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Spain’s Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia were in Paris Thursday to attend the 7th annual International Congress on Victims of Terrorism. They were there as guests of honor, and Felipe made an opening speech in which he urged for greater efforts to combat terrorism effectively, a phenomenon which he said is not justified by “any idea or belief political project”.
 Click here for more photos at Zimbio.com “No terrorist can escape or hide their responsibility to the law,” said the Spanish heir to the throne, in a speech that alternated between French and English.
“Nobody is entitled to claim the right to take the life of any human being, nor to undermine their integrity or their freedom,” he added.
“The alleged terrorists, kill, injure, kidnap and threaten, to achieve their ends or to impose their ideas in an absolutely unacceptable. As an expression of totalitarianism, hatred, cowardice and intolerance, rejection and deserves our strongest condemnation.”
Prince Felipe also reflected on the victims of 9/11, who were killed in the attacks 10 years ago this week.
“Each of the victims and their families put names and faces to the deep human pain and irreversible and irreparable damage it generates. With them we owe a great debt owed immense solidarity, support and gratitude.”
On Sunday, the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Felipe and Letizia took part in a memorial service in Madrid in which they planted 10 American oak trees in memory of those who died that day.
Spain is no stranger to terrorism. It has seen attacks over the years by Basque separatist groups, and in March 2004, Islamic radicals bombed a Madrid train station during rush hour, killing about 200 people.
Source: EFE
On Friday, Princess Caroline was in Nice, France to inaugurate a psychiatric medical center for children, known as the Costanzo Center, which is part of the Lenval Foundation. 
Originally established in 2009, the center was located at Costanzo George Street City. But on Friday, it moved to a brand new building, located at No. 84 boulevard Delfino at heart of Riquier.
Caroline was with the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi and the President of the General Council, Eric Ciotti as they opened the psychiatric center. It was Ciotti who said the children are in “more than others, need the commitment and loving gaze of the community “.
“We must devote our generosity and our heart to them there,” said Estrosi. “We have no right to leave them on the roadside, we must give them every chance to become citizens as others, to found a family in turn.”
On Caroline’s part, she pulled the string to remove the French flag to reveal a plaque on the wall which commemorated this inauguration.
It is believed that Monaco’s Princess Grace Foundation made a contribution to the center, since its a medical foundation that is involved in causes not just in Monaco, but throughout France.
Sources: Nice Matin, Fondation de Princesse Grace
This week, Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel went to France as part of the celebrations of the House of Bernadotte’s 200th anniversary. Since the royal family originated in France, it was natural for its future Queen and her husband to go to the country to commemorate the milestone.
 REUTERS/Benoit Tessier On Sunday evening, the couple arrived in Paris at the Swedish Institute for a reception that included 250 guests.
The next day, Victoria and Daniel travelled to Sceaux, which is south of Paris to see the chocolate maker Patrick Rogerin. The couple tested the chocolate and chatted with Rogerin about his products.
Afterward, the two went to see the marriage certificate between the founder of the current Swedish royal family, Jean Baptiste Bernadotte and Désirée Clary.
Then came the dinner at the Ministry of Culture in Paris, and it was here that Victoria wowed all those in attendance and the media reporting on this visit. She came to the dinner dressed in bright, sparkly blue caftan.
Many in the Swedish press have noted that since announcing her engagement in 2009, as well as recently getting married, the Crown Princess has been dressing more and more dazzling.
 But it is her husband that has gotten the most attention during his first official overseas visit. Prince Daniel has received applause each time he shows up with his wife. He also smiled and made small conversation with them he went to see – just as he has learned in his “Prince school”.
“There’s been a tremendous interest. Much larger than we had imagined, “says Sinziana Ravini, responsible for the exhibition” Nordic Delight” which Victoria and Daniel went to Sunday night.
“He was extremely nice, “says Sinziana Ravini. “When I had the chance to talk to him so I could not miss to praise him for the speech at the wedding.”
Tuesday will be a big day for both Victoria and Daniel as they will have dinner at the Elysees Palace with President Nicolas Sarkozy and French First Lady Carla Bruni. During the day, they will be in the town of Pau, where they will visit the the Musée Bernadotte.
Wednesday, the last day of their visit, will see the royal couple go to a school for underprivileged children. Then they will hop on a plane for a flight back to Sweden.
Sources: Svensk Damtidning, Expressen
This week, Queen Noor of Jordan was at the world famous Cannes Film Festival where she promoted the documentary, “Countdown to Zero” which tells about the threat of nuclear weapons. By promoting this film, the Queen was further campaigning for the elimination of nuclear arms.
 Sean Gallup/Getty Images Europe Noor first promoted “Countdown to Zero” on Sunday, where she did a photocall with the film’s director Lucy Walker and former C.I.A. officer Valerie Plame Wilson, who is also campaigning against nuclear weapons. Joining in on the photocall was U.S. actress Meg Ryan, whom the Queen seemed thrilled to be posing with.
On Monday, Noor dressed up in a black gown to attend the premiere of the documentary.
“Countdown” insists that there is still a threat of nuclear arms falling into the wrong hands and will be used to attack people when they least expect it. The film begins with a quote from former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, “Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, miscalculation or madness.”
“I truly believe this is the most urgent threat we face as human beings,” Lucy Walker told reporters. “And that’s why I chose to make this movie.”
