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Spain’s King and Queen took part in the national offering to St. James during the saint’s holy day on Sunday. King Juan Carlos used the time to plea for national unity in an increasingly fractured country.
 Terra Noticias “These are difficult and complex times,” he said, who asked for “dialogue, consensus and tolerance and mutual respect” in a both politically and nationally divided Spain. Juan Carlos called his country a “big family together, while diverse and plural, of which we are proud.”
Spain’s ethnic groups – such as the Basques and those in Catalunya – are becoming more vocal in their desire to secede from Spain and have their own countries.
The King also prayed for economic healing in a country with 20 percent unemployment. He even praised the Constitution and its usefulness.
This was King Juan Carlos’ second time he left Madrid since his lung operation in May. He was accompanied by Queen Sofia, who wore a traditional Spanish headdress.
2010 is a holy year for the Roman Catholic Church.
In May, the Prince and Princess of Asturias went on a pilgrimage to Compostela, located in northwestern Spain. They performed the millenia old journey from one cathedral to the Cathedral of St. James.
Sources: GPD, LaVanguardia,
 Polfoto On Saturday at 6:45pm local time, Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, the niece of Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
The delivery happened at a clinic in Berleburg. His father, Sir Alexander Johannsmann, was present throughout.
There’s no word on the name of the little boy, but if Nathalie keeps with the tradition of the Danish royal family, she will reveal her son’s name at his baptism. When that would be is not known.
The Princess, who is the daughter of Princess Benedikte and Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, is expected to stay at the German clinic for a few days before leaving.
Congratulations to the new parents!
Source: Kongehuset.dk
The daughter of the last King of Italy, Princess Maria Gabriella of the House of Savoy, gave an interview this week to a Spanish magazine called Diario de Mallorca. Published on the island of Mallorca, where the Princess likes to spend her summers, the magazine asked her various questions about exile and the state of the Spanish monarchy.
 Diario de Mallorca/Cristina Macaya Jr Q: Do you remember your departure to exile?
A: “Yes, very well. The year was 1946 and we left Italy on board a warship full of cockroaches, but for us, as children, meant the discovery of the world, it was really fun. After a referendum was not clear who gave the victory to. The King would not face the Italians in a civil war and decided to leave.”
Q: What has served you as the daughter of King?
A: “Our family, the Savoy, has over a thousand years of history. Kings reunified Italy in the nineteenth century. My father, during his exile of more than three decades suffered a lot. He left Italy for 46 years. We love your country. But I was very homesick. Maybe that’s why he collected many prints, books, pictures, history … When he died it was divided into four parts. I bought that I belonged to one of my sisters, so now I have about ten thousand prints, both in books and other curious objects. I have a foundation, do exhibitions and conferences. In fact, I love to do a show in Spain with the clothes of my mother, wonders of the fashion of the Court of the 30s.
Q: “It portrays a world that no longer exists …
A: “Yes, everything has changed. The only maintaining these applications is the Queen of England. My mother was the daughter of King Albert I of Belgium and Elisabeth of Bavaria, the niece of Empress Sisi. The women were all fantastic, with many concerns. It was an independent woman opposite to fascism, he saw the disaster, tried to help but not the left. The war years were terrible.
Q: What do you think of the monarchy today?
A: “I think the monarchy will disappear sooner or later. King Juan Carlos has done very well, not to mention the Queen Sofia. Being Queen is a very hard job and it takes dedication to service. I have other concerns, perhaps because I have lived in exile. The prince who does serve should not resign his post and make way for those willing to sacrifice for this institution.
Q;What do you think Letizia?
A: I’ve seen her only once and was the day of her wedding. I think she is smart. She has a difficult role. That’s why I never wanted to marry a King. Not worth it.
Princess Maria Gabriella was also asked about the state of the House of Savoy, and why she supports her cousin, the Duke of Aosta, rather than her brother as head of the family.
“My brother did some things wrong in his life and is not a good representative of the dynasty. It should be like in Germany. People respect heads of families, but when he misbehaves, it is a quick throw for the cousin or little brother,” she said.
Born in 1940, Maria Gabriella now lives in Switzerland, working as a noted Italian historian. She was married once, to Robert Zellinger de Balkany, and has one daughter, Marie Elizabeth and two grandchildren.
July 23rd saw the 40th anniversary since Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Saeed deposed his father and usher in a new era for the Gulf state. Originally called “Accession Day”, the event was called “Renaissance Day” on Saturday. It marked Oman’s rebirth as a nation.
 MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP/Getty Images/FILE Usually, Omanis celebrate their Sultan’s birthday on November 18th, but with Renaissance Day, there were plenty of festivities for the monarch.
“On this dear occasion, we ponder with pride on the epic journey of the renaissance, the long road to achievement and the feats of Your Majesty’s loyal people, inspired by your royal directives, which have led to the building of a modern state,” Chairman of the State Council Dr Yahya bin Mahmoudh al Mantheri said is a cable of congratulations to Sultan Qaboos.
“After 40 years of hard work, the Omani people have been able to manage their own affairs in all areas and serve their country in a better way,” Mantheri said.
On its website, the Ministry of Information said: “With the dawn of the Blessed Renaissance 40 years ago, hope and optimism came to Oman and its citizens. Four core values — namely peace, stability, security and welfare — have since characterized Oman’s development plans.”
“On the 40th Renaissance Day, the nation salutes His Majesty who has shaped the destiny of Oman with wisdom and foresight, presenting a successful development model with a blend of modernization and heritage.”
