The Royal Fanzine

Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, King of Sweden, Duke of Jämtland  was born 30 April 1946, the son of Hereditary Prince Gustaf Adolf (who died in a plane crash when his son was a year old) and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. When his great-grandfather King Gustaf V died in 1950, the four-year-old Prince became the heir apparent of Sweden. In an interview in 2005, his sister Princess Birgitta explained how growing up without their father around by commenting that their mother and the strict Swedish royal court of the time did not consider the emotional needs of Prince Gustaf Adolf's children. In that era, she said, tragedy was seldom discussed with children. "Children's questions were met with silence, children's anxiety and fear with the same silence."As a result, Crown Prince Carl Gustaf was seven years old before he had been told about his father's death. "It was Mother's way of handling the situation, to handle living her life. Of course it was...

Don Miguel de Todos los Santos Urdangarín y Bórbon  was born 30 April 2002, the third son of the Duchess and Duke of Palma de Mallorca, Infanta Cristina of Spain and Iñaki Urdangarín. Seven weeks after his birth at Barcelona's Teknon Clinic, the young royal was baptized on 23 June 2002 in the chapel of the city's Palace of Zarzuela. His godparents are The Prince of Austrias, and his aunts Infanta Elena and Lucía Urdangarín. He lives with his parents and two older brothers and younger sister in Barcelona, where he is enrolled in the Carles Riba preschool and will subsequently join his older brothers at the French School. His parents are very hands on, his father is frequently spotted walking his children to school. He is presently 10th in line for the Spanish throne.

Belgium -King Albert II held an audience with the Belgian Prime Minister, Mr. Elio Di Rupo on Monday { Source }. On Thursday, the King visited the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels headquarters at the invitation of the President of the EP, Mr. Martin Schulz { Video }. -King Albert II & Queen Paola held an audience with Baron Toots Thielemans and his wife, Huguette, at Château de Laeken. Mr. Thielemans, a well-known jazz musician, will celebrate his 90th birthday on Sunday{ Source } -Prince Philippe visited the Universitaires Saint-Louis (FUSL) in Brussels on Monday, where he attended an academic session  "... on the 20th anniversary of the creation... " of the university's multilingual training program in collaboration between the FUSL and Hogeschool Universiteit Brussels (HUB) { Source }. On Tuesday, he attended the 1st Annual Masterclass held at the Résidence Palace à Bruxelles ...organized for the benefit of the winners of seven editions of the Belg...

Maud Angelica Behn  was born 29 April 2003, in Olso, Norway, the eldest child of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn, and the eldest grandchild of King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja of Norway. She was christened at Slottskapellet, The Royal Palace, Oslo, Norway, on 2 July 2003, the one-hundredth birthday of her great-grandfather, King Olav V of Norway. Her godparents consisted of her maternal grandfather, maternal uncle, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Countess of Pfeil and Klein-Ellguth; her mother's cousin Marianne Ulrichsen, Kåre Conradi and Trond Giske. At present, she is 5th in line for the throne of Norway, after her uncle, two cousins and mother. She has two younger sisters, Leah , and Emma. Her cousins are future Norweigen Queen, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. She also has a stepcousin, Marius. In the autumn of 2009, she was enrolled at the Bærum Waldorf School (Norwegian: Steinerskolen i Bærum), a private school...

Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg was born 29 April 1946, the middle child of King Fredrick XI and Queen Ingrid. She has two sisters-Queen Margarethe II of Denmark and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.  Her godparents were her paternal grandparents, King Christian X and Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, her maternal grandfather King Gustav V of Sweden, her maternal uncle, Count Sigvard Bernadotte of Wisborg, her maternal cousin Sir Alexander Ramsay, her cousin, The Queen Mum of the United Kingdom, her paternal aunt Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Princess Margaret of Denmark, and  Princess Ingeborg of Sweden. Princess Benedikte is very much involved in the scout/guide organization in Denmark as well as internationally. When she was a child, a special scout unit was created, so that she could join the guides. Now her involvement is more at the organisational level as she is chairman for Pigespejdernes fællesråd (Joint Co...

Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón Ortiz was born 29 April 2007, the younger of the daughters of the Prince and Prinesss of Austrias, and the youngest grandchild of Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos.  She was born at 4:50 pm in the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid by means of a caesarean section, two days after Letizia's due date. She weighed 3.3 kg (7 lbs. 4 oz.) and was 50 cm (19.6 inches) long at birth.  She is third in line for the Spanish throne after her father and sister.  The Infanta was named after her paternal grandmother, Sofía of Greece and Denmark. Likewise, this grandmother, Queen Sofía of Spain, is named after her paternal grandmother, Sophie of Prussia.  Her godparents are Paloma Rocasolano (her maternal grandmother) and The Prince of Vidin. She began her education among the children of the Royal Guards at the Palace of El Pardo, a zone in which is restricted by the royal guard in September 2009. In 2010, she joined her older sis...

Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange was born 27 April 1967, the eldest child of Queen Beatix and Prince Claus. He has two younger brothers, Prince Friso and Prince Constanjn of The Netherlands.  He was baptised as a member of the Dutch Reformed Church on 2 September 1967  in Saint Jacob's Church in The Hague. His godparents are Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Prince Ferdinand von Bismarck, Prime Minister Jelle Zijlstra, and  Queen Margrethe II of Denmark .  Prince Willem-Alexander attended Nieuwe Baarnse Elementary School in Baarn from 1973 to 1979. He went to three different high schools: the Baarns Lyceum in Baarn from 1979 to 1981, the Eerste Vrijzinnig Christelijk Lyceum in The Hague from 1981 to 1983, and the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales near Llantwit Major (1983 to 1985),  where he received his International Baccalaureate.  After high school he performed military service in the Royal Netherlands Navy fr...

After announcing her engagement on Thursday (and making it official on Friday with a reception at the Grand Ducal Palace), I thought you might be interested in knowing more about our latest Royal Bride to be.... Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy  was born 18 February 1984, the daughter of Count Philippe de Lannoy and Alix della Faille de Leverghem. She grew up with seven older siblings (four brothers, and three sisters) on the family's estate, Château d'Anvaing in Ronse, East Flanders, Belgium. For her education, the Countess has resided in various parts of the world, including Belgium, France, Germany and Russia. She attended school Sancta Maria de Ronse and Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Belgium, Collège Saint-Odile in France, Russian Literature and langugae classes in Moscow, Russia, and majored in German Philology at Louvain-la-Neuve, in Belgium. She also obtained a Masters degree in Berlin, Germany. During her Masters she interned at L'Agence Wallone à l'Expo...

Day 1 (April 23) Upon their arrival at Berlin Tegel airport Monday morning, they were greeted by 21 canon volleys. German President Joachim Gauck and his partner Daniela Schadt welcomed Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa at their home Bellevue Palace with military honours on Monday. In the afternoon, the Grand Ducal couple meet Berlin's mayor Klaus Wowereit before visiting the Neue Wache, the Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Tyranny. In the evening they attended  a gala dinner at Bellevue Palace. { Source }. { Photos }. Day 2 (April 24) The Grand Duke met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Brandenburg Minister President Matthias Platzeck { Photos }. Meanwhile, the Grandduchess attended a conference on climate change and attended a meeting on micro finance. Meanwhile, Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke,  will join the delegation of German and Luxembourg officials for a talk on the future ...

Princess Laetitia Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este  was born 23 April 2003 in Brussels, Belgium, the fifth child of Archduke Lorenz and Archduchess Astrid of Austria-Este. She has four older siblings:  Prince Amedeo (b. 1986), Prince Joachim   (b. 1991),  Princess Maria Laura (b. 1988) and  Princess Luisa Maria (b. 1995). She is presently 11th in line for the Belgium throne. She began attending Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in September 2008 { Photos }. Presently, she is in cycle 2, year 4 in her education. 

Belgium -Princess Eléonore  celebrated her 4th birthday on Monday. Denmark - Queen Margerethe II  celebrated her 72nd birthday on Monday. -Queen Margerethe II & Henrik, Prince Consort  released new photos of themselves on Thursday { Photos } -Queen Margerethe, Henrik, Prince Consort, Crown Prince Fredrik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Prince Felix, Prince Nikolai, Prince Henrik and Princess NN  appeared on the Amilemberg Palace balcony in honor of Queen Margerethe's 72nd birthday on Monday { Photos }. -Queen Margrethe II, Prince Henrik along Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie attended the funeral of the late Mr. Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller on Saturday { Video }{ Photos }. -Henrik, Prince Consort attended the inauguration of the newly restored Borrebys Theatre in Skælskør, Denmark on Thursday {Photos}. -Crown Prince Fredrik ...

