Last updated: February 26th, 2009.
May 1st
American researchers have confirmed that bone fragments of a boy and a girl that were found in the Sverdlovsk area, Russia, in 2007 belong to Tsarevitch Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria of Russia. Governor of the Sverdlovsk area Eduard Rossel said: "It has been confirmed that they are indeed the children. We have now found the entire family. The main genetic laboratory in the United States has concluded its work with a full confirmation of our own laboratories' work."
About 60 Hawaiian activists sealed the gates of the Iolani Palace at Hawaii with chain-link locks yesterday and hung yellow signs saying "Warning! No trespassing. This is private property". The activists say they reclaim land of the Hawaiian monarchy that was stolen during the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom more than 100 years ago. After a few hours the conflict was peacefully resolved and the palace grounds reopened.
May 2nd
Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau is to become the first Chief Executive Officer of The Elders, a group of eminent individuals convened by Nelson Mandela to use their wisdom, independent leadership and experience to tackle some of the world’s toughest problems. She will leave her current job at the Open Society Institute and start her new job on 1 July. She will be based in London, Great Britain.
Ian Strachan and Sean McGuigan were jailed for five years after being found guilty of a blackmail plot against an unnamed member of the British royal family. The men demanded £50,000 cash for a set of recordings featuring remarks of a royal employee about gay sex and the use of cocaine.
In an interview in the newspaper B.T. today Prince Joachim of Denmark has said that his divorce from his first wife Alexandra had a huge impact on his royal and family life, also after he had met Marie Cavallier. His doubts even were the reason that he and Marie split up for a while. He hopes to avoid another divorce. He is looking forward to a new life with Marie at Schackenborg. Several wedding guests have already been confirmed: Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn, as well as Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has left Geneva, Switzerland, today after undergoing some routine medical checks in the past couple of days. The checkups were successful and assuring. The Crown Prince arrived on Sunday evening.
May 4th
Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme and Tjalling ten Cate married at Landgoed Maarsbergen in Maarsbergen, The Netherlands, on 3 May. The civil wedding was attended by a small group of family and friends, including Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Three photos were issued on today.
May 5th
Prince Harry of Wales was among 170 members of the Household Cavalry, who serviced in Afghanistan, who receive campaign medals in a ceremony at Combermere Barracks, Windsor. Prince Harry was presented the medal by the Princess Royal. The Prince of Wales, Prince William of Wales and Harry's girlfriend Chelsy Davy attended the ceremony. After the ceremony the soldiers paraded through Winsdor to the garrison Holy Trinity church of the Household Cavalry in Windsor. There a service was held to remember soldiers killed during their stay in Afghanistan.
May 6th
Sergej Pogorelov, head of the archaeology department of the Sverdlovsk region said that the remains of the grand duke and grand duchess of Russia that were found near Yekaterinburg in 2007 bear traces of shearing. He said that a piece of the skull believed to belong to grand duke Alexej are shorn. He also said: "In addition, in the skull that may belong to Crown Prince Alexey there is a well-preserved hole. It is possible that it is a bullet hole." Head of the forensic medicine office of the Sverdlovsk region, Nikolaj Nevolin said that samples of the remains have been flown to Innsbruck for more tests this morning: "Part of the samples had been sent there earlier, and the other part was send today."
Count Floris I of Holland (1030-1061) was reburied in the St Adelbert Abbey at Egmond, The Netherlands, today. A new tomb was revealed in the porch of the abbey church as well as a new memorial. In the mausoleum a few acid-free boxes hold the bones of the count and his family. Floris I wasn't the only count of Holland buried at Egmont, but the remains of a dozen of other members of the countal family have disappeared in the early 19th century.
May 8th
A team of archaeologists from the University of Hamburg says they have discovered the palace of the Queen of Sheba in Axum, Ethiopia. They also say they have discovered an altar that may have held the Ark of Covenant. The team from the university has been investigating the origins of Ethiopia for nine years.
Oscar Magnuson, son of Princess Christina of Sweden, has been hired by furniture chain EM to design furniture for them. Oscar Magnuson is a eyewear designer for his own company Oscar Magnuson Spectacles.
May 9th
Zara Phillips has been named by the British Olympic Association as one of five riders for the British equestrian team to ride at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, in August. She will ride her horse Toytown.
Princess Beatrice of York is working for free as a personal shopper at Selfridges in London this month as part of her gap year. She will start a history degree at Goldsmiths College after the summer.
