The princely family of Liechtenstein may be one of the quietest families on the royalty sphere, but that doesn’t mean their works go unnoticed – especially during Christmas. In the days leading up to the holiday, members of the family have been visiting those in need and taking part in Christmas traditions.
Paul Trummer/Volksblatt
On Monday, Princesses Marie and Sophie went to visit the elderly at St. Florin in Vaduz. There, the two women went around the main room, meeting with their tiny principality’s senior citizens.
That same day, Princess Marie visited patients at the Landesspital Hospital.
Princess Marie is married to Prince Hans Adam II, who is the head of state, though he has given many of his day-to-day powers over to his eldest son, Prince Alois, the husband of Princess Sophie.
Paul Trummer/Volksblatt
Tuesday saw Hans Adam and his wife accept the Light of Bethlehem, given to them by boy scouts. Its a tradition each year to accept the light since 1986. It is lit in Bethlehem, where Jesus is said to have been born, and flown in an explosion-proof lamp to Vienna. From there, it is distributed to several European countries, including Liechtenstein.
Nearly six weeks since they set out for a family journey around the world, Norway’s Crown Princely family invited the media to join them in Sikkim, in northeast India, so they could show their country what they are up to, plus send Christmas greetings.
The family began their three month global tour in Istanbul, Turkey. There, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette Marit took their three children – Marius Borg Høiby, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus – to see Hagia Sophia, which was once the seat of Eastern Christendom before it became a mosque when the Ottoman empire was established.
Next stop was Jordan before the family went to India. Their first stop was in Jodphur before they went to Dzonghu, Sikkim, which borders the Himalayan mountains and Tibet.
In the valley, the royals stayed with another family as it is done in Dzonghu. Haakon, Mette Marit and the children ate and lived just as this family did.
The area is only for the indigenous Lepcha tribe, and permission must be granted to enter the region. The people there live simply, with little electricity or telephones.
The Dutch Crown Princely family is already on its Christmas break, and they are spending it in Princess Maxima’s native country of Argentina. The family is staying at Villa la Angostura, a resort town in the Andes mountains.
At one point, Willem Alexander and Maxima invited the press to take photographs of their three daughters. Catharina Amalia, who just turned 7, Alexia, 5, and Ariane, 3, wore matching outfits as they spent time picking flowers as the media shot away.
The family had difficulty getting to Villa la Angostura due to the snowy conditions in Europe. They almost didn’t make their connection from Paris to Buenos Aires on Friday night.
The girls have been to Argentina before, having spent the summer of 2009 skiing in the country’s mountains. Since Argentina is in the southern hemisphere, it has winter while the Netherlands has summer.
It was also during that vacation that Willem Alexander, Maxima and Catharina Amalia were photographed while skiing by the Associated Press. That led to a major lawsuit because the couple felt the news outlet did not respect their daughter’s privacy.
Perhaps this photo session was an attempt to feed the media’s curiosity of the three princesses instead of having a breach of privacy.
To see more pics of this happy family, click here.
It’s the time of year where the Spanish royal family distribute their Christmas cards, featuring the photos of the eight grandchildren of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. And here they are…
Casa de Su Majestad el Rey de Espana
Felipe and Letizia’s two daughters, Infantas Leonor and Sofia, did a similar pose to the one they did two years ago. Only this time, the girls are now five and three, and are as happy as ever!
Casa de Su Majestad el Rey de Espana
Infanta Elena posed with her two children, Felipe and Victoria, outside of the Cathedral of Santiago, which has been the site of pilgrimage for the the Spanish royals in 2010. The Infanta Elena is divorced from her children’s father, Jaime de Marichalar.
Casa de su Majestad el Rey de Espana
Juan, Pablo, Miguel and Irene – the four children of Infanta Cristina and Inaki Urdangarin, obviously had their Christmas photo done over the summer. The family lives in Washington, DC because of Inaki’s work with a Spanish company.
Holland’s three little princesses were in Scheveningen this Saturday for the annual welcoming of Sinterklaas, the Dutch version of Santa Claus. Their parents, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima, either carried or held their hands in the large crowd as swarms of children greeted Sinterklaas and his servants, the Zwarte Pieten.
