06 Sunday Feb 2022
Posted in Featured Royal, In the News today..., Kingdom of Europe
Tags
Camilla, Clarence House, Platinum Jubilee, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, The Duchess of Cornwall, the prince of Wales
Clarence House issues The Prince of Wales message on his mother’s Platinum Jubilee
06 Sunday Feb 2022
Tags
70 Years, Accession, Commonwealth, King George VI of the United Kingdom, Platinum Jubilee, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Today marks the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II accession to the British throne. Thus begins her Platinum Jubilee Year.
Not only is Her Majesty the longest reigning monarch in Britain History, she is currently the longest reigning monarch in the world.
Her Majesty succeeded to the throne on this date. February 6, 1952 upon the untimely death of her father, King George VI of the United Kingdom.
Biographical Information
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born April 21, 1926) is Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth). Her father ascended the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, making Elizabeth the heir presumptive.
She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon, as well as Head of the Commonwealth.
Elizabeth has reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities, the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, Canadian patriation, and the decolonisation of Africa.
The number of her realms has varied over time as territories have gained independence, and as realms, including South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (renamed Sri Lanka), have become republics. Her many visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and visits to or from five popes.
Significant events have included her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees in 1977, 2002, and 2012 respectively. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to reach a Sapphire Jubilee. In April 2021, after 73 years of marriage, her husband, Prince Philip, died at the age of 99.
Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiment and criticism of the royal family, particularly after the breakdown of her children’s marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992, and the 1997 death of her former daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales. However, support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom c been and remains consistently high, as does her personal popularity
Here are some interesting facts (courtesy of Wikipedia)
September 11, 2015, The Queen surpassed Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning monarch in British and Commonwealth history (as well as the longest-reigning female monarch in world history).
February 6, 2022, she celebrates her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. At that point she would be 95 years, 291 days old.
May 24, 2024, she will surpass 72 years held by Louis XIV of France as the longest reigning monarch in European history. At that point she would be 98 years, 36 days old.
05 Saturday Feb 2022
Tags
Queen Camilla, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Royal Accession, The Duchess of Cornwall, the prince of Wales
Buckingham Palace has released a message from her majesty the queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee that it is her desire that the Duchess of Cornwall be known as Queen Camilla when it is her time for the Prince of Wales and Camilla to ascend the throne.
In 2005 when the Prince of Wales married Camilla it was announced she would be known as “Princess Consort” upon Charles’s accession to the throne.
Legally The Duchess of Cornwall will be Queen Consort upon the accession of the Prince of Wales because it would take an Act of Parliament to remove the title of Queen. In the announcement by Her Majesty the Queen it makes the rightful transition much smoother for The Duchess of Cornwall to become Queen Consort.
21 Friday Jan 2022
Tags
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, King Felipe VI of Spain. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, King Harald V of Norway, Norwegian Constitution, Prince Sverre Magnus, Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway (born 21 January 2004) is the elder child of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
Born on January 21, 2004 at 9:13 am in The National Hospital, part of the Oslo University Hospital in Oslo, Princess Ingrid Alexandra is the first child and only daughter of Crown Prince Haakon, heir apparent to the throne, and the second granddaughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.
Her mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has a son named Marius Borg Høiby, born in 1997 from a previous relationship. Following Ingrid Alexandra’s birth, the already well-regarded royal family experienced an upsurge of popularity.
Ingrid Alexandra was baptised by Bishop Gunnar Stålsett in the chapel of the Royal Palace on April 17, 2004. Her grandfather the King, her aunt Princess Märtha Louise, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the then Infante Felipe, Prince of Asturias (now King Felipe VI of Spain) and her maternal grandmother Marit Tjessem were her godparents.
The Crown Prince of Denmark and the Prince of Asturias were unable to attend the christening due to their respective weddings scheduled to occur within a month of the christening.
On June 17, 2014, the Norwegian Royal Family notified the public that from the start of the 2014–2015 school year, Princess Ingrid Alexandra would transfer to the private English-language Oslo International School, reportedly because her parents wanted her to be fluent in English. Her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, was to transfer to Oslo’s Montessori school.
Constitutional status
The Constitution of Norway was altered in 1990 to introduce absolute primogeniture, ensuring that the crown would pass to the eldest child regardless of sex but keeping the Crown Prince Haakon ahead of his elder sister, Princess Märtha Louise; the change was to apply for the first time to their children. Princess Ingrid Alexandra has thus been second in the line of succession since birth, preceded only by her father.
