On July 23, 2013, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for the winners of the 2013 Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise are “…awards for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of innovation, international trade and sustainable development…” according to various sources.
His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II of Jordan hosted an Iftar banquet at the Royal Court on July 21, 2013, in Amman for “…tribal elders, dignitaries and community representatives of Karak, Rafilah, Ma’an and Aqaba…”
Meanwhile, Her Royal Highness Princess Muna al Hussein hosted her own Iftar banquet this evening for board members of the Jordanian Nursing Council board members, and Jordanian Ministers of Health and Higher Education to name a few guests. The banquet was held at the King Hussein Club in Amman.
On July 23, 2013, Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex arrived at the Swiss Cottage Leisure Center in London to meet with members of the British Wheelchair Basketball team.
During her visit a reporter asked the lovely countess about The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s newborn son, “I feel ridiculously happy, actually. So excited for them both. It’s a wonderful event.”
On July 23, 2013, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal arrived at the National Coal Mining Museum for England in Overton, West Yorkshire this afternoon to open the museum’s new tour, Go Mining!
According to the newspaper, Wakefield Express, the princess “…travelled 140m down and deep into the Caphouse Colliery mine for a tour of the recently conserved Furnace Shaft, displays and underground classrooms plus the refurbished Meet a Miner attraction.”
Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan continued their two-day visit to the Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan this afternoon. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
Their Imperial Majesties were scheduled to visit a peach farm in Koori this morning, but due to heavy rain and thunderstorms they were forced to cancel. Instead, the emperor and empress met with the farmers at a hotel in Fukushima City.
During their meeting discussions focused on the farmers struggles “…with decontamination and reputational damage since the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Plant triggered by the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami” according to Kyodo News. Their Imperial Majesties were sympathetic to the farmers and offered them “…many words of encouragement…”
On July 23, 2013, Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stepped out of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital in London to introduce their precious newborn son to the press.
After the brief photo-op and waves to the crowds waiting to get a glimpse of the little prince the royal couple hopped into their Range Rover and drove home.
On the afternoon of July 23, 2013, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium arrived at the Maison de la Culture De Warande in Turnhout to view the exhibition, Weg van Vlaanderen: Hedendaagse Vlaamse Landschappen (Away From Flanders: Contemporary Flemish Landscapes).
The exhibition showcases contemporary works by various artists including Walter De Mulder, Roger Raveel, Emile Claus, Hans Op De Beeck, and Michiel Hendryckx to name a few.
According to the curator of the exhibition, Mr. Jeroen Laureyns, each of the artists “…describe, in their own way, the tragedy of the end of the lyrical landscape in Flanders.”
Weg van Vlaanderen: Hedendaagse Vlaamse Landschappen will be open to the public until August 25, 2013. Admission is free.