Scotland Yard today said that former royal butler Paul Burrell will not be investigated over allegiations of perjury at the inquest into the death of Diana Princess of Wales. They say there was 'insufficient admissible evidence' to prove perjury.
May 10th
The Japanese Imperial Household Agency has protested against plans to rebuild the Palace Hotel Tokyo next to the Imperial Palace. They fear that the rooms of the palace hospital might be visible from the new building as the present 10-story building will be replaced by a 23-story building next year. An official said: "The hospital is used by the Emperor and the Imperial family. We must give utmost consideration to their privacy."
May 13th
Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, 14th Emir of Kuwait, died today aged 78. As a crown prince he automatically became the new emir when his cousin died on 15 January 2006. However because of poor health he was removed from power on 23 January 2006.
May 15th
Princess Anita van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven is expecting her second child in October or November 2008. She and her husband Prince Pieter-Christiaan already have a daughter, Emma, who was born in November 2006.
A remark made by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands during her state visit to Estonia makes clear that she doesn't intend to step down from the throne yet. She reported that several state visits are already planned for the coming two years. She also said that she has a full agenda for the coming years.
On Monday Telma Ortiz Rocasolano, sister of the Princess of Asturias, asked the court of justice in Toledo to forbid media to make photographs of her and her partner Enrique Martín Llop as she is not a public figure. She sued no less than 50 media outlets. Today a judge ruled that despite her wishes she is a public figure. Telma Ortiz Rocasolano was ordered by court to pay 50.000 Euros in judicial costs.
Count Rodolphe de Limburg Stirum became engaged to Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, daughter of Archduke Christian of Austria and Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxemburg. Count Rodolphe was born on 20 March 1979 as the eldest son of Count Christian de Limburg Stirum and Countess Colienne d'Oultremont.
May 16th
Coroner Niels Lynnerup and sculptor Bjørn Skaarup have used a terracotta technique to recreate the faces of King Svend II Estridsen of Denmark and 12th century Queen Sofie, who are both buried in Roskilde cathedral. It is planned to put the creations on display at the National Museum in the future. Archaeoligist Else Roesdahl of Aarhus University said to believe that the reconstructions add life to Danish History: "There unfortunately aren't any portraits of the kings and queens from that period."
May 17th
Today Peter Phillips, son of the Princess Royal, married Autumn Kelly from Canada at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. Autumn Kelly, in a ivory duchesse satin dress with a Chantilly lace bolero designed by Sassi Holford, arrived in a maroon Bentley and was right on time at church. About 200 onlookers cheered when she arrived in the rain. Autumn Kelly was given away by her father and walked down the aisle to the Prince of Denmark's March by Jeremiah Clarke. During the moving ceremony which was led by the Right Rev David Conner, Dean of Windsor, the hymns sung included Now Thank We All Our God. There were readings from Patrick Kelly, halfbrother of the bride, who read from Chapter 3 of St Paul's letter to the Colossians and Prince Eugenie of York who read Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. After the ceremony the couple drove away in a carriage. There were six bridesmaids - the groom's sister Zara Phillips, friend Jacqueline Aubie, friend Susannah Toynbee, the groom's halfsister Stephanie Phillips, the bride's halfsister Jessica Kelly and the groom's goddaughter Rosie Bush - dressed in sage green strapless gowns designed by Vera Wang. Among the 300 guests were Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Tim Laurence, Mark Phillips and his wife Sandy, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry of Wales, the Duke of York, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex with daughter Louise, Viscount and Viscountess Linley with children, Lady Sarah Chatto and Daniel Chatto with children, as well as the Earl and Countess of Ulster, Lady Davina and Gary Lewis, Lady Rose Windsor and George Gilman, Lord Frederick and Lady Gabriella Windsor. Prince William of Wales didn't attend as he was in Kenya for the wedding of a friend. Also the girlfriends of Prince William and Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy, were present, as well as Zara Phillips' boyfriend Mike Tindall. 70 guests had turned up from Canada including the parents of the bride Brian Kelly and Kitty, stepfather Ron Magas, twinbrother Chris, brother Kevin, uncles Ken and Bill McCarthy, aunt Colleen Galley. The party after the wedding was held at Frogmore House, Windsor. The dinner existed of Cornish crab and Welsh lamb, followed by coffee mousse and sugared doughnuts. After that guests could dance on the music of a live blues band. The couple reportedly sold their wedding report to Hello magazine for £500,000.
