Young Royals and Their Love Lives in 2026: Who's Dating Who?
- couturechronicless
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
Romance, breakups, and new beginnings here's everything you need to know about the most eligible young royals and their partners right now
From Paris Fashion Week debuts to long-distance heartbreaks, the dating lives of Europe's young royals have never been more dramatic, or more closely watched. Whether you're fascinated by blue-blooded romance or just love a good love story, here's your ultimate guide to who the young royals are dating in 2026
1. Count Nikolai of Denmark & Benedikte Thoustrup, The Gold Standard of Royal Romance
Count Nikolai of Denmark (formerly Prince Nikolai) has been quietly and devotedly together with Benedikte Thoustrup since 2018. They met at the prestigious Herlufsholm boarding school and reportedly had their very first date at a nearby gas station, which is arguably the most charming origin story in royal romance history.
Seven years later, they're travelling the world together, French vineyards, Sardinian boat trips, Milan streets, Paris cafés, Australian Fashion Week,nand splitting their time between Denmark and Australia. Benedikte has built her own brand, BénéSoie, a family-run label crafting silk accessories and heatless curl bands alongside her mother and grandmother. She's not just the count's girlfriend; she's a businesswoman in her own right.
Nikolai lost his Prince title in January 2023 when Queen Margrethe stripped the designation from four of her grandchildren, but he's clearly kept the most important things in life close.
2. Princess Elisabeth
Crown Princess Elisabeth, 24 and heir to the Belgian throne, is officially one of Europe's most eligible young royals ,and she has absolutely no confirmed partner. A fake AI-generated photo linking her to Prince Georg of Liechtenstein briefly went viral, but was quickly debunked. The Belgian palace stayed characteristically composed: "We aren't commenting on private matters
What Elisabeth isdoing is building an extraordinary résumé: a BA from Oxford, a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, and military ranks across the Belgian armed forces. Whatever and whoever comes next in her personal life, she is clearly in no rush.
3. Crown Prince Christian of Denmark & Emma Nygaard, Young Love Goes Public
Denmark's most eligible heir, Crown Prince Christian, 19, made his relationship official in the most Danish way possible at Smukfest, one of the country's most beloved summer music festivals, in August 2025. He and Emma Nygaard, 21, were photographed sharing a kiss in the crowd, and that was that: royal romance confirmed.
The two met as classmates at Ordrup Gymnasium in Copenhagen and graduated together in 2024. Emma's background is impressive her father is a partner at McKinsey & Company, and she spent time studying at the University of Sydney, giving her an international outlook that matches Christian's own adventurous spirit (he spent time working on farms in East Africa after school).
The clearest sign of how serious things are? Emma was invited to Princess Isabella's exclusive birthday celebrations a deeply family affair. When you're at the birthday party, you're in. Denmark's future king appears to have found his match early, and the royal watchers of Copenhagen couldn't be more delighted.
4. Victoria Federica de Borbón & Jorge Navalpotro
If there's one royal romance setting the internet on fire right now, it's Spain's Victoria Federica de Marichalar y Borbón and her new boyfriend Jorge Navalpotro. Just days ago, the couple made their relationship fully official at the Christian Dior show during Paris Fashion Week walking in together, all chemistry and confidence, in one of fashion's most glamorous settings.
Their romance quietly began in late 2025, born from overlapping social circles and sun soaked summer encounters in Marbella. But the real milestone? Victoria brought Jorge to Abu Dhabi to celebrate King Juan Carlos's 88th birthday where he met the Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina, and the wider royal family. That's not just a relationship; that's an introduction.
Who is Jorge Navalpotro?*Standing at a towering 1.97m, Jorge is the son of Amparo Simón, owner of La Riviera, one of Madrid's most iconic concert venues. He studied in the United States and played professional basketball before returning to Madrid. He's charming, well-connected, and clearly head over heels: when Victoria posted a rooftop photo of the two of them, Jorge simply commented "Love u" Short, sweet, very royal-adjacent.
5. Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece And Madelyn Cline, Hollywood Meets Royalty
Prince Constantine-Alexios of Greece** known as "Tino" has arguably the most A-list dating history of any young royal alive. The 27-year-old painter, sculptor and godson of Prince William has been linked to British socialite Poppy Delevingne, Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader, and most recently Outer Banks actress Madelyn Cline, with the pair spotted kissing in New York in late 2025.
Is it serious? Too early to say. But Tino's pattern of dating high-profile, stylish, internationally recognised women suggests he lives as boldly as he paints. He recently acquired Greek citizenship under the surname *de Grèce*, formally reconnecting with the country his family once ruled.
