ROYAL NEWS: APRIL 2008

Last updated: May 4th, 2008.

April 1st
Lord Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker on his second day of summing up in front of the jury of the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales said that the evidence former royal butler Paul Burrell gave was clearly 'not the whole truth'. He said that all of Mr Burrell's testimony couldn't be discounted and he asked the jury to 'proceed with caution'. The Coroner also urged the jury to question the reliability of four other witnesses, two of them claiming to have been near the tunnel when the car crashed, the other two being the late photographer James Andanson and John MacNamara, former head of security of Mohamed al-Fayed. The Coroner also asked the jury to consider the role alcohol had played in the crash. The inquest was shortly halted the Coroner received an email from Paris referring to a possible sample from the body of driver Henri Paul. After a break the Coroner the Coroner told the jury - after they had been able to read a translation of the email - that the email gave information in very broad terms and that it seems very doubtful that it contains anything new.

Yesterday a press conference was held at the Province House in Leeuwarden to announce the programme for Queen's Day 2008 on 30 April in Makkum and Leeuwarden. The members of the Dutch royal family present are: Queen Beatrix, the Prince of Orange, Princess Maxima, Prince Friso, Princess Mabel, Prince Constantijn, Princess Laurentien, Princess Margriet, Pieter van Vollenhoven, Prince Maurits, Princess Marilène, Prince Bernhard, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, Princess Anita, Prince Floris and Princess Aimée. Princess Annette will not come because she recently gave birth to her third child. More information about the route and programme at the websites below.

Koninginnevereniging Makkum

Koninginnedag 2008 in Franeker

The auction of 1000 objects - all together in 430 lots - from the possession of the princely family of Liechtenstein at Christie's in Amsterdam brought in 5,4 million Euro. That was twice as much as expected. A pair of globes by from Willem Janszoon Blaeu were sold for 793.850 Euros. After the auction Prince Hans Adam II said: "We are very happy about this result. Christie's made possible that pieces of art collected by the House of Liechtenstein over the centuries have found new owners, wo value these objects as much as my family and me. The proceeds of today's auction will benefit the Liechtenstein Collection, which concentrates mainly at European art from the Renaissance to the 19th century. From 2011 there will be more exhibition space available at the Liechtenstein Museum in the Stadtpalais in the Bankgasse [Wien] - which general reorganisation has started in July 2008 - which will make it possible to present more of the 1400 stored paintings for a broad audience.

April 2nd
Lord Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker concluded his summing up in front of the jury of the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales this morning. Afterwards he sent the jury out to consider its verdicts. He told the six women and five men: "You have listened to a vast amount of evidence with, if I may say so, obvious care and great commitment." All members of the jury have recieved an inquisition form to record their verdict on. They are also expected to add narrative conclusions.

Four British royals made it to the GQ list of best-dressed men in Great Britain. Prince Harry ended on place 12, the Prince of Wales on place 25, the Duke of Edinburgh on place 33, followed on place 34 by Prince Michael of Kent. The list is led by actor Daniel Craig.

On 24 April a collection of royal artifacts from James C. Russo's Russian and British Royal Objects Collection will be auctioned at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, Texas, USA. Among the pieces that are auctioned are an Imperial Faberge heart-shaped sterling silver clock from 1891 - a gift fromTszar Alexander III to his wife Maria Feodorovna on the occasion of their 25th wedding anniversary - a Napoleon III gold and diamond snuffbox, a traveling Birmingham silver tea set in case, a Russian Empress Alexandra Imperial porcelain Easter Egg with box, a Tsar Alexander I diamond and enamel Imperial presentation bracelet with box and a portrait miniature of King George V. Proceeds of the Princess Diana lots will benefit the Russo-Cointreau Foundation.

