Royal wedding planner. Traditions of different countries
Today, everyone has a hypothetical chance for a prince, a white horse, a carriage and half a kingdom. On the occasion of the recent marriage of Swedish Prince Carl Philip and former model Sophia Hellqvist, I propose to recall other girls who were fabulously lucky.
The wedding of Swedish Prince Carl Philip and ex-model Sofia Hellqvist took place on June 13, 2015. The 36-year-old prince is the second child and only son of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. From birth he was crown prince, but a constitutional reform that came into force in 1980 changed the order of succession to the throne in accordance with the principle of absolute primogeniture. He is currently third in line to the throne behind his sister Victoria and niece, Princess Estelle. The young royal wife is 30 years old, and there is not a drop of blue blood in her. Hellqvist grew up in a middle-class family in the small Swedish town of Elvdalen. In 2005, she moved to New York, where she studied accounting and worked as a yoga teacher and waitress. She starred in the Swedish reality show Paradise Hotel in 2005, in which the participants are trying not to fly out of the luxurious resort where they were placed. In her past, there is also a topless photo session with a boa constrictor for the men's magazine Slitz. Fans dubbed her Miss Slitz 2004. "Before she became the princess of Sweden, it was her only title," ironically British newspaper.
1. Carl Philip and Sofia, 2015
In 2002, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands was ringed by his girlfriend Maxime Sorregueta. The prince was then 34 years old. The heir to the Dutch throne is a Protestant. His wife, who received the status of a princess after marriage, was 30 years old. Maxima is from Argentina, she is an economist by education and a Catholic by religion. The bride's parents did not attend the celebrations in Amsterdam - they watched the ceremony on television at their home in Argentina. The Dutch authorities insisted that Princess Maxima's father, Jorge Zorreguieta, not come to the wedding because he was Argentine Minister of Agriculture for two years during the dictatorship of General Jorge Videla, whose regime is accused of serious violations of human rights.
2. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Maxima Sorreguiet, 2002
In 2004, 38-year-old Prince Felipe (now King of Spain) married 31-year-old television journalist Leticia Ortiz. The newly-born princess became the first contender in history for the royal throne of a country that does not belong to blue-blooded persons. Before that, Letizia was already married. But since the first marriage was civil, the Catholic Church of Spain did not object to the royal marriage.
3. Leticia Ortiz, 2003
Belgian Prince Amedeo, 29, married Italian journalist Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein in 2014. The wedding was played on July 5 in Rome in the homeland of the bride, a representative of one of the richest and most influential families in the country. Before that, the Belgian and the Italian met for seven years. Prince Amedeo is sixth in line for the Belgian throne. Elisabetta, 26, is a Bloomberg News columnist and the only daughter of Italian nobleman Ettore Rosboch von Wolkenstein and Countess Lilia de Smecchia. Both the girl's father and mother work in the film industry, both are film producers.
4. Elisabetta Maria Rosboh, 2015
The king of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, considered the youngest monarch in the world, chose a girl from a family of humble origin (her father is an airplane pilot) as his life partner. The wife of the king was a student Jetsun Pema. The marriage ceremony of the 31-year-old king and his 21-year-old lover took place in a Buddhist temple and was held according to ancient customs: Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck put a crown on his bride, thus declaring her his wife and queen of Bhutan.
5. Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema, 2011
British Prince William and his chosen one Kate Middleton announced their engagement in the fall of 2010, after ten years of relationship, breakups and reconciliations. The couple met while studying at St. Andrews University. Their marriage on April 29, 2011 was called the wedding of the decade: for the first time, a simple girl from a completely non-aristocratic (albeit very wealthy) family appeared in the British royal family. Both were then 29 years old. In 1987, the Middletons founded the mail order company Party Pieces, which successfully developed in the British market and made them millionaires. But this did not make their blood blue, and therefore the fact that the eldest daughter became related to the Windsors, even now, when Kate and William have a son and daughter, does not cease to amaze. Kate did everything to match the new status, significantly adjusting her image and assimilating appropriate manners. The Duchess of Cambridge has gone far from the translucent dresses of her youth, now she is a recognized style icon and, of course, a role model.
6. Kate Middleton, 2005
Prince Albert II of Monaco married South African athlete Charlene Witstock. Even the scandal that broke out shortly before the celebration did not prevent the wedding from taking place: rumors spread around Monaco that Charlene had allegedly changed her mind about getting married. But the rumors remained rumors, and on July 1, 2011, the marriage was registered, and the next day the couple went to church for the wedding. On December 10, 2014, Princess Charlene gave birth to twins: a boy and a girl.
