What Languages Do The Royals Speak?

[Moonmaiden23]

Princess Caroline of Hanover speaks fluent English, French, Spanish, Italian and German.So does her brother HSH Prince Albert. I am not certain if they speak the Monaqasque dialect but it would it would not surprise me.

Princess Stephanie speaks English and French, but I am not sure about German and Spanish.

Caroline's three elder children are all fluent in Italian, English and French. My understanding is that they speak some German but are not fluent.

Princess Alexandra of Hanover speaks English, French and German.

 

[principessa]

Princess Danica of Serbia speaks Serbian, French, English and Spanish.

Source: HRH PRINCESS DANICA | The Royal Family of Serbia

 

[muriel]

Unfortunately, the BRF have never seen the value of speaking any language other than English and French. This latest generation has meagre language skills, many not even able to hold a conversation in French. Their education has not been multi-national.

In your opinion, communications with which significant royal have been impacted by the inability of the BRF members to speak French, or any other continental European language?

 

[wyevale]

The reality IS that English is a universal Language, so their ability to communicate with their European 'peers' is hardly impeded.

Nevertheless I regret the 'younger generation's lack of French, since speaking that language remains the 'mark of a gentleman' , and frankly i'd expect better from Eton....

 

[Moonmaiden23]

In your opinion, communications with which significant royal have been impacted by the inability of the BRF members to speak French, or any other continental European language?

I don't think that's the point muriel.

One of the marks of a superior, cosmopolitan education in an increasingly global society is the ability to communicate in a language other than ones' own. Of all the young Royals, the Windsors are unable to do this despite going to top drawer schools. If the generation before William and Harry found it essential to learn French and German when the world was much less global than it is now, what has changed to make the younger generation decide that it simply isn't necessary now?


The idea of that "why do we need to since English is the universal language" sounds at best arrogant and decidedly provincial...and it sort of makes the younger Windsors stand out from their Continental peers.. and not in a good way.


The French Royals certainly never took the same attitude during the many years that French was the language of diplomacy and culture.


As an American one of the great regrets I have is that our own elected leaders(with some notable exceptions) have had the same handicap

 

[muriel]

I don't think that's the point muriel.

One of the marks of a superior, cosmopolitan education in an increasingly global society is the ability to communicate in a language other than one's own. Of all the young Royals, the Windsors are unable to do this despite going to top drawer schools. If the generation before William and Harry found it essential to learn French and German when the world was much less global than it is now, what has changed to make the younger generation decide that it simply isn't necessary now?


The idea of that "why do we need to since English is the universal language" sounds at best arrogant and decidedly provincial...and it sort of makes the younger Windsors stand out from their Continental peers.. and not in a good way.


The French Royals certainly never took the same attitude during the many years that French was the language of diplomacy and culture.


As an American one of the great regrets I have is that our own elected leaders(with some notable exceptions) have had the same handicap

With respect, I was responding very specifically to point made by Marg.

That said, I don't accept the notion of a "superior, cosmopolitan education " measured by fluency in languages like French and German in today's day and age. If the extent on ones horizons was limited to Western Europe, I might agree. That is clearly not the case any more. Perhaps languages like Mandarin or Hindi or Spanish are far more relevant in today's globalised world than French or German. Even then, I just don't believe that speaking foreign languages have the importance they had 50 years ago as thd world, indeed, has accepted English as the international language.

As regards Eton or other public schools in thd UK, most students will study French till Year 9 or 10. As the language is not used much, few English students retain much of it after a few years. As a result, foreign languages in practice, just don't receive much attention .

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Of course you are correct. I was just using French and German as examples.

Former President Obama is Harvard and Columbia educated but speaks nothing but English...however his daughters, who attended the ultra elite Sidwell Friends Preparatory School, are another story. The eldest is proficient is Spanish and acted as her father's interpreter in Cuba recently.

The youngest is still at Sidwell and is learning Mandarin Chinese.

Both will be extremely important languages to master in the not too distant future. Their parents understand that English only is not a great idea.

 

[muriel]

Of course you are correct. I was just using French and German as examples.

