ROYAL NEWS: MAY 2000

Last updated: June 1st, 2000.

May 1st
The Daily Mail reports Camilla Parker Bowles is not invited at the party, which will be held on June 21st at Windsor Castle. The party celebrates the 100th birthday of the Queen Mother, the 70th birthday of Princess Margaret, the 50th birthday of the Princess Royal, the 40th birthday of the Duke of York and the 18th birthday of Prince William.

Princess Christina of the Netherlands is going to record a cd with Christmas carols this year, together with winners of the Princess Christina Contest and the Metropole Orchestra. The cd will be for sale in November. In December the Princess will sing some of the songs on Dutch television.

May 2nd
Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg gave birth to twins at the Maternité Grande Duchesse Charlotte in Luxembourg City today. The boy and girl are named Léopold and Charlotte. Mother and babies are in good health.

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands unveiled the National Canadian Liberation Monument in Apeldoorn to commemorate the Canadian soldiers who were killed during the liberation of the Netherlands.

In a television interview, which will soon be broadcasted, James Hewitt says he feels he let down the Army and the monarchy by having an affair with Diana Princess of Wales. He says to feel very guilty and that it would have been much easier if he’d been killed in the Gulf War, for everyone concerned.

May 3rd
At the Soestdijk Palace Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands has taken off a march-past of 150 foreign war-veterans. Those veterans were flying in the bombers that dropped food above the Netherlands in 1945, at the end of World War II.

The Prince of Wales passed the night at the Monastery Vatopedi at the holy mountain Athos, in northeast Greece, accompanied by four bodyguards. The Prince ate together with the monks and attended the nightly prayers. As women are not allowed to set foot on the mountain, Camilla Parker Bowles, who cruises at the Aegean Sea with the Prince, had to stay on board of the ship.

May 4th
In the evening Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje attended a rememberance service at the New Church in Amsterdam. After the service they laid a wreath at the monument on the Dam Square and there were two minutes of silence to commemorate the deaths of World War II.

The Historical Museum in Hannover, the Bomann Museum in Celle and the Regional Museum in Braunschweig are planning to follow the track of the Welfs. Many members of the House of the Welfs (the Royal House of Hannover) have left their marks in Lower Saxony, the region of Germany where the museums are. The aim of the project is to trace these marks and reveal the significance of the Welfes in the history of the region.

May 5th
Yesterday the Daily Mirror published parts of an interview the Duke of York gave to Tatler Magazine, in which it will be published in the June edition. The Duke of York granted the interview to promote the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a charity he is representing as chairman of its campaign against child abuse. Amongst others the Duke is looking back on the enormous pressures that destroyed his marriage, the endless invitations and requests to perform royal duties, as well as a demanding naval career away from home, and acknowledges he is partly to blame himself for not asking for help of his family and not noticing the bells ringing that something was wrong, until it was too late. He says he and his wife once calculated they only saw each other 40 or 50 days a year at one stage, so it wasn’t surprising what eventually happened. The Duke also explained that remarrying his former wife remains a possibility. He doesn’t rule it out and he doesn’t rule it in. But if it happens they both will be determined not to make nonsense of it again. The couple is still living together at Sunninghill, together with their two daughters, and that benefits all of them the Duke says.

May 6th
The Volksunie (Popular Union) in Belgium says they don’t longer want children of a King to become a senator by law. They also plead for less power of the King, like not confirming laws and not having influence on the formation of the government anymore. Prince Philippe as well as Princess Astrid are senators by law, and Prince Laurent will take the oath at the end of this month.

It is said the Duke of Edinburgh is absolutely against a remarriage between his son Andrew, the Duke of York, and his former wife Sarah. Reactions from royal experts in newspapers also indicate that the royal family will not be happy when it should come to a marriage between the Duke and Duchess of York.

May 7th
Near Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn the last national march-past for Canadian war veterans was held. Princess Margriet of the Netherlands took it off. Also her husband Pieter van Vollenhoven was present. More than 300.000 people were standing along the route to watch the 4000 war-veterans pass.

