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Britain’s Prince Harry was in Washington, DC Monday night to accept an award for his charity work with wounded soldiers.
 Click here to view image gallery During a black tie dinner, the 27 year old Prince was given the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership Award by former Secretary of State Colin Powell. It was Powell who praised Harry and his older brother, Prince William.
“The loving effort that Princess Diana made to teach her sons the importance of serving others has touched (their) hearts and souls,” said Powell. “They have acted together in support of veterans’ charities … and the impact of (that) work is already very, very significant.”
He also joked that because of Harry, there was “a record number of young, single women attending” this year’s dinner.
When the Prince took the stage, he confessed that it was “truly humbling and a little terrifying” to meet with the former U.S. military leader.
His Royal Highness also said he did not “feel that I have done nearly enough to deserve” but he accepted the glass trophy for himself and his brother.
He reminded the audience the many troops on both sides of the Atlantic have “paid a terrible price and keep us safe and free.”
“The very least we owe them is to make sure that they and their brave families have everything they need for the darkest days, and, in time, regain the hope and confidence to flourish again,” Harry said.
Earlier in the day, the Prince met with wounded soldiers at the British embassy.
Prince Harry is a veteran himself, having served for 10 weeks in Afghanistan between late 2007 and early 2008. He has not made it secret he would like to return to that country.
Harry has been to the United States a number of times recently. He played in polo matches twice in New York, and trained to fly Apache helicopters in Arizona this year.
Sources: AP, CNN
 Click here to see more photos of the event Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary is currently in the American capital of Washington, D.C. this week for the 2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters. Her Mary Foundation tackles the issue of domestic violence and that is the reason why the Crown Princess is at this conference.
On Monday, Her Royal Highness first presided over the donation of $2.3 million to The Inter-American Development Bank, which is the largest international development institution in Latin America, from the Danish government.
Mary then visited a shelter that houses women and their children escaping from domestic violence.
Later on, she gave the keynote speech at the conference, where she read a poem by Finnish author Märta Tikkanen, which is about a woman asking herself why doesn’t she leave her abuser. The poem “illustrates the complexity of domestic violence,” Mary told the attendants.
“The finale question ‘Why?’ has no easy answer. We need to recognize and communicate this complexity in order to understand, reach and help the victims of domestic violence.”
“Domestic violence is still a dark secret,” she went on to say. “Reaching the victims of domestic violence is one of our main challenges. It is essential to reach out to these women with a helping hand, to support them in taking those initial and courageous steps out of a life of violence. At this conference we are giving women who live with domestic violence a voice and we are saying to the world that domestic violence is not an individual problem – but a collective concern. And today we make it absolutely clear ¬– violence is never acceptable and can never be justified!”
Mary then mentioned how in Denmark, about 28,000 women are abused while 2,000 of them seek help shelters. “[A] very large majority is alone with their problems. This is a huge challenge. How do we reach these women?”
The Crown Princess talked about how the Mary Foundation reaches out to those women by researching to see what projects are working and are not, and by speaking out on the issue. One project the Foundation established, “Advice for Life” provides such women with financial, legal and social counseling.
“[E]very time I meet one of these courageous women, it reminds me why there are no easy solutions,” Mary said towards the end of her speech. “I get a better understanding of how hard it is to end and break free of a violent relationship. Not least because ending the violent relationship, also means ending the dream of a loving and happy marriage – and breaking up the children’s home.”
“Everybody has the right to a life without violence. No matter where you come from, who you are or where you are.”
Read more of Crown Princess Mary’s speech and the poem by clicking here.
On Tuesday, Her Royal Highness began attending the conference’s workshops that began that day and will continue until the conference ends on Thursday.
Sources: Kongehuset.dk, Mary Fonden
Since Monday, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan have been in Washington, DC where they have been meeting with politicians and participating in forums. This is the second working visit to the United States for Their Majesties since last year’s Arab Spring.
 Click here to see more photos of the press conference The King met with U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday and the two held a brief press conference in the Oval Office. They discussed Syria and the ongoing Mideast Peace Process.
Both leaders denounced the violence in Syria. King Abdullah was the first Arab leader to call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, and Obama agreed that they were “continuing to see unacceptable levels of violence inside that country” and went on to say that the U.S. will “continue to consult very closely with Jordan to create the kind of international pressure and environment that encourages the current Syrian regime to step aside so a more democratic process can take place inside of Syria.”
The King was asked about the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and he answered, “We have to keep our fingers crossed and hope that we can bring the Israelis and Palestinans out of the impasse.”
Accompanying the Jordanian King and Queen is their eldest son, Crown Prince Hussein. After his father finished meeting with President Obama, Hussein and the King met with Vice President Joe Biden and the Secretary of Defense. These meetings are likely meant to prepare the Crown Prince for his future role as King of Jordan. After all, he will be 18 years old later this year.
While her husband and son were visiting with Washington’s most powerful, Queen Rania was not sitting around. On Tuesday, she attended a United Nations Foundation luncheon at the Newseum. As a board member, Rania discussed ways to make the world better for women and for children.
