Royal Voices & Accents


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nascarlucy said:
I've always loved to hear Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother speak. Also Princess Diana.
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I like HM's voice as well. She sounds so young. I've never heard the Queen Mother speak, so cannot comment on that. Diana's voice had a soft quality to it, so I always felt like I was listening to someone who was very maternal and caring.

I think Princes William and Harry have very nice-sounding voices. They sound very distinguished. Catherine has a nice voice too. She sounds very much at ease, and very cheerful.
 
I imagine alot of the European Royal Families speak English? I assume that when the British Royal Family attend foreign weddings they communicate in English as it is most likely the common language between them all, but I think it's bad that the majority of the other families can speak their mother tongue and English, as well as other languages. Can members of the British Royal Family speak any other languages?

The Queen's voice is very posh, I have always though. At the beginning Diana's voice was very soft and quiet, but as time grew, along with her confidence, her voice became louder and stronger. The same could be said for Sophie, as she was saying her wedding vows she sounded very quiet and young, but now she sounds much more confident.

I like the way Prince Philip sounds, mainly because most of the time he is cracking a joke when he's speaking!
 
Molly, I have heard all sorts of claims about the languages spoken by members of the BRF. It is not my specialist topic at all, and therefore I am sure that other members of TRF will know better. However I can suggest:

The Queen: near fluent or even fluent French, depending the sources you believe. The explanation give for her command of the language is that she took tuition because Canada [with the French Speaking Province of Quebec is one of her realms]

She is also believed to speak a little of seveal other European Languages, aquired to enable her to understand a little of what might be said to her at a foreign event or walkabout.


Prince Philip [because he was a Prince of Greece] can speak Danish and German [but not Greek, because the Greek Royal Family of his day was of course 'not of Greek Origin']

Prince Charles has what we called 'school boy French' and school boy German, taught to him at school. This would enable him to communicate in these languages, but not to a high degree of fluency. It is the sort of language level that allows you to 'get by' rather than engage in complicated, grammatically correct conversations.

Prince Andrew and Prince Edward reputedly speak French to the same level as their brother, Princess Anne to a slightly higher standard because she appeared in the 1969 documentary 'Royal Family' attending intensive French lessons at the Berlitz training academy in London.

The Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael [the latter quite fluently since his Army days apparently] all (allegedly) speak Russian, some Danish and some German, apparently aquired through their mother Princess Marina of Greece [who spoke little Greek apparently for the same reason as Prince Philip] as she had a father who spoke Danish and German and a mother of Russian descent.

Princess Michael of Kent speaks German [because of her german-speaking parentage] and also fairly fluent French, because she states that her mother required her to speak French at home in Australia. This may have been due to the fact that her step father was of Polish Descent, but spoke good French and so it was something of a language which the family had in common. Neighbours of Princess Michael before she married and was a London working girl living in the Victoria district of London claimed in newspaper articles that Princess Michael arrived in London with a strong Australian accent, which she quickly modified into an Austrian- accented English.

The Duke of Gloucester speaks some French and German because of his education and some Danish because of his wife, the Duchess of course being of Danish parentage.

The Queen's grandchildren are apparently not fluent in any foreign languge but again studied French and sometimes German at their schools.

I am sure that other people will be able to help you with this more than I can.

Although the English are reputedly poor linguists, sometimes it is not our fault. I speak very good French and German [not fluent, but above school-standard.] But when going on trips abroad for work, because I was in groups of French / German / Italian / Danish / Swedish / Dutch and Spanish nationals (and sometimes even more!) everyone used to speak in English as it was treated as something of a common language.

All my bosses [who were forms of the BP 'Grey men' in education and background [retired Army officers etc] all tended to speak fairly bad French but had all been excellent at Latin at their public schools.

Hope some of this is useful

Alex
 
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Daria_S said:
I like HM's voice as well. She sounds so young. I've never heard the Queen Mother speak, so cannot comment on that. Diana's voice had a soft quality to it, so I always felt like I was listening to someone who was very maternal and caring.

I think Princes William and Harry have very nice-sounding voices. They sound very distinguished. Catherine has a nice voice too. She sounds very much at ease, and very cheerful.
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The Queen's accent has changed slightly over the years; if you can find a recording of her speaking in the 1950's, you will hear that her 'Received Pronunciation' is very strong. To a linguist, there are several slightly different 'tonal grades' of RP.
 
