Royal Anecdotes

[Dennism]

(Imagine how Prince Philip would have reacted in a similar situation.

"No, I don't think so but my wife does".

 

[lashinka2002]

"No, I don't think so but my wife does".

Ha ha ha ha
That's very funny!
You could add on "If my wife doesn't have the money, I have connections all over the world!"

 

[lashinka2002]

George III of Great Britain and Ireland was being driven
through Windsor Great Park when he ordered his carriage
driver to stop. The King got out, walked over to an oak
tree, shook hands with one of its branches and talked to it
for several minutes. He thought he was talking to the King
of Prussia.

Oh my, I wonder what he was saying to "the King of Prussia?"

 

[queenanne]

From anecdotage.com:
"A publishing friend remembers being at a party where - unknown to her - the Queen [Elizabeth] was also present and, in fact, standing right next to her. Flinging her arms wide in a conversational gesture, she struck her sovereign full on the bosom.


"'Oh Ma'am,' she gasped. 'I'm so sorry.' "'That's all right my dear,' the Queen replied. 'When you're as small as I am, you're always hitting people in awkward places!'"
)

 

[lashinka2002]

These are quite well known but worth a mention

Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece 1
In the Second World War, Alice (and her sister in law The Princess Nicholas mother of Princess Marina) remained in Greece during the German ocupation. As Alice was born a German Princess (of Battenburg) Hitler, who assumed that she would be pro-german, sent his senior officer in Greece to meet with the Princess. Upon being asked if there was any items, food or anything he could do to make life more comfertable for the Princess, Alice replied "Well yes actualy... you can get the Hell out of my Country for a start!"

Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece 2
Born deaf, Alice amazed her Granddaughter Princess Anne one day whilst living with her son & daughter-in-law at Buckingham Palace in the late 1960s. Prince Philip and Alice had been arguing in her rooms, when Princess Anne sore her farther fly out of the room in anger and as he stormed down the corridor uttered an undiscolsed profanity towards his mother... despite being deaf, Alice replied and her responce was given to be an acurate reply to her sons comment despite the fact there is no way she could have heard what he said.

Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece 3
In her later life, the Princess had become a Nun and started her own Order of Nuns in Greece. One day she was being driven by one of her 'sisters' to the Royal Palace in Athens. The sister driving did not know the way and therefore Alice was providing directions. Not long after leaving, Alice asked the Sister to turn Left... which the Sister did, there and then without waiting for the next left hand turn... Alice and her driver found themselves in a ditch at the side of the Road.

Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece 4 (again)
During the time that became known as her mad period (although today we now know she was simply suffering from acute depression inspired by her exile from greece, deafness and the growing gulf between her husband and her self) she was inivted to lunch by Prince & Princess George of Greece, however she declined "Im sorry, I cant make it today... I am having lunch with Christ" and put the phone down.

Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece 5 (PRIZE WINNER)
As her health began to deteriorate, Alice informed her son Prince Philip that she wished to be burried in the Holy City of Jerusalem. Philip, taken aback by her request said "you cant do that... we wouldnt be able to come and visit your grave." Alice, without missing a heartbeat replied "Oh dont be so silly... there is a bus service!"

It's nice to see that despite her hearing disability Princess Alice still seemed to be a tough cookie. Bravo to her!

 

[CATS]

Prince Charles has temper so he's reaction would have been nasty too. Prince Edward I not sure what would have done.

 

[Claire]

There is a lot of humourous antedots about the British Royals and their royals in "A book of Royal Lists." I wrote a number of them down in the library forum: Here is the link:

http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4057

Here a one about the personality of the Duke of Edinburgh:

Every Christmas at Sandringham the royal family picks a number of recently released movies to watch on the Queen's cinema. The Duke of Edinburgh's choice of film is always the same - the black and white version of the Hounds of the Baskervilles. Every year as Sherlock is about to explain the crime to Dr Watson, Prince Philip yells the plot at the screen.

HM The Queen is a great lover of puzzles. Whenever she is at Sandringham and Balmoral a new puzzle is set out for her and those she invites to build with her. One Christmas, the Queen discovered that a piece was missing and immediately called up the manufacturer. The company that made the puzzle, built the same picture puzzle at their factory and than sent the piece she required to the Queen. Since than all puzzles are pre-built to check that this doesn't happen again.

 

[michelleq]

A Realy nice anecdote from the Queen mother:
Recently the Queen Mother visited Westminster Abbey to see how plans for her funeral were getting on. When she was shown the candles which will be placed on the altar around her coffin, she shook her head. I don't like those at all, she said, "do you mind if I bring some of my own?"

That is beautiful!!!