Queer Noor added, “I believe this film needs to be seen throughout the world, and help those populations mobilize to put pressure on political leaders or support political leaders who support the elimination of nuclear weapons.”
The 63rd Annual Cannes Film Festival will end on May 23rd.
Sources: Daily Telegraph, Wall Street Journal Blog
Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni was officially accepted in the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-lettres this past Friday during a ceremony under the dome of the Institut de France. The King was installed as a foreign associate because of Cambodia’s link to France as well as its rich culture and history.
 canalacademic.com During the ceremony, academics such as Jean Leclant, the permanent secretary of the Academy, Franciscus Verellen, the director of the French School of Far East since 2004, and Azzedine Beschaouch, another foreign associate, gave speeches on the Khmer culture’s influence on France and the need to preserve that culture.
At the end, King Sihamoni delivered his speech in reply to what the men before him said.
“The veneration of the temples and the scrupulous respect of the high places of spirituality are an ancient tradition of our family. Upon entering, today in the temple of knowledge and consciousness, we reserve the first words to express our gratitude,” he said.
“We owe in large part to the prestige of our father. Taking the double challenge of truth and freedom, His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk has to be, in effect, the man of Bandung in 1955, and the host, in Phnom Penh, General de Gaulle in 1966. Along with our father who made history, we’ve learned to never give in to despair. Thus, when times were marked with iron tyranny, we know, definitively, that the dignity of the human condition lies in the refusal of servitude and rejecting paths of dishonor.”
With that, the King received a standing ovation.
The Academy of Inscriptions was founded in 1663 to serve the study of humanities. It is one the five academies of the Institut de France.
To learn more about the Academy, here’s a link: http://www.aibl.fr/us/sommaire/som.html
 REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer Jordan’s King Abdullah II decreed parliamentary elections to be delayed until March 2010. This is so politicians can amend the country’s detested election law and ensure fair elections by the time elections come around.
The King issued this decree while on a working visit to Paris on Tuesday. He met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss ways to bolster economic ties between France and Jordan, as well as go over the Middle East peace conflict.
Sarkozy and Abdullah are aiming to restart peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians. The King wants Europe and France to support the talks. He has accused Israel of breaching international law and of driving out Christians and Muslims.
Sweden’s Crown Princess spent Monday in her favorite city in the world, Paris. She was there to attend a events related to Swedish Day, which is linked to Sweden’s current status as president of the European Union.
 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe The first thing on Victoria’s agenda was a seminar organized by Swedish business institutions about do work with French companies.
The second event was for her to light not one, but two Christmas trees located in front of the Hotel de Ville, or Paris’ City Hall. The trees were given to Paris by Sweden, so it made sense for its future Queen light them. During the ceremony, a choir of girls sang songs. One of them dressed as Sweden’s St. Lucia.
In the evening, Victoria went glam for a Franco-Swedish Gala organized by Swedish Trade Council and Paris City Hall at Le Petit Palais. She wore a short black dress with black tights and shoes, and her hair tied in tight bun. During the event, Victoria gave the Prix d’Excellence and Prix PME to Swedish companies that were a success in France.
According to Svensk Damtidning magazine, the Parisian trip was the first engagement for Victoria since spending a few days skiing with her fiancee Daniel Westling in the Swiss Alps.
 Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images/FILE The Duke and Duchess of Vendome – Prince Jean & Princess Philomena – welcomed into the world today a baby boy!
The little one is named Gaston, a name traditionally used by the House of Orleans. It is not known yet how much he weighs or how long he is.
Prince Gaston is the eighth grandchild of the Count of Paris, who is the head of the deposed French royal family. Since the little boy’s father is the heir, that makes Gaston a future heir to the House of Orleans.
The son’s parents married earlier this year – civilly in March, and religiously in May. This is their first child together.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Saudi Arabia today for a working visit to the country. He met King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud at the King Khalid International Airport, and was taken to the King’s farm in Janadriya, outside of Riyadh, where Sarkozy will spend the night.
 REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/Pool The President’s main purpose on this visit is to urge Mideast peace talks to continue.
“It is urgent because the current deadlock plays into the hands of extremists and each day the chance of peace is slipping away a little,” Sarkozy told a Saudi newspaper.
At the same time, the King and the President probably also discussed France selling helicopters, naval frigates and high-speed trains to a country looking to increase its development. Civilian nuclear agreements was also on the list.
What might also have been discussed was the possibility of a peace conference in Paris. It is rumored President Sarkozy wants to bring together leaders from the Mideast, Russia, United States, plus the UN and the EU to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sarkozy will be leaving Saudi Arabia tomorrow. He will head to Qatar before going back to France.
The religious ceremony for Henri, Count of Paris and his second wife, Micaela d’Orleans was held in Arcangues, France on Saturday evening. The couple originally married in a civil ceremony back in 1984. But years of the Count waiting for an annulment from his first marriage to Maria Teresa of Wurttemberg, Duchess of Montpensier, led to the large gap between the two weddings. 
The bride wore a rather loud purple dress while the groom wore a morning suit. The marriage was officiated at Church of Saint Jean Baptiste by Father Dominique Dye and by Abbé Jean-Marie Mouhica.
Not too many people showed up for this wedding. None of the Count’s five children were in attendance and there were only a scant number of French and European royals – all from non-reigning houses.
76 year-old Henri is the claimant to the French throne. He became head of the family in 1999 after the passing of his father. His own son, Prince Jean, married this past May.
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