Bright Young Royals

They're coming of age: new generations of Europe's reigning clans. T&C takes a look at some who were born to wear the crown in the family--and some who weren't. By Anthony Gardner

Like Sleeping Beauty's castle after its mistress's century-long slumber party, many of Europe's monarchies seem overdue for refurbishment. Though established sovereigns such as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II still command great respect, they are often felt to be out of touch with the modern life and, at the same time, diminished by it. Marital scandals have tainted their families' images, as have public gripes about their finances. Meanwhile, some of the older heirs to European thrones, who once seemed glamorous and full of hope for the future, have begun to appear frustrated and sidelined in middle age.

Luckily, new generations of young royalty are coming to the fore. These are not simply fresh faces: they are standard-bearers for the new millennium, who, having grown up in an increasingly informal and media-driven age and seen the toll it's taken on their parents and elder family members, are in a far better position to cope with it. The real question is whether they will: whether they have the character and strength to do their duty--and live their lives--in wasy that suit their countries, their times and themselves. "Being a young royal in 2003 is not a hazard-free occupation," says John Kennedy, publisher and editor of the Almanach de Gotha, the definitive directory of European nobility. "On one side, there's unbridled sycophancy, and on the other there's unrestrained and often unfair criticism. It's a miracle they don't all go off the rails."

Plenty of them, though, have given their families a fright: Crown Princes Felipe of Spain and Frederik of Denmark in particular have caused consternation by dating lingerie models. As in Sleeping Beauty's day, a successful match is still seen as vital to the popularity of a monarch and to the security of his or her family--but this is just one factor that makes the following eight young royals so intriguing.



Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Born: July 14, 1977
Age: 25
Enjoys: Skiing at Storlien, the small resort where her family keeps a chalet.

Succession status: Eldest of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia's three children, and heir to the throne. Her younger brother, Carl Philip, who traditionally would have inherited under rules of primogeniture, lost out when the law of succession was changed just after his birth to allow age to take precedence over sex.

Descended from: Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, one of Napoleon's marshals, who was invited to succeed the childless King Charles XIII in 1810 and whose surname the royal family still bears. The present king and queen met in 1972 at the Munich Olympic Games, where she was working as a chief hostess for hte organizing committee.

Principal residence: Drottningholm, her parents' magnificent Baroque palace outside Stockholm--though she also has her own flat in the old part of the city.

Character: Has grown in confidence after a difficult childhood and adolescence. "There were some people who really tried to use her friendship," explains Swedish royal correspondent Bengt Falkkloo, "and I think she saw through that and was really disappointed in them." Much respected for her openness--she recently admitted to being dyslexic--and her newfound ability to laugh things off. Has said she finds her life fascinating, but added, "There are times when you wish you were somewhere else--and someone else."

Life so far: Educated in Sweden and in France, then took course at Yale (history and political science). Has been intensively groomed for the role of queen, with stints as a trainee at the UN and at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, DC; also worked with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. Attends meetings of the Swedish cabinet.

Likes to wear: Hats by New York designer Eric Javits.

Likes to date: Current boyfriend Daniel Westling is gym owner. Previous admirers include Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Daniel Collert, the son of a Swedish banker.

Expected to inherit: A large portion of the family's estimated $20 million fortune.

Where to see this summer: The family's holiday hideaway, Solliden castle, on Oland Island, off the southern coast of Sweden.



Princess Madeleine of Sweden
Born: June 10, 1982
Age: 21
Enjoys: Riding (she competes in show-jumping tournaments under a pseudonym).

Succession status: Third in line to the throne, behind her sister, Victoria, and brother, Carl Philip.

Principal residence: Drottningholm Palace.

Looks: Blonde, blue-eyed and dazzlingly beautiful.

Character: Though known as the "Party Princess," she claims that reports of her nightclubbing till five in the morning are exaggerated--and who are we to disbelieve her? "The family's advisors are trying to get her to calm down a bit," says Magnus Alselind of the Swedish newspaper Expressen, "but she's obviously not worried about it. She turned up at the Nobel Prize dinner, for example, in a very low-cut outfit."

