A Brief History
On August 23, 1954, a pleasure cruise around the Mediterranean Sea carrying many of the crowned heads of Europe set sail from Marseille, France, a royalty only trip known as “The Cruise of Kings.”
Digging Deeper
The cruise was planned by the Greek monarchs, King Paul and Queen Frederica, with the idea that bringing many royals together could result in possible marital matchmaking. Royalty representing 25 current and former royal families were gathered for the 11-day cruise, but only a single match was generated, that between Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Parma. A late marriage did find its beginnings on that cruise, when Prince Juan Carlos of Spain, later to become King, met his future wife, Princess Sophie of Greece, the wedding eight years in the future.
The cruise aboard the royal Greek yacht, Agamemnon, went well, and future royal cruises were planned, but world events curtailed the royal agenda.
Note: You may find some sources that say the cruise began from Naples, Italy, although not all cruise parties were yet aboard until the voyage leaving Marseille.
Major Dan has been to Marseille, Naples, and many interesting places in the Mediterranean region, although never aboard a royal yacht!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Have you ever gone on a cruise?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see..
Devlin, Benito. Ultimate Handbook to Emulate Royal Lifestyle: Discover the Secrets to Living like Royalty with this Comprehensive Guide to the Royal Lifestyle. Independently published, 2024.
Norden Publishing. European Royal Families. Norden Publishing, 1993.
