On Wednesday, the Belgian royal family marked with the rest of their country Belgium’ 180th anniversary. Although the country has been seeing threats of splitting up in recent months, all that seemed to be forgotten that day.
In the morning, most of the Belgian royals attended the Te Deum mass at St. Michel et Gudule in Brussels. Present were King Albert II, Queen Paola, Queen Fabiola, Crown Prince Philippe and Crown Princess Mathilde. Absent were Princess Astrid, who was in Hasselt, and her brother Prince Laurent and his wife, Princess Claire who were at a Te Deum mass at St-Martin d’Arlon.
What makes the Te Deum masses unique is that five beliefs – Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Judaism and secularism – are represented. Before Te Deum began, the King and Queen met with the leaders of those groups.
AP Photo/Thierry Charlier
After the mass, the royals did their walk about among the Belgian people.
At 4pm local time, the military parade took place. Since its Belgium’s turn to hold the European Union presidency for this half of the year, EU forces were included in the parade. 1500 soldiers and 83 vehicles from the 27 EU countries paraded along the route, including the Lamborghini Italian police.
All of Belgium’s royals were attendance for this, including Astrid, who was in military uniform, and Prince Laurent with his wife, Princess Claire. The latter two held hands during the parade.
Alongside King Albert II for the parade was Belgian Minister of Defense, Pieter de Crem.
Also visible during National Day was dowager Queen Fabiola. As it happened last year, there were bizarre but very real threats against the Queen’s life. In 2009, she mocked her would-be assassin by waving a green apple around since the death threats said she would be killed by a crossbow. But this year, she did not joke around as she was encouraged not to by police.
The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg gathered to celebrate their tiny country’s national day on Wednesday. Even though festivities began the night before, June 23rd is the actual day of the holiday.
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Celebrations took place in the towns of Diekirch, Esch-sur-Alzette and the capital city, also called Luxembourg. The latter saw Grand Duke Henri lay wreath at the war memorial on Tuesday, with the rest of his family present. That was followed by a changing of the guard at the Palace.
Later that same day, Henri and his wife, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, went to Diekirch, which is celebrating its 750th anniversary this year. The couple were welcomed by Mayor Jacques Dahme, and went for a stroll through the village’s old district with Dahme. Henri and Maria Teresa stopped at one point to lay flowers at a memorial.
Meanewhile, in Esch-sur-Alzette, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and his sister, Princess Alexandra, were paying a visit. They were welcomed by Lydia Mutsch, the mayor of the town, and they also laid a wreath at a war memorial. The brother and sister then went to the balcony of the Hotel de Ville, where they waved to the people below. After that, Guillaume went to the Escher Volleksfest, where he lit the traditional campfire scouts.
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In the evening, the Grand Ducal family reunited back in Luxembourg City, where they attended more festivities which included an elaborate fireworks display.
The next day, the family attended the Te Deum Mass at Our Lady of Luxembourg. That was followed by a 101 gun salute from Fetschenhaff.
The family then gathered to watch a military parade, along with Prime Minister Claude Juncker.
The one royal family member missing from the celebrations was Prince Felix, who was believed to be busy with his job at a Swiss firm.
At the same time, Prince Sebastien displayed his Ordre du Lion d’Or de la Maison de Nassau in public for the first time. He received the knighthood on his 18th birthday back in April, and got a chance to wear his medal for National Day, even though it was small one.
May 17th marks Norway’s National Day, and the entire country was out celebrating, including its royal family.
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In the morning, there was a children’s parade going past the Crown Princely family’s home Skaugum Palace. The family came out dressed head to toe in traditional costume, and waved flags as the parade went by.
According to Norwegian newspapers, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus be dressed in beautiful costumes from Asker, while Crown Princess wore a dress from Hardanger and her son Marius was one from Vest-Agder
Standing around early in the morning for a long while may have been difficult for little Prince Sverre Magnus. The 4 year-old at one point acted up by sticking his tongue out and later refusing to stand up. Crown Princess Mette Marit had to pick up her son and hold him at her hip.
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At noon, Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Ingrid Alexandra joined King Harald V and Queen Sonja on the balcony of the royal palace. Another parade, this time of citizens of all ages wearing folk clothes, marched by the balcony, cheering and waving the Norwegian flag.
Also at the palace, but not on the balcony was Princess Martha Louise’s husband, Ari Behn, and his three daughters – Maud, Leah and Emma. They were standing at an open window watching and waving to the marchers below.
Late in the afternoon, the King and Queen paid a visit to the Nordre Aker area in Oslo. Since 1999, the regent couple visit an Oslo neighborhood for each National Day.
