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 Getty Images Europe This past weekend, the royal family of Belgium gathered at Laeken Castle to celebrate the four wedding anniversaries within the family. Guests who had wedding anniversaries on the same days as the royals were also part of the festivities.
The celebration was for the 50th anniversary for King Albert II and Queen Paola, 25 years for Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz, ten years for Crown Prince Philippe and Crown Princess Mathilde, and lastly, six years of marriage for Prince Laurent and Princess Claire.
The royals and their guests walked around the gardens of Laeken Castle, enjoying delicious food and entertainment.
There was, however, a downside to the celebrations. Two carriages crashed into each other when one of the horses was stung by a bug. Upset, the horse got out of control and the driver could not handle it. Four were injured, although one was treated at the site. The other three were transported to a hospital, possibly with broken bones.
The accident did not interrupt the festivities, but a royal spokesperson expressed regret.
To see more pictures of the celebrations, click here and here
 Jordan Times As thousands of Jordanian children returned to school Sunday, King Abdullah II ordered all public schools to waiver the annual fee.
In Jordan, students are required to pay a certain amount of fees each school year. According to the Jordan Times, it varies from grade to grade. For example, from the first to the sixth, students pay 3.15 Jordan Dollars, while those in grades 7-10 pay JD4.15 and students at the secondary education level pay JD6.15.
King Abdullah made such a decree to help families who often struggle financially in the Hashemite Kingdom.
At the same time, the monarch opened the renovated King Abdullah II School of Excellence in the town of Balqa. The third of its kind, the school is specifically for students who obtain high grades in math, English, science and Arabic.
The eldest son of Prince Joachim celebrated his 10th birthday this weekend. Born August 28th, 1999, Prince Nikolai is the eldest grandchild of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik.
 Steen Brogaard The Danish royal family distributed recent photos of the young Prince, which were taken by royal photographer Steen Brogaard. There will even be a 30 minute televised special of Nikolai, set to air in Denmark tomorrow on channel DR1.
Prince Nikolai has basically grown up in the public eye since the moment of his birth. But that attention intensified when his parents, Prince Joachim and the then-Princess Alexandra divorced in 2005. Four years later, the Prince now has a stepmother in Princess Marie, and a stepfather in Martin Jorgensen.
Nikolai is also big brother to Felix, age 7, and newborn Prince Henrik. He attends Krebs School in Osterbro, the same school where his father and uncle, Crown Prince Frederik went to. The 10 year-old is also 5th in line to the Danish throne.
As part of his birthday celebrations, Nikolai had a party at his school. On Sunday, he also was taken to the circus. There, the Nikolai’s milestone birthday was acknowledged by the crowds. He even gave a kiss to the circus princess, leading to the Danish media to say the y0ung prince was already a ladies man!
 Ajour Press However, some are concerned with how Prince Nikolai will turn out as the years progress. Child psychologist John Halse expressed concern over the effects of his parents’ divorce would have on Nikolai.
The first wish divorce children have is that their parents are living close together. It’s something that has not been met. It is very far from Hellerup to Tøndermarsken, and contact with their father is already thinner,” Halse told Ekstra Bladet.
“If Marie and Joachim manage to get the boys to feel that they do not lose anything, but rather get something that binds the family closer together, so it will give them the self-esteem, crucial for a good life.
“So far it seems to be successful. Especially because they are so lucky to Alexandra clearly shows that she may well like Marie and has publicly said that Marie is a beautiful woman. That sort of thing forces the children to their stepmother,” says John Halse.
To see more pics of Prince Nikolai, click here
 The two Princesses of Sweden took a trip down the aisle Saturday – at a friend’s wedding that is.
Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine went to the wedding of their friends, Jan Dinkelspiel and Ellen Stendahl. The two sisters were dressed in beautiful evening gowns, as it is customary at Scandinavian weddings for the women to really dress up.
With them were their fiances, Daniel Westling and Jonas Bergstrom. Both men were looking dashing in their tuxedoes. Daniel also looked very healthy following his kidney transplant in late May.
