What Languages Do The Royals Speak?

[JR76]

Off topic for this thread, but I have to say what an extraordinarily interesting profile on Prince Philip JR76 has posted from The Independent. Candid, explanatory, and Highly recommended!

It's one of my favourite profiles on a royal. I've had it bookmarked for years.

 

[lucien]

I had no idea that Mathilde is fluent in Italian!

Granny Paola is Italian,so there really is no surprise there given the contacts between the Belgian and Italian relatives.

 

[Denville]

Charles speaks passable German IIRC. I guess we'll see in a few days.

There seems to be every effort to ensure that the Wales children will at least know Spanish and probably more.

Prince Michael is fluent in Russian for all the good that's done him.

why will they know Spanish?

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Their Spanish born Nanny Maria has been with the family since George was born.

It's almost inevitable that the Wales children will at least speak some conversational Spanish.

 

[doro]

Does Luxembourg royals speak any foreign language beside French, German or Luxembourgish?

 

[Somebody]

Yes, they do. Most of them seem to speak about 5 different languages (mostly, Luxembourgish, French, German, English, Spanish and/or Italian). For each of them it is included in their biography on the GD website.

 

[SirGyamfi1]

The British royals certainly aren’t multilingual. The late Queen spoke fluent French as well as her native English, Prince Philip English, French and German. Charles can speak French and a tiny bit of Welsh.

And the rest of the family??
A great contrast indeed to the Continental Royals.

Seeing as the Duchess of Gloucester is Danish, I assume she can speak Danish or understand it, maybe French, and of course English.

 

[Curryong]

Seeing as the Duchess of Gloucester is Danish, I assume she can speak Danish or understand it, maybe French, and of course English.

I know the Duchess is Danish. I was really thinking of more senior royals when I posted my observations.

I expect Edward and Anne (and presumably Andrew) can speak French and perhaps some German. How fluent they are in those two languages, who knows! Can Sophie speak fluently in any European languages? The Wessexes are presumably going to be utilised by the King more and more in future years.

William mangled a speech in French when in Canada years ago. Has he improved? How about Kate? Would she be able to make a speech in a foreign language in front of international audiences as Queens Maxima and Letizia have on occasions?

 

[SirGyamfi1]

I know the Duchess is Danish. I was really thinking of more senior royals when I posted my observations.

I expect Edward and Anne (and presumably Andrew) can speak French and perhaps some German. How fluent they are in those two languages, who knows! Can Sophie speak fluently in any European languages? The Wessexes are presumably going to be utilised by the King more and more in future years.

William mangled a speech in French when in Canada years ago. Has he improved? How about Kate? Would she be able to make a speech in a foreign language in front of international audiences as Queens Maxima and Letizia have on occasions?

I doubt any of them other than Charles speak or understand much German.

 

[Curryong]

I doubt any of them other than Charles speak or understand much German.

Anne may. She joined her brother on visits to ‘the German cousins’ in the 1950s, when Prince Philip made private visits to see his sisters and their families. She, as well as Charles, might have continued those relationships into adult life.

I’m not sure about Andrew and Edward as by the time they were adults most of Philip’s sisters were becoming quite elderly.

 

[Mbruno]

I believe all the continental royals speak Scandinavian at least 2 languages
Crown Prince Haakon - Norwegian, English
Crown Princess Victoria - Swedish, English
Crown Prince Frederik - Danish, English, French and German
Queen Maxima - English, Spanish, Dutch
Queen Mathilde - French, Dutch, English and Italian
Queen Silvia German, English and Swedish

Queen Silvia speaks Portuguese very well, practically as a native Brazilian. One can barely hear a foreign accent when she is speaking Portuguese.

 

[ronald biver]

Languages

Queen Silvia speaks Portuguese very well, practically as a native Brazilian. One can barely hear a foreign accent when she is speaking Portuguese.

Queen Maxima also speak French fluently.

 

[kalnel]

Anne may. She joined her brother on visits to ‘the German cousins’ in the 1950s, when Prince Philip made private visits to see his sisters and their families. She, as well as Charles, might have continued those relationships into adult life.

I’m not sure about Andrew and Edward as by the time they were adults most of Philip’s sisters were becoming quite elderly.

Anne has studied French. Here's a link to a Berlitz course she took after getting an O level in French. https://www.alamy.com/oct-10-1968-p...-in-french-wears-a-way-out-image69437339.html

 

[Curryong]

Thanks Kalnel. It’s probable, I think, that all the Queen’s children did study French, and maybe did brush-up courses like that six-week one illustrated. Of course with any foreign language it has to be spoken fairly regularly, or it’s ‘use it or lose it’! And what of William and Kate, and their children?

I’m afraid with Anglo-speakers as a whole, not just the BRF, there are distinct advantages in having a very popular international language at your fingertips. And one of the disadvantages is that often prevents many of them from bothering to learn another language because ‘Everybody knows English!’

