The Windsors and Europe

[valeas]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

Yes I've always thought that the queen only attended as the king was the senior reigning Monarch at the time.
There after the queen sent representatives to funerals but strangely no one for Queen Fabiola

Really? Txs, dis not expect this. Strange, but well its the BRF ;-)

[Dantheman]

Do we think the task of going to other royal funerals; weddings etc would have eventually become Harry and Meghan responsibility in future years (eg they could’ve also shared this responsibility with Edward and Sophie)

[SirGyamfi1]

Originally Posted by Dantheman

Do we think the task of going to other royal funerals; weddings etc would have eventually become Harry and Meghan responsibility in future years (eg they could’ve also shared this responsibility with Edward and Sophie)

No I don’t think so. Harry is not really close to many of them.

[Blog Real]

Prince William should have at least expressed his regret at the death of King Constantine, even if it was through a statement or a post on official social media. By the way, was there a wreath in his name at the funeral?

[yukari]

I give up about KP social media honestly. For awhile now, their captions are atrocious. They didn't post anything for Catherine's birthday this year, did they? No wedding anniversary post last year so I don't expect one this year too.

To be fair, BP social media also didn't release anything about Constantine's passing. Then again, they made no acknowledgement of QMII's Jubilee last year (DRF social media did one for QEII's).

In both case, it's like they don't really care.

[Hans-Rickard]

A service of thanksgiving in London would be a good idea.

As Constantine and Anne-Marie lived in London for 40 years, they must have many friends there who were not able to go to Athens for the funeral…

So i think its even likely that something will be done there

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by Hans-Rickard

A service of thanksgiving in London would be a good idea.

As Constantine and Anne-Marie lived in London for 40 years, they must have many friends there who were not able to go to Athens for the funeral…

So i think its even likely that something will be done there

I agree and that would be a perfect opportunity for those unable to make the funeral to pay their respects to the late king.

There's a Greek Orthodox Cathedral in London.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

I agree and that would be a perfect opportunity for those unable to make the funeral to pay their respects to the late king.

There's a Greek Orthodox Cathedral in London.

Yes it is where Crown Prince Pavlos and Princess Alexia got married and where Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos got christened.

[SirGyamfi1]

Originally Posted by Blog Real

Prince William should have at least expressed his regret at the death of King Constantine, even if it was through a statement or a post on official social media. By the way, was there a wreath in his name at the funeral?

The BRF don’t post funerals or announcements of non-reigning royals on Instagram whether they are closely related or not. I don’t think that the previous POW posted or made an announcement for the late King Michael of Romania apart from going to the funeral.

[SirGyamfi1]

Originally Posted by yukari

I give up about KP social media honestly. For awhile now, their captions are atrocious. They didn't post anything for Catherine's birthday this year, did they? No wedding anniversary post last year so I don't expect one this year too.

To be fair, BP social media also didn't release anything about Constantine's passing. Then again, they made no acknowledgement of QMII's Jubilee last year (DRF social media did one for QEII's).

In both case, it's like they don't really care.

Well their Instagram accounts are about them and their activities not relations between Royal houses that’s why there’s no posts about foreign royal celebrations. I’m sure they have letters and correspondence between them to send well wishes and regards.

[Duc_et_Pair]

We may assume King Charles has phoned the widowed Queen of the Hellenes and probably also Crown Prince Pavlos.

[SirGyamfi1]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

We may assume King Charles has phoned the widowed Queen of the Hellenes and probably also Crown Prince Pavlos.

Most definitely. I think that was what happened.

[valeas]

Originally Posted by Hans-Rickard

A service of thanksgiving in London would be a good idea.

As Constantine and Anne-Marie lived in London for 40 years, they must have many friends there who were not able to go to Athens for the funeral…

So i think its even likely that something will be done there

The orthodox church knows a special remebrance on the 40. day after death, it's not necessary to make it a big thing because it's common,
but yes maybe they'll use it for friends and family in the UK.

[valeas]

Originally Posted by JR76

All the funeral guests that belong to ruling houses (except Liechtenstein I think?) comes from countries that are just as involved in the war in Ukraine as the UK is. The 1000 policemen around the cathedral plus an assumed amount of private security was enough for the Queen of Denmark, the Kings of Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and their wives, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Prince of Monaco, the former Queen of Jordan, the former Queen of the Netherlands & the former Empress of Iran.

Anne, Tim & Ella are fine representatives for their country and their family, but it's been obvious for many years that the Windsors work differently than the rest of the Royal families. I find their way of doing things quite disgraceful, but the other royals seem to accept it and so should we. It's not as if I'll ever get invited anyway

Of course Liechtenstein was represented by Princess Margaretha,
she walked along Prince Henry of Luxembourg.

