Did princesses have to learn their husbands' native language when they married them?

Question

This was just a question that came to me when I was in history class last week.

When a prince married to a princess from another country, did she learn the language he spoke before marriage? Did she learn after marriage? Did the prince learn his wife's language? Were they just so cultured that they knew a lot of languages at a young age?

Or was there always a language barrier between a royal person and his/her spouse? That would be kind of awkward, wouldn't it?

Answer 1

No. Princesses had to achieve what their marriage was designed to achieve. That may or may not have included communication. In European circles, most of the royalty would have known French which is why it is still called the language of diplomacy.

Answer 2

Many times, a princess was trained all her life to learn several different languages, so she would be educated and prepared for all possible outcomes.

Of course, this didn't always happen, and a wife had to make a real effort to her the language of her new country when she married and went to live in her new country.

Answer 3

Yes they do. In fact, they are judged on how well they learn the language by the natives of the country they are "adopted" by. They must renounce their citizenship and take the citizenship of their new country and of course, learning the language is part of that. The best example is: Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, married to the Crown Prince of Denmark. She is Australian but she is also sometimes incorrectly described as lawyer, although she never worked as lawyer, her degree was a Bachelor's combination of Law and Business. In Paris, France Mary taught Business English at Transfer, a language school.

The Danish Folketing (parliament) passed a special law giving Mary Donaldson, who was a citizen of Australia and the United Kingdom, Danish citizenship upon her wedding, a standard procedure for new foreign members of the royal family. A Presbyterian, she agreed to become a Lutheran.

The Language

While she has already embarked upon a course of study in the Danish language, she has no choice other than to prove herself a dedicated student. "There's a standing in-house order to speak only Danish here, and she has to speak up if she's not able to follow along," reveals Court Chamberlain Per Thornit. Instruction is given by two teachers who arrive daily to drill Mary in speech and grammar, and the 31-year-old Australian also speaks Danish with Frederik.
http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2003/10/09/marydonaldson/

Answer 4

Yes, I think they of course have to learn the language of the country their husband represents. As was already mentioned here, Princess Mary had to learn Danish when she married Crown Prince Frederik. Princess Maxima had to learn Dutch when she married Crown Prince Willem of the Netherlands. Maxima is originally from Argentina. I think Queen Silvia of Sweden had to learn Swedish when she married King Carl Gustav. Silvia is German by birth. Another of the Danish princes had a wife from Hong Kong, and I read that she learned to speak fluent Danish. They are divorced now though.

Answer 5

Most of the time, princesses learned several languages while being tutored, so yes.

Answer 6

Love has language of its own. If u are in love, u can convey your wants, feelings, etc., very easily.

Answer 7

Probably

Answer 8

I THINK THEY ARE EXPECTED TO . BECAUSE I REMEMBER HOW THE CROWD WAS VERY HAPPY WHEN PRINCESS DIANA GREETED THE PEOPLE IN WELSH AT HER FIRST VISIT TO WALES.

Answer 9

of course