The Crown Prince and Princess of the Netherlands started a four day official visit to Vietnam Monday. They are in the country to strengthen business ties since Vietnam is an emerging economy.
Click here to see more pics
The Dutch delegation accompanying Willem-Alexander and Maxima are the Deputy Economic Affairs Minister Henk Bleker and Deputy Infrastructure Minister Joop Atsma. More than 80 Dutch businesses are taking part in the trade mission.
The royal couple were received by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem and his wife Hong Khanh in Hanoi. Willem-Alexander and Maxima will spend two days in the capital before going to Ho Chi Minh City for another two days.
During their visit, Their Royal Highnesses will take part in plenty of seminars, mostly business oriented. But the Crown Prince will have some seminars focusing on water issues. Vietnam, with a coastline of over 3500 km, suffers from coastal erosion, flooding and porous dikes.
Princess Maxima will also be doing her work for the United Nations when she promotes financial services during her stay.
Netherlands is one of the biggest investors in Vietnam and known Dutch companies such as Akzo Nobel, Heineken, Unilever and Shell are already active in the country.
Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, began their official visit to Portugal Monday. It is the start of a three nation tour that will also take them to Spain and Morocco. The 10 day long visits are part of promoting British business.
Click here to see more
It was a rainy day in Lisbon when the couple were greeted by President Anibal Cavaco Silva at the Belem Presidential Palace. Official held umbrellas over the heads of the Prince of Wales and Silva as the national anthems of Britain and Portugal played during the welcoming ceremony.
Next came the press photos and the signing of the Book of Honor. Afterward, the President and the Prince held a half hour talk while Camilla and the Portuguese First Lady, Dr Maria Cavaco Silva, took a tour of a horse-drawn carriage museum.
Also part of their agenda, Charles and Camilla visited the monument of the tomb of poet and Portuguese national hero Luis Vaz de Camoes. They laid a wreath there, much to the surprise of onlookers. The couple also visited an English-language school and met with the students.
The royals are in Portugal during a time of crisis. Last week, its prime minister – Jose Socrates – quit and the country is facing financial struggles similar to Ireland and Greece.
Charles and Camilla will remain in Portugal for three days before moving on to Spain.
Sources: The Press Association, Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Monday saw the wife of the ruler of Dubai, Princess Haya, inaugurate the 8th edition of DIHAD – the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development conference and exhibition. This year’s theme is called “New Technologies: How they Impact Humanitarian and Development Operations”.
WAM
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, Princess Haya spoke about how the latest technologies are affecting and changing the way humanitarian and development organizations collectively operate.
“There are exciting developments that now allow aid agencies to communicate and deliver services far more effectively than in the past both in humanitarian crises and development,” she said.
“Technological advances in areas like health and agriculture have had a dramatically positive impact on the lives of the poor and hungry. Technology also presents new ways to transfer cash or food rations to beneficiaries through the use of coupons or vouchers, bank cards and even cell phones.”
“However, not all technology is appropriate and even the technology itself can sometimes be seen as a cultural intrusion,” the Princess went on to say.
“Further complicating the picture is who has access to technology. If you had to assign a gender to technology it would most certainly be male and in the developing world men have far greater access to it, whether you are talking about something as simple as a cell phone or a complex mainframe computer. But our targets in humanitarian aid are far more likely directed at women and children who remain outside the circles of technology and market capitalism. This presents another significant challenge.”
After the opening ceremony, Princess Haya then toured DIHAD’s exhibitions. The programs involved included the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, the UAE Red Crescent Society, the Tkiyet Umm Ali, the International Humanitarian City (IHC) and World Food Programme (WFP).
DIHAD is one of the largest humanitarian conferences in the world. It attracts local and international figures in the humanitarian efforts field.
Nearly one month before one of the year’s biggest royal events, more details are coming out about the nuptials between Prince William and Catherine Middleton. On Sunday, it was reported that the couple will have not one, but two wedding cakes!
