Princess Palace

The Original Queen Streak

2013-05-14T14:40:00.000-04:00

On April 30, 2013, the longest streak of queens regnant came to an end when Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands abdicated. Beatrix, her mother and grandmother had reigned for a combined 123 years without any kings between them. However, this was not the first time there have been three queens in a row. It happened once before in Tudor England.

Everyone knows that King Henry VIII had a penchant for discarding his wives. Most people know that he was primarily motivated by his desire to father a male heir. The Tudors were not very successful at producing healthy boys, but they did do a fairly good job at making little girls. Henry's generation had one boy (him) and two girls live to adulthood. The three of them together had five girls and one boy live to adulthood. In fact, by the time Henry died, all of his legal heirs were female except for his nine-year-old son, King Edward VI, who only lived a few years after ascending the throne. With Edward's death in 1553, there was only one other male Tudor descendant living, a five-year-old Scottish grandson of Henry's older sister Margaret, but all of the Scots had been barred from inheriting.

No one wanted to revert to a male descendant of the Yorks or Lancasters. The Wars of the Roses had ended in the last century when Henry's Lancastrian father seized the throne by right of battle and married a Yorkist princess. Besides, the Tudors had been fairly thorough in eliminating most of the potential heirs from the old lines. That left seven female Tudor descendants as the only conceivable monarchs.

Politics and religion quickly caused a struggle for power. There were potentially three real contenders, and interestingly, all three eventually became queen.

Since Henry broke with the Church, the rising tide of the Protestant Reformation had caused deep rifts in the country. One one side stood the Catholics who included Henry's oldest daughter Mary. On the other were the Protestants, among whom was young King Edward and his protectors. Henry's third child, Elizabeth, tried not to talk about religion very much.

Queen #1: Lady Jane Grey
With Edward's death, it looked like power would shift back to the Catholics, so Edward's regent, the Duke of Northumberland, hatched a plot to protect Protestantism and to benefit himself. He married his son Guilford to Edward's Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey. Weeks later, Edward died. Both Mary and Elizabeth were not in London, which provided Northumberland his opportunity. He placed 16-year-old Jane on the throne and began trying to consolidate power. Unfortunately for him, and ultimately for Jane, the English were not pleased with this very irregular coup. Mary marched on London, easily overcoming any resistance. After a nine-day reign young Jane was imprisoned in the Tower. Northumberland was executed within weeks, but Mary hesitated to exact vengeance against Jane. After all, Jane had been nothing more than a pawn in the scheme and she was barely more than a child. Nevertheless, Mary strongly desired to marry her cousin, King Philip II of Spain, who did not think it was a good idea to let pretenders to the throne linger and potentially attract supporters. Mary was persuaded, and had Jane beheaded the following February.

Queen #2: Bloody Mary
Thanks to the bitter divorce struggles of her parents, Henry VIII and Catharine of Aragon, Mary's adolescence and early adulthood were marred by great emotional pain. She was separated from her mother, and was not even allowed to visit her on her deathbed. To add insult to injury, Henry also declared her a bastard and would not allow her to marry. By the time she came to the throne at age 37, she desperately wanted to marry and have a legitimate Catholic heir to bring England back to church her maternal grandparents, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, had fought so hard to defend. Her marriage to Philip, who was often out of the country, provided little opportunity for conception. Mary endured two phantom pregnancies before dying of influenza at age 42. During her five-year reign, she concentrated most of her efforts on restoring Catholicism and persecuting Protestants, thereby earning the nickname that eventually inspired the morning cocktail.

Queen #3: The Virgin Queen
During her sister's reign, Elizabeth dutifully served her sister and carefully sidestepped the question of her religion, although she was unable to protect herself from others who used her name as the focus of rebellion. She spent some of the time imprisoned, but managed to sweet talk her way into Mary's good graces. She acceded the throne with no problems, and quickly removed England from the Catholic church. Like her sister, Elizabeth had a traumatic childhood. Her mother, Anne Boleyn, had been beheaded on trumped-up charges of adultery when Elizabeth was only three. Elizabeth then watched her father work his way through three more wives. Elizabeth was also declared a bastard and marriage was closed to her by her father, brother and sister, each of whom did not wish to empower her prospective bridegrooms. Elizabeth does not seem to have developed a strong desire to marry and dilute her authority over her kingdom, her household or her person. Instead, she used her potential marriage as a bargaining chip. Men all over Europe sought to marry her and she squeezed every bit of influence, power or money out of each opportunity without ever taking a husband. Her long reign was one of glory for England, especially after the defeat of her brother-in-law Philip's Spanish Armada, and the establishment of colonies in America. When Elizabeth executed her cousin and prospective heir, Mary Queen of Scots, for treason, she eliminated the possibility of adding a fourth queen to the queen streak. She was succeeded instead by Mary's son James.

Thus, the first three-queen streak in history lasted 48 years from 1553 to 1601.

For more about these Tudor queens and their propensity for killing their cousins, read my post Killing Queens: A Bloody Tudor Heritage.

10 Centuries of Royal Moms

2013-05-12T09:37:00.000-04:00

In honor of Mother's Day in the U.S., I have decided to highlight a millennium of royal moms, with one mother from each of the last 10 centuries. Who makes your list?

12th Century: Eleanor of Aquitaine
Children: Two daughters by Louis VII of France; Five sons and three daughters by Henry II of England

Cats may have nine lives, but Eleanor had at least six. Surviving more than twice as long as her contemporaries, her life spanned nearly the entire century and crept into the next. As a teen, she became Duchess in her own right of the powerful and rich land of Aquitaine. Then, she had a miserable marriage with King Louis VII of France. Lusty and warm-blooded she tricked the devout and rather chaste Louis into a divorce, so that she could marry the younger, more masculine and randy future King of England, taking her lands with her and shifting the balance of power in Europe. Later, she joined her sons in rebellion against King Henry for which he imprisoned her for 16 years. After his death, she was a guiding power during the reign of her favorite son, King Richard the Lion Heart. Then, after his death, she helped secure the throne for her youngest son, thereby sealing the fate of a grandson who had a stronger dynastic claim. At 77, she traveled across the Pyrenees to bring back her Spanish granddaughter to marry her to the French king in an attempt to help bring peace between the countries she had set against each other.

13th Century: Blanche of Castile
Children: Three daughters and ten sons by Louis VIII of France

The mother of two saints (St. Louis and St. Isabelle of France), Blanche was the very granddaughter Eleanor of Aquitaine escorted across the mountains. Widowed before she was 40 (and with the first five of her young children already dead), Blanche became Regent of France and defended her son's inheritance against both French nobles and her English cousin, King Henry III. After Louis IX came of age, Blanche remained close to him, often intervening in his marriage and in politics. When he went on Crusade, she once again assumed the Regency and held power until her death four years. In recent decades, Blanche has become a key figure in the Holy Blood/Holy Grail myths regarding a bloodline of descendants of Jesus, which inspired "The Da Vinci Code." According to these tails, it was Blanche who hid documents at Rennes-le-Chateau to protect the holy secret. (For more about Blanche, read my profile of her daughter-in-law Marguerite of Provence.)

14th Century: Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster
Children: Two daughters and one son by Sir Hugh Swynford; one daughter and three sons by John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster
In an age when marriage was more about property than romance, Katherine de Roet Swynford found both through her illicit love affair and later marriage to a king's son. Raised among the royal court of the English queen Philippa of Hainault, Katherine likely knew her future husband as a child. When the queen arranged an appropriate marriage for her and Katherine's dutiful attitude later earned her a role as governess to John of Gaunt's daughters by Blanche of Lancaster. This tight weave of court circles is further underscored by the fact that a famous tribute to Blanche, the poem "My Last Duchess," was written by Katherine's brother-in-law, who just happened to be Geoffrey Chaucer. After Blanche's early death, Katherine and John embarked on a love affair that did not prevent him from making a political marriage with the Spanish Princess Constance of Castile. All four of Katherine's children by John were born during his second marriage. Given the surname Beaufort, they were all legitimized when the couple final married after Constance's death. Greatly favored by the royal family, Katherine was granted property of her own and managed it prosperously. The Beauforts played a critical role in the Wars of the Roses, and the Tudor dynasty is descended directly from them.

15th Century: Isabella Queen of Castile
Children: Five daughters and two sons by Ferdinand King of Aragon

With many ferocious and famous moms (including Margaret Beaufort, Catherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou and Elizabeth Woodville) Isabella emerged as my choice because she was a queen in her own right, she remains internationally well-known, and by golly she personally led her troops into battle even when she was pregnant. Granted, she didn't fight, but just riding along was pretty difficult work even without the complication of pregnancy. Most famous for funding Columbus' voyage to the New World and sparking Spain's rapid rise to riches and power for the next several centuries, Isabella was also fiercely religious. Together, she and her husband were known as The Catholic Kings. In fact, having united most of Spain's warring territories through their marriage, they focused their battles against those of other faiths, pushing the Moors out of southern Spain where an Islamic culture had flourished for centuries bringing artistic and scientific progress. They were also the founders of the Spanish Inquisition, which persecuted Jews, Muslims and, later, some Protestants. Despite efforts to secure their joint kingdoms by marrying their children into Portugal, England and the Holy Roman Empire, the deaths first of Ferdinand and then of Isabella left the Spanish empire in the hands of the Hapsburgs for their sons died without issues and their daughters, including Catherine of Aragon and Juana La Loca, all lived rather tragic lives. In 1972, Isabella was named a Servant of God, the first stage in an investigation that could lead eventually to her sainthood.

16th Century: Catherine de Medici
Children: Five daughters and five sons by Henry II of France

At a time when child mortality rates were very high, it was still unusual for a woman to outlive nine of her children. Born into a tremendously rich and powerful but barely noble Italian family, the teenaged Catherine's marriage to the future French king secured higher status for her family. Orphaned as an infant, she was bounced among family members as a political pawn and even spent three years in a convent before being sent to France. Here, she continued to suffer due her husband's very public preference for his mistresses, including Diane de Poitiers. In essence, Catherine had no role except as his brood mare, a role she failed at for the first 10 years of her marriage. She finally came into her own when Henry's death thrust her into the role of Regent for their son King Francis II and then for their son Charles IX. When yet another son, Henry III, acceded, Catherine continued to exert her influence. She came to power during the violent religious and political struggles of the Reformation. Her early softness toward Protestants eventually hardened and she is often held responsible for the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre that killed thousands. With the death of her youngest son and the infertility of Henry III, Catherine knew that the Catholic kingdom she had fought so long to preserve would eventually cede to her Protestant son-in-law Henry of Navarre. She could not have foreseen, however, that Henry would convert and end the religious wars, saying "Paris is worth a Mass."

17th Century: Anne of Austria
Children: Two sons by Louis XIII of Spain

Having suffered several miscarriages, Anne finally gave birth to a living child, the future Sun King, Louis XIV, when she was 37. Anne was always very nurturing, having acted as mother to her younger siblings from the age of 10 when their mother died. Childless for the first 23 years of her marriage, she was never close to her husband or to her mother-in-law, Marie de Medici, whom he overthrew from her Regency when he and Anne were just 16. When Louis brought Cardinal Richelieu to power, Anne was further alienated by his policies against her family, the Hapsburgs--her letters home were always opened and read. Despite Richelieu's death, Louis tried to prevent Anne from becoming Regent when he died, but he failed. Anne took power in the name of her four-year-old son and soon installed Cardinal Mazarin at the head of the government. When Louis XIV came of age, her power began to fade and the death of Mazarin left the young king fully in control 10 years later. Anne eventually retired to a convent and died of breast cancer when she was 64. She is remembered today for fictional portrayals of her in the various novels, plays, and movies about the Three Musketeers.

