Last updated: December 1st, 2008.
November 1st
Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène, Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, and their children Anna, Lucas, Isabella and Samuel opened the exhibition SpeelGoed op Het Loo at Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn today. The exhibition shows toys of the Dutch royal family from Queen Wilhelmina to Princess Amalia. One of the top pieces is a doll house which was presented to the Princesses Amalia, Alexia and Ariane in November 2007.
In an interview to the Swedish radio programme Ekots lördagsintervju, Queen Silvia of Sweden talked about her commitment to children and children's issues since her marriage. She said to hope that Sweden will make it illegal to look at child pornography, like it is already the case in Norway and Denmark.
Grand Duke Jean of Luxemburg has left the hospital in Brussels, Belgium, where he had surgery on his hip. He returned to his house at Fischbach. He will continue his rehabilitation in Luxemburg.
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, who will be crowned on 6 November received the sacred Dhar Nye-Nga - an arrangement of silk scarves in the five primary colours representing the five elements - from the holy Machen at the Puna Dewai Chenpoi Phodrang today in presence of His Holiness the Je Khenpo. The ceremony took place at the inner sanctum of the machen Lhakhang. The Dhar Nye-Nga is received by a new King of Bhutan before is coronation.
November 2nd
Queen Sofia of Spain celebrated her 70th birthday with a private family gathering at the Zarzuela Palace. Before the dinner she attended a classical concert conducted by Zubin Mehta, which was also attended by Queen Noor of Jordan and former King Simeon of Bulgaria. On Thursday the newspaper El Pais published extracts of the new biography 'The Queen Up Close' written by Pilar Urbano, in which Queen Sofia was quoted as being against the word marriage to describe same-sex unions and criticizing gay pride marches. She is also quoted as being against abortion and euthanasia. On Friday the royal palace issued a statement in which they said that Queen Sofia deplores the inexactitude of the remarks and her deep respect for all people who are suffering, hounded or persecuted. However author Pilar Urbano reaffirmed the accuracy of the remarks, defending the Queen's right to express her opinions.
Benjamin van Vollenhoven, youngest son of Prince Bernhard and Princess Annette van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, was christened this afternoon at the chapel of Palace Het Loo in Apeldoorn. The service was led by the Rev. Anne van der Meiden. The godparents of Benjamin were Prince Floris van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, Claudine Verhulst-van der Ven, Isabel Schouten-van Eys and Claire Folkerts-Drabbe. The Dutch royals attending were Queen Beatrix, Princess Máxima with her daughters, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien with their children, Princess Margriet and Pieter van Vollenhoven, Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène with their children, Prince Pieter-Christiaan, Prince Floris and Princess Aimée with their daughter Magali.
November 3rd
Doctors have adviced Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway to take another two weeks of sick leave. She fell during a visit to the Ukraine on 20 October.
Guangxu, one of the last Emperors of the Qing dynasty, who died 1908, was killed of arsenic poisoning it was announced today in a report by a committee in charge of the Qing dynasty. Forensic experts tested two strands of hair taken from his body, and compared the hair with that of his wife and a Qing official. The arsenic the hair contained was more than 2000 times higher than of normal people today. Arsenic was also found in his stomach and clothes. Tests on the body started in 2003 and were carried out by the China Institute of Atomic Energy and the forensic laboratory of the Beijing police. China Central Television plans a documentary on the subject.
November 4th
Yesterday evening the Royal House of Baden and the government of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, have ended the long fight about art treasures and Salem Castle. Baden-Württemberg will pay the family 58 million Euros. The castle area where the margrave and his family live will not be sold.
November 5th
The government of Thailand has declared three days of national mourning from 14 to 16 November during the cremation ceremony for Princess Galyani Vadhana. The cremation will be held from 14 to 19 November. The royal crematorium at Sanam Luang is almost finished after seven months of construction.
November 6th
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck was crowned early this morning as fifth Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) of Bhutan at a ceremony at the Tashichhodzong fortress in the capital Thimphu. The Lhasang Tashi Raykong ceremony was performed by monks of the Zhung Dratshang in the royal altar room next to the chamber of the golden throne. The raven crown was handed over to Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck by his father former king Jigme Singhe Wangchuck, who abdicated two years ago. Being only 28 years old, the King is the youngest monarch in the world. members of the royal family of Bhutan and dignitaries from 32 countries attended, among them the president of India, Pratibha Patil and Sonia Gandhi and her family. There will be two more days of national celebration.
After a hearing in San Mateo County Superior Court, California, USA, yesterday Edith Delgado, was taken into custody again to serve the remainder of her two-year sentence. She was found guilty of causing a crash that killed two members of the Tongan royal family in July 2006.