April 3rd
The Prince of Orange, Princess Maxima, Princess Margriet, Pieter van Vollenhoven, Prince Bernhard, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, Princess Anita, Princess Irene and Prince Carlos de Bourbon de Parme attended the memorial service for Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema at the parish church of Wassenaar. Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema, also know as the Soldier of Orange, died at Hawaii on 26 September 2007. There were among others speeches and readings by actor Rutger Hauer, Prince Pieter-Christiaan and the Prince of Orange. The last in his speech remembered the fact that Mr Hazelhoff Roelfzema closely knew five generations of Orange-Nassau family members. After he fled to England after the beginning of World War II Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema became a pilot in the British RAF and landed at the Dutch cost several times to pick up people and bring them to England. In 1945 he became aide-de-camp of Queen Wilhelmina and he lifted the later Queen Beatrix and her sisters on Dutch soil after five years abroad. He was a close friend of Prince Bernard, and was befriended even with the younger generation. In 1980 he was also King of Arms at the inauguration of Queen Beatrix.

Budgetminister Luc Frieden confirmed yesterday evening that 384,54 hectares of woods and pastureland around the grand ducal residence was sold to the Luxemburg state for 6.152.605 Euros on 21 March. The fence around the woods at Colmar-Berg will be removed in the coming weeks and the woods will be disclosed. The woods at Grünewald were not sold, but will also be disclosed.

April 4th
Buckingham palace announced that the Duke of Edinburgh has been admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London yesterday afternoon for assessment and treatment for a chest infection. He is being treated by Professor John Cunningham. The Duke's programme for today and for the weekend has been cancelled. He already had to cancel several engagement this week due to a heavy cold.

The jury at the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales has retired for the weekend. They have failed to reach a decision in three days of deliberations. They will return to court on Monday.

Mr Prachanda of the Nepalese Maoist party today threatened to punish King Gyanendra of Nepal if he doesn't vacant the palace in Kathmandu after the polls on April 10. He said that if the king 'has some wisdom then he has to go'.

April 5th
Eight Moroccan rights activists were set free yesterday after receiving a royal pardon. They had been jailed for chanting anti-monarchist slogans on Labour Day demonstrations in 2007. Also nine others who were given suspended sentences were pardoned.

A fire has badly damaged the Moncalieri Castle in Italy. The fire broke out this morning. The first estimated damage is 10 million Euros, but it is to early to say what the exact damage is. Cause is probably short circuit. Firemen are still at the castle. Damaged are among others the room where in 1849 the proclamation took place, the mirror room, the bedroom of Queen Mary Adelaide of Sardinia, the bedroom of King Vittorio Emmanuele I of Italy and the cabinets.

April 6th
The Duke of Edinburgh was discharged from hospital at 1.30pm and is recuperating at Windsor Castle now. When leaving hospital the Duke thanked the staff before walking to the waiting car and smiling and waving to the photographers. Royal officials stressed that his stay in hospital was a precaution, not an emergency. Buckingham Palace says that engagements on Monday have been cancelled and that future diary dates will be decided upon on a day-to-day basis.

Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan and their daughter Princess Aiko visited Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko today at the imperial palace. They also visited the imperial couple on March 26. In the days between the two visits the crown princely family had been on a skiing trip to Nagano Prefecture. The chief of the Imperial Household Agency in a press conference on 27 March quoted the imperial couple as saying that the skiing trip would be "good for the recovery of Crown Princess Masako".

April 7th
The jury of the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales and Dodi al-Fayed made known their verdict late this afternoon. With a majority of nine to two they say the couple was unlawfully killed due to the gross negligence of driver Henri Paul and the paparazzi following them. The jury also specified that the drink-driving of Mr Paul and the lack of seatbelts contributed to their deaths. In a statement Prince William and Prince Harry of Wales said: "We agree with their verdicts and are both hugely grateful to each and every one of them for the forbearance they have shown in accepting such significant disruption to their lives over the past six months." They also thanked Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker for his unfailing courtesy and former bodyguard Trevor Rees for giving evidence. They further said: "Finally, the two of us would like to express our most profound gratitude to all those who fought so desperately to save our mother's life on that tragic night." Mohamed al-Fayed refuses to accept the verdict. In a statement he said that the verdicts will come as a blow to his many supporters around the world. He said: "For 10 years I have endured two police investigations. The French and the Scotland Yard inquiries were wrong. These inquests prove it. They said it was an accident and their findings are now dismissed." With the verdict the six-month inquest - which costed an extimated £10 million - has come to an end.

