07 January 2012
First Royal Baby of 2012
05 January 2012
Top Princess of 2011: The Winner
The votes are in and, based on a nonscientific combination of factors including the poll, consultations with other royal bloggers, and my own personal views, here are the finalists for Top Princess of 2011.
THE RUNNERS UP
HRH Princess Beatrice of York
Okay. So not many people voted for her, but one of my personal faves (and it is my blog, after all) this year is Princess Beatrice. She has taken a lot of knocks in the media: she wore a crazy hat to THE royal wedding, she enjoys nights at the clubs and her daddy thinks she should have police protection. Despite it all, she has maintained a positive attitude, turned negatives into positives (like losing weight healthfully when she didn't like the media's carping at her), she ran a marathon and she earned a university degree. She is, after all, the very first British princess to ever receive one. That is nothing to sneeze at in my opinion. What the future holds? Who knows? There is still ongoing debate about whether she will assume a public role and take on official duties. We shall see if she or her sister, Princess Eugenie, make any appearances during their father's Jubilee Tour of India. That will be a good indicator of her role for the future, I think. Beatrice herself has said that she would like to be a champion of charities "just like Mummy," Sarah Duchess of York. With a degree in history, maybe she'll become an author like mummy, too.
HIRH The Princess of Prussia
The former Princess Sophie of Isenburg makes the list as a bloggers' choice. Marlene Eilers Koenig of Royal Musings made a particularly strong case for her in our discussion of this list. She said that, although neither Sophie nor her bridegroom, Prince Georg Friedrich, the titular head of the Hohenzollen dynasty and heir to the defunct German throne, are legally royals in Germany, "it is interesting how this wedding played out - and how the bride, who would now be a Queen of Prussia and Empress of Germany, if World War I never happened, became the star in royal pageant that most in Germany would never have expected." In short, for their wedding, the German people remembered their royal past and all of the positives that also went with it. For a nation that has a lot of negatives to look back on, history can be a painful a subject. For a moment, at least, Sophie made a history sparkle, drawing the spotlight not only on the good qualities of the dynasty, but also on the city of Potsdam and the Orangerie. As Marlene reports, "This was a true major royal occasion on a grand scale - as nearly every German royal house was present, as well as foreign royals, renigning and non-reigning." For those of us enamored by monarchy, Sophie truly made magic.
HRH The Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
Clearly a lot of people adore, the Australian-born future Queen of Denmark. In fact, a recent poll showed that about 40% of Danes would like her to become queen within the next decade; 11% said they want her to become queen immediately. All of this on the very eve of her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe's 40th Jubilee. The poll results are being interpreted as a sign of the love for Mary and her husband, Frederik, rather than a criticism of Margrethe, who says she will not abdicate. For Mary, 2011 was a huge year, which she started with the birth of twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, bringing her brood to four--quite a large family in Denmark. She also completed several foreign tours and continued her charitable work, including the campaign for skin cancer awareness. Her popularity in Australia also reached new heights, which her sisters have been able to leverage to bring attention to the struggle against ovarian cancer, the disease that killed their mother. Also, 2011 was the first year that Mary and her family lived in the newly renovated Frederik VIII Palace, where they incorporated contemporary Scandinavian art and environmentally friendly systems to create a modern home in a historical palace.
HSH The Princess of Monaco
There was more than one royal bride in 2011 whose fate is to live always in the shadow of glamorous, beautiful and beloved mother-in-law who died tragically and too young. Adding to the burdens for the new Princess of Monaco, formerly Charlene Wittstock, are illegitimate step-children and wildfire rumors during the week of her wedding that she was being physically prevented from runaway after learning that her groom was still catting around. Whether the rumors or true or not--they have been officially denied--Charlene's wedding was a fantastic commercial for Monaco as a destination and for its official sponsor, Lexus. Since then, Charlene has shown nothing but poise and grace (pun intended) in the public eye. Did I mention that she also has faced down possible tensions that might have been created by taking over the role of first lady of Monaco, which had been held by her sister-in-law Princess Caroline since Grace's death nearly three years ago? Despite the scandals that have plagued this family, Albert and his sisters seem to have very good relationships with each other and both Caroline and Stephanie have apparently welcomed Charlene with open arms. Stephanie has even spoken publicly about how terrific Charlene is.
