Which Royals Are Good Friends?


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
i think that Grand Duke Jean has good relations with the BRF.
he was seen riding behind Elizabeth II during the trooping of colours
 
...sOfIa.... said:
Yes I knew that lisamaria:) ...But I think i'm glad that the things turned out the way they did. Sofia makes a great Queen of Spain and Sonja a great Queen of Norway, Harald definately made a good choice!;)

Yes, he did. I like Sonja a lot - she appears always as someone extremely funny, smart and relaxed. Which is a good thing as Harald seems very shy. With Sofia, they would have simply been shy together :D
 
Alexandria said:
At Prince Claus' funeral, Juan Carlos and Sofia were also placed ahead in the procession before other royals who by protocol (determined by who has been ruling longest) they should've followed. I read articles at the time that because of the nature of Beatrix's friendship with the Spanish monarchs, they were specifically placed to be closer to the Queen and her family.

True Alexandria, and I believe even the television commentator (who knows these things from RVD) told that.

I also remember Queen Beatrix sitting at the '' 1st" place (next to the british RF, front row) during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. But I have never heard that Beatrix was particulary close to QEII, or her mother (not closer then any other reigning european monarch I mean), so I assume it was just a mistake, though we never know.
 
Scandinavian Queens

Silvia and Sonja - holding hands:flowers: :lol:

Knudsensfotosenter

Sonja and Margrethe

Corbis
 
Helena said:
and as Prince Willem-Alexander asks CP Victoria as a godmother for his child I presume they are friends as well.

It is more a tradition amongst protestant Houses than a real personal friendship. There are no real royal friendships I think. Not in the strictest meaning of the word friend.

The real personal friends of the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima are no royals but aristocrats like Tijo Baron Collot d'Escury, Jonkheer Frans Ferdinand de Beaufort, Samantha van Welderen Baroness Rengers - Deane, Jonkvrouwe Vanessa Loudon, Carl Eduard Count von Bismarck, Michiel Alting von Geusau, Count Franz-Clemens and Countess Stéphanie zu Waldburg-Zeil-Hohenems, Prince Georg and Princess Benedikta zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein, etc.

The same counts for Queen Beatrix. Her real friends are the Count and Countess Ferdinand von Bismarck, Jonkvrouwe Eugénie Loudon, Hon. Elizabeth Shakerley - Anson, Jonkvrouwe Johanna Röell, etc. The Queen is very loyal to her friends. She even left the grand royal wedding of Don Felipe with Doña Letizia (!!) to attend the small petite wedding of Fiona Shakerley, daughter of her dear friends Sir Geoffrey Shakerley, 6th Baronet and Hon. Elizabeth Shakerley - Anson (who was one of her bridesmaids back in 1966).

The relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Beatrix goes back to WWII. They have met each other so many times during the last 60 years.

But there are only three reigning female Sovereigns in the world and Queen Beatrix is one of them. The Danish Queen is the other one. Maybe more 'known' because of Prince Philip's family-connections. Maybe Queen Elizatbeth II sees Queen Beatrix as the only one who is able to overpower her in glitter and glam, in pomp and circumstance and in radiating distant majesty. I sense a sort of respectful distance between the two. Both Majesties treat each other as Majesties. Not as Trixie and Lillibet.
 
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Though I agree that these royals do not automatically need to be friends, I think it is safe to assume that Beatrix calls Elizabeth II ´Lillibet´, many/most royals do, even Crownprincess Catherine of Yougoslavia.

btw, I believe you mean Renee Smith, nee Jvr. Roell instead of Johanna Roell who is HM best friend. Renee was a witness at HM wedding and godmother to the Prince of Orange.

I actually think Willem-Alexander and Maxima befriended the godmothers of their children, CP Victoria and CP Mathilde, which is not that strange as they are in simular positions and get to see each other quite often, so it is only natural that some royal friendships will grow.
 
I know that the Dutch Princes and Princesses are really good friends with Mette Marit, Haakon, Martha Louise and Ari Behn. A picture that Mette Marit and Maxima leaving the 'Groene Draeck': Beatrix' private boat.

http://i8.tinypic.com/24ply4j.jpg
(source : Peter Smulders)

And also they visit Constantijn and Laurentien at the birth of Leonore!