Because of the reform, her status was not affected by the subsequent birth of her brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, in 2005. The Princess is expected to become Norway’s first female monarch since Queen Margrethe I who reigned over Norway, Denmark and Sweden from the late 1380s until her death in 1412.
Along with her parents and grandparents – Princess Ingrid Alexandra is a member of the Norwegian Royal House. The family belongs to the House of Glücksburg.
Prince Sverre Magnus is third in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne following his sister. He has the style of ”His Highness” and not “His Royal Highness.” He is a member of the Royal Family but not of the Royal House, which consists only of his grandparents, parents and sister.
10 Monday Jan 2022
Posted in Featured Royal, In the News today..., Royal Death
Tags
Archduchess of Austria, Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Archduke Robert of Austria-Este, Emperor Charles I of Austria, Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta, Umberto II of Italy
Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta, Archduchess of Austria-Este ( 7 April 1930 – 10 January 2022) was an Italian princess who was the first-born child of the late Amedeo, 3rd Duke of Aosta, and Princess Anne d’Orléans.
Margherita’s family announced her engagement to Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este on 20 October 1953. They married on 28 December 1953 in Bourg-en-Bresse, Ain, France (civilly) and 29 December 1953 (religiously), in Brou, France. He was the second son of former Emperor Charles I of Austria and Zita of Bourbon-Parma.
Robert was 38, and Margherita was 23. As the royal couple arrived for the first ceremony, hundreds of Austrians and Italians stood outside the town hall where the marriage was held. The wedding was also attended by former King Umberto II of Italy and Robert’s older brother Archduke Otto of Habsburg, the claimant to the Austrian throne. At six feet tall, Margherita was, according to some witnesses, an impressive sight. She wore an ivory gown made out of satin with a long train hung from a diamond tiara.
The couple took up residence in Paris, where Robert was a bank clerk. They had five children:
Archduchess Maria Beatrice Anna Felicitas Zita Charlotte Adelheid Christina Elisabeth Gennara (11 December 1954). Married Count Riprand of Arco-Zinneberg, a great-grandson of the last Bavarian king, Ludwig III, and has issue.
They have six daughters, including Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, who is married to Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon.
Archduke Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d’Aviano (16 December 1955), created Prince of Belgium on 10 November 1995. Married 22 September 1984 at Brussels, Princess Astrid of Belgium (b. 1962). They have five children.
Archduke Gerhard Thaddäus Anton Marcus d’Aviano Maria Umberto Otto Carl Amadeus (30 October 1957) who wed in 2015 Iris Jandrasits (1961);
Archduke Martin Carl Amadeo Maria (21 December 1959). Married Princess Katharina of Isenburg-Birstein. They have four children.
Archduchess Isabella Maria Laura Helena Antonia Zita Anna Gennara (2 March 1963). Married Andrea Czarnocki-Lucheschi. They have five children.
01 Saturday Jan 2022
Tags
Camilla, Order of the Garter, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, The Duchess of Cornwall
Her Majesty the Queen has granted HRH the Duchess of Cornwall the Most Noble Order of the Garter.
Generally it’s tradition that a Queen Consort receives the Order of the Garter from her husband after his accession to the throne.
The fact that the Duchess of Cornwall receives the Garter from the Queen (and not from her husband when he is king) is a huge sign of appreciation and respect.
08 Wednesday Dec 2021
Posted in Featured Royal, In the News today..., Royal Titles
Tags
Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands., President of the Council of State, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, The Council of State, The Princess of Orange
Today, December 8, 2021, HRH The Princess of Orange, who turned 18 yesterday, has been introduced as a member of the Council of State by her father HM the King of the Netherlands.
The Council of State is part of the The Dutch Constituttion and it requires the heir apparent to become a member upon reaching the age of 18.
HRH The Princess of Orange
Queen Máxima (who is a member of the Council is State as well) was in attendance as well.
The Princess made her first official speech during yesterday’s important meeting of the Council of State.
The Council of State is a constitutionally established advisory body in the Netherlands to the government and States General that officially consists of members of the royal family and Crown-appointed members generally having political, commercial, diplomatic or military experience. The Dutch monarch is the President of the Council of State. It was founded in 1531, making it one of the world’s oldest still-functioning state organisations.
The Council of State must be consulted by the cabinet on proposed legislation before a law is submitted to parliament. The Council of State Administrative Law division also serves as one of the four highest courts of appeal in administrative matters. Although the King is President of the Council of State he seldom chairs meetings.
