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Showing posts from November, 2011

The Recap of The Royals You Love:Nov 21-27

Belgium -Princess Mathilde was in Eupen and Transinne, Belgium to meet with students from two elementary schools participating in the Journée du Changement (Day of Change) proposed by UNICEF Belgium as part of Journée des Droits de l’Enfant (Day of the Rights of a Child) campaign. She spoke with students about the importance of education, among other topics( photo/video ). On Thursday, Belgium's future Queen participated in a meeting regarding human trafficking in Liege, Belgium. - Princess Astrid, Archduchess of Austria-Este  attended a medical and scientific research awards ceremony managed by the King Baudouin Foundation on Thursday. Butan - King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck & Queen Jetsun Pema  visited London, England, where they met with Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at the Clarence House on Wednesday . Denmark - Crown Prince Fredrick  visited the Royal Australian Navy Special Forces (RANSF) in Sydney,  he rec...

The Danish Crown Princely Family Goes Down Under-to Australia that is!

Crown Princess Mary, Crown Prince Fredrick, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent & Princess Josephine embarked on a trip to Australia on an Official Visit on Sunday, November 20th. The trip will last a week. During their visit, they visited Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne { Source }. Day 1 (Nov 20) -The Crown Princely couple visited the Sculpture by the Sea art exhibition in Bondi, Australia. -They also attended the People’s Choice and Children’s Choice Awards ceremony where they presented the awards. { source } -The Crown Princely couple gave an interview  for the program  Kronprinsparrets Priser 2011. - The Crown Princely couple then went off to Sydney, Australia, where they went to the Customs House to attend the Curating Cities: Sydney-Copenhagen exhibition where they were greeted by hundreds of well-wishers. -At the end of the day, the Crown Princely couple, along with their business delegates and four children,    att...

Royal Profile: Louis Robert Paul Ducruet

Louis Robert Paul Ducruet is the oldest-and only-son of Princess Stephanie of Monaco with Daniel Ducruet. He is the nephew of Prince Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre of Monaco, the present reigning prince of Monaco, thus Mr. Ducruet is 7th in line for the throne. At his birth, he was technically 9th in line for the throne (since this was prior to the succession law change of 2002, his illegitimate cousin Jazmin was in line after her father, technically, and his uncle had not yet ascended the throne). He was born in Monaco's Le Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace, in the same room as his older Casiraghi cousins in fact, on 26 November 1992, just a mere 8 months and 22 days after his maternal cousin Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, who is the illegitimate daughter of his uncle, Prince Albert. Today, his is 7th in line for the Monégasque Throne, after his aunt Caroline, cousins Andrea, Pierre, Charlotte and Alexandra and his mother. He attended local a local Monaco Maternelle division school,...

The Prince & Princess of Asturias on official visit to Chile: Nov 22-24

Day 1 (Nov 22) -Arrived at Chile’s International Airport in Santiago, Chile, where they were greeted by Chile's Foreign Minister. -The future rulers of Spain then attended an official reception, hosted by President Sebastian Piñera, at Palacio de La Moneda. -Then the Prince & Princess paid tribute to late Chilean independence leader by placing a wreath at a monument dedicated to him. -Prince Felipe gave a keynote speech at the Investment Forum and Business Meeting held at the Sheraton Hotel. Then the royal couple visited the National Congress headquarters in Santiago. -In the evening, the royal couple attended a gala reception. Day 2 (Nov 23) -The Future rulers of Spain visited the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago to attend the inauguration of “… an exhibition of works by the Spanish photographer Chema Madoz…”.  - In the afternoon, they attended a luncheon, hosted by the Spanish Ambassador, in their honor. -They ended the day at a state dinner in their ho...

Obscure Members of Royal Families: Monaco

We know there's more to the monarchies than the Senior Royals, right? Right. A True Monarchist would anyway. You know- the cousins, aunts and uncles of the sovereign who aren't technically in line (at least in Monaco's case), but are still considered as part of the Royal Family as they are blood related. Let's start with the obvious by pointing out the people you probably already know: The Sovereign Prince of Monaco is: H.S.H. Prince Albert II Alexandre Louis Pierre of Monaco. He is the only son of Prince Rainier and Princess Grace (1923-2005, 1929-1982)  His wife is Princess Charlene. They got married on 2 July 2011. She is a former South African Olympic Swimmer, and daughter of Mike and Lynette Wittstock. Albert has two sisters: H.R.H. Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Hanover. She is older than Prince Albert by about fourteen months. She is heiress presumptive to the throne of Monaco. H.S.H. Princess Stephanie Marie Elisabeth of Monaco, Countess of P...

Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg, The Dowager Duchess of Hohenberg (1922-2011)

Princess Elisabeth Hilda Zita Marie Anna Antonia Friederike Wilhelmine Luise, Princess of Nassau, Princess of Bourbon-Parma, Duchess of Hohenberg was born 22 December 1922 at Berg Castle the  daughter of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. She was the second child to Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix, the first being Grand Duke Jean (father of the present Grand Duke). She had three younger sisters and a younger brother-Marie Adalaide (1924-2007),  Marie Gabriele (1925- ), Charles (1927-1977), Alix (1929- ). To mark her birth, Luxembourg issued a stamp as a souvenir sheet, the world's first such miniature sheet in 1923. She married Franz Ferdinand, Duke of Hohenberg on 9 May 1956. They had two daughters: HSH Princess Anita of Hohenberg who was born 18 August 1958 at Berg Castle. She married in 1978to Romée de La Poëze Comte d'Harambure, they were divorced 1998. She remarried in 2005 Graf Andreas von Bardeau. HSH Princess Sophie ...

