ROYAL NEWS: MARCH 2005

Last updated: April 10th, 2005.

March 1st
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark arrived in Sydney on Friday night. Crown Prince Frederik who is taking part in the worldchampionships Farr 40s sailing already arrived a few days before his wife. Two days ago the couple held another royal match race. Like last May in Copenhagen, also this time Crown Princess Mary managed to beat her husband 2-1 in a series of three 20 minute yacht races on Sydney Harbour. The couple pays a state visit to Australia from February 28 to March 11. Their tour will take them to Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Hobart. Yesterday the visit started with a lunch with Premier Bob Carr of New South Wales and his wife at Governor Macquarie Tower in Sydney. Tomorrow evening the crown princely couple will attend the Red Cross 90th Anniversary Gala dinner at the Westin Hotel in Sydney. On Thursday Crown Princess Mary attends a lunch for the Mental Health Foundation at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney and in the evening she and her husband will attend a state dinner at Government House. On Friday Crown Princess Mary will visit the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute at Darlinghurst, and in the evening the couple will attend the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute ball at the Wentworth. On Saturday Crown Princess Mary will visit the Australian Cancer Research Foundation at Westmead Hospital and meet children who are being treated there. In the evening the crown princely couple attends the foundation's dinner at Boomerang House, Elizabeth Bay. On Sunday the couple will attend a Danish church service at Pennant Hills. On their last day in Sydney, on Monday, the couple will visit the Sydney Opera House for the announcement of the Hans Christian Andersen bust at Observatory Hill. Here Crown Princess Mary will be appointed an honorary Hans Christian Andersen ambassador for Australia by her husband. In the evening there is a reception by the Danish community at the Sydney Opera House. On March 8 the couple will fly to Canberra where they will lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and attend a state dinner. On Wednesday a tour at Parliament House is planned. On March 10 a short visit to Melbourne is planned with visits to the Government House and Federation Square. There will also be a state reception. In the afternoon they will fly to Hobart, Tasmania, hometown of the Crown Princess. There they will visit the University of Tasmania Centre for the Arts and attend a state dinner. On Friday March 11, the last day of the visit the couple will visit the Government House and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. At noon a lunch at Port Arthur is planned. The couple will also attend a state reception at Wrest Point Cassino and the Save The Children Fund Ball at Wrest Point. The couple will also hold a press conference to end their tour. After the official schedule the couple is expected to stay a few more days at Tasmania to spend some time with Crown Princess Mary's family.

Yesterday an interview of Andrew Denton with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was broadcasted in the programme Enough Rope at ABC TV. The interview was recorded at Christian VIII's Palace, Amalienborg, in Copenhagen shortly before they were leaving for Australia. In the interview Crown Princess Mary said that her work is very varied: "A normal day would be - up quite early. I might have some Danish lessons sometimes. Or it might be an official event that I'll be going to so it's last-minute preparations for those sorts of things. Right now, a lot of the time is spent with meetings, for example, for our Australian tour. You wouldn't believe the amount of detail that goes into preparing for such a trip. I don't think we can believe it either. Obviously there's a lot of protocol questions and security questions and who would we like to invite as well." The couple said that they like to be very involved in what they do. About their first meeting Crown Prince Frederik said: "It was just after the Olympics had started and it was one of those evenings where... I mean, the whole city was just... Seen from my perspective, but I think it also goes for the inhabitants of Sydney, the whole thing was bubbling of expectations, of excitement. And suddenly you're just put in together with a group of locals that you don't know but who are in for a good time as well. And so... We had a sort of handshake around. "Hello, my name is..." And we sat differently at a table and it wasn't until later in that evening that we actually started talking. We're still talking!" Crown Princess Mary says she gave Frederik her telephone number and he rang her the next day. Frederik added that she was definitely worth another call. Mary told that about half an hour after they first met, her then flatmate said "These are actually European royalty that we're with." So she knew that Frederik was a prince about half an hour after meeting him. About her first meeting with Queen Margrethe II Mary told: "It actually was a bit of a surprise to me because it was, 'Oh, the next day, Mum's coming over for tea.' What? You know, I need to prepare for this. This is not just a... What should I do? What should I do? So, actually, it was quite entertaining because Frederik should show me how I should greet her with a curtsy and so forth. So it was quite fun to see him..." Crown Prince Frederik confessed that he proposed to his wife in Rome. He says he wrote a letter to Mary's father to ask him for his daughter's hand. John Donaldson wrote back that he'd be delighted to see Frederik as a future son-in-law. To the question what he was thinking when Mary entered the church for the marriage Crown Prince Frederik replied: "I could feel that now Mary was... You could hear the crowd outside sort of starting to...to rumble and cheer and then you know you're getting closer to the countdown, to the, sort of, final countdown, and I think that was probably a lot of...you know, things that I... Unprocessed feelings that I had kept within me - for, you know, I would say maybe years - suddenly could not be held back and should not be held back. So I said, 'Oh, to hell with all the being a...keeping the facade. This is THE moment and this is...' I was also very... Not concerned, but I was very... I wanted to have the moment when Mary came up and we were at the ceremony was just going to be Mary and I. So there might as well have been no people in the church. To me it was just the two of us living that intense moment. It was quite the most fantastic part in that day, I think, the church." They said they were very surprised about the interest in their wedding in Australia. Frederik said that "It's one of many great things about being married, is that we are two persons now and we can share things with each other. We can also get...unload on each other sort of thing, which was not the same case before with me, for example." They told that they had a wonderful photo safari as honeymoon, just south of the equator. Mary told that living in Denmark for a year before her engagement was a very good experience for her and for her and Frederik together, because she got the opportunity to experience Denmark and the people and culture as well as the royal family. She says she has gotten lots of freedom to try and find her own way. Frederik said to be very impressive what his wife is currently doing and has done already. Mary said that the language has been quite a challenge for her. The couple says they do lot of sports together. Crown Princess Mary said about their visit to Australia: "It's very exciting. We're very much looking forward to it."