 While walking into the church, the Swedish media swarmed the two princesses. Crown Princess Victoria smiled brightly and even gave a little wink to the photographers.
Also at the wedding was Prince Nikolaos, the son of ex-King Constantine of Greece. His longtime girlfriend, Tatiana Blatnik, was one of the bridesmaids.
To see a video of the news coverage of the wedding, click here
The King of Jordan inaugurated four facilities in the city of Sahab, 20km southeast of Amman. The facilities, a first for Sahab, are aimed at providing local youths with social and education outlets.
 mfa.gov.jo Two center halls, one for boys, the other for girls, are one of the facilities. Each includes computer rooms, exercise equipment, plus workshops on health issues.
“As there were no youth centres in the district, we used to spend time in the streets or coffee shops or asleep, but now we will have the option at least to come and work out, play table tennis or simply find a decent place to chat and socialize,” said Baker Maharmeh, a Sahab resident.
King Abdullah II ordered the two halls to be built after visiting the city last year. Sahab has a population of 120,000.
Also being opened yesterday was the Ohod Comprehensive Healthcare Centre, which officials said will help 25,000 residents. The large center provides pediatric, dental, maternity and other medical services. It also has an X-ray unit and clinics.
Finally, the King inaugurated the Grand Sahab Mosque, which can hold 3,000 people. As part of the mosque’s inauguration, King Abdullah led noon prayers.
Two robbers were caught trying to break into the home shared by Princes William and Harry over the weekend. The house is located near the RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, where the royal brothers are training to be pilots. Neither Prince was in the house at the time of the attempted robbery.
 Getty Images FILE Because the house is under 24 hour surveillance, the two robbers were caught within seconds, according to the British press.
It is believed that neither burglar knew who’s house they were trying to break into.
A spokesman for West Mercia Police said, “I can confirm that two men were arrested at an unspecified address in Shropshire.
“They were cautioned with conspiracy to commit burglary.”
Some British newspapers are reporting that William and Harry are taking the attempt in stride, and are reportedly seeing it as amusing.
Amusing or not, this incident could have been the latest robbery for the royal family as of late. In January, the brothers’ cousin, Princess Beatrice, had her car stolen when she left the keys in her car. Earlier this year, two other robbers were charged with stealing a camera flashcard that had private pictures of Prince William and girlfriend Kate Middleton during their vacation in Mustique in 2008. Apparently, being royal does not scare off thieves anymore.
On Friday, a Thai court sentenced an activist to 18 years behind bars for insulting Thailand’s revered royal family. Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul, a former journalist, was tried for three counts of violated lese majeste laws. Each count equaled a six year sentence.
 AP FILE Daranee made the insults during political rallies for ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last year. She was arrested in July 2008 for her speeches, which the Thai court described as hurting the “reputation and honor” of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit.
“It is what I expected to happen,” Ms. Daranee told reporters after getting her sentence. “I will appeal the verdict up to the Supreme Court to find out if there is any justice in this country. This country is closing its eyes and ears.”
Daranee’s trial, which began in June, was done behind closed doors. Critics say that led to an unfair trial.
Violating the lese-majeste laws in Thailand is a serious crime. Many Thais see King 81 year-old King Bhumibol as a near deity and as being above politics.
While the laws have been around for a long time, only recently has it been heavily enforced. Some believe it may have to do with the King’s fragile health and the monarchy’s uncertain future.
Two years ago, however, King Bhumibol openly criticized the lese-majeste laws, saying he should not be above criticism.
Following a failed suicide attack aimed directly at him, Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef said he is more determined to fight terrorism in his country.
 Reuters The attack happened Thursday night when the suicide bomber was waiting to enter the home of Prince Mohammed for a night of Ramadan well-wishing.
The Prince, who related what happened to King Abdullah when the latter visited him in the hospital, said he knew the man was a wanted terrorist. The Prince then said the man was planning on turning himself in.
“I did not want him to be searched, but he surprised me by blowing himself up,” said Prince Mohammed.
