Royalty in the News

The King of Spain arrived in Lebanon today for his first ever visit to the Middle Eastern country. He was greeted by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman once he stepped off the plane in Beirut. King Juan Carlos would be in Lebanon for two days.

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This visit comes days after Spain took over as head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon along the Israeli border. Spain has over one thousand UNIFIL troops in the area. The King will inspect those soldiers in the southern part of the country tomorrow.

Suleiman praised relations between his country and the King’s at a state dinner at Baada Palace. The President made a state visit to Spain last year.

President Suleiman also asked Juan Carlos to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 as he slammed Israel for slowing any progress on the Mideast peace process. Spain currently holds the presidency of the European Union, which rotates every six months.

Over the weekend, there were reports in the Swedish media that Daniel Westling, the fiancé to Crown Princess Victoria, was suffering an infection due to his kidney transplant last year. The Royal Court denied the claims.

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In a recent edition of the newspaper Expressen, Westling himself said he never felt any better.

“I wish you could show more respect before they spread false information about my health,” he said.

The truth is, Westling was attending meetings at the royal palace the very day newspaper headlines exclaimed that the royal fiancé was acutely ill. Friends of Daniel and Victoria fretted over the news that turned out not to be true.

He also said reports that he was under medical care weren’t true. Instead, Westling was simply getting check-ups from his doctor.

Westling has suffered a non-inherited kidney disease since childhood. His kidney transplant took place three months after the announcement of royal engagement. His father, Olle, was the donor.

Westling will marry the Crown Princess on June 19th, and according to him, his transplant is not a danger to the upcoming nuptials.

On Friday, the Japanese Imperial Household held a press conference about the state of Crown Princess Masako’s mental health. She has been suffering from a stress induced illness since late 2003, and her doctors say while she is still recovering, the Princess is still prone to slipping back to her problems.

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According to Grand Master Issei Nomura of the Imperial Household Agency, the doctors say “more time is required before she can further expand the range of her activities.”

“She is much better than when we first examined her five and a half years ago,” the doctors’ assessments say, pointing to Crown Prince Naruhito and their daughter, Princess Aiko, as playing a major role in her recovery. Whenever Masako does feel stressed, “she is able to recover from it relatively quickly.”

However, the Crown Princess’ condition seesaws and she is still not able to carry out many official engagements, let alone official overseas trips.

The doctors suggest she needs to find her “life’s work” in order to get “increased confidence.”

The last engagement Masako did was last month, when she took part in a memorial service for the 1995 Kobe earthquake victims.

At a toy fair in Nuremberg, Germany on Wednesday, a unique figurine was revealed. It was a Barbie doll dressed in a flowing gown and wearing luxurious jewelery and a tiara. But this just wasn’t any Barbie doll. This one was made in the image of Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria.

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“Crown Princess Victoria is a modern princess and an inspiring global citizens. Crown Princess is committed to charitable causes and helps to highlight those who are less fortunate. She is simply a role model for girls worldwide,” said Rosa Zeegers, the Senior Vice President of Barbie International.

Victoria joins talkshow host Oprah Winfery and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for being made into a Barbie doll. Her image is modeled after her appearance at the 2006 Nobel Prize ceremony.

The Crown Princess Victoria Barbie doll was presented together with two other dolls representing the world famous author JK Rowling and successful tennis player Kim Clijsters.

“The dolls are a tribute and a recognition of the positive energy that these three strong women to our society. They are true role models for girls of all ages and personifies the values that Barbie represents. Whether you are seven years or seventy years old, you need inspiring role models,”said Rosa Zeegers.

Unfortunately for Barbie doll collectors and royal fans, the Crown Princess Victoria Barbie will not be sold in stores.

On Wednesday evening, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume took part in presenting the Edward Steichen Award at Luxembourg’s Museum of Modern Art. The award is under the high patronage of Guillaume’s mother, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, but it was he who gave it out this year.

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The Hereditary Grand Duke was not the only member of the Grand Ducal family to be at the event. Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla were also there. But it was the next Grand Duke of Luxembourg who handed out the award.

