The British royal family has raised its profile in the social networking community yet further by starting an account at Twitter. The royal tweets aren’t the online thoughts and feelings of Her Majesty as she goes about her day-to-day life, though; so far they’ve concentrated on the official engagements of members of the royal family and provide links to pages at the official website of the British monarchy. Along with the official website and the Royal Channel on YouTube, the British monarch is well and truly established in cyberspace. So much for accusations of being out of date and out of touch!

Esmeralda British Royals Internet, Social Networking, Twitter, YouTube

Click to see the photo at the Japan Times

 The Japanese Finance Ministry announced on Friday that it will be issuing a set of commemorative coins to mark the 20th anniversary of the enthronement of Emperor Akihito in November next year. The coins are expected to be available later this year.

A total of 100,000 solid-gold ¥10,000 (about $100) coins and 10 million nickel-brass ¥500 (about $5) coins will be issued. The gold coin will be just over an inch in diameter and will carry a design of a phoenix and the Nijubashi bridge at the Imperial Palace; the nickel-brass coin will show two chrysanthemums. Both coins will depict the Imperial Seal on the reverse; this is a stylised crest consisting of a 16-petalled chrysanthemum. The chrysanthemum has been associated with the imperial family for a long time; the Japanese throne is referred to as the Chrysanthemum Throne, and the Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan’s highest honour (click here for more information).

Click for the photos at taxfreegold.co.uk

Emperor Akihito succeeded his father Emperor Hirohito on the latter’s death on 7 January 1989, and his enthronement took place on 12 November 1990. A set of coins was issued in November 1990 to commemorate the enthronement; the ¥10,000 gold coin depicted a phoenix and the ¥500 coin depicted a royal carriage, again with the Imperial Seal on the reverse.

For more about the enthronement ceremony for the Japanese Emperor, see this thread.

Esmeralda Japanese Royals Anniversary, Emperor Akihito, Enthronement

Click for the photo at the Prince of Wales' website

 Today is the 40th anniversary of the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. The title Prince of Wales has been traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English (and then the British) monarch since it was first bestowed by Edward I on his infant son Edward of Caernarvon, later Edward II, in 1031 after the English conquest of Wales. Unlike the Dukedom of Cornwall, which automatically falls to the eldest son of the reigning monarch, the title Prince of Wales (and its subsidiary title Earl of Chester) has to be bestowed by the monarch.

The Queen created Prince Charles Prince of Wales on 26 July 1958, when he was a nine-year-old schoolboy. The announcement was broadcast from Cardiff during the closing ceremony of the Empire Games since the Queen was unwell and not able to be there to make the announcement in person. In her speech, she promised to present the new Prince of Wales to the people of Wales when he was grown up. That day arrived on 1 July 1969, when Charles was 20 years old and had spent a few months during his university days studying Welsh at the University of Wales at Aberystwyth.

Click to see the image at gtj.org.uk

The tradition of investing the heir as Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle had been revived in 1911 for the investiture of the future Edward VIII (Duke of Windsor) after having lapsed for centuries. This tradition was continued for Prince Charles. The designs for the ceremony were the responsibility of the Earl of Snowdon, husband of Princess Margaret, who had been appointed Constable of the Castle in 1963. He created a modern setting for the ceremony, with a simple Welsh slate throne sitting beneath a plastic canopy. This departure from the usual royal style was a deliberate attempt to connect royal ceremony with the 20th century public, particularly young people. Prince Charles wore his naval uniform and Garter insignia, unlike his unfortunate predecessor in 1911 who had to go through the ceremony dressed in white velvet and satin, complete with knee breeches, an outfit he termed a “preposterous rig.” A new, modern-style coronet containing Welsh gold with diamonds and emeralds was designed by Louis Osman for Prince Charles. Read more…

Esmeralda British Royals Anniversary, Investiture, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

After their visit to British Columbia last week, the Earl and Countess of Wessex spent the weekend in Alberta, where Prince Edward continued his activities on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme while the Countess undertook other engagements (see this blog).

On Saturday Prince Edward visited Simon Fraser Junior High School in Calgary to meet students involved in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and other leadership schemes.

On Sunday morning the Prince handed out awards to 100 Gold Award recipients at the Palliser Hotel in Calgary. He told the students that they could walk taller, knowing what they have achieved.  He also held a breakfast meeting with business leaders and RCMP officials with a view to increasing the number of young people taking part in the Award scheme, especially those in the north of the country, including Nunavut, where presently the high school drop-out rate is very high.

On Sunday afternoon the Prince took part in a ceremony at the Mewata Armoury to mark the 100th anniversary of the Cadet Instructor branch of the Canadian Forces Reserve. As Colonel in Chief of the Saskatchewan Dragoons, he was wearing the uniform of a Canadian colonel. He watched a march past, inspected the troops, and chatted informally to some of the cadets.