 

[gerry]

Thanks Kalnel. It’s probable, I think, that all the Queen’s children did study French, and maybe did brush-up courses like that six-week one illustrated. Of course with any foreign language it has to be spoken fairly regularly, or it’s ‘use it or lose it’! And what of William and Kate, and their children?

I’m afraid with Anglo-speakers as a whole, not just the BRF, there are distinct advantages in having a very popular international language at your fingertips. And one of the disadvantages is that often prevents many of them from bothering to learn another language because ‘Everybody knows English!’

when the BRF visits Canada, as they are wont to do, they are expected to say at least a few words en français.

 

[Curryong]

Well, yes. I remember William mangling his few words on the Cambridges’ first visit.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Queen Maxima also speak French fluently.

Not fluently.

Spanish is her native language.

English is spoken fluently (thanks to her parents' choice for the English-speaking Northlands College in Buenos Aires).

Dutch is spoken fluently (with a strong accent and grammatical errors)

French is spoken at conversational level.

German is spoken at conversational level (thanks to the German relatives and the annual holidays in Austria).

Here you see and hear Queen Máxima receiving the French President, in French, at the Petit-Palais in Paris for their "counter-event" in the framework of their State Visit to France (conversation at 0.50):

 

[muriel]

Thanks Kalnel. It’s probable, I think, that all the Queen’s children did study French, and maybe did brush-up courses like that six-week one illustrated. Of course with any foreign language it has to be spoken fairly regularly, or it’s ‘use it or lose it’! And what of William and Kate, and their children?

I’m afraid with Anglo-speakers as a whole, not just the BRF, there are distinct advantages in having a very popular international language at your fingertips. And one of the disadvantages is that often prevents many of them from bothering to learn another language because ‘Everybody knows English!’

The issue of whether being bilingual or multi-lingual is a distinct advantage to a leading royal is attracts many views. From the perspective of British royals, my own view is as follows:

> The world is a much smaller place now, with English very much the lingua-franca spoken widely across the world.

> Fluency in or even a working knowledge of French, German or Spanish doesn't add very much in my view. Lovely as it was to see Charles speak German in Berlin, few of his subjects speak those languages as their first languages.

> As regards French speaking people from Quebec, there are probably more Hindi / Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi speaking subjects now across the UK, Canada, Aus & NZ than there are French speaking. If senior members of the British RF are to speak other languages, perhaps Hindi / Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi need to come before any others.

> That said, language skills are far more important for European monarchs and consorts for obvious reasons.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The issue of whether being bilingual or multi-lingual is a distinct advantage to a leading royal is attracts many views. From the perspective of British royals, my own view is as follows:

> The world is a much smaller place now, with English very much the lingua-franca spoken widely across the world.

> Fluency in or even a working knowledge of French, German or Spanish doesn't add very much in my view. Lovely as it was to see Charles speak German in Berlin, few of his subjects speak those languages as their first languages.

> As regards French speaking people from Quebec, there are probably more Hindi / Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi speaking subjects now across the UK, Canada, Aus & NZ than there are French speaking. If senior members of the British RF are to speak other languages, perhaps Hindi / Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi need to come before any others.

> That said, language skills are far more important for European monarchs and consorts for obvious reasons.

I am afraid you underestimate the free points to be scored with important partners as Germany and France when the King is able to conversate in their own language. It is called Soft Power. And it raises the monarch way above Prime Ministers who come not furtherer than mumbling in their own native language.

That the (now) Prince of Wales was so poor in French when he visited Canada meant free points missing. Not just for the Québécois but also for the general impression of William himself: persons who speak more languages are considered to be well-educated and literate.

In my view, the King speaking German in the Bundestag raised him way above the Honourable MP for Richmond, Mr Sunak, or the Honourable MP for South West Norfolk, Ms Truss, who do not speak French, German, Spanish, etc.

 

[Mbruno]

> As regards French speaking people from Quebec, there are probably more Hindi / Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi speaking subjects now across the UK, Canada, Aus & NZ than there are French speaking. If senior members of the British RF are to speak other languages, perhaps Hindi / Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi need to come before any others.

According to the latest Census, 21 % of the Canadians speak French as their first language and 29 % can speak French either as first or second language. I doubt there are more speakers of Hindi/Urdu, Gujrati or Punjabi than French in absolute numbers in Canada. Besides, French is legally one of only two official languages at the federal level in Canada, the other being English. Hindi/Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi do not have any official status in Canada despite being spoken at home by immigrant families and their descendants.

I don't think it is too much to expect the King of Canada to speak the two official languages of the country fluently. After all, the same is now expected of the Canadian prime minister, and he is merely the head of government.

King Charles III is very accomplished in his foreign language skills given that he speaks French and German fluently and speaks some Welsh too. William is a disaster as far as foreign language skills are concerned and, to be honest, that is a bit embarassing for a future European monarch. I am surprised that this particular aspect of his education has been so negligently overlooked.

EDIT: To be fair, the current Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency The Rt Hon Mary May Simon CC CMM COM OQ CD, can't speak French either, which was very controversial at the time of her appointment, but at least she has made a public committment to improve her French skills.

