presume how you can handle eat and have a good conversation without eating too much or too quick or talking too much, how to handle that, specially when you are holding a tiara on your head???

I remember reading an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales that early on she wasn't aware of this convention where if the guest of honor/royal stopped eating then that signaled the meal was over. She was suffering from the effects of morning sickness still and placed her knife and fork on the plate to signal she was finished and was horrified to learn that meant the meal was over for all. She said that later on she learned to push the food around on her plate until everyone was finished. I'm not sure if that's because she was the guest of honor or if she just had the highest order of precedence at the table but I remember that was one of her early experiences. I know that's one I wouldn't have known. Even studying etiquette wouldn't always help as each culture often has different 'rules'.

[Letizia_guapa]

I have not heard Maxima went to a special scool to learn etiquette but you don't need to. There are people who have learned her from the palace. It is more discreet. Just imagine how it would look if other people have SEEN how the future wife of a crown prince had to learn etiquette.
She did attend a very expensive private school for the language, but she had already starded learning the language almost imediately after she met the prince. The private school was for fine tuning. Princes Claire went to the same school.

Still Maxima doesn't follow etiquette so well. for example: she walks on the stairs infront of her husband, she enters a restaurant infront of her husband and when they arive at special occasions to the red carpet, Maxima gets out of the car and walks the red carpet and "forget" her husband, etcetera.
But how many know this is wrong? Only to nobility it looks plump, but not for the majority of people. Even well educated people often don't know.

Being well educated in terms of university degree doesn't say anything about knowing etiquette.

[ashelen]

letizia:
you are right, I remeber once Maxima step in front of the queen, at the same time she realized and her face show the expresion of panic, and her husband hold her hand with a good laugh, I think it was great how her husband hundled, this accidents happen, I must say it must not be easy to remeber all this, all the time and I belive a now a days a couple of things are more modern,I wonder when she met the husband for the first time, who talk first her or him I am sure she did not know that she had to wait for him to talk first!

[Letizia_guapa]

Originally Posted by ashelen

letizia:
you are right, I remeber once Maxima step in front of the queen, at the same time she realized and her face show the expresion of panic, and her husband hold her hand with a good laugh, I think it was great how her husband hundled, this accidents happen, I must say it must not be easy to remeber all this, all the time and I belive a now a days a couple of things are more modern,I wonder when she met the husband for the first time, who talk first her or him I am sure she did not know that she had to wait for him to talk first!

i've seen this also a couple of times. Maxima is just very eager to get atention. Her husband is very loving and warm in handling these situations. I think he is a very loving husband, he is very in love.

But when they first met, it was a private situation, at a party, so it does not matter who started talking, but i think it was him.

[ashelen]

yes you are right, he is completly in love with her, that is marvellous, this is the difference between them and Diane and Charles! It looks that William - Alexander admire Maxima a lot , and this is what make stronger the relationship! and may be as she is so spantaneous, it shows her more geniune and this is waht the poeple lovE!

[Empress]

I think that we should be careful about expressing opinions of people "wanting the attention". I do not think that Maxima or any of the other princesses are very eager for attention. It just comes with the territory.

[Regina]

Originally Posted by ashelen

I wonder when she met the husband for the first time, who talk first her or him I am sure she did not know that she had to wait for him to talk first!

When Maxima met the Prince (in Sevilla), she didn't know "who" he was. So even if she was the first to talk, she was not rude at all!

Maybe Máxima does not want attention but, IMO, she likes the cameras attention and she enjoys to be in the spot light. I think the same about Princess Mary and imo that's great from them. I wouldn't like to see a shy princess running away from tv cameras.

[ashelen]

well. i listen differents version as how they met, I would like to know which one is true.
one version, is that she knew that one prince would be there, they got to talk together and exchenge telephone numbers, the other that she was there as a photographer and when he saw her, he thought" no, not abother photographer" and when he went to see her in New york she could not even remeber his face, this is the most difficult part to belive, becasue i do not belive that any woman would forget the face of any prince if you meet him and the ohter if she was living in New York , how she fiish in a prty in Spain?
i supposse it will be very difficult to know the true of how they met, it is probably an official version written by their own people for the media

[lucien]

Originally Posted by ashelen

well. i listen differents version as how they met, I would like to know which one is true.
one version, is that she knew that one prince would be there, they got to talk together and exchenge telephone numbers, the other that she was there as a photographer and when he saw her, he thought" no, not abother photographer" and when he went to see her in New york she could not even remeber his face, this is the most difficult part to belive, becasue i do not belive that any woman would forget the face of any prince if you meet him and the ohter if she was living in New York , how she fiish in a prty in Spain?
i supposse it will be very difficult to know the true of how they met, it is probably an official version written by their own people for the media

Would you mind and stick to the initial thread on protocol?Allthough,that is soo chewed out there's nothing to add.But one thing that comes with that is,that pushy people are ignored.

[princess olga]

Originally Posted by Empress

Well, to be honest, the higher you are the harder you fall. Whats more by the time that you get to be the chairman of general motors or any other furtune 500 company, you basically are a manager, and are managing the people that do all of the actual work. In that position, its a bit like a princess and her patronages. You are lending your name and prestige as the figurehead of an organization so that the shareholders have someone to "trust" and rely upon and to dump on when things go wrong. You'll note that the first person to go in any bad situation in a fortune 500 company is the Preident/Chairman/CEO.

Look at Citibank, NewellRubbermaid, Daimler Chrysler, etc. At that point in your career, there's not alot of actual work... Just decision making (although that is work as well) but even those decisions can be overruled by the board or stockholders. I can respect that they worked hard to get to the position, if indeed they did, but not what they do in the position, because it's simply not that much.

