FAIRYTALE....No More

Once upon a time....

European royals are treated as demigods by their subjects that commoners were not allowed to mix, let alone join their illustrious court. Tradition and practice during those times prohibit royalty to marry a commoner because a morganatic marriage could automatically remove a royal member from the line of succession. Two grandsons of King Christian X of Denmark and King Gustav V’s of Sweden lost their princely titles and inheritance for marrying commoners. Sons of King George III (after the death Princess Charlotte) abandoned their commoner lovers to look for royal brides in Germany to retain their place in the line of succession. Years later, almost all European royals succumbed to what their ancestors dreaded most --- taking commoner spouses.

After World War II, royal marriages seemed disappeared together with the remnants of the war that royal houses began opening its doors to commoners, making their once revered royal courts more like celebrity playgrounds. The disenchantment of the public soon withered and the scandals and controversies by ill-breed commoners began tarnishing the prestige of the crowns. So how it would revive the magic? Some analysts suggested, it would be better for the royals to choose a spouse within their circle to save their institution from crumbling. But it seems the modern world greatly influenced the lives of most royal members that eventually the existence of fairytale ultimately vanished.

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway. Harald is a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth II of England and third cousin to all European crown heads through Queen Victoria of England and King Christian IX of Denmark.

The first European King to marry a commoner is King Harald V of Norway, second cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain. In 1971 Harald married Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner University graduate amidst the prodding of his royal relatives to choose Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark, a daughter of King Paul I of Greece. King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden followed the trend by marrying a German commoner, Silvia Sommerlath, in 1978.

King Carl XVI Gustav and his consort, Queen Silvia. If Carl married Sylvia before he ascended the Swedish throne, he would never become a King, his grandfather, King Adolf VI, never give permission to a marriage between royals and commoners. All royal members are required to seek permission from the monarch before they can proceed to marriage legally.

In Britain, the last aristocrat to marry a member of the royal family was Lady Diana Spencer. She was the daughter of the 8th Earl of Althorp, the Lord Spencer, a direct descendant of King Charles II. In 2005, Diana’s ex-husband, Prince Charles, married his long time mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles, and because she was divorced at the time of her marriage, she would not be crowned as Queen when Charles ascend the throne but would just be styled as Princess Consort. The last royal princess who married into the British royal family was Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, first cousin of Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, she married the Duke of Kent, Prince George, a first cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, in 1936.

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne and his first wife, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, the last aristocrat to join the royal family.

Prince Charles and his second wife, Camilla, who took the name Duchess of Cornwall upon their marriage in 2005, taken from Charles' second title, Duke of Cornwall. She is a commoner who had been Charles' mistress for almost 25 years. One of the causes of the crumble of marriage between Charles and Diana. Camilla first met Charles in 1971 but Lord Mountbatten strongly warned Prince Charles that a relationship with a commoner might cost his throne,siting the case of King Edward VIII who was voluntarily abdicated to marry his commoner lover, Wallis Simpson.

In 1970s, Charles' favorite uncle, Lord Mountbatten, warned him from falling in love to commoners, he said: “Love is not an option for a man who would be King of England”, within three decades, Charles’ son, Prince William, crossed the barrier of unknown territories traditionally prohibited to British heirs -taking a middle-class commoner woman as a future wife. I am wondering if the soul of Lord Mountbatten (who was dubbed during his lifetime as the King maker for largely helping King George VI on the Kingship and for training the young Prince Charles on his future role) could really rest in peace.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. They are third cousin through Queen Victoria of England and second cousin once-removed through King Christian IX of Denmark

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. The King and Queen are triple third cousin from Queen Victoria of England.

Among the current rulers of Europe, only King Juan Carlos of Spain and Queen Elizabeth II of Britain have royal spouses. Juan Carlos' wife is Sofia, the former Princess of Greece and Denmark, eldest child of King Paul I of Greece, Juan Carlos and Sofia are third cousin four times through Queen Victoria of Britain. Queen Elizabeth II's husband is the former Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, King Paul I's first cousin, he renounced his Greek royal title to be more acceptable to the British public for his marriage to the heiress presumptive, the then Princess Elizabeth, he was created the Duke of Edinburgh by his future father in-law, King George VI, who was his second cousin through King Christian IX of Denmark (Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are 3rd cousin through Queen Victoria).

