Meet the next generation of European queens

[New Sancai Compilation First Edition] For observers of the British royal family, after the reign of King Charles III, there will not be another queen in the United Kingdom for at least three generations. This is in stark contrast to the UK's European neighbours, with Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden set to have a queen on the throne - but who will these future queens be? As leaders of Generation Z, what will they represent?

△Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands: She is the heir to the throne of the Netherlands and the third daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima The eldest of daughters.

What is unusual is that the Dutch monarchy is mainly led by women. From 1890 to 2013, three queens ruled continuously. Katharina Amalia's father became the king, so her status in history is very important. good.

Unlike some of the regrettable gaffes her parents have committed, including vacationing in Greece during the coronavirus lockdown, Katharina seems to have her finger on the pulse of the nation. Case in point: She turned down her right to an annual royal stipend at the age of 18, ostensibly because as a student (she studied politics, psychology, law and economics at the University of Amsterdam) she was not "working" Members of the royal family, but otherwise, sensed something was wrong during a period of cost-of-living pressure.

Like Britain's Prince William, Katharina longed to have a normal university experience and live in a dormitory with other students until she was threatened with kidnapping by a criminal gang. She also attended a public primary school during her early years and even worked at a beach bar in The Hague during her summer vacations. Like many Gen Zers, she has spoken candidly about mental health, revealing she sometimes sees a therapist, and while she has not commented directly on this, she is the focus of new legislation that means the royal will be able to work with Marry the person of your choice without losing your right to the throne.

The Dutch royal family still needs good PR as its popularity rankings have declined in recent years, and Katharina hopes to be just the fresh face everyone needs.

△Princess Elisabeth of Belgium: Princess Elisabeth will make history when she ascends the throne as the first ruling queen of Belgium. Ten years before her birth, primogeniture was revised to allow female inheritance, and she became the first monarch to benefit. If nothing changes, her brother Prince Gabriel will become the next king.

The 22-year-old girl is the eldest daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola. In addition to Prince Gabriel, she also has a second brother Emmanuel Prince Emmanuel. She spent her formative years in Brussels before attending Hippie Hogwarts, also known as UWC Atlantic College in Wales. After completing her studies, she followed in the footsteps of other heirs to the throne and received a year of military training at the Royal Military Academy in Brussels. She now attends Lincoln's College, Oxford University, where she competes on the rowing team.

She was a confident public speaker: her first speech was at age 9, when she opened a children's hospital named after her. Her fashion choices are increasingly recognized. There are reports of an "Elizabeth" effect in Belgium, with her fans rushing to buy the clothes she wears and comparisons being made to the Princess of Wales.

In recent years, Belgium, like many other Western countries, has had to confront its colonial past. How the Princess decides to acknowledge and apologize for the Belgian part remains to be seen, but it will be crucial to her image at home and on the world stage.

△Princess Leonor of Spain: In recent weeks, after the heir to the Spanish throne turned 18, the world has been enveloped in the so-called "Leonor fever". Princess Leonor, the eldest of King Felipe and Queen Letizia's two daughters, is quickly thrust into the national spotlight for her various fashion styles and choice of boyfriends.

Her rising public profile contrasts with her closely guarded childhood, during which she made few public appearances. After finishing primary school in Barcelona, she moved to Wales to complete her studies at the same school as Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, UWC Atlantic, and graduated in The military academy accepts officer training for a period of 3 years.

Ahead of her 18th birthday, she presented the first Princess of Asturias Awards, where she met Hollywood icon Meryl Streep and Japanese author Haruki Murakami. She appears to be anything but star-struck.

On the political front, one issue she may have to confront is the rise of separatism in Catalonia - an issue her father made a rare public statement against in 2020 and was widely criticized for it.

△ Crown Prince Victoria (pictured left) and Princess Estelle (pictured right) of Sweden: The 46-year-old Crown Prince Victoria is another European royal family member who has benefited from the modernization of primogeniture. In fact, she was second in line to the Swedish throne at birth, surpassing her brother Prince Carl Philip after the constitution was changed. This caused some controversy at the time, as her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf, was opposed to the change - not because he didn't want women to succeed, but because of his sympathy for his son , his son was suddenly deprived of his father's right to become the crown prince.

In Sweden, the monarch plays an even smaller role in public life than in Britain, so King Carl XVI Gustaf has largely stayed out of the spotlight. However, similar to other royals of her generation, Victoria has been more candid about her personal life, opening up about her battle with anorexia in the 1990s. Speaking of her experience in 2002, she said: "I, Victoria, didn't exist. It felt like everything in and around me was controlled by others. The one thing I could control was the food I ate."

Princess Estelle, the 11-year-old daughter of Crown Prince Victoria, is the second in line to the throne after her mother. She also benefited from the change in law because she had a younger brother, Prince Oscar.

(Author: Rebecca Cope)

(Source: Vogue website)
(Compiled by: Bai Ding)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)