Prince Albert's 10th Jubilee Celebrations: July 2015

[PetraHel]

I don´t speak French myself, so I can´t judge her French, but I find the idea of her speech in French as a tribute and surprising present to her husband just wonderful. She looks great - confident, lovely, with perfect hair and outfit. As a couple they look so happy and in love, it is joy to see.

 

[sophie25]

What did the twins receive as gifts? I noticed the gift boxes said Cartier on them.

 

[Frelinghighness]

What a nice gift to give her husband! He does have everything, so this was really an effort on her part and a surprise.
As an English speaker who learned French, I also think her accent is pretty bad,but I've heard worse. She seemed comfortable with the meaning of the words and was very good at delivering the speech. She just has trouble with pronunciation, whGich a lot of people do. My Mother in law was French and never lost her very heavy accent after living in American from her thirties on. Also, my mother in law never criticized our French, so we felt more comfortable speaking it.

 

[fandesacs2003]

I do not understand why such a mess for her French. She has spent more almost ten years in a French speaking country and about half of them she was preparing herself to be the wife of the ruler. I'm a perfect French speaker, her speech was nice for someone after two or three years of course not more. I do not understand why such a difficult matter for her. Crown Princess Mary, Princess Marie or Queen Maxima learned Danish, or Dutch and they are known to speak them very good very quickly. And Danish and Dutch are very difficult languages. Why Charlene has such problems. Okay ? for her efforts but the results are not really phenomenal. It was a prepared speech. How will she be in a real discussion ?

 

[Princess of Durham]

A number of years ago my husband and I gave a reception for a group of visiting academics and I can tell you that I heard some pretty butchered accents ... when it could be understood at all. It seems of all languages French is the one where one is not allowed to speak it with an accent or poorly. Too bad, maybe that's why so many people don't even try.


ETA: fandesacs2003 how very nice for you that you are able to speak "perfect French".

 

[kathia_sophia]

For me, it was a lovely gesture of Charlene to give her speech in french for her husband and people.

But I understand what fandesacs2003 is trying to say, if you live 10 years in a foreign country, you are expected to speak the language more or less. It is obvious that Charlene didn't learn the language ferocious like Mary or Maxima, and instead makes english her every day language.

Portuguese is my mother tongue, and it's a very dificult language that even us native make mistakes, but I witnessed foreigns who came to live here (because most married portuguese husbands/wives) and in 2/3 years they are able to communicate well in portuguese (althought their accent never disappears).

The same applies to other languages, maybe it was not Charlene main objective to learn the language, but with a bit of effort, and IMO, listening to french everyday at home, the TV, at the street, and plus with classes, one can master it after 2/3 years, not 10 years.

 

[fandesacs2003]

ETA: fandesacs2003 how very nice for you that you are able to speak "perfect French".

Should I take it as an ironic comment? Yes I'm not French and I speak perfectly French. I learned.
Is that a problem?

 

[Florestane]

Nobody's saying "it isn't allowed" to have an accent but she mispronounces several words. Yes, kudos to her for deciding to use such a public occasion to make her debut and the sentiments she expressed were lovely and yes, those attending applauded her. But it's still not super amazing after living in a French speaking country for the best part of a decade.

 

[fandesacs2003]

@Florestane and @katia_sophia.
Exactly my thoughts

 

[melina premiere]

Fandesac, the speech was a little prepared as those of speechs of Queen Elizabeth or other personalities. You give always the example of Mary De danemark and Maxima but you never give the exemple of Queen Paola who had very quicly lessons of flemish because king Albert II became king and she did not learn the language as all her children who don(t speak flemish very Well and are criticed for this.


Since 2011, Charlene is married and we saw her visiting schools and speaking with the children, when we saw her giving lessons of swimming to children of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat and in Corsica, all these children don't speak English as the children she received for the price of snappers for all, she speaks french with them. Perhaps not a good french but she is speaking it.
To day, nobody said her to do a speech, Albert did not know it, as he said, it was a surprise. I thing she prepared it with only her teachers.
It is not she did a speech but it was as Albert was moved when he heard the speech , we had lovely moments and she received a lot of applause from the peolpel of Monaco. and that is the most important

 

[Florestane]

Melina, I believe those of us unimpressed by Charlene's command of French have all acknowledged that the gesture was lovely and appreciated by the Monegasques and most importantly, Albert.

We can appreciate what she's done and yet still be surprised by the lack of fluency after 10 years in Monaco.

As for Queen Paola and any other members of the Belgian RF who don't have a good command of Flemish - shame on them. They have even less excuse than Charlene.

 

[Tarlita]

Charlene seems so much more happier since the twins birth and in love with Albert than before. Might have been a strain for her before trying to conceive, when she always looked quite glum.
Well now I speak perfect Australian and my English is rather poor. However, many Englishmen speak English very poorly indeed.
Give the girl a chance learning a new language at a mature age can't be easy. If she were 19 she might have learnt it very quickly.

