Marie-Chantal: Opinions

[plseyw]

Marie Chantal

I know that she has had quite a world wide upbringing, but prior to her marriage, did was she in fact American? I believe her father has taken up British citizenship. And does she hold a Greek passport now or Danish, like many of the Greek royal family? Lastly, because her first three children were born in the US, what citizenship do they hold?

 

[Charlotte1]

I know that she has had quite a world wide upbringing, but prior to her marriage, did was she in fact American? I believe her father has taken up British citizenship. And does she hold a Greek passport now or Danish, like many of the Greek royal family? Lastly, because her first three children were born in the US, what citizenship do they hold?

MC said in her recent Vogue interview that she considered herself American, whether or not she has American citizenship hasn't been stated. I've read that her father infact became a British citizen before she was born, and she was born in London which would make her a British citizen ( Dual citizenship doesn't seem to be allowed by the US) All the Greek royals hold Danish passports, the Greek government won't allow them Greek passports as they won't state a surname. US citizenship laws allow any child born in the US to have US citizenship so therefore her 3 oldest children have US citizenship.

 

[princess olga]

I really dont like Marie Chantal Last year it was a interwiew of here and husband Pavlos on tv, and she was sooo arrogant and she looks so angry on everybody. But I admirer one thing about MC, and that is her style in clothes

Can you elaborate on why she came across as arrogant? What did she say, how did she react, etc etc? I'm willing to believe someone is arrogant, but only if you provide some examples that underline what you mean

 

[Bella]

I think MC appears arrogant in her pictures. Maybe it's just that blonde ice-princess thing (a la Grace Kelly in her Hitchcock movies) that gives her that impression. It's not to say she's actually arrogant, but she can look that way. And I think ppl naturally assume she is because of her family's wealth and the fact she's married into (exiled) royalty. I remember reading an article about her - and I don't recall which publication it was - shortly after her marriage where it was revealed she insists upon being addressed HRH or "Princess". I remember ppl laughing about that one as she really has no country to reign as a princess and any titles she was bestowed at her marriage are courtesy titles. Anyhow, I think that was pretty much where the whole arrogant thing began with her.

 

[misselle]

I think MC is well-educated,well-dressed,talented.She does look like she is very self-contained;I've read that she might be shy and that can come across as being arrrogant.She does strike me as being pretty confident.
I know that her father is American,but wasn't she born somewhere else...was it Hong Kong?

 

[Zonk]

Marie Chantal was actually born in London.

And yes, sometimes people who have strong, confident personalities can come across as arrogrant. Sometimes I think we imagine that those who live a certain lifstyle, travel abroad a lot, with a lot of money act a certain way. We, project our issues or assumptions on how they act or should act on them. Think about this...she has grown up with money and has the eyes of the world on her...its probably hard for her to make new friends (hence the standoffish, ice maiden image). I know if I would in her shoes, I would act that way as well. Do they like me because my family has billions or because I married a Prince. Or do they want to be friends with Marie Chantal. That's probably why she is close to her siblings, people she went to school with and friends of Pavlos.

 

[Wallis]

Marie Chantal was actually born in London.

And yes, sometimes people who have strong, confident personalities can come across as arrogrant. Sometimes I think we imagine that those who live a certain lifstyle, travel abroad a lot, with a lot of money act a certain way. We, project our issues or assumptions on how they act or should act on them. Think about this...she has grown up with money and has the eyes of the world on her...its probably hard for her to make new friends (hence the standoffish, ice maiden image). I know if I would in her shoes, I would act that way as well. Do they like me because my family has billions or because I married a Prince. Or do they want to be friends with Marie Chantal. That's probably why she is close to her siblings, people she went to school with and friends of Pavlos.

