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The majority of Holland’s Parliament would like to see the country’s Crown Prince step down as a member of the advisory board of the De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). This, according to the Dutch program, Een Vandaag, which interviewed several Parliamentarians.
 - Reuters File
The reason for the call is due to some politicians concern for Willem-Alexander since there is a political investigation into the credit crisis.
As of June 30th, not too many Dutch parliamentarians had any comments, but there were some willing to speak out. One, Ewout Irrgang, who agrees that the Prince should step down, because his role is a political one.
“The role of an independent Commissioner does not bear ministerial responsibility by the Prime Minister,” said Irrgang, according to NRC Handelsblad.
Another politician, Frans Weekers, said, “regardless of whether DNB has acted correctly, it can lead to strange situations,”
“If the Crown Prince is called by the parliamentary inquiry, then the Prime Minister will appear there soon.”
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander is commissioner of the DNB, mainly because it prepares him for his role as King. He has been on the board since 1998. His term was renewed in 2006, and will be up July 1st 2010.
 MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP/Getty Images The Sultan of Oman has put aside his trip to Iran for the time being, due to the political unrest in the country.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said was scheduled to visit the Islamic Republic on June 28th, but it has been postponed indefinitely.
It is expected that he would have brought delegates of businessman and diplomats.
Iran is in midst of protests following the presidential election more than two weeks ago. There are some Iranians who are calling the election results a fraud, despite officials’ insistence to the contrary.
Had the Sultan gone to Iran, it would’ve been his first visit to the country since the fall of the Shah in 1979.
Princess Alexia, the second daughter of Holland’s Crown Princely couple, began her first day of school Monday. It was  something the Princess, who recently turned 4, eagerly waited for. Her parents, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Maxima, had said in the past that Alexia was jealous of older sister, Amalia Catharina, going to school.
Holding hands tightly as the two little girls walked in front of their parents, Amalia looked proud of her sister. Alexia, meanwhile, looked both excited and nervous.
Once at the Bloemcamp school, Alexia was able to put her “Dora the Explorer” backpack on a hook in a cubby. She had been looking forward to showing off her “cool” backpack to her new classmates.
The little Princess met with her teachers, Yvonne and Clara, and got acquainted with the students of group 1B, her classroom. She later learned to sing a song by Belgian-Italian singer Adamo as one of her first lessons.
The reason why Alexia began school just two weeks before summer break was because her parents did not want the media attention to distract the other students when Bloemcamp school resumes in August.
The wife of the ruler of Dubai is urging for donations be given to the refugee crisis in Pakistan.
 - AP
Princess Haya bint Al-Hussein is calling for international aid to pay attention to the increasing problem in Pakistan, which is dealing with fighting in the northwestern part of the country.
“Millions have been forced to leave, abandoning their homes, their communities and their loved ones,” said Haya, who said this in a broadcast announcement aired in the Middle East. “They arrive needing everything: shelter, food, and medical care.”
The Princess, who is wife to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and half-sister to King Abdullah II of Jordan, wants the donations to be given to UNHCR.
The agency has experiencing a shortage of resources, and is therefore reducing them.
“Only with your help, can UNHCR revive hope, assist with shelter and meet other basic needs. Please help UNHCR,” said Princess Haya, who is a UN Messenger of Peace.
 Ekstra Bladet Prince Joachim and Princess Marie’s baby prince had his first photo session over the weekend. The pictures were taken by Steen Brogaard at the royal couple’s home in Mogeltonder, southern Jutland.
The name of the little boy is still a secret. It is tradition for the Danish royal family to reveal the names during the christenings. This baby will be baptized on July 26th in Mogeltonder, the same church where his parents married in May 2008.
Nearly 200 guests have been invited to the event. It is expected to be simple and informal, where the guests could mingle with each other and view the little baby boy.
To view more pictures of the happy family, click here
 Ekstra Bladet
Morocco’s Princess Lalla Salma was present for the 4th annual Supreme Council of the Arab Women Organization (AWO) Conference in Tunis, Tunisia Thursday.
 - AFP/Getty Images
The wife of King Mohammed VI arrived in the city Wednesday and was greeted by Tunisia’s First Lady Leila Ben Ali. Lalla Salma brought her two children, Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and Princess Lalla Khadija along with her.
During AWO Conference, the Princess mentioned her country has gone a long way to securing women’s position in Moroccan society, in governments, parliament, and community organizations.
Citing the Qu’ran, Lalla Salma said, “This is fully in line with the precepts of the pristine Islamic faith. It is also consistent with international agreements on the preservation of human rights and the dignity of mankind.”
She also pointed out, “Adverse effects on development [and highlights] the pressing need to reform the economic system and to make it more human and more equitable, particularly with regard to impoverished populations, and especially to women.”
Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia finished up their trip to New Zealand Tuesday, and moved onto to Australia Wednesday. All for raising Spain’s profile in Oceania.
 - Zimbio/Getty Images
Even the King said his country and New Zealand were getting to know each other better, as he and the Queen were given a stately welcome outside Parliament in Wellington during their second day in the country. That included a powhiri from Maori leaders, and Juan Carlos and Sofia greeted the leaders in the traditional Maori way, by pressing their foreheads and noses against the other person.