Prince Georg Antonius Constantin Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg was born 22 April 1999 in  Grabs, Switzerland, the second son of Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg and Sophie,  Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg. He has two older siblings,  HSH Prince Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg and  HSH Princess Marie-Caroline Elisabeth Immaculata of Liechtenstein, Countess of Rietberg, and one younger brother  Prince Nikolaus Sebastian Alexander Maria of Liechtenstein, Count of Rietberg.

    Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe of Denmark  was born 21 April 2007, the second child and oldest daughter of the Crown Princely Couple of Denmark. She is the eldest granddaughter of Queen Margarethe and Prince Henrik, and their fourth grandchild. After her father and older brother, she is presently third in line for the Danish throne. The infant Princess' birth coincided with the 60th anniversary of the ascension to the Danish throne of her great-grandfather, Frederick IX. She shares her birthday with third cousin-twice removed, Queen Elizabeth II . Isabella's christening took place on 1 July 2007, at the chapel of Fredensborg Palace. She wore the same christening gown her older brother, Prince Christian, had worn at his christening the year before and that Glücksborg princes and princesses in the main line had worn since the christening of Christian X in 1870. Her name was announced as Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe. Her godparents are ...

April 13 (Day 1) Prince Richard, Duke of Glochester paid courtsey visits to President George Abela and Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi { source }. April 14 (Day 2) The Duke attended a reception to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Queen's accession to the Throne at the Lower Barrakka Gardens where he planted a tree to commerate his visit and the Diamond Jubilee { Source }. April 15 (Day 3) The Duke was present at the re-enactment of the presentation of the George Cross to Malta in the Palace Square where he made a speech and delivered a message on Queen Elizabeth's behalf. April 16 (Day 4) The Duke visited the newly resorted war museum in the morning { Source }. The Duke of Gochester also attended an inauguration of a memorial to Private Charles McCorrie at the Msida Bastion garden { Source }

Sayako Kuroda ( formerly HIH The Princess Nori ) is the only daughter and third child of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. She married a commonor in 2005, thus giving up her Imperial status as required by law. She was born 18 April 1969. For her education, she studied Japanese Language and Literature at Gakushuin University, graduating in 1992. Later that same year, she became a research associate at the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, where she specialized in the study of kingfishers. A few years later, in 1998, she was promoted to researcher at the same institute, where she has continued her research and submitted various articles about birds to various academic journals. On 30 December 2004, the Imperial Household Agency announced the engagement of Princess Nori to Yoshiki Kuroda, a 40-year-old urban designer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and a longtime friend of Prince Akishino. They were wed on 15 November 2005, at which time the former princess gave up her i...

Vittoria Knecht de Massy was born 18 April 2007 in Monaco, the third of four daughters of Donatella Knecht de Massy and  Keith Sébastien Knecht de Massy. She attended Prince Albert's 2011 Wedding with her parents, and two older sisters  ( Vittoria is the smallest, in the rose colored dress in between her parents, mostly covered by the watermark ) in July 2011. She is presently in the last year of Instut François d’Assise Nicolas Barré's nursery school division.  She is the granddaughter of Christine-Alix Knecht de Massy, the youngest of Princess Antoinette's children, and thus is Princess Antoinette's great-granddaughter. Because she is not *technically* in line for the throne of Monaco, she is primarily kept from the limelight and not much is known about her. 

Prince Seeiso of Lesotho  was born 16 April 1966, the younger son of the late King Moshoeshoe II (1938–1996) and the late Queen 'Mamohato Bereng Seeiso (1941–2003). His brother is presently King Letsie III. He married Princess Mabereng Seeiso of Lesotho. They have three children - Prince Bereng Constantine Seeiso, Princess Masentle Tabitha Seeiso and Prince Maupha David Seeiso. Presently, he is Lesotho High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. In 2006, along side Prince Harry of Wales, he created a charity called Sentebale to support organizations working with Lesotho's disadvantaged young people and children, particularly those orphaned as a result of HIV and AIDS.

Queen Margrethe Alexandrine Þorhildur Ingrid of Denmark was born 16 April 1940 at the Amalienborg Palace, the oldest child and daughter of King Frederick IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark. She was christened on 14 May 1940 in Holmens Kirke (the Naval Church) and confirmed on 1 April 1955 at Fredensborg Palace. Her godparents were King Christian X of Denmark, Prince Knud of Denmark, Prince Axel of Denmark, King Gustaf V of Sweden, Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. She was named Margrethe after her maternal grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, Alexandrine after her paternal grandmother, Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Ingrid after her mother. She was joined by younger sisters Princess Benedikte and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece in 1944 and 1946. On 20 April 1947, King Christian X died and Margrethe's father ascended the throne as King Frederick IX. She was educated at Zahle...