Friday saw the Netherlands awash in orange as the Dutch celebrated Queen’s Day, or Konininginnedag as they call it. It is the day where the people honor their monarch, Queen Beatrix and enjoy national pride. But sadly, this year’s festivities had a dark shadow over them.
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2009′s Queen’s Day was a tragic one, as a car driver plowed into a crowd watching the royal procession on a bus in the central city of Apeldoorn. Eight people, including the driver, died and there was some calls to end the holiday.
But despite what happened last year, the Dutch were willing to enjoy themselves. Even the royals were just as festive as they went to the town of Wemeldinge, located in the southern province of Zeeland to meet with the people and have fun.
Although it rained most of the day, no one held back in celebrating. Crown Princess Maxima herself took part in a beer shuffleboarding contest while husband Crown Prince Willem-Alexander kicked a ball around for some schoolchildren.
The Queen herself seemed pleased with all the activity. In her speech at Middelburg Queen Beatrix thanked everybody for being so enthusiastic. “You gave us back Queen’s Day,” she told the crowds.
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Her Majesty had a lot to be happy about. With the troubles in the government, many in Holland are looking to her for unity and observers are saying she is doing just that.
Despite the enthusiasm, there were still a few things to complain about. Security was understandably extra tight this year, with 1,400 police securing Wemeldinge. In addition, only invited guests and citizens that had passed security checks were allowed near the royal procession. The police even frisked a woman sitting in a wheelchair, something the Mayor of Wemeldinge condemned.
Also, train cars and stations were jam-packed with people moving around the country. Many Dutch had to wait a long time for their train to arrive. At one point, all trains to and from Amsterdam were canceled to deal with the crowds.
Furthermore, the Dutch sanitation workers are on strike, so the streets are filled with garbage and reek of beer.
November 19th is Monaco’s National Day, and its royals were out in full force to celebrate one of the principality’s biggest events.
Prince Albert II, Princess Stephanie, Princess Caroline and her three eldest children first attended a thanksgiving mass at Notre Dame Cathedral. The Gospel of Luke was read and the Bishop of Monaco discussed what occurred in the country over the past year – such as the economy. The Bishop also praised Prince Albert, Monaco’s sovereign ruler.
Afterwards, it was to the balcony of the Palace. As a military parade marched by, Albert and his sisters waved to the citizens below. Joining them was Princess Caroline’s youngest, Princess Alexandra of Hannover. The 10 year-old was introduced to the crowds on this very balcony a decade earlier, and Monaco watched her grow up. Also on the balcony were the Casiraghi siblings – Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre. Those are Caroline’s children with her late husband, Stefano Casiraghi.
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Noticably absent from this year’s National Day celebrations was Caroline’s current husband, Prince Ernst of Hannover. She and Ernst have not been seen together in public since June. This has sparked rumors that the two are parting ways. Those rumors increased in September when Caroline relocated back to Monaco and enrolled Alexandra in a local school, while Ernst remained at his home outside of Paris.
The royal palace denied that Caroline and Ernst are separating around this time. However, with the Prince not being present for many of Monaco’s most important events, speculations over the state of his marriage to Caroline is only intensify.
To see more pictures of Monaco’s National Day, click here
The royal house of Bourbon gathered in Madrid today to observe’s Spain’s National Day. All members of the royal family were in attendance, including Infanta Cristina and her husband, who had flown in from their new home in the United States.
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First on the agenda was for King Juan Carlos to lay a floral wreath at a flagpole to commemorate those who died while fighting under the Spanish flag.
Then it was onto the Plaza de Lima, where all the royals watched a military parade. It was quite a sunny day, so the royal women had to don sunglasses to shield their eyes from the sun’s rays.
During the parade, several people booed and whistled at Prime Minister Jose Zapatero. Some even jeered at him, “resign!”
At noon, the family went to the royal palace to hold a lunch for Spain’s government leaders.
This past Saturday was the Danish Flag Day – a day to commemorate those who had died in battle under their country’s flag since 1956. With Denmark serving in Afghanistan, there have been heavy losses for its troops.
At Holmen’s Church in Copenhagen, Queen Margrethe II, Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary gathered for a memorial ceremony. Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen was there to give a speech. The mood was somber and serious as the names of 91 soldiers were read off during the service.
Afterwards, there was a military parade in front of Danish parliament. Those in the parade included the Home Guard, and emergency servicemen and women. A reception was held inside of Parliament.
July 21st was a big day for Belgium and its royal family, as they celebrated in National Day, marking the day when King Leopold I swore an oath, and Belgium won its independence from the Netherlands.
