ROYAL NEWS: NOVEMBER 1999

Last updated: December 1st, 1999.

November 1st
Emperor Akihito of Japan had lunch with German chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Schröder pays a visit to Japan.

King Harald V of Norway and his wife Queen Sonja welcomed USA president Bill Clinton when he arrived at the royal palace in Oslo. Clinton is in Norway for a peace conference on the Middle East to commemorate the death of Israeli Yitzhak Rabin a few years ago.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark arrived in New York to close a promotion of modern Danish culture. She will attend the final of the Carl Nielsen Competition for young musicians and is going to visit a number of exhibitions of young Danish artists. She will return home on the 3rd of November.

November 2nd
Queen Beatrix visited Groningen, a town in the north of the Netherlands. She reopened the restored railway station from 1896. After that she walked to the Academie Minerva (an art academy) where she watched an art exhibition. Some hundreds of people of all ages were there to see their Queen.

Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss von Plauen died in Sweden on October 29th, after loosing the battle against cancer. He was married to Annifrid Lyngstad, former member of the Swedish popgroup ABBA.

November 3rd
Last night a 16th century castle in Gross Germersleben near Magdeburg, Germany, was burned down. It took hours to put the fire out. The damage is millions of dollars. It is not known yet how the fire started. The monumental castle recently had been restored, and was supposed to be changed into a hotel.

Princess Margaret of Great Britain's former husband, the Earl of Snowdon, is to be made a life peer so he can stay in the reformed House of Lords, Downing Street has said. The photographer, made a hereditary peer a year after he wed the Queen's sister in 1960, will become a baron.

A handbag containing confidential royal telephone numbers and an undeveloped film on the Prince of Wales and his sons has reportedly been stolen from Tiggy Legge-Bourke. The bag was taken from the open front door of her car in London.

November 4th
Prince Philippe of Belgium and his fiancée Mathilde paid their last visit of the Blijde Inkomst (Happy Entrance) before their wedding takes place. In the province of Vlaams-Brabant they visited a sugar refinery in Tienen in the morning. Then they visited Leuven. In Sint-Stevens-Woluwe they had lunch in a restaurant where people with a handicap get an education in serving. At the end of the afternoon the couple made a walk through the scenic area Torfbroek in Kampenhout.

A month long party in Thailand started to celebrate the 72nd birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. To start the festivities the King sailed on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok to the Temple of the Sunrise. 52 decorated boats sailed by 2082 rowers in traditional Siamese costumes followed the royal boat. Along the shores of the river were standing ten thousands of people, while millions of Thai people watched the ceremony on television.

November 5th
In the St. Pieters Abbey in Ghent, Belgium, the big exhibition 'Carolus, Charles V, 1500-1558' was opened. It follows the story of the Emperor's life. It also sketches the spirit of the 16th century.

In Cameroon the 60.000 members of the Babete tribe have chosen the 6-year-old Sob Ngoumbo Soumo as their new King. He was chosen out of the 24 children of his father King Soumo I who died in August last year. Until he is 18 his mother and the notables of the tribe will reign for him.

Princess Margriet of the Netherlands was chosen again as chairwoman of the Standing Commission of the International Red Cross.

Lord Montague of Oxford (67), who became a life peer in 1997, has died of a heart attack after collapsing during a debate on business in the House of Lords.

The results of the first elections for hereditary peers have been announced today, exactly 394 years after Guy Fawkes (in 1605) tried and failed to blow up the House of Lords. From the 646 hereditary peers only 92 will stay on. Last week already 15 were chosen, amongst others the Countess of Mar, whose title already exists since 1115. The only other persons who are sure of their place right now are the Lord Chamberlain, head of the royal household, and the Earl Marshal, who takes care of the ceremonial events. In the House of Lords further the about 500 life peers will stay on, as well as the 26 Lords spiritual (archbishops and bishops) and he 24 Law Lords (the highest judges in the country).

