From Queen Elizabeth to Letizia of Spain: when the feminist is at court

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day. And the battles for “pink” rights also pass through the female faces of European royal families (and beyond). A pioneer was there Queen Elizabeth: was only 25 when in 1952 it became sovereign of one of the major world powers. In the mid-20th century, women played a marginal role in state affairs but her she knew how to make her way into a world of men who often looked upon her with condescension. Her great determination and her dedication to the Crown made her become a monarch respected around the world so much so that today hardly anyone can imagine a future without her. And without her courage. In 1998, to say, he drove the King of Saudi Arabia Abdullaheven knowing that women were not allowed to drive in that country.

Also lady Diana was a feminist icon. When her relationship with Carlo went into a deep crisis, instead of suffering in silence, she made his voice heard. Coming to tell in an interview on tvin front of 23 million astonished spectators, all his torments: the “Three-way marriage” with Carlo (due to Camilla), the betrayals with the army captain James Hewittthe bulimiathe depression post-partum, masochistic temptations. Then, after the divorce from Carlo, she engaged in transgressive causes for the time, giving a voice to the weakest and most defenseless. He walked in minefields, shook hands with AIDS patients, met the Untouchables in India. In short, she has shown what a woman is capable of doing. Alone. It is no coincidence that she defined herself, in an interview, “a strong woman who wants to do her part ».

Meghan Markle for two years now she has said goodbye to the British royal family but even when she was a royal she defined herself “proud to be a woman and a feminist “. The Duchess, who fight against sexism since childhood, has participated in many international feminist events including, in 2020, the Girl Up Leadership Summit, which aims to encourage girls to raise their voices to become leaders of change. On that occasion Meghan urged the young women to fight gender and race inequality “with compassion”.

The future queen Camilla of Cornwall it is famous instead for its battles against violence of all kinds against women. Last October, for example, during the “Shameless!” organized in London by the WOW Foundation, in her most passionate and important speech ever Camilla asked for the collaboration of all, “men and women”to «eliminate the lies, words and actions that protect a culture in which sexual abuse they are considered normal and the victims pushed to feel ashamed ».

Sophie of Wessex, wife of Prince Edward, has been fighting for years for women’s rights and to prevent sexual violence in conflicts. For example, in 2019 she went to Kosovo to focus on the trauma and stigma faced by rape victims, between 1998 and 1999, during the war. Most recently, in October 2021, the Queen’s favorite daughter-in-law faced the taboo of menopause: «Too many women are forced to leave the place because of menopause, “said Sophie,” constituting women the backbone of our workforce “. It is estimated that they are 900 thousand only in UKin addition to the ones they still have to fight for manage your symptoms. “It is not possible for certain episodes to continue to happen and pass in silence. We have to try to change things“.