Well, here are the two official photos of the happy couple shot by Mario Testino.
Can you feel the love?
The images were taken on November 25, 2010 at St. James’s Palace.
Photo by Mario Testino/Clarence House Press Office via Getty Images
Monthly Archives: December 2010
Happy Belated Birthday Crown Princess Masako of Japan
Crown Princess Masako of Japan turned 47 years old this past December 9, 2010. The little seen Crown Princess of Japan spent the day with her family at the Imperial Palace in Japan.
The life of Japan’s Crown Princess is a sad one. Ever since she married the awesome Crown Prince Naurhito the once vibrant and outspoken Masako has become a shadow of her former self. Apparently, she suffers from depression as well as anxiety attacks.
To see her smiling and out and about is a real treat for royal watchers. I sincerely hope she gets well soon.
Photos courtesy of AP Photo/Kyodo News and AP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno via Daylife.com
British Royal Wedding Souvenirs… Not Going To Happen
… at least not tea towels with Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s face on them. Why? They were banned by the Palace. Makes sense to me, I mean, royal tea towels are tacky to say the least.
Andy Bloxham, from The Telegraph newspaper in Britain, noted:
The Lord Chamberlain, Earl Peel, who is the senior official in the Royal household, has issued a formal memorandum stating any official photographs of the couple can only be used on items would be considered appropriate.
So there you have it… sorry tea towel lovers… you’re out of luck this time around. Of course, you could always make your own tea towels by purchasing plain white tea towels at Wal-Mart. Then, purchase colored markers and draw the happy couple’s faces on them and … VOILA! Your own personal crappy tea towels!
To read more please visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8188003/Royal-wedding-Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-tea-towels-banned-by-palace.html
His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia Opens the Annual Christmas Market at Burg Hohenzollern
Many of you may not have heard of His Imperial and His Royal Highness Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia. However, I’m sure you have heard of his Great Grandmother, Queen Victoria, and his Grandfather Kaiser Wilhelm II… the last Emperor of Germany. He’s kind of fierce when he’s all dressed up in his regal uniform. I mean, seriously… how many people in this world can get away with wearing a giant gold bird on their helmet and still look so freaking… epic!
Any way, Prince Georg Friedrich is the current head of the House of Hohenzollern. Now, if World War I as well as World War II had not happened there is a darn good chance Prince Georg would be the reigning Emperor of Germany today.
So why am I writing about him this afternoon? Well, Prince Georg opened the annual Christmas market at his modest pad, known as Burg Hohenzollern, near Stuttgart, Germany. This event has been a tradition for quite some time, and the handsome Prince continued this annual event, well, because I suppose he wanted too.
On December 18, 2010, there will be an Advent sale at the castle. So, if you happen to be in the neighborhood you should stop by and purchase some items. According to the official website for Burg Hohenzollern:
Are you looking for christmas presents for your family or friends? Looking for some nice accesoires and christmas decoration? We invite you to our big Advent selling in the gift shop of the Hohenzollern Castle. Enjoy the romantic winterly location with mulled wine and hot chestnuts.
Our present for you: For guests coming to the Advent selling we offer free parking, free shuttle service, free entrance to the castle grounds – and a cup of coffee in the castle’s restaurant!
For more information about Burg Hohenzollern please visit their official website at http://www.burg-hohenzollern.com/startpage.html
Photos courtesy of burg-hohenzollern.com and Wikipedia.
Snowy Palaces!
A snow storm blankets one of the most beautiful palaces in the world…Versailles.
Hampton Court in Britain is also in a similar situation. Stunningly beautiful!
Photos courtesy of Daily Mail.co.uk (Nick Wilkinson@ newsteam.co.uk), EPA, and Bertrand Barbe @Château de Versailles Official FaceBook page.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1335460/The-stunning-pictures-prove-unhappy-big-freeze.html
Charlene Wittstock Attends An Important Event at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco
On December 7, 2010, Miss Charlene Wittstock attended the Action Innocence in Monaco; a benefit were various Christmas trees were auctioned off for charity.