May 8th
On a press conference in Tokyo, Emperor Akihito unexpectedly said to regret the grief World War II caused in the Netherlands. He thinks it is unfortunate that the war damaged the history of good relations between Japan and the Netherlands. He said his heart hurts when he thinks about all the victims the war made and that even now people suffer pain because of their then experiences. The expressions of the Emperor come two weeks before the Japanese imperial couple pays an official visit to the Netherlands.

In Jerez de la Frontera King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain surprisingly took part in the 15-minute silence to commemorate the death of journalist Lopez de Lacalle on Sunday morning, and to demonstrate against the violence of the ETA. The ETA, the national movement of the Basque people, killed the journalist.

May 9th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain inaugurated the first new footbridge across the River Thames in London for nearly a century. The Millennium Bridge links St Paul’s Cathedral and the new Tate Gallery for modern art. However the bridge is not finished yet and will not be open to the public until June.

May 10th
The former cook of the Zorreguieta family, Mrs. Pacifio-de Monges, arranged a book full of recipes from the family, together with Dutch television-cook Lonny Gerungan. The recipes show the normal food of the family, but also party food. The book is dedicated to Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje and Máxima Zorreguieta. The book also contains the story of Máxima’s life. Big business!

Richard MacDonald, the principal of the Swiss Aiglon College, is in prison on suspicion of abusing his own children. In March it was reported that an unknown man sexually assaulted three teenage girls at the school. Princess Beatrice of York is to attend the College in September.

Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is to embark on a 55-day tour of Latin America at the end of May in a move to drum up investments.

May 11th
Infanta Cristina of Spain and her husband Iñaki Urdangarín are expecting their second child in November.

After the nearby bridge Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain also opened the Tate Modern Gallery in London. The building is the largest modern art gallery in the world.

According to the German 'Bild' newspaper the police investigates a possible drug offence against hereditary prince Heinrich zu Fürstenberg. During a house search in his house in Donaueschingen, Germany, it seems evidence has been found. It is said he bought two kilograms of cocaine in Rome, Italy.

May 12th
Yesterday Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands (88) underwent surgery in the Academic Hospital in Utrecht. Amongst others a small part of the small intestine was removed. This morning it was said he had some problems with the two hours narcosis. In the afternoon Queen Beatrix visited her father. In the evening it was confirmed he suffers of neurological problems after the operation. Although it is rumoured the Prince had a stroke, the royal house doesn’t want to confirm awaiting further check-ups. The Prince is on the Intensive Care.

The BBC has been condemned after it said it would not broadcast the 100th birthday pageant for the Queen Mother in July. The pageant will involve 5000 people from the charities of which the Queen Mother is a patron and a 1000-strong military parade. A spokeswoman said the BBC was spending £1m on a series of birthday tributes.

May 13th
Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje opened the renovated Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. He lit the Olympic flame. The stadium was built for the Olympic Games of 1928. Some years ago protests against a demolition saved the stadium, and a renovation began.

Prince Bernhard can’t complain about the attention he gets from his family. Queen Beatrix, Princess Margriet, Pieter van Vollenhoven, and the Princes Maurits, Bernhard, Pieter-Christiaan and Floris visited him today. The condition of the Prince is stable now. He breathes independent but needs some support for his blood pressure. On Monday the doctors want to repeat some examinations.

May 14th
In the morning Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the town of Enschede, where yesterday afternoon a fireworks warehouse caught fire and some 100-ton of firework exploded. It is feared about 20 people have died, including some fire fighters and there are more than 400 people wounded, of which some 60 are still in hospital. Several blocks of houses are fully swept away and 2000 people had to be evacuated. Together with Prime Minister Wim Kok Queen Beatrix visited the distressed area. Afterwards she visited the homeless victims in a sports-hall and tried to comfort them. She also spoke with relief assistants, who also came from nearby Germany and Belgium. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh sent a message of condolence to Queen Beatrix to express their profound shock after the tragedy.

Stamps featuring four generations of the Royal Family of Great Britain are being issued to commemorate the 100th birthday of the Queen Mother. The Royal Mail is producing a sheet of four stamps featuring portraits of the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and Prince William.

