Posted by
Sofia in
Nathalie on
01 27th, 2010 |
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In early January the Danish Royal Court announced that Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (34) has become engaged to her boyfriend Alexander Johannsmann (32). The Princess is the daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark, sister of Queen Margrethe and Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.
Nathalie and Alexander became an item in the autumn of 2006 and as recently as late last year, Nathalie answered “not yet “on the question of they were engaged.
The Princess breeds and trains dressage horses at the family’s stud farm in Bad Berleburg and belongs to the top tier of the best dressage riders on the World Cup tour for which she travels around the world to competitions with their best horses, Digby and Rigoletto. Her foremost achievement in dressage this far is an Olympic bronze medal along with the rest of the Danish team in Beijing 2008. Alexander’s family also has a long history in the equestrian world. Among other things, his father was once a famous show jumping rider and is now coach while Alexander himself works for a renowned equine transport company owned by an uncle.
When or where the wedding will be has not yet been announced.
Since I know that non-Danish often have issues when they try to figure out how some of the Danish royal names are pronounced – I pestered a Danish friend of mine, Stine, into helping me make an audio-file so you all could enjoy it.
Well, only that it’s not one audio file. We ended up making two. One for just the brief names, they are known as in every day conversations. And one for their full names.
With many thanks to Stine.
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With Crown Princess Mary in training for the Danish Home Guard: Army, Billed Bladet has pulled out pictures from the time her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe II, went through the training for the Airforce branch of the Home Guard.
The Home Guard stands strong among the Danish female royals: the Queen’s sister, Princess Benedikte is a member of the Navy branch of the organization.
The Danish Home Guard is a part of the Danish military. It has around 50,000 volunteers, and 650 full-time employees. It was formed in 1945, by former resistance fighters, who wanted to ensure that Denmark had a wide network of people who knew how to fight, if Denmark was to be invaded again. Today, the organization deals with education of military forces sent out for deployment, and with more civilian matters inside Denmark, such as handling environmental or other emergencies where the government is in need of extra hands.
Queen Ingrid once said that: “Benedikte is the most royal of my three daughters,” and Mette Bacher, the author of Benedikte: Prinsesse til Danmark, concurs in her foreword.
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Personally, I am less than accustomed with horses. I’ve been on a pony once, under duress, and aside from that my closest relationship with them has been through My Little Pony, or horses for my Barbies. That being said… I still found the biography about Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and her life with horses an interesting read.
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Posted by
Sofia in
Nathalie on
09 9th, 2008 |
2 responses Since the last few years, Mexican-Swedish beauty Carina Axelsson has been the love and happiness of Hereditary Prince Gustav zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, son of Princess Benedikte of Denmark (sister of Queen Margrethe II) and Prince Richard, the 6th Fürst zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.
The former model turned children’s books author and now almost a princess has not only made the prince the happiest man in the world, also his family and the Danish Royal Family are thrilled for the couple. Together Gustav and Carina have attended several high profile events, family occasions, and she has even been included in official photo shoots of the Royal Family. Since some time the couple even lives together at Schloss Berleburg which Gustav is heir too, and Carina has become a familiar face to the inhabitants of Bad Berleburg. Grooming for what her role as the wife of the prince would be, she has also taken on several projects and pursues her new commitments with an open heart.
So what’s keeping them from walking down the aisle and starting a family? Well there’s certainly something keeping Gustav from reaching that magic moment – but it comes from his own family. As Hereditary Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Gustav is one day meant to take over the headship of the family along with the castle and the family’s vast land ownership, but casting a dark shadow over the situation is the last will and testament of his own grandfather who could make his grandson loose everything. In accordance with the will, written during the Nazi era, Gustav has to marry a woman of noble descent, and, in the terms of World War II days, someone who is “Aryan”, a racial biology classification used by the Nazis which has been dismissed by the world.
Last week the Swedish weekly magazine Svensk Damtidning published a short article containing some of questions-answers with the couple. The magazine’s reporter met them at Gråsten Palace where the Danish Royal Family spend part of their annual summer holidays, shortly before Carina Axelsson’s 40th birthday in the beginning of August. She told them that she does read everything that is written about her, which is quite a lot these days, and that most of it is to her liking. The couple shared how they met, at a dinner party in Germany six years ago when Carina knew one couple and Gustav the other and they were both at the same dinner. Carina’s cell phone kept ringing that was what made the connection between them. Gustav asked the host for her number and called her up. The call gave them both a good laugh and they had a great time together during the rest of the evening
- That was how our love began, says Gustav.
- Yes, it was a clever trick, Carina agrees.
The couple lives together at Schloss Berleburg in a beautiful corner apartment that used to belong to Gustav’s grandmother Princess Magareta (née Fouché d’Otrante). Carina loves the nature that surrounds the castle and takes long walks in the woods with their two black Labradors. Gustav is happy that he has found someone who likes the countryside life just as much as he does.
Despite having grown up in Santa Cruz, California, and having lived in metropoles like Paris, London and New York, Carina says that Copenhagen is her favourite city.
- The Danes are incredibly friendly and obliging and the girlfriends I have in Denmark always agree to go out and have fun when I call them even if they have children and houses and homes to take care of.
- The women in Germany and France disappear completely when they get kids, but the Danes don’t.
Not only the Danes and the Swedes seem to like her, also Gustav’s parents and family plus the Danish Royal Family have received Carina very warmly with open arms.
- I have felt great warmth from everyone in the Royal Family. The Queen and Prince Henrik have been incredibly kind and generous. It’s really only my own family who find it a bit difficult to understand our special situation.
Years pass and Carina has reached 40, but the family has still not managed to get the will that keeps them from marrying and having a family declared invalid. A process is still going through the German court system after years of legal battles, but there’s still no end in sight.
- It is God who decides if we will marry and if we will have children, Gustav says about the situation.
Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark who is a sister of the ruling Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, today secured Denmark’s first medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing – and Denmark’s first ever team medal in dressage in Hong Kong.
After performing the best ride of all the Danish team members, Princess Nathalie and her horse Digby, a horse which she and her family has breeded and trained themselves, secured an individual score of 70,417%. With the USA team right in their heels, the bronze medal was not secured until the very last Danish and American riders had performed their programs.
Coming behind equestrian superpowers Germany (gold with 72,917%) and the Netherlands (silver with 71,750%) with equestrian super stars Isabell Weth and Anky van Grunsven on their teams, Nathalie and the three other Danish riders were all smiles as relief and happiness showered over them as the team score of 68,875% was enough to snap the bronze medal from the USA who ended with 67,819%.
- It’s a dream come true, Princess Nathalie said afterwards, continuing:
- I’m pretty satisfied with myself. We have been out here for two and a half weeks and built up adrenalin for this, so a big rock has fallen from my heart. I’m very happy for how it went.
The individual dressage is not over yet. Princess Nathalie is currently on an 8th place and qualified to compete for the individual medals in the Grand Prix Special on Saturday where the 25 best riders and horses will fight. Next Tuesday there is also the individual Grand Prix Kür.
In Hong Kong to watch her ride were some of Nathalie’s royal relatives. King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Prince Philippos and Princess Theodora of Greece and mummy Princess Benedikte were all there to show their support.
More: click here to see more pictures.
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