News Summary Royalblog.nl

Imperial family has fun day out

All aboard the imperial train! Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko went to Kodomonokuni, or Children's Land, Saturday to mark (again) their golden wedding anniversary.

The park was founded in 1959, the year of the marriage of Akihito and Michiko. On board of the solar-powered mini train were also Crown Princess Masako, Crown Prince Naruhito, Prince Akishino, Princess Mako and Kako, Princess Kiko and Prince Hisahito, and former Princess Sayako and her husband.

* Hisahito, along with his mother Princess Kiko, and Sayako Kuroda, former princess Sayako (the only daughter of the Emperor and Empress) and her husband Yoshiki Kuroda.

* Empress Michiko looks at bugs passing the winter in wood with Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako, and Prince Akishino's son Prince Hisahito, bottom right.

* Everyone watches while Hisahito and Crown Princess Masako feed a calf. GPD © AP

Queen starts her Christmas break

Queen Elizabeth II started her Christmas break by boarding a train from King's Cross in London to Kings Lynn in Norfolk.

From there she traveled on to the royal country estate at Sandringham where she will spend Christmas with her family. GPD © AP 

Warm royal welcome for Frank De Winne

Belgian ESA (European Space Agency) Astronaut Frank De Winne was welcomed home by the Belgian royal family at the Royal Castle of Laeken at the outskirts of Brussels, Friday.

Frank De Winne, who just spent six months orbiting Earth, and his wife Lena Clarke, met with King Albert II, Queen Paola and the Crown Princely couple Philip and Mathilde. GPD © AP

Queen Margrethe hosts banquet at summit

A pair of Greenpeace activists crashed a Thursday night banquet hosted by Denmark's Queen Margrethe for the world leaders already in town for the Climate Conference in Copenhagen.

The couple, dressed in formal wear, unfurled two banners reading 'Politicians Talk, Leaders Act' as they walked on the red carpet reception line of Christianborgs Palace, and were dragged from the hall by security guards.

Queen Margrethe was accompanied by her husband Prince-consort Henri, her sister Princess Benedikte, the Crown Princely couple Frederik and Mary and Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. Among the guests Monaco's Prince Albert. GPD © AP 

 

Pope welcomes Christmas greetings

Web surfers can now send online Christmas greetings to Pope Benedict XVI. Well-wishers can also choose to include a photograph in their e-mail before sending it through the Pope2You portal, which is run by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

A message set up this week on the portal says the wishes will be gathered for the Pope and shared with the site's users.

The Web site launched in May offers an application for iPhone and iPod Touch that gives surfers news on the pope's trips and speeches. It also features a Facebook application that allows users to send postcards with photos of Benedict and excerpts from his messages to their friends. GPD © AP

On the Net: http://pope2you.net, http://www.vatican.va

Liechtenstein axes art expo in London

Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein has canceled a major London art exhibition because British officials have held up the export of a Renaissance painting he bought in 2006, officials said Wednesday.

The 'Fürst von und zu Liechtenstein' pulled the plug on the exhibition, planned for autumn of next year, because of a criminal investigation into whether the permission to export the painting was properly obtained, according to museum officials in London and Vienna.

Johann Kraeftner, director of the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein and the Vienna Liechtenstein Museum, stressed that neither the prince nor the museum was involved in the probe surrounding The Infante Don Diego, by 16th century Spanish painter Sanchez Coello.

He said that the British government's failure to tell them what was going on during the more than two-year investigation meant that his institution could not trust it with its art. "We are not going to entrust our great treasures to a state that treats us badly", Kraeftner said, adding he tried to find an amicable solution with the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

The academy said.it was disappointed by the prince's move and was working on finding an alternative to the show. The British investigation was first made public in 2007, when Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs announced the arrest of an unnamed art dealer on suspicion of manipulating the documents needed to export The Infante and other works, including a 17th century Dutch masterpiece by Michiel van Musscher entitled Portrait Of An Artist. GPD © AP

Keeping the emperor out of diplomacy

Critics are fuming over allegations that Japan's new government pressured the Imperial Palace into hastily arranging a meeting Tuesday between Emperor Akihito and China's Vice President Xi Jinping in order to curry favor with Beijing.

It is not unusual for Akihito to grant audiences to foreign dignitaries. The meetings, such as one recently held with President Barack Obama, are carefully orchestrated and planned well in advance to avoid hints of favoritism or the appearance of political undertones beyond the accepted status of the emperor as a ceremonial head of state.

But the government's last-minute decision to have Akihito meet Xi, a rising star in China's leadership, was seen by many as stepping over the line between politics and the palace in an attempt by the new administration to score a diplomatic coup with Beijing.