Jesper Boldsen, a forensic scientist from the University of Southern Denmark today said that he and other scientists have been unable to recover usable DNA from bodies which are said to be of King Knud the Holy and his brother Benedikt. They are buried at Odense. Examinations of the bodies however indicate that the two certainly belonged to the uppermost crust of society as they show no signs of having performed manual labour. The scientists hope to continue the study of the two bodies for another 10 to 15 years as technology might be much more developped by then.

Prince Tomihito of Japan was released from hospital in Tokyo today after undergoing surgery to remove throat cancer on March 14. The Imperial Household Agency says the prince has recovered after the operation and regained his voice four days after the surgery.

April 8th
Mohamed al-Fayed has said today although he doesn't approve 100% he accepts the verdict of the jury at the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales and Dodi al-Fayed. In an interview at ITV he said he will abandon his legal battle for the sake of Princess Diana's sons: "I'm a father who has lost his son and I've done everything for 10 years. Now, I accept the verdict but with reservations. I'm leaving the rest for God to get my revenge, but I'm not doing anything any more."

Max Soltmann and his wife Princess Xenia zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg had their second child on Sunday 6 April. Their 2-year-old son Ferdinand got a little sister. The name is not known yet.

April 9th
Scotland Yard today confirmed that police are considering whether to investigate former royal butler Paul Burrell for alleged perjury. An unidentified person has filed a complaint. Yesterday Lord Justice Scott Baker, coroner at the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales, had said yesterday he wouldn't ask for launching a perjury investigation.

A high resolution copy of the only surviving copy of the death warrant of Mary Queen of Scots will be on display at Blairs Museum of Catholic Heritage near Aberdeen in Kincardineshire, Scotland. Lambeth Palace Library bought the copy recently for more than £70,000.

Paul Druker, former husband of Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium, died on 1 April aged 70, after a serious illness. He was born on 1 November 1937 as son of Maurice and Rita Druker. He married Linda Martin who died in 1974. With her he had three daughers Jennifer, Julie and Rachel. In 1981 he married Princess Marie-Christine of Belgium at Florida, USA, but they already split up after a few weeks. He is survived by his daughters and his present wife Susan Davidson, her two sons, and several grandchildren.

Delphine Boël, illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of the Belgians, says in her autobiography "Cutting the Umbilical Cord" which is to be released on Saturday that she is no longer obsessed about the fact that her father doesn't accept her as his daughter. She says she has now said what she has to say.

April 10th
The Danish Parliament "Folketing" has agreed to give Marie Cavallier Danish citizenship when she marries Prince Joachim of Denmark on 24 May. Only the Enhedslisten didn't agree. The parliament welcomes the new princess in Denmark and wish her and Prince Joachim all the best for their future together. Also the new monogram of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie was released today. It was designed by Prince Joachim with the help of royal arms painter Ronny Andersen.

Monogram

Rolf Berntsen, stepfather of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, died today at the Sørlandet Hospital in Kristiansand. He was 75 years old.

Princess Aiko of Japan was accompanied by her parents Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan at the entrance ceremony at Gakushuin Primary School in Tokyo today.

A dagger used by 17th century Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan was sold today for $3.3 million at Bonham's in London. On the curved-tip blade of the dagger a royal emblem and date inscribed suggest the dagger might have been made in 1630 for the emperor's 39th birthday.

April 11th
Prince William of Wales received his wings today from his father the Prince of Wales at a graduation ceremony at RAF Cranwell. Prince William spent the past four months at the RAF and learnt to fly Tucanos and Squirrel helicopters during an intensive training programme. He now will spent three more weeks with the RAF visiting a number of other bases to complete his attachment. He will bgin his attachment with the Royal Navy at the beginning of June.

The Prime Minister of Thailand, cabinet members and their spouses offered food to 144 monks at Dusit Mahaprasat Throne Hall this morning to mark the 100th day of mourning for Princess Galyani Vadhana of Thailand. The Prime Minister and his wife also had an audience with King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand at the Grand Palace in Bangkok to join the merit-making ceremony for the late princess.

