Princess Margriet is celebrating her 70th birthday. She is one of the few princesses of the blood to be born in the New World: she was born in Ottawa, Canada, where her family had sought refuge after the Nazi invasion of their homeland. She is the third child of the late Queen Juliana, and the sister of the current Queen Beatrix. She is named for the flower that symbolized Dutch resistance, and she did not see her homeland until she was two years old. She and her husband, Prof. Pieter van Vollenhoven, met while studying at Leiden University. They will celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary on January 10, 2013. They have four sons and 10 grandchildren. They live in a house they built on the grounds of Het Loo Palace. Click for her official biography, which is in Dutch.
12. Grand Duchess Maria of Russia
2013 marks the 400th anniversary of the first Romanov's reign in Russia. As the self-proclaimed heiress of the tsars, Grand Duchess Maria will certainly receive some attention this year. Since the abdication and execution of Tsar Nicholas II nearly a century ago, the Romanovs have been divided about who the rightful heir to the throne is. Maria stakes her claim based on that of her grandfather, Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich, who proclaimed himself emperor in 1924. Despite the fact that Russia is no longer a monarchy and that a variety of dynastic rules makes the succession unclear, Maria has spent the last 20 years insisting that she is the true claimant. Her 31-year-old son, George Mikhailovich, is her heir. He remains single, so if you would like to follow in the footsteps of Empress Alexandra, the position may be available.
The future Norwegian queen celebrates her 40th birthday this year. She has come a long way from the days of being an unwed mother. Having produced an heir, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and a spare, Prince Sverre Magnus, Mette-Marit has officially done her duty for Norway. Along the way, she also has won over the critics who felt she was an unsuitable royal bride and she serves as a lovely and popular ambassador for her country. She is also well-known internationally for her work with young people and with AIDS awareness. She is the only Crown Princess to attend university after her royal marriage; her prince even moved with her to England so that she could study at the University of London.
10. Lady Louise Windsor
As a male-line grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, Lady Louise is technically a princess. In 2013, she will reach the grand age of 10 and will continue to make more public appearances as her parents have become less protective. Since making her debut as a bridesmaid at THE royal wedding in 2011, Louise has been out and about more often. She is now seen regularly at official occasions like Trooping the Color and at informal royal events like Christmas service at Sandringham. One of my favorite portraits of The Queen shows her with Louise and her little brother, James Viscount Severn, on their ponies. (See it here.)
9. Queen Anne of Romania
The wife of the former boy King Michael of Romania turns 90 this year. Born Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma, she grew up in exile in France, Spain, Portugal and the United States, where she studied at Parsons School of Design. She met her future husband at a family wedding, that of the future Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, in London in 1947. Michael was forced out of Romania by the Communists later that same year. They married in 1948, and therefore will celebrate their 65th anniversary this year. They have five daughters. They have lived in Italy, England and Switzerland, but were eventually allowed to visit Romania in 1992 and have returned several times since, including in 2008 for the celebration of their diamond wedding anniversary.
Beatrice will turn 25 this year but that's not the reason I put her on the list. I have her on engagement watch. She has been seeing businessman Dave Clark for more than six years now, so I am pegging her as the next Windsor down the aisle. Born in America, Dave was among Prince William's circle of friends from their college days in Scotland: Dave attended Edinburgh while William and Kate were at St. Andrews. Since meeting at a birthday party in the summer of 2006, Beatrice and Dave have been constant companions. He is often seen on holiday with her and with her family. He has even accompanied her on less formal (unofficial) royal family occasions. Dave works for Virgin Galactic, the space tourism branch of Sir Richard Branson's corporate empire. He has lived in London since the age of five.
7. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie
The newlywed Belgian aristocrat may surprise us with an early pregnancy. I hate bump-watching, so don't do that to her, but be prepared to rejoice if an announcement does come. She and her longtime beau, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg were married in October 2012, and since she is not yet 30, they still have plenty of time to start a family. Even if they don't have children, though, there are already potential heirs in the next generation since Guillaume's little brother, Prince Louis has two sons by his wife, Princess Tessy. Incidentally, as a Belgian countess, Stephanie is one of the highest born spouses of a European royal heir: Princess Mathilde of Belgium was born a "jonkvrouw" or lady. Meanwhile, the heirs of the two princely houses married royal highnesses: Princess Caroline of Monaco is married to Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein is married to Duchess Sophie of Bavaria.