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain seems to be certain to remain head of state in Australia after tomorrow's historic constitutional referendum, opinion polls have suggested.

In a book named 'Predictions', released yesterday, some very intelligent people give predictions for the next millennium. One of the predictions is that Prince Harry will be the first member of the British royal family in space. This event should take place in 2010.

November 6th
The little Danish prince was baptized this morning at the Fredensborg Slotkirke. The baby was finally named: Nikolai William Alexander Frederik. His godmother was Alexandra Princess of Denmark, his mother (which is quite normal in Denmark). His other 'godparents' (in Denmark people have only one godmother or godfather) were Crown Prince Frederik, Nicola Baird (Princess Alexandra's sister), Camilla Flinth (a friend of Alexandra) and Peter Steenstrup (a friend of Prince Joachim). Among the 150 invited guests were many members of the Royal Family of Denmark (except for Princess Benedikte and her family, they were represented by Count Friedrich-Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth), and many of Princess Alexandra's family members.

Australian voters say 'no' to dropping the monarch, thus Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. The Australian republicans have conceded their defeat. Some 54 % said yes to the monarchy. Only in the state of Victoria voters, with a very small majority, choose for a republic.

A policeman accidentally fired his gun when he was emptying it in a secure area inside St. James's Palace, London, Great Britain. Nobody was hurt and noone has been in danger. The Palace is the London residence of the Prince of Wales. and it is close to Clarence House where the Queen Mother lives.

November 7th
Prince Pieter-Christiaan was the fourth Dutch Prince who finished in the New York marathon. In 1992 his cousin Willem-Alexander ran this marathon, and in 1994 Pieter-Christiaan's brothers Maurits and Bernhard.

Juan, the son of Infanta Cristina of Spain and Iñaki Urdangarín, will be baptised at the Palacio de la Zarzuela on December 12th.

The Observer claims that the Prince of Wales has indicated that he wants British voters to decide on the future of the monarchy in Great Britain by referendum. However, a spokeswoman of St.James's Palace denies that the Prince has said something like this, and says the claim is a pure speculation.

November 8th
Yesterday Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh started a three-nation tour in Ghana. Tribal leaders welcomed them. The Queen praised the country as leader of continental renaissance, at the parliament. Today she was greeted by a crowd of around one and a half million people in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. In the evening the Queen and the Duke were guests of honour at a state banquet.

In March 2000 Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje will preside the Second World Water Forum in The Hague, the Netherlands. Policy makers and scientists will speak there about problems as pollution, annoyance, deficiencies and water destruction.

November 9th
The Danish Crown Prince Frederik visited the World Expo Exhibition in Hannover, Germany. The Danes have four pavilions on the exhibition, like islands surrounded by water. The Crown Prince celebrated the opening of the pavilions with Danes, workmen and guests. It is likely that the Danish royal family will visit the Expo on June 27th, 2000. The Crown Prince said he was already looking forward to it.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh renewed their friendship with former South African president Nelson Mandela on the first day of their visit to South Africa. They were formally welcomed by the present president Thabo Mbeki at the Union Building in Pretoria. A 21-gun salute sounded nearby. They already heard a 21-gun salute when leaving Ghana in the morning.

November10th
Paul Burrell, the former butler of the late Princess Diana of Wales, has told on CNN Princess Diana would still be championing her favourite causes of landmines and Aids if she were alive. He said Princess Diana was realizing her ambitions in a strong and positive way in which she could help people. He also said he had no knowledge of any plans for her marry Dodi al-Fayed, but said he was a kind man and she was very happy.

November 11th
Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss Count von Plauen (49 years old) was buried in Härslöv, Sweden. Present were King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, an old schoolfriend of Prince Heinrich, and his wife Queen Silvia, who were accompanied by their son Prince Carl Philip. Prince Heinrich leaves behind his wife Annifrid (former ABBA-member), whom he married in 1992, his twin daughters Henriette and Pauline (22 years old) and his ex-wife Mette.