6. Princess Alexia
Some say Princess Alexia is dating an older guy, but that's not true. We heard she is dating a British-Norwegian boy who's a multimillionaire's son and is just a year younger than her, or the same age. His family is even richer than some royal families, including the Dutch Royal family. Which might be one of the reasons that she chose London for her uni journey. And some citizens saw them together.
7. Irene Urdangarin & Juan Urquijo y Moreno, A Love Story That Distance Couldn't Hold
Irene Urdangarin, daughter of Infanta Cristina, and Juan Urquijo y Moreno had one of the most quietly beloved young royal romances in Spain until distance got in the way. Their September 2025 breakup came as a genuine surprise, but those close to them say it was mutual, respectful, and heartfelt.
They first reconnected in the summer of 2023, childhood acquaintances rediscovering each other in the golden light of a Spanish summer with a little help from cousin Victoria Federica, who reportedly organised the reunion. Their romance went public in April 2024 with candid street kisses in Madrid. But when Irene moved to Oxford Brookes University in the UK to study Hospitality and Tourism, and Juan stayed in Madrid for work, the relationship simply couldn't survive the miles.
8. Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece, Fashion Royalty Meets Actual Royalty
Prince Achileas-Andreas has found his match in **Isabella Massenet, 22-year-old daughter of Net-a-Porter founder Natalie Massenet the woman who quite literally changed the way the world shops for fashion. Isabella is a model with IMG, a DJ, and a student at NYU, equally at home in front of a camera or behind the decks.
The couple move in the same rarefied world of high fashion and international royalty Isabella is already close friends with Crown Princess Marie-Chantal and Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece. This is a relationship where two worlds didn't just meet; they were always orbiting each other.
9. Prince Gabriel of Belgium, The Eligible Prince Nobody Knows Enough About
Everyone is curious about Prince Gabriel's dating life. We heard from a source who is close to Royal Family and personally knows him that Gabriel is with a princess from a non-reigning German royal family, so she comes from aristocracy. There are a lot of German princesses, but I’d like to say I think it’s Princess Eugénia of Hanover
10. Princess Ingrid Alexandra
Princess Ingrid Alexandra was most recently linked to Argentine Formula 1 driver Franco Colapinto, according to Norwegian magazine Se & Hør, though neither she nor Colapinto has confirmed any romance. She previously dated Magnus Heien Haugstad.
In 2025, Ingrid Alexandra began studying at the University of Sydney, living on campus at St Andrew's College. Rumours quickly swirled that she may have already begun dating a student at the rival St Paul's College, though nothing has been officially confirmed.
11. Princess Leonor of Spain, Officially Single, Unofficially Fascinating
Princess Leonor of Spain is 20, she is heir to the throne, she is currently deep in Air Force training, and she has no official partner. That's the official version. The unofficial version is considerably more interesting.
Leonor has been moving through a three-year military programme that has taken her from the Army academy in Zaragoza to the seas aboard the legendary tall ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, and now into the skies with Spain's Air Force. It is a rigorous, immersive, genuinely demanding formation and it is also, apparently, a place where connections are made.
During her 114-day Atlantic voyage in 2025, Spanish tabloids began circling with whispers. The first rumour involved a fellow naval cadet at the same rank as Leonor a peer, an equal, someone who shared the same relentless schedule and the same salt-stained uniform. Months at sea, far from palace protocol and royal obligations, have a way of closing distances between people. Sources close to the ship hinted at more than camaraderie, though nothing was ever clearly confirmed or officially denied by the palace.
The second rumour was harder to ignore and a little more eyebrow-raising. Whispers emerged of a notable closeness between Leonor and a senior naval officer, a man reportedly in his fifties, with decades of military experience and considerable rank above hers. Tongues wagged. Spanish media buzzed quietly. The Royal Household said nothing though they did file a formal legal complaint against photographers who captured images during the Chile leg of the voyage, which spoke volumes about how seriously they guard her private life.
It bears saying: Leonor is an adult. She is not a girl playing dress-up in a uniform she is a young woman undertaking real military service, earning her place alongside her peers. Whatever personal connections she made at sea belong to her. What's undeniable is that there is something quietly captivating about a future queen who can apparently turn heads across the entire chain of command.
The Big Picture: Young Royals, Real Lives
What makes this generation of royals so compelling isn't just the glamour, it's that they're navigating the same emotional terrain as everyone else. Long distance. New love. Going public. Heartbreak. They're doing it under considerably more scrutiny than most, but the feelings are universal.
Whether it's Victoria and Jorge's Paris Fashion Week debut, Nikolai and Benedikte's seven-year love story, Leonor's rumoured romance at sea, or Amalia and Gabriel keeping Europe completely in the dark, royal romance in 2026 is compelling, complicated, and very, very human.
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