Royalty Musing

While still pondering at my table right now why on earth the second-in-line to the throne of Luxembourg, HRH Prince Felix chose France as the site of his church wedding to Claire Lademacher last September 21, 2013 (normally royal princes married in their respective mother country), I made some imaginative tours around the European royal court to get some interesting news.

And while making a "dreamy strolling", I eavesdrop from a fellow royal blogger that there's some sort of election in Germany and that he added it's worthless as there has not been a legitimate government in Germany since 1918 and if ever the country will remain united the sole rightful ruler is Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia.

His post intrigued me once again because I remember Prince Georg's wedding to Prince Sophie of Isenburg in 2011 which I dubbed the true royal wedding and when asked if he was still interested in reviving the empire, Prince Georg seemed hesitant.

Prince Georg is a direct descendant of the last German Emperor, William II, a grandson of Queen Victoria of England. He is the current head of the house of Hohenzollern and if ever the monarchy will be revived, Georg will be the rightful heir. As a direct descendant of Queen Victoria of England, Georg was listed in the line of succession to the British throne but following his wedding to a Catholic princess, he was stripped in the list. British succession maintained that all descendants who became a Catholic or married a Catholic will be stripped from the succession list. Some of the direct descendants of Queen Victoria omitted from the list are two sons of the Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Prince Ernst August of Hanover (when he married Princess Caroline of Monaco in 1999), King Juan Carlos of Spain, his wife, Queen Sophia and their descendants.

Okay, so back to my royal musing...here are what I got from the grapevine of the European royal court.

BRITAIN

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, bid his comrades at Anglesey, Wales, goodbye. The second-in-line to the British throne ended his three-year tour of duty at the Royal Airforce where he was serving as a search-and-rescue operation pilot. Unlike his brother, Prince Harry, the Duke of Cambridge will not make military as his lifetime career as he is destined to become a King. The Duke will devote his time more to royal duties now that he is not with the Royal Airforce anymore.He is scheduled to relocate to London in the coming days.

Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas shared a cuddle at the Swiss ski slope

And speaking of Prince Harry, the irresistible royal might be out of the dating market in the coming months according to some speculations. The gossip became louder everyday that it's only a matter of time before he will propose to his upperclass girlfriend, Cressida Bonas. The two have become closer than ever. The Prince is currently preparing for his north pole adventure in support to a charity honoring wounded service men. Sometimes in August and September, Harry visited Lesotho and Angola in Africa for charity missions and after doing public duties, he whisked Cressida to a Safari adventure date in Botswana. Prince Harry celebrated his 29th birthday last September 15. Cressida Bonas is a granddaughter of the late Earl of Howe, a descendant of King Charles II of England.

DENMARK

One of the most anticipated ceremonial events in Denmark is the opening of parliament where the subjects excitedly lined up the street to see Queen Margrethe II and her family donned their finest royal regalia. The last few years of parliament seasons however created some degree of interests among royal watchers not because of some political motivations but because of the Queen's daughters-in-law, Mary and Marie.

Princess Marie, wife of Prince Joachim, donned this beautiful 

chic ensemble of navy coat and matching court shoes and clutch bag

Princess Mary, wife of Prince Frederick, wore a deep pink peplum dress 

at the opening of parliament

The two displayed elegance, poise and grace in public and every opening of parliament, their fashion and style are always scrutinized and commented. Both foreign-born commoners (Mary in Australia and Marie in France) who won the hearts of Danish  royal princes, Frederick and Joachim, the two marriage-made princesses reflected what royal fashion finery is all about.

SPAIN

His Majesty, King Juan Carlos of Spain is feeling better after his hip-replacement surgery at a hospital outside Madrid two days ago. It was the 8th surgery the Spanish monarch undergone in just three years. His surgeon had told the media that the King will undergo another operation in six weeks to insert a permanent prosthetic hip.

King Juan Carlos of Spain and his consort, Queen Sophia

The health condition of King Juan Carlos for the last three years had been deeply sensationalized by the public speculating that the King might consider an abdication in the years to come. But the palace consistently denied the rumors telling the public the King just need enough time to recuperate. His son and heir-apparent, Prince Felipe, is actively performing royal duties in his absence. The Spanish royal family had been experiencing crisis over family matters and affairs of the state in recent years, resulting to the declining of their popularity among the subjects.

Royal Lifestyle

Although it is impossible to follow the lifestyle of royalty, their perks and privileges, we can at least embrace some of their routines in order to feel the air of being in the royal fold.

