ROYAL NEWS: JUNE 2000

Last updated: July 2nd, 2000.

June 1st
On May 30th, 11:30 in the evening, the Expedition Sirius 2000 finally arrived in Daneborg. Until June 6th they can take a rest. Only Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Michael Banks will fly to Mestervig with sleighs and other equipment, from where it will be flown back to Denmark. All members of the expedition will fly to Qaanaaq on June 6th. The dogs will stay in Daneborg with the Sirius Patruljen. Finally on June 10th the six members of the expedition leave for Thule Air Base and will fly to Denmark from there. They will arrive at Kastrup, the airport of Copenhagen in the morning of June 14th.

June 3rd
The Prince of Wales gave a party on the occasion of the 60th birthday of King Konstantinos II of Greece. Amongst others Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, her sister Benedikte with her husband Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and King Harald of Norway were present. The most remarkable fact of this party was that both Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Camilla Parker Bowles came. Camilla was officially introduced to the Queen for the first time and they had a 10-minute conversation.

In Oostende, Belgium, Queen Fabiola unveiled a statue of the late King Baudouin of Belgium at the dyke in front of the former little royal palace.

June 4th
The Prince of Wales took the salute from British and French Dunkirk veterans for the last time. Veterans associations from both nations have chosen the 60th anniversary of the evacuation to officially disband. The Prince further visited the Little Ships which made the pilgrimage across the Channel on Friday. The Prince of Wales also watched an airdrop by hundreds of British and French troops to mark the capture of Pegasus Bridge on D-Day and also opened a new museum to commemorate the event.

The British police arrested four members of the Movement Against the Monarchy in front of Buckingham Palace. Last month the MAM, on her website, asked its members and sympathizing people to show a bare bottom. They hoped for thousands of people to show up in front of Buckingham Palace, but finally only four (one drunk) came of which only one showed his bare bottom.

June 6th
Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands and Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje visited the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. They had a look at the Dutch and the German pavilion and a theme park.

In France the Duke of Edinburgh unveiled a monument dedicated to soldiers killed in the D-Day landing in Normandy exactly 56 years ago.

Both the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal have dismissed fears over genetic manipulated food expressed by the Prince of Wales. The Duke of Edinburgh among others said that GM food would cause less environmental damage than grey squirrels. The Princess Royal later played down her part in the royal rift a bit, saying she was keeping an open mind on the benefits of danger.

June 8th
The Earl and Countess of Wessex visited the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. It was the first time the couple visited Germany together officially. Other royals also plan to visit the Expo 2000. Until now it is said King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden come on June 14, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium on June 22, Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark on June 27, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain on July 19, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan on August 11, Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand on August 12 and last but not least King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway on September 6.

June 9th
Princess Ragnhild of Norway celebrated her 70th birthday - together with her husband Erling Lorentzen and her three children and four grandchildren - with a party at Bygdøy Kongsgård. About 80 guests were invited. Among the guests were King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Märtha.

June 10th
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Prince Claus, Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, Philippe & Mathilde, Grand Duke Jean, Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte, Hereditary Grand Duke Henri and his wife Maria Teresa of Luxembourg were among the people who attended the opening match of the European Championships Football in the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium. The EC is held in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden celebrated her 18th birthday.

June 11th
St James’s Palace is to report the News of the World to the Press Complaints Commission for publishing a set of pictures of Prince William at Eton. The paper will be reported for alleged intrusion after printing pictures of the prince running and playing sports. A palace spokeswoman said the privacy of Prince Charles’s sons at school was of paramount importance. She said the princes should be free to go to school without interruption.

Scotland Yard confirmed that a small cannabis plant (hashish) was found in the kitchen of Buckingham Palace. It is said Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is furious and wants to find out who is responsible for it. The plant was discovered after a report of a member of staff.

June 12th
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden attended some festivities that marked the 450th anniversary of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.

The Sun reports that the Duchess of York is invited to Prince William’s 18th birthday party at Windsor Castle on June 21st, and thus joins her former husband and her two daughters. The Duchess of York hasn’t been on an official royal guest list since the funeral of the Princess of Wales in September 1997. Buckingham Palace didn’t yet confirm the report.

An inquiry by the British newspaper The Guardian shows that the British royal family never has been so unpopular as at this moment, especially among the younger people. 44 % thinks the country will be better off without a monarchy. Almost 50 % of the Britons want Prince William to succeed his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

The Prince of Wales pays a two-day visit to Northern Ireland. The Prince will carry out engagements in towns across Northern Ireland, including a garden party at Hillsborough Castle.

June 13th
Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra attended the opening of an exhibition in Hamburg-Altona, Germany. The exhibition 'Danmark til Hamborg-Dänische Kultur zu Gast 2000' (Denmark to Hamburg-Danish culture as a guest 2000). The exhibition tells about the work made in Altona by the Danish architect Christian Frederik Hansen (1756-1845). This part of Germany was a part of Denmark in that time.

