The Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía, News Part 1: June 2014 -

[Marty91charmed]

So we won't know the date?

 

[lula]

The first communions in the Royal Family have always been considered private and family events, although after the Royal House allowed or give some pictures.

In May they will announce when, where and how they have decided to celebrate it... but not 6 months prior.

 

[Marty91charmed]

Ah everything is more clear now thanks.... I do hope they will release one or two official pics

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

So far we have seen pictures of all grandchildren of the old kings, why should leonor be an exception as she is the most important one for the instituion. We have seen pictures of Felipe and the Infantas too.

If the communion takes place in Zarzuela, F&L are in control and can provide a few authorized pictures. If Leonor has her communion with her classmates in a public place and public church, it will be much more difficult as other children are involved, there will be lots of media coverage, not all parents will be happy about having this special day disturbed by the media/their children photographed because of one famous classmate.

I dont like the thought of both girls doing their communion together, it should be a separate event where each girl takes center stage, otherwise Sofia will be again in the shadow of her older sister.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

While Felipe was officially introduced as Prince of Austrias in Covadonga, Asturias at the age of 9, the Royal House says that at this stage it is unclear if Leonor will follow this schedule at all, if there is an official introduction and if so, where the ceremony will take place, Asturias or Madrid.

The other big question remains the first communion of Leonor, the Royal House will not confirm a date despite increasing calls from the media.

El rey se ha planteado cómo visualizar la presentación oficial de Leonor como princesa de Asturias

 

[An Ard Ri]

I'm thinking the First Holy Communion of the Princess will be a private family affair at the chapel of Zarzuela maybe in May?

 

[Blog Real]

While Felipe was officially introduced as Prince of Austrias in Covadonga, Asturias at the age of 9, the Royal House says that at this stage it is unclear if Leonor will follow this schedule at all, if there is an official introduction and if so, where the ceremony will take place, Asturias or Madrid.

The other big question remains the first communion of Leonor, the Royal House will not confirm a date despite increasing calls from the media.

El rey se ha planteado cómo visualizar la presentación oficial de Leonor como princesa de Asturias

I hope that comply with the tradition, and Leonor submitted at Covadonga.

 

[ANNIE_S]

I hope so, too. Covadonga is such a beautiful place, so symbolic and full of History, and I'm sure the ceremony would be beautiful and moving in such a setting. Also, even if they don't do it in Covadonga at all, I can't think on that ceremony being hold in Madrid. That would be a great mistake, IMO.

Come on, F&L, the people of Asturias want to receive and compliment their Princess. Let them do it!

 

[Turby]

I also hope the ceremony takes place in Covadonga. She I s such a beautiful young Princess. I am sure the people there would like to have this opportunity to see her.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Leonor on the cover of Hola
http://us.hola.com/imagenes/realeza...-revista-hola/0-315-247/portada-leonor1-z.jpg

 

[Marty91charmed]

That cover has a really beautiful shot of Leonor

 

[ANNIE_S]

It is! She's becoming a very pretty young lady.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Wow, the girls really change quickly. Sofia will soon be taller than her older sister, she's really grown recently.
http://www.diezminutos.es/var/dm/st...4/2446724-17-esl-ES/mallorca04_ampliacion.jpg
http://www.diezminutos.es/var/dm/st...2/2446714-17-esl-ES/mallorca02_ampliacion.jpg

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

The Problem with Princess Leonor

Princess Leonor is blonde with beautiful blue eyes. Those who know try to underline that she is always a good student, loving, very polite, friendly and shy. So what is the problem with the Princess of Asturias?

The problem is that we see her very little. The problem is that some people think that the Princess of Asturias should be more visible, more present, you should know more about her. But this idea clashes with the iron will of the Queen that her eldest daughter should have a childhood as normal as possible.

Leonor is a girl of ten years, but Leonor also is the heir to the throne of Spain and a matter of State.

Her mother, Letizia, has fought long for the privacy of Princess Leonor. There even have been disagreements between the Kings because of it. A clear example took place in the celebration mass in memory of Don Juan de Borbon, on the anniversary of the centenary of his birth. King Philip VI wanted his daughters attending but Queen Letizia opposed. The girls were not there. That day the Kings seemed distant and apart.

It must be difficult to put the line separating a mother from a Queen in the right place. The line between your nine year old daughter and heiress to the throne. King Philip VI may see it in a less complicated way because he has lived a childhood as heir.

