What's the deal with Princess Angela of Liechtenstein?

At the risk of sounding as though I'm missing something, I don't understand the issue with Princess Angela of Liechtenstein.

I recently wrote an article Changing Face of Royalty where I mentioned her and how she, along with other women of various nationalities and backgrounds, have changed the way we look at royalty. That article was inspired by an email that I received about the fact that she doesn't receive much, if any, media coverage. In response to that article, one person commented: "Shame on the press for not covering them more".

Well, shame on the official site. They make no mention of her either!

Princess Angela may be the only black princess in a reigning European dynasty. She may be accomplished in many areas of her life. But I reiterate, marrying into the royal family is not an accomplishment. That alone does not make her newsworthy. I'd like to know what else she has done other than marry a Prince? Is that the way she should be defined? By who she's married to?

Judging by royal and non-royal forum threads, people are very interested in her. Deploring the lack of media coverage some go as far as to accuse it of being a race issue. The media can't accept a black woman marrying into royalty. Could it be that she and the family that she's married into have such a low profile as to not warrant coverage? Could it be that she and her husband prefer it that way? What exactly would you like the media to report on? In the absence any scandal, how about what she wears? Maybe her appearance at some meaningless party? A spread in Hello magazine? Or would that coverage be too superficial for you? Do you think this bothers Princess Angela as much as it bothers you?

In comparison to the wives of the Crown Prince's of Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Spain, you'd think Princess Angela doesn't exist. But there's a difference. She didn't marry a Crown Prince. Like it or not, that's crucial. She may have married well but she didn't marry someone high enough on the royal food chain.

There are many members of royal houses who are not reported on either. I'm sure that there are many fascinating distant royal relations who we will never hear about. Does that make it some sort of royal reporting agenda? Or could it be they're not newsworthy enough either? I guarantee that if Prince William marries a black woman that will make up for any lack of coverage of Princess Angela. But then will the enormous amount of coverage become a race issue too?

There are many black women who are very accomplished, who have achieved great things and broken barriers. These are women who are noteworthy. Marrying royalty is not in the same league. And there were never any barriers to begin with. Princess Angela just happened to marry the right person.

So for those of you who complain of her not receiving coverage and recognition. Here's what you can do:

1) You can start a blog or a website devoted to her.

2) You can track her down, interview her yourself and submit it somewhere.

3) You can do nothing and continue to complain.

I've done my part. Now you do yours.

© Marilyn Braun 2008

The Royal Report for Sunday August 17th, 2008: Review of the Official Scandinavian Royal Websites

On this episode I review the Official Sites for the Danish, Norwegian, Swedish monarchies. Included is a review of the official site for the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark.

You can listen to the show here.

Books mentioned in this podcast:

Queen Victoria A Biography in Word and Picture by Helmut and Alison Gernsheim

Anne & Mark: Photographs by Srdja Djukanovic Text by Judith Campbell

Splendour at Court: Dressing for Royal Occasions since 1700 by Nigel Arch and Joanna Marschner

Tune in to The Royal Report on Sunday August 24th, 2008 9:00PM EST.

The topic will be a review of the Official Royal Websites that I loathe.

© Marilyn Braun 2008

The Changing Face of Royalty

When I was a little girl, my image of what a Princess should be came from Cinderella and Princess Diana. It would be easy to think that Disney's representation of Cinderella is the definitive image, but as I grew up and became more familiar with world royalty I realized that this is not the reality. Times have changed and now we see Princess Tiana, the first black Disney princess, in the upcoming film The Princess and the Frog.

There are many examples of how royalty has changed: Princess Maxima of the Netherlands is from Buenos Aires, Grand Duchess Maria Theresa of Luxembourg is from Cuba, When Lady Rose Windsor, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, married Gary Lewis, he became the first person of Māori descent to marry into the British royal family. Peter Phillips' bride, Autumn Kelly became the first Canadian to do so. Alexandra Manley, born in Hong Kong, became a significant addition to Denmark's ruling family when she married Prince Joachim in 1995. She was the first person of Asian heritage to marry into a sitting European ruling house. They have since divorced and Alexandra is now titled Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg. Another example, though lesser known, is Princess Angela of Liechtenstein, currently the only black princess in a reigning European house.

Royalty has come a long way from the times where they could only marry royalty. It was not considered proper for them to marry outside of their class. If they did so, it was usually without permission of the sovereign. Usually they were stripped of title, rank or the like and their marriages were known as morganatic. As the years went by, and many royal houses fell by the wayside, available royal spouses grew scarce. Therefore spouses were chosen from the aristocracy. Despite her pedigree, in 1923 Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon became the first commoner to marry into the royal family in several centuries. In 2001 Prince Haakon of Norway married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, a single mother and former waitress. In 2004, Prince Felipe of Spain married Letizia Ortiz, who had been previously married in a civil ceremony. In 2005, Camilla Parker Bowles married Prince Charles. What once would never have been allowed, let alone considered, now seems to be commonplace. And even a reflection of reality.

The inspiration for this article came from an email I received about Princess Angela of Liechtenstein. That as the first black princess in a European dynasty, she received little media recognition. Indeed, prior to that email I wasn't even aware of her. Unfortunately I couldn't find enough unique information to do a royal profile but I had to wonder, what makes her so special? People may be proud to have their heritage represented in public figures, but marrying into royalty isn't necessarily an accomplishment. It's something few people can aspire to. Some might consider it a step backward. Or even an unrealistic goal better left to the imagination of Holllywood film-makers. The person who emailed wondered whether race was a factor in the lack of media coverage of her. I think this is less about race and more about the low profile of the royal family she married into. In fact, she isn't even mentioned on the official site. Read what you will into that.

I don't necessarily think that any of these women have changed the way people look at royalty. Meaning they haven't made royalty more accessible or promoted any greater understanding of civil marriages, single parenthood, divorce, race, or even their respective nationalites. It was inevitable for royalty to marry commoners but that doesn't make it remarkable. Autumn Kelly, as the first Canadian to marry into the British royal family, doesn't change anything for me. It doesn't fill me with any sense of national pride. Nor should it.

Cinderella and Princess Tiana are characters from a Disney film. Neither reflects reality. Royal women of today are accomplished, poised and multicultural. Regardless of their background, they have become assets to their respective royal dynasties.

Let's hope that never changes.

© Marilyn Braun 2008

Related articles:

A Cinderella Story
Royal Profile - Princess Battenberg