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 Click here for more photos at Daylife.com For the first time, Princess Charlene of Monaco has something in the tiny principality that bears her name.
On Wednesday, she and husband Prince Albert II opened the Princess Charlene Home for Children, a shelter intended for youths having family problems.
Dressed in a red coat, Her Serene Highness toured the facility with Monaco’s sovereign by her side. They checked out the dorms, the den, and even played a game of fooseball.
A photo of the Princely couple on their wedding day hangs in the shelter along with an abstract picture of Charlene.
It was announced shortly after midnight in the United Kingdom that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is now the patron of four charities. The organizations range from the arts to addiction.
 Click here to see more pics of the Duchess The first charity Her Royal Highness will be involved in is The Art Room, which gives art lessons to children with emotional and social problems, such as low self esteem and autism. Catherine has a degree in History of Art, so this choice seems natural for her.
Founder and director Juli Beattie said, “We’re absolutely delighted, we’re overwhelmed and thrilled. This is just fantastic, it will raise the profile of the charity and get people to see the work we are doing.”
Another natural choice for her patronage is the National Portrait Gallery in London.
In addition, the Duchess will be involved in Action in Addiction, which Nick Barton said, “It’s not an easy subject for some people but I think this sort of patronage will change that.”
Also to be a place close to her heart is the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. In November, she visited the latter in a low profile manner in order to see if the being patron of the Hospice – known as EACH – was up her alley.
A couple, named Grant and Charlotte Clemence, were supported by EACH when their newborn daughter died of a rare heart condition last May. Mrs. Clemence had this to say about Catherine: “The Duchess showed genuine interest to all the families and staff she met and it really will be a great boost for EACH.”
Finally, she will be a scout volunteer in Anglesey, where she lives with Prince William, who works as a search and rescue pilot. Having been a Girl Scout as a child, Catherine will help out with the local chapter. This is because she and William want to give back to the tiny Welsh island they call home.
“The Duchess has an incredibly busy life, which makes it all the more inspiring that she has chosen to volunteer alongside us,” said UK chief scout Bear Grylls. “I think what’s lovely is that she’s going to feel exactly the way young scouts feel when they first join: a little bit nervous, but that’s what scouting’s all about. You’re part of a big family.”
The Duchess took her time to carefully choose her patronages and reportedly wanted to compliment her husband’s patronages.
Sources: BBC, ITN
Dutch Princess Maxima was in Alkmaar Friday to open Exodus Netherlands, a home for former prisoners to live in while transitioning from prison life to everyday society.
 View more photos at ANP-Photo.com Dressed in a poncho to warm herself in the autumn air, Maxima was flanked by Johan Remkes, Commissioner of Queen Beatrix, and Alkmaar Mayor Piet Bruinooge. Several speeches were given before the Princess ceremoniously opened the home.
The doorway had chains around two metal hands grasping prison bars that shape the windows of the doorway. Maxima unlocked the doorway chains, and with that, Exodus Netherlands was officially opened.
After touring the house, Maxima met with the staff and volunteers of the home.
She then did a walkabout, shaking hands with the locals who came to see her.
Source: Noordholland Dagblad
Over the weekend, Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein warned his people that if they vote to allow abortion into their tiny Alpine principality, he would veto the law, forbidding the procedure to take place. This means when Liechtenstein votes next week, their votes may mean little.
 Click here for more images of Prince Alois at Daylife.com “We think fewer people will vote because they’ll ask themselves, what’s the point? It really is an attempt to actively influence the referendum,” said Helen Konzett, who helped gather the 1,500 signatures necessary to call the vote, set for Sunday, September 18th.
Many voters in Liechtenstein are angry at Prince Alois, who seems to have inherited his father’s – Prince Hans Adams II – staunch Roman Catholic views.
During National Day last month, Alois made a speech in regards to allowing abortion into the country. He said doing so would lead to late term abortions for a fetus with a disability. “Until now we have been proud to support people with disabilities in our country. The proposal would discriminate against such people and allow them to be eliminated in the womb,” he said.
Currently, any woman in Liechtenstein who gets an abortion could face one year in prison, unless her life was in danger or she was younger than 14 at the time. She could even face imprisonment if she gets the procedure outside of the country. Because of the risk, many women are afraid to discuss abortion in the principality.
As for the doctor who performs it, that person could be in prison for three years.
If Prince Alois vetoes the law, he would be the first Prince of Liechtenstein to do so since his grandfather, Prince Franz Joseph II, blocked hunting laws in the 1980s.
