ROYAL NEWS: NOVEMBER 2004

Last updated: December 5th, 2004.

November 2nd
Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands has been treated in the Academical Hospital in Utrecht last weekend for liquid in the chest-cavity. According to the Government Information Service the operation went well. After the policlinical treatment the Prince could return back to Palace Soestdijk. The prince already had breathing problems for some weeks. Doctors placed a small drain in his chest that was removed already today. The long-term effect has to be awaited.

Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, president and founder of the United Arab Emirates, has died this evening after many years of poor health. He was in his early 90s. In August 2000 the Shaikh had a kidney transplant.

Prince Rainier III of Monaco is back home, a week after he was admitted to hospital with a chest infection. Palace press officer Armand Deus said: "He is in good health."

Count Moritz von Goëss and his wife Fleur, née Duchess von Württemberg had their first child on October 30. The boy was named Zeno.

November 3rd
The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles won't attend the wedding of the prince's godson Edward van Cutsem and Lady Tamara Grosvenor this weekend. The explanation from the prince's office is that he was passing up the wedding to meet with families of the Black Watch Regiment, which was recently redeployed nearer Baghdad, Iraq. "He's very keen to meet the families and Saturday was the earliest opportunity to do so," a spokesman said yesterday. However newspapers report that the Prince pulled out because his long time companion Camilla Parker Bowles had been assigned a seat in Chester Cathedral several rows behind him. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William of Wales are reported to attend the wedding.

This evening Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was laid to rest at the Zayed Grand Mosque in a simple ceremony that took just half an hour. The last rights were performed by his sons led by Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Shaikh's body, draped in the flag of the United Arab Emirates was brought to the Batin Mosque for the funeral prayers. Afterwards it was taken to the Grand Mosque for the burial. Thousands of people lined the route to have a glimpse of the motorcade. Among the people who were present at the funeral were King Abdullah II of Jordan, Prince Faisal of Jordan, Prince Ghazi of Jordan, the King of Bahrain, the Sultan of Oman, the hereditary prince of Qatar, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco.

Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was elected as the new President of the United Arab Emirates on November 3, to succeed his late father Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Sheikh Khalifa who was born in 1948 has been Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, one of the states of the UAE, since 1969. His key objectives as the new president of the United Arab Emirates, he says, will be to continue on the path laid down by his father. He will continue with the 'open door' policy and with the practice of holding regular consultations with the country’s citizens, so that he may become aware of, and follow up on, their needs and concerns.

The website of the Danish royal house says that the name of the youngest son of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his wife Marie-Chantal is Odysseas Kimon. The baby was born in London on September 17.

November 4th
In a documentary broadcasted by the Swedish tv-channel TV4 yesterday evening Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden said: "It's not easy to be together with me, but the situation is the same for anyone who’s in the spotlight." However she said she has never considered giving up her right to the throne: "There is no alternative as far as I'm concerned." She added that she would carry on as long as Swedes wanted her to. She said that the monarchy is a "wonderful and important tradition" that should be protected. She said to regret that there is so much unfair stuff written in the press about her boyfriend Daniel Westling.

Politicologe Paul van der Steen this evening revealed in the tv-programme NOVA on Dutch television that the father of Pieter van Vollenhoven, husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, has been a member of the National-Socialistical Movement (NSB, who were supporting Adolf Hitler during WW II) until 1936. The Government Information Service has confirmed this but said that Pieter van Vollenhoven senior has fought on the right side during WW II. They issued a statement of Pieter van Vollenhoven in which he says that he only heard about his father's membership of the NSB shortly before his engagement to Princess Margriet. If the news had become known in 1966 it might have caused trouble in the Netherlands.