"I am very angry", former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a leading member of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, said Monday. Abe noted that the emperor, who turns 76 this month, has reduced his official duties for health reasons, and said the meeting was an unnecessary burden on him.

Imperial Household Agency head Shingo Haketa told reporters in a news conference last week that Hatoyama pushed the palace to set up the meeting on short notice, although audiences with the emperor normally require a month's advance arrangements. The palace initially refused, he said, but the government persisted and officials eventually relented.

Haketa said there was no convincing reason that the one-month rule had to be bent. "The emperor's role is different from the diplomacy of a country", he reportedly said. "If you are asking for the emperor to play a role to deal with a pending issue between countries, that's not the emperor's expected role under the current constitution." The government denied the meeting was anything more than a courtesy. GPD © AP

Vietnam President calls at Juan Carlos

* Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet was welcomed by Spanish King Juan Carlos at the Pardo Palace, Monday, at the start of a State Visit to Spain. The Spanish royals later Monday hasted a state banquet for the visiting Vietnamese President.

GPD © AP

Gulf Kings, emirs and rulers meet in Kuwait

Leaders of the six GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries met for the 30th summit of the organization in Bayan Palace, Kuwait City on Monday.

Pictured are (left ro right): Kuwait's Crown Prince Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah; the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani; a representative of Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Fahad bin Mahmoud Al Saeed; Kuwait's Emir Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah; Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah; Bahrain's King Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahayyan (also below).

GPD © AP

Royal contribution to Climate conference

Denmark's Queen Margrethe and Prince-consort Henrik attended an ecumenical celebration in the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen, Sunday. Shortly after the service Denmark's churches rang their bells 350 times which was the central act of a worldwide international bell ringing initiative.

The bell ringing symbolizes the 350 parts per million that mark the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere according to scientists. State leaders from around the world are expected to attend the UN Climate Change Conference that is currently underway in Denmark.

Swedish Crown Princess Victoria arrived in Copenhagen to attend (part of) the Conference. The Danish royal family is taking a very active part in seminars, lunches and other meetings, with a State Banquest for visiting heads of states and government at Christiansborg Palace later in the week. © GPD; Photos by GPD © AP

Jordan's King swears in new Cabinet

The Royal Court says Jordan's king has sworn in a new Cabinet dominated by pro-U.S. liberals expected to push for reforms. The 29-member Cabinet is headed by Samir Rifai, 43.

A close confidant of King Abdullah II, Rifai backs Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel and warm relations with the United States.

A royal palace statement said the Cabinet was sworn in Monday in a brief ceremony. The previous Cabinet resigned last week amid public criticism of its inability to press ahead with political and economic reforms. GPD © AP

No problems with Uruguay visit to Akihito

Japan's Prime Minister is under fire for the last minute audience Emperor Akihito was asked by him to grant to visiting Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping Tuesday.

No such controversy between government and Imperial Household Agency caused the well planned visit Monday by Uruguay's out-going President Tabare Vazquez and his wife Maria Auxiliadora.

They met Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Vazquez was on a five-day official visit to Japan. GPD © AP 

Serbian royals celebrate Patron Saint

Members of Serbia’s royal family gathered at the Royal Palace in Belgrade, Sunday, to mark The Royal Family’s Patron Saint Day - Saint Andrew the First Called.

Divine Liturgy was served in the Royal Chapel of Saint Andrew the First Called by the Bishop of Sumadija, Jovan, and Bishop Atanasije of Hvostano, accompanied by other the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

In attendance were Crown Prince Alexander II, Crown Princess Katherine, Prince Philip, Prince Vladimir, Princess Brigitta, Prince Dimitri, Princess Lavinia and husband, Austin Pritchard, sons Luca and Andrej, and Sir Desmond De Silva.

The service was followed by the ceremony of cutting of Slava cake in the Blue Room of the Palace. "As Saint Andrew endured many calamities, but remained sound in his faith, I call for all of us to stay firm to our faith and our efforts for the well being of our nation and our country", Crown Prince Alexander said. Two more ‘Slava’ were held at the White Palace in the afternoon and evening. © GPD

Haakon, Mette Marit and Marius at concert

Haitian singer Wyclef Jean had fun with Norway's Crown Princely couple in the royal box at the traditional Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Friday.

Artists from all over the world gathered at the Oslo Spektrum to help spread the message of peace and celebrate this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, U.S. President Barack Obama. The President and his wife Michelle passed up the festivities and returned home late Thursday.

Crown Princess Mette Marit brought along her son Marius to the concert, who enjoyed meeting the artists as much as Mette Marit and Crown Prince Haakon. Other performers were British pop star Natasha Bedingfield, Donna Summer, American jazz singer Esperanza Spading, Irish pop quartet Westlife, Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, Norwegian fiddler Alexander Rybak and Amadou Mariam, a blues and jazz duet from Mali.

