ROYAL NEWS: MAY 2009

Last updated: June 1st, 2009.

May 1st
The death toll of the attack on the Dutch royal family on Queen's Day in Apeldoorn yesterday has risen to seven today. Early in the morning the driver of the car died. In the afternoon also a military policeman died of his serious injuries. According to the police the attacker was acting alone. An act of terrorism has been ruled out, after his house in Huissen was searched. No weapons or explosives were found in the house. The death of the attacker means the end of the criminal investigation against him, but the investigation will continue to try to find out what happened exactly. The man had recently lost his job and was to leave his apartment because he couldn't afford the rent anymore.
  • Pictures of today by Royal Portraits


    • A couple has been arrested on Sunday for having sex on a grass bank outside Windsor Castle. Despite of tourists and people at the castle watching, the couple only stopped their sexual activities when the police arrived. Thames Valley Police says the couple was arrested and have been given a written warning about outraging public decency. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain was present at the castle, but Buckingham Palace didn't want to comment on the incident.

    May 2nd
    Queen Beatrix, the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima, Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven today visited hospitals in Zwolle, Amersfoort, Utrecht, Tilburg and Arnhem. They met with seven of the victims of Thursday's attack in Apeldoorn, and their families. An eight victim still remains in critical condition. Today it was announced that the attacker died of brain damage. There was no trace of alcohol in his blood, but there were signs that he had used marijuana recently, which however could have been up to two weeks ago.

    The Duke of Vendôme today married religiously Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame at Senlis, France. The bride wore a gown designed by Christian Lacroix, a 200-year-old veil and a family tiara. After the wedding a reception took place at Chantilly Castle.
  • PPE pictures


    • English Heritage has reconstructed the pleasant garden that Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester created at Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire, Great Britain, over 400 years ago to impress Queen Elizabeth I of England. The Queen first visited in 1575. The garden will be opened for the public today. Visitors can experience the sights, scents and sounds of the garden as it was back in 1575. A 5 metres high marble fountain is the centrepiece of the garden.

    May 3rd
    In a short meeting with the press before handing out the World Press Photo 2008, Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands told the press that the whole Dutch royal family witnessed the terrible drama on Queen's Day and that they are all shocked by what happened. He said however he wishes that Queen's Day will not be changed. The family wishes to remain accessible and open.

    The 63-year-old Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, is in a stable condition after a 10-hour open heart surgery at the Stanford University Medical centre at Palo Alto, USA. A leaking valve for 'mitral regurgitation' was repaired during the surgery. He will have to stay in hospital for about three weeks.

    Two christenings this weekend. Yesterday, Caroline-Mathilde Margrethe af Rosenborg, daughter of Countess Feodora af Rosenborg and Morten Rønnow, was christened at the Marmorkirken in Copenhagen. Her godmother was Countess Sussie af Rosenborg, and the baby's aunts Countess Camilla and Countess Josephine af Rosenborg were among the sponsors. Today Jonathan, son of hereditary Prince Carl Ferdinand zu Bentheim und Steinfurt and his wife Elna-Margret was christened at the chapel of Burgsteinfurt Castle. His godparents were Prince Philipp von Urach, Hereditary Prince Emmanuel zu Salm-Salm, Dr. Garnet Kasperk and Claudia Nemnich.

    May 4th
    Princess Marie of Denmark gave birth to a healthy baby boy today at 4.57am at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. The baby is 49 cm tall and weighs 3032 gramms. Mother and son are doing fine. Prince Joachim was present at hospital all the time and cut the umbilical cord himself. The baby's names will become known at the christening. At noon 21 salutes could be heard from the Battery Sixtus at Holmen, Copenhagen, and from Kronborg Castle.

    Queen Beatrix, Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands for the first time after Queen's Day appeared in public. In Amsterdam they remembered the death of World War II. In his speech, mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, said: "This year we are especially happy with the presence of Queen Beatrix." This lead to a huge applaus of the 20.000 people gathered on the Dam Square.

    May 5th
    Former King Constantine II of Greece is to undergo an elective cardiac surgery for calcific aortic stenosis with valve replacement using a bioprosthesis and a single-vessel bypass. The surgery is scheduled for 29th May at the Wellington Hospital, London.

    May 7th
    Princess Marie of Denmark and her newborn son left the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen at 1pm. She was accompanied by her husband Prince Joachim and her father Alain Cavallier. The little prince slept peacefully wrapped in a grey woollen wrap. Hardly visible was his dark hair. Many people waited in the hall of the hospital and outside to catch a glimpse of the new Danish prince. Princess Marie told the press that the name will be a secret until the christening, and that the baby will be raised bilingual.

