24 « November « 2009 « Royalty in the News

Norwegian King & Queen on State Visit to South Africa

Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja arrived in Pretoria, South Africa on Tuesday to begin a two day state visit to the country. With them are over 100 Norwegian business leaders, looking for opportunity investments.

REUTERS/Ziphozonke Lushaba

Harald and Sonja were welcomed by President Jacob Zuma and his wife at the Union Buildings. They eventually went to the University of Pretoria, where King Harald opened a seminar on foreign policy.

Afterward, the King and Queen visited Freedom Park. This evening, they will attend a state dinner hosted by President Zuma.

Already a lot has been accomplished at this state visit. Co-operation agreements on partnerships, in higher education and research, plus mutual trade and investments have been signed. Also, efforts to tackle climate change have been agreed upon.

However, one thing would be noticably absent from this royal visit. King Harald and Queen Sonja will not be meeting with South African hero Nelson Mandela. He has chosen not meet the royal couple since he has resigned from public life and is struggling with fragile health.

Princess Haya Hosts Gala Charity Auction

Monday night, Dubai’s Princess Haya hosted a charity auction where various sporting items were auctioned off. The money raised from this event – a total of $1 million – went to help Palestinian children. Princess Haya Charity Dinner

Dressed in a bright green gown, Haya spoke to those in attendance about the importance of sports in the Middle East.

“Our passion for sport in this region provides us with an opportunity to change lives and develop young people. None of us have the capacity to individually solve the problems of the world, but collectively, we can help find solutions and provide hope to the children and youth of Palestine.”

The items auctioned included footballs and tennis balls made in the slums of Kenya, plus various t-shirts. All items were signed by major sporting figures such as tennis greats Roger Frederer and Venus and Serena William. The head of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, put his signature on a football as did UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

The galal auction was sponsored by the United Nations. Princess Haya is a UN Messenger of Peace.

Princess Caroline Might Not Testify in Husband’s Trial

REUTERS/Lionel Cironneau/Pool

Monaco announced Tuesday that Princess Caroline likely won’t be able to testify as a witness in her husband’s trial. The Minister of State claims she has overseas commitments on Thursday, the date the Princess is scheduled to be on the witness stand.

November 26th was the set date for the Princess’ appearance before Prince Ernst August of Hannover’s trial in Hildesheim, Germany began. The court refused to let the Princess testify through mutual legal assistance in Monaco. The court official is said to be surprised Caroline may not be appearing in court.

55 year-old Prince Ernst is on trial for attacking a disco owner in Kenya in early 2000. He was originally fined for the attack in 2004, but the Prince is now seeking a lighter sentence.

Joachim & Marie’s Official Visit to China

On Sunday, Denmark’s Prince Joachim and Princess Marie arrived in Hong Kong to kick off their eight day official visit to China. They will be promoting such Danish products as cuisine, fashion and design.

Jesper Sunesen/BILLED-BLADET

On Tuesday, they toured the city and then opened an exhibit in Hong Kong’s Shopping Center called “The Danish Design Jewels.”

Towards the end of their tour, Joachim and Marie will go to Beijing.

The royal couple also brought with them their 6 1/2 month old son, Prince Henrik. Unfortunately though, there won’t be much time for the parents to spend time with their baby, so a nanny was brought along for the visit.

The Prince is very familiar with Hong Kong. In the late 1990s, he worked here, and it was in the city he met a woman named Alexandra Manley. The two married and had Joachim’s first two sons, Nikolai and Felix. Sadly, the couple divorced in 2005, and Alexandra became known as the Countess of Frederiksborg.

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