According to the French newspaper, Nice-Matin, all twenty-nine trees were decorated with jewelry, sweets, and gifts.
Photo courtesy of Nice-Matin
To read more about this event please visit http://www.nicematin.com/article/monaco/vente-aux-encheres-plus-de-100-000-euros-en-sapins-precieux
A Real American Princess in Germany: Her Highness Princess Kelly, The Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha
A week or so ago I wrote an article about Miss Carina Axelsson, the 40-something American woman residing at beautiful Schloss Berleburg, who is not actually a real princess, but the permanent partner of His Serene Highness Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Since then I have received a couple of emails wondering if there were any American women who have married into royal or princely houses.
So to answer the curious question: Yes. Yes, there is. Recently, in fact.
In May 2009, Miss Kelly Rondestvedt married one of the most eligible bachelor’s in the world. His name: His Highness Prince Hubertus, The Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha. Now, you may have heard of the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha before; however, if you have not here are several important facts you should know.
First, Her Majesty Queen Victoria of Great Britain married His Highness Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha. They produced a lot of children. As a result, many of them married into all the important royal as well as princely houses in Europe. Second, during World War I there was an immense despise for everything German and the British royal family is, after-all, completely German bloodline-wise. As a result, Lord Stamfordom convinced His Majesty King George V of Great Britain (Queen Victoria’s son) to change the family name from the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha to the House of Windsor. If Lord Stamfordom had not recommended this change to the King the British royal family’s name, today, would be the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha.
Other royal houses tied to the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha include the Belgian and Bulgarian royal families and the House of Braganza (Portugal). His Majesty King Carl Gustaf of Sweden is also related to the house via his mother, Her Highness Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha who became Queen of Sweden when she married HRH Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden.
Overall, the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha is extremely important… historically.
Now, back to the American Princess.
Miss Kelly Rondestvedt hails from San Diego, CA and by all accounts she is an incredibly intelligent woman who obtained her Bachelor of Arts as well as an MBA from UCLA. In 2002, she moved to New York City where she took up a job as an investment banker. In the Fall of 2008, Kelly and Prince Hubertus spoke with iTV Coburg months before their wedding. During the interview, Miss Rondestvedt explained how she met the handsome German Prince, “I was at a restaurant with my girlfriends, and I saw Hubertus from across the room and thought he was so handsome…” Sparks flew and eventually the couple began to date.
A year (or so) later His Highness Prince Hubertus proposed to Kelly at his family’s palace, Schloss Callenberg, in Coburg, Germany.
The couple first had a civil ceremony on May 21, 2009. Days later on May 23, 2009 the couple had their religious ceremony at the St. Moritz Church in Coburg, Germany. It was a beautiful day, as seen by the photos as well as video, and many princely families from Germany attended. Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden and Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium also attended the ceremony.
Today, Their Highnesses live in New York City where His Highness Hereditary Prince Hubertus works for a German bank and Her Highness Hereditary Princess Kelly still works as an investment banker. However, the couple mentioned that they would eventually move back to Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Germany in the future.
On June 19, 2010, Their Highnesses attended the royal wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden to Mr. Daniel Westling. It was during this occasion that we finally had a chance to see the princess in the Saxe-Coburg und Gotha HH Victoria Adelheid’s Button Tiara (which hasn’t seen the light of day since… I don’t know… forever.) Also, there may be a chance that we will see the couple at the upcoming wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales to Miss Catherine Middleton this April 29, 2011.
Hopefully, there will be more news about the couple in the future. So stay tuned. 🙂
To watch the engagement interview with Their Highnesses Prince Hubertus and Princess Kelly with iTV Coburg please click here.
To watch part of their wedding on iTV Coburg please click this link: Video
The Royal Correspondent 