ROYAL NEWS: MARCH 2002

Last updated: April 7th, 2002.

March 2nd
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has opened the Commonwealth leaders summit in Australia amid controversy over the possible suspension of Zimbabwe from the 54-nation body. Leaders from 40 Commonwealth nations paraded into a massive marquee erected in the grounds of a tightly-sealed luxury tourist resort at Coolum in Queensland state for the elaborate opening ceremony. The Queen said the diversity of the Commonwealth was its strength and relevance. "The events of 11 September have reminded us all of the need to build bridges between different cultures based on greater knowledge and understanding of our difference," the Queen told 900 dignitaries and delegates. The ceremony opened with a 90-minute display of traditional dancing by Aborigines dressed in loin cloths and daubed with white body paint, together with a performance by young lifesavers with surfboards.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex are both stepping down from their businesses, the Earl of Wessex announced during a speech to the South West regional conference of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme in Weston-super-Mare. He said: "It is quite obvious that in this year, the Golden Jubilee, we are required more than ever to support the Queen and to help my family shoulder some of the increasing responsibilities and workload into the future." The couple will now be focus on various charity works. The Earl is stepping down on March 31st as Ardent's director of production and joint managing director after 10 years in the business world. His wife, who has already ceased her day-to-day involvement in the management of RJH Public Relations, is also to stand down and will become a non-executive director. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman confirmed they would not be returning to their respective businesses.

March 3rd
Before leaving for Great Britain Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh attended a service at St John's Cathedral in Brisbane, Australia. The Queen was later given an official farewell by the governor-general in Brisbane's South Bank district, where she inspected a guard and received a 21-gun salute. The Queen said: "We have both been struck by the diversity and the dynamism of Australia, and the vigour and humour of Australians everywhere. We leave with our respect for this great country strengthened and renewed."

March 4th
The Royal Palace announced that crown prince Haakon and crown princess Mette-Marit of Norway will continue their studies in London starting in the fall of 2002. The crown prince will be taking a one-year course, Master of Science Development studies at the London School of Economics, reaching a Master's degree. Crown princess Mette-Marit also intends to study, but there have not been any indications of what subjects she may pursue. The couple and their son Marius will move to London at the end of this Summer and plan to return to Norway in September/October 2003.

March 6th
It was announced King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe of Denmark are the only foreign monarchs to be invited to the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn on May 24th in Trondheim. This week invitations will be sent to all the royal houses of Europe, but with exception of Sweden and Denmark they will go to the younger royals. There have been no other disclosures but the guest list will be gradually posted on the palace's web site as confirmations come in. The palace reckons about 250 guests will attend the wedding dinner. The dinner and ball will be held in a tent in the Stiftsgården gardens. Local authorities have received 4,000-5,000 applications from members of the public. Bjørn Ruud said that the deadline for all applications, whether for seats or to contribute with music or entertainment, had passed. Only about 1000 will be seated.

In an interview with Moss Avis, a Norwegian local newspaper, Princess Märtha Louise and her fiancé Ari Behn say they are considering withdrawing from public life after their wedding in May. "If I have children I will take a year off. We don't know if we can, but we are hoping. But we don't have any strategy - not yet. We will just see," said Princess Märtha Louise, who said she enjoys the company of Mette-Marit's young son Marius. Preparations for the May 24 ceremony in Trondheim's famous Nidaros Cathedral are in full swing and the couple is actively involved. "We are in fact involved with almost everything, from the flower arrangements to the choice of colors and food - which are secret, by the way," the princess said. The same goes for the bride's gown, which Ari Behn cannot lay eyes on before the ceremony. The princess admitted to keeping an eye on what the media write about them, just to stay updated on what is being said. "We didn't manage to keep our relationship secret for very long, and at times it has been very tough reading things that just weren't true," the princess said.

March 7th
Today it was announced that Princess Benedikte of Denmark recently underwent surgery at a private hospital in London because of a painful chronic intestinal disease. Her condition is good, but she'll stay a few days at the hospital and afterwards recover at her sister's house in London before returning to Bad Berleburg. A couple of weeks ago Prince Nikolai of Denmark broke his collar bone during a visit with his parents to Copenhagen.

March 8th
Yesterday the Prince of Orange and princess Máxima of the Netherlands attended the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City. Today they watched the biathlon, where Dutch Marjorie van de Bunt won the gold medal in her class. In the evening the princely couple had dinner with the complete Dutch team, that includes four sports(wo)men. This weekend the couple will return to the Netherlands. Their honeymoon started with a short skiing-holiday in Sankt Moritz, Switzerland, but it is kept private where they have spend the other weeks of their honeymoon. The couple has also been skiing in Salt Lake City for a few days.

