Royals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics


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I've been really enjoying the Olympics, but particularly the swimming and gymnastics. Michael Phelps is like a fish! I saw the 4x200 yesterday, and was amazed at how fast he swam to get the USA ahead of everybody else.

I love the gymnastics, because I was a gymnast for a few years, myself, but never on that level. Anyway, I saw Alicia Sacramone fall last night (my time), and my heart just sank. Nothing her teammates said could have made it any better, either. But at least the USA came out with silver.

China's women's gymnastics team is just something else! They are VERY good. But I have trouble seeing how some of those girls are 16. One of them even has baby teeth missing! But they are some kind of gymnasts, amazing.
 
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I don't think that China should have been awarded the games in the first place. It's been a comedy of errors from the get go.

First the pollution, then the Chinese government felt affronted when the American athletes wore breathing masks (when the great majority of their own citizens do the same), then they clean out the city and refuse travel permits to anyone they think might protest anything, then they block access to websites (amnesty international, etc) because they say that those websites are a threat to the National Security, and last but by no means least, they insert one little girl to lip sync a song, because the little girl singing the song was not "cute" enough, and that was supposedly in the nations best interest? And don't even get me started on teh female gymnasts from China. I was a gymnast, and competed on the elite level, similar to the current olympians, although I never went to the olympics, and if those girls are all 16, I am a purple elephant. True. The Chinese gymnasts are small, but generally they even have some curves, and they always have all of their adult teeth, something which one of these girls seems to be missing. Yep, if people believe that they are all 16 then I have a very valuable magic wand and a few royal titles I would like to sell to those people.
 
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I share your feelings. I am disappointed over the whole affair. I have not been to Beijing in the last 8 years but it looks more polluted and hazy than ever.
In my heart of hearts I always wished they'd bring the Olympics back to Greece every four years, but it is never going to happen.
Meantime I am trying to catch the updates on NBC which is a losing proposition and can't wait for Greece to get a medal in whatever......:bang:
 
I know Felipe and Letizia have left China, but are Mary and Frederick still there or have they returned to Denmark. I had thought that Mary and the children were to fly on to Australia about now. Change of plan??
Taree
 
I have read elsewhere on this forum (I think in the Denmark thread) that Mary has gone back to Denmark. CP Frederik is still in Beijing. I believe that Mary and the children will be heading to Australia soon, but I am not sure when.
 
Hi - thank you sgl. I've missed seeing them on this thread recently. Just wondered what was happening. Thanks again.
Taree
 
You're welcome, Taree!
 
Such a cute baby....She looks like her mother. P Haya is a very nice looking woman.

Sorry, I have to disagree...Haya's little girl is a spitting image of her papa. Look at those deep eyes...is that the nanny on the left?
 
Was this at an event? She is a very sweet baby, and big and healthy as well!

I believe it is. The woman holding the stroller has Olympic accreditation IDs. I would have loved to cuddle that baby.:D
 
I don't think that China should have been awarded the games in the first place. It's been a comedy of errors from the get go.

First the pollution, then the Chinese government felt affronted when the American athletes wore breathing masks (when the great majority of their own citizens do the same), then they clean out the city and refuse travel permits to anyone they think might protest anything, then they block access to websites (amnesty international, etc) because they say that those websites are a threat to the National Security, and last but by no means least, they insert one little girl to lip sync a song, because the little girl singing the song was not "cute" enough, and that was supposedly in the nations best interest? And don't even get me started on teh female gymnasts from China. I was a gymnast, and competed on the elite level, similar to the current olympians, although I never went to the olympics, and if those girls are all 16, I am a purple elephant. True. The Chinese gymnasts are small, but generally they even have some curves, and they always have all of their adult teeth, something which one of these girls seems to be missing. Yep, if people believe that they are all 16 then I have a very valuable magic wand and a few royal titles I would like to sell to those people.

Too true. I totally agree with you. China should have realized long ago that there's no point in their government trying to put on a fake face and hiding everything because people ultimately will see what stinks.

On the other hand, Olympic coverage in my country officially sucks. I only get to see maybe 7 or so sports. We've been bombarded with swimming and boxing events. And I'm getting tired of it.
 
Was this at an event? She is a very sweet baby, and big and healthy as well!

Princess Haya watches the cross country in Hong Kong, 11th August 2008.:flowers:
 
it's a shame the princes of asturias didn't stay for longer. i know felipe is attending two passovers in latin america, but i'm sure letizia would have been a great support to the spanish team during the rest of the games!

it's great to se haya with her daughter, she is delightful and they seem so down to earth!
 