18th Century: Maria Theresa Empress of Austria
Children: Eleven daughters and five sons by Francis I Holy Roman Emperor

If Queen Victoria is the materfamilias of the 19th century, Maria Theresa holds the distinction in the 18th, but with nearly twice as many children and considerably more personal power. Like Victoria, Maria Theresa inherited the throne at a young age following a succession crisis that had left no male heirs; unlike Victoria, her succession sparked wars that caused the empire to lose territories. Like Victoria, she was madly in love with her husband and deeply mourned him. Unlike Victoria, she actually shared power with her sons. Despite her very conservative views (which included trying to expel both Jews and Protestants as threats to the peace), she introduced many reforms to modernize the military, the treasury, health care, education and, even, civil rights. Her own personal asceticism was apparently not inherited by most of her 11 daughters, all of whom were named Maria. Among them are the infamously risque Queen Maria Carolina of Naples and the much celebrated Queen Marie Antoinette of France.

19th Century: Princess Alice of the United Kingdom
Children: Five daughters and two sons by Louis IV Grand Duke of Hesse

In the century that saw the rise of the modern child-centered family, it is not surprising that innumerable royal ladies were also devoted mamas. For top honors, however, I have selected Queen Victoria's second daughter, Princess Alice. Like her older sister Vicky, Alice ran roughshod over her mother's parenting advice. Admitting that she did not like childbirth--"we are most like animals"--and that "all babies are ugly," The Queen was shocked to learn that Alice was breastfeeding her babies. Alice rejoiced in a hands-on approach that was only just beginning to emerge among the higher classes. Having nursed her father and comforted her grieving mother, Alice married just eight months after Prince Albert's death and was at first deeply homesick and still in mourning, despite the presence of her beloved new husband. Alice soon adjusted to her new life and carved out a role personally caring for the sick and the poor, particularly during the Austro-Prussian War. The role of nursemaid suited her well and she even stayed longer in England once to help her older brother, the Prince of Wales, recover from typhoid. When her youngest son, a hemophiliac fell from a second story window, however, there was nothing she could do to save his life. She was still mourning for him five years later, when the family was struck by diptheria. Only she remained well, and doctors urged her not to touch or cuddle her ailing children. When the baby Maria died, Alice could not restrain herself from comforting the others. She soon contracted the disease and died on the anniversary of her own father's death at the age of 35. Two of her surviving daughters married into the Russian Imperial House: Grand Duchess Elizabeth and Empress Alexandra. Both were murdered in the Russian Revolution and both have since been canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.

20th Century: Lady Diana Spencer
Children: Two sons by Charles Prince of Wales

This time, with many royal mothers to choose from, I decided to go with the one who is undoubtedly the most popular. The marriage of Diana and Charles brought new life and renewed interest to the British Royal Family. Although both Prince William and Prince Harry have always been incredibly close to their father, the public regularly credits Diana for their good characters, sense of fun and devotion to good works. While Charles parented largely out of the spotlight, taking them on the royals' usual country retreats to Scotland and Norfolk, Diana introduced them to "ordinary" life with visits to theme parks and fast food restaurants where they were often photographed. When Diana died, she left a huge estate to the boys, which they inherited as adults. Nearly 16 years after losing her, both princes continue to honor their mother publicly. William notably did so when he gave Diana's engagement ring to his bride and Harry most recently drew headlines by mentioning her during his visit to the United States. As the Diana exhibition at Althorp prepares to close down, the princes will become masters of all of those artifacts, materials, and memorabilia. The world is waiting to see what they do with them. Even more hungrily, everyone is waiting to discover whether William will name his child, due in July, for his mother.

21st Century: ???
Children: ???
Just over a decade into the new century, it is impossible to say which royal mother will emerge as the mum of the century--they haven't even all been born yet! To judge by the first decade, perhaps it should be one of the two who have had the most children: with children each, there are Crown Princess Marie Chantal of Greece and Princess Astrid of Norway, who both started their families in the last century, or with four apiece, there are the Infanta Cristina Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, Princess Mathilde Duchess of Brabant and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, who pulled it off in just three pregnancies. Or perhaps it should be Crown Princess Masako, who despite a stress disorder that keeps her largely out of the public eye, has continued to mother her only child. Or perhaps it should be Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway who managed to keep things together as a single mother and still catch a prince, with whom she has had two more children. Or perhaps Sophie Countess of Wessex, who struggled to have each of her children.

Whichever royal moms you celebrate, the women highlighted here are all examples of the ferocious love mothers have for the children and of how women can blend motherhood with careers that can change the world. (For an overview of royal ladies who struggled to be mothers, check out my 2011 post, Always a Monarch, Never a Mother.)

For all of you who are mothers yourself, happy Mother's Day from the Princess Palace.

End of the Queen Streak

2013-04-28T17:08:00.001-04:00

The world's longest period of female leadership will come to an end on April 30, 2013 when Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands voluntarily hands over her throne to her eldest son, Willem Alexander. She and her two immediate predecessors--her mother and grandmother--have kept the throne in female hands for nearly 123 years. In fact, before Willem Alexander's birth in 1964, no princes had been born in the Dutch royal house for more than a century. In other countries, this would have been a catastrophe that could have ended the monarchy. Not so in the more liberal Dutch nation.

The first Dutch Queen, Wilhelmina, was barely 10 years old when she succeeded her elderly father, King Willem III, in 1890. Her three elder half-brothers had predeceased him. Little Wilhelmina was not allowed to inherit her father's Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, however. Female inheritance would not be permitted their for another couple of decades.

Wilhelmina and baby Juliana

The young queen married at age 20, but the succession continued to be a primary concern as her nearest male relatives were Germans--something the independent Dutch did not favor. Adding both personal pain and national anxiety, Wilhelmina struggled to have a child. Miscarriages and a stillborn son meant years of agony and worry. By the time her daughter Princess Juliana arrived in 1909, the Dutch were more than thrilled to have an heir of any gender, especially as Germany grew more bellicose in advance of the first world war. More miscarriages followed and it soon became clear that baby Juliana was the hope of the nation.

Throughout her reign, Wilhelmina exhibited great strength of character and intelligence. It was she who created the vast fortune that, through careful stewardship by her heirs, has kept the Dutch monarchs near the top of the list of the world's wealthiest people. She also served as an inspiration to her people during both world wars, even when the entire royal family had to be evacuated during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. Using her influence and political acumen, she was able to prevent the Dutch prime minister from making a separate peace with Germany and thereby endangering the Allied war effort. in his own inimitable way, Winston Churchill paid his tribute to Wilhelmina by calling her the only "real man" among the many exiled governments that had taken refuge in England.

It was also during her reign that the country started its greatest efforts reclaim land from the sea--a successful venture that continues to this day, helping make The Netherlands one of the world's leaders in issues concerning both environmental conservation in general and water resources in particular.

Nevertheless, the stress of the war years and recurring illness caused Wilhelmina to decide to abdicate in favor of Juliana in 1948. She devoted the rest of her life to supporting her daughter and her religious interests. She passed away in 1962.

Nearing 40 at the time of her accession, Juliana had already proven her leadership abilities and her fecundity. Where her mother had struggled to have children, Juliana had been much more successful--although all of her four children were girls, this no longer was a problem for the Dutch. Juliana had spent WWII with her young children in Canada. Her third daughter, Margriet, was born in Ottawa. In gratitude for the welcome she received there, Juliana sent tulip bulbs to Canada every year until her death, and an annual Canadian Tulip Festival is still held every year in Ottawa.

Juliana was one of the first royal heirs anywhere to receive a university education, and was the best educated female heir anywhere, setting a tradition that was followed in Denmark and Sweden, but not in England, where the current Queen Elizabeth II was educated by governesses and occasional private sessions with an Etonian historian. During her mother's illnesses, Juliana had served as regent before ascending the throne. That experience and her excellent training had prepared her to oversee the difficult dissolution of Dutch colonies in Suriname and Indonesia.

It did not, however, prepare her for a great personal crisis. During her final pregnancy, Juliana contracted German measles, which left the infant Princess Marijke (later called Christina) blind. The deeply religious Juliana turned to a faith healer whose intervention did nothing to improve the child's condition or the royal reputation. Much like Rasputin in Imperial Russia, the healer began to influence political decisions. A power struggle developed between the Queen and a faction led by her husband, forcing Juliana to dismiss the healer and many of her other advisors. The marriage survived, but more controversies followed when their second daughter married a Catholic pretender to the Spanish throne and then the eldest daughter and heir married a German diplomat at a time when Dutch feelings about the German occupation were still very sensitive. More devastating controversy followed in the 1970s, when it was revealed that her husband had taken a $1.1 million bribe from an American aircraft manufacturer.

Despite all of this, Juliana maintained strong popularity throughout her life due to her extraordinary interest in charitable activities, particularly the plight of refugees and children. The Dutch also appreciated her down-to-earth persona. It was she who really invented the "bicycle monarchy," choosing this method of transport to be closer to the people and preferring not to be called "Your Majesty."

In 1980, Juliana followed the precedent set by her mother and handed the throne over to her eldest daughter Beatrix. She continued her charitable works until overcome by dementia and died shortly before her 95th birthday in 2004.

Like her mother, Beatrix is well-educated and very popular. Like her mother, she had several children--although her three are all boys. And like her mother, she has suffered her own share of heartache and controversy. As mentioned earlier, her marriage to German Claus van Amsberg was greeted with suspicion and violence, resulting in smoke bombs being thrown at the royal wedding coach. Her own investiture festivities were rocked by violent protests from socialist demonstrating for housing reforms. In 2009, she and the royal family survived an assassination attempt when the assassin missed plowing his car into the royal bus and instead killed several spectators gathered for the Queen's Day festivities. Later the marriage of her heir to the daughter of a former Argentine official who is suspected of involvement in the deaths of thousands and of another son to an ex-girlfriend of a suspected mafioso also raised alarm. More tragically, that same son, Prince Friso, has been a vegetative state since being caught in an avalanche while skiing last winter.

Beatrix has become a well-recognized and popular monarch. Her personal style is as well-recognized in Europe as Queen Elizabeth's is in the Commonwealth. Her big hats, printed dresses, ruffled collars and vast jewelry collection have been imprinted on the minds of all of her people.

Her abdication announcement was greeted with widespread affection and an outpouring of appreciation. With her departure, the Dutch throne returns to male trusteeship, but this is only temporary as the new King has only daughters, the oldest of whom, Princess Catharina Amalia, will assume the heir's title of Princess of Orange at the tender age of ten. The same age her great-great grandmother was when she started the Queen Streak in 1890.

Watch List: Princess Margriet

2013-04-08T19:21:00.002-04:00

Number 13 on our list of princesses to watch in 2013 is Princess Margriet of The Netherlands. She made the list because this year marked her 70th birthday, and she certainly did not disappoint. Margriet probably received more attention than she has had in years--maybe since her wedding in 1967 and the births of her four sons over the next eight years.

Margriet with her husband, children and grandchildren

In addition to the adulation she received in The Netherlands for her birthday on January 19, she also got a lot of attention in the country of her birth: Canada. The princess was born there during World War II, where her mother, Princess Juliana, then heir to the throne, took refuge following the German occupation. The new baby was named Margriet, meaning Daisy, in honor of the flower that symbolized Dutch resistance. As a Canadian-born Princess, she has a specially place in Canadian hearts.

