24 « March « 2009 « Royalty in the News

Dutch Princess Becomes U.N. Envoy for Literacy

Princess Laurentien, the wife of Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, accepted the post of U.N. envoy for Literacy UNESCO Worldwide in Paris Tuesday. princess-laurentien

Laurentien, a longtime advocate for literacy, did this at the request of UNESCO head, Koichiro Matsuura.

She will work for the problem of low literacy levels worldwide. The Princess will help draw attention to the importance of a comprehensive approach to low levels of both the occurrence of low literacy levels in children as well as the importance of reducing low literacy levels among adults.

Princess Laurentien did this experience among others, as founder and chairwoman of the Foundation Reading & Writing.

According to the U.N., worldwide 776 million people are illiterate and 75 million children do not attend school.

Laurentien was born in 1966 in Leiden, the daughter of the former Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs. She married the youngest son of Queen Beatrix in May 2001. Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien have three children, Countess Eloise, Count Claus-Casimir, and Countess Leonore.

Italy Welcomes Swedish King & Queen

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia are on a two day visit of Italy this week. They arrived Tuesday, and were greeted by President Napolitano at the President’s Palace in Rome. sweden-italy

After a private lunch, the Swedish royals got started with their state visit.

First, King Carl XVI Gustaf visited the Italian Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. While he did that, his wife, Queen Silvia, went to a conference at the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, a place for deaf and disabled children. There, the Queen received an award for her work with children.

She later went to Differenza Donna, a center for abused women and children.

Late in the afternoon, the royal couple stopped by the Swedish Institute, where there was discussion on cultural heritage.

A gala dinner is scheduled for tonight.

For the remainder of their visit, the King and Queen will meet with Prime Minister Berlusconi, visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and meet with a Swedish business delegation.

Thursday will see the couple travel north to Bologna. They will visit the university there, and also a Swedish exhibition on design and innovation.

Friday will see King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia end their tour of Italy, and return to Sweden.

Danish Crown Princely Couple Tour the U.S.

Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary are spending this week in the United States, visiting several places that represent Danish heritage, as well as environmental events. frederik-mary-chicago

Their first stop was Chicago. The couple arrived Sunday, and immediately got down to business. They received a guided tour of the architecture of the Windy City, and then later attended the Danish Design Event. The latter had a lot to do with the works of Louis Poulsen, Bang & Olufsen and Georg Jensen.

Monday saw the couple still in Chicago. This time they attended the opening of the Climate and Energy Conference. The reason why the Danish Crown Princely couple is going to such events, is because of Denmark’s experience in dealing with environmental issues.

After the conference, Frederik and Mary visit the Danish Old People’s Home, where senior citizens of Danish heritage go to live. There, Crown Prince Frederik gave a speech regarding Danish immigration to the States.

“Danish immigration to the United States began in the 1860s and peaked at the beginning of the 20th Century. Many of these immigrants stayed in New York and Chicago, but a great many decided to make the longer and more difficult trek to places like Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. States like Iowa and Nebraska, in particular, today boast numerous examples of such Danish settlements.

frederik-mary-danish-home “Tomorrow, the Crown Princess and I will visit Grand View University and Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, two fine institutions that were established by Danish immigrants. Since their founding in the late 19th Century, both universities have made great strides to become highly recognized institutions of higher learning, as well as to strengthen the ties between Denmark and the United States. My grandparents visited Grand View and Dana, almost to the day, 70 years ago; my parents visited in 1976, and the Crown Princess and I are happy to carry on this tradition.”

And to Grand View University and Dana College the royal couple went to on Tuesday.

The first school they visited at 9am. Dana College followed, and it was there Frederik and Mary attended the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Dana College, including reception and meeting with Danish-American representatives.

Later on, the two will participate in the groundbreaking ceremony at a new factory for enzyme production in Blair, Nebraska.

In the evening, they will attend a dinner for Dana College’s jubilee.

Frederik seems to be getting around easily, despite his crutches. He injured his leg while skiing a few weeks ago, and needed surgery.

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