CONTACT Any questions or suggestions? Feel free to email me at: Sonjapearl@royaltyinthenews.com - and my real name is Megan :)
|
Canada’s Michaelle Jean is in Norway for a three day state visit. As Queen Elizabeth II top representative in the Great White North, it is her duty to represent her country abroad. 
In a statement at the outset of the trip, the Governor General said the visit would be “an opportunity to explore new areas for partnerships and to highlight our concerns and priorities in terms of sustainable and human development in the Arctic.”
It was Crown Prince Haakon who greeted Jean and her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, and took them to the royal palace.
There, Jean met with King Harald V, Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit for the welcoming ceremony, in which the national anthems were played and the honor guard marched by.
Afterwards, inside the palace, there was an exchange of gifts, before the King took the Governor General to a war memorial to lay wreaths.
Jean also met with Canadians living in Oslo, plus some representatives of the Norwegian parliament.
Later in the evening, a gala dinner would be held in honor of the Governor General.
The European press has been busy these past couple of days. They have been saying Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will abdicate the throne in favor of her son and heir, Crown Prince Willem Alexander, sometime this year. 
Media outlets such as Spain’s Hola! magazine, are reporting the event could happen either on Thursday’s Queen’s Day or on Willem Alexander’s 42nd birthday.
Even the well-informed Dutch newspaper, De Telegraaf, has been reporting on a possible abdication.
However, rumors of the Queen’s abdication have going around for years, and this may not be anything new.
“It’s the third time in four months, the emergence of such a media hysteria. But there is nothing new to announce” says palace spokesman Chris Breedveld.
The last two Dutch Monarchs all abdicated the throne for their heirs. Queen Beatrix’s mother, Queen Juliana abdicated in 1980 for her eldest daughter.
Supposedly, that abdication took those closest to Juliana by surprise.
As for Beatrix, sources close to the court believe that she will wait until she celebrates 30 years on the throne in 2010.
It was supposed to be yet another visit from a head of state for the royal family of Spain. 
But when the head of state’s wife is former supermodel Carla Bruni, the visit is anything but ordinary.
Nicolas Sarkozy brought his ever dazzling wife along for a visit to Spain Monday. He is there to promote his country and strengthen ties with the kingdom.
Carla, meanwhile, is there, so to speak, to make fashionistas and the press go wild with her elegant style.
However, it was the Spanish royals – particularly Crown Princess Letizia – who made the press and fashionistas go crazy.
This happened when Ms. Bruni met the Monarchs and the Crown Princely couple, Felipe and Letizia, at Zarzuela Palace for lunch. It was Crown Princess Letizia Bruni was up against in terms of style. Bruni wore a simple dark blue dress, while the Crown Princess wore a berry colored dress that had a ripple effect.
When Letizia and Carla walked up the stairs of the palace, their shapely derrieres were photographed – leaving quite a few men drooling.
Even more so, the berry colored dress the Crown Princess wore has caught the attention of the English speaking media. Headlines everywhere say Letizia upstaged the French First Lady.
Even if she did, the warm reception between Carla and Letizia was evident during that fateful meeting.
Bruni seems to get along very well with the Spanish royals. So much so, that when she met Queen Sofia, she kissed the Queen’s two cheeks instead of doing the traditional curtsy.
A spokesman for the royal palace explained that a curtsy before a Spanish monarch “is not an absolute obligation, but a habit adopted by some people.”
But President Sarkozy’s visit to Spain is not simply to show off his beautiful wife.
He is there to meet with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to discuss the ETA Basque separatist group especially since its leaders were arrested in France last year.
The two countries will also sign an accord on strengthening their joint efforts against organized crime and drug trafficking.
Paris will also voice its support for Spain’s presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2010.
The visit comes “at a sweet moment in French-Spanish cooperation,” El Mundo said.
Prince Charles is in Italy for the early part of this week to promote British business, as well as environmental issues – a topic close to his heart. 
The heir to the British throne discussed the issue first with Pope Benedict XVI, who also has spoken out about climate change.
“The cordial discussions provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on certain questions of mutual interest, including the human promotion and development of peoples, environment protection and the importance of intercultural and interreligious dialogue for furthering peace and justice in the world,” Vatican spokesman the Reverend Frederico Lombardi told reporters after the talks.
Later, the Prince, who is accompanied by wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, talked about the environment with Italian lawmakers.
“History will judge us by how we respond to climate change. Do we want our children and grandchildren to … see this as the time we allowed a new darkness to sprawl across our future?”
Prince Charles insisted there was only 98 more months to tackle global warming.
“If we are to bequeath to our children a world that is fit to inhabit, then I fear we must act now. What on earth is the point of procrastinating?’
“The response we make now to the challenges will be the single most critical element defining our era, and it will be the one by which our generation will be judged,” he said.
“The world is struggling with the consequences of the economic crisis in which we find ourselves (but) any of the difficulties we face today will be as nothing when the full horror of global warming unfolds.”
Concluding in Italian, the Prince of Wales said: “If we don’t succeed … our grandchildren will never, ever forgive us.”
Friday saw Prince William have not one but two engagements! 
The first was for the completion of the 750,000 machine made by JCB. The Prince went to the company’s headquarters in Staffordshire, and was greeted by hundreds of cheering schoolchildren waving the Union Jack.
William then went inside and had a look around the plant. He had a chance to sit on the milestone machine and joked, “I won’t drive it away. This is my own personal one.”
The Prince also discussed the recession with the company leaders. He expressed sympathy for the employees, some of whom now have to work a four day schedule.
Later in the day, Prince William had a chance to remember two friends who were killed in the line of duty at the National Memorial Arboretum, also in Staffordshire.
