Original subtitles

of all the fables recited to us as

children there is no more enduring

character than that of the fairy tale

princess

whether they are born into royalty like

Sleeping Beauty or marry into it like

Cinderella real-life princesses have

plenty in common with their fairytale

counterparts dressed by couturiers

dining on fine cuisine and luxuriating

in palaces and exclusive resorts but the

complications of modern day existence

conspire to make the lives of real

princesses far more rich and diverse

than any fairy tale

our story begins with a young woman from

Philadelphia who conquered hearts as a

Hollywood princess before being whisked

away by a real-life Prince Charming to

become her serene Highness the Princess

of Monaco born in 1929 grace patricia

kelly's cherished dream was to become a

stage actress she funded her own way

through drama school by modeling

eveningwear for new york fashion houses

after gaining her first professional

acting experience in live television she

landed her first starring role in 1952 s

High Noon she went on to win a Golden

Globe for Mogambo the following year

then she won a leading actress Oscar for

the black-and-white film country girl

and by the age of 26

she'd starred in the classic musical

high society and three films directed by

Alfred Hitchcock having made only eleven

films and with her whole career ahead of

her grace stunned the world by

announcing she was ready to give it all

up to marry the Crown Prince of a tiny

European principality called Monaco

surrounded by France the world's second

smallest independent nation was

practically unknown to anyone except the

wealthy Jet Set who basked in the luxury

of Monaco's Beach's casinos and lakhs

income tax laws but in 1955 Crown Prince

Rania's engagement to Grace Kelly

immediately put Monaco on the map

and if she had been popular with the

press before the young film star now had

to deal with the unprecedented frenzy

sparked by the media's obsession with

documenting her transition from

Hollywood siren to her serene Highness

even aboard the cruise ship that was

crawling with film crews and

photographers she managed to keep

smiling no doubt finding solace in the

company of her pet Hungarian Vizsla

before having to face the crowds of

adoring monarchists who were soon to

become her loyal subjects

Prince Rainier was there to greet her as

she landed and guide her through all the

pomp and ceremony that her new role as

her serene Highness would demand billed

as the wedding of the century the

ceremony took place on April 19th 1956

the day before the royal couple had

exchanged vows in a private civil

ceremony but on the big day

it was clear that the years of dramatic

training and professional acting had

prepared her to play a starring role as

The Princess Bride

in front of a television viewing

audience of 30 million people around the

globe her stunning dress of silk taffeta

tulle and lace Jean like silver it was

designed by metro-goldwyn-mayer

oscar-winning costume designer helen

rose and took 36 seamstresses six weeks

to complete

the lavish ceremony at st. Nicholas

Cathedral was attended by the likes of

Ava Gardner David Niven Gloria Swanson

Cary Grant and the Agra car the story

goes that Britain's Queen Elizabeth

turned down an invitation to the wedding

on the grounds that there would be too

many film stars there exquisitely poised

and quietly composed the celebrated

Beauty carried her part off to

perfection leaving Hollywood to mourn

the premature retirement of one of its

brightest stars her serene Highness

approached her new role with the same

dedication she plowed into her

oscar-winning film career after a seven

week honeymoon cruise aboard the princes

yacht she got straight down to the task

of producing an heir to the throne nine

months later she gave birth to Princess

Caroline whose arrival was celebrated

with a 21-gun salute a year later a

hundred and one guns welcomed Prince

Albert into the world and seven years

after that grace gave birth to their

third child Princess stéphanie

while grace may have missed her

Hollywood friends and stellar career she

contented herself with her civic duties

as the crown prince's consort and

pictures of their growing family became

staple fodder for news bulletins and

glossy magazines around the world in

1982 just one year after the royal

couple's 25th wedding anniversary

Princess Grace was driving her daughter

Stephanie home from their country

retreat when her car plunged over the

mountainside on a windy strip of road

they were both taken to the Princess

Grace Hospital

and while stephanie was destined to

recover from her injuries

her mother died the following day at the

age of 52 the dramatic end to her life

added a fitting twist to the fairy tale

devastated by her death Prince Rainier

never married again and was buried

alongside her in the Grimaldi family

vault following his death in 2005

while grace was transforming from movie

star to princess in the late 1950s

princess Soraya of Iran was attempting

to reverse the metamorphosis back in

1948 the daughter of the Iranian

ambassador to West Germany had been

introduced to the recently divorced Shah

of Iran while she was still studying at

a Swiss finishing school the Shah was

instantly enamoured in the couple