Queen Beatrix has good relations with the King and Queen of Spain, Sweden and Belgium. At this picture Queen Beatrix with the King of Sweden at his birthday!! I think then that their relation is very good! And the Princes and Princesses too!!

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=241552&d=1146440903

Madeleine with WA:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=241549&d=1146440903

Carl Philip with Maxima:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=241550&d=1146440903
 
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judging by the royal photoshoot and the holidays that the japanese crown princely couple and the dutch crown princely couple (with queen beatrix) are spending, i think there's a strong friendship between both couples. they invited the japanese royals to spend some time with them at apeeldoorn. masako's father is also working for the tribunal of justice in the hague, so maybe that's the reason why they met.
 
The Bulgarian/Greek/Spanish Royals are a very closed-knit group of friends!
They are godparents of their children amongst each other!:flowers:
 
I think that most posters to this thread make the mistake to see nice interaction during official events as friendship.

Nice smiles and friendly gestures during royal encounters have nothing to do with friendship but all with hospitality, politeness, etiquette and decorum. Queen Beatrix, or King Albert or Grand Duke Henri, all of them have real and really dear friends. Most of them are totally unknown to the public.

That King Albert and Grand Duke Henri (who are uncle and nephew) are broad smiles all the way, or that the Prince of Wales interacts lovely with Queen Beatrix. Tja: nice. But trust me: it is no friendship.

Queen Elizabeth II is as friendly and all-smiley to President and Madame Chirac as she is to Queen Sonja of Norway. Queen Beatrix had the same perfectionistic, warm and friendly reception for President and mrs Putin as she had to the Japanese crown princely couple.

Her real friends with whom she can be totally her own self, which she trusts 100% are however an unknown British lady here and an unknown German Countess there. Or one of the sisters to her late husband. Or the mother of Princess Laurentien, with whom she shared her house during university.

This whole thread is nice, but it is all pure guesses and speculation. Because Princess Máxima and Princess Letizia are hispanic, they are friends? I don't think so. Princess Máxima's best friends date from her Argentinean years. Some of them do live in the Netherlands, like Samantha van Welderen baroness Rengers - Deane, friends since toddler-time.
 
Henri M. said:
I think that most posters to this thread make the mistake to see nice interaction during official events as friendship.
While I agree that acting nice at offical events does not constitute a friend, necessarily, there have been plenty of proof on this thread that royals socialize with each other outside of their official lives - Maxima and Wilhelm Alexander's holiday in Norway with Haakon and Mette-Marit, Mette-Marit and Haakon bringing Victoria along on a skiing holiday, Sonja and Margrethe going skiing in the Norwegian mountains every winter, and so on. Certainly, they're not each other's only friends, and there might be some that go better together than other. And yes, it is easy to read from pictures things that might not be there, (how many engagement rumours or pregnancy rumours haven't been started in the press by a picture?) but the important thing is to note the occasion of the picture. A friendly look between two royals at the celebration for the Thai king, doesn't have to mean anything, considering the mass of royals attending. That they spend time together on their down-time, I see as more significant.

And spending time with Haakon and Frederik, observing them talking together on their way in and out of the official event and joking together, I'd say they are friends.
 
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Prince Haakon are known to be very good friends.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit and the Duchess of Cornwall seem to be quite close as well (as the pic below showes). During the last visit of CP Haakon and CP Mette-Marit to England, the 2 women seemed to enjoy each other's company very much.

B5PrincessMette-MaritandPrincessCam.jpg

source - UK press

Prince Albert and King Abdullah of Jordan are both Prince Charles' good friends.
The Prince of Wales also seems to enjoy the company of the Princess of Asturias very much. :)

s00635075ck.jpg
s00635018ij.jpg


source - sipa Press
 
I really like Letizia's hair on that picture :flowers:
 
Avalon said:
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Prince Haakon are known to be very good friends.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit and the Duchess of Cornwall seem to be quite close as well (as the pic below showes). During the last visit of CP Haakon and CP Mette-Marit to England, the 2 women seemed to enjoy each other's company very much.

