ROYAL NEWS: JULY 2004

Last updated: August 10th, 2004.

July 1st
The engagement was announced between Arthur Wellesley Earl of Mornington (born 1978), son of the Marquess and Marchioness of Douro (née Princess Antonia of Prussia), and Jemma Madeline Kidd (born 1974), daughter of John and Wendy Kidd.

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden was one of the 128 runners who carried the Olympic flame through Stockholm today.

July 2nd
It became known that Princess Diane d'Orléans, daughter of the Duke and Duchess d'Orléana has become engaged to Alexis Viscount de Noailles, son of Philippe Duke de Mouchy Prince and Duke de Poix and his first wife Diane de Castellane. He was born on September 5, 1952. The marriage is said to take place in September

July 3rd
The marriage took place at St Mary's Church in Stratfield Saye between the Hon Orlando Montagu, younger son of the 11th Earl of Sandwich and the Countess of Sandwich, and Lady Honor Wellesley, daughter of the Marquess of Douro and the Marchioness of Douro née Princess Antonia of Prussia.

July 5th
Princess Astrid of Belgium is in the Saint-Pierre Hospital in Brussels since Saturday for a non-serious chirurgical operation that already has taken place. She was visited by her parents King Albert II and Queen Paola. She will leave the hospital within the next few days.

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden have given their names to the Swedish perfumer Oriflame. In September Oriflame will bring a new perfume called Soliden eau de toilette on the market worldwide with the support of the royal couple. The names of the royal couple will be on the bottle. Elisabeth Tarras-Wahlberg, spokeswoman of the royal court, said that it is possible because a part of the proceeds go to a good cause: the Queen's World Childhood Foundation.

The Diary editor of the Mail on Sunday newspaper was sacked for allegedly being the intermediary who benefited from a mysterious transaction. The address book of the late Diana Princess of Wales, is embossed with her personal crest and contains the numbers of hundreds of her acquaintances, including Dodi Al-Fayed, Elton John and Lady Thatcher. It is believed to have been compiled by the princess shortly before her death in 1997. According to the newspaper the diary editor, Adam Helliker, obtained the book from a friend who had been given it when she once worked with the Diana Princess Of Wales Memorial Fund. He sold it for £25,000 to Alicia Carroll, a California dealer in royal memorabilia. Recently it was purchased for £40,000 by a Japanese collector. The newspaper alleged Mr Helliker had forged a letter in his friend's name authenticating the diary.

Another round starts in the long-time fight between the Land Sachsen-Anhalt and Ernst August Prince von Hannover. On August 20 the Verwaltungsgericht Magdeburg, on request of the Prince, will decide if the case again comes in court. The prince wants to get back former family possessions in the East of Germany worth more than hundred million Euros. The family lost the possessions after World War II when they were expropriated. Among the possessions were the Grand and Small Castle Blankenburg with furniture and pieces of art, Monastery Michaelstein and about 10.000 hectares of land.

A memorial service took place for the late Countess of Paris at the Royal Chapel St Louis in Dreux. Several members of the family were present.

Princess Adélaïde d'Orléans and her husband Pierre-Louis Dailly expect their second child.

A white marble bath belonging to the late Queen Marie-Antoinette of France, together with a moon-shaped footstool, was sold at auction at Cheffins, Cambridge, for £ 3000, which was six times the expected price. The bath was in use by the queen at the Palace of St Cloud. The buyer was a private collector from St Cloud. The auction house said the price had been set so low because of damage caused to the bath during the French Revolution when rampaging peasants stormed the Palace. A corner of the bath is missing and careful restoration work will have to be done to bring it back to its former glory.

July 6th
The memorial fountain for Diana Princess of Wales at Hyde Park, London, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain in presence of the Prince of Wales, Prince William and Princess Harry of Wales, Earl Spencer, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes. It was the first time both families were seen together in public since the funeral of the late Princess Diana. In her speech the Queen said: "I cannot forget - and nor can those of us here today who knew her much more personally, as sister, wife, mother, or daughter-in-law - the Diana who made such an impact on our lives. Of course there were difficult times, but memories mellow with the passing of the years. I remember especially the happiness she gave to my two grandsons." She received a warm applause from the 1000 people strong crowd. After the ceremony the princess's goddaughter Domenica - daughter of Rosa Monckton - was the first child to play in the water of the fountain. See here for the full speech by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

The American website everythingroyal.com has made £4000 from selling a card sent by Francs Shand Kydd, the late mother of Diana Princess of Wales, only weeks after she died. Mrs Shand Kydd sent the card to a couple in the USA after they wrote to comfort her over Diana's death. She wrote on it: 'Thank you so much for your caring.' The card was sold by Los Angeles dealer Alicia Carroll, who hopes to make enough money from the website to open a 'Dianaland' museum in Las Vegas.