 

[Florestane]

Is there a Charlene and speaking French thread because this discussion (which includes me) risks overtaking the 10th anniversary thread. Just a thought... Because I know I have plenty of thoughts on the matter.?

 

[rominet09]

The viseo of the speech of Charlene


En vidéo - Charlène à Albert: "Tu es le prince de mon coeur"

"rhe video '

photos of the babies at the balcony, Jacques is sleeping


Getty Images

Wow she speaks well with a lovely accent !!!! Very very nice to hear !!!!

 

[melina premiere]

Charlene is in Monaco since 2007, not since 10 years
When she came, her future was not sure, She was only the friend of the prince , they may split and she may return to South Africa,where the french language was not used she learnt only some french words to understand the persons around
Since 2011 she is Learning french.
ON this board, she is speaking french or not , she will be criticed , how can you say that her french is not good, she has an accent like other foreign persons and she said un instead une but her words were very well prononced and she did not read lalways her note, she often looked the people in front of her.


Now, I will stop to speak with some of persons here,

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

[...] It seems of all languages French is the one where one is not allowed to speak it with an accent or poorly. [...]

That is not true. The French will be more than happy when you do efforts do speak their wonderful language and encourage you. And yes... they are critical, most French will correct you all the time, which might feel forceful but it is only meant to help you to master the language.

An accent will never be completely lost, it is the mother's tongue accustomed to a native language. A Frenchman will hear when you are from Québec, from Switzerland, from Picardie, from Normandie, from the Provence, so they will -of course- hear that someone is no native French speaker.

Having said that, I could not easily understand the French spoken by Charlène, but the effort was well worth. It was -in the context- understandable. I hope this will be a first step and encourage her to speak French more.

 

[kathia_sophia]

An accent will never be completely lost, it is the mother's tongue accustomed to a native language. A Frenchman will hear when you are from Québec, from Switzerland, from Picardie, from Normandie, from the Provence, so they will -of course- hear that someone is no native French speaker.

It's very interesting that Portuguese is the same as French, a native speaker will know right away if you're not Portuguese. All these years I noticed, that the only ones who are not Portuguese and spoke portuguese with no foreign accent were those who learnt the language as children. Those who learn as adults will never loose their native accent.

Languages are a very interesting thing

 

[Florestane]

Charlene is in Monaco since 2007, not since 10 years
When she came, her future was not sure, She was only the friend of the prince , they may split and she may return to South Africa,where the french language was not used she learnt only some french words to understand the persons around
Since 2011 she is Learning french.
ON this board, she is speaking french or not , she will be criticed , how can you say that her french is not good, she has an accent like other foreign persons and she said un instead une but her words were very well prononced and she did not read lalways her note, she often looked the people in front of her.


Now, I will stop to speak with some of persons here,

Gosh, sorry - 8 years. Those 2 years make all the difference between fluency and whatever it is Charlene has.

I said nothing about whether she looked at her notes, she didn't need to look at them because she had memorized her speech. You're the one who has pointed out her mistakes with gender, nobody else mentioned it.

I don't see why people can't criticize her. The world would be a very boring place if we all agreed.

As usual, you can't be bothered to read properly what other posters have said. Never mind that they've acknowledged the gesture or that it must have been nerve-wracking or that it was appreciated by the audience. You just ignore all that. You home in the bits you don't like and pounce all over them as if only your opinion matters and anyone who doesn't agree with you is wrong. They're opinions!

I can say that her French is not good because that's what I think. What's more, I personally don't think she can say much more than Bonjour. And unless you know her personally and have had a conversation with her in French I don't see how you know any different.

It's absolutely hilarious that you are threatening to stop communicating with some posters - you swing between jumping all over comments you don't like, ignoring perfectly polite questions and accusing people who disagree with you of being rude. Feel free to stop talking to me.

 

[Chimene]

Has it accused to anyone that there might be a simple reason why Charlene does not speak French well. Some people are better at learning languages than others. Belittling them is not useful, and it looks like whatever she lacks, she's taking the first step into trying to correct the problem.

My mother was an immigrant in the US and she never learned to speak english properly, and guess what, she was a teacher where she came from. She only made progress after her grandchildren came along.

I'm not making excuses for Charlene, but we have to take into account that not everyone learn at the same speed. It could simply be just that.

 

[C4A]

P Charlene's efforts (or lack thereof, in the opinion of some) to learn French have been discussed ad nauseum before on these boards. I don't believe this is the thread to continue this. However, I think she will make a lot of progress when the twins start to learn and speak French. I, for one, admire her effort today and it is clear that her husband and the people of Monaco did so too.


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[Archduchess Zelia]

As long as she tries, I don't really see the problem? Our Prince Henrik has been married to the Queen for 48 years and he still speaks Danish with a very heavy French accent. For some people it's just harder to drop the accent, that's the way it is. Not everyone are able to learn another language "perfectly" but that doesn't mean that they're trying any less than those who are (now, I'm not entirely certain that that goes for Henrik but... ).