March 2nd
The Registrar General, Len Cook, has confirmed yesterday that he is conducting a formal investigation into claims that the civil ceremony of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles is in breach of the law. He is studying claims that Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the Lord Chancellor, was wrong to state that the Prince of Wales’s intended civil marriage to Mrs Parker Bowles is legal. The legal complaint was made by the Rev Paul Williamson, the vicar of St George’s Church in Feltham, West London, who has filed, by fax and by registered post, formal objections to the ceremony. The vicar claims that the law is clear: “A member of the Royal Family cannot have a civil marriage, cannot be divorced, cannot marry a divorcée, cannot marry in church, and cannot marry abroad if he wants to become king." A spokesman for the General Registrar’s Office said: “If the objection is upheld we would not issue a licence and the marriage could not go ahead.”

In a letter to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo the Spanish Royal Household has denied that the Princess of Asturias suffers from anorexia. The newspaper had commented about the Princess's extreme thinness recently. The letter that was written by the mediator between the Royal Household and the media Juan Gonzalez-Cebrian says "it’s absolutely false" the Princess suffers anorexia. Mr Gonzalez-Cebrian demands the publication of his letter so that "El Mundo" readers have "truthful information" at their disposal.

Family, friends and colleagues of Princess Alexandra of Kent’s late husband, Sir Angus Ogilvy, have attended a memorial service at Westminster Abbey today. Among them were Princess Alexandra of Kent, Marina Ogilvy, James and Julia Ogilvy with their children Flora and Alexander, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, the Earl of St Andrews, Lord Nicholas Windsor, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Lord Frederick Windsor and Lady Gabriella Windsor, as well as the Duke of Gloucester. The Dean of Westminister officiated, assisted by the Rev Chris Chivers, Minor Canon and Precentor of Westminster. Mr Jesse Peters and Ms Liz Jackson, Recipients of Business start-up loans from The Prince’s Trust, said prayers. The Hon James Ogilvy, brother, and Sir Timothy Colman, KG, read the lessons. Mr Timothy West read If by Rudyard Kipling and Mr James Ogilvy, son gave an address. During the service a recording of music from the short film Engaged and composed by Miss Marina Ogilvy, daughter, with a cello arrangement by Emily Burridge was played. The Band of The Scots Guards, conducted by Major Robert J Owen, Director of Music, also played during the service. The Skye Boat Song was played by Piper Graham Gray after the service and outside the Great West Door Mr Mark Tennant, nephew, and Mr Edward Tennant, great nephew, bagpipes, played the March: The Bonnie Hoose O’Airlie and Salute to Sir Angus Ogilvy.

A member of the Zulu royal household, Prince Thulani Zulu, was shot dead in Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday afternoon. Police Director Bala Naidoo said Zulu was driving when a red vehicle pulled up next to him and several shots were fired. He died instantly and two of his passengers were wounded. Naidoo said the red car was later found abandoned close to the scene of the crime. The deceased was the branch chairman of the African National Congress in Nongoma. ANC provincial spokesperson Mtholephi Mthimkhulu said the party was "shocked and devastated".

March 3rd
Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan's apology to his parents last week over a controversial remark about his wife Masako signaled an improvement in family ties. Analysts of Imperial household affairs say the apology will help cap an unusually turbulent nine months for the world's oldest hereditary monarchy. A senior Imperial Household Agency official said the Crown Prince "reaffirmed family ties." But Hiroshi Takahashi, a professor at Shizuoka University of Welfare, said the Crown Prince had no choice but to apologize because he had underestimated the impact of the remark. "I doubt he had imagined his remark would have such a huge impact. Actually, it was totally unexpected for him to be criticized by some agency officials for speaking out too much," he said. "The last nine months were quite unusual for the Imperial family." He says that aides to the Imperial family believe that attracting media attention does not necessarily benefit the Imperial household.

Anyone who opposes next month's marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles has just 24 hours left to object, Britain's main registry office said before adding that it was already investigating a number of complaints. A spokesman for the General Register Office of England and Wales said: "We are not discussing numbers but we have had more than one. We will wait and see what comes in by the deadline. The registry office in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, which covers The Prince of Wales's countryside retreat of Highgrove, has received at least three objections, British newspapers have reported. The spokesman for the general registrar's office said if one of the complaints under investigation is upheld "then no certificate of marriage will be issued."

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton has been appointed as private secretary to Prince William and Prince Harry of Wales, Clarence House has said. He will work part-time from 2 May. Mr Lowther-Pinkerton works as a security specialist in London, and had been an equerry to the Queen Mother from 1984-86. His new job will involve contact with Sir Michael Peat, private secretary to Prince Charles, and Helen Asprey, personal secretary to the princes.

A court has denied Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn access to Paco, his pet dog. The animal will stay with his estranged wife, Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme. Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn had taken the case to court, saying he had not seen the dog since last year and he missed Paco very much. The court decided that since the Princess paid for the dog, she owned it and could decide who had the right to visit it. Princess Margarita's name has been named as owner in the family tree of the dog and she also paid for him.

