What Languages Do The Royals Speak?

[Prinsara]

I think I've asked this in another thread – is there any video of Philip speaking anything other than English? (He can't speak Greek and only understands "some", and his father Andrea was someone who insisted on only speaking Greek to his parents, so not everything filters down.)

[Moonmaiden23]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

Victoria was English as was also her father. Her mother was German. Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was German too.

I don't think there is much German influence on the British RF nowadays. In 1917, the British RF changed its name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor and several German descendants of Queen Victoria were stripped of their British titles. George V's wife, Mary of Teck, had German parents (I think), but she was born and raised in the UK, so was in fact English. King George VI on the other hand married an Anglo-Scottish aristocrat, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and his daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, married Philip Mountbatten, who was born in Greece in a family of German and Danish origin, but lived most of his life in England.


In the newer generation, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, married Diana Francis Spencer, from an English aristocratic family, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, married Catherine Middleton, who is also English.


Charles is said to speak some German (I don't know how fluent he is). William doesn't speak any German as far as I know.

The PoW speaks German. Not as fluently as French, but he is proficient.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Tweetybird

I think Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles likely both speak French . I just reatter of practicality. I always enjoyed reading European history when young not as much now. I do remember one of Queen Victoria's grand daughters a little unknown princess Sophie Zelbts sp and married a Russian royal and ended up Catherine the Great. And of course her descendants the sad fate of the Romanovs. Which when I was a young girl I found very sad and tragic. I know the English royal family wanted to help them.

Where did you read that Catherine the Great (who was a 18th century empress) was teh grand daguhter of Queen Victoria? Again this is really off topic, as the topic is what languages present day royals speak besides thier own...

[Alison H]

I think two Russian empresses have been muddled there. Queen Victoria's granddaughter Alix of Hesse married Tsar Nicholas II, and they and their children were murdered during the Revolution. Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst, later Catherine the Great, the great-great-great-grandmother of Nicholas II, was born 90 years before Queen Victoria, and was no relation to her.

As for "u" and non-U", there's a whole load of it. It's "u" to say "what", "scent" and "looking glass", and non-U to say "pardon", "perfume" and "mirror". IMHO, "what" sounds rude, "scent" sounds like something to do with animals leaving a horrible smell, and "looking glass" sounds like something from Alice in Wonderland, so that probably proves how common I am :-) !!

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

I think I've asked this in another thread – is there any video of Philip speaking anything other than English? (He can't speak Greek and only understands "some", and his father Andrea was someone who insisted on only speaking Greek to his parents, so not everything filters down.)

Philip hardly saw his father after a certain stage and spent pretty much all his life out of Greece so its very likely that he lost whatever Greek he knew. he does speak German and French as far as I know and he's kept in touch more with his German relatives.. and he was born in an age where royals and upper class nearly all learned a bit of French and French was still a language used by the upper and diplomatic classes.

[Alison H]

I'm sure there's a story about him surprising people by suddenly coming out with something in Greek whilst his ship was docked at a Greek port during the war, but I don't think he speaks it fluently. He certainly speaks French and German.

[Tweetybird]

I think Phillip was raised in Paris after escaping Greece. His mother was very traumatized by the escape and never fully recovered. And they lived in Paris and at some point the father ran off with the nanny and his mother was put in a mental hospital. I think there is an interesting video of Prince Philipp very honestly describing his childhood before modern psychology was known. I am not bothering to google or do anything like that. After leaving Greece at 1 smuggled out in an orange crate they fled to France. And he spoke only French growing up. After his father basically abandoned the family and his mother was put in a mental hospital he was sent to Lord Mahtbatton sp sorry. And sent to a strict school were he really loved. I do know French is essentially Prince Phillips first language. I think I read somewhere the next time he saw his parents was as a teenager at his older sisters funeral who had died in a plane crash. So Prince Philip grew up in France going to French schools until his parents sent him to England. I think his mother became extremely eccentric and wore a nuns habit for most of her life. Some sort of Greek order of nuns. I am not sure.

