Queen Rania Reminisces About Queen Elizabeth II and Wants To Be a Grandmother

Queen Rania's Channel 4 News Interview

Queen Máxima's Interview with Tania Bryer in Davos

The Duchess of Sussex Before Her Royal Life

Meghan Markle addresses her charity work, empowerment for women, fashion and blog in these interviews posted on YouTube.

Sarah, Duchess of York On Royal Life

In an interview from 1996, Sarah, Duchess of York revealed that life in the British Monarchy was not a fairytale. Also, she said that the British press were "completely and utterly cruel and abusive and so invasive." Echoes of what Prince Harry and Meghan said in this Sunday's CBS interview.

Prince Harry and Meghan Set the Record Straight

During a CBS interview tonight, Harry and Meghan dispel the myths and rumours of the tabloid coverage surrounding their lives. Meghan told her side of the bridesmaid dress fiasco by saying that the British press reversed the story. It was Meghan that cried and not the Duchess of Cambridge over the issue of the bridesmaid dress, and that Kate apologized for her behavior whilst sending Meghan flowers. Meghan truly believed that she would be protected by the British Monarchy from the British press. In hindsight, Prince Harry saw history repeating itself by referencing his mother's experience with the British press, and he wanted to protect his family from the onslaught.

In essence, Prince Harry and Meghan initially did not have a plan to fully exit the British Monarchy. Rather, Harry saw it as an opportunity to step back and reevaluate his role as a prince, husband, and father. He and Meghan were still willing to work for the British Monarchy, but they wanted the protection and support of the British Monarchy from the British press.

Meghan made an analogy of her time with British Royal Family by referencing the Disney version of The Little Mermaid. When she met her prince, she lost her voice, but in the end gained it back.

Meghan also disclosed that she and Harry had a private wedding ceremony with the Archbishop of Canterbury three days before the royal wedding. On a joint engagement with Queen Elizabeth, Meghan said she received a pearl necklace and earrings from the monarch.

Harry has no regrets about his decision to leave the British Monarchy, and Meghan's only regret is that she believed the British Monarchy would protect her from the British press.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde Celebrate 20th Wedding Anniversary

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on December 4th. They were interviewed as part of a documentary in honour of the occasion.

Queen Rania Champions Education

Rania championed education in an interview with Harper's Bazaar Arabia. She spoke about the demands on her role as queen, wife and mother. The queen also addressed issues with social media platforms. Below is an excerpt from the Harper's Bazaar Arabia interview.

At its most base level, social media can be an easy tool for bullying, and as an outspoken woman in the Arab world, Queen Rania is wide open to negativity and criticism, which she handles with grace and insight. “Listening to criticism is part of my job,” she smiles. “It’s important to respect all different viewpoints, and sometimes it’s the people who disagree with you who are able to point out something you may have overlooked. But criticism is constructive only when it is based on fact. Sadly, in today’s media landscape, false information can become irrefutable fact in a matter of hours.” She admits that when she first stepped into the role of royalty she was reluctant to speak out or take risks for fear of opening herself up to scrutiny or attracting censure. “With time and experience, I’ve become more comfortable in my own skin. There is nothing more important than being authentic, saying and doing what we believe in, and owning our narrative. If we don’t, others will fill in the gaps on our behalf,” she says. “I’ve learnt that the path to progress is long, hard, and often thankless – if you let fear of criticism paralyse you, you’ll never make it out the door. The difficult choices – the ones we most fear – are often those that need to be made.That fear is there to let us know that they are worth it.” 

One of the most politically candid first ladies in the Middle East – if not the world – Queen Rania muses, “I never really made a conscious decision to be outspoken, I feel it’s something that I have to do because any voice raised against injustice erodes the power of that injustice.” She urges us all to follow suit. “I think it’s the most important thing in the world to be authentic, to live according to your beliefs and to speak your truth. Particularly at this time because the public discourse is dominated by hatred and intolerance and anger and fear, and so we need to provide a counter-narrative to that, particularly for people in public positions.” 