The Duchess of York said today in Lorraine Kelly's Today Show on ITV1 that her her contribution to a book of nude photos had been modestly done. She said: "I wouldn't want to put everyone off their breakfast." Her body has been covered up by a sheet of black material. "Do you think that, honestly, after 15 years of the press I have had, I would dare do that," the Duchess said about rumours that she had been posing nude: "I`m completely covered from here to my knees....I`m covered with a long black sheet. You can`t see anything except the bottom of my legs and my arms." It was unclear whether the Duchess was actually naked underneath the sheet. She is wearing Cartier jewels and a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes for the book, Four Inches, in aid of the Elton John Aids Foundation.

November 5th
Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester was buried toay. The private funeral ceremony was conducted at 11:00 am by the Dean of Windsor at St George's Chapel, Windsor. The Dean paid tribute to her "capacity to override suffering", her "sense of fun and her love of people, particularly the young". Hymns The Lord's My Shepherd, Love Divine and O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go, were sung. The National Anthem was played at the end of the service and buglers sounded the Last Post and Reveille. The coffin was draped in a royal standard and decorated with a floral display of cream roses and ivy laid by her immediate family. It was borne from the chapel by members of the King's Own Scottish Borderers, the regiment of which Princess Alice was Colonel-in-Chief. Apart from the descendants of Princess Alice the funeral was attended by among others Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra of Kent. Following the funeral ceremony Princess Alice was buried privately at Frogmore in Windsor's Home Park next to her husband Henry Duke of Gloucester and her elder son Prince William. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

November 6th
Don Luis Alfonso de Borbón y Martínez Bordiu married María Margarita Vargas Santaella from Venezuela today at the Iglesia de San Estanislao de Cracovia in Los Altos de Chavón, Dominican Republic. The groom wore the uniform of Head of the Grand Cross of the Malteser Order. The bride wore a dress designed by the Spanish designer Vittorio y Lucchino. 1500 people were invited, among them Prince Franz Josef von Auersperg-Trautson and his wife Archduchess Constanza of Austria. There were no representants from the Spanish royal family.

Edward van Cutsem and Lady Tamara Grosvenor married today at Chester Cathedral. The wedding was attended by 650 guests among them Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princes William and Harry of Wales, who were ushers at the service. Lady Tamara arrived at the cathedral wearing a dress designed by Bruce Oldfield made of ivory silk georgette embroidered with rows of tiny antique silk velvet rosebuds, with a two metre train. She wore a tiara designed by Carl Faberge in the style of a laurel wreath set with cushion shaped diamonds and shoes made by Jimmy Choo couture. A reception was being held after the wedding at Eaton Hall. Lady Tamara will assume her husband's name but retains her title, so her married name will be Lady Tamara van Cutsem. The couple is to live in London. The Duke and Duchess of Westminster, parents of the bride, said in a statement: "This is a very special day for us all. Both families are proud and delighted and we wish Tamara and Edward every possible happiness together."

November 8th
Princess Máxima of the Netherlands has at the invitation of the United Nations taken a seat at the Advisory Board for the international year of Microcredit 2005. On November 17th and 18th she will attend the official start of the year at the headquarter of the UN and the first meeting of the board. She was asked because of her bank experience. Also Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium recently accepted an invitation to be an Emissary for the Year of Microcredit 2005 and will also participate in the official start of the year.

Prince Pieter Christiaan van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven ran the marathon of New York today. He ended up in 2360th place with a time of 3:28:43. On his t-shirt was a text about the importance of sports for astma patients. According to the prince many patients don't sport because they fear feeling oppressed. The result is a bad condition. It is unnecessary while active sport is possible for many astma patients.

An attempt of Mr Nicholas Locock to dig up the remains of his grandfather Henry Locock, who according to family legends was the illegitimate son of Princess Louise of Great Britain - daughter of Queen Victoria, has failed. Mr Locock wanted to exhume the body to prove he has royal connections. The Arches Court of Canterbury said Mr Locock had failed to show a real likelihood of a connection.

November 9th
Bruno Gómez-Acebo, son of Infanta Pilar of Spain, and his wife Barbara became the proud parents of a son called Alejandro Juan. The baby was born at the Fundación Jiménez Díaz in Madrid on November 5.

