Prince and Princess Michael of Kent Current Events 2: October 2005-March 2006

[Elspeth]

According to one book or article about here, there's a touch of Australian when she's in private but it's well hidden in public. I don't suppose an Australian accent would suit the image of a European aristocrat.

 

[BeatrixFan]

It sounds german to me - there's a german 'ts sort of sound at the end of words and her English sounds lively and energetic rather than the boring monotone we Brits tend to speak with.

 

[Margrethe II]

I absolutely adore Princess Michael of Kent. She is such a gem through 'n' through I say!

"MII"

 

[tiaraprin]

According to one book or article about here, there's a touch of Australian when she's in private but it's well hidden in public. I don't suppose an Australian accent would suit the image of a European aristocrat.

Quite true Elspeth! Thanks for the giggle.

 

[pollyemma]

Quite true Elspeth! Thanks for the giggle.

indeed, that's why Mary lost hers.

 

[tiaraprin]

indeed, that's why Mary lost hers.

HRH Crown Princess Mary is not the pretentiously fake Princess Michael though. Mary has never declared having a grand European lineage and boasts about it all the time. Princess Michael lets no one forget.

 

[BeatrixFan]

HRH Crown Princess Mary is not the pretentiously fake Princess Michael though. Mary has never declared having a grand European lineage and boasts about it all the time. Princess Michael lets no one forget.

Woah! Calling Princess Michael a pretentious fake is pretty nasty considering you've never met her. I actually have and found her to be charming and totally wonderful. She didn't go on at me about her lineage, so she let me forget! In her 'This Morning' interview, Philip Scofield said, "You are the most controversial member of the Royal Family" and she said, "No I'm not - I'm the most conventional. You don't believe everything you read in the newspapers do you?". Princess Michael does have a grand European lineage and if she chooses to discuss it, then thats her affair and its interesting.

 

[james]

Has Mary started to disguise her accent? If she has then that is TOTALLY pretentious. Whats wrong with being Australian anyway?

 

[Lady Marmalade]

Could we please keep the thread on Prince and Princess Michael of Kent?

As a sidenote: When people move to different countries to permanently live and learn a new language and accent, there is a natural progession that their former accent will be altered or lost.

It has NOTHING to do with being pretentious.....for all the types of people on here from so many countries, I cannot believe that was even typed on here....

 

[tiaraprin]

Could we please keep the thread on Prince and Princess Michael of Kent?

As a sidenote: When people move to different countries to permanently live and learn a new language and accent, there is a natural progession that their former accent will be altered or lost.

It has NOTHING to do with being pretentious.....for all the types of people on here from so many countries, I cannot believe that was even typed on here....

Sorry Lady Marmalade, I should have chosen my words better. I do feel that Princess Michael is quite "snobbish" for lack of a better term.

 

[Elspeth]

People can adjust their accents and dialects for "pretentious" reasons. Perhaps it's more common in the UK, where accent and class are more closely aligned than in the USA, but it does happen.

 

[branchg]

That's bloody ridiculous. If they have that sort of money, then they need to pay their own rent instead of having The Queen do it. I hate people who sponge off The Queen like that.

The Kents have never been rich and the Queen has always taken care of her cousins financially. It's not ridiculous for a grandson of George V to have an appropriate home in London at Kensington Palace, as promised by the Queen when he married. He is a Royal Highness and Prince of the UK entitled to some dignity.

The Queen can afford to pay the market rent for Prince and Princess Michael and if they have a few bucks to help their children, what's the big problem?

 

[fanletizia]

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent attend the lunch at Chaumet, Place Vendome, in aid of Madame Giscard d'Estaing's Children Fondation, on November 28, 2005 in Paris, France

from getty

 

[fanletizia]

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent arrive at the Palace of Versailles, in Versailles, west of Paris, to attend a solo benefit concert by British pop star Elton John, on the International evening of the Child, Monday Nov. 28, 2005

From polfoto

 

[BeatrixFan]

Marie-Christine looks as if she should be reigning from Versailles - not visiting it!

 

[james]

Yes, I agree. IMO there are some people who just exude a kind of old worldly, if you like, "Royal", charm and presence. The Queen Mother is one example and I think that the Michaels of Kent have that quality too. There's nothing overt about it but with the slightest tilt of the head the Princess (and her husband) seem to create an aura about them that isn't remotley forced.

 

[pollyemma]

Has Mary started to disguise her accent? If she has then that is TOTALLY pretentious. Whats wrong with being Australian anyway?

well, I saw a video of her made at her work from before she met Fred and she had a definite Australian accent. her siblings also speak with very 'broad' accents.at her engagement and afterwards her accent sounded more Biritish (well, to me-an american-at any rate).

that may well have to do with her spending lots of time with Fred and other people who dont speak with Australian accents.

it's undeniable however that her accent-like her appearance-underwent a dramatic change after she met fred.

back to princess Michael, i doubt she has an australian accent in private. the pervasiveness of english-speaking media everywhere would have rubbed it out by now.