While many monarchs worldwide have been losing their powers over the years, the Princes of Liechtenstein saw theirs increase in 2003. That was when Prince Hans Adam II pushed for a constitutional amendment allowing sovereign Princes more power.
Source: Scotsman News
The princely family of the tiny country of Liechtenstein celebrated National Day along with its 36,000 subjects. The day was marked with festivities, including the parade of most of the royals at the Castle Meadow in Vaduz.
 Click here for the image gallery The reigning couple, Prince Hans Adam II and Princess Marie, and the hereditary couple, Prince Alois and Princess Sophie walked by the dozens of people lined up to catch a view of their princely family.
There were other events, but one of the most important – the traditional mass – was not held. This was because of the Bishop of Vaduz refused to perform the ceremony out of protest for Liechtenstein legalizing same sex marriage, which is scheduled to begin next month.
There were other issues that arose from today. Prince Alois gave a speech where he discussed abortion, and how he would not allow the procedure for the first trimester if a referendum allows it next month. While abortion is not condemned in Liechtenstein, it is legally banned.
“The crown prince has said his opinion, which is not surprising. Rather, it is consistent, since he has been represented this opinion in the past on several occasions,” said Prime Minister Klaus Tschütscher.
One part of the abortion issue the Prince does not support is the procedure directed at those that would be born with disabilities.
“Until now we were proud of how we support people with disabilities in our country,” said Alois.
The Hereditary Prince also talked about how the Bishop refused to hold mass. “The cancellation point out that it was time to regulate the relationship between church and state again,” said Alois.
Source: Volksblatt Online, Die Presse
Last summer, Spain’s future King and Queen received a gift that no one could refuse – nearly 4 million euros from an inheritance they did not know they were getting.
 Terra Noticias The money came from Don Juan Ignacio Balada Llabrés, who, upon his death, gave half of his estate to Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia, plus all eight of King Juan Carlos’ grandchildren. Neither Felipe or Letizia knew Balada and called the inheritance “a surprise”. But they accepted the money anyway, with the intention that it goes to those in need.
The couple set up the Hesperian Foundation and were made honorary chairmen. Wednesday saw Felipe and Letizia witness just how those funds were being used for the first time.
The couple traveled to the island of Menorca to visit the Foundation for People with Disabilities (FPDIM). They met with people with physical and intellectual disabilities, who are finding work through FPDIM.
The Hesperian Foundation allocated €140,000 towards the foundation on Menorca, the island where Balada lived.
For its 2011 plan, another €180,000 are being geared towards young people suffering from unemployment, children with rare diseases, socially at-risk youths and to help find work for those who dropped out of school.
Sources: Casa Real, ¡Hola!
 GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images Dutch Princess Laurentien held a press conference Monday in Brussels for the High Level Group, which aims to combat illiteracy in the European Union. As a United Nations envoy for literacy, Laurentien was a likely choice to be the group’s chairperson.
Europe has about eighty million illiterate adults. In 2009, 14.3 percent of the Dutch population had difficulty reading and writing. About 40 percent of Romanians and Bulgarians have this same problem. The High Level Group has eleven experts focusing on tackling this issue.
”It is high time that Europe is facing the unpleasant reality,” Laurentien said, explaining that the matter is a major taboo.
The Princess added that literacy adds to economic development and employment for EU countries and citizens.
She also talked about during her time studying in the United States, where she met adults still struggling to learn to read and write. Laurentien called that experince a big “shock”.
Source: NU.nl
Belgium’s Princess Mathilde recently sat down with the Dutch magazine, Onze Taal (Our Language) to talk about learning and speaking her country’s other official language. The interview comes as a rarity, as Belgian royals rarely do such things. At the same time, it sparked curiosity for Belgians who might have been wondering how their future Queen, didn’t learn Dutch until age 12, has coped with the language differences of the country.
 Mark Renders/Getty Images/FILE “I realize I have a French accent,” Mathilde told the magazine, who even said learning the language was “not easy”.
But the Princess tries to improve herself. She reads Dutch newspapers, listens to Dutch radio, television and speaks Dutch with her advisor, assistants and friends.
While Mathilde and her husband, Crown Prince Philippe, speak French at home, their children attend a Dutch speaking school.
“The homework is obviously in Dutch. I adapt myself accordingly. The kids just think in Dutch,” the Princess said.
She also talked about her relationship with Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, who lives in Brussels because of husband’s Prince Constantijn’s job with the European Union. Both women are advocates of literacy, and Mathilde turns to Laurentien for advice on which Dutch books to read.