7. Charlene Witstock, 2011
Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Australian teacher Mary Elizabeth Donaldson married in 2004. She was 32, he was 35. Prince Frederik met his chosen one in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics. Then, according to Mary Donaldson herself, she did not know that she had met the Danish prince. The Crown Princess of Denmark was born on the island of Tasmania in the family of a professor of mathematics. In order to marry a member of the Danish royal family, she had to renounce her Australian and British citizenship, become Lutheran and learn Danish. She is the first Australian to enter the ruling royal family of the Old World.
8. Prince Frederick and Mary Elizabeth Donaldson
When the crown prince of Brunei married 17-year-old commoner Sarah Saleh in 2004, Asia called it the wedding of the century. Al-Muhtadi Bill Bolkiah was then 30 years old. After the wedding, the newlyweds swept through the capital in a golden Rolls-Royce, and guests followed them in 100 limousines. The wedding, by Brunei standards, was modest: the father-sultan, not quite happy with the choice of his son, regretted the money for a magnificent celebration.
9. Al-Muhtadi Billa Bolkiah and Sarah Saleh
The third son of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Henri Prince Louis, married a simple soldier Tessy Anthony in 2006, renouncing his rights to the throne. Both were then 20 years old. The prince's parents fully approved of their son's decision. Louis and Tessie were the first of all children to give the royal couple a grandson.
10. Prince Louis and Tessie Anthony
19.02.2016
Where do princes still live and what does it feel like to be the heir to the throne these days?
Prince of Brunei
The Prince and his wife Sara Salleh
The Crown Prince of Brunei, Al-Muhtadi Billa Bolkiah, has been a minion of fortune since birth. He was lucky to be born first in large family one of the richest people peace in a country where absolute monarchy is still preserved. He has 11 siblings born from four marriages of Sultan Bolkiah's father. His parents are cousins and brothers. And if the monarch managed to divorce his second and third wives, depriving them of palace privileges, then the first and main wife-relative Saleh is always with him.
The study of their first-born was long and thorough: his royal majesty graduated from the universities in Brunei and Oxford, additionally studied the Koran and the basics of diplomacy. Al-Muhtadi is not a secular person and does not enjoy the increased attention of the paparazzi, but is engaged in business: he heads the cabinet of ministers of Brunei. In 2004, photos from the prince's luxurious wedding with a 17-year-old commoner named Sarah flew around the world. Princes, kings and sultans of neighboring states came to the celebration.
The prince was 30 years old at the time of the wedding. Since then, the family has had three children. The Crown Prince of Brunei owns a collection of sports cars from around the world and enjoys swimming, football and billiards. His father will soon be 70 years old, and the day is not far off when Al-Muhtadi will become a sultan and move to the Istana Nurul Iman palace, built of pure gold and marble, which has 1778 rooms and 200,000 m² - and this, by the way, is a world record.
Prince of Dubai
Resembling Disney's Aladdin, the 33-year-old crown prince of the emirate of Dubai is fabulously rich and is among the tops of the most enviable suitors on the planet. He bears the pompous name of Hamdan ibn Mohammed al-Maktoum and the titles of Sheikh, His Excellency and His Highness, but at the same time he is far from official. The prince is fond of extreme sports, writes poems about his homeland, leads Instagram - more than 3 million users have subscribed to his page filled with selfies, children, animals and beautiful landscapes. Hamdan was declared crown prince only in 2008, and his elder brother Rashid, who had been trained for power since childhood, was forced to abdicate. This sudden reshuffle was only recently explained by WikiLeaks publications: it was reported that Rashid killed one of the assistants in the emir's palace, after which the enraged sheikh revised the order of succession.
Hamdan received an excellent education and is very well prepared for his future role as head of state. First, he graduated from the Dubai Government School, then the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, where the heirs to the British throne Harry and William studied and where Arab sheikhs traditionally send their children, followed by the London School of Economics. Today, Hamdan holds several key positions at once: he heads an investment fund, a university named after him, the Young Entrepreneurs Support League, the Sports Committee and the Dubai Autism Research Center. His fortune, according to Forbes magazine, was $18 billion in 2011.
Prince of Jordan
In 2012, Guillaume, unfortunately for many women, married Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, a representative of an ancient Belgian aristocratic family. The couple have a common titled ancestor, both love music and sports. The prince can play the piano and guitar, the princess can play the violin. In the past, Guillaume sang in a children's choir and even was in a school rock band at Alpin Beausoleil College in Switzerland.
The Crown Prince has been heading the Economic Development Council for 15 years, has visited Russia, the United States, Canada, South Korea and other countries, and has been a member of the State Council for ten years. But his main task now is to give his father and the whole of Luxembourg an heir: the newlyweds still have not got children.
