ROYAL NEWS: NOVEMBER 2001

Last updated: December 1st, 2001.

November 1st
The Prince of Orange and his fiancee visited the province of North Holland. They were welcomed at the Provincial House of Haarlem. In a classical car they drove to the town hall where they were present at a meeting of the youth council of the municipality. By royal bus they went on to the Zuidersluis in IJmuiden where the Prince of Orange unveiled a commemoration plaque for the 125th anniversary of the Northsea Canal and then the couple attended a part of the celebrations at the ferry Queen of Scandinavia. Afterwards they sailed on the canal to the Zaanse Schans, and met a foreign womengroup in Zaanstad. Then the royal bus went on to Alkmaar, where they made a short boattrip to the Weigh-house and the famous cheese-market. By open carriage they were driven to the town hall where the visit ended.

Princess Margaret of Great Britain left hospital after tests for a suspected stomach complaint after having abdominal pains. She wore a headscarf and dark sunglasses as she was escorted from the hospitalto a people carrier.

November 2nd
Armed palace guards have blocked off parts of the capital of Tonga amidst growing alarm over the health of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. Last week he returned from New Zealand where he had heart treatment. Yesterday the king appeared frail when he was taken to the legislative Assembly in a wheelchair to close Parliament. The publisher of the Times of Tonga newspaper said the armed guards could be trying to keep noisy vehicles away from the Nuku'alofa Palace where the King is staying.

November 3rd
Several hundreds of people stood outside the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht when Princess Mathilde and Princess Elisabeth left hospital at 15:25. They were shown out by tens of nurses and doctors. After photos were taken in the hall of the hospital the two princesses and Prince Philippe left for Laeken Palace. In front of the palace some more photos were taken together with the grandparents. Also inside there was a small photo session, after which there was an informal meeting with the press. Prince Philippe is said to want more frankness to the press. He told the press that he had dressed his daughter himself at the hospital this afternoon. Princess Mathilde wants to rest a bit longer before taking up her duties again. Little princess Elisabeth has to get used to her new environment and to the dog of her parents.

November 4th
Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven, third son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, participated in the New York marathon. It was his fourth marathon, and the third in New York. He told the press before: "This time it is different. In fact I wasn't even going to participate, but after September 11th I decided to go after all. As a gesture of sympathy and concern." He finished 3453th in 3 hours 38 minutes and 1 second.

November 6th
In a memorial service at the American Church in Paris about 800 people, among them tens of royals, said goodbye to Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary, former wife of Shah Mohammed Reza of Iran. She will be buried at the family vault in Munich, Germany, where also her brother Bijan, who died one week after Soraya, will be interred.

At Mainau Island Countess Sonja Bernadotte received the golden state medal of the Free State of Bavaria. Since 1982 she is president of the German Garden Society and she was decorated for her work in horticulture and care for the land in Bavaria. With lots of engagement she managed to get harmony between many aspects of horticulture and conservation of nature. And she also found new ways to improve the vital quality.

November 7th
One of the last visits of the Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta brought the couple in rainy Groningen. Hundreds of people waited for the couple in front of the decorated town hall, where they were welcomed. Inside they heard about the developments in the province. After a short appearance on the balcony the couple walked to the Academy Building of the University of Groningen where they talked to students and university people. By open carriage they then were driven to the Groninger Museum where they had a look at the collection. By bus they then drove to Café Hammingh in Garnwerd where they met young representants of the agricultural sector. Then a visit was paid to the asylum seekers centre in Winsum where they had a look in the house of Afghan people. Finally they attended a lecture in the coach-house of Borg Verhildersum in Leens about the Dutch Shallows as a natural area.

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan were welcomed by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh upon arrival in Great Britain. Amid hi-tech security the royals travelled to Windsor Castle in carriages escorted by the Household Cavalry in full ceremonial uniform. At the Windsor Castle banquet Queen Elizabeth II spoke of need for tolerance in her first reference to Islam since raids began in Afghanistan. She told King Abdullah II that extremisme must not be allowed to succeed.

After continuing rumours about a fourth pregnancy Princess Stephanie of Monaco officially denied via the princely court of Monaco that she is pregnant. Yesterday the German television had an interview with Louis, brother of Stephanie's boyfriend Franco Knie, who said that Stephanie was pregnant.