Her Majesty later attended the event 10×10 – Educate Girls. Change the World.
For Wednesday, King Abdullah met with Treasurer Timothy F. Geithner and talked about the U.S. – Jordanian economic links, and the possibility of providing financial aid to the Hashemite Kingdom. Also at the meeting was Jordanian Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh.
Also that day, the King met with Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who called for Abdullah to do the following:
“Jordan has not yet appointed an ambassador to Israel in the year and a half since the previous ambassador moved on, and I would strongly encourage you to do so,” she told him.
Ros-Lehtinen also agreed with him that the Syrian President should resign.
“I share that view because Iran is certainly doing all it can to keep Syria afloat but the people are rising up,” she said.
On Thursday, King Abdullah II will address the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Sources: USA Today, The Royal Forums, Petra, AFP
 Click here to view more images Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan was an honoree at Thursday’s 2011 UNICEF Ball held in Los Angeles. She took home the Woman of Compassion award, something she was pleased to win.
“Humbled by UNICEF’s Woman of Compassion tribute today esp as King Hussein my model of compass leadership&UNICEF is ultimate compass org,” the Queen wrote on Twitter.
Noor was among many Hollywood celebrities that night including Nicole Ritchie, Brooklyn Decker, Rose McGowan, Matthew Morrison, Jenna Elfman and Jayma Mays.
Sources: Twitter, Gossip Center
While his in-laws were wrapping up their visit to the United States, Sweden’s Prince Daniel was arriving in the country. He is scheduled to be both in Washington, D.C. and New York City from Monday until November 2nd. Accompanying Daniel on this working visit – his first such trip to the United States – is Swedish Minister of Social Affairs Göran Hägglund.
 Click here for more photos The Prince began his trip with a stop at the Newseum, a museum dedicated to the history of the media and press. He then later went to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
For Tuesday, Prince Daniel will be at a seminar of how health care providers and patients can work together to prevent illness and promote health. This is a topic the Prince knows very well – before marrying Crown Princess Victoria in 2010, he was a personal trainer. He also had a kidney transplant the year before and is currently a student at the Karolinska Institute.
The next day, Daniel and Hägglund will go to a D.C. area school for Nordic Food Day, where the Scandinavian embassies will serve such dishes to the thousands of D.C. students. The Prince and the Minister will discuss with the students on how to eat healthy.
On Thursday, His Royal Highness will go outside of D.C. to Wilmington, Delaware for the Swedish Colonial Society. Delaware was once part of Swedish colonies.
After the weekend, Daniel and Hägglund will head up to New York City and visit the Swedish-United Nations delegation. He might also hang out with sister-in-law, Princess Madeleine, who’s been spending much of her time in the city.
Madeleine will join Prince Daniel for the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce’s “From Farm to Fork” dinner and seminar in New York on November 1st and 2nd.
After that, the Prince will return to Sweden.
Source: The Embassy of Sweden, The Royal Forums
The royals of Scandinavia spent some time together in New York, both in the morning and in the evening. They are in the Big Apple mainly to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Scandinavian-American Foundation.
 Click here for images of the Ground Zero visit But sadly, no visit to New York is without a visit to Ground Zero, site of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Together, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, and Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary went to the place where nearly 3,000 people died. With them were the Presidents of Finland and Iceland. Everyone went to the memorial and laid flowers there. All look solemn during the visit.
For the rest of the day, each royal couple went to their separate engagements. The Danish Crown Princely couple went to the BIG Architectural Studios, the Norwegian King and Queen attended an awards ceremony, while their Swedish counterparts met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and his wife Yoo Soon-taek at the United Nations headquarters.
 Check out more photos of the gala here In the evening, it was time to dress up for a black-tie event for the American-Scandinavian Foundation’s centennial ball. All three royal couples, plus the Presidents of Finland and Iceland, went to the Hilton Hotel for the event. Even Sweden’s Princess Madeleine, who’s been spending most of her time in New York these days, attended.
After today, Frederik and Mary will spend a few more days in New York, while the Kings and Queens of Norway and Sweden will go north to Jamestown, near Buffalo, New York Saturday, to celebrate the Norden Club’s centennial anniversary and visit the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. The Norden Club was founded in 1902 by Swedish immigrants to the area.
Source: WGRZ, The Royal Forums
On Thursday evening, five Scandinavian royals – and Finland’s President – opened the art exhibition, Luminous Modernism:
Scandinavian Art Comes to America 1912, at the Scandinavian House in New York.
 Click here for image gallery at Daylife.com Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen of Silvia, and Crown Princess Mary were present for the inauguration. All are in New York for tomorrow’s centennial ball for the Scandinavian-American Foundation.
It was Queen Sonja who did the actual ribbon cutting.
The exhibition showcases 48 works by Nordic artists who did modernism style, such as Edvard Munch, Vilhelm Hammershøi,and Anders Zorn. It is a sort of remake of the 1912 exhibit that displayed the modernism painting style. The exhibit will be open to the public on October 25th and will run until February 11, 2012.