June 14th
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark returned to Copenhagen after five months. He and the five other members of the Sirius 2000 expedition finished their great journey through the north of Greenland, from Qaanaaq to Daneborg, two weeks ago. A few days before they left Greenland, Frederik told in an interview: "It’s going to feel very strange to be back in Copenhagen. I haven’t decided yet how long I will stay there." Frederik will join the Danish air force to earn a pilot’s license. He also plans to visit the Olympic Games in Sydney later this year. The Danes by the way hope their future King will finally settle down. Just after the members of the expedition arrived in Copenhagen in the morning Jonathan Motzfeldt, the premier of Greenland, announced that a big area in the north of Greenland, southern of Perry Land, from now on will bear the name Kronprins Frederiks Land (Nuna Kunngissaq Frederik = Crown Prince Frederik’s Land). He said that several parts of Greenland are named after Kings, but that Frederik is the only one who has ever set foot in the area that bears his name.

Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands was discharged from hospital and is back home again at Soestdijk Palace. Further revalidation will take place there. The Government Information Service announced that the Prince hopes to pass his holidays in Italy as usual and wants to take up his duties after the summer holidays.

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden were cheered by some hundreds of people during their visit to the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. The King opened the Swedish pavilion. The royal couple also visited the German pavilion.

June 15th
Cheered by about 1000 people Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Prince Albert, Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst August of Hannover arrived at the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. They were welcomed with music. After a visit to the German pavilion they had lunch. In the evening there was a party at Celle Castle, for which 200 people were invited. It is reported that Prince Ernst August of Hannover drank too much alcohol and collapsed. He was brought to hospital in Celle and afterwards to Hannover.

The first historical building of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany) Castle Foundation has been restored completely. Castle Hohenzieritz, where Queen Luise of Prussia died in 1810, will be handed over officially on July 19th, the day the Queen died. Already on June 25th the castle will be opened for the public. The castle was built halfway the 18th century.

June 16th
Empress Dowager Nagako, the 97-year-old widow of Emperor Hirohito of Japan who died in 1989, died in an Imperial Palace medical facility (at her residence Fukiage-Omiya Gosho) on Friday afternoon at 4:46 (Japanese time) after suffering breathing difficulties since Wednesday. She fell into a coma on Friday morning (Japanese time) after her blood pressure dropped. She hadn't been seen in public officially since 1987, and she has been sitting in a wheelchair since 1980.

On the 5th place of the newest list of the richest people in the world we find Prince Al-Walid Bin Talal Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, with about 10 billion dollars.

An inquiry is under way after a royal police officer accidentally fired a shot on board of the royal train of Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh were asleep in a separate carriage when the incident happened yesterday morning.

June 17th
Prince William of Great Britain has given an interview in which he gave written answers to Press Association questions. He thanked the media for letting him enjoy his school days without being followed by cameras. He is grateful to the media for helping protecting his privacy, and hopes he can enjoy the same freedom at University. He said he is going to study history of art in one year. He first takes a year off. He also said he feels uncomfortable with media attention. The Queen meanwhile has approved a request by Prince William not to be called His Royal Highness. The Prince would normally assume the HRH title on his 18th birthday on Wednesday. But in discussions with his father he suggested it would be more appropriate to adopt the title once he undertook solo public duties.

Nicholas Knatchbull, the 19-year-old great-grandson of the late Lord Mountbatten, was arrested on Thursday with a quantity of cannabis, believed to have a street value of about 25 dollars. He was arrested at Eton along with a male and a female friend.

Thousands line up at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to sign the condolence book for Empress Dowager Nagako who died yesterday.

Members of the Royal Family of Great Britain gathered at the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony - Queen Elizabeth II's official birthday. The Queen Mother's carriage led the procession along The Mall. The Queen took the salute at the military on London's Horse Guards. The Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Kent took part mounted on horseback.

The Turkish media is very angry after the German magazine Bild says Prince Ernst August of Hannover has piddled against the front of the Turkish pavilion at the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. The Turks want him to apologise. The Prince himself left hospital again after collapsing at the party after the visit to the Expo 2000.

June 18th
The Sunday Times wrote that the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles are thinking of marrying in a Scottish church. Unlike the English Anglican Church, the Scottish church allows divorced people to remarry in church. Also the Princess Royal remarried in Scotland in 1992.

June 19th
Prince Ernst August of Hannover is accused by head editor Anne-Kathrin Berger of Bild Magazine of making phone calls to the editorial office on Sunday, after Bild wrote about him piddling against the Turkish pavilion at the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. Berger said she was asked to record the phone calls that were very offensive and threatening.

June 20th
The Prince of Wales and his girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles have stepped out together to attend a semi-official engagement. In London they hosted a private dinner in aid of the Prince’s foundation.