April 12th
The Tower of London has been covered by a canvas for a £2 million facelift which will take three years. The canvas that will cover the facade will show a collage of scenes from the history of the 950-year-old White Tower. The wall hanging was unfurled during a ceremony yesterday.

Prince Bernhard van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven had surgery on Thursday at the Academisch Medisch Centrum in Amsterdam. A piece of his intestine was removed because of a benignant stricture. The operation went well and the prince is expected to have to stay in hospital for about one week. De Telegraaf today says that he has Crohn disease.

Salman Khurshid, a congress party leader, spoke in London today at the launch and reading of his play Sons of Babur. He said to hope that his play on Mughal history will lead to the return of the remains to India of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar who died in 1862. The emperor spent his last days in Myanmar.

April 13th
King Gyanendra of Nepal today issued a message to his people on the occasion of the new Nepali year: "Beloved countrymen, we extend best wishes for peace, good health and prosperity of all Nepalis, living in the country and abroad. The enthusiastic participation of the Nepalese people in the Constituent Assembly elections, through which they have emphatically reiterated their firm resolve not to compromise the nation's existence, independence and integrity under any circumstance is a source of satisfaction for us. Along with peace and democracy, may the New Year inspire us all to uphold our legendary wisdom in ensuring that our national pride, its distinctive values and identity remain uppermost." This might be his last message as a King as results of the elections of last Thursday are slowly starting to come in.

April 14th
A jury was told at the first day of the trial at the Old Bailey in London that a member of the British royal family was blackmailed by Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan after two men filmed his senior aid snorting cocaine and accusing his boss of performing a gay sex act on him. He also said that another royal had 'flashed his willy in his face' in a toilet. Strachan and McGuigan threatened to make the video and audio files public unless they were paid £50,000. For legal reasons the names of the member of the royal family and his senior aid will not be mentioned.

According to royal accounts released this week the 70th birthday parties of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway in 2007 contributed to an annual deficit on the royal accounts. They spent 5,4 million Norwegian crowns to celebrate. The palace reported an overall deficit of 10,5 million crowns for 2007. The palace received 137 million crowns in funding. Energy costs have been cut, and the deficit will be covered by a capital account. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit ended up with a surplus of 462.000 crowns, with a budget of 12,6 million crowns.

April 15th
The private christening of Viscount Severn, son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, will take place at the private chapel at Windsor on 19 April 2008. One official photo will be released after the christening. He will wear a replica of Queen Victoria's daughter's christening gown which was worn at subsequent royal christenings. It is the first time this gown has been worn by a member of the Royal Family and was commissioned by The Queen.

The costs of the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales have topped £12.5 million according to new figures. £4.5 million was spent on the coroner's investigation, while a further £8 million was spent on the Metropolitan Police investigation.

Prince Philippe de Ligne became engaged to Laetitia Rolin. Prince Philippe de Ligne is a son of Prince and Princess Wauthier de Ligne, and a grandson of Princess Alix de Ligne née Princess of Luxemburg. Laetitia Rolin is a daughter of Mr and Mrs Jean Rolin.

April 16th
Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde had a second daughter and fourth child at 4.50am at the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht. She was named Eléonore Fabiola Victoria Anne Marie. The child weighs 3210 gramms and is 50 cm tall. The princess and her daughter are doing fine. Godparents will be Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Claire of Belgium and Count Sébastien von Westphalen zu Fürstenberg.

Prince William of Wales has been attacked by a number of politicians for using a Chinook helicopter of the RAF to fly to the Isle of Wight on Friday for the stag party of his cousin Peter Phillips. On the way to the Isle of Wight he picked up his brother Prince Harry at the Woolwich army barracks near London. The Ministry of Defence has said however that the sortie had been planned as a part of his training. They say: "Having spent a week under instruction with a Chinook helicopter squadron Prince William flew a legitimate training sortie which tested his new skills to the limit. The flight involved negotiating the "busy London flying lanes," before "making a water crossing and an approach to a civilian airfield."

Rolf Berntsen, since 1994 stepfather of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, was buried today. The funeral service at Oddernes kirke in Kristiansand was attended by Marit Tjessem, her children and stepchildren, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway with Marius Borg Høiby and Princess Ingrid Alexandra.

