The Royal Correspondent

As I recently reported, H.R.H. Prince Guillaume, The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, will visit Japan starting on May 14-18, 2011.  And, well for the past several days much has happened.

To learn more about his official visit to Japan please visit the blog Luxarazzi here for more detailed information (the author is extremely knowledgeable regarding the Grand Ducal House of Luxembourg.)  

On May 17, 2011, H.R.H. Princess Maxima of the Netherlands attended the Appeltjes van Oranje at Noordeinde Palace. Also in attendance was her husband, H.R.H. Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange and Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.  During the event, as the princess entered the venue, the crowd sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Netherlands most beloved princess.

To watch a video from the event please click the link here.  To view current photos from the event please click the links here and here. 

Photo courtesy of: Koninklijkhuis.nl

According to the newspaper, Monaco-Matin, 22 reigning royal families from all over the world have confirmed their attendance to the upcoming princely wedding in Monaco on July 1 and 2, 2011 “There will be 22 heads of states or represented, and 22 families ruling royal or princely families…”

These confirmations were, well, confirmed by Paul Masseron, the Government Minister for the Interior in Monaco.  Furthermore, it was announced that, “…French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni have been invited. But, the Elysee has not yet sent an answer” said Paul Masseron.   Unfortunately, Mr. Masseron did not state which royal families accepted their invitations; however, we do know that the crown princely couple from Norway, H.R.H. Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and H.R.H. Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, and the entire Swedish royal family have confirmed their attendance to the princely wedding.

Finally, Mr. Masseron noted that sixteen non-reigning royal families will also attend including Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (source).

Interesting.

To read the article in its entirety please click the link here. 

Source: Monaco Matin  Photo courtesy of: Bild.de

On May 17, 2011, Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium visited the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) in Antwerp, Belgium.

The MAS museum was designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects and completed in mid-2010.  According to the official website for the museum, MAS.be, the structure of the building:

…immediately catches your eye. Antwerp’s latest tower reminds us of the 16th-Century storehouses typical of the city of Antwerp and its port. The MAS is designed as a giant storehouse with stacked containers or “boxes”. These museum boxes are stacked in such a way that they create a spiral tower. As you ascend, you get a constantly changing view of the city. A breathtaking 360° panorama awaits you on the roof.

Since its initial completion it took sometime to move the permanent collections into the museum which officially opened today thus the reason Their Majesties visit.  The museum houses, “… ethnological, maritime, ethnic and art historic collections…” 

To learn more about the Museum aan de Stroom please visit their site here.  To view photos of His Majesty King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium at the MAS this afternoon please click the link here.

Source: MAS.be  Photo courtesy of:  Nieuwsblad.be by Belga

Every year on May 17, 2011, the people of Norway celebrate National Day.  According to the official site for Norway:

The 17th May – Norway’s National Day – commemorates the signing of Norway’s written constitution on 17th May 1814. This date is a public holiday in Norway and is celebrated extensively by Norwegians all over the world.

After being part of the Danish autocracy for 400 years, Norway got its own constitution in 1814 and joined into a loose union with Sweden that lasted until 1905.

A limited and hereditary monarchy was introduced, whereby the king would exercise his authority through a government, while Parliament (Storting) would allocate monies and make laws. The Norwegian constitution was the most modern in Europe at the time.

Norway’s Constitution, which declared the country to be an independent nation, was signed at Eidsvoll on 17 May 1814, and despite full independence having had to wait until 1905, this date remains Norway’s official National Day.

This year, the crown princely family stepped out in front of their home in Skaugum, Norway, dressed in traditional clothing, to wave to the crowds as well as to watch the parade pass by in front of their home. 

There are lots of photos from today’s festivities so please click the links here and here.  Click to watch a video here. 

Source:  Visit Norway.com and NRK.no

Photo courtesy of: NRK.no by Heiko Junge/Scanpix