“However, this will only increase my determination” to fight terrorism in Saudi Arabia, he added.
The Prince, who is the son of Interior Minister Prince Nayef, suffered only minor injuries. He was shown on Saudi television with two of his fingers on his left hand wrapped in bandages.
This attack has taken the crackdown on terrorism in Saudi Arabia to a whole new level, says Hussein Shobokshi, a columnist for the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, an Arabic newspaper.
“It has also created an incredible amount of sympathy for the government,” he said, adding that the response from the government was likely to be “strong, consistent and with enormous popular backing.”
This incident was the first assassination attempt on a member of the royal family in decades, and the first major terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia since 2003.
According to Al-Jazeera, Al-Qaeda is claiming responsibility for the attack on Prince Mohammed.
A Dutch court today ruled in favor for the Dutch Crown Princely family in a lawsuit against the Associated Press. Judge Sjoukje Rullmann said that the U.S. news agency violated the family’s privacy during a skiing vacation in Argentina.
 AP FILE The AP expressed disappointment and said in a statement that it will “review this ruling with its counsel and evaluate appropriate next steps.”
The AP photographed Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Crown Princess Maxima and their eldest daughter Catharina-Amalia skiing at a resort in Argentina last month. The pictures appeared in several Dutch news outlets. When the royal family asked that the photos be removed due to a media code which protects the royal family’s privacy, the news outlets agreed. But when the AP did not, a lawsuit came about.
The news agency argued that the royal family were public figures in a public place. But Judge Rullman ruled that while that was so, the Dutch royals had a right to privacy as anyone else.
“The four photos that are central in this case were taken during a private vacation of the plaintiffs and show them during private activities,” she ruled.
“The conclusion is that the right to respect the personal sphere weighs more heavily than the right to freedom of expression in publishing these four photos,” the ruling said.
“Plaintiffs must, as public figures fulfilling a constitutional function, endure attention from the media, even when they are appearing in private and especially when they appear in a public place. However this does not mean that the plaintiffs, when they appear in private, should always have to be alert that photos made in that situation can be offered to the media for publication.”
In a statement, the AP said the ruling “would have the unfortunate effect of unduly restraining the exercise of freedom of information globally, and seeks to create a real risk that the public might be kept in the dark in relation to activities about which it has a right to know.
“The decision also seeks to impose an undue and unprecedented burden on a global news operation like the Associated Press and fails to recognize that individual publishers make the actual and final determination whether publication of particular information is justified within any given jurisdiction,” it said.
Judge Rullman ordered the AP to pay 1,000 euros ($1,435) for the publication of the photos.
There is a media code within the Dutch media where the royals are granted privacy in exchange for posing for the media at certain times. When the AP photographed the royals skiing, the family felt it violated the media code.
On Thursday, Crown Princess Mette-Marit honored the recipients of the Humanitarian Fund 2009 award, which was set up when she married Crown Prince Haakon when they married back in 2001. The fund awards projects that a close to the Crown Princely couple’s hearts, such as AIDS, youth violence, and racism. 
This year, “Be Proud,” and HYWA were granted funds from Humanitarian. Both projects are located in Oslo, with “Be Proud” being from Holmlia, an Oslo borough, and HYWA is from Baerum, a suburb.
“Be Proud” focuses on combating racism in a ethnically diverse neighborhood.
“‘Be proud’ is a project that Holmlia SK launched three years ago. The goal is to turn the negativity into something that is positive. We will turn no to yes. Instead of saying “no to racism”, we say “I’m proud of who I am,” says Ove Bevolden, the organizer of “Be Proud.”
“We want to raise the confidence of all who live on Holmlia,” Bevolden continued. “Everyone should have belief in themselves, their own sense of self and do something you succeed. It makes us all feel happy.”
HYWA, which is Kurdish for “hope,” tackles street violence, drugs and racism as well.
Mette-Marit gave a speech congratulating the two winners. “The two projects, which this year awarded funds from the Crown Prince couple’s Fund has chosen to meet the challenges of the youth had an opportunity to work together to strengthen communities.”
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