Last updated: February 1st, 2008.
January 1st
King Juan Carlos I of Spain celebrated New Year with the Spanish ISAF troops in Herat, Afghanistan, yesterday. He told the troops: "I have instructions from my family to congratulate you and thank you." He saw the New Year at the Spanish Embassy in Kuwait with Emir Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah of Kuwait.
In her New Year's speech Queen Margrethe II of Denmark said: "We're living in a society that is becoming richer and richer and we're forgetting that we're responsible for each other. But we are responsible for each other - this is one of the principles our society is based on. Perhaps we were better at understanding this when there was less to go around. Now it's easier to let someone else take care of the problems as long as they don't affect us. We are then shocked by news of misfortune concerning children and the elderly." She also said to take responsibility for looking after the environment.
In his New Year's address King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand called for unity among the Thai people and responsible behaviour.
January 2nd
For the fifth consecutive year the Princess Royal was the hardest working British royal in 2007. She undertook 613 engagements. The second hardest working royal was the Duke of York with 556 engagements, followed by the Prince of Wales with 498. Queen Elizabeth II of Great-Britain undertook 440 engagements - more than in the past three years - while the Duke of Edinburgh cut his duties back to 380. The Earl of Wessex carried out 362 engagements and the countess of Wessex 147 engagements, a bit limited because of her pregnancy. The Duchess of Cornwall carried out 193 engagements, but couldn't undertake any duties for a while because of an operation. Prince William of Wales carried out 16 engagements and prince Harry of Wales 12 engagements.
Princess Galyani Vadhana of Thailand died at 2:54am of abdominal cancer at Siriraj hospital in Bangkok where she had been receiving treatment since 15 June 2007. Her condition worsened on Tuesday night. The princess was 84 years old and was born at London on 6 May 1923 as daughter of Prince Songkla and his wife Mom Sangwal. The funeral will take place at the Grand Palace where she lies in state at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall. The bathing rituals this afternoon were presided over by King Bhumibol Abdulyadej and Queen Sirikit. 100 day of court mourning has been declared, while the mourning period for Thailand will be 15 days. The royal rites will take place until 9 January. The princess was the sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, as well as the previous king Ananda Mahidol who died in 1946. She married twice and has one daughter, who survives her.
About 79.600 well-wishers gathered at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo today to hear Emperor Akihito of Japan's new year address. He prayed for the happiness of Japan and for world peace. He said: "I feel pleased to celebrate the New Year with you. At the beginning of the year, I wish for the happiness of our nation and peace in the world." The Emperor and his family appeared at the glassed-in balcony of Chowa Den seven times during the day.
January 3rd
Six new pictures of Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium and their three children were issued together with a short letter in which they wished everyone lots of happiness in 2008. In the letter the couple says: "At the start of this new year we want to look back on 2007, to focus on what's ahead of us. We would like to do this by sharing some photos of what's most precious to us: our children, our family." They furthermore said: "For 2008 our family will of course look forward to the birth of our fourth child in spring."
Myanmar has reopened the Thiri Zeya Bumi Bagan Golden Palace at Bagan. The palace is one of the four ancient palaces rebuilt after 1988. The palace originally was built by the first ancient king of Myanmar King Anawratha. The country hopes to attract more tourists to promote the development of tourism in the country.
January 4th
Prince William of Wales will join a class of 11 students at RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, on Monday to start a four-month attachment in the Royal Air Force. Group Captain Nick Seward said that it is important that the prince, as future head of the armed forces, understands the "ethos and history" of the RAF. In the early summer Prince William will start an attachment with the Royal Navy.
January 5th
A survey by Sigma Dos for El Mundo newspaper carried out last month shows that 82,9% of the Spanish people feels the monarchy is consolidated in Spain. 13,1% thinks it isn't. King Juan Carlos' monarchy gets a mark of 7,89 out of 10.
The Nepalese parliament unanimously passed the Nepal Trust bill on Friday to nationalize the property of the late King Birendra of Nepal. A committee has been set up to manage the funds generated from the nationalization of the royal property.
A website containing information on royal music (nha nhac) at the courts in central Vietnam in feudal times was launched today. The musical style has been listed as world heritage by UNESCO. The website was made by the Theatre of Hue Traditional and Royal Arts.
