Most Well-Run Royal Family


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Paula** said:
Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Belgium
That's what i also think, along with liechestien
 
I wish I could say Monaco royal family is well run, b/c I really like them, but unfortunately Grimaldis have very complicated lives.:rolleyes:
Definitely Liechtenstein is perfectly run, also Spainish royal family seems very well run family business.
 
Definitely the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Look at them separately from the British Royal Family.
They did not immediately marry but Catherine saw royal events and what it took to be a royal.
 
Are Sweden and Spain still on people's list after their scandals? Saying the BRF is the best run is just playing favorites and ignoring facts.
 
Are Sweden and Spain still on people's list after their scandals? Saying the BRF is the best run is just playing favorites and ignoring facts.

Sweden is my number 1. Even after the King's scandal, the entire "organisation" is very well done.

After Sweden comes Denmark and Norway. I find the BRF clumsy at times.
 
Sweden is my number 1. Even after the King's scandal, the entire "organisation" is very well done.

After Sweden comes Denmark and Norway. I find the BRF clumsy at times.
Id say now after the big restructuring of the Press department the Swedes run a very smooth organisation. Margaretha Thorgren seems very competent.
 
Which royal family is the most well-run? By that I mean: which family handles personal matters best with the media, which family appears to have the most grounded values, which family is most embraced by its country's people, which family seems to have the most control over leading their lives as they want, etc...

This is the original post in this thread, and by this definition i'd say:
- Netherlands - because they completely control what comes in the media and what not, have no inter-family disagreements (that we know of ;) ), extended family members perform some royal tasks but have their own occupations too, and the family is generally well liked and appreciated (esp. Q.Maxima); there are some complaints about money but we dutch usually complain about money for anybody (politicians, soccerplayers, anyone other than ourselves ;) )
- Monaco - because i feel P.Albert is in total control and the extended family is much less scandal-prone than a couple of decades ago

and that's it...for all the other monarchies i can think of objections to calling them "well run" (i think QEII tried well, but is let down by some of her relatives (current or former))

edited: is just saw the post above me and if the PR dep. of the Swedish RF has been improved than they are on my list too....that to me was their major flaw ;)
 
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I would say the Dutch because -after a couple or years of nagging, mainly about costs and "hidden influence"- they have modernized the Royal House Finances Act, they have modernized the Royal House Act itself, the new King keeps himself far from day-to-day politics and has an eye for PR by opening the palaces for the public, by inviting the men-from-the-street for a real lavish State Banquet for his 50th Birthday, by "controlling" the media via a so-called "media code" and the Royal Household Services seem one of the best run in the country, even subjecting the palace organization to ISO standards. The Dutch Court also tries to prevent "cliques" to request staff from departments, the armed forces, the judiciary, the diplomatic service, the banking sector, the hotel sector to work for the Court for a limited period. It prevents "little kingdoms" inside the organization. So all by all I think the Dutch is the best run one but it would have been a disgrace if that was not so: they are amongst the most expensive Households overall.
 
A agree with you.
I heard King Willem Alexander's one hour interview for his 50th Birthday. He prepared himself to be an excellent Monarch . He has a solar Consort Queen, an excellent Mother who was Queen and did not abdicate for healty reasons. The Whole Dutch Family whose consorts are Dutch also is united.
He will continue his excellent run .
 
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A agree with you.
I heard King Willem Alexander's one hour interview for his 50th Birthday. He prepared himself to be an excellent Monarch . He has a solar Consort Queen, an excellent Mother who was Queen and did not abdicate for healty reasons. The Whole Dutch Family whose consorts are Dutch also is united.
He will continue his excellent run .

Hear Hear Hear!!

As to the initial question,:the Dutch RF & RH is the most-well-run of 'm all!
Without a doubt.
 
I would say Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Belgium.
Spain also makes great efforts, though.

Yes No doubt.
Sweden / Denmark / Norway - They seem to be very organized families and everything works well. They rarely have any slip.

Belgium - Respect, work, tradition. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are dedicated monarchs.

I like the British Royal Family very much, but they don't seem to be the best managed Royal Family.
 
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Lichtenstein and Belgium, in that order. No contest imo.
 
It is interesting how the tides change with the time; especially the earlier references of 'scandal-free' royal families, such as Spain ?

