ROYAL NEWS: FEBRUARY 2002

Last updated: March 9th, 2002.

February 1st
Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand has secretly married 30-year-old Srirasmi Mahidol na Ayudhya, a university graduate, last year. The wedding was performed at the Nonthaburi palace by his father King Bhumibol. Apparently the Prince's astrological prediction had warned against taking too much effort into the wedding, in case of backfire, so bride and groom were dressed very casually in T-shirts, tracksuits and slippers. The crown prince is twice divorced.

Yesterday Máxima Zorreguieta was handed the summons to appear in court at The Hague in a few months time over the car collision last October. The driver of the other car, Mr van der Bent claims Máxima Zorreguieta was liable because she was exiting from the palace driveway and failed to yield. The royal press office says the palace road has priority. The public prosecutor dropped criminal charges against both drivers.

February 2nd
In sunny Amsterdam the Prince of Orange married Máxima Zorreguieta..

February 3rd
In an interview to the Danish newspaper B.T. Prince Henrik of Denmark says he feels 'thrown over, humiliated and degraded'. After having been number two for may years, now his son Crown Prince Frederik has taken the second place in the Danish monarchy and comes before him at protocolar engagements. "Something like this would not have happened in the United States. There you have the expression 'First Lady', why not 'The First Man?' The First Man is me, not my son.", he said. Now prince Henrik asks himself what his position is and what his value is for Denmark. He says it has nothing to do with his wife Queen Margrethe II and his son. He has gone to his French castle in Caix to take a break and to think about his future. This was also the reason he didn't go to the Dutch royal wedding yesterday.

The Swiss press announced that the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands arrived at Kloten, the airport of Zürich, with an airplane coming from London this afternoon. They travelled further by car from Kloten to an unknown destination. Meanwhile 4000 people took the opportunity to visit the Beurs van Berlage today. The location of the civil wedding could be visited for 10 Euro and for that money you were guided through the building and got a glass of champoigne.

All together about 50 million people all over the world watched the royal wedding in the Netherlands on television. More than 6 million Dutch people watched television, 7,5 million Germans. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, about 600 people watched in a villa hired by the Dutch embassy. 800 Dutch living in France were gathered at the tennis stadium Roland Garros to watch the wedding.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain told well-wishers outside church at Sandringham today that the Queen Mother is 'coming along'. The Queen Mother hasn't been seen in public since almost two months.

February 4th
55% of the British population thinks now the Prince of Wales should marry his girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles, a poll claims. But only 16% of those polled for the Daily Telegraph wanted her to be a queen. The wide-ranging survey on attitudes to the monarchy was commissioned to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. A total of 65% of the 3000 asked said she had done a good or excellent job during her 50-year reign.

Yesterday Queen Margrethe II, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim flew to France to talk with Prince Henrik. Together they gave a 20-minute interview this afternoon and there was a photo session.

February 5th
Sigvard Bernadotte Count af Wisborg, uncle of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, died at the nursing home Borgarhemmet at Söder, Stockholm, yesterday late. He would have become 95 on June 7th. The Swedish flag was flown from half-mast at the Stockholm Palace as soon as the royal court learnt about his death. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia had a meeting with the count's son Michael among others to plan of the funeral. The King issued a statement in which he said the Count will be sadly missed and will leave behind a great emptiness. Count Sigvard lost his princely title when he married Erica Patzek in 1934. After he divorced her he married Sonja Robbert in 1943, but he also divorced her. Since 1961 he was happily married to Marianne Lindberg. The count had one son from his second marriage and has one granddaughter, Kajsa. Count Sigvard fought for years to get his princely title back, but didn't succeed. For the past decennia Count Sigvard has been a well-known designer of among others domestic products, industrial engines and jewelry.

Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark visited the Denmark House at the Champs-Elysées in Paris, France, to open an exhibition about designs of Danish artists. Afterwards the Queen travelled back to Denmark, while Prince Henrik went back to his wine castle.

