Where to meet a prince: 8 stories of royal couples dating

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

It seems that the days when crown princes married only girls of equal origin are a thing of the past. Now, as practice shows, brides of representatives of royal families are increasingly being those who were previously called commoners. Where do real princes meet their future wives? We suggest recalling the dating history of modern monarchs and their heirs.

Leticia Ortiz and King Philip VI

Leticia Ortiz Rocasolano met her husband-to-be at work when she interviewed him for CNN about a tanker that sank off the coast of Spain. This meeting was not planned, and the heir to the Spanish throne, perhaps, agreed to give his comments only because he liked the journalist at first sight.

But Leticia herself was in no hurry to accept courtship and rejected the invitation three times, agreeing to meet with the prince only after the fourth attempt. Despite the fact that Leticia had already been married and divorced before meeting the future king of Spain, she was favorably received by the prince's parents, without even trying to interfere with the marriage of their son.

READ ALSO: King Philip VI of Spain and his Queen Letizia: A Story of Happiness Built Against Tradition >>

Sofia Hellqvist and Prince Carl Philip

In the past of Sofia Hellqvist there were many events that would never have allowed her to become a princess, if not for the ardent feelings of her lover. The former model who starred for men's magazines and a participant in a rather scandalous reality show could not even count that meeting Prince Carl Philip in one of the Stockholm restaurants would lead to marriage.

But Karl Philip's intentions turned out to be more than serious. He was able to convince his family that Sophia would become a good wife to him, and he himself, in addition to beauty, was captivated by the modesty of his future wife. Five years after they met, in 2010, Prince Carl Philip married Sophia Hellqvist.

READ ALSO: Aristocrats from the people: 10 simple girls who became princesses >>

Mary Donaldson and Prince Frederick

The 2000 Olympic Games held in Australia played a crucial role in the meeting between Prince Frederick and Mary Elizabeth Donaldson. The girl worked in an advertising agency and together with her friends decided to look into one of the Sydney bars. It was at that time and in the very place that the prince was, who immediately drew attention to the girl. After a short conversation, the young man asked Mary for her phone number.

She herself did not even know that she was meeting a real prince. However, he, too, was in no hurry to reveal the secret of his origin, introducing himself simply as Fred. But friends pretty quickly opened the eyes of a friend to who exactly drew attention to her. At first, the relationship developed at a distance, after Mary moved to Europe, and four years after they met, the engagement of Prince Frederick and Mary Donaldson took place.

Kate Middleton and Prince William

It seems to everyone that today's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge studied at the University of St Andrews at the same time. During their first year of study together, their acquaintance was limited to duty greetings during student parties or in the hallway of the hostel. In reality, Prince William noticed Kate at the moment when, for some unknown reason, he decided to attend a fashion show organized by university students for a charitable purpose.

Seeing Kate on the catwalk, the prince almost lost his head. However, you need to understand that at that moment Kate was wearing a dress made of completely transparent fabric. On the same evening, the prince tried to win the heart of the beauty, but she could not resist his pressure and charm.

READ ALSO: Contrary to royal traditions: How Kate Middleton and Prince William bring up their children >>

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

The story of the acquaintance of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex simply makes you believe in a miracle and in the magical power of newfangled blind dates. Three years after her divorce from her first husband Trevor Engelson, Meghan Markle asked her friend to arrange her acquaintance with a decent young man, preferably a British aristocrat.

It was a blind date, when neither he nor she knew who they would see. Prince Harry fell in love at first sight, and Meghan Markle immediately felt sympathy. The girl even claimed afterwards: she did not know who was actually sitting in front of her. However, it doesn't matter anymore. The main thing is that this blind date led to the creation of a family. But the name of the friend, thanks to whom the fateful meeting took place, the spouses prefer not to disclose.

READ ALSO: Why did the whole family, led by their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, rebel against the novel of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle >>

Camilla Parker Bowles and Prince Charles

A friend also contributed to the acquaintance of this couple. Lucia Santa Cruz herself met with the prince, but he did not make a special impression on the girl, and she decided to introduce her friend to the Prince of Wales. The swift romance of Camilla and Charles could well have ended in marriage back in the 1970s, but while he was doing military service, Camilla managed to get engaged to another.

And Charles could not forget his beloved even after his marriage to Diana. Feelings for Camilla Parker Bowles led to the disintegration of the first family of the Prince of Wales. Elizabeth II did not approve of her son's aspirations to tie the knot, and Charles had to wait for his mother's consent to the marriage for several years. In 2005, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles became husband and wife.

READ ALSO: 35 years waiting for happiness: Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles >>

Maxima Sorreguieta and King Willem-Alexander

At the Seville Fair in 1999, the paths of the Argentine investment banker Maxima Sorreguieta, who worked in New York at that time, and the future King of Holland Willem-Alexander crossed in an unthinkable way. They were fascinated by each other almost from the first minutes of their acquaintance, but Maxima did not even know who her new acquaintance really was.

Even when he gave his full name and title, the girl did not believe the young man. Maxima laughed almost to tears when Willem-Alexander called himself a prince. Their wedding took place almost three years after they met. The couple have been happy for over 17 years.

READ ALSO: King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and His Latin American Love: When Feelings Are Stronger than an Entire Parliament >>

Mette-Marit Heibi and Prince Haakon

It is hard to imagine a girl less suitable for the role of a princess than Mette-Marit Heibi. By the time she met Prince Haakon, she was raising her son Marius, who was born from a drug dealer. The girl worked in a restaurant as a simple waitress and hardly even dreamed of meeting the prince. However, they met in the late 1990s at a music festival held in Kristiansand, the hometown of Mette-Marit.

Prince Haakon had to defend his right to "marry for love" for a long time, but in 2001 he was married to Mette-Marit Heibi. After the wedding, the prince adopted the wife's son, and Mette-Marit gave birth to two more children in marriage, a daughter and a son.

Today, in many of the presented pairs, young heirs are already growing up, who will have to accept royal regalia in the future. Who are they, these famous children, and how are they raised in royal families?