Royal Honeymoons


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In 1893 Princes Mary of Teck and Prince George, Duke of York embarked for their honeymoon at Sandringham. I find this an interesting situation considering that Mary's first husband-to-be, Prince Albert Victor had died there.

It seems like it could be very possible that they both remembered Albert Victor with warmth, love and a lot of good memories. Just as HM stays at Sandringham until the anniversary of her beloved father's death has passed, perhaps at Sandringham both George and Mary felt the closer ties to someone that was near and dear to their hearts.
 
While I agree with the sentiment, it would still be odd. Albert Victor died 18 months before they married. And was Mary's fiancé when he died. Going to the home where her former fiancé died, on her Honeymoon, seems odd. Surely there were other royal homes they could have spent it at.:ermm:

It would make sense throughout their marriage that they still used the house and felt close to him there, but the honeymoon?
 
We have to remember too that travel wasn't what its like now back in that time period. I would imagine their choices were pretty limited as to where to go. I'd guess Sandringham, Balmoral or Windsor Castle if they were to stay somewhere that belonged to family. As they were married in July, Windsor was probably out due to being too close to London. Balmoral was out because of the annual retreat to Scotland by the monarch so that left Sandringham open and relatively private and secluded for the newly married couple.

That's just my take on it. I really don't know for sure just what honeymoons actually entailed in the late 19th century. :D
 
It's an interesting observation regarding a couple having a honeymoon at the place where the former husband / brother died. Nonetheless, in that context it is no odder than the couple marrying the former husband-to-be's brother / the brother's fiancee.

Nowadays, people's emotions are somewhat different or at least expressed differently to what they were back in those days - sentimentality is a strange thing!
 
Back when they wed, Balmoral was used primarily in the Autumn as a retreat, since Victoria returned from isolation there. Even if other members had been there in July,there were certainly other homes on the property that could have offered them privacy. Abergeldie castle,which is close to Balmoral was also leased by the family at the time, and a popular getaway of Mary's father in law.

It also doesn't seem uncommon for royals to have borrowed homes from others to honeymoon. Mary's son George V and Elizabeth BL honeymooned at a home in Surrey which belonged to Margaret Greville (who the Greville jewels entered the BRF from)before going to Scotland.
 
Sandringham was the country home of the Prince of Wales. George had an attachment to it. He spent several years before he became King living in York Cottage on the Sandringham grounds. He wasn't a sophisticated man. He liked shooting and stamp collecting. He wasn't going to do a grand tour of the continent as a honeymoon (Mary would have loved that).

Also Mary engagement to Eddy was arranged by Victoria just like her marriage to George was. So it not like her and Eddy were a love match on their own and then a great tragedy happens and he dies. Plus Mary through out her marriage to George bowed to her husband's wishes so if he wanted to go to Sandringham that is where they went.


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According to the book about the royals and Sandringham, 'Sandringham Days,' the Yorks had their honeymoon at 'Bachelor Cottage', their future home, thereafter known as York Cottage, which had been made ready for them.

They arrived 'half dead' from heat and the strain of the wedding. However soon the weather changed with heavy rain and they were stuck in this rather pokey house with not much to say to each other.

Within ten days of the wedding the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived at the 'big house', accompanied by the princesses Maud and Victoria and members of the Danish Royal family. They paid many visits to the Yorks, disturbing the peace of the honeymooners, even coming to breakfast with them.
 
willem-alexander and maxima chose switzerland (st moritz, to do some skiing) where they stood at freddy heineken's villa. queen beatrix and claus went to mexico for theirs.

i came across this article, which talks about the winter honeymoon of WA and maxima in st moritz. they also stopped over 'briefly in London to see Maxima’s parents'

WILLEM-ALEXANDER AND MAXIMA ON HONEYMOON IN SNOWY ST MORITZ
 
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden went to Fiji.

Charles III, Duke of Parma married Princess Louise Marie of France on November 10, 1845. Their honeymoon took them to Schloss Frohsdorff, the home of Prince Henri, Count of Chambord, in Germany and afterwards to England.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert honeymooned at Taymouth Castle at Kenmore in Perthshire.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2908050
 
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Mary was engaged to Albert, but not married him, 'cause he died young, as far as I know.
 
Prince Albert Victor (Eddy.)? Yes he died young, but within a little more than a year Princess Mary (of Teck) had married Eddy's younger brother George, the Duke of York, who later became King George V.

Princess Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips were lent the royal yacht Britannia for their honeymoon cruise in 1973. They cruised around Barbados and other Caribbean islands. Unfortunately for a lot if the time there were violent storms and 20ft waves making them very seasick!
 
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An new three part series about high-end travel was made by the BBC this year, and the first episode was shown on Australian TV last night.

One of the luxury locations covered in episode one is North Island, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent their honeymoon.

The narration even mentions that "William and Kate" spent their honeymoon there.

This is a private island with one hundred and fifty staff servicing a maximum of eleven people in twenty-two villas.

Fantastic scenery of course, and quite a few staff members explaining this and that about the resort.

If you check this show out - and it looks like the episode is online - be aware that the program cuts in and out about different places. There are several segments about North Island, and also the main island of the Seychelles, throughout the episode.

"The Millionaire's Holiday Club"|9Now - episode 1.
 
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Mary and Frederik - Ol Donyo Laro Lodge in Kenya.