The Vice-President of the Council of State chairs meetings in his absence and is the de facto major personality of the institution. Under Dutch constitutional law, the Vice-President of the Council is acting head of state when there is no monarch such as if the royal family were to become extinct.
01 Friday Oct 2021
Tags
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Beatrice of York, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi
👶 Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have named their daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi.
👣 The couple have said, “We are all doing well and Wolfie is the best big brother to Sienna.”
Personally I like the name!
11 Saturday Sep 2021
Tags
20th Anniversary, 9/11, President Biden, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Terrorists Attacks, United States of America
HM Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland sends a special message to the President of the United States as the world marks 20 years since the terror attacks of 9/11.
16 Friday Apr 2021
Tags
70th Wedding Anniversary, Death Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Duke of Edinburgh, Lord High Admiral, Prince Philip, Retirement, royal wedding
Prince Philip became the oldest-ever male British royal in February 2013, and the third-longest-lived member of the British royal family (following Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) in April 2019. Personally, he was not enthused about living an extremely long life, remarking in a 2000 interview (when he was 79) that he could not “imagine anything worse” and had “no desire whatsoever” to become a centenarian, saying “bits of me are falling off already”.
In 2008, Philip was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital, London, for a chest infection; he walked into the hospital unaided, recovered quickly, and was discharged three days later. After the Evening Standard reported that Philip had prostate cancer, Buckingham Palace – which usually refuses to comment on health rumours – denied the story and the paper retracted it.
In June 2011, in an interview marking his 90th birthday, he said that he would now slow down and reduce his duties, stating that he had “done [his] bit”. His wife, the Queen, gave him the title Lord High Admiral for his 90th birthday. While staying at Sandringham House, the royal residence in Norfolk, on December 23, 2011, the Duke suffered chest pains and was taken to the cardio-thoracic unit at Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire, where he underwent successful coronary angioplasty and stenting. He was discharged on December 27.
On June 4, 2012, during the celebrations in honour of his wife’s Diamond Jubilee, Philip was taken from Windsor Castle to King Edward VII’s Hospital suffering from a bladder infection. He was released from hospital on June 9. After a recurrence of infection in August 2012, while staying at Balmoral Castle, he was admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for five nights as a precautionary measure. In June 2013, Philip was admitted to the London Clinic for an exploratory operation on his abdomen, spending 11 days in hospital. On May 21, 2014, the Prince appeared in public with a bandage on his right hand after a “minor procedure” was performed in Buckingham Palace the preceding day. In June 2017, he was taken from Windsor to London and admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital after being diagnosed with an infection. He spent two nights in the hospital and was unable to attend the State Opening of Parliament and Royal Ascot.
Retirement
Prince Philip retired from his royal duties on August 2, 2017, meeting Royal Marines in his final solo public engagement, aged 96. Since 1952 he had completed 22,219 solo engagements. Prime Minister Theresa May thanked him for “a remarkable lifetime of service”. On November 0, 2017, he celebrated his 70th wedding anniversary with the Queen, which made her the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary.
On April 3, 2018, Philip was admitted to King Edward VII’s Hospital for a planned hip replacement, which took place the next day. This came after the Duke missed the annual Maundy and Easter Sunday services. On April 12, his daughter, Princess Anne, spent about 50 minutes in the hospital and afterwards said her father was “on good form”. He was discharged the following day. On May 19, six weeks later, he attended the wedding of his grandson Prince Harry to Meghan Markle and was able to walk with the Queen unaided. That October, he accompanied the Queen to the wedding of their granddaughter Princess Eugenie to Jack Brooksbank, with The Telegraph reporting that Philip works on a “wake up and see how I feel” basis when deciding whether to attend an event or not.
Philip died on the morning of April 9, 2021 at Windsor Castle, aged 99, two months before his 100th birthday. He was the longest-serving royal consort in British history. In private, the Queen described her husband’s death as “having left a huge void in her life”.
The cause of death has not been disclosed, though the palace said Philip died peacefully. Philip’s daughter-in-law, the Countess of Wessex, confirmed the official statement, describing his death as “…so gentle. It was just like somebody took him by the hand and off he went.” His death led to the commencement of Operation Forth Bridge, the plan for publicly announcing his death and organising his funeral. The funeral is scheduled to take place on April 16, 2021 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
European Royal History 