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it is no secret that eloise’s public image is a well-crafted lie to hide what the world shall never know and eloise was fine with that.

she had known that her disease would cause some discrepancies in how the public perceived her.  since she was young,  she had been known for her shy and ‘quiet’ nature  —  a pristine excuse for a young girl recovering from her nth sugery.  it made for a pretty picture and kept prying eyes away when needed. but it was no surprise that the more the royal family kept her and her condition under wraps, the more the public and press grew curious of this hidden princess.

so,  when it was finally time to remove the curtains from the shy little girl, it comes to the surprise of the public that eloise is not shy, nor is she quiet. she is a breath of fresh air, full of laughter and smiles. it causes a pause for concern, but the belgian public takes it in stride. the hidden princess was no longer hidden, becoming a well-beloved member of the royal family over night as was her right.

her parents had never stressed her image nor did they need to,  for she wasn’t the crown princess like louise was nor was she the spare like beau had been. she was simply eloise and for that, the fact that she was living and breathing, had been enough for her parents.

for as outgoing as freja is, her public image, or lack there of, is a bit of a surprise to people. most of it comes from being friends with the royal family, being related to one, and the company she keeps. only when news slows down significantly do they run stories on freja. in france, she is “that duchess” or “the king’s friend.” in switzerland, she is “the other princess’ daughter.” in the media’s eyes, she doesn’t do much. she has a family, her political views align with the monarch’s... there’s no drama on the surface. it contributes to a stable image, so she doesn’t have much to take care of.

she was more popular in switzerland than in france when she was first born, just because she was one of the first kids to be born in the bernadottes of switzerland. that is, until ebba was born and the country could now focus on the new ruling family. the swiss don’t have an opinion on her nor do they pay her much attention. she’s there, but not really. her time in switzerland is usually exclusively to do with family.

there’s not much the media has on freja. her younger years are her most damming, but they are far away enough now to be forgotten. she doesn’t become truly relevant in france until arnauld’s coronation anyways. and even when she is, she’s a person in the background. she’s a face you see at all the events, talking to the right people, sitting at the right tables, but no one really knows what she does.

although, it’s probably a common debate among french people if freja has ever dated arnauld or not. it is probably the only time her name gets mentioned in tabloids and such. it’s probably something people who love celebrities and gossip discuss often. how could he have had freja as a friend for so long? it’s just swirling rumors, of course!

but freja is an important figure to know within french high society (and i suppose, the royal circles too). everyone knows that her opinion matters to important people. it is somewhat of a bragging statement if you get an invitation to dine with freja. even more so if you get an invitation to a party at the château du grand-lucé. it is an indication you are on your way up.

the job of the royal family is simple. they’re the image that the country looks up to as their role models, they serve as morale boosters and unite the country. people relate to people - the continuation of a royal family is something people like to see. though, the situation in england isn’t so conventional anymore.

her story doesn’t start with birth. no, natalia’s birth is only mentioned in the newspapers. but it isn’t big news. it’s hardly news at all. there’s no cover story. the duchess of norfolk has a baby! it’s deserving of a half of a column, perhaps. if natalia remained “the duchess’ daughter”, she might have been a d-list celebrity, at best.

her first big headline ? natalia de marquis is the daughter of the king. this certainly makes a splash. within days her face is splayed all over england. 

natalia easily slips into the good graces of england’s people. for so long, king arthur was the only person to serve as the figurehead of their royal family. there was nothing about him that was sensational. then there was the prince, but natalia? the public now had a new princess to dote after! they see her grow up. first days of school, birthday parties; her life is their life to live vicariously through. the approval of the royal family goes up. no one can help it, everyone loves to see the girl grow up. she’s the princess that everyone pictured to have. 

it’s not that hard, but it’s not so easy either. the english royal family had long been straying from the tradition it was so known for. but natalia is their second chance. with the right press, the palace can use her to remind the public what they stand for. they can make people forget about the little detail of illegitimacy. the little detail that dangles over her head. and that’s why nat does everything she’s supposed to do. she thinks of it as a duty; and she can’t stand to let anyone down. a big reason of why she cares what other people think of probably boils down to this.