Prince Laurent of Belgium has been caught driving at almost twice the speed limit on the city ring road around Bruges. He was driving 137 km an hour, where only 70 km an hour was allowed. The police asked him to stop, but he refered to his immunity. The case was handed over to the Public Prosecutor in Ghent. Anyway it is said the event happened already 18 months ago.

Norwegian broadcaster NRK cannot use the designer color scheme chosen by Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn for their wedding studio. Shock pink with mint green presents a visual "challenge". Project planner Odd Kaldefoss said the official colors can't be used in the studio for fear of distracting viewers from guests and commentators. But Kaldefoss is sure that he will be able to work ingredients of the scheme in. He reckons that there will be no need to fear color clashing when filming the ceremony since the banners will not decorate the cathedral. "So there shouldn't be a problem for those of us looking for good TV pictures. Because I assume that the princess won't choose a shock pink bridal gown," he said.

March 11th
Prince Claus of the Netherlands was admitted to the Amsterdam Medical Centre this afternoon. Just after noon he didn't feel well and he was admitted to hospital where he is expected to stay a couple of days for observation.

March 13th
In one of the first ceremonies of a life that will be filled with ritual, three-month-old Princess Aiko of Japan took part in an ancient rite today to give her a healthy life. Wearing garments given to her at her birth by her grandparents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, the baby was presented to three shrines in the Imperial Palace grounds. There Aiko was held by a lady-in-waiting while her parents waited separately until the ritual was over. After the shrine visit, Aiko was to be formally presented to her grandparents as an official member of the imperial family. This ceremony included a ritual in which the Emperor and Aiko pretended to drink rice wine from a single cup.

March 14th
Princess Máxima of the Netherlands won't perform much royal duties yet. She will first pay attention to the continuation and further deepening of her programme to make acquaintance with the various facets of the Dutch society. If it's necessary and it can contribute to this she will visit places and people informally or do work visits. Also she will go on learning the Dutch language in this period. She sometimes will accompany the Prince of Orange during his work visit abroad and in the country and on official days.

Prior to his departure to Spain on 14 March to attend the EU summit in Barcelona, Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski of Bulgaria told journalists that speculation that he plans to resign is unfounded. When asked whether he intends to quit on 6 April and nominate General Boyko Borisov of the interior ministry as his successor, Simeon said: "I read about this rumor in the press, and I am surprised." He added that "much of the chaos in the country that is written about in the press is a result of all possible unverified...statements, theories, and repeated rumors."

March 15th
The traffic offense of Prince Laurent of Belgium is extinguished, Minister of Justice Marc Verwilghen said at the Chamber. The Public Prosecutor had dismissed the case because the warrant arrived to late at the Public Prosecutor in Brussels. The car Laurent was driving in was leased in Luxembourg and it costed a while to find out who had been driving the car.

The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands have thanked the people for the unbelievable amount of letters, 33.000 emails and gifts they received for their marriage on February 2nd from all over the world. The Prince of Orange said that during their honeymoon they could enjoy the many thoughts and memories of all those beautiful and emotional moments and with the help of video's and pictures they have often enjoyed these two great days in Amsterdam. Princess Máxima added that the love and the warmth with which these letters were written, the gifts and the drawings were made, have touched them very deeply. These surely have made the memories to this so very special day for them, even much more special. Unfortunately the enormous amounts of reactions forced the couple to use the television to thank everybody. They will not be able to send everybody a card, but a special picture can be downloaded in a few days from the official website.

The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands spent part of their honeymoon at Huka Lodge in Taupo, New Zealand, the manager of the hotel confirmed today. It is said they stayed 12 nights.

March 16th
Prince Albert of Monaco, Princess Caroline of Monaco, Prince Ernst August von Hannover and Princess Stephanie of Monaco accompanied Prince Rainier to the annual Rose Ball took place at the Sporting Club at Monte Carlo, Monaco, this evening. The traditional event raises funds for the Princess Grace Foundation.

Replicas of the crown jewels have been added to models at the Legoland theme park. The move comes after special permission was given for them to be displayed at the park in Windsor, Berkshire. The models, including crowns, bangles, orbs and a sword, have been placed in glass cases. Other new models at Legoland, which overlooks Windsor Castle, include one of Buckingham Palace, which is expected to attract increased attention because of the Queen's Jubilee this year. Queen Elizabeth II also features in a new hall of fame, where models of the rich and famous have been built from Lego bricks.

Via his laywer Mr van der Bent made known he has declined the arrangement presented by Princess Máxima of the Netherlands's adviser on Tuesday. She should have offered him too little. Mr van der Bent was involved in a car accident with the princess last October in which he broke his leg, because of which he wasn't able to work for a while and which caused financial damage to him. Now Princess Máxima most likely has to appear at court in The Hague on May 3rd, when several witnesses will give evidence under oath.