Christina, daughter Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld and his wife née Princess Désirée of Sweden, and her husband Hans de Geer af Finspång expect their third child in September.

The Court of Justice in Berlin today decided that Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis has to delete several pieces of text from her recently published autobiography. In the text she states a top manager had wanted to take money from the fortune of the Princely House. The manager's heirs had demanded that the texts should be removed. They already received justice in June, but now the Random House Publishers House withdrew its appeal against the June decision. The decision said that the pieces of texts are not allowed to be spread again to protect the late manager's personality.

July 7th
According to ABC the Petición de Mano (official engagement) of Don Luis Alfonso de Bórbon y Martínez-Bordiú Duke of Anjou and María Margarita de Vargas y Santaella will take place at the Pazo de Meirás in August. The wedding is said to take place in Miami in November. After the wedding the couple will live in Caracas, Venezuela, where the groom will work for his father-in-law.

King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia said on his website on Tuesday that he will abdicate in the 'near future' and that he won't get involved in politics again, reiterating an offer he has made several times before. "I will abdicate as King of Cambodia when the crown council, with its complete members, will be able to receive my official letter ... offering my formal resignation of my functions," the King said in a statement titled 'My decision to abdicate in the near future'. The king said he would ask his successor for a retirement pension and he promised to stay out of politics. The King has made similar offers in recent years when he has felt that the monarchy wasn't being treated with respect. In January the King went to Beijing, China for medical treatment. In March he decided to extend his stay in China after politicians at home criticised him for making comments about politics. In April he said he wouldn't return to Phnom Penh until politicians formed a new government following inconclusive elections last July. He is currently staying at his home in Pyongyang in North Korea.

July 8th
A secret crypt of the Medici family was discovered by scientists yesterday under a stone floor behind the main altar of the Medici chapels in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence. Seven steps led down to the entrance. The crypt is between 2,1 metres and 2,4 metres high and six metres by at least four metres wide. Since last month a team of paleopathologists from American and Italian universities have been digging up the bodies of 49 members of the Medici family buried in the church. They aim to carry out tests to build a picture of the lives - and deaths - of the family that held power in Florence and much of Tuscany for more than three centuries. On Tuesday researchers opened the tomb of the last of the dynasty, the grand duke Gian Gastone de' Medici, who died in 1737 - and were astonished to find it empty. Trying to locate his final resting place the secret crypt was found only metres away from the empty tomb. It was known that some of the Medici family's remains were moved from their original burial places in 1857. And, according to the early 20th-century British historian GF Young, the coffins of Gian Gastone and his grandfather had been moved to a secret crypt accessible only down hidden stairs. Until yesterday's discovery, his account had been dismissed as baseless rumour. Inside the crypt, there were another eight bodies, one of an adult and the remaining seven of children. Most of the remains were in an advanced state of decomposition. But one of the children had been expertly embalmed and vestiges of clothing remained on the body. The researchers are already convinced that the family was not, as previously believed, afflicted with gout, but with a severe form of arthritis. Historians hope the project will help clear up some of the puzzles about the Medicis, including the death in 1589 of Prince Francesco I, who was said to have died of malaria but is long suspected to have been poisoned.

The Prince of Wales told a conference in June that he knew a woman who had beaten cancer after going on the Gerson diet. This diet involves eating large amounts of vegetables and fruit and having coffee enemas on a daily basis. He said: "I know of one patient who turned to Gerson therapy having been told that she was suffering from terminal cancer, and would not survive another course of chemotherapy. Happily, seven years later she is alive and well." In an open letter to the Prince in the British Medical Journal Professor Michael Baum of University College London now has criticised the Prince for embracing 'unproven therapies' and says there is no evidence that the diet works. He urged the prince against promoting alternative treatments that have not been proven. A spokesman for the Prince of Wales denied that he had been promoting alternative medicines over orthodox treatments: "He is simply reflecting the wishes of 80% of cancer patients who wish to use alternative treatments alongside conventional treatments. He wants to see more of these treatments available on the NHS and more research into alternative therapies. The Prince of Wales is passionate about an integrated approach to healthcare."

