Last updated: May 6th, 2003.
April 1st
The day after their wedding Prince Laurent of Belgium and Claire Coombs will hold a thanksgiving service at 2:00pm in the Church of Our Lady Immaculate Conception in the working-class neighbourhood the Marollen in Brussels. The service will be led by the Parisian Father Guy Gilberts, a good friend of Prince Laurent who will also play a part at the wedding ceremony. Everybody who wants to is allowed to attend the mass on Sunday.
April 2nd
The Belgian royal court issued a list of members of foreign royal families who have confirmed they will attend the wedding of Prince Laurent and Claire Coombs on April 12. The guestlist mentions Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxemburg, Archduke Carl-Christian and Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria, Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, Prince Jean of Luxemburg, Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla of Luxemburg, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Infanta Cristina of Spain and Iñaki Urdangarín, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Mr Pieter van Vollenhoven.
April 7th
Princess Tenagne Worq, daughter and advisor of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, last member of a dynasty that was said to descend from the Queen of Sheba, died on April 6. Born on January 29, 1912, she was the eldest and only surviving child of the Emperor. She was 18 when her father ascended the throne in 1930 and always had a close relationship with her father. At a young age she married Ras Desta Bamtaw with whom she had four daughters and two sons. The Princess remarried in 1944 to Ras Andargatchew Massai. She was imprisoned together with her daughters from 1974 to 1989 and was then released.
April 8th
The Norwegian royal court issued a statement today confirming that Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn's child will in accordance with the Constitution enter the line of succession to the Throne, but won't receive a title. As soon as possible after the Princess's delivery among others politicians, the bishop of Oslo as well as European royals will be informed. Then also an official announcement will be issued. Salutes will be fired from the fortresses and naval ships at the same or the following days in accordance with the salute rules. Flags will be flying on the same or the following day from public buildings. The child's birthday will not become an official flag-day. People will be able to sign congratulation registers at the Royal Palace from noon to 15:00 on the first working day after the delivery.
April 9th
50 Years ago Grand Duke Jean of Luxemburg married Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Luxemburg. The celebrations that were going to be held today unfortunately had to be cancelled when the Grand Duchess was diagnosed lung cancer some weeks ago. The Luxemburg court asked people who want to congratulate the couple with their Golden Wedding Anniversary to donate money to the Luxemburg Red Cross.
Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme and her husband Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn are said to hold a press conference early next week, the couple's sollicitor Mr Nicolai confirmed. They will ask some attention for the forthcoming lawsuit against the Dutch State and will inform the press how the preparations are going, while they will also reveal the names of some of the witnesses. Princess Margarita will also launch a website.
The names of Infanta Cristina of Spain and her husband were taken off the guestlist for the wedding of Prince Laurent of Belgium and Claire Coombs.
April 10th
On April 1st a Royal Decree was issued telling that the title of Princess of Belgium is confered upon Claire Coombs. Surprising is that the title will follow her own name. She will be known from her weddingday as Her Royal Highness Claire Louise Coombs Princess of Belgium.
April 11th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has set 1000 places aside at her Westminster Abbey 50th anniversary service for members of the public. The places will be offered free and admission will be by ticket only. If more than 1000 people apply, a ballot will be held to decide who gets in. Those wishing to attend on June 2 can apply to The Assistant Receiver General Protocol, Room 2, The Chapter Office, 20 Dean's Yard, Westminster Abbey, London, SW1P 3PA, Great Britain. The closing date for receiving requests for tickets is Friday, 9 May 2003. Tickets will be posted by 19 May 2003.
April 12th
Prince Laurent of Belgium married Claire Coombs today in Brussels.
April 13th
Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium attended a thanksgiving service this afternoon in the Church of Our Lady Immaculate Conception in the working-class neighbourhood the Marollen in Brussels. The service was led by Parisian priest Guy Gilbert and attended by some 700 guests. Outside some 4000 people were waiting to catch a glimpse of the couple and the priest.