Earlier in the day, the King and Queen had a luncheon with Prime Minister John Key. King Juan Carlos even laid a wreath at the National War Memorial. He also opened the Spanish embassy in Wellington with Queen Sofia.
While in Wellington, the King signed the working holiday agreement. It allows Kiwis from ages 18 – 30 to work in Spain for up to six months, and live in the country for one year maximum. The same goes for Spaniards in New Zealand.
Later on, Queen Sofia watched the Royal New Zealand Ballet rehearse upcoming performances for such ballets as Romeo and Juliet.
With that, the Spanish King and Queen were done with New Zealand.
 - Zimbio/Getty Images
Wednesday saw Juan Carlos and Sofia arrive in Canberra, the capital of Australia. They were greeted by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and a group of Aborigines from the Ngambri tribe. Rudd said the Aborigines were part of Australia’s apology to the poor treatment of the indigenous Australians.
“[W]e have therefore incorporated Aboriginal welcomes into the formal ceremonial of our nation for visiting guests, heads of government and heads of state,” said the Prime Minister.
“And for your majesties’ visit, yours is the first occasion into which we’ve incorporated this into our ceremonial.”
Rudd had said in speech in both Spanish and English, and his Spanish was well received by the country’s delegation.
While in Canberra, the King and Queen met with the Governor General, and the leader of the opposition.
They would be in Australia until Friday.
These past two days had Norway’s Crown Princely couple help host the AIDS Conference Young Leaders Summit II. Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit were on hand to welcome the 28 youth leaders to Oslo in order to discuss the AIDS  discrimination and prevention.
First, the royal duo attended a reception with Oslo mayor Fabian Stang Tuesday morning. They then later spoke with the youth leaders about fighting HIV and the stigma surrounding the disease.
In a speech Crown Princess Mette-Marit spoke of the importance of young leadership in the AIDS effort for the future:
“There has been great progress in AIDS work during the first 25 years. But we have, as you all know, still a long way to go. And we need you to show us the way.”
Later Tuesday evening, Haakon and Mette-Marit attended an open air concert.
Wednesday saw the couple host another reception aboard the royal yacht for the leaders. Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Hoiby, also came along.
The Crown Princely couple have been active in the HIV/AIDS fight. In 2006, the Crown Princess was named Special Representative of UNAIDS. Her work has taken her to such places as Canada and Nicaragua.
Aids2031 has a YouTube channel about the event. If you want to see Crown Princess Mette-Marit interact with some of the youth leaders, click here
Last week, Forbes came out with its annual “World’s Richest Royals” list. Although the royals who made the list didn’t change much, it was the amount of their wealth that did. Most of the royals – except for King Mohammed VI of Morocco – saw a decline in their personal wealth due to the troubled global economy. A few saw their wealth remain the same. 
Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej tops Forbes’ list once again, with an estimated fortune of $30 billion, $5 billion less than last year. It is possible that the recent turmoil in Thailand caused a decline in tourism, which led to the King’s loss.
As in 2008, the Thai monarch is followed by a long list of Mideast royals, who mainly get their wealth from oil reserves.
Also on the list is Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein and Prince Albert II of Monaco, the latter has seen real estate issues make his fortune tumble to only $1 billion. The only royal women on Forbes’ list are Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K. and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, ranked 12 and 14 respectively.
The one royal who saw his wealth rise was Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. He saw his fortune go up $1 billion due to phosphate prices rising. The monarch is now worth $2.5 billion.
Although these royals are worth so much money, they will not be considered for Forbes’ annual billionaires list. According to Forbes, that is because, “royal wealth derives from inheritances or positions of power. It is often shared with extended families, and many times it represents money controlled by royal families in trust for their nations or territories.”
To check out Forbes’ list of the 15 wealthiest royals, click here
Tuesday June 23rd marks Luxembourg’s national day, and as every year it’s Grand Ducal family was present for the celebrations. 
But before everything began, Grand Duke Henri had some exciting news for his subjects: His daughter-in-law, Tessy Antony who is married to Prince Louis, received the title of Her Royal Highness Princess Tessy of Luxembourg.
Even more, Tessy’s two baby sons with Prince Louis, Gabriel and Noah, were stylized as Princes of Nassau, but not as Luxembourg. This is because only those who are the children of the current or former reigning monarch can be the Prince or Princess of Luxembourg.
Back in 2006, Prince Louis and Tessy had in Gabriel out of wedlock, and married later that year. Louis renounced his rights to the Grand Duchy around this time.
 - Tom Wagner
Also receiving a title was Princess Alexandra. The only daughter of Henri and Maria Teresa became a knight in the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau. Despite earning this title, Alexandra was not present for the National Day celebrations, since she was taking University finals.
But her parents were there. They began the day in the city Ell, where they both laid floral wreaths at the Monument des Mars. They then met with the city council, and visited local preschoolers. The royal couple were accompanied by government officials.
At nightfall, the House of Nassau – along with the new Princess Tessy – gathered in Luxembourg City to see the fireworks, and a torchlit parade. The Grand Ducal family walked from the palace to Place Guillaume to give Luxembourgers a chance to see their royal family.
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