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by Nico

Again the senior royals can't do whatever they want. The Foreign Office must be consulted and apparently the Wales were advised to stay at home.

What is the source of your information about the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office vetoing the Prince and Princess of Wales' attendance at his godfather's funeral? In the case of the funeral of Queen Fabiola of Belgium in 2014 (which no member of the British royal family attended), the Office confirmed that the decision on attendance was made by the British royal family.

Originally Posted by SirGyamfi1

Anyways, most of the continental royals like Luxembourg, Belgium and Liechtenstein share very close ties so that’s why they are close, they aren’t close because they are royals but simply because they are connected immediately by blood, marriage and geography whereas the British royals don’t share this.

While there are certainly specific royal families which share close ties of blood, marriage, or geography, it cannot be generalized to most of the continental royals having closer blood, marital, and geographical ties to one another than to the British royals. To cite just a couple of examples, the Swedish royals are closer related by blood and marriage to the British royals than to the Liechtenstein royals. And Britain is geographically much closer to the Netherlands and Belgium than Norway is.

Originally Posted by royalistbert

Maybe because they can't drop everything at the hat like others.

Assuming that you are referring to the British royal family, not Twitter commenters or the Greek police: What leads you believe that other royal families can "drop everything at the hat" and the British royal family is the one exception?

Originally Posted by SirGyamfi1

Not everyone in royal circles is fussed or obsessed with going to other royal events.

Perhaps the members of royal circles who attend royal events do so out of familial, friendly, and/or diplomatic relationships and not because they are "fussed or obsessed with going to other royal events".

Originally Posted by muriel

I have long held a theory of why senior members of the BRF only very rarely appear at large gatherings of royals. It dates back to WW1, and the next 2 decades or so. Many European royals were seen as living the good life, perhaps at the expense of their subjects, and eventually quite a lot of the RFs lost their thrones.

Since then, the BRF have been very careful for very senior royals (typically the monarch and the heir) to not appear at these large gatherings and maintain their distance in public. Privately, they maintain good personal relationships and meet their counterparts outside the public gaze.

While caution around publicly associating with people perceived as living "the good life" at the expense of their subjects is prudent (though it did not dissuade Queen Elizabeth II from her public friendship with the ruler of Dubai), I very much doubt that it pertains to the other European monarchies of today, in the eyes of the British public. To be more specific, any British person in 2023 who perceives (say) the Danish or Spanish royal families as living the good life at the expense of their subjects almost certainly already perceives the British royal family as the same, and probably even more so. Thus, the British royals have nothing to lose, in the court of public opinion, from associating with those royals.

[JGio]

Maybe it has been discussed in the previous years. Why are the Windsors/QEII never awarding an order to foreign Queen Consorts? Prince Philip has always been granted all the highest orders during State Visits.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by JGio

Maybe it has been discussed in the previous years. Why are the Windsors/QEII never awarding an order to foreign Queen Consorts? Prince Philip has always been granted all the highest orders during State Visits.

Queen Elizabeth II awarded British orders (specifically the Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order) to foreign Princes Consort (Claus, Henrik), who held the same rank as Prince Philip, and to foreign heirs (Albert, Harald, Felipe).

[Hallo girl]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

Queen Elizabeth II awarded British orders (specifically the Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order) to foreign Princes Consort (Claus, Henrik), who held the same rank as Prince Philip, and to foreign heirs (Albert, Harald, Felipe).

I am trying to recall which European Royals were installed in to the Order of the Garter a few years ago.

[JR76]

Originally Posted by Hallo girl

I am trying to recall which European Royals were installed in to the Order of the Garter a few years ago.

King Felipe 2017, King Willem Alexander 2018

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Hallo girl

I am trying to recall which European Royals were installed in to the Order of the Garter a few years ago.

All foreign royals who are Knights/Ladies of the Garter are either reigning monarchs or former monarchs who have abdicated. I don't expect that rule to change under King Charles III.


The current Stranger (i.e., foreign) Knights/Ladies of the Garter are:

1. Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark (1979)
2. Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden (1983)
3. Juan Carlos, King Emeritus of Spain (1988 , former King of Spain as Juan Carlos I)
4. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (1989, former Queen of the Netherlands)
5. Akihito, Emperor Emeritus of Japan (1998, former Emperor of Japan)
6. Harald V, King of Norway (2001)
7. Felipe VI, King of Spain (2017)
8. Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands (2018)

Note: Princess Beatrix, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, King Harald V and King Felipe VI were also previoulsy awarded the GCVO as heirs to their respective thrones, I believe.


Heraldry enthusiasts probably noticed the banners of arms of the Stranger Knights/Ladies mentioned above at the recent committal service of the late Queen Elizabeth II at St George's Chapel.