Imperial Family of Japan

The Imperial Family of Japan Visits Fukushima to Mark 15th Anniversary of 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami

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This afternoon, Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan, accompanied by Her Imperial Highness Princess Aiko of Japan, began their two-day official visit to the Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan.

The visit is being held to mark the 15th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.

During the visit, the Imperial Family will pay tribute to the victims, visit facilities that document the disaster and subsequent reconstruction, and meet with residents affected by the events to observe ongoing recovery efforts in the region.

The visit began in the town of Futaba, where the Imperial Family visited the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum. They laid flowers in memory of the victims and met with local residents.

Tomorrow, the Imperial Family will continue their visit to Fukushima Prefecture, including a visit to a disaster memorial facility in Tomioka. They are also expected to attend classes at an educational facility in Okuma, located near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The Imperial Family is also expected to stop at a roadside station in Namie, a town heavily affected by the 2011 disaster and subsequent nuclear evacuation, before returning to Tokyo later that day.

Malaysian monarchy, Royal Family of Johor

A New Princess Is Born: Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Idris and Che’ Puan Khaleeda of Johor Welcome a Baby Girl

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  • Portrait courtesy of the Office of His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail Idris of Johor
  • Press release courtesy of the Jumaah Majlis Diraja Johor
  • His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, the 15th King of Malaysia

This morning, the Jumaah Majlis Diraja Johor (The Royal Council of Johor) announced the birth of a daughter to His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail Idris, the Regent of Johor and Her Highness Che’ Puan Mahkota Khaleeda of Johor.

According to a formal proclamation issued by the Royal Council, the Princess was born on Sunday, April 5th, 2026. Both mother and daughter are reported to be in good health. The name of the child has not yet been announced.

The announcement was made in accordance with the command of His Royal Highness the Regent of Johor, with the Royal Council conveying prayers for the continued health, happiness, and enduring prosperity of the royal family of Johor.

The newborn Princess is the fifth child of His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail Idris, the Regent of Johor and Her Highness Che’ Puan Mahkota Khaleeda of Johor, and the seventh grandchild of Their Majesties Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, and Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah.

Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar is the Sultan of Johor, a hereditary Malay state located in the southernmost region of Peninsular Malaysia, bordering the Republic of Singapore. 

On January 31st, 2024, Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar acceded to the throne as the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) under the country’s unique rotational monarchy system, in which the rulers of the nine Malay states serve five-year terms as the federal constitutional sovereign.

Royal Family of Thailand

Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand to Deliver a Lecture on Thai Traditional Dress and Cultural Heritage in the Netherlands

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  • Portrait courtesy of the office of H.R.H. Princess Sirivannavari of Thailand

This morning, it was announced that Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya of Thailand is scheduled to undertake a series of cultural engagements from April 9th to 10th, 2026, in Den Haag, Netherlands, centered on the international presentation of Thai national costume and textile heritage.

At Hotel Des Indes, the Princess will deliver a lecture titled The Evolution of Thai Traditional Dress and Thai Textiles on April 9th, as part of an academic forum focused on Thai royal costume and the transmission of related knowledge. The lecture will be accompanied by presentations illustrating the eight recognized forms of Chud Thai, placing their development within the broader historical context of Thai design and craftsmanship.

The following day, the Princess will preside over the opening of the exhibition Chud Thai: Knowledge, Craftsmanship and Practices of the Thai National Costume, organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Thailand. The exhibition brings together both ceremonial and contemporary interpretations of Thai dress, including pieces from the Princess’s own collection, alongside works by master artisans representing key textile traditions such as Mudmee, Prae Wa, and Yok brocade, as well as weaving practices associated with the Kingdom of Thailand’s highland communities. Demonstrations of traditional techniques will also form part of the program.

The lecture and exhibition form part of a broader state-supported initiative to promote Thai cultural heritage internationally. The program builds on the long-standing efforts of the late Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother of Thailand, to preserve and promote Thai national dress, while reflecting the Princess’s continued role in bringing Thai textiles to a global audience.

The initiative also aligns with the Kingdom of Thailand’s ongoing efforts to secure inscription of Chud Thai on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, with consideration expected in 2026. In this context, the Thai national costume is presented not only as a historical tradition but as a living cultural form that continues to evolve.

Bhutan Royal Family, The Royal Family of Bhutan

The Royal Family of Bhutan Attends the Second Edition of the Rhododendron Festival in Eastern Highlands of the Kingdom of Bhutan

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  • Photos courtesy of H.M. King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck of Bhutan/Royal Office for Media (ROM), Bhutan
  • Photos courtesy of H.M. King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck of Bhutan/Royal Office for Media (ROM), Bhutan
  • Photos courtesy of H.M. King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck of Bhutan/Royal Office for Media (ROM), Bhutan
  • Photos courtesy of H.M. King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck of Bhutan/Royal Office for Media (ROM), Bhutan
  • Photos courtesy of H.M. King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck of Bhutan/Royal Office for Media (ROM), Bhutan
  • Photos courtesy of H.M. King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck of Bhutan/Royal Office for Media (ROM), Bhutan
  • Photos courtesy of H.M. King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck of Bhutan/Royal Office for Media (ROM), Bhutan
  • Photos courtesy of H.M. King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck of Bhutan/Royal Office for Media (ROM), Bhutan

Their Majesties King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, accompanied by their children, His Royal Highness Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, His Royal Highness Prince Ugyen Wangchuck of Bhutan, and Her Royal Highness Princess Sonam Yangden Wangchuck of Bhutan, presided over the opening of the second edition of the Rhododendron Festival at Sheytemi in the eastern highlands of Merak in the district of Tashigang.