Somehow I don't think telling the little girl she wasn't cute enough for tv isn't going to harm her self-esteem the way it would here in the west. I think they tend to have "for the good of the country" drilled into them so much that whatever a person is told is for the good of the country is accepted. But hopefully they told her parents and not her so they could shield her from it.

But back to the Golden Boy Michael Phelps. I'm starting to get sick of hearing about him so dang much! Yes, he's great blah blah blah. Hey, there are other athletes and other sports here! Here's an interesting story about what he eats every day -
OLYMPIC GOLDEN BOY PHELPS EATS 12,000 CALORIES A DAY - New York Post
I honestly don't know how he can eat so much in one sitting without getting physicallly sick :shock::yuk:.
 
After an excellent performance by Princess Nathalie, the Danish dressage team won a bronze. This was Denmark's first medal at the games. Holland and Germany got the silver and gold.
 
Wonderfull...................wonderfull :clap:

Well done Princess Nathalie:princess3:, Andreas Helgstrand and Anne van Olst.

Finally a medal for Denmark :daneflag:
 
King of Norway Harald V (R) and his wife Sonja Haraldsen watch a game of Beach Volleyball between Norway and Switzerland during a 2008 Beijing Olympics Women's preliminary match at Beijing's Chaoyang Park, on August 11, 2008


There is no one like "Sonja Haraldsen" since 1968.
You must have meant HM Queen Sonja of Norway?!
 
King of Norway Harald V (R) and his wife Sonja Haraldsen watch a game of Beach Volleyball between Norway and Switzerland during a 2008 Beijing Olympics Women's preliminary match at Beijing's Chaoyang Park, on August 11, 2008


There is no one like "Sonja Haraldsen" since 1968.
You must have meant HM Queen Sonja of Norway?!

I think Her_Majesty only quoted the agency's comment to that specific picture. The comments are very often not accurate or inconsistent, eg one day they say "Queen Sonja" and the other day "Sonja Haraldsen". Getty for example referred during the Beijing games to CP Mary as "Mary Elizabeth Donaldson" and to CP Letizia as "Letizia Ortiz" ... it looks like the people who do the comments only have a basic knowledge of everything instead of a deeper knowledge of something (difficult as agencys cover events of any kind from all over the world). Errors and typos should not happen in the media but they do.
 
Denmark won the dressage team bronze today, Princess Nathalie was Denmark's best rider!!! :daneflag: The final team results in dressage are:

1) Germany 72.917%
2) Netherlands 71.750%
3) Denmark 68.875%
4) USA 67.819%
5) Sweden 67.347%

Princess Nathalie and Digby performed well, they were the best Danes, and got 70.417%. Individually they are on an 8th place and are now qualified to compete for the individual medals in the Grand Prix Special on Saturday, where the 25 best riders and horses will fight for them. Next Tuesday there is also the individual Grand Prix Kür.

Watching the dressage were (among others) Prince Philippos, Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Benedikte, former ICO President Samaranch, former Governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, King Constantine and Princess Theodora.
 
wartenberg7 said:
There is no one like "Sonja Haraldsen" since 1968.
You must have meant HM Queen Sonja of Norway?!
Yes. "Sonja Haraldsen" of course means "Queen Sonja".

As DoM already said: I just copied and pasted the caption that ANP gave for that pictures.

It's one of those eternal agnency-mistakes. They just love to add the former surnames of the Royal Ladies.
Like Princess Letizia Ortiz, Crown Princess Mary Donaldson or Queen Sonja Haraldsen.
Probably they want people to realize directly that the person is a born commoner. Who knows... :whistling:
 
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Denmark won the dressage team bronze today, Princess Nathalie was Denmark's best rider!!! :daneflag: The final team results in dressage are:

1) Germany 72.917%
2) Netherlands 71.750%
3) Denmark 68.875%
4) USA 67.819%
5) Sweden 67.347%

Princess Nathalie and Digby performed well, they were the best Danes, and got 70.417%. Individually they are on an 8th place and are now qualified to compete for the individual medals in the Grand Prix Special on Saturday, where the 25 best riders and horses will fight for them. Next Tuesday there is also the individual Grand Prix Kür.

Watching the dressage were (among others) Prince Philippos, Queen Anne-Marie, Princess Benedikte, former ICO President Samaranch, former Governor of Massachusetts and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, King Constantine and Princess Theodora.



Did CP Frederik not attend this Denmark event to see his 1st Cousin ???
 
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