Click here for more Wills & Kate pics
One cake is believed to be a traditional fruit cake with multiple tiers, though how many is not quite known yet. It will have cream and white icing and will have “a strong British floral theme,” Clarence House and St James’s Palace said in a statement.
The cake’s baker, Fiona Cairns, is over the moon about making the royal wedding cake.
“I couldn’t believe it, I’m very excited, very daunted and very privileged — a mixture of emotions,” Cairns said. Previously, she has created cakes for Paul McCartney and the band Pink Floyd.
The second cake is for William and Catherine’s sweet tooth – a dark chocolate cookie cake. It is said to be the Prince’s favorite, and is made in a freezer rather than in an oven. Buckingham Palace has sent the recipe to chefs at McVitie’s – who have traditionally made cakes for the Windsors’ since 1893.
Also coming out about the royal wedding is that once the ceremony is over, iTunes will have its audio ready for downloading. On May 10th, there will be a deluxe CD out, featuring the couple saying their vows.
It also being reported that Prince William’s stag night – or bachelor party – either happened this week or coming up very soon.
Let’s hope the Prince will be a good boy during his final night as a single man!
For the 16th Dubai World Cup horse racing competition, the wife of the Sheikh of Dubai, Princess Haya, brought along her 3 year old daughter, Sheikha Al Jalila bint Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.
Haya was every bit the doting mother as she carried Al Jalila to the Maydan Race Course. She hugged her daughter often and also played with her hair.
Even Al Jalila’s father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, held his little girl during the horse races.
The Meydan racecourse holds about 60,000 spectators in a one-mile long grandstand, hosted the second World Cup on Saturday with total prize money of $26 million.
This year’s winner was Victoire Pisa.
Princess Haya, who is half-sister of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, is president of the FEI – International Equestrian Federation. Both she and Sheikh Mohammed have a passion for horses.
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden visited the county of Dalarna for two days starting this past Thursday.
Click here to see more pics
First on their agenda was Cozmoz, a youth house located in Borlänge that has a house concert halls, a youth disco and a cafe. It also provides job training for unemployed youths. Marianne Sjöström told Victoria and Daniel about Cozmoz’s work before the couple met with the families who go to the facility.
Prince Daniel even got on the floor in a room for toddlers to chat with the mothers.
Next, the royal couple went to the Children’s Houses – a place where children who are suspected of being exposed to violence go to for counseling. They were given a tour of the premises as well as being told the information about the business.
Later in the day came a highlight of Victoria and Daniel’s trip to Dalarna – a visit to the Vika Bread factory. There, the Crown Princess and Prince donned white coats and hair caps as they gave bread making a shot. Victoria seemed to enjoy herself as she carefully put the pan with the bread mix inside the brick oven, saying “This is really fantastic!”
Daniel was pleased with himself as he displayed to reporters his Vika Bread, which is circular with a round hole in the middle. He even told the media that he bakes food sometimes.
Gunnar Persson, who has worked more than 20 years in the bakery, was impressed by the couple’s skill at the ovens.
“They were much better than I thought. Often visitors insert the pan to pull the wrong place,” Persson said.
At night, there was a reception for the royals in which some guests dressed in traditional Swedish clothing.
During their second day, Victoria and Daniel stopped by the facility of Experiumlänk – an adventure center with everything from swimming, water slides, bowling, spa, playground, movie theater to restaurants and gyms.
In the afternoon, Prince Daniel opened Stephen’s cabin in Lindvallen. Stefan’s cottage aims to be a place where families affected by cancer can relax and socialize.
Dalarna is in central Sweden, bordering Norway. Its population is about 270,000.
Yesterday, it was revealed that the Queen of Denmark had made a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Wednesday. Queen Margrethe II went to Helmand province to the Danish troops in a carefully conducted visit, due to security reasons.
Together with Defense Minister Gitte Lillelund Bech, Her Majesty went to Patrol Base Line Camp Price and Camp Bastion.