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Festivities began the previous evening, when the royal family went to the “Preludium to the National Day” concert at the Palace of Fine Arts. The royals listened to music by the Belgian National Orchestra and opera sung by Helene Guilmette.
Tuesday saw the actual Nationa Day celebrations. The day began with the Belgian royals attending Te Deum mass all over the country. King Albert II, Queen Paola, Queen Fabiola, Crown Prince Philippe and Crown Princess Mathilde went to mass at St. Michael and St. Gudule Cathedral in Brussels. The other two children of the King – Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent – and their spouses went to services at Antwerp and Mons.
After the mass, the royals in Brussels went up to the crowds outside of the cathedral, and chatted and posed for pictures with their subjects.
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Later came the military defile. King Albert II inspected the troops before joining his family in the stands for the parade. The royal women had changed their attire for this event. Crown Princess Mathilde, for example, switched from a black fascinator and a white dress she wore to for Te Deum, to a brilliant pink outfit with a matching fascinator.
Philippe and Mathilde chatted with Queen Fabiola right before the parade. The dowager Queen was in a bright mood, despite her previous illness this year, plus the death threats that warned that she would be killed during the defile. But nothing happened. Queen Fabiola held a green apple during the event, perhaps to show she would not back down from anything.
Also at the defile were the children of Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent. None of the Crown Princely couple’s children were present, for reasons unknown.
After the military parade, the royals visited various locations in Brussels that were also marking National Day. Philippe and Mathilde visited a UNICEF stand in the royal park, while Princess Astrid and her husband, Prince Lorenz stopped by to chat with the Brussels police.
By nightfall, the royal family of Belgium enjoyed a magnificent fireworks display.
Tuesday June 23rd marks Luxembourg’s national day, and as every year it’s Grand Ducal family was present for the celebrations.
But before everything began, Grand Duke Henri had some exciting news for his subjects: His daughter-in-law, Tessy Antony who is married to Prince Louis, received the title of Her Royal Highness Princess Tessy of Luxembourg.
Even more, Tessy’s two baby sons with Prince Louis, Gabriel and Noah, were stylized as Princes of Nassau, but not as Luxembourg. This is because only those who are the children of the current or former reigning monarch can be the Prince or Princess of Luxembourg.
Back in 2006, Prince Louis and Tessy had in Gabriel out of wedlock, and married later that year. Louis renounced his rights to the Grand Duchy around this time.
Tom Wagner
Also receiving a title was Princess Alexandra. The only daughter of Henri and Maria Teresa became a knight in the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau. Despite earning this title, Alexandra was not present for the National Day celebrations, since she was taking University finals.
But her parents were there. They began the day in the city Ell, where they both laid floral wreaths at the Monument des Mars. They then met with the city council, and visited local preschoolers. The royal couple were accompanied by government officials.
At nightfall, the House of Nassau – along with the new Princess Tessy – gathered in Luxembourg City to see the fireworks, and a torchlit parade. The Grand Ducal family walked from the palace to Place Guillaume to give Luxembourgers a chance to see their royal family.
Saturday saw the Swedish royals spread out in their country to celebrate National Day.
The women – Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine – wore traditional clothes, while King Carl XVI Gustaf and Prince Carl Philip wore simple suits.
This year saw the Crown Princess in Skanninge. She arrived by train, and was driven through the town in an open car. Thousands turned out to see Victoria as she smiled and waved at them.
She even gave a little speech praising Sweden on its national holiday.
“We will be pleased that Sweden has been an independent nation of many hundreds of years. There is reason to be grateful that we live in a peaceful and safe country in which we can express our opinion without risk of oppression and persecution.”
Afterward, Victoria toured the town. At Sjolin Farm a group sang the song “Victoria” by Axel von Malmborg and Nils-Peter Vaggelyr. The Crown Princess seemed pleased, but a little embarrassed to hear a song that bears her name.
While in Skanninge, the Crown Princess also displayed a portrait of her and fiance Daniel Westling.
Over in Stockholm, Victoria’s sister, Princess Madeleine took charge of activities in the capital. She opened the gates to the royal palace as National Day is when it is open to the public.
Victoria and Madeleine’s brother, Prince Carl Philip was in Goteburg doing a car race and therefore did not take part in any events during the day. He did however, return to Stockholm by nightfall for the National Day reception at the same palace where Madeleine opened the gates.
The entire Swedish royal family was there, including King Carl XVI Gustaf’s sister, Princess Christina.
Victoria’s fiance, Daniel Westling, did not participate as he is still in recovery following a kidney transplant.
Over in Stockholm, Victoria’s sister, Princess Madeleine took charge of activities in the capital. She opened the gates to the royal palace as National Day is when it is open to the public.
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