Royal News August 2022

Last modified: 3 September 2022

1 August

The official photo session of the Spanish royal family was held in Valldemossa, Mallorca. King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, the Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofia visited the Valldemossa Charterhouse.
Photos by Royal Portraits

Also this year King Harald V of Norway took part in the 8-Metre World Championships sailing, that was held in Geneva, Switzerland. On board of the “Sira” he and his team reached the 10th place. The “Sira” originally was the sailing ship of the King’s father King Olav V, and was built 1937-1938 and restored before the World Championships 2008 that were held in Norway.

Already on 19 July it was reported that the Law of Democratic Memory has passed in the Congress of Deputies in Spain, abolishing 33 titles of nobility granted between 1948 and 1987. This included titles like Duke of Primo de Rivera and Duke of Franco. The law has yet to complete the entire parliamentary process. The bill says that these titles “exalt the coup d’état, the war and the dictatorship, and their instigators, leaders or participants in the repressive system or the organisations that supported the dictatorial regime”.

2 August

During a visit to the Commonwealth Games with her parents Princess Charlotte of Cambridge revealed that her favourite sport is gymnastics.

Muhammad V, the Sultan of Kelantan has proclaimed his czechian born wife Che Puan Nur Diana Petra Abdullah as the Sultanah of Kelantan. He also bestowed his wife the title of Her Highness Che Puan Mahkota Kelantan. Furthermore his sister-in-law Che Puan Sofie Louise Johansson Petra has also received the title of Her Highness Che Puan Mahkota Kelantan.

3 August

Prince Ludwig of Bavaria announced his engagement to Sophie-Alexandra Evekink.

4 August

The Belgian royal family in 2022 will receive more money from the Belgian State, due to inflation. The total costs for the royal house for the first time will be more than 40 Million Euros: 40,687,000 Euros. King Philippe will receive 13,228,000 Euros. Furthermore King Albert II, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent receive an apanage.

The Duke of Sussex has filed a new lawsuit against the British government, the High Court confirmed to Newsweek. Apart from the British Home Office the Metropolitan Police has been named as a second defendant. The Januar 2022 decision that individuals should not be allowed to pay privately for their police protection is the focus of this case.

5 August

For the last time this summer Den Kongelige Livgarde performed the grand changing of the guards at Graasten Castle at noon, together with Livgardens Musikkorps and the Tambourkorps. The event was attended by Queen Margrethe II and her sister Princess Benedikte of Denmark. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne there was also a huge fireworks display in Graasten in the late evening.

6 August

Louis Cunningham is set to star in the BBC drama Marie Antoinette as King Louis XVI of France. He is a grandson of the late Prince Charles of Luxembourg, and son of Princess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Marc-Victor Cunningham.

7 August

The tradition welcome of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle tomorrow has been replaced by a small private event.

It has been announced that in the coming school year Prince Christian of Denmark will start in 2nd form at Ordrup Gymnasium in Gentofte. His sister Princess Isabella will start in 9th form at Ingrid Jespersens Gymnasieskole in Copenhagen.

8 August

On 4 August King Harald V of Norway was admitted to Oslo University Hospital with a fever. The next day it was announced that he suffered an infection and was undergoing treatment with antibiotics. He was allowed to leave hospital today, and the royal court said he was in good shape.

10 August

For the time being the Princess of Orange doesn’t plan to join a student society in Amsterdam, where she is to study Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at university as off 5 September. Previously she had said she planned to join a student society. However the Amsterdamsch Studenten Corps/Amsterdamsche Vrouwelijke Studenten Vereeniging was highly criticized recently. During a jubilee male students in speeches referred to women in derogatory terms.

13 August

Although most members of the AmaZulu royal family in South Africa recognises King Misuzulu as the new leader of the nation after the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini last year, his eldest brother Prince Simakade had himself crowned today as King of the Zulu nation in a kraal-entering ceremony at the Enyokeni royal palace. He is supported by several family members. They have written a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa to officially recognise him.