March 4th
Nine formal objections have been made against the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles. The deadline for objections passed and the details have been sent to the office of the Registrar General who will decide whether they are valid. No certificate of marriage can be issued until all objections have been dealt with. Should the objections not be deemed valid, applications could be made for judicial review at the High Court. The objections were lodged at the local register offices at Chippenham and Cirencester where the Prince and his fiancée have their homes.

The Prince of Wales started his five-day visit to Australia on March 1 when arriving in Perth. It is his first tour of Australia for 11 years. He said he was glad to return. On Wednesday he spent some time in the outback around Alice Springs where he was greeted at the airport by Aboriginal dancers. He visited the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CAT). After an official reception the Prince headed for Melbourne. This morning 7-year-old school girl Pamela Kenneally-Murphy told him after giving him a hug during a visit at a primary school: "I hope you're in love with the woman you're marrying." The Prince of Wales replied: "Yes, very much." Pamela then burst into tears and said: 'I hope he'll have a great time at the wedding." This afternoon the Prince of Wales visited Sydney where he had lunch with the Governor of New South Wales, visited Sydney's Botanic Gardens as well as the Opera House forecourt and Man O'War steps. He also made a cruise through Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River. He visited the Sydney Cancer Centre at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital before leaving for Canberra, where he attended an official dinner at Government House in the evening. Tomorrow he will lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and meet Prime Minster John Howard. He will also visit a farm. In the afternoon he will leave for New Zealand. On March 10 and 11 the Prince of Wales will visit Fiji, where he will be welcomed according a full traditional Fijian ceremony hosted by the President.

March 6th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has agreed to a set of stamps to commemorate the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles. The couple are said to be "delighted" and the designs will be released next month. The Queen will be shown a number of designs by executives at the Royal Mail in the next fortnight so that the stamps can be approved and printed to coincide with the wedding on April 8. The Queen's image appears on every stamp and she personally approves each design. Andrew Motion, the Poet Laureate, has said that he intends to mark the occasion by writing a poem. Mr Motion said yesterday: "I feel it is an important part of my work as Laureate to mark significant events in the royal calendar. I can't give any details because I have not written it [the poem] yet."

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord George Carey, has voiced his support for Prince Charles' wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles. He has urged people to "get behind" the happy couple. He said the forthcoming marriage was good for the monarchy and set a good example to society at large. "I think it's good for the country because it's important that at the heart of the monarchy we have stable relationships," Lord Carey explained.

It is said that Prince William of Wales wants to enlist for military training at the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst in January 2006, when his younger brother Prince Harry starts his third term. Courtiers hope that the presence of William might improve Harry’s chances of adapting successfully to the armed forces. One source said: “Life is about to get much more serious for both boys. It should be easier for them to go through it together.” The sources say that recent events have pushed William into 'getting a grip'. After his studies Prince William is to lose the special protection from media intrusion that he has enjoyed since April 1999 under a deal with the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). At a meeting this month, palace officials will urge the PCC to consider reimposing special rules for media coverage of the princes during their stints at Sandhurst. However, they are not optimistic.

In a Channel 4 Film on the life of Princess Margaret of Great Britain the Duke of Edinburgh is portrayed as a bully who ruthlessly promotes the interests of the house of Windsor while boasting in private about his predilection for “rather striking” women. The film shows Prince Philip threatening his sister-in-law that she will lose her income if she goes ahead with her marriage to a divorced battle of Britain veteran. A leaked script of the film reveals that Princess Margaret is shown having sex, kissing the daughter of the American ambassador and high on drugs. The film, Margaret Rose, begins with her affair in 1955 with Group Captain Peter Townsend and continues through to her romance with Roddy Llewellyn, a socialite and gardener, in the 1970s. It ends with her alone on Mustique island in the West Indies.

March 7th
The Swedish royal family has decided to sue German media companies as part of efforts to stop inaccurate reports, the palace said today. Media lawyer Matthias Prinz has been asked to prepare suits demanding damages, palace spokeswoman Ann-Christine Jernberg said. She added that apologies are insufficient; "The apologies which have been published have only related to certain specific articles." If any sums are awarded, the money will be used for charity in accordance with the royal family's wishes, Mrs Jernberg said. Mr Prinz has reviewed what the gossip magazines have published during the past five years and found hundreds of articles that were erroneous or made up, the palace said. Although several magazines have published front page corrections, fake stories continue to be published.

March 8th
The Registrar General has dismissed 11 objections to the marriage of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles. "I am satisfied none of these objections should obstruct the issue of a marriage certificate," said Len Cook, Registrar General for England and Wales. He ruled that the relevant legislation, backed more recently by the European Convention on Human Rights and 1998 Human Rights Act, did not prevent the royal marriage

Prince Rainier III of Monaco again has been hospitalized with a chest infection. He was admitted to the Centre Cardio-Thoracique de Monte-Carlo on Monday. His condition had improved Tuesday but he was expected to remain hospitalized for a few more days. "Given the medical history and respiratory problems created by this new health incident, appropriate medical surveillance and complementary examinations are necessary, and will be conducted in the coming days," the palace said.