Prachanda, leader of the Maoist party that won the Nepalese elections, told an Indian tv-channel yesterday: "I think within one month all these things should be cleared and I hope and I expect that within one month we will organize the first meeting of the first assembly and that first meeting should abolish the monarchy." He says he doesn't think that there will be a demand for a ceremonial monarchy.

April 17th
HQ pictures of the members of the Dutch Royal House were published on the website of the family. The photos were made by Frank van Beek on 1 February 2008 at the celebration of the 70th birthday of Queen Beatrix and the 65th birthday of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands.

The photos

During a question hour at the Belgian parliament several Belgian politicians have asked for a cut in the apanage of Prince Laurent of Belgium. They also wanted to know whether the prince used his apanage for buying a villa in the south of Italy in 2002. Prime Minister Yves Leterme said: "Juridically seen there are no conditions for royals who receive an apanage." He also said that it is up to the parliament to ask for changes of the laws. Most Belgian political parties have said they want the government to limit apanages to the king, widow of the former king and the heir. Mr Leterme also said that the profits of the GRECT foundation of which Prince Laurent is the president and founder is being used to finance projects, and that thus its profits don't go to the prince.

During the British royal blackmail trial in London a female royal aid said to have been stunned to receive several threatening phone calls last Summer from men who wanted to blackmail her boss of having had gay sex with an employee and taking drugs. She said that she knew the allegiations weren't true.

Egyptian archaelogists have discovered that the tomb of pharaoh Seti I in the Valley of Kings is bigger than thought. The crypt turns out to be 136 meters long. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt said: "[This is] the largest tomb and this is longest tunnel that's ever found in any place in the Valley of the Kings. And we still did not find its end until now." The tomb is the biggest one in the Valley of Kings. During the recent excavations they also found clay vessels, fragments of the painted wall reliefs and an ushabti figure.

April 18th
The first pictures of Princess Eléonore of Belgium with her parents, her sister and her two brothers were released today.

Photo gallery

On the occasion of the 60th birthday of the Prince of Wales this year a new biography is to be published next month accompanying an exhibition at Windsor Castle. The 120-page book features 270 illustrations and a note from the prince as 5-year-old to his grandmother. The images are from the Royal Archives, the Royal Photograph Collection and the Prince's personal collection. Also some of the prince's favourite paintings from the Royal Collection are shown in the book. The exhibition at Windsor Castle will be open from 16 to 22 May.

Prince Harry of Wales has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant, because he has completed two years in the Army.

During the British royal blackmail trial in London a friend of the blackmailed royal said that the royal had told him to do 'whatever it takes' to protect his family. This friend helped Scotland Yard setting up a sting with an undercover policeman. He thought that the plot may have been made in a feud between two boyfriends one of them being suspect Ian Strachan.

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the independent Czech state, the Czech coronation jewels will be on display at the Vladislav Hall at the Castle of Prague from 19 to 29 April. Yesterday the five politicians and two church dignitaries, including president Václav Klaus, opened the crown chamber in the St Wenceslas chapel at the St. Vitus Cathedral. The jewels have been stored there since 1971. The last time they were on display was five years ago.

April 19th
James Alexander Philip Theo Mountbatten-Windsor Viscount Severn was christened today at the private chapel of Windsor Castle. The service was conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Rt Rev David Conner. The son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex wore a replica of the satin and lace royal christening gown, which was made in 1841 and had been used for every royal christening until this one. The new robe was commissioned by the Queen to preserve the original. The godparents were Alastair Bruce, Duncan Bullivant, Tom Hill, Denise Poulton and Jeanye Irwin. The ceremony was attended by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh. One picture of little James with his parents was released after the private christening.

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement after News of the World criticized Prince William of Wales for touching down at a field in Berkshire belonging to the Middleton family on 3 April. The Ministry says the prince had permission to land an helicopter there as part of his attachment to the RAF. They say that the Chinook helicopter landed for 20 seconds and that noone got on or off.

