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The official Danish royal family Instagram account posted this incredible portrait from Prince Christian’s 18th birthday gala last weekend. The portrait is of the future king and queens of Europe. From left to right: Sweden’s Princess Estelle, Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Denmark’s Prince Christian, The Netherlands’ Princess Catharina-Amalia and Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth. It feels, even now, like an absolutely iconic photo and a historic moment for Europe’s royal houses. So of course, the British media is obsessed with figuring out why Prince William and Kate weren’t invited or refused to go to the party. Earlier this week, there was some huffing and puffing about how British princes and princesses are simply too focused on the UK to dilly-dally with Europe’s royals. Except that kind of blows up William’s “I wanna be a global statesman” shtick, right? Well, interestingly enough, Richard Eden is almost *criticizing* Will and Kate for not going to Christian’s gala.

There was a time when the British royals thought it wise to keep their distance from their vast extended family of European cousins. With Victoria’s eldest grandchild, the Kaiser, declaring war on Great Britain and revolution ripping through the early 20th century, the unfortunately named Saxe-Coburg-Gothas had something of a point. But that moment has long passed, says Richard Eden.

And the latest gathering of European royals for the 18th birthday of Denmark’s Prince Christian makes today’s Windsors seem conspicuous in their stand-offishness.

‘The young people who will succeed to the throne in five different countries posed for a unique portrait at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen,’ explains Eden in his latest newsletter for Palace Confidential. It was a vision of the future of Europe’s monarchy.’

Yet, as that photograph makes clear, no one was there from the British Royal Family.

‘Personally, I hope that changes,’ he continues. ‘It would be lovely if the Prince and Princess of Wales forged closer ties with their counterparts on the Continent. They have a shared interest in demonstrating that monarchy can be a force for good.’

If Victoria and Albert overhauled the British monarchy, bringing a new-found respectability after the licentious chaos of the Regency and William IV, their influence upon European royalty was also profound. With nine children and 42 grandchildren, Queen Victoria was known as the ‘Grandmother of Europe’. Her descendants can also be found in the royal families of Germany, Russia, Greece, Romania, Sweden, Norway and Spain.

‘However, when her eldest grandchild, Kaiser Wilhelm II, led Germany into war against Britain in 1914, her dream of her descendants bringing harmony to Europe unravelled,’ writes Eden. ‘And when her granddaughter, Alexandra, was brutally murdered along with Tsar Nicholas of Russia and their five children by Bolsheviks in 1918, the British Royal Family distanced themselves from their continental cousins even further, lest they be tainted by the stench of revolution. Since then, the newly named Windsors have largely kept themselves apart from the royal families of Europe. They invite them to the big state occasions such as weddings and funerals but it tends to be Prince Edward, for example, who would be sent to a foreign celebration rather than King Charles or Prince William. Last weekend, we saw a fascinating example of that when European royals gathered en masse for the 18th birthday party for Prince Christian, the future king of Denmark. But the Windsors were conspicuous by their absence.’

It is time to think of the future, says Eden. ‘And Prince George, aged ten, would have looked cute posing next to 11-year-old Princess Estelle of Sweden.’

[From The Daily Mail]

From the British/palace perspective, I can actually understand why they wouldn’t want a photo of Prince George standing with the other future queens and the other future king. It would make George seem less special, in a way. “British exceptionalism” kind of demands that the British royals are seen as “above” the other royal houses. That being said, this was genuinely a missed opportunity for William and Kate to show up and be diplomatic. Which is perhaps why they skipped out – they are deeply and profoundly incapable. That still doesn’t answer the question of why no one in the Windsor clan went though. Like, why didn’t Sophie and Edward go? Or even the York princesses?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images, Instagram, Instar.

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