The Recap of The Royals You Love:Nov 14-20

Belgium -King Albert II  had surgery this week to treat a Basal cell carcinoma on his nose on Thursday. He was released later that same day after the successful opperation, and is resting and recovering at Château du Belvédère { Source }. -Queen Fabiola,  Prince Philippe, Princess Mathilde,  Princess Astrid, Prince Lorenz, Princess Claire and Prince Laurent  celebrated Fête du Roi (King’s Day) in Brussels, Belgium. First, the Royal Family attended a Te Deum Mass at the beautiful Cathédrale des Saints Michel et Gudule with Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard presiding. Then the Royals visited the Palais de la Nation where they participated in a ceremony held by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Federal government on the occasion of Fête du Roi. The day ended a military parade outside the Palais Royal in Brussels. Video , Gallery 1 ,  Gallery 2 , Gallery 3 , Gallery 4 -Prince Philippe attended the 130th anniversary of the newspaper, L...

National Day: Monaco, November 19, 2011

This week there were numerous events and activities in celebration of Monaco's National Day on November 19, 2011. The festivities kicked off on Saturday, November 12 when Princess Stephanie, along side her daughter Camille Gottlieb and a friend of Camille's, went to Port Hercules to start the “No Finish Line” charity foot race which will run until this upcoming Sunday. This is held every year by the Children & Future Charity and raises money for other charitable causes as well, including Stephanie’s own organization Fight AIDS Monaco. The festivities continued throughout the week with various members of the Princely Family and Government pitching in. Many events were closed to the public, and several were open to the public. On Tuesday, November 15, Michel Roger, the Minister of State of Monaco presented Medals of Honour at the Oceanographic Museum. Also on Tuesday, Prince Albert II presented Medals and Distinctions in the Hall of Mirrors, Pala...

Royal Profile: Lady Davina Lewis

The Lady Davina Elizabeth Alice Benedikte Lewis is the oldest daughter of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester. She is first cousin once removed to Queen Elizabeth II. She was born at  St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London, England on 19 November 1977. She was the second child of the Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester. At the time of her birth, she was 11th in line for the throne after her brother, she is now 24th after the birth of several cousins and her niece and nephew. She grew up with her parents and two siblings in an apartment in Kensington Palace. She attended Kensington Preparatory School in Notting Hill, followed by St. George's School, Ascot. She is a graduate of the University of the West of England, where she studied Media Studies. During a vacation in Bali, she met and fell in love with New Zealander carpenter and a surfing enthusiast, Gary Lewis. After a four y...

Op-Ed: Royal Weddings and Pregnancies

Okay, I have kept silent long enough. Since September on this, and frankly I have had enough. Time to drop my two cents into the pot on the issue. As many of us die-hard Royal watchers are well aware, there were numerous Royal Weddings this year ( two in Great Britain, one in Monaco,   two in Germany, one in Italy, one in Indonesia, and one in Bhutan), which likely means that the next step is “Baby in the baby carriage”, right? Yes, and no. Matilde Borromeo (now Princess Matilde von Furstenburg) reportedly had a baby in September. (Italy) Princess Nathalie had her son shortly after to the civil ceremony to Alexander in 2010. His name is Konstantin, and he was born in July 2010. (Germany) In recent reports, for both of the MAJOR royal weddings this year-Prince William’s to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Albert’s to former South African swimmer Princess Charlene, it has been rumored that both women are presently pregnant. Not in my opinion, they are not- either o...

Op-Ed: Sophie of Wessex Loses her Personal Protection Officer

There was a big announcement this week that Sophie, Countess of Wessex has lost her privileges to having a full time security guard-however her children and husband, and the Duke of York and his daughters (all of which were rumored to be losing theirs as well in April ) have maintained their personal protection services. What’s wrong with this? I see the point of trying to save money in this ill-fated economy and to slim down the monarchy, but why do the York daughters have personal protection when they do nothing but follow daddy around and party (often making fools of themselves and the monarchy)?! They don’t perform Royal Duties on their own-they tag along with Dad or when the whole family appears, but other than that all they do is act like high profile socialites with titles. Yet, their aunt, who is said to be a favorite of Her Majesty, has performed 174 domestic duties and 14 overseas in the last year. Yet, SOPHIE is the one losing the protection. Sure, she and Edward live at Ba...

The Recap of The Royals You Love: Nov 7-13

Belgium - Princess Mathilde visited the House of Parenting in Péruwelz and  the de Bakermat in Leuven. The House of Parenting encourages a process of co-education among parents of children 0-3 years old and social workers, for the development of the child. A collaboration with Le Galion, a unit of Family Education of Péruwelz CPAS, provides services to disadvantaged families. Denmark -Crown Princess Mary  was at the Odense Steel Shipyard where she had the honor of naming one of the Danish Royal Navy’s last three frigates to be built. after a few speeches form offiicals, she christened the new modern warship, The Niels Juel. See photos . Also this week, the future Queen attended the opening of the photo exhibition,Welcome to the World Citizen No. 7 Billion, held at the Rådhus in Copenhagen. -Princess Benedikte   attended  the 2011 Guilds Show held at the Moltke’s palace in Copenhagen Greece -Princess Theodora  attended the 12t...