November 10th
A lawsuit against the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund by a US souvenir firm has been dropped after the two sides settled out of court. Franklin Mint had sought £14m in a malicious prosecution lawsuit. While the agreement will remain confidential, the fund hopes to release money to charitable causes associated with the princess. The Diana fund froze its charitable donations in July 2003 due to the costly legal battle. Organisers of the fund said on Wednesday that they will immediately resume awarding grants to good causes following the settlement. The fund and Franklin Mint agreed that the "energy and resources" needed for a court battle would be better spent on a "mutually agreed international programme of humanitarian work" in honour of the princess.

Prince Maximilian von Ysenburg und Büdingen and his wife Sophie née De Bois, annnounced the birth of their first child, a daughter. Madeleine was born on November 3.

November 11th
Princess Máxima of the Netherlands attended the EU-top at the Martiniplaza in Groningen today and yesterday. At the top the European ministers talked about co-operation of the EU-states in the area of integration.

A Royal Air Force plane carrying the Princess Royal to engagements in Scotland has been involved in a near-miss with another RAF aircraft. It is understood the airplane on which Princess Anne was travelling, was flying at a level height on a cleared flight path when a RAF Eurofighter Typhoon, flying under military control, came within 3.3 miles of it.

November 12th
Two days ago Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende told the Second Chamber that Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands expressed her sympathy with the people who were touched by the murder on filmmaker Theo van Gogh some days ago by a Moroccan extremist and the events that followed afterwards. He told that the Queen like everyone is worried about what happened. Today Queen Beatrix visited the multicultural youth center Argan in Amsterdam to meet with young Moroccans. She listened and also took part in the discussion between about 50 youths. She also talked to some of the youths afterwards.

Prince Harry of Wales arrived in Argentina today for a five-week working holiday. Buckingham Palace said the prince landed in the country but would not reveal the name or location of the farm. It said Harry would return to England for Christmas with his family and will start his education at Sandhurst on January 9, 2005. Yesterday Clarence House said that Prince Harry will not be playing polo. Doctors have ordered the Prince not to ride while he recovers from a knee injury. Prince Harry is spending the rest of November on a polo farm in the South American country, but will be working on the polo complex rather than perfecting his sports skills. He will help with the buying and selling of ponies on the polo farm and do manual labour work including grooming the animals and helping with the upkeep of stables. Prince Harry injured his knee several months ago while running upstairs with the army as he strove to improve his fitness ahead of his Sandhurst test. A Clarence House spokesman said: "His recent rugby training has aggravated the injury. It’s fine but doctors have said he should not ride."

The Senate of Swaziland voted its overwhelming support for a palace-authored constitution palace-authored constitution that permanently ensures monarchial power over the legislature, other arms of government and the security forces. King Mswati III decreed the constitutional process in 1996, in a response to international pressure to bring democratic reform to the country. King Mswati III is expected to sign the constitution into law this month.

November 14th
In London Remembrance Day, the traditional memorial ceremony to the British war deads, was led by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain who laid a wreath at the Cenotaph, followed by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and the Princess Royal. Only royals who hold a rank in the armed services take part in the parade. Therefore Prince William of Wales who today for the first time attended the ceremonies watched them from the balcony of the Foreign Office together with the Countess of Wessex.

It is reported that Princess Sayako, the only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan, will announce her intentions to marry 39-year-old commoner Yoshiki Kuroda, a city government official in the coming weeks. The Imperial Household Agency said the couple were initially to be engaged earlier this month. But they delayed the announcement out of respect for victims of last month's powerful earthquake in northern Japan and typhoons across the country earlier this year. Another agency official said no formal announcement is likely to be made until at least late December. According to tv-channels the couple has already received the blessings of the Princess's parents. The couple has known each other already for ages. Yoshiki Kuroda was one of the classmates of Princess Akishino, brother of the Princess, at Gakushuin University, Tokyo. Under the Imperial Household Law Princess Sayako will become a commoner once she is married. The wedding is set for early 2005.