January 6th
The earl of Snowdon has co-operated on a biography about his life by Anne de Courcy in the past four years. Anne de Courcy has been allowed acccess to the earl's letters and paper and got permission to interview family and friends. The earl said: "I am now happy for people to know about my life and I want to put the record straight on some things." The earl married Princess Margaret of Great Britain in 1960 and the couple divorced in 1978. The biography, which hasn't gotten copy approval, will be published in June.
January 7th
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales the jury were told by a personal friend of the princess, Rodney Turner,that the relationship between Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed was already over at least two weeks before the car crash. Furthermore it was revealed that the princess's 'true love' Dr Hasnat Khan, with whom she had a two-year affair, wants to break his silence and give a written statement. Yesterday the inquest also heard that the apartments of the princess at Kensington Palace might have been bugged. Security expert Grahame Harding searched her rooms four times in 1994 and at one occasion a signal was found. However it could have been equipment in another room.
A poll by Maurice de Hond says that 50% of the Dutch wishes Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to give up her role as member of the government. They want her to have a ceremonial function only.
2000 people demonstrated in the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal, to protest against the decision of the parliament to abolish the monarchy and create a republic. The demonstratoors were closely watched by the police, but there were no reports of violence.
Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain has been appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Bahrain army by his father, who is the supreme commander. Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Khalifa has been removed as defence minister, and was appointed commander of the army. Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdullah al-Khalifa is interim defence minister.
January 8th
The Thai government plans to spend some $9 million on the royal cremation rite of Princess Galyani Vadhana. Most money will be spent on a pyre, which takes at four months to be build. A date for the cremation hasn't been set yet, but it will take place after the 100-day mourning period of the royal court.
January 9th
The RVD released five new pictures of the princesses Amalia, Alexia and Ariane of the Netherlands. The pictures were taken by the Prince of Orange on 5 January 2008 at Villa La Angostura, Argentina. The release is a thank you from the prince and princess Maxima because the argentinean media left them pretty much in peace after the photo session in Buenos Aires on 22 December 2007.
King Juan Carlos of Spain celebrated his 70th birthday with a family celebration at home on 5 January. Today a big dinner with 450 guests was held at the El Pardo palace. Before dinner the king said: "I want to be king for all Spaniards. All have contributed to ... supporting the path of the Crown." He also told about his "pride at all that we have achieved together, confidence in the future, in our youth ... (and) renewed determination to continue working as king with the same passion and commitment, in the service of Spain for all Spaniards."
Princess Fadzilah Lubabul Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, daughter of the Sultan, received her Bachelors of Arts degree with Honours in international studies from Kingston University, London today.
January 10th
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales alternative therapist Simone Simmons said that the Duke of Edinburgh had written the princess 'cruel and disparaging' letters. She says to have seen two letters from 1994 and 1995. Mr John Johnson, personal bodyguard of Dodi al-Fayed, told via video-link that the princess and Dodi al-Fayed had only been window shopping in Monte Carlo and didn't visit the Repossi jewellery store. Mohamed al-Fayed's press spokesman Michael Cole however stated that although it would never be sure if the bought ring was meant to be an engagement ring, Dodi al-Fayed had told him a month before the crash that he was together with princess Diana and that 'there will never be another woman for me'. He also said that the couple had plans to buy a house in Malibu. Next week former royal butler Paul Burrell is going to appear at the inquest.
January 11th
Swedish scientists want to exhume the remains of King Karl XII of Sweden. They hope to solve the mystery of who killed him in 1718 during the invasion of Norway. He was shot, but it is not clear if the bullet was fired from the Norwegian or the Swedish side. The researchers say they might be able to tell after examining bone fragments around the bullet hole in the skull. The king is buried nowadays in Stockholm. They haven't received authorization for the exhumation yet.
January 12th
The funeral service of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria was held this afternoon at the Stephansdom in Vienna, Austria. The service was led by Archbishop Edmond Farhat. One of the officiants was Father Paul Habsburg. Afterwards the archduke was buried next to his parents at the nearby Kapuzinergruft. Among the mourners were the wife, children and grandchildren of the deceased as well as his three surviving siblings and other family members. Furthermore the funeral service was attended by Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxemburg, Princess Astrid of Belgium and Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Prince Hans Adam II and Princess Marie of Liechtenstein, Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, Duke Friedrich of Württemberg, Margrave Max and Margravine Valerie of Baden, the Duke of Bragança, Prince Alexander of Sachsen, Prince Karl zu Schwarzenberg.