June 21st
100 guests were invited for the dinner at Windsor Castle, and another 700 people were invited for the ball afterwards, The big royal birthday party was held at Windsor Castle to celebrate this year's special birthdays: the 100th birthday of the Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the 70th birthday of Princess Margaret, the 50th birthday of Anne Princess Royal, the 40th birthday of Andrew Duke of York and the 18th birthday of Prince William. Prince William however missed the party because he has an A-level exam tomorrow. Among the guests were lots of royals: most members of the British royal family, some German relatives of the Duke of Edinburgh, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, King Konstantinos II of Greece, Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Princess Benedikte of Denmark and her husband Prince Richard zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Also invited were the Duchess of York and Andrew Parker Bowles, former husband of Camilla Parker Bowles (who did not attend herself).

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Willem-Alexander Prince of Orange visited the European Championship match between the Netherlands and France in the Amsterdam Arena. They saw the Netherlands win.

June 22nd
Prince Charles Napoleon announced that he is going to run for mayor of Ajaccio, the Corsican city where his family is originally from.

Prince Philippe of Belgium visited the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany. The Belgian press said he was an example for how royals should behave (in connection with Prince Ernst August of Hannover who was not well behaved).

The Duke and Duchess of York have delayed sending Princess Beatrice to Aiglon College, Villars, Switzerland. The school was hit by a sex scandal recently. In the meantime the Princess will go to St George's School in Ascot, England.

June 25th
The Prince of Wales unveiled a blue plaque on a house in Belgravia, London (2 Wilton Crescent), that was once the home of his favourite and highly influential great-uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten - who was killed by an IRA-bomb in 1979. Mountbatten’s two daughters Patricia Countess Mountbatten of Burma and Lady Pamela Hicks, and several of their children and grandchildren also attended the simple pavement ceremony.

Bild Magazine reports that the high nobility in Germany keeps Prince Ernst August of Hannover at a distance, being very angry about his recent behaviour. The magazine quotes amongst others Prince Michael of Prussia and Princess Elisabeth of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. They say the Prince gives the nobility a bad name. Nobility is supposed to function as an example for other people.

June 27th
Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark visited the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany on the national day of Denmark. More than thousand people waving with little Danish flags cheered them.

The Lord Mayor of London, Martin, gave a banquet in the historical Guildhall, the town hall of London, to start the celebrations around Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s 100th birthday. 500 people were invited. The Queen Mother attended herself and was very pleased with the painting she got as a birthday present.

June 28th
New guidelines on newspaper coverage of Prince William of Great Britain after he leaves Eton at the end of this week are outlined by the Press Complaints Commission. They urged continued co-operation between editors and the Palace to avoid a free for all and continued restriction as the prince is entitled to privacy like any other public figure. PCC’s chairman Lord Wakeham also warned that endless intrusion over Prince William’s future girlfriends would make his life a misery. Papers should check facts and consider the impact of wrong or intrusive tales. Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales have issued a joined statement welcoming the new guidelines and say "Lord Wakeham’s speech underlines the importance of personal privacy for all young people. It also recognises the special position of Prince William and the legitimate public interest in him."

The British royal family has made savings of more than £5m on official royal travel and maintenance of occupied royal palaces in 1999-2000, annual reports say. Savings were made by reduced use of aircraft and more helicopter flights.

British Cabinet Office Minister Mo Mowlam has apologised for any hurt caused in suggesting the British royal family might move out of Buckingham Palace and live in a less expensive and more modern accommodation. She said she supported a modernised monarchy and palaces open to the public as public museums and galleries. Two days ago an interview appeared in a magazine in which Mowlam said that "If people want a monarch of the new century they should have a palace of the new century."

Prince Ernst August of Hannover defended himself, placing a huge one-page advertisement in the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung (newspaper) which costed him about 30.000 dollars. He said he has piddled when he visited the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany, but not against the walls of the Turkish pavilion nor in the Turkish area around the pavilion. He said he and his family are big admirers of the Turkish culture and country.

June 29th
Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands celebrates his 89th birthday today with his family at the Palace of Soestdijk. He is said to watch the semi-final of the European Championships football between Italy and the Netherlands this evening. Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje is present at the match dressed in a suit, but with an orange coloured vest (waistcoat) and tie, so he looks a bit like a normal supporter of the Dutch team.

The opening tomorrow of a playground and an 11-kilometres-long foot-path through Kensington Gardens named after the late Diana Princess of Wales, shall not be attended by a member of the British royal family. They were sent invitations, but they didn’t accept.

June 30th
The first official memorial to Diana Princess of Wales has opened in London’s Kensington Gardens. The Memorial Committee arranged a refurbished children’s playground and a seven-mile walk through London parks. Diana’s godchild Domenica Lawson, aged 5, opened the Peter Pan play area. The Prince of Wales was said to have a prior engagement. The Princes William and Harry didn’t attend for personal and private reasons.

On June 25, Prince Guillaume and Princes Sibilla of Luxembourg presented their twins, born on May 2nd, at the font of Saint Michael’s Church in Luxembourg City. They were baptised Léopold Guillaume Marie Joseph and Charlotte Wilhelmina Maria da Gloria.


Royal News: May 2000. Last updated: June 1st, 2000.