This afternoon in Luxembourg Grand Duke Jean attended a ceremony at the Musée d’Art Moderne to unveil a new portrait of the late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
The modern portrait was painted by Stephan Balkenhol and will be on permanent display at the Musée d’Art Moderne.
To view several photos of the portrait please click the links: Monarchie.lu and Wort.lu
Source: Wort.lu
On February 20, 2011, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco was in Königssee, Germany to watch the Men’s Bobsleigh World Championship. The Prince was all gung-ho about the race that one could feel that he was jealous that he wasn’t participating in the event.
Any who, after the race was over he took several photos with the winners and losers and spoke to the press.
How lovely.
Once again, HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium, aka Peter Griffin, continues to annoy the crap out of everyone he comes in contact with.
So, what did the he do this time? Well, it seems that Laurent is an entitlement queen.
According to the Belgian newspaper, DeMorgen.be, Laurent ruffled some feathers recently with Brussels Airlines. Apparently he likes to purchase economy class tickets when ever he travels, but once he is one the plane he demands that he be seated in Business Class (aka an upgrade) because he is a royal. According those who work for the airline, Laurent harasses the airline staff whereupon many become panicked when his name appears on their Brussels Airline passenger list.
Last June, when Prince Laurent and Princess Claire attended the Swedish royal wedding, Prince Laurent screamed at a Brussels Airlines stewardess when she asked to see his ticket (which is normal procedure on all flights.) According to Demorgen.be the stewardess asked:
‘Sir, may I please see your boarding pass?’ Irritated, Laurent showed her his ticket. It was for economy and he had to be seated in his assigned seat. Laurent argued with the stewardess, and finally, several minutes later, the Prince finally cooperated and got up from his seat. Fellow travelers on the flight heard him complain whereupon he screamed about the “lack of professionalism” with the airline staff. Then he pouted like a pissy entitlement queen and moved back to his assigned seat in economy class. A little later came food and drinks. The Prince refused to pay. ‘Now you want me to pay?’ He then calls another the flight attendant.
A group of Swedish passengers, not familiar Prince Laurent’s reputation, watched with amazement of the scene Prince Laurent was creating. So, they decided that since Prince Laurent refused to pay for food and drinks why should they, ‘They started to order drinks,’ said a cabin crew member. ‘One of them said: Put mine on the account of that man over there.’ Gradually, people started to adopt an attitude of: if he does not pay, why us? It was quite a tiring flight. ‘
The antics of Prince Laurent apparently lead to increased irritation. Several members of our cabin crew gave similar testimony about the conduct of Prince Laurent. Not just once, they say, but every time.‘He always chooses b.light for cheap tickets,’ said one of them. ‘If he comes aboard, he demands a place in business class or by way of compromise, in b.flex (one level below business class, DDC). His reason: Because he is a prince and that’s the way it is.
On August 14, 2010, after a vacation with his family in Italy, Prince Laurent boarded a Brussels Airlines flight to Brussels. He had six tickets with him, because he was accompanied by Princess Claire, Princess Louise (7), the Princes Nicolas and Aymeric (5) and a nanny. They are six b.flex tickets, economy, but this time there were several empty seats in Business Class.
‘He just sat down there without asking,’ said one eyewitness. The crew decided not to confront Laurent because they knew he would cause another scene. The behavior of the prince was simply rude.’
Source: DeMorgen.be
You know if there is one thing that I am hesitant to do on this blog is talk about politics, but today is an exception. With that being said there is a very interesting article, by journalist Doyle McManus, in today’s Los Angeles Times regarding democracy, monarchies, and Bahrain.
Please click the link to read: Los Angeles Times
As you may know there are ongoing protests in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Now, I’m not all that well versed as to what is happening in Bahrain, but what I do know is that the people of Bahrain are frustrated with their royal family. The citizens are calling for change and they also believe that the royal family in Bahrain have too much power and want change now.
On February 18, 2011, HRH Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa sat down with Nic Robertson from CNN to talk about the unstable situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
To watch the interview please click the link: CNN
In this week’s French magazine, Point de Vue, there is an artist’s interpretation of what the upcoming princely wedding in Monaco may look like. Now, these are not the actual details; however, the artist does give the viewer an insight as to what could be. From the grand religious ceremony at the Palais Princier de Monaco to the sumptuous reception at the Musée Océanographique.
Overall, the impressions are quite lovely and grand.