[Tweetybird]

oops on the mistake on the relative reference. i was like 15 when i read that stuff. and I always tried to make some sort of connection why the royal family would try and help the Romanov family other than being royals and trying to be helpful. I was trailing along how the royals married other Europeans as routine and often bringing many cultures and languages with these marriages.

[Alison H]

Yes, Princess Alice founded a Greek Orthodox nursing order of nuns. She didn't become a nun, but wore a nun's habit - even to the Queen's Coronation.

She grew up speaking English and German, and I think she also learnt French, and then she learnt Greek even though she was deaf. I think she could lip read in all four languages - that's pretty impressive.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Tweetybird

I think Phillip was raised in Paris after escaping Greece. His mother was very traumatized by the escape and never fully recovered. And they lived in Paris and at some point the father ran off with the nanny and his mother was put in a mental hospital. I think there is an interesting video of Prince Philipp very honestly describing his childhood before modern psychology was known. I am not bothering to google or do anything like that. After leaving Greece at 1 smuggled out in an orange crate they fled to France. And he spoke only French growing up..

As I understand it, Philip lived in Paris from age 1, when his family left Greece, until about age 7, when he was sent to England to live with his Mountbatten relatives. While in Paris, as I said, he attended an American school. Although English, French and German were spoken at his home, I seriously doubt French was "the only language he spoke growing up".

[Prinsara]

Originally Posted by Alison H

Yes, Princess Alice founded a Greek Orthodox nursing order of nuns. She didn't become a nun, but wore a nun's habit - even to the Queen's Coronation.

She grew up speaking English and German, and I think she also learnt French, and then she learnt Greek even though she was deaf. I think she could lip read in all four languages - that's pretty impressive.

There's a funny story that one of the times she was defeated was at her own wedding — the priest's beard was just too bushy, so when asked if she had promised her hand to anyone else, she said yes instead of no, and asked if she consented freely, she said no instead of yes. Other than that, she managed three (four?) languages amazingly well.

I'm still waiting for video of Philip of speaking something other than English. I'm certain that he can, but it just doesn't seem to be on YouTube.

[Tweetybird]

I was strangely watching My Fair Lady before I saw this link on languages. The character is a famous linguist and he and a friend are using Eliza as sort of a linguistic experiment of elevating her to a better job if she can attain a certain accent and presentation. It would be logical that Philip would speak French spending his first years in that country. Even if he went to an English speaking school. As most of the children would know both languages. Anyway, I am with the club that speaking a variety of languages often has to do with circumstances and necessity. Many cab drivers can speak 5 languages. To me language ability is often about either exposure or need. I don't think Diana could speak another language. I remember reading someplace that she almost amazingly flucked all her O levels which is actually difficult to do. And was given some award for taking care of the class hamster as a teen. So she definitely sound relatively incurious about languages.

[Denville]

yes he spoke French as a child and would be able to make speeches in French, but he's spent most of his life in the UK and speaking English.

[CyrilVladisla]

Does Prince Philip speak German?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zay66cQH7DM

[Denville]

unless Im missing something that video doesn't prove anything. Philip grew up with Englsih, German and French.. and as his family were German, he certainly was able to speak it.. but he's lived most of his life in England and Im sure that English is his main language.

[ashelen]

Does Letizia Speaks English?

[QueenMathilde]

I read the POW and William both studied Welsh and can speak it somewhat. And that William speaks French.

[Moonmaiden23]

William might know a few phrases but he most definitely does not speak French.

[Tirilschatz]

Originally Posted by Denville

unless Im missing something that video doesn't prove anything. Philip grew up with Englsih, German and French.. and as his family were German, he certainly was able to speak it.. but he's lived most of his life in England and Im sure that English is his main language.

If I remember well and I think I do, he held a speech in fluent german some years ago. (Might be 20 years by now...) It was for the WWF, but I cant find any video proof although I have been looking for it for some time.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Tirilschatz

If I remember well and I think I do, he held a speech in fluent german some years ago. (Might be 20 years by now...) It was for the WWF, but I cant find any video proof although I have been looking for it for some time.

yes as ii've siad, he can problaby speak fluent French and German, good enough to make conversation and speeches...