On the evening of December 17, 2015, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Hanover attended the 2015 Année de la Russie à Monaco closing concert held inside the stunning Salle Garnier at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.
The sovereign prince and the princess along with hundreds of attendees were treated to a performance by pianist, Mr. Denis Matsuev, accompanied by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. Thursday’s performance was also held in celebration the 175th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
On the evening of Saturday, December 19, 2015, Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands attended the première of the theatre reading of Juliana: Moeder van het Volk, Over Koningschap en Emancipatie, held at the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam.
Directed by Mr. John Leerdam tonight’s performance is an ode to the late Queen Juliana of the Netherlands who was viewed as a “…role model for many women in the Netherlands, the former Netherlands Antilles and Suriname…” according to RVD.
Overall, in a press release via Stadsschouwburg, the theatre reading of Juliana is a tribute to a:
“…human queen, but also a story about emancipation. Juliana is put down as a confident queen who is involved in world politics. At the same time she struggles with her dependence on her mother and her husband, Prince Bernhard. She ruled in an era where men had to say, but had an eye for the emerging women’s emancipation. Through her example – as queen, wife and working mother – Juliana gave women throughout the kingdom the space to develop as well.”
On Saturday, December 19, 2015, Her Imperial Majesty Empress Michiko of Japan arrived at the Suntory Hall in Minato, Tokyo, Japan to attend a concert performance by violinist, Ms. Yasuko Otani, accompanied by the National Philharmonic Society of Ukraine Kiev.
This afternoon’s performance also marked the 40th anniversary violin début by Ms. Otani according to Kyodo News.
On Thursday, December 17, 2015, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall attended the 2015 London International Horse Show held at the Olympia Exhibition Center in London, England.
The lovely duchess of Patron of the British Equestrian Federation.
On Thursday, December 17, 2015, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Casteau, Belgium.
According to a SHAPE press release His Majesty was warmly welcomed to the headquarters by the:
“…Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Philip Breedlove as well as senior military commanders. Upon his arrival at SHAPE His Majesty was greeted with an honour guard and representation from all NATO countries and partner nations. Following a bilateral meeting with General Breedlove his Majesty met with senior military commanders and toured the Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Centre (CCOMC). At the end of his tour the King met with national Dutch staff working at SHAPE.
Accompanying the King were the Dutch Foreign Minister, the Dutch Chief of Defence, the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to NATO, and the Dutch Military Representative to NATO and the EU.The CCOMC is the heart of NATO’s command and control network, responsible for anticipating, thinking, planning and reacting to significant events around the world.
Earlier, the King paid a visit to NATO Headquarters in Brussels where he met with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and attended a meeting of the North Atlantic Council to discuss issues on the Alliance’s security agenda.”
On Thursday, December 17, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde of Belgium attended a theatre performance of, Histoires is’t Waar!?, in Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium.
This afternoon’s performance was held on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the organization Digital Aktie Kureghem-Stad (MAKS). The organization provides young people the opportunity to develop their acting skills through various projects and performances as well as multimedia training.
On Thursday, December 17, 2015, Her Majesty Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attended the 2015 Prix de Rome ceremony held at the Appel Arts Center in Amsterdam.
Established in 1808 by Louis Napoleon, who introduced the Prix de Rome to The Netherlands for the for the advancement of the arts. The award is the oldest and considered to be the most prestigious for visual artists under the age of 40. The purpose of the Prix de Rome is to identify exceptional, talented visual artists living in The Netherlands, to stimulate their further development, and to increase their visibility. Since January 2013, The Mondriaan Fund has been responsible for the award.
The winner of the 2015 Prix de Rome, along with a check worth €40,000, went to Ms. Magali Reus for her work entitled, Leaves. According to a press release Ms. Reus received the award for the:
“…high quality of her presentation and the fact that one looks forward to seeing which step the artist will be taking next in her development. In the words of the judges, ‘The artist works with both focus and restraint towards a new course, while making clear-cut choices. She is able to translate this process into a stimulating presentation that is both formal and personal and gradually unveils its meaning to the viewer.’ The panel was intrigued by the puzzling yet beautiful idiosyncrasy of the presented objects: their references to digital reality remain fragmented, while their enigmatic materiality raises more questions than can be answered.”
If you are interested in viewing some of the works by the 2015 Prix de Rome finalists an exhibition will be held at the Appel Arts Center in Amsterdam until January 17, 2016.
The Royal Correspondent 