HRH The Crown Princess of Sweden
Victoria is one of only two female heirs at the moment--the other being HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover who will bumped as heir to Monaco as soon Albert and Charlene have a baby--and she wears that distinction with honor. She is well-beloved, well-educated and seems to be very centered, having battled anorexia as a young woman. She waited years to be able to marry the man of her choice in 2010, since many felt that his background was not good enough for her. Now, they are undoubtedly seen as a power couple and the bright hope of the Swedish monarchy. With their first child ready to make its appearance in 2012, they are settling into a family home and splitting their time somewhat evenly between being part of a royal family and being part of Prince Daniel's family, the Westlings. They even posed for pictures with a passerby when they stopped for gas on the way to visit the Westlings over the holidays. Victoria may truly be the next "People's Princess."
THE WINNER
HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
When I posted the nominees for Top Princess of 2011, there was no doubt in my mind that Catherine would emerge as the popular favorite. She certainly has received more column inches and air time than most of the other princesses combined. Not to mention the fact that there are numerous blogs devoted entirely to her. The world in 2011 certainly seems to have gone Kate-crazy. As blogger Tracey Connell of Tracey's Royal Blog has said, "she has proved what just average women she is and her modern approach to her life as royal...She is not Diana and she is Catherine. That is why I adore her already." But perhaps Catherine is no more extraordinary than any other princess. Marilyn Braun of Marilyn's Royal Blog said, "As big a fan as I am of her I don't know about Catherine. Yes there was the big royal wedding, yes she's pretty but isn't it somewhat of a cop-out to automatically include her? No to diminish her ability to smile and wear nice clothes but she hasn't proven herself yet." Now that Catherine has announced the first four charities she will patronize, she will certainly have more opportunities to show us how well she can fill her princess shoe, or boots as the case may be. Perhaps the best thing about Catherine so far is how well she is fitting into Prince William family. As Tracey explains, "Her relationship with her father-in law is solid. Prince Charles and Catherine attended a opera together few months ago. She and Duchess of Cornwall have wonderful relationship also." And, there is no doubt that brother-in-law Prince Harry is also a fan. I have no doubt that Catherine will continue to be a royal star for the foreseeable future, and I'll be very surprised if you don't vote her Top Princess of 2012 at the end of this year, too!
THE RUNNERS UP
Okay. So not many people voted for her, but one of my personal faves (and it is my blog, after all) this year is Princess Beatrice. She has taken a lot of knocks in the media: she wore a crazy hat to THE royal wedding, she enjoys nights at the clubs and her daddy thinks she should have police protection. Despite it all, she has maintained a positive attitude, turned negatives into positives (like losing weight healthfully when she didn't like the media's carping at her), she ran a marathon and she earned a university degree. She is, after all, the very first British princess to ever receive one. That is nothing to sneeze at in my opinion. What the future holds? Who knows? There is still ongoing debate about whether she will assume a public role and take on official duties. We shall see if she or her sister, Princess Eugenie, make any appearances during their father's Jubilee Tour of India. That will be a good indicator of her role for the future, I think. Beatrice herself has said that she would like to be a champion of charities "just like Mummy," Sarah Duchess of York. With a degree in history, maybe she'll become an author like mummy, too.
 |
| Photo by Marlene Eilers Koenig |
The former Princess Sophie of Isenburg makes the list as a bloggers' choice. Marlene Eilers Koenig of Royal Musings made a particularly strong case for her in our discussion of this list. She said that, although neither Sophie nor her bridegroom, Prince Georg Friedrich, the titular head of the Hohenzollen dynasty and heir to the defunct German throne, are legally royals in Germany, "it is interesting how this wedding played out - and how the bride, who would now be a Queen of Prussia and Empress of Germany, if World War I never happened, became the star in royal pageant that most in Germany would never have expected." In short, for their wedding, the German people remembered their royal past and all of the positives that also went with it. For a nation that has a lot of negatives to look back on, history can be a painful a subject. For a moment, at least, Sophie made a history sparkle, drawing the spotlight not only on the good qualities of the dynasty, but also on the city of Potsdam and the Orangerie. As Marlene reports, "This was a true major royal occasion on a grand scale - as nearly every German royal house was present, as well as foreign royals, renigning and non-reigning." For those of us enamored by monarchy, Sophie truly made magic.
