On July 2, 2012, His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium held an audience with Prime Minster, Mr. Elio Di Rupo at Château de Laeken. Afterward, the king “…watched the second stage of the 99th Tour de France…” finish in Tournai, Belgium.
Meanwhile, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium are currently in Bujumbura, Burundi to attend the 50th anniversary of the independence of Burundi “… a country which was once administered for over four decades by Belgium…” The prince and princess are representing His Majesty King Albert II.
The Palais Princier de Monaco recently announced that Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco will make an official visit Germany beginning on July 9-10, 2012.
The purpose of the princely couple’s visit is to “… reinforce the close ties between both countries.” On the agenda, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene will be officially welcomed to the country by the President of Germany, Mr. Joachim Gauck and his partner, Ms. Daniela Schadt, at Schloss Bellevue on July 9. From there the sovereign prince will:
… meet the Finance Minister, Mr. Wolfgang Schaüble, before participating in a working lunch with the Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle. He will [also] meet with Klaus Wowereit, Mayor of Berlin.
The next day, the prince and princess will travel to Stuttgart where they will meet with:
… Mr. Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of the State of Baden-Württemberg. The sovereign prince will also visit the Mercedes-Benz Museum and its research centre as well as the Bosch Company.
Meanwhile, this afternoon in Paris, France, Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene attended the début collection by Raf Simons for the house of Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2012-2013 collection. Other attendees included actresses Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Lawrence and fashion designers such as Olivier Theyskens and Marc Jacobs.
Christian Dior Haute Couture Show Fall/Winter 2012-2013; Part 1 and 2.
And, finally, Vogue Italia claims that Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline’s son, Mr. Andrea Casiraghi, will finally marry his beautiful longtime girlfriend, Ms. Tatiana Santo Domingo. The lovely couple will allegedly marry sometime in 2013. Click here for more information.
UPDATE!
Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Hanover confirmed on Wednesday, July 4, 2012, that indeed Andrea and Tatiana are engaged! In a statement, released by the Palais Princier, Princess Caroline stated:
J’ai la joie de vous annoncer les fiançailles de mon fils, Andrea Casiraghi, avec Mademoiselle Tatiana Santo Domingo!
Wonderful news and congrats to the couple. 🙂
Sources: Palais Princier de Monaco, Now Fashion, Vogue Italia and Monaco Matin.
According to Reuters, “… voters in Liechtenstein rejected a proposal to abolish the ruling prince’s right to veto… 76.1% to 24% in favor of the princes…” So, yeah… the bratty ballerinas of Liechtenstein still have a firm hand and absolute power over their subjects.
On Saturday, June 30, 2012, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco received the first Toyota Rechargeable Prius (called the Prius Plug-In here in the United States) car from the President of Toyota France, Mr. Pascal Ruch. The environmentally friendly car is one of the first Rechargeable Prius’ delivered in Europe.
This new model, which will be released this fall in France, was given to the sovereign prince for two months and will be used for “private travel.”
The car is equipped with a lithium-ion battery (LIB) and is able to drive for 11-15 miles using electricity. Then it switches to the “… full hybrid technology.” The sovereign prince’s new Prius can be recharged from one of 424 charging stations installed in Monaco and can “… travel around the principality using pure electric mode, generating zero CO2, NOx or particulate matter emissions.”
So far, here in the United States, the new Prius Plug-In has received mixed reviews. The company, Toyota, still needs to work out some of the kinks and other stuff. If you are interested in learning more about this car pleaseclick here.
Also, on Saturday, Prince Albert II joined Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Hanover to watch the Jumping International de Monaco at Port Hercule.
And, finally, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco are celebrating their first wedding anniversary today. Last year on Saturday, July 1, 2011, the princely couple said “Oui” during their civil wedding ceremony held in the Throne Room at the Palais Princier.
Prince Albert II recently spoke to the Brazilian magazine, ÉPOCA, regarding his happy marriage to the princess and their 1st wedding anniversary:
We are really happy and I have the feeling that it happened yesterday. I am very proud of what my wife has accomplished this past year. Creating her Foundation [which is] dedicated to children and sport, and being so involved in her new role in Monaco. She is fulfilling a difficult mission in a perfect way and I thank her for that!
Civil Wedding
Interview with Euronews journalist, Isabelle Kumar, before the Jean Michel Jarre concert in Monaco on July 1, 2011.
Joyeux Anniversaire Prince et Princesse! 🙂
Sources and photos courtesy of: Monaco Matin and Palais Princier de Monaco
Here are two documentaries regarding the French Revolution “… which abolished the absolute monarchy in France…” The first documentary, produced by the History Channel, is simply entitled, The French Revolution. Overall, the program is okay.
The second documentary by the BBC is entitled, Terror Robespierre and the French Revolution. Here is a synopsis:
The watchwords of the French Revolution were liberty, equality and fraternity. Maximilien Robespierre believed in them passionately. He was an idealist and a lover of humanity. But during the 365 days that Robespierre sat on the Committee of Public Safety, the French Republic descended into a bloodbath.
‘The Terror’ only came to end when Robespierre was devoured by the repressive machinery he’d created. This drama-documentary tells the story of the Terror and looks at how Robespierre’s revolutionary idealism so quickly became an excuse for tyranny, and why a lover of liberty was so keen to use the guillotine.
And, finally, here is the documentary I tweeted earlier. Nonetheless, I decided to add it to this post. The program is entitled, Filthy Cities: Revolutionary Paris.
The host, Dan Snow, kindly informs the viewer that in the 18th century inside the famous Château de Versailles it actually smelled like, well, a garbage dump. Apparently, various writers at the time who visited the palace noted, “… the squalor inside was unspeakable… the corridors acted like public lavatories for courtiers… livestock even defecated in the great gallery…”
EW!
If you can stomach watching the program, because it is a tad gross,click here to watch.
Yes, it is documentary Saturday and here is yet another program hosted by historian Dr. Lucy Worsley entitled, Warts and All: Portrait of a Prince. This BBC Four documentary:
… presents a vivid portrait of an age of elegance presided over by a prince of decadence – the infamous Prince Regent himself, a man with legendary appetites for women, food and self-indulgence. Yet this was the same man who would rebuild London, carving out the great thoroughfare of Regent Street and help establish the Regency look as the epitome of British style through his extravagant patronage of art and design.
On July 2, 2012, His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium held an audience with Prime Minster, Mr. Elio Di Rupo at Château de Laeken. Afterward, the king “…watched the second stage of the 99th Tour de France…” finish in Tournai, Belgium.
The Royal Correspondent 