According to a death announcement in Le Figaro today the famous celebrity hairdresser Alexandre de Paris recently died. His real name was Louis Alexandre Raimon. He did the hair of various princesses on their wedding day like Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess Irene of the Netherlands and several French princesses. Among his customers were furthermore the Countess of Paris, the Duchess of Windsor, the Begum Aga Khan, and filmstars like Audrey Hepburn, Greta Garbo and Romy Schneider, as well as Maria Callas.
January 13rd
Hasnat Khan, former boyfriend of Diana Princess of Wales, has spoken for the first time about his secret love affair with the princess which started in 1995. He gave an interview to the newspaper The Mail on Sunday. Hasnat Khan recently seperated from his wife of 18 months, has left London and currently spends some time in Pakistan with his family. He will start soon as head of a cardiac hospital in Malaysia. He said that he found the princess a very normal person with great qualities but also some personal drawbacks. He said that he thought she did great work for the country and for people all over the world. He says that he doesn't want to testify at the inquest into Diana's death and that he has nothing to add to his 2004 statement at the Lord Stevens inquiry.
January 14th
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales former butler Paul Burrell said that he doesn't believe in the theory that the princess was murdered on the orders of the royal family. He also doesn't consider Dodi al-Fayed as the one she should marry, but that her relationship with him was 'fresh, new and exciting' for the princess. He thinks however that she was still thinking of her former boyfriend Hasnat Khan about whom she had been much more serious.
Prince Vincenz von und zu Liechtenstein died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his home near Graz, Austria in the night from Sunday to Monday aged 57. He was born at Graz on 30 July 1950 as the eldest child of Prince Heinrich and his wife Elisabeth née Archduchess of Austria. On Saturday he had attended the funeral of his uncle Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria. Prince Vincenz was a politician for the ÖVP. Prince Vincenz is survived by his two daughters by his first wife, Adelheid and Hedwig. He was also divorced from his second wife with whom he had no children.
The Greek royal house today announced that Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his wife Marie-Chantal expect their fifth child in early July. It will be the ninth grandchild of former King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.
January 15th
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales her former lawyer Maggie Ray said that the princess in October 1995 claimed to her lawyers that Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain would abdicate in April 1996 and that the Prince of Wales would take over. The princess told Maggie Ray that she believed that the crown should go to her son Prince William under regency of the Duke of York. The late Lord Mishcon made a note of the meeting. During the meeting at Kensington Palace the princess told him and her new sollicitors Maggie Ray and Sandra Davis that she feared there was a plot to kill her.
January 16th
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales Paul Burrell told at the inquest today that Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain told him weeks after the princess's death that Diana had been over-excited about the relationship with Dodi al-Fayed and had been concerned about the future because of the relationship. Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker criticised Mr Burrell for copying private letters of Diana Princess of Wales without her permission to keep for their historical importance.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand presided over a Buddhist rite to mark the 15th day after the passing of Princess Galyani Vadhana this afternoon at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Starting on 19 January foreigners who will pay their respects to the late princess at the Grand Palace will receive a copy of her biography in English.
January 17th
The Duchess of Cornwall became a grandmother for the second time yesterday. Her daughter Laura, who is married to Harry Lopes, had her first child at a London hospital. The baby was named Eliza. A spokesman of Clarence House said that the Duchess has been to see her granddaughter this morning.
Prince William of Wales has made his first solo flight in a light aircraft today at Cranwell, Lincolnshire. He said that it had been an amazing feeling and that he couldn't believe it when the instructor told him that he would fly solo. The prince is hoping to graduate with RAF wings in April.
Bunte magazine reports today that Daniel Terberger and his wife Elizabeth Duchesss in Bavaria had their second child some time ago already. Ottora Elisabeth Victoria Lucia was born on 13 December 2007.