National Day in Norway today was held in unusual cold and snowy weather. Despite of the weather Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit and their children watched children passing their home at Skaugum. Later on the crown princely couple and their daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra, as well as King Harald V and Queen Sonja appeared on the balcony of the royal palace in Oslo to see the children's parade.
An announcement by grandmother baroness Sybille de Sélys Longchamps in the French newspaper Le Figaro today reveals that the baby of Delphine Boël, illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of the Belgians, and James O'Hare wasn't named Tobias but Oscar. Oscar was born in Brussels on 28 April 2008.
May 18th
Princess Irene of Greece had a two and a half hour surgery at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid today. She fell on 15 May during a visit to Athens, Greece, and broke two toes. Queen Sofia of Spain returned to Spain earlier from Greece to be with her sister.
May 19th
Thames Valley Police says claims that a car carrying Prince Harry of Wales in London was driving recklessly are being examined. They say they received a complaint on Wednesday.
According to a report in a Nepalese newspaper it is stated that King Gyanendra of Nepal has written a formal letter to the Maoist Party in which he says "he will leave the Narayan Hiti Royal Palace before 26 May 2008." The Nepalese Constituent Assembly is to decide on the fate of the monarchy on 28 May. It is expected that the country will become a republic.
May 20th
Telma Ortiz Rocasolano will appeal against a court decision that media was allowed to publish pictures of her.
Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit have bought a summer retreat the royal palace confirmed today. They have bought Flatholmen in an outlying area of the archipelago outside Risør. The property - which was valued for sale at 8 million Norwegian crowns - consists of an island with a small summer house, a boothouse, piers and a private sandy strand. The palace didn't reveal what the couple paid for the property.
Prince Ernst August of Hannover has appealed at a German court against the verdict in which he was fined £350,000 for assaulting a German at a Kenyan nightclub eight years ago. He has produced five new witnesses including four Kenyans and hopes that it comes to a retrial. The witnesses today were heard behind closed doors at court in Hildesheim. The Prince's lawyer Hans Wolfgang Euler said: "The witnesses will declare that my client was not drunk and that he did not have any objects in his hands."
May 21st
The christening of Amelia Morales y de Grecia, daughter of Carlos Morales Quintana and Princess Alexia of Greece, will take place on 7 June 2008 at the Iglesia Nuestra Señora de los Remedios in Yaiza, Lanzarote.
May 22nd
Clarence House announced that a non-cancerous growth has been removed from the face of the Prince of Wales. Clarence House didn't want to say when the routine procedure had taken place, but it is thought it took place today after the prince met the Dalai Lama. Clarence House said that the growth was removed at Clarence House: "It was a routine and minor matter. It was done here."
In the programme 'Joachim & Marie - hjemme på Slottet' - broadcasted by the Danish tv-channel TV2 Prince Joachim of Denmark has said that his sons Prince Nikolai and Prince Felix mean a lot to him. He said he told them about Marie Cavallier step by step. They are both very happy with his choice. He said that if they would have objected he wouldn't have married Marie Cavallier on Saturday. In an interview to the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier say they met during a hunting party in Denmark in the autumn of 2002, but only were in touch once or twice until Prince Joachim visited Marie in Paris in 2005 and fell in love. In the past months Marie has been travelling between Geneva and Denmark. She said: "I haven't seriously started to learn Danish, because the language teachers are in Copenhagen." She right now is reading books about the history of Denmark. Marie has converted to the Lutheran church before the wedding, as is traditional in the Danish royal family. They said they also hope to have children together one day.
May 23rd
A portrait of the late Queen Mother and her daughters Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, painted in 1936 by Charles Edmund Brock, will be auctioned by the auction house Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh on May 29. The artist painted eight versions of the portrait. Six versions were destroyed and one hangs in Buckingham Palace. The eight portrait is now being sold by the family of Mr Brock who say that they feel that they can't look after it any longer. The painting, which is valued at £50,000, has gone on display today along with a letter Queen Elizabeth wrote on 13 November 1933 to commission the work.
