ROYAL NEWS: NOVEMBER 2006

Last updated: December 6th, 2006.

November 1st
Lord Nicholas Windsor and his fiancée Donna Paola Doimi de Frankopan were granted an audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican today. The couple received a papal blessing four days ahead of their marriage. Friends said the honour was "a complete surprise". The wedding ceremony has been postponed by five hours to allow time for a Mass to be heard for a dead cardinal.

November 2nd
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has withdrawn from an investiture ceremony tomorrow and has scaled back her appearances at other events this week. Buckingham Palace said: "The Queen's programme has been amended due to continuing discomfort in her back. She is continuing to have treatment for her back pain. At this stage there are no plans to cancel engagements next week, we are reviewing things on a daily basis." The Queen strained a muscle in her back while holidaying on the Balmoral estate in Scotland during the summer. Last week doctors advised her to reduce her workload.

November 3rd
Viscount Linley has been appointment chairman of Christie's UK from 1 December 2006. “David Linley’s knowledge and understanding of collecting, together with his passion for works of art, have made him a natural addition to Christie’s. He now develops his existing relationship with the company to join us in to work in a much more proactive and involved way as our Chairman in the United Kingdom”, Edward Dolman from Christie’s International said. Viscount Linley joined the board of Christie's in February 2005.

Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah of Terengganu, Sultan has been elected the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong for a five-year term effective on December 13. The decision was made in a conference of Malaysian rulers in a special meeting at Istana Negara today. Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Sultan Badlishah of Kedah was chosen as the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong, also for a five-year term.

November 4th
Lord Nicholas Windsor, youngest son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, married Donna Paola Doimi de Frankopan at the Church of St Stephen of the Abysinnians at the Vatican. The bride wore a dress by Valentino. The ceremony, conducted by the auxiliary bishop of Westminster Alan Hopes, included a prayer for Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, her government and armed forces. Among the 200 guests were the groom's parents and siblings, as well as royals from Austria, Portugal, Bavaria and Yugoslavia. A reception was being held after the wedding at the Palazzo Doria Pamphili. The party began on Friday night with a pre-wedding dinner for 160 guests at the Palazzo Taverna. A post-mass brunch will take place tomorrow at the Forum Hotel. The honeymoon will take place outside Europe. A royal celebration is planned at St James's Palace in January 2007. The civil wedding took place in London two weeks ago.

According to her doctors Crown Princess Masako of Japan is feeling more confident after an official visit to the Nara Ntional Museum on October 26. It was the crown princess's first official duty outside Tokyo in 15 months. She is still feeling fatigued, but the trip had proved therapeutic and allowed her to recover some of her confidence. "In consideration of her treatment, we hope she will benefit from these experiences, but we would like her to take things one step at a time," it was added.

November 5th
The Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Natural Resource and Means to study the land of the Nepalese Royal family, in its preliminary report suggests that the government should nationalise all property of King Gyanendra of Nepal and the cultivable land to be distributed to the landless peasants. The report had found 50,926-ropani land registered in the name of the members of the Royal Palace and about 40,000 of them are occupied by jungle.

November 6th
Malaysia will hold a traditional ceremony on December 12 to mark the departure of King Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin at the end of his term as the 12th Supreme Head of State. There will be an official parade and farewell gesture at the Parliament grounds before the Sultan returns to the state of Perlis. On December 13 Malaysia will hold another ceremony to welcome Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Al-Marhum, currently Sultan of Terengganu state, who will take office as the 13th Supreme Head of State for a five-year term.

November 8th
Today the Court of Justice in Amsterdam has officially ended the marriage of Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn and Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme. The Princess asked for a divorce on ground of permanent disruption. Edwin de Roy van Zuydewijn had asked for 5000 Euro a month alimentation, but the judge declined his request. On 18 January 2007 the court will handle the liquidation of the matrimonial settlements.

Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans was detained by the police yesterday as part of a criminal investigation into a suspected smear campaign against the pharmaceutical company Thea, according to investigators.

