Nowadays, we hear/read the word feminist a lot. But what does it mean? Feminism is 

the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.

To me, this means to be supportive of women and stand up for their rights, and I believe that famous female figures have the power to inspire and encourage younger generations. That's precisely what royals do, in some way. We keep looking for someone to look up to, to be an example of what we want to be or see in the world. Many people seem to forget the royals in this aspect. Have you given any thought about it? I wonder what's more feminist than a woman taking advantage of her high status/role to do good in society?

 

The best and most well-known example of this is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who has since joining the British Royal Family, taken a great deal of time and interest to defend feminism in a very healthy and harmonious way. People listen to her, and she has made so many positive changes in just a year. She went with Prince Harry at the beggining of the month to Africa to promote feminism, gender equality, and female education. That's awsome, right?

Now, if you are like me--obsessed with royals, you probably already know that Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium just turned 18 on the 25th of October and her father the King of the Belgians bestowed her in the highest Belgian order: the Order of Leopold I. This means the king has a tremendous amount of trust in his daughter. The Princess then gave a speech and said, "The country can count on me." 

How many 18-year olds do you ever hear saying that? Not only that, but she will be Beglium's first reigning Queen. Two years prior her birth, a new Act of Succession was signed and gave the right to rule to then Crown Prince Phillip and Mathilde's children  whether they were born male or female. So now, as the daughter of a king, she will be Beligum's first queen and who knows, she might user her position for improvement and changes in their society! 

Another example is the  the 13-year old Spanish princess, Leonor, Princess of Asturias (the Spanish heirs' title). She will also be a reigning Queen, the first in 115 years and the third in Spanish history. 

You thought it ended here? HA! No! There's more. Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange (again, an heirs' title) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is not only the first female holder of the Princess of Orange title, but she will also one day become queen. By her 18th birthday, when she reaches the age of majority in Europe, she will assume a seat in the Advisory Division of the Council of State of the Netherlands, gaining political influence. (The Dutch monarch is directly involved in the government, contrary to most monarchies).

A little further north on the map, Norway's very own Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, thanks to the change of the Act of Succesion in 1990, will be the first ever reigning Queen of Norway.

Princess Ingrid Alexandra (oh, God I absolutely love her name!) will someday, be the first queen of Norway. But that's probably not for a long time. Her grandfather King Harold V doesn't show any signs of abdication, Although personally I'm in favor of it, at least partially, because I believe the crown should be passed down to the new generation that is more in touch with today's society. Most of the time, that means abdicating in favor of an heir to attempt to modernize the monarchy. It works, and many people love it.

And last but not least, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden AND her daugher Princess Estelle will also be future queens. 

What's better than good, honest women in power that will use their voice to make a positive change in the world? It really baffles me how some people can get so agressive and rude towards royals saying they are expensive and assume they stroll around the palace all day in their fine silk robes and do nothing else. So not true. Royals do SO MUCH GOOD every day, we just don't see all of it because royals keep things quiet and proper, they aren't loud and able to express their views or share their causes and what concerns them, because they are not celebrities. I say we have a beautiful, healthy feminist future ahead of us with extraordinary role models that will actually do something for the society.