University lecturers, students and politicians have staged protests after Prince Philippe of Belgium was awarded an honorary degree today. During the ceremony, protesters handed out degree certificates to passers-by and led a donkey wearing a picture of the prince through the streets. The dean of the Catholic University of Louvain awarded Prince Philip the degree to recognise his efforts to promote world peace. Hundreds of protesters turned out after challenging what the Crown Prince had done to deserve the award.

A majority in the Italian Senate agreed with the abolition of the exile of the male members of the Italian Royal Family. The amendment has now gone to the lower Chamber of Deputies. Then both chambers must approve it a second time before it could take effect. Yesterday Prince Vittorio Emmanuele and his son Emmanuele Filiberto made a statement from Geneva, Switzerland, where the family has lived in exile, to declare their loyalty to the Republic of Italy. Many in the centre-left opposition had demanded that they swear allegiance to the Italian Constitution.

The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands stay in Sankt Moritz, Switzerland, in the villa of the recently deceased beer-tycon Alfred Heineken. Meanwhile the 27-year-old man who threw a small paintbomb to the windows of the Golden Coach on Saturday, has been released, but will be sued.

Half April the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands will pay a visit to Ghana because of 300-year-old ties between the Netherlands and Ghana.

February 6th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain celebrated the 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne on the death of her father, King George VI. She thus became the third British monarch to reach this milestone after her ancestors King George III and Queen Victoria. The Queen spent the day at the Sandringham estate. She also opened a cancer centre, the MacMillan Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in nearby King's Lynn in memory of her father who died of cancer. She talked to patients, some receiving treatment during her visit. Also today a portfolio of photographs of the Queen has been published. One of the photos was taken by her son, the Duke of York.

The coffin of Sigvard Bernadotte Count af Wisborg was brought to the Palace Church in Stockholm after a private family gathering at the Royal Palace. The funeral will take place on Friday February 15th at 14:00 local time in the Engelbrekts Church in Stockholm. The Count will be buried at the royal cemetery at Haga. People can say goodbye to him from 12 to 14 February and sign the book of condolences.

February 7th
Crown Princess Masako of Japan is to resume her official duties on Friday, the Imperial Household Agency said today. She is scheduled to attend a commendation ceremony for a youth book report competition in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward together with Crown Prince Naruhito.

In a speech to mark the opening of the parliamentary session Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein has told the Liechtenstein parliament his opponents could impose a dictatorship if they succeed in stripping him of his powers. He also repeated his threat to move his family to Austria if he doesn't get his way in the perennial battle over changing the constitution. He said: "The history of the 20th century unfortunately has all too many examples of self-styled democrats getting rid of a monarchy, without the approval of the people, and then setting up a dictatorship. Do not let yourselves be used by a small group, for whom the parliament is nothing but a piece on a chessboard that can be sacrificed over a constitutional argument." The fight over changes to the constitution has been going on for 10 years in Liechtenstein.

February 8th
The Danish royal court announced that Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra expect their second child in August. Their son Nikolai was born in August 1999. It was said Princess Alexandra will continue with her engagements as long as her pregnancy will allow that.

The Dutch governement has sent a new bill to parliament to reduce the membership of the Royal House. If the law would be accepted, the number of people who are member of the Royal House will be reduced to heirs to the second degree and the ministerial responsibility will only count for them. The ones who are related to the monarch in the third degree will remain in line for the throne. New will be that people can be appointed to the Royal House, but that only counts for people who are in line of succession and who aren't members of the Royal House and their partners. There has been made a temporary provision that until Willem-Alexander takes over the throne, princess Margriet and her sons will remain members of the Royal House. Further members can be discharged from their membership. Only the heir pressumptive is 'Prince of Orange', while the title 'Prince of the Netherlands' can only be given to members of the Royal house, although it can be decided that they keep the title after the loss of membership.