It was clear how much Princesses Catharina Amalia, Alexia and Ariane are growing up. Catharina Amalia was too big to be carried by her parents as she was in previous years. Alexia could only be carried at the waist while little Ariane was the only one on either parents’ shoulders. Who knows how long before she is also too big to be on anyone’s shoulders or waist.
The arrival of Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten is one of the biggest and most popular events in the Netherlands.
To see more pictures of the family at the event, click here.
On Thursday, Danish Crown Prince Frederik was named the patron of the Greenlandic Christmas Seal Foundation – which is used to support Greeland’s cultural purposes and to sponsor Greenlandic art and crafts. Frederik was at
the Greenland house in Copenhagen for the presentation of this year’s stamp.
KELD NAVNTOFT/SCANPIX
“The Christmas label shows a rallying point and it is the poinsettia, also we see Greenland faces, as shown in warm colors, which give an impression of heat,” said the Crown Prince at the unveiling of the 2010 seal, which was painted by Camilla Nielsen.
Frederik is happy to be a patron of the Greenland Christmas Seal, but can not promise to make the next Christmas seal.
“All of you know that I am very happy for Greenland, and I’m very proud of the people of Greenland and everything related to Greenland. Therefore it is with pleasure that I could take after my mom, but I can not promise that I will get to draw a Christmas seal, but I will support what I do today in all sorts of good ways, ” he added.
Crown Prince Frederik once spent a few months in Greenland, where he is believed to be the most popular Danish royal there.
His wife, Crown Princess Mary, is parton of the The Christmas Seal – the Danish version.
Some of Europe’s Kings and Queens gave their annual speeches this Christmas. Besides wishing their subjects the best during one of the biggest holidays of the year, the monarchs encouraged their subjects in being better citizens, and also touched on the difficulties many faced in 2009.
AP Photo/Angel Diaz, Pool
Spain’s King Juan Carlos delivered his speech on Christmas Eve. On national television, the King called for unity in order to have a better country. He asked his people to “overcome tensions and difficulties”, follow the Constitution’s values, and “to strengthen the internal cohesion and the international image of the country,” and to “make economy grow up again to create jobs as soon as possible.”
As every year, Juan Carlos remembered the victims of terrorism and gave his condolences to their families. “They count on the support, solidarity and affection of the Crown and also of the Spanish society. Finishing with terrorism is a target for all democrats in defense of freedom and basic human rights,” he said.
On Christmas Day, three other European monarchs spoke to their people. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II called 2009 a “difficult” year during her speech which was broadcast at 1500 GMT.
REUTERS/John Stillwell/Pool
“2009 was a difficult year for many, in particular those facing the continuing effects of the economic downturn,” the 83-year-old Queen said. “We may ourselves be confronted by a bewildering array of difficulties and challenges, but we must never cease to work for a better future for ourselves and for others.”
She went on to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the conflicts in Afghanistan.
“I am sure that we have all been affected by events in Afghanistan and saddened by the casualties suffered by our forces serving there,” she said. “Our thoughts go out to their relations and friends who have shown immense dignity in the face of great personal loss.”
Queen Elizabeth also praised the Commonwealth, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, and called it the “face of the future.”
“In many aspects of our lives, whether in sport, the environment, business or culture, the Commonwealth connection remains vivid and enriching…It is important to keep discussing issues that concern us all — there can be no more valuable role for our family of nations.”
Another Queen, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, chose to discuss technology and human interaction in her Christmas speech, airing first in the morning, and then in the afternoon.
“Real contact consists of words and deeds.In the past, people knew each other but today people are mainly busy with themselves. We tend to look the other way and close our eyes and ears to what’s going on around us. Nowadays even our neighbours are strangers,” she said.
Beatrix did not mention the tragic events on Queen’s Day this past April, where a motorist deliberately plowed into crowds at the celebrations in Apeldoorn, killing about a dozen people.
Last but not least at giving the annual Christmas speech was Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf. Like the British Queen, the King talked about the economic difficulties many Swedes experienced this past year.
