As the 2010 Winter Olympics get under way this evening, you might want to keep an eye out for some royals attending the Games.
Here’s the list:
King Harald V, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon – Norway
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary – Denmark
Princess Anne – United Kingdom
Infanta Pilar – Spain
King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia and Prince Carl Philip – Sweden
Prince Albert II – Monaco
Constantine and Anne-Marie – Greece
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Crown Princess Maxima and daughters – Netherlands
There has been some controversy over Willem-Alexander taking his three young daughters to the Olympics. In the Netherlands, parents are allowed to take their children out of school due to the Dutch Compulsory Education Law, which has school principals give students 10 extra free days a year, without consulting the Ministry of Education. It is up to the principals to decide if there is any specific reason to grant the free days and if the students would not be behind in their lessons.
News of the princesses spending time at the Olympics did not go well with the Dutch public. Some say it is unfair that the three girls – Catharina-Amalia, Alexia and Ariane – get days off easily while other students do not. Some also see this as Willem-Alexander taking advantage of his position as the future King, which he is starting to gain a reputation as. The Crown Prince already is not seen in a good light after he sued the Associated Press and began building a vacati0n resort in Mozambique, both last year.
In other news, Jordan’s Prince Feisal was elected as a member to the International Olympic Committee during a meeting the day before the official opening ceremonies. He joins half-sister Princess Haya as one of the many royals who are IOC members.
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