Margriet was in the news again in February when her husband, Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven, had successful heart surgery. She continues to make the local and royal news cycles with her ongoing work in support of the monarch, the arts and culture, and health issues. In fact, the European Cultural Foundation even presents an annual award in her name. The recipients have included cultural theorist Stuart Hall, dancer-choreographers Jerome Bel and Pichet Klunchun, dramaturg and activist Borka Pavićević, theatre-maker Stefan Kaegi, visual artists Šejla Kamerić and Kutluğ Ataman, film-maker and cultural activist John Akomfrah, museum director and curator Charles Esche, conductor Yoel Gamzou, and Romanian visual artists Dan and Lia Perjovschi.

Margriet was born fourth in line to the throne, after her mother and two older sisters. She is currently ninth in line, and would be much lower if it weren't for the marriage choices of her sister Irene and nephew Friso. On April 30, she will retain her place, but her sons will lose theirs because the Dutch constitution only allows for those who are within three degrees of relation to the monarch to be in the line of succession. As the new king's aunt, she still counts.

For those of you who miss the quizzes at Certified Royal Expert, here is a trivia question for you:
Princess Margriet married a commoner. Her older sister, Princess Irene, married a prince. Why is Margriet still in the line of succession but Irene is not? Post your answers in the comments.

A Royal Double Standard

2013-01-30T20:35:00.001-05:00

What’s good for one queen is not good for another. As soon as Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands announced that she will abdicate in favor of her son on April 30, 2013, people began speculating (again) about whether Queen Elizabeth II would ever “retire” in the same fashion. I’ve some well-informed discussions (like this one on Marilyn’s Royal Blog) on the topic, but the bottom line is that it simply will never happen in Elizabeth’s reign or in the reign of her son, Charles.

The Dutch Difference

The throne in The Netherlands has always had a much more democratic tradition. Until 200 years ago, there was no monarch; the Dutch nations were led by stadtholders, quasi-elected officials albeit usually selected from the same families through the generations. However, it was not at all unusual for the Low Countries to rebel against and replace their leaders if they were unhappy with them. (This tradition is undoubtedly one reason Dutch Prince William was just fine with a de jure takeover of the British throne from his father-in-law King James II in 1688.) In the 17^th Century, one of these stadtholders, William of Orange, emerged as the most powerful and it was his line that eventually regained control after Napolean’s brother, his puppet King of Holland, was removed. Only then, in 1815, did a Prince of Orange proclaim himself King of the Netherlands. Even then, however, the kingdom was established as a constitutional monarchy.

Wilhelmina and Juliana

Within a few generations, the dynasty ran out of male heirs and his ten-year-old great-granddaughter Wilhelmina became the first Dutch queen. It was she who set the precedent for regal retirement when she stepped down after shepherding her people through two World Wars and nearly 58 years on the throne. Her decision was based largely on the stress of ruling in exile during the second war and sharp decline in her health, which had led two brief regencies. Her only child, 39-year-old Juliana therefore became queen in 1948. Wilhelmina lived another 14 years.

Queen Juliana became the personification of the “bicycle monarchies” of Europe. She regularly appeared among the public dressed like an ordinary person, riding her bicycle and insisting on being addressed as “Mevrouw” (Dutch for “Mrs.”) rather than “Your Majesty.” It was not at all for the queen to just pop in without ringing first to schools and organizations around the country. After almost 32 years as queen, she stepped down on her 71^st birthday, April 30, 1980. Over the next two decades, Juliana began to sink into dementia and ill health. She passed away in 2004 just before her 95^th birthday.

The oldest of her four daughters became Queen Beatrix in 1980 at age 42. At 75, Beatrix has chosen to reign to a later age than her mother and grandmother. Based on their lives, she could easily live another 10 to 20 years. Unlike her grandmother, she had time to enjoy being a child, a wife, and a mother before becoming queen. By waiting until now, she has enabled her heir to see his three little girls at least reach school age. But, the decision also means that the new heir to the throne will be a 10-year-old girl, Princess Catharina Amalia—a parallel to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II who suddenly became the heir when she also was only 10, as pointed out in this post on Royal Musings.

In keeping with the more democratic style of the Dutch monarchy, they also do not crown their monarchs in an elaborate and deeply religious ceremony. In fact, they do not crown them at all—Dutch monarchs are inaugurated.

The British Tradition

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip
after her holy consecration
as Queen in 1953

The British monarchy is steeped in much more ancient and sacred traditions. Even if you reach back only 1,000 years to mark the “beginning” as the Norman Conquest, after which King William I was anointed with holy oil on Christmas Day in 1066, you have gone many times further back in history than the Dutch crown. Over the centuries, British monarchs in both England and Scotland and then the united Great Britain, have been selected by strict (although sometimes revised) dynastic rules or by military conquest, but only once by anything approaching popular decision (the aforementioned Glorious Revolution by William of Orange and his Stuart wife Mary in 1688)—and that led to another century of warfare between William and Mary’s Protestant successors and Catholic claimants to the throne. The turbulent late medieval and Renaissance crown was often characterized by competing dynastic claims and religious strife. The close identification between the person of the monarch and his/her role as head of the Church of England was firmly established nearly five centuries ago by Henry VIII. All monarchs since then, except Edward VIII, have not only been anointed in a holy right and taken kingly vows before God but has been the official supreme leader of the Anglican church.

This long-established religious aspect of the British crown is one of the strongest reasons the deeply faithful and observant Elizabeth would never willingly step down as monarch. She would see it as breaking a promise she made to God.

Elizabeth also would see it as breaking a promise she made to the people of the United Kingdom and its old Empire, a vow she made voluntarily on her 21^st birthday when she announced that her “whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family.” The fact that it has been long, then, really has no bearing on her willingness to continue to fulfill her sacred trust. Based on her own mother’s life, she could live in relatively good health to be more than 100 years old. Even if she were develop serious illness, including dementia, it is unlikely that anyone would require her to abdicate. Britain already has the example of the relatively long regency of mad King George III’s son that could be employed if the Queen really could not continue her duties.

Elizabeth's parents

We also must remember that while the Queen has lived a relatively charmed life, it has been dotted with a few tragedies: the popular backlash against her in the wake of Diana’s death in 1997, the Windsor Castle fire of 1992, the early death of her father and her own accession at the tender age of 25 in 1952, and the transformation of her beloved Uncle David into the wayward Duke of Windsor.

While the David’s brief reign as King Edward VIII in 1936 is merely a historical footnote to nearly everyone else on the planet it is an indelible scar on the heart of Elizabeth. His decision to pursue his personal desires over his royal duties caused his 10-year-old niece, who had so recently lost her beloved grandfather King George VI, to be torn from her cozy family home in a London townhouse to the drafty, discomfort of Buckingham Palace. It drastically reduced her time with her beloved and doting parents. And, perhaps most importantly, it created deep bitterness in her mother that was undoubtedly communicated to her Elizabeth. When the strain of being king, especially through World War II, seriously weakened the health of King George VI and contributed to his early death, Elizabeth’s mother was lost and angry for many, many years. All of this made a huge impression on Elizabeth: to not do one’s duty, in her mind, has serious and far-reaching consequences.

William and Kate
on their wedding day

Plus, arguments that Charles will be too old to be king likely make little sense to her. After all, her great-grandfather waited 60+ years to be king, too. And, as Edward VII, he was a much better king than he was a Prince of Wales. Plus, the longer she reigns, the longer her beloved, motherless grandson William can enjoy the less demanding status of second-in-line instead of heir. It was for William and Harry’s sake that she miscalculated the public’s anger against her in 1997. She thought to protect them in the obscurity of the Scottish royal estate instead of expose them to the paroxysms of grief that were choking London. If she thinks keeping William #2 will enable him to enjoy more time with Kate and their growing little family, that alone might be reason enough to stay on the throne until her very, last breath.

13 Princesses to Watch in 2013

2013-01-01T09:49:00.002-05:00

It looks like 2013 is going to be another great year for princesses. We have marquee birthdays and anniversaries, at least one royal baby and a royal wedding to look forward to this year. So, my princess fans, here is a list of the 13 princesses to keep an eye on this year. Some you know very well and others may be new to you, but they are all likely to have a lot for us to celebrate with them.

13. Princess Margriet of The Netherlands
Princess Margriet is celebrating her 70th birthday. She is one of the few princesses of the blood to be born in the New World: she was born in Ottawa, Canada, where her family had sought refuge after the Nazi invasion of their homeland. She is the third child of the late Queen Juliana, and the sister of the current Queen Beatrix. She is named for the flower that symbolized Dutch resistance, and she did not see her homeland until she was two years old. She and her husband, Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven, met while studying at Leiden University. They will celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary on January 10, 2013. They have four sons and 10 grandchildren. They live in a house they built on the grounds of Het Loo Palace. Click for her official biography, which is in Dutch.

12. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia
2013 marks the 400th anniversary of the first Romanov's reign in Russia. As the self-proclaimed heiress of the tsars, Grand Duchess Maria will certainly receive some attention this year. Since the abdication and execution of Tsar Nicholas II nearly a century ago, the Romanovs have been divided about who the rightful heir to the throne is. Maria stakes her claim based on that of her grandfather, Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich, who proclaimed himself emperor in 1924. Despite the fact that Russia is no longer a monarchy and that a variety of dynastic rules makes the succession unclear, Maria has spent the last 20 years insisting that she is the true claimant. Her 31-year-old son, George Mikhailovich, is her heir. He remains single, so if you would like to follow in the footsteps of Empress Alexandra, the position may be available.

11. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
The future Norwegian queen celebrates her 40th birthday this year. She has come a long way from the days of being an unwed mother. Having produced an heir, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and a spare, Prince Sverre Magnus, Mette-Marit has officially done her duty for Norway. Along the way, she also has won over the critics who felt she was an unsuitable royal bride and she serves as a lovely and popular ambassador for her country. She is also well-known internationally for her work with young people and with AIDS awareness. She is the only Crown Princess to attend university after her royal marriage; her prince even moved with her to England so that she could study at the University of London.

10. Lady Louise Windsor
As a male-line grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, Lady Louise is technically a princess. In 2013, she will reach the grand age of 10 and will continue to make more public appearances as her parents have become less protective. Since making her debut as a bridesmaid at THE royal wedding in 2011, Louise has been out and about more often. She is now seen regularly at official occasions like Trooping the Color and at informal royal events like Christmas service at Sandringham. One of my favorite portraits of The Queen shows her with Louise and her little brother, James Viscount Severn, on their ponies. (See it here.)

9. Queen Anne of Romania
The wife of the former boy King Michael of Romania turns 90 this year. Born Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, she grew up in exile in France, Spain, Portugal and the United States, where she studied at Parsons School of Design. She met her future husband at a family wedding, that of the future Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, in London in 1947. Michael was forced out of Romania by the Communists later that same year. They married in 1948, and therefore will celebrate their 65th anniversary this year. They have five daughters. They have lived in Italy, England and Switzerland, but were eventually allowed to visit Romania in 1992 and have returned several times since, including in 2008 for the celebration of their diamond wedding anniversary.

