Royal Families of the World Gather at the Olympic Games in Paris
Members of various royal families travelled to the French capital to watch the main sporting events live. Although the opening ceremony on 26 July was attended by a large number of royals, many of the royals have already been to Paris for the Olympics, from Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark, who officially opened the Danish pavilion on the Champs-Elysees, to Princess Anne, who attended the 142nd session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This is Princess Anne's first trip abroad since a horse "incident" at home resulted in a concussion and hospitalisation, People writes.
Many members of the royal families have close ties to the Olympic Games, from being members of the IOC to meeting their future wives at the Games. And some of them have even participated in the Olympic Games.
Princess Anne of Great Britain
Princess Anne, 73, arrived in Paris on 23 July for the first day of the 142nd IOC session ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Here she posed for a group photo with other royals who are members of the organisation. Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth, made history when she competed for Team GB at the 1976 Montreal Summer Games, making her the first member of the British royal family to compete. Her daughter Zara followed in her mother's footsteps in 2012 and won a silver medal. Princess Anne presented the gold medals to Rosalind Canter, Laura Collett and Tom McEwen of Team GB during the awards ceremony in the team triathlon final.
King Frederik of Denmark and Queen Mary
Queen Mary, 52, and King Frederik of Denmark, 56, are regular participants in the Olympic Games. This is where their royal romance began. The couple first met during the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, when Australian-born Mary Donaldson struck up a conversation with "Fred" in a bar... without having any idea that he was royalty.
On 25 July, the couple took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of the Danish Pavilion on the Champs-Elysees and then attended a gala dinner hosted by the IOC and the French presidency at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The next day, they met with the Danish athletes and took a photo that was posted on their official Instagram page.
Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene
Prince Albert, 66, and Princess Charlene of Monaco, 46, will attend the Olympic Games in Paris as members of the royal family and former Olympians! Albert competed in bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics five times between 1988 and 2002, with a best result of 25th in 1988 in the twin event, while his wife swam in the 4x100m medley relay for her home country of South Africa.
King Felipe of Spain and Queen Letizia
Spain's King Felipe, 56, met with France's first couple, President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, at a reception for heads of state and government before the opening ceremony at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on 26 July, while Queen Letizia, 51, joined her husband at the opening ceremony later in the day, where the couple later took ponchos to protect them from the rain.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and King Willem-Alexander
Queen Máxima, 53, and King Willem-Alexander, 57, wore orange in support of the Dutch athletes at the opening ceremony on 26 July. Although the nation's flags are red, white and blue, the Dutch royal family is known as the House of Oranje-Nassau, inspiring their bold and easily visible outfits.
Queen Mathilde of Belgium and King Philippe
Queen Mathilde, 51, and King Philippe of Belgium, 64, were part of a group that attended the IOC and the Elysee Palace Dinner at the Louvre on 25 July, joining IOC President Thomas Bach and his wife Claudia Bach for a photo outside the famous Parisian museum. The following day, the royal couple joined the French President and First Lady at a reception at the Elysee Presidential Palace.
Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa
Grand Duke Henri, 69, and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa, 68, of Luxembourg were also in Paris to kick off the Olympic competition.
