This Week in Princesses

Wow! What a truly newsworthy week. While the Swedish royals were celebrating the Nobel Prizes, the Prince of Wales and his wife were caught up in the middle of violent student riots. Sometimes, I'll admit, royal news isn't really "news", but this week, it absolutely was.

DECEMBER 4, 2010

Princess Caroline presented the ceremonial prize check at the International Gucci Masters Show Jumping Competition in Paris. Her daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi, competed in the tournament, but didn't get the big check.

Incidentally, Gucci is Charlotte's sponsor: the fashion house makes her couture riding ensembles (and presumably the matching hat for her horse!)


DECEMBER 8, 2010

Queen Paola and King Albert II of Belgium officially welcomed Russian President Medvedev and his wife Svetlana on an official visit. It almost looks like the two ladies coordinated their ensembles. Did Paola (on the left) call Svetlana and tell her to wear dark blue or did they both say, "Look! We are twins!" when they met?


DECEMBER 9, 2010

The Duchess of Cornwall and her husband, the Prince of Wales, were all smiles as they arrived at the Palladium for the Royal Variety Performance. However, the two had just emerged from a truly frightening experience. Their car, which was somehow separated from its security detail drove straight into a violent protest by students angry over British tuition hikes. The crowd kicked the royal vehicle, threw things at it and chanted "Off with their heads." An investigation is underway to determine why the heir to the throne didn't have sufficient protection to have prevented his car bumbling into a riot and how his vehicle was separated from the following security vehicle. Concerns are now being raised about the level of protection that will be needed at next April's royal wedding.

Meanwhile, the rioting students not only damaged the prince's car, but also defaced several London landmarks.

In Moscow, Empress Elizabeth celebrated her 300th birthday by opening an exhibition about her life and reign. The daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth never married, just like the English Elizabeth. The Russian Elizabeth adopted her nephew Peter as her heir and found a nondescript German princess to marry him to. It took nine years for the couple to have a child, whom Elizabeth immediately claimed. After Elizabeth's death, that frustrated German princess overthrew her husband and declared herself empress; she became Catherine the Great.


DECEMBER 10, 2010

While Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philipp and the new Prince Daniel looked suitably regal at the Nobel Prize ceremony, King Carl XVI Gustaf looks angry and slouchy in this photo. All of the prizes, except peace, are presented in Alfred Nobel's native Sweden, followed by a lavish Swedish banquet. The Peace Prize is usually presented in Oslo with the Norwegian royal family on hand. This year, the Peace Prize winner, Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, is being held in a Chinese prison, so, he was honored with an empty chair in Stockholm. The Nobel Prize web site is full of great information, including a look back at Queen Silvia's Nobel gowns since 1976. (View the gowns page.) Princess Madeleine, who is now living in New York City, did not attend this year. Although she was not scheduled to be present, she is also said to be suffering from the flu.
Meanwhile, (below) the king's sister, Princess Christina, attended her 47th ceremony; setting a record!

This Week in Princesses

JULY 5, 2010

The three little Dutch princesses were pretty in pink during a photo call in the Netherlands. Notice how big sis Catharina-Amalia is keeping Alexia (right) and Ariane in line. Good thing she's a natural-born leader since she's destined to be queen one day.

Princess Caroline of Hanover (right), brother Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock boogied down at an open-air concert. Young Charlene looks almost dull next to Caroline's bright and patterned ensemble.



JULY 6, 2010

Queen Elizabeth II laid a wreath at Ground Zero during her lightning trip to New York City. She also popped over to deliver a speech at the United Nations, before jetting back home. She reportedly didn't stay longer in order to save expenses.

Were Crown Princess Maxima and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands texting the scores during the World Cup semi-finals? Or, booking their reservations to return to South Africa for the final match?

Princess Camilla of Sicily attended the Giorgio Armani Prive show in Paris. Her husband is the claimant to the Sicilian throne.


JULY 7, 2010

Crown Princess Letizia of Spain made a new friend at an event for the San Federico Association at Zarzuela Palace.