so she smiles and waves, and bows and curtsies, shakes people’s hands and visits schools and gives hugs to the little girls that look up to her. she does charity happily, she doesn’t mind lending her time for a good cause. in interviews, natalia is all smiles! very rarely will you see her annoyed or mad. she’s so very unoffensive. it makes her boring sometimes, but unoffensive and boring is much better than being distasteful. it’s always about being the most liked.

she’s famous internationally; the windsors are one of the world’s oldest royal families in the world. natalia is posh, she’s stylish. and everyone loves a good british accent. 

then more siblings are announced. luckily for natalia, by the time their names make the news, her spot in the royal family has been firmly carved out. natalia has been apart of the people’s lives for so long that she doesn’t look like an outsider, especially compared to the new faces. it helps her out. when asked, she gushes about how excited she is to get to know them. it’s true for the most part.

henri’s public image is carefully crafted, especially in france. every story about him is positive — he is his nation’s shining beacon, their handsome, well-spoken prince. he is seen at all manner of events: charity galas, state dinners, fairs and farmer’s markets. he shakes hands with foreign dignitaries and wears that charming smile. his face is splashed across newspapers but never tabloids. he is volunteering at a homeless shelter in paris or visiting fishermen and farmers in brittany or having a meeting with the pope, always. henri has been fortunate to lead a life relatively free of scandal.

it’s all, of course, a lie. his philanthropy is done in the interest of currying public favor, his volunteer work for the sake of a photo op. henri has gone to great lengths to make sure certain stories about him never see the light of day. especially in his youth, when he was far less careful ( reconciling his actions and their consequences has been a struggle for henri, even since his adolescence ), he was frequently forced to go to great lengths to keep his more salacious deeds away from the public psyche.

there are whispers, then. plenty of claims have been made about henri, most of them true, most of them unbelieved by the general public. how could the good, kind, angel-faced prince henri possibly be the things these people say? the rumors about women and manipulation and arrogance remain just that: rumors. the murmurs about even worse things, about gambling and drinking and drugs, are hardly even uttered aloud. to the public as a whole, henri is nothing more than his genuine smile and his kind eyes, a philanthropist, the people’s prince. and henri likes it that way. in fact, he needs it that way.

to those abroad, henri is a sort of enigma. rumors flow more freely in places where henri has less control, but he is still seen as one of the more generally decent frenchmen. he smiles at parties, the image of high societal grace, the picture of perfect charm. someone meeting him for the first time might not know what to expect, given the amount of conflicting reports on his character. the french media make him out to be the perfect angel and the french people adore him, but he has helped to facilitate no shortage of atrocities, and rumors move quickly through upper class circles. upon meeting him they get nothing short of perfection: a put together man with a disarming smile, a well-tailored suit, and not a hair out of place. he moves through crowds like water, makes himself at home in any conversation, commands attention and respect wherever he goes. and perhaps, one must think, the rumors are only rumors.

Bavarians think she’s a kind and hard-working woman. Only when a leader is needed she steps on a podium. When her people need guidance, she speaks. She gives a speech three to five times a year: one on the German unity day, one on Christmas day and one on New Year’s Eve. Due to the new international situation, she has had to make more speeches than ever before. If the subject isn’t some happy occasion, her speech is very plain. She explains why something is happening and what it means for Bavarians. Some people think her speeches are written in a way that makes her seem like a grade school teacher: very simple, no verbiage, straight to the point. It’s the kind of transparency that makes her a trustworthy politician.

Germans forget she exists. She conducts no business outside of Greater Bavaria. Her duke and duchess are the ones that make the trips. She sends them with an entourage she has handpicked herself. She has a good selection of people who she allows to speak on her behalf. It’s a way to have influence. It’s almost impossible to get in touch with her, which often makes people try very hard. When someone gets an audience with her, they consider it a great honor.