The harshest critics emphasize that children of other Royal Houses have participated in acts of representation being smaller than the Princess Leonor. But, again, it is not easy to know how to distinguish what you should do as a little girl and what you should do as crown princess. This is the problem with Princess Leonor.

https://es.celebrity.yahoo.com/post/129344841661/el-problema-con-la-princesa-leonor

 

[Blog Real]

Catharina Amalia also appears little. Maybe even less that Leonor. Elizabeth of Belgium is appearing more. I think that Leonor should appear more often in official acts.

 

[GracieGiraffe]

Parents clash over raising any child on many things - you can multiply the difficulty by about ten thousand when you are talking about an heir to the throne, a female entering her tween years, the age of brutal social media and not so fawning press.

Neither parent is right or wrong here (assuming it's true). Felipe comes with his own perspective as royal, but Letizia comes with her perspective of being a former member of the press, and a female (we can be so brutal with woman and body image).

 

[eya]

The Leonor is indeed young, but not an ordinary young girl is the successor to the throne. Should be involved in various events appropriate of course for her age. The same goes for Amalia that we see very little. The best example is Philip with Mathilde have managed to involve all the children and not only the Elizabeth in various events and I do not think that prevents them from living their childhood.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

It hasn't really crossed my mind that Leonor (or Amalia for that matter but thinking about it we indeed don't see her that much) has had little appearances in public, though I would like to see her accompanying her parents on engagements that are suitable for her age especially now that she's Princess of Asturias. Felipe and Letizia seem to do a lot of audiences though which I can imagine would be boring for a child of Leonor's age, but Leonor doesn't seem to be disruptive.

I can understand why Felipe and Letizia would be protective of Leonor however, the Spanish press seem particularly brutal. Leonor's cousin Victoria Federica is already being criticised for her weight.

The Leonor is indeed young, but not an ordinary young girl is the successor to the throne. Should be involved in various events appropriate of course for her age. The same goes for Amalia that we see very little. The best example is Philip with Mathilde have managed to involve all the children and not only the Elizabeth in various events and I do not think that prevents them from living their childhood.

Personally I think the best example is the Crown Princess Couple of Sweden. Their three year old daughter Estelle is already being seen in public regularly and is often taken to child friendly engagements whenever she is able to. But I like your point about Philippe and Mathilde involving all their children.

 

[Fürstin Taxis]

She will be only 10 this year and is the youngest direct heir (if we ignore Jacques). Eventually we will see her more.
Well if they had exposed L like Estelle, I have no doubt that certain sections of the media would have accused Letizia for exploiting Leonor to get good PR... (before anyone thinks I accuse Victoria of this, no I don't).

 

[Moonmaiden23]

The Leonor is indeed young, but not an ordinary young girl is the successor to the throne. Should be involved in various events appropriate of course for her age. The same goes for Amalia that we see very little. The best example is Philip with Mathilde have managed to involve all the children and not only the Elizabeth in various events and I do not think that prevents them from living their childhood.

Elisabeth of Belgium is the best, perfect example. She was being taken on walkabouts when she was two years old, and gave her first speech in the Dutch language when she was about nine. Last year at 12-13 she addressed a gathering to commemorate the anniversary of WWI with a speech she had written herself in three languages!

She is perfectly poised in public, but seems sweet and shy at once. No one can argue that the Belgian children have been given as normal a childhood as possible with outings to the zoo and the park etc. They are always happy and smiling.

I understand Letizia's desire to protect her beloved child but there also needs to be an awareness of and preparation for what the future holds for her. It can be done, and the success of the future of the sometimes fraught Spanish monarchy depends on it.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Amalia doesnt attend many events yet but we see more of the sisters - even though the Dutch have a strict media code. They present the girls in a way the Dutch can relate to the Royals, showing the girls doing things that most dutch people do such as playing hockey, the family on bikes, meeting Sinterklaas, the recent photo of Amalia was natural & priceless. Photoshoots are often combined with activities like on horses or with the dog on the beach.

We only see Leonor & Sofia in very controlled & choreographed photoshoots were they stand clinging on their parents (or vice versa), have the shot taken, thank the photographers and leave. There is nothing natural about it.