Held every two years, the Edward Steichen Award is supposed to be a cross-cultural, artistic and educational bridge between Luxembourg and New York. It is open to contemporary visual and fine artists between the ages of 25 and 35. The candidates are to be sponsored from art institutes not only in Luxembourg, but also the regions surrounding the tiny Grand Duchy, such as Wallonie in Belgium, the Lorraine in France and areas in Germany. Winners get to stay up to six months in New York City to expand their work.

To see more pictures of the event, click here

Holland’s future Queen spent Friday in the town of Hoorn located in the north of the country. There Crown Princess Maxima chatted about microfinance with a financing company and local entrepreneurs. That field is her speciality, as she’s a former banker with a degree in economics.

The Crown Princess met with Start Guide, the company that helps entrepreneurs get started by use of microfinance. She was accompanied by Frank Heemskerk, State Secretary of Economic Affairs. Maxima then met for over an hour with small business owners who had benefited from microfinance.

Microfinance in the Netherlands is for people with good business plans, but who need help in developing their plans or what a bank can not correct. With coaching and credit they get the chance to make good plans approved. Start Guide focuses on people who are threatened with unemployment, labor market starters and existing entrepreneurs who could use extra support.

It should be noted that Princess Maxima is a member of Holland’s Council of Microfinance.

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Prince Kardam, the son of the former King of Bulgaria, has been having a difficult week. On Thursday, it was reported that he was discharged from the Conxo Hospital in Galicia, Spain after being admitted on Tuesday. He was suffering from a high fever, a kidney infection, and breathing problems.

The reason for concern over Kardam’s health is because he was in the serious car accident in August 2008, in which he suffered brain damage and was in a coma for a long while. He is still in recovery from the accident.

This is the second time the Prince was hospitalized this year. In late January, he spent time in another clinic for the aforementioned problems.

Prince Kardam lives in Galicia with his wife, Princess Miriam, and two sons. He continues to regain his former skills at the FOLTRA medical center.

Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco was awarded for her efforts in fighting cancer at a gala dinner for Association A.V.E.C. at Versailles on Monday. Dressed elegantly in a white sparkling dress, the wife of the King of Morocco was all smiles as she was lauded for her work.

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David Khayat, president of the National Institute of Cancer in France, praised the Princess for her hard work against the disease.

Khayat said Lalla Salma has “unwavering commitment” to making the Moroccan people “show stronger solidarity in the battle for life.”  He also commented on her putting “Morocco in a high level in the fight against cancer” and “to facilitate “the poor’s access to treatment and medicine to allow them an opportunity to recover.”

Lalla Salma was then given the 2010 award of the Charter of Paris against Cancer.

The Charter of Paris was founded in 2000 by former French President Jacques Chirac. It aims to bring together world and medical leaders together for the fight against cancer.

A Saudi Arabian Princess is outraged over her country’s practice of child marriage, where a young girl is married off to a much older man. Princess Adela bint Abdullah, the influential daughter of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, had this to say about the practice.

“I, personally, and many specialists in social and education fields, share the opinion” that it is in violation of children’s rights, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported.

“A child has the right to live her childhood and not be forced to get married. Even an adult would not accept that.”

The Princess said this after a 12 year-old girl suddenly dropped her divorce petition from her 80 year-old husband. She had accused her husband of rape, but now says she wants to obey the wishes of her father.

Saudi Arabia has no laws against child marriage. However human rights groups are trying to set a minimum marriage law to 16 or older.

Jordan’s Queen Noor was one of the 200 attendants at Tuesday’s Global Zero World Summit in Paris. The Summit targets a ban on nuclear weapons, with UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon leading the disarmament.

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Iran was on the minds of the participants, especially since the country has been making headlines with its nuclear program. But Queen Noor warned on signaling out the Islamic Republic.

“There is no benefit in selective targeting. Exceptions fuel tensions,” she warned. “You have to hold all states accountable.”

That also meant Israel, which never formally acknowledged its nuclear arms but its neighbors in the Middle East are well aware of it. The Queen’s comment was immediately shot down by George Shultz, the former U.S. Secretary of State under President Reagan.

“You can’t start by telling Israel to get rid of its weapons,” when it is in a region surrounded by people “who question its right to exist.”

The summit is to last for three days. Noor, the widow of King Hussein, is expected to take part for all days since she is one of the biggest campaigner for nuclear disarmament.