I love hearing HM speak! She's a woman of few words but makes sure that every one of them counts. Beatrice and Eugenie sound quite irritating
 
What does everyone think of Catherine's accent btw? It's very clipped and nasal. She probably got it from her time at school. I'm interested in hearing what Pippa and Carole sound like
 
Diarist said:
Molly, I have heard all sorts of claims about the languages spoken by members of the BRF. It is not my specialist topic at all, and therefore I am sure that other members of TRF will know better. However I can suggest:

The Queen: near fluent or even fluent French, depending the sources you believe. The explanation give for her command of the language is that she took tuition because Canada [with the French Speaking Province of Quebec is one of her realms]

She is also believed to speak a little of seveal other European Languages, aquired to enable her to understand a little of what might be said to her at a foreign event or walkabout.


Prince Philip [because he was a Prince of Greece] can speak Danish and German [but not Greek, because the Greek Royal Family of his day was of course 'not of Greek Origin']

Prince Charles has what we called 'school boy French' and school boy German, taught to him at school. This would enable him to communicate in these languages, but not to a high degree of fluency. It is the sort of language level that allows you to 'get by' rather than engage in complicated, grammatically correct conversations.

Prince Andrew and Prince Edward reputedly speak French to the same level as their brother, Princess Anne to a slightly higher standard because she appeared in the 1969 documentary 'Royal Family' attending intensive French lessons at the Berlitz training academy in London.

The Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael [the latter quite fluently since his Army days apparently] all (allegedly) speak Russian, some Danish and some German, apparently aquired through their mother Princess Marina of Greece [who spoke little Greek apparently for the same reason as Prince Philip] as she had a father who spoke Danish and German and a mother of Russian descent.

Princess Michael of Kent speaks German [because of her german-speaking parentage] and also fairly fluent French, because she states that her mother required her to speak French at home in Australia. This may have been due to the fact that her step father was of Polish Descent, but spoke good French and so it was something of a language which the family had in common. Neighbours of Princess Michael before she married and was a London working girl living in the Victoria district of London claimed in newspaper articles that Princess Michael arrived in London with a strong Australian accent, which she quickly modified into an Austrian- accented English.

The Duke of Gloucester speaks some French and German because of his education and some Danish because of his wife, the Duchess of course being of Danish parentage.

The Queen's grandchildren are apparently not fluent in any foreign languge but again studied French and sometimes German at their schools.

I am sure that other people will be able to help you with this more than I can.

Although the English are reputedly poor linguists, sometimes it is not our fault. I speak very good French and German [not fluent, but above school-standard.] But when going on trips abroad for work, because I was in groups of French / German / Italian / Danish / Swedish / Dutch and Spanish nationals (and sometimes even more!) everyone used to speak in English as it was treated as something of a common language.

All my bosses [who were forms of the BP 'Grey men' in education and background [retired Army officers etc] all tended to speak fairly bad French but had all been excellent at Latin at their public schools.

Hope some of this is useful

Alex
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Thank you very much for this information. I think as Britains we are quite ignorant of other languages and assume that when we visit their country they will speak English. It is awfully lazy of us. I had imagined the Royal Family would have been taught other languages, particularly French, to socialise and communicate with other Royal Families. I do remember Edward and Sophie attending French lessons at some point, so I am guessing their French has gotten better since then. But it is most probable that when the Royal Family attend weddings and such in Europe, English is the main spoken language.

I often wonder about other European Royal Families and their children and what language that all communicate in. For example, Crown Princess Mary is Australian, so I am guessing her mother tongue was English. Due to this I assume her children can speak Danish and English...but I could be wrong in this assumption.

princess-royal said:
I love hearing HM speak! She's a woman of few words but makes sure that every one of them counts. Beatrice and Eugenie sound quite irritating
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I don't think I have ever heard Beatrice or Eugenie speak. I must try and find a video of them speaking. I must admit I am not a fan of Catherine's voice, mainly because in their engagement interview it sounded as though she was "putting on" her accent slightly, making her sound more Regal. I understand that when you socialise with the Royal Family you adjust your voice to suit the situation, but her voice bothered me slightly. I am sure we get to know her I will grow to love it.
 
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Molly2101 said:
I don't think I have ever heard Beatrice or Eugenie speak. I must try and find a video of them speaking. I must admit I am not a fan of Catherine's voice, mainly because in their engagement interview it sounded as though she was "putting on" her accent slightly, making her sound more Regal. I understand that when you socialise with the Royal Family you adjust your voice to suit the situation, but her voice bothered me slightly. I am sure we get to know her I will grow to love it.
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I think I first heard them on a documentary about them doing some charity work with their mother, which was really lovely.

