The Windsors and Europe

[Molly2101]

It does seem like we see Prince Albert in England often enough...wonder if he has any close friendships with the members of the BRF.



LaRae

Albert and Charlene are close to Edward and Sophie.

Edward and Sophie have many friends among the European royals and hopefully the Cambridge's will be able to develop similar friendships with the Euro royals in the future.

 

[scriptgirl]

I don't see the Cambridges striking up close ties with other European royals.

 

[Mbruno]

I don't see the Cambridges striking up close ties with other European royals.

William and Kate have been to Denmark and Belgium together, and Kate has made solo trips to Luxembourg and the Netherlands. I definitely see the Cambridges striking up a relationship with continental royals and the official visit to Sweden and Norway will reinforce that. Mathilde, Máxima, Mary, Victoria and Stéphanie seem very friendly and I'm pretty sure they could become good friends with Kate. William is a more reserved kind of person though and I don't see him forging friendships with other monarchs or crown princes beyond normal protocol.

 

[scriptgirl]

Mbruno, I agree with your assessment of William. I also have never seen Kate as being friendly or welcoming.

 

[TLLK]

William and Kate have been to Denmark and Belgium together, and Kate has made solo trips to Luxembourg and the Netherlands. I definitely see the Cambridges striking up a relationship with continental royals and the official visit to Sweden and Norway will reinforce that. Mathilde, Máxima, Mary, Victoria and Stéphanie seem very friendly and I'm pretty sure they could become good friends with Kate. William is a more reserved kind of person though and I don't see him forging friendships with other monarchs or crown princes beyond normal protocol.

I agree Mbruno that the Cambridges' relationships with their European peers will expand over time. Up until recently, it's been Charles/Camilla and his siblings that have been dispatched as QEII's representatives on these visits. Now that they're considered full time William and Kate are likely to take on more of these types of trips to Europe as HM and the DoE cut back on their travel. Eventually they will likely be Charles' primary representatives overseas when his reign begins and they are the Prince and Princess of Wales. AFAIK the Cambridges have always gotten along with their European counterparts when they've been on official visits.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

As far as the Windsors-particular the Cambridges-relationships with their European peers I can only hope to see the continuation of these "goodwill" tours to the Continent. I don't see how it serves Britain or the Windsors to distance themselves in this day and age...even if I understand perfectly the reason for wanting to do so at the beginning of the 20th century.

 

[TLLK]

Yes that's the pics, thanks for posting them TLLK!


LaRae

Here is another photo of Felipe and William chatting from that same event.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/21/3a/fa/...1cd--spanish-royal-family-spanish-royalty.jpg

Felipe might remember when a very young William, Harry and their parents visited the Spanish royals at Marivent Palace in 1987.

 

[Pranter]

As far as the Windsors-particular the Cambridges-relationships with their European peers I can only hope to see the continuation of these "goodwill" tours to the Continent. I don't see how it serves Britain or the Windsors to distance themselves in this day and age...even if I understand perfectly the reason for wanting to do so at the beginning of the 20th century.

We really have no idea what they get up to out of public view...they could be Skyping each other or sending emails. I am sure hoping the visits continue... to include some of the other European royals coming to London.


LaRae

Here is another photo of Felipe and William chatting from that same event.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/21/3a/fa/...1cd--spanish-royal-family-spanish-royalty.jpg

Felipe might remember when a very young William, Harry and their parents visited the Spanish royals at Marivent Palace in 1987.

I'm sure he probably does remember...after all not ever day you meet a future King, even if you are going to be one too!


LaRae

 

[Nico]

Mbruno, I agree with your assessment of William. I also have never seen Kate as being friendly or welcoming.

Ok you can't stand them, point taken
But to rehash your feelings in every possible thread, i mean, really ?

 

[soapstar]

I've deleted and moved a number of posts. This thread is about the British Royal Family. If you wish to discuss the friendship between other royals, please do so in the Which Royals are Good Friends thread.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

Here is another photo of Felipe and William chatting from that same event.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/21/3a/fa/...1cd--spanish-royal-family-spanish-royalty.jpg

Felipe might remember when a very young William, Harry and their parents visited the Spanish royals at Marivent Palace in 1987.

A young Felipe and very young William--
https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/...nce-Charles-brought-Prince-William-Prince.jpg

 

[TLLK]

Great photo find and thank you for sharing it.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

William and Kate have been to Denmark and Belgium together, and Kate has made solo trips to Luxembourg and the Netherlands. I definitely see the Cambridges striking up a relationship with continental royals and the official visit to Sweden and Norway will reinforce that. Mathilde, Máxima, Mary, Victoria and Stéphanie seem very friendly and I'm pretty sure they could become good friends with Kate. William is a more reserved kind of person though and I don't see him forging friendships with other monarchs or crown princes beyond normal protocol.

CP Mary did personally (I think via a phone call) congratulate Catherine when Prince George was born.

