ROYAL NEWS: NOVEMBER 2009

Last updated: December 8th, 2009.

November 1st
Queen Margrethe II, Prince Henrik, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary have started a state visit to Vietnam. They will among others visit the former family home of Prince Henrik, who spent the first five years of his life in Vietnam, which was then called Indochina. In 1950 he returned to complete secondary school in Hanoi.
  • Information and photos


    • Two people have been arrested by the Thai police for allegedly spreading false rumours about King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand's health. A former stock trader was charged with feeding false information through a computer system, undermining the national security. The other person arrested posted a message on the health of the King on a website. The king is in hospital since half September.

    November 2nd
    The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have started an 11-day tour to Canada. They will visit four provinces and eleven communities. The visit starts in Newfoundland and Labrador where the couple will stay until 4 November. From 4 to 6 November they will visit Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara-on-the-Lake, and from 6 to 9 November they are in British Columbia. Ottawa and Petawawa, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec will be visited from 9 to 12 November.
  • Website: 2009 Official Royal Visit


    • Prince William of Wales is to make his first overseas trip next year. From 17 to 19 January 2010 he will visit Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand. Afterwards he will pay a three-day unofficial visit to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia. In Wellington he will open the Supreme Court building.

    King Bhumibol Adulyadej made his second public appearance this evening since he was hospitalised six weeks ago. He was accompanied by family members and several nurses.

    November 3rd
    Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands have started a four-day state visit to Mexico. They will spend two days in Mexico-City. On the third day they will visit the province Guanajuato. On the last day they will visit the pyramids and ruins of Teotihuacan. For pictures see for example:
  • Royal Portraits
  • Royal Press Europe


    • Philipp von Lattorff and his wife Tatjana née Princess von und zu Liechtenstein had their sixth child on 30 October 2009. Sophie Katharina Maria was born in Goldgeben/Hausleiten, Austria. They already had Lukas (* 2000), Elisabeth (* 2002), Marie (* 2004), Camilla (* 2005) and Anna (* 2007).

    Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nayhan of Abu Dhabi was re-elected as president of the United Arab Emirates for a second five-year term yesterday. The president and the vice-president are chosen by the Supreme Federal Council, made up of the rulers of the seven emirates of the UAE.

    A third person was arrested for spreading false rumours about the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, the Thai police said. He was posting false information on the Internet.

    November 4th
    Queen Silvia of Sweden, together with the Royal Court Parish and Chief Court Chaplain Lars-Göran Lönnermark, has compiled a book with about hundred prayers. The book "Drottning Silvias bönbok" will be published at the end of November. King Carl XVI Gustaf has also contributed with photographs.

    The new government of Bulgaria has filed a court claim against former King Simeon II of Bulgaria today. They want to have back all the forest in the Rila Mountain that the country returned to the former king in the past years. They also want 5 million levs ($3.77 million) in compensation for trees that have been cut down in these forests. The agricultural ministry says that the intend to protect the state's interests.

    November 5th
    Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry, prince of Kelantan, has won a defamation suit against his soon ex-wife and mother-in-law for alleging he had sexually abused his wife. The women failed to file a defence, the Prince's attorney said.

    November 6th
    The princely palace has filed suit against American private detective Robert Eringer. Mr Eringer claimed in an interview to the magazine Paris Match last week that he has run a service called the "Monaco Intelligence Service" from 2002 to 2007. He said that he reported directly to Prince Albert II of Monaco, whom he claims to have met in 1991, and infiltrated local media on his behalf. Mr Eringer has filed suit in California and is accusing Prince Albert II for wrongful contract termination. The princely palace has denied the story.

    Prince Mikasa, uncle of Emperor Akihito of Japan, has left hospital. He underwent a week-long treatment for minor heart trouble. He is in good condition, the Imperial Household Agency said.

    Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud caught the swine flu, but says he is feeling well again and has made a full recovery. He only discovered he had the swine flu after undergoing medical tests, he says.

    Princess Stephanie von Hohenzollern, daughter of Prince Ferfried and his former wife Angela Wepper née von Morgen, and Martin Haag, whom she recently married, had their first child, Konstantin, likely on 1 November.

    November 8th
    In a recently discovered letter from 15 August 1955 written by the late Princess Margaret of Great Britain to the then Prime Minister Anthony Eden, the Princess writes that she wouldn't see her boyfriend Peter Townsend until October. She wrote: "I am not going to see him during this time but in October I shall be returning to London, and he will then be taking his annual leave – I do certainly hope to see him while he is there. But it is only by seeing him this way that I feel I can properly decide whether I can marry him or not." She thought to be able to inform him about her decision by November 1955. It was always thought that Princess Margaret had decided not to marry Peter Townsend under pressure and because Queen Elizabeth II, the court and others opposed. In a statement on 31 October 1955 Princess Margaret finally decided, saying: "Mindful of the Church's teachings that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before others."

