Behind the scenes of the lives of young royals
Posted: Monday, February 11, 2008 2:52 PM by Jen Brown
From Sigi DeVos, TODAY producer
When you're born into a life of royal privilege, you'd think life could only be peachy. It is in some respects, but in many ways a 21st century prince or princess is looking at doing some unexpected hard work, as we found out when we spent some time on a TODAY shoot with some of the young royals form monarchies in different parts of the world.
These days, if you're born into a constitutional monarchy there are any amount of official duties as well as charitable engagements - and you're looking at taking up a personal challenge, be that as a UN ambassador like the crown prince of Norway, as a trade representative like Britain’s Prince Andrew or helping to drag your country from the abyss of an AIDS epidemic like Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
I had a little peek at the working lives of those royals when we were shooting profiles of Prince Andrew (video), Prince Haakon and Prince Seeiso (video) for TODAY. For some of the more memorable moments behind the scenes, there's little to beat the adrenaline rush of keeping up with the royal convoy during Prince Andrew's visit as Britain's trade and business envoy to Cairo earlier this year. Stuck in a British embassy vehicle, lurching through the Cairo traffic jams at an impossible speed with the help of an impenetrable code of honking horns made me think where in my study at home I had filed the life insurance papers. Lane markings might as well not exist, ditto for traffic lights, and pedestrian crossings are for sissies, as the population of Cairo takes its life in its hands everyday to get to work.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Then there's the relentless schedule of a young royal. Let me tell you it's not just about shaking hands; I was impressed to see how focussed Prince Andrew remained throughout a 
non-stop, high-profile schedule. And no, he didn't flag in the afternoon meetings just because he hadn't had tea and cucumber sandwiches. His personable manner with everyone from the Prime Minister down to a group of young entrepreneurs and his informed questions to his Egyptian counterparts was a million miles away from his earlier incarnation as a "playboy prince." He'd brought his daughter Beatrice along for the trip, to "show her what life as a royal grown-up is like," as he told us late that evening at the sixth event of the day. From Egypt, Prince Andrew moved on to Abu Dhabi, Davos, and then a day at Buckingham Palace to talk with Meredith Vieira and on to a 10-day U.S. trip. It's not quite what it used to be, the life of a modern prince, but Andrew says he enjoys the challenge of getting his teeth into business and offering the cachet his privileged position gives him to facilitate business contacts for British entrepreneurs.
Prince Seeiso of Lesotho
Prince Seeiso of Lesotho has a very different and immediate problem to solve. Lesotho, the mountain kingdom in Southern Africa, has a monarchy that's more than 150 years old and it takes all his ingenuity to help fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic that is sweeping his country. Prince Seeiso grew up in boarding schools with other royal princes, and today his royal connections are one the assets that could help the orphans and the poverty-stricken youngsters of his homeland. He got Prince Harry on board and the two young royals are joint patrons of a charity called Sentebale. We followed Prince Seeiso on a gruelling round of hospitals and charitable projects that took him on a day trip into the forbidding mountains. (My favourite quote from Prince Seeiso: "A chief is only a chief because of his people,") On Independence Day in Lesotho his brother, King Letsi puts on his baseball cap and heads out for a day's tree planting with hundreds of civilians, no military parade, just down–to-earth work. Prince Seeiso is very informal, has an infectious laugh and says he doesn't need security when he's out and about because the monarchy would be in deep trouble if the royals need protection. As I left the High Commission in London, he headed home for the birth of his third child. "If it's a son, someone will beat me with a stick, and if it's a daughter they'll pour a bucket of water over me." That's how you find out in Lesotho where you're at. I must call him to find out which traditional well-wishing it turned out to be in the end...
Prince Haakon of Norway
Last royal stop was in Oslo at the royal palace, where Natalie Morales and the rest of us spent a day in the life with the Crown Prince of Norway, Haakon. The Nordic monarchies are very down to earth, but they don't come much more real than Prince Haakon. Here's a 
monarchy that's 1,000 years old, with all the traditions and trappings that that brings. Yet the crown prince managed to marry for love; he chose a woman who had a colourful past and an illegitimate 3- year-old son. Not your regular royal marriage, but the couple now have two more children and seem blissfully happy...and incredibly busy. Moving with the times is essential if a monarchy is to stay relevant, he says.
The day began with a cabinet meeting in the palace. Prince Haakon and the King were both in ceremonial uniform, Cameraman Brian Prentke and soundman David Moodie were wearing suits (now there's a rare sight), and they were having trouble keeping up with the prince as he followed a hectic program of meetings, greetings and discussions, a reception for a charity for the hard of hearing, a long sit-down interview with Natalie in his office, then off to a lengthy briefing by the Foreign Minister and experts on his forthcoming trip as a UN Development ambassador to Burundi in Central Africa. By this point he was at ease with us and invited Natalie to take part in the meeting. The trip sounded challenging; there's a lot to do, said the prince, but there are positive signs. Alleviating poverty, he said, is the only way we will have peace and he's ready to do whatever it takes. “What we're trying to achieve, the bottom line is that people are able to live dignified lives, " he told Natalie. The day ended with yet another appearance at a university prize-giving ceremony and then back to the palace, where the royal family hosted an evening reception in full regalia.
After the trip to Burundi there's another one to South America almost on its heels. I'm not sure I'd want the pace -- and all those dress changes -- but then as a royal, it's not as if you can opt out of it and that can be a valuable contribution to a cause. They're in it for life, not until the next election.
