On Monday, June 17, 2013, His Royal Highness Prince Felipe of Asturias accompanied by the Prime Minister of Spain, Mr. Mariano Rajoy, and dozens of other government officials participated in the inauguration of the AVE Madrid-Alicante high-speed train route. And, that’s it.
Oh, wait! He also unveiled two new shiny plaques commemorating today’s opening and gave a speech. 🙂
On Saturday, June 15, 2013, His Highness Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha hosted a private party for his 70th birthday at Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Germany. Guests in attendance included Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, His Royal Highness Prince Philippe of Belgium, and Their Highnesses Hereditary Prince Hubertus and Hereditary Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to name a few.
Meanwhile, in Luxembourg, Their Imperial and Royal Highnesses Archduke Imre and Archduchess Kathleen of Austria accompanied His Royal Highness Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg to the 2013 Skoda Tour de Luxembourg on June 16. For more information about yesterday’s event please visit Luxrazzi Luxembourg here.
On the morning of June 17, 2013, His Royal Highness Prince Philippe of Belgium arrived at the Palais des Académies in Brussels to participate in the General Assembly of the Club of the Rome EU chapter’s academic session. The prince is Honorary President.
In the evening the prince accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Mathilde of Belgium and Their Majesties King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium attended the closing concert of the 2013 Concours Reine Elisabeth Piano according to the Belgian royal court.
On Monday, June 17, 2013, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, His Royal Highness The Duke of York, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, and His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge attended service for the Most Noble Order of the Garter at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Prior to the service Her Majesty, Their Royal Highnesses along with other Knights of the Garter “…walked in procession from Windsor Castle to the chapel…” according to Buckingham Palace.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was discharged from the London Clinic this afternoon eleven days after having an “…exploratory operation on his abdomen.”
On the morning of June 17, 2013, Their Imperial Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan arrived at the Japan Academy headquarters in Ueno Park, Tokyo, to attend the 2013 Japan Academy Prize.
Each year the prize is awarded to an individual who has “…achieved notable research landmarks or who has authored outstanding academic papers or books.” The winner of the 2013 Japan Academy Prize went to Professor Jun Matsuura, specializing in European Literature, from the University of Tokyo.
Photo courtesy of Zimbio
On the morning of June 16, 2013, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the 3rd Edition of the Women’s Fx Pro Monte-Carlo Beach Volleyball tournament at Larvotto Beach in Monaco. Click here to watch an incredibly silly video from Monaco Matin of women wearing unflattering bikinis whilst dancing in the sand for no apparent reason, and a 45 second shot of Prince Albert looking rather embarrassed.
Moving on…
In the early evening the sovereign prince arrived in Taormina, Italy to attend the 59th Edition of the Taormina Film Fest. During this evening’s event Prince Albert II received the Taormina Humanitarian Award for “…his efforts to protect the global environment and to promote scientific research…” as well as for being his awesome self.
Congrats! 🙂
The Royal Correspondent 