These athletes took a royal chance at a medal.
The Olympic Games are inextricably linked to the world of the royals. Whether they are spectators, carry the flame or meet their great love, every year the Games get a royal touch. But did you know that there are also royals who have participated in the race for a medal?
1960: King Constantine wins gold
King Constantine II of Greece, then crown prince, won sailing gold in the Dragon class in Rome in 1960. Sister Sofia, the later queen of Spain, was the reserve for the Greek sailing team that year. In the photo below we see the future king (right) handing over the Olympic torch.
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1964: Harald misses out on the prizes
In Norway, too, the love of sailing is well-established. King Harald V represented Norway in the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games in ‘yachting events’. He never won a prize, but in 1964 he carried the flag at the opening parade.
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1972: Juan Carlos in fifteenth place
In 1972, then Crown Prince Juan Carlos of Spain participated in sailing and came 15th. “It’s about the sport, not about winning,” he lied unconvincingly afterwards and firmly smoked away his disappointment.
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1976: Princess Anne does not win a prize, but she does win a prize from her horse
Princess Anne, daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II, has won many prizes as an equestrian, but no Olympic medal. In 1976 she left for Montreal with Goodwill, a horse owned by her mother, but did not manage to jump to the podium. Halfway through the course she fell and even suffered a concussion. She would later say that she could not remember the rest of her jumps. She was also very equestrian about her loss: “Others were better,” she said sportingly. The princess is still a member of the International Olympic Committee and can regularly be spotted in the audience at major equestrian events, such as below at Royal Ascot (with her childhood sweetheart Andrew Parker Bowles).
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1988: Spanish brother and sister Felipe and Cristina
In 1988, both Crown Prince Felipe and his sister Cristina of Spain sailed for their home country in Seoul. Cristina carried the flag then and later even married an Olympian: handball player Iñaki Urdangarin participated in 1992, 1996 and 2000 (the latter as a royal, because he was already married to her). He won bronze twice. In 1992, Felipe returned to the Games solo: he managed to secure a sixth place in the Soling and thus became the most successful Spanish royal at the Games.
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1988: Albert in the bobsleigh
Prince Albert of Monaco was on Monaco’s bobsleigh team for every Winter Olympics between 1988 and 2002. He didn’t get any preferential treatment, slept with the rest of the team and never won anything. He did marry a fellow Olympian later, Charlene Wittstock, who swam her way to 5th place in the 400m relay in 2000. Albert is still a member of the International Olympic Committee and clearly still enjoys sports that involve a bit of speed and danger.
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2004: Ahmad goes for gold
Sheikh Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Hasher Al Maktoum of Dubai competed in clay pigeon shooting for the United Arab Emirates in 2000, 2004 and 2008. He won a gold medal in Double Trap (the most difficult variant) in 2004. Below you can see him on the left in the photo, in his role as coach of British shooter Robert Wilson. Like his royal coach, Wilson would win a gold medal in Double Trap in 2012 and immediately set a record that has not been broken to this day.
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2012: Silver for Zara
Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne, was almost in the eventing team in 2004 and 2008. In 2012 she was selected and won silver in London – home competition!
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Although Zara has been away from the Olympic saddle for a while, she told Australian Vogue in 2022 that she still hoped to give it a shot one day. She revealed that she had her sights set on the 2024 Games, but unfortunately it was recently announced that she didn’t make the team this year. Better luck next time? Only time will tell…
Source: Glamial archive | Image: NL Image