Prince of Liechtenstein
Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and his wife Sofia
The tiny European state of Liechtenstein still maintains a constitutional monarchy. Although Prince Hans-Adam II is in power, state affairs have been managed since 2004 by his eldest son, 47-year-old Crown Prince Alois Philipp Maria, also known as Count Rietberg.
Alois spent his childhood in Vaduz Castle with his brothers and sisters: Maximilian, Konstantin and Tatiana. After studying at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, he served for six months in Hong Kong and London. After graduating from the law department of the University of Salzburg, he managed to work in an audit company in London, until the pope-prince called him and placed all state affairs on his shoulders - he appointed him regent.
The prince has an exemplary family: three sons and a daughter, as well as a beautiful wife Sofia from an aristocratic family - a descendant of the last king of Bavaria, Louis III. In politics, Alois also advocates having many children: when the question arose of legalizing abortion, the prince threatened to veto it, and the activists lost. Today, abortion is still banned in Liechtenstein and the population is only growing - thanks in large part to the prince, almost 37,000 people live in a dwarf state.
Every year on August 15, Alois and his family organize an open day in the family castle and treat all guests with drinks and delicacies.
Prince of Denmark
Prince Frederick and his wife Mary Donaldson
About the 47-year-old Danish prince Frederik, a modern version of the fairy tale "Cinderella" could be shot. He married a simple teacher from Australia, whom he met in 2000 in a pub in Sydney, where he came to the Olympics. According to legend, Frederick, who was then 28 years old, did not introduce himself to the girl as a prince, but for some time met with her incognito. Mary Donaldson, the daughter of emigrants from Scotland, moved to Europe a year after they met and married the crown prince in 2004. True, for this she had to renounce Australian citizenship, accept Lutheranism and learn Danish. Now the happy couple has four children: two boys and two girls.
Frederick is the eldest son of Queen Margrethe II, she is 75 years old, and for the sake of her accession to the throne in Denmark, the law on succession to the throne was changed: three girls and no boys were born in the family of her father Frederick IX. Her son Frederik studied at Harvard University, interned at the UN in New York, received a Ph.D. in political science from Aarhus University and has made a career in all branches of the military: he is a Rear Admiral of the Navy, Major General of the Army and Air Force.
While serving in an elite unit navy he got the nickname Penguin (Pingo) because of a funny incident: his diving suit swelled up and did not allow Frederick to dive, instead he glided over the surface of the water like a penguin.
The prince also took part in the Sirius 2000 polar expedition, and now acts as regent when the mother queen travels abroad.
Prince of Norway
The Prince of Norway, 42-year-old Haakon, has a sister, Martha Louise, who is two years older than him. Haakon was fortunate to have been born before the law of male supremacy in succession to the crown was repealed. Martha Louise herself is a strange person, she writes books about angels and runs the Center for the Education of Alternative Medicine. Once she shocked the public by declaring her paranormal abilities- in particular, that he hears angels. Unlike her, Haakon is a person with no special features. As a child, he went to the usual kindergarten, then graduated high school and Christian High School. Its universities are the Naval Preparatory School in Stavanger, the Naval Academy in Horten, the University of California and the University of Oslo. Now the prince serves in the Norwegian Foreign Ministry.
Haakon is married. In 2001, the tabloids discussed Haakon's scandalous marriage for a long time: he married a single mother, Mette-Marit, who, when they met, worked as a waitress and raised her four-year-old son Marius (the boy's father was in prison for possession of drugs). All relatives, of course, were against this marriage, but Haakon acted decisively: he adopted a child (however, Marius does not participate in the succession to the throne) and married a commoner. They had two more children: the firstborn is the daughter of Ingrid Alexandra, it is she who will inherit the crown from the pope, leaving her with a nose younger brother Sverre Magnus. Together with their children, the spouses relax in ski resorts, ride a yacht and radiate happiness in family photographs.
However, in some countries, the monarchy has been preserved, which means that there are also princes. We offer a closer look at some of them and find out what it is like to be the heir to the throne in our time.
Prince of Wales cue
Perhaps one of the most famous heirs to the throne in the world is Prince Harry. All aristocratic Europe sighs for the red-haired bachelor, and not aristocratic too.
The Prince of Wales has been promoted to captain in the Air Corps, made a documentary on African orphans, and set a world record for the largest brokerage deal (all proceeds went to charity, of course).
But it should be noted that princes also cry and make mistakes: behind Harry's college, graduated with a deuce in geography, several alcohol-related scandals, and a broken heart.
Chelsea Davey, whom the prince proposed to, refused him with the words "this life is not for me." Well, princes are people like everyone else.
Prince of Brunei
Unlike many other blue-blooded persons, Prince Al-Muhtadi really does business: after graduating from Oxford, he headed the cabinet of ministers of Brunei.
Among his hobbies are billiards and collecting sports cars. When Al-Muhtadi becomes Sultan, this palace of pure gold and marble will be his residence.
