ROYAL NEWS: MAY 2003

Last updated: June 2nd, 2003.

May 1st
Queen's Day was watched live on television by some 2,1 million Dutch people. The summary in the evening was watched by more than 900.000 people. For the first year there was also a children's programme about Queen's Day. That was watched by some 253.000 people, included 77.000 children under 13.

May 2nd
Most of the time sleeping, Maud Angelica Behn made her debut for the camera's today at noon in the Rikshospitalet in Oslo. Together with her proud parents, and with a dove of peace of white gold and diamonds on her clothes (a present from her maternal grandparents), she posed for the first official photos. Palace spokeswoman Wenche Rasch said that they plan to remain in hospital another night and that they are scheduled to leave tomorrow. During the press conference Princess Märtha Louise said she herself was in good shape and that the birth itself wasn't more exhausting than she had expected. "Everything really is fantastic, wonderful," she told reporters. She also thanked for all the congratulations and good wishes they have received since the birth of their daughter on Tuesday. The couple confirmed the christening of Maud Angelica will take place in Oslo and that preparations were held already, but no date or exact place was given.

A poll for the newspaper Verdens Gang among 977 Norwegians says that 66% like the names Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn have chosen for their daughter - 76% of the women and 56% of the men. 20% didn't like the name - 13% of the women and 27% of the men - while 14% didn't have an opinion. 70% said to agree with the decision of King Harald V of Norway not to grant his granddaughter the title of princess, while 15% disagreed.

May 3rd
At 12:10 Princess Märtha Louise and daughter Maud Angelica travelled home to their house in the Professor Dahlsgate in Oslo, accompanied by Ari Behn, who carried his daughter most of the time. Some 150 to 200 people had gathered outside the hospital to get a glimpse of the new member of the royal family. Already soon afterwards Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and son Marius arrived from London to admire the new baby.

It seems also Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands has resigned her job and will establish her own communication's office in London. This should enable her to schedule her work herself, so that she could even work from the Netherlands. She will keep on working for Weber Shandwick Worldwide as an independent consultant, but will also become a strategic director of African Parks, and will become the patroness of Cinop, an expertise center for remedial methods for illiteracy. Also Prince Constantijn has taken a break from his job, it was said last week. He wants to orientate himself on non-commercial business. It is denied that the decisions of Princess Laurentien and Prince Constantijn, as well as Prince Johan Friso, have nothing to do with their position of a member of the royal family.

May 4th
Newly published diaries of politician and minister Lewis Harcourt claim that the Rev Norman Macleod, chaplain of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, made a death-bed confession that he had married Queen Victoria and her servant Mr John Brown in a secret ceremony and regretted it for the rest of his life. On February 17, 1885 Harcourt wrote: "Lady Posonby told the HS a few days ago that Miss Macleod declares that her brother Norman Macleod, confessed to her on his death bed that he had married the Queen to John Brown, and added that he had always bitterly regretted it." Although the diary doesn't give absolute proof that the marriage took place, the new material is said to be fascinating. For more than 130 years there have been speculations that Queen Victoria had an affair with Mr John Brown, and there were rumours at the time that the couple married, but never any evidence for the claim ever came out.

May 5th
Yesterday Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima attended the commemoration of the dead of World War II at the Dam Square in Amsterdam. They first attended the service at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam and just before 8:00 pm the Queen and the Prince of Orange laid a wreath at the national war monument at the Dam Square. Today at Liberation Day Mr Pieter van Vollenhoven attended the commemoration ceremony at the Grebbeberg Military Field of Honour. Today Prince Bernhard and Mr Pieter van Vollenhoven were in Wageningen to remember the German capitulation. Like every year veterans marched passed Prince Bernhard. In the evening Queen Beatrix attended the liberation concert in Amsterdam. Meanwhile the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima travelled to the USA to visit New York City and Washington DC. They will arrive in Washington DC today and meet American veterans of WW II and representatives of the Department of Veteran Affairs. Tomorrow they will among others visit the FBI and have lunch with representatives of Dutch companies in the USA. On Wednesday they will visit New York City where the Prince of Orange will hold a speech at a special meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development of the United Nations and visit an exhibition at the UN Visitors Center. Meanwhile Princess Máxima will visit the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone. In the afternoon the prince and princess will meet the mayor of NYC, Michael Bloomberg. In the evening a gala dinner of the Netherlands Club and the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce takes place.

