Today 13 new pictures of the Crown Princely family were published at kongehuset.no.
It shows Prince Haakon, his wife Mette-Marit , the three children Marius, Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus and family’s new puppy.

The pictures for this year’s summer session were taken on Saturday, June 27th at Bygdøy, the royal summer residence of King Harald.
The family’s new dog, a 4 months old labradoodle, is named Milly Kakao.

You can find HQ pictures of the summer session in the press photo album at kongehuset.no.
More links to articles and pictures can be found in this thread: Summer Photosession 2009.

You can find a thread about the Norwegian Royals’ summer vacations here: Summer Vacations 2009.

The King and Queen spend their vacations in Mågerø; their summer residence.
Family Behn spend their vacations in Hankø.

The Royals will return to duty on 7th of August.

Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Harald V, Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Princess Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja

 Jordan’s King Abdullah II issued a decree on Thursday naming his eldest son, Hussein 15 years old as crown prince. In a palace statement that was released yesterday said “immediately assume the title and privileges of his post”. The post of heir apparent has been un-named since 2004 when King Abdullah removed the crown prince title from his half brother, Hamzeh. King Abdullah became King in 1999. Queen Rania is the mother of Crown Prince Hussein.

dazzling Jordanian Royals Abdullah II, Prince Hussein, Succession

 Bernardo Guillermo, the 32-year-old son of Princess Christina of the Netherlands, will wed in a religious capacity this coming September in New York City. He will marry Eva Prinz-Valdes. The pair, Bernardo a furniture designer and Eva an editor, married in a civil service in March. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Isabel Christina, on April 13th. The family currently resides in Manhattan.

Bernardo is the first child of Princess Christina, the youngest of the four daughters born to Queen Juliana, and her ex-husband Jorge Pérez y Guillermo. Bernardo moved to New York in 1996 to attend Sarah Lawrence College, where he studied philosophy and art history. He currently has a design studio in the Navy Yard area of Brooklyn.

Click here to read more about the Guillermo family.

JessRulz Dutch Royals Bernardo Guillermo, Birth, Wedding

 Documents have been released that show that Sophie Rhys-Jones, the Countess of Wessex, has paid only £5000 of the £1.7 million owed to creditors by her former public relations firm, according to a recent report in The Sun.

Liquidators will officially close R-JH Public Relations by the end of this month. The firm owed £30,000 to HM Revenue and Customs, which will be written off. All outstanding debts will be written off and the firm, which was established in 1997 will be closed.

Understandably, many of the small business owners who were owed money by the PR firm are very upset that they will never be able to collect. Joe O’Dwyer, whose office supply company was owed £958, told The Sun that “they were always late paying bills. It’s a disgrace that so little money was paid out to creditors”. Another creditor put it more bluntly when he said that “there is a tendency to go all misty-eyed because you’re dealing with royalty and believe that makes a client different-but clearly you have to be hard nosed and business-like”.

In 2001, the Countess was accused of using her royal connections to gain lucrative contracts. After this news broke, the Countess kept a lower profile in the firm.

To read about, and to discuss the Countess of Wessex, please visit this thread.

sgl British Royals Countess of Wessex, Finances

 Today, 2 July, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. This gives us the opportunity to take a look at the couple’s turbulent courtship and marriage, and the development of their feelings for one another - because King Albert and Queen Paola are undoubtedly a couple very much in love. But their marriage was not always the idyll it set out to be. For this match made in heaven, the road went through hell…

In 1958, the then Prince of Liège, Prince Albert of Belgium, went to Rome to attend the coronation ceremony of the new Pope, John XIII. After the ceremony, the Belgian embassy in Rome hosted a ball, on which the Prince was of course the guest of honour. Among the invitees was the young Italian Princess, Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria, who captured  his eye immediately with her shy smile. As far as love at first sight goes, this is definitely a royal example. Later, Queen Paola would say that at their first meeting, they were both so shy, they didn’t say much. In a coverage, “The Voice of the Queen”, Queen Paola admitted that she did not really know who Albert was. “I had a vague idea of who Baudouin was, but I didn’t really know anything about Belgium or Prince Albert. Only Tintin, yes. I had all the comics”.  But lasting impressions were made, and when they met again a few days later, they both realized it was a match made in heaven. After meeting the young Princess, Albert remained in Rome, always looking for new engagements there so he could prolong his stay, and spend more time with la dolce Paola.   Read more…

LadyLeana Belgian Royals King Albert II, Queen Paola, Wedding Anniversary

 For the first time since the George Cross in 1940, a new medal of honor for fallen British military men and women will be named for a reigning monarch.  The Elizabeth Cross, named for HM The Queen, will be awarded to the families of British military men and women killed in active duty from World War II to the present.  Those killed in terrorist attacks will also be eligible for the medal.

Military personnel killed in action in Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Afghanistan, and Iraq will be among those eligible to receive the Elizabeth Cross.  The Associated Press reports, however, that the next-of-kin of those killed before the new millenium will have to apply for the honor, while families of those killed within the decade will be notified by the Ministry of Defence that their loved ones will receive the Cross.

