H.R.H. Prince Guillaume, The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg Visits Japan

As I recently reportedH.R.H. Prince Guillaume, The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, will visit Japan starting on May 14-18, 2011.  And, well for the past several days much has happened.

To learn more about his official visit to Japan please visit the blog Luxarazzi here for more detailed information (the author is extremely knowledgeable regarding the Grand Ducal House of Luxembourg.)   🙂

H.R.H. Princess Maxima of the Netherlands Attends the Appeltjes van Oranje

On May 17, 2011, H.R.H. Princess Maxima of the Netherlands attended the Appeltjes van Oranje at Noordeinde Palace. Also in attendance was her husband, H.R.H. Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange and Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.  During the event, as the princess entered the venue, the crowd sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Netherlands most beloved princess.

To watch a video from the event please click the link here.  To view current photos from the event please click the links here and here. 

Photo courtesy of: Koninklijkhuis.nl

Monaco Princely Wedding: 22 Reigning Royal Families to Attend?

According to the newspaper, Monaco-Matin, 22 reigning royal families from all over the world have confirmed their attendance to the upcoming princely wedding in Monaco on July 1 and 2, 2011 “There will be 22 heads of states or represented, and 22 families ruling royal or princely families…”

These confirmations were, well, confirmed by Paul Masseron, the Government Minister for the Interior in Monaco.  Furthermore, it was announced that, “…French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni have been invited. But, the Elysee has not yet sent an answer” said Paul Masseron.   Unfortunately, Mr. Masseron did not state which royal families accepted their invitations; however, we do know that the crown princely couple from Norway, H.R.H. Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and H.R.H. Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, and the entire Swedish royal family have confirmed their attendance to the princely wedding.

Finally, Mr. Masseron noted that sixteen non-reigning royal families will also attend including Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia (source).

Interesting.

To read the article in its entirety please click the link here. 

Source: Monaco Matin  Photo courtesy of: Bild.de

T.M. King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium Visit the Museum aan de Stroom in Antwerp

On May 17, 2011, Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium visited the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) in Antwerp, Belgium.

The MAS museum was designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects and completed in mid-2010.  According to the official website for the museum, MAS.be, the structure of the building:

…immediately catches your eye. Antwerp’s latest tower reminds us of the 16th-Century storehouses typical of the city of Antwerp and its port. The MAS is designed as a giant storehouse with stacked containers or “boxes”. These museum boxes are stacked in such a way that they create a spiral tower. As you ascend, you get a constantly changing view of the city. A breathtaking 360° panorama awaits you on the roof.

Since its initial completion it took sometime to move the permanent collections into the museum which officially opened today thus the reason Their Majesties visit.  The museum houses, “… ethnological, maritime, ethnic and art historic collections…” 

To learn more about the Museum aan de Stroom please visit their site here.  To view photos of His Majesty King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium at the MAS this afternoon please click the link here.

Source: MAS.be  Photo courtesy of:  Nieuwsblad.be by Belga