We also need to remember that Catherine and William may be in regular contact with continental royals - as a general public, we wouldn't know about it. I very much doubt that, as a future Regent couple, Catherine and William have not already started developing close contact and friendships with their current and future Regent peers.

 

[Iluvbertie]

How do we know that CP Mary made any contact with Kate when George was born?

Unless you were in the room when the phone call occurred or there was an official statement from one or other of the palaces then it is 'reported' and not definite.

There are many, many reports out there about the royals and most of them are complete garbage.

The only thing to believe is official communications and not from the so-called sources who are often figments of reporters imaginations.

 

[MARG]

I think relations between the royal families of Europe and the BRF were very strong during and post WWII. I think a lot of the relationships have their roots in that era and geographical distance has made it less than easy to maintain close relations with the main characters having aged out of the monarchies.

 

[Jacknch]

Posts relating to languages have been moved to the following thread: http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f161/what-languages-do-the-royals-speak-4693-31.html

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

The relationship between the British and Norwegian royal families was mentioned in the ''How do the Royal Houses Compare/Contrast?'' thread last week:

The Norwegian royals are the closest relationship the British royals have with Europe but in an age of Parliamentary democracy what difference does blood relationship make.

I wish there were strong friendships/relationships between the BRF and other royal Houses besides King Harald and Queen Sonja, as there are between all the Scandi royals and between some Continental Houses. I think it would be fabulous.

Anne is Haakon's godfather I believe.

Well, let's go through it:

According to Norwegian royal expert Kjell Arne Totland and Norwegian author Tor Bomann-Larsen (both known to be very reliable), the relationship between the Norwegian and British Royal Houses is like this:

During the reign of Haakon VII:
Very close due to the fact that his consort Queen Maud was the daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

During the reign of Olav V:
Very close due to the fact that he was the son of Queen Maud and grandchild of a British monarch.

Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester attended the funeral of King Haakon VII in 1957.
The Queen Mother was due to attend the Wedding of Harald and Sonja in 1968, but the unexpected death of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent two days before the wedding, made the attendance of any member of the BRF impossible.
Charles attended King Olav's 75th birthday celebrations in 1978, and the Queen Mother attended his 80th birthday celebrations in 1983.
Anne attended the confirmation of Prince Haakon (her godson) in 1988.
And King Olav always visited the Queen Mother when he was in London.

During the reign of Harald V:

Closeness between the royal houses:

Charles and Anne attended the funeral of King Olav V in 1991.
Anne and Edward attended the regent couple's Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1993.
Charles attended the regent couple's joint 60th Birthday celebrations in 1997.
Charles (church only), Edward, and Sophie attended the Wedding of Haakon and MM in 2001.
Anne, Timothy Laurence, Edward and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended the King's 70th Birthday celebrations in 2007.
Sophie (alone) attended the regent couple's joint 80th Birthday celebrations in 2017 - which led Norwegian commentators to say that the relationship was not what it used to be, and that the Brits alone had to take responsibility for it.

Closeness between the royals:

The King and Queen:
Well, despite the age gap, they are ''close'' (if we can call it that) with Charles/Camilla and Anne. - How? By sometimes spending time with them personally in the UK.

They are not that close with QEII - but they meet her sometimes for tea (as QMII also does) when they are in London.

The CP couple:
Not close with any of them.

--------------------

BTW, since this was a post that mostly was about the relationship between two royal houses, I chose to put it here, and not in the ''Which Royals Are Good Friends?'' thread.

 

[Mbruno]

The perception that the Windsors have distanced themselves from the continental royals is greatly exaggerated IMHO.

As I mentioned in the "How the Royal Houses compare/contrast" forum, Prince Charles attended Haakon's, Philippe's, Willem-Alexander's, Felipe's and even Infanta Elena's weddings. He also attended the funeral of Prince Claus. It was only after 2005 that the PoW stopped attending royal events in the continent for some unknown reason.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the hand , either alone or as a couple, have recently visited Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden, and they seem to have become much better acquainted with several CP couples or younger monarchs.

 

[Lady Nimue]

They are not that close with QEII - but they meet her sometimes for tea (as QMII also does) when they are in London.

Who is QMII?

The CP couple:
Not close with any of them.

Why not Anne? Haakon's godmother?

As I mentioned in the "How the Royal Houses compare/contrast" forum, Prince Charles attended Haakon's, Philippe's, Willem-Alexander's, Felipe's and even Infanta Elena's weddings. He also attended the funeral of Prince Claus. It was only after 2005 that the PoW stopped attending royal events in the continent for some unknown reason.

Seems to coincide with his marriage to Camilla. Might that have something to do with his abstention?

 

[JR76]

Who is QMII?

QMII = Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

 

[Osipi]

Prince Harry met with Queen "Daisy" Margrethe II not too long ago on a visit to Denmark. Both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Margrethe are my favorite queens.

I do think that, like Mbruno, the British house of Windsor being "closed off" from the royal houses of Europe is greatly exaggerated.

