The Olympic Games are a special occasion, invariably attended by various figures from royal circles. As royal It is of course great fun to come and cheer on the athletes from your country, but that is not the only reason why they go to the Games. Not only medals are won, but also royal hearts!
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
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On September 16, 2000, the future King of Denmark met his future wife in a packed pub in Sydney. Frederikwho presents himself Mary casually introduced as ‘Fred’, was in Sydney to visit the Olympic Games. The pair were introduced by a friend of Mary’s, but the latter was not immediately impressed by the royal company she found herself in. In fact, for the first 30 minutes of the conversation she had no idea she was talking to a crown prince. For Frederik it was love at first sight, as he said in the book that was published in honor of the prince’s 40th birthday: “As soon as I saw her, I felt that she was a soulmate was.” Cute!
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
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At a party during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, King Carl Gustaf his eyes fell on a beautiful hostess. The hostess, who was there to entertain guests, spoke five languages and went by the name Silvia. A chance meeting that led to a special romance, which lasted for years in secret. A few years later the couple got engaged, and the rest is history. Carl later said: “When I first saw her, something clicked and the click has not stopped since.”
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco
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Speaking of Olympic pairs, the South African swimmer Charlene and prince Albert are perhaps the ultimate example of a love that has blossomed around the Olympics. Their first date happened after Albert saw Charlene swimming. She was 22 at the time. “I was very flattered by his attention,” she said Vogue later. “When he saw me swimming, he asked my management for permission to take me out. We laughed and talked all night.” Because Charlene was still busy with her swimming career at the time, it took another five years before the two found each other again. The couple now have two children and are one of the most famous royal power couples.
Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips
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Princess Annethe only daughter of the late queen Elizabethwas widely praised for her looks, character and typical dry Windsor humor. But where Mark Philips Perhaps most impressive of all was her talent as an equestrian. Princess Anne won several awards and competed in the 1976 Olympics herself. Mark himself had won a gold medal with the British equestrian team at the Munich Games four years earlier. The two became engaged in 1973 and when Mark was asked during the engagement interview if he was nervous about proposing to a princess, his answer was clear: “The fact that the lady is a princess doesn’t matter. When you marry someone it’s a very personal thing and we both feel that it’s completely natural.” The marriage between the two horse lovers ultimately didn’t last, but it wasn’t all for nothing… Zaraone of the couple’s children, won a silver medal as an equestrian at the 2012 Games.
Infanta Cristina van Spanje in Iñaki Urdangarin
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During the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, the daughter of King Juan Carlos madly in love with Iñaki UrdangarinThe Spaniard was at that time the biggest star of the national handball team, with whom he competed three times at the Olympic Games and won two bronze medals. Cristina herself also participated in the Games in 1988, when she competed for the Spanish sailing team. In 1997, Cristina and Iñaki had a glamorous wedding in Barcelona. The two had four children and, against all expectations, the couple is still together. In 2018, Iñaki was sentenced to five years and ten months in prison for laundering large sums of money through a charity.
Source: Hello! Magazine, Beau Monde archive | Image: NL Beeld