King Gyanendra of Nepal and his wife Queen Komal have left the Narayanhity royal palace at Kathmandu for his summer residence Nagarjuna palace yesterday evening. It could be the last time the King leaves the palace. On Tuesday the constituent assembly of Nepal will be sworn in. On Wednesday the assembly will hold its first meeting. According to the Maoist party Nepal will then become a republic soon and the royal family will be asked to leave the palace for ever.
May 24th
Prince Joachim of Denmark married Marie Cavallier at Møgeltønder church this afternoon. Hundreds of people stood outside the church to cheer the couple. Prince Joachim arrived in church with his sons and best men Nikolai and Felix at the Trumpet Voluntary (Prince of Denmark's March) by Jeremiah Clarke. He wore the gala uniform of the infantry with several Danish decorations. Marie Cavallier entered church with her father Alain Cavallier at Grand Choeur of Théodore Dubois. She wore an off-white wedding dress made of 19th century inspired Calais lace with flower patterns in raised satin stitch. The dress, designed by David Arasa and Claudio Morelli from fashion house Arasa Morelli, was lined with ivory silk faille from the silk fabric maker Buche in the Loire Valley, France. The bodice consists of finely embroidered lace. The train was three meters long. The tulle with lace bordered bridal veil is kept in place by a tiara that belongs to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and originally belonged to Princess Dagmar of Denmark, who in 1922 married Jørgen Castenskiold. The bridal bouquet contained winter barley from the fields of Schackenborg and myrtles from Fredensborg Palace, as well as white French lillies, cream-coloured roses, pistachio-coloured greenery, and green Camellia leaves. Bridesmaid was Agnete Windfeldt Arnø, a friend of the bride. The page boys were Malte Steenstrup and Tanguy Peretti. The ceremony was led by bishop Erik Norman Svendsen. During the ceremony bride and groom exchanged hand made rings in eighteen-carat gold. Prince Joachim received a plain gold band, while Marie received a plain gold band studded with six small brilliant-cut diamonds round the band. After the wedding a reception took place at the Ecco Centre. Another reception and a wedding banquet took place at Schackenborg Castle. Among the guests were the Danish royal family, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Prince Gustav zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Carina Axelsson, Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Count Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Princess Alexia of Greece, Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Tatiana Blatnik, Princess Theodora of Greece, Prince Philippos of Greece, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Count Ingolf and Countess Sussie af Rosenborg, Countess Marina af Rosenborg and Count Valdemar af Rosenborg, as well as Marie's parents Alain Cavallier and Mrs Christian Grassiot with husband, her grandmother baronne de Sairigne, her brothers Gregory Grandet with Cécile Christen, Charles and Edouard Cavallier. Marie's other brother Benjamin Grandet and his family due to illness of his daughter Sasha, who was to be a flower girl. Furthermore "James Bond" Sir Roger Moore and his wife were present.
May 25th
Today it was claimed that in September 2007 the Duke of York has sold his house, Sunninghill Park, in Ascot, for £15 million to Kazakhstan tycoon Kenes Rakishev. This is said to be £3 million more than its estimated price tag. The house had been on the market for five years and had been a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain to the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson in 1986. A spokesman for the Duke of York said: "The sale of Sunninghill Park was a straight commercial transaction. There were no side deals and absolutely no arrangement for the Duke of York to benefit otherwise or to commit to any other commercial arrangement. Any suggestion otherwise is completely false."
Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, says he believes he has identified the site where Pharaoh Cleopatra is buried. In November a team of 12 archaeologists and 70 excavators will start to search for the entrance of the tomb at the site of the Taposiris Magna temple near Alexandria. Mr Hawass said they found tunnels with statues of Cleopatra and coins bearing her face. They also found a bust of Mark Antony, Cleopatra's Roman lover, who also might be buried in the same tomb. They committed suicide together in 31BC.
May 26th
On the occasion of his 40th birthday Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark appeared on the balcony of Amalienborg in Copenhagen at noon today, together with Crown Princess Mary, Prince Christian and Princess Isabella, as well as Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark. Hundreds of Danes braved the pouring rain to cheer the prince and his family. A surprise party was organised in the evening on board of the royal yacht Dannebrog at the Øresund. Family members and friends attended the party.
A poll held by Capacent/Urban on the occasion of the 40th birthday of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark show that only 20% of the Danes thing it is time for him to become a king. But 56% say that Crown Prince Frederik is someone they would like to have as a friend. They think he is intelligent and down to earth. Nearly 50% said that Queen Margrethe II of Denmark should abdicate.