 

[Somebody]

The issue of whether being bilingual or multi-lingual is a distinct advantage to a leading royal is attracts many views. From the perspective of British royals, my own view is as follows:

> The world is a much smaller place now, with English very much the lingua-franca spoken widely across the world.

> Fluency in or even a working knowledge of French, German or Spanish doesn't add very much in my view. Lovely as it was to see Charles speak German in Berlin, few of his subjects speak those languages as their first languages.

> As regards French speaking people from Quebec, there are probably more Hindi / Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi speaking subjects now across the UK, Canada, Aus & NZ than there are French speaking. If senior members of the British RF are to speak other languages, perhaps Hindi / Urdu, Gujrati and Punjabi need to come before any others.

> That said, language skills are far more important for European monarchs and consorts for obvious reasons.

They all speak English and most of them several other languages. Other than having less a feeling of superiority, they could easily make do with only speaking English next to their mother tongue; however, they make an effort to at least be able to understand and speak (at an intermediate level) some of the other languages that are important for their countries. There is a reason at least two of the future queens studied Mandarin in high school...

And we shouldn't forget that with learning another language also comes a better understanding of the culture, something that is extremely valuable for royals imho. So, hopefully the future British royals will understand the importance and make sure that their children do not become part of the world's minority that only speaks one language but will join the large majority that is mulitlingual.

And it seems William and Catherine are doing their part by making sure their children at least learn Spanish...

 

[W.Y.CII]

I don't see it's a first priority need for a royal to learn a foreign language, yet like posters said above, it's always a good bonus though.

And it seems William and Catherine are doing their part by making sure their children at least learn Spanish...

It's good that they're learning Spanish, but I also wish the Wales' kids will learn Welsh (maybe their parents could join their lessons). Always appreciate that Leonor learnt Catalan, same for Kako who learnt sign language and even became the sponsor of the community.

 

[Denville]

why are tehy learning Spanish?

 

[Somebody]

Not fluently.

Spanish is her native language.

English is spoken fluently (thanks to her parents' choice for the English-speaking Northlands College in Buenos Aires).

Dutch is spoken fluently (with a strong accent and grammatical errors)

French is spoken at conversational level.

German is spoken at conversational level (thanks to the German relatives and the annual holidays in Austria).

Here you see and hear Queen Máxima receiving the French President, in French, at the Petit-Palais in Paris for their "counter-event" in the framework of their State Visit to France (conversation at 0.50):

Any videos of Máxima speaking German? I know that Willem-Alexander speaks German but I had the impression that Máxima doesn't truly speak it (although given that she speaks Dutch and has spent quite some time in Austria as well as visited Germany many times I assume she'll understand most of it as you don't need that many classes in German to at least have a basic understanding given that the languages are related).

 

[Somebody]

why are tehy learning Spanish?

Their nanny is Spanish... So, I guess it was mainly a bonus as that provides the opportunity to incorporate language learning in their upbringing.

See for example this article about nanny Maria Teresa.

 

[Mbruno]

I don't see it's a first priority need for a royal to learn a foreign language, yet like posters said above, it's always a good bonus though.




It's good that they're learning Spanish, but I also wish the Wales' kids will learn Welsh (maybe their parents could join their lessons). Always appreciate that Leonor learnt Catalan, same for Kako who learnt sign language and even became the sponsor of the community.

Despite being also an Indo-European language, Welsh, like other modern Celtic languages, doesn't seem to be particularly easy for an English speaker to learn. The fact that Charles made an effort to learn it is a testimony to his dedication to his role as Prince of Wales.

In comparison, learning Catalan coming from Spanish is relatively easy as the two languages are closely related (i.e, belong to the same family). I would be impressed if Leonor learned Basque for example, which I believe she has not.

Ultimately any language can be learned if you put in the necessary effort, but languages that are very different from your own (like Mandarin and English), and/or to which you are not routinely exposed, are obviously much harder to learn, meaning it pays off to start learning them earlier (at the age the Wales kids are now for example) and also that it will take longer and probably require spending some time in a place where the language is spoken to reach fluency.

 

[W.Y.CII]

Ultimately any language can be learned if you put in the necessary effort, but languages that are very different from your own (like Mandarin and English), and/or to which you are not routinely exposed, are obviously much harder to learn, meaning it pays off to start learning them earlier (at the age the Wales kids are now for example) and also that it will take longer and probably require spending some time in a place where the language is spoken to reach fluency.

I know that, I experienced that. That's why I hope to see the Wales kids start learning it soon, it's the best to start learning a new language before 10 (which George still is barely qualified!)

 

[WhitePine86LoveFam]

I have noticed a mixed in speech dialogue.

 

[MagdalenaS]

King Felipe speaking French at Paris Peace Forum
Was his pronunciation good?

His Majesty King Felipe VI, King of Spain - Paris Peace Forum - YouTube

 

[doro]

Do the royals speak Portuguese (Brazil), along with Queen Silvia?