Life so far: Educated in Stockholm. Moved briefly to London to continue her studies, but returned home, complaining of incessant attention from the paparazzi. Recently began courses in architecture and art history at Stockholm University. Has been accompanied by bodyguards--though she would rather do without them--since police uncovered a plot by an Eastern European gang to kidnap her last fall.

Likes to wear: Stylish, somewhat bohemian clothes from the Filippa K store in Stockholm.

Likes to date: Wealthy young compatriots.

The future: Since she and Britain's Prince William are almost identical in age (and extremely good-looking), ardent royal watchers have hoped that they might eventually marry. But don't hold your breath. Princess Madeleine's only public pronouncement on the subject: "He seems nice--I've never met him."

Where to see this summer: Out on the town with her friends in Stureplan (Stockholm's answer to New York's SoHo).



Prince William of Great Britain
Born: June 21, 1982
Age: 21
Enjoys: Team and country sports, painting, karaoke, computer games; was an enthusiastic actor in school plays.

Succession status: As elder son of the Prince of Wales and the late Princess Diana, he's second in line ot the British throne, but since the queen's reign could last a long time yet, there has been speculation that he might succeed her instead of Prince Charles (something his mother advocated). Whether sooner or later, he will be Britain's first King William since the 1830s.

Descended from: A line of monarchs dating back to William the Conqueror. The family changed its name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor during the First World War to play down unpopular German connections.

Principal residence: London's St. James's Palace, a handsome Tudor building commissioned by Henry VIII, but William, his father and Prince Harry may be moving to Clarence House, the late Queen Mother's former residence next door.

Looks: Tall, fair-haired, with his mother's fine bone structure (among his nicknames: "Dreamboat Willy").

Character: Considered "really cool" by his friends from Eton and the polo set. Although he has a boisterous side, in public he remains guarded; his mother once described him as "a deep thinker," and time has borne this out. "He's levelheaded," says John Kennedy. "My belief is that the adulation probably horrifies him, because he's seen what it can turn into, so he doesn't appear to be as outgoing as he would like to be."

Life so far: Despite the trauma of his mother's death when he was fifteen, William achieved unexpectedly good academic results while at Eton College; also excelled at swimming, polo, and water polo. Has undertaken community work in Chile and tramped through Central American jungles with the British Army. Now studying art history at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland (handy for getting to know the family Raphaels). According to Christopher Andersen, author of Diana's Boys, he and his brother, Harry, have a good relationship with their father's companion, Camilla Parker-Bowles: "A friend said the reason they like her is she's nothing like their mother. She's not a threat at all. She has promised that she will not marry their father without their approval."

Likes to wear: Jeans and sweatshirts at university, but smartens up in a bespoke suit when he needs to. (Not too much of an effort--his thirteenth-birthday present was a valet.)

Likes to date: His one confirmed girlfriend has been Arabella Musgrave, whose father runs the Cirencester Park Polo Club. One account of their breakup has it that she was worried about William's roving eye. He was recently photographed sitting next to Byrony Daniels, the beautiful daughter of a Suffolk landowner, at a student fashion show, though the prince's university friends insist she is merely an acquaintance.

The future: Says he would like to work on environmental issues, but given the number of official engagements likely to fall upon him, this doesn't look like a long-term career.

Expected to inherit: The lion's share of the monarchy's $400 million fortune.

Where to see this summer: Highgrove, his father's Gloucestershire estate, or Balmoral, his grandmother's castle in Scotland.



Prince Harry of Great Britain
Born: September 15, 1984
Age: 18
Enjoys: A mix of posh and popular sports, including polo, soccer, golf and pool.

Succession status: William's younger brother; third in line to the throne.

Looks: Ginger-haired, with a mischievous grin.

Character: Naughty but nice. Despite his reputation as a hell-raiser, a family friend insists that he is "slightly quieter and gentler" than his brother: "Of course, he is into rough-and-tumble like any adolescent, but he has moments when he goes completely quiet. You know not to disturb him."

