While 2010 may have been a celebratory year for the Swedish royal family, 2011 has been difficult.
Click here to view the website of the Swedish Royal Court
So says Queen Silvia and her eldest child, Crown Princess Victoria. In an interview with the SVT program, Året med kungafamiljen – or, The Year with the Royal Family, the two talked about how the media reported on the scandal involving King Carl XVI Gustaf and his alleged affairs and visits to strip clubs.
“It makes a lot of pain when your parents are publicized at the brusque way that actually has occurred,” Victoria told SVT.
Following the publication of the book The Reluctant Monarch, it was widely rumored there were photographs of the King at the strip clubs. Also, there were allegations that he was linked to the Serbian mafia operating in Sweden.
“There is a media drive if I get honest. Actually, I would not go into that. It is extremely hurtful. It is a situation when you are totally powerless. There is always someone else who has the final say,” Queen Silvia said.
She went on to say, “There are some who say why don’t you deny it?. Yes, but you can not deny all every day. It’s hard. Then it is not credible either. It then depends on the writings, if I may call them so, at what level they are. Should I go down to the same level to be able to comment on that?”
There were also rumors that the Queen was on the brink of nervous breakdown due to the reports. This she denies.
“They have recently written that I am close to collapse, soon I will be depressed, soon I will have thoughts of suicide, I’ve hit the wall and so on. I see these headlines. Then let me just say that yes, I am disappointed and yes, I’m sorry. But what shall we say? It might have strengthened me.”
Crown Princess Victoria, who is expecting her first child in March, voiced her concern about the media intrusion and how it would effect her child as it grows up. She claimed the media is a lot more intense than it was while she was young, and wondered if the media will ever give her family a chance for privacy.
But at the same time, she agrees with her mother about how this family crisis effected the royal family.
“When I think back, it is also something that has strengthened us as a family.”
To view the SVT program, click here (its in Swedish).
Belgium’s Prince Laurent and Princess Claire spoke out against a recent television documentary which accused the Prince of domestic violence. The couple did so when Laurent inaugurated a lodging for homeless people with dogs in Brussels.
See more photos of the couple here
“With this project I want to show me the way I really am. I think this is the real picture of me,” said the Prince.
He also refuted the insinuation that he is a violent person. “I would like to speak straight. I’m an animal lover but also a human lover. The most important thing in life is that you can look yourself in the mirror at night.”
With him for this event was wife Princess Claire. As the media pressed on about the documentary claims, she got upset and said, “I think now enough is enough. You will also have three children. Those insinuations are wrong.”
Laurent tried to get the reporters to ask him about his charity work with animals, but it didn’t work.
“Enough is enough, Laurent,” Claire whispered to him. “The project did not interest them.”
The RTBF documentary aired over the weekend. It comes as the Prince is emerging after being suspended from the royal palace after doing very undiplomatic things this year. They included meeting with Libyan officials and going to the Democratic Republic of Congo without the permission of any Belgian politician.
Fans of the Swedish royal family have been noticing something appears to going on with Prince Carl Philip and his girlfriend of two years, Sofia Hellqvist. For one thing, the newspaper Svensk Damtidning scored a brief interview with the couple which is in the first two pages of the publication. The headline? “Sweden’s Next Princess”.
Click here for pics of Sofia Hellqvist at Make Up 15th Anniversary
Could it be? Could the woman who once posed nude and did a reality television show become Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia?
Its not only that interview that hints this. Recently, Ms. Hellqvist attended a UNICEF seminar in which Prince Daniel was also attending. Once the meeting was over, Daniel was spotted giving Sofia a simple hug good-bye. When asked about that, Sofia simply said that Daniel was a “great guy” but wouldn’t say anything about suddenly taking on more official roles.
Which Sofia has been doing a lot lately. Yesterday, she was at the Make Up Store’s 15th anniversary in which she received a 500,000 SEK check to give to a charity she supports, Project Playground. Prince Carl Philip was in the audience, proudly looking on in the audience.
