TRH Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias At the Real Academia de la Lenga

This afternoon TRH Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Asturias were at the Academia de la Lengua in Madrid, Spain.  The couple were apart of the presentation of “… the new spelling of Spanish Language…”

According to the Spanish channel, RTVE.es:

One of the novelties of the new spelling is that Prince is written in lowercase p. All titles, positions or employment of any rank are common, and therefore should be initial lower case. Examples include king and pope.

Here is a video clip, in Spanish, with some explanations.

http://www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/20101217/principe-minuscula-presenta-nueva-ortografia/967367.shtml

Photos courtesy of Daylife.com by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images and noticias.terra.es

HSH Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Stephanie Handed out Gifts to Monégasques

If there is one thing people would say about the Princely family of Monaco… they are a generous bunch.

This afternoon in Monaco HSH Prince Albert and his sister, Princess Stephanie continued their annual tradition by handing out gifts to the citizens of Monaco.  This  time the recipients were the elderly Monégasques within the tiny Principality.

The gifts were distributed at the Red Cross Center in the heart of Monaco as well as at the Foyer Sainte Devote school.

Later on, HSH Prince Albert visited the Princess Grace Hospital to handout more presents to the patients.

Talk about lucky.  Now, I want to move to Monaco, and receive cool free gifts from the Princely family!  🙂

 

Photos courtesy of Daylife.com by Christian Alminana/Getty Images

The Royal Family of Belgium: A Christmas Concert and Reception

On December 15, 2010, the Belgium royal family held a traditional Christmas concert as well as a reception at the royal palace in Brussels.  Family members include: Their Majesties King Albert II, Queen Paola, Crown Prince Philippe, Crown Princess Mathilde, Princess Claire and her husband Prince Laurent, Princess Astrid and her husband Prince Lorentz, and finally Queen Fabiola.

Guests were treated to a lovely reception in the palace where they ate delicious Belgium hors d’oeuvres and a variety of drinks.

Here is a short video of the gala concert courtesy of Rtlinfo.be

http://video.rtlinfo.be/video/250570.aspx?categoryid=353

 

Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com by Mark Renders/Getty Images Europe

HRH Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg Attends a Film Festival!

HRH Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, the last single heir to a throne in Europe, attended a film festival looking oh-so-dashing, and the best part of all:  Not one Dandruff flake on his Armani suit!   🙂

To watch a short clip of the Prince from the film festival please click the link below:

http://kultur.rtl.lu/kulturpur/news/88791.html

On a serious note, like his mother, The Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, I like Prince Gui.  He seems like a nice guy and from what I understand he is highly intelligent, compassionate, and of course… single (though he isn’t exactly my type.)

Perhaps in a future posting I will write up a short bio about this last heir to a throne in Europe named Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg.

TRH Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia of Spain Participate in the Opening of the AVE High Speed Line in Madrid

TRH Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia of Spain attended the opening of the AVE high speed train in Madrid this morning.

The Crown Princely couple along with dignitaries, which included the Minister for Development, José Blanco, the President of Congress, José Bono, and the President of the Madrid region, Esperanza Aguirre, and the Madrid Mayor, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, listened to speeches whilst at the Madrid station prior to boarding the train.

According to the site, Typically Spanish:

The line is part of the new link to the Levante coast, which will be officially opened as far as Valencia this coming Saturday, when it will be up to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía to make the trip.

Prince Felipe said that high speed trains had ‘given us international prestige, and strengthened the image of the Spain brand in a lasting way’.

Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia also had the chance to visit the control center (the driving thingy) within the high speed train as well as spending time with various attendees at the event.

 

 

To read more about this event please visit this link below.

.http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_28319.shtml

Source: www.typicallyspanish.com and Photos courtesy of Ministerio de Fomento.

Who Will Design Catherine Middleton’s Wedding Dress?

That is the big question these days.  Designers from around the world have submitted their sketches to the future Queen of England and they have also submitted their work to WWD.

Here are some ideas from the world’s most famous fashion designers.

Karl Lagerfeld believes she should look like a Victorian princess… high boots and all.  He must be on crack or something because this gown is awful!

Monique Lhuillier believes the gown should be “…a modern mix of the traditional and contemporary.”

For designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli for the House of Valentino, they believe Catherine should wear, “…a ‘blossoming’ dress because we imagined her as a new Botticellian Venus.”

For Tom Mora he believes, “…hat there will be so many comparisons to the late Princess Diana that her dress should almost be the opposite of what Diana’s was — modern, simple and very elegant.”

Alberta Ferretti notes, “In Kate I see the natural, radiant and self-confident attitude of today’s girls. For this, I can’t help but think of an embroidered, fluid-silhouette dress in precious fabrics that will help her make an everlasting impression.”

For Frida Giannini for the House of Gucci she notes that, “…the balance Kate Middleton strikes between elegant and contemporary with her unmistakable style. For her, I had in mind clean lines, soft shapes and classic touches such as the boat neckline and distinctive train.”

 

Yigal Azrouël wants Catherine too look, “…sophisticated, but also a modern-day wedding gown for a young princess. Its elongated silhouette combined with the lace and draping of the skirt is glamorous and elegant, while the neckline and bodice remain modern.
Kimberly Ovitz really didn’t care about her design nor Catherine.  She just scribbled something on a piece of paper and said, “Modern.”  Put a lot of thought into that, eh Kim?


I think Catherine would look amazing in this gown!!  Hello Kitty Wedding dress FTW!!!

In all seriousness, Catherine Middleton will most likely hire a British designer, and many believe the designer will be Bruce Oldfield from London.

Source and photos from www.wwd.com

HSH Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock Attend the Arbre de Noel in Monaco

On December 15, 2010, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco along with his fiancée, Charlene Wittstock, attended the Arbre de Noel for the children in Monaco.  Also in attendance, of course, was HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover and HSH Princess Stephanie of Monaco.

The Arbre de Noel event is a tradition in the tiny principality, and the first time Miss Wittstock participated in the Christmas tree gift giving event.  After a quick photo-op in the courtyard of Palais du Monaco the guests were ushered inside to receive their gifts from the Princely family.   The guests cheered and screamed as Santa Claus entered the room, and the guests were more than happy to receive their presents.

After, the guests spoke with the Princely family and ate yummy food.  Again, many photos were taken and it seems that everyone enjoyed themselves.

Photos courtesy of VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images), and REUTERS/Eric Gaillard at Daylife.com.