Ranking of European royal officials

In Europe, there are 10 other monarchs who serve as heads of state: Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Albert II of Belgium, and King Carl XVI Gu of Sweden. Staff, King Harald V of Norway, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, Grand Duke Albert of Monaco, Grand Duke Henry of Luxembourg, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Grand Duke Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein.

Some of these monarchs have been in office for decades and have experienced the ups and downs of the country together with the people, so they are deeply loved by the people. The Queen of England has worn the crown for 53 years, the Queen of Denmark has reigned for 33 years, and the King of Sweden has held the scepter for 32 years. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the King of Spain’s accession to the throne and the 25th anniversary of the Queen of the Netherlands’ accession to the throne. Of course, although some kings have not been on the throne for a long time, they have gained a lot of popularity because they abide by their duties as monarchs, such as the Grand Duke of Liechtenstein who ascended the throne in 1989, the King of Norway who ascended the throne in 1991, and the King of Belgium who ascended the throne in 1993 .

In contrast, the King of Luxembourg, who has only reigned for five years, and the Grand Duke of Monaco, who came to power in a hurry this year, seem to have a lower reputation than those elders. These two, like the descendants of royal families in the above countries, have attracted the attention of the public since the day they were born. Therefore, it is not surprising that gossip news similar to those of entertainment stars is spread.

On June 22, 2002, the day before Luxembourg’s National Day, the front page of “Belgian Soirée” was filled with the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg’s complaints about her mother-in-law. Maria Delesa Mestre, born in Havana in 1956, was the daughter of a wealthy Cuban businessman in exile in Switzerland. In February 1981, she married Henry, who was still the Crown Prince of Luxembourg at the time. She revealed to local media at a private party on June 10, 2002, that her mother-in-law, Josephine Charlotte, was trying to disrupt her marriage to Archduke Henry. Although the royal family has its own difficult scriptures like ordinary families, if it is difficult to "regulate the family", it seems even more difficult to "govern the country" and "pacify the world."

Prince Albert of Monaco is a news item himself. Albert, born on March 14, 1958, is the eldest son of Rainier III. He has received systematic training in government affairs and diplomatic etiquette since the age of 35, understands the operation of national institutions, and participates in the management of national affairs. In a 2004 poll, he received the support of 92% of Monegasques. A royal official said: "He is very talented and will become an excellent monarch like his father."

But it is undeniable that Albert's playboy image is also deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Albert, who remained unmarried until the age of 47, was rumored to be gay. He denied this. After all, he has been in love with supermodel Claudia Schiffer and others. The reason why he is single is because he does not want to get married yet. But his scandals never stopped. In addition to the Togolese stewardess mentioned at the beginning of the article, a California woman named Tamara Rotolo also claimed to have given birth to an illegitimate daughter for Prince Albert.

In addition, the United States' "New York Daily News" recently revealed that in order to fulfill his father's last wish, Albert plans to find a European royal princess or a beautiful woman from European and American high society to get engaged before the end of 2005. The Monaco royal family has given birth to at least two male heirs. American high society beauties on the list of "princess candidates" include socialites Elizabeth Koch, Cornelia Guest, Hearst media empire heiress Amanda Hearst and others. Even Lauren Bush, niece of US President Bush, is among them. If none of the beauties on the shortlist were willing, Albert might consider an actress or model.

Whether the rumors about Albert are true or not, the people of Monaco do hope that the new king can get married as soon as possible and open up branches for the royal family. Albert himself was somewhat helpless about this: "I am under a lot of pressure because many people have great expectations of me. I personally believe that getting married and having children and governing the country are two different things and cannot be equated. I want to improve the country There are many other ways to determine the fate of the crown prince."

Marriage determines the fate of the crown prince.

The crown princes of various European countries wonder whether they see their future in the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg and Monaco. When the real power of the royal family is minimal and the symbolic significance is gradually fading in today's world of secularization and civilianization, it is difficult for the crown princes of various countries to make a difference even if they are ambitious and talented. If they are not careful in their words and deeds, small mistakes will become the focus of negative reports. Especially in terms of personal life, it directly affects people's judgment about them. In recent years, the topic that people talk about the most about the royal family is marriage.

The most troublesome thing is the British Crown Prince. Charles's family drama has long been known to the world, and his youngest son, Prince Harry, has also become a hot topic in the media because of his frequent mistakes. Even if Charles and Camilla remarry successfully, the British people still prefer Prince William to directly succeed to the throne. After all, there are too many negative reports about his father. It is hard to imagine how much weight the British royal family has in the hearts of the people without Queen Elizabeth II.

Dutch Crown Prince Venem Alexander also almost gave up the throne due to marital problems. His marriage to an Argentinian woman, Máxima, was strongly opposed by left-wing members of Congress because Máxima's father served as agriculture minister in the Argentine military government, which massacred thousands of political opponents.

The crown prince once said, "If the opposition is too strong, I can give up the throne." The two finally got married in 2002, but gave Congress an excuse to depose the crown prince.

Of course, a "princess" with questionable qualifications may not necessarily embarrass the crown prince. On August 25, 2001, the wedding of Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and Mette Matmari was held. People called the marriage a miracle. Because Matt Mary was a waitress in a restaurant and an unmarried mother. The father of her 4-year-old child was an "addict" and was sentenced to prison for drug trafficking. These "stains" of Matmary once made Norwegians worry that she would tarnish the noble and elegant image of the Norwegian Princess, but she gained people's understanding and respect with her sincerity and actions. The road to the throne was not blocked.

Spanish Crown Prince Felipe also encountered similar problems, but he made a rational choice between the throne and love. Crown Prince Felipe, who is 1.97 meters tall and loves skiing and sailing, is known as "Europe's most avant-garde prince." His ex-girlfriend Eva is an underwear model who "comes from a poor background and has no education." His mother, Queen Sofia, is firmly opposed to this. Felipe eventually married TV reporter and host Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano.

In addition, there are also many crown princes who abide by their duties and take every step firmly.

The marriage of Belgian Crown Prince Philip made the people very happy. Due to the complicated ethnic opposition between the Dutch-speaking residents of the north and the French-speaking residents of the south, previous princesses were selected from foreign countries such as France, Sweden and Italy. In 1999, the crown prince met Belgian girl Mathilde, a speech correction expert, who became the first native-born princess since Belgium's independence in 1830.

Sweden is the first country in Europe to adopt the primogeniture system. After changes to the constitution in 1980, Prince Carl Philip, who was still an infant at the time, lost his right to the throne and his sister Victoria became crown prince. Princess Victoria is young, beautiful and very independent. She studied in France and the United States, carried out many official jobs, and followed up her studies in many companies in Sweden. It can be said that everything Victoria did was to prepare for taking over as queen in the future.

Crown Prince Alois of Liechtenstein has the most satisfactory marriage, and the king was willing to hand over all powers to manage the country to Crown Prince Alois last year. Princess Sophie was born into a princely family, her great ancestor was Ludwig III, the last king of Bavaria. Before marrying the crown prince, Sophie's full name was "Sophie Duchess of Bavaria" and people called her "Her Royal Highness." His parents were Duke Max Emmanuel and Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria.

It can be seen that today, as the royal family members become celebrities, the crown princes who do not need to personally govern the country in the future will follow the principle of "not seeking merit, but seeking no faults", especially in marriage, to give the people a With a reasonable explanation, it seems that you can successfully wear the crown.

Written by Kim Ji (reporter)