Support & Popularity for the World's Monarchies (excluding UK)

[LouisFerdinand]

          A thread to discuss the popularity and support for the world's monarchies excluding the UK             


  Inside Story - What future for the monarchy in Spain? - YouTube

[TLLK]

El Rey logra la mejor valoraci?n de la Monarqu?a desde su restauraci?n

The members with the highest approval ratings are as follows: Queen Sofia 76%, King Felipe VI 75%, Queen Letizia 58% and King Juan Carlos 54%.

[amabel]

El Rey logra la mejor valoraci?n de la Monarqu?a desde su restauraci?n

The members with the highest approval ratings are as follows: Queen Sofia 76%, King Felipe VI 75%, Queen Letizia 58% and King Juan Carlos 54%.

I get the impression that Letizia is not that popular.. but surprised abuot Juan..  I suppose his financial goings on and affairs have lost him some popularty since he abdicated...

[TLLK]

^^^Yes it is interesting that JC's popularity has fallen so quickly since he abdicated.

[Curryong]

I see Queen Sophia still enjoys extremely high approval ratings, nearly 20% above her daughter in law's. It reflects the general mood following the contremps with Leti, the young Infantas and her mother in law a few months ago. Good to see Felipe is in the 70%s.

[TLLK]

As long as the current court stays transparent, scandal free and Felipe remains popular, I believe that the monarchy has  a chance for survival for the time being.

It is possible that Letizia might be viewed a little more favorably in the future, but TBH I believe it is Felipe who needs the higher approval ratings.

[amabel]

I couldnt' quite grasp waht the fuss was, about the daughters recently..  but a lot of people on the other Forum were mainly criticising Letizia for it.. I gather that Sofia wanted the girls to be photographed and Letiz didn't and was sort of openly trying to get them away?  Point being that I feel that Sofia was in the wrong, as they should not be snapped all the time and I think it was at a church?   but clearly a lot of people have a thing against Let.  I think Juan C was a good king, led Spain away from Francoism into the modern world.. Of course Corrupiton and multiple affairs are a strike against him, but I think he had brains and willpower and did a good job..

[Curryong]

There are certain sections of the Spanish population who will never accept Letizia at any price. Of humble background, she's perceived as too forward (read pushy) too ambitious, a cold career woman. She was pointed at from the first when she dared to interrupt Felipe during their engagement interview 'Let ME speak!'

Whereas, to many more traditional Spaniards, Sophia is the long suffering spouse, religious and non-complaining, of a serial philanderer. (Just addressing perceptions here, and in fact Sophia was ready to leave on several occasions over the years.) She did, in the absence of a satisfactory marriage, devote many hours to charity work. Her reputation seems to have risen much as her husband's has fallen. She was none too popular in the early years of JC's reign, when she was referred to as 'the Greek'.

I agree that JC was a magnificent and sure footed King of Spain in those early years. He had better political instincts all round than his son, I think. Unfortunately over the last fifteen years there have been too many scandals and his legacy has become tarnished.

The incident in which Sophia wanted to be photographed with her granddaughters when they were on holiday became all caught up with rumours that the two Infantas have been kept away from their grandparents, that Leti is a bossyboots who can't bear anyone to interfere with her girls etc etc.

To be fair to Sophia, she did stick up for Felipe's choice of wife and welcomed her into the family. However, Leti is the Queen Consort now and Sophia is now in the background, a difficult position for a woman who was the First Lady of Spain for so many decades.

[amabel]

I didn't quite grasp the thing with the 2 Spainish Infantas (Blackadder!!:)
but I got the impression that it was just after a church service, that Sofia wanted her pic taken with the kids by the press and Letizia all but dragged them away, and that some blamed Sof for tyring to push the girls into media exposure (with herself).
but Some blamed Let for making a public fuss or just for being over protective of her girls.  I don't know what nationaltiies the Lettizia critics were but I got the impression that She was the one who got more flak from people than Sofia did, that she was seen as neurotic or over fussy or pushing her Mothter in law away.. or I suppose the argument was that the kids were public figures and there were times they were bound to be photographed so she should get them used to it. 
I don't know if I like Letiiza, but on the little I know, its hard to form an opinion.  But Sofia, it seems to me, was probably more at fault if she was indeed trying to pose with her grandkids for the Press, esp just atfter a church service...
I suppose people forget that JC was a good king when there was a difficult transition from Franco's Spain, and ther'es no excuse for corruption.. and he's been a bit too careless in his many affairs..