“Over the past year I kept up with our soldiers in Afghanistan. It is in this context I had been delighted that their efforts have been praised and appreciated by both national and international,” said the Queen on the defense ministry’s website.
“Now, I myself had the opportunity to see and experience the Danish soldiers in Afghanistan. I am both impressed and proud of the work they do. Their drive, their determination and their good humor have made a big impression on me.”
“It’s a great experience coming here,” Margrethe said in an interview. “I’ve heard so much about it and read about it. I feel that now I have not just been here, but now I can put my own pictures to what I hear and read about.”
Currently, there are 750 Danish soldiers in Afghanistan.
In the past, Crown Prince Frederik made two trips to Afghanistan – 2008 and in 2010 – and in December 2009, his wife Crown Princess Mary made a similar visit.
Sources: Billed Bladet, MSNDK Starlounge
Below is a Danish video of Queen Margrethe II’s Afghan trip:
Thailand’s Queen Sirikit and her niece, Princess Soamsavali, donated packages of necessities to the victims of the 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan two weeks ago.
The relief packages consisted of rice, preserved and dried food, blankets, torches, medicine, and others, which can last for about one week.
Princess Soamsavali donated 1,820 relief packages from the Princess Pa Foundation. The Queen gave several as well.
All the relief packages were transported from a Navy Military Base in Rayong to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Then, they were transported to Japan by Thai Airways. The donations are expected to arrive early Friday morning local time.
As well as being Queen Sirikit’s niece, Soamsavali is also the former wife of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. They divorced in 1991 after a stormy marriage. They had one child, Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the King and Queen’s eldest grandchild.
Since Monday, Luxembourg’s Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume has been in Turkey, where he has been looking to promote his grand duchy on an economic scale. With him is the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Jeannot Krecke.
MECE
During the visit, Guillaume and Ms. Krecke met with Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Taner Yildiz. The three discussed energy sources from Turkey to Luxembourg, such as the building of the Nabucco pipeline, which will allow Western Europe to diversify its gas supply sources.
Also during his time, Guillaume met with the Minister of State in charge of Foreign Trade, Mehmet Zafer. Zafer criticized the European Union for stalling its efforts to admit in Turkey, but praised Luxembourg for its support on the matter.
When the Hereditary Grand Duke and Ms. Krecke met with the finance minister, Mehmet Simsek, the good political relations between Luxembourg and Turkey were highlighted. Jeannot Krecke express regret over the insufficient attention Luxembourg paid towards Luxembourg in terms of an economic mission.
According to Minister Simsek, the Turkish city of Istanbul has the ambition to become a regional financial center, and the Luxembourg financial sector serves as its model.
For Wednesday and Thursday, Guillaume and Luxembourg’s delegation will visit Istanbul for a few seminars in order to get to know the city’s financial district.
It was a sunny day in Monaco Thursday, but the mood was somber as the tiny principality and its ruling family laid to rest the sister of the late Prince Rainier III. Princess Antoinette died last Friday at the age of 90 after many years of ill health.
REUTERS/Lionel Cironneau/Pool
At the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate of Monaco, the Grimaldi family – Prince Albert II, his fiancée Charlene Wittstock, Princess Caroline and all four of her children, and Princess Stephanie – gathered for the funeral mass, conducted by Monsignor Bernard Barsi.
REUTERS/Lionel Cironneau/Pool
Dressed in black, and the women wearing black lace scarves over their heads, the family sang the hymns, said the prayers and listened to the moving eulogy done by Princess Antoinette’s granddaughter, Melanie de Massy.
LIONEL CIRONNEAU/AFP/Getty Images
Afterward, the coffin carrying the body of the late Princess was carried out of the Cathedral and placed in the Peace Chapel, where Antoinette was laid to rest.
Prince Albert II looked visibly upset and relied on Charlene for strength. Princess Caroline displayed a look of grief all too familiar to watchers of the Monegasque royal family.
The Prince has declared Monaco in a state of mourning until April 1st.
Recent Comments