GrandDuchess
Heir Apparent
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THE ROYAL FORUMS' NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2006 *
Welcome to the March 2006 edition of The Royal Forums’ newsletter.
March 8 is a day designated by the United Nations as International Women's Day. It is a day when "women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development." (Source: International Women's Day)
The first International Women's Day took place on 28 February 1909 across the United States. By 1911, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland had also joined the celebration.
The goal of this day is to celebrate women and their accomplishments, to recognize how far they've come, acknowledge their successes and to inspire future generations of women.
On the subject of royalty, the notion of equality amongst the sexes seems contradictory. Royalty afterall, is an establishment rooted in patriarchal views. For centuries, male offspring have taken precedence over their female siblings, whether it was titles or succession rights. In the most recent history, this is the case in various monarchies: Crown Prince Haakon trumpeting Princess Martha Louise in Norway, Prince Felipe leap frogging over both of his sisters, Infantas Elena and Cristina in Spain, and Crown Prince Phillippe over taking his sister Princess Astrid in Belgium.
The one exception has been Sweden -- although it wasn't always the case. Although the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia was born in 1977, she was not named the heir apparent to the Swedish throne until 1980 after a change in the constitution, which stated that the eldest child would inherit the throne, regardless of sex. This constitutional change made Sweden the first country to adopt full and equal primogeniture, and made the King and Queen's eldest child the first ever female in the line to the Swedish succession. This same decision meant that her brother, Prince Carl Philip, who was born in 1979 and was the heir apparent for two years, was now second in line to the throne, following his sister.
Of her future role, Crown Princess Victoria has said, "The prospect of becoming queen is something I can't get out of my head, even though it's in the future. I don't stop focusing on the job with which I've been entrusted." (Source: Hello)
By virtue of being born first, Crown Princess Victoria has made history and has paved the way for equality in one of the world's oldest institutions. Nearly all of the monarchies now favour the first born to succeed the throne, regardless of what the baby's chromosonal makeup is, XX or XY. In the future, we can look forward to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, Queen Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands and Queen Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, and possibly Queen Leonor of Spain and Empress Aiko of Japan.
When Crown Princess Victoria succeeds to the Swedish throne, she will have powerful examples in Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (who had her own mother, Queen Juliana) of how women can perform the role of monarch well and represent their respective countries in a manner that will make their fellow countrymen -- and countrywomen -- honoured to have such a leader.
This month, join us in celebrating and admiring not just how pretty women's shoes are, but how far they've walked in them.
//GrandDuchess & Alexandria
PS. If there is a royal person or residence, or a special piece of jewellery you would like to see covered in a future issue of our newsletter, please let us know here in the newsletter feedback thread. Our member comments and suggestions are always welcome.
FORUM NOTES
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