Mette-Marit and Charles both spent time studying in Australia and neither of them retain verbal marks of their time downunder.

does anyone else think it was rude of Scofield to preface a question with "you are the most controversial member of the royal family." what on earth was she supposed to say to that?

 

[ysbel]

well, I saw a video of her made at her work from before she met Fred and she had a definite Australian accent. her siblings also speak with very 'broad' accents.at her engagement and afterwards her accent sounded more Biritish (well, to me-an american-at any rate).?

I lost my American Southern accent after being in Germany for a year. I'm still proud of being Southern and have to keep reminding people.

 

[BeatrixFan]

"you are the most controversial member of the royal family." what on earth was she supposed to say to that?

I thought it was terribly rude and Marie-Christine was obviously annoyed. But she answered it very well I thought. Schofield asked her some very very impertinent questions - they asked to clarify what she meant by 'Diana was a womb'. She should have walked off but then she'd be accused of being pushy.

 

[Warren]

Does anyone else think it was rude of Scofield to preface a question with "you are the most controversial member of the royal family." what on earth was she supposed to say to that?

"Have you stopped beating your wife?"

 

[pollyemma]

I Schofield asked her some very very impertinent questions - they asked to clarify what she meant by 'Diana was a womb'. She should have walked off but then she'd be accused of being pushy.

I agree, that is very very impertinent. it's perfectly obvious what she meant by that comment. he was only asking to embarrass her.

why was she giving this interview? to promote her book?

 

[BeatrixFan]

"Have you stopped beating your wife?"

LOL! Oh Warren, if only she had said that. She was promoting her book. She said that the 'womb' comment was a term used throughout history and as a historian she used it in the correct context. When Schofield said, "And the Queen was displeased wasn't she?". MC said, "Was she really? Thats funny because she didn't seem displeased when I spoke to her on the telephone recently".

 

[pollyemma]

"Have you stopped beating your wife?"

perfect! it would have been fantastic if she'd said that.

 

[sara1981]

Princess Michael swaps Kensington for Versailles
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2005/11/29/versailles/

 

[james]

A lot of the previous threads have worked from the premise that the Queen does not like Princess Michael as though it were a matter of absolute fact. Well I have never seen solid proof of this. The Princess and her husband have always been included at every major Royal event unlike the Harewoods whom the Queen expelled for many years due to her displeasure at their behaviour. The Princess also said on "This Morning" that the Queen had been "Very kind to me" over the fake sheik incident. As for Princess Anne inventing the Princess Pushy tag, I have watched numerous journalists on various documentaries claim that they invented it. Princess Michael has actually stated on record that she really appreciated Princess Anne's attendance at her wedding and has always got on well with her because of that. At the end of the day the only people who REALLY know the truth about who thinks what in the Royal Family is the Royal Family themselves and I think that the rest of us should just enjoy observing them at their work and judge them from our own INDEPENDENT observations and give what the papers say a miss.

 

[Saragli]

The Queen has shown in public sometimes her dislike for Princess Michael. I remember a story about when the Russian President visited the UK. They were at a state dinner and he was talking to the queen. Then he moved on to Princess Michael and she began to speak in russian. The queen turned away and quipped "well thats just showing off". It is said that the Queen considered her to "grand" for the firm. I agree she glows the essence of royalty as well as Prince Micheal.

 

[james]

Well Princejonnhy, what you have just said is an excellent example of how easily the Princess can be dammned. The occasion you refer to was shown on the programme "Elizabeth R" which was made to commemorate the Queen's 40th anniversary on the throne. Before a banquet the Queen gave for the POLISH president she is shown on the film introducing him to the family including the Kents. PRINCE Michael chats to the President in Russian and the Queen LAUGHINGLY says to the Prince, "That's just showing off" to which the Princess quips, "Yes, he's very good at that". I 'm sure that anyone who has seen the footage will verify this.

By the way, the Princess can't speak Russian.

 

[branchg]

The Queen hasn't always approved of Princess Michael's tendency to mouth off and be high handed, but she is very much a "live and let live" person. It would not be in her character to exclude Prince and Princess Michael from royal events, but it's probably fair to say she is not crazy about Marie-Christine. Princess Margaret, in particular, was known to be quite vocal in her dislike of her.

 

[james]

Princess Margaret had a cheek to dislike anyone else in the family as her antics, some of which incidentally CAN be factually supported, made the Monarchy a laughing stock.

 

[Warren]

Well Princejonnhy, what you have just said is an excellent example of how easily the Princess can be dammned... I'm sure that anyone who has seen the footage will verify this..

Yes James, 100% correct. This scene is one of the more memorable from Elizabeth R because it shows HM engaging in a bit of banter at a glittering State function.

It's bad enough that the newspapers can make up stories which are then accepted as fact, and repeated for years afterwards, but when official documentaries start to get twisted round to paint someone in a bad light it just gets exasperating.