60th Anniversary of Auschwitz's Liberation

[Claire]

Which royals and high dignataries will be attending the cermony to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz?

UK: HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary.
France: Jacques Chirac
Russia: President Vadimir Putin
Germany: Horst Koehler
Poland: President Aleksander Kwasniewski

Who will the Netherlands, Belgium, Swedan, Norway, Spain, Portugal, USA be sending?

Can we also posted pics. of the event here? Since it will involved all the royal houses, I didn't know where to post it.

 

[Claire]

Here is a site about the anniversary

http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/new/index.php?language=EN&tryb=stale&id=240

 

[Duchess Sophie]

Beatrix and prime-minister Jan Peter Balkenende will represent the Netherlands.

 

[Claire]

Actually I found the list there, here is it. (I have italics the royals)


Albania: Prime Minister Fatos Nano
Armenia: Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
Austria: President Heinz Fischer
Azerbaijan: Speaker of Parliament Murtuz Alasgarov
Belgium: King Albert II; Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
Bosnia-Hertzegovina: Speaker of Presidium Borislav Parvanov
Bulgaria: President Georgi Parvanov
Croatia: President Stjepan Mesić, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
Czech Republic: President Vaclav Klaus
Estonia: President Arnold Rüütel
Denmark: Prince Joahim
Finland: Speaker of Parliament Paavo Lipponen
France: President Jacques Chirac
Spain: Speaker of Upper Chamber of Parliament Javier Rojo
Greece: President Kostis Stephanopoulos
Ireland: President Mary McAleese
Israel: President Moshe Katsav
Lithuania: Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas
Luxembourg: Grand Duke Henri
Latvia: President Vaira Vike - Freiberga
Netherlands: Queen Beatrix; Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
Germany: President Horst Kőhler
Norway: Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prince Haakon
Russian Federation: President Wladimir Putin
Romania: President Traian Basescu
Serbia and Montenegro: President Svetozar Marović
Slovakia: President Ivan Gašparovič
Slovenia: President Janez Drnovšek
Switzerland President Samuel Schmid
Sweden: Princess Victoria
Speaker of Parliament: Bjorn von Sydow
Ukraine: President - elect Wiktor Juszczenko
European Union: President of the European Commission Manuel Barroso; President of the European Parliament Joseph Borell
Vatican: Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger
Hungary: President Ferenc Mădl
UK: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Jack Straw, Foreign Minister

 

[Yennie]

Victoria will be there? I had no idea...

 

[susan alicia]

denmark and england are not sending their highest in rank, is there anything more important going on at that day?
what is that lovely story about something brave the danish king did in during the german occupation of kopenhagen?

 

[Claire]

The British are holding their own memorial service in St. Paul's. The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Tony Blair will be attending there with hundreds of surviours from various concentration camps.

 

[H.M. Margrethe]

denmark and england are not sending their highest in rank, is there anything more important going on at that day?
what is that lovely story about something brave the danish king did in during the german occupation of kopenhagen?

King Christian 10. of Denmark ride on a hors every day until he felt of his horse in 1944.
King Christian did not have a Jewishstar on his coat when he was out in the public.

 

[KikkiB]

King Christian 10. of Denmark ride on a hors every day until he felt of his horse in 1944.
King Christian did not have a Jewishstar on his coat when he was out in the public.

Just wondering...Wasn't King Christian a protestant since that is the major religion in Scandinavia at that time? So why would he have a star on his coat if he wasn't jewish? Did he have one to show symathy with the jews? King Haakon didn't have one and he was a protestant. I'm just being curious...

 

[H.M. Margrethe]

Just wondering...Wasn't King Christian a protestant since that is the major religion in Scandinavia at that time? So why would he have a star on his coat if he wasn't jewish? Did he have one to show symathy with the jews? King Haakon didn't have one and he was a protestant. I'm just being curious...

King Christian was a protestant and he did not have a star on his coat during the war. If King Christian in public was sympathize with the jews her in Denmark he migth been killede by the German army at ordres from Hitler.
I know that King Frederik and Queen Ingrid during the war was helping som of ther frindes flee to Sweden and they was jews.

 

[Claire]

I've never heard this about Christian X of Denmark. Its great to see that he stood up for what he knew was right, even though it meant he could have been killed. I would love to know more. Did he just do it in definance of the Nazi occupation and in retailiation of their treatment of the jews.

Princess Andrew of Greece (Princess Alice) also hide jews in France and also helped them flee.

 

[KikkiB]

King Christian 10. of Denmark ride on a hors every day until he felt of his horse in 1944.
King Christian did not have a Jewishstar on his coat when he was out in the public.

I didn't mean to start a whole discussion about religions and what the King did or didn't do! I just didn't understand what this quote meant. I might have misinterpretated it The Danish royal family and its history is not my field of expertice.

 

[H.M. Margrethe]

I've never heard this about Christian X of Denmark. Its great to see that he stood up for what he knew was right, even though it meant he could have been killed. I would love to know more. Did he just do it in definance of the Nazi occupation and in retailiation of their treatment of the jews.

Princess Andrew of Greece (Princess Alice) also hide jews in France and also helped them flee.

Yes he did it in definance to the Nazi occupation an becaus he knew what they did to the jewz. When he had birthday doing the war he receivede a birthday telegram from Hitler and the only answer Hitler got was "Thank You Christian Rex Denmark" so Hitler got upset at King Christian.

