| A St. Valentine's Guide: How To Marry A Prince |
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| Written by Dr. Janice Seto | |
| Wednesday, 14 February 2007 | |
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Page 6 of 7 
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was a non-aristocratic, university-educated working girl of divorced parents.The Madrid-based Spanish love of Felipe was also divorced after a year of marriage to a former professor. To make her an even more unlikely royal bride was the fact she worked amongst the historic enemy of royalty and celebrity alike: she was a newsreader and TV journalist. Like Eva, she was a public figure in her own right. And familiarity breeds contempt? This time, a much stronger and wiser Felipe was determined not to lose a love and a partner for life due to media influence. He did a pre-emptive strike. Unlike previous relationships, this royal romance was very hush-hush. Although there had been mutterings of a romance, this relationship only truly came to light on the day of the couple's engagement announcement. The private way in which the royal heir conducted this relationship gave the conservative forces no time to divide the public. Quite simply, Letizia was presented as a fait-accompli. Deeply in love and utterly committed to Letizia, it's alleged that Felipe told his family would renounce his rights to the throne rather than give up another love. So determined was he to prove his point, the Prince even stayed away from a royal family engagement. 
Being from Asturias, Letizia brings into prominence a part of the country that is off the beaten track — similar to if Prince Charles had married a Welsh lass. During the interview stage, the independent and strong Letizia proved comfortable enough in the public eye to tell Felipe to "let me finish" during the engagement interview. Can you imagine Lady Diana having ever done the same to her Prince in the early days of her public life? As for the proximity, Letizia and Felipe had less than a year to know each other in private in Madrid. However, they were both at a point in their lives to settle down. And their futures were compatible. 
They were tired of being alone, and therefore shared a desire to start a family and dedicate themselves as a team to Spain.Although there is always a learning curve to being a fully paid up member of any Royal Family, Letizia's path was made easier by her earlier life experiences: already Spanish (and therefore able to speak the language of the people — unlike Mary Donaldson, who admirably learnt Danish on her transition from Australian citizen to Crown Princess of Denmark), Letizia has full knowledge of the ways of the media, and was trained in skills that transfer over to being the consort of a future head of state: Direction, Discipline, Drive. The lady who was deemed unsuitable as a royal bride proved how classy she actually is when, on hearing the news of Felipe and Letizia's engagement, she simply said: "I am very happy on their behalf. I wish them good luck". |
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