King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway have ended a nine-day official visit to the USA on the occasion of this year's centennial celebrations of Norway as a free and independent nation. The visit started at February 27 with a visit to the Norwegian Seamen's Church in New York, where they also met many members of the Norwegian community in the city. One day later Queen Sonja opened an exhibition at Scandinavia House, which includes paintings from her own private art collection. The royal couple also had lunch with UN Secreatary General Kofi Annan and his wife Nane and visited Ground Zero. In the evening they attended a concert by the Oslo Cathedral Choir at the St. Thomas Church on Manhattan. On March 1 Queen Sonja presented "This is My Norway" at Scandinavia House. On Wednesday the royal couple continued their visit in Houston where King Harald opened the oil and energy conference INTSOK. They ended their visit in Washington. The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra performed at the Kennedy Centre in Washington at the end of the visit yesterday. Yesterday the royal couple also had lunch at the White House.

Marius Høiby Borg, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, has gotten a little brother on Sunday morning. His father Morten Borg and his wife Celine had their first child together.

A CT scan of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun's skull indicates he was not murdered by a "blow to the back of the head." He may have suffered a badly broken leg shortly before his death at age 19, a wound that could have become infected, Egypt's top archaeologist Zahi Hawass said Tuesday, about two months after the CT scan was performed on the mummy of the pharaoh. He said that the remains of Tutankhamun showed no signs that he had been murdered, dispelling a mystery that has long surrounded the pharaoh's death. Mr Hawass said some members of the research team interpreted a fracture to Tutankhamun's left thighbone as evidence that the king may have broken his leg badly just before he died. "Although the break itself would not have been life-threatening, infection might have set in. However, this part of the team believes it also possible, although less likely, that this fracture was caused by the embalmers."

March 10th
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are going to sell their Gloucestershire manor house, Nether Lypiatt. It goes on sale for £4.5m. The couple bought the house in 1981. It was built in 1698 and has eight bedrooms, four reception rooms, staff quarters and 20 acres of land.

March 11th
At the end of their Australia visit Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark held a press conference in Hobart, Tasmania. Crown Princess Mary said she was overwhelmed to be home in Tasmania. "It's hard to put words on such strong emotions," she told. "I think it was, you come to think of all those things from your childhood. Of course I thought a lot of my mother." She added:"It was a beautiful feeling to see Tasmania below me." Crown Prince Frederik said that the Australia visit had has been an incredible journey that had brought them immense joy and happiness. "It's something we'll never forget," he said. He said he was happy that his wife had claimed the largest share of attention during their Australian tour: "I think it's fantastic she gets the attention. I think it would be a bit strange if she didn't get that much attention in Australia." About future children Crown Princess Mary said: "I think it's only natural that our children will have some Australian influence because a lot of me is influenced by my upbringing in Australia. I'm sure they will have desire to come and see where I have grown up as well."

68-year-old Sven Høiby, father of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has remarried. He married 34-year-old former stripper Renate Barsgård in a civil ceremony at the Norwegian Embassy in The Hague, The Netherlands. The couple met last year in a bar at Kristiansand. The couple will go to Thailand for their honeymoon.

March 13th
Andrew Parker Bowles, ex-husband of Camilla, Parker Bowles is to get an invitation to the ceremony when she marries Prince Charles at Windsor Guildhall on April 8. He has been asked along at the insistence of the Queen. A friend said: "Andrew's on very good terms with many of the royals. He's an ex-boyfriend of Princess Anne, and the late Queen Mother saw him as one of her favourites. Charles wasn't too thrilled at inviting him, but the Queen thought he should be there."

March 14th
It emerged that the official engagement photograph of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles was made by Carolyn Robb, one of Britain’s leading organic chefs, who took the picture when she was working for the Prince at Birkhall, his Scottish hideaway, in January. She asked why it was being taken and was told the couple wanted a photograph of themselves dressed in their new green tweeds on their way to church. A few weeks later Ms Robb, a consultant product developer for the Prince’s Duchy Originals food range, claimed she was shocked to see the photograph flashed around the world as an official engagement picture, which also appears on a stamp to commemorate the royal wedding. She told a Sunday newspaper that the image had been used without her consent and without any fee being agreed. She said that she felt duped, bitterly disappointed and insulted. When Ms Robb contacted the Prince’s office about financial compensation, officials attempted to force her to waive international copyright, she said. She claimed that she was asked to sign over all rights and to accept that she would not receive any compensation. Yesterday a spokeswoman for Clarence House insisted that Ms Robb had given permission for the photograph to be distributed free and had also been asked to sign a contract that would assign copyright to the Royal Household. The contract was optional, she added. “If Ms Robb does not want to sign, then that is fine. Ms Robb has asked us to make it clear that she is now happy with the situation and as far as she is concerned that matter is closed.” It is understood that Ms Robb has agreed a fee for the photograph. Ms Robb was reported to have told the Mail on Sunday that she was hurt and upset by the way she had been treated by palace officials. “I want to make it clear that I am not upset at Prince Charles or Mrs Parker Bowles. I have known the Prince for many years and I have always had the utmost respect and admiration for him. And I am very fond of Mrs Parker Bowles, who is a wonderful lady. I have always been so loyal to them both. That is why it is so hurtful and upsetting to be treated in this way. But the people in Charles’s office have not dealt with this in a decent or professional fashion. It is a classic example of how out of touch they are with reality,” she was quoted as saying.

March 17th
King Harald V of Norway will undergo heart surgery just after the Easter holiday at the Rikshospitalet in Oslo, to correct a defective valve. Crown Prince Haakon will be regent while his father is on sick leave. The King is expected to be off work for at least two months. Palace officials hope he will be able to resume his duties as quick as possible. His current ailment is known as aortic stenosis, the narrowing or obstruction of the heart's aortic valve, which prevents it from opening properly and blocks the flow of blood from the left ventricle to the aorta. Doctors said the monarch's heart trouble has progressed slowly for many years. The king hasn't fell ill. During his last routine physical exam it turned out the King's condition was considerably reduced and that surgery was necessary. He's expected to be in the hospital for two weeks. "The king has taken this news calmly. He is in fine form," said professor Halfdan Ihlen, the king's personal physician, at Rikshospitalet.