The Liechtenstein princely court announced today that Prince Constantijn and Princess Marie of Liechtenstein had their second son and third child on 18 May. Benedikt Ferdinand Hubertus Maria was born at Vienna, Austria.
May 27th
A rare portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth I of Great Britain has been discovered in the private collection of the Duke of Buccleuch at Boughton House, Northamptonshire, Great Britain. The portrait shows the Queen with her father King Henry VIII, her siblings King Edward VI and Queen Mary I, and the king's jester Will Somers. The painting is a copy of an original painting thought to be painted in the early 1550s.
May 28th
During the first meeting of a special assembly elected in April Nepal was declared a republic today just before midnight. Only four of the 564 members of the assembly present voted against the proposal to strip King Gyanendra of his title and last power and ask him to leave the palace within 15 days. Also the other members of the royal family have been stripped of their titles, privileges and responsibilities. The assembly ordered the government to turn the Narayanhity royal palace into a national museum. 28 May will become Republic Day.
The Danish supermarket chain Netto will sell four dual postcards showing reproductions of aquarelles by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, together with a royal monogram and envelopes. The money goes to the royal lifeguard which celebrates its 350 anniversary next month. The aquarelles show the four palaces the lifeguard is serving.
Forbes has named Prince William of Wales the hottest young unmarried royal under 35 in the world. Prince Harry of Wales ended in second place, followed by Zara Phillips and Princess Beatrice of York. Charlotte Casiraghi ended in fifth place.
May 29th
A rare portrait of the late Queen Mother with her daughters Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret of Great Britain, painted by Charles Edmund Brock in 1936, was sold at auction by auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh for 90.000 British pounds. The portrait was bought by a fine art broker.
The flag with the royal seal was removed from the Narayanhity royal palace in Kathmandu, Nepal, this morning. The flag was replaced by the national flag.
Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia opened a small temporary exhibition 'The Emperor and Europe' at Doorn Castle, the Netherlands. Also his uncle Prince Christian Sigismund of Prussia was present.
Zahi Hawwas, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt, said today that a 3500-year-old mummy tht was found in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor will be moved to the Egyptian Museum tomorrow to undergo DNA tests and CT scans. Archaeologists believe the mummy is of Pharaoh Thutmose I. Also two female mummies, found in 1817, will be transported to the museum.
According to new archaeological research Stonehenge, England, might have served as a burial ground for much longer than believed. Researchers say that the cremation burials found at the site might represent a single elite family, probably even a ruling dynasty. There are only few burials in the earliest phase, but they say that the number grows larger in later centuries. Burials might have taken place at the site between 3000 BC and 2500 BC.
May 30th
A Nepalese government panel has begun to collect details of assets and properties of former King Gyanendra of Nepal today. Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel said the royal palace will become a museum: "No one really knows what items are there in the palace as it was closed for the public so far. We have formed a committee to collect the details of all these within 10 days. All items will be catalogued so they can be displayed in the museum." The government today also issued a formal letter to former King Gyanendra Shah and the palace secretariate to vacate the palace within 15 days. A palace official said that the former king is preparing to move to his private home in Kathmandu. The home secretary said that Crown Princess Himani moved to a priate home in Kathmandu very early this morning.
May 31st
The 40th birthday of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was celebrated with a huge dinner and party in the Orangerie at Fredensborg Palace. About 140 family members and friends were invited. Among the guests were Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden with her boyfriend Daniel Westling, Prince Philippe of Belgium, Prince Nikolaos of Greece with his girlfriend Tatjana Blatnik, Prince Gustav zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg with girlfriend Carina Axelsson, Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Count Jefferson-Friedrich von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, Prince Philipp and Princess Laetitia von Hessen and the Duke and Duchess of Castro.
On the occasion of their 10th wedding anniversary Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven and their three children Anna, Lucas and Felicia posed for pictures at the Apenheul in Apeldoorn yesterday. Tonight a party took place at the Supperclub in Amsterdam. Present were several members of the Dutch royal family among others the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima.
Prince Carl Philip of Sweden has secured his first five points in the Porsche Carrerra Cup by ending in 11th place at the race in Karlskoga today. The Prince told the press: "I had hoped to be able to claim a point sometime during the season, but that it should happen this early was not something I had counted on." King Carl XVI Gustaf attended the races.
Royal News: April 2008. Last updated: May 4th, 2008.