[TLLK]

The incident in which Sophia wanted to be photographed with her granddaughters when they were on holiday became all caught up with rumours that the two Infantas have been kept away from their grandparents, that Leti is a bossyboots who can't bear anyone to interfere with her girls etc etc.

The incident then became the very large stick to continuously beat their mother Letizia. I also believe that there is a strain in the relationship between Felipe/Letizia and Sofia because of the issues surrounding Cristina and Inaki. Apparently Sofia wants the family to be reunited, but Felipe has to be seen keeping a distance from his sister.

The current King and Queen are very, very protective of their daughters' privacy in a nation with a rabid tabloid press.  Like their British counterparts, the parents control the use of their images and they're rarely photographed without permission.  The girls are typically only photographed at major milestones: First Communion, Felipe's ascension to the throne and at the annual photoshoots: First day of school, Easter, Summer holidays, National Day etc.. Leonor has been in the press a little more this year as she received the Golden Fleece and will now be seen at a few more events I believe.

As I recall Sofia and JC did release more photos of their children and the press was far more deferential to the family in the 60's, 70's and 80's when they were growing up. IMO Sofia likely believes that it would be best if the girls were seen more frequently.  Now the SRF faces the same issue that most royal parents face: Everyone has a camera on them and the tabloid press is willing to use more invasive tactics to get pictures because they are becoming a dying industry.

[amabel]

well my sympathies in this instance are with Letizia..  I feel Sofia was in the wrong to try and hav them snapped just after a church service..against the wishes of their mother, AND to be putting her face forward with them.. kind of smacks of "Look at MEEEE".  But I hope Letitiza didn't yank them away roughly.. I am not sure of the details...
I gather that yes Sofia wants to protect her daughter and Felipe wants to keep a distace because of needing to make it clear that he knows Cristina and her husband were in the wrong...Sofia should recongise that....

[TLLK]

As a mother, my sympathies are also with Letizia who as the parent should have the final say in the matter when it came to the girls being photographed in the church.

[amabel]

As a mother, my sympathies are also with Letizia who as the parent should have the final say in the matter when it came to the girls being photographed in the church.

IIRC the RF ended up staging some event where Sofia and Let were seen togheter, to make up for the incident.. and make it seem as if they were good friends...

[TLLK]

Felipe VI mantiene un amplio respaldo pese al deterioro de la monarqu?a

A recent poll indicates that King Felipe is the most popular member of the Spanish Royal Family with an approval rate of  49.5%. His disapproval rate is 27.7% with 22.2% who don't have any opinion.  After the King the ranking is as followed: Queen Sofia (Felipe's mother), the Princess of Asturias (Felipe's heir Leonor), Infanta Sofia (Felipe's younger daughter), Queen Letizia and then former King Juan Carlos.

[PrincessOfPeace]

I don't follow the Spanish Royals closely but I would have guessed Letizia was more popular than the poll indicates.

[Macrobug67]

She always has been a bit of a polarizing individual and the spat at Easter a couple years ago didn?t help

[Curryong]

The  Left in Spain don?t care about royalty. For the conservative right and others Sophia is much more popular. Leti has things that are held against her, divorce, working class background, a journalistic career, and suspicion that she is not really a sincerely religious person as she used to be an atheist (allegedly) before her marriage.

[TLLK]

Meet the heirs to Europe's monarchies. While this is familiar information to many royal watchers, there is a little background information that I had not known about previously. There are  currently  six male heirs and four female ones with a range of ages  from 7 to 73.  :Jen: :windsor1:

First in line: the heirs to Europe?s thrones as 2022 gets under way ? Royal Central

[TLLK]

The majority of young Norwegians support the monarchy. Historically the NRF has enjoyed wide popularity in its relatively short existence. There have been three monarchs in total since the monarchy was established.

Large majority of all young Norwegians support the monarchy ? Royal Central

The day before Princess Ingrid Alexandra comes of age, the Norwegian royal family received a boost from a new poll. On behalf of TV station NRK, Norstat asked 1, 000 young Norwegians between the ages of 16 and 20 about their views of the monarchy.

The result is that 76 percent of young people between the ages of 16 and 20 support the monarchy, according to the new survey. More than 80 percent say that they believe the Norwegian monarchy will exist so that Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be queen one day.

On Friday 21 January, Princess Ingrid Alexandra turns 18 years old. She and the rest of the family seem to be very popular among the Norwegian people. Of those surveyed 76 % answer that they still want Norway to be a monarchy, while only 9 % say they want another form of government, such as a republic. When asked why they support the monarchy, many point out the uncertainty with a republican system, low trust in elected representatives and a desire for independent leaders.