I completely agree with this statement. I've mentioned this before, but a few years ago, MC was interviewed (unfortunately I forgot the publication) and she was asked why the family left New York. She mentioned the family events and ceremonies that they missed in Europe, but she also made a curious statement that unfortunately the interviewer did not follow up on. She stated that especially after 9/11, New York had become weird. She described New York society as one that looks constantly over your shoulders and wags their finger at disapproval if you are not attending enough charity events or if you are not on the right board of directors. She sensed a great deal of anxiety and tension in the atmosphere, so she wanted to be free of all that pressure. Actually, she stated that she really wanted to reside in Paris but Pavlos wanted to be in London with his family. So yes, MC does have a bit of an attitude, but I don't blame her. As someone born and bred in New York, I can tell you that this is a tough town to live in and I too have longed to leave for greener and less anxious pasture.

 

[azile]

Marie Chantal was actually born in London.

And yes, sometimes people who have strong, confident personalities can come across as arrogrant. Sometimes I think we imagine that those who live a certain lifstyle, travel abroad a lot, with a lot of money act a certain way. We, project our issues or assumptions on how they act or should act on them. Think about this...she has grown up with money and has the eyes of the world on her...its probably hard for her to make new friends (hence the standoffish, ice maiden image). I know if I would in her shoes, I would act that way as well. Do they like me because my family has billions or because I married a Prince. Or do they want to be friends with Marie Chantal. That's probably why she is close to her siblings, people she went to school with and friends of Pavlos.

Well said! I also wonder if Marie-Chantal is, by nature, a more introverted and private person. She certainly does not seem to be overly extroverted and think it must be difficult, if one is a naturally private person, to have to live their life in a public fishbowl.

I think she's likely protective of her children and this may also appear as a sort of arrogance. In light of her situation, that's understandable.

Because M-C does not have the same public role that other princesses do, we see much less of her. We have much less to help us form an opinion and when we do see her, it's usually at an event where she is not the central figure. I think the temptation then to project our assumptions and ideas is thus, even greater.

 

[Heidi P.]

She appears to live a very quiet and scandal-free life. Good for her!

 

[Princess Luna]

Can you elaborate on why she came across as arrogant? What did she say, how did she react, etc etc? I'm willing to believe someone is arrogant, but only if you provide some examples that underline what you mean

Maybe she had a bad day in that interview, thats why she was so arrogant. I really dont rember what they were talking about, I only rember that I was stunned over here arrogance.

 

[RubyPrincess168]

I like her. I first became aware of her in the mid-90s when she married CP Pavlos and have followed them and her sisters in magazine interviews. I thought their marriage was a cross between a fairytale and a Gilded Age arranged marriage. I've never seen them in person or seen television interviews so I can't say that MC comes across as arrogant or he's "whipped". But who could blame them? Maybe they were a true-love match. Maybe she married up and he married for money. I've heard that the Greek Royals live off of the welfare of wealthy Greek Tycoons. That money's gotta run out at some point and they probably needed a fresh infusion of cash what with the younger sibs getting ready for university soon. I think MC probably came with a large dowery and a large annual allowance from Daddy, which is why the Miller family is included in all GRF events that have nothing to do with their daughter of her kids, such as Alexia's wedding. They'll probably do everything to keep her happy because if she leaves, she takes her Daddy's money with her! And I'm not surprised her sisters' marriages didn't work out. Their husbands didn't need their cash as mush as the GRF does so they didn't have much power over them. Plus I think they were jealous of the spotlight always on MC and wanted a piece of it for themselves. That's why they following her around all the time like puppies.

As for the use of the titles.....here''s my opinion. Constantine is a King as long as he lives. He never abdicated or gave up his rights and the rights of his heirs. His son was born the Crown Prince and the woman he marries automatically becomes Crown Princess. Pavlos hasn't renounced anything either so they are entitled to their titles. Their children are entitled to the use of Prince or Princess becuase they are the children of a Prince and grandchildren to a King. If they choose not to use the title later in life that's their decision. Their children however shouldn't have titles. Whether or not they are still ruling over a country is irrelevant. I mean, Bush is still President whether I elected him or not!

 

[Zonk]

Please note that this thread is about Marie-Chantal, and what people think about her.