One of these routines is in the beauty regimen department. Royals, as we all know, are very much concerned with how they appear and look in public. Granting the daily scrutiny and criticism of the press and the public, royals cannot afford to commit mistakes in taking care of their skin and appearance.

Queen Elizabeth II of Britain has a peach and cream complexion. Best secret? Go organic!

Queen Elizabeth II's top secrets of having a peach and cream complexion are drinking green tea, washing her face with wheatgrass water and eating sieved vegetables even during her younger days. The British monarch never drink alcohol too, though she drinks wine occasionally, she never indulges on alcohol to relieve stress unlike her younger sister Princess Margaret who was a chain smoker and compulsive drinker, she died from stroke at the age of 72 in 2002.

When going out, remember to wear sunblock all the time. The harshest rays of the sun made us prone to PREMATURE AGING. Royals always wear sunblock all the time. Choose SPF 20 or above when going outdoor. Most royals use ORGANIC AND NATURAL PRODUCTS to make their skin supple, soft and young. Jojoba Oil, Shea butter, Fresh Milk, Green Tea, Honey and Almond Milk are the best choices of royals when it comes to beauty skincare. More royal lifestyle news at ROYALTY STYLE

ROYAL HONEYMOON

No matter how they struggled to cut down expenses on expensive trip abroad right after the wedding, the honeymoon thing is the only escape from the gruelling royal duty ahead so they would often make the most of it. 

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh got married on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey and spent their honeymoon, first at Broadlands, an elaborate estate of Prince Philip's maternal uncle, Lord Mountbatten, then the couple reportedly went to Birkall near Balmoral castle in Scotland.

BROADLANDS, the country estate of Lord Mountbatten in Hampshire, England, where the Queen and Prince Philip honeymooned in 1947 and Prince Charles and Diana in 1981. The estate covers 5,000 acres of land and has a Palladian mansion (picture above) with 60 rooms. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales

Prince Charles and Diana, the Princess of Wales were married on July 29, 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral, London and spent their honeymoon in three phases. First at Broadlands (same with Charles's parents), then a Mediterranean cruise aboard the royal yacht, the final phase of their honeymoon was spent at Balmoral castle.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Before their April 29, 2011 wedding, speculations sparked that they will spend their honeymoon at Scilly, on a secluded island of Penzance just across Cornwall, but a week after their wedding, Prince William and his bride went to Seychelles, a beautiful country island in Africa facing the mighty Indian Ocean. They reportedly spent in an exclusive island.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling

The future Queen of Sweden (fifth cousin of Prince William) and her commoner gym owner husband wed on June 19, 2010 and spent their honeymoon, well, on the terrific, breathtaking paradise island of Bora-bora in French Polynesia. 

Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling with Bora-bora in the background

Such a perfect choice for a honeymoon destination. This place is everybody's dream for a honeymoon getaway because of its paradise-like surrounding, sun-kissed beach, ivory sand, sparkling blue water and tropical climate. Read my blog HERE about this breathtaking island.

Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark and Mary Donaldson

The future King of Denmark (Prince Charles's third cousin) wed his marketing executive girlfriend on May 14, 2004 at the Copenhagen Cathedral in Denmark, they reportedly spent their honeymoon in Africa in undisclosed location.

King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Sophia

The spectacular Greek island, Corfu

The Spanish King wed the former Princess Sophia of Greece (niece of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh) on May 4, 1962 in Athens, Greece. The couple reportedly spent their honeymoon on the beautiful Greek island of Corfu (birthplace of the Duke of Edinburgh) and went to other undisclosed European places afterwards.

THE ROYAL THING

Their closely guarded privilege world run by protocol and dictated by tradition left almost no room for ordinary people to peek on the inner circle of the royal court and on their personal lives, still there are some news leak to the public on how the mesmerizing lives of the royals run.

Royal family members get their allotment through a Civil List, an annual grant to support the expenses of the sovereign performing her or his duties to the monarchy. In Britain, the Prince of Wales is not included in the Civil List because his income is directly generated from the Duchy of Cornwall.

Lately, the chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom announced that Civil List will be abolished in 2013 and the royal family would be receiving an all-in-one payment in the form of Sovereign Support Grant, other people claimed this as a signal for Prince Charles to participate more on politics matters which is viewed as threatening because royals should be above politics.