At various places in Belgium the end of World War I was commemorated. King Albert II of Belgium laid flowers at the grave of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels. Crown Prince Philippe is to attend the ceremony in Flanders Field, and the Last Post at the Menengate in Ypres.

Hundreds of hereditary peers have sat in the House of Lords for the last time after the Government's Lord reform bill cleared its final hurdle. Some were close to tears as they left the chamber for the last time. The 92 elected hereditary peers are to stay until further reforms are agreed. A Royal Commission on the future of the Lords is expected to propose the introduction of elected peers.

November 12th
Emperor Akihito of Japan celebrated his 10th year on the throne today with a parade and a feast for the people. The celebrations broke with old traditions of exclusivity and starchy sphere. Also rock music was on the programme. An official ceremony was there for 1300 dignitaries at the National Theatre in Tokyo. Some thousands of people waited in front of the royal palace in Tokyo to pay an homage to the Emperor and his wife Empress Michiko.

November 13th
1500 Guests, among them 1000 commoners, were invited for the engagement party at Laeken Castle, Belgium, of Prince Philippe and his fiancée Mathilde. The guests were spread in different feast halls and the Winter garden of the castle, where tables with chairs and long buffets waited. The parents, sisters and brother of Mathilde arrived. Also King Albert II and Queen Paola, Queen Fabiola, Princess Astrid with husband Lorenz and the oldest three children Amedeo, Maria-Laura and Joachim, and Prince Laurent attended the evening. Philippe and Mathilde, the last one in a royal blue cocktail dress with interesting necklace, arrived just after 7:30 in the evening. They had to do the opening dance together on 'Wonderful tonight' of Eric Clapton, sung by the famous Belgian singer Raymond van het Groenewoud, with Toots Thielemans on mouth organ. The royals switched from room to room all evening.

On December 4th jonkvrouwe Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz will become Princess of Belgium for life. She also will become Duchess of Brabant. Her father and uncle will become counts.

The Duchess of York is due to tie a giant ribbon around the Survivor's Tree on the site of the Oklahoma City bomb explosion of 1995, which killed 168 people, in memory of the children who died. The Duchess's charity has supported a new paediatric unit at the hospital.

Some 61% of the British people think the Prince of Wales should marry Camilla Parker Bowles. But 78% don't want her to become Queen.

November 14th
Grand Duke Jean of Luxemburg celebrated his 35th anniversary on the throne. He followed his mother Grand Duchess Charlotte on November 14th, 1964.

At the engagement party Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, the fiancée of Prince Philippe of Belgium, who is already a speech therapist, has told her professor that she will continue her study psychology at the university of Louvain-la-Neuve, She said she hopes to do her practise next year.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Claus arrived at Curacao for a 12-day visit to the Dutch Antilles. They were welcomed with lots of ceremony and people. A children's choir sang for them.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the Duke of Edinburgh laid wreaths at a memorial service in Durban, South Africa, to remember the soldiers who died in the Great War. It was the first time in 16 years that the Queen didn't lead the national mourning in London. The Prince of Wales replaced his mother at the Remembrance commemorations to Britain's war dead at the Cenotaph in London. The Queen Mother didn't attend as she was suffering from a slight chill, Buckingham Palace said.

The Duke of York has spoken on TV of how his experiences in the Falkland conflict changed his life. "There were a great many sharp edges as there are on all young people and it knocked a couple of corners off". The Duke was 22 when he was sent to the Falklands as a helicopter pilot. He added: "War teaches more about yourself than you actually want to learn- well, it certainly taught me".

November 15th
The Koningsfeest (King's Day) in Belgium was celebrated with the traditional Te Deum at the Basilica at the Koekelberg in Brussels.

Queen Beatrix will meet Governor Saleh at Curacao. Later she will start the first broadcasting of the Caribbean news on the World channel. This evening she and her husband Prince Claus will attend a presentation on 500 years written history of Curacao.