February 9th
Princess Margaret of Great Britain Countess of Snowdon has died peacefully in her sleep at 6:30am in the King Edward VII Hospital in London, Buckingham Palace announced. The Princess suffered a further stroke yesterday afternoon and developed cardiac problems during the night. She was taken from Kensington Palace to the hospital at 2:30am. When she died her children Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto were at her side. Queen Elizabeth II has expressed her great sadness at the death of her sister. It was said she was kept fully informed of developments throughout the night. Today she travelled to Windsor after spending the morning at Buckingham Palace. A spokesman for St James's Palace said the Prince of Wales and his sons were 'deeply saddened'. The Prince of Wales has travelled to Sandringham to be with the Queen Mother. The Union flag at Buckingham Palace was flying at half-mast following the death of Princess Margaret. The last time the princess was seen in public was before Christmas at Princess Alice, the Dowager Duchess of Gloucester's 100th birthday party. All day hundreds of mourners gathered outside Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace and have been placing flowers. Later today it was announced that the funeral will take place on Friday, February 15th, at St George's Chapel, Windsor. It will not be a state occasion. A memorial service will be held at a later date. At 16:00 local time Princess Margaret's body has been taken from King Edward VII Hospital to Kensington Palace in a coffin draped in a Royal Standard and will be moved next week to the Queen's Chapel at St James's Palace.

February 10th
The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to his 'darling aunt' and her incredibly vital spirit. She had suffered a dreadful time in the last few years with an awful illness that was hard for her to bear, he said.

A condolence book has been opened at St James's Palace for members of the public to pay tribute to Princess Margaret. Thoughts can also be posted on the Royal Website. The family has requested that any donations in her memory be sent to the NSPCC, the Royal Ballet or the Guides, three charities Princess Margaret was patron of. The Royal Family will be wearing black throughout the week in memory of the princess. A week of mourning will continue until her funeral at St George's Chapel. Official duties are continuing, but social engagements have been postponed. Today at a service at Sandringham the Duke of Edinburgh and about 80 parishioners heard Canon George Hall speak of the princess's beauty and creativity. At the nearby Sandringham estate the Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales said private prayers in its chapel. Queen Elizabeth II remembered her sister with prayers at Windsor.

Spanish crosscountry skier Johann Mühlegg, who won the 30 kilometres freestyle at the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, wants to give his gold medal - the first ever for Spain at the Winter Games - to King Juan Carlos of Spain. The skier, who was born in Germany, says this way he wants to thank the king for his help by getting the Spanish nationality in 1998.

February 11th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has visited Kensington Palace to pay her private respects at the coffin of her sister Princess Margaret and spoke to members of the princess's staff. Later today the coffin, surrounded with white lilies and roses, was transfered to St James's Palace. The Queen's Pipe Major, James Motherwell, and a colleague, played a lament, the Skye Boats Song, as they marched solemnly ahead of the car as the Princess left Kensington Palace.

From tomorrow until April 14th the bridal gown of Princess Máxima of the Netherlands is shown at the exhibition 'Ja, ik wil' at Palace Het Loo, Apeldoorn. Also the Argentinian plate on which the wedding rings laid during the ceremony, the kneeling cushions of the church and the original marriage certificate and the pens it was signed with are shown.

February 12th
Buckingham Palace announced that the body of Princess Margaret of Great Britain will be cremated after her funeral on Friday. The ceremony will take place at Slough Crematory following the service at St George's Chapel. No members of the Royal Family will be at the cremation which will be attended by Royal household officials. Her ashes will be placed in the Royal Vault at St George's Chapel. She is not the first British royal to be cremated. Earlier also Princess Louise of Connaught (1917), Princess Louise Duchess of Argyll (1939) and Princess Arthur of Connaught (1959) were cremated.

The Dutch Foundation 'Bont voor Dieren' (Fur for Animals) declared Princess Mathilde of Belgium as FurBitch 020202. This way they want to protest against wearing fur during the wedding of the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands. She got 37% of the votes. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands came in second place with 22%, while Queen Margrethe II of Denmark managed to get 15% of the votes and came in third place. People had been able to vote on the website of the Foundation. Also Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg, Crown Princess Maria of Greece, Begum Inaara Aga Khan and Mrs Ter Haar (wife of one of the witnesses) were nominated.