Sultan Qaboos overthrew his father, Said ibn Taymur, at the age of 29. When he did this, he changed his country’s name from Muscat and Oman to simply the Sultanate of Oman.
Source: Khaleej Times, News Summary Royalblog, Wikipedia
On Wednesday, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned made a one day visit to former Yugoslavian state Bosnia & Herzegovina.
 ELVIS BARUKCIC/AFP/Getty Images After the welcoming ceremony, the Emir met with the Chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite Presidency, Haris Silajdzic to discuss the already good relations between their two countries. They also emphasized the need to strengthen economic cooperation, particularly in the field of tourism, energy sector, development of road and aerial infrastructure, cooperation in the field of military industry, chemical industry, education, science and health.
Emir Hamad and Silajdzic agreed to establish a flight from Doha to Sarajevo. At the same time, the Chairman suggested Qatari investment in the B&H’s halal production, for which the Qatar representatives expressed a great interest, and they discussed cooperation in the field of chemical industry.
Three agreements were signed between Qatar and Bosnia & Herzegovina. They were: avoiding double taxation and fiscal evasion prevention in respect to income tax, economic, commercial and technical cooperation, and cooperation and news exchange between the Federal News Agency (FENA) and the Qatar news Agency (KNA). Qatar’s Al-Jazeera news channel recently opened a bureau in Sarajevo.
Source: predsjednistvobih.ba
 AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye/FILE Japanese weeklies are reporting that the daughter of the Crown Prince might leave her exclusive school in Tokyo to attend boarding school in either Switzerland or Australia. According to Shukan Shincho and Josei 7, eight year old Princess Aiko is still suffering from anxiety caused by bullies at Gakushuin primary school.
Back in March, the Princess missed several school days due to anxiety from the bullying done by the boys in the her school. She eventually returned to school.
The Imperial Household Agency has not yet commented on this story, but they did discuss Aiko missing school.
The reports of the Princess suffering from anxiety echoed the reports of her mother, Crown Princess Masako, still suffering from an emotional disorder. Masako retreated from public life nearly ten years ago after a mental breakdown.
Source: Wall Street Journal Blog: Japan Real Time
 REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed/FILE While the world struggles amidst the global recession, some individuals were lucky to see their income increase. One in particular is the world’s 19th richest man – Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
His investment company saw a 48 percent surge as of the second quarter. This as a result of a improved performance in its hotel holdings and domestic investments.
The company, Kingdom Holding, announced Tuesday that it saw its second-quarter net profit at 135.4 million riyals ($36 million), compared with 92.1 million riyals in the same period last year.
“I feel confident that KHC’s financial results will continue to grow during the remainder of this year,” Alwaleed, the nephew of King Abdullah, said in a statement
In addition to holding investments in Saudi Arabia and hotels, the Prince owns part of Citigroup, News Corp and Apple.
Sources: AP, AFP
 REUTERS/Sebastien Nogier Monaco’s Prince Albert II and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock have set a date for their much anticipated wedding. The couple will tie the knot in July 2011. There will first be a civil ceremony, to be on July 8th, followed by the religious service the next day.
So, mark your calendars!
 Scanpix Tuesday was Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon’s 37th birthday. As every year, he celebrates his big day quietly with his family. But like every year, he invites the press to photograph and film his family, especially since it gives the media an opportunity to see his two children.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 6, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 4, posed with their dog, which they made sure did not run off. Although Ingrid Alexandra posed happily for the press, her brother was still uneasy and spent most of the photoshoot being held by his father.
Half-brother Marius Borg Høiby, 13, was not present for the photoshoot as he is vacationing with his own father, Morten Borg. Marius is Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship.
The press call took place at Vogt’s Villa at Little Island, where the crown princely family is currently on their summer vacation.
Click here to see video of the happy family.
Source: Side2
 REUTERS/Yves Herman On Wednesday, the Belgian royal family marked with the rest of their country Belgium’ 180th anniversary. Although the country has been seeing threats of splitting up in recent months, all that seemed to be forgotten that day.
In the morning, most of the Belgian royals attended the Te Deum mass at St. Michel et Gudule in Brussels. Present were King Albert II, Queen Paola, Queen Fabiola, Crown Prince Philippe and Crown Princess Mathilde. Absent were Princess Astrid, who was in Hasselt, and her brother Prince Laurent and his wife, Princess Claire who were at a Te Deum mass at St-Martin d’Arlon.
What makes the Te Deum masses unique is that five beliefs – Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Judaism and secularism – are represented. Before Te Deum began, the King and Queen met with the leaders of those groups.
 AP Photo/Thierry Charlier After the mass, the royals did their walk about among the Belgian people.
At 4pm local time, the military parade took place. Since its Belgium’s turn to hold the European Union presidency for this half of the year, EU forces were included in the parade. 1500 soldiers and 83 vehicles from the 27 EU countries paraded along the route, including the Lamborghini Italian police.
All of Belgium’s royals were attendance for this, including Astrid, who was in military uniform, and Prince Laurent with his wife, Princess Claire. The latter two held hands during the parade.
Alongside King Albert II for the parade was Belgian Minister of Defense, Pieter de Crem.
Also visible during National Day was dowager Queen Fabiola. As it happened last year, there were bizarre but very real threats against the Queen’s life. In 2009, she mocked her would-be assassin by waving a green apple around since the death threats said she would be killed by a crossbow. But this year, she did not joke around as she was encouraged not to by police.
Source: RTL, le Vif, News Summary Royalblog
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