November 15th
Prince Joachim of Denmark is being accused of reckless driving. A cameraman spotted the prince speeding between 160 and 170 kilometres per hour near Copenhagen Saturday late afternoon, forcing several cars to make way. A police spokesman said: "We have received the complaint, are entering it into the system and it will end up in the justice ministry." The video footage made by the camera man from Local Eyes shows three passengers in the car. The police have questioned the photographer and seen the video, but Prince Joachim risks neither losing his license nor being fined. Danish political parties think he should suffer the consequences, but diverge on their view of the best penalty for him. The center-left Radical Liberals support an amendment to the Danish constitution, allowing members of the Royal Family to be prosecuted. The pro-royal Danish People's Party supports leaving Prince Joachim to the disciplinary devices of his mother, Queen Margrethe, and says the spate of bad press following Saturday's speeding incident is punishment enough.

November 16th
Prince William 'the Silent' of Orange (1533-1584) ended in second place in the elections of the Greatest Dutchman of all times. Murdered politician Pim Fortuyn, according to many people unjust, won the competition. Actually William of Orange should have become the greatest Dutchman. Due to slowness of counting computer votes the votes that came in after the broadcast on television were not included in the results anymore. The organising tv-company today said that William of Orange would have won if those votes had counted.

According to the newspaper Dagavisen Norwegian Law experts and politicians want to change the Norwegian constitution making royals liable according to the law like everybody else. "The law should apply to everyone," said Kåre Willoch, former Norwegian prime minister. Republican Trond Nordby, professor in political science, said: "The King is today instituted as a symbol, but we have seen the royals walk around with a frozen pizza, carrying a café latte. As they lose their elevated distinction, I see no reason why they should keep their immunity." Royalty expert Carl-Erik Grimstad also stated that the time has come for a constitutional amendment. "I have for a long time thought that the immunity law is outdated and not adequate. It was originally a constitutional protection between the governmental powers and not a protection against ordinary offences that anybody can get themselves into." The Norwegian Socialist Party has issued a proposal to change the law recently. However, since a constitutional amendment is required, it will at the earliest be viewed when the next Parliament is in place after the election next year.

Beltrán Gómez-Acebo y Borbón and his wife Laura Ponte, who married last September, expect their first child in June 2005.

November 17th
The Government Information Service today announced that through the examination of the liquid in the chest-cavity of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands cells were discovered which could show the spreading of a tumour. Later the Government Information Service added that the situation was "serious," and that doctors said an operation would be useless. It was also announced that the prince will undertake less activities because he feels that he has less strength.

November 18th
The Government Information Service today said that the condition of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands hasn't gotten worse. He is not in bed, receives guests at Palace Soestdijk and phones friends. Family is visiting him from time to time. This morning Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende visited the prince. After the visit he told the press: "The situation is not good, but we await further reports." He told also to have had an interesting conversation with the prince about life and death.

November 19th
Prince William of Wales gave his first ever extended interview for television on BBC News 24, speaking from St Andrews University. He is in his final year of studies for an MA in geography at St Andrews University. "I really don't know what I am going to do (after I graduate)," William said. "Possibly the armed forces. Definitely I would like to go to Sandhurst." He added: "But the last thing I want to do is be mollycoddled or wrapped up in cotton wool, because if I was to join the army I'd want to go where my men went and I'd want to do what they did. I would not want to be kept back for being precious, or whatever, that's the last thing I'd want." About his appearance at Remembrance Day he said: "That was amazing. It was an incredible service and it makes you very proud to be British and see such an amazing ceremony. It's obviously a very serious day to remember and it's done in such a way that it's very poignant. Obviously even more so with the Iraq conflict. It should never be forgotten what the war veterans sacrificed for all of us." About charity work he said: "Obviously I'm very interested in Africa and helping with Aids and things like that." He added that he was particularly keen on helping the homeless, a good cause to which his mother introduced both him and his brother, with visits to homeless hostels. Since then, William said: "I've done a bit ... privately and publicly over the last few years and that's one particular area I'm passionate about. My mother introduced that sort of area to me a long time ago. It was a real eye-opener and I'm very glad she did."