    November 9th
    The Constitutional and Electoral Commission of Tonga has, in its final report to propose a new system of government, recommended that the monarchy should be stripped of its powers to select. The King and the Privy Council should no longer be a part of the Executive. A new system of government is to be introduced in Tonga in 2010.

    November 10th
    The Norwegian royal palace said today that Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit have signed on to the social networking site Facebook. They are already keeping people uptodate about their activities via Twitter.
  • Facebook: Kronprinsparet
  • Twitter: Kronprinsparet


    • The tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun of Egypt will undergo a five-year cleaning and restoring project, Zahi Hawass, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said. During the first two years the causes of deterioration will be determined. Afterwards will follow three years of implementation. It is not known yet how long the tomb will be closed for the public.

    November 11th
    Property from the late Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent and their families are being sold at Christie's in London on 20 November 2009.
  • The lots that are being sold


    • November 12th
    17-minute 3D reel of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain has been found back by the son of one of the two cameramen. It had gone lost in the national archives. Cameramen Bob Angell and Arthur Wooster, who are still alive, were invited by Queen Elizabeth II last year to obtain contemporary 3D footage at a garden party at Buckingham Palace and the Highland Games. The old and new scenes, all in colour, will be shown at Channel 4 on Monday in the documentary "The Queen in 3D". Free 3D glasses can be collected at Sainsbury stores.

    Emperor Akihito of Japan commemorated the 20th anniversary of his enthronement. Tens of thousands of well-wishers gathered outside the Imperial Palace to cheer the Emperor. The anniversary was commemorated with parades, concerts and speeches. On 6 November Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko already held a press conference at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. In the interview the Emperor said to be concerned that the Japanese people will forget their past. He also said that his late father, Emperor Hirohito had opposed that Japan entered World War II, and was in favour of peace. Emperor Akihito said: "He had taken to heart the importance of maintaining peace. It is my perception that the events that led to war must have been contrary to what he would have wished."
  • Address of the Emperor
  • Press Conference


    • Japanese archaeologists believe to have found the Yamatai palace of warrior Queen Himiko near the city of Sakurai, which was the former Japanese capital of Nara. Queen Himiko died around 248AD. The building is almost 300 square metres big. Hironobu Ishino, director of the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology said: "A building cluster that is placed in such a well-planned manner is unprecedented in Japan at that period in time." Nearby there is a huge traditional keyhole-shape tomb, which could be Himiko's grave.

    November 14th
    The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands and their daughters Amalia, Alexia and Ariane attended the arrival of St Nicholas in Scheveningen today.
  • PPE Pictures
  • Royal Press Europe Pictures


    • November 15th
    Queen Fabiola of the Belgians appeared in public again today for the first time since July. She attended the traditional Te Deum in the cathedral of Brussels on the occasion of the King's Feast. Also other members of the Belgian royal family attended.

    November 16th
    Queen Silvia of Sweden's prayer book was launched at the Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace of Stockholm today. The book is a collaboration between the Royal Court Parish and the Verbum Publisher. The book contains prayers for various occasions and even new prayers that have been written especially for the book. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden has taken pictures for the book. 10 Swedish crowns from the sale of each book is donated to support vulnerable children.

    Two Dutch journalists of the TV-programm "Undercover" have exposed security flaws at Palace Noordeinde, work palace of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Posing as workers for a renovation company the two managed to enter the grounds of the palace on October 22 without any problems. They had a fake bomb in their car. The two journalists walked around freely and managed to enter the stables. The case will be investigated. Dutch politicians are shocked by the weak security.

    November 17th
    Kitín Muñoz, husband of Princess Kalina of Bulgaria, presented his new book "El Moussem de Tan Tan" at the Casa Árabe in Madrid, Spain, today. Among the guests was Princess Irene of Greece.

    November 18th
    Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain opened the Parliament today. She was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. The State Opening of Parliament is the most colourful event of the parliamentary year. Queen Elizabeth arrived by carriage, wearing her crown.

    Yesterday jewels that once belonged to the Russian imperial family were sold at auction at Sotheby's in Geneva, Switzerland. A sapphire and diamond brooch and a pair of clip earrings from Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna was sold for $ 478.215, which was three times as much as estimated.

    November 19th
    Never-seen-before pictures of the British royal family, probably taken by a member of the staff of Buckingham Palace in 1951, are being sold at auction in Colchester, England, next week. Among the photos are pictures of Prince Charles and Princess Anne as small children. Prince Charles is shown sitting on a statue of a stag, while his parents and grandparents are watching.