Princess Astrid Mrs Ferner celebrated her 70th birthday today and her birthday party was held at Holmenkollen Rica Park Hotel. It was attended by 60 guests, including King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, Princess Märtha, Ari Behn, Princess Ragnhild and Erling Lorentzen. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are in the USA at the moment to watch the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Princess Astrid was Norway's first lady from 1954, when her mother Princess Märtha died, until 1968 when her brother Harald married Sonja Haraldsen. In recognition of her work for the nation, the Government has decided to grant her a pension of honour of about 400.000 Norwegian Crowns a year.

Prince Henrik of Denmark returned to Denmark after a short stay in France.

February 13th
A doctor was called to Sandringham after the Queen Mother slipped as she was trying to get out of a chair. She cut her arm and has been bandaged. She still hopes to leave for Windsor tomorrow and attend the private funeral of her daughter Margaret on Friday.

February 14th
Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, ruler of Bahrain, has been proclaimed King and the Gulf Island State a constitutional monarchy, a major step in democratic reforms. The King immediately called national elections for a legislative body on October 24th, and municipal elections in May. One of the Chambers will be chosen, the other - an advisory Shura with experts - will be chosen by the government. The two chambers will get legislative authorities. The King will stay the highest power. In 1975 the Parliament had been dissolved. A referendum one year ago showed 98,4 % of the people wanted a constitutional monarchy.

In the late afternoon the coffin of Princess Margaret of Great Britain was moved from the Queen's Chapel at St James's Palace to Windsor Castle. Dean of the Chapels Royal Richard Chartres said a prayer over the coffin as it was carried by pallbearers and carefully placed in a hearse. It was accompanied from St James's Palace by her private secretary, Viscount Ullswater, and a representative of the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Luce. On top of the coffin, shrouded by the princess's standard, are white and pink roses. The Queen Mother arrived at Windsor Castle by helicopter.

Hundreds of people have paid Sigvard Bernadotte Count af Wisborg their last respect at the Palace Church in Stockholm. Over the past three days the lying-in-state was open to the public. The coffin rested before the altar, draped in a Swedish plag and with an enormous wreath of white and yellow tulips.

February 15th
At 15:00 local time the funeral service of Princess Margaret of Great Britain took place at St George's Chapel, Windsor to the day 50 years after the funeral of her father, King George VI. Shortly before the ceremony the Queen Mother confined to a wheelchair arrived from her lodge on the castle estate. Among the 400-450 guests were over 30 members of the royal family, the princess's former husband the Earl of Snowdon, former lover Roddy Llewellyn and her favourite butler Harold Brown. The ceremony was conducted by the Dean of Windsor. Shrouded in her personal standard and adorned in flowers, the coffin of Princess Margaret was carried by 8 servicemen from the nave of the chapel to the quire of the chapel. Princess Margaret chose much of the music and prayers for the service herself, together with her daughter Lady Sarah Chatto. Her son Viscount Linley read the lesson from Romans 8. The music included Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and an organ recital of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. After the service a piper of the Royal Highland Fusiliers played a lament as the coffin was carried to the waiting hearse outside. A crowd estimated at 3000 people fell silent as the coffin was driven from the Castle ground. At the princess's expressed wish only a handfull of witnesses attended the cremation later today at Slough Crematory, among them the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Luce, and the Dean of Windsor, the Rt Rev. David Conner.

At 14:00 the funeral service for Sigvard Bernadotte, Count af Wisborg, was held at Engelbrekts Church in Stockholm. The coffin was shrouded in a Swedish flag and covered with lots of flowers. The minister spoke a lot of about Sigvards contribution to the world of arts and the many talented artists in the Bernadotte family. After the service there was a reception at Waldermarsudde. Among the mourners were King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine and Princess Lilian of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark.

A spokesman of the Princely House of Schaumburg-Lippe confirmed that the marriage of Hereditary Prince Alexander and his wife Marie-Louise (Lilly) was dissolved yesterday at the district court in München at 10:00 in the morning. Their son, Heinrich Donatus, will stay in München with his mother, while Princess Lilly will keep the title Princess zu Schaumburg-Lippe. The couple separated in the summer of 2000 when Princess Lilly left the Castle at Bückeburg.

