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King Albert II led the Royal Family and Government officials in solemn commemoration ceremonies in Brussels today.

The King, Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy and Belgian veterans placed wreaths at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Thousands turned out to pay their respects to the fallen heroes. At exactly 11:00, people paused for two minutes’ silence to mark the 91st anniversary of the end of The Great War.

His Majesty talked to the veterans and thanked them once again for their great sacrifices. He also stressed how important it is to remember all the heroes who gave their lives during World War I and preserve their memory.

courtesy of Yahoo! news

In Ieper (better known by its French name, Ypres), tens of thousands of people lined the streets of the town, which was left in ruins during The Great War. Ieper is now a world symbol of peace.

Eight Belgian fire brigade buglers led a solemn last post ceremony at the Menin Gate war memorial. The Menin Gate has the names of 55 000 missing soldiers engraved on its limestone walls. According to authorities, some 500 000 people a year visit memorials and battlefields in Flanders, and the number increases as the 100th anniversary of World War I approaches.

Marsel Belgian Royals Armistice Day, King Albert II, Memorial, Remembrance Day, World War I

View the image at Petra

HRH Prince Ra’ad bin Zein, Chief Chamberlain, attended a ceremony at the Amman Martyrs Site on Monday, marking the fourth anniversary of the Amman bombings. Also attended the ceremony a number of ambassadors, survivors of terrorist attacks around the World and Deputy Mayor of Amman, Amer Al Bashir.

The Amman bombings were a series of coordinated bomb attacks on three hotels in Amman, which claimed the lives of 87 people, 70 of them Jordanians, and injured 115 others.

Deputising for Queen Rania, Prince Ra’ad, announced the launch of the Global Survivor Network (www.globalsurvivors.net), an international network which will give help to victims of terrorism around the globe.

salma Jordanian Royals Anniversary, Memorial, Prince Ra'ad, Terrorism

A memorial service was held today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia.

View more pictures from the memorial service

The ceremony was attended by members of the Yugoslavian (Serbian) Royal Family, including Crown Prince Alexander II, Crown Princess Katherine, Prince Philip, Prince Vladimir and Princess Brigitta. Also in attendance were Serbian President Boris Tadic and Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac. The remembrance service was followed by an exhibition dedicated to King Alexander, named “The path of King Alexander – a statesman and a warrior”.

Earlier today, Crown Prince Alexander II and Prince Philip, along with Serbian Foreign Minister and Serbian Ambassador to France Dusan Batakovic, attended a remembrance service for the late King and the late Monsieur Louis Barthou in Marseille, France. King Alexander I was assassinated in Marseille during a State Visit to France; Monsieur Louis Barthou, then French Foreign Minister, was killed alongside the King. The official state ceremony was organized by the French Government at exactly the same location the assassination took place.

After wreath laying ceremony, Crown Prince Alexander said it was a day of sorrow and mourning for him and for former Yugoslavia. Vuk Jeremic, Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs, also paid his respects to the late King: “King Alexander was a victim of fascism and terrorism, bullets fired at him were fired at our country and European peace. King Alexander I was a Unifier, a man with deep respect for the history of his nation and profound vision of unity and integrations, which made him the first true European leader in our history”.

The assassination of King Alexander shocked Yugoslavia and the world. Alexander I was a much-loved Monarch. He led the country though times of turmoil, including the Balkan War and World War I, and was instrumental in the unification of Southern Slavs into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In recognition of his efforts, the National Parliament named him Knight-King Alexander the Unifier. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets along the funeral route to pay their respects.

For more information about Serbian (Yugoslavian) Royals, visit this thread.

