Welcome to the second-last instalment of Musings on Monarchy! My last instalment will be in May after the Coronation, and then all of my royal news thoughts will be solely in my substack newsletter- you can find that here to subscribe. (My twice-monthly substack also features book previews, period drama reviews, recommendations, favourite links, and exclusive history posts!) As one might expect, most of the royal news these days is regarding the Coronation. With only the Brits left with a coronation, it makes sense that it is a big event for all royals. Without any dallying, onto Musings on Monarchy: April 2023!
Musings on Monarchy: April 2023
Crown Princess Mary Heads Home to Australia
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark returned home to Australia for her first official trip in a decade. While she has obviously returned to Australia in a personal capacity several times since moving to Denmark to marry Crown Prince Frederik, it seems rather crazy that she has not officially returned in ten years. She started her trip in Fiji to visit communities affected by cyclones in 2020; she also met with different groups to discuss the effects of climate change in Fiji. Given that she also visited Milan for Milan Design Week and discussed sustainability in Danish design, sustainability/climate change has absolutely become a priority for her public career.
While in Sydney, Mary took to the streets on a bike to learn more about alternative transportation in the city and spoke with city officials on using the Copenhagen model of bicycle infrastructure. I will admit, I don’t know that these modern connections of “this royal happens to be from here” will be lasting; pre-Mary, I don’t know that there were any significant connections between Australia and Denmark, and I don’t know that there will be long-term. However, I do think that for a lot of the issues raised during these trips and visits, any publicity helps.
The Dutch Royal Family Celebrates Koningsdag
The Dutch Royal Family took to the streets in Rotterdam on 27 April to celebrate the tenth anniversary of King Willem-Alexander’s ascension. Willem-Alexander took the throne after his mother (now Princess Beatrice) abdicated, and he and his wife, Máxima, have really grown into their roles. The Dutch Royal Family have lost some popularity points since the start of the pandemic; in 2020, they chose to take a trip in the summer to Greece when much of the Netherlands was still in lockdown and have had various missteps since. (As a point of reference, prior to Covid the Dutch monarchy held a popularity rating of 74%, which has now dropped to 55%.)
The Princess of Orange, Princess Amalia, attended Koningsdag with her parents, and I think that this was absolutely a smart decision. Amalia went with her parents on her first royal tour in the winter and spent two weeks visiting the different countries in the Dutch Caribbean. Not only did it serve as Amalia’s introduction to royal tours, it also largely introduced her to the wider public both in the Netherlands and in the Caribbean. Amalia chatted with members of the public in the crowd and stopped to take selfies and accept gifts from onlookers. While she does seem to be more introverted, she really shone on the 27th. While I sincerely hope that she is able to have as normal a university career as possible, I think that having her come to public engagements may be a positive for the struggling Dutch monarchy.
More Coronation Guests Announced and a Reception
We have a plethora of Coronation news to choose from but I know that many readers want to hear about more than just the Brits, so I have limited it to just the guest list. We have many confirmed royals for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation, including some crowned monarchs. This is big news, as historically crowned monarchs do not attend the coronations of other monarchs. (Prior to Queen Mary, widows did not even attend their son’s/daughter’s coronations.) However, Charles wants to make this coronation his own, and I think it is an interesting change to make.
So, who is confirmed to be coming? So far, these are the royals we know will be attending either the reception or the actual coronation:
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands
King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, and Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan
King Jigme Khesar and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan
King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida of Thailand
King Tuheitia and Queen Te Atawhai of the Māori
Hilariously, the Belgian Royal Family shared a royal spoiler when they announced in their press release that King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, and Princess Elisabeth would all be attending that they would also be attending the pre-Coronation reception at Buckingham Palace. This is going to be held for all of the attending royals, and I would place money on many tiaras and statement jewels being worn to Buck House. If you want to see my picks/hopes for tiaras, visit here for my favourites!
What are your thoughts on Musings on Monarchy: April 2023?
Cheers,
The Historian
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