Language is major issue in Belgium, which has both French and Dutch as its official tongues. It has led to ethnic and political tensions between the groups speaking either language. Mathilde’s father-in-law, King Albert II has been dealing with a political crisis in Belgium because of the parliamentarians being unable to compromise in order to form a government.
Onze Taal‘s issue with Princess Mathilde will be on newsstands in January.
Source: RoyalBlog.nl, Onze Taal
The Crown Princess of Norway was in Lillehammer Monday where she made several appearances: she met with Lillehammer’s Ice Hockey Club, celebrated the 200th anniversary of the town’s library, visited its Red Cross, and finally attended the Vocational Championships. It was certainly a busy day for Mette-Marit, but she barely looked exhausted when it was all over.
 Geir Olsen / Scanpix At the Ice Hockey Club, the Crown Princess took a shot of some activities with the students. She tried to throw a javelin, kicked a soccer/football, and basically goofed around with the kids.
In the afternoon, at around 2pm local time, Mette-Marit stopped by the library where she was given a tour of the library, with particular emphasis on the children and youth department.
Later, she met with seniors at the local Red Cross, who meet once a week to engage in shaping and crafting together. Mette-Marit also met with the children’s division of the Red Cross.
Finally, the Crown Princess spent her evening at the Vocational Championships. The Championships are professional competitions in nearly 30 different subjects. Participants will compete in welding and automotive paint spraying, flowers and decorative sewing, furniture carpentry, culinary arts and health, and many more.
Mette-Marit gave a speech during its opening: “Society is in need of the skills you have developed. The greatest resource Norway as a nation, is the people and their expertise. Academic strength professionals is essential to ensure the welfare of our society forward. Therefore Vocational NM a hugely important competition.”
After the opening she was introduced to both the participants and judges from a variety of vocational courses.
Norway will compete in the Vocational Championships in December in Portugal. The country will have 16 participants in 13 subjects.
Source: Kongehuset.no
Norway’s Crown Princely couple were in Kristiansand Monday to present the winners of this year’s Crown Princely Humanitarian Fund. The award is given to support projects to promote diversity in Norway, and to eradicate poverty and promote education abroad.
 Kjell Inge Søreide / Scanpix This year, the winners were the Missionary Alliance project in Ecuador and Foundation Shonglap project in Bangladesh. Salma Sultana received the award on behalf of Shonglap, while Wendy Josa accepted on behalf of the Jóvenes emprendedores.
Both Haakon and Mette-Marit gave speeches at the ceremony held at University College. It was the Crown Princess who told her story of earning money on her own.
“I remember so very well the first time I earned my own money. I was 14 years old and lived with my aunt in the summer of Langenes in Søgne, when I and my cousin rode to the parish center to pick strawberries. Then I realized for the first time in my life the true meaning of money, and not least how long it takes to pick a whole basket of strawberries,” said Crown Princess Mette-Marit as laughter spread through the assembly.
But then she turned serious: “I think some of the most important thing in the world today is to strengthen young people’s options. That young people will take education, be aware of their rights, the opportunity to use their resources, become independent and earn their own money.”
Crown Prince Haakon joined in during the joint speech. “We have a historic opportunity to eradicate the extreme poverty in the world. Entrepreneurship and innovation have an important role to play in the relationship,” he said.
“I think some of the most important thing in the world today is to strengthen young people’s options. That young people will take education, be aware of their rights, the opportunity to use their resources, become independent and earn their own money,” Mette-Marit added.
After the speeches, videos were shown of the winners at work. Following that part, Wendy Josa and Salma Sultana received their awards. The two women got diplomas and checks for NOK 300,000 to help fund their projects.
Jóvenes emprendedores means young entrepreneurs and is a new project that combines loans and training for young people aged between 17 and 23 years in Zonase margin ales in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The aim is that young people will gain their own livelihood in order to reduce the financial burden for their parents and most importantly for the young people learn early to work. It reduces social problems and give young people greater confidence.
With micro-credit and support from Jóvenes emprendedores, Wendy Josa established her own business where she sells cosmetics and skin care products from a catalog. The income she has from the sale fund, among other things, go to her medical studies.
As for Salma Sultana, her Foundation Shonglap program in Bangladesh is a one-year education for unmarried girls between 11 and 19 years who have missed school because of poverty. So far, 40,000 women completed the program.
Source: Kongehuset, FVN
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