CONTACT Any questions or suggestions? Feel free to email me at: Sonjapearl@royaltyinthenews.com - and my real name is Megan :)
|
 Click here for more related photos Belgium is the latest European monarchy to see its royals experience wallet tightening.
King Albert II announced today that he will use part of his taxpayer-paid salary for the upkeep for his palaces. His Majesty also explained he wants to freeze the €10.8 million he gets from the state and use an automatic 2012 salary inflation adjustment of some 3 percent — about €350,000 — for his royal properties.
“It shows that in countries with serious financial problems” even monarchies cannot escape the pressure, said Professor Herman Matthijs, who teaches at the University of Gent.
There were reports of the Belgian royals receiving a raise while their people are struggling financially.
The King’s vow to be austere comes as his country faces economic trouble. It has to stay within a 3 percent of economic output as required by the European Union or risks sanctions.
Other European royal families that have lost a certain percentage of their paychecks include Spain, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Source: AP, AFP
Iñaki Urdangarin, the son-in-law of Spain’s King Juan Carlos, is due to appear before a judge in early February because of his alleged ties to a corruption scandal.
 Click here for related photos at Daylife.com Urdangarin, known as the Duke of Palma and married to Infanta Cristina, is being investigated for abusing public funds he received on behalf of a non-profit organization he ran between 2004 and 2006. But the exact accusations have not yet been revealed.
The AFP is reporting that the King forced the Duke to step down from Instituto Noos in 2006.
“(The King) ordered him to stand down from his activities and he sold his shares,” said an official, who works at the royal palace’s press office.
“He was told he shouldn’t work for himself and it would be better if he worked overseas.”
Iñaki now works for Telefonica, a telecommunications company, and is based in Washington, DC.
In addition this week, the Spanish royal family exposed their budget on their website.
King Juan Carlos is paid €292,752 annually by the state and pays 40% tax on his income.
The heir to the throne, Prince Felipe, gets €146,376. Queen Sofia and the three princesses – Infantas Elena, Cristina and Princess Letizia – get €375,000 each. The total budget for the royal family was €8.4 million this year.
The royal palace denies the family were obligated to reveal their finances and insist the royals did so for the sake of modernization.
Sources: BBC, AFP
The son-in-law to King Juan Carlos of Spain has been frozen out of the royal family following his connections to a fraud scandal.
 Click here to view photos at Daylife.com Iñaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and husband to the King’s youngest daughter, Infanta Cristina, has been named as one of the players in an embezzlement of public funds while being head of a non-profit company, Instituto Noos. The money was used to set up a tourism and sports event in 2005 and 2006.
Urdangarin’s behavior “does not seem exemplary” and he has agreed to be removed from official royal activities, Spanish media quoted Rafael Spottorno, the head of the king’s household, as saying.
His lawyer Mario Pascual Vives said the Duke “is worried, saddened and rather indignant at what is coming out in the media” but insists he is innocent.
“He is concerned. I would say sorrowful is the word and maybe also indignant. Why not?” Mario Pascual said on state television. “He will always clearly feel his conviction he is fully innocent.”
In addition, the Spanish royals will publish on their official website how they spend taxpayer’s money at the end of this year.
For 2011, the royal family had a budget of €8.43 million or $11 million, which is five percent less than in 2010.
This scandal has caused much disgruntlement in Spain, where there is 20 percent unemployment. While King Juan Carlos is widely respected for supporting democracy during the country’s transition from the death of dictator Francisco Franco, there are reports that support for the monarchy has slipped.
Source: AFP, New York Times, Reuters Canada
The news agency Europa Press is reporting that the Spanish royal court is looking to reduce the members of the family. They are considering to cut it down to the monarch and spouse, heir and spouse, and the children of the heir. Once the first child of the heir has its own offspring, then its siblings will no longer be part of the royal house.
 Click here for more photos of the Spanish royals This means the two daughters of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia – Infantas Elena and Cristina – may lose their status as members of the royal house. They will still be Infantas, but won’t be receiving money from the government. After all, with Prince Felipe’s two daughters second and third in line to the monarchy, Elena and Cristina have very little chance of succeeding the Spanish throne.
The royal court is hoping Elena and Cristina would model themselves after the King’s two sisters – Infantas Margarita and Pilar. While both have the titles of Infantas, they have no role in the family. They do not take part in such events as National Day or represent the King at any time.
This consideration may have to do with budget issues. The accounts for the financial year of 2011 came to a total of €8.4 million for the King’s House, 5.2 percent less than in 2010. Perhaps the royal court is looking to save money by making the King’s daughters unofficial members of the royal family.
Or it could be looking to modernize the monarchy. This model the Spanish royal court is contemplating is similar to the Norwegian royal house. For example, Princess Martha Louise is a member of the Norwegian royal family, but not the house and very rarely does duties.
EDIT: Zarzuela Palace released a statement saying that while the idea has been around for some time, it is not in the works in the near future. Meaning, the changes won’t be happening for a long time.
Source: Europa Press
 Click here for original TV2 article While some European governments are looking at budget cuts, it appears Norway has plenty to spend, especially for its royal family.
According to TV2, the Norwegian government has proposed the increase payment for the regal couple – King Harald V and Queen Sonja – by 336,000 kroner. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will receive 280,000 kroner more.
The money is meant to cover the royals’ expenses and maintenance of their homes.