8. Princess Beatrice of York
Beatrice will turn 25 this year but that's not the reason I put her on the list. I have her on engagement watch. She has been seeing businessman Dave Clark for more than six years now, so I am pegging her as the next Windsor down the aisle. Born in America, Dave was among Prince William's circle of friends from their college days in Scotland: Dave attended Edinburgh while William and Kate were at St. Andrews. Since meeting at a birthday party in the summer of 2006, Beatrice and Dave have been constant companions. He is often seen on holiday with her and with her family. He has even accompanied her on less formal (unofficial) royal family occasions. Dave works for Virgin Galactic, the space tourism branch of Sir Richard Branson's corporate empire. He has lived in London since the age of five.

7. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie
The newlywed Belgian aristocrat may surprise us with an early pregnancy. I hate bump-watching, so don't do that to her, but be prepared to rejoice if an announcement does come. She and her longtime beau, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg were married in October 2012, and since she is not yet 30, they still have plenty of time to start a family. Even if they don't have children, though, there are already potential heirs in the next generation since Guillaume's little brother, Prince Louis has two sons by his wife, Princess Tessy. Incidentally, as a Belgian countess, Stephanie is one of the highest born spouses of a European royal heir: Princess Mathilde of Belgium was born a "jonkvrouw" or lady. Meanwhile, the heirs of the two princely houses married royal highnesses: Princess Caroline of Monaco is married to Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein is married to Duchess Sophie of Bavaria.

6. Princess Charlene of Monaco
Charlene married her prince just two months after the Cambridge wedding and her prince desperately needs an heir, so the couple is undoubtedly trying for an infant. It may only be a matter of weeks before they have happy news to share. If they do not have a child, the world will undoubtedly "blame" Charlene since her husband has already fathered two illegitimate children. However, fertility is a tricky thing and just because you have children doesn't mean you can have more, especially as you age. Prince Albert is now 54 and Charlene is 20 years younger. The long wait to marry may mean that the Monagesque throne passes to Albert's older sister, Princess Caroline and then to her eldest son, Andrea Casiraghi, who will marry his pregnant fiancee Tatiana Santo Domingo in 2013. That means Tatiana might eventually become a princess, but this year, she will just be Mrs. Casiraghi.

5. Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands
The Dutch queen will be 75 this year, and some anticipate that she may follow in her mother's and grandmother's footsteps by retiring and handing the crown over to her heir. If that happens, her daughter-in-law, Princess Maxima will be added to the 2013 watch list as Europe's newest queen. Speculation about the queen's eventual retirement has been bandied about for years now, but I think she has not wanted to step down for a couple of personal reasons. First, since she is widowed, she may not be looking forward to being "alone" in her later years. Second, her heirs children are still very young (all under the age of 10), so she may be trying to let them have as normal a family life as possible before taking on the full responsibilities of the crown. However, last year, was a difficult one for Beatrix--her middle son was nearly killed in an avalanche and remains comatose--so she may be exploring her options.

4. Queen Elizabeth II
After last year's Diamond Jubilee celebrating her accession, you might have thought Elizabeth would step back a bit from the limelight, but she still has another anniversary to celebrate. June will mark 60 years since her coronation ceremony, so get ready for re-airings and documentaries about that with lots of speculation about what her son's and grandson's coronations will be like. Hers was the very first British coronation to be televised, but the traditions and ceremonies involve stretch back more than a millennium. Her father's coronation in 1937 was the first to be broadcast on the radio. Her son's will likely be the first to be streamed live on the internet, and who knows, Prince William's might be beamed directly into our brains. Incidentally, as King William, he may be on the throne for the millennial anniversary celebrations of England's first King William in 2066. He would be 84, and I hope I will be around for they party.

3. Princess Madeleine of Sweden
So far, we only know of one royal wedding in 2013. In June, the youngest daughter of the Swedish king will marry her British-American boyfriend, Christopher O'Neill. The couple lives in New York, but they will wed in Sweden in the church of her ancestors. She will also likely wear the cameo tiara which her sister, mother and royal aunts wore at their weddings. Otherwise, it is hard to know whether she will continue royal duties after her marriage or whether her husband will be given a royal title. I would not be surprised if they opted for a low-key life without additional titles or duties. After all, despite her new Facebook page, Madeleine has tried to stay out of the spotlight since her first engagement ended almost three years ago and her older sister's marriage expanded the royal family to include Prince Daniel and their year-old daughter, Princess Estelle. With more royal nieces and nephews likely to follow, Madeleine and Christopher are not necessarily "needed" for royal supporting roles.

2. The Duchess of Cambridge
Of course, Kate will continue to be the most watched princess in the world. With a child on the way some time this summer, her every moment outside of her house will be documented and commented upon ad nauseum--seriously, with a difficult pregnancy already acknowledged, I hope Kate is able to find some peace amid the world's royal baby frenzy. Judging by her disappointment at having her private Christmas with her own family intruded upon by the world's photographers, I suspect that she will be heartily sick of all of the attention by the time the baby arrives.

1. Baby Cambridge
Speaking of royal baby frenzy... I am officially submitting my request for a princess because this is after all a blog about princesses and it is always nice to have another one. If Baby Cambridge is a girl, as the world's majority seems to desire, she will be the most famous woman in the world for her entire life. She would be the heiress of Diana and Kate, not to mention the embodiment of the great tradition of British queens from Boudicea to Victoria to the two Elizabeths. Not much pressure for a tiny girl, is there?

12 Royal Reasons the World Can't End

2012-12-13T20:54:00.002-05:00

As everyone on Earth now knows, centuries ago, the Mayans scheduled for the world to end on December 21, 2012. However they did this without much consideration for what would be happening in our lives at the time. If the Mayans had known about some of the exciting things taking place in 2013, they certainly would have reconsidered.

In all seriousness, we can anticipate several intriguing royal news stories in 2013 and beyond. Here are 12 royal reasons the world can't end in 2012.

1. We'd never know if Kate's baby is a boy or girl or multiples.
Even before it was announced that the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant, people were speculating about the gender of her first child. I think this is due to two main reasons. Firstly, the issue of succession rights throughout the Commonwealth is still being ironed out. At the moment, if a girl is born first, she would later cede her place to a younger brother due to male primogeniture. It is expected, however, that this will be changed so that gender no longer is considered in the British succession for any descendants of the couple. Secondly, royal watchers seem to prefer princesses overall especially if there is a chance that princess might be named Diana. If they have a daughter and don't name her Diana, many people will be disappointed. (I, for one, think it would be a poor choice, but I also didn't think William would give Kate his unhappily married mother's engagement ring.)

Now, that it has been revealed that Kate is suffering from hyperemisis gravedarum and we have learned that women with this condition statistically have more daughters and are more inclined to have twins, people are enthusiastically anticipating the arrival of multiple princesses named Diana, Elizabeth and Victoria (why not triplets?)

2. We wouldn't get to see Princess Madeleine's wedding gown.
One of the most beautiful princesses in the world got engaged in 2012 and everyone is rooting for her to have a fabulous wedding, particularly since her first engagement three years ago was called off when it was discovered her fiance was a cheating scoundrel. After that, Princess Madeleine of Sweden moved to New York City where she could enjoy a bit more privacy, but she will undoubtedly marry her British-American sweetheart in Sweden. But, what will her wedding gown look like and will she wear the ~~hideous~~ Cameo Tiara that all of the Swedish royal brides have worn for the last two generations?

3. We wouldn't know whether Casiraghis would take over from the Grimaldis.

Andrea Casiraghi

The world is still waiting for Prince Albert Grimaldi of Monaco to father a legitimate child. (He has two acknowledged illegitimate children.) He and his wife, Princess Charlene, have been married a year and a half and so far they have not announced any great expectations. If Albert does not produce an heir, the principality will pass to his older sister Princess Caroline and then to her oldest son, Andrea Casiraghi, whose fiancee Tatiana Santo Domingo is currently expecting their first child. Albert and Caroline's dad, Prince Rainier, specifically changed the law to prevent illegitimate children from inheriting, even though Rainier's mother was an illegitimate daughter who passed the throne to him after her princely father officially adopted her.

4. We'd never know whether Chelsy would finally get her prince.
Okay, so this one is pretty far fetched, buy Chelsy Davy is still discussed by royalwatchers as the love of Prince Harry's life. The fact that they have broken up and reunited several times gives Chelsy supporters hopes that one day he will settle down with the woman he truly loves. However, I've never thought Chelsy was very interested in being a princess. Plus, Harry's reported current girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, probably would not be happy to cede her place in the prince's arms. Besides, there are plenty of other girls ready to offer their services. (I'm looking at you, Harry Hunters!)

5. We would miss the opportunity to have a nonagenarian monarch.

So far, so good. Queen Elizabeth II seems to be made of the same sturdy stock that kept her mother alive until the age of 101. At this rate, she will be 90 years old on April 21, 2016--less than 3.5 years from now--and she would become the first European monarch to live into the ninth decade. She could even become the first centenarian monarch in 2026 and I'd like to be around to see it!

6. We'd never find out whether Camilla would actually become queen.
At the time of her marriage to Prince Charles, it was announced that Camilla would use his second highest title and be styled as the Duchess of Cornwall out of deference to the late Diana, who was so beloved as Princess of Wales. They also announced that, upon his accession, she would use the unprecedented title of Princess Consort instead of Queen Consort. This declaration has been reconfirmed in the ensuing years although many traditionalists and historians say she is still legally Princess of Wales and would legally be Queen Consort. Plus, it doesn't seem like Charles is overly excited about not having a queen by his side. When asked about it in recent years, he responded, "we'll see."

7. We wouldn't get the chance to see six of Europe's seven kingdoms led by queens.
That's right, by the middle of this century, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain, The Netherlands and The U.K. could all have a female monarch. (That's if popular opinion determines the gender of Kate's first child.) Born between 2001 and 2012, Elisabeth of Belgium, Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Leonor of Spain, Estelle of Sweden, and Catharina Amalia of The Netherland could all be sitting on their respective thrones at the same time. The future King Christian X of Denmark would be the only fellow in this exclusive ladies-only club.

8. We'd never get to see Kate wear the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara.

Since her marriage, Kate has had very few tiara occasions. That will certainly change once Charles is king and William is the Prince of Wales. So far, she has only been seen in the late Queen Mother's Cartier Halo tiara. However, many people would love to see her wear the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara, which was brought into the family by Queen Mary but which was made famous as one of Diana's favorites. Plus, it would seem to additional sentiment attached since William was given the Cambridge title.

9. We'd never see male primogeniture eliminated everywhere.
In the wake of Kate's pregnancy announcement, the British are finally moving quickly toward eliminating the male preference in their succession laws. On Dec. 13, the proposed changes were finally published. (Read about them on the Royal Musings blog.) The changes also lift the ban on dynasts who marry Catholics (like Prince Michael of Kent) but not on those who are or become Catholic (like Lord Nicholas Windsor). The male preference has already been removed in Belgium, Luxemburg, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It is still in place in Monaco and Spain. Women are completely barred from the succession in Liechtenstein as well as in several non-European monarchies, including Morocco, Jordan and Japan. So, it looks like we still have a ways to go before the Mayans can end the world.

10. We'd never get to see the Greek throne restored.
Okay, I'll admit this one is a very long shot. The Greek royal family was displaced several times throughout the 20th century, most recently in 1967. Since then, King Constantine, his wife the former Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, their five children and nine children have lived abroad, primarily in London. However, their eldest daughter lives in the Canary Islands with her Spanish husband, their youngest daughter is an actress in the United States, and the Crown Prince lives in New York City with his American wife. The Greek royals, however, are very tight with the other European royals. After all, the King's sister is the Queen of Spain, the Queen's sister is the Queen of Denmark, and they are close cousins with the Kent branch of the British Royal Family and Prince Philip and his children.