Queen Elizabeth II is flying to Mozambique for a one-day state visit on the final leg of her African tour. She and her husband will meet President Joaquim Chissano. It is the Queen's first visit to Mozambique, which is the newest member of the Commonwealth.

9-year-old Farah Aljadir of the Netherlands, who suffers from a skin disease, will drink tea with King Mohammed VI of Morocco today at his palace. The visit is arranged by the Foundation 'Make a Wish', which tries to fulfil wishes of children who are ill.

November 16th
According to The Sun the Prince of Wales has invited (horse-riding) friends and neighbours to a Millennium party. They are supposed to bring their own drinks. Camilla Parker Bowles is going to cook with the help of some friends.

Luxemburg linguist Guy Berg has discovered an epic from the Middle Ages, which was believed to have disappeared. It is a handwriting on vellum, named the 'Codex Mariendalensis', and it is a poem of almost 6000 stanzas, who describe the life of Princess Yolanda of Vianden. The Codex is the first literary work in the moselfränkische language.

The oil-painting "Portrait of a Pomeranian Prince" by Lucas Cranach, which had disappeared after World War II and was found back in 1994 in Vienna, will be shown at the National Museum in Stettin, Poland.

Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands started a three-day-visit to Great Britain. He met the Prince of Wales for tea at York House. In the evening he had dinner with the Duke of York and his own brother Prince Johan Friso, who works in London. Tomorrow he'll visit some projects of the Prince of Wales's Trust.

The hurricane Lenny, which goes through the Caribbean area, could disarrange the visit of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands to the Windward Islands of the Dutch Antilles. The Queen is planning to visit St.Maarten on Wednesday.

King Juan Carlos of Spain has called for full democracy and respect for human rights in a speech at an Ibero-American summit in Cuba.

November 17th
A 41-pearl necklace, which is said to have belonged to Queen Marie-Antoinette of France, has been auctioned in Geneva, Switzerland, for about 1,5 million dollar.

In traditional pomp and pageantry Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain opened the reshaped Parliament. The Queen read the legislative plans for the forthcoming parliamentary session.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands is not be to visit the island of Sint Maarten, as the hurricane Lenny will pass the island today. She will fly to Bonaire for a visit and return to Curacao. Yesterday evening she unexpectedly paid a visit to the Michielsbaai where the hurricane had caused some damage earlier that day. People were very happy with the visit. The Queen noticed some of Lenny as she became wet by a high splashing wave.

November 18th
I read at alt.talk.royalty that Pieter van der Byl, husband of Charlotte Princess von und zu Liechtenstein, died in Fairfield, South Africa, on November 15th.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will have a day rest. Tomorrow she will go to Aruba, where she was supposed to go next week. She hopes she can visit Sint Maarten later on during her Dutch Antilles trip.

November 19th
National feastday in Monaco on the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of Prince Rainier III. The Prince appeared on the balcony with children and grandchildren. Also present were Princess Caroline and Prince Ernst August with their 4-month-old daughter Alexandra.

November 20th
Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands visited Aruba. On a reception of Prime Minister Eman the Queen expressed her sympathy with the people at the Dutch Antille- Islands Sint Maarten (where 3 people died), Saba (10% of the houses are destroyed) and Sint Eustatius. She said to find it difficult to celebrate as her thoughts were with the people there.

The Hohenzollern vault at the Dom of Berlin, Germany, has been reopened today, after 3-years of restoration. The 97 sarcophags are shown for the first time together in the 500-year existence of the vault. Lately only a few sarcophags were shown. The Dom used to be the Hohenzollern court's church. The Hohenzollern reigned Germany as Emperors from 1871 to 1918 and were Kings of Prussia and electors of Brandenburg before. The Dom hopes also the sarcophag of King Friedrich Wilhelm I (1688-1740) of Prussia will be transported from the Mausoleum in the Sanssouci Park in nearby Potsdam.