Marsel Serbian Royals Alexander I, Assassination, Death, France, Memorial, Prince Alexander, Prince Philip of Serbia

 On September 15, Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia laid a wreath at a Monument of Unknown Hero on Avala Mountain near Belgrade on the 91st anniversary of the breach of the Thessaloniki Front in 1918. During the traditional ceremony and military parade organized by Association of the descendants of Serbian Soldiers, the Crown Prince said: “I sincerely believe that our generation has an obligation to make a better and more prosperous country for our children so that they have the chance to be educated, work and live in peace with themselves and their neighbours in a united and flourishing Europe”.

click to view more pictures from the SRF official website

The Monument of Unknown Hero, designed by famous sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, was built as homage to all unknown heroes that sacrificed their lives during World War I. It is the only monument in the Allied countries that is dedicated to Unknown Hero, rather than Unknown Soldier.

On September 14, Crown Prince Alexander II attended a ceremony on the occasion of the 201st Anniversary of Belgrade’s University. The Crown Prince had a chance to meet some of the best students of the University: he expressed his support and congratulated those young people with their success, calling them ‘Serbia’s best hope’. It’s not just words the Crown Prince supports Serbian students with: HRH Crown Prince Alexander II Foundation for Education is actively supporting distinguished Serbian students, providing them with a scholarship and helping them to continue their education at the best Universities of the United Kingdom and the United States. Read more…

Marsel Serbian Royals Memorial, Prince Alexander, Restoration, World War I

 Following some criticism of the Tongan King’s absence from the island kingdom, Crown Prince Tupouto’a Lavaka has called for closure in a speech at a memorial service for those who died when the ferry the Princess Ashika sank. During his speech he emphasised that whilst they had gathered to remember those who were lost, they must also celebrate the lives saved.

Crown Prince Tupouto’a Lavaka called for the people of Tonga to band together, and support each other, saying that “In times of national crisis nations are forged and defined. I believe that this is the greatest disaster this country has suffered since the influenza epidemic of 1918. I pray, and appeal to you all – that now is the time to put aside differences. Now is the time to work together.”

The Crown Prince also commended the “spirit of cooperation and getting the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible” of the military personnel of Tonga, Australia and New Zealand, and of the Tongan civilians.

A ceremony was also held at sea, above the sunken ship; it was attended by the Princess Regent, Princess Pilolevu Tuita. The princess and other dignitaries dropped wreaths into the water, and a plaque bearing the names of those lost in the tragedy.

marmi Tongan Royals Memorial, Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka, Princess Pilolevu Tuita

click here to see the photo at Yachting Monthly

 The Duke of Kent recently participated in a ceremony to unveil and dedicate a new memorial created to honor the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) members who have lost their lives while trying to save the lives of others. During the ceremony at the RNLI headquarters in Poole, Dorset, the Duke of Kent unveiled the 4.5 meter-high memorial. It was designed by Sam Holland ARBS. It shows a person in a boat, saving another person in the water. According to an article in Yachting Monthly, the memorial “symbolizes the history and the future of the RNLI in its most basic and humanitarian form”. 778 people from all over the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland are commemorated on the memorial. Their family members, friends, and crew members were present at the ceremony.

The RNLI headquarters will have an open house on September 5 and 6. Members of the public are invited to see the memorial and learn more about RNLI. To learn more about the RNLI, please visit this website.

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

sgl British Royals Duke of Kent, Memorial, Royal National Lifeboat Institution

Click to see the photo at the BBC

 Today is the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in London on 7 July 2005, and the day when the memorial to the victims was unveiled  in Hyde Park. Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were present at the dedication ceremony, along with government officials and family members of the victims. The Prime Minister, the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, and the Mayor of London were among those present, along with Tessa Jowell, Minister for London.

The memorial was designed by the architecture firm Carmody Groarke. It consists of 52 11-foot-tall steel pillars, one for each of the victims killed by the terrorist bombs . The pillars stand in four groups, each group representing one of the attacks on a bus and three Underground trains. Each pillar is inscribed with the date and location of the attack; the names of the victims are inscribed on a plaque standing near the memorial.

