Before Harry and Meghan, William and Kate – 5 royal romances that went against the grain from Spain, Norway, Bhutan, Sweden and Jordan

Aug 13 , 2020

Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling of Sweden and the Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway have incredibly romantic stories to tell their children of how they met. Photos: EPA/AFP

It sounds like a Netflix romcom – Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria fell in love with her personal trainer, Spain’s King Felipe VI met future Queen Letizia while she was covering an oil spill as a journalist, and Bhutan’s teenage Dragon King promised a 7-year-old girl he would marry her if they were both still single when they grew up

Many of our favourite royal couples would not exist today if monarchies all over the world refused to adjust to modern times. Had they stuck to their strict tradition of arranged marriages and only got hitched to fellow blue-bloods, then neither Harry and Meghan nor William and Kate would have tied the knot.

From chance encounters to love at first sight, here are the meet-cute stories of five of our other favourite royals.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain

Not leaving his chances to fate, Crown Prince Felipe VI attempted to meet then-journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano by asking their mutual friend to host a dinner. His efforts, however, were in vain. As if following the premise of a Netflix royal-themed romcom, they ran into each other again during an oil spill disaster. She was covering the story, while the country’s most eligible bachelor was also there to assess the situation. It was then that sparks finally flew.

King Jigme and Queen Jetsun of Bhutan

Jetsun Pema, whose family comes from the country’s elite, was only seven years old when she met and proposed to the 17-year-old Dragon King at a picnic. Touched by the innocent girl’s sweetness, the young monarch vowed to marry her if they found themselves single as adults.

True enough, the two British-educated friends were still on the market 14 years after their first encounter. King Jigme, who had just ascended the throne at the time, put a ring on it.

Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling of Sweden