March 18th
During an official function Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway today said that King Harald is grateful for all greetings and messages of support that he has received since it was announced that he will undergo a heart operation after Easter. It is expected that she and the Crown Prince will take over many of the official functions which King Harald was scheduled to have attended for the next two months, while he is on sick leave. Greetings and flowers have arrived from all over the country as well as from abroad. People use both e-mail, letters and the phone. We think this is very nice, said the Palace acting information director Sven G. Gjeruldsen.

Princess Lilly zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg expects her second child, a girl, in July. She and her husband Lambros Milona live in Italy, but the baby is planned to be born in München, Germany. From her first marriage to Prince Alexander zu Schaumburg-Lippe Lilly has a 10-year-old son.

March 19th
Princess Nori, only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan this morning was formally engaged to Yoshiki Kuroda in a traditional betrothal rite called Nosai no Gi at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. In the privately held ceremony lasting about 15 minutes a messenger from Mr Kuroda, his cousin Naoyuki Kuroda, formally conveyed Kuroda's proposal to marry the Princess to Grand Steward Toshio Yuasa of the Imperial Household. The messenger offered traditional engagement gifts of two fresh sea bream, three bottles of sake and two sets of silk, the Imperial Household Agency said. The grand steward then reported to the Emperor and Empress in a different room, also attended by the princess, about the proposal. The Imperial Couple granted approval. The princess and Kuroda became formally engaged when the grand steward returned to the messenger and said that the princess and her parents accepted the offer of marriage. The Imperial family then sent a messenger to Kuroda's home in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, carrying another set of gifts: two fresh sea bream, three bottles of sake and two sets of dark blue cloth to make two business suits. The fabric was selected by the emperor, empress and the princess. Princess Nori, in the meantime, reported her engagement to other members of her family and received their congratulations. The imperial family also had a celebratory lunch. The heads of three branches of government, senior agency officials and others also visited the princess to offer congratulations. In the afternoon, Mr Kuroda and his mother, Sumiko, visited the Imperial Residence for a meeting with the Emperor and Empress and the princess. They talked over tea for over 90 minutes, longer than the scheduled one hour, the agency said. After the ceremony, the 35-year-old princess said in a statement, "I would like to express my deep gratitude to both the Emperor and the Empress for blessing us and for having Nosai no Gi completed smoothly." Also Mr Kuroda expressed gratitude for the blessing and the ceremony. The agency set out books at the palace for the public to sign and offer congratulations. The princess and Mr Kuroda will marry sometime after the summer, following a series of court rites, the Imperial Household Agency has said. The Nosai no Gi was the first ceremony in the series. The Emperor and Empress are expected to attend the wedding ceremony and reception banquet to be held at a private marriage hall. The princess and Mr Kuroda hope to hold a Shinto-style wedding, the sources said. The wedding date will be announced later at another rite called Kokki no Gi.

The Monegasque royals have marked the arrival of Spring with their traditional Rose Ball at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club. This year's theme was Brazil. The ball was attended by Princess Caroline. Her father Prince Rainier is in hospital and Princess Stéphanie was not present either. The abll is the most important event in Monaco's social calendar, and is attended by the Monegasque society, showbiz stars and aristocrats from all over the world. Proceeds go to the Princess Grace Foundation, which helps disadvantaged children.

March 21st
Camilla Parker Bowles will automatically become Queen when the Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne unless there is a change in the law, the Government confirmed tonight. The Department for Constitutional Affairs admitted legislation would be needed no matter what Camilla wished to call herself when Charles becomes King, to prevent this happening. Clarence House has previously insisted that the Government agreed with its view, taken from legal advice, that it was only a convention for the wife of the King to be known as Queen. The Prince's aides did admit, when the royal engagement was announced, that legislation might be needed to tidy the issue up later on. Mrs Parker Bowles will be known as the Duchess of Cornwall after her marriage at Windsor on April 8 and intends to take the title Princess Consort when the Prince accedes the throne. A Department for Constitutional Affairs spokeswoman confirmed that legislation would be needed for her not to become Queen automatically on Charles's succession."I think traditionally that's probably the case because in all similar circumstances in the past in past royal marriages that is what has happened," said the spokeswoman. "But I think she is not going to be referred to as Queen, she will be referred to as the Princess Consort." Tony Blair's official spokesman said: "The position at the moment is limited to what the title would be on her marriage. In terms of any future events, let's wait until future events arise. A Clarence House spokesman said tonight: "With any legal situation there are always different views. If the Government said legislation would be needed it wouldn't be a problem. It can easily be done in the Civil List Act. "This is something which is a long way in the future, we hope."

Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn will soon demand via the courts that his estranged wife Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme pays him EUR 5,000 in alimony. The princess withdrew her request for divorce earlier this month. Amsterdam Court had earlier ruled that Margarita should pay her still husband EUR 5.000 per month. The amount was based on the lifestyle of the couple and the financial status of Princess Margarita.