The silver cross is decorated with the initials “EIIR,” for Queen Elizabeth II, and with a rose, a daffodil, a thistle, and a shamrock, the national flowers representing England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The news of the new military medal comes on the day that Lt. Col. Rupert Thorneloe, the highest-ranking member of the British military to be killed in action since the Falklands War, died after the vehicle in which he was traveling was exploded by a bomb in Afghanistan.

For more on The Queen’s current events, please visit this thread.

Ella Kay British Royals Elizabeth II, Military

 The Duke of Gloucester paid a visit to the RAF Oldham recently, where he honored several members of the Royal Air Force with medals, commendations, and awards for length of service. The Duke serves as the Honorary Commodore for the RAF station, and is known for his commitment to honoring the men and women of the British military.

According to an article from This Is Hampshire, the Duke said to the honorees that, “Your role is absolutely vital for so many of the tasks that the British forces are carrying out”. The Duke presented medals and commendations in twelve different categories. Among the award winners was Flight Sergeant Lee Renard, of the 27th Squadron, who airlifted six injured civilians in a Chinook after they had been caught up in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan in 2008. One of the civilians died on the way to the hospital, but five other lives were saved because of his actions.

After giving out the awards, the Duke watched as a RAF display team performed stunts in a Chinook helicopter. He also helped to plant a cherry tree at the helicopter support memorial in honor of Armed Services Day.

To read about, and to discuss the Duke of Gloucester, please visit this thread.

sgl British Royals Duke of Gloucester, Military

 King Mswati III of Swaziland was given a present of six camels by Libyan president Muammar al Gaddafi as a token of friendship yesterday. The camels were flown to Swaziland via cargo plane, where they were greeted by the royal veterinarians and the King’s private secretary, according to an article in The Swazi Observer.

The camels will stay in quarantine for 30 days, where they will be regularly monitored by veterinarians. They will be moved to a new habitat, which is rumored to be a game reserve. Sam Mkhombe, the King’s private secretary, stated that the King would have the final say in where the camels would live. Dr. Robert Thwala, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture said that “it is a great pleasure for the country to be blessed with these rare beasts, especially because most people here are not familiar with these animals”. There is no known record of camels having lived in Swaziland before.

To read about, and to discuss King Mswati III, please visit this thread.

sgl Swazi Royals Animals, Libya, Mswati III, President Gaddafi

 King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia were on hand for national duty and pride yesterday morning, when they helped to kick off the six-month Swedish Presidency of the European Union.

Ready for the photocall, Carl Gustaf and Silvia (dressed in a vibrant orange suit) tried to descend the staircase outside the Royal Palace of Stockholm, but found the stairs already occupied by multiple government members who had been invited. No harm was done, with the pair eventually getting to the front of the group and posing for photos with Swedish Prime Minister Frederik Reinfeldt, President Jose Manuel Barroso of the European Commission, and various Swedish MPs to celebrate the Swedish EU Presidency, which began yesterday July 1st - 18 years to the day after Sweden lodged its European Union membership application, as pointed out by Prime Minister Reinfeldt. Reinfeldt now also holds the title of Council President in the EU.

The celebrations continued in the evening, with an outdoor concert held in Skansen. This was attended by the King and Queen, Princess Madeleine and one of the King’s sisters, Princess Christina. The evening began with the transfer of a glass baton from the Czech Minister for EU Affairs, Stefan Füle, to his Swedish counterpart, Cecilia Malmström.

Several speeches were made after that, including one by Prime Minister Reinfeldt and one by President Barroso. Barroso spoke of his confidence in the Swedish presidency during his speech: “I know that Sweden’s professionalism, competence and true European spirit will guide a very successful next six months.”

Musical performances were also a major part of the event, with performances by the Stockholm Sinfonietta, the Gustaf Sjökvist Chamber Choir and Sofia Jannok. Dressed in traditional Swedish costumes, the Carl Olof Berg Dance Group presented an amusing dance for their elite audience. Sweden will hand over the Presidency of the EU to Spain on January 1st, 2010.

Click here to read about the King and Queen’s current events, and here to read about the Royal Family’s current events.

JessRulz Swedish Royals Carl XVI Gustaf, European Union, Prime Minister Reinfeldt, Princess Christina, Princess Madeleine, Queen Silvia

 The scoreboards at Wimbledon have undergone a change. They are no longer listing the names of the players with “Miss” or “Mrs.” (or even Ms.). In the past, female players have been listed with “Mrs.” or “Miss” before their names on the scoreboards, but men have never had a title before their names. A spokesman for the prestigious tennis tournament said, “We decided to bring it in line with the men”, according to a recent article in the Daily Mail.

In addition to dropping the titles, players no longer have to bow to the royal box when entering and leaving Centre Court. This change was brought about by the Duke of Kent, who is the patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club. When asked about this change, the Duke stated that “it no longer fitted in with the modern game”.

Not all royal protocol has been abandoned though. Female players are still expected to curtsy to the Queen and the Prince of Wales, if they are present at Wimbledon. The Queen has not attended the tournament since 1977, and the Prince of Wales last attended in 1970; however, there is a lot of speculation (and hoping) that the Queen will attend if Andy Murray advances to the finals.

For more information about Wimbledon, please visit this website.

To read about, and to discuss the Duke of Kent, please visit this thread.

sgl British Royals Curtesying, Duke of Kent, Elizabeth II, Protocol, Wimbledon