May 6th
Buckingham Palace announced that the Countess of Wessex expects a baby in December. It will be the first child of the Countess and the Earl of Wessex, who are said to be thrilled and excited with the news. In December 2001 the Countess lost a baby after an ectopic pregnancy. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the family are delighted with the news. A spokeswoman said that the Countess is feeling a bit tired but is absolutely doing fine. However she will not be undertaking official engagements for the time being on doctors' advice. The baby will be 8th in line to the British throne.

Maud Angelica Behn will be christened at the Chapel of the Royal Palace in Oslo on July 2 at 10:30 am. The service will be led by Gunnar Stålsett, bishop of Oslo. On the same day is the 100th anniversary of the birth of King Olav V. Maud Angelica Behn will be christened in the gown sewn by Princess Ingeborg for her first grandchild, Prince Georg of Denmark, in 1920. Since then the gown has been used at baptism ceremonies for both the Danish and Norwegian royal families.

May 8th
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco gave birth to a son this morning at 6:40 at the royal palace in Rabat. King Mohammed VI decided to name the new crown prince Moulay Al-Hassan, after King Mohammed VI's father, the late King Hassan II. The baby weighs 3750 grammes and is 51 cm tall. The crown prince and his mother are well and in perfect health it was announced. News of the birth was followed by a traditional 21-gun salute inside the palace grounds in Rabat. A golden book, in which everyone can write down their wishes, will be available at the headquarters of the department of the Royal Protocol and chancellery of the Royal Palace, in the different provinces and prefectures in Morocco as well as in Moroccan embassies and consulates abroad. On the occasion of the birth King Mohammed VI granted amnesty to 47.988 prisoners, of which 9459 were granted free pardon and 38.529 had their jail terms reduced.

Members of the Imperial Family of Austria have asked for restitution of 200.000 hectares of wood (worth about 200.000.000 euros) and some real estate from the Republic of Austria - among them Laxenburg Castle, possessions around Mürzsteg Castle and houses in Vienna - on ground of the indemnification fund law, Archduke Christian of Austria made known today speaking in name of his father Archduke Carl-Ludwig and his uncle Archduke Felix. It is about the private Habsburg fortune, fortune that was earned by own means by members of the family. This fortune was first expropriated in 1919, given back in 1936 and again expropriated in 1938/39 by the Nazis.

May 11th
While unloading his gun a royal protection officer accidentally fired a shot inside Sunninghill Park, the residence of the Duke of York, while the Duke was in another room, on April 25th. Scotland Yard has started an inquiry following the incident. The officer has been taken off firearms duty pending the outcome of the inquiry.

May 12th
Prince William of Wales will feature on 20 million stamps issued on the occasion of his 21st birthday. They will be released on June 17. It is the first time a British royal appears on stamps for such an occasion. All four images were taken in September 2001 and show Prince William arriving at St Andrews University, visiting Anchor Mills in Paisley and at home in Highgrove, Gloucestershire, before his gap year. In addition, the Royal Mint is creating a special collectors' edition £5 coin bearing the image of Prince William. which will show a portrait of the prince modelled by sculptor and artist David Cornell and will also display Prince William's personal coat of arms. The coin will go on sale on June 21, and will be available only for less than four months.

May 13th
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan died in Boston, Massachusetts yesterday. He was born in Paris on January 17, 1933. Since the late 1950s he held several posts at the UNHCR. From 1959 to 1960 he was Head of the Mission and Adviser to the High Commissioner for Refugees, from 1962 to 1965 Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees and from 1965 to 1977 he was High Commissioner. Since 1978 he was consultant and Chargé de Mission to the Secretary-General of the United Nathions.

May 14th
On the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary Princess Ragnhild Mrs Lorentzen and her husband Erling Lorentzen invited family and friends to a cruise at the 'MS Prinsesse Ragnhild' from Oslo to Kiel and back. The cruiseship left Oslo this morning and will return tomorrow. King Harald and Queen Sonja had to turn the invitation down, as they already had other engagements. Among the guests are Princess Astrid Mrs Ferner and her husband Johan Martin Ferner. Of course also the three children of the golden bride and groom attended with partners.

May 15th
Princess Alexia of Greece and her husband Carlos Morales Quintana had their second daughter today. She got the name of Anna-Maria. She was born at 3:50am at the Centro Medico Teknon in Barcelona, Spain. She is 52 centimetres tall and weighs 3.900 grammes. Mother and daughter are doing well. Princess Alexia's parents said they are delighted with the birth of their fifth grandchild.

An inquiry by Radio Contant says that Prince Laurent of Belgium is the most popular Belgian at the moment. He got 70% of the votes. On places two and three were tennisplayers Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne, while Princess Claire ended in fourth place.

May 16th
Crown Prince Moulay Al-Hassan of Morocco was feted in a traditional Moroccan ceremony in Rabat today. King Mohammed VI, Princess Lalla Salma and other members of the royal family attended.