Its not a thread about the Greek monarchy, the American presidency or anything of that nature. Its about Marie Chantal...let's try to get back on topic.

Thank you.

 

[Warren]

Following Zonk's request to keep on topic, recent posts about the legitimacy of Greek and other European royal titles have been removed.

Warren
Greek RF moderator

 

[Warren]

To make it clear, this thread is called "Marie-Chantal: What do you think of her?"​

Any future posts discussing Greek politics, Greek titles, European titles, the US presidency, or anything not relevant to the thread question will be removed. ​

There are a number of existing threads in the Greek Forum where King Constantine, the Greek Monarchy and Greek titles can be discussed. ​

thanks,
Warren
Greek RF moderator

 

[dazzling]

I like Marie-chantal or should i say the old Marie-Chantal when she acted more like a princess or wife of a corwn prince. To me, she seems stuck between being a princess & a socialite. Her past year looks also seem to me that she'd go back a few years in the way she dresses. I mean the Valentino party in Rome, she wore a barbie like dress, her other outfits seem to be abit non age appropriate. She seems more of a jet-setter. I do admire how she kept her children out of the spotlight & i do give credit for her having & working hard on her children's wear shop.

 

[Carminha Stalker]

I don´t know Marie Chantal in person, but from what I have seen of her and her husband and children, I think they are a modern working couple, with four lovely children. He works, she works designing children clothes and is succesful with it. Besides, she is rich by birth (which is not a sin) and if she wanted she wouldn´t do a thing. Her husband seems happy, her children are lovely and they seem to care about their children, taking them on holidays etc...She is not my favourite royal(or married to a royal), even though I do love the GRF, especially Alexia and her gorgeous children.

 

[misselle]

Marie Chantal seems to be living the good life;she is from a wealthy family yet runs her own business.It appears to me that she has a good stable family life and is very happy with what she's doing.

 

[LauraMCS]

I think she was raised by two people with good values who taught MC and her two sisters that family is the most important thing. She takes a virtual beating from people because she was raised in prosperity and knows how to live the good life but I never thought that was fair.

She and Pavlos seem very happy together and their children look like very happy, very cherised children.

 

[kalnel]

I was looking at some pictures of MC in Hello the other day, and, to me, she has a little less "arrogant" look than she did a few years ago. I've always thought she had kind of a "haughty" look about her -- when she's pictured with the Danish or Spanish royals, I get the impression that she's thinking, "God, these people are soooo unsophisticated, I can't wait to get back to New York."

(Maybe time is softening the look -- or maybe even the real attitude -- a bit...)

It's funny, I get a similar impression of Maria-Olympia from pictures. Since she was a toddler, she just has a look that makes her seem (to me, at least) like she's kind of a bratty, precocious, rich kid who has to be the center of attention -- reminds me of some child actors. Her brothers and Alexia's children don't strike me this way at all.

But, who knows? Since I don't know them personally, these are just impressions from pictures. For all I know, the exact opposite may be true. I hope so!

kal

 

[Bella]

I know what you mean about MC. Though I think that air of arrogance is a mask for other feelings, like perhaps insecurity or inferiority. Esp. around the Danish and Spanish relations. After all, those cousins are still part of existinig monarchies, very popular among their "people" at that. The Greek monarchy is gone. I'm sure that relevence is not lost on MC who was brought up - imo - to be very aware of things such as status. As Kal said, we dont' know these ppl so we could be very wrong, it's just a personal observation I have. But I do agree that she does seem more relaxed and "nice" in recent years. As for MO, she strikes me as a typical pre-teen girl. I just hope they fix her teeth!