Some royal watchers feel royals should marry who they want to and one’s past shouldn’t matter when it comes to representing the country. Take a look at Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit. She was a single mother with a drug ridden past when she married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. Nowadays, she is a respected member of the Norwegian monarchy and is quite popular with the people.
But other royal watchers believe one cannot compare Mette-Marit to Sofia Hellqvist. Especially since, to some, Sofia appears to be courting the media and dating Carl Philip for the sake of fame.
But one thing is for sure: Sofia and Carl Philip are getting more public with their relationship. Could an engagement be on the horizon? If so, could it bring damage to the Swedish monarchy? Or will it survive its controversial new addition?
The annual best-dressed list from the magazine, Vanity Fair was released Wednesday – and no surprise, on the list were some royal women. This year, though, there were three named: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (what a shocker!), Princess Charlene of Monaco, and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned of Qatar.
Check out more Catherine pics at Zimbio!
Having made the exclusive list in 2008 – back when she was simply Prince William’s girlfriend – the former Kate Middleton wowed Vanity Fair again with her “signature mix of high and low fashion”. The Duchess is known for wearing both high end attire and also clothes from more down to earth designers. She is also known for recycling her clothes often, having worn a green dress she first worn during at trip to Los Angeles last month to the pre-wedding party of William’s cousin, Zara Phillips. Catherine even wore a coat dress to Zara’s wedding that she originally worn at another wedding some years ago.
Fore more Charlene pics, click here!
She’s been officially the Princess of Monaco for only a month, but Her Serene Highness Charlene has made waves with her style since she began appearing by Prince Albert II’s side at social events in the principality. Known for wearing lots of Armani – the Italian designer made her wedding gown – it is expected that Charlene will continue to dazzle for years to come.
More pics of Sheikha Mozah here
Making her second appearance on the list – her first was in 2009 – Qatar’s Sheikha Mozah continues to impress fashionistas with her combination of Muslim modesty and Western style clothing. Never without her signature turban, the Sheikha is always a sight to see during state visits with her husband, the Emir of Qatar. It is usually at these events that she upstages the other women Mozah is doing bilateral business with.
The other royals included on the prestigious list Princess Alexandra of Greece and King Jigme Khesar of Bhutan. The latter was featured in the “fashion originals” group.
Monegasque royal newlyweds are suing the French magazine L’Express for publishing stories “incorrect facts about their private life” in the days leading up to their wedding earlier this month.
Click here for more pics
The magazine published stories on its website, saying Charlene Wittstock – now Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene – tried to flee Monaco a few days before her lavish nuptials. She supposedly learned that Prince Albert II might have fathered another child out of wedlock.
According to L’Express, Charlene’s passport was confiscated by officials when she tried to board a one way flight to her home of South Africa.
Although the reports were rejected by the Prince and many high ranking officials in Monaco, they were picked up by numerous news outlets.
Even on the day of her civil wedding, Charlene denied the rumors, claiming that it was nothing but “vicious gossip and empty rumours”.
“It’s all lies,” she said to Vogue magazine.
Her father, Michael Wittstock, has denied the stories. “I am so disappointed that people believe in this nonsense,” he said.
The reason for the lawsuit is because, as the couple claimed, the magazine “gave credibility to these unfounded rumors by publishing them. “
On the day of their religious ceremony, however, the Palace admitted that Prince Albert was to undergo a paternity test. Whether that test actually took place is not yet known.
Source: Sky News, Independent (South Africa), Royal News Examiner
The royal court of Jordan is denouncing an AFP report that Bedouin tribal leaders criticized Queen Rania this week.
KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP/Getty Images/FILE
In a palace statement released Friday, it condemned “in the strongest possible terms, the completely erroneous and defamatory statements about Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan” contained in the February 9 report.
The report, it added, “contains serious allegations against Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and the Yassin family [Rania's birth family] in which there is no truth whatsoever.”
