On February 8, 2011, HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium attended the annual Vaccination for Homeless Pets this afternoon in Brussels, Belgium. This event is sponsored by the Prince’s foundation, cleverly entitled, The Prince Laurent Foundation.
Meanwhile, many people were confused (and some excited) as to why Peter Griffin from the show, Family Guy, was hanging around the railway station in Brussels. Soon, they were utterly disappointed when they realized it was only the second son of HM King Albert of Belgium and HM Queen Paola, Prince Laurent.
To view the myriad of photos of Peter, I mean, Prince Laurent of Belgium at the annual Vaccination for Homeless Pets please click the link: Photos
In today’s Riviera Times, there is a slightly interesting article about the upcoming Princely wedding in Monaco.
Like the British royal wedding, there is much speculation as to whom will receive an invitation to the princely wedding come July 1 and 2, 2011 in Monaco. But, the big question (that the writer decided to ignore) is which ruling monarchs will turn down their invite, and which heir or spare will attend the princely wedding in their place.
Now, I know a lot of people are expecting every major royal house to attend HSH Prince Albert II’s wedding, but to be quite honest, I don’t believe all the monarchs will accept his invitation. Rather, I believe several heirs and many “spares” will attend.
For example, HM Queen Elizabeth II will not attend. The Queen will send The Earl and Countess of Wessex to represent her. HM King Harald and HM Queen Sonja of Norway may not attend. Instead, he will send his heir, HRH Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. It is highly unlikely that HM Queen Margrethe and HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark will attend; moreover, it is likely that the heir to the Danish throne, Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary, will trek to Monaco this summer. Or, HM Queen Margrethe II will send her second son, HRH Prince Joachim and HRH Princess Marie.
The three monarchs that may say YES to Prince Albert’s invitation HM King Carl Gustav and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden, HM King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium as well as HM Queen Sofia of Spain minus HM King Juan Carlos of Spain. HRH Crown Princess Victoria and HRH Prince Daniel of Sweden will attend as well as HRH Crown Prince Philipe and HRH Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium.
HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands may trek to Monaco along with her son, HRH Prince Willem-Alexander and HRH Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands. The Grand Ducal family without a doubt will attend.
The princely house of Liechtenstein will attend, again, without a doubt as well as all the non-reigning royal and princely houses throughout Europe.
Anyway, to read the article from the Riviera Times please click the link: Riviera Times Article
Meanwhile, on one of my favorite blogs, Monte-Carlo Daily Photo, the writer and photographer took some photos the other day of the Palais Princier de Monaco being prepped for the upcoming princely wedding. Click the link to view: Monte Carlo Daily Photo
It is rare to find televised interviews of HIRH Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and finally there is one for all of us to enjoy (thanks to the dude who uploaded it on his You Tube Channel!) Unfortunately, the interview is only 3:00 minutes, but nonetheless it is a treat.
Located south of Stuttgart, Germany, this modest pad is the family seat for the House of Hohenzollern. Per the official site of the castle:
The first personal related reference of the Hohenzollern House dates back to 1061 (“Wezil et Burchardus de Zolorin”). First direct mention of the Castle complex (“Castro Zolre”) was in 1267. Appearance, size and furnishing of the original Castle are unknown, but presumably it was in the first decade of the 11th century. At that time it must have been a vast and artistically valuable furnished complex. Contemporary sources praised it as “Crown of all Castles in Swabia” and as “the most fortified House in Germany”. However in 1423, the Castle was completely destroyed.
From 1454 the second Hohenzollern Castle was constructed bigger and even more fortified than before. Later, during the Thirty Years War, the Castle was converted into a fortress with repeatedly changing owners. Since the maintenance of the building was neglected, it dilapidated and turned into ruins at the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1819 Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia decided to have the ancestral seat of the Hohenzollern House reconstructed. In 1844, being King Frederick William IV, he wrote in a letter: “The memories of the year 1819 are exceedingly dear to me and like a pleasant dream, it was especially the sunset we watched from one of the Castle bastions, … now this adolescent dream turned into the wish to make the Hohenzollern Castle habitable again…”
From 1850 he put his long lasting dream into reality and created one of Germany’s most imposing Castle complexes in a neo-Gothic style. With its many towers and fortifications, it is an acclaimed masterpiece of military architecture in the 19th century. Additional civil architectural elements make it to a unique attraction. The location on the most beautiful mountain in Swabia, gives the Castle a picturesque appearance.
Any way, I recently found an interesting documentary on You Tube, from 1992, which discusses the brilliant history and construction of this magnificent castle.