Prince Gero of Saxony died at the Quinte Health Care Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital in Picton, Ontario, Canada, on April 10, at the age of 77. There will be a private cremation at Elmwood Cemetery and Crematorium in Corbyville, Ontario. Prince Gero was the youngest son of Prince Ernst Heinrich of Saxony, third son of the last king of Saxony Friedrich August III, and Princess Sophie of Luxemburg.
Prince Majid bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia died yesterday at the age of 69 after suffering a chronic disease. Funeral prayers will be performed at the Grand Mosque after the Maghreb (sunset) prayers today. The prince had occupied the posts of Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Governor of Makkah Region.
April 15th
Almost 1.500.000 people watched the wedding of Prince Laurent of Belgium and Claire Coombs on television.
April 16th
Details of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain's Coronation on 2 June 2003 have been announced. To mark the 50th anniversary of the coronation ceremony a service will be held at 11.30am on 2nd June 2003. It will be attended by members of the Royal Family and invited guests. In the afternoon the Queen will host a children's tea party in the garden of Buckingham Palace that will feature pop stars, DJs, a funfair, a circus big top, children's entertainers and military bands. More than 500 youngsters aged 6 to 12 will be invited from all over the UK through Barnado's, the London Taxi Drivers' Fund for Underprivileged Children and SAFFA Forces Help. Children at the party will include some with special needs, orphans and others from Service families involved in the Iraq conflict.
For the first time Queen Margrethe II of Denmark celebrated her (63rd) birthday at Marselisborg Palace in Åhus. She usually appears on the balcony of Amalienborg in Copenhagen, but changed her plans this year as she is still recovering from an operation on her back. More than 10.000 people took the opportunity to enter the park around the palace and to pay a tribute to the Queen. Just after noon the Queen with her husband, sons, daughter-in-law and grandsons Nikolai and Felix came outside on the terrace. The lifeguard played the Queen a birthday song.
The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands were officially received by the mayor of Wassenaar, the village near The Hague where they will start living soon in the house that earlier was occupied by the Prince's aunt Princess Christina. The couple also unveiled a bronze statue of a couple dancing the tango.
April 20th
A 25-year-old drunk man was arrested for suspected burglary on Friday night in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The police were called to The Mews, a row of houses on the grounds of the estate, around 10.30pm. Residents reported that the man had been seen trying to open doors. He was released yesterday after being questioned. No further action was taken. At the time of the accident Queen Elizabeth II was in residence, but a police spokesman said: "At no time was the security of any member of the royal family at risk."
April 21st
Lucas Maurits Pieter Henri van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, son of Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène van Oranje-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven, was baptized today at the chapel of Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn. The service was lead by Reverend Nico ter Linden and Father G. Th. Oostvogel. The godparents were Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven, Mr Jeroen Pit and Mrs Emilie Pit-van Karnebeek. See for a photo here.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain celebrated her 77th birthday today at Windsor Castle. She spent the day privately with the Duke of Edinburgh, members of the family and friends. To mark the occasion 21 Salutes were fired in Hyde Park in London, from Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle.
April 23rd
Princess Astrid of Belgium gave birth to her fifth child at the Clinique Générale Saint-Jean in Brussels at 13:38 today. The baby girl received the names Laetitia Maria. She weighs 3820 grammes and is 52 cm. tall, with blue eyes and chestnut-brown hair. Mother and daughter are doing fine. Laetitia Maria's godparents will be Princess Nora of Liechtenstein and Prince Joachim of Belgium Archduke of Austria-Este.
Former king Constantine of Greece, Queen Anne-Marie and their sons Pavlos and Nikolaos arrived in Saloniki this afternoon. They want to celebrate the Greek-Orthodox Easter in Ioannina and will go back to London on April 29.
Earl Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana of Wales, and his second wife Caroline are expecting their first child together in six months time. Earl Spencer has four children from his first marriage while his wife has two sons from her first marriage.
