Monthly Archives: May 2013

British Royals

News Regarding TRHs The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. (VIDEOS)

On Thursday, May 23, 2013, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, to officially open the 2013 Hay Literary Festival held at Brecon Beacons National Park.

This fantastic ten-day festival brings together book lovers to, “…celebrate great writing from poets and scientists, lyricists and comedians, novelists and environmentalists, and the power of great ideas to transform our way of thinking…” notes the official website for the festival.

During their visit the royal couple toured the site and attended a reception, hosted by the School Library Association, with various authors.  Afterward, The Duchess of Cornwall “…met with school children to participate in the launch of the Summer Reading Challenge” while The Prince of Wales, as patron “…met with local farmers.”

Whilst in village of Hay-on-Wye the royal couple visited local businesses and mingled with the people.  In the evening, The Prince of Wales attended night one of the Welsh National Opera’s performance of Richard Wagner’s, Lohengrin, held at the Wales Millennium Center in Cardiff.

Click here to watch a video news report.

Click here to view a photo gallery.

Spanish Royals

Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain Presides Over the 2013 Premios UNICEF España.

sofiaUNICEFOn May 22, 2013, Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain, as Honorary President, presided over the 2013 Premios UNICEF España held at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid.

After the awards were handed out guests were entertained with a performance by the Pequeños Cantores de la Joven Orquesta and the Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid.

Photo courtesy of Casa Real

 
Swedish Royals

News Regarding TRHs Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden. (VIDEO)

vds

On Wednesday, May 22, 2013, His Royal Highness Prince Daniel of Sweden participated in the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs conference entitled, Fine-Tuning Health Care: Improved Outcomes and Cost Efficiency Using Quality Registries, in Stockholm.  For more information about today’s event as well as to view photos please click here.

Meanwhile, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria attended the 100th anniversary of the Enskilda Gymnasiets in Stockholm.

 

Photo courtesy of Kungahuset

Royal House of Jordan

His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan Meets with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry. Plus, Other News. (VIDEO)

His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan along with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II welcomed the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, to Al-Hummar Palace in Amman this afternoon.  During their meeting discussions focused on the latest developments in Syria as well as other important world issues.

His Majesty also met with British Foreign Secretary, Rt. Honorable Mr. William Hague to discuss British and Jordanian bilateral relations, developments in the Middle East, and the “…importance of re-launching negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis based on a two-state solution…” notes Petra News.

On Friday, His Majesty King Abdullah II will open the 2013 World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa to be held at the Dead Sea in Jordan.  Roughly 900 attendees from around the world are expected to participate in the three-day conference, including the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, United States Republican Senator, Mr. John McCain, and former British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, to name a few.

The theme of this conference, according to the official website for the World Economic Forum, is:

“…Advancing Conditions for Growth and Resilience and will focus on shaping the region’s economic, social and governance systems of the future.

This year’s program has been shaped around three core areas: new partnerships for employment, entrepreneurship and infrastructure; strengthening economic governance; and advancing regional cooperation and resilience.” 

Belgian Royals

Members of the Belgian Royal Family Attend the 2012-2013 Prix International Roi Baudouin pour le Développement en Afrique.

BelgiumAPOn May 22, 2013, Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium accompanied by Queen Fabiola, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, and Their Imperial and Royal Highnesses Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz attended the 2012-2013 Prix International Roi Baudouin Pour le Développement en Afrique held at the Palais Royal in Brussels.

The recipient of the award went to Ms. Bogaletch Gebre.  Prior to the award ceremony Their Majesties hosted a lovely luncheon at Château de Laeken in honor of Ms. Gebre and several special guests according to the Belgian royal court.

Dutch Royal Family

News Regarding Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

Princess Maxima 2011This morning in Rotterdam Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived at the Erasmus MC: Sophia Kinderziekenhuis to participate in the 150th anniversary of the hospital.

According to RVD, Her Majesty unveiled a “…special version of Sophietje statue, the mascot of the Friends of Sophia and recieved the first copy of the jubilee book, Sophia Cooks, which contains recipes and stories of patients and staff.”

Later in the afternoon, Her Majesty arrived at the Universiteit Utrecht to attend the “…the inaugural lecture of Professor Aylin Küntay.” Professor Küntay, from the Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey, has been appointed to the Prince Claus Chair in Development and Equity on the recommendation of the Executive Board of Universiteit Utrecht.

According to the official website for the Universiteit Utrecht,  Professor Küntay:

“…works in the area of ‘language and socio-cognitive development of young children’. She will hold this position for two years and will conduct research on language in collaboration with researchers at the Universiteit Utrecht. During her appointment, Professor Küntay will work closely with Prof. Paul Leseman, Professor of Special Education, and coordinator of the Research Impulse area Educational and Learning Sciences, Prof. Gün Semin, Professor of Cognition in Social Context, and Prof. Henriette de Swart, Director of the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics.”

Click here to view photos.

Photo courtesy of HKH/RVD