Life so far: Said to have been even harder hit than William by their mother's death. Reports last year that he had consumed alcohol at a pub, and even smoked a joint, caused alarm in the press, but Harry has said, "That was a mistake, and I learned my lesson." Known at Eton College, which he leaves this year, as an accomplished sportsman and a hard worker.

Likes to wear: T-shirts, baseball caps, cargo pants.

Likes to date: No preferences have yet emerged, but Tatler magazine named him the most datable man in Britain (William, at school in Scotland, didn't meet the magazine's criterion of a London base).

The future: Uncertain, though university and the armed forces are both possibilities. In an interview on his eighteenth birthday, he declared his determination to honor his mother's memory by embracing good causes: "I want to carry on the things she didn't quite finish."

Expected to inherit: A large portion of his mother's estate.

Where to see this summer: Alongside William, in the country.



Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
Born: May 26, 1968
Age: 35
Enjoys: Fast cars and extreme sports (marathon running, parachuting, dog-sledding).

Succession status: Eldest son of Queen Margrethe II and her French husband, Prince Henrik; heir to the throne.

Descended from: The Vikings. Denmark boasts one of the oldest royal houses in Europe (with one of the longest names: Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg).

Principal residence: Amalienborg, a complex of four almost-identical Rococo palaces in Copenhagen, which the family has inhabited since 1794.

Looks: Dark, hunky, handsome.

Character: Intelligent, perceptive, and very stubborn with a pinch of Hamlet thrown in.

Life so far: After school in Denmark and France, Frederik broke with family tradition by graduating from college, Denmark's University of Århus (which scheduled a year at Harvard), thus becoming the country's first genuine student-prince. Following that, he joined the military; his service included a stint with the elite Naval Frogman Corps, and he now ranks as a commander in the navy and a major in the army and air force. Popular and skilled at many sports (including horseback riding, tennis, diving and sailing), but criticised for his failure to settle down and marry. "I will not shut myself away in a castle," he has said. "I will be myself." Nicknamed the "Turbo Prince" for his impressive collection of speeding tickets."

Likes to wear: His Frogman Corps T-shirt, with the slogan "Pain Is Only Weakness Leaving the Body."

Likes to date: So far, Frederik's dates have included a lingerie model and a pop singer--though current Australian girlfriend Mary Donaldson is a former real-estate agent.

The future: "Initially the idea of being king was something big and scary," he once told an interviewer. "I felt as if a blanket had been thrown over me, something that limited my opportunities and my desire to explore the world." If all else fails, he can always run a vineyard: he has studied winemaking with Robert Mondavi in California, and his family owns a wine-producing château in France.

Expected to inherit: $15 million.

Where to see this summer: Cahors, in southern France (the family's Château de Caïx is nearby).



Crown Prince Felipe of Spain
Born: January 30, 1968
Age: 35
Enjoys: Speed, gadgets, astronomy, sailing (represented Spain at 1992's Summer Olympics).

Succession status: Heir to the throne as the only son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia (Prince Felipe has two older sisters).

Descended from: On his father's side, the first Bourbon monarch of Spain, Philip V (1700-1746). On his mother's, George I, King of the Hellenes (1863-1913); her brother Constantine II, now living in London, was the last Greek king (1964-1967).

Principal residence: The eleven-bedroom, nine-bathroom palace he just had built outside Madrid, on the grounds of his parents' Zarzuela Palace.

Looks: Dark, handsome and extremely tall (six foot six).

Character: Serious, obstinate but very popular.

Life so far: Educated in Spain, Canada, and the United States (at Georgetown University). Trained with all three of the services and has been spending an increasing amount of time with them, taking part in exercises as an officer in the army and air force and lieutenant commander in the navy. Gradually taking over some of this father's royal duties.

Likes to wear: A sober suit.

