The experiences the Scandinavian heirs made during the travel to Svalbard and Greenland will be published in a book. Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Frederik have written an own chapter about the impressions they got during the journeys.

In summer 2008 the 3 Scandinavian heirs visited Svalbard. They went aboard an icebreaker to get better impressions of the climate change in the Arctic.

In summer 2009 they went on a trip to Greenland. There they focus on the climate change and it’s consequences.

The book, which includes the Royal experiences, is called “Royal polar expedition”. It is a result of the ravels and is published in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

The proceeds from the book will go to charity.

Click here to see a video about the Royal Arctic experiences.

Her_Majesty Danish Royals, Norwegian Royals, Swedish Royals Book Review, Books, International Polar Year, Prince Frederik, Prince Haakon, Princess Victoria

Indian princess Gayatri Devi could have just relaxed in her life of luxury. Instead she won three elections, ran a stud farm and started schools for girls. She was also a campaigner for democracy and women’s rights. The princess died aged 90 on July 29 this year.

Raised in an opulent palace with 500 servants, she spent holidays in London and Europe. There her family mixed with the British Royal family and the social elite.

At just 20 she married Sawai Man Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur, in a famous wedding in 1939. His family looked down on her Cooch-Behar connections and her family didn’t like his already having two wives. The handsome young man had been practically forced to marry these wives so he spent most of his time with the princess who was called one of the ten most beautiful women in the world. A writer in Vogue called her ‘a dream in sari and jewels.’

The Maharaji ruled over more than two million people until India’s independence from Great Britain in 1947. The princess set fashion trends, met Jackie Kennedy and other important people, and held extravagant parties. She was painted by Cecil Beaton.

In 1962 she won a seat in parliament, gaining one of the largest majorities in Indian history. She won elections three times but eventually she had a conflict with Indira Gandhi over Gandhi’s socialist policies. She was put in jail for five months on what many thought were trumped up charges of tax-evasion.

Her husband died on the polo field in 1970. In 1975 she retired from politics, but she continued to support charities, run her farm, and run the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girl’s School, one of the schools that she started. The talented princess also wrote books, including her memoirs, A Princess Remembers.

She tragically had to face the death of her only son, Jagat Singh, who had abused drug and alcohol in the nineteen-nineties. She remained resilient, however, still entering society. She loved cricket and riding. The princess wanted to see the Keira Knightley film, ‘The Duchess’, according to actress, Sharmira Tagore, who married the cricketer, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

The princess, ‘a picture of beauty and grace’, will be greatly missed.

attaininggrace Other Mediatized Royals Biography, Books, Death, Gayatri Devi, Maharaja of Jaipur

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Elisabeth Samnoy have written a new book: “Møt din skytsengel”, or in english:”Meet your Guardian Angel”.
In that book the two women teach others how to get in touch with angels.

“A Guardian Angel is personal. Everyone has an own guardian angel. To find it,you have to face yourself in an honest and loving way.”, the princess said in an interview.
She also talked about how scared she was to investigate her internal “I was convinced that I basically was an evil person” she says She adds that she did not find malice, but only love.
You can see a whole interview with the two authors here.
You can find a special page about the book at facebook. Have a look here.

On October 29th 2009 Princess Märtha Louise spoke about her angel school and the new book to TV-host Fredrik Skavlan in the talkshow “Skavlan” on Swedish public chanel
SVT in Stockholm.

You can find a thread about the new book here.

Her_Majesty Norwegian Royals Books, Facebook, Princess Märtha Louise

 A recently-released book regarding the Danish Royal Family, Royal Travels – Behind the Scenes with the Monarchy, has reported that HM Queen Margrethe II will abdicate next April 16th – the day of her 70th birthday.

Written by journalist and royal expert John Lindskog, the book claims the Queen will abdicate next year to “follow her husband to his beloved home Chateau de Cayx.” Her husband, HRH Prince Henrik, is a native Frenchman and has been plagued with ill-health in recent years. “A number of events appear to have pushed forward something the Queen has always been against but that certain circumstances seem to suggest she will nonetheless do – be the first Danish monarch to abdicate the throne,” Lindskog writes.

The Danish Royal Court however today denied the claims made by Lindskog, with Lene Balleby (the Head of Communications) issuing a statement to the Danish news agency Ritzau: “There is no truth in this. There are no deliberations of that sort.”

The claims are also being refuted by several Danish historians, including controversial author Trine Villeman. She told Politiken that “our Queen has always put duty highest. And it has had both private and personal costs. But she has always been willing to pay the price. I cannot see why that should have changed.” Queen Margrethe herself is quoted as never abdicating, in a book released years ago by Annelise Bistrup:

“Being Queen is a profession…an office that one cannot put aside when you come home from work. It is there all the time, it is there all your life. For me, it is a responsibility that does not include abdication. It is a task one has been given and taken upon oneself, and one does not relinquish it because it would perhaps be convenient personally to be shot of some of it.”

JessRulz Danish Royals Abdication, Books, Margrethe II

 Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria, the father of Queen Paola of The Belgians is making headlines in Belgium due to a book by Prof. Mark Van den Wijngaert, journalist Misjoe Verleyen and Lieve Beullens, that will be published this week. In the book ‘Vrouwen naast de troon’  the authors ‘reveal’ that Paola’s father was a senator from 1934 till 1944, during the time Mussolini’s fascist party was in power. Don Fulco, who was a hero from WWI, was put on trial in 1945 and found guilty for co-responsibility for the crimes of Fascism.

The authors presented this ‘revelation’ as big news, and they claim that it was never mentioned before in official biographies. Dutch royalty blog ‘royalblog’ however quickly pointed out that the 1999 biography of Queen paola by mario Danneels already mentions that her father was a senator during this period, as do Italian online biographies about the prince. He was named a senator by kign Vittorrio Emanuele III of Italy in 1934, the king already elevated him to the princely rank years earlier.

However, the Belgian newspaper now claim that the prince wass a senator for the fascist party and a great supporter of Mussolini. Thus far no evidence of this has been presented anywhere in the press and the authors of the book never said this in interviews either. Still, theyw ill be happy about the headlines, as most people in Belgium will know that their new book will be available for sale this week.

Marengo Belgian Royals Books, In-Laws, Queen Paola

 Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands, together with illustrator and author of children’s books Sieb Posthuma, is writing a book called Mr. Finney reports GPD Papers’ royalblog. The book will be published in October by a cooperation of the publishers Querido/Nijgh/Athenaeum.

 

 

Click on image to see photo at www.royaljewels.nl

According to Querido the intention is to publish a collection of children’s books. Mr. Finney is an idea of the princess herself and is meant for children from the age of four to eight. The authors will try to convey non moralising questions to children about how we use the planet.  In 2004 Princess Laurentien founded the foundation ‘Lezen & Schrijven’ (Reading & Writing) and she has been dedicating herself to the causes of reading and fighting illiteracy even before her marriage to Prince Constantijn.

Read more about princess Laurentien and her activities for ‘Reading and Writing’ in this TRF thread.

 

Marengo Dutch Royals Books, Children, Education, Princess Laurentien