The Royal Correspondent

On the final day of their state visit to Oman, Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands along with Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and Princess Maxima visited the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat. Unfortunately, it seems that the Freedom Party (PVV) in the Netherlands are not exactly happy campers when they saw the images of Her Majesty in a headscarf (they became all pissy about it when she wore one the first time in Abu Dhabi).  Click here to read more about the “row” from BBC News.

Any way…

After touring the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque the royal trio visited various Dutch expats living in Oman.  Soon, it was time to leave the gulf nation. Her Majesty along with her Dutch business delegation were “…seen off at the Royal Airport by Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Abdulmalik bin Abdullah al Khalili, Minister of Tourism and His Highness Sayyid Mohammed bin Harib al Said.” 

To view photos from the royal family’s last day in Oman please click the links below:

• VIDEO (in Dutch)
• Gallery One
• Gallery Two
• Gallery Three

Sources: NOS, Oman Observer and Oman Tribune

For the past several days the Danish media have been beyond excited about the upcoming 40th anniversary celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II’s accession to the throne.  Moreover, the media as well as royal watchers were thrilled when they learned that CNN correspondent, Max Foster, had a chance to sit down with the Queen for a lengthy interview.

Well, here is a brief clip from Max Foster’s interview with Her Majesty entitled, Meet the Queen.  Click the link below to watch.

Meet the Queen 

Mr. Foster’s entire interview with Her Majesty airs on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 10:30 and again on Sunday 11:30 as well as Monday at 5:30 and 9:30.  All Denmark time.

And finally… following in the footsteps of other European royal houses such as Norway, the Netherlands, and Britain the royal house of Denmark recently started their own official You Tube channel.  Click the link below to subscribe.   

http://www.youtube.com/user/Detdanskekongehus 

Photo courtesy of Kongehuset

On January 12, 2012, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II and His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark hosted a luncheon in the Great Hall at Christian VIIs Palace, Amalienborg, on the occasion of the Danish EU Presidency.  Attendees at today’s luncheon are members of the EU Commission such as President of the European Commission José Manuel Barosso, Vice-President, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht to name a few.  Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt as well as other members of the Danish government also attended the luncheon.

In other news, His Royal Highness Prince Henrik received Berlingske Fonds (Berlingske Foundation) Award for 2012 this afternoon in Copenhagen.  The French-born prince won the award for being super awesome as well as having a “…great cultural importance to his country.”  Chairwoman and chief editor of Berlingske Fonds, Lisbeth Knudsen, notes that Prince Consort should be given credit for “…the success that is modern Danish monarchy.”   Winning this award not only comes with prestige, but also a nice fat check worth 100,000 Danish Kroners.  Congrats!  

Photos courtesy of Kongehuset and Daylife

Her Royal Highness Princess Mathilde of Belgium was in Leuven this afternoon to met with volunteers from the Médiation de quartier par des bénévoles held at the Provincial House.  This group, Médiation de quartier par des bénévoles, aims to restore communication and social cohesion among neighbors in the area.  Furthermore, to promote a sense of security as well as a better quality of life in the neighborhood.

Source La Monarchie Belge

On January 12, 2012, it was announced that His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco has been named patron of the World Olympians Association (WOA).  The sovereign prince replaces former IOC President, Juan  Samaranch, who passed away.

In a press release, WOA President, Joël Bouzou, stated that he was honored to have Prince Albert as patron of the WOA, “He is an Olympian and a true humanist who has always believed that the values of sport can change lives and can change society for the better. I can’t thank him enough for his support.”

The five-time Olympian and IOC member, Prince Albert II was unanimously approved by the WOA board members and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.

Sources: Sports Features and Sports Pro Media

On January 12, 2012, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan along with Empress Michiko, Crown Prince Naruhito and Prince Akishino attended the annual New Year’s Poetry Contest held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

The theme for this year’s reading of “tanka” Japanese poems was “shore.” The Imperial family along with dozens of attendees sat silently inside a large room in the palace, as a choir of several men around a table read each of the 10 winning works in sing-song, dragged-out tones.

Source: Associated Press

Photo courtesy of Daylife/K.Nogi/AFP