 

“A large percentage of our population are young and therefore with the right interventions, what we see as a challenge could become an opportunity for very quick change,” she says. The digital world also makes it easier to reach students, train teachers and modernise learning. In 2014 Queen Rania launched Edraak as an Arabic online educational platform for adult learners, who were starving for engaging digital content in their native language. Since then, Edraak has reached more than 2.2 million registered users. Last September, the platform was expanded to schoolchildren too, with the Edraak K-12 platform, which will offer e-curricula in all major subjects to Arab children everywhere. “We’ve already rolled out mathematics, and there is much more to come. The platform will eventually include thousands of Arabic instructional videos, quizzes, and practice exercises covering everything our children learn in schools, all available free of charge to anyone with an internet connection,” Her Majesty says. The aim is to provide all Arab school-aged children with free access to quality education by 2020, whether they are in urban centres, refugee camps or conflict zones. “It is a tremendous undertaking, but it is one that our region cannot afford to put off,” she says. “A child denied an education is not a tragedy for just that child – it sets us all back. So we owe it to them, and to ourselves, to give them a fighting chance.” 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Engagement Interview

Prince Harry asked Meghan Markle to be his wife whilst roasting a chicken at Nottingham Cottage on the Kensington Palace grounds. They met on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend. He proposed with a Botswana diamond on a yellow gold setting surrounded by diamonds from his mother's jewellery collection. 

Meghan Markle is an American actress. She is best known for her character, Rachel Zane, on the USA cable network TV drama Suits.

The full interview is posted here on the BBC News YouTube channel. 

Queen Rania Speaks At Women In the World Forum

Prince William Reveals Details of Engagement to ITN’s Tom Bradby

In his first post engagement interview, Prince William revealed more details of his proposal to Catherine Middleton to ITN’s Tom Bradby. The prince said he carried his mother’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring for weeks in his rucksack before popping the long-awaited question to his girlfriend of eight years whilst on a safari trip to Kenya in October.

The couple’s interview was relaxed with light-hearted banter on some of the finer details of their romance. Whilst pursuing his courtship of Catherine, Prince William said that friendship first in the relationship was a good foundation and a massive advantage.

The wedding will take place next year in London.

Below is ITN’s Tom Bradby post engagement interview of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

BBC’s Inside Sport Interviews Princess Anne

BBC’s Inside Sport was granted a rare interview with Princess Anne; it aired tonight on BBC One at 10:35 pm (local time). The princess is renowned for her industriousness in charity work and steadfast commitment to sports. She has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1988 and was involved in London’s bid for hosting the Olympic Games in 2012. Anne is currently serving on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.

The Princess Royal At 60: An Inside Sport Special will air again on Sunday at 2:00 pm (local time) on BBC Two.

Princess Anne will be turning sixty on Sunday.

The BBC News article, “No plans to slow down as Princess Anne turns 60,” can be read here.

The BBC News photo presentation, “In pictures: Princess Anne at 60,” can be viewed here.

Photo: © Press Association

Queen Rania Discusses Her Children’s Book on “The View” and “Good Morning America”

Queen Rania of Jordan appeared on the US television shows “The View” and “Good Morning America” this week to promote her new children’s book “The Sandwich Swap.” It continues the queen’s quest to encourage cross-cultural dialogue by relating to an actual event in her life.

Below is Queen Rania’s interview on ABC’s “The View.”


Below is Queen Rania’s interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

CNBC Interview with Queen Rania

Queen Rania of Jordan recently appeared on a special edition of CNBC’s Gateway to the Middle East. She was interviewed by CNBC reporter Louise Bojesen. Several of the questions posed to the queen included Pope Benedict’s visit to Jordan, the economic progress of her country and her decision to utilize global networking through YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

Below is the CNBC special edition of Gateway to the Middle East interview with Queen Rania of Jordan.