married in decadent splendor at golestan

palace in Tehran in 1951 one and a half

tonnes of orchids tulips and carnations

were flown in from Holland and Surya

wore a silver Lama gal encrusted with

pearls and trimmed with marabou feathers

by Christian Dior the outfit was topped

off with a full-length white mink cape

the heavy snow that formed a background

to the lavish celebrations was deemed a

good omen

unfortunately however the opulence and

extravagance of Iranian royal life could

not cover over the cracks that quickly

began to appear in the marriage which

after several years remained childless

after seeking treatment in France and

Switzerland for Soraya's apparent

infertility the Shah suggested that as

allowed by their Muslim religion he

should take a second wife who could

produce an heir Surya refused to go

along with his proposal and despite his

pleas for her to return she left for her

parents home in Cologne on the same ship

that carried Grace Kelly to Monaco

preferring to be divorced than sidelined

in April 1958 a weeping shower announced

to her arm that their marriage was over

keeping the title her imperial highness

the princess Soraya of Iran for a while

it looked like she might marry Prince

Raimundo Orsini of Rome on the rebound

however the Catholic Church did not look

favorably on raymundo's proposed union

to a Muslim

Sariah then moved to France and set her

heart on breaking into the movies she

finally made her film debut in three

phases of a woman which premiered to an

audience of 3000 in Rome in 1965 as the

green eyed suryya

dressed in a long emerald green evening

dress arrived crowds swarmed around her

by this time she was well used to the

clamoring paparazzi in there flashing

bulbs

three faces of a woman was not a success

but Surya did find love with the movie's

director Franco in Davina tragically

Franco died six years later in a plane

crash and serious pest of her life being

dogged by deep depression

another royal contemporary of both Grace

and Sariah

may also have made her way to the big

screen if the restrictions imposed by

her birthright had not prevented her

from seeking a performing career there's

no doubt that the young princess

margaret was beautiful enough to have

held her own among the starlets of the

1950's after her death at the age of 71

in February 2002 her nephew Prince

Charles shared his fond memories mount

was one of those remarkable people who

culture being incredibly vital and

attractive and of course when she was

young so many people remember her for

that vitality of attractiveness if

indeed her incredible beauty but she

also and I think many people don't

realize it's had such incredible talent

I remember so well she used to play the

piano incredibly well and she had an

extraordinary ear she could pick up and

play by ear or Mazzini choo and she sang

like an angel I always remember that as

a child and of course she was she had

this wonderfully sharp mind and used to

literally win crossword puzzle

competitions and I think one of the one

of the fondest memories I shall have of

her was always of sitting at the piano

playing away with a large very elegant

cigarette holder in her mouth and as I

say we shall all miss her dreadfully but

Charles's affection for Princess

Margaret was not always shared by other

members of the royal family or the

general public thanks to her aptitude

for courting controversy she was often

depicted as a rebel princess

she was born in Scotland in 1930 her

parents were then Duke and Duchess of

York in 1936 the abdication of Edward

the eighth unexpectedly put her father

on the throne her Margaret and her older

sister Elizabeth

were suddenly saddled with the

responsibility of being daughters of the

King as she grew up

Princess Margaret began to win a place

in the public's affection she was very

different in personality to her sister

who came across as conscientious and

well-behaved while the more wayward

Margaret was more likely to get into

trouble when World War two ended in 1945

Margaret and her sister joined their

parents in Prime Minister Winston

Churchill on the balcony of buckingham

palace on VE Day to wave to the cheering

crowds

in 1952 her father King George the sixth

died and she saw the attention switched

to her sister as she became queen

elizabeth ii a year later however the

spotlight snapped back to the 23 year

old princess when she fell in love with

Peter Townsend a former Battle of

Britain pilot but he was divorced and

Margaret was given an ultimatum marriage

to Peter would mean giving up her title

and a place in the royal family royal

duty won out over romance and five years

later

Margaret announced her engagement to

photographer Anthony Armstrong Jones who

later became Lord Snowdon

this time there could be no objections

and in 1960 they were married at

Westminster Abbey

the couple were the focus of high

society and they had two children by

count Lindley and Lady Sarah but before

long speculation about Margaret's

extramarital affairs became the subject

of many a rumor throughout the 60s and

70s her name was linked with a string of

lovers such as Mick Jagger and Peter

Sellers who allegedly visited her house

on the Caribbean island of mystique and

in 1978 a well publicized romance with

Gardner Roddy Llewellyn finally led to