Prince Rainier III of Monaco missed the national day celebrations in Monaco today because of illness. Prince Albert was joined by his sisters Princess Caroline and Princess Stéphanie as well as Prince Ernst August of Hannover. In a statement Prince Rainier said: "I know the importance of this holiday for our community unified around my family. They are precious moments in our national life which, this year, I will share with you through my thoughts."

November 20th
Prince Harry of Wales currently is staying at the El Remanso ranch believed to be owned by a former right-hand man to the Sultan of Brunei. His host is Major Christopher Hanbury, polo patron, racehorse owner and the Sultan's aide for much of the last two decades. Prince Harry is expected to return to Britain shortly before Christmas, in time to start at Sandhurst in January.

The late Frances Shand Kydd, mother of Diana Princess of Wales, left £2.8 million, which is expected to be divided between her children, and Prince William and Prince Harry. Under the terms of her will, her executors will hold her estate, including £1.9 million in stocks and shares, in trust for two years. During that period, they can choose to make payments to her beneficiaries. When the two years have passed, any money remaining has to be divided equally. The beneficiaries are identified as her children, and any person who "is or was a spouse of any of those issue", which would include the Prince of Wales. The will also states that, in the event of any of her children dying before her, their share will pass to their children. That stipulation means that in two years time, any money that would have gone to Diana, Princess of Wales will go instead to her sons.

The household of the Prince of Wales yesterday accused a former employee of concocting a "wild conspiracy theory" following claims she was hounded out of her job. Former secretary Elaine Day told an employment tribunal the "powers that be" were "setting her up to fail" after she complained of sexual harassment by assistant private secretary, Paul Kefford. Lawyers for Clarence House told Ms Day, who is claiming sex discrimination and unfair dismissal, she did not have "the slightest scrap of evidence" to support her allegations. Ms Day said about that: "I have the evidence of my experience."

Archduke Károly Konstantin Mihály István Mária of Austria, son of Archduke Georg and Archduchess Eilika, was christened at the St Matthias Church in Budapest, Hungary, today. The ceremony was led by Cardinal Péter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest. The godparents were Archduke Karl of Austria, Duke Konstantin of Oldenburg, Archduke Michael of Austria, Count István Wenckheim and Anja Mootz. The christening dress was made in the 1950s by an Hungarian woman on the occasion of the baptism of Archduchess Andrea. The christening coat once belonged to Empress Maria Teresa. Archduke Károly Konstantin was born on July 20 in Budapest, the first male Habsburg born in Hungary in more than 50 years.

November 22nd
Education Secretary Charles Clarke said last week the Prince of Wales should think carefully before intervening in the debate over education, and should not discourage ambitious children. He also called the prince old-fashioned and out of touch in his views on ordinary people's aspirations. He was reacting to comments made by the prince in a memo read out as evidence in an employment tribunal after one of his personal assistants suggested she and people like her should be trained for more senior positions in his household. He wrote in the memo last year: "What is wrong with everyone nowadays? Why do they all seem to think they are qualified to do things far beyond their capabilities? People think they can all be pop stars, high court judges, brilliant TV personalities ... without ever putting in the necessary work or having natural ability." Today the Prince of Wales used a private address to Church of England bishops at Lambeth Palace to seek to end the damaging row over his views on people "rising above their station". He said it was a "travesty of the truth" to think he did not believe people should better themselves. He said he had never "used any such words". The Prince said: "Ambition is a good thing and should never be constrained by a person's starting point in life."

