13 Princesses to Watch in 2013

It looks like 2013 is going to be another great year for princesses. We have marquee birthdays and anniversaries, at least one royal baby and a royal wedding to look forward to this year. So, my princess fans, here is a list of the 13 princesses to keep an eye on this year. Some you know very well and others may be new to you, but they are all likely to have a lot for us to celebrate with them.

13. Princess Margriet of The Netherlands
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.

11. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
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.

8. Princess Beatrice of York
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.

6. Princess Charlene of Monaco
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.

5. Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands
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.

4. Queen Elizabeth II
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.

3. Princess Madeleine of Sweden
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.

2. The Duchess of Cambridge
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?

12 Royal Reasons the World Can't End

As everyone on Earth now knows, centuries ago, the Mayans scheduled for the world to end on December 21, 2012. However they did this without much consideration for what would be happening in our lives at the time. If the Mayans had known about some of the exciting things taking place in 2013, they certainly would have reconsidered.

In all seriousness, we can anticipate several intriguing royal news stories in 2013 and beyond. Here are 12 royal reasons the world can't end in 2012.

1. We'd never know if Kate's baby is a boy or girl or multiples.
Even before it was announced that the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant, people were speculating about the gender of her first child. I think this is due to two main reasons. Firstly, the issue of succession rights throughout the Commonwealth is still being ironed out. At the moment, if a girl is born first, she would later cede her place to a younger brother due to male primogeniture. It is expected, however, that this will be changed so that gender no longer is considered in the British succession for any descendants of the couple. Secondly, royal watchers seem to prefer princesses overall especially if there is a chance that princess might be named Diana. If they have a daughter and don't name her Diana, many people will be disappointed. (I, for one, think it would be a poor choice, but I also didn't think William would give Kate his unhappily married mother's engagement ring.)

Now, that it has been revealed that Kate is suffering from hyperemisis gravedarum and we have learned that women with this condition statistically have more daughters and are more inclined to have twins, people are enthusiastically anticipating the arrival of multiple princesses named Diana, Elizabeth and Victoria (why not triplets?)

2. We wouldn't get to see Princess Madeleine's wedding gown.
One of the most beautiful princesses in the world got engaged in 2012 and everyone is rooting for her to have a fabulous wedding, particularly since her first engagement three years ago was called off when it was discovered her fiance was a cheating scoundrel. After that, Princess Madeleine of Sweden moved to New York City where she could enjoy a bit more privacy, but she will undoubtedly marry her British-American sweetheart in Sweden. But, what will her wedding gown look like and will she wear the hideous Cameo Tiara that all of the Swedish royal brides have worn for the last two generations? 

3. We wouldn't know whether Casiraghis would take over from the Grimaldis.

Andrea Casiraghi

The world is still waiting for Prince Albert Grimaldi of Monaco to father a legitimate child. (He has two acknowledged illegitimate children.) He and his wife, Princess Charlene, have been married a year and a half and so far they have not announced any great expectations. If Albert does not produce an heir, the principality will pass to his older sister Princess Caroline and then to her oldest son, Andrea Casiraghi, whose fiancee Tatiana Santo Domingo is currently expecting their first child. Albert and Caroline's dad, Prince Rainier, specifically changed the law to prevent illegitimate children from inheriting, even though Rainier's mother was an illegitimate daughter who passed the throne to him after her princely father officially adopted her.

4. We'd never know whether Chelsy would finally get her prince.
Okay, so this one is pretty far fetched, buy Chelsy Davy is still discussed by royalwatchers as the love of Prince Harry's life. The fact that they have broken up and reunited several times gives Chelsy supporters hopes that one day he will settle down with the woman he truly loves. However, I've never thought Chelsy was very interested in being a princess. Plus, Harry's reported current girlfriend, Cressida Bonas, probably would not be happy to cede her place in the prince's arms. Besides, there are plenty of other girls ready to offer their services. (I'm looking at you, Harry Hunters!)

5. We would miss the opportunity to have a nonagenarian monarch.

So far, so good. Queen Elizabeth II seems to be made of the same sturdy stock that kept her mother alive until the age of 101. At this rate, she will be 90 years old on April 21, 2016--less than 3.5 years from now--and she would become the first European monarch to live into the ninth decade. She could even become the first centenarian monarch in 2026 and I'd like to be around to see it!

6. We'd never find out whether Camilla would actually become queen.
At the time of her marriage to Prince Charles, it was announced that Camilla would use his second highest title and be styled as the Duchess of Cornwall out of deference to the late Diana, who was so beloved as Princess of Wales. They also announced that, upon his accession, she would use the unprecedented title of Princess Consort instead of Queen Consort. This declaration has been reconfirmed in the ensuing years although many traditionalists and historians say she is still legally Princess of Wales and would legally be Queen Consort. Plus, it doesn't seem like Charles is overly excited about not having a queen by his side. When asked about it in recent years, he responded, "we'll see."

7. We wouldn't get the chance to see six of Europe's seven kingdoms led by queens.
That's right, by the middle of this century, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain, The Netherlands and The U.K. could all have a female monarch. (That's if popular opinion determines the gender of Kate's first child.) Born between 2001 and 2012, Elisabeth of Belgium, Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Leonor of Spain, Estelle of Sweden, and Catharina Amalia of The Netherland could all be sitting on their respective thrones at the same time. The future King Christian X of Denmark would be the only fellow in this exclusive ladies-only club.

