Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

Fête Nationale Luxembourg 2011

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The Fête Nationale 2011 celebrations continued today in Luxembourg beginning at 10:30am with the entire Grand Ducal family attending the Te Deum at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City.  After the service there was:

…101 canon shots in honor of the Grand Duke at Fetschenhof.  The traditional call of arms and military parade followed along the Avenue de la Liberte.

To watch videos from today’s activities please click the links here and here.  

To view photos please click the links here and here.

Source:  Wort.lu

Photo courtesy of: Wikipedia

French Palaces, French Royalty, Royal documentaries

Château de Versailles, King Louis XIV of France, and Le Petit Trianon: Three Documentaries

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Well, it’s that time of the week again!  Yes, it’s royal documentary time, my friends.   🙂   Tonight the subject is all things French and royal.

The first documentary is entitled, The Palace of Versailles.  The program is somewhat short, but nonetheless fantastic.  Click the links to watch:  Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and Part Five.  

The second documentary is entitled, Versailles: The Dream of a King. The focus is on Louis XIV aka the Sun King and the building of Versailles:

The film recreates the life and loves of France’s most famous king, Louis XIV. Dubbed the Sun King by his admiring court, Louis conquered half of Europe, conducted dozens of love affairs and dazzled his contemporaries with his lavish entertainments. But perhaps his greatest achievement – and certainly his longest lasting love – was the incredible palace he built at Versailles, one of the wonders of the world.

 


 

 

 

Finally, here is a short program, a total of 6:09 minutes, about the restoration of Le Petit Trianon from TV5 Monde Europe.  Yes, it’s in French.  Click here to watch.  And, a program regarding the restoration of the La Galerie des Glaces at Versailles.  Again, it’s in French… sorry about that.   Click here to watch. 

Photo courtesy of:  Wikipedia

Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

Fête Nationale Luxembourg 2011

Fête Nationale Luxembourg 2011 began today in, where else, Luxembourg. Today, in front of the Grand Ducal Palace there was the changing of the guard.  Then, T.R.H.s Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited the town of Oberanven to open a new park where the Grand Duke planted an Oak tree.

At 10pm this evening there was a torchlight procession made up “…folk groups and local associations as well as guides and scouts…” in Luxembourg City.  To wrap up the festivities there was a mega fireworks show.

Tomorrow, June 23, the celebrations continue beginning with a Mass at the Notre-Dame Cathedral where the entire Grand Ducal family will attend.  Following the service there will be:

…101 canon shots in honour of the Grand Duke at Fetschenhof. The traditional call to arms and military parade will follow from 11:30am along Avenue de la Liberté. From 10am to 6pm, the Pétrusse Valley will be transformed into a giant playground for children and families. Games of skill, social games and creative workshops will be offered.

To read the full itinerary for tomorrow’s events please click the link here.   To view photos from the park opening and more please click the links here and here.

Source: Wort.lu

Photo courtesy of: Wikipedia

Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

Fête Nationale Luxembourg 2011

Fête Nationale Luxembourg 2011 began today in, where else, Luxembourg. Today, in front of the Grand Ducal Palace there was the changing of the guard.  Then, T.R.H.s Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited the town of Oberanven to open a new park where the Grand Duke planted an Oak tree.

At 10pm this evening there was a torchlight procession made up “…folk groups and local associations as well as guides and scouts…” in Luxembourg City.  To wrap up the festivities there was a mega fireworks show.

Tomorrow, June 23, the celebrations continue beginning with a Mass at the Notre-Dame Cathedral where the entire Grand Ducal family will attend.  Following the service there will be:

…101 canon shots in honour of the Grand Duke at Fetschenhof. The traditional call to arms and military parade will follow from 11:30am along Avenue de la Liberté. From 10am to 6pm, the Pétrusse Valley will be transformed into a giant playground for children and families. Games of skill, social games and creative workshops will be offered.