Clearly a lot of people adore, the Australian-born future Queen of Denmark. In fact, a recent poll showed that about 40% of Danes would like her to become queen within the next decade; 11% said they want her to become queen immediately. All of this on the very eve of her mother-in-law Queen Margrethe's 40th Jubilee. The poll results are being interpreted as a sign of the love for Mary and her husband, Frederik, rather than a criticism of Margrethe, who says she will not abdicate. For Mary, 2011 was a huge year, which she started with the birth of twins, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, bringing her brood to four--quite a large family in Denmark. She also completed several foreign tours and continued her charitable work, including the campaign for skin cancer awareness. Her popularity in Australia also reached new heights, which her sisters have been able to leverage to bring attention to the struggle against ovarian cancer, the disease that killed their mother. Also, 2011 was the first year that Mary and her family lived in the newly renovated Frederik VIII Palace, where they incorporated contemporary Scandinavian art and environmentally friendly systems to create a modern home in a historical palace.
There was more than one royal bride in 2011 whose fate is to live always in the shadow of glamorous, beautiful and beloved mother-in-law who died tragically and too young. Adding to the burdens for the new Princess of Monaco, formerly Charlene Wittstock, are illegitimate step-children and wildfire rumors during the week of her wedding that she was being physically prevented from runaway after learning that her groom was still catting around. Whether the rumors or true or not--they have been officially denied--Charlene's wedding was a fantastic commercial for Monaco as a destination and for its official sponsor, Lexus. Since then, Charlene has shown nothing but poise and grace (pun intended) in the public eye. Did I mention that she also has faced down possible tensions that might have been created by taking over the role of first lady of Monaco, which had been held by her sister-in-law Princess Caroline since Grace's death nearly three years ago? Despite the scandals that have plagued this family, Albert and his sisters seem to have very good relationships with each other and both Caroline and Stephanie have apparently welcomed Charlene with open arms. Stephanie has even spoken publicly about how terrific Charlene is.
Victoria is one of only two female heirs at the moment--the other being HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover who will bumped as heir to Monaco as soon Albert and Charlene have a baby--and she wears that distinction with honor. She is well-beloved, well-educated and seems to be very centered, having battled anorexia as a young woman. She waited years to be able to marry the man of her choice in 2010, since many felt that his background was not good enough for her. Now, they are undoubtedly seen as a power couple and the bright hope of the Swedish monarchy. With their first child ready to make its appearance in 2012, they are settling into a family home and splitting their time somewhat evenly between being part of a royal family and being part of Prince Daniel's family, the Westlings. They even posed for pictures with a passerby when they stopped for gas on the way to visit the Westlings over the holidays. Victoria may truly be the next "People's Princess."
THE WINNER
When I posted the nominees for Top Princess of 2011, there was no doubt in my mind that Catherine would emerge as the popular favorite. She certainly has received more column inches and air time than most of the other princesses combined. Not to mention the fact that there are numerous blogs devoted entirely to her. The world in 2011 certainly seems to have gone Kate-crazy. As blogger Tracey Connell of Tracey's Royal Blog has said, "she has proved what just average women she is and her modern approach to her life as royal...She is not Diana and she is Catherine. That is why I adore her already." But perhaps Catherine is no more extraordinary than any other princess. Marilyn Braun of Marilyn's Royal Blog said, "As big a fan as I am of her I don't know about Catherine. Yes there was the big royal wedding, yes she's pretty but isn't it somewhat of a cop-out to automatically include her? No to diminish her ability to smile and wear nice clothes but she hasn't proven herself yet." Now that Catherine has announced the first four charities she will patronize, she will certainly have more opportunities to show us how well she can fill her princess shoe, or boots as the case may be. Perhaps the best thing about Catherine so far is how well she is fitting into Prince William family. As Tracey explains, "Her relationship with her father-in law is solid. Prince Charles and Catherine attended a opera together few months ago. She and Duchess of Cornwall have wonderful relationship also." And, there is no doubt that brother-in-law Prince Harry is also a fan. I have no doubt that Catherine will continue to be a royal star for the foreseeable future, and I'll be very surprised if you don't vote her Top Princess of 2012 at the end of this year, too!
01 January 2012
Top Princess of 2011: The Nominees
2011 turned out to be quite a year for princesses. With numerous weddings, several pregnancies, fashion highs and lows, and miscellaneous other news, the royal ladies really kept the media, the bloggers and royal watchers busy. This year, I've decided to honor our tiara-ed lovelies by singling out just one as the Princess of the Year. So, where do we start? How about some nominees? (Please add your vote at the end.)
THE BRIDES
Nothing gets more attention than actually becoming a princess. Even if you already are a princess, we still love it when you find your Prince Charming and have a fairytale wedding. This year, it seemed like there was a royal wedding almost every week. Here are the top royal brides:
HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
Without a doubt, the former Kate Middleton generated more headlines--some of them actually true!--than any other royal person. But, will that earn her our coveted Princess of the Year title?
