Princess Alexandra of Hannover Current Events Part 7: January 2017 -

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by Countessmeout

None of that math adds up at all. If he was on the Under 17 team seven months ago, he couldn't possibly be 18/19

From all I have read he seems to be 18, almost 19. He played on the U18 back in 2016. This seems to be his profile, which suggests he will be 19 Dec 31

Sorry. That was a typo. He was U17 in May 2015.

[Paranoia]

Does anyone know what and where is Alexandra studying? She turned 18 last summer so, she's obvioulsy started college, but I haven't read anything about it.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Paranoia

Does anyone know what and where is Alexandra studying? She turned 18 last summer so, she's obvioulsy started college, but I haven't read anything about it.

Isn't she training for a career as figure skater (on ice) ?

[iceflower]

I doubt that. It's been a hobby - no more, no less.

[Biri]

Is she Lutheran or Roman Catholic?

[iceflower]

She was baptized Protestant (Lutheran), like her father.

[Biri]

Was she already confirmed? If yes, when and where?

[iceflower]

I don't think we ever got any information about that. At least I can't remember anything about that matter.

[Paranoia]

Exactly. The ice skating thing was simply a hoppy, like horse riding for Charlotte.

She must be studying something, probably in Paris, since it's there that we usually see her, but she's keeping her privacy!

I haven't read a single report about where and what she is studying and I wonder if someone has.

[Vojthas]

Well, it was quite developed hobby comparing to Charlotte's - Charlotte was riding in more commercial events, Alexandra reached started in very high category (EYOWF or Junior Grand Prix) though her level was very low. But yes, it was hobby, as well as Prince Albert's hobby was bobsleigh or Pauline's hobby was diving. But also I wouldn't say it was simply a hobby in their case while comparing to Charlotte, who made her name in context of Gucci by sport.

[burbankstorylady]

Bobsledding was more than a hobby for Albert. He went to the Olympics five times to do his "hobby"! :)

I have to admit Im surprised that iceskating ending up just being a hobby for Alex after she went to that special school for it. Normally, you would go to a school like Annecy only if you're very serious about iceskating, as a career, not just for a teenage hobby. But maybe she just thought she wasn't going to compete, so she's changed course. We'll see.

[Vojthas]

Well, every hobby you can develope to higher level than any else. The best place Albert had at Olympics was 25th in his debut in Calgary. And bobsleigh and figure skating are totally different disciplines - one of them is so unpopular, that even team from Jamaica qualified for Olympics, the other is so developed, that only the very best skaters/pairs have an honour to be at Olympics. Alexandra had an opportunity to participate in competition being held in the atmosphere of Olympic Games, with all the Olympic protocol (I mean EYOWF 2015). She was also two times in Junior Grand Prix - the high level competition for skaters in her age. But, let's be honest, she was a weak figure skater - she had problems with double jumps, with single jumps she didn't get much point on that level. But neither Albert was a great bobsledder.
It all depends on what you understand as hobby. You can collect pins of some organizations and have about hundred of them, but you can have thousands of them and organize the exhibitions in museum. Both is hobby, the same hobby, but one of them is simply on higher level - due to time, needs and possibilites. To achieve something in figure skating you cannot start learning skating in early teens, you need to do it as a child. In bobsleigh the situation is different - on example of one Polish bobsledder, who was Olympian in Rio as a track runner and now he's aiming to compete in PyeongChang as a bobsledder, just after not even one and a half year of training this discipline.

[melina premiere]

Bobsleight and skating are not hobbies but sport

Albert was qualified 5 times for the winter olympic games, it is not less easy
than the skating, both are sports as the jumping, the driving or the swimming, don't forget Charlene took part to the summer olympic games and she arrived at the 5th place with her team.

Alexandra, Charlotte and Pauline had not the level, princesses or not
After when the sportmen or sportwomen are qualified, the most important thing is to participat but they must have the level to be qualified

For now, only the princely couple are the olympic people I think Alexandra left the competition as her cousine Pauline for the driving.

[Florestane]

Didn't Pauline compete at the junior Olympics for her diving?

[Vojthas]

Can't sport be a hobby? Especially when we talk about someone, who already has his role in world society, also in sports (I never confirmed it, but it's very possible that Albert is the only IOC member in history who became Olympian after becoming IOC member). And please believe me that it is far much easier to become Olympian in bobsleigh than in figure skating. In skating you need to be among top 24 athletes in discipline where there are thousands of athletes. In bobsleigh you just need to be among top 29 crew which means it is enough to participate regullary in international competitions like World Cup or even Europe Cup. Of course I don't want to diminish Albert's achievements. And Charlene's case is something totally different as she was swimmer and Olympian far earlier than she was Albert's girlfriend, not to mention time she became his wife.