Charlene married her prince just two months after the Cambridge wedding and her prince desperately needs an heir, so the couple is undoubtedly trying for an infant. It may only be a matter of weeks before they have happy news to share. If they do not have a child, the world will undoubtedly "blame" Charlene since her husband has already fathered two illegitimate children. However, fertility is a tricky thing and just because you have children doesn't mean you can have more, especially as you age. Prince Albert is now 54 and Charlene is 20 years younger. The long wait to marry may mean that the Monagesque throne passes to Albert's older sister, Princess Caroline and then to her eldest son, Andrea Casiraghi, who will marry his pregnant fiancee Tatiana Santo Domingo in 2013. That means Tatiana might eventually become a princess, but this year, she will just be Mrs. Casiraghi.
The Dutch queen will be 75 this year, and some anticipate that she may follow in her mother's and grandmother's footsteps by retiring and handing the crown over to her heir. If that happens, her daughter-in-law, Princess Maxima will be added to the 2013 watch list as Europe's newest queen. Speculation about the queen's eventual retirement has been bandied about for years now, but I think she has not wanted to step down for a couple of personal reasons. First, since she is widowed, she may not be looking forward to being "alone" in her later years. Second, her heirs children are still very young (all under the age of 10), so she may be trying to let them have as normal a family life as possible before taking on the full responsibilities of the crown. However, last year, was a difficult one for Beatrix--her middle son was nearly killed in an avalanche and remains comatose--so she may be exploring her options.
After last year's Diamond Jubilee celebrating her accession, you might have thought Elizabeth would step back a bit from the limelight, but she still has another anniversary to celebrate. June will mark 60 years since her coronation ceremony, so get ready for re-airings and documentaries about that with lots of speculation about what her son's and grandson's coronations will be like. Hers was the very first British coronation to be televised, but the traditions and ceremonies involve stretch back more than a millennium. Her father's coronation in 1937 was the first to be broadcast on the radio. Her son's will likely be the first to be streamed live on the internet, and who knows, Prince William's might be beamed directly into our brains. Incidentally, as King William, he may be on the throne for the millennial anniversary celebrations of England's first King William in 2066. He would be 84, and I hope I will be around for they party.
So far, we only know of one royal wedding in 2013. In June, the youngest daughter of the Swedish king will marry her British-American boyfriend, Christopher O'Neill. The couple lives in New York, but they will wed in Sweden in the church of her ancestors. She will also likely wear the cameo tiara which her sister, mother and royal aunts wore at their weddings. Otherwise, it is hard to know whether she will continue royal duties after her marriage or whether her husband will be given a royal title. I would not be surprised if they opted for a low-key life without additional titles or duties. After all, despite her new Facebook page, Madeleine has tried to stay out of the spotlight since her first engagement ended almost three years ago and her older sister's marriage expanded the royal family to include Prince Daniel and their year-old daughter, Princess Estelle. With more royal nieces and nephews likely to follow, Madeleine and Christopher are not necessarily "needed" for royal supporting roles.
Of course, Kate will continue to be the most watched princess in the world. With a child on the way some time this summer, her every moment outside of her house will be documented and commented upon ad nauseum--seriously, with a difficult pregnancy already acknowledged, I hope Kate is able to find some peace amid the world's royal baby frenzy. Judging by her disappointment at having her private Christmas with her own family intruded upon by the world's photographers, I suspect that she will be heartily sick of all of the attention by the time the baby arrives.
1. Baby Cambridge
Speaking of royal baby frenzy... I am officially submitting my request for a princess because this is after all a blog about princesses and it is always nice to have another one. If Baby Cambridge is a girl, as the world's majority seems to desire, she will be the most famous woman in the world for her entire life. She would be the heiress of Diana and Kate, not to mention the embodiment of the great tradition of British queens from Boudicea to Victoria to the two Elizabeths. Not much pressure for a tiny girl, is there?
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