HSH The Princess of Monaco
When former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock married Prince Albert II of Monaco, she may have won her biggest competition yet: the 50-something bachelor had become really good at avoiding matrimony.
HIRH The Princess of Prussia
Born Princess Sophie of Isenburg, this German business woman married her childhood friend, Prince Georg Friedrich, who is head of the House of Hohenzollern and which means she could call herself Queen of Prussia and Empress of Germany. However, since that throne was abolished nearly a century ago, Sophie von Preussen will also do.
HM The Queen of Bhutan
At just 21 years of age, Jetsun Pema has been a Queen Consort for barely three months, but she has already impressed the world with her gracious demeanor and elegantly appropriate fashion choices on several international visits.
Zara Phillips, Mrs. Mike Tindall
Even if she is not technically a princess, she is a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, which earns her a nod on our list. This athletic beauty married her live-in love, rugby star Mike Tindall, who was then caught allegedly canoodling on an overseas junket. Still, the newlyweds could be seen holding hands as they walked to church on Christmas Day.
THE MOTHERS
With so many recent weddings, it could be expected that many of our royal brides are expectant. Several new royals made their debuts or had their impending arrival announced in 2012. Here are their mamas:
HRH The Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
Princess Mary pulled off a triple miracle with the birth of twins in January (a double joy) and losing all that baby weight in record time (the third part of the miracle). However, naming the babies Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, may keep her out of the top five Princesses of 2011. Really? Prince Vince?
Autumn Phillips
Autumn scrapes into our list, but barely. After all, she is not a princess and she gave birth to her first child on December 29, 2010 (close enough to 2011!). However, since that daughter is named Savannah, after my home town, and is Queen Elizabeth II's first great grandchild, AND because Autumn has speedily followed with another pregnancy, she is on the list.
HRH The Crown Princess of Sweden
After struggling with an eating disorder and holding out to finally marry the man of her dreams, Princess Victoria delighted everyone with a very early announcement of her first pregnancy. She then went on to wear baggy clothes not really intended as maternity wear, but, as a gorgeous future mother and queen, she can do whatever makes her happy (for now).
HRH Princess Marie of Denmark
After just three and a half years as a princess, the French-born Marie has more than fulfilled her royal duties by providing one son, born in 2008, and preparing for the birth of another child later this month. This will bring her husband's total up to four--he has two sons from his first marriage. Despite her advancing pregnancies, Marie has kept busy fulfilling royal engagements, overseas tours and taking official portraits well into her third trimester. Hope she takes a couple of days off for the birth.
THE TINY ONES
What is more adorable than a little girl? How about one that is anything but a royal brat? Here are our top royal tots of 2011:
HRH Princess Isabella of Denmark
Four years old is really the perfect age for cuteness. You are still an elfin, doll baby no matter how many funny faces you make at your siblings' christening. Little blondie Isabella makes the list for always having a good time in front of the cameras both at home and in her mum's homeland of Australia.
The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
The youngest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II could technically be called a princess. She emerged into the limelight this year as a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Prince William. She was seen more than ever this year, including an appearance with her grandmother in an officially released photograph and on the royal walk to church on Christmas Day.
THE ACHIEVERS
A princess can't get married, have a baby or be adorable every year, here are a few nominees who make the list for doing what they do best.
HRH The Princess Royal
No list of top princesses could ever be complete without the world's hardest working royal, Princess Anne. In 2011, she carried out 568 official engagements, despite being 61 years old and a new granny. She also was spotted wearing several outfits that first saw light two and three decades ago. So, she gets one brava for being thrifty and another for maintaining her figure.
HRH Maxima, Princess of The Netherlands
In a year that saw the youngest of her three children start school, Argentine-born Princess Maxima launched herself even more fully into her work, completing even more engagements than her husband or her mother-in-law, Queen Beatrix. Interestingly, this year, in honor of her tenth wedding anniversary, the Dutch government officially declared that when her husband becomes king, she will have the title and style of The Queen of the Netherlands.
HRH Princess Beatrice of York
While Beatrice received most of her publicity this year because of her unfortunate choice of headgear at her cousin Prince William's wedding, she actually had some genuine milestones this year, like completing the London marathon and receiving a university degree--both firsts for British royal-born ladies.