Lords leader Lord Williams of Mostyn has announced that the remaining 92 sitting hereditary peers are to lose their rights to stay in the Upper House. Under new plans for reform of the House of Lords there will be 600 members. 120 will be elected with 120 independent members appointed by a commission. The rest will be nominated by the main political parties. Peers were told the number of law lords and bishops would be reduced to 16.

November 8th
Queen Mother Elizabeth of Great Britain opened the Field of Rememberance at Westminster Abbey. She planted a cross bearing a scarlet poppy in tribute to those who lost their lives in the service of their country. Using two walking sticks, she then stood for a short open-air service, and also met war veterans.

The Prince of Wales was hit round the face with a bunch of roses by a 16-year-old female anti-war protester. He had just laid a wreath to commemorate the Baltic State's independence at the Freedom monument in Riga, Latvia, and was chatting to people in the crowd when the incident happened. The girl was arrested.

It became known what the national wedding present for the Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta will be. Next to something 'for house and garden' they get an Oranjefonds (Orange fund). The money that will be donated to the fund is meant for initiatives that bring the various cultures in The Netherlands closer to each other. Furthermore singers Marco Borsato and Sita recorded a song "Lopen over Water (Walking on Water)". The presents and the song will be presented to the couple during a huge party at the Arena in Amsterdam in the eve of February 1st, 2002, that will be broadcasted on television live.

November 9th
Prince Bernhard van Oranje-Nassau, Van Vollenhoven and his wife Annette expect their first child in the beginning of May 2002. Prince Bernhard is the second son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven. The couple married in July 2000.

November 10th
Alina Lebedeva remains in custody in Riga after being charged with endangering the life of the Prince of Wales for her anti-war protest. She faces up to 15 years in jail for slapping the Prince in the face with a bunch of carnations two days ago. The police is probing if she was 'pushed' into the attack. Her family begged the Prince of Wales for help. Today the Prince of Wales has defended the girl. Palace officials say the incident didn't affect the prince. St James's Palace officials described the episode as a trivial incident and said they trust the Latvian authorities will take this into account when looking into the case.

Princess Liliane de Réthy, widow of King Leopold III of the Belgians was taken to the Saint-Luc Hospital in Brussels. She was brought to the intensive care having problems with her bronchial tubes, but it was said there is no need for concern.

November 12th
It was officially announced Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands expect their first child in the beginning of June 2002. The couple married in May this year and already told in an interview before the marriage that they would like to have three children.

Last weekend the Prince of Orange and his fiancée Máxima Zorreguieta spent some days in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to visit her parents and to do some shopping, among others in a shop for wedding gifts called l'Interdit.

Princess Prekshya Shah of Nepal, a sister of Queen Komal and the late Queen Aishawarya, has been killed when the helicopter she travelled in crashed into Rara Lake in western Nepal shortly after takeoff. Four other people were also killed, one person seems to have survived. Princess Prekshya was the wife of late Prince Dhirendra, the younger brother of King Gyanendra, who was killed during the massacre at the palace last June. The couple had separated after Dhirendra gave up his royal title and moved to London to marry a British woman.

Alina Lebedeva, the 16-year-old Latvian anti-war protester who slapped Prince Charles with a flower, has been released from custody pending trial. The police said the decision to release the high school student was influenced by reports that the Prince of Wales had called for leniency for her. No trial date has been set yet. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail if convicted.

Yesterday Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway started a four-days visit to the province of Østfold, thus continuing their tour through Norway. The couple visited Rømskog and Ørje. Crown Princess Mette-Marit took the controls of a 140-year-old steamboat that still plies the Ørje River. Local residents lined the river banks with torches and lit bonfires to light the dark afternoon. They were then treated to grilled moose meat and wild mushrooms from the local forest, accompanied by local children's and gospel choirs. Today they were in Aremark where they among others visited the Aremark and Halden Bicycle Motorcross club, where they got a little BMX bike for son Marius.

November 13th
David Viscount Linley and his wife Serena are expecting their second child in May 2002. They already have a two-year-old son, Charles. The baby will be the fourth grandchild for Princess Margaret of Great Britain.

A few boots of Empress Elisabeth of Austria with the year 1845 on the sole will be auctioned for a good cause on December 1st. The silver shoes are expected to fetch about $ 50.000 for the restoration of a building of the Evangelic Church in Stuttgart.