May 15th
Princess Tatjana von und zu Liechtenstein and her husband Philipp von Lattorff became the proud parents of Lukas Maria. The little boy was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, on May 13th.

May 16th
The royal palace in Norway has installed a live web camera on the palace square on the occasion of the national feastday tomorrow.

King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain pay a state visit to Belgium. Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde were on the airport of Brussels to pick them up. At the royal palace King Albert II and Queen Paola welcomed them. One scary incident: a man climbed over the fences and hurried to King Albert II. The man was arrested and it turned out to be a former Spanish priest who had been trying to attack the Pope in Portugal some years ago, and had served seven years in prison for that offence. The Kings and Queens later went to the town hall of Brussels where they appeared on the balcony. In the evening a state dinner was held in the Laeken Castle.

Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands is doing a little bit better step by step. Doctors have more confidence in a recovery. The Prince is conscious and reacts well on questions.

May 17th
The man, who was arrested in Brussels yesterday, is accused of attacking King Albert II of Belgium, and of slapping a policeman.

ITV is to broadcast the Queen Mother's 100th birthday pageant live. The move comes after the BBC turned down screening the event live.

May 18th
A guard of the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, was shot dead at the inner court of the palace. It seems another guard accidentally hit him.

The royal couple of Spain spent their last evening in Belgium watching a Middle-Ages costume play, amongst others featuring Emperor Charles V, on the Big Market in Brussels. Tomorrow before leaving they will visit the King Baudouin Memorial.

In the evening it was announced the health of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands has suddenly gotten much worse. Queen Beatrix arrived in hospital in Utrecht shortly after the Government Information Service announced the news.

May 19th
Last Wednesday Humeyra Ozbas (83), the granddaughter of Turkey's last Ottoman Sultan Vahdeddin (who went into exile in 1924 and died in 1926), has died of a heart attack at her home in the Aegean resort of Kusadasi. She was the only member of the Ottoman dynasty to be allowed back into Turkey during the early years of the republic. Humeyra Ozbas was the daughter of Ismail Hakki and Ulviye Sultan and married to Halil Ozbas, who is still alive. A son, a daughter and four grandchildren survive her.

Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje participated in the 3-kilometer silent walk through Enschede to commemorate the victims of the firework-warehouse explosion a few days ago. About 100.000 people, much more than expected, also participated in the emotional walk. After the walk the Prince drove to Utrecht to visit his grandfather.

Queen Beatrix stayed with her father in the hospital until 3:30 in the night. Her sister Princess Irene stayed until late in the morning. Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands visited Prince Bernhard in the afternoon. At the end of the afternoon also Princess Christina arrived from abroad. The situation of the Prince is a little bit better now. He seems to have had a calm night. Yesterday he suddenly had problems breathing. Today he breathes himself again. Prime Minister Wim Kok said that at the moment there is no reason to cancel the state visit of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan next week.

The Crown Prince of Dubai won Egypt’s first 100-kilometer horse race, beating out his two sons. His horse Falah crossed the desert in 5 hours and 34 minutes.

May 21st
Romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland died at the age of 98. She died in her sleep after a short illness. She wrote 723 books with estimated sales of 1 billion copies in 36 languages. Her first novel appeared in 1925. She married twice. Her daughter Raine became the stepmother of Diana Princess of Wales. Barbara Cartland leaves two sons, one daughter, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

May 22nd
Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands is slowly recovering. The doctors hope he can leave the intensive care later this week.

Princess Ehrengard of Prussia gave the starting shot for the World Championships pile-sitting in the Heidepark Soltau.

May 23rd

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan started their four-day-long state visit to the Netherlands. They were welcomed by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus. First they laid a wreath at the Monument on the Dam Square in Amsterdam, cheered by some thousands of people. Later they visited the Van Gogh Museum. In the evening a state banquet in the Palace on the Dam was held, where both Emperor Akihito and Queen Beatrix held speeches in which they both referred to the victims of World War II.

May 24th
Dame Barbara Cartland has been buried in a cardboard coffin in the grounds of her Hertfordshire mansion, Camfield Place, in a private ceremony attended by family and close friends.