November 9th
Pieter van Vollenhoven, husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, was again diagnosed with skin cancer. Today malingant tissue was policlinically removed at the Nederlands kankerinstituut at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Asterdam. The regularly check-ups at the hospital will be continued.

The Cambodian Funcinpec party expelled Prince Norodom Chakrapong during a meeting on Tuesday. The prince's halfbrother Prince Norodom Ranariddh was already ousted some weeks ago.

Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans has been made the subject of a criminal probe into corporate fraud and libel, his lawyer said. Late Thursday the prince was informed of the investigation after being detained two days for questioning by police. He was freed under police surveillance pending the outcome of the probe, his lawyer, Eric Morain said. The prince is suspected of having a role in a smear campaign against the French laboratory Thea.

November 11th
Princess Aiko of Japan had her "Chakko-no-Gi" ceremony today at the Togu Palace, celebrating her passage from infancy to childhood. The ceremony is performed for children around the age of 5, offering prayers for their health and growth. During the ceremony, court ladies dressed the Princess in a deep purple kosode and hakama. Over these, Princess Aiko wore a red uchiki bearing a chrysanthemum pattern. In her hand she held a fan. The kosode and hakama were presented to Princess Aiko by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. After praying at the temporary hall of the Kashidokoro sanctuary in the Imperial Palace, Princess Aiko was taken by her parents to greet the Emperor and Empress.

November 12th
Detectives looking into the death of Princess Diana have completed a report for Lord Stevens, the former Police chief presiding over the investigation. The interim report runs to 500,000 words and includes more than 100 interviews with witnesses.

November 13th
It was announced Prince Hamzah bin Hussein and Princess Noor Hamzah of Jordan expect their first child in Spring.

November 14th
Prince Hisahito of Japan was presented at the royal shinto shrine in the grounds of the royal palace by his parents today. He was dressed in traditional costume.The traditional ceremony for royal babies is aimed at promoting healthy growth. Princess Kiko told reporters that Prince Hisahito is known as "Yu-chan", a pet name based on one of the Chinese characters of his name. After the ceremony prince Hisahito was taken to visit his grandparents Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. "Prince Hisahito has been growing up in good health without getting sick. On sunny days his mother often strolls around the palace garden with him," the Imperial Household Agency said in a statement.

November 16th
Prince Norodom Ranariddh of Cambodia gave up his efforts today to establish a new party. He from now on will preside the rarely-known Khmer Front Party in anticipation of the upcoming communal and general elections. The party has changed its name to the Norodom Ranariddh Party. "I must merge with other party to compete in the communal election in April 2007 and the general election in 2008, because the Interior Ministry has delayed my proposal to establish a new party," the prince said. "They raised the so-called technical points to delay the registration of my party. There is no technical reason, but political reason." The prince returned to Cambodia on Saturday afternoon.

November 17th
News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman will stand trial at the Old Bailey next year on mobile phone hacking charges. He will appear for a hearing on 29 November 2006, and a trial date has been set for 23 July 2007. Glenn Mulcaire will stand trial on the same date. Both are accused of conspiring to intercept voicemail messages and of intercepting voicemail messages. They were arrested after claims by the Prince of Wales's household of security breaches in its telephone network.

November 18th
Angela Kelly, personal assistant of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, and personal page Paul Whybrew have moved to houses nearby Windsor Castle in the past two weeks and other key members of staff could soon follow. Their permanent move to Windsor is regarded within royal circles as extremely significant. The Queen shifting her centre of operations from Buckingham Palace to Windsor castle signals a step towards semi-retirement because the Queen had always planned to move there when she started to scale down her commitments. "Staff have been very surprised by the speed at which events have moved," the source added. Buckingham Palace aides claimed last night that Ms Kelly and Mr Whybrew had moved out of London for personal reasons.

November 20th
The website of the Prince of Wales was relaunched today after being redesigned. The website includes a new video charting a day in his life and that of the Duchess of Cornwall. The short film shows the couple carrying out engagements in and around Birmingham. Clips and interviews may be added to the site in the future. Fans are also able to sign up for free e-mail updates. There also is a children's zone which includes games, puzzles and facts and figures about the royals.