November 14th
The Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta visited the city of Utrecht today. The tour started with a short walk through the Pijlbuurt, one of the quarters of Utrecht. In the community centre the people told about the safety problems in the area and the way residents try to solve these problems theirselves. In the Central Museum they met illustrator Dick Bruna, worldfamous for his Nijntje books, who showed the couple the permanent exhibition about his work. Also tens of toddlers were invited. At the University for Art and Science students performed a show full of music, video, theatre and fashion (including bridal gowns). Finally after a walk the couple talked with people from Utrecht in the town hall about social, economical and spatial developments in the city.

Yesterday Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway continued their Norway tour with a visit to Frederikstad. The visit attracted lots of children. Three-year-old Elise Lindberg managed to worm her way through the legs of security guards before ending up safe and sound in Mette-Marit’s arms. Elise’s big sister, five-year-old Stine, wanted in on the act too and also received a warming hug. Also Haakon ended up embracing the local children who lined the streets with their parents. The couple also visited a kindergarten in Rade, near the Swedish border. Today in Skiptvet they got lots of presents, from flowers to football clothes for Marius. In the Spydeberg area the couple visited the old and the new power station at Solbergfoss and a day centre for psychical patients.

Yesterday Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands arrived in Romania for a three-day state visit. President Iliescu met the Queen at the airport of Bucarest and afterwards at the presidential Cotroceni Palace. For the state banquet in the evening also former King Michael of Romania, his wife Anne, daughter Margarita and her husband Radu Duda were invited. Today Queen Beatrix gave a press conference in which she talked about her visit to Romania. Also some more personal things were said. She told to be very happy to become a grandmother for the first time. She is also very happy with the way The Netherlands welcomes Máxima Zorreguieta. Telling about the happy years she and her husband and children spent at Drakensteijn Castle before she ascended the throne, she said to hope that also Willem-Alexander and Máxima will be able to have such a period.

November 15th
The last day of the tour through the Netherlands brought the Prince of Orange and his fiancee Máxima Zorreguieta to the province of Drenthe. After arrival at the Drents Museum and a talk about the developments in the province the couple paid a visit to the former camp Westerbork. In World War II more than 100.000 people were deported from Westerbork to concentration camps. In Dwingeloo the Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astronomy was visited. In Ruinen a walk in the village centre was made and a visit was paid to a bus equiped for population research to breast cancer. At the end the couple attended an informal meeting with the mayors in Drenthe and for each municipality two inhabitants. A press conference about the tour followed. Máxima Zorreguieta told the tour was quite fatiqued. "You jump from one subject to another, and then also in another language, which is sometimes very difficult. I am happy the heavy program has come to an end. But it was a phantastic introduction." Of course she doesn't know everything about the Netherlands now and she says it might even cost a whole life to learn to know the country. It is not something you do in 16 days. Willem-Alexander and Máxima told they are happy Queen Beatrix gives them the time to establish their own family. Máxima has seen that there are more differences than resemblances between Argentina and the Netherlands. She also told that her parents can hardly believe what is happening to their daughter in the Netherlands. They have watched the first visits of the tour on video and Máxima also gave them some souvenirs from the Netherlands. The restrictions in her private life are sometimes very hard to accept and to understand. Being asked where she would like to live most after having seen all corners of the country, Máxima answered: "There where Alexander lives."

At the last day of her state visit to Romania Queen Beatrix arrived at the airport of Timisoara, where she was welcomed with a traditional bread and salt ceremony. She visited the Roman-orthodox cathedral of Timisoara and a daycare centre for mentally handicapped people. At the centre she was asked if she was Miss Holland. A male from the Queen's military staff was set to work and had to crochet. The Queen returned to the Netherlands in the evening.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has been greeted by cheering crowds on her first visit to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, since 1953. She opened a community centre in the mainly protestant Waterside area, and later also the new Lagan Valley Island Complex at Lisburn. She also met the First and Deputy First Minister at Hillsborough Castle. It is also believed the Queen is set to make a historical visit to Dublin, Ireland, soon to herald a new era in Anglo-Irish relations. It would be the first time a British monarch has visited in nearly 80 years.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged after throwing a cake in the face of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. He could face up to four years in jail for the alleged attack at a nature reserve. He has been charged with 'lese-majesty', which is treason or the taking of liberties. Two of his friends are charged with participation. The boy says he was targeting authority in general, not the king.

November 16th
The Spanish royal court announced that Princess Cristina of Spain and her husband Iñaki Urdangarín expect their third child in May 2002.

The Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta attended the opening of the exhibition 'Ja, ik wil' (Yes, I do) in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. The exhibition about Dutch royal weddings between 1791 and 2002 can be visited until January 20, 2002.

Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary, former wife of Shah Mohammed Reza of Iran, was buried at the Westfriedhof (cemetery) in München, Germany, today. Only three members of the family were present for this private burial.

Crown Princess Masako of Japan went for one of her last medical check-ups before the birth of her child expected as early as next week and being feverishly awaited across the country. She was accompanied by her husband Crown Prince Naruhito. It was the seventh regular checkup at the hospital since the announcement of her pregnancy this spring. After the checkup the Imperial Household Agency said that she is in good condition. Whether the baby is a boy or a girl imperial tradition dictates that Emperor Akihito names any children of his eldest son and heir. The baby will be given a name composed of two Chinese characters. The name will be formally announced one week after birth.

November 19th
Little Princess Alexandra of Hannover stole the show on the National Day of Monaco today smiling and waving to the crowds. She took part in the celebrations together with her parents, grandfather Prince Rainier III and Prince Albert. The celebrations took on a solemn tone this year as international tensions and instability cast an inevitable shadow over the annual event. Prince Rainier later addressed the people of Monaco, explaining this year’s sober celebrations as a sign of solidarity with the victims of the September 11 attacks.

The Public Prosecutor is not going to prosecute Máxima Zorreguieta for the car accident she was involved in last October. According to the Public Prosecutor the accident wasn't her fault. The driver of the other car should have given her right of way, and he also drove too fast on a road that officially only is to be used by destination traffic (like traffic from and to Palace Huis ten Bosch), but they are not going to prosecute him.

The Prince of Wales has cancelled royal duties after injuring his eye sawing a tree at the weekend. He got sawdust in his left eye while working in the garden of his Highgrove residence. He received treatment at the nearby Cirencester Hospital. He is expected to recover in the next couple of days.

November 20th
The driver of the car involved in the accident with Máxima Zorreguieta says she is responsible for causing the car accident last October. The collision took place at the drive out of Palace Huis ten Bosch. According to the Public Prosecutor the man should have given Máxima Zorreguieta right of way, because she came from the right. According to the driver it wasn't an equal crossing, but a drive out. In that case he would have had right of way.

In Tonga, recent foreign media reports of the declining health of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV have been received with bemusement and some concern by local authorities. The reports, which suggested King Tupou may have been about to die, have since been proven false, with the King making a series of public appearances. Many in Tonga see the rumours as an example of unreliable and unprincipled journalism.

November 21st
Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah King of Malaysia has died this morning at the age of 75 in Gleneagles private hospital in Kuala Lumpur. In 1999 he had been chosen King for a period of five years and had a ceremonial task. Since 1960 he had been Sultan of Selangor, being one of the nine traditional leaders to take turns in the figurehead role. He had been on treathing and kidney support machines since the implant of a heart pacemaker in Singapore two months ago. He returned to a hospital in Malaysia last Sunday. If a Malaysian monarch dies in office, the title automatically goes to the deputy, and the sultans meet to choose a new number two. Mizan Zainal Abidin Sultan of Terengganu has been acting king since the King was admitted to hospital in early October. King Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah is survived by his 29-year-old wife, Siti Aishar, whom he married in 1990, ten sons and four daughters from four marriages. A seven-day mourning period is declared.

Princess Simone zur Lippe-Biesterfeld died in The Hague today. She was born Simone Arnoux in Paris in 1915 and had two sons, Stephan and Thilo, from her first marriage to Vollrath von Watzdorf, whom she divorced in 1951. In the same year she married Prince Aschwin zur Lippe-Biesterfeld, younger brother of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, in London. Prince Aschwin died in The Hague in 1988.

Alina Lebedeva, who attacked the Prince of Wales in Riga lately, has sent him a letter of apology. She apologised to the Prince and thanked him for his understanding and forgiveness. Latvian prosecutors are still considering charges of threatening "health and life of a high official."

November 22nd
King Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah's remains were blessed at the national mosque and laid in state in the throne room at the royal palace in Kuala Lumpur, where the doors were thrown open to the public. Thousands of people were filing past the coffin. The body then was wheeled through Kuala Lumpur in a procession and military salute. His remains were then delivered to his neighbouring home state of Selangor, where more ceremonies were held, including the proclamation of his son, Sharafuddin Idris Shah, as the new sultan of Selangor.

