To the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester for managing to spend 30 years (and counting) avoiding the tabloid headlines.
I will add to this my own roster of awards....
A Second Award to TRH the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester for working hard and raising three balanced children, and this year gaining their first grandchild, a healthy boy. For the Duchess, for having (and wearing it brilliantly) one of the finest private jewelry collections, and (I hear) for being still an avid weekly tennis player even as she enters her sixth decade!
An Award goes to HRH the Duchess of Cornwall for adapting to the royal tidal waves at an age when adapting is not so easy, for taking on more than she thought herself capable of handling, and rising to the challenge with a fantastic attitude!
An Award goes to HRH the Prince of Wales for his ongoing active interest in his fellows' daily lives, for his dedication to the rights of country farmers and small-town dwellers in Britain, showing heartfelt concern for how they live, work, and contribute to a healthier environment!
An Award for HRH the Duke of Edinburgh...... for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award!
And for providing the last half of the 20th Century with a unique brand of wit and common sense that won't be forgotten. For keeping his cool in a media that continues to accuse him of murder. For being such a loyal and loving "cabbage" to Her Majesty for the past 60 years.
An Award goes to HRH the Princess of Hanover for giving birth to four fantastic people, who are beautiful inside and out, and who each has a unique spirit about which we continue to learn with every public act!
A Second Award for the Princess Caroline: for taking AMADE Mondiale to levels of achievement and renown that even her mother might not have thought possible!
An Award to HRH the Prince of Hanover for giving Princess Caroline (and at times in the past, us) so much to giggle about!
An Award to the late Prince Rainier for his part in putting Monaco on the map, so to speak.
An Award to Prince Albert for signing the Kyoto Protocol and his countless journeys and fundraisers on behalf of important geological-ecological projects.
An Award to Princess Aiko for giving us hope (if short-lived) for an equal-rights Japanese Monarchy! A simaltaneous Award to her parents for a winning perseverance and charm in what must be a rather suffocating existence!