In cultural reversal, European royals turn to Chinese

The Dutch seem pleased with a recent announcement that King Willem-Alexander's daughter Amalia, the 13-year-old heir to the throne, will learn Chinese during the upcoming school semester. Some have even called it the royal family's "smartest investment" given the deepening relationship between China and the Netherlands.

The Dutch royalty is not alone in embracing the Chinese language. In neighboring Belgium, Princess Elisabeth, the first child of King Philippe born in 2001, was already studying Chinese in a Dutch-medium school in Brussels. When King Philippe acceded to the throne in 2013, the princess became the duchess of Brabant, a title reserved for the heir apparent, which means she could become a Chinese-speaking queen of a European country.

In fact, the older generations of royal families in Europe have had an interest in Chinese culture for long. Although Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who celebrated her 90th birthday this year, doesn't speak Chinese, she has enormous interest in Chinese philosophy, especially Taoism.