11. We'd never get to see Japan decide Princess Aiko should be empress.

As I mentioned in #9, the Japanese Imperial throne currently does not allow for female succession. So, when Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife Masako's long fertility struggle ended with the birth of daughter Princess Aiko, the nation started to consider changing the laws. After all, his only brother Prince Akishino also had only daughters, the teenaged Princesses Mako and Kako. Then, suddenly, that all changed when Akishino's 39-year-old wife became pregnant, 12 years after the birth of her last child. The new baby was a prince and all talk of changing the succession to include women was dropped. In 2012, however, the Japanese princesses once again began to attract support. As it stands, they are forced to leave the imperial family when they marry commoners. Since there have been so many princesses and so few princes in the family, this means that the official imperial family is shrinking. Laws to allow women to remain family members are now being discussed. With enough time, maybe they will even be permitted to accede to the Chrysanthemum throne; perhaps in time for Empress Aiko, who is now 11.

12. We'd never know if Kate is brave enough to face another pregnancy.
The severe form of morning sickness from which the Duchess of Cambridge is suffering is so miserable that many women opt not to risk subsequent pregnancies. Will the pressure to have a "spare" to go with her "heir" cause Kate to try for another pregnancy after the sheer misery of this one? Or, should she just go ahead and have triplets now, as I so kindly suggested in #1. Of course, that leads to a higher possibility of Caesarean delivery with the doctor possibly playing a determining factor in birth order and thereby selecting the future monarch, as some silly people have already started speculating.

Announcing Kate's Pregnancy

2012-12-01T17:17:00.001-05:00

UPDATE: Just days after this was posted, St. James's Palace, HQ of The Prince of Wales, announced that Kate is in the early stages of pregnancy. The announcement was unusually early in first trimester, but necessary because Kate had to be hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum, a very acute and dangerous form of morning sickness. Prince William has been at her side daily. Best wishes to the little family.
___________

Based on the first pregnancy's of other recent royal brides (see my earlier post, Kate Middleton's First Baby), it may not be long now until we get an announcement that The Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant. Although some royal couples have apparently struggled with fertility and pregnancy issues (notably the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan and the Wessexes in England), everyone seems fairly certain that William and Kate will produce children at any moment.

The average wait for the other heirs of this generation has been 21 months after the royal wedding, ranging from 17 months in Denmark and Spain to 29 months in Norway. to deliver at the 21-month-mark, Kate would need to have a baby in January 2013. Since she is clearly not six or seven months pregnant at this time, we can only surmise that the wait will be longer.

However, when Prince William was recently presented by a well-wisher with some baby clothes, he said he would keep it, sparking rumors once again and setting eagle eyes all over the world looking for Kate's potential baby bump.

When an announcement comes, I suspect it will be made on a weekday morning before the couple are scheduled to make a joint public appearance. Also, the announcement is likely to come from Prince Charles' office at Clarence House rather than Buckingham Palace, since Prince William is not the current heir to the throne. finally, I would not be surprised if Kate withdraws from the scene for a few weeks after the announcement in the hopes that the frenzy will die down some before she has to face the public and media again. After all, starting a family is a very personal business, and William has often voiced his desire not to have his family harrassed by prying eyes.

So, if Kate is pregnant now, I would not be surprised by a pre-Christmas announcement. In the meantime, here is some ITN footage from the day Princess Diana's first pregnancy was announced to the world.

Another American Royal

2012-10-27T12:36:00.001-04:00

Chris O'Neill and Princess Madeleine of Sweden
Photo by Ewa-Marie Rundquist/Kungahuset.se

Last week brought the happy news that Princess Madeleine of Sweden is engaged to marry her English-American boyfriend, Chris O’Neill, after about two years together. The wedding will make Chris the first American man to join a royal family, but he is hardly the first American to marry regally.

Ever since their ancestors first made their way to the New World, Americans have slowly been making their way back across the pond and into Europe’s noble and royal houses. The pace really picked up after the Industrial Revolution created a bevy of rich American industrialists with young daughters to offer to the Old World blue bloods. That’s how Sir Winston Churchill came to have an American mother.

In the last 100 years, of the Americans who married into royal houses, none is more famous and glamorous than Grace Kelly and none more ridiculed than Wallis Simpson. A beautiful Oscar-winning actress of Irish Catholic extraction, Grace surrendered her Hollywood career to marry the ruling prince of the tiny nation of Monaco, nestled on the Mediterranean coast between France and Italy. Already well-known among the wealthy elite, the holiday haven became world-renowned due to Grace, who also turned the country into a center for arts and culture through her advocacy for ballet, music, film and more. Even after her tragically young death in 1982, her glamour and legacy lived on in her three children and is now being assumed by her only daughter-in-law, South African-born Princess Charlene.

A generation before Grace, another less glamorous and less beautiful American captured the heart of an even higher royal: the King of England himself. But, very few others found Baltimore-born Wallis Simpson endearing. Twice divorced and somewhat déclassé, Wallis was not considered a suitable bride for the King, who chose to abdicate the throne in order to marry the woman he loved.

Since Wallis and Grace paved the way into royal houses, several more Americans have found regal mates. Among the first is mixed-race Panamanian-born Angela Browne, who married Prince Maximilian, second son of the ruling Prince of Liechtenstein, in 2000. The couple now lives in London with their son, and Princess Angela works in fashion.

Also making her way in fashion is the former Marie-Chantal Miller. Daughter of wealthy New York aristocrats, Marie-Chantal is married to the Crown Prince of Greece and is the mother of his five children. In recent years, she has launched a chain of exclusive children’s boutiques with shops in London and Hawaii. It is unusual for a Crown Princess to have a career outside of princessing and charitable causes, but Marie-Chantal has a bit more freedom because she married into an exiled house—she will likely never sit by her husband on a throne because the Greek royals were ousted from their country in the 1960s and only recently have they even been allowed back into the country for brief visits.

One Western Hemisphere lass who likely will be a Queen one day is Argentine-born Maxima Zorreguieta who is married to the heir to the Dutch throne. When the well-educated banker met her future husband at a dinner party, he introduced himself just as “Alex” and had to do some convincing later to get her to believe he actually is a prince. The couple now has three blonde daughters, but their fairytale had at least one bump in the road: Maxima’s father was not invited to their royal wedding because of his former service in the controversial military regime of Jorge Rafael Videla, who has been held responsible for the thousands of desaparecidos, people who disappeared by force during his tenure.

The most recent lady from the American continents to marry into royal Europe is Canadian Autumn Kelly. Like Maxima, she had no idea who her Prince Charming was, particularly since he has no title. Nevertheless, Peter Phillips is still the oldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Autumn is now the mother of the Queen’s only great-grandchildren so far. Although her mother-in-law has the lofty and well-earned title Princess Royal, Peter and Autumn have no royal roles and are able to live their lives on the fringes of the public’s notice, only plagued by photographers when they show up at royal events and sporting events to support their more prominent relatives.

The royal role for Chris O’Neill has not yet been revealed. Since he and his Princess have been living in New York, it is possible that they will continue to spend most of their time on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean. It remains to be revealed whether he will be created a royal prince as Daniel Westling was when he married Madeleine’s older sister Crown Princess Victoria in 2010. Since Madeleine is only fourth in line to the throne, the family may decide that her husband does not need a title, as was the case with all of her royal aunts who married non-royals.

Death of Princess Ragnhild

2012-09-16T16:12:00.002-04:00

(Photo: Sven Gjeruldsen, The Royal Court)

King Harald of Norway's oldest sister, Princess Ragnhild Alexandra, passed away today in Brazil, where she has lived since shortly after her marriage to Erling Lorentzen in 1953. The princess was 82. She was born the daughter of Crown Prince Olav (later King) of Norway and his wife Martha of Sweden. During the Nazi occupation of Norway in World War II, she lived in the United States with her mother and siblings as guests of President Franklin Roosevelt.

Like Princess Margaret in Britain, the young Ragnhild fell in love with a member of the staff, her bodyguard, Mr. Lorentzen. Unlike Margaret, she was permitted to marry him. Although she did not have to give up her right to the throne--because women at the time had no right to succeed), she was downgraded from Royal Highness to Highness and the national flag was no longer flown on her birthday.

The Lorentzens had three children: Haakon, Ingeborg and Ragnhild.

In recent years, Ragnhild gained notoriety for publicly criticizing King Haakon's children for their controversial choices of mates--including Mette-Marit Tjessem-Hoiby, who was an unwed mother when Crown Prince Haakon proposed to her.

Book Review: Princess Diana, The Day She Didn't Die

2012-03-11T22:47:00.003-04:00

When I first heard about this book by Heath Samples, I thought, "Oh no, not another Diana survival fantasy." As my readers know, I am not of the opinion that Diana was a saint--I was in no mood for any kind of book that might portray her that way. I was pleasantly surprised to find a very human Diana at the center of Samples' book. This Diana is still struggling to find normalcy in her unique world. She is searching for who she is, what she wants and what she believes. Is this the real Diana? Who knows? Could Diana have followed this path? Perhaps.

The book opens in the middle of the action on that final night in Paris. The narrative here is intentionally fragmented, in much the way that Diana might have perceived the events around her. After her survival, the novel splits into two separate narratives: Diana's own story and the story of Ella, a university student and Diana admirer whose personal story begins to mirror Diana's. In many ways, I enjoyed Ella's story more than Diana's, perhaps because I didn't have to suspend my belief in her case.

For me, "Princess Diana, The Day She Didn't Die" is a compelling story, with an inviting narrative structure. However, there were two things that bothered me. First, a key motivation for Diana's behavior simply vanishes without explanation halfway into the book. Second, the characters of Prince William and Prince Harry always seemed younger than the real princes would have been.

Overall, I think the book is a good read. It offers compelling storytelling, examines the inner workings of two confused women looking for their places in the world, and, frankly, I couldn't put it down.

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Queen Estelle? Really?

2012-03-04T10:09:00.000-05:00

Foto: Kungahuset.se

Often, when a royal baby is born, great care is given to its name--or names actually since there is usually a long string of names. While some names are chosen due to the personal taste of the parents, there is more than a nod given to honoring the history of the royal house and the members of the family. If that baby is expected to one day become the monarch, even greater care is given to ensure that the name can carry the burden of the crown.

This naming tradition seems to have hit a snag when it comes to the new daughter of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden. No royalwatcher anywhere won any money when it was announced that the baby would be called Princess Estelle. "Reminds me of George Costanza's mother from Seinfeld," tweeted one. What about The Golden Girls' Estelle Getty, thought I. Never in the history of royalty has there been a Princess Estelle, much less a Queen Estelle. However, the name may have derived from a source in the Swedish royal family, where the King's cousin (and godfather), Count Folke Bernadotte married an American named, Estelle Manville. Count Folke is considered a hero among the Nordic royal families. During World War II, he played a pivotal role in the White Bus mission which rescued more than 30,000 people from Nazi Germany, a third of whom were Jewish. After the war, he was United Nations mediator working to establish statehood for Palestine and Israel. He was assassinated in 1948 by a Zionist group because of his political positions regarding Palestine.

The Swedish royal family, and Crown Princess Victoria in particular, have sought to restore Folke Bernadotte's heroic standing. So, many have theorized that Victoria named her daughter for his wife out of respect for his memory. Officially, she says she thought the name was beautiful. Still, it seems an odd choice for a future queen.