her divorce from Lord Snowdon and the

associated scandal led to public demand

for Princess Margaret to stand down her

failing health in later life was often

blamed on her earlier excesses known to

enjoy a drink she'd also been a chain

smoker and had part of her left lung

removed prior to suffering her first

stroke in 1998 but while many wrote the

princess off as a waste of taxpayers

money the artists and intellectuals she

loved so much saw her differently

writer gore Vidal was once quoted as

saying she was far too intelligent for

her station in life

finally bound to a wheelchair

Margaret spent her last years in the

bosom of her family often appearing in

public alongside her sister

another royal rebel is Princess Grace of

Monaco daughter Stephanie although her

story bears more resemblance to that of

Princess Margaret than the shy and

retiring sayako at 19

stephanie was in the car with Grace when

it ran off a mountain road in Monaco her

own severe injuries from the accident

prevented her from bidding farewell to

the mother who lovingly labelled her

wild child

since then stephanie has run off the

rails numerous times her relationships

have included affairs with a spanish

singer the son of a French film star a

con man and actor Rob Lowe and in 1995

she married her former bodyguard Daniel

de croo a with whom she'd already had

two children a year later they were

divorced and Stephanie embarked on more

affairs with actor jean-claude van damme

footballer Fabien bar PES and a ski

instructor to whom she became pregnant

with her third child she went on to

strike up liaisons with a Swiss circus

owner at her father's but look as well

as having a fling with her sister

Caroline's ex-husband now in her 40s she

is said to be dating French actor and

musician merwin Rim who is 12 years her

junior aside from her polish on for

tough active men since her father Prince

Rainiers death in 2005 she has become

just as passionately involved in the

fight against AIDS and in 2006 she was

honoured to be appointed special

representative for the joint United

Nations program on hiv/aids to shake

everybody is concerned every country in

the world is concerned

it's a global problem AIDS has no

borders no social political religious or

racial barriers I think it affects

really everybody

like her younger sister Princess

Caroline of Monaco is passionate about

good causes as well as founding the

children's charity jean-jacques oohed

she has been awarded commander of

cultural merit in recognition of her

commitment to the arts and in 2006 she

was honoured with the UNICEF children's

champion award she came into the world

with great fanfare on January the 23rd

1957 the first child of proud parents

Princess Grace and Prince Rainier her

birth was marked with public

celebrations in front of Monaco's Great

Palace still basking in the afterglow of

their crown prince's wedding to the

beautiful Grace Kelly Monaco was

delighted for the excuse to throw

another party later that year she made

her first public appearance on the

palaces balcony amid general rejoicing

balloons stamp for the date of the

baby's birth but released while there

was free champagne to bring her health

as the oldest child of Monaco's reigning

family she became well used to the

spotlight from an early age rather like

a kid sister Stephanie she discovered

her rebellious streak as a teenager and

much to her mother's disapproval married

a divorced banker called Philippe Junot

who had quite a reputation as a Playboy

however as Grace had predicted the

marriage was over within two years two

years later Caroline was devastated by

Grace's sudden death and struggled to

keep her composure during the state

funeral

not long after she seemed to have found

happiness when she married businessman

Stefano Casiraghi they had three

children together before Stefano was

tragically killed in a speedboat

accident at the age of 30 Princess

Caroline finally married again in 1999

and this time into royalty

her third husband is Ernst August 5th

Prince of Canada a match much more in

keeping with her royal position than

either of her previous marriages

especially in view of her status as

presumptive heir to the throne this

means that if her younger brother Albert

the current Crown Prince of Monaco dies

without a legitimate heir

she will automatically become the Crown

Princess making her eldest son Andrea

Albert second in line to the throne

having well and truly put her wild days

behind her Princess Caroline seems

content to be continuing her mother's

legacy blessed for the same film star

radiance and elegance her charity work

now takes priority over her social life

on the downside the beauty and intrigue

of Monaco's royal women has drawn so

much media intrusion into their private

lives that in 2004 Princess Caroline

obtained a judgment from the European

Court of Human Rights condemning the

publication of private photos

perhaps princess caroline's moved to

protect her privacy

was inspired by the experience of the

late Diana Princess of Wales who sparked

a passion so powerful within the media

that they literally hounded her to death

after the media circus that accompanied

her separation and divorce from Prince

Charles in 1996 she aired her grief

about the intensity of the press's

