Prince Albert has always had a pretty cozy relationship with the American media. His mother, Princess Grace (formerly Grace Kelly) taught her children about public relations and media management, and Albert has never felt like he’s “above” doing an interview with CNN or People Magazine. He often gives exclusives to People Mag, Hello Mag and Paris Match, actually. So it wasn’t surprising when I saw that he gave an interview to People Magazine… and he ended up talking about another prince-actress relationship, that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He also chatted about how his wife Princess Charlene (a former Olympic swimmer) is getting their kids involved with swimming very early on. Some highlights:
On Prince Harry‘s romance with actress Meghan Markle: Albert thinks the couple “are doing a pretty good job so far.” Bringing anyone into royal circles, navigating the press and mastering protocol, “is a pretty tough act. Especially in the British royal family, which is scrutinized by the press as no one’s been.”
The full onslaught: The couple “seem to be having a good deal of success so far,” he says, but “sooner or later, she’s going to have to face the full onslaught. I can’t imagine how that will be on them, on her. Being an actress, in a way, gets you a little prepared but nothing really can prepare you for the constant pace of it. Particularly now that the pace has changed so much. It’s hard for anyone to handle. It was difficult for Charlene to handle. I can’t imagine the difference now with the increased pace of news and social media. They seem to be doing okay for now. The only kind of advice I can offer is the British expression: ‘Keep calm and carry on.’ “
Albert says having Grace Kelly as a mother helped them: “Mom said being an actress did prepare you a little. It familiarized you a little with the press. But the press was a little more respectful in those days. The press, mostly the photographers, seems to have changed. Mom taught us that you have to do all you can to protect your private life. But you also have to face the press at some points. When we went on family holidays together, we would take an hour on the first morning and give that to the photographers. We let them have that hour and in return they would let us go on with our lives during the vacation…Giving them a little time seemed to work then. Maybe it still will.”
Albert on his children Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques: “They’re in the pool a solid two hours in the morning and again in the afternoon. I try to make their afternoon session every day. Jacques doesn’t want to wear his armbands. The other day he swam eight feet unassisted and Gabriella isn’t far behind him. The pool we have at Roc Agel isn’t an infinity pool and he’s able to get himself in and out of the pool without anyone’s assistance. They’ve had all sorts of water safety instruction, including the self-survival course when they were 8 months.”
I realize Jacques and Gabby’s mom was an Olympic swimmer and she’s probably there the whole time, but four hours a day in the pool does sound excessive, right? Especially for such small kids. But it sounds like they love it, so whatever, what do I know? As for Albert’s advice to Harry and Meghan… I don’t think Meg needs much help when it comes to media management, she’s handling herself very well. It’s Harry who needs an adjustment. Albert is right about the give-and-take of royal-media relations, and I like that Albert is basically like “the British royals should do things a bit differently and actually engage with the press.” The Windsors won’t do that, of course, but it’s good advice. Prince Harry will continue to whine to the press about how he’s the saddest prince ever and how he never wanted any of this.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Four hours a day in the pool sounds SWEET, actually. I mean, it’s summer and they live in a palace on the mediterranean coast. I’d have my kids play in the pool all day if I were a Grimaldi prince.
Those kids are having the life, by the pool in Monaco during summer. That’s being royal.
When I was growing up we would be outside the gate waiting for the pool to open and would stay all day. In the early evenings the pool phone would start to ring constantly, and there would be rounds of, “Attention Johnson kids! Your mom called and you’ve got 20 minutes to get home for dinner. Hey, Smith family! Your dad called and he is on his way from the office so meet him at home in 15.” It was GREAT!
LOL @ that lovely childhood memory,
carol… I can just picture it! Thanks for sharing!
Lol plus. Every summer day (no camp for our family) my mother would make sure that her children had an early lunch, give each of us a quarter for the Good Humour man for ice-cream, and kick us out of the house saying “Be back at six for dinner” and we went off to the neighborhood swimming pool. Every day.
I’m surprised by his candor. It’s cute that he knows exactly how far the little one swam.
Albert is right. Harry should return Meg’s passport :/
Hahahahahahaha!
I have every confidence (she said drily) that Ms. Markle can’t wait to take it on – including the jewels, gowns, multiple huge living spaces in London and the countryside, curtseys, deference, household staff, expensive cars, frequent at-will vacations, guaranteed economic future on a far grander scale than “Suits” would ever pay for, all while regaling the British public with how down to earth she and Harry are, cooking organic roast chicken in the kitchen of their 21 rooms in Kensington Palace, which will be renovated just as William’s and Kate’s was to the tune of four million pounds, on the backs of the taxpayers . . . as Harry extols the “magic” (he hopes) the world still needs.