On Sunday evening the Prince attended an event in Banff, and on Monday he was back in Calgary to present the RCMP with a new mascot, a yellow labrador called Suzanna, from the kennels at Sandringham. This comes shortly after the RCMP presented the Queen with a horse, named George, trained in the RCMP Musical Ride programme (see this blog).

For more details about the trip, see this thread.

Esmeralda British Royals Canada, Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Click to see the gallery at Getty Images

 Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited the Royal Ballet School at White Lodge in Richmond Park on Wednesday to attend the school’s Royal Gala Performance. In the spirit of the occasion, Camilla was dressed in a long pale-blue dress and coat with a ballet-dancer brooch.

Click to see the photo at the Royal Ballet School website

The Lower School (teaching pupils aged 11 to 16) is based at White Lodge, an 18th-century house originally built as a hunting lodge for George II. In the mid-19th century the house was occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Teck and their three sons and daughter, Princess May, who later became Queen Mary (consort of George V). More recently, it was the first marital home of Charles’s grandparents the Duke and Duchess of York (later George VI and Queen Elizabeth), who set up home there in 1923. The house is undergoing major renovations at present, and Charles is the  patron of the Royal Ballet School White Lodge Restoration and Development project.

The royal couple met with some of the pupils inside the building, and then walked down the stairs  to see the performance in the Margot Fonteyn theatre. Also present were some of the most celebrated graduates of the school including Darcy Bussell, Sir Anthony Dowell, and Dame Antoinette Sibley.

For more information about Charles and Camilla, see this thread.

Esmeralda British Royals Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Royal Ballet

 The Swedish Royal Family has announced that Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling will marry in  Storkyrken (Stockholm Cathedral) on 19th June 2010, the day of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s 34th wedding anniversary. This is also the day when Crown Prince Oskar married Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg in 1823 and when Crown Prince Carl married Princess Louise of The Netherlands in 1850.

The wedding, which will be attended by royals from all over Europe, is already being planned; Major General Håkan Pettersson, the head of the King’s military staff,  is in charge of arrangements.

For more information about the wedding date, see this thread; for more information about the engagement, see this thread.

Esmeralda Swedish Royals Daniel Westling, Princess Victoria, Wedding

13 Feb 09. It was announced today that Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will carry out a two-week official tour of Canada and Hawaii in July. The trip is intended to foster international cooperation and friendship.

After arriving in Ottawa on 3 July, the Emperor and Empress will begin their official tour on 6 July, covering Toronto, Victoria, and Vancouver.

On 14 July the imperial couple will fly to Hawaii, where they will visit Oaho and the large island. This trip will not include a visit to Pearl Harbor.

Esmeralda Japanese Royals Canada, Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko, Official Visit, United States of America

 The Princess Royal has arrived at Gibraltar for a three-day official visit, during which she is set to open a military hospital bearing her name, the Princess Royal Medical Centre, as well as visiting a school for children with special needs.

The Spanish government, which claims that Gibraltar belongs to Spain, has protested the Princess’s visit. The Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs contacted the British Ambassador with a message that the visit was inopportune and to express annoyance at the visit and its support by the British government. The government of Gibraltar, on the other hand, has welcomed the Princess’s visit and does not seem to be impressed with the Spanish expressions of displeasure.

This is the Princess Royal’s second visit to Gibraltar in five years. She visited in 2004 to be present at the events marking Gibraltar’s 200th year of independence.

Esmeralda British Royals Gibraltar, Princess Anne, Princess Royal

Click the image to see the photo at the Press Association

 The Duchess of Cornwall today visited The Royal School Hampstead, of which she is patron, to meet pupils who are taking part in fundraising for the National Osteoporosis Society. Camilla has been President of the National Osteoporosis Society since 2001 and takes a very personal interest in the work of the charity since her mother, Rosalind Shand, died of the disease in 1994 aged 72.

The pupils at The Royal School Hampstead are taking part in a number of activities to raise money, including the three-mile Big Bone Walk as well as shorter treks and sales of handicrafts. The Duchess met pupils who had been on some of the walks as well as pupils selling items in stalls around the school.  She told the schoolgirls: “May I congratulate you all for all you have done – and what a fantastic job you’re doing. I wish there were many more schools like you out there.”

Read more about the Duchess’ patronages in this thread.

Esmeralda British Royals Duchess of Cornwall, Health, Patronage

 24/2/09. Some Swedish news outlets are reporting that a meeting of the entire Cabinet is being called for 1 pm Tuesday in order for the King to announce the engagement of Crown Princess Victoria to her long-term boyfriend Daniel Westling.

There have been on-and-off rumors of an impending engagement between the Princess, who is 31, and 35-year-old Westling, a gym owner born in Örebro who has been the Princess’s boyfriend since 2002. It is believed by some that the engagement has been delayed because the King and Queen do not approve of the relationship.

It’ll be interesting to see if this is yet another false alarm or if wedding bells will finally be in the offing for the Crown Princess.

Esmeralda Swedish Royals Daniel Westling, Engagement, Princess Victoria