November 23rd
The Governmental Information Service confirmed that Máxima Zorreguieta is orientating on the protestant belief, but she will stay a roman catholic for now. She might become a protestant later on, but that is not sure. Bishop van Luyn of Rotterdam has given her dispensation for some catholic obligations to make it possible for Máxima to marry in a protestant ceremony. The reformed emeritus-clergyman Carel ter Linden will conduct the service. The Roman Catholic church will recognise the marriage. If the Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta will get children, they will become protestants.

Belgian sources say that Princess Elisabeth of Belgium will be baptised privately at Ciergnon Castle on December 9th.

November 25th
As the birth of the baby of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan comes near, preparations for its delivery as well as ceremonies following the birth are nearly complete. All medical preparations have been made for the birth. Medical staff have been on duty around the clock since Tuesday at Togu Palace, the residence of the couple. In addition, a ritual sword to be bestowed from the Emperor to the baby has been prepared by the Cultural Affairs Agency. The sword will be given in a ceremony called "shiken," which will be conducted on the day of the birth or the next day.

November 26th
Sporting legends have joined the Earl of Wessex at St James's Palace to unveil the Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay route accross the United Kingdom. The relay will herald the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games and celebrate the 50-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. It will pass through 500 towns and cover more than 5.000 miles in 50 days.

November 27th
At a meeting with Oslo's Editors Association discussing the divide between private and public spheres Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway told journalists that they should have a more careful relationship with her son Marius. "Journalists and photographers can cross lines with the crown prince and with me. I might be a bit angry then and there, but that isn't so important. For Marius it is a completely different matter," she said. She explained that a four-year-old boy doesn't understand what is happening when an impolite photographer suddenly appears and takes pictures of him when is alone, something which had happened several time recently. Crown prince Haakon joined the appeal, though he felt that it was impossible to form concrete rules about what was public and private for the royal family in relation to the press. He said that he hopes that Marius will not be photographed when he is alone.

November 28th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh have paid a visit to the set of the British soap serie EastEnders and were separately escorted around the set by actresses Barbara Windsor and Wendy Richard. The couple also took tours at the set of the children's programme Blue Peter, the BBC TV Centre, and the channels ITN and CNN.

Despite of the approaching birth of their third grandchild Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan started a four-day visit to Mie yesterday. Today they worshipped at Ise Shrine, one of the most important Shinto shrines affiliated with the imperial family. It was the third time since the Emperor ascended the throne in 1989 that the couple visited the shrine. Dressed in a morning suit, the emperor offered a sacred "sakaki" tree bough and worshipped after being purified by a priest at the main sanctuary of Ise's Outer Shrine. The empress, wearing an ivory-colored dress, followed suit.

November 29th
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former US-president George Bush have joined some 800 friends and relatives of the estimated 80 Britons who were killed in the US-attacks on September 11th, at a national service at the Westminster Abbey in London. The Queen, paying her personal respects, was laying a posy of white roses and lily of the valley entwined with herbs, on the Abbey's Memorial to Innocent Victims, just outside the Great West Door.

Alina Lebedeva, the Latvian schoolgirl who attacked the Prince of Wales with a carnation is to be charged with hooliganism. She faces up to two years in prison if convicted. The Prince of Wales asked authorities to treat the 16-year-old leniently.

Paul Burrell has been committed to stand trial. He is charged with three counts of theft which relate to 302 items belonging to Diana's estate, 22 items belonging to Prince William and four items belonging to the Prince of Wales. The trial is due to start on January 10, 2002. He was remanded on conditional bail.

November 30th
Princess Sophie von Hannover née Princess of Greece was buried at the cemetery in Schliersee, Germany, today. She died in a nursing home in Neuhaus near Schliersee on November 24th. Princess Sophie was born at Mon Repos, Corfu, on June 26, 1914, as the fourth and youngest daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Princess Alice von Battenberg. In 1930 she married Prince Christoph von Hessen who was killed in an air crash in 1943. In 1946 she married Prince Georg Wilhelm von Hannover. She had five children from the first and three children from the second marriage. She had fourteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. The Duke of Edinburgh is said to be "very saddened" by the death of his last surviving sister. He was not attending the funeral but is expected to be present at a memorial service in January. Other members of the Royal Family, including the Earl of Wessex, who was the Princess's godson, are also expected to attend the memorial service.

Crown Princess Masako of Japan entered the hospital at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo at 23:25 local time to have her first child. Palace officials said she was "showing signs" that she was ready to give birth." Television networks interrupted regular programming to follow the progress of Masako's limousine as she headed for the hospital accompanied by Crown Prince Naruhito and her mother.


Royal News: October 2001. Last updated: November 8th, 2001.