Likes to date: Intelligent, beautiful women, irrespective of their backgrounds. Recently broke up with Norwegian Eva Sannum, who horrified traditionalists by being nonroyal, a lingerie model and--worse still--a Protestant. Felipe is purported to have had furious rows with his father over her, and some believe that the relationship is continuing in secret. "The heir cannot succeed if his parents do not approve of his marriage," explains Geoffrey Hindley, author of The Royal Families of Europe, "and I can't see the king and queen approving a non-Catholic."

The future: For a monarchy restored only in 1975, the question of succession is crucial, and Felipe's lack of a wife is hotly debated in tapas bars throughout the land.

Where to see this summer: Barcelona and Mallorca, where he hangs out with is sailing friends.



Andrea Casiraghi
Born: June 8, 1984
Age: 19
Enjoys: Riding, swimming, soccer and skiing (at St. Mortiz and Zurs, Austria); also likes to play the guitar.

Succession status: Eldest of Princess Caroline of Monaco's three children; third in line to the throne after Prince Albert (his uncle) and Caroline.

Descended from: François Grimaldi, a member of a leading Genoese family who seized the fortress of Monaco in 1297 after sneaking in disguised as a monk. And, more famously, his grandmother Grace Kelly.

Principal residence: His mother's mansion near Paris (formerly the property of Karl Lagerfeld, a close friend of the family).

Looks: With his long, fair hair and delicate features, plus his lineage, wealth, and allure of a tragic past, it is not surprising that People magazine has named Andrea one of the fifty most beautiful people in the world.

Character: Described by Monegasque journalist and Grimaldi watcher Zara Rivera as a "Sensitive and introverted" young man who would rather spend time reading than going out.

Life so far: Andrea was only six when his father, Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi, was killed in a speed boating accident, and the loss affected him deeply--he is said to model his appearance on his father's photographs. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Princess Caroline took her children to Provence, away from the public gaze they would have been subjected to in Monaco; when she married Prince Ernst August of Hanover 1999, the family moved to the environs of Paris. Andrea recently finished high school and is expected to go to university later this year.

Likes to wear: Puka beads and Swatch watches.

The future: Has no royal title at present, but may one day be ruler of Monaco if Prince Albert remains childless.

Expected to inherit: A large share of the Casiraghi industrial fortune, plus--if he succeeds to the throne--a share of Monaco's 480 acres and a large stake in the Monte Carlo Casino.

Where to see this summer: Monte Carlo, at his mother's seafront house or his grandfather's palace--though he might stop by his stepfather's castle in Germany, villa in Austria or estate in Kenya, if he fancies it.



Charlotte Casiraghi
Born: August 3, 1986
Age: 16
Enjoys: Swimming, skiing, and above all, riding (she's a serious show-jumping competitor).

Succession status: Fifth in line to the throne of Monaco, behind her brothers, Andrea and Pierre.

Looks: Slim and gorgeous, with blue eyes and brown hair, she is already being hailed by overexcited fashion writers as the inheritor of her grandmother Princess Grace's beauty and style, though she more closely resembles her mother.

Character: Competitive, hardworking and popular.

Life so far: Princess Caroline asked that her children not be given royal titles and likes to believe that they have had a normal upbringing. "I raise them as Casiraghis," she has said. "Just because their father is a reigning prince does not mean they are rich royals or even Grimaldis." Forget it, says Zara Rivera: "There is no question that Charlotte epitomizes the idea of a jet-set girl, even at the age of sixteen." Still in high school near Paris, but has begun to accompany her mother on official engagements in Monte Carlo.

Likes to wear: Chanel, Versace, Donna Karan, Christian Dior.

Likes to date: Too soon to say, though Hubertus Herring-Frankensdorf, a wealthy Austrian she met through her brother Andrea, is on everybody's lips.

The future: The world is about to be her oyster.

Expected to inherit: An unknown share of the Grimaldi and Casiraghi fortunes (as she was given a $7 million Mediterranean island by her Casiraghi grandparents for her fifth birthday, we can assume she won't do too badly).

Where to see this summer: Monaco (she seldom misses the Grand Prix), St.-Tropez and the Italian island of Ponza.



Town & Country June 2003 pp 94-101. By Anthony Gardner