January 18th
In an interview on Dutch television tonight, on the occasion of her 65th birthday, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands said she has never thought it to be a problem to live in the shadow of her sister Queen Beatrix. She said: "I am not someone who is very ambitious and I am also not someone who likes to be the leader". The princess was born in 1943 in Ottawa, Canada, and tells: "I love the people, I think it is a wonderful country. Great, all this space they have there." She says she still has a special bond with the Canadian WW II veterans who liberated the Netherlands: "I find it very important that we are thankful to these people and that we honour them." The Princess is not thinking of retiring yet. She said that becoming a grandmother "is a complete new phase in live. It is a very emotional moment if a grandchild is born". Tomorrow, on the actual birthday of the princess, she and her family and friends are present at a special ballet performance by Introdans at the Orpheus Theatre in Apeldoorn. Another celebration will be held at the Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam together with her then 70-year-old sister Queen Beatrix. Today the Royal Court opened a 65th birthday page with two new portrait photos of the princess which can be downloaded in high quality (click portretfoto's). You can also sign the congratulations register (felicitatieregister).
January 19th
Princess Margriet of the Netherlands celebrated her 65th birthday today with a ballet performance at the Orpheus Theatre in Apeldoorn. She was accompanied by her husband Pieter van Vollenhoven, her sister Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, her four sons and daughters-in-law, Prince Friso and Princess Mabel, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, as well as by Prince Carlos and Princess Carolina de Bourbon de Parme. The Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima weren't there as they travelled back to Argentina for Princess Maxima's father's 80th birthday. The evening was attended by about 650 guests.
January 20th
Prince Tu'ipelehake and Princess Kaimana Tu'ipelehake of Tonga and their driver were killed in an accident in July 2006. They drove a Ford explorer. On Wednesday Prince Mailefihi Tu'ipelehake of Tonga and Tuna Fielakepa, mother of Princess Kaimana Tu'ipelehake, filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. They blame the company for the vehicle's high center of gravity contributed to its tendency to rollover and flip and say that the problem was made worse by an underinflated front right tire. Another similar lawsuit was already filed against Ford motor Co. seven months ago by the sons of the deceased couple.
January 21st
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales it was revealed that driver Henri Paul was more than three times the French limit for driving. The blood alcohol level found in his blood was 1,74g of alcohol per litre of blood. Bar staff from the Ritz Hotel in Paris says he drank only two liqueurs that night. Pathologist Professor Robert Forrest said that the blood alcohol level is more consistent with five large glasses.
On the occasion of the 4th birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway the Norwegian royal court released a few photos as well as a video.
January 22nd
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales Father Anthony Parsons confirmed that former royal butler Paul Burrell approached him in 1997 and mentioning the name of the Princess of Wales asked whether it was possible for a Muslim to marry a non-Catholic at his church. Fr Parsons and his colleagues didn't think he was very serious. He didn't inquire further as the princess died shortly afterwards.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway had to cancel an official visit to Chile after falling ill with an acute case of stomach flu. Crown Prince Haakon is left for Chile alone today.
January 23rd
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales Trevor Rees, who was the only one to survive the crash. He says to remember very little from the night of the crash. He only remembers leaving the Ritz Hotel and seeing photographers, and then being at the tunnel where the crash happened. He said that if he had known that Mr Henri Paul had been drinking, he would have stopped him driving. Mr Rees denied being part of a conspiracy to cover-up the princess's murder. Mohamed al-Fayed claims that Mr Rees is pretending that he is suffering from memory loss. Reuben Murrell, head of security at Villa Windsor near Paris from Mr al-Fayed, says that Mohamed al-Fayed ordered him to claim that Princess Diana was pregnant with Dodi al-Fayed's child and that they planned to live together at Villa Windsor. He said now that the princess and Dodi al-Fayed had visited the villa, but that the princess didn't look very interested.
January 24th
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales her private secretary from 1990 to 1996 Patrick Jephson said that Princess Diana had felt very isolated after her marriage. Her many pleas for help were simply ignored. He told that the princess was obsessed with astrology and even consulted a clairvoyant to enhance her personal development.
The Belgian royal family will receive 13,3 million euros in 2008. King Albert II of the Belgians gets 10,2 million euro, Queen Fabiola 1,472 million euro, Prince Philippe 940.000 euro, Princess Astrid 326.000 euro and Prince Laurent 318.000 euro.
