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Prince William’s Diary – What’s On?
Profile: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
If you have ‘tweens’ or teenagers, chances are you’ve heard the term “BFFs”. The catchy abbreviation stands for “Best Friends Forever”, a term that’s taken seriously by some of Europe’s royals.
Take the Scandinavian troika of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, and Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria: all three are close friends and, like most European royals, are distantly related through Britain’s Queen Victoria.
These three all have close ties with one another, as they share a unique position of being the heir to a throne. The burden is eased knowing that they can talk and share ideas with someone who understands the pressures. Both Frederik and Haakon have always regarded Victoria as a “lillesøster” (little sister), attending royal ceremonies and performing official duties together whenever they can.
“We share experiences from travel, and talk together on complex issues where we need to exchange ideas,” says Princess Victoria.
“We always have a really nice time together. Meeting points are obviously not as frequent as you want. Full calendars sometimes prevent you from being united, but I am very fond of both the Crown Princes and grateful for their support.”
One of their joint outings occurred when Frederik, Haakon, and Victoria visited the Antarctic as patrons of the International Polar Year, a project which allowed them to schedule working time together. They all have a keen interest in the environment and are usually seen together for such causes. In December 2009, they spent time in Frederik’s homeland of Denmark, where they attended the opening of the Bright Green Expo in Copenhagen.
Previously, Victoria was the only unmarried royal among the group, and would often accompany her princely “brothers” and their wives at royal functions. Now Victoria is escorted by Daniel Westling, her fiance, who will become a royal prince and the Duke of Västergötland upon their marriage on June 19th. The Crown Princess will walk down the aisle the same day her parents married in 1976.
The Scandinavian triumvirate are so close that Victoria was named godmother to Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Christian, the eldest children of Prince Haakon and Prince Frederik, respectively.
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The Crown Princesses of the Netherlands and Belgium are close friends through their royal husbands. Even their countries are intertwined. Belgium was once a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but gained independence in 1830. Both nations remain close allies.
Princess Maxima of the Netherlands and BFF Princess Mathilde carry out several engagements for their respective countries, but try to make it a joint effort as much as possible.
Many say that the pair work ‘seamlessly‘ when they attend events together. The opening of a new museum in Leven, Belgium, was no exception: Maxima and Mathilde smiled and greeted the crowds with warm enthusiasm and clearly enjoyed each other’s company as well.
Mathilde and Maxima have a lot in common. Close in age, they both married heirs of thrones; both women are university-educated; they speak several languages fluently; and both were successful career women when they met their husbands.
Argentine-born Maxima was working at the New York branch of Germany’s Deutsche Bank when she began dating Prince Willem-Alexander. Mathilde was employed as a speech therapist when she met her future husband, Prince Philippe, during a casual game of tennis.
The pair of princesses also share a love of being hands-on, attentive mothers. Maxima has three girls and Mathilde has two boys and two girls. Mathilde is godmother to Maxima’s middle daughter, Princess Alexia.
Add your favorite royal pairings in the comments below!
With both Crown Princess Victoria AND her sister Princess Madeleine getting engaged, the British (and American, and Canadian…) public are chomping at the bit for a Royal Wales Wedding.
You almost don’t want to think about it, because somehow you just know you’re going to end up disappointed. It’s like armageddon: people keep coming up with “concrete” dates of when it’s supposed to happen and what the signs were that helped them determine that date!
It’s maddening! What do you think? Will 2010 be the year? Will the Prince and Kate Middleton throw down with CP Victoria in the media for most watched wedding? Or will they stomp out Princess Madeleine in 2011? Will it just never happen? It’s your guess…
The two royal brides-to-be, sisters Victoria and Madeleine, will be in the process of choosing their gowns, flowers, and most importantly, their jewels.
Today we take a look at some of the fabulous tiaras and jewels the Crown Princess may wear for her wedding to Daniel Westling in June 2010. Princess Madeleine also has a stunning repertoire of jewels from which to choose in preparation for her wedding to Jonas Bergstrom.
With many thanks to The Royal Forums and Royal Jewels of the World, I present some of the most stunning items in the Swedish Bernadotte dynasty. What will the Princesses choose?
The Baden Fringe tiara
Many times princesses and queens will have a tiara converted. Fringe tiaras are popular as necklaces. The Baden fringe belonged to Princess Viktoria of Baden, later Queen Victoria of Sweden.
Love is in the heir for Sweden’s Princess Victoria AND her sister Princess Madeleine. Now Britons are really getting impatient for their own future sovereign to walk down the aisle. Thankfully, they may not have to wait too much longer.
Word on the street is that Kate Middleton has climbed another rung on the royal ladder. The 27-year-old girlfriend of Prince William of Wales is reportedly being taught how to be a “fully-fledged” princess and member of the royal family. This means Kate has moved up a level from “in waiting” to “in training”, indicating that a British royal wedding may not be far away.
We all remember the issues William’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales had when she married into the royal family. Even though she came from an old aristocratic English family, Lady Di could not cope with the pressure. The prince’s aunt, Sarah Ferguson, also struggled to cope when she married Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Sarah could not spend money nor get embroiled in a passionate affair fast enough. The marriage imploded after 6 years.
With these two previous women in mind, the Palace has made darn sure that Kate Middleton will make a smooth transition from commoner to a true princess. She will be the next Queen of England, barring any unforseen tragedies or abdications. Kate needs to be a capable consort, able to fill the Queen Mother’s perfect shoes.
