Shortly before Willem-Alexander's installation as King of the Netherlands, the then Prince of Orange and his wife, Princess Maxima, hosted the annual meeting of the heirs to the continental thrones (and their spouses).
At this final meeting, there were two no shows as the Crown Prince of Denmark, and the Crown Princess of Norway both had previous scheduled engagements the rest of club were all present: the Duke and Duchess of Brabant, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Crown Princess of Sweden and Prince Daniel, the Crown Prince of Norway and the Crown Princess of Denmark.
Fast forward to the present. The Duke and Duchess of Brabant are now King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, and by the end of June, the Prince and Princess of Asturias will be King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.
One can envision the 2015 annual meeting, which are rarely publicized. In a nice quiet place, perhaps one of the Scandinavian countries, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark and the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg will enjoy a nice lunch with a selection of wines and liquors, while in another room, with nannies in attendance, the Princess of Orange, the Duchess of Brabant and the Princess of Asturias will have a play date, perhaps with dolls and a tea party.
That's certainly a lovely thought! :) It'd be such a shame if royals lose their close-knit relationships. Who knows, perhaps one of those young future queens will find a husband that way...haha...
ReplyDeleteAre you aware of any particular reasoning why the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall hasn't been a part of the group? I imagine that their advanced age, in comparison, may be a factor.
These meetings remind me of such meetings that, if I recall correctly (and your wealth of historical knowledge would help), Edward VII and Alexandra would regularly hold at Windsor with other reigning monarchs. Of course, especially during that day and age, such meetings are also considered family reunions of sorts.
I think the meetings were with the Continental Royals as they are in the largely same age group.
ReplyDeleteEdward did not have annual meetings with other royals - there was the group photo of Edward & Alexandra, Kaiser, Dona, Queen Maud, Amalia of Portugal together .. but there were certainly no annual meetings .. not easy to travel in those days.