However, in Sweden, where there have only been three reigning queens, the selection of names with queenly history is narrow: Margrethe, Christina and Ulrika Eleonore. With Victoria's own future ascension, you can add Victoria to the list. Although Victoria has very regal associations thanks to the original Queen Victoria of England and her myriad descendants who took her name into other countries, it did not start out with royal associations at all. When Queen Victoria was born, she was named Alexandrina after the victorious Russian czar, who had helped Britain defeat Napoleon. Her uncle, The Prince Regent (later Kinge George IV) would not let her have a more traditionally royal name like Mary or Elizabeth nor would he let her be named Georgiana for himself (because he didn't want his name to come after the czar's). When forced to choose a second name for her at the christening, he petulantly said she could be named for her mother, a minor German princess. Uncle George never expected her to ascend the throne because other cousins were being born ahead of her in the line of succession and she could be superceded by the birth of a younger brother. After her cousins died as infants and her father died before begetting more heirs, young "Drina" dropped her first name and, at age 18, became Queen Victoria. There had been no Queen Victoria anywhere in the world before that.

In celebration of Princess Estelle's name, let's take a look at the other monikers of current monarchs-in-waiting.

United Kingdom
The name Charles was rather surprising when the future Queen Elizabeth II gave it to her little boy in 1948. She is said to have personally liked the name, but it had not been used in the British royal family for centuries, possibly because of its Stuart/Catholic/Scottish connections. Plus, the two previous kings named Charles did not exactly give it a sterling reputation. Charles I lost his crown and his head to the Roundheads in the Civil War and while his son of the same name restored the monarchy, he also lived a very fast life, fathering numerous bastards who became the ancestors of most of the British aristocracy today, including the Spencers. The choice of William for Charles and Diana's firstborn reflects much deeper royal history, as it originated in England with the Norman Conquest by William I in 1066. Since then, three more kings bore the name, which means today's Duke of Cambridge should become King William V. Given the longevity of his family, he may be reigning in 2066 when Britain celebrates 1,000 years since the first King William. Now, that will be a jubilee. I will be 95 myself then, but I promise to tweet it up.

Spain
In Spain, the choice of Felipe for the heir once again harkened back to deeper royal history. Juan Carlos and Sofia could have named their son Alfonso or Ferdinand after the most recent kings, but since it was an Alfonso who lost the crown and the last Ferdinand is also known as "the felon king," they perhaps wished to remind their countrymen of the time when Spain was ruled by men named Philip and their dominion encircled the globe. At the time of Felipe's birth, Spain had no king and it was under the dictatorship of General Franco, so little Felipe's birth offered a ray of hope. After the restoration of the monarchy and democracy by King Juan Carlos, the birth of a daughter to Prince Felipe offered a new challenge to the royal family. Spain still allows brothers to succeed over their sisters, so the new infanta might never be queen. Nevertheless, they sought a suitably regal name for her, again digging way back in history. Isabella, as the name of Spain's most prominent queen, might have seemed a natural fit, but perhaps they took into account that the second Queen Isabella's reign led to a succession dispute and that she herself was unpopular and was eventually forced to abdicate. The choice of Leonor connects the little infanta with the medieval history of the Iberian peninsula where many Leonors were consorts of the various Spanish and Portugese thrones.

The Netherlands
After a century of nothing but princesses, the future Queen Beatrix gave birth to the first male heir in 1967. Like all Dutch kings and reigning princes before him, he was named Willem, but with Alexander as a more personal name. Although officially Prince Willem-Alexander, he introduced himself to his future wife as "Alex." When he later told her that he was a prince, she didn't believe him. With the birth of their three daughters, they once again restored the accidental tradition of female heirs in The Netherlands, which made the choice of names less clear. A boy would undoubtedly have been named Willem-Something, but there is no tradition of naming queens for queens in this country. Every Dutch queen (Wilhelmina, Juliana and Beatrix) has been singular, so the field was wide open. Nevertheless, the name chosen, Cathrina-Amalia, has numerous royal predecessors in many, many countries.

Norway
The history of the modern Norwegian crown is barely a 100 years old. For centuries, the Norwegian crown was merged with Denmark and then with Sweden. After Norway regained independence, it selected Danish Prince Carl and his English wife Maud as its new monarch. Reconnecting with Viking history, Carl changed his name to Haakon and renamed his only son Olav. Olav in turn gave his son, the current king, the royally Norwegian name Harald. When Harald's heir was born, he reinforced the Viking ties and underscored the strength of the young dynasty by naming him Prince Haakon for the first modern king. When Haakon's firstborn was a girl, as elsewhere, the choice of names from previous reigning queens was very limited. It consisted of Margaret. That's it. Instead, the Crown Princely couple selected another clearly Norwegian name with Viking connections: Ingrid.

Belgium
Belgium is another very young monarchy, having been created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars. There have been three King Leopolds, two Alberts and a Baldwin. In its brief history, the line of succession has twice jumped branches in the family tree because the senior line became extinct. The first time this happened, the throne passed to the heirs of a younger brother named Philippe. It is for this man that the current heir, his great-great grandson is named. However, when he was born, it was not expected that Crown Prince Philippe would become the heir either. His uncle, King Baudoin was fully expected to have children of his own. When this did not happen, the throne passed down the tree for the second time to Baudoin's younger brother, making Philippe the new heir by the time his own first child was born. Since she was a girl and there have been no reigning queens in Belgian history, the name choice was wide open. Instead, they selected Elisabeth after one of the Belgian consorts, her great-grandmother Elisabeth of Bavaria.

Denmark
In Denmark the naming of heirs has followed a very clear tradition for generation after generation. There, King Frederik names his son Christian, who names his son Frederik who names his son Christian and so on. The tradition was broken when King Frederik IX had only daughters, naming the eldest Margrethe, in good Scandinavian tradition. But, Margrethe reignited the tradition by naming her heir Frederik after her father. Then, Crown Prince Frederik carried forward the tradition by naming his firstborn Prince Christian. However, he did choose less traditional names for his other children: Isabella, Josephine and Vincent, none of which are even particularly Danish. (And, I still haven't recovered from Prince Vince.)

Two Female Heirs

2012-02-23T13:39:00.001-05:00

With the birth of a daughter to Crown Princess Victoria earlier today, Sweden is now the only country in the world with two female direct heirs to the throne. Sweden was one of the first countries to adopt gender-blind succession when Victoria was a young girl; a move that made her heiress over her younger brother, Prince Carl Philipp.

Historically, Sweden has had three previous Queens Regnant: Margaret, Christina and Ulrika Eleonore. It will be interesting to see if the new princess will bear any of these names in tribute to them.

The most recent nation to have multigenerational female heirs is The Netherlands, where Queen Wilhelmina was suceeded by her daughter Queen Juliana who was followed by her own daughter, the current Queen Beatrix.

Although Victoria is the only female heir in her generation of royals, there are several future queens among her daughter's generation, including Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Elisabeth of Belgium, Catharina Amalia of The Netherlands, and Leonor of Spain. The succession laws in all of these countries except Spain allow for girls to succeed even if they have brothers; Leonor is number two in line for the Spanish throne only because she has no brothers. Another potential monarch is Princess Aiko in Japan, however, any talk of changing succession laws there to even include women, was halted when her male cousin was born a few years ago.

Interestingly in Britain, where many wait daily for the announcement that William and Catherine are expecting, changes to the male-preference succession were only agreed upon a few months ago and, when they are enacted, they will only apply to descendants of William's father--therefore, there will be no impact on any of the current members of the royal family.

Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel were married in June 2010.

New French Princess

2012-01-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe

Three centuries after it lost its most famous Antoinette (the alternately maligned and celebrated Marie Antoinette) to Madame Guillotine, the French royals welcomed a new Princess Antoinette on January 28, 2012. The new baby is the daughter of Jean Duke of Vendome, whom Orleanists recognize as the Dauphin, and his Viennese-born wife, Philomena. The couple married in 2009, eight years after Jean was forced to call off his engagement to Protestant Duchess Tatjana of Oldenburg so as not to jeopardize his family's claim to the long-defunct throne of France. Even if the French monarchy were restored again, it has been recreated so many times that there are also claimants from the Bourbons and Bonapartes. Perhaps there is potential for a French reality series, "Who Wants to Be King of France?"

Jean and Philomena also have a two-year-old son, Gaston.

A New Princess in Denmark

2012-01-24T08:46:00.001-05:00

Princess Marie, wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, gave birth to a daughter on the morning of January 24 in Cooenhagen. This is the couple's first daughter. They have one son together and Joachim has two older boys by his first wife, Alexandra.

The prince says his little girl looks like her mother.

By Danish royal tradition, the baby's name will not be announced until her christening several weeks from now. Like her brothers and first cousins, she will undoubtedly receive four names and it is a fairly safe bet that one of those will be Margarethe after her maternal grandmother who is this year celebrating her fortieth anniversary as Queen of Denmark. (A quirkier possibility could be Ruby for the Ruby Jubilee.) Based on her brothers' names, don't be surprised to see her names include that of her mother Marie and her maternal grandmother Francoise.

May 20, 2012 UPDATE: And the name is Athena Marguerite Francoise Marie, which includes the names of the baby's mother and grandmothers. The first name, however, was a bit unexpected.

First Royal Jubilee of 2012

2012-01-14T12:01:00.001-05:00

Prince Henrik and Queen Margrethe on Jubilee Day 2012
Jens Dresling, Polfoto

That's right, Queen Elizabeth II is not the only reigning queen celebrating an anniversary this year. While Elizabeth will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee (60 years), her Danish counterpart Margrethe II is celebrating her Ruby Jubilee after 40 years on the throne. Like Elizabeth, if Margrethe had had a brother, she would never have been queen. However, it took a bit more to clear Margrethe's path to the throne since women weren't allowed to ascend at all until the law was changed shortly before her thirteenth birthday.

Margrethe II with her heir Crown Prince
Frederik and his heir Prince Christian
Maleri af Niels Strøbek

Also like Elizabeth, she had two small children at the time of her accession. Margrethe became queen on January 14, 1972 upon her father Frederik IX's death.

Known as Daisy to her family, Margrethe is very intelligent and extremely well-educated (Cambridge, Aarhus, Sorbonne and London School of Economics). She is also a gifted artist who has illustrated books, mounted exhibitions and created costumes for stage and film. She has even been known to design her on clothes, which are usually brightly colored.

Margrethe Alexandrine Thórhildur Ingrid is married to the French aristocrat and former diplomat Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat. She has two sons, Crown Prince Fredrik and Prince Joachim, and seven grandchildren (Nikolai, Felix, Christian, Isabella, Henrik, Vincent and Josephine) with one more due to be born any day. If that baby turns out to be a girl, I wonder if she will be named Margrethe?

First Royal Wedding of 2012

2012-01-12T21:44:00.001-05:00

On January 12, Prince Hamzah Bin Al Hussein of Jordan married Basmah Bani Ahmad Al Atoum, the daughter of Jordanian businessman Mahmoud Hassan Bani Ahmad Otoum. Prince Hamzah is the half-brother of king Abdullah II. He is the son of the late King Hussein and the American-born Queen Noor.

The wedding took place at the home of the bride's grandfather. The new Princess Basmah, 25, is a pilot.

The prince, 31, was formerly married to his cousin, Princess Noor Bint Asem, with whom he has a four-year-old daughter, Princess Haya.