Thai censors ban previews and posters for "Anna and the King" as they find them disrespectful to the Thai monarchy. The film itself may be banned also.

Downing Street has quashed claims that the British government is planning to overturn a 300-year-old law preventing Roman Catholics ascending the British throne. Former Tory secretary Lord Forsyth of Drumlean is proposing changes to the 1701 Act.

November 21st
The Dutch version of the musical 'Elisabeth', about the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, went through its first night in Scheveningen, the Netherlands. Among the guests was Pieter van Vollenhoven, husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands.

In Monte Carlo Prince Albert of Monaco presented the prizes for the best athletes of the century to the Dutch Fanny Blankers-Koen and American Carl Lewis.

Today Queen Margrethe II of Denmark moves from Fredensborg Castle to the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, her winter residence.

On December 2nd a ball will be held in Laeken Castle to celebrate the wedding of Prince Philippe of Belgium and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz. Lots of nobility (many from the Gotha) are invited. Unfortunately no press will be allowed to cover it for the public.

Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus of the Netherlands will visit Sint Maarten today, and Sint Eustatius and Saba tomorrow, to watch the damage after the hurricane Lenny their selves.

November 23rd
King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium started a 3-day state visit to Portugal.

Mentioned on the newest guest list for the Belgian royal wedding of the year: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and husband, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden with Queen Silvia, King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja, the Prince of Wales, Willem-Alexander Prince of Oranje, Crown Prince Felipe of Spain, Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince Dipendra of Nepal, and Prince Naruhito of Japan with his wife.

November 24th
33-year-old Samantha Tabell, mother of three children, ran up bills of more than $7000 after claiming to be the daughter of Camilla Parker-Bowles. She was charged with fraud and dishonestly gaining benefits by the court in Brisbane, Australia. It heard that she persuaded a limousine firm that she was Camilla's daughter. The firm also arranged bodyguards, hotels, flights and a secretary.

Buckingham Palace has rejected suggestions that Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain might relinquish her duties. The denial followed comments from the Duke of Edinburgh interpreted as a hint that the monarch might choose not to rule throughout her old age. Prince Philip told royal biographer Douglas Keay it was better to retire 'while you are still capable'.

King Albert II of Belgium cancelled some of his appointments on the second day of his state visit to Portugal because he suffers from gout. Queen Paola visited the Penna Palace in Sintra alone.

November 25th
Born this morning at 8:40 at the Hospital da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa in Lissabon, Portugal, Diniz de Santa Maria Francisco João. He is the son of Dom Duarte Duke of Braganca, pretender to the Portuguese throne, and his wife Isabel de Herédia. He will be baptized in February 2000 in Oporto.

Leka King-in-exile of Albania received sentence in absentia of three years in jail for his part in a 1997 deadly rally.

On December 18th little Richard Count von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth will be baptized. His Danish family will not be there because they are busy.

Prince Heinrich of Hessen, younger brother of head of the house Landgrave Moritz, died on November 18th. He has been buried on November 22nd in Kronberg. He was born in Rome in 1927.

November 26th
Little Arch Duchess Gloria of Austria will not be baptized on December 9th, but in January in Salzburg-Morzg if everything goes well. She was taken to hospital on November 12th after she became very ill. She was diagnosed meningitis. After four days the danger for life was happily gone.

Prince Konstantin-Assen of Bulgaria and his wife Maria got a son and a daughter on November 20th. It seems they are named Umberto and Sophia.

Buckingham Palace says Princess Margaret of Great Britain is resting and recovering after being taken ill. A spokeswoman denied a report that the Queen's 69-year-old sister may have suffered a minor stroke. A doctor was called to Kensington Palace on Tuesday evening when the princess had collapsed. She may not be able to fulfil next week's official engagements.


Royal News: October 1999. Last updated: November 1st, 1999.