If you happen to run across the latest issue of Point de Vue I highly recommend you purchase it.
In the recent edition of the French magazine, Paris Match, there is an interesting yet very sugary article about the future Princess of Monaco, Charlene Wittstock. Most of the article contains information that many royal watchers are already familiar with. For others, the opposite is the case.
Here is what the Paris Match article has to say:
On Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 8:00 am. in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa the Midmar Mile, the biggest competition of open water swimming in the world, has begun. The rounded shape lake is located in the hollow of green hills. Under the VIP tent is Charlene, in shorts and t-shirt, talking to her parents and brother. Her friends, all former swimming champions are also there. They are Germany’s Franziska van Almsick, with whom Charlene met three years earlier at a party in Monaco, Roland Schoeman, a South African who said he was delighted be invited to the wedding, Lewis Gordon Pugh, and Terence Parkin, who won the silver medal in Sydney despite his deafness.
At 9 am Charlene dives into the calm waters. The long journey across the lake begins. The five friends swim in perfect harmony. Less than thirty minutes later, they reached the finish. Charlene tells her friend Penny Heyns that, ‘Terence kept making me laugh and I drank the cup!’ The young woman is in her element. After the race, Charlene had promised return next year, hopefully, with HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Last June, when Wayne Riddin, the former Director of the South African team, visits Monaco, her asked Charlene to participate in the Midmar Mile. She immediately accepted. Ten days before the race begins, Charlene takes the opportunity to see her friends and family at a BBQ.
As president of the Special Olympics in Monaco, it will be opportunity for her to raise funds for the mentally nod physically disabled. For first time in her own country, Charlene will practice one of the roles as the future Princess of Monaco. She is proud.
Those who know Charlene well say that since her five years in Monaco she is still the same down to earth person. They only thing that has changed is her confidence, “Charlene has matured’ says a close friend. ‘Despite her new position, she has remained herself, humble, graceful and spontaneous,’ says another friend.
Two days before the race, Charlene is cheerful. Dressed in jeans and a high ethnic origin (?) she arrives at an event whereupon she gives Midmar Mile a check for 60,000 Euros, “Charlene has make us the largest donation ever received,’ says Wayne Riddin, facing the congregation. ‘The future Princess of Monaco is a special person who gives its time for a group of special people,’ he said.
Then Charlene embraces all the friends who are present. After the dinner, Charlene goes from table to table to chat with people. With Penny Heyns, who was her roommate at numerous swimming events abroad her time with Charlene evokes memories that make her laugh. ‘Charlene is always so funny… she has a great sense of humor,” says Penny. ‘She has a beautiful soul,’ adds Graham Hill, Charlene’s former coach in Durban, South Africa for seven years. His reputation as the best coach in the country had grown Charlene to join his training from the age of 16. With good reason. It helped to be among the five best swimmers in the world after the Sydney Olympics 2000.
Excited, the man with craggy face recalls ‘the fairy tale’ that he saw his protegé. He was present when Prince Albert II had invited Charlene to dinner in 2001 during the swimming event “Mare Nostrum” in Monaco. ‘When Wayne and I have willingly Riddin given our consent to this escapade night ever we imagine that this event would lead to a princely marriage, then she who dedicated his life to swimming! He added: ‘Charlene has a mind of steel that will certainly serve her in the future as the Princess of Monaco. I am not worried for her. She has a strong personality. She was always the leader of her group of swimmers, always sincere and honest. She was true, too.’
Since 2010, Charlene is a member of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the great man who has long guided his thoughts and actions, and she had done knowledge in London in January 2005, during a dinner in a restaurant. This Friday, February 11, 2011, she is the guest of honor at the photo exhibition “Intimate Moments With Nelson Mandela.” Despite the rather unglamorous, a shopping mall along the highway, Charlene adorned with a gorgeous black dress. Gesture symbolic image in honor of his mentor. Then She slipped away long before midnight. The next day, 1.6 kilometer race begins. In Monaco, she has trained with her coach, Serbian Branislav Ivkovic, who she had worked with in 2007 to prepare for the Beijing Olympics; however, a shoulder injury had prevented her selection to the South African Olympic team.
Without doubt this journey to the land of her childhood, the last before her marriage in July, it was necessary for Charlene. Now it has accomplished, not only for the connection between the two countries through her charity work, but for unity.
There is more to the article so please click the link to read it in its entirety.
The Royal Correspondent 