B5PrincessMette-MaritandPrincessCam.jpg

source - UK press

Prince Albert and King Abdullah of Jordan are both Prince Charles' good friends.
The Prince of Wales also seems to enjoy the company of the Princess of Asturias very much. :)

s00635075ck.jpg
s00635018ij.jpg


source - sipa Press

With all respect. The Duchess of Cornwall may be kissy-kissy with the Crown Princess of Norway. And The Prince of Wales may be kissy-kissy with the Princess of Asturias. It is just a greeting or a bye-bye. It really has nothing to do with friendship.

The best proof that pictures lie are the latest official fairytale pictures of Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra of Denmark. Everybody was fainting for the love supreme speaking out of these pictures.

A few weeks later the couple separated.....
 
I agree to the most part with Henri. I think that when we do see the royals in public, they naturally are nice and courteous to each other. But, there is enough proof about certain friendships: Queen Beatrix and the Spanish Monarchs, Queen Sonja and Queen Margrethe II, Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Sonja, Prince Charles and former King Constantine II of the Hellenes, etc. We will never know exactly how close royals are to each other unless we are "buddy-buddy" with the royals themselves, and I doubt that many of us are!
 
timtonruben359 said:
I know that Queen Elizabeth II is very good friends with Queen Sonja of Norway.

Prince Charles is close to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofa of Spain he and the late Princess of Wales along with William and Harry used to vaction with the Spanish King and Queen often. Queen Elizabeth II is also friends with the King of Spain.

The Queens of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are all good friends as well.

I remember reading somewhere that Queen Elizabeth II is not too found of Queen Beatrix though...I can't remember the exact reason but I think Queen Elizabeth II feels that Queen Beatrix is too "full of herself"....I'll try and find it again...nothing like good royal infighting ;)
HM Queen Elizabeth II is very close to all European Royal Families as HM is related to all of them through the late Queen Victoria except the Spanish Royal Family.The British Royal Family especially HM The Queen is not in good terms with the King & Queen of Spain as both royal families claim that their country owns Gibraltar.The King & Queen of Spain even did not attend the wedding ceremony between HRH Prince Charles of Wales and HRH Princess Diana of Wales at St.Paul's Cathedral in 1981 after knowing that the royal couple will spent their honeymoon in Gibraltar which the Spanish Royal Family claims ownership.Moreover,neither the King & Queen nor the Crown Prince & Princess of Spain attended the wedding ceremony at St.George's Chapel and the reception at the Waterloo Chamber of HRH Prince Charles,The Duke of Cornwall and Camilla,The Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Castle last year although The Queen invited them.
 
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srvishnu, QEII is related to a lot of royals but they are all related amongst themselves, that doesn't necessarily means she's friends with everybody 'cuz she's not...
the closest relationship I've ever heard is QEII and Queen Sonja:flowers:
 
crisiñaki said:
srvishnu, QEII is related to a lot of royals but they are all related amongst themselves, that doesn't necessarily means she's friends with everybody 'cuz she's not...
the closest relationship I've ever heard is QEII and Queen Sonja:flowers:
Relatives / family members' can be good friends too but good friends not necessarily be related or be relatives.
 
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srivishnu said:
Relatives can be good friends too but good friends not necessarily be related or be relatives.

I agree with you, and QEII is related to the Spanish Royal Family; Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain ( King Juan Carlos' grandmother) was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria...;)
 
Actually Queen Elizabeth, King Albert, King Juan Carlos, Grand Duke Henri, King Harald, Queen Margrethe, etc. are all related to each other thanks to Johan Willem Friso of Nassau, Prince of Orange, Fürst zu Nassau, Stadtholder of the Netherlands (4 August 1678 - 4 July 1711), a direct ancestor of Queen Beatrix.

Johan Willem Friso holds the position of being an ancestor to all currently (and most formerly) reigning European royal families.
 
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norwegianne said:
While I agree that acting nice at offical events does not constitute a friend, necessarily, there have been plenty of proof on this thread that royals socialize with each other outside of their official lives - Maxima and Wilhelm Alexander's holiday in Norway with Haakon and Mette-Marit, Mette-Marit and Haakon bringing Victoria along on a skiing holiday, Sonja and Margrethe going skiing in the Norwegian mountains every winter, and so on. Certainly, they're not each other's only friends, and there might be some that go better together than other. And yes, it is easy to read from pictures things that might not be there, (how many engagement rumours or pregnancy rumours haven't been started in the press by a picture?) but the important thing is to note the occasion of the picture. A friendly look between two royals at the celebration for the Thai king, doesn't have to mean anything, considering the mass of royals attending. That they spend time together on their down-time, I see as more significant.