    Several royals arrived in Stockholm for a two-day-visit on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, hosted by Queen Silvia of Sweden. Today's jubilee concert was attended by among others King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Beatrix of the Netherands, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxemburg, Queen Paola of the Belgians, Queen Sofia of Spain, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia. Also Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine attended, both with their fiancés.

    In Monaco national day was celebrated today. Absent was Prince Ernst August of Hannover, husband of Prince Caroline, adding to recent rumours that the couple has split up. The family attended the traditional thanksgiving mass in the cathedral of Monaco, before appearing on the balcony of the princely palace.

    Prince Jean d'Orléans, Duke of Vendôme and his wife Philomena announced the birth of their son Gaston. He was born in Paris early this morning.

    November 20th
    Heirlooms of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and his wife Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, realised £2.080.713 today at auction at Christie's. The highest price was paid for a pair of mahogany hall benches, that fetched £187.000. Two William IV silver wine coolers fetched £121.250. A red silk chair and footstool that were used by the Duke of Kent during the coronation of King George VI of Great Britain in 1937, despite of all the interest, failed to match its reserve price.

    The Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima announced today that they will sell the holiday villa in Mozambique once it has been completed. There has been lots of criticism on the villa in the parliament and from the people. The couple had hoped to help the development of the local population by taking part in the building project. They don't wish that the negative publications about their participation will overshadow the favourable developments of the area.

    At the age of 63 the former King of Nepal, Gyanendra, has been given his first passport, the government said on Friday. The government said they issue a diplomatic passport to all former head of states and heads of government, so they also issued one to the former king. They say they had received a formal request a few weeks before. As head of state the king didn't need travel documents in the past.

    November 24th
    Archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov has presented a project for recreating the 10th century palace of Tsar Simeon I The Great in Veliki Preslav, Bulgaria. A replica of the palace will be build of light materials. Furthermore the restoration and preservation of the remains of the real palace and the royal basilica will be continued.

    November 25th
    The lawyers of Infanta Elena of Spain and Jaime de Marichalar announced today that the couple has filed for a divorce and have both signed the divorce papers "of mutual agreement" earlier this week. The couple "maintains a fluid dialogue on all matters relating to the common interest of their children." They also both "testify to the affection and regard that the family of Her Royal Highness the Infanta holds towards Don Jaime, as has been clear over the last two years."

    Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Great Britain is launching a new bid to put an end to the ancient succession laws in the country, which ban Catholics from becoming a monarch. The Act of Settlement dates from 1701. Brown said the law is outdated. He thinks most people recognise the need for change. He also likes to reform so that male heirs no longer have priority in the royal line of succession.

    The Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands have bought two hectare of land on the edge of a lake in Villa La Angostura, Argentina, earlier this year. It is not clear if the couple is going to build a new vacation home there or that it is an investment.

    November 26th
    The first pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Vendôme and their newborn son Gaston were taken at their appartment in Paris. Also the Duke's mother, the Duchess of Montpensier, was pictured with her grandson.
  • Pictures at Isifa


    • November 27th
    Elizabeth "Lizanne" Kelly LeVine, the last surviving sibling of Princess Grace of Monaco, died of cancer on Tuesday at the Quadrangle retirement home in Haverford, USA, aged 76. She was married to Donald C. LeVine, who died in 2000, and had two children: Grace (who died in 1999) and Chris. She is survived by her son and by three grandchildren.

    November 28th
    The auction house Lyon & Turnbull from Edinburgh, Scotland, will auction heritage items belonging to two Sikh Kings on 9 December. A velvet jacket and matching shoes of Maharajah Duleep Singh are hoped to be sold for£75.000-100.000. Also on sale will be a portrait of Maharajah Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), father of Duleep Singh.

    November 29th
    Prince Alexander of Belgium, brother of the Belgian kings Baudouin and Albert II, died very suddenly this afternoon at his home in Rhode-Saint-Genèse, Belgium. The cause of death was pulmonary embolism. The prince was born on 18 July 1942 as eldest child of King Leopold III of the Belgians and his second wife Lilian Baels. He married 1991 Lea Wolman.

    Princess Ferial of Egypt died in hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, after a long battle with stomach cancer. She was born in 1938 as daughter of King Farouk of Egypt and his first wife Farida. Princess Ferial will be buried in Egypt. She is survived by her daughter Yasmine, who was born in 1967 from her marriage to Jean Pierre Perreten.

    November 30th
    Archduke Otto of Austria was granted an audience by Pope Benedict XVI today at the Vatican. His last visit had been in 2006.


    Royal News: October 2009. Last updated: November 1st, 2009.