Last month, Prince Akishino of Japan, and his wife Princess Kiko enjoyed a two-week visit to central and eastern Europe in honor of the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan, Austria and Hungary. The prince and princess also traveled to Bulgaria and Romania, in honor of the 50 years of diplomacy between these two nations and Japan. The elegant 42 year-old princess was the very image of traditional and modern royal style during the visit.

One of the highlights of the princess’ wardrobe during the visit was the beautiful, peach-colored silk kimono that she wore during her visit with the prince to the Klosterneuburg Abbey near Vienna. The kimono, which had short sleeves rather than the familiar trailing sleeves characteristic of kimono for girls and unmarried women, was accentuated by a wide cream and peach-colored obi with floral design and a peach obijime. The kimono had yuzen-dyed floral detail, similar to that on the obi; as is usual for a formal kimono for a married woman, the design was subtle and was mostly below knee height, with some detailing also on the left shoulder. No jewelry was worn to accentuate her outfit, as is the custom when wearing kimono. The peach color complimented the porcelain complexion of the princess. The material looked like a heavy, yet soft silk, and the kimono was perfectly fitted to suit the princess’ slim figure. Read more…

sgl Japanese Royals Austria, Bulgaria, Fashion, Hungary, Japan, Official Visit, Princess Kiko, Romania

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Japan´s Prince Akishino met yesterday with Austrian President Heinz Fischer at the Hofburg Imperial Palace, the seat of the presidency in Vienna, at the start of a four-day visit to Austria. Princess Akishino (informally Princess Kiko) is accompanying her husband on a two-week tour of Europe that also includes Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. The prince and princess will return to Japan on May 23 after a brief stopover in Paris.

During their stay in Austria, Prince and Princess Akishino will visit the Japanese school in Vienna, the former home of classical composer Joseph Haydn, and Schoenbrunn summer palace as well as other cultural sights in and around the capital. The trip to Austria is probably an especially pleasant experience for Princess Akishino, as she attended school in Vienna for several years, due to her father´s work, and is still in contact with her old friends there.

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ChiaraC Japanese Royals Austria, Official Visit, Prince Akishino, Princess Kiko, Princess Mako

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 On May 10, Prince and Princess Akishino are expected in Austria for a four-day visit. They are scheduled to visit there Klosterneuburg diocese, Vienna’s Schönbrunn Castle, the Neusiedler Lake National Park in the province of Burgenland as well as the Japanese school of Vienna and the capital’s Museum for Natural History. 

Princess Akishino’s stay in the European country will probably remind the Japanese princess of happy times, as the former Kiko Kawashima attended elementary and high school in Austria when her father, Tatsuhiko Kawashima, became the chief researcher at The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, near Vienna. Stemming from that time, the princess is fluent in German. That Princess Kiko, as she is informally called, has always kept in touch with some of her father´s old friends in Austria, Norbert and Gabriele Orac, became obvious to the public in summer 2006 when the couple invited her eldest daughter, Princess Mako, for a two-weeks stay at their home in the suburbs of Vienna.

Prince and Princess Akishino will continue their trip by departing for Bulgaria on May 13 where they will stay until May 16, in order to mark the 50th anniversary of the reinstatement of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Japan. The couple will also visit Hungary and Romania, as 2009 is proclaimed the year of friendship between Japan and the Danube states. In January, Bulgaria’s President, Georgi Parvanov, and his wife, Zorka Parvanova, paid an official visit to Japan. (Photo)

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ChiaraC Japanese Royals Austria, Bulgaria, Official Visit, Prince Akishino, Prince Hisahito, Princess Kiko, Succession

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Queen Silvia attended the start of the 52nd Session on Narcotic Drugs at the Vienna International Centre in Vienna yesterday, March 11.

The conference was organised on behalf of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and was also attended by the UNODC’s Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa.

You can read more about Silvia’s attendance and view more photos here.

JessRulz Swedish Royals Austria, Drug Prevention, Queen Silvia, United Nations

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 On March 5, Queen Noor of Jordan attended the Women’s World Awards in Vienna, Austria. This year’s awards was presented to the winners by Queen Noor of Jordan in the “Style” category.

Queen Noor who was the recipient of the foundation’s Tolerance Award in 2006.

The Women’s World Awards are presented by the World Award foundation in 12 different categories to “extraordinary women from throughout the world whose achievements contribute to furthering self-determination, gender equality, freedom and the elimination of all forms of social and economic discrimination.”

dazzling Jordanian Royals Austria, Queen Noor