The Royal Correspondent

Well, there she is!  There is Charlene!!   She looks great!  Very elegant!!

Okay, so about this event.

The engaged couple made another appearance this evening, December 2, 2010, at the 4th Annual International Forum for Peace and Sport Gala dinner. Never heard of this organization?  Yeah, neither have I.

Any way, the couple along with hundreds of attendees gathered together for a lavish dinner in Monaco.  Earlier in the evening Prince Albert attended the opening of the Christmas village in Monaco.  Why he didn’t allow Charlene to attend remains a mystery.

Dressed in a long black body hugging gown, Charlene looked quite happy and relaxed.

Prince Albert, well, he’s quite unfortunate looking… in my opinion.  But, at least he’s losing that extra poundage he’s been carrying around for years.  I suppose being engaged really is a motivation to lose weight.  Let’s hope he keeps it off.

Photos courtesy of Daylife by  Francois Durand.

This evening in tiny ass Monaco, where the rich and sleazy party their`Okoles (Hawaiian word for ‘Butts’) off, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco decided that he was in a festive mood and he wanted to share it with the working people of Monaco (actually those who serve and work in Monaco don’t actually live there.  They either live in  Beausoleil or some other cutesy village with cobblestone streets and stuff.)

The not-so dashing Sovereign prince of Monaco allowed people to shake his hand whilst staring at his bald head during his brief visit to the inauguration of the Christmas village in Monaco.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves for this photo-op, but many were wondering, “Where is Charlene?”

I guess she couldn’t make it for some reason; however, she did attend another event with Princess Stephanie the day before.  How nice.

Photos courtesy of RD.

For the past several years it has become tradition for Crown Princess Mary to attend the Royal Danish Academy Christmas Concert.  And, as tradition goes the event was posted on the Crown Prince Couple’s official website.

Unfortunately for many royal watchers it seems that Princess Mary has cancelled her attendance to this annual concert.  The event was to take place on Sunday December 12, 2010 at the Isaiah Church located in Copenhagen.

Reasons were not released by the Palace court, but one can only assume the reason for her cancellation was due to bed rest… again in preparation for the upcoming birth of her twins.

To review the upcoming calendar of events for the Danish Crown Prince Couple you can visit their website at www.kronprinsparret.dk/9000c

Photo courtesy of Daylife.com by Julien M. Hekimian.

Moving vans were seen this morning outside of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary’s home, Kancellihuset, at Fredensborg Palace.

The couple recently renovated their residence at Frederick VIIIs Palace at Amalienborg Palace, located in Copenhagen.   Akward sentence, I know.

The Crown Prince couple’s new home caused a bit of controversy when the final renovations were revealed to the public.  Many were puzzled by the design and the couple’s choice of artwork painted on the walls of this stunning historic palace.

Critics deemed the interior design as “cheesy” or “drug inspired” or “nouveau riche.”  Personally, I believe some of the rooms are quite lovely… very traditional. 

Others… not so much.  But, hey, I don’t have to live there.

According to various reports, Frederik and Mary still have yet to buy new furniture… what’s taking them so long remains a mystery.  Nevertheless, once they finally decide on the right dining room table and chairs hopefully there will be official photos released by the Danish Royal Family’s PR team… I know many of us would like to gaze upon the couple’s new $5 million dollar palace renovation — minus furniture cost –in all its glory.

Photo courtesy of fredensborg.lokalavisen.dk. More information about the move can be seen here. http://fredensborg.lokalavisen.dk/nu-flytter-frederik-og-mary-/20101202/artikler/712079910/1009

This evening HRH Crown Prince Frederik will attend a dinner in Gentofte to celebrate and, I suppose, honor the upcoming Olympic Games to be held in London in 2012.  Frederik will be dining with the British Ambassador to Denmark as well as other members from the IOC.

Unfortunately, Frederik’s wife, Crown Princess Mary, will not be attending this event.  As you know she is at home resting and preparing for the upcoming birth of her twins due sometime in early January.

After my English translation post, originally translated by Victory @ RD then clarified by me for TRC, about Carina Axelsson (the American woman who is not a Princess rather the permanent partner of HSH Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg), from the article that was originally written in Swedish by Asa B from Svensk Damtidning magazine, I received a couple of emails regarding Bad Berleburg castle. Whew!  Long sentence.  Any way, I thought I would address this question and post some images of this stunning castle with original commentary.

Well, to begin Bad Berleburg castle (in German it’s known as Schloss Berleburg) is located in North Westphalia in, where else, Germany.  Bad Berleburg is known as a “spa” town.

The castle was constructed in 1258, and according to Asa B — via the American non-Princess Carina Axelsson — the castle was, in my words, aging to put it mildly.  Miss Axelsson said that she remodeled the interior while the exterior of the Schloss still has not been touched by her magic hands.  

The castle is shaped like a square U (if that makes any sense) and contains a restaurant on the premises.  In the back of Schloss Berleburg there is an orangerie, gardens, and I believe a chapel.

The schloss is surrounded by beautiful forests and nearby Bison roam in a protected area.

There are very few images of the interior of Schloss Berleburg, but from what I have seen it looks to be a lovely place.  Not exactly my taste, but lovely nonetheless.

As you may have heard the schloss is a private residence; however, it was reported a year or so ago that the castle offers daily tours.  I believe that this is still to be true.  The occupants within the schloss include Carina and her boyfriend, who owns the place, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittengenstein-Berleburg.

His mother Princess Benedikte of Denmark and her husband the awesome Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg also reside within the old castle.

Photos courtesy of Flickr, Der Westen, Billedbladet.dk, touristik-bad-berleburg.de.

On November 23-28th HRH Princess Marie of Denmark visited Hong Kong, China alongside her husband, HRH Prince Joachim.

The couple were in Hong Kong for business, but of course what royal watchers were particularly interested in was her clothing.

Known for her simple yet very chic style, Princess Marie, did not disappoint those following her fashion style.  Personally speaking, there was only one outfit that I loved on her the others, um, not so much.

It’s this gold Vegas number.  I hate it.

Photos courtesy of Billed Bladet.  The issue is out on newsstands now.  Or, you can visit Billedbladet.dk to read excerpts from the magazine.