Earlier this week, it was widely reported that the leaders of Jordan’s tribes slammed the Queen, accusing her of corruption and meddling in politics.
It came at a time of major political changes sweeping across the Middle East, in which anti-government protests took place in countries including Jordan. The Bedouin tribes are seen as the bedrock of the monarchy and for them to criticize King Abdullah II’s wife came close to criticizing the King himself.
But the royal court insists that statement from the tribal leaders never took place.
It said the 36 people who signed the statement “are not leaders of the tribes to which they belong, and they do not represent the tens of thousands of people from these proud Jordanian tribes.”
The palace statement added: “Amongst several other false allegations, the report claims that land and farms belonging to the Jordanian people were given to the Yassin family.”
According to Al-Quds, King Abdullah is threatening to sue the AFP for its report.
There’s video of Prince Joachim behaving what many consider to be “rude” and “snobby” towards a Danish reporter. The video is becoming quite popular with Scandinavian viewers, seeing proof of Joachim’s reputation of being arrogant.
During the Christmas weekend, the Prince and his wife, Princess Marie, went on a small yacht where they were approached by a reporter from Denmark’s TV2. Instead of referring to Joachim in the formal “you”, the journalist used the more informal Danish “you”. The Prince corrected him, and even asked the reporter to repeat his question with the correct pronoun.
The one most comfortable with the situation was Princess Marie, who deliberately turned away, not knowing what to do.
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.
The American magazine, Vanity Fair, unveiled its Internati0nal Best Dressed List for 2010 Tuesday. Among the fashion conscious people in the world was Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Long considered to be a fashion icon in Europe, it appears Australian-born Mary is finally getting recognition.
According to the magazine, the Crown Princess’ favorite labels are Hermès, Prada, Burberry, and Chanel.
She wowed many in the United States with her style when she and husband Crown Prince Frederik visited Washington, DC earlier this year. Even though Mary dealt with a wardrobe malfunction – her shoe fell off while walking through Arlington National Cemetary – she appeared ladylike and regal with her style.
Crown Princess Mary wasn’t the only royal on the list. Pierre Casiraghi, son of Monaco’s Princess Caroline, was named one of the world’s best dressed men. His girlfriend, Beatrice Borromeo, also made the cut.
Another Monegasque girlfriend on the list was Tatiana Santo Domingo, who has been dating Pierre’s older brother, Andrea, for several years now.
Interesting enough, last year when I reported on who should’ve been on Vanity Fair’s 2009 Best Dressed List, Crown Princess Mary was ranked number one by a poll taken by RITN readers.
Click here to see more of the world’s best dressed people.
Rumors have been circulating for several weeks that all is not well with Sweden’s Princess Madeleine and her fiancè Jonas Bergstrom. Tabloids, such as Expressen, are reporting that the couple no longer live together and that the strain of waiting until after Crown Princess Victoria gets married has put a damper on their relationship.
Adam Osterman/Getty Images/FILE
The tabloid also points out that Madeleine and Jonas have not been seen in public together in a long time, unlike Victoria and her husband-to-be, Daniel Westling.
Additionally, the Princess recently went skiing in Switzerland without Jonas – even though that is favorite vacation spot for them.
According to rumors, the couple’s relationship was falling apart last year and the two went to the Italian island of Capri and mend things. That was when Jonas proposed to Madeleine, much to her surprise. Supposedly, Jonas felt it was his last chance to save his relationship with her.
Keep in mind all these reports are from tabloids, who usually are looking to sell papers. Even more so, a few weeks ago Jonas himself spoke to rival paper Aftonbladet and said, “There is no crisis. Madeleine and I are fine.”
But the rumors keep spreading to beyond Swedish borders. The latest edition of Spain’s ¡Hola! published an article about the supposedly troubled relationship. It is only a matter of time before other foreign media pick up the story.
The Princess will be visiting the United States in April and in May. If her fiancèe does not stop by for at least a brief visit, then it would fuel speculation that this relationship won’t have a happy ending.
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