Prince Alexandre de Merode has retired from all his functions in the International Olympic Committee. He stays a normal member. Since 1964 the Prince is a member of the IOC. He was chairman of the Medical Commission since 1967. He was member of the general committee between 1980 and 1990, and was for eight years one of the four vice-chairmen.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan visited a school for disabled children in the morning. Thereafter they had lunch in The Hague, amongst others with Prime Minister Wim Kok of the Netherlands. They also paid a visit to the Palace of Peace. Besides some demonstrators it stayed quiet.

The health problems Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands had last Thursday were caused by a piece of a bridge-construction broken off from his teeth. That piece entered his gullet. After the discovery it was removed.

Princess Caroline of Monaco lost a lawsuit against the publishing of a photo of her in swimming-suit, because the photo was taken in a public swimming pool.

May 25th
Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands left intensive care. He now stays at the medium care in the same hospital in Utrecht.

Christina Baroness Silfverschiöld and her husband Hans de Geer af Finspång, who married in September 1999, are expecting their first child in September. Christina is the daughter of Princess Désirée of Sweden and Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld.

Yesterday-evening after a phone call with IOC-president Juan Antonio Samaranch, Prince Alexandre de Merode decided to stay on as the chairman of the Medical Commission of the IOC.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan went to Leiden in the morning and to big fright of the Japanese security they talked to people who were there to see them. They visited the town hall of Rotterdam, made a walk in the town and had lunch in the World Trade Centre. About 2000 people cheered the imperial couple and Queen Beatrix who accompanied them. In the evening the couple visited Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn, where Princess Margriet and her husband Pieter van Vollenhoven received them.

May 26th
The Sirius 2000 expedition celebrated the 32nd birthday of Crown Prince Frederik at Nanok Station, Greenland. They had a resting day, played cards, drank coffee, etc. In the beginning of June they hope to reach Daneborg, and mid June Mestervik.

Prince Machari Ibn Abdel Aziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia died earlier this week of an illness. He was one of the 44 brothers of King Fahd.

I finally managed to translate the interview Crown Prince Haakon of Norway gave on May 13th, concerning his relationship with Mette-Marit Tjessem Hojby. Thanks to Maria for her help.

Dr Richard Wiseman, lecturer in the paranormal, is to install ghost-busting equipment at Hampton Court Palace. The hunt is on for the ghost of Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of King Henry VIII of England. She was accused of adultery and executed at the Tower of London in 1542. The young queen’s ghost is still said to haunt the gallery at Hampton Court Palace where she tried to beg for the King’s mercy.

May 27th
Don Gonzalo de Borbón y Dampierre, a cousin of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, died in the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois in Lausanne, Switzerland, of leucemia.

May 30th
The Dutch Parliament gave permission for the marriage of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Van Vollenhoven, and Annette Sekrève. This means the Prince will keep the right of succession to the throne. The couple's civil marriage will take place at the Paushuize in Utrecht on July 6th, the religious wedding in the Dom Church in Utrecht on July 8th.

May 31st
Today the Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany, was opened. Public will be welcome from June 1st to October 31st, 2000. Several royal visitors are expected. Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands plan a visit on June 6th, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh on June 8th, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden on June 14th, on June 15th Prince Rainier III of Monaco with Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst August of Hannover, and on August 11th Queen Rania of Jordan.

Prince Laurent of Belgium took the oath as a senator by law. In his speech the Prince gave his vision at the milieu of living and underlined ecology, social fairness and economy. When he welcomed the Prince the chairman of the Senate warned him to be careful when he holds speeches.

During the research for the documentary "Hitler in Belgium" the Belgian television-programme "Histories" found some unpublished documents. Until now it was known that at the very end of June 1940 King Leopold III of Belgium let know Hitler - via intermediaries - that he was willing to meet him. In the German archives the documentary-makers found a telex dated June 22nd, 1940, the day of the French capitulation. Probably King Leopold III had wanted to follow the example of French marshal Pétain, and reign in a part of Belgium with the permission of the Germans.


Royal News: April 2000. Last updated: April 1st, 2000.