Former President Obama is Harvard and Columbia educated but speaks nothing but English...however his daughters, who attended the ultra elite Sidwell Friends Preparatory School are another story. The eldest is proficient is Spanish and acted as her father's interpreter in Cuba recently.

The youngest is still at Sidwell and is learning Mandarin Chinese.

Both will be extremely important languages to master in the not too distant future...more so than French.

I can see the increasing importance of Spanish in the US for obvious reasons. However, none of those reasons are valid in the UK.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

With all due respect, the UK is not the center of the world muriel, any more than the US is.

More and more people around the globe speak Spanish and Chinese. These numbers are increasing. In order to effectively communicate in a world that is becoming less and less homogenized and European and Anglo-Saxon, it's wise to know these languages in order to compete in the market place and to understand other people who share our planet.

That applies to all of us, Royal and non Royal.

ETA: You can also add Arabic to the list.

 

[muriel]

With all due respect, the UK is not the center of the world muriel, any more than the US is.

More and more people around the globe speak Spanish and Chinese. These numbers are increasing. In order to effectively communicate in a world that is becoming less and less homogenized and European and Anglo-Saxon, it's wise to know these languages in order to compete in the market place and to understand other people who share our planet.

That applies to all of us, Royal and non Royal.

ETA: You can also add Arabic to the list.

You are right , the UK is not the centre of the world for a lot of people, but it was the BRF that was being discussed. For them, the UK IS indeed the centre of the world!

 

[Curryong]

There is a multi-lingual Commonwealth though, isn't there.

 

[Somebody]

As others pointed out before me: French is a major language and one of the official languages of Canada. So the BRF have a very good reason to at least speak French next to English. Anything else would be a nice bonus.

 

[muriel]

There is a multi-lingual Commonwealth though, isn't there.

Quite right, and they are not the royal family of the entire Commonwealth. When I last looked, HM was only Head of State for 16 of the 54 countries that made up the Commonwealth. Requiring the monarch of the day to speak the languages of the Commonwealth would, IMO, be akin to requiring the Secretary General of the UN to speak all the languages of the UN!

 

[muriel]

As others pointed out before me: French is a major language and one of the official languages of Canada. So the BRF have a very good reason to at least speak French next to English. Anything else would be a nice bonus.

So what if French is spoken in a small part of one of the countries that HM is Head of State of? HM's linguistic abilities do not appear to have had much impact on the future of Quebec or its relationship with Canada or the monarchy per se!

 

[lifenoneuae]

Prince Philip: English, French, German
Prince Charles: English, French, Welsh, German

 

[IloveCP]

Queen Jetsun Pema speaking English

 

[Countessmeout]

There is a multi-lingual Commonwealth though, isn't there.

The Queen is only queen of 16 commonwealth countries. And all but 1 of those 16 countries have only ONE official language, English. The one exception is Canada, which has French as well. While there may be tongues which are culturally recognized, like Maori, they are not official languages. So as long as the queen, or king, speak English and French they speak the Official languages of all of their realms. Knowing some Maori, Welsh and so one would be a bonus.

Queen Jetsun Pema speaking English

Always lovely to hear her speak. She is very well spoken and intelligent.

She studied English in India, before she went to university in London. Both her and her husband are quite fluent in English. He went to school at Philips academy in the US, and later Oxford.

 

[Somebody]

So what if French is spoken in a small part of one of the countries that HM is Head of State of? HM's linguistic abilities do not appear to have had much impact on the future of Quebec or its relationship with Canada or the monarchy per se!

It would certainly show that the royal family values their relationship with the French-speaking Canadians (the support for the monarchy is way lower in Quebec than in other parts of Canada and that might very well be related to language - at least it doesn't help - as we've also seen in Belgium for example with the lack of Dutch language skills of some family members). Moreover, there are little requirements in terms of education, so making sure to at least speak the second most important language in your realms that also happens to be one of the world's major languages seems like an excellent thing to do in preparation for royal life.