April 24th
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende was accused today of incorrectly informing the Parliament about a letter from state lawyer Eric Daalder, who wrote him in early March to inform him about a possible misconduct by the director of the Cabinet of the Queen, Felix Rhodius. Apparently Mr Daalder alleged that Mr Rhodius might be guilty of releasing information to a third party about an investigation of the Dutch secret service into Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn, husband of Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme. The couple's lawyer, Mr Peter Nicolai, said the letter of Mr Daalder supports his clients' claims and that the court action will be partly based on the letter. However the Government Information Service says Mr Daalder didn't investigate whether an illegal act had been committed, but only wrote a memo about the various legal aspects that could arise if Mr Rhodius had acted unlawfully. Meanwhile the Parliament received a letter of Princess Margarita and her husband asking members of Parliament to carry out further investigations on the role some members of the royal family should have played. The members of Parliament have reacted negatively and think the couple should leave the decision to the court of justice.
The Prince of Wales visited the Territorial Army Centre in Paisley, Scotland, today. He paid tribute to the British reserve forces after meeting more than 100 relatives of Britons currently serving in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and the Royal Air Force in the Gulf area.
April 25th
The Norwegian Royal Palace has protested against the made up stories that regularly appear in the German press, especially about crown princess Mette-Marit. "What we want, first and foremost, is to give a signal that enough is enough. There are limits to what we can accept," palace spokeswoman Wenche Rasch said on Norwegian television. She said the royal family in particular was offended by stories about alleged pregnancies and abortions. Wenche Rasch has given interviews to both German newspapers and television on behalf of the crown princely couple lately.
A concert was held at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam today on the occasion of Queen's Day and the 65th birthdayt of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Almost the whole Dutch royal family was present. Also Prince Johan Friso's girlfriend Mabel Wisse Smit attended the concert. Princess Margriet was in Chile for a meeting of the Red Cross. Mstislav Rostropovich started the concert with the Sarabande from the Suite nr 2 of Johann Sebastian Bach as a rememberance to Prince Claus. The rest of the programme mainly existed of Russian compositions of among others Shostiakovich and Mussogorsky. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra was led by Mstislav Rostropovich. About 1600 people attended the concert. After the concert a reception and dinner took place.
April 26th
Princess Astrid of Belgium and her husband Prince Lorenz of Belgium Archduke of Austria-Este, together with their four eldest children, proudly presented their newborn daughter Laetitia Maria.
Today Elisabeth Zellinger de Balkany, daughter of Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, married 38-year-old Belgian Olivier Janssens in a religious ceremony in the gothic church in Sainte Mesme near Versailles, France, where the bride's father Robert Zellinger de Balkany owns a castle. The bride wore a dress designed by Italian-Venezuelan Guillermo Mariotto. The bride arrived in a green carriage. The service was led by archbishop Alberto Maria Carreggio of Chiavari, assisted by Bernard Dagron. After the wedding a reception was held at the castle of the bride's father. A civil marriage already took place on October 31, 2002, in Chene-Bourg near Geneva, Switzerland. The couple lives in Thailand, where Olivier Janssens works.
Prince Johan Friso of the Netherlands will officially quit his job at the bank Goldman Sachs & Co in London at May 1st. The bank said that the prince is a very talented banker and that they are very sorry that the prince leaves the company. It is unknown what the prince will do in the future.
April 28th
Eight letters and a Christmas card from the late Princess Diana of Wales to the late fashion editor Liz Tilberis are being auctioned on Wednesday at the Cyr Auction Gallery in Gray, southern Maine, along with 300 other items from Tilberis's estate.
April 29th
At 8:10 pm Princess Märtha Louise of Norway gave birth to a daughter at the Rikshospitalet in Oslo. Maud Angelica Behn is 50 cm tall and weighs 3516 grammes. Ari Behn was with his wife. During the natural delivery Princess Märtha Louise received accupuncture to relief the pain. She was assisted by the director of the hospital Professor dr. med. Thomas Åbyholm, Professor dr. med. Tore Henriksen, midwife Bente Rønnes and child nurse Turis Pettersen. The birth was without complications and mother and child are doing well. Ari Behn said to the press late in the evening that the baby is beautiful and looks a lot like her mother, but looks like himself around the eyes. Maud Angelica Behn is third in line to the Norwegian throne after her uncle Crown Prince Haakon and her mother. She was named Maud after her great-great-grandmother Queen Maud, who was married to King Haakon VI of Norway. Princess Märtha Louise went into labor early this morning and was admitted to hospital around 3pm. Security at the hospital was sharpened immediately and a special room was made available for the quickly arriving media and two palace officials were there to answer questions. After the nearest family, the president of the Norwegian parliament, the Norwegian prime minister, the Norwegian Supreme Court Justice, the bishop of Oslo, the military and other royal houses in Europe were called to make the news of the birth of Maud Angelica known. Queen Sonja hurried back to Norway after a trip to London and arrived at Oslo airport. She told Norwegian television she had heard the news while on the plane. She said: "I am very grateful that everything has gone well." She then left for the hospital to pay a first visit to her granddaughter together with her husband King Harald.