Business strategy is not hard work?? Is akin to being a crown princess? I grok what you are saying I think, but I whole hartedly disagree.

For one thing, all one needs to do in order to become the crown prince consort, is to make sure the prince in question is besotted with you. (I won't go into techniques on how to do that, but let's be honest here: there's sex involved - or call it what you want: i.e. love)

To become chairman of, say, Exxon Mobil for example, I would bet you that whatever your sexual skills, or however blue your eyes, or however charming your Argentinian accent, these things won't exactly cut it to get a gig like that, lol! Let's call a spade a spade, people, please. It isn't like any of the crown princesses was exactly <voted> into the position.

[princess olga]

Originally Posted by lucien

Would you mind and stick to the initial thread on protocol?Allthough,that is soo chewed out there's nothing to add.But one thing that comes with that is,that pushy people are ignored.

You mean protocol aids keeping people in their places? That's definitely a theory I'd say. I'll go further: people that tend to do well within the framework a protocol creates, tend to be well-versed in being pushy <within> the rules of protocol? What I'm saying is, just looking at the the three women that Beatrix's three sons married, Mabel, Maxima, even (or esp.) Laurentien, know better than anyone how to be pushy (or should I say, manipulative), within the system, or, if you will, manipulate the system! No one can tell me Maxima <isn't> the pushy one in the relationship with her husband! (and that myth she didn't know who he was when they met..come on people, that's a total myth, she knew full well she was going to a party with a crown prince of a Northern European country, she's even admitted as much - finding a prince is a hobby of many a pushy, single, woman like M. once was, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math on that one)

[lucien]

Originally Posted by princess olga

You mean protocol aids keeping people in their places? That's definitely a theory I'd say. I'll go further: people that tend to do well within the framework a protocol creates, tend to be well-versed in being pushy <within> the rules of protocol? What I'm saying is, just looking at the the three women that Beatrix's three sons married, Mabel, Maxima, even (or esp.) Laurentien, know better than anyone how to be pushy (or should I say, manipulative), within the system, or, if you will, manipulate the system! No one can tell me Maxima <isn't> the pushy one in the relationship with her husband! (and that myth she didn't know who he was when they met..come on people, that's a total myth, she knew full well she was going to a party with a crown prince of a Northern European country, she's even admitted as much - finding a prince is a hobby of many a pushy, single, woman like M. once was, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math on that one)

Right,Bernhard did that for you............

[princess olga]

Originally Posted by lucien

Right,Bernhard did that for you............

..?..don't follow..Bernhard did what exactly? Tell me Maxima knew there would be a crown prince at the party in Sevilla where she met Alex? M. her self said that to Paul Witteman. So there!

Re. protocol, I think it's a great topic but why does it pertain in this thread only to Maxima? Coming from a well-to- do family and her own international experience, not to mention her willingness and enthusiasm to embrace all things Dutch, I'd say she'd be the easy candidate to teach royal protocol to!

Rather, no offense but someone like Mette Marit, might have needed more guidance? her having been kindof a party girl when Haakon came into the pic?

[lucien]

Originally Posted by princess olga

..?..don't follow..Bernhard did what exactly? Tell me Maxima knew there would be a crown prince at the party in Sevilla where she met Alex? M. her self said that to Paul Witteman. So there!

Re. protocol, I think it's a great topic but why does it pertain in this thread only to Maxima? Coming from a well-to- do family and her own international experience, not to mention her willingness and enthusiasm to embrace all things Dutch, I'd say she'd be the easy candidate to teach royal protocol to!

Rather, no offense but someone like Mette Marit, might have needed more guidance? her having been kindof a party girl when Haakon came into the pic?

Not a Crown Prince,A Prince,yes,but not the who & what.She was invited at Sevilla,that was not her doing entirely,but by a firn request by friends.End of that here.

[ashelen]

I agree with Olga, I do not belive she forgot his face and all the rest of the story, he was a prince, a great catch! and like you said to get the position is not for vote!

[Aquarela]

Originally Posted by lucien

Would you mind and stick to the initial thread on protocol?Allthough,that is soo chewed out there's nothing to add.But one thing that comes with that is,that pushy people are ignored.

Originally Posted by lucien

Not a Crown Prince,A Prince,yes,but not the who & what.She was invited at Sevilla,that was not her doing entirely,but by a firn request by friends.End of that here.

With all the respect, lucien, you're not a moderator (or the King of Spain ) to tell others to shut up.

sometimes máxima forgets to wait for her husband and takes the first step to greet people. but on international royal events she always behave well, with very good manners.

[Marengo]

Well, before things get more out of control here, I would urge the posters to change their tone towards each other.

On another note, this thread is dedicated to protocol and etiquette and although some OT is certainly allowed we would prefer a discussion about Maxima´s personality and her supposed motives for marrying Willem-Alexander in this thread called ´An Analysis of Princess Maxima´.

Thank you.

[lucien]

Originally Posted by Aquarela

With all the respect, lucien, you're not a moderator (or the King of Spain ) to tell others to shut up.

I didn't quite say that,but now you mention it,BOY!Would I love to,more then once...

[susan alicia]

we KNOW, it is not too subtle a thing to notice

Originally Posted by lucien

I didn't quite say that,but now you mention it,BOY!Would I love to,more then once...

[carlota]

Originally Posted by Aquarela

sometimes máxima forgets to wait for her husband and takes the first step to greet people. but on international royal events she always behave well, with very good manners.

there's no such thing as protocol to greet people (not the ones in the street that you say hi to who wait to see the princes). WA is always the first one to greet personalities, so i'm not sure what you mean by maxima jumping in front of him to say hello. if you could providewith pictures, it would be much appreciated, since i never saw that.

and of course she does behave well in international events, just as in others. :)