22 « August « 2008 « Royalty in the News

Spanish Royals Mourn Plane Crash Victims

Queen Sofia of Spain cut short her Beijing Olympics trip to join with husband King Juan Carlos in mourning the victims of Spanair plane crash that killed 153 people Wednesday. Spain Plane Crash

The King and Queen first stopped at Barajas airport, then onto the crisis center. Lastly, they visited Madrid’s main convention center, to meet with the victims’ relatives. The center has been turned into an impromptu morgue for the 153 bodies. The center also is the same place where the victims of the Madrid subway bombings in 2003 were placed following the attacks.

felipe-letizia

Earlier, Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia visited a Madrid hospital to meet with the survivors of the crash and their families. Only 19 people survived, most with serious injuries.

Queen Elizabeth II extended her condolescenes to King Juan Carlos, saying, “I was deeply saddened to learn of the dreadful loss of life in the air crash at Barajas airport in Madrid, the news of which has shocked us all.”

“Philip (her husband) joins me in sending our warm and heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of those who have died and our best wishes for a speedy recovery to those who have been injured.

“At this difficult time all those affected by this tragedy are in our thoughts and prayers.”

Spain has begun three days of mourning. Flags are flying at half-mast, and silent vigils were held Thursday across the country.

Thai King Richest Royal

King Bhumibol of Thailand is the world’s longest reigning head of state. He is also the world’s richest royal. thai-king

That according to Forbes magazine. It could never be truly clear of how much a royal is worth, due to what Forbes calls “technical and idiosyncratic oddities in the exact relationship between individual and state wealth”. So, therefore, royal wealth estimation is based on “art and science”. Whatever the case may be, it is still fascinating to see how much a royal is worth. After all, it is the wealthy and lavish lifestyle of royalty that sparks the imagination.

That being said, 82 year-old Bhumibol is said to be worth $35 billion dollars. His newfound wealth comes from “a result of increased transparency of his Crown Property Holdings,” said Forbes.com.

The Thai King is followed by a long list of royals from the Middle East. Not surprisingly, these royals are getting their wealth mainly from their nations’ oil reserves. Other royals making the Top 15 list include Prince Hans-Adam of Liechenstein, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Many have figured the British Queen to be the wealthiest woman in the world. But Her Majesty is only worth $650 million, with many women worth more than her, such as author JK Rowling for example.

Click here to take a look at a photo gallery of the world’s 15 richest royals

Crown Princess Victoria Awards British Professor

A day after awarding a young American scientist with innovative ideas on water, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden awarded another renouned researcher for his findings on water. SWEDEN - STOCKHOLM WATER PRIZE

British Professor Anthony Allan, from King’s College, University of London, was awarded a $150,000 cash reward at a banquet at Stockholm City Hall. The award was for his studies on how food production consumes vast volumes of water, including his concept of ‘virtual water’ that measures water used in the production of food and industrial products. Allan came up with the idea of virtual water in the early 90s.

This calculation method has changed the nature of trade policy and research and is now imbedded in the production of foods and industrial products.

The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award founded in 1990 and presented annually by the Stockholm Water Foundation to an individual, organization or institution for outstanding water-related research.

Kate Middleton, Chelsy Davy Invited To Prince Charles’ Birthday Bash

Looks like the girlfriends of Princes William and Harry are getting more accepted by the British royal family. According The Sun newspaper, Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy have been formally invited to Prince Charles’ 60th birthday reception this November at Buckingham Palace. Supposedly, Queen Elizabeth II invited the two women.

A senior source said “It would have been a snub to William and Harry to have left their girlfriends’ names off the guest list.”

This is the first time either girlfriend has received a formal invitation – although both did attend the wedding of the Queen’s eldest grandson Peter Philips earlier this year.

The reception is to be a formal one, with black ties for the men and long dresses for the women. About 150 guests are expected, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown. A concert is also believed to be in the works for the Prince of Wales’ birthday.

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