Queen Sofia showed her Spanish red and yellow at the World Cup semi-finals. Her son and daughter-in-law will be there for the final match between Spain and The Netherlands.


JULY 8, 2010

Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium and her husband, Crown Prince Philippe, took their four little ones to a farm where youngsters can learn about life on a farm.

The Duchess of Cornwall looked comfy at this flower show. She almost looks like she walked there in her housecoat and slippers.


JULY 9, 2010

Okay, technically she's not a princess, but Autumn Phillips is married to Queen Elizabeth II's oldest grandson, Peter Phillips, AND they announced on July 9 that she is expecting the queen's first great-grandchild in December. (Photo from August 2007)

This Week in Princesses

If it wasn't for the major announcement of Prince Albert II of Monaco's engagement to Charlene Wittstock, this week's news would have been devoted entirely to sporting events--World Cup, Wimbledon, polo, show jumping, etc. On the whole, princesses seem to be sports mad.

June 22

Prince Albert III of Monaco announced his engagement to Rhodesian-born South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock just days after taking her with him to Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s wedding. The day after the announcement it emerged that he had called her dad permission just minutes before a World Cup match, causing the future father-in-law some frustration. The wedding will take place in the summer of 2011. For more on the engagement, read my post The Next Princess: The Long-Awaited Engagement.

June 23

The royal family of the grand duchy of Luxembourg celebrated their tiny country’s national day. The young royals lined up in a row from left are Prince Guillaume, Princess Alexandra, Prince Louis and his wife Princess Tessy, and Prince Sebastien. Both princesses look a little severe for their tender ages: Alexandra is 19 and Tessy is 24.

Every little princess deserves her own balcony. Ten-year-old Princess Alexandra of Hanover enjoyed some time to herself on the balcony of her uncle’s palace in Monaco. The daughter of Prince Ernest of Hanover and Princess Caroline of Monaco, this Alexandra is the granddaughter of Princess Grace, previously the American screen goddess Grace Kelly.

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall was present for a large homecoming event honoring service members who have returned home from Afghanistan.

Princess Eugenie of York started an internship at Christies, the famous auction house this week. On Day 3 of the new job, her outfit is adorable, but the bag seems out of proportion. Was she planning to smuggle some artwork home or did she bring lunch for everyone?

June 24

On Thursday, Princess Caroline of Monaco was on hand to cheer on her older daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi at the 15th Monte Carlo International Jumping Competition. Charlotte’s father, Caroline’s second husband Stefano Casiraghi, was tragically killed in speedboat accident when she was very young.

In South Africa, Princess Takamado of Japan attended the World Cup match between Japan and Denmark. Her late husband, Prince Takamado, was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito. Since his death in 2002, this Cambridge graduate has raised three daughters alone and has continued to play an important role in representing Japan, especially abroad. Before her marriage, she was Hisako Tottori.

The brightly outfitted Queen of England picked up some pointers from her first cousin, the Duke of Kent, at a Wimbledon match. In this photo, the Duke looks remarkably like the queen’s oldest son, the Prince of Wales. The strong resemblance may be because the Duke, as a son of Princess Marina of Greece, is also second cousins with Prince Philip, a former Greek prince. Perhaps Prince Charles will look exactly like this in another decade.

June 25

The next day at the show jumping event, Princess Caroline developed a double case of puppy love.

June 26

Princess Beatrice of York and her boyfriend Dave Clark turned out at a reception in New York City to support her cousin Prince Harry of Wales’ African charity, Sentebale. Harry spent the weekend in New York promoting the charity and building connections between the British and American armies. He also threw out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game.

This Week in Princesses

Midsummer has arrived and the number of high-profile royal events was unbelievable. Here’s just a tasting of the princesses who popped out of their palaces this week.

June 14

What a way to start the week! Felipe and Letizia of Spain attended an event at El Prado Museum and were seated in front of the incredible painting, “Las Meninas,” by Velazquéz, who painted himself into the scene. The central figure is Infanta Margarita Teresa, daughter of King Felipe IV and future wife of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. I wouldn’t have behaved well at this event—I would have felt compelled to run my chair around!