The prince is fond of car racing and fine art photography. He participated in the creation of several films for National Geographic and mastered the 90 km marathon.
The wife of Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, before becoming august, worked as a model, yoga instructor and even a waitress. Now the happy family is waiting for replenishment.
Prince of Jordan
Prince of Denmark
Hamdan ibn Mohammed al-Maktoum, in addition to his fabulous fortune, has an excellent education and interesting hobbies: writes poetry and goes in for extreme sports.
Somehow he still has time to run Instagram, which has more than 3 million followers.
The luxurious wedding of the future Sultan of Brunei, Prince Abdul Malik, with his fiancee, 22-year-old programmer Dayangku Raabiatul Adavia Pengiran Haji Bolkiah, eclipsed even the wedding of the Crown Prince of the British throne, which, compared to this one, could be called very modest. The prince of Brunei and his chosen one were dressed in wedding dresses embroidered with real gold, and the bride's bouquet was made of precious stones.
Prince Abdul Malik is the youngest of the four sons of the reigning Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and second in line to the throne after his father. The wedding ceremony took place 11 days after the engagement.
The bride's shoes by Christian Louboutin are decorated with diamonds and gold.
The bride's wedding necklace and tiara are adorned with diamonds and huge emeralds the size of grapes. According to local traditions, the bride must wear something borrowed. In this case, these were the mother-in-law's jewelry - a diamond tiara, a necklace and a brooch. A fairy tale wedding you can only dream of.
The solemn wedding ceremony took place in the Sultan's palace in the capital of Brunei, in Bandar Seri Begawan. Istana Nurul Imam Palace - the residence of the Sultan - has 1788 rooms.
The Sultan of Brunei, the groom's father and fuel magnate, is one of the richest men in the world. His fortune is estimated at 20-80 billion dollars. Hassanal Bolkiah has been ruling his country since 1967.
The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, has five sons and seven daughters from three marriages. Prince Abdul Malik is second in line to the Brunei throne. The first son, Crown Prince Al-Muhtadi Bill of Brunei, married over 10 years ago.
During the wedding ceremony.
Brunei, a 400,000-strong British colony on the northwestern coast of Borneo, is an absolute monarchy (sultanate). In Brunei, which is ruled by the 68-year-old sultan, he is both the head of state and the head of government, and the minister of national defense, and the minister of finance.
Prince Abdul Malik with his father, the Sultan of Brunei. Members of the royal family have often been criticized for being too extravagant in their lifestyle. The Telegraph recalled that in 1996, Michael Jackson was supposed to receive £10 million for a concert in honor of the 50th birthday of the Sultan. However, dissatisfaction with the state system in the country is small, which is a consequence of the high standard of living of its citizens, as well as free education and healthcare.
Brunei is a country whose official religion is Islam. Last year, after the adoption of Sharia law by the Sultan, which allows the use of punishments such as stoning and flogging, a wave of indignation and discontent rose in the country.
More than two thousand guests gathered for the magnificent and colorful wedding ceremony of 30-year-old Prince Al-Muhtadi Bill Bolkiah and Sarah Saleh. The entire royal family was present, politicians from many countries of the world, including the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore, the presidents of Indonesia and the Philippines, royalty from all over Asia.
A few months ago, Sarah Saleh could not even imagine that she would become a princess. She was the daughter of a middle-ranking civil servant. The girl studied mathematics, biology and chemistry at a secondary school in Brunei and dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. But last year School friend Sarah married a member of the royal house. The girl's husband told the crown prince that his fiancee had a very beautiful girlfriend. The prince became interested. A visit to the school was organized and widely covered in the press. It was then that the prince first saw Sarah. This was followed by private meetings of Al-Muhtadi, a graduate of one of the American universities and a student of the Brunei school.
At the wedding, the groom was girded with a sash with a dagger stuck behind him, and a golden crown flaunted on his head. By the way, according to local traditions, the splendor of the costumes does not depend much on the status of the newlyweds: even when not princes, but "common people" marry, their costumes and chairs, on which the young people sit during the ceremony, imitate royal ones. To the real - not imitated - golden throne under the canopy, where the bride was sitting, the prince was led by his father, the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah. Then the wedding ceremony itself began.
During the wedding, the newlyweds are given the traditional "make-up": the groom is painted with a mustache to look more masculine, and lips are painted. Young people drink water from vessels where rose petals float, their faces are smeared with honey, their heads are sprinkled with rice and wish happy life and wealth.
Nevertheless, observers believe that the wedding, according to Brunei concepts, was modest, since the Sultan, who was once the richest man in the world, released "too little" funds for her due to the fact that his brother recently lost 16 in unsuccessful financial transactions billion dollars.