Royal family members never carry cash or credit/debit card, their expenses are managed by the masters of their household which draw finances from the civil list. The monarch never go shopping, store owners through invitations displayed their products in the palace and the Queen made round of choices starting December first. Her staff received gifts each based on their own choices on the catalog presented to them. The Queen's footmen wrapped each gift and will be handed personally by the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh on Christmas day.

The royal family spent Christmas at Sandringham and attended church service at the local chapel. After Christmas, the royal court moved to Windsor Castle, the monarch's favorite country residence, in time for the New Year. It is at Windsor Castle also where the royal family celebrates Easter Sunday and Royal Ascot in June. Balmoral Castle in Scotland is the family's summer retreat where they spend the remaining of August organizing picnic, barbeques and hunting expedition at Balmoral. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the reigning British monarch. Protection Officers of the royal family members are members of the elite police force called Scotland Yard.

Monarch and her heirs never travel in one transportation facilities, this is an enduring tradition of the monarchy since the middle ages. The purpose of this, is to avoid the accidents involving the monarch and heirs. So Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Prince William never travel together, they always board on a separate plane or any riding facilities.

The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles is the most meticulous member of the royal family, he run his household in strictest command, the staff always made sure his standard flown a top of the house when he is in residence (for example at Highgrove). He always make memos as his way of giving instructions and making commands even around the house. He is an environmentalist and greatly adored architecture. He personally cultivated plants at his garden at Highgrove Estate, a sprawling countryside property he bought before his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981. He strongly advocates organic farming and regularly take Wheatgrass as part of his healthy routine.

The royal family called their snack break as "tea break", usually butlers and chefs prepared a smoked salmon sandwich and tea for royals' snacks. Often times, each member of the royal family called themselves with their style and not by name. Queen Elizabeth referred her husband to staff as "His Royal Highness", Prince Charles always referred Diana "Her Royal Highness" (even after their divorce) when talking to other people and staff, but Diana  in contrast always called Charles as "hubby" or "C".

The royal family loved hunting, when at Sandringham or Balmoral, they frequently organized fox or goose hunting with other family members or invited guests. They wore tartan and kilt when at Scotland and wore plus fours when hunting. Vacuum and other sweeping electronic devices are strictly prohibited to be used in the palace before 9:00 am because the royal family simply hated the sound of these machines.

ROYAL LIFESTYLE

Royals often have extravagant vacations, extending from the pristine beaches of the West Indies to the scallop powdery mountains of Austria and Switzerland for traditional skiing. They often do this as a breather from their hectic royal engagements. When they are traveling, the monarch and heirs should not be together in the same flight.

In 1983, the tension in the court of England was intense when the 22-year-old Princess of Wales, Diana insisted that she would take Prince William on their extended tours to Australia and New Zealand with Prince Charles, the hazard of the two heirs traveling terrified the courtiers, but Diana wrangled, so the Queen agreed, but that was only once. Today, Prince Charles, Prince William and the Queen never share the same transportation facilities when traveling.

When taking tour abroad, royal family members always have one suitcase for mourning dress in case a family member died during a trip. When the heir to the throne is travelling outside the country, he/she has one suitcase for documents of Accession declaration incase the monarch died at home.

This was the case in February 1952, when the then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were both in Kenya for a holiday. several days after they left, King George VI died in his sleep in Sandringham estate. Princess Elizabeth's private secretary took the documents and swore the new sovereign before them in a private room of the hotel. She was the first monarch after George I who was not at home in the time of her accession.

Royals did not carry cash, or own a credit cards or pay their own bills. Their finances are managed by the head of their household taking from their civil list allotment. Their toddlers usually never joined in the formal dining area during meals but on the nursery with the nannies. They call their snack time as "Tea Break". They told to wear hats in public (for females only).

In England, values and graciousness are often the standard protocol among elites including the way they wear clothes. For gentlemen part of their lifestyle is shooting and are often lived in country estate and they call themselves "Squire". All British Kings were proud to call themselves "Proper Country Squiremen" and aristocrats judged those who don't know the country life as "morons".

George VI was a very conscious man who was too pre-occupied with his clothes than on his games mused by his father George V. In 1946 when Prince Philip was still courting Princess Elizabeth, the King was aghast when Philip did not know what plus four is all about. Plus four is a trouser wore on hunting and shooting, it is 4 inches longer than ordinary knickerbockers. In Britain a man without tweeds or plus fours is a man without breeding.

Prince Charles when visiting Scotland always wear a full tartan garb because he is the colonel-in-chief of the gordons of scotland. Tartan garb consist of knee highsocks, plaid kilt and leather sporran.