And spending time with Haakon and Frederik, observing them talking together on their way in and out of the official event and joking together, I'd say they are friends.
I agree, just because they smile and laught at each other in official engagements or hold each others arms does not make them good friends, it makes them friendly and happy to see each other. I think when there is a long evidence of visiting each other in private you can start to talk about friendship. Example the Norwegian and dutch royals.

Märtha did live in the Netherlands (still remember how the press had her as a potential wife for one of Beatrixs boys every month:lol: what a loss:cool: ) the last years they have visited each other in private several times on top of official meetings. WA and Constantijn with families spend a weekend at Maagerø, H and MM went sailing with Maxima and WA at Beatrixs boat, recently all Haakon and Märtha with familes spent a weekend celebrating Laurentiens birthday/wedding anniversary in the Netherlands, Haakon was spotted visitng the Netherlands by himself. Both Laurentien and Maxima has been chosen as godmothers for the norwegian children even if it would traditionally be more logical to chose WA and Constantijn and Haakon is the godfather of Eloise. Märtha said about Laurentien she was a great woman and that they tried to see each other as often as they could. This really goes beyond the usually Im-happy-to-see-you-because-we-are-in-the-same-boat politeness IMO. Ofcourse it does not make the BEST friends but certainly when they choose to see each other in private one must be abel to say that they are friends
 
srivishnu said:
HM Queen Elizabeth II is very close to all European Royal Families as HM is related to all of them through the late Queen Victoria except the Spanish Royal Family.The British Royal Family especially HM The Queen is not in good terms with the King & Queen of Spain as both royal families claim that their country owns Gibraltar.The King & Queen of Spain even did not attend the wedding ceremony between HRH Prince Charles of Wales and HRH Princess Diana of Wales at St.Paul's Cathedral in 1981 after knowing that the royal couple will spent their honeymoon in Gibraltar which the Spanish Royal Family claims ownership.Moreover,neither the King & Queen nor the Crown Prince & Princess of Spain attended the wedding ceremony at St.George's Chapel and the reception at the Waterloo Chamber of HRH Prince Charles,The Duke of Cornwall and Camilla,The Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Castle last year although The Queen invited them.

I'm not saying that they are good friends, but they have certainly been in contact since.

The Queen has paid a State Visit to Spain, attended the Wedding of Princess Alexia as did the Spanish royals, King Juan Carlos & Queen Sophia attended the Queen's Golden Jubilee Dinner and festivities, Charles attended the Asturias wedding festivities and he gets on very well with Sophia. These all, just to name a few.

Could I ask for the source which states that the King and Queen of Spain were invited to the Cornwall wedding? I'm not being rude, I just didnt know they had been invited so would really like to see.

Thanks
 
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zarzuela said:
I for once believe the rumors that the Queen and Queen of Spain are very good friends of Queen Beatrix, you just have to see the joy in their faces when they meet each other:

http://www.anp-photo.com/downloadpicturepreview.pp?id=963547
http://www.anp-photo.com/downloadpicturepreview.pp?id=963673
http://www.anp-photo.com/downloadpicturepreview.pp?id=963672
http://www.anp-photo.com/downloadpicturepreview.pp?id=1004913
Those pictures are so nice! :lol:
King Juan Carlos seems to be really popular in the Royal(-Ladies) Circle. ;):p *joking*
I also love this picture (posted by LaMinka) of JC and Sonja.
 
It seems that Letizia gets along with Mette Marit and Maxima
 
I've read so
 
I would assume that Mary would be closest to Victoria and Mette-Marit. From photos I've seen (especially Victoria and Mary) they seem to get along very well and enjoy each others company. And both women are godmother to her child afterall.

I also wonder what her relationship is with Mathilde. I noticed that the Duke and Duchess of Brabant attended the christening of Prince Christian and they (apart from their Swedish, Norwegian and Greek counterparts) were the only other foreign royals to attend :flowers:
 
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