 

[Dennism]

From anecdotage.com:
"A publishing friend remembers being at a party where - unknown to her - the Queen [Elizabeth] was also present and, in fact, standing right next to her. Flinging her arms wide in a conversational gesture, she struck her sovereign full on the bosom.


"'Oh Ma'am,' she gasped. 'I'm so sorry.' "'That's all right my dear,' the Queen replied. 'When you're as small as I am, you're always hitting people in awkward places!'"
)

ha ha ha. that´s funny.

 

[tiaraprin]

Another one of my favorite anecdotes is about Queen Mary, who was truly regal to the end. Upon her deathbed, a doctor made a visit. When he finished, he turned around to walk out of the room. Queen Mary rustled up her voice and said "I'm not dead yet." The meaning being, he still had to back out of the room in front of the Queen Dowager!! She followed the rules to the end!!!

 

[stellastarr]

Oh, these are wonderful! I hope they keep coming, because this is definitely my favorite thread.

 

[tiaraprin]

Another of my favorite anecdotes concerns Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

When Charles was young, he lost one of the dog leads. He came back without it and the Queen made him go back out and look for it. Charles grumbled and asked why he had to go look for it. The Queen told him "Dog leads cost money." Her Majesty is parsimonious!!

 

[Eva-Britt]

Pieter van Vollenhoven when he was in holiday: 'I want to have a discount (good word??) for this clothes!' The woman in the shop asked 'Why?' ' Because my wife is a princess.' The woman answered 'Then you must have a lot of money!' and he answered 'No that's the problem in fact, she is a princess and she has all the money, I have nothing!'

 

[tiaraprin]

Its one of those Motor Mouth Royal moments when someone speaks before thinking... and from my previous posts regarding Princess Alice... you can see where Prince Philip and his children get it from!

Princess Anne: One day upon leaving the Church at Sandringham, Princess Anne was given a basket of flowers by a well wishing member of the public. Excited that she was at the front of the spectators and that she had been fortunate enough to be able to hand her flowers directly to the Princess, the women remarked "I arranged them my self," to which the Princess replied "Really? Why did you bother doing that!" and carried on down the road. It is not known what Anne ment by this comment and if it should have been "oh thank you, you really shouldnt have spent so much time on it for us." However the well wisher was offended but is still a fan of the Royal Family.

I feel bad for that poor lady!! I hope Anne meant it as a "you didn't have to waste your time on me doing that!"

 

[Splodger]

On an attempted kidnapp

Prince Charles has temper so he's reaction would have been nasty too. Prince Edward I not sure what would have done.

Prince Edward would probably have pulled out a video camera and filmed the whole thing before turning it into a documentry later.

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

Prince Edward would probably have pulled out a video camera and filmed the whole thing before turning it into a documentry later.

hahahahahahaha that is brilliant... hahahahaha*dies*

 

[cd_1]

ok, thanks tiger, but its really weird that they have funeral rehersals!thats like saying, we cant wait till your dead, we practice every year!

 

[Dennism]

Pieter van Vollenhoven when he was in holiday: 'I want to have a discount (good word??) for this clothes!' The woman in the shop asked 'Why?' ' Because my wife is a princess.' The woman answered 'Then you must have a lot of money!' and he answered 'No that's the problem in fact, she is a princess and she has all the money, I have nothing!'

Yes, a discount. The perfect word for that context. That is funny. I think many a man would feel like saying that sometimes too.

 

[gaggleofcrazypeople]

Another of my favorite anecdotes concerns Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

When Charles was young, he lost one of the dog leads. He came back without it and the Queen made him go back out and look for it. Charles grumbled and asked why he had to go look for it. The Queen told him "Dog leads cost money." Her Majesty is parsimonious!!

I never thought she would be so cheap!

 

[Von Schlesian]

I never thought she would be so cheap!

Cheap?! Her Majesty was teaching His Royal Highness a valuable lesson in thriftiness, please keep in mind, Her Majesty was a child of the Second World War, and has a strong reputation of not wasting money, or much else: electricity, paper, dog leads etc!

 

[tiger]

I think they have such a rehersal to be shure that everything is perfect. Between the death and the funeral of a Royal you havn't very much time for planing as for a wedding or so. So I think it is quiet normal to do so. I know that they have done the cortege by night with an empty carriage.

 

[tiaraprin]

Yes, a discount. The perfect word for that context. That is funny. I think many a man would feel like saying that sometimes too.

That is too funny!!!

 

[iowabelle]

Cheap?! Her Majesty was teaching His Royal Highness a valuable lesson in thriftiness, please keep in mind, Her Majesty was a child of the Second World War, and has a strong reputation of not wasting money, or much else: electricity, paper, dog leads etc!