“During the 100 years of its existence,” said Edward P. Gallagher, President of The American-Scandinavian Foundation. “The ASF has played a leadership role in promoting American awareness of Nordic culture. In looking back at the 1912 exhibition of Scandinavian modernists, we pay tribute to our founders’ vision and to a pivotal event in the study and appreciation of Nordic art in this country.”
Source: Scandinavia House
If you live in the American Midwest, you might have a chance to get a glimpse of Norwegian royalty for the next few days.
 Click here for the original photo and article at Aftenposen Their Majesties, King Harald V and Queen Sonja, are on an 11 day tour of the United States. They are there to tour Norwegian-American institutions and communities, the latter which has plenty of. The Midwest is known for its roots in Norway.
The couple arrived late Tuesday night in St. Paul, Minnesota. They were greeted by former Vice President Walter Mondale, the governor of Minnesota, Mark Dayton and the city’s own mayor, Chris Coleman at a St. Paul hotel.
Before disappearing inside, the King spoke briefly to the Norwegian media. “It’s good to be back here again, pure and simple. It will be interesting.”
When asked what he most looked forward to on this trip, he replied, “To get the old haunts and visit the Norwegian-Americans among other things.”
The next day, the King and Queen rested from their long flight, so their program did not really begin until Thursday. That was when they traveled to Decorah, Iowa to see Luther College and Vesterheim Museum.
 Click here for original article at Des Moines Register The college, founded by Norwegian immigrants, was celebrating its 150th anniversary. Having Norway’s King and Queen there added “the centerpiece to the birthday cake,” said Richard Torgerson, Luther’s president, as he mingled in front of the Center for Faith and Life — a building for which Harald’s father, King Olav, laid the cornerstone in 1975.
During a ceremony at Center, Harald and Sonja were presented with the Spirit of Luther award. As part of his acceptance speech, the King thanked Americans for their support following the July 22nd attacks in Oslo and Utøya.
“The peaceful and inspiring atmosphere of Luther College, however, is a striking contrast to the acts of terrorism that hit Norway so hard on July22. I would like two thank you, the American people, for your support and compassion in the wake of these terrible events.”
Decorah was most excited for its royal guests. Norwegian flags dotted the neighborhood along with the American flag. Some of those who attended the award ceremony at Luther wore traditional Norwegian costumes.
For the remainder of their visit, King Harald and Queen Sonja will visit various Norwegian-American institutions up and down the Midwest, including the world famous Mayo Clinic.
During the end of their tour, they will go to New York City to visit Ground Zero and also celebrate the anniversary of the American-Scandinavian Foundation. At the latter, they will join the Swedish King and Queen and Denmark’s Crown Princely couple for that event.
This is not the first time Harald and Sonja have made such a tour in the United States. They did the same back in the 90s, and the King made trips to the country as Crown Prince. In fact, he lived America during World War II when the royal family was sent into exile following the Nazi invasion. With his mother, Crown Princess Martha and two sisters, Harald spent some time in the White House as a young boy. What other head of state can say the same?
Sources: Kongehuset, Aftenposten, Des Moines Register
Britain’s Prince Harry arrived Friday morning in southern California to the Naval Air Facility at El Centro near the Mexican border. He is to be in the States for two months to complete his training in order to be qualified as an Apache helicopter pilot.
 Click here to check out Prince Harry pics at Daylife.com The Prince is one of 20 British military students who will divide their time between El Centro and the Gila Bend Auxiliary Air Force Base in Arizona. They will be trained on firing missiles, rockets and cannons from the Apache, which is used by British forces in Afghanistan.
Harry spent 10 weeks in Afghanistan from December 2007 to February 2008, and he has expressed desire to return to the war torn country.
However, that decision belongs to the Prime Minister. When Harry went to Afghanistan the first time around, there was a media blackout about his deployment until an Australian magazine and the American news website Drudge Report revealed him fighting in Afghanistan.
Until then, the 27 year old Prince is in the U.S., where locals think it will be exciting to get a glimpse of him. Like all the other students, Captain Wales – as he is known – is free to leave the bases during downtown, but locally, he may not have much to do.
“We don’t have places for him to cruise around. He’s going to get bored. I would recommend the mall,” said Jesus Gonzalez, a local resident.
Where Harry could be spotted is Las Vegas. The media will have a field day is the party-loving Prince turned up in Sin City.
“If they want to fund it themselves and that’s what floats their boat, then yes, they can go to Las Vegas,” says the exercise director of the training session British Lt Col Peter Bullen
Sources: Hello!, Telelgraph
 Click here for more photos at Zimbio.com Spain’s Infanta Cristina represented her country during the opening of the exhibit, “The Invention of Glory: King Alfonso V and Tapestries Pastrana”, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
The tapestries, which measure 10 meters wide and 4 meters high, depict the conquest of the Moroccan cities of Tangiers and Arzila.
Made from between 1475 to 1480, the artwork was owned by Mendoza family until the 17th century.
It is now being shown around the United States and will soon come to Guadalajara, Mexico.
Infanta Cristina, her husband and their four children, moved to the United States two years ago because of Inaki Urdangarin’s job. They now live outside of Washington, D.C.
Source: Hoy Mujer
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