It seems that all families have some issues they have to deal with at times. Concentrating on the European reigning houses:

Families that aren't run that well currently obviously include:
- the British Royal Family; no explanation need I would think; although it seems the remaining family members are looking for a new and better way to run the show)
- the Monegasque princely family; issues between wife and siblings of the sovereign it seems - and long periods of inactivity by Charlene
- Luxembourgish grand ducal family: pretty bad with the grand duchess practically having left the country and her calling; although they make up for it with a competent hereditary grand ducal couple

Families/Royal houses that seem to be rather well run -at the moment- are (in alphabetic order):
- Denmark; except for the public complaints previously from the prince consort and nowadays from Joachim and Marie
- (The) Netherlands; except for their handling of the Covid-19 crisis in their personal life
- Norway; except for Märtha Louise causing trouble and the rather instable future they manage
- Sweden; it took some time to reestablish after the last two marriages that each brought with them their particular challenges but it seems they've found a way to make it work at least for the moment

Transition:
- Belgian: Philip isn't in an easy position thanks to his parents and brother but he is managing very well - especially the 'Delphine' story was executed perfectly by Philip really taking the reigns after so many years of dragging on (by Albert).
- Spain: lots of issues in the past but Felipe and Letizia work on their 'picture perfect' image.

Unsure:
- Liechtenstein: Alois and Sophie seem to be doing well - although not being the head of state must make some things more difficult; not sure how well state and business is separated.
 
I'd say that nearly al the European RF's have had their issues and bad times in the past years, so I wouldn't attack the BRF particularly. Norway isn't that great with Martha Louise's man, and the uneasy situation of there being so few working royals...
Belgium had the really dire situation of Albert and Delphine Boel.. which certainly didn't add lustre to their name.
Luxembourg.. Maria Teresa being as you've said almost in exile...
 
These are families, not businesses. In any family, sometimes there will be personality clashes, sometimes marriages will break down, and sometimes people will do something questionable. I don't think you can really talk about a family being "well run", as if everyone has to obey orders in their personal lives.
 
I'd say that nearly al the European RF's have had their issues and bad times in the past years, so I wouldn't attack the BRF particularly. Norway isn't that great with Martha Louise's man, and the uneasy situation of there being so few working royals...
Belgium had the really dire situation of Albert and Delphine Boel.. which certainly didn't add lustre to their name.
Luxembourg.. Maria Teresa being as you've said almost in exile...

Exactly they've all had their highs and lows and its the Dutch and British RF at the moment.
The Danish RF seem to be the most successful.
 
True, but all RF's have their issues. TRouble is that its not like a business in that its not that easy to fire someone in Royal life, even if they've been behaving badly....
 
The Spanish Bourbons took a hammering over the past decade after an extended honeymoon period since the mid 70's until around 2010.
 
Laurent didn't "happen" because the Belgian RF isn't well run. Laurent is the way he is because he was raised-or more correctly NOT well raised, by selfish and dysfunctional parents.

Which leads us to the Albert/Delphine debacle. King Albert II botched that entire saga. It is his son Philippe who, once his father had abdicated, was left to clean up the mess.

Which in my opinion Philippe has done admirably.

A well run family doesn't necessarily mean a non dysfunctional one. I believe the Belgians are still as dysfunctional as Spain and the Windsors. But for whatever reasons, the apparatus that the Belgian RF now has in place for addressing rogue family members and scandals works much better now than it did under the reign of Albert and perhaps even Baudouin.

ETA: I think Queen Margrethe and the Danes also run a pretty neat ship.
 
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If you look beyond possible current or recent issues within families I think the best run are:

-the Dutch. Unlike most other RFs they have a clear set of rules to help avoid dramas for the actual Royal House and make a more professional 'working family'. They have a clear difference between the 'Royal House' (i.e. the working royals) and the Royal Family (the sovereign's family) with clear rules that limit those working royals over time so you don't end up with a long list of working royals. The Dutch sovereign's role within government and the law is formalized and the press operation is part of the government and they have a rota system of government and Foreign service personnel moving in and out of key roles so its not an 'old boys club'.

-The Belgians who seem to be going more down a similar route to the Dutch

-The Swedish RF seem to be following their Norwegian cousins in recognising that they can't just keep giving our HRH forever to everyone and limiting some of the privileges to the heir and their direct heir is most sensible


Least well run:

Luxembourg - if the PM has to step in over bullying claims you can't say its well run


I'd almost be tempted to put the Brits on the least well run group too but I think in the main (on the professional side) they are very well run but its on the family side with titles and limiting them and the like that they are less well run. They do seem to go from one drama to the next, coping quite well but maybe by fluke and good PR rather than being well run.

I'd also say the jury is out on the Danish RF - they are slick in terms of having quite a slimmed down staff and yes they are a limit to the titles with Joachim's children having 'only' HH status but I do think they get by thanks to the Danish people being quite laid back and letting them do almost what they want and being happy to pay out when needed (Joachim's divorce)
 
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