March 18th
Prince William of Great Britain is to be the subject of an American TV film, with the search on for a young British actor to play him, it has been reported. The movie is likely to be called Prince William and will be shown on the ABC network in the United States in October. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the storyline for the film, produced by Fox TV Pictures, begins after the 1997 car crash death of the now 19-year-old William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales. About the approach it was said: "We basically took the tack that we were going to do a true coming-of-age of a kid who is going through, in some ways, all of the things that every kid goes through of dealing with adolescence, coming of sexuality and dealing with your dad."

Almost two million people have applied for free tickets to the Queen's Golden Jubilee concerts at Buckingham Palace. A maximum of 24,000 tickets are available - 12,000 each for the rock and classical concerts. At the party at the Palace on June 3 artists appearing include Atomic Kitten, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, Sir Elton John, Tom Jones, Annie Lennox, Sir Paul McCartney, Queen and Sir Cliff Richard. The Prom at the Palace, on June 1, stars Mstislav Rostropovich, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Sir Thomas Allen, Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Sir Andrew Davis.

A recent opinion poll conducted by the private MVMD research agency showed a sharp decline in Prime Minister Simeon Saxecoburggotski of Bulgaria's popularity, "Standart" reported. He finished in sixth place in the poll behind six other members of politicians. The rating of the ruling National Movement Simeon II also fell. If there were elections now, only 11 percent of the voters would cast their ballots in favor of this party.

March 19th
At Rabat it was officially announced King Mohammed VI of Morocco will celebrate his marriage with Salma Bennani at April 12th at Marrakech in presence of many guests from Morocco and foreigner guests. The wedding contract will be signed at the Royal Palace at Rabat on March 21st.

The Prince of Wales is mourning the death of his 18-year-old Jack Russell Terrier Tigga, who had been ill for some time and was put down by a vet at Highgrove. The prince, who had owned Tigga since he was a puppy, was said to be very sad and upset about the death.

March 21st
King Mohammed VI of Morocco married Salma Bennani today at the royal palace in Rabat.

March 22nd
Letters and cards handwritten by Princess Diana of Wales has sold for £22,000 at auction. She sent them to a former housekeeper, Maud Pendrey, at her family home of Althorp. The collection includes nine letters written by Princess Diana after her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 and 14 Christmas or New Year cards sent between 1981 and 1995. The correspondence, described by auctioneers as "rather special and unique", went under the hammer at GA Keys' salerooms in Aylsham, Norfolk, at 2pm on Friday. It had been expected to sell for no more than £15,000. It was bought by hotel owner Michael Rockall, of Ditchingham, near Bungay, Suffolk, who said he had been very keen to buy the collection because he wanted it to stay in England.

On April 19th Christies at New York will auction an Easter egg called the "Winter Egg", that was given in 1913 by Tsar Nikolai II to his mother on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov family. The egg made of transparent rock-crystal is decorated with 1300 rose-diamonds and 260 brilliants. In the egg is a basket of flowers, made of white quartz, fine wire-gold and 1370 diamonds. It is hoped the egg will fetch $ 6.000.000.

March 25th
Prince Claus of the Netherlands has to stay in hospital some more days, he has decided after consulting his doctors. He is doing well, but needs some more time to recover.

March 26th
Guided tours around the precincts are now available at Windsor Castle. Escorted by wardens, dressed in red-and-black livery, the tours depart at regular intervals from the admissions centre and are included in the general ticket price. The walk begins at the site of the Jubilee Garden, to be completed in June 2002, before entering the castle grounds. Beneath the famous Round Tower, built by Henry II, visitors hear about the castle's 900-year history as a palace and fortress, and its present use as an official residence of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. On arrival at the State Apartments, where the tour ends, spectacular views of the surrounding countryside can be seen from Henry VIII's North Terrace. For those wishing to continue their guided tour, a recorded commentary is available for hire, in a range of languages, and in versions for the visually impaired and those with learning difficulties.

March 27th

The Prince of Wales and his partner Camilla Parker Bowles were together for the first time at Buckingham Palace in presence of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. They attended a classical concert celebrating Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich's 75th birthday last night. But in a carefully stage-managed event Charles, Camilla and the Queen were not pictured together. The Prince and Camilla later dined together at the Palace but, perhaps significantly, the Queen was not expected to join the dinner guests. Members of the Royal Family at the event further included the Duke of York, Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and her husband Commander Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael and Princess Alexandra. Overseas royals included Archduke Carl Christian and Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria, the King and Queen of Greece and Princess Irene of Greece, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, and, from Luxembourg, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess along with Prince Henri and Prince Guillanme. Also in attendance were Prince Albert of Monaco, the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima of The Netherlands.

Prince Claus of the Netherlands has light heart rhytm disturbances it was said yesterday. This afternoon a heart catheterisation was carried out at the AMC hospital in Amsterdam. Two hollow tubes were placed in the coronar artery to widen them. The prince has endured the operation well. Queen Beatrix spent all day with him in hospital. In the evening also the Prince of Orange, princess Máxima, prince Johan Friso, prince Constantijn and princess Laurentien visited the prince.