    Count Björn Bernadotte married Sandra Angerer in a religious ceremony at the church at Mainau island. The service was led by Dieter Schunck. The bride, who was given away by her father Hans Angerer, wore a creme-coloured Duchesse-silk dress in Empire style with Italian lace and a short train. The dress was designed by the Swiss designer Eva Michaela Fröhli. The bride wore a modern tiara, but decided not to wear a veil. In the evening also Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was present. Among the wedding guests were apart from the brother, sisters, half-sister Birgitta and brothers-in-law of the groom, also Hereditary Prince Bernhard and Hereditary Princess Stephanie von Baden, and nobles from the area, as well as prominent politicians and German celebrities. Tomorrow a big gala will be held on the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of the late Count Lennart Bernadotte. There will also be a memorial concert for his late wife Countess Sonja, who died a few months ago. Among the guests will also be Queen Silvia of Sweden.

    May 8th
    Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Prince of Orange, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven attended a memorial service for the six victims of the attack on the royal family on Queen's Day. The memorial service took place at the Orpheus Theater in Apeldoorn, and was attended by around 1200 people including surviving victims, family, dignitaries and aid workers. Several thousand people followed the service on big screens on the market square in Apeldoorn. Shortly after the end of the service it became known that a seventh victim died as a result of the attack. Her 14-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old girl were released from hospital on Friday.

    Queen Rania of Jordan has registered at the social network Twitter to mark the first visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy Land and some Arab countries. He started his eight-day visit today in Jordan.
  • Queen Rania's Twitter


    • May 9th
    Prince and Princess Akishino of Japan arrived in Vienna, Austria, today at the start of a two-week tour through Europe. They will visit Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.

    May 10th
    Late April a video was broadcasted by the American television channel ABC showing Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nayhan, an half-brother of the President of the United Arab Emirates, participating in the torture of Mohammed Shah Poor, a grain dealer from Afghanistan. The sheikh and the grain dealer had a disagreement. In a statement issued today it says that all papers in the case have been handed over to the public prosecution office, which has launched an investigation. All people involved are held and banned from travelling abroad. The President today also sacked two of his brothers, Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed and Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, from his cabinet. They were replaced by their brothers Sheikh Saif bin Zayed and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed. It is not known if there is a connection with the torture case.

    May 11th
    On the occasion of the 5th wedding anniversary of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark six pictures were released. Two pictures show the couple, two show Crown Prince Frederik, one shows Crown Princess Mary, and there is one portrait showing the couple with their children Christian and Isabella.
  • Wedding anniversary pictures


    • Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will visit Greenland from 27 May to 1 June. It will be a scientific visit focused on climate changes. The three heirs to the throne will see what the climage changes mean for Greenland and its inhabitants.

    May 13th
    Prince Carl Philip of Sweden today celebrated his 30th birthday. Many well-wishers with flowers and presents gathered outside the royal palace in Stockholm to greet the prince. Carl Philip made an appearance outside the palace together with his parents and sisters, wearing his marine uniform. A military band played "Oh Värmland Thou Art Beautiful", and afterwards played a traditional Swedish birthday song, led by King Carl XVI Gustaf himself.

    May 14th
    More than 50 notes and photographs sent by Queen Mary of Great Britain to her friend Mrs Kate Rube and her daughter between the early 1900s until the 1950s are expected to fetch more than £1,000 at auctionat Dorset's Duke's of Dorchester on 30 May. The notes give a rare insight into the life at the royal palace. Mrs Rube's great-granddaughter Ann Wilton is the one who sells the notes and photographs.

    May 15th
    A wooden desk from 1683 which once belonged to Queen Hedvig Eleonora of Sweden was discovered in the possession of a family in southern Sweden. The desk will be auctioned by the Uppsala Auktionskammare auction house on 3 June. It is expected to fetch at least 300.000 Swedish crowns (about $38,000). The desk is the second known item that survived the fire that destroyed the original Tre Kronor royal palace in Stockholm in 1697. The other surviving item was the silver throne of Queen Kristina. The auction house calls the discovery "a sensation" and "invaluable".

    May 16th
    The Belgian newspaper La Dernière Heure last night received a letter containing death threats against Queen Fabiola of Belgium. The letter was written in poor French on behalf of a so far unknown organisation. They threaten to kill the Queen with a crossbow bolt during the military parade on the National Day of Belgium on 21 July. In the letter it is said that Queen Fabiola poisoned her late husband King Baudouin, because he had an affair with the late Yugoslav leader Tito.

    Archaeologists have discovered an about 2000-year-old palace that belonged to the Roman Emperor Trajan near the village Zavoi in the Caras-Severin county in Romania. It was probably built in the first Dacian-Roman war. Archaeologists expect to find so far unknown information about the Daco-Roman culture.

    May 17th
    National Day in Norway traditionally was celebrated with a children's parade in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo in the morning. The whole royal family watched from the balcony of the palace. In the early morning Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and their children greeted children from schools from Asker at the main gate of the Skaugum Estate. In the afternoon King Harald V and Queen Sonja visited the Grünerløkka area in Oslo.

    May 19th
    Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands revealed two statues of her late parents Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard at the garden of their residence Soestdijk Palace.

    May 21st
    The condition of Crown Prince Kardam of Bulgaria has improved slightly. According to reports he has already uttered his first words. It will take much longer to recover from the severe injuries he suffered in a car crash in August 2008, but this first words are an encouraging sign.