November 9th
Prince Nils von Sachsen (Saxony) married Jedida Taborek yesterday afternoon at Moritzburg, Germany. Among the guests were the groom's father Prince Rüdiger von Sachsen with his partner Sabine Renner, his brothers Daniel and Arne with girlfriends, Princess Iris von Sachsen with her daughter Xandra, Prince Dedo von Sachsen, Prince Mauricio and Prince Georg von Sachsen. In the evening there was a party at the Ballsaal Orpheum in Dresden.
November 10th
This morning the Danish royal court announced that Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark expect their first child together early May 2009. It is expected that the birth will take place at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen.
According to a poll by Daily Telegraph/YouGov on the occasion of the 60th birthday of the Prince of Wales only 17% of the people who were questioned want the Duchess of Cornwall to become a Queen. 42% thinks the Prince of Wales should succeed Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, while 35% thinks Prince William should be the next king. 68% said to think that the Prince of Wales should have the right to speak out publicly on controversial issues, while 24% was against. More than half of those polled thinks the Prince of Wales is doing a very good or pretty good job.
For the first time in five years Crown Princess Masako of Japan joined an official welcome ceremony at the imperial palace, when King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain arrived for a state visit. The Spanish royal couple was greeted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. A state banquet took place this evening.
Lawyer German Lukyanov said today: "Currently a case is being put together for the recognition of all unrehabilitated members of the Romanovs' Imperial House who fell victim to the Bolshevik regime as victims of political persecution." The Russian Supreme Court recently rehabilitated Tsar Nikolai II of Russia, as well as his wife and children.
November 11th
This afternoon the long-awaited book "Juliana & Bernhard. Het verhaal van een huwelijk, 1936-1956" (Juliana & Bernhard. The story of a marriage, 1936-1956) by Cees Fasseur was presented. The book tells the story of the first 20 years of marriage of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Mr Fasseur was given exclusive access to the parts of the royal archives dealing with this period, including papers on the role of faith healer Greet Hofmans, who had big influence at court in the early 1950s.
The 90th anniversary of the end of World War I was marked today. At Douaumont, France, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxemburg attended the solemn ceremony together with French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife. In Brussels, Prince Philippe of Belgium replaced his father - who was on a state visit to India - at the traditional ceremony.
Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a new pyramid, Zahi Hawass, antiquities chief of Egypt said today. As the only pyramid of a Queen missing, is the one of Sesheshet, mother of Pharaoh Teti, it is thought the pyramid is hers. The pyramid was found about two months ago in the desert near Saqqara, south of Cairo. It is planned to enter the burial chamber within two weeks.
November 12th
On the occasion of his nearing 60th birthday a comedy show called "We Are Most Amused" was held at the New Wimbledon Theatre in London. The Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and the Princes William and Harry attended the show. Stars appearing in the show were among others Rowan Atkinson, Andrew Sachs, Robin Williams, Eric Idle, Joan Rivers, Alistair McGowan and Amanda Holden. The show was hosted by John Cleese. After the show the royals met with the cast.
In a BBC documentary to mark his 60th birthday, that was aired tonight, the Prince of Wales was asked if he took pleasure from his role of Prince of Wales. The Prince answered: "Well, I don't know. Bits of it. It's something I feel I must do to help as many other people as I possibly can in this country." He added that when he becomes king he will have to give up some of his pet projects and campaigns. He hopes that his sons will take up some things, if they are interested.
During a visit to the headquarters of the Prince's Trust in London, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain said to be "enormously proud" of her son, The Prince of Wales's, achievement in setting up the Trust in 1976. She said: "For Prince Philip and me there can be no greater pleasure or comfort than to know that into his care are safely entrusted the guiding principles of public service and duty to others."
Emma Tallulah Behn, youngest daughter of Ari Behn and Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, will be christened at the chapel of the royal palace at Oslo on 20 January 2009 at 2.30pm. Afterwards there will be a reception at the palace.
The one year jail sentence of 18-year-old Yassine Belassal for offending King Mohammed VI of Morocco, has been suspended, but not overturned, by a Moroccan court. Instead of "God, the Nation, the King", he had written "God, the Nation, Barcelona" on a blackboard at his school, to honour his favourite football club. FC Barcelona. His lawyer said in court that no offence was intended.