THE BRIDES
Nothing gets more attention than actually becoming a princess. Even if you already are a princess, we still love it when you find your Prince Charming and have a fairytale wedding. This year, it seemed like there was a royal wedding almost every week. Here are the top royal brides:
 |
| Photo by Hugh Burnand |
Without a doubt, the former Kate Middleton generated more headlines--some of them actually true!--than any other royal person. But, will that earn her our coveted Princess of the Year title?
HSH The Princess of Monaco
When former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock married Prince Albert II of Monaco, she may have won her biggest competition yet: the 50-something bachelor had become really good at avoiding matrimony.
HIRH The Princess of Prussia
Born Princess Sophie of Isenburg, this German business woman married her childhood friend, Prince Georg Friedrich, who is head of the House of Hohenzollern and which means she could call herself Queen of Prussia and Empress of Germany. However, since that throne was abolished nearly a century ago, Sophie von Preussen will also do.
HM The Queen of Bhutan
At just 21 years of age, Jetsun Pema has been a Queen Consort for barely three months, but she has already impressed the world with her gracious demeanor and elegantly appropriate fashion choices on several international visits.
 |
| Press Association |
Even if she is not technically a princess, she is a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, which earns her a nod on our list. This athletic beauty married her live-in love, rugby star Mike Tindall, who was then caught allegedly canoodling on an overseas junket. Still, the newlyweds could be seen holding hands as they walked to church on Christmas Day.
THE MOTHERS
With so many recent weddings, it could be expected that many of our royal brides are expectant. Several new royals made their debuts or had their impending arrival announced in 2012. Here are their mamas:
 |
| Steen Brogaard |
Princess Mary pulled off a triple miracle with the birth of twins in January (a double joy) and losing all that baby weight in record time (the third part of the miracle). However, naming the babies Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, may keep her out of the top five Princesses of 2011. Really? Prince Vince?
Autumn Phillips
Autumn scrapes into our list, but barely. After all, she is not a princess and she gave birth to her first child on December 29, 2010 (close enough to 2011!). However, since that daughter is named Savannah, after my home town, and is Queen Elizabeth II's first great grandchild, AND because Autumn has speedily followed with another pregnancy, she is on the list.
 |
| Paul Hansen |
After struggling with an eating disorder and holding out to finally marry the man of her dreams, Princess Victoria delighted everyone with a very early announcement of her first pregnancy. She then went on to wear baggy clothes not really intended as maternity wear, but, as a gorgeous future mother and queen, she can do whatever makes her happy (for now).
HRH Princess Marie of Denmark
After just three and a half years as a princess, the French-born Marie has more than fulfilled her royal duties by providing one son, born in 2008, and preparing for the birth of another child later this month. This will bring her husband's total up to four--he has two sons from his first marriage. Despite her advancing pregnancies, Marie has kept busy fulfilling royal engagements, overseas tours and taking official portraits well into her third trimester. Hope she takes a couple of days off for the birth.
THE TINY ONES
What is more adorable than a little girl? How about one that is anything but a royal brat? Here are our top royal tots of 2011:
HRH Princess Isabella of Denmark
Four years old is really the perfect age for cuteness. You are still an elfin, doll baby no matter how many funny faces you make at your siblings' christening. Little blondie Isabella makes the list for always having a good time in front of the cameras both at home and in her mum's homeland of Australia.
 |
| The British Monarchy |
The youngest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II could technically be called a princess. She emerged into the limelight this year as a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Prince William. She was seen more than ever this year, including an appearance with her grandmother in an officially released photograph and on the royal walk to church on Christmas Day.
THE ACHIEVERS
A princess can't get married, have a baby or be adorable every year, here are a few nominees who make the list for doing what they do best.
HRH The Princess Royal
No list of top princesses could ever be complete without the world's hardest working royal, Princess Anne. In 2011, she carried out 568 official engagements, despite being 61 years old and a new granny. She also was spotted wearing several outfits that first saw light two and three decades ago. So, she gets one brava for being thrifty and another for maintaining her figure.
 |
| RVD |
In a year that saw the youngest of her three children start school, Argentine-born Princess Maxima launched herself even more fully into her work, completing even more engagements than her husband or her mother-in-law, Queen Beatrix. Interestingly, this year, in honor of her tenth wedding anniversary, the Dutch government officially declared that when her husband becomes king, she will have the title and style of The Queen of the Netherlands.
HRH Princess Beatrice of York
While Beatrice received most of her publicity this year because of her unfortunate choice of headgear at her cousin Prince William's wedding, she actually had some genuine milestones this year, like completing the London marathon and receiving a university degree--both firsts for British royal-born ladies.
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