I think Charlène's speech was very lovely and I thought it was a nice touch that she held it in French

 

[hernameispekka]

As long as she tries, I don't really see the problem? Our Prince Henrik has been married to the Queen for 48 years and he still speaks Danish with a very heavy French accent. For some people it's just harder to drop the accent, that's the way it is. Not everyone are able to learn another language "perfectly" but that doesn't mean that they're trying any less than those who are (now, I'm not entirely certain that that goes for Henrik but... ).

I think Charlène's speech was very lovely and I thought it was a nice touch that she held it in French

I agree. Here in Sweden Silvia has a VERY heavy german accent, and she used to work as an interpertor!

 

[MARG]

I agree. What do you give the man who has everything? Charlene gave Albert her speech in French. Since it was a surprise, she must have practiced in secret and the work that went into it was a very personal, very private gift, spoken in front of an international audience. Albert was moved to tears by both the speech and its content.

Second languages do not come easily for many people and when she was just his girlfriend everyone spoke English so she didn't have that intense preparation time that say, Mary did. It didn't seem like it was high on Albert's list of requirements.

 

[Florestane]

P Charlene's efforts (or lack thereof, in the opinion of some) to learn French have been discussed ad nauseum before on these boards. I don't believe this is the thread to continue this. However, I think she will make a lot of progress when the twins start to learn and speak French. I, for one, admire her effort today and it is clear that her husband and the people of Monaco did so too.


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Indeed - which is why I asked if there was a specific thread on the topic, as I could see it was going to continue and block this thread.

I also admire the fact that she made the speech, and in such a public arena. I also acknowledge that it was greatly appreciated by many people, not least her husband. The sentiment of her speech was wonderful and good for her for sticking her neck out and doing something she clearly doesn't find easy. She didn't have to make a speech, after all.

However, I do believe that I'm allowed to give my opinion and state my surprise at how difficult she seems to find it.

She may well make progress when the children start to speak especially when they start school but my personal gut feeling is that if she finds it that difficult after so long, it's always going to be something of a challenge.

Still, it was a lovely gesture and she is certainly a lot more confident in her role nowadays.

 

[Tiggersk8]

I'm Canadian and let me tell you I have heard more butchered French over the years to last me twenty thousand lifetimes. Especially from our Prime Ministers and various Govt Officials and I'm puzzled. Puzzled because Charlene did a fantastic job!!

To those who claim it's garbled, I really do not get as Charlene came across clear as a bell to me. So she flubbed a couple times. Big deal because that happens when you're nervous and talking to a huge audience even in when speaking in your Native Language. She had to be beyond nervous, but for her to not only choose today to make her first speech in French, but to not tell Prince Albert about it was not only lovely, but also impressive as well. Considering the occasion, I know I would want the support of my Husband if I was in Charlene's shoes, but for her to surprise him like this? Very impressive indeed.

I guess it's yet again a case of those who want to see or, in this case, hear what they want, will.

Melina, could you please double check that link to Getty Images in your post? I'm on the iPad using the App and it will not open for me, which never happens w/a link to Getty. Thanks!!


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[melina premiere]

the title of Monaco matin


you are the prince of my heart


La princesse Charlène Ã* Albert II: "Tu es le prince de mon cÅ“ur" | Monaco | Monaco-Matin

The gifts offered by the people of Monaco to the babies


A belt in silver from the years twenty for Gabriella(cartier)


A Watch in silver from the years twenty for Jacques (carter)

 

[Grandma828]

Languages can be nearly impossible for some people. I'm one because I simply do not hear sounds correctly. Everyone putting Charlene down should be ashamed. You don't know what kind of struggles she has.

 

[Florestane]

I'm not ashamed ... but then I'm not putting her down. I'm entitled to say what I think.

 

[Victoria's Secret]

I was just so happy to hear PC speak French that I can forgive her accent and mistakes in a blink! It must have taken a lot of courage to choose such a high-profile occasion to make her French "debut", which just goes to show how far she has come and her willingness to make an effort, no matter how hard it is (for her) to master the language. For that, I commend her.

Most importantly, she was warm and sincere, and clearly meant every word of that beautiful message. Oh, and I love her voice! Really nice tone and a pleasure to listen to. Her prince and the people of Monaco evidently share those sentiments.

How lovely to see almost the whole family gathered so happily together. I didn't spot Princess Alexandra on any of the pictures though... but despite that, it was a great turn-out for Prince Albert's special day and everyone looked so happy and joyful.


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[iceflower]

.

Time to move on. This thread is about Prince Albert's jubilee and not about Princess Charlene's language skills. The discussion about her knowledge of the French language is nothing new and has been led at the forums for years now and in the most detailed way. If you wish to continue it nevertheless, please do so at the general news and information thread. Thank you!