All The Royals Expected To Attend the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Milan has officially transformed into an international stage, with royalty, heads of state, and international personalities making it a “capital of the world” for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony at the San Siro Stadium, which has been renamed Milan San Siro Olympic Stadium for the occasion, paid tribute to the great names of Italian excellence of yesterday and today: Canova, Verdi, Rossini and Puccini, as well as Raffaella Carrà and Giorgio Armani.

While stars such as Matilda De Angelis, Mariah Carey, Vittoria Ceretti, and Andrea Bocelli took center stage for a beautiful tribute to Italy and its history, that history was also evident in the stands and boxes, where members of some of the world’s most notable royal families came together to celebrate the beginning of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Many also have a personal connection with sports and the Olympics, both as former athletes and as active members of the International Olympic Committee.

One such royal family member was Grand Duke Emeritus Henri of Luxembourg, who abdicated in favor of his son last October. The leader chose to retain his role in the IOC, a confirmation of his commitment to Olympic values. “In the coming days he will visit several competition venues and meet with Luxembourg athletes,” a press release from the Grand Ducal Palace reads, noting that he attended the 145th session of the International Olympic Committee a few days ago, then meeting with President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and Prince Albert II of Monaco. The meeting also included the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, and Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, also an IOC member.

From Holland came King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, accompanied by Crown Princess Catharina Amalia. They will stay in Italy until Feb. 10 to watch the competitions; and on Saturday, Feb. 7, the royal couple and their eldest daughter will visit the Olympic Village to see the home of Team NL. “The king has been invited as an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee,” the Royal Palace wrote in a note.

The British royal family is represented at these Winter Olympic Games by Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence. She was one of the first royals to land in Milan earlier this week. The princess has been a member of the IOC since 1988, and is also president of the British Olympic Association, participating in both the Winter and Summer Games in an official capacity and supporting Team Great Britain, known more informally as “Team GB.” “I am looking forward to visiting the Olympic venues,” the princess had told reporters.

Anne has a very close relationship with the Games for years, as she was the first of the British royal family to participate in the Olympics, first heading to Montreal in 1976. Her presence was also particularly significant during the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics, as she served as director of the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and helped ensure the success of the 2012 bid. She then traveled to Athens to officially receive the Olympic flame and bring it back to Britain, kicking off an 8,000-mile journey across the country.

Anna’s passion for horses was also passed on to her daughter Zara Phillips, who won an individual gold medal at the 2006 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics; on the latter occasion, it was her own mother who presented her with the medal.

On the eve of the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Princess Anne attended an exclusive reception at Palazzo Clerici, organized by the British Consulate in Milan, entitled Winning Together: UK Innovation on the Road to Milan Cortina 2026. The event was attended by entrepreneurs, institutions, sports and cultural representatives, including Donatella Versace and chef Carlo Cracco. During the reception, at which she was escorted by the British Consul in Milan, Kassim Ramji, and Acting Ambassador David Burton, the princess spoke with the president of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, and the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala. The meeting touched on sports and cultural issues, with references also to the London 2012 experience and connections with the British city, including integration and greenway projects.

A symbolic moment was the greeting in front of the skates given to Queen Victoria in 1841, displayed for the Games at Palazzo Clerici. Commented Anne, “I’m not sure, but I think Queen Victoria helped popularize skating.” The princess also recalled the historic role of British companies such as HD Sports, supplier of figure skating blades, and Kays, manufacturer of curling stones, who were present in Milan Cortina for the competitions.

Prince Albert of Monaco, a great supporter of the Olympic movement and a member of the International Olympic Committee for 40 years, was also present. He was already in Italy for some visits between Piedmont and Liguria and arrived in Milan earlier this week. During these Winter Olympic Games, he will cheer on Monaco’s only participating athlete, Arnaud Alessandria, who will compete in the Super-G and downhill.

The family of Monegasque princes can boast a long and significant Olympic tradition. The Winter Olympic Games debut came in Calgary in 1988, when Prince Albert of Monaco made his first Olympic appearance. Already a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1986, the then crown prince chose to compete in bobsled, a discipline in which he would represent the principality in no fewer than five editions of the Winter Olympics: Calgary 1988, Albertville 1992, Lillehammer 1994, Nagano 1998 and Salt Lake City 2002.

It was in Calgary, in 1988, that Prince Albert also held the prestigious role of flag-bearer for the Monegasque delegation and achieved his best Olympic finish, finishing 25th in the two-man bobsled race, paired with Gilbert Bessi. The Turin 2006 Winter Olympics also remained memorable in the collective memory , when Prince Albert made his engagement to Charlene Wittstock official during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium.

Charlene, a South African Olympic swimmer, met Albert for the first time at a competition in 2000, and the couple would go on to celebrate their marriage in 2011. A few years before that union, the future princess of Monaco participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a member of the South African women’s 4×100-meter medley relay team, competing in the backstroke style. The team ended the competition with a fifth-place finish, a notable result at the Olympic level.

The royals of Norway and Sweden will also arrive in the coming days. King Harald and Queen Sonja are expected in Italy for the Olympics Feb. 7-9. Crown Prince Haakon will also make a trip to the Winter Olympics Feb. 14-16 to watch the ski races in Livigno and Cortina. Other members of the Norwegian royal family are expected to skip the Games, following scandals including the arrest of Crown Princess Mette-Marit‘s first son, Marius Borg Høiby.

The sporting past of King Haakon of Norway, who was a great sailing enthusiast, should be remembered: he took part in three different editions of the Summer Olympics, in Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968, and Munich 1972, before taking the throne. When the Winter Olympics came to Norway, to Lillehammer in 1994, Harald officially inaugurated the Games, thus reintroducing the symbolic role of sovereigns linked to sports. Sportsmanship, however, seems to run in the family genes: in fact, Harald’s father, King Olav V, then a prince, won Olympic gold in sailing (six-meter class) at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, becoming the first member of the Norwegian royal family to achieve this feat.

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden will also experience the magic of the Olympic Games Feb. 10-14 and will be joined by their son-in-law, Prince Daniel, on Feb. 11.