Royals Say Goodbye to Vancouver

The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games have finished, and the royals have all headed back home to continue with their yearly engagements. Here’s how they spent their final week in Vancouver:

The Dutch Royals
On February 20th, the Crown Princely Family was back at the Richmond Olympic Oval for more speed skating, and more Dutch gold. Mark Tuitert came in first place in the Men’s 1500m Speed Skating, while Willem-Alexander, Máxima and Ariane took part in the Mexican wave (the elder girls did not attend). A special celebration was held at the Holland Heineken House, where the Prince of Orange took to the stage to personally congratulate Tuitert.

The whole family was out on February 23rd for the Men’s 10,000m Speed Skating final. The event was marred with controversy for the Dutch, with Sven Kramer crossing the finish line first but later being disqualified because he skated in the wrong lane on the wrong lap. Kramer’s disqualification allowed fellow Dutchman Bob de Jong to pick up bronze. The family later attended the Ladies’ Figure Skating Short Program at the Pacific Coliseum.

On February 27th, the family attended the Men’s Team Pursuit Speed Skating at Richmond Olympic Oval. The Dutch team picked up a bronze medal, finishing behind Canada and the USA.

The Monaco Royals
The Ladies’ Super-G Alpine skiing event was on the agenda on Saturday the 20th for Prince Albert and girlfriend Charlene Wittstock. At the Whistler Creekside, the couple met with the Swedish royals. On February 21st, Albert met with some of the Monaco bobsleigh team during the Two-Man Bobsleigh heats at the Whistler Sliding Centre.

As a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Prince Albert was present n the 25th at the first official presentation of the Russian International Olympic University. The 2014 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Sochi, Russia.

The Norwegian Royals
King Harald V and Queen Sonja arrived in Vancouver on the 20th, and were first spotted at the Men’s 15km Mass Start Biathlon final a day later. It was not a great result for the Norwegians, their highest placement was 13th.

Harald flew solo on February 23rd, attending both the Men’s 10,000m Speed Skating final and the Men’s Curling round robin match between Norway and the United Kingdom without his wife. Norway won the curling match 9-5. On the 25th, King Harald was again joined by his wife at the Men’s 4x10km Relay Classic/Free Cross-Country Skiing final, where Norway’s team took home silver.

On February 26th, Norway won gold in the Men’s 4×7.5km Biathlon Relay, and both the King and Queen were present and congratulated the jubilant Norwegian team after the race was over. One final event on February 28th, the Men’s 50km Mass Start Cross-Country Skiing final, was scheduled before Harald and Sonja flew home. Another gold medal was tucked into a Norwegian pocket, Petter Northung coming in first place over Germany and Sweden.

The Swedish Royals
King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia and Prince Carl Philip were the Swedish royal representatives at the Games, arriving on February 19th and jumping straight into the action. The trio attended the Sweden-China Women’s Curling match at the Vancouver Olympic Centre. Sweden won, 6-4.

The following day, they attended the Ladies’ Super-G Alpine Skiing at Whistler Creekside, where they met up with Monaco’s Prince Albert. The afternoon saw them attend the Men’s 30km Pursuit Cross-Country final at Whistler Olympic Park, where they had plenty to cheer for as Sweden claimed gold (Marcus Hellner) and bronze (Johan Olsson). Carl Gustaf, Silvia and Carl Philip posed with the two men, as well as the German silver medallist (Queen Silvia has German roots).

On February 21st, the trio attended the final of the Men’s 15km Mass Start Biathlon at Whistler Olympic Park. Prince Carl Philip’s trusty Nikon was never far from reach during the event. The next day saw Sweden win silver in the Ladies’ Team Sprint Cross-Country final, with the royals in the crowd. They later congratulated the Swedish team of Anna Haag and Charlotte Kalla on their win.

Sweden won a gold medal on February 25th, in the Men’s 4x10km Relay Classic/Free Cross-Country Skiing. The King and Queen were present, as was Carl Philip, all wearing the lovely Swedish team outfit (the King looks fetching in blue). Carl Gustav and Silvia also posed with their gold-medal winning athletes after the race, while Carl Philip’s Nikon was once again close by.

February 26th, and it was battle between Sweden and host-nation Canada in the Ladies’ Curling Final. King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia sat behind Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Kay to see Sweden claim another gold, downing Canada 6-5. Carl Philip’s trusty Nikon seems to either have been leant to his father for the match, or the King is a proud Nikon owner himself.

Click here to view the Vancouver 2010 thread at TRF.

Filed under Monaco, Norway, Sweden, The Netherlands
Tagged Albert II of Monaco, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Harald V of Norway, International Olympic Committee, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Olympic Games, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Princess Charlène of Monaco, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Sonja of Norway, Sport, Vancouver 2010.