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden was unhurt after an accident during a testrace in his Porsche at the Knutstorp racetrack in the south of Sweden this morning. He was preparing for qualifying for the Porsche Carrera Cup. The prince left the car unhurt and also the car didn't seem to suffer much damage.

Prince Emanuele Filiberto, who took part in the Italian parliamentary elections last weekend, didn't manage to get one of the six seats in the Chamber of Deputies representing Italians living in Europe but outside Italy. He only received 4457 votes, which was 0,439%. He recieved among others 1600 votes from Italy, 800 from Belgium, 400 from Germany and 69 from Spain.

Mr Prachanda, leader of the Maoist party, said that King Gyanendra of Nepal should be allowed to leave his palace with dignity and live as a common citizen. He said he would be happy to hold talks with the King. He also said: “Even after he leaves the throne he should be allowed to continue with his business affairs or other activities, including engagement in politics in future if he so desires." On Wednesday senior Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai said that they want to respectfully remove the monarchy.

April 20th
Magali Margriet Eleonoor van Vollenhoven, daughter of Prince Floris and Princess Aimée van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, was christened at the chapel of Palace Het Loo this afternoon. She was christened by the Rev. Anne van der Meiden. Her godparents were Prince Bernhard van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, Pieter van Voorst Vader, Magali Söhngen and Loes Korthals. The first one wasn't present because of surgery one week ago. Among the guests were the whole Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven family, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Prince of Orange with Princess Alexia, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien with their three children, as well as Prince Carlos de Bourbon de Parme.

Official photo

April 21st
Prince Philippe of Belgium registered the birth of his daughter Princess Eléonore at the municipality house in Anderlecht late this morning. From the mayor of Anderlecht, Mr Gaëtan Van Goldsenhoven the Prince received a huge teddybear for his daughter. Outside tens of people waited to congratulate the Prince. In the afternoon the prince, Princess Mathilde and little Princess Eléonore left the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht after a short press conference. Prince Philippe said that there is now a very nice balance in the family, two boys and two girls. The couple hasn't discussed a fifth child yet. Prince Philippe furthermore thanked the hospital staff for the good care and also thanked his wife for the wonderful gift, almost on his birthday. Princess Mathilde told that Eléonore is a calm baby. The other three children can't wait until they're home. Princess Elisabeth behaves like a real mother. Asked about the health of her father Princess Mathilde said that his neurological condition is stable, but that he is slowly getting better.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall unveiled the Queen Mother Memorial Gates at Glamis Castle. They were met by a crowd of about 200 people. The gates are of wrought iron and feature the coat of arms of the Queen Mother, who spent much of her childhood at the castle. The Prince of Wales said: "Like many here, I suspect, I miss my grandmother every day."

Prince William and Prince Harry of Wales today visited the Defence Medical Services Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court, Surrey. They met patients undergoing treatment and patients with limited mobility. The princes also joined patients and staff in a discussion about next month's City Salute Appeal which is aimed at raising support for British troops.

Ministers want to change the British succession law. They want to give women equal rights to succeed the British throne, ending the rule of primogeniture. The change would not affect the current line of succession, but would mean that if Prince William had a daughter and then a son, his daughter would become Queen. A previous attempt to change the law ten years ago failed.

King Gyanendra of Nepal has denied reports that he will go into exile. A statement from his press office says that recent foreign media reports are "totally fabricated and unfounded." The Maoist party, which won the elections, has said that Nepal is going to be declared a republic soon and that the King has to accept it. They have urged the King to step down from office himself.

April 22nd
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has appointed Prince William of Wales a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. A spokesman for Clarence House said Prince William was "delighted and honoured" at the appointment. He will receive his insignia by the Queen during a service at Windsor Castle in June. Prince William will become the 1000th Knight in the Register.

During a state banquet on the occasion of the state visit of the Hungarian president to Belgium Queen Fabiola of the Belgians was caught on camera telling about her five miscarriages. She said to a woman sitting on her table: "Myself I lost five children. You learn from such experiences. During my pregnancies I had problems every time, but do you know, eventually I find that life is beautiful." It is the first time she talked about it in public.