Prince Mashhour ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia died yesterday following a heart attack, at the age of 51. Funeral prayers were held at the Grand Mosque in Makkah after Fajr prayers today.

November 23rd
The Swedish royal family plans new legal action against several German gossip magazines owned by the publishing house Klambt over allegedly inaccurate and slanderous reports, the palace said today. They have hired German media lawyer Matthias Prinz to review the reports, a court statement said. The Hamburg-based lawyer has represented various members of European royal and aristocratic families in similar cases in the past.

This morning Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain held her annual speech during the formal opening of the Parliament at the House of Lords. She wore a white loose-sleeved coat, edged with fur.

A Fathers 4 Justice campaigner dressed as Father Christmas scaled the central gate at Buckingham Palace and chained himself to a pillar. The activist shouted slogans as a crowd gathered below. Police closed all palace gates and external doors during the alert.

In the jungle of "I'm a Celebrity' former royal butler Paul Burrell told fellow-celebrity comic Joe Pasquale about Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain: "I caught her once in her sitting room wearing the imperial crown. She was practising wearing it for the Opening of Parliament ... she was sat with her crown on and her pink, fluffy slippers."

The mummy of Pharaoh Tutankhamum will not be removed from its tomb in the southern city of Luxor for examination and restoration due to local opposition, Egypt's chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass has told parliament. He has decided against the examination "out of respect for the sentiments of the people of Luxor." Antiquities officials planned to X-ray the 3300-year-old mummy to assess the need for restoration and also to attempt to discover the cause of the early death of Tutankhamum.

November 24th
Tonight a belated reception and dance performance on the occasion of the wedding of Prince Friso and Princess Mabel van Oranje-Nassau took place at the Lucent Danstheater in The Hague. The event was postponed earlier this year because of the death of Queen Juliana. Princess Mabel wore a salmon coloured dress with a bow and striking red shoes all designed by Viktor & Rolf, who also designed her wedding dress. Also present were Queen Beatrix, the Prince of Orange, Princess Máxima, Prince Constantijn, Princess Laurentien, Prince Carlos de Bourbon de Parme accompanied by Baroness Sophie von der Recke, Princess Carolina de Bourbon de Parme, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Pieter van Vollenhoven, Prince Floris with girlfriend Aimée Söhngen. Also the mother of Princess Mabel, Mrs Florence Wisse Smit, and her two sisters Nicoline and Eveline with partners were present.

November 25th
A judge has refused a bid by the late Princess Diana of Wales's former lover James Hewitt to have his gun licence returned. The judge said that Mr Hewitt had "flagrantly abused the privilege" which came with being allowed to possess shotguns and rifles. Outside court, Hewitt's solicitor George Kepper said: "We are taking legal advice and this matter is still under consideration. There are appeal procedures."

November 26th
Prince Harry of Wales returned to Great Britain last night after having stayed two weeks at a ranch complex in Lobos, Argentina. They say he had originally planned to spend four to six weeks in Argentina but this had been shortened because he had been advised that he could not ride with his injury and deny that the Prince has returned earlier than planned from Argentina due to a security threat. Although they said they could not discuss specific security issues they did dismiss media reports of a kidnap plot as "irresponsible". A Clarence House spokesman has also denied "any suggestion of inappropriate behaviour" on the prince's part. Argentinean newspapers reported that there had been plots to kidnap the Prince, as well as that the prince had been seen in night clubs unattended and got drunk in pubs.

Tapes of the late Diana Princess of Wales will be aired on the US TV station NBC next week. The recordings taped in 1992 and 1993 are interviews with voice coach Peter Settelen that were partly already aired some time ago. She reveals her suspicion that her bodyguard Barry Mannakee was murdered in 1987. One of the most moving extracts is when Diana talks of her meeting with the Queen in 1986 after discovering Charles was seeing Camilla again. She says: "I went to the Top Lady and I'm sobbing. And I said, 'What do I do?' She said, 'I don't know. Charles is hopeless.'" Speaking of her sex life with Charles, Diana says: "There was never a requirement for it from him. Once every three weeks about, and I kept thinking – it followed a pattern. He used to see his lady every three weeks before we married." Diana also says that she and Prince Charles met just 13 times before they were married. She says: "He'd ring me up every day for a week and then he wouldn't speak to me for three weeks. Very odd. I thought 'Fine. Well, he knows where I am if he wants me'. And the thrill when he used to ring up was so immense and intense."