obsession when I started my public life

12 years ago I understood the media

might be interested in what I did I

realized then their attention would

inevitably focus on both our private and

public lives but I was not aware of how

overwhelming that attention would become

no doubt she couldn't quite comprehend

how such a shy and unremarkable young

woman had managed to ignite a global

obsession with her every move certainly

she did not possess the film star looks

and poise of a Monaco princess and all

could she dazzle with the accomplishment

and wit at the disposal of Princess

Margaret

in fact she often joked about her lack

of aptitude at riddles worth halt school

although by all accounts she was very

happy there

I made many friends for I often see and

in spite of what massage and my other

teachers may have thought time I did

actually know something indeed it may

well have been Princess Diana's very

lack of extraordinary recommendations

that made her so accessible to the

people in the street who quickly crowned

her their Queen of Hearts the love

affair with the people's princess began

back in 1980 when she was plain old lady

Diana Spencer a 19 year old nanny

sharing a flat with friends in London we

just happened to be dating the future

King of England her relationship with

the overzealous press got off to a

tentative start with a shy smile and a

nervous wave and she had no intention of

going away in February 1981 Buckingham

Palace announced Diana's engagement to

Charles and a happy couple embraced

photo opportunities to show off the

walnut-sized 30,000 pound ring

consisting of 14 diamonds at a sapphire

Charles recalled his first impressions

on meeting the sixteen-year-old Diana I

remember thinking what a very jolly and

amusing and attractive 16 year old she

was and having great fun and and seeing

full of life and everything and I didn't

want you but during the lead-up to their

wedding in July it became clear that the

down-to-earth and disarming Diana had

already eclipsed her royal fiance in the

public consciousness

the fresh-faced sincerity and sense of

fun were overdue antidotes to the

guarded stiff upper lips of the monarchy

on the day of the royal wedding people

were chanting her name in the streets

the nation was given the day off and

crowds lined the streets to catch a

glimpse of the fairytale bride

resplendent in her a manual gown

complete with 25 foot train the

brand-new princess emerged from some

Paul's Cathedral to the cheers of

thousands of fans totally smitten with

her naive charm and cheeky smile over

the next few months

she consolidated her relationship with

the public both at home and overseas on

walkabouts with Charles she was always a

huge hit with the crowds

and in less than a year she done her

duty to the royal family by presenting

it with a healthy heir to the throne in

her obvious affinity with children the

public found yet another reason to adore

her

then there was her courageous compassion

in 1987 when AIDS patients were being

demonized by the press Dianna was

holding their hands HIV does not make

people dangerous to know so you can

shake their hands and give them a hug

heaven knows they need it along with all

the media proof of her tireless

dedication to good causes and charity

work came stories that she also visited

the sick in secret

begging nurses and patients not to let

on to the press with public opinion on

her side she went on to win even more

hearts as reports emerged that Charles

was carrying on an affair with his old

sweetheart Camilla parker-bowles

while there were also plenty of stories

of Diana's alleged infidelity 'he's many

magazines and tabloids chose to contend

that she was merely acting out of

loneliness this line was bolstered by

stories about her battles with bulimia

and multiple suicide attempts she was

being stalked by telephoto lenses and

media speculation

in an attempt to redress the balance she

approached biographer Andrew Morton to

tell her side of the story

depicting Charles as a neglectful and

unfaithful husband after that it was

only a few short months in the odd

awkward public appearance before Prime

Minister John Major announced their

separation even under the intense glare

of the spotlight she continued to use

her public profile to raise awareness of

issues that had been swept under the

carpet by polite society for years and

she wasn't afraid to speak from our own

agonizing experience I have it on very

good authority that the quest for

perfection our society demands can leave

the individual gasping for breath at

every turn

this pressure inevitably extends into

the way we look

eating disorders whether it be anorexia

or bulimia show how an individual can

turn the nourishment of the body into a

painful attack on themselves despite her

pleas for privacy the media's obsession

with her continued as did her own

obsession with body image her

increasingly frequent trips to the gym

were always accompanied by a gaggle of

photographers desperate to add fuel to

one of the many rumors making the rounds

about her private life after her

separation the press had her linked with

every man she came into contact with

from rugby captain will Carling and

singer Bryan Adams the one car lost the

first of Spain and John F Kennedy jr.