 

[JR76]

Prince Philip: English, French, German
Prince Charles: English, French, Welsh, German

Wasn't Philip heard saying on the last State visit to Germany that he's forgotten most of his German?

 

[Denville]

It language in your realms that also happens to be one of the world's major languages seems like an excellent thing to do in preparation for royal life.

but the queen does speak good French and so does P Charles.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

The Italian pastor Michelangelo Florio was employed to instruct Lady Jane Grey in Italian. Jane did well learning Italian. Florio chose to dedicate one of his grammar books, Regole de la Lingua Thoscana, to her.

 

[carlota]

Queen Jetsun Pema speaking English

the queen speaks really good english indeed. she was educated in the UK, wasn't she?

 

[Mbruno]

Prince Philip: English, French, German
Prince Charles: English, French, Welsh, German

Does Prince Charles really speak Welsh ? I have never heard him speak German either.

 

[Curryong]

Charles attended Aberystwyth University for a short time. I believe he learned some Welsh there. It's probably a bit rusty now, but it's said he does still understand a few phrases.

 

[Prisma]

Princess Hisako speaking English at the Nobel Prize Dialogue 2018 on March 11st.

https://twitter.com/x/status/972771245044346880

Princess Ayako's speech in English for the 50th anniversary of the Nikka Yukko Japanese Gardens in Lethbridge in July 2017.

 

[TLLK]

Charles attended Aberystwyth University for a short time. I believe he learned some Welsh there. It's probably a bit rusty now, but it's said he does still understand a few phrases.

Here is a video of Charles reading some lines of poetry in Welsh. ?

 

[Countessmeout]

Princess Hisako speaking English at the Nobel Prize Dialogue 2018 on March 11st.

https://twitter.com/x/status/972771245044346880

Princess Ayako's speech in English for the 50th anniversary of the Nikka Yukko Japanese Gardens in Lethbridge in July 2017.

Ayako actually went to college in Canada for a time. She did a home study in NZ at one point as well. She did a short period at Camouson in 2010/11 in her undergrad (Victoria, my dad actually went there), and then spent time between 2013-2015 during her graduate studies, studying English again at Camouson. She also studied at UBC for a short time.

Followed in the steps of her dad, studying in Canada. Prince Takamodo spent three years studying law at Queens university in Kingston, Ontario. Canada holds a special place for the family, as the Canadian embassy in Tokyo was where Takamodo met his wife (though she had worked for Prince Mikasa previously).

The two oldest daughters followed in their parents' footsteps. Ayako went to school in Canada like dad, and her older sister went to school in the UK like their mother. Different schools in both cases. Tsuguko went to the University of Edinburgh for a time before dropping out. Her mother spent part of her childhood in the UK due to her father's job, and graduated from Cambridge.

 

[Prisma]

Princess Kako's speech in English at the 30th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) held at Tsukuba International Conference Hall in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture on September 2: (skip to 38:00)

 

[Chloep]

i didn't know that meghan spoke spanish! hoping we will get to hear her at some point.

There is a vid from her Suits days. They had some fun with Ric and Meghan being both fluent in Spanish and shot a typically telenovela-style dream sequence + there is a blooper with Ric and Meghan having fun.

I have to say I was unexpectedly impressed with her spanish. While definitely accented, her speech is grammatically seamless, with great rhythm and near perfect intonation. They did really well with the telenovela aspect too.

I hope she'll get to meet Letizia, Maxima or Maria Theresa one day - would be lovely to hear her exchange a few words with them.

 

[jacqui24]

There is a vid from her Suits days. They had some fun with Ric and Meghan being both fluent in Spanish and shot a typically telenovela-style dream sequence + there is a blooper with Ric and Meghan having fun.

I have to say I was unexpectedly impressed with her spanish. While definitely accented, her speech is grammatically seamless, with great rhythm and near perfect intonation. They did really well with the telenovela aspect too.

I hope she'll get to meet Letizia, Maxima or Maria Theresa one day - would be lovely to hear her exchange a few words with them.

That's interesting. I always thought she was conversational, but not that great at Spanish. But guess she downplayed it a bit.