Instead of the Olympic Winter Games the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands will pay a visit to the Paralympics in Salt Lake City that will be held from 7 to 16 March. They will attend the opening ceremony and most likely also some other events.

February 16th
Princess Margaret of Great Britain's ashes have been taken back from Slough Crematorium to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. They will rest in the Royal Vault for an unspecified period. They are then expected to be placed in the vault with her father as the princess wished.

February 18th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived for a three-day visit in Jamaica. Several hundred people crowded outside the perimeter fence as her plane landed at Norman Manley airport in Kingston. They watched the Queen emerge, wearing a tangerine-coloured two-piece suit and matching hat. She was greeted by Sir Howard Cooke, the Governor-General, and invited to inspect the Guard of Honour, from the 1st Battalion the Jamaica Regiment, before being introduced to the prime minister, P J Patterson, and other leading politicians. Along the route from the airport they were welcomed by waving school children and Rastafarian activists asking to be repatriated to Africa. They then moved to the National Heroes Park in Kingston, where the Queen laid a wreath at the Cenotaph and shook hands with members of the Jamaica Legion, a group of former World War I and World War II veterans. The Queen's visit to Jamaica, her second since 1994 and her sixth over all, is part of her Golden Jubilee Tour. After this visit she embarks on a 10-day tour of New Zealand and Australia.

February 19th
In an address to Parliament Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain told legislators that with independence has come interdependence, pointing to the September 11 attacks on the United States as a reason for countries to work closely together. She urged Jamaicans to protect what she called their rich heritage in music, the arts and sport. Later today heavily armed policemen patrolled crime-infested Trench Town, in the Jamaican capital Kingston, as the Queen toured the ghetto under heavy guard. She among others viewed handicrafts made by students at the Boys' Town school and a community centre. In the evening the Queen had to dine in candlelight when a power cut plunged the Jamaican Governor General's residence into darkness. Two power cuts hit the evening. Earlier she was forced to dress during a 10-minute darkness and joked: "I was putting my tiara on when the lights failed. Isn’t it difficult dressing in the dark!" But the lights went out again while 100 VIPs filed in to the dinner at her official residence, Kings House. She had to be shown downstairs by her protection officer holding a kerosene lamp and torch. The Duke of Edinburgh, behind, stumbled in the gloom and grabbed on to a bannister. As the Queen entered the dingy room, she said curtly: "I don’t know where my table is." A kerosene lamp was hastily placed on the Queen's table and candles found to illuminate the room. The blackout - blamed on a generator fault - ended after an hour.

Thailand's Criminal Court has sentenced Chalasai Yugala, the 29-year-old widow of Prince Thitiphan Yugala from Thailand to six years in jail for killing him with poison. The princess told the police she put insecticide in the prince's coffee on August 21, 1995, soon after their marriage, to make him unconscious so that she could escape the palace. The prince, a cousin of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, went into a coma and died eight days later. Chalasai Yugala was an orphan who was informally adopted by the prince at the age of four. She became his lover at 14 and wife when she was 23. After poisoning him, she ran off with her 19-year old lover, a chestnut peddler named Uthet Choopwa. They have since married and have a son.

More than 33.000 congratulations to the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands were received at the website of the Royal House. 6000 of them came from outside the Netherlands. After they have returned from their honeymoon the congratulations will be handed over to the just married couple.

February 20th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh left Kingston early today for the second city of Montego Bay, Jamaica's tourism mecca. At the end of her three-day visit to Jamaica, the Queen thanked the people for their "wonderful welcome". In the evening they left for New Zealand.

Today hereditary prince Maximilian zu Fürstenberg was cleared of buying 2 kilograms of cocaine. Witnesses didn't manage to give a clear evidence.

February 21st
The Court of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai announced the death of the ruler's 22-year-old son Sheikh Rashid bin Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum. He died early today in a tragic accident. He was buried later today.