and while she may have cut down on her

public engagements she certainly didn't

abandon those causes that had always

been close to her heart in January 1997

these pictures of her visiting a

landmine site in Angola were flashed

around the world bringing much-needed

publicity to the issue of unexploded

landmines in war-torn territories

seven months later she went on another

visit to meet landmine survivors in

Bosnia for one last time she managed to

turn the relentless media pressure into

a positive just days after the Bosnian

trip she lay dying in a dark tunnel in

Paris

surrounded by the rapid-fire click of

automatic cameras that had punctuated

almost every waking moment of her adult

life torn from her adoring public in the

prime of life

she was guaranteed to continue her reign

as the undisputed Queen of Hearts

another top contender for the Queen of

Hearts title is Denmark's Crown Princess

Mary the photogenic wife of the heir to

the Danish throne and mother to Prince

Christian and princess Isabella has

helped promote the profile of Denmark's

Royals which in turn has boosted tourism

in the country's capital of Copenhagen

while she may not quite fit the mold of

a Cinderella Mary's rise from simple

Australian country girl to beautiful

crown princess does indeed read like a

fairy tale and since marrying her

handsome prince and moving into the

friedensburg PA us she has become the

idol of every young girl who dreams of

becoming a princess she began life as

plain old married Donaldson in the

former penal colony of Hobart on the

island of Tasmania in 1973 she grew up

loving the outdoor life and riding

horses upon graduating from University

she began a career in advertising in

Melbourne but after her mother died in

1997 she left her job to travel before

settling down in Sydney where she became

a real estate agent she and Prince

Frederick first bumped into each other

at a bar called the slip in during the

Sydney 2000 Olympics out socializing

with separate groups of friends they got

talking and without knowing exactly who

he was there he slipped him her phone

number

and so began the romance their

long-distance courtship continued

secretly until Mary moved to Denmark in

2002 and began taking lessons in Danish

language history and etiquette finally

the Danish Court announced that

Frederick's mother Queen Margherita

intended to give her consent to the

marriage and in October 2003 they became

officially engaged Australia was

overjoyed at the prospect of having its

very own princess and the people of

Denmark warmed to her charm and beauty

immediately

in fact a poll found that 75% of Danes

believed that she would make a good

queen and the couple looked truly in

love Mary's last evening as a commoner

was marked with a grand gala that drew

royal guests from around the world and

helped prepare her for the onslaught of

official engagements that awaited her as

a princess braving a chilly Scandinavian

wind the star of the show was the

radiant bride-to-be elegantly dressed in

a low-cut red gown if she was nervous

about the day to come it didn't show as

she smiled and waved to the crowds that

grace and composure carried her through

the much-hyped wedding with the eyes of

the world upon her in fact while she

stayed calm and collected it was

Frederick who seemed overwhelmed by the

emotion of the day as he wiped away a

tear

the sensitive prince was just as

demonstrative as he excitedly greeted

the media after the birth of the

couple's son and heir in October 2005

a few days later the new Prince

Christian made his first public

appearance in the arms of his mother who

practiced her Danish I'm feeling

absolutely wonderful

two years later Christian was joined by

a baby sister Isabella Henriette

becoming fluent in the Danish language

has allowed the princess to involve

herself in a raft of local charitable

ventures she's been a leading light in

the campaign to improve disadvantaged

migrant areas of Copenhagen as well as

becoming involved in a new campaign to

raise awareness about skin cancer

through the Danish Cancer Society it's

also no surprise to learn that the

impeccably dressed Princess Mary is an

active patron of Denmark's third highest

earning export the fashion industry

one of the perks of that plum roll is a

guaranteed front row seat at all the

local fashion events no doubt it also

helps her keep up with the pressure of

putting together the perfect boat

Couture outfit for that next red carpet

event

over in Spain Princess Leticia has also

become a major style icon like Princess

Mary of Denmark the former newsreader

had no aristocratic connections before

marrying into the Royal Asturias family

she was born Letizia Ortiz in aa viedos

Spain in 1972 the daughter of a

journalist and a registered nurse after

completing a bachelor's degree she

followed her father into the newspaper

business and worked her way into

television to become the anchorwoman of