(From the book by Trine Villemann, who also says they were able to use another Dane's private plane to get there.)

Cosa Travel

Feature: The Pride of Kenya – Robb Report


There have been ongoing legal disputes about the property in more recent years. I think it was also burnt down at one stage, but since rebuilt.

A report from a few weeks ago - mentioning the Danish, and also the Dutch royals.

Towards the end is a mention of Queen Margarethe throwing the wedding reception for a member of the family who owned it -

Secrets of unwanted Danish billionaire - Daily Nation
 
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haakon and MM spent time in the US for their honeymoon. apparently the couple had visited NY days before the 9/11 attacks, but they were in montauk, NY (in Gurney’s Inn, on Long Island) on the day of the events. they had to be relocated to another hotel when 9/11 happened.

apparently esben, MM's brother, travelled with them to offer moral support to MM, at those times having phobia of flying: "Mette-Marit’s brother, Espen, who is a pilot, also travelled with the newlyweds. He offered moral support to his sister who, as it has been well documented, has a fear of flying and won’t get on a plane without her brother by her side."

https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2001/09/18/haakon/
 
What about:

Felix & Claire
Louis & Tessy
Martha-Louise & Ari
Madeleine & Chris?
 
places that felipe and letizia have visited, according to the press, on their honeymoon (apart from spain):

india
thailand
fiji
greece
jordan
italy
mexico

according to the Fiji Times they spent a week at a very exclusive and private club in Fiji, at the The Wakaya Club.

according to this article, king juan carlos asked his friend Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein to arrange the May 2004 honeymoon trip of Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia to Jordan, Thailand, and Fiji.

http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2013/10/crisis-spain-royalty-abdication

due to some unfortunate details that transpired due to juan carlos' corruption allegations, we know more about F&L's honeymoon:

https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2020/06/21/5eef546821efa0f05c8b4648.html

the telegraph reported that Josep Cusí, racing partner of JC, paid more than half of the trip that Don Juan Carlos gave F&L and that took them to Cambodia, Samoa, Mexico, Fiji Islands, USA (including California). the businessman paid $ 269,000 (240,000 euros at the current exchange rate) of the total of 467,500 (418,000 euros).

The Telegraph reveals details of the trip. For example, that the then Prince Felipe and stayed with Letizia and his entourage at the luxurious Wakaya Club Spa resort , located on a privately owned island in the Fiji Islands. For the five nights they spent there they paid $ 33,000 (almost 30,000 euros). They did so under the pseudonym of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

They both left a handwritten note in the guest book: "What a breathtaking and remote paradise! We have had a splendid stay away from hectic reality and always so well treated by your always smiling staff ... It has made our honeymoon special! Best wishes to everyone in Wakaya. "


so it would seem that their route didn't include india, thailand, greece after all - although some media outlets claim they did.


it would seem they had several stages to their honeymoon:

- F&L did a honeymoon initially in spain: on 23rd may (day after the wedding) they started a tour in cuenca (staying at El Parador de Turismo Convento de San Pablo and eating at Mesón Casas Colgadas). they then visited Teruel, Zaragoza, Navarra & País Vasco. lots of photos exist of this more public part of their honeymoon.

- by 27 May 2004, they had travelled to jordan to attend the royal wedding of Prince Hamzah. after the wedding they visited aqaba and petra. lots of photos exist of their wedding attendance and their visit to petra.

- they then started a 'private' honeymoon through. Cambodia, Samoa, Mexico, Fiji Islands, USA (including California). stayed at The Wakaya Club.

- on 24th june, they came back to spain from mexico.

- on 28 June 2004, they visited St. Peter’s Basilica during an official visit to Vatican City - although i wouldn't class this as part of their honeymoon but maybe why there were rumours of them visiting italy.

- in july 2004 they visited mexico, but this was an official visit. it makes me wonder if that is why there were rumours of them visiting mexico during their honeymoon.

https://www.europapress.es/chance/r...ue-luna-miel-hace-15-anos-20190522065949.html
 
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert honeymooned at Taymouth Castle at Kenmore in Perthshire.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2908050

I had to read the article to see where this comes from, but it's a matter of record that V&A went to Windsor for a few days at her insistence, while Prince Albert would have preferred something longer; his wife claimed she could not be spared.

Victoria never even traveled to Scotland until well after her marriage. It's a strange and erroneous claim.
 
I had to read the article to see where this comes from, but it's a matter of record that V&A went to Windsor for a few days at her insistence, while Prince Albert would have preferred something longer; his wife claimed she could not be spared.

Victoria never even traveled to Scotland until well after her marriage. It's a strange and erroneous claim.

It seems odd, doesn't give any detials in the article. Maybe they stayed there at a later date and this is a marketing ploy. I agree that they went to Windsor for 3 days and Vic said that was all the time she coudl take away from her role as queen...
 
Saying it was a honeymoon is pretty disingenuous. "First historic visit to Scotland" wasn't good enough?

not really. Victoria and Albert visited here, that could bee a lot of places.. most of whihc aren't hotels. But V and A honeymooned, is more likely to draw people.. even if its not true.
 
Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones Lord Snowdon visited Trinidad, Antigua and Mustique.
 
Prince Charles and Princess Diana's Honeymoon:


Prince Charles and Princess Diana's Honeymoon at Balmoral:

 
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