11 « October « 2009 « Royalty in the News

Prince Constantijn Celebrates 40th Birthday

The youngest son of Dutch Queen Beatrix celebrated a milestone today. Prince Constantijn turned 40 years old, and said he does not feel a day older.

Het Koninklijk Huis

“I feel young”, the Prince said in De Telegraaf newspaper.

Constantijn’s birthday was observed at the Queen’s home at Huis ten Bosch, located in the Hague. Last night, he held a party with friends and family, some of them European royals themselves.

The Prince, who is 5th in line to the Dutch throne, married Laurentien Brinkhorst in May 2001. The couple have three children: Eloise, age 7, Claus-Casimir who is 5, and Leonore is 3 years-old. The family lives in Brussels, the capital of Belgium.

Prince Constantijn works for as an advisor for the European Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which explains why a Dutch Prince would live in Belgium. He is also the head of RAND Europe’s Europe Office, a position he was promoted to in 2008.

Belgian King & Queen Attend Canonization of Priest

Reuters

King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium were at St. Peter’s Basillica Sunday, to witness the canonization of Father Damien, a 19th century Belgian priest who dedicated his life to lepers in Hawaii. The King and Queen were part of the Belgian contingent for the ceremony.

Father Damien was one of five Catholics elevated to sainthood by Pope Benedict XVI. He had grown up in the Flemish speaking areas of Belgium before being sent to Hawaii. There, he began working with its lepers despite being told by the Vatican to leave.

On Saturday, the royal couple met with the Pope at the Vatican. He had given them a ceramic bas-relief of the wedding in Cana back in July. It was a gift to commemorate the King and Queen’s 50th wedding anniversary.

Morocco’s Parliament Opened by King Mohammed VI

Maghreb Arabe Presse

The King of Morocco officially opened the country’s Parliament in its capital of Rabat on Friday. In his speech to the Parliament’s two houses, King Mohammed VI stressed the need for legal framework for economic and social council.

“The aim is to develop a model Moroccan economic and social council that serves as an expert constitutional institution thanks to the quality of the advice and recommendations it gives regarding the nation’s chief economic issues,” he said.

The King also called for the council members to come from a diverse background. In other words, there should a substantial number of women, those from civil society and members of higher institutions.

King Mohammed added that the council must be open to all competent citizens, “in accordance with my wish to involve in the council all skilled Moroccans, wherever they may be.”

Furthermore, the Council should “give priority to drawing up – in the foreseeable future – the new social charter I have called for, and to give its opinion on the coordination and interplay between development plans and sector-based policies” and should seek to give concrete substance to the regional dimension of those plans.

“The setting up of this new council is a further step towards good governance in the area of development. I want the latter to be a pillar of our action to consolidate the dignity of our people and contribute to effective citizenship,” said King Mohammed.

Jordanian King Awarded Medal by Gaddafi

Petra.gov

On Sunday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II received the Al Fateh Revolution Medal, a top honor in Libya.

The medal was given to the King by the Libyan ambassador to Jordan, Mohammed Hassan Barghathi, in place of Libya’s leader, Muammar Ghaddafi. Barghathi told King Abdullah of Gaddafi’s wishes to continue strengthening ties between the two countries.

The monarch also expressed the same thing, as well as pride in Jordan and Libyan’s close relationship.

According to Libya’s JANA news agency, the Al Fateh Revolution Medal is only being given out this year as Libya celebrates 40 years since Gaddafi took power.

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