The Louvre and the Friends of the Louvre have acquired a diamond brooch of Empress Eugénie of France last week. The brooch was originally planned to be auctioned by Christie's at New York on April 15, but the auction was cancelled at the final our. The Louvre negotiated afterwards about a private sale with the agreement of the owner. They paid 6,72 Million Euros. President of the Louvre, Henri Loyrette, said: "The crown jewels are important among the nation’s treasures and we are thrilled to see the brooch of Empress Eugénie returning to France." The brooch is one of the last intact pieces of the French crown jewels that were sold by the French republican government in the 19th century.

April 23rd
It has emerged that during his one week Chinook helicopter training Prince William of Wales made in total five 'pleasure trips'. Apart from using the helicopter to fly to the stag party of Peter Phillips at the Isle of Wight, and landing at Kate Middleton's parents' house in Berkshire, he also made training flights to a wedding in Hexham, Highgrove and Sandringham. RAF officials admit that there was a 'degree of naivety' in allowing the flights, they said that the prince broke no rules and that there wouldn't be any punishments.

Mayor José Antonio Barroso of Puerto Real, province of Cádiz, might face charges after he called King Juan Carlos of Spain 'a son of a lecher' and 'corrupt' at a republican gathering on 16 April. The prosecutor of the province of Cádiz announced today that he will open an investigation into the statements.

60% of the Dutch think that 30 April should stay a national feastday, also after the Prince of Orange has taken over the throne. The TNS Nipo poll also said that 34% doesn't care, while 5% thinks that 30 April should become a normal day. 37% of the people questioned put out the flag on 30 April.

Simeon Hassan, son of Kitin Muñoz and Princess Kalina of Bulgaria, was christened in an orthodox service at the Saint Ivan Rilski chapel of the royal residence of Tsarska Bistritsa in Borovetz, Bulgaria. His godparents were Princess Irene of Greece and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and according to some reports also former King Simeon of Bulgaria. The King of Morocco couldn't attend, but sent a representative.

Prince Oupa Moilwa of the Bahurutshe royal house appeared before the Magistrate's Court in Randburg today. The prince is married to Princess Ntantoyesizwe Zulu and paid 114 cows as ilobolo for her in 2002. He so far paid R700 for the maintainance of his 9-year-old son with a former girlfriend. But the former girlfriend turned to court in 2005 saying it costs her R5500 a month to maintain the child and that is the amount of money the prince should pay to her. The Prince says that he can only afford to pay R1600 a month as his salary as salesman at a motor dealer in Johannesburg is R7500 a month. The hearing was postponed to 22 May as the former girlfriend thinks the offer of R1600 is far too little.

According to researchers, who recently analysed the tombs and artifacts found there, one of three royal Macedonian burials excavated in 1977 at Vergina, Greece held the body of the halfbrother of Alexander the Great instead of the body of Alexander the Great's father Philip II. This may mean that some of the artifacts found in the tomb originally might have belonged to Alexander the Great himself, as his halfbrother is thought to have claimed his helmet, shield and silver crown after Alexander's death.

April 24th
Today 475 years ago Prince William of Orange was born at Dillenburg, Germany. DelftTech now is making a 3D reconstruction of his assassination on 10 July 1584 by Balthasar Gerards. They will put all available information in the reconstruction, like eyewitness reports and drawings of the murder. Director Willem van Spanje says he is curious to find out if Balthasar Gerards indeed killed the prince, or that the murderer was someone else.

April 25th
General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, has ended all hope for Prince Harry of Wales to return to the front line in Afghanistan today. In an interview he said: "There may well be some point in the future where it will be appropriate to deploy him somewhere but that is not going to happen any time soon."

A picture of Princess Maxima of the Netherlands wearing glasses is not allowed to be published in the Netherlands. The photo was made by an Argentinean photographer at the hotel in Buenos Aires where the princess stayed during her official visit to Argentina last week. According to the Government Information Service the photo was made during a private moment. It wasn't known that the princess wears glasses.

