Posted by joris
on 29/9/2009, 12:57:55, in reply to "Re: Book on marriage crisis by Cees Fasseur"
83.163.27.83
"Busy being a Mrs.".
Nicely put.
But one should also see this in its time, shouldn't one?
Now we think it's normal that royals are close to the people.
In Juliana's days (esp. her youth) her royal circles and she herself were on a different planet.
Please be grateful to Brave Juliana who saw things in a different perspective.
Of course the nobility struggled to stay in their social position in society, but alas for them World War II changed everything and the nobility who perhaps accused royals to be too "common" had to surrender too.
And turn their estates into a museum or a theme park, just to survive.
Society changed drastically and Juliana, as usual ahead of her time, saw all this. It made the Dutch Monarchy the human monarchy it is nowadays. Close to the people. It makes sense.
Just like Queen Emma saw the importance of reaching out to the "subjects" and not just stay put at the palace and take things for granted.
The monarchy constanty needs (slow and carefully considered) adjustments. And Juliana was one of the first royals who did so.
No need to turn Juliana into a charicature. Juliana has always been a true queen, a Majesty, never ever a housewife peeling potatoes or our own granny; a charicature she sometimes has been made of. It's not either/or but both/and.