Researchers who have spent the past 10 months prising open the tombs of the Medicis of Florence, have got more than they bargained for. They have found the remains of eight children they cannot place on the family tree. Worse still, some of the bodies appear to have been switched around or muddled up over the centuries. The resulting confusion is making yet more difficult an already immense and challenging undertaking that is shining light into the recesses of the Renaissance. The aim of the project, which reached the end of its first phase last week, is to build up a picture of the lives, and deaths, of the members of a family that ruled Florence for more than 300 years. One of the researchers, Dr Lippi, said it could be decades before the last conclusions were wrung from the evidence being discovered. Last week team members received their latest shock when they opened the tomb of Filippino, son of Grand Duke Francesco I, who ruled Florence from 1574 until 1587. "We know, from historic evidence, that Filippino was four years and nine months old when he died," said the leader of the project, Gino Fornaciari. "But what we found were the remains of a one-year-old child. Now, there is a margin of error. But it is only plus or minus four months. So, clearly, it was not the body of Filippino." About the remains of eight children the researchers cannot place on the family tree Dr Lippi said: "It cannot be ruled out that at least some of these children were illegitimate," said Dr Lippi, the team's historian. Dr Fornaciari, a lecturer at the University of Pisa, said he expected that some of the mysteries surrounding the crypt would be cleared up when the team created a "DNA map" of the Medicis at a later stage in the project. "It was always going to be done, but now it has become even more important," he said. However Dr Lippi was sceptical that DNA tests could provide all the answers. They might be able to show which children were born of which parents, but they could not distinguish between siblings without documentary evidence which, in some cases, might not exist. "You have to remember that, in earlier times, the rate of infant mortality was extremely high," she said. Grand Duke Cosimo was said by his doctors - and thus by historians - to have been crippled by gout. In fact, Dr Fornaciari and his fellow paleopathologists have established that he suffered from a form of arthritis called diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, or Forestier's disease. Two of Cosimo's children were rumoured to have met violent ends. Yet no trace of a violent death was found on the remains of either.

March 22nd
Historian odd Arvid Storsveen has written a highly critical review of a book by author Tor Bomann-Larsen in the magazine Historisk Tidsskrift. In the book, Bomann-Larsen raises the possibility that Norway's first modern queen, Maud, may have been artificially inseminated with sperm either from her doctor or her doctor's son and that King Haakon was not the father of King Olav. Storsveen claims he can't find adequate sourcing for Bomann-Larsen's "hypothesis" that Olav wasn't the son of King Haakon. "King Olav's descendants can take it easy," Storsveen says, adding that Bomann-Larsen's claims lack credibility.

The Duchess of York has told that her daughter Princess Beatrice struggles with her schoolwork because she is dyslexic. The princess is due to take her GCSEs this summer and is receiving extra help with reading and writing from the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre. She described her daughter's experiences during a visit to the London school attended by the murdered schoolboy Damilola Taylor. The Duchess is patron of a charity called Springboard for Children, which sends volunteers into inner city schools to help pupils who are behind in their reading and writing. She said Princess Beatrice would probably continue to receive extra help in literacy "for the foreseeable future". "She loves history - coming from Queen Victoria and her family, she wanted to learn about history but she couldn't because she couldn't read. "She is such a kind person. She didn't get frustrated. I would have," she said at Oliver Goldsmith School in Peckham, south London. The Duchess said Princess Beatrice was "very proud" that everyone should know of her literacy problem. "She said 'Please tell everybody because it's very important'," the Duchess said. "She is very good at oral French, drama, numbers, just like her mother." The Duchess said she was also "a little bit" dyslexic: "I had a problem at school. I think I am fine now but I think I did because it took me ages to read and no-one listens."

Prince Rainier III of Monaco has been moved into the intensive care unit at hospital because a lung infection he is being treated for has worsened, his office says. The palace's press office said the prince had initially been responding well to treatment since his admission to hospital on March 7.

A skeleton held in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland for nearly 100 years has been identified as the remains of a lost Egyptian queen. Scientists using forensic investigative techniques to uncover the history of the woman, who has been part of the museum collection since 1909, also examined the skeleton of her daughter, which was found at the same site. The bodies were discovered by Sir Flinders Petrie in 1909 at the village of Qurna on the west bank of the Nile, a site known for illegal excavations. Sir Flinders excavated two coffins containing the skeletal remains of the mother and her child as well as jewellery and other items. The bodies were acquired and displayed at the Royal Museum a year after their discovery, although relatively little was known about who the mother and child were. The new study was carried out by experts from NMS and scientists working for Atlantic Productions, who are filming a documentary for the Discovery channel. Researchers used advanced technology to put a face to the child, but the exact identity of the lost queen may have to remain a mystery. Dan Oliver, of Atlantic Productions, said: "The evidence suggests that this was a queen of Egypt and the child was an heir. It is pretty clear the adult was one of the most important people of her time."

March 23rd
The Prince of Wales authorised one of his most senior officials to go public to deny that legislation would be required to prevent Mrs Parker Bowles becoming Queen when the Prince succeeds to the throne. Paddy Harverson, the Clarence House communications secretary, said: “Mrs Parker Bowles’s wishes have been made clear from the start that she does not wish to take the title of Queen and the Prince is in full agreement. The implication of some of today’s media reporting is that Mrs Parker Bowles would have to be called Queen unless there is legislation. This is incorrect and not in accordance with the Government’s advice.” Mrs Parker Bowles will take the title Duchess of Cornwall on April 8 and Princess Consort on succession." Mr Harverson added: “Mrs Parker Bowles can, as she wishes, be referred to as Princess Consort, rather than Queen, without legislation. Legislation would only be required if it was deemed necessary to confirm formally that she should not have the title and status of Queen.” The remarks will put Clarence House in direct confrontation with the Department for Constitutional Affairs, headed by the Lord Chancellor, the head of the judiciary, which stated on Monday that an Act of Parliament was required to stop Mrs Parker Bowles automatically becoming Queen on the succession. A spokesman for the department said: “We have nothing further to add.” It emerged that Mrs Parker Bowles, according to constitutionalists, would also be entitled to call herself the Princess of Wales after her marriage on April 8. Patrick Cracroft-Brennan, editor of Cracroft’s Peerage, said: “Under English common law, Camilla Parker Bowles will become the Princess of Wales on April 8. While there is nothing to stop her choosing to be known as the Duchess of Cornwall, the fact is she will be the Princess of Wales. There has never been a Prince of Wales who has not been married to the Princess of Wales.”

