As you all well know, this year is an Olympic year which means tons of pomp and circumstance coming from all corners of the globe to celebrate our athletes! Things kick off tomorrow (Friday, 8/5) with the Opening Ceremonies (… so what if my husband and I are hosting a Beer Olympics to celebrate? Don’t judge us!) and athletes have been arriving in Rio in droves to get acclimated, get in a few practice sessions in their sport’s respective facilities, and get ready to fight for the Gold. In addition to the athletes and world media, members of some of my favorite royal families have also been arriving.
British Royal Family
Princess Anne, The Princess Royal (the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip) has arrived in Rio in her official capacity as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Princess Anne has the unique perspective of being not only a member of a ruling royal family, but also a former Olympian and the mother of a former Olympian. Both she and her daughter, Zara Phillips-Tindall, competed for Team GB as equestrians.
It looks like The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will be sitting this Olympics out (which is a shame because they were so much fun to watch during the London Olympics!), but they recorded a good luck message to Team GB which was released today. I love this photo (below) of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and his wife formerly known as Kate Middleton), Lady Louise Windsor, and her mother Sophie, The Countess of Wessex (wife of The Queen’s youngest child, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex).
Danish Royal Family
In a love story for the ages, Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark met his wife, Crown Princess Mary, during the Sydney Olympics. She was just an ordinary Australian girl and he was a prince is disguise. They met, fell in love, and the rest is history. Like Princess Anne, Prince Frederick is also a member of the IOC and has been in Rio – accompanied by Princess Mary – for the last few days preparing for The Games.
The above photo shows the Crown Princely couple inspecting a site for the 2020 Olympics, to be held in Tokoyo, Japan.
In keeping with the tradition of having the Olympics be a family event, the Crown Princely couple has been joined by Crown Prince Frederick’s brother, Prince Joachim, and his wife, Princess Marie.
Monégasque (Monaco) Royal Family
Prince Albert, the reigning Prince of Monaco, has also touched down in Rio. This Prince met his wife, Princess Charlene at the Olympics, when Princess Charlene (then Charlene Wittstock) was competing as a swimmer for South Africa. Prince Albert has been heavily involved in the Olympics, serving as a member of the IOC since 1985 and actually competing in the Bobsled in the 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, and 2002 games.
From the reports and photos currently available I can’t tell if Princess Charlene has accompanied Prince Albert to Monaco or not. The couple have twins that are a year and a half old it makes sense that Princess Charlene may be sitting this Olympics out (or perhaps skipping it due to Zika Virus fears, if she and The Prince plan to have more children).
Usually I would say that it’s possible we would see more royals actually arriving in Rio as we get closer to the games, such as Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, or The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but with Zika Virus to worry about I’m betting that many royals who are planning to add to their families in the next year or so may sit this one out.
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