At an art event of another sort, Infanta Elena of Spain showed she is not afraid of a little sartorial splendor; she often choosing colorful ensembles. Check out the stripes on those high heels—her legs look super long at this event for children who won a painting competition.

June 15

Felipe and Letizia of Spain looked serious and already tired at this ceremony in Spain. Maybe they had a bit of pre-travel jet lag considering that in the next two days, they would fly to South Africa and then to Sweden. How do you pack for that?

June 16

Felipe and Letizia of Spain made a quick trip to South Africa to attend the World Cup match between Spain and Switzerland. (Is it just me, or did Americans go World Cup Crazy for the first time EVER this year?)

When she’s not riding horse, Princess Haya of Jordan can still be found at equestrian events. On Wednesday, she presented one of the trophies at Royal Ascot in England.

The Swedish royal family attended many events in advance of Saturday’s royal wedding. Here, they are arriving for a reception on a historic ship. Queen Silvia’s bright yellow jacket stands out between her more soberly clad daughters, Princess Madeleine and Crown Princess Victoria.

June 17

Princess Haya of Jordan looked summery and delightful throughout the week of Royal Ascot. Her companion on Ladies Day, Prince Edward’s wife Sophie of Wessex, may be patterned and be-feathered, but she still looks dowdy next to her Middle Eastern friend.

The Princess Royal and her niece, Princess Beatrice of York, arrived from Windsor Castle by carriage at Ascot. It looks like Aunt Anne may be offering Bea some advice.

The Norwegian royal family took their yacht for the short trip from Oslo to Stockholm for the Swedish royal wedding. The entire family came along for the festivities. Here, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, kisses her mommy, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, goodbye as her aunt, Princess Martha Louise, looks on.


June 18

Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling opened gifts at a reception in their honor hosted by the city of Stockholm. Just what do you get a future queen for a wedding present? Apparently, apple trees and wine.

With her marriage to Prince Ernst of Hanover reportedly on the rocks, Princess Caroline of Monaco might be expected to look a little world-weary. Of course, this wasn’t a cheerful occasion either; she was attending the International Day of the Refugee.

Rarely seen in American coverage, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg is actually from the Western hemisphere—she is Cuban. She has five children with Grand Duke Henri, here arriving for the Swedish government’s dinner in honor of Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding.

Most of the Greek royal family arrived together. Did Princess Alexia and her mom, Queen Anne-Marie, coordinate their beautiful red gowns? If so, it looks like Prince Nikolaos’ fiancée, Tatiana Blatnik, did not get the memo.

The arrival of the honored couple had a bit more drama, as Daniel Westling cheerfully mucked in to arrange his fiancee’s train so that Crown Princess Victoria would look spectacular in photos. Ironically, this photo is probably the most used one from the event.

Here’s another one of those touchy-feely moments between Felipe and Letizia of Spain as they arrived for the gala concert in Stockholm the night before the big wedding.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden looked gorgeous (as usual) as she arrived on the arm of her big brother Prince Carl Philip for the concert in their sister’s honor. Their own weddings will be much less spectacular since they won’t be national occasions.

June 19

Of course, the top event of the week was the actual wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her long-time beau (and former fitness trainer) Daniel Westling, now Prince Daniel. Their gorgeous day included a lovely ceremony attended by royalty around the world (see some of the guests), a carriage ride and boat tour through Copenhagen, a grand feast and dancing into the wee hours. Throughout it all, their love for each other was apparent and touching.

One of my favorite images of the day. This one shows three of the world’s most glamorous royal couples, dressed to the hilt, caught in a “just like the rest of us” moment. Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Haakon of Norway look on as Frederick of Denmark uses a point-and-shoot camera to take a snap of their wives, Mary, Maxima and Mette-Marit, all in a row.

And, here’s the big picture. The bridal couple surrounded by their families and all of the royals who attended. If you click on this photo, you can actually read some of the names. The photo includes at least 10 current kings and queens and at least 16 future ones. (You’d think they could have found a prettier place to take the picture.)

June 20

All the princesses slept off the busy week.