Only one day after the opening the Princess Diana of Wales Memorial Fountain it was affected by winds and torrential rain. The oval stone waterway flooded and strong gusts apparently caused leaves and debris to clog filtering grates and sent water cascading over the sides of the fountain. The water created a puddle in the picnic area around. One of the designers who created the fountain said: "When something like this opens up to the public there are bound to be teething problems. Of course, we are here to solve these teething problems."

July 9th
During a short photosession Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands posed together with Princess Amalia for a few photographers and camerateams at their vacation house in Tavarnelle, Tuscany, Italy. Before the present press had to promiss not to disturb the family anymore during the rest of their vacation.

Early today it was reported that the Diana Princess of Wales museum at Althorp is to close due to falling visitor numbers. Later today Earl Spencer, the Princess's brother denied the reports. In a statement a family spokeswoman said: "There are no plans to close the Diana exhibition at Althorp."

92-year-old Princess Takamatsu of Japan was hospitalized at St Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo on Thursday for a mild respiratory problem. Her condition is not serious. The Imperial Household Agency said she was taken to hospital after phlegm stuck in her throat, according to agency officials.

July 10th
Several royals attended the funeral of Austrian president Thomas Klestil at the Stephansdom in Vienna: Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Henri of Luxemburg, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, the Prince of Orange, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Prince Philippe of Belgium Duke of Brabant, the Princess Royal and her husband Commodore Timothy Laurence.

Prince William of Wales today joined a one mile charity sprint in London. Prince Harry was also due to run, but had to pull due to injuring his left knee after slipping down some stairs while training with the military. However he supported his brother. The royals surprisingly showed up some 20 minutes before the race began. Prince William, running for Sport Relief, completed the run in six minutes ten seconds. He was joined by around a dozen Clarence House team members including several bodyguards. The team hoped to raise a substantial sum for the charity with the Prince of Wales among those donating money. Prince William after the race said: "I am pleased about that time. It was very sad that Harry did not run. If he had been here then he would have done it faster." Prince Harry then came over, shook his brother by the hand, and said: "Well done, I'm very proud of you."

Crown Princess Masako of Japan played tennis and joined Crown Prince Naruhito at a lecture during the past week, the Imperial Household Agency said yesterday. However it was said that the princess "has not shown any signs of a positive change in her condition, and playing tennis and attending the lecture are part of her treatment."

Prince Philipp zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, son of Prince Christian-Peter and his first wife Princess Felicitas Reuss, married Stephanie Drohner at the evangelic-lutheran St. Johanniskirche in Hamburg-Eppendorf at 14:30. The groom is a project manager of an Internet company. The bride, who is 31 years old and was born in Augsburg, is moderator at Classic Radio.

King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia today said tht he will not abdicate on request of the supreme patriarch monk of the Mahanikaya sect Tep Vong. He received a letter from the supreme patriarch monk on Friday asking him not to abdicate for the sake of the peace, development and prosperity of the country. "I never dare to breach the will of our supreme patriarch monk and all monks in our country," the King said: "So I have not abdicated as I would like to do."

Princess Ntandoyeziswe, second daughter of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini (her mother is the King's third wife Queen Mantfombi), married Mutshi Moiloa, a Tswana Prince of the Bahurutse tribe, in a glittering ceremony at Pongola, KwaZulu-Natal, today. The public ceremony took place at Pongola Rugby Stadium from 10am on Saturday, followed by a photo session. Afterwards lunch was served, which was followed by the private reception. Already yesterday the first official gatherings of the wedding guests took place. Tomorrow celebrations will continue at the Zulu royal palace. The second stage of the wedding celebrations will be held next Saturday in Zeerust for groom's family.

July 11th
The Prince of Wales today hosted the yearly outdoor benefit concert for The Prince's Trust charity in Hyde Park entertaining stars including Lenny Kravitz, Avril Lavigne, Jamelia, Alanis Morisette, Nelly Furtado, The Corrs and Lionel Richie. The prince himself watched the show from a royal box and chatted with performers. London's Metropolitan police said about 85,000 people were in the park for the concert.

July 12th
Takashi Yoshino today became the fifth chamberlain to Princess Aiko, the daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan, the Imperial Household Agency said. He will mainly be in charge of Princess Aiko's education, including her kindergarten education.

July 14th
Princess Sibilla of Luxemburg gave birth to her fourth child at the Maternité Grande-Duchesse Charlotte in Luxembourg on July 13 at 14:00. The little Prince of Nassau received the names: Jean André Guillaume Marie Gabriel Marc D'Aviano. He weighs 3380 grammes and is 51 centimeters tall. Mother and child are doing well.