The young people NRK has spoken to in connection with the survey say they have an impression that the royal family do a good job and represent Norway in a good way abroad. At the same time, several of the young people think that the monarchy is a somewhat strange form of government, which puts a stop to what the royals can say and do. A total of 81 percent of those surveyed believe that we still have a monarchy when Princess Ingrid Alexandra will one day become queen.

[LouisFerdinand]

Meet the heirs to Europe's monarchies. While this is familiar information to many royal watchers, there is a little background information that I had not known about previously. There are  currently  six male heirs and four female ones with a range of ages  from 7 to 73.  :Jen: :windsor1:

First in line: the heirs to Europe?s thrones as 2022 gets under way ? Royal Central

I especially like the photograph of Prince Guillaume holding hands with his wife Princess Stephanie.  :hearts: :hearts:

[TLLK]

Support for the Norwegian monarchy continues to grow ? Royal Central

In connection with King Harald?s birthday, , the state-run Norwegian TV channel NRK has conducted another major survey on the Norwegians? attitude to the monarchy as a form of government.

The survey confirms that the Norwegian monarchy is very popular, as 78 % of the Norwegian population want it to continue. Only 15 % of Norwegians asked in this poll want a republic instead.

In January 2022, in connection with Princess Ingrid?s 18th birthday, 76% of Norwegians said they wanted to keep the monarchy, so support remains high. Then they also examined how young people?s attitudes were, and among the population that was between 16 and 20 years old, only 8 % of the young population wanted a republic. More than 80 percent say that they believe the Norwegian monarchy will exist so that Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be queen one day.

The Norwegian royal family has been popular for a long time, and the royals have emerged as unifying figures. There have not been any major ideological debates around the royal house in the recent years nor have major scandals damaged their reputation. However, like all monarchies, they cannot take ongoing support for granted.

[TLLK]

Ahead of the annual King's Day in The Netherlands, the results of the popularity poll have been released. Prior to 2020 both were typically in the high 70's to mid 80's with their approval ratings.  Both the King and the Queen have seen a drop in their popularity with W-A at 54% and Maxima at 67%. (She's typically been a little more popular.) Speculation is that both are perceived of not having "learned from their mistakes" during the pandemic in which the family were seen ignoring the rules on foreign holiday travel and hosting large private gatherings (Amalia's 18th birthday party.)

Vertrouwen in Willem-Alexander ?n M?xima op nieuw dieptepunt: 'Ze leren niet van hun fouten' - EenVandaag (The article  is in Dutch, but the poll graphs can be easily read.)

[Curryong]

The King and Queen Maxi?s popularity continues to sink like a stone among the Dutch population the latest polls reveal.
This is almost certainly due to their behaviour during the Covid pandemic, taking a break elsewhere, not respecting social distancing etc. And also a generally edgy feeling all over Europe due to the international situation.

Confidence in Willem-Alexander and M?xima at a new low: 'They don't learn from their mistakes'
Confidence in Willem-Alexander (54 percent) and M?xima (61 percent) is falling for the third year in a row. Both have never scored this low before. This is evident from the annual King's Day survey among more than 26,000 members of the EenVandaag Opinion Panel.

google translated

[Blue Clover]

I think the Norwegian Monarchy appears down to earth and practical.
Maxima and W-A seem very wealthy and above it all due to that wealth. I wonder if the average Dutch citizen can relate to them. They could work on improving their image. Queen Beatrix was adored.

[Curryong]

I think the Norwegian Monarchy appears down to earth and practical.
Maxima and W-A seem very wealthy and above it all due to that wealth. I wonder if the average Dutch citizen can relate to them. They could work on improving their image. Queen Beatrix was adored.

Maxi especially had been extremely popular with the Dutch in the years since her marriage due to her exuberant enthusiasm while performing her duties. Then came Covid and it?s all gone a bit pear shaped due to W-A and Maxi wanting to take a break in the sun while the rest of the citizens of the Netherlands were stuck at home in lockdowns. It caused a bit of resentment at the time and in recent months I just get the feeling everywhere in the world that there is a resentful edginess about authority figures getting privileges the rest don?t have.

Perhaps the photos of their daughters smoking, dressed up attending school parties and posting photos online about it hasn?t helped. The behaviour, while typically teeenage stuff, perhaps contrasts a bit for more traditional types of citizens with the demeanour of other children of monarchs  like Elizabeth of Belgium and Elinor of Spain.