A high-level panel has held King Gyanendra of Nepal responsible for excesses against pro-democracy demonstrators in April in which twenty-one people were killed and thousands of others injured. The king was found responsible in his capacity as head of the government. Panel member Harihar Birahi confirmed the news after the report was submitted to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today. The details of the report have not been disclosed yet. 200 others including senior ministers of the royalist government and top security officials have been indicted. Under the present constitution King Gyanendra can't be punished because he is above the law.

November 21st
In "Vintertronen", the newest book in the authorised biographical series on King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway, Tor Bomann-Larsen reveals King Haakon VII came close to abdicating in 1914 during a crisis with the government and the parliament after an election for a government that favoured a republic instead of a monarchy. According to the book Queen Maud gave her husband little support and continued to see herself primarily as a British princess. She never learned to speak Norwegian and regularly spent some time in Great Britain.

Six new Mercedes-Benz E200 Kompressor cars have been bought for the six queens of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. The cars costed R2,3-million and the purchase is intended to provide the king's wives with vehicles "more befitting their status" after previously having been ferried around in Toyota Corollas. The vehicles were bought after a request from the king that his queens be transported in vehicles befitting their status when they made public appearances.

November 22nd
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have purchased a house in Wales. The three-bedroom farmhouse at Llwynywormwood, Myddfai, near Llandovery, will be used by the couple during their visits to Wales. The whole estate comprises about 192 acres of land. The sale is to be completed in March 2007. A Clarence House spokeswoman said, "The property will be used regularly by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall when they are in Wales. The Duchy [of Cornwall] will be applying for planning permission to enable the property to be used as occasional holiday lets when the Prince and the Duchess are not there. His Royal Highness, as Prince of Wales, has for some time been keen for the Duchy to purchase a property in Wales."

November 23rd
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has decided to refrain from smoking in public in the future. She will still smoke in private.

In a speech closing the parliamentary session in Nuku'alofa, King George Tupou V said that differences among reform proposals could be resolved. He pledged to move ahead with democratic change in the Pacific nation despite deadly rioting last week. "All the proposals that are now in the public arena have the same ultimate aim - a more democratic form of parliament and government but appropriate for Tonga - about which we all agree," the King said. "The differences among these various proposals are not irreconcilable and can be resolved through dialogue."

November 24th
During their vacation at Tasmania a photosession was held today with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark with Prince Christian at the Bonorong Wild Life Park. They were photographed with kangaroos, koalas and other animals. The family arrived on Wednesday. It is Prince Christian's first visit to the country of his mother.

Madeleine Glindorfs pictures

Charges against the Neil family that were selling Princess Margaret of Great Britain's National Insurance card on eBay were dropped yesterday. Prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to convict them of handling stolen goods. The family said the card had been in their family for years. The Crown Prosecution Service said: "They will not get the card back."

November 26th
According to the Sunday Mirror Prince William and Prince Harry of Wales are considering organising a charity pop concert to mark the 10th anniversary of their mother's death. Wembley Stadium could stage the event next summer. Proceeds from the event would go to causes favoured by the late Diana Princess of Wales. According to BBC Clarence House is expected to confirm plans for the anniversary in the coming weeks. Former royal press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, said the idea for the concert came from the princes themselves.

November 27th
A spokesman of the Spanish royal court announced this evening that the Prince and Princess of Asturias expect a second daughter. The baby will be born early May. It is the first time such information has been announced by the royal court during a pregnancy. During a reception on National Day (October 12) the Prince of Asturias had already told some journalists that the gender of the baby would be announced if considered necessary. This announcement will stop the discussions about the succession for a while.

Prince Wilhelm von und zu Liechtenstein died early this morning after a long illness. He was Prince Grand Prior of the Grandpriorate of Austria of the Sovereign Order of Malta. He was born at Frauenthal on 29 May 1922 as son of Prince Karl von und zu Liechtenstein and Princess Elisabeth von Urach. Since 1984 he was widower of Emma von Gutmansthal-Benvenuti. They had four sons and one daughter. Only three days ago the Prince received the Grand Cross of the Gregorius Order from the Vatican.