As each year Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden celebrated her birthday at Solliden. As usual she appeared in front of Solliden in the early afternoon to receive congratulations from thousands of people. At the concert on the occasion of her birthday later today among others Lionel Richie, Ronan Keating and Stevie Wonder performed.

On Tuesday the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain ran dry after the water was turned off for routine cleaning. The blockage was thought to be caused by leaves which got into the pump before filters were fitted. Theo Moore, spokesman for the Royal Parks which maintains the fountain, said some sections of the water feature ran dry while work was carried out. "It only took about two hours. We solved the problem and we don't anticipate it happening again." In future the fountain will be switched off on either a weekly or fortnightly basis while early morning cleaning work is carried out, Mr Moore said.

July 16th
Prince Friedrich Ernst von Sachsen-Meiningen died on July 13 after a long and serious illness. A memorial service will take place on July 22nd. He was born in Meiningen on January 21, 1935, as the second and youngest child of Duke Bernhard von Sachsen-Meiningen (1901-1984) and his first wife Margot Grössler (1911-1998). Prince "Friedel" married first Ehrengard von Massow. In 1977 he married Princess Beatrice von Sachsen-Coburg und Goth, with whom he had two children Marie-Alix and Constantin.

July 17th
Queen Susan of the Albanians died at her home on the outskirts of Tirana, Albania, today from a heart condition. She was born Susan Barbara Cullen-Ward in Waverly, Sydney, Australia, on January 28, 1941. In 1975 she married pretender to the Albanian throne, King Leka I. They have one son, Leka. The family returned to Albania in 2002.

July 21st
The Belgian royal family attended festivities on the occasion of the national feastday. King Albert and Queen Paola in the morning attended the Te Deum at the Cathedral in Brussels. Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde attended the service at the Cathedral of Mons. In the afternoon the whole family watched the parade in front of the royal palace in Brussels.

Queen Susan of the Albanians was buried in Tirana. Hundreds of people attended the funeral. The coffin had been placed at the hall of the Dajti Hotel in Tirana where people could say goodbye to her.

The pink granite statue of Pharaoh Ramses II of Egypt outside Cairo central railway station will be removed to a less polluted site outside the city in February: the Great Egyptian Museum that is to be built near the pyramids of Giza on the southern outskirts of Cairo. The short journey is expected to last three days and nights. The statue will be transported in a metal casing on military tank-transporters. The statue is more than 11 metres tall and weighs 80 tons. The statue was discovered near Memphis in 1883 and moved to Cairo in 1954.

July 22nd
58-year-old Prince Tomohito of Mikasa of Japan was hospitalized at the Keio University Hospital in Tokyo due to irregular heartbeat. He is now in stable condition and is expected to stay at hospital for a few more days. Last August the prince underwent a successful operation for throat cancer.

The water to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, London, has been switched off at 3pm after three visitors were hurt when they slipped over on the same stone steps on the east side of the source pool, the Royal Parks said. The fountain will be switched off until an investigation had been carried out. A spokesman for the Royal Parks, said: "We are obviously very concerned about their welfare and hope they recover swiftly. We immediately switched off the flow of water and will not be turning it back on until we are satisfied it is safe to do so. A full and thorough investigation has already started."

James Hewitt, former lover of Diana Princess of Wales, was arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine on Wednesday at the Cactus Blue bar in Chelsea, London. He was arrested along with Alison Bell, a former girlfriend of the Earl of Wessex, who is accused of supplying the drug to Mr Hewitt. Sources said that Mr Hewitt was very drunk when he was arrested. Mr Hewitt spent the night at Notting Hill police station. Today he was being questioned in connection with the affair. He was bailed until September. He left the police station in the afternoon.

Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, the church abroad and public organisations left for Jerusalem today to convey earthly remains of Grandduchess Elisabeth of Russia to Russia. Her remains are being kept at the Russian Orthodox Maria Magdalena Cathedral in Jerusalem. They want to bring the remains to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. She died at a mine near Alapayevsk. She was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1992. A spokesman said that the ceremony would be a meaningful event in Russia's history.

July 25th
Geoffrey Bignell, who handled the Prince of Wales's financial affairs for more than a decade until 1996 revealed in the Daily Telegraph that the Prince of Wales was forced to sell his entire investment portfolio as part of the divorce settlement with his wife Diana. Mr Bignell said: "Princess Diana took every penny he had. I was told to liquidate everything, all his investments, so that he could give her the cash. He was very unhappy about that. That's when I stopped being his personal financial adviser because he had no personal wealth left. She took him to the cleaners." It is understood that the Queen lent her son several million pounds for the divorce settlement and that he is still repaying her.