It must have worked -- in some areas. I hear he is a maniac about left-overs and what the staff eats. And he has one of those things you put on a tube of toothpaste to get the very last bit out. (I heard it was silver but maybe I'm wrong.) Very handy for a prince's butler when it comes to squeezing out HRH's toothpaste!

 

[Furienna]

Someone asked for an anecdote from the Swedish royal family. Well, I have one. Unfortuneately, you have to know both English and Swedish to really appreciate it. Our king's father Prince Gustaf Adolf had four younger siblings: Prince Sigvard, Princess Ingrid (later queen of Denmark), Prince Bertil and Prince Carl Johan. All these five siblings were the children of future king Gustav VI Adolf and his Brittish wife Margareth of Connaught, and at home, they spoke both Swedish and English. As they got grew up, they learned to tell the languages apart, but as small children, they could still mix them up. And in his autobiography, Prince Sigvard writes, that one morning, a little Prince Bertil came down saying "Jag smeller bacon!" He mixed up the English sentence "I smell bacon" with Swedish words!

 

[JessRulz]

I have one about Queen Louise of Sweden that I read somewhere on this forum:
When she was visiting London once, Louise had been put in a hotel across the road from Harrods. She would continuously walk out across the road to get to the store without looking for cars, nearly getting run over on numerous ocassions. So, one day, she had someone write on a piece of cardboard 'Queen of Sweden' so that as she was walking across the road she could hold it up and people would stop!!

 

[norwegianne]

How were they uncle and nephew?

George was the son of George who was the brother of Maud - Haakon's wife.

Other anecdotes:

Astrid and Ragnhild of Norway
When they were little girls, Princesses Ragnhild and Astrid of Norway came across another girl who had a fancy doll with various accessories. The princesses expressed their admiration. The other girl asked why, since they were princesses they could have as many dolls as they wanted.

One of the princesses replied: No, we can't. We just have to behave better than others.

King Harald
When the royal family of Norway was in exile during WWII - Princesses Ragnhild and Astrid came across their little brother, Harald, before Christmas. Harald was sewing buttons onto a piece of cloth.

"what are you making?" one of the princesses asked.

"It's a christmas present for the President [Roosevelt]" the young prince replied.

"Buttons?"

"Yes, it can be very irritating when you loose a button in your pajamas," the prince replied.

 

[crisiñaki]

Great stories everybody!

I'll go with the Spanish Royal Family:

1. When KJC (then the Prince of Asturias) wanted to get engaged to QS (then Princess of Greece) he didn't ask the "proper" way (you know, bend in one knee and ask and stuff). They were (with their parents) in a hotel in Switzerland and Juan took a box out of his pocket and threw it at her and said: "Sofi, catch it" and it was the engagement ring; I guess words weren't needed back then

2. The SRF doesn't live in the Royal Palace in Madrid because King Alfonso XIII scared his grandson Prince Juan Carlos with stories about haunted spirits and cold food (the kitchens are so far away from the dinning room that they always had cold food back then); that's the reason they (KJC and QS) decided to live in la Zarzuela, their actual home

 

[Furienna]

But Zarzuela still is in Madrid?

 

[lula]

Great stories everybody!

I'll go with the Spanish Royal Family:

2. The SRF doesn't live in the Royal Palace in Madrid because King Alfonso XIII scared his grandson Prince Juan Carlos with stories about haunted spirits and cold food (the kitchens are so far away from the dinning room that they always had cold food back then); that's the reason they (KJC and QS) decided to live in la Zarzuela, their actual home

I do not believe that this it was the principal reason, though the legend is graceful.

The Princes were living already in the Zarzuela, where they were taking a very familiar life, and they were thinking that this house was a real home. In addition, for questions of privacy and of safety La Zarzuela is much more comfortable.

The Royal Palace was an immense, relatively old palace because it was going more than 40 years without being used, to rehabilitate it it had been excessively expensive, for a Kings who were coming without knew which was going to be their future and for a country with a bad economy.
In addition, the balcony of the Royal Palace had been used by Franco during decades, and for many Spanish that one was an evil remember. The Palace had a few political negative links, and was not very intelligent to use it how home of the new Chief of State.

 

[crisiñaki]

But Zarzuela still is in Madrid?

It's near but not in Madrid's downtown like the Royal Palace is

La Zarzuela used to be a palace for the Kings when they were hunting so it's just outside of Madrid, near El Pardo

Here's a view of la Zarzuela:
http://maps.google.es/maps?f=q&hl=e...1793,-3.784286&spn=0.001575,0.005407&t=h&om=1

I hope I have gotten it right