I married into a large, extended family...can't say we are close knit but we spend a lot of time together in the family holiday compound. From the outside, it appears all is well and the matriarch is a wonderful and a doting grandmother and mother-in-law. In reality, the sons' wives are incessantly compared to the matriach's own daughters, and everything the son's wives do can never quite measure up to the daughters'. After all, the matriarch raised her daughters, so surely they are superior to the son's wives in every way, from their lifestyle choices to the way they raise the kids, to the kids' education, extracurricular activities and achievements. A little remark or criticism here and there can all add up over the years, become a weight. Then in public, the grandmother behaves like she is equally loving and proud of all her grandkids, right after that little backhanded remark.
I don't now what the situation is with the RF, but it is truly unfortunate that any discord is played out so publicly, exacerbated by Marie-Chantal's comments (btw, didn't her friend use to date Felipe way back when....?). Queen Letizia reacted with her hand gestures (I couldn't see her expression from the video clip), as did Queen Sofia with her behaviour and scowl. The young princess is caught in the middle, wishing really to be away from grandma instead of having to pose and smile for photos after that. Unfortunate for all involved.
--Previous Message--
: Actually, what you say has merit up to a
: point. IF she has inflamed the situation,
: surely that creates certain issues for the
: Spanish Royal Family. But not for her.
: Besides issues of propriety (after all, she
: didn't do anything illegal), she actually
: couldn't care less. She has obviously a
: negative opinion about the current Queen of
: Spain which may or may not be accurate. On
: the other hand, she is a billionaire and has
: far more money than all the royals she is
: related to put together. And more freedom.
:
: I'm not saying it's a good idea to badmouth
: one's in-laws like this, just explaining the
: situation as I see it.
:
: Last, but not least, yes, tensions in a
: family are normal, but sometimes certain
: families are extremely dysfunctional. And we
: don't really know the situation within the
: Spanish Royal Family. It may be an isolated
: incident, but it may also be indicative of
: much more serious issues.
:
: For my part, I have always viewed Queen
: Sofia as a very dignified, educated,
: cultured woman with breeding (non-royals can
: also be well-bred by the way), and who is
: very very sweet. I think she has shown this
: without any doubt all these years. And I
: hear that she is sad because she doesn't get
: to see her grandkids that often.
:
: Why not?
:
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