The battle over the publication of the Prince of Wales's personal diaries is going to the Court of Appeal. The newspaper Mail on Sunday is challenging a High Court ruling that it had breached the Prince's copyright and confidentiality in publishing extracts.

Egyptian radiologists who performed the first-ever computed tomography evaluation of Pharaoh Tutankhamun of Egypt's mummy believe they have solved the mystery of how he died. The CT images and results of their study were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The researchers performed a full-body scan on the king's remains. "We found the mummy was in a critical stage of preservation," said Dr. Ashraf Selim. "The body was cut into several parts with some missing pieces." The age of the Pharaoh was estimated between 18 and 20 years and his height was 180 centimeters. The researchers discovered a possible premortem fracture to the femoral bone. While they cannot assess how the injury occurred, the findings suggest that the injury may have been an open wound that became infected and ultimately fatal.

November 28th
Zara Phillips was named Equestrian Olympic Athlete of the Year at a special ceremony in Greenwich Park today. The trophy was handed over to her by her aunt, the Duchess of Cornwall. She is still in the run for the title of BBC's Sports Personality Of The Year.

November 29th
Yesterday at 6.00 pm Princess Anita van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven gave birth to a daughter at the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam. Emma Francisca Catharina van Vollenhoven weighs 3970 gramms. The baby, who will be named Emma, is the first child of Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven. She is the sixth grandchild of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven. The parents said: "We are very happy and very thankful with our first child."

Prince Christian of Denmark is to make his debute on a postage stamp. A 5.25 kroner steel-engraved stamp that will go on sale on January 14 shows him with his parents. It is a charity stamp, with 0.50 øre going to the royal couple's children's foundation.

Alexandra Chrobok, daughter of Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria and Bronislaw Chrobok, and her husband Jorge Champalimaud Raposo de Magalhães had their second child, a daughter called Giovanna, on 27 November at Lisbon, Portugal. (Source: Marlene Eilers Koenig at Royals Portal.)

Cia-Rosemarie Bernadotte Countess af Wisborg and her husband Sven Roderburg had a daughter, born this month. Cia-Rosemaries halfbrother Alexander-Wilhelm and his wife Carina also had a daughter this month. (Source: Hein Bruins at Royals Portal.)

November 30th
A report on the crash compiled by the Metropolitan Police will be released on 14 December, following an inquiry led by former Metropolitan Police chief Lord Stevens. The initial inquest hearings into the death of Diana Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed in a car crash in 1997 will be held behind closed doors on 8 and 9 January 2007. Mohammed Al Fayed says that this inquiry has failed to take statements of several witnesses and had ignored views of experts: "It is shocking that the investigation has been deliberately cut short." He says: "Equally distasteful is the attempt to keep any hearings secret. A jury of 12 ordinary people should hear all the facts and make up their own minds," he said. "I simply ask for honesty, fairness and openness."

The coronation of King Siaosi Tupou V of Tonga has been postponed for twelve months, following the destruction of central Nuku'alofa by riot and fires on November 16. The coronation is now set for August 1, 2008 the Prime Minister's Office, in Nuku'alofa confirmed.

50-year-old postman Jean-Michael Diebolt from St Egrève, France, was detained by the police yesterday. He is facing possible charges of receiving stolen property after he put an advertisement on the internet offering the hair, samples of the embalming resin and fragments of bandages from the 3,200-year-old remains of the mummy of the Pharaoh Ramses II of Egypt. The man, who is a part-time journalist and writer, said that his father was a member of a team of experts who analysed the mummy in France in 1976. He offered photographs and certificates to prove the authenticity of the artefacts. The police are trying to check the authenticity of the items. Zahi Hawass, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said: “If these elements are authentic, it would be a scandal that would risk harming relations between France and Egypt.” Sonia Diebolt said that her husband had put the items on the internet as a joke, “not really for making money, just to see if people were interested”. The “samples”, as she called them, were genuine.


Royal News: October 2006. Last updated: November 13th, 2006.