Depending on the training morning and night practices are a good way to burn kids out mentally and physically.
But as an ex Olympian I’m sure Charlene knows that, and I doubt they are ‘training’ since it sounds like they still wear water wings Lol. The survival training is interesting though wonder what that is exactly
My son has been in swim lessons since he was 6 months old as we had a pool when he was born. At 6 months our school taught simply survival. They learned to turn and grab the edge of the pool if they fell in. It was a repetitive thing. Sit the baby on the edge, let them fall in, grab their body, turn them around, and put their hands on the edge. Then stand them on the edge and start over. Each time we’d switch up how they managed to end up in the pool but the survival lesson was the same. Turn and grab. Eventually they do it on their own.
That’s what all of my kids were taught when they were young. I think the instructor said most pool drownings happen within arms reach of the side of the pool by people who don’t know how to swim and fall in. They were taught to grab and “chop choo” their way to the ladder. Over and over again.
I think swimming lessons are so so very important, I wish they were a bigger part of phys ed, but i am obviously biased.
Those survival lessons sound perfect, make it such habit that panic can’t override your body.
My kids, too. They’ve been swimming since forever and learned survival as infants. We have a pool and we also have a place in the Bahamas with a pool and the ocean, so I was going to make damned sure they could swim! Now my kids are both lifeguards and they are ALWAYS in the water.
I was taught the same thing back in 87. I was 1 year old when I fell off the deep end and that training helped me: 1) keep my cool, and 2) know what to do, which was to let myself fall down and kick back off the ground to break at water level.
He comes across well here. Training has paid off, others should take note!
He comes across as very down-to-earth and likable.
Actually 3-4 hours is not unusual. I was a lifeguard and swim instructor and our swim teams met twice a day in the summer. 1.5 hour practices each. The rest of the year they would come either in the morning or evening. The more advanced swimmers would do both all year. Its not uncommon. As a kid I did 5 hours of dance and 3 hours of soccer from the time I was 5. Its pretty typical I think
Im an ex club swimmer and double practices are not really common until you hit your teens.
For reference, when I started (at 8) I did one 90 minute training a night 3 nights a week. At 10 it was 9 minutes every week night and saturday mornings. At 14 we started morning practices before school, and thats where you start getting double days.
Around that time is when burnout became a serious concern for a lot of people, and our club dropped from 9 practices a week to 7 for all but the highest level. The year before college was my most intense year – 9 in water training sessions of 2 hours, plus 3-4 weight/plyo sessions. Varsity swimmers depending on the Uni can train less or more than that.
Even with all that, there is usually 2 months in the summer off, although the coaches hated that i remember lol.
I kinda love that he talks about the BRF like this and doesn’t deny that Charlene had a rough time for a while. I mean she really did. But I also think she was just ill-prepared and didn’t realize the extent of the pressure. I’m pretty sure MM has a better idea. The one who’s really going to get a rude awakening is Harry, that’s absolutely true. He’s done a great job at turning his image around but he and his brother, the Duke of Leisure, need to f*cking stop the whining. Yes, you were born into something you didn’t choose. Yes, that life did a number on your mother and that whole debacle must hurt. BUT. You’re in your frickin’ 30s. There was a point where you made the choice to actually live that life so STFU.
Harry has lived his life in the spotlight, but when he officially becomes a couple it is going to get turned up by a factor of at least 1,000. I don’t think he is ready.
I don’t think William was ready either and he has yet to find a healthy way to deal with the pressure and media intrusion. I think the rise of social media and citizen journalism does make it tougher. Everyone is a pap these days.
I used to spend sun up to sun down in the pool. I was swimming before I was even a year old. I don’t think there is such a thing as too much. In fact my summer memories of me always being in the pool and I wouldn’t change that for the world. I did go on to be a swimmer but nothing more than high school swim team.
It is interesting. I think Megan is much better equipped to handle this. Perhaps she can guide Harry into a different understanding of it all. However, he and Will seem like they have a strong “older brother younger brother” dynamic going on. Which means that H is very committed to going along with what William says (even if he doesn’t agree in private). Hasnt he essentially said this, that his role is to support William? He certainly gets thrown under the bus to deflect attention from William often enough. This could be hard for Harry and Megan. She will get thrown under the bus too whenever W&K think it is expedient. And that could be immediately after the rollout- there will be a lot of attention on M &H and W&K won’t like that, despite the keen/normal smokescreen.
I doubt they are doing laps the whole time, it’s probably like most kids, playing.