Thousands of people watched when the shrine with the relics of Grand Duchess arrived at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow today in the latest sign of unity between the Russian Orthodox Church and its foreign branch. Hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and nuns from the St. Mary Magdalene's Convent in Jerusalem, where the relics had been since 1921, took part in the festive service. The relics - part of the Grand Duchess's right hand it was said - were transported in a golden ark to the cathedral and will stay in Moscow until August 5. They will be carried from the Savior Cathedral to the St. Daniil Monastery with a stopover at the Cloister of St. Mary and Martha. After that the relics will be carried from one place to another in Russia, CIS member countries and Baltic republics for six months. The return is only temporarily.

July 28th
Yesterday afternoon during their discussions at the palace Grand Duke Henri of Luxemburg and formator of the new government Jean-Claude Juncker also talked about the Luxemburg succession laws. According to those laws only men can succeed to the Luxemburg throne. It is possible that in the near future also firstborn women can ascend the throne in Luxemburg. The family pact or the constitution should be changed to achieve that.

Confidential papers with detailed arrangements for Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain’s State funeral have been recovered following their theft from a Buckingham Palace press secretary’s car. The Palace said: "A briefcase belonging to a Buckingham Palace employee was recovered yesterday morning with its paper contents intact."

July 29th
Today Archduke Georg and Archduchess Eilika of Austria presented their third child and first son, Charles-Constantin, at their home in Telki near Budapest today. He was born on July 20, weighs 3100 grammes and was 52 centimetres tall at birth.

July 30th
Zara Phillips was taken to Dorchester hospital after a fall from her horse while competing in horse trials at Lulworth, Dorset. She was not seriously injured in the incident, but it was decided she should go to hospital as a precaution nonetheless. After being examined by doctors and given the OK, she was driven home by her mother, the Princess Royal.

The Imperial Household Agency has announced that Crown Princess Masako of Japan has been diagnosed as suffering from "adjustment disorder". They confirmed she is undergoing treatment for the illness, characterised by an abnormal and excessive reaction to stress. The Crown Princess has received therapy and medication, but is still showing signs of anxiety and "depressive feelings", said a representative. Her stress is caused by "her special status as crown princess, problems relating to her pregnancy and miscarriage, and her busy life, in which she has difficulties drawing a line between the public and the private," said the Agency.

The 5th anniversary of Throne Day marking the enthronement of King Mohammed VI was celebrated in Morocco today. The day was celebrated with ceremonial pomp, fanfare and a royal pledge of "strengthened democracy".

Prince Abdul Rahman ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia died of a heart attack in a specialised hospital in Riyadh yesterday at the age of 63. He was president of the Al-Nasr sports club. He was one of the pioneers of the sporting world in Saudi Arabia.

July 31st
Countess Feodora af Rosenborg married Eric Patte at Holmens Kirke in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Lady Davina Windsor, eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester married 33-year-old Gary Lewis from New Zealand this afternoon at 5pm at the Chapel Royal at Kensington Palace. The ceremony was only attended by immediate family and close friends. The bride was given away by her father. Lady Davina wore a cream satin bustier dress with a lace over-blouse, with covered buttons down the back. Her sister Lady Rose Windsor was one of the bridesmaids. The groom's best man was an old friend from New Zealand, Nick Harvey. The ceremony was conducted by the Reverend Prebendary Willie Booth. The groom's 12-year-old son from a previous relationship, Ari, read a Gaelic prayer at the wedding ceremony. No members of the royal family were present for the service, except for the parents and siblings of the bride. The 120 guests included Larry Lewis and Viki Carr, parents of the groom, and Captain Mark Phillips, former husband of the Princess Royal, who is a godfather to the bride. After the wedding the bride and groom were to see the bride's 101-year-old grandmother Princess Alice who lives in apartments at the royal palace and could not attend the service as she is too frail. After the wedding the guests enjoyed a reception in a State apartment at the palace. Lady Davina, who is 20th in line to the throne, met Gary Lewis while on holiday in Bali four years ago. The couple is expected to settle in Britain.

Today King Albert II of the Belgians visited the site of a pipeline explosion at Ghislenghien, Belgium, that killed 16 and injured 120 people on Friday. The King, who especially returned from his vacation, was shown around shortly and spoke to relatives and rescue workers. The King said: "I can't smile today." Prince Laurent of Belgium already visited Ghislenghien on Friday.


Royal News: June 2004. Last updated: July 6th, 2004.