15 August

Around 1,800 people showed up for the official state celebration at Vaduz Castle on the occasion of Staatsfeiertag Liechtenstein. The event was attended by Prince Sovereign Hans Adam II, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie with three of their children, as well as several other members of the family. About 15,000 to 20,000 people celebrated the national day afterwards in town. Once again the traditional fireworks in the evening couldn’t take place due to the persistent drought. Instead the main buildings of Vaduz, including the castle, were illuminated. It was already announced the fireworks will also not take place in 2023 because of the renovation of the castle in the years 2022 and 2023. The water, electricity and IT lines will be fully renovated. In 2024 the castle will use district heating line. Also the porter’s lodge and the roof will be renovated. From February to December 2023 the castle will be completely scaffolded. The realisation of the new lighting of the castle has already been completed.
The speech of Hereditary Prince Alois (German, PDF)
Photos by Royal Press
Photos by Volksblatt

Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece announced she has designed a collection of fabrics, wallpapers and trims for the company Schumacher. Marie-Chantal X Schumacher is inspired by her signature sleepwear collections. The collection comes in seven prints.

The Danish royal court confirmed to several Danish magazines that Alexander Johannsmann and Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg have divorced.

The trial date in the defamation case of Samantha Markle against her half-sister the Duchess of Sussex has been set to October 2023.

17 August

Photo & Copyright: Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan

Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II of Jordan got engaged to Rajwa Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif at her father’s house in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In attendance were King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, as well as Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad and Prince Rashid bin El Hassan of Jordan. The bride-to-be was born on 28 April 1994 in Riyadh as daughter of Khaled bin Musaed bin Saif bin Abdulaziz Al Saif and Azza bint Nayef Abdulaziz Ahmen Al Sudairi. She has three siblings: Faisal, Nayef and Dana. Rajwa is an architect and works for the family company El Seif Engineering Contracting, one of the biggest companies in Saudi Arabia.

The Prince of Wales has launched his own perfume. The Highgrove Bouquet Eau de Parfum costs £152 a bottle. With notes of geranium, lavender and weeping lime the new scent pays homage to the magnificent fragrance of Highgrove Gardens in summer. The perfume is a collaboration between the Prince’s Foundation and perfume house Penhaligon’s. The bottle is made from 100% recycled and recyclable paper.

At the Musée Henri-Martin in Cahors, France, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark opened the exhibition “Margrethe II de Danemark, Artiste-Reine”. The exhibition marks her 50th throne anniversary as well as the close ties between the royal family and the area around Cahors.

On the occasion of Staatsfeiertag 2022 Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein gave several interviews to Liechtenstein media. In an interview with the newspaper Volksblatt Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein has said that he can imagine a “marriage for all” in Liechtenstein. He is open to eliminating the injustices experienced by queer people. He is however critical regarding new regulations for foreign child adoption and reproductive medicine with regard to the well-being of children.
Interview with lie:zeit
Interview with Volksblatt
Interview with Vaterland

In an interview with the news agency Kyodo News Princess Akiko of Mikasa has said that she is eager to use her position as member of the Japanese imperial family to pass on the traditional culture to children in her country. Therefore she founded the organization called Shinyusha in 2012. She thinks it is also important to preserve the cultural traditions of the imperial household.

18 August

William Isvy and Princess Maria-Laura of Belgium will marry at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels at 2.30pm on Saturday 10 September. About 500 guests are expected. The ceremony will reflect the Catholic background of the bride and the Jewish background of the groom. The civil wedding will take place in the town hall of Brussels in private earlier that day, with about 35 guests. They have chosen Brussels, because of her strong ties to the Belgian capital. It is also the perfect opportunity to show Belgium to the family of the groom.

It has been announced that Lady Louise Windsor has received her A-level results, although it hasn’t been revealed what her results are. She visited St Mary’s School in Ascot. She will now start at St Andrews University in Scotland where she will study English literature as off September. Newspapers also revealed that Louise has worked in a garden centre this summer and received a near minimum wage.

Prince Oscar of Sweden has started primary school. Like his sister Princess Estelle he will visit the Campus Manilla in Djurgården, Stockholm. No photos will be publised.

19 August

Also Prince Alexander of Sweden started primary school. He visits the Djurgårdsskolan in Stockholm. Meanwhile his younger brother Prince Gabriel attends the Skogshyddans Montessoriförskola, where also the youngest son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, Prince Julian, will start this autumn.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan have cancelled their summer trip to the Nasu Imperial Villa, due to the covid-19 pandemic. It would among others have been difficult to prevent infection among staff members, the Imperial Household Agency said.