    May 22nd
    The 16-page final will of King Louis XVI of France has been found in a private collection in Boston. French letter expert Gerard Lheritier also found a manuscript written by the king's brother, the Count of Provence. The will was written the day before he fled Paris in 1791. The document, titled "Declaration to the French" had been missing since the French Revolution.

    May 23rd
    Hereditary Prince Hubertus von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha married Kelly Rondestvedt civilly at Callenberg Castle, Coburg, Germany, on Thursday. The religious wedding took place today at the St. Moriz Church at Coburg. Among the more than 400 guests were representatives of the royal houses of Sweden, Belgium, Bulgaria and Great Britain. A report will be on this website later on.

    The whole Spanish royal family gathered at Barcelona for the first Holy Communion of Juan and Pablo Urdangarín, sons of Iñaki Urdangarín and Infanta Cristina of Spain. Also Prince Kubrat of Bulgaria was present.

    May 26th
    Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit and their children will temporarily move to the royal palace in Oslo. Their residence Skaugum is to be renovated.

    A chauffeur of the British royal family has been suspended today. It is thought he allowed undercover reporters to access sensitive areas of Buckingham Palace without passing through the security checks. He was filmed while he showed two journalists around in a garage containing royal cars. The reporters claim that they paid the chauffeur for the tour, and said they had been left alone long enough to plant a bomb, if they had wanted to. A spokesperson of Buckingham Palace says: "Obviously, the allegation will be investigated and the individual concerned has been suspended pending an investigation. Any security matter is taken very seriously."

    King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said today that Crown Prince Sultan has recovered from surgery. He said the Crown Prince will return to Saudi Arabia in the next six weeks. The Crown Prince is currently resting in Morocco.

    May 27th
    Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden have arrived on Greenland today. Until 1 June they will take part in a research expedition, and have a look at the effects of climate changes and global warming on Greenland and its people.

    Daniel Westling, the fiancé of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, underwent a successful kidney transplantation today at the Karolinska Hospital in Solna, Stockholm. It was said he has had a non-hereditary kidney disease from birth. He received a new kidney from his father, who is also recovering well. Crown Princess Victoria, presently on Greenland, phoned with him after the surgery took place, the royal palace said. The couple had agreed in advance that the Crown Princess would travel to Greenland. The operation was not announced beforehand. It was also not publicly known that Daniel Westling had kidney problems.

    The wedding is only in one year, but already now the former music teacher of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Ingemar Thorell, has composed the processional music for her wedding to Daniel Westling. The composition is for organ and violin. The title of the piece of music will be The Crown Princess's Bridal March. Mr Thorell was influenced by traditional folk music from the province of Dalarna. He has sent a demo to the palace and hopes Crown Princess Victoria will approve the composition.

    The first holy communion of Victoria Federica de Marichalar, daughter of Infanta Elena of Spain, was held at the Dominicos Church in Alcobendas, Spain, today. The ceremony was attended by her parents, brother, paternal grandparents King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, Infanta Cristina with husband and eldest sons, as well as by other family members.

    May 28th
    The Belgian federal police on Tuesday night arrested and questioned a 63-year-old Belgian man from Koksijde, originally from Scotland. He denies having sent a letter containing death threats against Queen Fabiola of Belgium almost two weeks ago. The man's house was searched for over four hours. He was released yesterday evening after further questioning.

    Shintaro Ishihara, who heads the Olympic bid committee of Tokyo for the Summer Olympics of 2016, said today: "It will be absolutely necessary to solicit kind help from the imperial family for the benefit of the Japanese people and for the history of Japan. We plan to make a formal request through the government in the days ahead." He said that they will ask Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan to present its bid to members of the International Olympic Committee on 1 October. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain are supporting the bid of Madrid.

    May 29th
    The christening of the son of Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark, who was born on 4 May, will take place at Møgeltønder Church on 26 July at 5.30pm. Prince Joachim and Princess Marie married in the same church one year ago.

    Former King Constantine II of Greece underwent a successful aortic valve replacement and single aortocoronary bypass surgery at the Wellington Hospital in London today. He is recovering in the intensive care unit without any cardioventillatory support.

    In a speech yesterday King Siaosi Tupou V of Tonga has said that it might take two years to reform the semi-feudal political system of the country. Previously the government said the reforms would be introduced in 2010.

    May 30th
    Sixty letters written by Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, the youngest sister of Czar Nikolaj II of Russia, to her sister Grand Duchess Xenia between 1916 and 1920 will be auctioned in London next week. Estimated is that they are worth $150,000. The letters are being described as "unseen and unread outside the immediate family".

    May 31st
    A team of Japanese archaeologists, led by Professor Hideki Harunari, from the National Museum of Japanese History think they have identified the final resting place of Queen Himiko, who ruled the Yamatai kingdom in the third century. The researchers presented their evidence today at the 75th annual meeting of the Japanese Archaeological Association. The burial mound in the town of Sakurai will likely never be excavated. The Imperial Household Agency doesn't give permission, as Emperor Akihito is descending from the Queen.


    Royal News: April 2009. Last updated: May 3rd, 2009.