Royal drama at the heart of Europe: High society eyebrows are raised at engagement rumours between Danish prince ‘who quit royal duties’ and influencer heiress to the defunct Italian throne whose VERY pushy mother cuddles up to Euro royals

It’s hard to know which was more surprising – Princess Maria Carolina de Bourbon’s  tight choice of athleisure-wear as she wandered the streets of Saint-Tropez.

Or the claim that her sister, Princess Maria Chiara, has a ‘very special relationship’ with the 17-year-old heir to the Danish throne.

‘We’ve known each other since we were little, my father Carlo is godfather to his younger sister,’ she breathlessly told Italian paper Corriere. But it was her megaphone-strength hint that she ‘hopes to meet Queen Margrethe soon’ which sent rumours of an engagement into overdrive. 

If eyebrows are raised in Europe’s royal palaces it would be no surprise. Seventeen-year-old Christian belongs to a notably staid branch of European monarchy, presided over by the redoubtable 83-year-old Queen Margrethe.

Princesses Chiara and Carolina, meanwhile, belong to a junior arm of the Spanish Bourbons and are never-knowingly under-TikTokked. They have their own YouTube channel where they ask each other such penetrating questions as ‘have you ever been in love’ and ‘have you ever been kissed?’

And while stony-faced Queen Margrethe has been tightening the Danish royal belt – controversially removing royal titles from junior members of the family – Chiara, 18, and Carolina, 19, have their own fearsome matriarch,  the bouffant-haired ‘momager’ Princess Camilla.

Not content with appearing alongside her daughters on Instagram snaps, she posts her own.

Today, for example, she shared a picture from the legendary Club 55 with Saint-Tropez arm-in-arm with Prince Michael of Kent.

The girls were also there, dressed in matching blue and pink pyjamas. 

There is much, then, for Queen Margrethe to ponder – including a tangled £100m inheritance case brought against Camilla by her sister and a subsequent fine by the Jersey courts. Camilla denies wrongdoing and the case continues.

What then of the young couple? 

While Chiara likes to appear in the public eye, it seems Prince Christian has kept his private life quiet and has said he won’t take a royal pension when he turns 18.

He will only take money from the royal grant if his father ascends the throne, and will remain limited in his royal duties until he turns 21. 

Chasing the spotlight – and bragging about their connections – is perhaps unsurprising given the showbusiness past of Chiara’s family.

The Italian heiress is the youngest daughter to Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, and Princess Camilla, Duchess of Castro. Her parents are family friends with Christian’s parents Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik.

They’re also close to the scandal-ridden Prince Albert of Monaco and have spent a lot of time in Monte Carlo.

Prince Carlo holds a claim to the now defunct throne of the former House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family, which descends from the Capetian Dynasty and ruled over southern Italy and Sicily during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Chiara won’t inherit the titles but says she has ‘the same responsibility to continue the history of my royal family’.

She added: ‘I feel the link with the land where the Bourbons reigned. I’ve just been with my parents in Hungary, an official trip, and I’m learning the sense of role. I understood that Royal Highness perhaps means being worthy, not disappointing those who look at you. It’s a responsibility.’ 

Her mother, Princess Camilla, born Crociani, is the daughter of Italian industry tycoon Camilla Crociani and the actress turned dancer Edy Vessel.

While the Danish royal family is yet to comment on the rumours, Chiara is not afraid to flex her connections.

‘The Bourbon family is related to almost all the royal families or former rulers of Europe, it’s a kind of big club,’ she said.

‘King Felipe VI of Spain, he is my father’s cousin and I am very close to the heir, Leonor, who, like me, loves sports and in particular women’s football’. 

‘Then the Belgian royals were often our guests in the summer in Saint-Tropez…  and one of my best friends is Alexandra of Hanover, Carolina of Monaco’s youngest daughter.’

Camilla is not as close to her family, having been embroiled in a battle with her sister over their inheritance for over a decade.

The family feud began when their mother set up a trust fund for her two daughters, Cristiana and Camilla.

But when £100million of investments and art was taken from the fund in 2010 and transferred into Edy’s name, Cristiana feared the cash was being given to her sister.

The socialite began legal proceedings in 2011, claiming steps were being taken to block her from inheriting the family’s estate.

But Princess Camilla has refused to disclose the location of valuables including a Gaugin painting worth £49.9million.

Details of the feud emerged when Princess Camilla was ordered to pay a £2million fine by the Royal Court in Jersey which ruled she had ignored a court order.

Her application to stay the order has now been rejected and she has been given two months to pay the £2million fine. If she fails to do so, she faces a 12-month prison sentence.

Princess Camilla has lodged an appeal against the fine, which was issued on December 22, by claiming that she ‘does not have immediate access to £2million’.

She also requested an ‘application of stay’ – a suspension of proceedings – in relation to the order.

In rejecting this, the court pointed out that the princess had been aware for some time that a heavy fine was a possibility. The case is ongoing. 

Chiara and her older sister Maria enjoy a life of luxury, spending their time between Italy, Monaco, Paris and Saint-Tropez, soaking up the sun, sporting designer labels and making the most of their family’s wealth.

They are also actively involved with charity work and rub shoulders with the most elite socialites of Europe, speaking English, French and Italian fluently.

The two princesses regularly share snaps of their glamorous lifestyles on Instagram, posting pictures from destinations around the globe, from Paris to Dubai and New York.

Because Chiara is the younger sibling, she will not inherit her father’s title and duties, or his claim to Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies – they will go to older sister Maria Carolina, Duchess of Calabria and of Palermo (or Carolina for short).

The pair aren’t afraid to show off their extravagant lifestyle either with frequent trips to Trump’s Mar-a-lago complex in Florida, and Chiara recently telling Italian media about her trip to Denmark.

This week, the pair were pictured shopping in Saint-Tropez, with Camilla wearing leggings and a crop top and Chiara wearing for a dress.       

Despite Chiara’s family having no official remit, they are high profile, and spend their time doing charity work and promoting the interest of Southern Italy.