On December 12, 2010, HRH Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, attended the ceremony decorations for the Red Cross at the Prince Center Henry Walferdange in Luxembourg. As the Chairwoman of the Red Cross she also personally congratulated the volunteer blood donors at the Red Cross (if that makes any sense.)
To view more images from this event please visit the official website of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg at www.monarchie.lu
Source: Cour Grand-Ducale de Luxembourg
On December 13, 2010, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco attended the 2nd Asian Beach Games at Al-Musannah Sports City in Muscat, Oman along with his nephew, Pierre Casiraghi.
Not only did Prince Albert talk to various dignitaries whilst there, he also walked around the media facilities, and attended a various games being played including a Handball match with Pierre (who looks like a robot in the photo below.) 🙂 I’m only kidding. Well, not really.
Photos courtesy of Zimbio.com by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images/AsiaPac.
Well, here are the two official photos of the happy couple shot by Mario Testino.
Can you feel the love?
The images were taken on November 25, 2010 at St. James’s Palace.
Photo by Mario Testino/Clarence House Press Office via Getty Images
Crown Princess Masako of Japan turned 47 years old this past December 9, 2010. The little seen Crown Princess of Japan spent the day with her family at the Imperial Palace in Japan.
The life of Japan’s Crown Princess is a sad one. Ever since she married the awesome Crown Prince Naurhito the once vibrant and outspoken Masako has become a shadow of her former self. Apparently, she suffers from depression as well as anxiety attacks.
To see her smiling and out and about is a real treat for royal watchers. I sincerely hope she gets well soon.
Photos courtesy of AP Photo/Kyodo News and AP Photo/Yoshikazu Tsuno via Daylife.com
… at least not tea towels with Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s face on them. Why? They were banned by the Palace. Makes sense to me, I mean, royal tea towels are tacky to say the least.
Andy Bloxham, from The Telegraph newspaper in Britain, noted:
The Lord Chamberlain, Earl Peel, who is the senior official in the Royal household, has issued a formal memorandum stating any official photographs of the couple can only be used on items would be considered appropriate.
So there you have it… sorry tea towel lovers… you’re out of luck this time around. Of course, you could always make your own tea towels by purchasing plain white tea towels at Wal-Mart. Then, purchase colored markers and draw the happy couple’s faces on them and … VOILA! Your own personal crappy tea towels!
To read more please visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8188003/Royal-wedding-Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-tea-towels-banned-by-palace.html
Many of you may not have heard of His Imperial and His Royal Highness Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia. However, I’m sure you have heard of his Great Grandmother, Queen Victoria, and his Grandfather Kaiser Wilhelm II… the last Emperor of Germany. He’s kind of fierce when he’s all dressed up in his regal uniform. I mean, seriously… how many people in this world can get away with wearing a giant gold bird on their helmet and still look so freaking… epic!
Any way, Prince Georg Friedrich is the current head of the House of Hohenzollern. Now, if World War I as well as World War II had not happened there is a darn good chance Prince Georg would be the reigning Emperor of Germany today.
So why am I writing about him this afternoon? Well, Prince Georg opened the annual Christmas market at his modest pad, known as Burg Hohenzollern, near Stuttgart, Germany. This event has been a tradition for quite some time, and the handsome Prince continued this annual event, well, because I suppose he wanted too.
On December 18, 2010, there will be an Advent sale at the castle. So, if you happen to be in the neighborhood you should stop by and purchase some items. According to the official website for Burg Hohenzollern:
Are you looking for christmas presents for your family or friends? Looking for some nice accesoires and christmas decoration? We invite you to our big Advent selling in the gift shop of the Hohenzollern Castle. Enjoy the romantic winterly location with mulled wine and hot chestnuts.
Our present for you: For guests coming to the Advent selling we offer free parking, free shuttle service, free entrance to the castle grounds – and a cup of coffee in the castle’s restaurant!
For more information about Burg Hohenzollern please visit their official website at http://www.burg-hohenzollern.com/startpage.html
Photos courtesy of burg-hohenzollern.com and Wikipedia.
A snow storm blankets one of the most beautiful palaces in the world…Versailles.
Hampton Court in Britain is also in a similar situation. Stunningly beautiful!
Photos courtesy of Daily Mail.co.uk (Nick Wilkinson@ newsteam.co.uk), EPA, and Bertrand Barbe @Château de Versailles Official FaceBook page.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1335460/The-stunning-pictures-prove-unhappy-big-freeze.html
The Royal Correspondent 