18 « August « 2010 « Royalty in the News

Prince Harry to do Reality Show

You read that headline right – the youngest son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana is going to do a reality show. No, it won’t be about charity or the military. Instead, it would be a talent search. Prince Harry is teaming up with DJ Goldie to search for 12 youngsters between the ages of 17 and 24 with for a new BBC 2 series, Goldie’s Band – By Royal Appointment.

Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images/FILE

DJ Goldie, who is a drum and bass DJ, will search the UK for musically talented youths and the finale will take place in October at Buckingham Palace – yes, the Buckingham Palace – with Harry being the guest of honor. The winner of the talent search will be revealed then.

Contestants would range from classical musicians to R&B aspiring artists.

The Prince and the DJ met last year at the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park. There, Harry quoted some of the DJ’s lyrics, which set off the unlikely friendship.

Speaking about the venture, one royal aide said: “Harry is a fan of reality TV, but what is particularly good about this one is that its about mentoring and encouragement – nobody gets voted off or laughed at, so its not nasty at all.”

“Harry believes music can be a way for young people who haven’t had the best of starts to get a new chance.”

This isn’t the first time the British royal family has taken part in a television show, entertainment-wise. In the 1980s, Princess Anne and her brothers Princes Andrew and Edward took part in The Royal Knockabout. Many saw the program as degrading to the royal family.

Source: Hello! Magazine

Australian PM Wants Monarchy Abolished After Queen

Julia Gillard, the Prime Minister of Australia, wants her country to be a republic after Queen Elizabeth II dies.

CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images

While she does admit that Australians have a deep affection for the Queen, Gillard says it won’t last for long.

“What I would like to see as prime minister is that we work our way through to an agreement on a model for the republic,” she said during an election campaign stop in Queensland

“I think the appropriate time for this nation to move to be a republic is when we see the monarch change.

“Obviously I’m hoping for Queen Elizabeth that she lives a long and happy life, and having watched her mother I think there’s every chance that she will.”

In other words, when Prince Charles becomes King, it is possible Australia – and other Commonwealth states – will get rid of him as their Head of State and become republics, completely breaking away from the United Kingdom.

Australia once held a referendum in 1999, but that failed.

Gillard’s opponent in Saturday’s election is Tony Abbott, an ardent monarchist. He sees no reason to change the status quo.

“I think that our existing constitutional arrangements have worked well in the past and I see no reason whatsoever why they can’t continue to work well in the future,” Abbott told the National Press Club.

“So while there may very well be further episodes of republicanism in this country, I am far from certain that at least in our lifetimes that there’s likely to be any significant change.”

Sources: AP, Daily Telegraph

Jordanian Royals Attend Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

AP Photo/David Cheskin, PA

Their Majesties, the King and Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, attended the annual Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle Wednesday. They came to see a number of Jordanian army bands and Circassian Royal Guards take part of the Tattoo which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month.

Along with their eldest daughter, Princess Iman, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, were the guests of honor. They watched as 77 musicians, including full bagpipe band, performed.

This was the first time a monarch from the Middle East saw the Tattoo. Jordan has long ties with the U.K., having been created by the British government in the 1940s, and many of the royal family’s male members have trained at the military academy of Sandhurst, King Abdullah included.

This was the first time the Jordanian military bands participated in the Tattoo since 1963.

Sources: Ammon News, Edinburgh Evening News

Descendant of Russian Dynasty Claims Kremlin in Lawsuit

A Moscow court Wednesday gave the government one month to prove that it owns Russian landmark, the Kremlin, since descendants of the country’s first ruling dynasty are claiming ownership of it.

Valery Kubarev claims to be the “Grand Prince of All Russia” and a descendant of the Rurik family, which first ruled Kievan Rus in the Middle Ages and then Moscow up until 1598 before the Romanovs came into power in 1613. Kubarev claims the Kremlin was built during his family’s rule.

His lawsuit filing comes at a time when the government is returning dozens of landmarks to the Russian Orthodox Church. The lawsuit also brings up the question of who really owns the 28 hectare area of palaces, cathedrals and government buildings surrounded by a high red brick wall.

A lawyer for Rosimushchestvo (the Federal Agency for State Property Management) says that while the Kremlin is owned by the state, no one has ever officially claimed or registered it as their property.

“The court noted that there is no document that proves that the Kremlin is somebody’s property. All we have is a presidential decree that says that the Kremlin is his residence,” Kubarev said. “Well, I could write my own decree, too.”

According to the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper, the Russian government is pointing out that the U.N. recognizes the Kremlin as a World Heritage Site and the property of the state.

But Kubarev doesn’t seem to care.

“I want the address registered in my passport to say, ‘Kremlin, Moscow,’” Kubarev said. “The Ruriks have always helped spur spiritual and cultural development in Russia, so the dynasty needs to be registered in the heart of this country.”

Besides the Kremlin, Kubarev is also claiming other property in Russia, including the medieval citadel of the northwestern Russian city of Pskov.

Even more bizarre is his reaction to the smirks and laughter in Russia. On his website for the Princes’ Foundation, Kubarev warns: “Let us add that the Rurik family is descended from ancient gods whom one would do well not to disturb, otherwise the consequences for the jokesters will be dire.”

The Moscow court will hear the case on October 18th.

Sources: AOL, Moscow Times

Duke of Parma Passes Away

Prince Carlos Hugo, the Duke of Parma, passed away Wednesday morning in Barcelona of prostate cancer. He was 80 years old.

Official Site of the Duke of Parma

The Duke, once a claimant to the Spanish throne, was married to Dutch Princess Irene, Queen Beatrix’s sister. It was a controversial union as Irene converted to Catholicism in order to marry Carlos Hugo. By doing so, the Princess lost any rights to the Dutch throne. During her wedding in Rome, none of her family members were present. The marriage lasted from 1964 to 1981.

Despite the divorce, the Duke continued to be a member of the Dutch royal family and even took part in some of their engagements.

Carlos Hugo and Irene had four children: Carlos age 40, the 37-year-old twins Margarita and Jaime, and Carolina who is 36.

The Duke had been suffering from prostate cancer for a long time. Earlier this summer, he released a statement saying, “I find myself in the hands of God and am surrounded by my friends and family.”

Carlos Hugo’s remains will be transferred to Parma and Piacenza in Italy, after which he is buried in the family crypt in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata in Parma. After the funeral there will be held a memorial service held in the Spanish capital Madrid sometime later.

Source: Boulevard.nieuws.nl

Your Ad Here

</iframe</p> <p><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=royinthenew-20&o=1&p=21&l=ur1&category=green&banner=0W3BBZMQZ1ZKRQZY2502&f=ifr" width="125" height="125" scrolling="no" border="0" marginwidth="0" style="border:none;" frameborder="0">

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.