Celine Dion reigned supreme at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony and among the thousands cheering as she brought the Eiffel Tower down were kings, queens and princesses.
[getty src=”2162960309″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]Royalty from around the world packed into the stands at the Place du Trocadero for a spectacle like no other although what they made of the starring role given to the beheading of another queen, Marie Antoinette, during the ceremony remained unseen. Fortunately for the heads that are currently crowned in Europe, they were down the river from this tableau at the Conciergerie which included flaming torches reminiscent of the revolution that placed Marie Antoinette inside those prison walls.
[getty src=”2162919626″ width=”594″ height=”392″ tld=”com”]For the first time, the opening event of the Summer Olympics was held outside a stadium. And even the heavy rain that started just as the ceremony began couldn’t dampen spirits as a celebration of sport took over the whole of central Paris.
[getty src=”2163855824″ width=”594″ height=”422″ tld=”com”]King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain were among the first to share selfies of themselves at the event, adding a photo from their seats in the grand stand just before the skies opened. Later they were spotted wearing the clear plastic ponchos handed out to guests to protect them from the downpours.
[getty src=”2162921688″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]Queen Mary of Denmark had no need for the ponchos – the ever practical royal had brought a rather stylish raincoat along, just in case, with several of her royal companions eyeing it enviously as the deluge continued.
[getty src=”2163857796″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]Queen Mary, along with her husband King Frederik, sat with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. The Dutch king has clearly enjoyed every moment of his trip to Paris and was in fits of laughter as he tried, and failed, to put on a poncho elegantly.
[getty src=”2163831117″ width=”396″ height=”594″ tld=”com”]The evening before, he had been laughing when it turned out he was so keen to get to the Olympic gala held at the Louvre that he had arrived ten minutes early. While his hosts scrambled to greet him, he merely chuckled and apologised for being ”too Dutch”.
[getty src=”2163851615″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]There were smiles, too, from King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians who had chosen to travel from Brussels to Paris by train and had, luckily for them, booked on to a service that arrived just hours before the rail network in France was disrupted. Rather than panicking about getting to Paris, the had spent the day celebrating Belgian sport and culture in the French capital and were among the most enthusiastic of the royal fans in the grandstand, jumping up and down to cheer several parts of the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Prince Albert II of Monaco needed help in protecting his rather stylish opening ceremony combo of red blazer and white trousers which had been chosen for a typical summer’s evening rather than the soaking that arrived in its place. Princess Charlene went for an all white jumpsuit which held up slightly better in the rain.
[getty src=”2163854158″ width=”594″ height=”408″ tld=”com”]The couple are both former Olympians and clearly intend to pass that on as they brought along their twins, nine year old Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, for a taste of the Games.
[getty src=”2162914831″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]The Grand Duke of Luxembourg has been in Paris, alongside the Grand Duchess, for several days and was a noticeable presence at the International Olympic Committee meeting that took place ahead of the Games beginning. But it was Grand Duchess Maria Teresa who answered the question of what do the royals really do behind the scenes at a big, global event when she headed to Instagram. Apparently, they have coffee and wine and a good old natter if the photo of her with Queen Letizia and Queen Mathilde is anything to go by.
Another IOC member, Princess Anne, wasn’t there with the UK’s new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, leading the country’s representation at the event. Sir Keir was also the only guest who appeared to match the nous of the Queen of Denmark by turning up equipped with a raincoat, in his case a nifty navy cagoule that was all Team GB vibes.
[getty src=”2163855669″ width=”594″ height=”402″ tld=”com”]But while the gala at the Louvre on the eve of the Olympics had been a royal spectacle, here the focus was on the athletes and the sporting feats they are about to undertake. Sporting heroines and heroes got soaked in a river parade that saw the teams introduced to the world by boat for the first time and all to massive cheers. There was a huge ovation, too, for Zinedine Zidane and Rafael Nadal whose sheer joy in being asked to carry the Olympic flame as the ceremony drew to a close was contagious.
[getty src=”2162967000″ width=”594″ height=”316″ tld=”com”]As a stunning hot air balloon took that ultimate symbol of the games into the Paris sky, to hover over the City of Light every evening for the duration of the Games, a new queen took Paris by storm. Celine Dion’s performance of Hymne a L’Amour was a sensation and was quickly crowned as one of the all time great Olympic moments. Meanwhile, her royal audience wrapped their ponchos a little tighter (not you, Queen Mary, we all still see the coat) and joined in the party vibe that brought a new love of sport to Paris.