April 30th
Queen's Day in the Netherlands was wet and pretty cold. It didn't seem to bother the royal family. They didn't act so enthusiastic in years. The Queen woke up with a Mexican dance and sing group in her garden, sent to her as a present from her father Prince Bernhard. Thereafter the royal family travelled eastwards to the province of Overijssel. The visit started in Wijhe, where it was dry, and where some 40.000 people had gathered to have a look at the royal family. The programme there was pretty traditional with folk-dancing, but also art. Despite of the pouring rain some 100.000 people were standing along the route in Deventer in the early afternoon. The Queen and her family arrived by boat (catemaran) about half an hour too late, as they had enjoyed the programme in Wijhe very much. At the end of the visit Queen Beatrix held a speech and thanked all the people who had made the day a 'fantastic' event. See for photos here.
Two polls about the Dutch royal family were issued today, one by the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the other by the Nipo in order of NOS Actueel (television). The Nipo inquiry says that some 86% of the people are satisfied with the royal family, while 57% thinks hereditary succession is old-fashioned. Almost half of the people thinks the Prince of Orange is ready to ascend the throne, while 28% finds him still too unexperienced. However he has passed his mother in popularity, while Princess Máxima is the most popular member of the royal family. The inquiry by the Algemeen Dagblad reveals that about 65% of the Dutch people thinks Beatrix should celebrate Queen's Day in a different way with unexpected visits instead of the planned ones, as her yearly visits don't really show how most of the Dutch celebrate Queen's Day. By the way some 69% of the people thinks there is some thruth in the accussations of Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme towards the Dutch royal family.
The birth of Maud Angelica Behn was marked with a 21-gun salute from the Akershus Castle at noon today. The Norwegian flag flew on all public buildings. A congratulatory protocol was set out at the Royal Palace in Oslo today and was available for signing from 11am to 3pm. King Harald and Queen Sonja paid another visit to their first grandchild in the morning . Early in the afternoon also Ari Behn's mother, Marianne Solberg Behn, arrived together with her husband Jan Pahle and her children Anja and Espen Bjørshol. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will pay a visit this Saturday. A photo session of Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn with Maud Angelica will take place on Friday at noon.
In the morning Princess Astrid of Belgium with her newborn daughter Laetitia Maria left hospital. At 3 pm Prince Lorenz of Belgium Archduke of Austria-Este accompanied by three of his children, Maria-Laura, Joachim and Luisa-Maria, arrived at the townhall of Brussels to give notice of the birth of his youngest daughter who was born on April 23. They were received by the Mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielemans. The newborn baby was registered as Laetitia Maria Nora Anna Joachim Zita.
Delphine Boël, (most likely) illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of the Belgians, confirmed the rumours that she is pregnant. She expects her first child this autumn. The father is James O'Hare, a Texan who works in London. They have been a couple already for three years and now will start living together.
Prince Harry of Wales beat his brother William and was chosen the favourite young royal in a survey of Mizz Magazine among girls aged 10 to 14. 72% of the girls, especially in Wales and London, liked Harry more than William. However William won the race in Scotland. Sharon Christal, editor of Mizz, said: "Our readers love Harry's fun, devilish ways and his wacky hairdo - at last, a student Royal who doesn't know what a hairbrush looks like and doesn't care."
Royal News: March 2003. Last updated: April 5th, 2003.