In an announcement in today's Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten the engagement of Ragnhild A. Lorentzen, daughter of Erling Sven Lorentzen and Princess Ragnhild Mrs Lorentzen, with Aaron Long is announced. They got engaged on board of the 'MS Prinsesse Ragnhild' on May 14. The couple lives in San Francisco.

May 17th
Prince Heinrich Donatus von Hessen married Countess Floria-Franziska von Faber-Castell today at noon in the Johanniskirche in Kronberg im Taunus, Germany. Report with photos.

King Harald V, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit appeared on the balcony of the royal palace in Oslo on the occasion of the National Feastday to see the children's parade. Other members of the family, including Princess Ragnhild Mrs Lorentzen with her husband and Princess Astrid Mrs Ferner with her husband with several of their children and grandchildren were watching the parade from the palace windows next to the balcony. Earlier in the morning Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit had already watched a children's parade in Askerfrom the stairs at Gut Skaugum.

May 18th
The BBC will mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain's coronation with a series of tributes. The commemorative service at Westminster Abbey on June 2 will be broadcasting on television, radio and online. Other tributes to the Queen include a documentary on the preparations for the Coronation and original footage from the day.

Princess Alexia of Greece left hospital together with her newborn daughter Anna-Maria and were accompanied by Carlos Morales Quintana and Arrietta. Also King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie joined the couple.

May 19th
Sotheby's in London auctioned jewels, couture and some personal souvenirs from the collection of the late Princess Lilian of Belgium and various other owners today. In total the sale fetched 844.812 British pounds, of which about 3/4 will go to the children of the late Princess Lilian and the late King Leopold III of Belgium. Auction results and photos can be seen here. Some of the dresses were sold for up to ten times more than was expected.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Chelsea flower show. Among the people joining them were the Countess of Wessex, Princess Alexandra and her husband Sir Angus Ogilvy, Lady Sarah Chatto, the Duke of York, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Michael of Kent. It was the Countess of Wessex' first official engagement after the announcement of her pregnancy earlier this month.

May 20th
King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway started a three-day state visit to Belgium. In the morning they were welcomed at the military airport of Melsbroek near Brussels by the Duke and Duchess of Brabant. At noon the welcome ceremony took place in front of the royal palace in Brussels, also attended by King Albert II of the Belgians and Queen Paola. After a lunch with the Belgian royal family the king and queen of Norway were received at the townhall of Brussels by mayor Freddy Thielemans. Thereafter they were at the opening of the exhibition 'Bibliotheca Alexandrina' and were received by prime minister Guy Verhofstadt. The day ended with a gala dinner in which almost the whole Belgian royal family took part.

May 24th
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Queen Sonja of Norway, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, as well as Princess Ragnhild Mrs Lorentzen and her husband Erling Lorentzen attended the opening of the Danish-Norwegian summer exhibition at the Blaafarveværket in Modum, Norway. One of the exhibitions of this summer is an exhibition of découpages of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and can be visited at the museum until September 28.

May 26th
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark celebrated his birthday with a personal website. It gives information about the crown prince's life, house and achievements. The Crown Prince's private secretary Per Thornit said: "Frederik himself uses the internet a lot to get information. So we thought it would be good if he had his own home page." Crown Prince Frederik already celebrated his birthday on Sunday, when he invited friends at Amalienborg.

May 28th
Prince Hans Adam II and Princess Marie von und zu Liechtenstein were happy to announce the birth of their grandson, Moritz Emanuel Maria, on May 27 in New York City, USA. Little Moritz is the first child of Prince Constantin, youngest son of the reigning couple of Liechtenstein, and his wife Marie. Mother and son are doing fine.

Hordes of journalists, photographers and onlookers crowded outside the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen this morning hoping for an official announcement of an engagement of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and his girlfriend Mary Donaldson following a cabinet meeting attended by both Queen Margrethe II and Crown Prince Frederik. But they were disappoined as nothing happened despite of strong rumours in the weeks before the meeting.

May 31st
Prince Rainier III of Monaco celebrated his 80th birthday today in private with his children and grandchildren.

Today Caroline, daughter of Prince Philipp Reinhard zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich and his wife Marie née Fouché d'Otrante, married Swedish Per Frederik Liljenqvist in the Marienstiftskirche (church) in Lich.

Yesterday Max, youngest son of Prince Johannes von und zu Liechtenstein and his wife Kerstin née Lundberg, married Jaana Pietilä in Stockholm, Sweden.


Royal News: April 2003. Last updated: May 6th, 2003.