Prince William of Wales and Tom Parker Bowles will be the witnesses of their parents the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles at their wedding on April 8. Some details of the wedding guests were announced today. The civil wedding at the Guildhall in Windsor will be attended by the Duke of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Timothy Laurence, Prince William and Prince Harry of Wales, Major Bruce Shand (father of Camilla Parker Bowles), Tom and Laura Parker Bowles. The civil ceremony is expected to last for just 20 minutes and will be witnessed by about 30 people. The Prince and Mrs Parker Bowles will arrive together and leave the Guildhall from Windsor Castle in a 1962 Rolls Royce Phantom V previously used by the Queen Mother. A preliminary meeting will take place before the ceremony in the Guildhall's Ascot Room, during which Clair Williams, the Registrar, will confirm the bride and groom's details. For the St George's Chapel blessing afterwards some 700 guests are invited, including European royalty. A reception will follow in the State Apartments of Windsor Castle where a finger-food buffet is expected to be served.

Prince Rainier of Monaco is on an artificial respirator suffering heart and kidney trouble but his condition is stable, according to the palace. A palace communique said the prince was being treated for a lung ailment complicated by a heart condition. He suffered a relapse of a lung infection which, together with a weak heart and kidneys, required him to be moved to intensive care. "His breathing troubles made it necessary to use artificial respiratory assistance," the communique added. His children Prince Albert and Princesses Caroline and Stephanie went to see him in the intensive care unit at the Monaco Cardio-Thoracic Centre last night after he was placed there on Tuesday.

Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra of Denmark have filed for a divorce, the Danish Royal Court announced today. It was announced in September that the couple wished to part, and the couple was separated on September 22. Danish laws forbid full divorce until six months have passed from a legal separation. ‘The sympathy and support that we have felt from so many directions during the separation have helped us both through a difficult time and contributed to give our children, His Highness Prince Nikolaj and His Highness Prince Felix, a good and safe framework in their everyday lives,’ the couple said in a joint press release. ‘We want to do everything in our power to maintain that framework after the divorce.’ After the divorce, Princess Alexandra will lose her title as Her Royal Highness and is only to be addressed as Her Highness. She will continue to live in the royal household at Amalienborg until her house north of Copenhagen is ready for her.

The Swedish National Audit Office has criticised the Swedish royal household for not fully accounting for the way that it spends the money it receives from the state. Last year the royals received 96 million kronor of state money. Around half of this went towards the upkeep of the royal palaces at Drottningholm, Gripsholm and Tullgarn. The other half went directly to the king to pay for the royal family’s living expenses and to cover staffing costs. The money paid directly to the king is covered by secrecy, and the royal household is under no obligation to account for it. However, the money for the upkeep of the palaces is in the public domain, and the national auditor has a right to inspect it. Of 200 staff working in the royal palaces, 60 are employed by the king directly, while the rest are paid out of the budget for the palaces’ upkeep. But auditor general Kurt Öberg has told Sveriges Radio that it is impossible for him to carry out his duties as the palace does not have adequate systems for keeping the two budgets separate. This means that parliament does not have an effective way to judge whether the royals are being funded efficiently, he argued. “In my experience, there is no other example in the public sphere where accounting practices have made it impossible for us to draw conclusions,” he said. However, Marshal of the Realm Ingmar Eliasson told Svenska Dagbladet that the royals need more money for security, claiming that the palace is less well protected than parliament and government offices. “We need to improve protection of the Royal Palace in Stockholm and of Drottningholm,” he said. “In some respects, we also need to improve personal security,” he added. According to Dagens Nyheter, this meant paying for bodyguards for more members of the royal family. Currently only the king and Crown Princess Victoria have personal protection officers.

March 24th
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway will attend the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles. From the Netherlands Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien will attend. According to a Clarence House spokesman also the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands were invited, but the Government Information Service says that the couple hasn't received the invitation. Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark haven't accepted the invitation to be present at the wedding of the Prince of Wales and camilla Parker Bowles on April 8. The wedding collides with the Crown Prince's sleigh-tour in Greenland. The couple has decided that Crown Princess Mary stays home. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden also has other engagements.

Princess Saskia zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg, wife of Prince Philipp zu Hohenlohe-Langenburg, gave birth to the couple's first child and heir, Max Leopold on Tuesday. The little hereditary prince was born in München at 22.33. He was 52 centimetres tall and weighed 3600 grammes. The new parents are very happy. According to tradition the birth was celebrated in Langenburg with salutes, bell-ringing and flags.