 

[susan alicia]

King Christian 10. of Denmark ride on a hors every day until he felt of his horse in 1944.
King Christian did not have a Jewishstar on his coat when he was out in the public.

do you mean he was not allowed to leave the palace and did it anyway?
did he wear a jewish star while on his horse in protest because jewish danes had to do so?

 

[H.M. Margrethe]

do you mean he was not allowed to leave the palace and did it anyway?
did he wear a jewish star while on his horse in protest because jewish danes had to do so?

No i mean that after his fall from the horse he was to spend the last of his lifetime in a wheelchair.
No King Christian did not wear a jewish star on his coat when he was out riding on his horse. It has always been a rumor but it is not tru Queen Margrethe said it on a program about the Royal familys her in Europe.

 

[norwegianne]

King Christian used to ride through the streets of Copenhagen every day during the early years of the occupation.

There is an urban legend going around that he was wearing one of the yellow stars while he was doing it. It is written about in an American picture book for children: The Yellow Star: The legend of King Christian X of Denmark, by Carmen Deedy.

Queen Margrethe confirmed, in the television series A Royal Family, that it was merely an urban legend.

The number of Danish Jews sent to the concentration camps was considerably less than other countries, as most of them escaped to Sweden.

 

[selrahc4]

Let's hope the press coverage will reflect the true spirit of the event and not include any references to Prince Harry.

 

[ElisaR]

Oh, dear! I read the list and I didn't find.... ITALY!!!!
Why isn't my country represented?

(Btw, we weren't in Normady either, last year ).

Also Spain is missing.

 

[susan alicia]

Oh, dear! I read the list and I didn't find.... ITALY!!!!
Why isn't my country represented?

(Btw, we weren't in Normady either, last year ).

Also Spain is missing.

Berluscioni....... (what a joke that man is).

Spain is not missing but their respresentative is hardly on the same line as beatrix etc.

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

On that day in UK,Queen Elizabeth II will also attend a Service at Westminster Abbey.

 

[Dennism]

Berluscioni....... (what a joke that man is).

Maybe he is off to see his plastic surgeon that day!

 

[Lena]

Does anyone know, how the liberation was remembered in 1995?

 

[DKgirls]

denmark and england are not sending their highest in rank, is there anything more important going on at that day?

Well, the others might have something to do that we maybe don't know of! But Joachim is far good enough, at least some Royalties are going!! And still, if you notice it, many of the countries are sending their Crown Prince(ss), and not their King or Queen(we know three countries are), so we think it's more about just being present, it's not important who's there!
And, it's 60 years - if it was 50, the picture would maybe have been something else! Don't get us wrong, but still!

 

[juliamontague]

Does anyone know, how the liberation was remembered in 1995?

I can't find much about this on the Internet, only short notes.
Like this:

25. Januar 1995

Der Landtag erinnert in einer Gedenkveranstaltung an die Befreiung des Konzentrationslagers Auschwitz vor 50 Jahren.

Julia

 

[Josefine]

what date is it for this event

 

[Josefine]

and i have found its on 26th

 

[ElisaR]

Berluscioni....... (what a joke that man is).

I agree.

(P.S. Is is written Berlusconi. But.... who cares? )

 

[Claire]

The commeration is on 27th January. (Tomorrow)
Here is the complete list of whose attending.

Albania: Prime Minister Fatos Nano
Armenia: Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
Austria: President Heinz Fischer
Azerbaijan: Speaker of Parliament Murtuz Alasgarov
Belgium: King Albert II; Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
Bosnia-Hertzegovina: Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borislav Paravac
Bulgaria: President Georgi Parvanov
Croatia: President Stjepan Mesić, Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
Czech Republic: President Vaclav Klaus
Estonia: President Arnold Rüütel
Denmark: Prince Joahim
Finland: Speaker of Parliament Paavo Lipponen
France: President Jacques Chirac
Spain: Speaker of Upper Chamber of Parliament Javier Rojo
Greece: President Kostis Stephanopoulos
Ireland: President Mary McAleese
Israel: President Moshe Katsav
Lithuania: Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas
Luxembourg: Grand Duke Henri
Latvia: President Vaira Vike - Freiberga
Netherlands: Queen Beatrix; Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
Germany: President Horst Kőhler
Norway: Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prince Haakon
Russian Federation: President Wladimir Putin
Romania: President Traian Basescu
Serbia and Montenegro: President Svetozar Marović
Slovakia: President Ivan Gaąparovič
Slovenia: President Janez Drnovąek
Switzerland President Samuel Schmid
Sweden: Speaker of Parliament: Björn von Sydow, Princess Victoria, Prime Minister Deputy Bosse Ringholm
Ukraine: President - elect Wiktor Juszczenko
European Union: President of the European Commission Manuel Barroso; President of the European Parliament Joseph Borrell Fontenelles
Vatican: Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger
Hungary: President Ferenc Mădl
United Kingdom: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary
USA: Vice President Dick Cheney
Canada: Minister of Foreign Affairs Pierre Pettigrew

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will attend a Service at Westminster Abbey today too.

 

[HMQueenElizabethII]

I think that because this is the Memorial Service so the Royal will wear the black.