Royal News July 2022

Last modified: 7 August 2022

1 July

The cycling race Tour de France started in Copenhagen, Denmark, this year with a 13 kilometres long stage that also passed the Amalienborg Palace, where Crown Prince Frederik was present. He also handed out the first yellow tricot.

The new National Museum in Oslo has announced that Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has decided to give the dress she wore at its opening to the museum, that has a royal costume collection. The dress was designed by Peter Dundas, while Aurora Verksted created the fabric. The dress was created using traditional Norwegian crafts and modern techniques.

On the occasion of their 11th wedding anniversary Sovereign Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène of Monaco released a portrait photo.

Prince Ernst August of Hannover Sr has lost his fight against his son Prince Ernst August of Hannover Jr over the Marienburg Castle near Hannover before the Regional Court of Hannover. Ernst August Sr reclaimed the castle and other family property that he had handed over to his son in 2004.

2 July

The Princess of Orange has celebrated her 18th birthday with a private birthday bash at Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, The Netherlands.

3 July

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark followed the third stage of the Tour de France from the Royal Yacht Dannebrog in Sønderborg. A reception at the yacht was cancelled after a serious shooting in a Copenhagen mall, in which several people lost their lives or were injured.

4 July

The Princess of Asturias and Girona handed out the Princess of Girona Foundation Awards 2022 in Barcelona. Also King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Infanta Sofia were present. For the first time this year’s winners were five women: María Hervás (Arts and Literature), Elisenda Bou (Business), Claudia Tecglen (Social), Eleonora Viezzer (Scientific Research), and Trang Nguyen (International). In her speech Leonor said that she and her sister Sofia had seen their projects and were impressed and grateful. On Sunday the two siblings had visited the Dali-Museum in Figueres, on Monday morning in Barcelona they took part in a workshop by Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org.

5 July

On the occasion of her 75th birthday the Duchess of Cornwall has guest edited the magazine Country Life. The Duchess of Cambridge was commissioned to take the photograph for the front cover of the magazine and a few other pictures at Ray Mill House in Wiltshire. Another photographer took photos of her dogs Bluebell and Beth wearing her pearl necklaces. The magazine will be on sale on 13 July.

ITV on 13 July will broadcast the program “Camilla’s Country Life”, showing the love of Camilla for the British countryside, and her work at a number of royal engagements. Together with her sister Annabel Elliot she visited Hall Place, where her grandparents once lived. She confessed that as a child she buried her younger sister’s teddy bear in the grounds.

6 July

The Royal Hashemite Court announced the engagement of Princess Iman bint Abdullah, the eldest daughter of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, to Mr Jameel Alexander Thermiotis. The couple got engaged yesterday. Queen Rania congratulated on social media and published the engagement picture that was released.

8 July

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. A photo of the couple taken in the garden of their home at Kensington Palace was released.

The Bal de la Rose in Monaco took place again after at two-year hiatus. Princess Caroline is the president of the ball, that this year was themed “The Roaring Twenties”. Present were also Sovereign Prince Albert II as well as Caroline’s four children with their partners.

The Brazilian imperial house informed that the head of the family, Prince Dom Luiz de Orleans e Bragança, who had been hospitalized for some weeks, is dying. His condition is considered irreversible.

13 July

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands have announced that they will pay a state visit to Sweden from 11 October to 13 October 2022. On invitation of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia they will visit Stockholm and Göteborg.

Queen Mathilde of the Belgians kicked off her 50th birthday tour with a cycle tour with the visually impaired and blind residents of Licht & Liefde, and with people with a disability or vulnerability from UNIE-K, Oranje and ‘t Veldzicht. She announced earlier that she wants to take her 50th birthday as an opportunity to spread a positive message about mental well-being in her country. Under the motto “Moving together for mental well-being”, the Queen will organize a walking tour (of max. 20 km) or cycling trip (of max. 30 km) between July and December of this year in all ten provinces of the country and in the Brussels Region. together with people and organizations that are committed to projects related to mental well-being.

A group of tourists at the Princely Palace in Monte-Carlo were pleasantly surprised when they suddenly met Princess Charlène. The Princess took her time to pose for photos, received hugs and even joined the tour herself. The Palace reopened its doors on 1 July after seven years of renovation and Covid-19 pandemic.

Princess Maria da Gloria de Orleans e Bragança, former wife of Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, gave an interview to Kurir. Recently she came to Serbia to see her son Prince Philip, who was in hospital. She speaks about her disappointment that her ex-husband didn’t invite her, Philip or his wife Danica, and says he has very little contact with his grandson Prince Stefan. She also speaks about her eldest son Peter renouncing his rights to the Serbian throne in April, a decision she respects, and about several other familiar topics.

14 July

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has celebrated her 45th birthday at Öland. As usual she, her husband Prince Daniel, her children Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar and her parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia appeared in front of Solliden Castle to receive well wishes. Later they travelled by carriage to the castle ruins of Borgholm for a concert. The concert was also attended by Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia and Princess Madeleine.