8. We'd never get to see Kate wear the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara.

Since her marriage, Kate has had very few tiara occasions. That will certainly change once Charles is king and William is the Prince of Wales. So far, she has only been seen in the late Queen Mother's Cartier Halo tiara. However, many people would love to see her wear the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara, which was brought into the family by Queen Mary but which was made famous as one of Diana's favorites. Plus, it would seem to additional sentiment attached since William was given the Cambridge title.

9. We'd never see male primogeniture eliminated everywhere.
In the wake of Kate's pregnancy announcement, the British are finally moving quickly toward eliminating the male preference in their succession laws. On Dec. 13, the proposed changes were finally published. (Read about them on the Royal Musings blog.) The changes also lift the ban on dynasts who marry Catholics (like Prince Michael of Kent) but not on those who are or become Catholic (like Lord Nicholas Windsor). The male preference has already been removed in Belgium, Luxemburg, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It is still in place in Monaco and Spain. Women are completely barred from the succession in Liechtenstein as well as in several non-European monarchies, including Morocco, Jordan and Japan. So, it looks like we still have a ways to go before the Mayans can end the world.

10. We'd never get to see the Greek throne restored.
Okay, I'll admit this one is a very long shot. The Greek royal family was displaced several times throughout the 20th century, most recently in 1967. Since then, King Constantine, his wife the former Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, their five children and nine children have lived abroad, primarily in London. However, their eldest daughter lives in the Canary Islands with her Spanish husband, their youngest daughter is an actress in the United States, and the Crown Prince lives in New York City with his American wife. The Greek royals, however, are very tight with the other European royals. After all, the King's sister is the Queen of Spain, the Queen's sister is the Queen of Denmark, and they are close cousins with the Kent branch of the British Royal Family and Prince Philip and his children.

11. We'd never get to see Japan decide Princess Aiko should be empress.

As I mentioned in #9, the Japanese Imperial throne currently does not allow for female succession. So, when Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife Masako's long fertility struggle ended with the birth of daughter Princess Aiko, the nation started to consider changing the laws. After all, his only brother Prince Akishino also had only daughters, the teenaged Princesses Mako and Kako. Then, suddenly, that all changed when Akishino's 39-year-old wife became pregnant, 12 years after the birth of her last child. The new baby was a prince and all talk of changing the succession to include women was dropped. In 2012, however, the Japanese princesses once again began to attract support. As it stands, they are forced to leave the imperial family when they marry commoners. Since there have been so many princesses and so few princes in the family, this means that the official imperial family is shrinking. Laws to allow women to remain family members are now being discussed. With enough time, maybe they will even be permitted to accede to the Chrysanthemum throne; perhaps in time for Empress Aiko, who is now 11.

12. We'd never know if Kate is brave enough to face another pregnancy.
The severe form of morning sickness from which the Duchess of Cambridge is suffering is so miserable that many women opt not to risk subsequent pregnancies. Will the pressure to have a "spare" to go with her "heir" cause Kate to try for another pregnancy after the sheer misery of this one? Or, should she just go ahead and have triplets now, as I so kindly suggested in #1. Of course, that leads to a higher possibility of Caesarean delivery with the doctor possibly playing a determining factor in birth order and thereby selecting the future monarch, as some silly people have already started speculating.

Announcing Kate's Pregnancy

UPDATE: Just days after this was posted, St. James's Palace, HQ of The Prince of Wales, announced that Kate is in the early stages of pregnancy. The announcement was unusually early in first trimester, but necessary because Kate had to be hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum, a very acute and dangerous form of morning sickness. Prince William has been at her side daily. Best wishes to the little family.
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Based on the first pregnancy's of other recent royal brides (see my earlier post, Kate Middleton's First Baby), it may not be long now until we get an announcement that The Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant. Although some royal couples have apparently struggled with fertility and pregnancy issues (notably the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan and the Wessexes in England), everyone seems fairly certain that William and Kate will produce children at any moment.

The average wait for the other heirs of this generation has been 21 months after the royal wedding, ranging from 17 months in Denmark and Spain to 29 months in Norway.  to deliver at the 21-month-mark, Kate would need to have a baby in January 2013. Since she is clearly not six or seven months pregnant at this time, we can only surmise that the wait will be longer.

However, when Prince William was recently presented by a well-wisher with some baby clothes, he said he would keep it, sparking rumors once again and setting eagle eyes all over the world looking for Kate's potential baby bump.

When an announcement comes, I suspect it will be made on a weekday morning before the couple are scheduled to make a joint public appearance. Also, the announcement is likely to come from Prince Charles' office at Clarence House rather than Buckingham Palace, since Prince William is not the current heir to the throne. finally, I would not be surprised if Kate withdraws from the scene for a few weeks after the announcement in the hopes that the frenzy will die down some before she has to face the public and media again. After all, starting a family is a very personal business, and William has often voiced his desire not to have his family harrassed by prying eyes.

So, if Kate is pregnant now, I would not be surprised by a pre-Christmas announcement. In the meantime, here is some ITN footage from the day Princess Diana's first pregnancy was announced to the world.