In his speech, Prince Charles recalled the terrorist attack in 1979 which had taken the life of his great-uncle and honourary grandfather Lord Mountbatten.  He said, “I never fail to be amazed by the fortitude of the British people and it was this indomitable spirit, together with the commitment, compassion and doggedness of the emergency services, which got us through that day and the weeks to come.” In these sentiments, he echoed the words of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who said on the day after the bombings, “I want to express my admiration for the people of our capital city who in the aftermath of yesterday’s bombings are calmly determined to resume their normal lives.”

 The Prince and the Duchess both laid wreaths at the foot of the plaque bearing the names of the victims, and the family members each placed a red rose and a white rose, symbolising love and peace, in urns next to the plaque.

For further discussion, see this thread. For more details about Prince Charles’s speech, please see this article at the Prince of Wales official website.

Lucia-mia British Royals Duchess of Cornwall, Memorial, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Terrorism

Click here to read the article from BBC News

 On Saturday, June 20, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended a memorial service dedicated to the 66 servicemen and women who lost their lives in 2008. The service was held at the Armed Forces Memorial in the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire. It was attended by the families of the deceased, the Duke and Duchess, and the Defense Minister, Baroness Ann Taylor, according to the BBC.

The memorial honors the 16,000 people who have died while on duty, or have been killed by acts of terrorism, since World War II. During yesterday’s ceremony, the 66 names were added to the wall of the Armed Forces Memorial. Baroness Taylor spoke during the ceremony, and stated that the names of the deceased “….will endure so that they can always be remembered”.

To learn more about the Armed Forces Memorial, please click here.

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

sgl British Royals Duchess of Gloucester, Duke of Gloucester, Memorial, Military

Click on image to see photo at rpc.com.br

 Members of the imperial family of Brazil attended a mass in Rio de Janeiro in the memory of those who lost their lives in the Air Flace plane last week. One of the passengers was prince Pedro Luís of Orleans-Bragança. His parents, prince Antonio, princess Christine and his siblings prince Rafael, princess Amélia and princess Gabriela were seated on the first row in the church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Antiga Sé  in Rio de Janeiro. Behind them were other members of the imperial family like prince Alberto, princess Isabel and princess Teresa with her husband Jan Hessel de Jong. The mass was led by the archbisshop of Rio de Janeiro and prince Antonio was one of those who spoke during the service.

On June 8th the official memorial mass will be held in São Paulo and on June 10th a service will be held in Rio de Janeiro. On both occassions members of the Imperial family will be in attendance. The head of the Vassouras branch, prince Luíz Gastão, will attend the service in São Paulo, as is said on the website of the Brazilian imperial family.

This weekend there was also a mass in Belgium, in the memory of prince Pedro Luís. The mass was held at Belouil, the caste of the de Ligne family, as the mother of prince Pedro Luís is a princess de Ligne. The mass was attended by various members of the de Ligne family and other relatives like prince Amedeo and princess Maria-Laura of Belgium.

Marengo Brazilian Royals Mass, Memorial, Prince Pedro Luís

 Friday saw Prince William have not one but two engagements! 

The first was for the completion of the 750,000 machine made by JCB. The Prince went to the company’s headquarters in Staffordshire, and was greeted by hundreds of cheering schoolchildren waving the Union Jack.

William then went inside and had a look around the plant. He had a chance to sit on the milestone machine and joked, “I won’t drive it away. This is my own personal one.”

The Prince had a chance to discuss the recession with the company leaders. He expressed sympathy for the employees, some of whom now have to work a four day schedule.

Later in the day, Prince William had a chance to remember two friends who were killed in the line of duty at the National Memorial Arboretum, also in Staffordshire.

Second Lieutenant Jo Dyer and Major Lex Roberts were both killed in action in 2007. William and Dyer were cadets at Sandhurst together, while Roberts was the Prince’s platoon commander.

William gave a short speech in support of the appeal aimed at raising a further Pounds eight million for the memorial.

Sonjapearl British Royals Memorial, Prince William