Queen Rania Converses Again with Wolf Blitzer

Queen Rania of Jordan recently appeared again on CNN’s “The Situation Room” with Wolf Blitzer to discuss gender parity, education, and the quest for peace in the Middle East. Her last appearance on “The Situation Room” took place in the fall of 2007. The transcript from her October 2007 interview with Wolf Blitzer can be read here.

Below is Part One of Queen Rania’s interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s “The Situation Room.”

Below is Part Two of Queen Rania’s interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s “The Situation Room.”

Jes Dorph Interviews Prince Frederik

Before embarking on his trip to Svalbard on Saturday, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark granted an interview to Danish journalist Jes Dorph-Petersen whilst on board the Dannebrog last Monday. Besides addressing his interest in the International Olympic Committee, the prince speaks about the significant changes in his life going from bachelor action prince to family man and marking the major milestone of turning forty.

The exclusive Jes Dorph interview with Prince Frederik will air on Danish TV2 tonight at 8pm (local time).

DR1 Presents Portrait Documentary of Marie Cavallier

On Sunday, Danish television DR1 aired a documentary of Prince Joachim’s fiancée, Marie Cavallier. In her interview, Marie spoke of her childhood being fraught with separation and divorce and the difficulties she faced adjusting to the changes. She also reminisced about her school experiences, travel and work. As the interview progressed, Marie admitted that the media was the most daunting aspect of her life so far because she felt the press was very aggressive in their methods to obtain a story.

Besides speaking of her early life, the interview touched on her romance with Joachim, her relationship with his sons Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix, religion and the challenges learning a new language and culture.

The DR1 documentary, Prinsesse på vej-portæt af Marie Cavallier, can be viewed here.

Princess Eugenie Emerges From Her Chrysalis for Tatler Magazine

For her 18th birthday which she celebrates on March 23rd, Princess Eugenie of York has morphed from ingénue to sophisticate as the star feature in the April issue of Tatler magazine. According to her interview, the princess said she preferred casual clothes, but for the photo session she magically transformed into an elegant model with a satin gown and gorgeous earrings to boot. The April issue of Tatler magazine will be available for sale on Thursday.

Prince Andrew Travels Across the United States as Special Business Representative

The Duke of York embarked on a ten-day visit to the United States which began on February 6th. The Duke of York is a Special Representative for International Trade and Investment for the United Kingdom. He visited Florida, California, Arizona, Georgia and New York. Whilst fulfilling his business engagements in Georgia, he gave an interview to CNN reporter and anchor Hala Gorani. The prince returned to the United Kingdom on February 15th. Since 2001, he has traversed the globe promoting trade and investment for Great Britain after ending a 22-year stint with the Royal Navy.

Below is a clip of Prince Andrew’s interview with CNN reporter and anchor Hala Gorani.

Meredith Vieira’s Interview with Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew appeared on the NBC Today Show this week to discuss Prince William, Prince Harry and Sarah Ferguson. He also talked about his daughters, his former military occupation and his current job. Meredith Vieira’s rare interview with the prince took place in the comfort of Buckingham Palace.

Of his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Andrew praised her mothering skills and said: “She's the one that delivered what I would describe as that grounding and that down-to-earth attitude in the girls. “She's been through marriage to a member of the royal family. And she's seen both ends. So she knows something that I could never experience, because she's come into it and gone out of it. Now, that experience is probably more valuable to the girls in their grounding than anything that I can give them.”

As a former Navy officer, the prince appreciated the efforts of William and Harry when they signed up for military service and said: “Those two young men are outstanding young people who have chosen to join the armed forces. And I think it’s absolutely right and proper that they should have an exposure to the military.”

Along with the interview, Ms. Vieira was afforded a rare view around Buckingham Palace. During the tour, Prince Andrew recounted some of his favourite pastimes.

The Royalist article, 'Quiet' Prince Andrew Turns TV Tour Guide, can be read here.

The NBC Today Show article, Prince Andrew on being a parent, and a Royal, can be read here.

Below is a clip from Meredith Vieira's NBC exclusive interview with Prince Andrew.