Princess Eléonore Fabiola Victoria Anne Marie of Belgium  is the younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Brabant. She has three older siblings, Princess Elisabeth and Prince Gabriel, and Prince Emmanuel. She was born 16 April 2008 at 4:50am at the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht. She weighed 3.2 kg (7.055 pounds) and was 50 cm (19.7 inches) long at birth. She was baptised on 14 June 2008 in the chapel of Ciergnon Castle in the Belgian Ardennes, by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Her godparents are Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden , Princess Claire of Belgium, and Count Sébastien von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg. She was named Eléonore because it was a name her parents liked that kept the tradition od El/el names in the family. Her middle names, Fabiola, Victoria, Anne, and Marie come from various relatives and close friends of the family- Fabiola for her great-aunt Queen Fabiola, Victoria for her godmother Crown Princess Victori...

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg  was born 16 April 1955 at Betzdorf Castle in Betzdorf, Luxembourg, the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. His maternal grandparents were King Leopold III of Belgium and Astrid of Sweden. He is a nephew of the current King of the Belgians, Albert II. He has four siblings: Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria (b. 1954), Prince Jean of Luxembourg (b. 1957), Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein (b. 1957) and Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg (b. 1963). Grand Duke Henri became Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg on 12 November 1964 and was educated in Luxembourg and in France, where he obtained his baccalaureate in 1974. He then studied political sciences at University of Geneva, graduating in 1980. The Grand Duke also undertook military officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, England. While studying in Geneva, he met another political science student,    Marí...

Prince Sébastien Henri Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg  was born on 16 April 1992 on his father's 37th birthday in Luxembourg. He is the fifth child, and youngest son of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. He has four older siblings, three brothers and a sister: Guillaume, Félix, Louis and Alexandra. At present, he is forth in line for the Luxembourg throne, after his three older siblings-his brother Prince Louis gave up his rights to the throne in 2006. He attended St. George's International School Luxembourg, Summer Fields School, Ampleforth College and the International School of Luxembourg, where he earned the International Bacclautate in 2011. Currently, he attends university in the United States where he prepares a bachelor in "Marketing and Communication." Prince Sébastien fluent in Luxembourgish, French, German and English, and also has knowledge of Spanish. When he is not attending to his education, he attends official events in Luxembourg. H...

Belgium -Prince Philippe, the Duke of Brabant  celebrated his 52nd birthday on Sunday. -Prince Laurent & Princess Claire  celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary on Thursday. -Princess Astrid, Achduchess of Austria-Este  visited Singapore & Indonesia. Check back here for a full report later. Denmark - Queen Margrethe II & Henrik, Prince Consort  attended the Fakkeltog Ceremony on Monday { Source } -Queen Margrethe II began her 3 day state visit to Rome, Italy on Wednesday { Photos }. -Crown Princess Mary visited the KFUM’s Soldatermission (Soldiers Mission) in Fredericia, Denmark on Tuesday, where she was greeted by Secretary-General Per Møller Henriksen, the KRUM’s Soldatermission Home Manager, Ms. Esther Kofoed as well as other military personnel and their families before taking a tour of the facility and attending a luncheon and mingling with families { Photos } Great Britain - Prince Charles of Wales & Cami...

Prince Philippe Léopold Louis Marie of Belgium, The Duke of Brabant  was born 15 April 1960, the eldest son (thus heir-apparent to) of Albert II, King of the Belgians and Queen Paola. His godparents were King Leopold III of the Belgians, and  Donna Luisa, Princess Ruffo di Calabria. He attended both French and Dutch primary and secondary schools before attending Royal Military Academy from which he graduated in 1981, upon graduation, he qualified as fighter pilot (1982) and as a paratrooper- and commando officer before assuming command over a paratrooper platoon. The Prince's military career further led him to his current rank of Lieutenant-General and Vice Admiral in the Armed Forces (as from March 2010). He continued his academic career at Trinity College, University of Oxford (UK) and at the Graduate School of Stanford University (USA) where he obtained a Master of Arts degree in political science in 1985. He also has an honorary doctorate from Katholieke Universi...