On November 14, 2013, Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway arrived at the Kings Place Gallery in London, England, to open the exhibition, Ørnulf Opdahl Paintings and Prints.
For more information about the exhibition please click here.
Photo courtesy of Kongehuset Norway
On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal travelled to Northern Ireland to attend the “…College of Occupational Therapists workshop in Jordanstown to mark the 40th anniversary of occupational therapy education at the University of Ulster…” according to the Belfast Telegraph. The princess also opened a “…new gym facility in Bangor…”
Please click here, here, and here to read more about Tuesday’s activities.
And, finally, The Princess Royal has shocked the British public when she claimed that consuming Horsemeat — yes, horsemeat — “…might improve animal welfare.”
Gross.
On Friday, November 15, 2013, Danish artist, Mr. Thomas Kluge, unveiled a new portrait of the Danish royal family entitled, Kongehuset, in connection with the opening of the exhibition, Thomas Kluge: Royal Portraits, at the Amalienborgmuseet in Copenhagen.
The unusual and dare I say incredibly dark portrait has shocked many royal watchers on Twitter. A majority believe that Mr. Kluge’s painting is extremely unflattering and some say that it’s downright scary. “Controversial neorealism artist Thomas Kluge’s portrait of the Danish royal family reminds me of the Addams Family…” said a Danish man on Twitter. “That’s awful!” said another.
Well, you be the judge.
Click here to view photos of the painting. If you are interested click here to watch a video interview with Mr. Kluge about the portrait. Please click here to read an article about the portrait (in English).
Good news! According to Communications Director for the Norwegian royal court, Ms. Marianne Hagen, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s surgery “…on her neck to remove a herniated disc and alleviate pressure on the nerves…” was a success.
The surgery took place this morning at the Rikshospitalet in Oslo. The crown princess will remain under observation for a few days before being released from the hospital.
Photo courtesy of Kongehuset Norway
On November 15, 2013, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended the opening of the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held at the Lotus Theatre in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
After the opening, The Duchess of Cornwall visited the Colombo Public Library where she met with staff “…to find out how they work to promote literacy in Sri Lanka…” according to Clarence House.
Meanwhile, The Prince of Wales visited the Sri Lanka National Museum and hosted a “…reception for Commonwealth business leaders and a luncheon for new Commonwealth Heads of Government.”
In the evening, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a gala dinner at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel for the Commonwealth Heads of Government.
Please click here and here to view photos.
On the evening of November 15, 2013, Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco arrived at the Salle des Étoiles at the Sporting de Monte-Carlo to attend the 2013 Monaco Against Autism Charity Gala Dinner. The lovely princess is Honorary President of MONAA.
During this evening’s event there was an auction sale by Sotheby’s as well as a musical performance by the band, Earth, Wind and Fire.
On November 15, 2013, Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands arrived on the small island of St. Eustatius for a one-day tour.
The day began with a reception held in their honor at the F.D. Roosevelt Airport where they met with local officials and dignitaries. Then, Their Majesties attended a Science Fair with “…presentations by children from five schools…” according to RVD.
In the afternoon, Their Majesties attended a gala luncheon hosted by the island’s government officials. Soon, the reigning couple arrived at Hazel’s Plantation where they met with staff and were given a tour of the facility.
Thereafter, Their Majesties visited the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation Museum where they viewed an exhibition and attended a cultural festival held at Wilhelmina Park.
Click the link below to watch another video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFJbv0sZJRs
Photo courtesy of RVD/HKH
On Friday, November 15, 2013, His Royal Highness Prince Felipe of Asturias arrived at the Getty House in Los Angeles, California to meet with the recently elected mayor of Los Angeles, Mr. Eric Garcetti, and his wife.
Yesterday, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia visited Stanford University and attended a gala reception and dinner hosted by the United States Ambassador to Spain, Mr. James Costos, and his longtime partner, Mr. Michael Smith, in Holmby Hills, California.
On November 15, 2013, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands opened the “…new building of the St. Antonius Hospital in Utrecht…” according to RVD.
Photo courtesy of RVD/HKH
On the morning of Friday, November 15, 2013, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium accompanied by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium and TI&RHs Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este attended Te Deum service held at the Cathédrale des Saints-Michel-et-Gudule in Brussels on the occasion of Fête du Roi 2013.
In the afternoon, the royal family arrived at the Palais de la Nation to attend a special ceremony organized by the Chambre des Représentants, the Sénat and the Gouvernement Fédéral, again, on the occasion of Fête du Roi.
To watch videos as well as to view photos from today’s celebrations please click the links below.
VIDEO, VIDEO 2, VIDEO 3, Photo Gallery, Photo Gallery 2, Photo Gallery 3
Last month His Highness Hereditary Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha sat down for an hour-long interview with German journalist, Ms. Katja Herrmann.
In the televised interview Hereditary Prince Hubertus discusses his life, business, his father His Highness Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, his lovely American-born wife Her Highness Hereditary Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (née Rondestvedt) and much more.
Click here to watch the interview (in German).
The hereditary prince also participated in the 2013 Neue ArtFilm documentary entitled, The Queen’s Ancestors: Saxe-Coburg’s Way to the European Crowns. Please click here to watch the trailer.
Well, this is a depressing subject…
Yesterday, the newspaper, Japan News, via Imperial Household Agency announced the “…revised funeral plans [for] the bodies of the Emperor and Empress [which] will be cremated once they die, a historic change from the Imperial tradition of underground burial that has lasted for about 350 years since the early Edo period…”
Please click here to read the Japan News article in its entirety. Or, you can read another article here from the Japan Times.
On Monday, November 11, 2013, Miss Carina Axelsson, longtime partner of His Serene Highness Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, unveiled the cover for her highly anticipated new novel, Model Undercover: A Crime of Fashion.
Miss Axelsson also reveals that her publisher, Usborne Books, has released the first chapter of the upcoming novel, and quite frankly it wasn’t bad.
Please click here to view the cover as well as to get the direct link to the first chapter of Model Undercover: A Crime of Fashion.