 

[dbarn67]

I think people project their own insecurities onto those in the public eye. We dont know that she arrogant. We dont know that she isnt arrogant. I think many people judge her harshly based on their own insecurities about themselves and our own place in the world. I dont hold her wealth against her anymore than i'd hold someones poverty against them. M-C has not placed a foot wrong publicly since she's become a public person so I dont judge her based on some imagined mistakes. I can only speak to the fact that she has lovely children, is a successful business women and represents her royal house with aplomb. The GRF have a relatively low profile so you dont see them much and MC doesnt seem to need to be included in every photo op. The inter-dynamics of a family are complex whether from a royal family or a common family and we as very distant observers can only speculate (again based on our own prejudices and and insecurities) as to why some things appear as the do. So I say I like Marie-Chantal until she says or does something public that makes me change my mind.

 

[kalnel]

Hi dbarn,

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, although I think talking about the impression MC creates is fair -- after all, she's in the "image" business through her stores, her activities as a socialite, and her status as the "wife of" Pavlos.

And, if she didn't want us to think about her, she wouldn't do things like pose for magazine stories or allow herself (or her children) to be the center of attention at ribbon-cuttings, like the one last week.

So, whatever her real personality is like -- and she may, indeed, be the sweetest, kindest person you could meet -- it's interesting to consider how and why she presents herself to the world.

For instance, she's married to a man whose family has a stated interest in re-establishing itself in Greece (either to live or to rule), but I don't think I've read much about MC taking a special interest in Greek culture, Greek current events, or the well-being of the Greek people. (That may not reflect the truth, but it's the impression I have.)

As several people have suggested in this thread, if she really wanted to make herself a popular figure in Greece, she'd act in a down-to-earth way that appeals to the Greek public, she'd try to build connections to people in all levels of Greek society, and she'd live in a way that shows she shares the same interests and concerns as Greeks.

She's under no obligation to do any of that -- and maybe she couldn't care less -- but the fact that she doesn't do these things tells us something about her. Her husband and in-laws certainly have invested a lot of effort in demonstrating their dedication to Greece, but she's putting her effort in a different direction.

To be clear, I don't fault her for how she lives her life and I don't resent anything about her. I just find it fascinating to give some thought to what her image is -- and isn't -- and to consider what she *does* want us to think about her.

kal

 

[dbarn67]

Kal,


Thank you for your thoughtfull and reasoned response. And I do agree with you that MC is fair game in that she married into a public family and when she poses for magazine and such people will speculate. I do not think she is "the sweetest, kindest person" ever. I dont think any one person is that. We're all human, yes even Marie-Chantal, and are combination of good qualities and bad. Also, I do think people project all of their own prejudices and insecurities onto a photograph. Case in point Diana, Princess of Wales, while she had a lot of wonderfully positive qualities she was also deeply insecure and had just as many not-so-positive qualities. we projected positive qualities onto her because she was pretty and she photograhed well. (And yes, I know, she did a lot of positive works for many people, I am a fan).

I just find it interesting that on the one hand people say Greece will never every reinstate its monarchy. Most of what I've read on this is that the people of Greece are pretty set against reinstatement. So how much do you invest in a people who are not welcoming of you? Also MC was raised by a man who "pulled himself up by his bootstraps" and she herself as said he is a meritocrat. Mr. Miller obviously has a sharp business mind and a knowledge of when to go after something that will give back and when to cut ones loses and move on. I'm sure the MC has learned by observaton that you cannot court a devotion that is not there.

Its very nice to have this belief that people will give and give without getting much back but I dont think that is a realistic understanding of human nature. Even the most ardent suitor will give up and leave if their advances are repeatedly rebuffed. Also, I dont get the impression (and as I dont live in Europe my impressions may be skewed) that Prince Pavlos is that devoted to Greece himself. I see the devotion in King Constantine and even Prince Nikolas but I do not get the impression that Prince Pavlos has a clear plan for garnering the favor of his people (again I dont live in Europe so my impression may no be accurate).
Marie-Chantal as having married into th GRF will take her cues from her husband most of all.

 

[kalnel]

Hi dbarn,

You may be right -- maybe MC sees a return to Greece as unlikely and, and a result, isn't investing an effort into positioning herself in a way that would assist in that.

