6 modern royal misalliances where love was more important than the crown

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Just a few decades ago, the story of Cinderella seemed like an impossible fairy tale, because, as the song says, no king can marry for love. And if you remember the life story of Princess Margaret (sister of Elizabeth II), who sacrificed her personal happiness for the sake of the principles of the royal family, then she will also be sincerely sorry for the ruined life. But the situation is changing every year, and the changed views of the younger generation of aristocrats already clearly say "no" to the rotten tradition. Today we want to talk about modern princes who were able not only to marry commoners, but also to retain their rights to the throne.

He: Harry, British Prince She: Meghan Markle, actress

Perhaps it was impossible to imagine a greater mockery of the traditional requirements for the prince's future wife: not a very puritanical profession, divorce in the past, common origin, and the color of the future Duchess of Sussex's skin did not differ from English porcelain pallor. Nevertheless, Prince Harry managed to convince his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, to give a blessing for this union. And let the champions of archaic values continue to scoff at this couple - apparently, Prince Harry is sincerely in love with his wife. He was able to survive a confrontation with high society, achieve independence from the royal family and move with his family to the United States. Now there are two kids in the family of Harry and Megan: Archie and Lilibet.

He: Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway She: Mette-Marit, waitress

The liberal Norwegian royal house, perhaps, was one of the first to take the path of renewing traditions in this area: at one time, the current king Harald V married an ordinary girl, Sonya, who worked as a shop assistant. But with the approval of the son's choice, there was a hitch: the applicant for the role of the wife of Crown Prince Haakon was not just from an ordinary family, but also had a "dubious" past. She had an affair with a drug dealer, from whom a son was born, and the girl herself took drugs for some time. Only after Haakon's ultimatum, who declared that Mette-Marit was his destiny, and there was no other way, and threatened to abdicate, did the royal family surrender. The people of Norway were sincerely worried about a simple girl, and after her tears at the wedding they were completely moved. Now the family of the crown prince is the favorite of all residents of the country, and they fully approve of the choice of their idol.

He: Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark She: Mary Donaldson, Manager

The handsome prince at one time had many lovers from the acting environment and the modeling business, so the parents had something to worry about. However, by the age of 35, the heir to the throne was never married, which caused even greater concern for Queen Margrethe II and her husband Henrik. As Frederick explained the situation, he was never able to meet his only one. Cupid's arrow overtook him in one of the bars in Sydney. The girl from Australia did not even know about the royal origin of the new acquaintance of the guy Freddy. She was thinking about a career in business, but she could not even think about the throne in distant Denmark. Nevertheless, the prince made an offer, and the future relatives made sure that the girl changed her citizenship, religion and in advance renounced her rights to future heirs. In 2004, she received the title of Crown Princess, and who knows, perhaps in the not too distant future she will become queen.

He: Emmanuel, Prince of Venice and Piedmont She: Clotilde Couro, actress

In September 2003, another unequal marriage was registered: Prince Emmanuel, whose ancestry can be traced back to the 11th century, married a young French woman, about whose past little is known. As usual, the groom's parents were not delighted, especially since the profession of an actress, although it made her a public person, but celebrity and nobility are different things. Yes, and the girl at one time did not particularly favor the arrogance and hypocrisy of the aristocracy, therefore, at first, she did not take the prince's courtship seriously. It took three years to conquer the heart of the proud woman until, finally, Clotilde became pregnant. According to the prince, this was not a cunning ploy - he really wanted a child. Half a year later, Clotilde and Emmanuelle got married, and with all the solemnity and splendor inherent in royal weddings. Now the family of the prince and the actress has two daughters. The whole of Italy is watching the royal persons with pleasure: Emmanuel is actively involved in social activities, but Clotilde still shines in her profession.

He: Abdullah, Prince of Jordan She: Rania Faisal Al-Yassin, bank employee

The girl was born into an ordinary Palestinian refugee family, so she spent the early part of her life in Kuwait. Her father was a progressive pediatrician, so the talented girl received a modern education at the American University of Cairo. She got a job at a bank and it was there that she exchanged glances with Prince Abdullah for the first time. In the summer of 1993, a wedding ceremony took place, and now the Muslim world has the most beautiful queen. Rania became the personification of the present modern Muslim wife of the ruler. She is actively involved in social activities, advocates for the rights of women, the development of sports, the protection of animals, and participates in international politics. And yet, the Queen is not shy about showing her four children the usual family life, devoid of royal restrictions and ceremonies. On weekends, spouses and children gather in a country house, where an ordinary mother, Rania, prepares cookies with her daughter, does homework, and an ordinary father Abdallah and his sons barbecue.

He: Fumihito, Prince of Japan She: Kiko, psychologist

Japan is one of the toughest countries in terms of the purity of royal marriages. Nevertheless, misalliance is rare, but allowed. However, if the future princess cannot boast of an excellent pedigree, then at least she should be financially equal. For example, today's Empress Michiko is the daughter of a flour-grinding tycoon, and the wife of her older brother Fumihito is the daughter of a famous politician who represented Japan at the UN. So the choice of the daughter of Professor Kawashima Kito as the future wife was very controversial. The lovers met at the university and believe that it was love at first sight. However, the decision on the wedding was not made by them: for three years a special Council of the Imperial House was pondering whether it was worth creating a new branch in the dynasty and how to resolve reputational issues. Nevertheless, in 1990, consent was issued, and now the couple are raising three children.

He: Felipe, Prince of Asturias She: Laetitia, journalist

It was also love at first sight, and a marriage proposal followed a few months after they met. And it was easy to meet the crown prince and the TV journalist: the public profession of a young woman helped. The royal family was shocked, because the applicant was not "blue" blood, had an "immodest" specialty and, moreover, was divorced. And for the primordially religious Catholic Spain, this was an unacceptable misalliance. But everything was safely resolved: the prince delivered an ultimatum, and the parents agreed.

Yes, and a minor nuisance in the form of a past relationship was declared insignificant: after all, it turned out that the woman, although she was married, was not married in the church. Now the family of King Philip VI and Letizia is a model of love and harmony. They are raising two children. True, sometimes a former journalist shocks the public either not with a protocol outfit, or with a quarrel with her mother-in-law, but this is a tribute to her former profession - you need to somehow stir up interest in the family.