20 August

Misuzulu kaZwelithini has been crowned the new King of the Zulu nation in a traditional ceremony at the KwaKhangelamankengane royal palace in Nongoma, South Africa. After entering the sacred cattle kraal he invoked his ancestors. The private ceremony was only attended by a select few. Afterwards he was announced to both the living and the dead as the new monarch. Thousands in colourful traditional outfits had gathered there to chear their new king. On Thursday evening he completed the most important part of the installation process by hunting and killing a lion. He was to wear the lion’s skin when entering the kraal for his coronation. This proves he is indeed the chosen one. A bitter succession dispute in the past year overshadowed the ceremony. Some family members had argued that he was not the rightful heir and that the will of his father had been forged.
The coronation ceremony
The new king’s interview with Al Jazeera

One day after her 49th birthday it was announced that Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has tested positive for Covid-19. She is said to have normal symptoms and is being monitored by her doctor.

In an interview with the South African magazine “You” Princess Charlène of Monaco has spoken about her illness in the past year, that caused her to withdraw from public life for months. She mentioned: “I went through a very difficult time, but I was lucky to be supported and loved by my husband, my children and my family from whom I draw all my strength.” She says that the road has been long, but that she now is doing fine. She is dedicating her time to her personal projects and her children Princess Gabriella and Hereditary Prince Jacques.

21 August

In a rare interview with The Sunday Telegraph the 89-year-old Duchess of Kent told that she listens to anything if it comes to music. She confessed: “If it makes my feet tap then I’m happy.” Among her favourites are rapper Eminem and Ice Cube.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark celebrated the 1000th anniversary of the Diocese of Roskilde in the cathedral, where many of her ancestors are buried.

After a visit to the Danish team at the SailGP world championships in Copenhagen on the 19th, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark today took part in a test sail and competed against each other. Team Australia (Mary) won the contest against Team Denmark (Frederik).

During the regular mass in the Cathedral of Vaduz the first death anniversary of Princess Marie von und zu Liechtenstein was commemorated. Afterwards the princely vault outside the cathedral was open.

22 August

After nearly a year of speculations it has been confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are moving to Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate. Their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis will attend Lambrook School near Bracknell. It is thought that the couple wanted to move to give their children more freedom. School starts on 8 September.

Prince Wauthier de Ligne, son of Prince Antoine de Ligne and Princess Alix of Luxembourg, died in hospital in Tournai, Belgium, on 15 August aged 70. The funeral service was be held at the église Saint-Pierre in Beloeil on 22 August. Photos by Royal Press.

King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk of Cambodia yesterday departed for China for their routine check-ups.

23 August

In the first Archetypes podcast the Duchess of Sussex spoke with her friend tennis player Serena Williams. A new podcast will be published each week. Meghan will speak with guests from around the world about the labels that try to hold women back. They try to discover how these archetypes impact the everyday lives. She told that people should expect “the real me”. With Serena Williams she spoke about the misconseption of ambition. She also revealed she was made to continue her tour through South Africa in 2019 after a fire in the bedroom of her son Archie. She also confessed she was very tired during her two pregnancies.

The historical contents of Barnwell Manor, near Oundle, UK are being sold at auction by Dreweatts Auctioneers on 7 and 8 September. The 343 items have an estimated price of between £1.1 million to £1.7 million. The house is the former home of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and since 1999 has been the home of Kevin Smith of Windsor House Antiques, one of the leading antique dealers in the UK.

24 August

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark paid a two-day visit to Greenlands capital Nuuk. She visited several institutions and stakeholders and took part in several activities and events with the Mary Foundation, with themes as the well-being and rights of children and young people, dealing with grief, biodiversity and nature conservation.
Day 1
Day 2
A lovely video of the visit

Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy has presented a new gaming experience called The RoyaLand. The game was developed by Emanuele Filiberto and the Web3 agency Not Found Token. RoyaLand is a mythical monarchy game presented in an MMORPG format. Gamers can live, work and build their own dynasty.