November 13th
Tonight Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain hosted a gala evening at Buckingham Palace in London on the occasion of the 60th birthday of her eldest son, the Prince of Wales. The event was attended by British and European royals. A champagne reception was followed by a recital by the Philharmonic Orchestra in the ballroom of the palace. Afterwards a dinner took place, where Balmoral salmon and venison was served. Among the guests were King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Sonja of Norway, Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, the Duke and Duchess of Palma de Mallorca, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, former King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, former King Simeon II and Queen Margarita of Bulgaria, Princess Margarita of Romania and Radu Duda, Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia, King Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain, Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath of Jordan. A birthday portrait of the Prince of Wales by photographer Hugo Burnand was released today, showing the prince in formal uniform of the Welsh Guards.
Queen Rania of Jordan received the first YouTube Visionary Award, which was awarded to her by video-sharing website YouTube for her efforts to help prevent Muslims and Arabs from being stereotyped. In April the Queen launched her own internet channel on YouTube. Her office says that thusfar the videos were watched nearly three million times, and they received more than 43.000 messages from people from all over the world.
November 14th
60 Facts about the Prince of Wales were released on the occasion of his 60thbirthday today.
The six-day cremation ceremony for the late Princess Galyani Vadhana, sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, began this late afternoon at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The ceremony today was only a short initial ceremony, in which the king lit candles and incense. Saffron-robed Buddhist monks chanted prayers. The actual cremation will take place tomorrow, while other rituals will last until Wednesday. According to the Royal Household Bureau at least 1,5 million people have paid their respects to the princess.
November 15th
The celebrations for the 60th birthday of the Prince of Wales ended tonight with a star-studded dinner at Highgrove, hosted by the Duchess of Cornwall. Among the guests were Prince William and Prince Harry of Wales, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and many celebrity friends like Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson, Sir David Frost, Dame Judi Dench and Joanna Lumley. Also the Duchess of Cornwall's former husband Andrew Parker Bowles was present. Main performer of the evening was Rod Stewart, who is an ambassador for the Prince's Trust.
The King's feast in Belgium today was overshadowed by criticism about the 6% rise of the royal dotations in 2009. This year the feast marked the 15th anniversary to the throne of King Albert II. In the morning the whole royal family, apart from Queen Paola who was ill, attended the Te Deum at the cathedral of Brussels. In the afternoon the family attended an academic session at the parliament. In the evening the royals attended a party with more than 600 Belgian youths aged 15.
Thousands of Thai gathered today for the cremation ceremony of the late Princess Galyani Vadhana, who died early January. More than 2000 soldiers marched along in three processions, in which the urn containing her remains was carried from the grand palace to the specially built crematorium at Sanam Luang. In the late afternoon King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand placed sandalwood bunches at the crematorium and then conducted a ceremonial royal fire placement. At 10pm the King and Queen placed the royal fire in the royal crematorium, as guards from the three armed forces fired cannons. Meanwhile a group of court musicians performed classical Thai music.
November 16th
Today started with classical music renderings, traditional masked khon dancing and grand shadow plays at Sanam Luang. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn collected the remains. Afterwards processions brought the remains of the late Princess Galyani Vadhana of Thailand to the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall where the royal family received the ashes. Later on the urn was moved to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The royal family received the ashes. On Monday a royal merit-making ceremony in dedication of the late Princess will take place at the Throne Hall. On Tuesday the golden urn housing the remains will be moved to the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall. The ashes will be moved to the Rangsi Vadhana Memorial at Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram on Wednesday.
November 17th
Four boys aged 16 and 17 have been arrested shortly after the end of the 60th birthday party of the Prince of Wales at Highgrove. They were caught in the grounds of Highgrove early on Sunday. The teenagers have been bailed to attend Stroud Police Station on 16 December, on suspicion of trespassing Crown property.
November 19th
Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven had their second child today at 1.32am. Pieter Anton Maurits Erik van Vollenhoven was born at the Medisch Centrum Haaglanden, location Westeinde at Den Haag. He weighed 3745 gramms.
Israeli archaeologist Ehud Netzer of the Hebrew University at Jerusalem said today that he thinks to have found the 2000-year-old remains of two limestone sarcophagi, that were held by a wife and daughter-in-law of the biblical king Herod. According to him these findings support his claims that another sarcophagus he found in 2007 at the same site had been the tomb of Herod himself.
November 20th
A series of unseen photographs of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain on holiday in the 1970s are to be auctioned on Monday at auctioneers Reeman Dansie in Colchester. The phtos are being sold by a private collector. Also a unique album of photographs of the Queen and her sister Princess Margaret as young girls are up for auction. The album belonged to Sidney Cumper, footman and page of Queen Mary, and also contains signed photos of the Queen, Queen Mary, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and the Princess Royal.