March 28th
Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, Chief of Yendi and Paramount Chief of Dagbon Traditional Area in the Northern Region of Ghana has been killed in factional fighting in Yendi, the traditional capital of the Dagombas. Reports filtering through to the town of Tamale said that the assassins of the Andani beheaded the king, chopped off his arms and burnt him. Royals in the municipality condemned the act as an abomination unheard of in the annals of Dagbon land. Another 50 people are also reported killed in the fighting, some of them burnt in the factional battle which erupted last Monday between the Andani and Abudu chieftaincy gates to Ya-Na Skin. By mid morning yesterday, rumours were filtering in that the king had died when his palace was attacked by a mob. Sporadic gunshots had been heard during the whole of Tuesday despite the presence of armed soldiers and police in the Yendi Township and in spite of a dusk to dawn curfew. The Northern Regional Security Committee deployed armed soldiers and police to the area and banned the celebration of this year's annual Bugum (Fire) Festival at Yendi that was expected to take place on Monday night when security reports revealed the possibility of disturbances. It is yet to be determined what actually caused the flare up but according to sources, tension had been mounting between the two gates since last January over the celebration of the Muslim Eid ul-Adha festival. The Andani Gate that is currently occupying the Dagbon Skin was said not to have been happy when the rival Abudu Gate celebrated the festival in the traditional way at the house of its regent. Since then, there had been rumours of an imminent attack and counter-attack by the rival chieftaincy gates, which boiled over into an exchange of gunfire on Monday morning. The Ya Na's assassination now further complicates the Yendi skin affair and would polarise Dagbon more. This is the first time in Dagbon history when a Ya Na has died at the hands of his own people. President John Kufuor of Ghana has put the Northern Region on a state of emergency and the security agencies have extended the dusk to dawn curfew to cover the entire region. The government has also assured the nation that those found to have been responsible for the tragedy, would face the full rigours of the law. Dagbon is one of the most important links in the Mole-Dagbani Empire, which extends from Northern Ghana all the way to Burkina Faso. The kingdom of Dagbon was established centuries ago and dominated an area near the Dagomba capital, Yendi.

Prince Claus of the Netherlands was said to have had a stable night and day. The doctors are satisfied with his condition.

Prince Philippe and princess Mathilde of Belgium, together with the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands attended the second Belgo-Dutch conference organized in the Palais des Beaux Arts of Charleroi, Belgium. This meeting is a structural one on new technologies of information and communication.

New brochures and a HerrenhausenCard must attract more visitors to the royal gardens at Hannover, Germany. With the HerrenhausenCard, that will cost 2,50 Euro, people get discount on the entrance to the New Garden, the Rain Forest House, Princely House Museum, Wilhelm Busch Museum and the Cafe Do Brasil.

The Prince of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry travelled to Klosters in the Swiss Alps to begin their annual skiing holiday. They will spend a week on the slopes, starting with a pre-arranged photocall for the media on Friday. It is two years since the three royals were last at the Swiss resort; the holiday was cancelled last year as they felt it inappropriate to go away during the foot-and-mouth crisis.

March 29th
Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako wished their first child, Princess Aiko, a life of good health during a traditional Imperial family ceremony. During the Ohashizome -- the child's first chopstick-fed meal -- held at the Crown Prince's palace in Tokyo, the chief lady-in-waiting dipped a pair of chopsticks into some red bean porridge and then held them to the princess' mouth, according to Imperial Household Agency officials. A salted fish and two blue stones were also placed in front of Princess Aiko and the Crown Princess in a ceremony intended to provide the child with intelligence and healthy teeth, the officials said. It marked the end of a series of events honoring Princess Aiko's birth on December 1st.

Prince Harry of Great Britain has glandular fever, a St James's Palace aide has confirmed. The illness is known also as the 'kissing disease' as it is spread by a virus in saliva. The prince is not thought to be severely affected. He has joined his father and brother at the start of a skiing holiday insisting he is well enough to ski.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway broke her right ankle on Wednesday afternoon in a fall during a skiing trip. She was initially taken to a clinic in Vinstra and then to the Oppland Central Hospital in Lillehammer. She spent a short holiday together with Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn at the family's mountain cabin, Prinsehytta, at Sikkilsdalsetra. Crown Princess Mette-Marit's officially been put on sick leave for six weeks, and is hobbling around on crutches with her right ankle in a cast.

From tomorrow the small palace park of Versailles, France, can't be entered for free anymore, but will cost 3 Euro. Visitors still don't have to pay to enter the big park.

March 30th
The Queen Mother died today at the age of 101.

Royal News: February 2002. Last updated: March 9th, 2002.