22 « February « 2009 « Royalty in the News

Saudi Heir Goes to U.S. for Medical Tests

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz is reportedly in New York City, undergoing medical tests. There are no further details about his condition. saudi-cp

The 81 year old heir to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has spent the last six weeks recuperating in Morocco after having medical tests in the US last year.

One of King Abdullah’s half-brothers, he has been the Saudi defense minister for more than 40 years.

His son Bandar was Saudi ambassador to the US until July 2005.

The Crown Prince also underwent “routine medical examinations” in Switzerland last April and left after having been given a clean bill of health by his doctors, the authorities said at the time.

In May 2004, he underwent surgery in a Saudi military hospital to remove a polyp from his intestines.

Queen Fabiola Leaves Hospital

BELGIUM ROYALS

After spending over a month being treated for bronchial pneumonia, Belgium’s Queen Fabiola was released from the Saint John’s Hospital in Brussels on Friday.

Having gone in originally on January 16th, the 80 year-old widow of King Baudouin, was in the intensive care unit until February 9th.

But according to the Palace, the Queen is doing much better, and is continuing her recovery at home.

The Spanish born Fabiola married King Baudouin in 1960. From then until 1993, she was Belgium’s Queen.

After the death of her husband, she is known as the Dowager Queen.

Activists Blame Swazi King for Failing to Stop AIDS Increase

A recent report says 42 percent of pregnant women in Swaziland are infected with the HIV virus. king-mswati

That is a 3 percent increase from last year.

Activists are pointing the finger at Swaziland’s absolute monarch, King Mswati III, for doing little to prevent the increase by promoting safe sex and HIV testing. They also say he sends the wrong message by having 13 wives.

“The nation, especially polygamous men, look up to the monarch,” said Sphiwe Hlophe, who runs a support group called Swaziland Positive Living.

The tiny kingdom located in southern Africa, has the highest AIDS rate in the world, and life expectancy is only at 37 years.

What little Swaziland does do is promote male circumcision, which can reduced HIV chances by 60 percent. But there are fears that this might backfire by making men more complacent and more likely to have unprotected sexual intercourse.

Swaziland also has made strides in preventing the transmission of HIV from mother to child. In 2003, only 5 percent of women infected with HIV got drugs to protect their unborn babies. This increased to 67 percent in 2007, according to a report prepared by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and the U.N. Population Fund.

Liechtenstein Prince Investigated for Tax Evasion

Prince Max of Liechtenstein, is being targeted by a German tax evasion probe. It is said the brother of the ruler of the principality avoided paying taxes on investment gains while living in Germany. prince-max

Lawyers of the prince, who is CEO of the LGT Group, the royal family’s bank, say Prince Max will pay back all taxes owed, but challenges the accusations.

“I have always fulfilled my tax duties in Germany to the best of my knowledge,” Prince Max said in an e-mailed statement distributed by LGT Group late Thursday. “If, contrary to my conviction, it turns out that I owe taxes to the German state, I will meet my obligations promptly.”

Max, who lived in Germany for a year from January 1999 and then from September 2001, met with German authorities in December and pledged to cooperate, the LGT statement said.

But his brother, Prince Alois, says his brother is being targeted because of the tension between Germany and the micro-state located in the Alps. Germany has recently been tracking down tax cheats.

The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has Liechtenstein on its list of uncooperative tax havens, along with Andorra and Monaco.

The accusation centers on a foundation set up by the princely family for its members. The prince’s lawyers say Max drew no payments from the account while he lived in Germany, but rather secured credit that wasn’t taxable — and that the assets belonged to the family rather than the prince, LGT said.

The German authorities say the prince owes taxes on the assets of the entire foundation because most of the payments from it went to him, according to the LGT statement.

Australian Freed After Royal Pardon

harry-nicolaides2 Harry Nicolaides, the Australian who gained international attention after being jailed for insulting Thailand’s King, has been set free after receiving a pardon from King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

A lawyer for Nicolaides said he was released Friday and taken to the Australian embassy in Bangkok, where he stayed until leaving for Australia at about midnight.

“He is obviously very relieved and grateful that the pardon was granted,” the lawyer said.

41 year old Nicolaides was originally sentenced to three years in a Thai prison for writing a minimally published book, which contained criticisms of Thailand’s revered royal family.

But King Bhumibol, who in past said he can be criticized, pardoned him.

Lese-majeste laws in Thailand have been criticized for blocking freedom of speech and crush political dissent.

Princess Anne Pays Tribute to Australian Bushfire Victims

The daughter of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth was in Melbourne today, paying her respects to those who died in the recent Australian bushfires. anne_australian-fires

Princess Anne was representing the Queen, and joined in the national mourning this past weekend.

The fires that occurred earlier this month were the worst in Australia’s history, and killed about 209 people.

In her speech at the nationally broadcast memorial service, the Princess Royal said, “Individuals and towns have responded with resilience, ingenuity, courage and selflessness to situations that were changing at terrifying speed.

“People from around Australia and across the world watched in horror but with admiration at their response. “

Princess Anne will tour some areas devastated by the fires, and also visit Melbourne’s bushfire emergency control center.

The bushfires are under investigation, and are suspected to have been the cause of arson.

One man has been charged so far.

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