March 4461Princess Ruth opens car doorPrincess Ruth visiting a Malgy orphanage in RenivohitraPrincess Ruth of Kazulia, who is about to be married to Lourenne's Prince Henri, has generated a stir in Noumon Canrillaise high society by allegedly opening a car door all by herself, whilst on her way to visit a Malgy orphanage in Renivohitra.
This supposed faux-pas has generated a massive backlash against her in upper-class Canrillaise circles, particularly in society magazines such as
Majesté,
La Dame and
Ta Famille.
Countess Estelle Beaumanoir, the wife of ex-Defence Minister Count Henri Beaumanoir, has described Princess Ruth's behaviour as "tacky" and "lacking in decorum", saying "no lady of station opens a car door by herself; it is opened for her by either her servant or her husband".
Meanwhile,
Majesté conflated Princess Ruth's car door opening outrage with "all of these vulgar Federation women soldier creatures milling around all over the place, demeaning our standards of Canrillaise femininity and ladylikeness", whilst
La Dame compared Lady Ruth to a "white van man" and suggested she "should go back home and only be allowed to come back to Noumonde once she has learned proper manners".
In the popular tabloids, commentators have been more sympathetic to Princess Ruth's cause, with
Étoile Quotidienne praising her for her "humanity, compassion and unpretentious, decent down-to-earth approach" and one woman writing to the letters page of the
Journal Quotidien to say:
These are hard times financially, and I've personally had to let my Malgy chauffeur go, sadly, which means I sometimes drive the car by myself - and yes - that means having to open and close the door by myself too. This is a deprivation, but it's not the end of the world for me. There is more to being a lady than not driving and not opening car doors.
However, Marie-Noëlle Raoult of
Ta Famille did not agree, writing "No self-respecting lady would drive cars or open car doors" and that "even if, in a fit of madness, I decided I wanted to do something like that, I'm quite certain my loyal Malgy manservant would prevent me from making such a spectacle of myself".
Stories are also circulating that whilst at the orphanage, Princess Ruth offended Lady Anne-Marie Delafosse, one of the patrons of the orphanage who was there to greet her. Apparently Lady Anne-Marie was telling Princess Ruth about the 103 horses she owns, and Princess Ruth responded "My, looking after them must keep you very busy!" When Lady Anne-Marie replied "Not at all, I have Malgys to look after them for me", for a brief moment Princess Ruth allegedly raised her eyes skyward, making Lady Anne-Marie feel embarrassed. Like the car door incident, reports of this episode are also circulating at high speed and with great intensity around the Noumon gossip mill.