February 22nd
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, this morning where they were greeted by Governor General Dame Silvia Cartwright, because New Zealand's premier Helen Clark - a republican - is currently attending a summit of centre-left governments at Stockholm, Sweden. She denied snubbing the couple, saying she would be back in New Zealand for the official part of the Queen's visit. The Queen and the Duke are spending two days recovering after their 20-hour flight from Jamaica stopping briefly at Tahiti. They are staying at the exclusive Huka Lodge at Lake Taupo. It is the Queen's tenth visit to New Zealand in her 50 years as monarch.

A memorial service for Princess Margaret of Great Britain will be held on April 19 at Westminster Abbey, London. It will be attended by Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family. The congregation will include personal friends, representatives from charities, regiments and other organisations.

February 23rd
Prince Albert of Monaco crashed during the third run of four-man bobsled today and slid sideways across the finish line. Driving the Monaco-1, Prince Albert got too high on one of the curves on the lower part of the course and flipped the sled. As it toppled over, the prince's head slammed into one of the side walls as the sled began careening out of control. He was unable to right the sled and it skittered past the finish line on its side, spraying snow and ice as it went. Prince Albert and his crew were helped from their sled by track personnel and happily were uninjured. Prince Albert looked annoyed as he walked to the finish area. After the fourth and last run the team Monaco-1 with Prince Albert, Charles Oula, Jean-François Calmes and Patrice Servelle finished as 28th team over all. The prince appeared in his fifth Olympic Winter Games, and became the first athlete to participate in more than four Olympics in bobsleigh. Being 43 years old he also was the oldest bobsleigh driver to compete at the Salt Lake City Games.

Yesterday evening Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway was admitted to the Rikshospital in Oslo. An influenza she got in Salt Lake City turned into pneumonia, which is probably a complication of a virus illness. She will stay in hospital until further notice. Crown Prince Haakon visited his wife today. The Royal Palace said today she is doing better already.

Princess Aiko of Japan is making good progress at the age of nearly three months, an official at the Imperial Household Agency said yesterday. The update on Aiko’s development coincided with the release of a series of pictures taken with her father, Crown Prince Naruhito, and her mother, Masako, a former diplomat. Aiko is now almost 25in tall and weighs 13lb, according to the agency official, who added that she had developed the ability to laugh. To prepare for solid foods, the princess, who is being breast fed, has recently started drinking barley tea and apple juice, the agency official said, quoting the chamberlain of Tokyo’s Togu Palace, where the crown prince and princess live. When the weather is mild, Aiko’s parents take her for walks in the palace grounds, the agency official said. The Kyodo News agency also reported that on or around 13 March, Princess Aiko will take part in a traditional ceremony celebrating her birth.

February 24th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has received a warm welcome in New Zealand's capital Wellington at the official start of her tour of the country. A large crowd gathered outside Wellington Cathedral. Outside the cathedral the Queen unveiled a consecration stone. The Queen had laid the cathedral's foundation stone on her first visit to the country 48 years ago in 1954. During a service at the cathedral, the Dean of Wellington, the Very Reverend Michael Brown, said a prayer for the late Princess Margaret. Earlier, at a church service in Taupo, the vicar of St Andrew's Anglican Church, the Reverend Geoff Hickman, had expressed his sorrow at the Princess's recent death. At the church in Taupo an estimated 500 well-wishers turned out to see her.

February 25th
Yesterday at Princess Alexia of Greece and her husband Carlos Morales Quintana have become the proud parents of a daughter, Arrietta. She was born at 18:50 at the Teknon Clinic in Barcelona, Spain, is 51 cm tall and weighs 3500 grammes. Today King Constantine and Queen Anne Marie of Greece, as well as crown prince Pavlos, crown princess Maria, prince Nikolaos, Queen Sofia of Spain and the Prince of Asturias visited mother and child at hospital.