Members of the Kuwaiti parliament yesterday blamed squabbles in the ruling Al-Sabah family for the political crisis in Kuwait in the past decade. The crisis paralyses development of the country. A debate about a third dissolvement of the parliament within three years will take place in two weeks. Today a deputy said members of the parliament have asked to meet with the Emir of Kuwait to avert this.
November 21st
According to official figures that are to be published next week, the Duke of York spent almost £130,000 during 16 trips as an ambassador for British trade abroad last year. The expenses cover hotels, transport, dinners and other entertainment, but exclude air travel.
Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven officially registered the birth of his son Pieter van Vollenhoven at the town hall of The Hague this morning.
A screaming mummy, found in 1886 and now located in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, might be Pentewere, who is suspected of plotting the murder of his father Pharaoh Ramses III. The body was examined this year by American archaeologist Bob Brier.
November 22nd
The Prince of Orange, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands and their daughters Amalia, Alexia and Ariane enjoyed the entry of St. Nicholas at Wassenaar today.
November 23rd
Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Khalifa, second son of the King of Bahrain, and popstar Michael Jackson have reached a settlement. The Sheikh went to High Court in London, Great Britain, last week because Michael Jackson owed him $7 million. The sheikh paid for legal costs, travel and other expenses of Jackson in 2005 and 2006. Furthermore the sheikh said Jackson also failed to honour a contract to record a new album, write an autobiography and produce a stage play. Jackson's lawyers say there was no valid agreement with the sheikh, and that payments were intended as gifts, not as part of a business agreement.
Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia travelled to the USA today to undergo some medical check-ups.
Sheikh Falah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates appealed to a decision of the Geneva cantonal criminal court today to overturn his conviction for assaulting an American with his belt in a hotel bar in August 2003. In July the court decided to fine the sheikh for $9,820.
November 24th
Several British royal memorabilia were sold upon auction by auctioneers Reeman Dansie in Colchester today. The auction made £80,200. Mervyn Wycherley, chef of the late Diana Princess of Wales, made thousansd from the sale of his collection of royal notes and letters. A birthday card he had received from her fetched £1,300, and a Valentine's card to him fetched £1,200. A note to him praising his cooking during the honeymoon fetched £1,000. A ring worn by the late Duke of Windsor in honour of his wife, inscribed "Darling Wallis" and her date of birth, was sold for £10,200 to a mystery bidder. A piece of the wedding cake of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer sold for £260, while a piece of the cake of the Princess Royal and Mark Phillips made just £100.
November 27th
The Government Information Service released the first picture of Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje-Nassau, van Vollenhoven with his newborn son Pieter van Vollenhoven. The photo was taken by Frank van Beek.
November 28th
Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark flew out of Thailand today by in a small private plane after a four-day visit that marked 150 years of diplomatic relations between Denmark and Thailand. The couple was kept informed about the situation in Bangkok. However they continued their activities as planned. The airports of Bangkok are closed because of violent protests against the government of Thailand.
The Count of Paris and the Duchess of Montpensier announced the engagement of their eldest son Prince Jean of France, Duke de Vendôme, with Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart. Prince Jean was previously engaged (2001) to Duchess Tatjana von Oldenburg.
November 29th
On the occasion of his 43rd birthday Prince Akishino spoke about his joy to see his son Prince Hisahito growing up healthy. He said: "It seems the scope of Hisahito's interest and activities are expanding. He is playing actively outside and running around." He added that his daughters Mako and Kako sometimes play with their cousin Princess Aiko in the Imperial garden. His wife added that Hisahito "has increased his vocabulary and greeted his grandparents by expressing his feelings with his words and gestures."
Raja Perempuan Besar Perlis, Tengku Budriah Tengku Ismail, passed away at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia, yesterday at 3.47am. She was 84 years old. She was wife of Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, Raja of Perlis, who died in 2000. Her husband was King of Malaysia between 1960 and 1965. She was buried at the Royal Mausoleum in Arau today. As a mark of respect, flags will be flown at half-mast for three days beginning on the day of her death and all public and entertainment functions were postponed.
November 30th
It emerged that Princess Eugenie of York had stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai only four days before the terrorist attack on the hotel. She visited India as part of her gap year travels. Eugenie and some schoolfriends left for a trip to Central Asia two weeks ago. They were still in India when the attack occured. Princess Eugenie herself said to be "very shaken up" at the thought what might have happened when she had stayed at the hotel longer. She is permanently accompanied by a police protection officer during her travels. Eugenie's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain in a statement on Friday said: "I am shocked and deeply saddened by the attacks that occurred in Mumbai. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who died and with those who have been injured."
Royal News: October 2008. Last updated: November 4th, 2008.