The Jan. 12 ceremony is called a Katb Ketab; according to follower Akram AlNagdy of The Royal Couturier blog, this ceremony involves signing the marriage papers. An official ceremony is expected at a later date. The gown, cake and other traditions more familiar in Western culture will be included in that event. Both Queen Noor and Prince Hamzah's sister-in-law Queen Rania tweeted that the Jan. 12 event was a celebration of love.

First Royal Engagement of 2012

2012-01-12T07:52:00.001-05:00

Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma has announced that she is engaged to Paris-born Albert Brenninkmeijer. However, this is her brother, Prince Jaime Bernardo, not her betrothed in this photo. Carolina is officially a member of the Dutch royal house, as a niece of Queen Beatrix. She is also the daughter of the late Carlist claimant to the Spanish throne, Prince Carlos Hugo, who gave her the title of Marquesa de Sala. She is a Harvard graduate who works for the United Nations. The groom has an MBA from Oxford, and works for his family's company, C&A France. They are both 37 years old.

First Royal Baby of 2012

2012-01-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

The first royal baby of 2012 is a little boy named Zayed, who was born on January 7. He is the son of Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, daughter of the late King Hussein and wife of Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UNited Arab Emirates. The couple married in 2004, and also have a daughter named Al Jalila. A former Olympic equestrienne, Princess Haya is well-known for her charitable work. She is also often seen at horsey events like Royal Ascot Week.

Top Princess of 2011: The Winner

2012-01-05T14:18:00.001-05:00

The votes are in and, based on a nonscientific combination of factors including the poll, consultations with other royal bloggers, and my own personal views, here are the finalists for Top Princess of 2011.

THE RUNNERS UP

HRH Princess Beatrice of York
Okay. So not many people voted for her, but one of my personal faves (and it is my blog, after all) this year is Princess Beatrice. She has taken a lot of knocks in the media: she wore a crazy hat to THE royal wedding, she enjoys nights at the clubs and her daddy thinks she should have police protection. Despite it all, she has maintained a positive attitude, turned negatives into positives (like losing weight healthfully when she didn't like the media's carping at her), she ran a marathon and she earned a university degree. She is, after all, the very first British princess to ever receive one. That is nothing to sneeze at in my opinion. What the future holds? Who knows? There is still ongoing debate about whether she will assume a public role and take on official duties. We shall see if she or her sister, Princess Eugenie, make any appearances during their father's Jubilee Tour of India. That will be a good indicator of her role for the future, I think. Beatrice herself has said that she would like to be a champion of charities "just like Mummy," Sarah Duchess of York. With a degree in history, maybe she'll become an author like mummy, too.

Photo by Marlene Eilers Koenig

HIRH The Princess of Prussia
The former Princess Sophie of Isenburg makes the list as a bloggers' choice. Marlene Eilers Koenig of Royal Musings made a particularly strong case for her in our discussion of this list. She said that, although neither Sophie nor her bridegroom, Prince Georg Friedrich, the titular head of the Hohenzollen dynasty and heir to the defunct German throne, are legally royals in Germany, "it is interesting how this wedding played out - and how the bride, who would now be a Queen of Prussia and Empress of Germany, if World War I never happened, became the star in royal pageant that most in Germany would never have expected." In short, for their wedding, the German people remembered their royal past and all of the positives that also went with it. For a nation that has a lot of negatives to look back on, history can be a painful a subject. For a moment, at least, Sophie made a history sparkle, drawing the spotlight not only on the good qualities of the dynasty, but also on the city of Potsdam and the Orangerie. As Marlene reports, "This was a true major royal occasion on a grand scale - as nearly every German royal house was present, as well as foreign royals, renigning and non-reigning." For those of us enamored by monarchy, Sophie truly made magic.

HRH The Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
Clearly a lot of people adore, the Australian-born future Queen of Denmark. In fact, a recent poll showed that about 40% of Danes would like her to become queen within the next decade; 11% said they want her to become queen immediately. All of this on the very eve of her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe's 40th Jubilee. The poll results are being interpreted as a sign of the love for Mary and her husband, Frederik, rather than a criticism of Margrethe, who says she will not abdicate. For Mary, 2011 was a huge year, which she started with the birth of twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, bringing her brood to four--quite a large family in Denmark. She also completed several foreign tours and continued her charitable work, including the campaign for skin cancer awareness. Her popularity in Australia also reached new heights, which her sisters have been able to leverage to bring attention to the struggle against ovarian cancer, the disease that killed their mother. Also, 2011 was the first year that Mary and her family lived in the newly renovated Frederik VIII Palace, where they incorporated contemporary Scandinavian art and environmentally friendly systems to create a modern home in a historical palace.

HSH The Princess of Monaco
There was more than one royal bride in 2011 whose fate is to live always in the shadow of glamorous, beautiful and beloved mother-in-law who died tragically and too young. Adding to the burdens for the new Princess of Monaco, formerly Charlene Wittstock, are illegitimate step-children and wildfire rumors during the week of her wedding that she was being physically prevented from runaway after learning that her groom was still catting around. Whether the rumors or true or not--they have been officially denied--Charlene's wedding was a fantastic commercial for Monaco as a destination and for its official sponsor, Lexus. Since then, Charlene has shown nothing but poise and grace (pun intended) in the public eye. Did I mention that she also has faced down possible tensions that might have been created by taking over the role of first lady of Monaco, which had been held by her sister-in-law Princess Caroline since Grace's death nearly three years ago? Despite the scandals that have plagued this family, Albert and his sisters seem to have very good relationships with each other and both Caroline and Stephanie have apparently welcomed Charlene with open arms. Stephanie has even spoken publicly about how terrific Charlene is.

HRH The Crown Princess of Sweden
Victoria is one of only two female heirs at the moment--the other being HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover who will bumped as heir to Monaco as soon Albert and Charlene have a baby--and she wears that distinction with honor. She is well-beloved, well-educated and seems to be very centered, having battled anorexia as a young woman. She waited years to be able to marry the man of her choice in 2010, since many felt that his background was not good enough for her. Now, they are undoubtedly seen as a power couple and the bright hope of the Swedish monarchy. With their first child ready to make its appearance in 2012, they are settling into a family home and splitting their time somewhat evenly between being part of a royal family and being part of Prince Daniel's family, the Westlings. They even posed for pictures with a passerby when they stopped for gas on the way to visit the Westlings over the holidays. Victoria may truly be the next "People's Princess."

THE WINNER

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
When I posted the nominees for Top Princess of 2011, there was no doubt in my mind that Catherine would emerge as the popular favorite. She certainly has received more column inches and air time than most of the other princesses combined. Not to mention the fact that there are numerous blogs devoted entirely to her. The world in 2011 certainly seems to have gone Kate-crazy. As blogger Tracey Connell of Tracey's Royal Blog has said, "she has proved what just average women she is and her modern approach to her life as royal...She is not Diana and she is Catherine. That is why I adore her already." But perhaps Catherine is no more extraordinary than any other princess. Marilyn Braun of Marilyn's Royal Blog said, "As big a fan as I am of her I don't know about Catherine. Yes there was the big royal wedding, yes she's pretty but isn't it somewhat of a cop-out to automatically include her? No to diminish her ability to smile and wear nice clothes but she hasn't proven herself yet." Now that Catherine has announced the first four charities she will patronize, she will certainly have more opportunities to show us how well she can fill her princess shoe, or boots as the case may be. Perhaps the best thing about Catherine so far is how well she is fitting into Prince William family. As Tracey explains, "Her relationship with her father-in law is solid. Prince Charles and Catherine attended a opera together few months ago. She and Duchess of Cornwall have wonderful relationship also." And, there is no doubt that brother-in-law Prince Harry is also a fan. I have no doubt that Catherine will continue to be a royal star for the foreseeable future, and I'll be very surprised if you don't vote her Top Princess of 2012 at the end of this year, too!

Top Princess of 2011: The Nominees

2012-01-01T15:02:00.002-05:00

2011 turned out to be quite a year for princesses. With numerous weddings, several pregnancies, fashion highs and lows, and miscellaneous other news, the royal ladies really kept the media, the bloggers and royal watchers busy. This year, I've decided to honor our tiara-ed lovelies by singling out just one as the Princess of the Year. So, where do we start? How about some nominees? (Please add your vote at the end.)

THE BRIDES

Nothing gets more attention than actually becoming a princess. Even if you already are a princess, we still love it when you find your Prince Charming and have a fairytale wedding. This year, it seemed like there was a royal wedding almost every week. Here are the top royal brides:

Photo by Hugh Burnand

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
Without a doubt, the former Kate Middleton generated more headlines--some of them actually true!--than any other royal person. But, will that earn her our coveted Princess of the Year title?

HSH The Princess of Monaco
When former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock married Prince Albert II of Monaco, she may have won her biggest competition yet: the 50-something bachelor had become really good at avoiding matrimony.

HIRH The Princess of Prussia
Born Princess Sophie of Isenburg, this German business woman married her childhood friend, Prince Georg Friedrich, who is head of the House of Hohenzollern and which means she could call herself Queen of Prussia and Empress of Germany. However, since that throne was abolished nearly a century ago, Sophie von Preussen will also do.

HM The Queen of Bhutan
At just 21 years of age, Jetsun Pema has been a Queen Consort for barely three months, but she has already impressed the world with her gracious demeanor and elegantly appropriate fashion choices on several international visits.

Press Association

Zara Phillips, Mrs. Mike Tindall
Even if she is not technically a princess, she is a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, which earns her a nod on our list. This athletic beauty married her live-in love, rugby star Mike Tindall, who was then caught allegedly canoodling on an overseas junket. Still, the newlyweds could be seen holding hands as they walked to church on Christmas Day.

THE MOTHERS

With so many recent weddings, it could be expected that many of our royal brides are expectant. Several new royals made their debuts or had their impending arrival announced in 2012. Here are their mamas:

Steen Brogaard

HRH The Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
Princess Mary pulled off a triple miracle with the birth of twins in January (a double joy) and losing all that baby weight in record time (the third part of the miracle). However, naming the babies Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, may keep her out of the top five Princesses of 2011. Really? Prince Vince?

Autumn Phillips
Autumn scrapes into our list, but barely. After all, she is not a princess and she gave birth to her first child on December 29, 2010 (close enough to 2011!). However, since that daughter is named Savannah, after my home town, and is Queen Elizabeth II's first great grandchild, AND because Autumn has speedily followed with another pregnancy, she is on the list.

Paul Hansen

HRH The Crown Princess of Sweden
After struggling with an eating disorder and holding out to finally marry the man of her dreams, Princess Victoria delighted everyone with a very early announcement of her first pregnancy. She then went on to wear baggy clothes not really intended as maternity wear, but, as a gorgeous future mother and queen, she can do whatever makes her happy (for now).

HRH Princess Marie of Denmark
After just three and a half years as a princess, the French-born Marie has more than fulfilled her royal duties by providing one son, born in 2008, and preparing for the birth of another child later this month. This will bring her husband's total up to four--he has two sons from his first marriage. Despite her advancing pregnancies, Marie has kept busy fulfilling royal engagements, overseas tours and taking official portraits well into her third trimester. Hope she takes a couple of days off for the birth.

THE TINY ONES

What is more adorable than a little girl? How about one that is anything but a royal brat? Here are our top royal tots of 2011:

HRH Princess Isabella of Denmark
Four years old is really the perfect age for cuteness. You are still an elfin, doll baby no matter how many funny faces you make at your siblings' christening. Little blondie Isabella makes the list for always having a good time in front of the cameras both at home and in her mum's homeland of Australia.