The high court of justice in Bucarest, Romania, has decided in favour of former King Michael I of Romania. On behalf of his father Paul von Hohenzollern (Lambrino), eldest son of the King's elder half-brother Mircea Gregor von Hohenzollern (Lambrino), claimed their part on the inheritance of the Romanian Royal Family, including a residence in Romania. A decision by a Romanian court of justice on April 2nd, 1999, said Mircea Gregor is a legitimate son of King Carol II and thus indirectly also said that he is the heir to the Romanian throne. This decision was now declared illegal. Mircea Gregor is the son of King Carol II of Romania and his first, unaccepted, wife Joana Maria Valentina Lambrino, whom King Carol II divorced before the birth of their son. Afterwards he closed a dynastic marriage with Princess Helena of Greece, from which marriage King Michael was born.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh flew to Christchurch on South Island for an official Maori welcome. The Queen doned her Maori cloak, a mantle of authority, and said a few words in Maori after a traditional welcome by the Ngai Tahu, New Zealand's fourth largest tribe. The royal couple then returned to Wellington for a state dinner at Parliament House at which the Queen delivered a keynote speech. Speaking at the dinner the Queen said New Zealand was known throughout the world because of the outstanding achievements of its 3.9 million people. "From such a small population has emerged a remarkably large number of leaders in their field," she said, praising New Zealanders in six vocations including film-making, art, science, innovation and sport.

February 26th
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway reacts well on an treatment with antibiotics and will leave hospital when this treatment is finished. She will have a 14 days sick-leave after her hospital treatment the Royal Palace said. A visit to Mozambique next week to visit development projects supported in part with money from the charitable fund set up last year in connection with the couple's wedding, was cancelled, but the crown princely couple intend to make the visit before the summer-season.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Auckland airport in the morning. There the Queen inspected the team New Zealand entry for this year's Americas Cup yacht race and got an exclusive view of the boat's secret keel design. In the afternoon the Queen walked across Waitemata Plaza and afterwards opened the Liggins Institute for medical research at the University of Auckland. The Liggins Institute is researching how to help premature babies especially those who have brain damage. Meanwhile, the Duke of Edinburgh inspected the Devonport Naval Base. Later today the royal couple attended a garden party at the Government House.

February 27th
A pale and worn Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway was released from the Rikshospital today. She was rushed home and entered via a side entrance generally reserved for police escort.

Public spots for the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn at Trondheim's Nidaros Cathedral on May 24th will be decided by lottery. About 4,500 applicants are vying for between 600-800 seats. The deadline for applications is now past, the daily Dagbladet reports. Letters postmarked latest Feb. 22 will be considered, and 1,400 appeals for a total of 4,500 seats have been received at the regional commissioner's office in South Trøndelag. "We will go through every application to make sure we choose those with a special reason to attend. The others will go into a pot and be drawn at random," said Asbjørn Eide, director of the commissioner's office.

February 28th
Princess Alexia of Greece left the Teknon Clinic in Barcelona with her newborn daughter Arrietta. She was accompanied by her husband Carlos Morales Quintana and her parents.

Wiltshire Police have confirmed they will not take legal action against Prince Harry of Wales over allegiations of cannabis smoking and underage drinking last Summer. They said their investigations into events at the Rattlebone Inn in Sherston, Wiltshire, were now finished. They said they haven't found evidence of Harry's involvement.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in Adelaide, Australia, yesterday. Governor-General Peter Hollingworth, under pressure to resign over his handling of sex abuse cases while Archbishop of Brisbane, waited on the tarmac to greet the Queen. Also in the welcoming party was Prime Minister John Howard, as well as South Australian caretaker Premier Rob Kerin and Labor leader Mike Rann. She also was welcomed by a 21-gun military salute and an Aboriginal dance ceremony. Later yesterday the Queen had a private meeting with Mr Hollingworth. In the evening the Queen addressed a state dinner. Today she met fellow corgi breeders. Later in the morning about 1,500 people lined the halls and other vantage points at the Adelaide Railway Station as the Queen arrived to take a tourist train to South Australia's Barossa Valley, a renowned wine valley . The Queen was handed flowers and spoke with several well-wishers as she strolled the 100 metres to her waiting train carriage.


Royal News: January 2002. Last updated: January 30t, 2002.