But, even in the most cynical sense, being a "Greek royal" is good for MC's "branding" as a socialite and businesswoman. There are scores of super-rich socialite-heiresses with shops and businesses in New York and London, and as far as I can tell, her connection to royalty is about the only thing that sets MC apart from any of the others. This "princess" title gives her some cachet the others don't have -- her name looks good on committees and boards, the media has some extra interest in her, designers want their clothes on a "royal" for publicity, and so on. If she were merely "Mrs. Miller," you might see her in the magazine party pictures or something, but she'd just be a face in the crowd, not a celebrity.

That's why I find it so strange that she doesn't seem to manage her image differently. She could make her personal "brand" a lot more valuable by putting some effort into broadening the best aspects of her "princess" association -- projecting the kind of warm image and associating herself with the philanthropies that serve other royals so well.

Maybe she doesn't care about what her image is, but if that's the case, I doubt she'd be in the magazines or at the fashion shows at all.

Anyway, while we can't know what the "real MC" is like, looking at the public face she does promote tells a lot about her.

kal

PS -- I don't think a return from exile necessarily would require a return of the monarchy. Constantine has often talked about buying a house there, so they family could just want to re-establish themselves there as philanthropists/citizens. Time will tell, I guess.

 

[dbarn67]

Hello Kal,

You are right, Marie-Chantal could be making a better case for a return from excile if she softened her image and embraced the Greek culture and people. She does garner personal and business cache be association with the GRF. Its is hard to know how she feel about such things. I would love to read andinterview wherein she were asked those types of questions. Time will tell if she learns to manage her image to appear more sympathetic.

Thanks for the lively discussion of this topic.

Dbarn

 

[sriwadee]

Yesterday (1/6/08) I went to visit her clothing store in Manhattan at 1192 Madison Avenue & 87 Street. At the day was on Sunday, her store closed, I looked inside her store. It is very very very small and very very very narrow. The picture of inside store just looks like in her website: (Marie-Chantal).

In front of her store on that day, there is only 4 white pieces of cartoon children clothing. The pictures are children clothings: skirt, pants, boy dress, and girl dress. I was very surprised that there is no christmas or new year decoration. Near her store, there are two big children stores, one is Magic Window, and the other I can't remember the name. Most stores at that area are very very brand name from france, italy, etc.

Mostly on weekends, stores always open, but her store closes. That makes me think that she is doing her children store as her hobby, not her business. Also, I search price of Marie-Chantal clothing from some website. The price is too high, most of them approximately $100 - $170. I can't believe it, it's too much expensive.

 

[GlitteringTiaras]

If that is the case then clearly Marie-Chantal's company is geared toward a specific audience.

You may be right -- maybe MC sees a return to Greece as unlikely and, and a result, isn't investing an effort into positioning herself in a way that would assist in that.

I concur. Obviously, she knows that a return is highly unlikely and she is simply being realistic about the whole situation, in my opinion.

 

[Bella]

MC's clothes are marketed as "upscale". So $100 - $200 for an outfit for a child isn't too bad (I've seen dresses elsewhere for toddlers over $500). Her most focused clients are wealthy NY socialites and celebrities. But in her defense, the clothes are of a very high quality. I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[olili]

I bought some clothes in Marie - Chantal´s shop and I´m not wealthy. Her things are expensive like Oilily and other children tags

 

[sgl]

She seems like a lovely person. Out of the three sisters, Marie-Chantal seems to be the friendliest. Of course, this is just my opinion and I have not ever had the pleasure of meeting her or seeing her in person. I do think that she needs to become fluent in Greek. Regardless of whether or not the Greek Royal Family returns to Greece and their throne, it is crucial that anyone who has "of Greece" or "Crown Princess" in their title speak the language of the country they feel they are representing. Marie-Chantal is already fluent in two languages, so she definitely has the ability to learn a third. I salute her family for their dedication to teaching Greek to the children, and this bond would be even stronger when each member of the family speaks the language.