Prinsara
Heir Apparent
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King Felipe speaking French at Paris Peace Forum
Was his pronunciation good?
Pretty good, but then he is a Bourbon.
King Felipe speaking French at Paris Peace Forum
Was his pronunciation good?
I doubt most of them (royals) speak it apart from the Bragança family other than Queen SylviaDo the royals speak Portuguese (Brazil), along with Queen Silvia?
I don’t think Anne speaks German because it’s really Charles who is closer to those relatives than Anne who doesn’t visit as much. She probably speaks a bit of French, and maybe knows some greetings in German. I doubt Andrew speaks it or Edward as it’s only Charles who has openly spoken German.Anne may. She joined her brother on visits to ‘the German cousins’ in the 1950s, when Prince Philip made private visits to see his sisters and their families. She, as well as Charles, might have continued those relationships into adult life.
I’m not sure about Andrew and Edward as by the time they were adults most of Philip’s sisters were becoming quite elderly.
Do the royals speak Portuguese (Brazil), along with Queen Silvia?
The languages are related and they lived in Portugal for quite a while, so it would be strange if they didn't speak Portugues.
Even though the languages are relatated a lot of spaniards cannot understand and speak portuguese, the accent is extremelly different, it is easier for latin amaricans to speak and understand portuguese than spanish themselves. And you would be amazed how many foreign people live in Portugal for decades and don't speak portuguese.
I've read that the late King Baudouin spoke Dutch like a native, as does HM Queen Fabiola. So if Baudouin was taught the language as part of his education why not Prince Albert as well? Was it because no one expected him to become King? I still think that is a poor excuse but that might explain it.
I do agree that a Belgian monarch should and must be as fluent in Dutch as he/she is in French.
any footage of the belguim royals speaking english?
Hello. I don't know if it is the right place to post, since it is for older and not alive royal. Mods feel free to move.
I found this interview in German give by late Duke of Windsor.
Interesting to know if he learned German because of their origin and if his other brothers earned also.
How is his German ?
Interesting video, thank you!
It's difficult to describe the Duke's level of German. You can clearly hear that it isn't his first language. And it sounds like he hasn't spoken German for quite some time: he is looking for the right words and makes easy gramatical mistakes.
At the same time it seems like he WAS used to speaking German (a time ago). His pronounciation is pretty good (not native, but really easy to understand and with a good rhythm), some of his vocabulary is advanced and/or quite colloqial. I am sure that he would speak much better after one or two days of exposure to German.
I would assume that he learned German rather young at school/through instructions and spoke/practiced it regulary (but not daily) for a time.
“Bissl”? Do you know what it means please?This probably belongs in the Duke's thread, but wouldn't he have learned from Queen Mary as well? We have a fairly good idea of his schooling, but I can't remember if "German tutor" was in there.
It's also a little bit of schadenfreude that he says "bissl" and is then told he must have been in Vienna — it also features prominently in Yiddish. I can't decide whether to hope with all his delightful politics and social views, someone sometime pointed that out to him, or that he just went through life and kept doing it without the slightest clue.
Even more oddly, he feels a bit more sympathetic speaking German as opposed to speaking English. I don't know why.
Edit: The description of the video says "In a private talk afterwards, the Duke stated he learned German in his youth while staying with his cousins and the Rothschild family in Austria." A bissl, indeed.
Bissl means a little bit, in local speech. Formal it would be bißchen. The ß = ss“Bissl”? Do you know what it means please?
It means a little bit - in hochdeutsch it would be 'ein bißchen', in Austrian dialect 'a bissl'“Bissl”? Do you know what it means please?
Queen Mathilde's accent is both super stereotypical-sounding to Anglophone ears (I think most would just assume she was French, not Belgian, but then the same could probably be said about Poirot) and immensely charming — but then she is very pleasant to listen to in French (and presumably all her other languages) as well.
Accents may be typical but it doesn't always equate to charming. Mathilde is very easy on the ears in French and English. I would hope that's true for Dutch, even with the accent.
Filip/Philippes accent is not as pronounced as Mathilde, however, his sentence structures are less common in Dutch. You may hear the difference (in accent) even if you don't understand Dutch; see for example this video (of a Belgian comedian visiting the king on their shared birthday).
I think all three of the children of Carl Gustav and Sylvia grew up speaking German.