 

[Marty91charmed]

I have to say that anytime I see the spanish girls I feel uncomfortable... I'm sorry to say that but I fully agree with Duke of Marmalade. Leonor and Sofia look like they are being controlled in an not so much healthy way. I am not talking about the frequency of public appearances, which to me they're fine (even though I think Leonor should make her first engagement by now) but how they are introduced everytime: they always seem so afraid of doing the wrong thing and being told off by their mom. One can see that the kids sometimes try to be more "free" or have a spontaneous gesture as it would be natural. But then they stop themeselves as if they had been told to just pose like dolls.I don't know, it could be all figment of my imagination but that's what I see.. And I noticed it happens especially with Leonor.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

She will be only 10 this year and is the youngest direct heir (if we ignore Jacques). Eventually we will see her more.
Well if they had exposed L like Estelle, I have no doubt that certain sections of the media would have accused Letizia for exploiting Leonor to get good PR... (before anyone thinks I accuse Victoria of this, no I don't).

You have raised good points about Leonor's age and if Leonore were seen as much as Estelle is. I've gotten the impression that Letizia can't win with the Spanish press, even if she does something right, she will still be criticised for it.

 

[Yashal]

I think it would be good if Leonor started attending the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony. IIRC, her father made his first public speech there, at the age of 13. Still, since she's even younger she could sit with her grandmother who usually stays in the royal box. Sofia could walk her through the whole ceremony, tell her who's who, what they're doing, etc. It would be a nice start.

 

[ANNIE_S]

I think it would be good if Leonor started attending the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony. IIRC, her father made his first public speech there, at the age of 13. Still, since she's even younger she could sit with her grandmother who usually stays in the royal box. Sofia could walk her through the whole ceremony, tell her who's who, what they're doing, etc. It would be a nice start.

That would be IMO an excellent way to introduce her. Hope the RH sees it that way too...

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I think it would be good if Leonor started attending the Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony. IIRC, her father made his first public speech there, at the age of 13. Still, since she's even younger she could sit with her grandmother who usually stays in the royal box. Sofia could walk her through the whole ceremony, tell her who's who, what they're doing, etc. It would be a nice start.

At the age of 13, in 1981, Felipe received the Collar of the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece and made a speech.

Before that, in 1977, at the age of nine, he was ceremonially installed as Prince of Asturias in Covadonga, Asturias, something we haven't seen so far regarding Leonor and maybe this should be done before attending the PoA awards the first time.

 

[lula]

The circumstances of Felipe, by the historical time in which he lived, are not the circumstances of Leonor. Probably many things Felipe made as a child, Leonor will not until age 18.

On more than one occasion, journalists have commented that he did not want his daughters were so exposed how he was as a child.

Experience with Marichalar and Urdangarín children and their exposure to the media has been terrible. In Spain the press has not set limit on the harassment of those children... this has led to Felipe and Letizia to be stric, because if they do not put limits, the press is not going to put them.

Neither the circumstances surrounding the royal family in recent years have been favorable. On the one hand they do not want to expose girls to uncomfortable circumstances ... on the other, because they do not want to be accused of using them as a mechanism to improve their image.

 

[Dukeofmyyard]

I don`t know, I might be looking too much into things, but I get the feeling that, in public, Leonor is a bit tense and unsure of herself, while Sofia is more relaxed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkIgf9QVhhI

In this video Sofia is the one who waves to the crowd first and Leonor is almost like "Oh, I guess I have to wave too." Sofia is also the first out of the two to greet the priests, with Leonor following her. Shouldn`t she try to take more initiative in such situations, her being the heiress and all? Obviously, there comes a great deal of pressure with being crown princess, something Sofia does not have, but it seems Leonor isn`t quite ready for it yet.

Also, it seems that Sofia smiles a lot more out of the two.

 

[grevinnan]

I don`t know, I might be looking too much into things, but I get the feeling that, in public, Leonor is a bit tense and unsure of herself, while Sofia is more relaxed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkIgf9QVhhI

In this video Sofia is the one who waves to the crowd first and Leonor is almost like "Oh, I guess I have to wave too." Sofia is also the first out of the two to greet the priests, with Leonor following her. Shouldn`t she try to take more initiative in such situations, her being the heiress and all? Obviously, there comes a great deal of pressure with being crown princess, something Sofia does not have, but it seems Leonor isn`t quite ready for it yet.

Also, it seems that Sofia smiles a lot more out of the two.

The young Princess hasn't even turned 10 years old yet but is already being criticized and compared to her sister. Considering the awkward behaviour even as adults of both King Philippe and Crown Prince Frederik although both have college and military educations we should perhaps back of for the time being and let Princess Leonor grow up first and find her place.

 

[amaryllus]

Anything taken an extreme is not good, including Royals trying to be 'normal'

I of course don't know from Adam how they are really preparing Leonor but she is of age to start learning the coping skills and confidence to deal with dull events, pushy paps, and the life of a Royal heiress in general. That will be her 'normal'