I understand your point about Catherine: right now her voice does sound very affected (posher than William's). I hope that it'll go as she gets used to being around the royals.
 
Here's a video where you can hear Catherine speaking clearly for a few moments in Canada. Her voice does sound a bit huskier, I guess, than in the engagement interview. The accent is also less posh. Of course, this could be due to trying to talk over the crowd, the quality of the camera recording it, etc.

(Warning: it does have some screaming fans in the first few seconds.)

Kate Middleton in Canada : video youtube - YouTube
 
Recently I was watching videos of Prince Harrys interviews and his voice is quite deeply and gravelly, yes? Could part of it been (be) the smoking? Hate to say it but his voice is a bit sexier then his brothers :)
 
MRSJ said:
Recently I was watching videos of Prince Harrys interviews and his voice is quite deeply and gravelly, yes? Could part of it been (be) the smoking? Hate to say it but his voice is a bit sexier then his brothers :)
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They sound very similar to me, actually.
 
Molly2101 said:
...I don't think I have ever heard Beatrice or Eugenie speak. I must try and find a video of them speaking. I must admit I am not a fan of Catherine's voice, mainly because in their engagement interview it sounded as though she was "putting on" her accent slightly, making her sound more Regal. I understand that when you socialise with the Royal Family you adjust your voice to suit the situation, but her voice bothered me slightly. I am sure we get to know her I will grow to love it.
Click to expand...

Beatrice and Eugenie have very different voices. Beatrice has quite a sweet, young voice and Eugenie has a very husky, deeper voice.
 
I read that King Harald sound like an American when he speaks english,does anyone have a video of that?
 
This video was posted by Nico in the 'Bowing and Curtseying' thread, but since it does show Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother, Prince Charles and Prince William speaking, I thought I'd share it on here.

Royal Family London Gathering - YouTube
 
I remember some people commenting that William's mode of speaking should have been better considering his education and who he is around. He says a lot of "uh's" in between words. Harry is better at speaking, but he seems to have a mumbling thing going on, sometimes it is hard for me to tell what he is actually saying.
 
I just write, to say I thank you,
for this new discovered thread.
 
Prince Albert clearly learned English at his mother's knee. I like his voice and style very much.
 
Rhys82192 said:
A Video of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, speaking about Fields in Trust:

The Duke of Cambridge speaks about Fields in Trust - YouTube
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I've noticed that William sounds different when he reads from something and when he is just talking. Here, I'd say he's reading, because of the pauses and just the certain inflections of his voice. He sounds more stilted, restricted, if you will. I love the sound of his voice though. It could be used for taping audiobooks.
 
Could anyone post a link of Camilla speaking? I just realized that I've never actually heard her speak. Thanks! :)
 
This is a little blast from the past. Someone posted a voice recording of Tzar Nikolai II over in the section dedicated to the Imperial Family of Russia.

Emperor Nicolas II's voice (recording).wmv

Occasional voice recording of the Emperor Nicholas II, the parade of His Imperial Majesty separate Grenadier Corps in honor of the birthday of the Sovereign.

Commanded the parade, Lieutenant-General Baron von Eck Eduard Vladimirovich.

01 - 04 sec. Lt. Gen. Edward V. Eck:
"Listen to (inaudible)! Brothers! I drink to the health of our dear Sovereign Leader Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich! Hurrah!"

39 - 41 sec. Children's voices:
"Hurrah Hurrah!" Anybody else, except as a voice Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, it can not be.

05 sec. - 1 min. 02 sec. The orchestra plays the national anthem Russia Empire.

1 min. 03 sec. - 1 min. 12 sec. Lt. Gen. Edward V. Eck:
"To the ceremonial march - rifle on his shoulder! Quick march!"

1 min. 13 sec. - 1 min. 48 sec. The orchestra played a Kroup military march "Homesickness."

1 min. 49 sec. - 1 min. 53 sec. Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich:
"Brothers! Thank you for the full parade!"

2 min. 08 sec. - 2 minutes. 13 sec. Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich:
"Thank you, brothers, for a excellent apprenticeship!"

Clip and synopsis, courtesy of dvoynik_nikolay.

And here's a clip of Queen Victoria. I don't know when it was recorded, and the quality is not the best, but nonetheless, it's pretty amazing to hear the voices of the people we have discussed, learned and read about.

Queen Victoria Voice - YouTube
 
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