In addition, the Royal Court will see an increase. In order to cover maintenance and refurbishing of palaces, the court will get 146 million kroner. This is also needed to fund the monarchy’s operations.
Source: TV2
 Mark Renders/Getty Images/FILE The grants the Belgian royal family earns from the government in the past year fell by 10 percent. This is the first time ever the royals received a cut in their dotations.
The reduction is just not for King Albert II and Queen Paola. All three of their children – Prince Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent – were effected by the cut.
Even dowager Queen Fabiola saw the cut, down to €1.4 million. Philippe will get €920,000 while his sister will now earn €320,000. Prince Laurent shall get €306,000.
The cost of Belgium’s royal family is €30 million, or 3 percent per citizen.
Source: Het Laatste Nieuws, Zita.be
Admist the budget cuts to both the British government and the monarchy, there may be some good news for Queen Elizabeth II: she could get a raise.
 PETER MUHLY/AFP/Getty Images The Conservative party is planning to give the monarchy a portion of the profits of the 6.6 billion pounds ($10 billion) Crown Estate, which was taken away from King George III in the 18th century.
As a result, the Queen could receive 15 percent of the Crown Estate’s profits, which would equate to 37.5 million pounds (about $45 million) if it earns its stated target of a 250 million pounds profit per year.
That means, if Queen Elizabeth had receive the portion of the profits earlier, she would’ve earned 34 million pounds in 2009 and 31 million in 2010. This year, she only got 30 million pounds.
The Crown Estate consists of London property, Ascot Racecourse, the ruined Tintern Abbey in Wales, remote cattle farms in Scotland and all coastal waters, and many more.
Despite the good news for the Queen, everything is in preliminary talks.
”This is entirely speculative. We have no knowledge of this figure and it will take at least a year for the details of this legislation to be thrashed out in Parliament,” a royal source said.
If the grant does happen, not everyone would be pleased.
“The Crown Estate is a huge portfolio, and its value will go up and up. Linking Royal Household funding to profits is ultimately like handing over a blank check,” said Graham Smith, a spokesman for Republic, an anti-monarchy group.
Sources: UPI, Telegraph
Queen Elizabeth II is under fire in the U.K. as a newspaper ran a story saying she tried to use the country’s poverty grant to help heat Buckingham Palace.
 John Linton - WPA Pool/Getty Images According to The Independent, when the staff at the Palace looked into getting money from the program, they were turned down by the fund’s officials out of fear of a public relations backlash.
The newspaper learned of this after requesting documents under the U.K.’s Freedom of Information law.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman confirmed that royal officials had looked into using the poverty fund, explaining it was part of an attempt to reduce both taxpayer money and improve the palaces’ energy efficiency. She claimed the royal household was not initially aware that the money had been earmarked for low-income Britons.
Royal aides complained to ministers in 2004 that the Queen’s gas and electricity bills had become “untenable”, having increased by 50 percent that year to more than £1 million.
News of Queen Elizabeth trying to use government funds intended for her subjects that live in poverty has lead her to be accused of “contempt” by the anti-monarchy campaign group, Republic. They called for the management of all of the Queen’s palaces to be opened up to full scrutiny.
A Republic spokesman said: “These documents are clear evidence of the contempt the Palace has for ordinary people in this country. We have our head of state demanding cash that has been set aside for low-income families, for the most vulnerable in our society.
“This sense of entitlement speaks volumes about the attitudes of the Windsors and their household. For them it’s all about take, take, take.”
Many in Britain are disappointed in their Queen. As one of the wealthiest women in the country, some say there are a lot who need government grants than she does.
Sources: The Independent, Press Association, AP
Even royalty is feeling the pain of the global economic downturn.
 Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images/FILE Spain’s King Juan Carlos is expected to see a reduced paycheck starting next year when the government cuts back on funding the royal family. While it not known exactly how much will be cut, some newspapers are reporting the reduction to be up to 9 percent.
This summer, the King and Queen Sofia cut back on their vacation in Mallorca in the Balearic Islands. They received fewer guests and barely used their yacht.
Even their household staff will see a pay reduction. This past June, they saw their paychecks go down 15 percent just like all the other Spanish civil servants.
Spain is suffering in the global recession like many other countries. Its unemployment rate is at 20 percent.
Source: AP
Earlier this week, Sveriges Radio revealed just how much the June 19th wedding between Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling will cost – and it certainly is not cheap.
 Patrik Osterberg-Pool/Getty Images So far, the nuptials will cost 80 million kronor, or $11.4 million dollars in taxpayer money. Not only does that count the security who will be on duty that day, but also renovation for Stockholm Cathedral where the wedding will take place and the palace where the couple will live afterwards. In addition, 8 million kronor has been granted for the next two years to maintain it.
“You’ll need security guards, personnel to manage the grounds, and others to create a functioning household for the Crown Princess and Daniel,” said Lena Westlin at the Finance Ministry.
Furthermore, some 2,500 soldiers and members of the Defense Ministry will be on duty for the wedding, but how much that would cost taxpayers has not come out. But a total of 4 million kronor has been given to the Foreign Ministry to deal with the international press, as well as royals and diplomats from around the world who will be attending the ceremony.
The Swedish government is hoping that the wedding will boost tourism to the country since it will generate lots of attention during the time. One way the capital of Stockholm is marketing itself is by having a two week festival before the nuptials called “Love Stockholm 2010.” That has cost the city 7 million kronor.
|
|
Recent Comments