 

[Kitty1224]

I kind of do believe they are a bit closed off from the royal houses in Europe. Such a shame. Also I wish they were also close to the Spanish royals too.

 

[wyevale]

I wish they were also close to the Spanish royals too.

The Spaniards stance on Gibraltar precludes that..

 

[PetticoatLane]

I think it is clear that the BRF don't value membership of the royal 'club' all that much anymore. The Queen herself demonstrated that by going to basically no European royal events for literally decades. Had she wanted to go she would have - see her attendance at the Belgian king's funeral.

Reinforcing that all the royals are related to each other is not a particularly positive PR move for the royals anyway. All the intermarrying is just embarrassing now. The BRF get called German in the UK as it is and not in a flattering way. We British see Europe differently to the people on the Continent - "we are in Europe but not of it" is a quote attributed (correctly or incorrectly ) to Churchill.

I really don't care if the BRF has little to no 'close' relationship with the European royals. I see a visit within the UK or the Commonwealth as much more worthy of the royals' time than the wedding of some European royals we've never heard of. None of these people have executive power anymore, they don't set laws or agree treaties. 'Close' family ties didn't prevent Europe descending into a catastrophic war just over a century ago that cost some 37 million lives.

 

[Mbruno]

I think it is clear that the BRF don't value membership of the royal 'club' all that much anymore. The Queen herself demonstrated that by going to basically no European royal events for literally decades. Had she wanted to go she would have - see her attendance at the Belgian king's funeral.

Reinforcing that all the royals are related to each other is not a particularly positive PR move for the royals anyway. All the intermarrying is just embarrassing now. The BRF get called German in the UK as it is and not in a flattering way. We British see Europe differently to the people on the Continent - "we are in Europe but not of it" is a quote attributed (correctly or incorrectly ) to Churchill.

I really don't care if the BRF has little to no 'close' relationship with the European royals. I see a visit within the UK or the Commonwealth as much more worthy of the royals' time than the wedding of some European royals we've never heard of. None of these people have executive power anymore, they don't set laws or agree treaties. 'Close' family ties didn't prevent Europe descending into a catastrophic war just over a century ago that cost some 37 million lives.

William seems to have bonded with CP Victoria in his recent trip to Sweden. They are of siimilar age (Victoria is only 4/5 years older) and have children also of similar ages. Victoria presumably is far more experienced in official royal duties, having been the Crown Princess of Sweden since 1980, but William is stepping up his official role now and will eventually be in the same position as Victoria as heir to the throne. They can easily relate to each other and share experiences then. In fact, according to the Palace, that was actually one of the purposes of the Scandinavian tour.

 

[Somebody]

The government's action suggest that they suddenly consider the relationship with other European countries extremely important (due to the Brexit no doubt) and are more than willing to send the younger generation of royals to improve those relationships; would have been helpful if the BRF had been a little more active in maintaining them.

 

[Osipi]

Reinforcing that all the royals are related to each other is not a particularly positive PR move for the royals anyway. All the intermarrying is just embarrassing now. The BRF get called German in the UK as it is and not in a flattering way. We British see Europe differently to the people on the Continent - "we are in Europe but not of it" is a quote attributed (correctly or incorrectly ) to Churchill.

By now, in the present day and age, the concept of being "related" to all the royal houses in Europe is really stretching it. So and so's great grandmother was Queen Victoria just like the other so and so's is. To be honest, how many people count their great grandmother's other descendants children as "family"?

The interactions between the House of Windsor and European royal houses now are basically for political reasons or international diplomacy more than family visiting family back and forth. I agree with you, PetticoatLane, that the first and foremost interactions should pertain to "home" as in the UK and Commonwealth rather than the royal houses of Europe that may have a very distant connection family wise.

 

[Kitty1224]

The Spaniards stance on Gibraltar precludes that..

Would be a great thing to put past their issues and be close friends again like Charles and Diana did with Juan Carlos and Sofia.

The government's action suggest that they suddenly consider the relationship with other European countries extremely important (due to the Brexit no doubt) and are more than willing to send the younger generation of royals to improve those relationships; would have been helpful if the BRF had been a little more active in maintaining them.

THANK YOU!! I totally forgot about Brexit. I agree with you that the Gov't definitely wants the British royals to form a relationship with many of the European royals like Norway for example. I think it will happen sooner than later. I just have a problem with the British royals thinking they may be better than all the other European, Spanish, Japan, Middle East monarchies because they are the most well known and influential.

 

[Denville]

What evidence is ther that they were close friends?

 

[Lee-Z]

To be honest, how many people count their great grandmother's other descendants children as "family"?

OT, but yes, i do but that's basically because on my dad's side there are that many cousins (his grandparents had 108 grandchildren) that half our town was a "cousin"

But indeed not further back then that, even though i know some people that are actually related from 6 or 7 generations ago, i don't consider them really "family"