Organized by Trashigang Dzongkhag administration and the Department of Tourism, the week-long Rhododendron Festival highlights the Kingdom of Bhutan’s natural environment and cultural heritage. Held during the spring flowering season, the festival showcases the region’s rhododendron forests, which are among the most diverse in the Himalayas.

The Kingdom of Bhutan is home to dozens of rhododendron species, many of which are concentrated in the high-altitude areas of Merak and neighbouring Sakteng. Both locations lie within the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area known for its biodiversity.

The festival also serves as a platform for the traditions of the Brokpa community, a highland population with a distinct cultural identity. 

Performances, local crafts, and regional food are presented alongside the festival’s environmental focus.

Monaco Princely Family, Princely Family of Monaco

Prince Albert II of Monaco Receives Letters of Credence from Newly Appointed Ambassadors to the Principality of Monaco

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  • Photos courtesy of the Palais Princier de Monaco/Michaël Alesi/Frédéric Nebinger
  • Photos courtesy of the Palais Princier de Monaco/Michaël Alesi/Frédéric Nebinger
  • Photos courtesy of the Palais Princier de Monaco/Michaël Alesi/Frédéric Nebinger
  • Photos courtesy of the Palais Princier de Monaco/Michaël Alesi/Frédéric Nebinger
  • Photos courtesy of the Palais Princier de Monaco/Michaël Alesi/Frédéric Nebinger

In Monaco-Ville, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco received Letters of Credence from newly appointed ambassadors to the Principality of Monaco during a formal ceremony held in the Salon des Glaces at the Palais Princier de Monaco.

The ceremony took place in the presence of the Sovereign Prince’s Chef de Cabinet, Mr. Olivier Wenden, and the Conseiller de Gouvernement–Ministre des Relations Extérieures et de la Coopération, Ms. Isabelle Berro-Amadeï.

The ambassadors who presented their Letters of Credence were the Ambassador of the Republic of Benin, Her Excellency Ms Corinne Brunet, the Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia, His Excellency Viljar Lubi, the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait, His Excellency Abdullah Suleiman Alshaheen, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, His Excellency Vegar Sundsbø Brynildsen, and the Ambassador of Hungary, His Excellency Miklós Erik Tromler.

Letters of Credence are formal documents through which a Head of State informs a sovereign of the appointment of an ambassador as their official representative of their country in the Principality of Monaco.

The presentation of the Letters of Credence formally marks the start of the ambassadors’ diplomatic roles in the Principality.

Danish Royals, Royal Family of Denmark

Princess Isabella of Denmark to Begin Military Training with Guard Hussar Regiment in August 2026

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Photo courtesy of Steen Evald/Kongehuset ©

In Copenhagen, the Head of Communications for the Royal Household of Denmark, Ms. Nina Z. Munch-Perrin, issued a press release to announce that Her Royal Highness Princess Isabella of Denmark will undertake her military conscription with the Guard Hussar Regiment in Slagelse beginning in August 2026, following the completion of her upper secondary education.

The Princess will be among the first to serve under the Kingdom of Denmark’s reformed conscription system, established under the Forsvarsforlig 2024–2033, concluded in June 2023 between the Danish Government and a broad majority of political parties in the Folketinget.

The reform extends conscription from four months to eleven months, combining basic training with operational service, and forms part of a broader effort to strengthen military readiness in response to changing security conditions in Europe.

The Guard Hussar Regiment is the oldest regiment in the Danish Army, dating back to 1614, with the motto In Actis Esto Volucris.

Princess Isabella’s forthcoming service follows that of her brother and father. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Christian of Denmark completed his military training with the Guard Hussar Regiment in May 2025 and has since continued his military training as part of the lieutenant officer training program.

His Majesty King Frederik X began his military career in 1986, when he was the Crown Prince, with Den Kongelige Livgarde. In 1988, he was commissioned as a lieutenant of the reserve and served as a platoon commander with the Guard Hussar Regiment. He was promoted to first lieutenant of the reserve in 1989.

Belgian Royals, Headlines, Royal Family of Belgium

Prince Emmanuel of Belgium Changes Course of Study, Continues His University Education in Brussels, the Palace Confirms

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Portrait courtesy of Monarchie Belge/Bas Bogaerts

In Brussels, the Palais Royal de Bruxelles has confirmed that His Royal Highness Prince Emmanuel of Belgium has changed his course of study and will continue his education in the Belgian capital.

The 20-year-old son of Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians has withdrawn from UC Leuven-Limburg (UCLL) in Leuven after completing his first semester, where he had been pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management and Marketing, taught in English.

Prince Emmanuel has since enrolled in a French-language program in business development at ISTEC Bruxelles, École supérieure de commerce et de marketing, where he is following the program, “chargé d’affaires commerciales.” The course is understood to offer a more practical, hands-on approach, including opportunities for professional placements.

According to the Palais Royal, the transition was carried out discreetly and reflects a personal decision by the Prince following a reassessment of his academic direction. Despite the change, Prince Emmanuel’s studies are expected to proceed without delay, provided he completes his examinations by the end of the academic year.

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