Sovereign Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène of Monaco gave a private reception in the gardens of the Prince’s Palace. The newest Alhambra collection of the jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels was launched. Part of the profits will be donated to the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. The neclace, pendant and bracelet are on sale in the boutiques of Monaco, Cannes and Place Vendôme in Paris. Charlène wore part of her diamond and sapphire Ocean Tiara by Van Cleef & Arpels, that she received as a wedding gift in 2011, as a necklace.

15 July

The head of the imperial family or Brazil, Prince Dom Luiz de Orleans e Bragança, has died in São Paulo, Brazil, today, at the age of 84. The new head of the family is his younger brother Prince Dom Bertrand.

17 July

The Duchess of Cornwall celebrated her 75th birthday in private with a small family dinner hosted by her husband The Prince of Wales. Clarence House released a series of new photos by Chris Jackson, taken at her country house Ray Mill House in Wiltshire. The Duchess has given several interviews in the past weeks, including to the Australian Women’s Weekly and the Daily Mail. To the Australian Women’s Weekly she told: “I learned that your place is several feet behind the monarch. You’re there as a backup.” Although she has learnt, she will never really enjoy public speaking. She also spoke about her five grandchildren. To the Daily Mail she expressed her concerns about social media, but has started apps like Houseparty and TikTok during the Covid lockdown. Her grandchildren have to put their phones away at the dinner table.

Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and their children greeted the Gråsten Ringriderforening at Graasten Castle.

18 July

The Duke of Sussex delivered the United Nation Mandela Day keynote speech. at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He was asked by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to speak. He among others mentioned the climate crisis, the pandemic, the war in the Ukraine. He mentioned a photo of his mother Princess Diana with Nelson Mandela in 1997 is on his wall. He received the photo from the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

A cute interview with Beatrice Borromeo appeared on the website of Lily & Klaus.

The funeral of Prince Dom Luiz de Orleans e Braganca took place at the Church of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in São Paulo, Brazil. The head of the imperial family of Brazil was buried at the Consolação Cemetery.

19 July

The Staffordshire auction house Richard Winterton Auctioneers in Lichfield sold a pair of earrings belts and stationary that once belonged to the late Duchess of Windsor for £1,730. After the death of the duchess in 1986 the items were sold at auction, and again in September 1997.

Princess Olympia of Greece has been appointed as the new brand ambassador of shoe designer Aquazzura.

20 July

The Charity Commission will not launch an investigation into the £ 2,5 million donation from the former Qatari prime minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim between 2011-2015 to the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation.

The daughter of Infanta Elena of Spain, Victoria Federica de Marichalar, posed for the magazine Hola! and furthermore gave an interview about her future plans, her career and fashion.

21 July

After two years with masks also the Belgian national day took part again as before the Covid-19 pandemic. Already on Wednesday the speech of King Philippe was released, he and Queen Mathilde opened the summer exhibitions at the Royal Palace in Brussels and in the evening they attended the prelude concert at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, together with Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz. The palace will be open from 23 July to 28 August. This morning the royal couple, their four children, Princess Astrid, Prince Lorenz, Prince Laurent, Princess Claire attended Te Deums. For the military parade in the afternoon they were joined by Princess Delphine and Jim O’Hare. After a visit to celebrations in a park, the royal couple attended the fireworks in the evening with their three younger children.

The BBC has issued an apology to former royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke and has agreed to pay substantial damages to her. They extended the apology to The Prince of Wales, and to the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, for the way in which Princess Diana was deceived and the subsequent impact of the 1995 Panorama interview with the late Diana Princess of Wales on all their lives.

The book “Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors” by Tom Bowever that was released today already causes a huge amount of articles. He reportedly has interviewed friends and enemies of the Duchess of Sussex during the year he worked on the book, although he didn’t speak to Meghan herself. According to the magazine Grazia these are the key revelations.

Grand Duke George of Russia and his wife Princess Victoria Romanoff have announced that they are expecting a baby boy.

The auction house Dorotheum in Germany has appointed Princess Katharina zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein as its new director. She will also lead the new seat in Hamburg. The art historian and historian worked for Sotheby’s for 18 years.

22 July

Prince George of Cambridge celebrated his 9th birthday.

The Duke of Sussex has been granted permission by the High Court to have a judicial review of the decisions of the British Home Office, not to provide him security in the United Kingdom. On 8 July the High Court already ruled that parts of the February article about Harry’s legal battle with the Home Office, ran by Associated Newspapers Limited were potentially defamatory.

The Danish royal court released new pictures of Prince Felix, who turned 20 today. He celebrated with his father Prince Joachim, his stepmother Marie and his half-siblings Prince Henrik and Princess Athena at Cayx Castle in Cahors, France. A birthday picture.