March 25th
Earl Spencer is to rent the old bedroom of his late sister Diana Princess of Wales for £30,000 a night. He is hiring out his family ancestral home Althorp for "weekend stays or longer". He is advertising the Princess of Wales Room, where she slept with Prince Charles, as one of its main attractions. Guests will have full run of the mansion and grounds and can stroll around the lake that encircles Diana's island resting place. He expects groups of around 30 people each paying £1,000 a night. The Earl promises guests will have total privacy when the Northamptonshire mansion is available for rent at the end of summer, after it shuts to the public. The Earl stopped renting it out after her death for fear of being accused of cashing in on her memory. His new offer will cause dismay. Last night a royal source said: "It's actually quite shocking. The Earl is very wealthy already, but apparently there's no end to his desire for commercialism. I'm sure he believes no one will find out." Yesterday, a spokesman for the Earl insisted: "Althorp has hosted corporate and private hospitality for clients for 30 years. This is a normal way of helping with the upkeep of a historic house."

March 26th
Camilla Parker Bowles is getting her own official coat of arms. She will share a new version of the Prince of Wales's original crest, which is being redesigned to reflect their status as a married couple. It has been specially authorised by the Queen and will be designed by Peter Gwynn-Jones, the Garter King of Arms. Charles and Camilla can use the crest on their personal possessions such as cars and flags flying over Highgrove. It should take around six months to finish. A spokesman for the prince confirmed a coat of arms was being created. He added: "It is under discussion." Camilla Parker Bowles is also to get her own armed guard, policeman Les Turner. The royal protection officer has previously worked as minder to Charles and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

An ICM poll for the Daily Mail has found that 65% of the people believe the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Camilla Parker Bowles will weaken the monarchy, up from 49% six weeks ago, when the wedding plans were announced. The poll found that 73% of the people do not believe Camilla should become Queen, while 60% believe she should not be given the title Her Royal Highness. Of those surveyed, 31% plan to watch the marriage on television. However, 57% said they approved of Charles marrying Camilla, while 37% said they did not approve. ICM Research interviewed 511 people by telephone on March 23.

Pope John Paul II has sent a special blessing to Monaco's Prince Rainier, who remains on life support. The Pope, who is in bad health himself, wished Prince Rainier well. "Informed of the health problems affecting Your Serene Highness, the Holy Father joins with you in thought and prayer with warm wishes towards you," said the message signed by papal secretary of state Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

March 27th
Princess Mabel van Oranje-Nassau gave birth to her first child, a daughter, on Saturday evening 26 March at 19.17 in London, Great Britain. The baby weighed 3085 grammes. The baby will receive the name Luana. Her full names are Emma Luana Ninette Sophie. Prince Friso lets know that he and Mabel are very happy and that mother and daughter are doing well. The baby was not expected until the end of April.

David Stancliffe, Bishop of Salisbury has said that the Prince of Wales is required to apologise to Andrew Parker Bowles for breaking up his marriage to Camilla. He said church rules dictated that the prince should atone for committing adultery. “The Prince of Wales and Mrs Parker Bowles will be taking part in prayers of penitence at the service of prayer and dedication following their civil marriage,” he said in a statement. “Preparation for the formal expression of such prayers includes the making good of any hurts, the restoration of relationships and serious attention being paid to the relationships fractured or damaged by misconduct.”

Prince Rainier III of Monaco is conscious and his heart, lung and kidney functions have stabilized, the royal palace said Sunday. The medical update came a day after the palace issued the most pessimistic report yet. He remains on a respirator. "The cardiac, lung and kidney functions that did not stop deteriorating have stabilized," the palace said in the new health bulletin, signed by three doctors. The Prince "is conscious, but under sedation, which allows him to withstand respiratory assistance that is absolutely indispensable," it said. The prince's prognosis remains "very reserved," the palace said — apparently a notch less severe than the "extremely reserved" judgment given by doctors Saturday. Rainier's health remains "worrisome," it said. The Prince is hospitalised since March 7 and was transferred to the intensive care unit on Tuesday.

March 29th
King Harald V of Norway was hospitalized this morning at the Rikshospitalet. His heart surgery will likely take place on Friday 1 April 2005. The king was greeted by officials when he arrived for admission at the hospital. He was accompanied by his wife Queen Sonja.

A House of Representatives panel on Japan's Constitution revealed a draft for its final report today supporting a revision to the supreme law, including allowing females to assume the imperial throne, lawmakers said. The report was officially presented to senior lawmakers. A majority of the panel members approved the continued existence of the current system that recognizes the emperor as the symbol of the state. Meanwhile, they agreed to allow for a female to assume the throne, which is currently limited to male heirs under the Imperial House Law. The report is scheduled to be submitted in mid-April to House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono.

March 31rd
Prince Albert of Monaco has taken over the regency of Monaco because his ailing father is unable to exercise his royal functions, the palace says. A royal commission, the Council of the Crown, decided that it was difficult for Rainier to "exercise his high functions," the statement from the palace said. "From now, the regency is assured by His Serene Highness Prince Albert," the statement said. The commission said that a recovered Rainier could resume his royal powers. However the palace said: "After three weeks of hospitalization, after nearly eight days in intensive care, Prince Rainier remains in a very fragile state."

Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands as well as Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attended a gala dinner at Kronborg Castle, Denmark, to celebrate 400 years of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Denmark.

José Luis Ortiz Velasco, paternal grandfather of the Princess of Asturias, died at his home in Sardéu at the age of 82 yesterday morning. He suffered from a lung disease for several years. The funeral service took place at 18.00 today at the Iglesia del Carmen. The service was attended by the Prince and Princess of Asturias.


Royal News: February 2005. Last updated: March 8th, 2005.