Via his lawyer Prince Ernst August von Hannover yesterday apologised to a German court for two of his assaults. He didn't show up at the appeal hearing himself. His lawyer, Jochen Heidemeier, told the court that the heir to the former Hanoverian kings admitted he had kicked a woman photographer in the behind with his patent leather shoe in the Austrian city of Salzburg. He also admitted he had slapped a neighbour - a nightclub owner, Josef Brunlehner - on a holiday island in Kenya, and "could not rule out" that there had been "some undefined object" in his hand while doing the hitting. "He regrets the incident," said Heidemeier. "Alcohol and his great personal excitement led to a state where he lost control." He could face jail if judges decide that his earlier eight-month suspended sentence was not enough or that he has not mended his ways. But prosecutors, who appealed against those sentences, have yet to tell the court what punishment they think is appropriate. Presiding judge Klaus-Ulrich Krueger said he was convinced the prince punched a neighbour in a plush Kenyan beach resort with a brass knuckles at least five times while in a drunken and befuddled rage. "If he forgets again what he's doing, the issue would be whether to have him tested and put in a drying-out centre," the judge said. The prince was fined EUR 445.000. Both sides said they were satisfied with the verdict. Once the deadline for appeal expires, the prince will have a criminal record.

According to a report on the website of the German magazine Bunte, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco on Wednesday officially divorced her second husband Adans Peres-Lopez in Genève, Switzerland. The whole divorce procedure took only 17 minutes.

Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands was officially appointed patroness of the project HC Andersen 2005 in the Netherlands by Princess Benedikte of Denmark at Ammersoyen Castle.

November 27th
Fernando Gómez-Acebo y Borbón, youngest son of Infanta Pilar of Spain, married Mónica Martín Luque at the Real Monasterio de la Encarnación in Madrid. The bride arrived at the monastry with her father Ramón Martín Luque. The whole Spanish royal family was present. Among the guests were also Princess Beatrice of Orléans, Crown Princess Miriam of Bulgaria with her son Beltrán, Prince Konstantin and Princess Maria of Bulgaria.

Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven expect their third child at the beginning of June 2005. The couple already has two children Anna and Lucas.

The 17th century Apollo gallery reopens at the Louvre in Paris today after a three-year £3.5 million facelift that included improvements to a security system. The gallery is home to the French crown jewels.

November 28th
In an emotional televised message King Abdullah II of Jordan told his half brother Prince Hamzah that he has stripped him of his title as crown prince. He told Hamzah: "And because the country needs the efforts of each and every one of us to work with utmost energy and capability especially during these difficult circumstances which the region and our beloved Jordan are going through, I have decided to free you from the constraints of the position of Crown Prince in order to give you the freedom to work and undertake any mission or responsibility I entrust you with, along side with all our brothers, the sons of Al Hussein, and other members of the Hashemite Family. I trust that you will be a great help and support to me and to your brothers in the service of our beloved country and our one big Jordanian Family." A senior government official said that King Abdullah and his brothers had "reached mutual consent on the need for change." King Abdullah II didn't name a successor on Sunday, but in line with the constitution Prince Hussein, son of the king, or the king's eldest brother Prince Faisal would be logical choices. Hamzah had become crown prince after the death of his father in February 1999.