American actor and rap artist Will Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, hosted the concert. © GPD: Photos by GPD © AP 

Charlene reappears at the side of Albert

Prince Albert II of Monaco and his friend Charlene Wittstock attended the 2009 FIA prize presentation gala in Monaco. 

The Prince and Charlene posed with Brawn's Formula One motor racing world champion Jenson Button of Great Britain,and, Button's girl friend Jessica Michibata. Charlene had not been seen at Albert's side for quite some time, leading to media speculations about a rift in the long relationship. GPD © AP

Saudi crown prince returns home

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince returned home Friday after a yearlong absence for treatment of an undisclosed illness that sparked rumors about his health and raised questions about the complicated issue of royal succession in the oil-rich kingdom.

Crown Prince Sultan arrived to a royal reception at Riyadh's airport. He looked healthy and shook hands with hundreds of well-wishers led by King Abdullah, his half brother. Sultan joked with the king, and the two kissed and embraced in greetings that were aired live on state TV.

Sultan is one of the most powerful figures in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom's defense minister for 47 years, he closed several multibillion dollar deals to establish the modern Saudi armed forces. He was appointed crown prince in 2005 and is first deputy prime minister.

The 85-year-old crown prince spent just over a year in the U.S. and Morocco for medical treatment and recuperation. The streets of Riyadh were adorned with Saudi flags and pictures of the king and the crown prince in anticipation of his return.

Shortly after his Nov. 23, 2008, departure from the kingdom, rumors circulated that the crown prince was terminally ill. But family members on several occasions stated that the prince was making good progress and TV footage showed him smiling as he greeted guests in New York and Morocco.

During his absence, Abdullah appointed another half brother, the kingdom's powerful Interior Minister Prince Nayef, as the nation's second deputy prime minister. Before 2006, whoever held the position was viewed as a crown-prince-in-waiting who would automatically becoming second to the throne.

But in 2006, Abdullah set up the Allegiance Council, a body that is composed of the sons and grandsons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul-Aziz, who will vote by a secret ballot to choose future kings and crown princes. The council's mandate will not start until after the reigns of Abdullah and Sultan are over.

It is not clear, however, what would happen if Sultan were to die before the end of Abdullah's reign, leaving a question as to whether the council would vote for a new crown prince or whether Nayef would automatically fill that position? Abdullah assumed the throne in August 2005 after the death of his long-ailing half brother, King Fahd. GPD © AP

Charlotte Casiraghi competing in Paris

Charlotte Casiraghi, daughter of Princess Caroline of Hanover, this week is competing at the Gucci Masters tournament in Villepinte, north of Paris. Charlotte takes part in the competition with her horse Welome GI Joe. 

GPD © AP

Airbus maiden flight pleases Juan Carlos

Spanish King Juan Carlos gave a speech Friday after the Airbus A400M military transport plane exhibition flight in Seville. The KIng had watched the flight with Tom Enders, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus.

The A400M military transport plan, that has been causing Airbus and European defense ministers budgetary and logistical headaches, finally took to the skies for its maiden flight.

The A400M program was launched six years ago with an order for 180 planes from seven governments: Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey. The project is running at least three years late. GPD © AP

Historic Vietnamese visit to Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI and the president of Vietnam have held long talks at the Vatican, amid reports that the Communist country is seeking diplomatic ties with the Holy See.

President Nguyen Minh Triet met with Benedict for 40 minutes Friday. It was the first time that the head of state of the Communist country met with the pope. On the eve of the trip, Triet had told an Italian newspaper that his government is working to open diplomatic relation with the Vatican. Vietnam's 6 million Roman Catholics are the second largest Catholic community in Asia. GPD © AP

Royal pardon in Cambodia for Thai spy

Cambodia's king pardoned a Thai man Friday three days after he was sentenced to seven years in prison for spying on Thailand's fugitive ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a case that soured relations between the neighbours.

Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, played a role in winning the man's release by calling Cambodia's prime minister and asking for leniency, said government spokesman Khieu Kanharith.

Thai national Siwarak Chothipong, 31, will be released from prison Monday following his pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni, who granted the man's release primarily on humanitarian grounds and was able to expedite it because the man had not appealed his conviction, the spokesman said.

The conviction Tuesday followed Cambodia's decision last month to name Thaksin, a fugitive from justice in Thailand, as its special economic adviser. The appointment and Thaksin's subsequent visit to Cambodia angered the government in Bangkok and resulted in a recall of ambassadors from both sides.

Siwarak, an employee of the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, which manages flights in the country, was found guilty of stealing Thaksin's flight schedule before his Nov. 10 arrival and sending it to the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh. GPD © AP