Fairy tale is a lie: How modern princesses live
Modern monarchies Most of them perform an extremely expensive decorative function - it is a symbol of the country's heritage and its face in the secular arena. Those few monarchs that really rule are preserved, for example, in Swaziland or Saudi Arabia (the Pope is also an absolute monarch). Some of them even have some influence on the country's policy, like, say, in Thailand. European monarchies, while they are much more than the royal family of Great Britain, can only adapt to the changing times. Kate Middleton nevertheless continues to be one of the most talked about women in the world: few whose even hypothetical pregnancy alarmed the newspapers so much, and when it became known that the Duchess of Cambridge really wears her second child - the British tabloids exploded altogether. Girls from childhood dream of becoming princesses, often with age, these dreams do not disappear and many continue to idealize real royals. We tell how real princesses live and whether their lives are so different from ours.
Crown Princess Masako
Japan
The Japanese imperial dynasty is considered the oldest in the world. It originates from the sun goddess Amaterasu. It is believed that since then the line has not been interrupted and has more than two and a half thousand years, although in 1945 the emperor officially refused from his divine origin. Powers and duties of the modern imperial family, frankly, a little (compared even with the British), but Masako still came under strong pressure due to the rigidity of Japanese traditions.
The daughter of a diplomat and president of the International Court of Justice could have made a brilliant career despite all the inertia of the society in which she was brought up. Masako studied at Tokyo University - the most prestigious in the country, Harvard and Oxford, she dreamed all her life to be engaged in diplomacy, she was familiar with her duty with world leaders from Clinton to Yeltsin. Her marriage to the crown prince Naruhito led to the need not only to put an end to his career, but also to completely abandon his former life. Masako was called the "Japanese Lady Di" and prophesied a country of change that she can bring. But Masako’s progressive views turned out to be unnecessary when it became clear that she could not give the family a son-heir.
Masako disappeared from the public for many years, trying to cope with depression, which even depression was forbidden to call. In recent years, things have gone smoothly, and Crown Princess Masako began to accompany her husband on some trips. In 2007, journalist Ben Hills published the book Princess Masako: Captive of the Chrysanthemum Throne, which was criticized by the Imperial Court Office for “multiple factual inaccuracies”, and the largest Japanese publishing house Kodansha even refused to publish it. The book nevertheless summarizes the dramatic story of a woman whose personality had no place among the age-old traditions.
Princess Amira Al-Tawil
Saudi Arabia
Amir Al-Tawil truly married the prince, which de facto made her a princess. However, when she quietly divorced the nephew of the current king of Saudi Arabia, no one stopped calling her that, despite the fact that the royal family has its influential women like Princess Adila. However, both of them became famous primarily because they openly advocate for reforms in a country where homosexuality is punishable by death, and women are not even allowed to drive a car or hire a job without the consent of the man.
Amira Al-Tawil met the prince when she was performing a journalistic task to study, and when she got married, she did not leave her ambitions in the past. She was constantly engaged in charitable programs to combat poverty, employment problems, attracted the attention of the West to the segregation of women in the Middle East. Her motto is "Evolution, not revolution." But the royal family continually hinted Amira's husband that if she continued in the same spirit, she would be severely punished. For example, for driving a car. Amira, the first princess who refused to wear the traditional Arab dress Abaya in public places, is a spectacular gesture that emphasizes the work of her life.
Princess Shikhaniso Dlamini
Swaziland
Swaziland is a small African state where just over a million people live. At the head is the king, now it is Mswati III - he is an absolute monarch and he has 13 wives and 24 children (according to other sources - 28). In Swaziland, polygamy is not prohibited by law, which means it is allowed. Although King Mswati has more than two dozen children, his eldest daughter Sihanizo is the most visible of them all. In a rather poor country, where the issue of protecting the population from AIDS and tuberculosis is still acute, Shihanizo Dlamini became the center of attention because of her expensive trips around the world at the expense of taxpayers. For one of her parties, the princess paid with a public punishment - beating with a stick, while her father represented a new wife. However, in her teenage rebellion, the king’s daughter felt for the right theme: the princess openly opposes polygamy, considering it humiliating for women, despite attempts by the court to hush up her statements. Among other things, Sikhanizo Dlamini wants to be an actress and a rapper and is known to his homeland under the nickname Pasha.
Crown Princess Victoria
Sweden
“Kron” in the title of Princess of Sweden means that one day she will inherit her father’s throne and become the first Queen of Sweden in the last 300 years. In the 1980s, a law on primogeniture was passed, so that inheritance occurs by birthright. In the history of Sweden there were already three queens, and Victoria will be the fourth. This branch of the royal family, by the way, is quite young and originates from Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, Marshal of France. Despite the fact that Victoria inherited dyslexia from her father, suffered from anorexia, as well as prozopagnosia, she managed to cope with the diseases and accept her royal duties.
The crown princess is involved in charity work and has established a foundation to support children suffering from chronic diseases. Victoria is the most popular member of the Swedish royal family, probably partly because she married a mere mortal. Unions between non-blue-blooded people and heirs of varying degrees of distance from the throne are not uncommon today - after all, marriage as an instrument of politics lost its weight with the transfer of real power to democratic institutions. Nevertheless, the resistance built by the traditions still happens. Victoria's husband is her personal fitness trainer who, after intensive training, became skilled in the Swedish royal etiquette and was accepted into the family.
Crown princess mary
Denmark
In the other Scandinavian royal family, the opposite happened: the heiress married an ordinary person, and the crown prince married a girl without pedigree. The Danish royal family is one of the oldest in the world and the oldest in Europe. Mary Donaldson hardly suspected that she would become a princess when she decided to drink at a Sydney bar with friends. A prince came to the city and found himself in the city during a visit connected with the 2000 Olympic Games. The couple has long maintained relationships at a distance, but in the end was a marriage.
In her previous life, Mary worked in marketing, where her responsibilities included public relations and working with clients — a bit boring, but under far less scrutiny. Now she helps refugees learn Danish and is engaged in patronizing the fashion industry. The crown princess is involved everywhere: from anti-obesity organizations to scientific and research programs; She has four children and the fame of Danish Kate Middleton, and her main headache is the coming biopic about the adventures of her husband in her youth.
Duchess of Cambridge Katherine
Great Britain
The official title of Kate Middleton is the duchess: in accordance with tradition, the wife of Prince William is not called a princess. One day she will receive the same title that once belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales, but only when her husband becomes the first in the line of succession to the throne (they say that the queen is about to hand over the rule to Charles). Anyway, Kate long ago became the personification of the image of the “modern princess”: a good image and extreme adequacy, multiplied by the readiness of the public for a new subject of adoration, became a recipe for instant success.
Kate and William were in no hurry to marry; According to the press, Kate had long decided on this infinitely complex public role and was practically ready to give up. Nevertheless, the wedding took place, the whole world looked at a couple of mouths open, and the end of the world did not come. Today, Kate is perceived in different ways: someone thinks that she promotes the image of a woman who defines herself through a successful marriage and a man; someone calls her a role model - is engaged in charity, modest, cheerful, dresses in the normal mode, as if she is the same as us. It is unlikely that we will ever be able to break through the wall built around Middleton by PR managers, but this is not necessary - the little things give an earthiness that has penetrated into the British court together with the young duchess. Let the dominance of crazy hats go nowhere, but we know that Prince William calls his wife a banana, and Kate herself casually wears crocs. All this, however, does not prevent the British court from hiring a special person to watch Kate's swelling skirts and protect her from repeating the famous embarrassment.
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