After the 19th stage of the Tour de France Prince Joachim of Denmark handed out the yellow tricot to Jonas Vingegaard. The Tour de France passed Cayx Castle in Cahors today.

During the summer opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, London, between 22 July and 2 October 2022 visitors can see the exhibition “Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession” in the Ball Supper Room. On display are the first official portraits taken by Dorothy Wilding weeks after her accession to the throne, other iconic photos and also several jewels, including the Diamond Diadem, the Girls of Great Britain tiara and the Delhi Durbar necklace.

23 July

To the newspaper Daily Mail Michael Middleton on 20 July confirmed a report by the magazine People (11 July) that his youngest daughter Pippa, wife of James Matthews, has given birth to her third child. According to the same newspaper the child is a girl called Rose.

24 July

Crown Prince Frederik was present on the final day of the Tour de France in Paris. The tour had a Danish winner this year: Jonas Vingegaard.The Danish royal court yesterday released a photo of Queen Margrethe II and her sisters Princess Benedikte and former Queen Anne-Marie of Greece watching the Tour de France on TV at Graasten Castle. The Queen arrived at Graasten on 18 July. Traditionally she arrived with the Royal Yacht Dannebrog.

The Crown Prince of Kuwait has appointed Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as the new prime minister of the country.

25 July

The Danish Queen Margrethe II and her sisters gathered nearly all their children and children-in-law at Graasten Castle. Only Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, as well as Princess Tatiana of Greece were missing, as was Alexander Johannsmann, the husband of Princess Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. For another photo see here.

The Belgian royal court announced that Prince Gabriel will start the social and military sciences course in Dutch at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium on 22 August. He will be part of the 162nd promotion. Gabriel passed all parts of the entrance examination: the medical, psychotechnical and sporting tests; and the academic tests for Mathematics, Dutch and French. He has completed his one-year preparatory training at the National Mathematics & Science College in Warwickshire.

26 July

Emperor Emeritus Akihito of Japan has been diagnosed with heart failure. The Imperial Household Agency says that he receives treatment and that his condition is improving. On Sunday he underwent a MRI scan at the University of Tokyo Hospital, where a faulty valve on the right side of his heart was discovered. For now he has reduced his activities. Empress Emerita Michiko on Sunday underwent an outpatient operation on her right eye and is making a good recovery.

27 July

Photos were released showing the Duchess of Brabant taking part in the annual summer camp of the Royal Military Academy of Belgium. Elisabeth participated in this camp throughout July as part of her military training.

The Imperial Household Agency has released pictures showing Princess Aiko of Japan tending silkworms with her parents. Sericulture is a longtime royal tradition.

The North Gauteng high court in Pretoria has dismissed a court application by the senior Zulu Prince Prince Mbonisi and 12 other members of the royal family. They tried to “urgently” halt the coronation of his nephew King MisuZulu, supposedly to be held on 13 August. The Prince has to pay the legal costs. The coronation is to take place in two legs in Nongoma and Durban. There are two other cases running in the Supreme Court of Appeal and the High Court in Pretoria.

28 July

The Prince of Wales officially opened the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, representing his mother, the Queen. He read her message that had travelled around the Commonwealth in The Queen’s Baton Relay.The Baton was launched on its journey by her on 7 October 2021 at Buckingham Palace. It has since travelled 90,000 miles over 294 days to all 72 nations and territories of the Commonwealth. The opening was also attended by the Duchess of Cornwall, the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The Count of Wessex is the Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

29 July

The house in Viscri, Romania, that was bought by the Prince of Wales in 2006 has opened its doors to the public. The traditional Saxon property in the Unesco World Heritage Village now hosts two special exhibitions. They focus on the conservation of wild nature and the built patrimony and a photography exhibition. Until 2021 the house was a guesthouse. The house is to inform about the Prince’s passion for traditional architecture, sustainable agriculture, the protection of biodiversity and of the valuable Romanian cultural heritage.

The Court of Appeal has dismissed a challenge by the newspaper Guardian over the secret nature of a court hearing dealing with the will of the Duke of Edinburgh, held in July 2021. Judges said that a public hearing would have risked a media storm, and that it was “a hugely sensitive time for the Sovereign and her family”. Keeping it private protected the dignity and the private rights of the royal family. The wills of members of the royal family are not published.

30 July

On the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of his accession to the Moroccan throne King Mohammed VI held a speech. He however announced earlier this month that that taking into consideration the continuation of preventive measures imposed by the evolution of the health situation related to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been decided to postpone all activities, festivities and ceremonies planned.

31 July

The Sunday Times reports that the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund accepted a donation of £1 million from the family of Osama Bin Laden in 2013. According to Clarence House the fund has assured them, that “thorough due diligence” has been conducted. Furthermore the trustees were the ones accepting the donation. There is no evidence by the way that Bin Laden’s half-brothers and other relatives ever had links to Al Qaida.