The Mail on Sunday reported today that Prince Harry of Wales is in love with a blond 19-year-old student from South Africa. Chelsy Davy has accompanied Prince Harry during his recent trip to Argentina and stayed in the same guest house. Chelsy Davy is a former pupil of an elite girl's school not far from the Highgrove estate of the Prince of Wales. She told a reporter in Cape Town: "I have known Harry since I was at school. I have heard people linking us together." The newspaper claims that the pair have been an item for eight months.

The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, London, is to close again for safety work after it emerged that at least one person a month has needed hospital treatment after being injured at the fountain sinds its opening last summer. Grass around the memorial will be replaced. Steel bars will be installed below bridges on the fountain to prevent children getting trapped.

Last night Prince Ernst August von hannover was accused of calling an airport security worker "an arsehole" and giving him a Nazi salute, just hours before he was fined EUR 445.000 for violence. He is said to have made the salute, which is illegal in Germany, during a row over baggage. Police spokesman Lars Beringer said: "We are investigating the incident."

November 29th
The Government Information Service today announced that the condition of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands is getting worse step by step. The complaints about breathing problems have returned. It was also said a tumour of the intestine was discovered and also causes serious problems. Apart from members of the family he hardly receives visitors. Princess Margriet cancelled a visit to Nairobi, Kenya. She was to leave for a 5-day visit today.

Clarence House said yesterday that Prince Harry of Wales doesn't need knee surgery and doesn't have to delay his entrance to the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst. Prince Harry injured his knee several months ago. Clarence House said: "Doctors have had a look at his knee and he is going to be absolutely fine. He just needs to be careful with it leading up to the end of the year."

The new book "The Real Diana" by Lady Colin Campbell claims that the late Diana Princess of Wales had an abortion while having an affair before she and the Prince of Wales were divorced. It says the princess panicked when she learned she was pregnant in 1994. At the time the princess was having an affair with art dealer Oliver Hoare. Princess Diana wanted to keep the baby, but distraught as she was, she knew what she had to do.

Today Prince Hamzah of Jordan sent a reply letter to King Abdullah II of Jordan. He wrote: "Having dedicated myself, as our great late father taught us, to standing by you as a faithful soldier and a devoted supporter, I obey the command of my elder brother out of my loyalty, love and obedience. I promise you that I shall always be up to your expectations, and confidence in me as a Hashemite Muslim. I shall, God willing, remain faithful to the message of our fathers and grandfathers from Al Al-Bayet and to the precious Jordan and its dear people."

November 30th
The engagement was announced between Baron Baudouin Gillès de Pélichy, son of Baron Didier Gillès de Pélichy and Noëlla de Biolley, and Princess Elisabeth de Ligne, daughter of Prince Wauthier de Ligne (son of Prince Antoine de Ligne and Princess Alix of Luxemburg) and Countess Régine de Renesse.

Prince Harry of Wales has delayed his entry to the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst until May 2005. Prince Harry hurt one of his knees falling down the stairs last summer and aggravated the injury in October while working as a children's rugby coach. Today a royal statemtent said: "An MRI scan on his left knee last week revealed that the bruising that had been troubling Harry for the past few months has completely cleared up. However to allow time for the knee to regain full strength and to make sure that he is in the right physical shape for Sandhurst, Harry has decided - with the support of his medical advisers and his father - to delay starting his military career for four months until next May." In a personal statement Prince Harry said he was 'disappointed' at the delay. "However I want to make sure I am 100 percent physically prepared for Sandhurst, so I have decided to wait until May just to be sure," he said.

Prince Akishino of Japan celebrated his 39th birthday today with a private dinner at his residence in Tokyo's Moto-Akasaka. The dinner was attended by Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Sayako. During a news conference with the Imperial Household Agency Prince Akishino earlier said that he was surprised by his brother's remarks about the causes of the stress of Crown Princess Masako earlier this year. He said he had "heard the emperor himself was also surprised." "I think he should have at least spoken first to the emperor about what he planned to say," Prince Akishino said.


Royal News: October 2004. Last updated: November 6th, 2004.