January 25th
Five-week old Viscount Severn, son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London yesterday afternoon. The Countess of Wessex stayed overnight to await test results. Buckingham Palace said today that the baby had suffered a minor allergic reaction which was not life-threatening and not serious.
January 28th
Since today the Prince of Wales is the eldest heir to the throne in British history. The previous record holder was Edward Prince of Wales who became King Edward VII in 1901 upon the death of his mother Queen Victoria.
During the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales her sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale said that Princess Diana thought the yacht she cruised the Mediterranean with on with Dodi al-Fayed was being bugged by Mohamed al-Fayed. She also said that she thought that the relationship of her sister with Dodi al-Fayed wouldn't have lasted much longer. However she had thought there was a strong possibility that she might have married Hasnat Khan. She also told that former royal butler Paul Burrell had been given a box containing sensitive documents who haven't been seen since.
Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme refuses to pay the former lawyers of her and her ex-husband. The three lawyers Jurriën Pen, Peter Nicolaï and Frits Kemp. Her present lawyer Germ Kemper says that they should have helped the princess and her ex-husband pro deo at that time. He also claims that the lawyers never sent bills to the couple. Mr Kemp however says: "Back then the Princess lived in a French castle, wore expensive jewelry, came to Amsterdam per airplane and stayed in a hotel. Then I take that the bills will be paid."
January 29th
A man who carried an axe in a crowd of people waiting for Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain last May has been jailed. The judge said he could have endangered the public if police officers had had to open fire to protect the Queen. He was given a three-year sentence for having an article with a blade, 18 months for breaching an anti-social behaviour order and another 18 months for having an article with a blade and one of going equipped for theft, relating to a different incident.
You can congratulate Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands with her 70th birthday on 31 January.
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam and his second wife Pengiran Isteri Azrinaz Mazhar had their second child yesterday. Their daughter was born at 4.21pm. The birth was marked with a 21-gun salute.
January 30th
Princess Lilian of Sweden was rushed to hospital yesterday afternoon. She suffered a bout of food poisoning. Palace spokeswoman Nina Eldh said this morning that the princess was feeling well again and would return home later today.
The Prince of Asturias celebrated his 40th birthday today. On the occasion a set of pictures was released.
A replica of the railway carriage used by Queen Victoria of Great Britain to travel between Windsor and Ballater will be on display at the Victorian exhibition in Ballater Tourist Information Centre starting at Easter. The original carriage is kept in the National Railway Museum in York.
January 31st
Hampton and Littlewood auctioneers in Exeter, Great Britain, sold an 82-year-old letter written by the late Queen Mother of Great Britain for £300. In the three-page letter, written at Balmoral to her dressmaker in London Elizabeth Handley Seymour, she expresses her concern at the high cost of her clothing.
Three new pictures of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands taken by Anton Corbijn were released by the Dutch royal court.
Despite protests of several political parties the royal families of Denmark and Norway will attend the Olympic Games at Beijing, China, this summer. The political parties wish a royal boycott because of the human rights situation in Tibet and China. The Norwegian royal palace said to the newspaper Aftenposten: "The Royal Highnesses, the King and Queen, and the Crown Prince will represent Norway at the Olympic Games in Beijing, but the programme is not set yet. Respect for Human Rights is important, and the Norwegian authorities are dealing with the problem through an ongoing dialogue with the Chinese." Also Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark intends to attend the opening ceremony. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that he feels politics and sports shouldn't be mixed, and that it would be strange if the Crown Prince did not attend since Denmark is sending its athletes. A spokesperson for the royal family acknowledged this statement and said: "The Royal Family has a tradition of participating at the Olympic Games, and the Crown Prince's participation at this year's games is a demonstration of his interest in sport and his support for the Danish athletes." Earlier this week the Free Tibet campaign group urged the Prince of Wales not to attend the games. A Clarence House spokeswoman said: "There are currently no plans for the Prince of Wales to attend the Olympics. He has not been invited to attend." The Prince only attended the games in 1976 in Montreal to see his sister the Princess Royal participating.
Royal News: December 2007. Last updated: December 31st, 2007.