King Constantine II and Queen Ana Marie of Greece. They are third cousin through Queen Victoria of England and second cousin through King Christian IX of Denmark. Constantine is the younger brother of Queen Sofia of Spain and Anna Marie is the youngest sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the mother of Prince Frederick. When Greece declared republic in 1973 Constantine and Ana Marie moved to London with their children but they continue to be addressed as King and Queen and their children Princes and Princesses.

Prince Phillipe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, though she is not born a princess, Mathilde's father is a Belgian baron.

Prince Alois and Princess Sophia of Liechtenstein. Sophia is a Bavarian Duchess before marrying Prince Alois, thus, a noblewoman in her own right.

Presently, among the future crown heads of Europe, only Prince Philipe of Belgium and Prince Alois of Liechtenstein have aristocrat spouses. Philipe’s wife, although not royal by birth, Mathilde, is a daughter of a Belgian Baron while Alois’ wife, Princess Sophia, is a German Duchess. The rest future crown heads married commoners, Swedish future monarch, Princess Victoria recently to Daniel Westling, a Swedish gym owner, Prince Frederick of Denmark to Australian Marketing Executive, Mary Donaldson, Prince Felipe of Spain to former TV anchor Letizia Ortiz, Prince Wilhelm of The Netherlands to Argentinian investment banker Maxima Zorreguieta, Prince Haakon of Norway to Mette Merit.

Prince Frederick of Denmark and his Tasmanian-born wife, Mary Donaldson with their children Princess Isabella and Prince Christian. Recently, the Danish royal palace's spokesman confirmed that Princess Mary is pregnant with twins.

Prince Wilhelm-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Princess Maxima, though Maxima is a commoner, both her parents descended from the Basque nobility.

Prince Felipe of Spain and Princess Letizia. She is a former TV news anchor before marrying the Prince of Asturias in 2004.

Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling. The future Queen of Sweden weds her commoner boyfriend last June 19, 2010. Westling had given the title of Prince after the wedding.

Princess Mette Merit and Prince Haakon of Norway. Haakon's choice of a wife created controversy in Norway, not only Mette Merit a commoner, she is also a single mother whose lover was a drug addict, she did not go to college and just partied all her life, but despite open protests, Haakon secured a permission from his father to marry Mette Merit in 2002.

Aside from Prince William, another royal who will getting married next year is 52-year-old bachelor ruler of Monaco, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, his fiancée is Charlene Wittstock, a commoner South African Olympian. But his choice of a bride did not create much controversy in the royal circle as Monaco is just a tiny principality in the dot of Europe’s geography, unlike William who is destined to become King William V of the United Kingdom.

Charlene Wittstock and Prince Albert II of Monaco. Wittstock competed in the swimming event during the Sydney Olympics in 2000, she met Prince Albert in 2006 and moved to Monaco.

Kate Middleton and Prince William. He will be the first British heir to wed a middle-class woman. The two met while studying at St. Andrew's University in Scotland. But despite her devotion to the Prince, Miss Middleton's unsuitability as a future Queen Consort is still being questioned.

Diana’s biographer, Andrew Morton, once wrote, “Grafting commoners into the Hanoverian tree (William’s bloodline) proved to be very disastrous. The chronic instability of the marriages between commoners and royalty is far more than a personal tragedy. It is a signal that a necessary experiment born of changed historical circumstances has failed. There’s no obvious solution to the problem. This is a severe reality how the royal family relates to the outsiders. Anybody who married into the royal family welded in traditions and decorum which make the task to an outsider almost impossible to fulfill. The pursuit of personal happiness and freedom is out of the question, it is duty first”. 

May these lines from Morton would not provoke another royal divorce in the years to come.