[melina premiere]

Albert became member of the CIO after he was qualified for two winter olympic games, You are saying that the olympic CIO qualified Albert and his team because he was a prince , it is very unfair and why the CIO would have not qualified Alexandra of Hanover ? she is a princess not?
No , no matter the number of the competitors, they must arrive at a certain time if they want to be qualified if they are late , they are not qualified.it is the law for all. and what you are saying about the bobsleigh is unfair.
Almost all the sport races of the olympic games are based on the speed as for the bobsleight which is a very dangerious for, the skiing or other sports.
Alexandra had not the level to go on in this sport , other young girls had a more level than she had.and they have not the help of all the teachers she had

This year, the team of the bobsleigh is qualified for the next olympic games, they have trained since 2014 and I wish them a good luck

Prince Constantin of Greece win the gold medal in sailing at the olympic games in Roma, he was then the crown prince of Greece

Zara Philips , daughter of the princess Ann and grand daughter of the queen Elizabeth win a gold medal at the olympic games at London but she had a lot of gifts in this sport as her mother who participated to theolympic games in Montreal in 1976, Ann is also member of the CIO, I forget perhaps other princes or princesses who took place to the OG or win a medal, they worked a lot , they trained and they were qualified not because they were princes or princesses

[Vojthas]

You terribly misunderstood me. I don't mean that Albert was at Olympics because he was prince. There were quite a few royals at Olympics, as you mentioned, I know the topic quite well, few years ago I even wrote an article about it. And yes, they all needed to achieve some level, Albert too, none of them was there just because of their society position. I only meant, that they choose sport though they could do anything they wanted to - they might have use their popularity for other things, like Stephanie who used to be pop singer. That's what I meant.

And about the level of bobsleigh - yes, he needed to achieve some to participate at Olympics. But in bobsleigh the requirements are much lower than in figure skating - Albert was starting regularly in international competitions and that was enough. I guess you follow the Monaco, so you probably heard about Kim Lucine, the figure skater representing Monaco. He appeared quite oftenly in interntional competitions, but never participated at Olympics. Do you get my point now?

Another thing to compare Albert and Alexandra - he was training different sports (like judo) since he was child. With basic sports training it is much easier to become a recognizable bobsledder - one year of bobsleigh training with such a back and you can start even in World Cup. Alexandra got her first skates in early teens as she said in one interview. After about five years since then she didn't even perform good double jumps regularly, while younger girls than she were already Olympic champions with quadruple jumps. That's the difference between the sports. It comes from the fact, that there is very few bobsleigh tracks, where you can train, you need a lot of money to travel for trainings. Figure skating you can train on every ice rink, which makes this sport much more competitive. The key is - it's much much much harder to break through in figure skating than in bobsleigh.

And this is not true, that Albert was an Olympian earlier than IOC member - he joined IOC in 1985, which makes him one of the longest serving IOC members now (6th to be precisely). He debuted in Calgary in 1988, which is, as you see, three years later.

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by Paranoia

Does anyone know what and where is Alexandra studying? She turned 18 last summer so, she's obvioulsy started college, but I haven't read anything about it.

If not in Paris (as suggested above0, it could very well be London. Her boyfriend is studying at King's College and some family members live there as well.

[burbankstorylady]

Originally Posted by Vojthas

Well, every hobby you can develope to higher level than any else. The best place Albert had at Olympics was 25th in his debut in Calgary. And bobsleigh and figure skating are totally different disciplines - one of them is so unpopular, that even team from Jamaica qualified for Olympics, the other is so developed, that only the very best skaters/pairs have an honour to be at Olympics. Alexandra had an opportunity to participate in competition being held in the atmosphere of Olympic Games, with all the Olympic protocol (I mean EYOWF 2015). She was also two times in Junior Grand Prix - the high level competition for skaters in her age. But, let's be honest, she was a weak figure skater - she had problems with double jumps, with single jumps she didn't get much point on that level. But neither Albert was a great bobsledder.
It all depends on what you understand as hobby. You can collect pins of some organizations and have about hundred of them, but you can have thousands of them and organize the exhibitions in museum. Both is hobby, the same hobby, but one of them is simply on higher level - due to time, needs and possibilites. To achieve something in figure skating you cannot start learning skating in early teens, you need to do it as a child. In bobsleigh the situation is different - on example of one Polish bobsledder, who was Olympian in Rio as a track runner and now he's aiming to compete in PyeongChang as a bobsledder, just after not even one and a half year of training this discipline.

These are good points, but Alexandra did actually state that she started figure skating at age 10. I just meant that, it's surprising that she would go to a special school for two years and train so hard at least three different coaches and then just suddenly stop. I didn't mean to contradict you. I don't know much about the technicalities of ice skating, figure skating.... So I take your word that she was a weak skater at face value.
I do also appreciate that it was easier for Albert to qualify for the Olympics in an unpopular sport and coming from Monaco. Figure skating is much, much more popular, as you indicated, and therefore, more competitive.

[Florestane]

Alexandra was at the Giambattista Valli show in Paris tonight.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeRD9eiH8T5/