The British
Monarchy

The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
The youngest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II could technically be called a princess. She emerged into the limelight this year as a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Prince William. She was seen more than ever this year, including an appearance with her grandmother in an officially released photograph and on the royal walk to church on Christmas Day.

THE ACHIEVERS

A princess can't get married, have a baby or be adorable every year, here are a few nominees who make the list for doing what they do best.

HRH The Princess Royal
No list of top princesses could ever be complete without the world's hardest working royal, Princess Anne. In 2011, she carried out 568 official engagements, despite being 61 years old and a new granny. She also was spotted wearing several outfits that first saw light two and three decades ago. So, she gets one brava for being thrifty and another for maintaining her figure.

RVD

HRH Maxima, Princess of The Netherlands
In a year that saw the youngest of her three children start school, Argentine-born Princess Maxima launched herself even more fully into her work, completing even more engagements than her husband or her mother-in-law, Queen Beatrix. Interestingly, this year, in honor of her tenth wedding anniversary, the Dutch government officially declared that when her husband becomes king, she will have the title and style of The Queen of the Netherlands.

HRH Princess Beatrice of York
While Beatrice received most of her publicity this year because of her unfortunate choice of headgear at her cousin Prince William's wedding, she actually had some genuine milestones this year, like completing the London marathon and receiving a university degree--both firsts for British royal-born ladies.

Royal Christmas Speeches 2011

2011-12-27T16:34:00.002-05:00

Several monarchs make a televised annual address during the holiday season. For your convenience, below are the 2011 speeches. You can also read a review of some of the European speeches on Royalty in the News.

Emperor Akihito of Japan

King Albert II of The Belgians

Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingdom

Grand Duke Henri II of Luxembourg

King Juan Carlos of Spain

Royal Christmases

2011-12-21T20:01:00.004-05:00

As Kate Middleton spends her first Christmas as a full-blown royal (see my article with 5 tips for her survival), here's a look at some royal Christmas traditions.

The Christmas Tree

The presence of a tree in nearly every British, Australian and American home is due to the influence of one single royal: Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who brought the evergreen tree tradition to England with him from his native Germany. Illustrations of his royal Christmas tree started appearing in magazines and newspapers in 1841. Within a few years, dragging a tree into the house, lighting it with candles and hanging baubles on it had become all the rage. Just think, without Prince Albert's influence, there would be no Charlie Brown Christmas tree and no giant trees at Rockefeller Center in New York and Victoria Square in Adelaide. Not to mention, the contribution Albert made to what is now a multibillion dollar industry.

Live to the Commonwealth
A more recent royal tradition in Britain is the monarch's Christmas day broadcast. The tradition started when the current queen's grandfather, King George V, began making radio broadcasts in 1932. Although there have been three monarchs since then, only two others have participated--the queen's uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in early December 1936 after less than a year as king, so he never made the address. The queen has delivered a radio or television address every year since her accession, except 1969, when the palace thought the release of the documentary, "The Royal Family," had provided enough exposure for the year. Public outcry, however, caused the queen to announce that the annual tradition would return the following year. The address has sometimes been issued live, but more commonly, it is pre-recorded. It is first broadcast at 3 p.m. GMT on Christmas Day. Since 2006, it has also been available via podcast.

For more about the British Monarchy at Christmas, visit the official site.

Sinterklaas and Zwart Piet
In The Netherlands, children celebrate Christmas with Sinterklaas and Zwart Piet, or Santa Claus and Black Peter. For the Dutch royal family, the arrival of that illustrious pair was become an annual outing. On December 5, the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima take their three adorable litte girls to join the hordes of happy youngsters as they welcome Santa and Peter to town. See photos from this year's event. The pair arrives, having traveled all the way from Madrid and bringing candy for all the little ones who come to their parade--even little princesses.

Christmas Cards in Spain
Although Christmas cards are sent around the world, we don't always get to see what royal families send out, except in Spain. We occasionally get to see a few cards elsewhere, but the Spanish royal family always releases the cards from all four of their "families": the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of the Asturias, Infanta Elena, and Infanta Cristina. Another nice touch is that the publicly released cards show the handwritten note and all of the individuals signatures. Most of the time the images on the cards are family photos or at least, pics of the kids. However, the King and Queen will often select artwork. This year's cards are notable because it is the first time that the youngest infanta, four-year-old Sofia, signed the card all by herself. (Click to see this year's cards.)

Family Photos in Belgium
Like many families, the crown princely couple of Belgium uses Christmas as an opportunity to take new family photos. With four young children, it is probably quite a task to get everyone dressed in matching outfits that aren't too matchy-matchy, but they always pull it off with aplomb. In addition to the family portrait, they also take pictures of each of the children. This year's set of photos does a particularly good job of highlighting each child's individual personality. (See this year's photos.)

Family Videos
The Norwegian royal family takes it a couple of steps further; the ladies at least usually dress in bunad (the traditional Norwegian costume) AND they release a video with the photos. Over the years, we have seen Queen Sonja reading to her grandchildren and little Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus making cookies. (See this year's photo and video.)

A Musical Christmas
As an extension of their tenth anniversary celebrations, the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway this year launched what may become an annual tradition. They and the king and queen hosted a performance for 200 young people who are associated with charities sponsored by the Crown Princess's foundation, which was established when she married Crown Prince Haakon. Nine Norwegian artists performed on the concert, which was broadcast across the country. The same musicians have also created a benefit Christmas album.

Three Naughty Princesses and One Wicked Queen

2011-12-17T19:51:00.003-05:00

This is the story of how some little purses prevented women from ever inheriting the French throne.

Philip the Fair with his children and his brother

The story starts when the very beautiful Queen of England personally embroidered three purses for her lively young sisters-in-law: Marguerite, Jeanne and Blanche. Born a princess of France, Isabella gave these special gifts to them while on a visit home. Isabella had been sent to England as a little girl, so she must have been excited to spend time with her own family—her powerful father King Philip the Fair, her three handsome brothers and their three wives, all of whom were princesses of Burgundy. Blanche and Jeanne were sisters and Marguerite was their cousin.

Since the death of Isabella’s mother, the three Burgundian princesses had made the French court a place for frivolity with fun-filled parties and risqué fashions. Nineteen-year-old Isabella must have enjoyed their company, particularly since her English sisters-in-law were all much older than she.

Alas, although Isabella had to return to Britain, many Frenchman were frequently at her husband’s court. Two dashing knights were visiting just a few months later: the dashing d’Aulnay brothers, Philip and Gautier. Although not nearly as handsome as her own husband King Edward II, the brothers certainly caught her eye. They were amusing to admire until Isabella noticed something odd. On each brother’s belt there hung a familiar little purse—the very purses that Isabella had recently given to Blanche and Marguerite.

To say that Isabella was angry is probably putting it mildly. She might have been slightly offended by the re-gifting, but she was more likely infuriated that two wives of French princes—her own brothers—were granting such favors to men who weren’t their husbands. What could it mean?

Tour de Nesle

Isabella didn’t immediately tell her father and brothers. She had little evidence to prove her worst fears. Soon, however, others began to question the jovial Burgundian trios’ too boisterous behavior. Whispers, perhaps outright accusations, reached King Philip’s ears. Isabella finally shared her own suspicions. A cautious, but politically vicious man, Philip gathered information. He had his daughters-in-law and their friends followed. The trail quickly led straight to the Tour de Nesle, an old fortress on the River Seine, which had been turned into a love den.

The d’Aulnay brothers tried to escape Philip’s reach, but they failed. Instead, they were tortured just as the Knights Templar had so recently been tormented by the King. This time, however, more than money, power, and religion were at stake. The very fate of the Capetian dynasty was on the line, for if either princess conceived a child by her lover, it could be passed off as an heir to the throne.

The d’Aulnay brothers did not last long under their brutal inquisition. They confessed everything. For their lusty crimes against the king, they were publicly castrated, flayed alive and then decapitated. Their mistresses faced a more private trial before the Paris Parlement. All three young women stood accused. Jeanne admitted that she knew about the affairs but had never been unfaithful herself. Her husband, the second son Prince Philip, believed her and pleaded for her. Blanche and Marguerite had no such defenders. They were both found guilty. Their lives were spared but they were humiliated by being shaved bald and were imprisoned in the dank and gloomy Chateau Gaillard. Jeanne was punished by being placed under house arrest at Dourdan. Within a year, she was reunited with her husband and five children at court.

Just months after the Tour de Nesle Affair, King Philip died and his eldest son became King Louis X. Because his wife Marguerite’s affair had called into question the legitimacy of their only child, a daughter named Jeanne, Louis needed to marry again quickly. With Marguerite still alive at Chateau Gaillard, it would be difficult for him to find another bride. Then, Marguerite conveniently died. Perhaps too conveniently. It might have been the harsh conditions of being imprisoned underground or it might have been murder. Nevertheless, her death could not have come at a better time for Louis, who married his second wife just five days later.

Louis managed to impregnate his new wife very quickly, but his athletic prowess soon got the best of him. After an intense game of tennis—his favorite sport—he grew ill and died. He had been king for less than two years. France eagerly awaited the birth of the heir, a little boy name John, who died within a week.

Jeanne of Burgundy

What was the country to do? Louis’ daughter Jeanne was still alive, though not quite four years old. So, King Philip IV’s second soon assumed the throne as King Philip V, with his wife Jeanne of Burgundy at his side. He quickly convened the three estates and had them affirm that women could not inherit the throne, allegedly based on historical precedence from the time of the Frankish kings. Called the Salic Law, this legal decision barred the orphaned princess from the throne and confirmed the new King Philip’s regal rights, but it had some unintended consequences. At the time, Philip’s heir was his own son and namesake, but five years later, the little prince died. When the king died the next year, he left behind four daughters who, because of their father’s insistence, could not inherit the throne.

Blanche

Instead, Philip’s brother, Charles, husband of the still-imprisoned Blanche of Burgundy became king. Charles finally managed to have the marriage annulled and he remarried. Blanche, despite the dreadful conditions which had perhaps led to her cousin’s death at Chateau Gaillard, carried on her promiscuous ways: she conceived a child by one of her jailers. Nevertheless, she ultimately repented and was allowed to become a nun. She lived until the ripe old age of 30.

As for Charles, despite two more wives, he died without sons and the Salic Law prevented his two surviving daughters from ascending the throne in 1328, just 14 years after the Affair of the Tour de Nesle.

Queen Isabella and her lover
at the head of an army.

In England, the only surviving child of King Philip IV, Queen Isabella thought she saw a loophole in the Salic Law. Although she could not inherit the throne, perhaps her son could. That question would launch the Hundred Years’ War between France and England.

Perhaps one of the greatest ironies of the entire Tour de Nesle Affair, however, is perhaps that Queen Isabella had become the most infamous adulteress in the world. Although she had pointed fingers at her sisters-in-law, she also engaged in a well-known extramarital affair, she and her lover led a rebellion against her husband, forced his abdication and had him executed.

Princess Pepper

2011-12-10T20:48:00.001-05:00

Said goodbye today to my sister's best friend, Pepper, who wasn't really a real princess, but who was always treated royally--especially during her final illness.

I just had this portrait of Pepper done by Melinda McPherson Golden as a Christmas present. I highly recommend Melinda. She takes new commissions all the time; I have purchased several works of art from her.