Second Lieutenant Jo Dyer and Major Lex Roberts were both killed in action in 2007. William and Dyer were cadets at Sandhurst together, while Roberts was the Prince’s platoon commander.
William gave a short speech in support of the appeal aimed at raising a further Pounds eight million for the memorial.
“We cannot afford to be protectionist.” 
These were the words of Jordan’s Queen Rania, as she spoke Thursday at the 8th Annual Global Philanthropy Forum Conference in Washington, D.C.
The Queen urged global citizens to continue giving and helping their fellow human beings despite the global economic downturn.
‘The current economic crisis is wreaking havoc on development… But this conference itself is a powerful antidote to tough times,” she said.
After a brief pause of reflection, Queen Rania asked the audience a crucial question that lies at the very core of any effective global development debate: “How do we know when philanthropy is making a positive difference?”
To make her point, the Queen referred to a jar of jam as inspiration, and went on to tell the story of Leila.
Leila is from a poor neighborhood in Amman, Jordan’s capital, and attends one of Queen Rania’s Madrasati schools.
One day, Leila was asked to come up with an idea for healthy breakfasts for her classmates. Gathering uneaten apples from them, Leila and her mother began making apple jam and sold them in local markets. All proceeds went back to Leila’s school.
Rania commented,”philanthropy means giving bold thinkers like Leila the chance to lift their whole community and to realize the power within themselves to change things for the better.
“When it comes to education, the power of philanthropy can be even bigger – not just within communities and countries but among them, stitching together humanity’s frayed seams, especially at a time of global turmoil.
“Education is not only a problem, but also a solution – because when we look at the obstacles we face, education can help us overcome them all.”
Rania also thanked participants for taking the time to attend the annual conference, which also celebrates Earth Day.
She added: “All of you here, through your commitment and compassion, are extending lifelines of hope. And more than that, you’re tilling the soil from which social renewal can bloom.”
Those in attendance at the forum included donors, social investor and other philanthropists who are committed to tackling education, poverty and health issues.
Prince Albert II of Monaco sat down with Romanian President Traian Basescu Thursday to discuss, among many topics, the global economic crisis. 
The Prince explained that he felt there was no easy solution to the problem.
“I have made an exchange of opinions with President Basescu, related to the global financial crisis, as we all know the crisis affects us all and that, at least for now, there exists no miraculous solution to solve this crisis. We have discussed the need of a better regulation of the principles in the economic field, with other heads of state having insisted upon this matter too,” Albert said, underling the effects of the crisis were felt in the Principality of Monaco a little less severely.
The Prince is in Romania specifically to strengthen ties with the eastern European country.
One of the areas he and Basescu talked about were projects involving the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Later in his visit, Albert will head to the Danube Delta where he is to visit several objectives and will meet with the officials of Tulcea county.
It was announced Thursday that the Swedish government will relinquish control over one of the royal palaces to allow its Crown Princess and her fiance to live there once they marry. 
Haga Palace will be the new home of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling after they tie the knot in the Summer of 2010.
The decision has come at the Government’s initiative and the castle returned to Victoria’s father, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s, disposition.
The Crown Princess is said to appreciate the generous offer and is looking forward to settle at Haga Palace.
The Palace was once occupied by the King when he was child. He, along with his four older sisters, lived there until 1947.
In 1966, the then King Gustaf VI Adolph transferred control of Haga Palace to the government, who then used it for its guests.
The Palace was built between 1802 to 1804.
It is not known just when will Victoria and Daniel move in.
Princess Cristina of Spain will be moving to Washington D.C. later this year, along with her husband and four children. The reason for the move is because of her husband, Inaki Urdangarin who works for Telefonica, accepted a new position. 
The family is expected to live in Georgetown, and word is going around that the Princess’ children will attend school with President Obama’s two daughters.
The Urdangarins’ might live in the United States for about two years or more.
As for Infanta Cristina’s duties in Spain, they will be taken up by her sister Elena, and brother Crown Prince Felipe.
There is a chance Cristina and Inaki will represent the Spanish crown in the United States on less official engagements, and will only perform royal duties in Spain for the constitutional events, such as Parliament openings.
The family already live in Barcelona, where Cristina works as Director of the Social Area of La Caixa Foundation. It is unknown what will happen to her position there.
The Emir of Qatar is on a two day visit to Croatia. 
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and his wife, Shiekha Mozah, arrived Wednesday, and were greeted by Croatian President Stjepan Mesnic at the presidential palace in Zagreb. The two leaders then quickly got down to business.
One of the more important parts of this state visit included the signing of an economic cooperation agreement. In addition, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Qatar Olympic committee and the Croatian Olympic committee and another Memorandum of Understanding between Qatar Development Bank and Croatia’s Development and Reconstruction Bank were also signed yesterday in the presence of the Emir and the Croatian President.
Qatar and Croatia go back a ways. During his visit, Sheikh Al-Thani reminded Mesnic that it was Croatia which was the first European country to offer his country the construction of a natural gas terminal. He stressed that various European nations have now also offered to build such facilities, but that they do not want to answer them until they have the clear Croatian stance about Qatar’s proposal.
Wednesday also saw the Emir give Mesnic the necklace of independence. In return, Mesnic gave Al-Thani the the Order of King Tomislav with the Sash and Great Danica.
The Qatari Emir voiced his opinion that due to the economic crisis, smaller countries like Croatia and Qatar should cooperate in order to exit the crisis stronger in two to three years time. He voiced his wish to visit Croatia during summer privately, which the Croatian President welcomed.
|
|
Recent Comments