Internationally only the French, the Austrians and the Swiss pay her any attention. She’s more likely to invite a foreign dignitary to her castle than a German one. Germans understand the hierarchy, foreigners do not. She wishes not to offend anyone. Doesn’t mean she’s sending out invitations left and right though.

despite having attended various engagements alongside her parents in her childhood, princess catherine’s societal debut was the absolute sensation of the 2011 season, with many aristocratic families delaying their daughters’ debuts in order for them to rub elbows with the future monarch. presented by her aunt, the princess royal, to her mother and father, princess catherine was accompanied by her paternal cousin: prince hans of denmark, son of the king of denmark, the prince consort’s older brother. princess catherine was described as charming and severely knowledgable by her fellow debutantes, and that despite the harsh upbringing of gordounstoun school, she still retained the ladylike stature that had impressed the tutors of hughes finishing school for young ladies. now almost a decade after her sensational debut, the crown princess looks back to her memories as a young ingenue fondly. 

“it seems like a lifetime away, but i do keep up with all the news from dubai.” the princess quipped, smiling slightly. “i’d love to come open the debutantes’ ball as i did a few years back, but business calls me to dubai, and i’m sure that my sisters would be more than capable to come in my place.” business, of course, is old-fashioned politics between monarchs, the conversation between families that might lead to much desired world peace. when asked of how her experience was surrounded by the other royals, the princess had asserted that her presence in the ‘unofficial summit’ -- as she puts it -- was long overdue, for scottish interests must be represented in such turbulent times. many political correspondents had criticised the palace’s decision in sending the princess as their delegate, preferring older, and more experience members of parliament to approach neighbouring nations through the proper channels. the truth to their criticisms is yet to be seen, as the princess had managed to solidify a most important ally to the south. 

perfectly groomed without a hair out of place, the incomparable golden girl of scotland continued to charm with her effortless grace, following into her mother’s footsteps in marrying a member of a ruling family in order to strengthen scottish international interests. much unlike her grandfather and the generations before him, who favoured marrying daughters of powerful scottish families instead of neighbouring allies. princess catherine’s adult look had been attributed in part to her stylist, lady-in-waiting, and close friend: lady clara kerr, the 14th marchioness of lothian, focusing on a flattering mixture of traditionally feminine and masculine pieces. her string of solo speaking engagements after her investiture saw the princess in a good ratio of sensible, yet flattering, pencil skirts as well as bespoke pantsuits from various fashion houses of the world. there had only been one incident that had ruffled her otherwise perfect image, the infamously windy day at the polo that had made princess catherine quite terrified of flare dresses. 

the university of st andrews and oxford university alumni is not all beauty but also brains, keeping a relatively low profile in the relationships front and famously stayed away from more scandalous company. one obvious exception was her close friendship with crown princess rhiannon of wales, although it was safe to say that princess catherine did not partake in her friend’s wild nights out. to her royal highness, the only sort of dancing that she most preferred was the viennese waltz, a tasteful choice for a most tasteful lady. her carefully curated mixture of beauty and brains would come together during her numerous speaking engagements, it’s easy to admire the way the princess could pull the attention of any crowd. to this, her royal highness could only say: “well i had some very good teachers, i’m very lucky.” ever so humble. 

but she wasn’t without her critics, to this princess catherine said: “there are many who still would rather a strong prince or politician to represent scotland, despite the new age and modernity proving that women and female monarchs could do just as well. the conversation will undoubtedly turn to the age old debate between politics and the monarchy, two fields that traditionally did not allow women in their ranks. i’m all three, a politician, a future monarch, and a woman; it can be done.” with a perfectly arched eyebrow and a knowing smile, who could deny the power she held? 

of course what image was created was only half true. the emphasize of happiness was necessary to show. most press releases showing a family member visiting her or a mention of the princess heading to visit family. with the conservative marriage values of armenia, there has been a push, a very vocal one, about lena’s lack of settling down. over the years media outlets speculating it, especially as lena attended every big wedding of armenia. it is her biggest criticism too. with the public often claiming her selfish for being so career oriented instead of marrying a nice many of money already. her second biggest criticism was the amount of time she spent out of the country during her career. it was almost petitioned to the government as well how the princess could be doing anything from living in random big cities in europe. she relocated quickly after that was brought up, beginning her program of museum exchange.