iloveroyals
Courtier , TRF Author
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2005
- Messages
- 849
- City
- Arlington
- Country
- United States
There is a haughty confidence I think Caroline has that Charlotte doesn't/doesn't need - Charlotte is more shy/reserved, in a way; Caroline grew up in the "me" generation of the '70s-80s where it was expected that you were to be outlandish, full of yourself, or display an in-your-face attitude......other than Pierre, her kids are not so much like that. Princess Grace was raised at a time when women had a specific role....more refined, cultured, gentle - which was respected and expected then. Today, it's ok to show that you're smart instead of pretend you aren't.....
I fail to understand some of your statements in your post. Even if Caroline grew up in the “me” generation of the 70s-80s, she was not especially outlandish, she was not full of herself, and she did not display an in-your-face attitude. She rebelled against her upbringing just as her mother had done a generation earlier. She wore bikinis because she would have been more outlandish if she hadn't. She had self-confidence, and like almost every girl in any generation, she thought she was wiser than her mother in contemporary social and moral behavior. She had her one or two wild years in Paris, like any freshman would anywhere, anytime. By the 80’s by the way, she was well on her way to replicate a lifestyle Grace would not have disapproved of. It is also interesting that those who lived through the 70’s perceive the role models or idols of their youth as much tamer than those of today who create headlines with their endless substance abuse problems.
Being refined, cultured and gentle was respected and expected then. Remove the “gentle” (but was Grace as gentle as she appeared? It takes a lot of grit to achieve the career she achieved), and Caroline has the same qualities. She may have been gentler than she appeared, acting as big sister and counselor for socially and economically disadvantaged children while still a teenager. At the time, no one thought it was some publicity coup, just the result of being raised to serve and the opportunity to be helpful in a field she believed in.
When you say, “Today, it’s ok to show that you’re smart instead of pretend you aren’t”, do you mean the today of Caroline’s youth, when she asserted her smartness with intellectual and character passion (studying psychology, philosophy, envisaging working with children’s speech problems), or do you mean today of Charlotte’s youth? Frankly, in terms of ambitions and achievements at the same age, I’d put Grace first, Caroline second and Charlotte third. I don’t think Grace ever pretended to be less than smart. This was the Jackie Kennedy and Princess Grace era, when the two First Ladies seemed to emulate if not compete in how smart and cultured they could be, and indeed they both radiated. So did and still does Caroline. Charlotte is very beautiful.