25 August

Short footage of King Mohammed VI of Morocco walking in the streets of Paris, France, taken at an unknown date was shared online. Casually dressed and surrounded by guards who tried to support him while walking made people wonder whether the king, a Muslim, had been drinking. The man who was filming was told to turn off his camera.

26 August

At a Sentebale dinner in Aspen, Colorado, the Duke of Sussex has spoken about his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who died 25 years ago. He said she will “most certainly never be forgotten”. He hopes to do her proud every day. He told: “I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way she did it. I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her.”

Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis last week. She visited the hospital of the Imperial Household Agency today to check the blood clot in her right calf. Although she doesn’t need any medication her condition is being watched. She was advised to drink a lot of water and do moderate exercises.

27 August

A black Ford Escort that was driven by Diana, Princess of Wales between 1985 and 1988 has sold at auction at Silverstone Auctions in Northamptonshire, UK, for £650,000.

28 August

Prince Nikolai of Denmark celebrated his 23rd birthday. Several photos were released showing him alone and with his (half-)siblings Prince Felix, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena. The photos were taken by his stepmother Princess Marie and by Athena.

29 August

Queen Elizabeth II in a statement said to be “deeply saddened to hear of the tragic loss of life and destruction caused by the floods across Pakistan”.

Upon its 40th anniversary the Prince of Wales has guest edited the British black newspaper The Voice. He said he was “touched” to be asked and praised the newspaper for having become an institution. The issue will be published next week.

The Duchess of Sussex has given “The Cut” an interview. Some revelations: she wants to get back on Instagram, she has written a diary during her period as a royal, she and her husband tried to stay in the royal family. She also spoke about her life in the royal family and told about their new projects, probably including a show about her “love story” with Harry.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark received the official gift of the Armed Forces on the occasion of her 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne. It was marked with a military parade in the waters off Korsør and at Korsør Naval Station in which the Army, Navy and Air Force were taking part. As a surprise for the Queen also her sons Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim were present at the parade.

30 August

During her visit to Madaba, Jordan, on Monday Queen Rania of Jordan revealed that her son Crown Prince Al Hussein and his fiancée Rajwa Al Saif are to get married in the summer of 2023.

In the second Archetypes podcast the Duchess of Sussex spoke with singer Mariah Carey about the word diva and their experiences as growing up as someone of mixed race. Meghan said that she wasn’t treated like a black woman until she dates her husband.

The US District Court for the District of Columbia has halted the Guelph Treasure (Welfenschatz) Restitution lawsuit brought against the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation). The court says that the USA lacks jurisdiction to hear the lawsuit. The SPK is pleased with the ruling and says it has long maintained that this lawsuit lacked merit, as the Guelph Treasure’s sale in 1935 was not a forced sale due to Nazi persecution. They also say they have already restituted several hundreds works of art and more than 2,000 books. The ruling by the US District Court follows the ruling by the US Supreme Court in February 2021 that had overturned the lower court’s denial of SPK’s previous Motion to Dismiss this lawsuit seeking the Guelph treas-ure’s restitution. More about the Guelph Treasure can be found here.

31 August

For the first time Queen Elizabeth II will receive her prime minister Boris Johnson and his successor at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on 6 September. She will not travel to London on the occasion.

The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex spent the day of the 25th anniversary of the death of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales seperately and in private with their own families.

The Duchess of Cornwall has spoken with the newspaper The Mirror about her mission to use reading to improve children’s wellbeing, as well as about her special Duchess’s Birthday Books kinderboxes. She says she is “delighted that so many schools will benefit from this wonderful legacy of mini libraries” and also is happy to see more children reading books.

During a visit to a refugee centre in Ter Apel, The Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander told that he is recovering of pneumonia.

Prince Gabriel of Sweden celebrated his 5th birthday. His parents shared a photo on Instagram.

The Imperial Household Agency is planning to actively share information about the Japanese imperial family on social media and also update its website. They hope to provide more accurate news about the family.

In an interview with the French magazine Point de Vue Hereditary Prince Filip of Serbia and his wife Princess Danica spoke about their new role, their life and work in Serbia and their son Prince Stefan.

Prince Dom Antonio de Orleans e Bragança has been released from hospital on 29 August after having spent several days there with respiratory problems. He will continue receiving treatment at home.

One thought on “Royal News August 2022

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.