To read the full itinerary for tomorrow’s events please click the link here.   To view photos from the park opening and more please click the links here and here.

Source: Wort.lu

Photo courtesy of: Wikipedia

Belgian Royals

Their Majesties King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium to Attend the Monaco Princely Wedding. Plus Other News

There were some speculations as to whether or not Their Majesties King Albert and Queen Paola of Belgium would attend the princely wedding in Monaco on July 1 and 2, 2011.

Well, it has been confirmed.  According Monaco-Matin, via the Palais Princier de Monaco, the king and queen will attend along with H.R.H. Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium, T.R.H.s Prince Laurent and Princess Claire, and H.R.H. Princess Astrid.

To view the updated royal guest-list please click here and scroll down.

Also, to watch a video about the wedding preparations please click the here.  Push the “play” button and roughly a minute and a half into the program the information about the wedding will begin.  If you are having trouble viewing the program, all I can say is sorry.  🙂  Finally, the link will most likely air the princely wedding on July 1 and 2 so you might want to bookmark it if you live outside of France and Monaco.

Source: Monaco Matin

Imperial Family of Japan

H.R.H. Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan Visits Germany

H.R.H. Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan is currently in Germany for a three-day official visit to mark “… the 150th anniversary of the Japan-Germany amity treaty.”

The crown prince was greeted by the German President, Christian Wulff, when he arrived at Bellevue Palace in Berlin.  The crown prince also had a chance to visit the Berlin State Library where he viewed many valuable documents including the “…Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Prussia from 1861…” 

In the evening, Crown Prince Naruhito dined with local dignitaries as well as with the German president and his wife at Bellevue Palace.

To watch a news report, in German, please click the link here.  To view photos please click the link here.

*Side note: There seems to be somewhat of a confusion regarding how long H.R.H. Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan will visit Germany.  Some sources note that it is a two-day visit while other claim that it will be three to four days.  Though you should know.  🙂

Source and photo courtesy of:  DL by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Monaco Princely Family

Monaco Princely Wedding: Another Day, Another French Interview, and Another Article This Time from the New York Times

With nine days to go before Charlene Wittstock and H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco tie the knot in two lavish ceremonies in Monaco, the couple spoke to the press (actually a month ago)… again.  This the article/interview from the Monaco Times… in English.  Click here to read.

Finally, the New York Times, has an article about the upcoming wedding and the future princess of Monaco.  Journalist, Elaine Sciolino, initially requested an interview with Miss Wittstock, but was immediately turned down by the Palais Princier de  Monaco representatives.  So, instead Ms. Sciolino spoke to Jenny Crwys-Williams, a radio host from South Africa’s Talk Radio 702.  It was Ms. Crwys-Williams who interviewed Miss Wittstock, at length, when she was in South Africa for the Midmar Mile race earlier this year:

I thought she was one of the most anxious people I have ever met…She was absolutely terrified of saying the wrong thing and falling foul of the terrible women in the palace.

Ms. Sciolino also reports about the negativity directed towards Miss Wittstock by the tabloid press and others. Amazingly, Ms. Sciolino has even managed to find the rare documentary, Albert: L’Autre Prince, where the future princess gave one of the most cringeworthy interviews in royal history  (you know the infamous interview where she was asked if she was Catholic or Protestant whereupon Miss Wittstock replied, “Je suis Christian!”   And, at that point every royal watcher gave themselves a face palm and shook their heads.  Yeah, that interview.)   🙂

Since then, the soon-to-be princess has been given serious training when it comes to speaking to the media.

Anyway…

The New York Times article is an interesting read, though not exactly a groundbreaking piece of journalism (meaning Ms. Sciolino won’t be winning a Pulitzer Prize anytime soon.) Furthermore, the contents of the article are incredibly repetitive especially for those who are seasoned royal watchers.  Click here to read.  

To watch the infamous Albert: L’Autre Prince interview click the link here.

Photo courtesy of: Palais.mc

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