What I heard from my friends is simular btw, that he isn´t taken too seriously and that he isn´t that bright either. They do agree that Dona Isabel seems to be an intelligent woman. And still....when Dom Duarte married the entire Portuguese government was present, the television was dedicated to the wedding/dynasty for an entire week and the wedding was broadcasted live. And it seems that the wedding festivities were more impressive than in Belgium for example. Another thing is that in portugal people are relatively ´class-consious´ so in that aspect a monarchy would suit perfectly.
Their wedding was beautiful! Everything so well organized, the Church decoration was so elegant and even socialists and communists politicians attended the wedding...
I think the couple was very in love and their age difference didn't matter at all for them. I remember that Dom Duarte, after the religious ceremony when they were greeting the people, tried to kiss her (on the lips) and she always turned her face to other side
She is a very shy lady. But she also has a very good quality (imo): strenght of character. She's a warrior.
She and Dom Duarte's assessors had strong confrontations a few months after the wedding. To the newspaper Expresso she explained this situation saying "they thought I was a little girl who would arrive here and say yes to everything. But I want to have a word about my husband's agenda".
She already had this steady character when she was studding in Brazil. In the magazine "Máxima" some months before the wedding she talked about her childhood and youth. In Brazil she studied in a Jesuit private school. And some kids (and even priests!) used to bully her a bit telling jokes about Portugal and the Portuguese. One day she told to one of the Priest: "hey, I am a Portuguese and you are making fun of me, and I don't like it!" They stopped to bully her.
Although Dona Isabel loves her parents she confronted her father several times when she was younger.. Every time her father slapped her on the face, she used to tell him "beat on someone of your height, Sir"
Dona Isabel and Dom Duarte are very different when they are dealing with the press. Dom Duarte is always kind and humorous, while her wife can be a bit harsh sometimes. When they announce her first pregnancy, a reporter asked her "are you fatter?" (stupid question). And she replied "you shouldn't ask that to a lady. That's a question for my sister". Her sister, Teresa, is a famous nutritionist.