Royal blood seems to hold the athletic gene!
Members of royal households from world wide are recognized to hit the stands when the Olympic Video games happen, and sometimes, there is a royal competitor. Not solely have royals turn out to be Olympians, however some have even taken residence the last word prize: a gold medal.
Others have one other particular connection to the Olympics, akin to Queen Elizabeth’s memorable second from the 2012 occasion in London (that includes James Bond and her well-known corgis!). The Video games have even offered the backdrop to the start of some royal romances.
From crusing to horseback driving, discover out which royals have gone for gold.
Princess Anne Is an Olympian
For Princess Anne, the Olympics are very a lot a household ardour. An achieved equestrian and member of the British eventing workforce, she turned the first-ever member of the British royal household to compete within the Olympics in 1976 in the course of the Montreal Video games. She rode one of many Queen’s horses, named Goodwill, in the course of the competitors.
The Princess Royal stayed concerned with the Video games, changing into a member of the Worldwide Olympic Committee since 1988.
…and Zara Tindall Earned a Silver Medal
Princess Anne handed on her love of horses to her daughter, Zara. She competed in particular person and workforce eventing within the late aughts and early 2010s, successful a person gold medal on the 2006 World Championships and a silver medal on the 2012 Olympics on her horse Excessive Kingdom. In a candy second, her mother offered her together with her silver medal in 2012.
Zara’s Dad, Mark Phillips, Received Gold
It is no surprise Zara went on to such successes on horseback: her dad is an equestrian too. Princess Anne’s ex-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, has two Olympic medals — a gold and a silver — each received within the workforce three-day occasion competitors. The primary was in 1972 in Munich and the second in 1988 in Seoul.
William, Kate and Harry Welcomed the Olympic Flame to the Palace
Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry — all sporting “Crew G.B.” polo shirts — had been available to welcome the Olympic flame to Buckingham Palace simply forward of the 2012 Video games in London.
Prince William and Princess Kate Gave Us Their Cutest PDA
The Prince and Princess of Wales aren’t recognized for his or her public shows of affection, so after they had a candy second on the 2012 Summer season Olympics in London, it was virtually as celebratory an event as a gold medal win. On the finish of a biking race, through which Crew Nice Britain was victorious, William wrapped Kate up in an excited hug.
Princess Charlene of Monaco Competed
Earlier than she was a royal, Princess Charlene, the spouse of Prince Albert of Monaco, was an Olympic swimmer for her residence nation of South Africa. She competed within the 2000 Sydney Olympics within the 4x100m medley relay, coming in fifth place.
That is not her solely Olympic connection: on the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, she and Albert made their debut as a pair. The pair married 5 years later in 2011.
…and So Did Prince Albert of Monaco!
Like his spouse, Prince Albert of Monaco can be an Olympic athlete. He competed in bobsledding on the Winter Olympics 5 instances from 1988 to 2002, with a greatest end of twenty fifth in 1988 within the two-man occasion.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene Carried the Olympic Flame
Because the Olympic flame made its strategy to Paris for the 2024 Summer season Video games, the previous Olympian couple took half within the relay. On June 18, Princess Charlene and Prince Albert wore matching shirts as they held the torch collectively.
Princess Cristina of Spain Sailed within the Video games
The sister of King Felipe of Spain, Infanta Cristina competed within the Seoul Olympics in 1988 as a member of Spain’s crusing workforce. In later years, she turned higher recognized for her involvement in a corruption trial, which noticed her and her husband investigated for fraud and tax evasion. She was acquitted of all fees in February 2017, although later stripped of her royal title.
King Harald of Norway Is an Olympian
One other royal Olympic sailor is King Harald of Norway, who competed in three completely different Olympic Video games — 1964 in Tokyo, 1968 in Mexico Metropolis and 1972 in Munich — earlier than he inherited the throne. In 1964, he was given the dignity of being Norway’s flag bearer in the course of the opening ceremonies. The Olympic spirit appears to run in his household: Harald’s father, King Olav, received a gold medal in crusing on the 1928 Olympics. When the Olympics got here to Norway in 1994, in Lillehammer, Harald formally opened the Video games in the course of the opening ceremony.
King Constantine of Greece Additionally Earned Gold
King Constantine of Greece (as crown prince) competed in crusing on the 1960 Olympics and received gold within the Dragon class. He was a member of the Worldwide Olympic Committee from 1963 to 1974, after which he was an honorary member.
King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden Met on the Olympics
Queen Silvia, who grew up in Germany and Brazil, first met King Carl Gustaf, then the crown prince of Sweden, on the 1972 Summer season Olympics in Munich. Carl Gustaf was there to signify the Swedish delegation whereas his wife-to-be, then often known as Silvia Sommerlath, was working as a bunch and interpreter for a couple of essential friends, together with the long run monarch. He later mentioned that he requested her to have dinner the day they met and that the couple “simply clicked.” 4 years after their preliminary assembly on the Olympics, they received engaged in March 1976. Since their marriage ceremony, they’ve attended many Olympic Video games collectively.
As Did King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark
King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia aren’t the one royal couple with an Olympic starting to their love story.
On the 2000 Summer season Video games in Sydney, then-Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark met Mary Donaldson at a bar known as the Slip Inn. The long run queen consort was working in promoting and had no concept that the person she was speaking to on the bar was in truth the inheritor to the Danish throne. Somebody got here as much as her later that night and mentioned, “Are you aware who these persons are?”
Their romance continued from there, they usually ultimately wed in 2004. They’ve stayed true to the roots of their relationship, attending many Olympic Video games since 2004. King Frederik, who acceded to the throne in January 2024, was even inducted into the Worldwide Olympic Committee in 2009.
Queen Elizabeth Made a Memorable Look on the London Video games
When London hosted the Olympics in 2012, an look from Queen Elizabeth appeared inevitable. Nevertheless, nobody imagined that it could have been fairly as epic because it turned out to be.
In a video broadcast in the course of the opening ceremony, the Queen was escorted via Buckingham Palace by none apart from James Bond, performed by Daniel Craig, and a few corgis, then taken by helicopter to the Olympic Stadium. Stunt actors dressed up because the pair parachuted into the venue, after which Queen Elizabeth made her grand entrance to cheers.
Angela Kelly, the late Queen’s trusted dresser and shut confidant, later revealed that the royal “was very amused by the concept and agreed instantly” to participate within the skit.
“I requested then if she would love a talking half,” Kelly recalled in her guide. “With out hesitation, Her Majesty replied: ‘After all, I have to say one thing. In any case, he’s coming to rescue me.’ ”