the most viewed newscast in Spain having

become a celebrity in her own right

there was no need to win over the public

as Prince Felipe's intended bride still

the announcement of their engagement

came as quite a shock to the Spanish

people who've been completely blindsided

by the royal romance mission Agatha I

understand that it must be a big

surprise for everyone

revolution is we in thin sassy photo but

it hasn't been a quick decision it's

been based on the great love that we

feel for each other game is yours

however there was still the matter of

Leticia's previous marriage to her high

school literature teacher to contend

with thankfully the roman catholic

church found a loophole to allow the

marriage but two months after their

official engagement came to claim by

cuban artists waldo Saavedra that the

artwork on a new album by spanish singer

mama was a nude study of the future

spanish crown princess scandal was

averted when he clarified that Leticia

had not posed nude but had simply given

him a photograph of herself in which she

was fully clothed and that he'd used his

imagination to paint her naked

and on the 22nd of May 2004 the

Cathedral in Madrid became a mecca for

royal guests and dignitaries the world

over as a nervous Prince Felipe awaited

the arrival of his stunning bride the

pouring rain did nothing to dampen the

enthusiasm of the waiting crowd Leticia

began the daunting walk down the aisle

on the arm of her father the

picture-perfect couples moving vows were

broadcast to the nation and witnessed on

huge screens outside the cathedral the

receive ort Leticia hamas pasa

Ament Revati the prometo set the field

in a Prospera de Universidad in a salute

beeline firma de vida y ou Leticia Terre

see what they fairly taken was possible

a mantra Watty hiepro metro certify el

Ella Prospera dad in a purse Arab a la

salute Ilan showed me that todos es de

nuit as the ceremony ended cheers rang

out in the square since then Princess

Leticia has been featured heavily in the

glossy magazines of Europe and is

frequently praised by fashion critics

for her impeccable taste in clothes she

also has her own fan club with websites

dedicated to gathering photos and

updates on the queen of Spanish style

her waif-like figure and chiseled cheeks

have led to speculation that she may

have an eating disorder

but despite her fragile frame she has

given birth to two healthy daughters

Leonor and Sofia and although the

current Spanish law of succession would

hand a potential younger brother the

throne over his older sisters it is

possible that the law could be changed

to make Leonor the heir apparent

meanwhile in Japan

another young princess has recently been

at the center of succession debate

princess ie ko was born on December 1st

2001 she's the first child of their

Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince

Naruhito heir apparent to the Japanese

throne and Crown Princess Masako before

little Aiko was born there was much

concern among the Japanese people about

the health and state of mind of Princess

Masako who had become something of a

recluse since marrying the prince in

1993 so when the announcement came in

2000 that the princess was pregnant

the people were overjoyed however the

birth of a baby girl instantly rekindled

the debate about the controversial

succession law which as recently as 1946

was changed to restrict the throne to

men ironically not long after the former

prime minister pledged to submit a bill

to Parliament to let women ascend the

throne ie cozart Keiko gave birth to a

baby boy

heesu hito with a male heir apparent on

the scene plans to change the succession

law were temporarily shelved

one European crown that is assured of

being inherited by a female is that of

the Netherlands where three princesses

stand directly in line to the throne

catharina-amalia Alexia and areum are

the three beautiful daughters of heir

apparent Prince willem-alexander and

Princess máxima of the Netherlands

Maxima was born in Argentina in 1971 and

after graduating with an economics

degree in 1995 started a career in

investment banking she met

willem-alexander four years later in

Spain during the Seville fair but as he

introduced himself only as Alexander she

had no idea he was actually a prince

when he broke the news to her later

Maximo was convinced he was joking still

she agreed to meet him in New York two

weeks later the romance blossomed and

they were engaged in 2001 throughout

January 2002 Amsterdam was abuzz with

activity in preparation for the royal

nuptials it is big even and big

operation we used six thousand police

officers in that period the operation

cost a lot of money

five million euro so it's a lot of money

and

it's its first thing it's safety first

despite some controversy caused by the

fact that Maximus father had served

under the regime of former Argentine

president York Rafael Videla a military

dictator who had been responsible for

many atrocities during the 1970s the