DNA tests and x-ray studies of the bones of two Viking women found at the 22-metre long Oseberg ship which was found in 1904 in the south of Norway have dispelled suspicions that one of the women was a maid sacrified to accompany her Queen in the afterlife. The bones show the elder woman had cancer. Per Holck, professor of anatomy at Oslo University said: "It is a terminal cancer so I'm pretty sure that was the reason for her death." She also suffered from Morgagni's syndrome. The younger woman had a broken collarbone, but that had been healing for weeks and was no part of a ritual execution. Mr Holck said: "We have no reason to think violence was the cause of death. The fracture could have been caused by stumbling or whatever. She could have been seriously hurt, got brain damage. But this fracture alone is no sign of killing." There are still more questions than answers. There was for example not enough DNA to tell if the two women were related.

April 26th
On the occasion of the 41st birthday of the Prince of Orange tomorrow the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble has revealed a video on their website of their performance during the state visit of Queen Beatrix, the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands to India on 25 October 2007. Prince Willem-Alexander is shown in the video as percussionist.

Video

Prince Sébastien of Luxemburg was confirmed at the Roman Catholic church today. The celebration took place at Ampleforth College in York, Great Britain, where Grand Duke Jean of Luxemburg finished his secondary school education.

April 28th
Delphine Boël, illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of the Belgians, and her partner Jim O'Hare had their second child today around 2.00pm. Their son is called Tobias. Mother and son are doing fine.

16 experts led by the Japanese Archaeological Association have been granted a 2 1/2 hour visit to the 5th century Gosashi tomb in February. It is thought that the tomb is the resting place of Empress Jingu, wife of the 14th Emperor of Japan. It was the first time that scholars have been allowed inside a royal tomb outside an official excavation led by the Imperial Household Agency. There is hope that other guarded graves in Japan might also soon be open to independent study. There are some 896 sites in Japan said to contain remains of members of the imperial family. Archaeologist Koji Takahashi said: "The main achievement of the occasion was that for the first time we could enter to do research."

April 29th
The British government said to have no immediate plans to scrap the law that gives males precedence in the line of succession to the British throne. The Attorney General's office said such a move would be complex: "We are ready to consider arguments in this complex area, but there are no immediate plans to legislate. To bring about changes to the law on succession would be a complex undertaking involving the amendment or repeal of a number of items of related legislation, as well as requiring the consent of the legislatures of a number of nations of the Commonwealth."

April 30th
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has decided that her sons Frederik and Joachim, their wives and children will get the title count(ess) af Monpezat in addition to their existing titles. The new title will pass on to future generations in the male line.

The Dutch royal family celebrated Queen's Day at Makkum and Franeker in the Province of Friesland. Only Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, were absent because of health reasons. Queen Beatrix, Princess Maxima, Princess Laurentien and Princess Anita were all dressed in pink, Princess Aimée in yellow. Highlight was when Princess Maxima and Prince Willem-Alexander went speedskating in Franeker, and a salsa dancing Queen Beatrix, Princess Laurentien and Princess Anita in Makkum.

Photos Hendrik Jan van Beek

Photos Bernard Rübsamen Makkum

Photos Bernard Rübsamen Franeker

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden celebrated his 62nd birthday today. He received gifts and flowers in front of the royal palace in Stockholm. The King, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine as well as Princess Lilian appeared on the balcony of the royal palace.

Prince William of Wales paid a secret three-hour visit to British troops at Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Monday. A spokesman said today that he flew a military transport plane for part of the journey to Kandahar. He received permission for the trip from Queen Elizabeth II of great Britain and the Prince of Wales.

Autumn Kelly, fiancée of Peter Phillips, has recently been accepted into the Church of England. By renouncing her Roman Catholic faith Peter Phillips remains in line of succession to the British throne after their marriage. She had been given pastoral advice in Windsor for several months before deciding to convert. The convertion was confirmed by Buckingham Palace.

A fire broke out at the Ganina Yama cathedral complex near Yekaterinburg, Russia, this morning. More than 300 square metres of the complex has been engulfed. The fire started in a two-storied building on the premises of the complex. The cathedral was built on the former site of an old mine where the remains of Tsar Nikolaj II and his family were initially buried.


Royal News: March 2008. Last updated: April 5th, 2008.