Bengt Hansell/SR
“Many are young and many are immigrants. They are a great asset as we in our society find it difficult to fully take advantage of. I sincerely hope that we succeed in protecting these groups and their opportunities. It is hoped that all who are out of work soon to get to know the security of having a workplace to go to.”
The King shared with his people his dreams and hopes for young people.
“I and the Queen has for some time resulted in a common dream. To provide a forum for children and young people in the world – a World Child and Youth Forum – which aims to inspire and support so that the UNCRC is complied with. We hope that it might become as known as the Davos Forum, but with the light directed at children and young people’s situation.”
But perhaps the highlight of King Carl’s speech was him mentioning the upcoming weddings of his two daughters, Victoria and Madeleine. The Crown Princess will marry in June 2010, while her younger sister may marry either later in the year or early in 2011.
“To marry his heart’s choice was not always obvious when I was growing up. I am therefore very happy that my daughters, like me, may be the person they love most at his side. I would like to express my sincere and humble thanks for all the support and encouragement shown to us by the Swedish people.”
One of the reasons why many royal fans enjoy the Christmas speeches is because it is one of the rare moments the monarchs write their words, rather than have them written by someone from the government.
Today, Spain’s royal family officially released their annual Christmas cards. This year, as every year, those cards include pictures of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia’s grandchildren – the children of Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina and Crown Prince Felipe.
Infanta Elena’s two children – Felipe and Victoria – posed for their picture during what looks like the summertime. Both are wearing short sleeved t-shirts and are outdoors. Using summer photos seem to be a theme for Elena. Last year, her children’s Christmas picture had them on a yacht in bathing suits.
Next is Infanta Cristina’s four children: Miguel, Pablo, Juan and Irene. All three boys seem to be up to mischief as they flash wicked grins. Some of their sneakers are noticably untied, so perhaps they were up to something at the time of the photograph! Cristina’s youngest child, Irene, appears to be well protected by her older brothers. Like her sister Elena, Cristina chose a summertime picture. It is unknown if it was taken in Spain or in Washington, DC, where Cristina and her family relocated to over the summer.
Last but not least is the family photo of the Crown Princely couple. Felipe and Letizia posed happily with their two daughters, Leonor and Sofia, who are growing up to be very pretty young girls. Last year, Leonor looked so much like her cousin, Irene. But this year, the little princess appears to be much more different. Sofia’s hair has grown out, and is looking a lot like her mother, the Princess of Asturias.
As for the King and Queen, their Christmas photo was of statues of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and the baby Jesus.
To check out the signatures on the cards, click here
The royal family of Norway released their annual Christmas photos Thursday. As always, they chose an activity to show them enjoying each other’s company. This year, that activity was building a gingerbread house.
Terje Bendiksby/Scanpix
King Harald V, Queen Sonja, the Crown Princely couple and their children built the house at the royal palace in Oslo. The house was big enough for Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus to walk through. It included gingerbread and cookies with the names of the children of Princess Martha Louise, their cousins.
While building the house, Ingrid and Sverre felt tempted to eat the gingerbread. But their mother made sure they didn’t.
“Ingrid, no. You are not allowed to eat the house. You can get one of the loose,” said Mette-Marit, who was dressed in traditional Norwegian clothes, as was Queen Sonja.
Luckily, Ingrid and Sverre found and ate some pieces not yet on the house. The gingerbread was made by the palace chefs.
This Christmas, the King and Queen will be in Oslo, along with their eldest child, Martha Louise and her family. Haakon and Mette-Marit will be in a cabin in Nore and Uvdal.
Not since 2004 has the entire royal family been together.
Click here to see a video of the family (you have to scroll down to the middle of the page).
This year, as every year since 1956, the royals of Monaco invited the principality’s children to the palace for a Christmas party. Prince Albert II, Princess Stephanie, and Princess Caroline took part in the annual gift giving.
Also at the event was Caroline’s youngest daughter, Princess Alexandra of Hannover. Her elder children had participated in the Christmas Tree party when they were little, so now it was Alexandra’s turn to go. This year was her first time at the party.
The Monegasque royals are known for being quite active around the Christmas season in Monaco. Along with this party, they also visit the sick in the hospital.
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