mood in the Dutch capital was one of

great anticipation and excitement since

the wedding Princess máxima has

endeared herself to her new country by

becoming fluent in Dutch and giving

birth to three heirs to the throne

another country that has guaranteed the

accession of a female monarch is

sweetened thanks to the change made in

1979 to the countries Act of Succession

Sweden became the first country in the

world to adopt equal primogeniture

ensuring that the throne is inherited by

the rulers eldest child regardless of

gender now in her early 30s Princess

Victoria's unorthodox preparations have

included undergoing basic military

training at a base outside Stockholm

sporting combat fatigues camouflage face

paint and full battle gear the future

Queen was asked by reporters whether she

found the training tough it depends what

you mean with top of course but for me

was that it has been very good in that

sense that I've done a lot yes it has

been tough in the sense that you don't

sleep as much as usually yeah yeah but

yes of course you carry heavy stuff but

it's just extremely interesting I'd

learnt a lot the exercise this has also

been really very well prepared I must

say so it really gives you sort of the

right idea what it's all about and this

will be right impression of course

you're you're doing something that

you're not used to more used to designer

outfits and formal suits than battle

dress she was happy to muck in with 40

other men and women to learn combatted

marksman skills as well as practicing

first-aid and chemical warfare safety to

get an understanding of the role played

by Swedish forces in international

peacekeeping assignments

as Princess Victoria continues her

preparations to assume the role of Queen

of Sweden

Britain's Princess Beatrice can relax in

the knowledge that she is unlikely ever

to be called upon to assume such

responsibility with four male heirs

before her she is fifth in line to the

throne Princess Beatrice is the daughter

of Queen Elizabeth's second son Andrew

Duke of York and Sarah Duchess of York

who divorced in 1996 when Beatrice was 8

and her younger sister Eugenie was just

six years old in spite of the worldwide

publicity stirred up by the divorce her

parents have remained on the best of

terms as co-parents and Beatrice has

grown up relatively free of intrusion

from the press

however on the eve of her 18th birthday

she declared that she was ready to start

following in her mother's footsteps and

using her privilege to help those less

fortunate and while she may have been a

little nervous ahead of meeting patience

as she accompanied her mom on a visit to

a London hospital she understood that

the prospect of shaking hands with a

princess was probably just as daunting

for the patients maybe before they meet

me and they might have a scare but once

once they find out that I'm really just

a normal just just normal okay

once they find out that I'm just made

then then it should make it easier and

Beatrice was quick to credit her mum

with being a great role model I see

myself as a mini mummy I kind of had

this enough in me to anything you could

do I want to do better she is the best

advice giver I could ever I could

possibly ever wish for and she's a sort

of she leads by exact leads by example

really and her and her behavior kind of

is one that I really would like to

follow

however the princess's enthusiasm is not

shared by everyone just one year earlier

some sources close to the Queen were

questioning her mother's advice giving

talents when Beatrice appeared on the

cover of Tatler magazine the sultry

photos raised a few eyebrows in royal

circles and signaled Beatrice's

intentions to take on public life as a

confident seventeen year old but I think

the pictures are a bit unfortunate Bucky

in Palace has spent years keeping the

girls away from the media radar and they

succeeded but now that Beatrice has

turned over sixteen twenty seventeen on

Monday she's out of their hands and

there's not a lot they can do about it

and this really came probably as a

result of parental agreement to no

prizes for guessing which parent in fact

her mum not only sanctioned the article

she sat in on the photoshoot an

interview in which Beatrice revealed

that the divorce of her parents had

actually brought the family closer

together the young princess also

admitted that she was very lucky and

wouldn't trade her life for anyone

else's

Beatriz and her sister Eugenie belonged

to a new breed of princess combining the

advantages of royal privilege with the

freedom of a normal life they look set

to enjoy the best of both worlds

and while in royal families around the

world other young women are preparing to

ascend to positions of power formerly

preserved for their brothers and

although the stories of their lives may

not read like classic fairy tales these

very modern princesses are still setting

their sights on that happy ever after

you