Ari Behn Has died

Tags

Ari Behn, King Harald V of Norway, Kingdom, Kingdom of Norway, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway

Sad to report…. Norwgian news just announced that Ari Behn was found dead today. The ex-husband of Princess Märtha-Louise of Norway had taken his own life, according to a spokesman for the family. The author and artist wrote about his internal psychological struggle in his most recent book.

Ari Mikael Behn (né Bjørshol, September 30, 1972 – December 25, 2019) was a Norwegian author. He has written three novels, two collections of short stories and a book about his wedding. His 1999 short stories collection Trist som faen (“Sad as hell”) sold in about 100,000 copies and received several favourable reviews. His books have been translated into Swedish, Danish, German, Hungarian, and Icelandic as well as French. In the spring of 2011, Ari Behn made his debut as a playwright with Treningstimen, directed by Kim Sørensen and staged at Rogaland Teater.

He was married to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway from 2002 to 2017. They had had three daughters: Maud Angelica (born 2003 in Oslo), Leah Isadora (born 2005), and Emma Tallulah (born 2008).

Happy 16th Birthday to HRH The Princess of Orange.

Tags

Catherina-Amalia of the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands., Princess of Orange, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange (Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria; born December 7, 2003) is the heir apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of the countries of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten.

Princess Catharina-Amalia has two younger sisters: Princess Alexia (born in 2005) and Princess Ariane (born in 2007). She lives with her parents and sisters in Huis ten Bosch palace in The Hague.

Starting in December 2007, Catharina-Amalia attended the public primary school Bloemcampschool in Wassenaar. She now attends the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet in The Hague, where her aunt Princess Laurentien attended.

Her birthdays are traditionally celebrated with a concert at the Kloosterkerk in The Hague, which is attended by ambassadors and members of the royal household and the Council of State of the Netherlands. She speaks Dutch, English, and some Spanish.

When she succeeds to the Dutch throne, Catherina-Amalia will follow in the footsteps of three of her ancestresses. Her great-great grandmother Wilhelmina (1880-1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until 1948. Catherina-Amalia’s great-grandmother Juliana (1909-2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until 1980. Most recently, her grandmother Beatrix was Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until 2013. Amalia will be the fourth queen regnant of the Netherlands in five generations of the Dutch Royal Family. 

Happy 72nd Wedding Anniversary to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Tags

Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II, royal wedding, Wedding Anniversary, Westminster Abbey

Elizabeth met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in 1934 and 1937. Prince Philip was the son of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg (a granddaughter of Queen Victoria).

They are second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousins through Queen Victoria. After another meeting at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in July 1939, Elizabeth—though only 13 years old—said she fell in love with Philip, and they began to exchange letters. She was 21 when their engagement was officially announced on July 9, 1947.

The engagement was not without controversy; Philip had no financial standing, was foreign-born (though a British subject who had served in the Royal Navy throughout the Second World War), and had sisters who had married German noblemen with Nazi links. Marion Crawford wrote, “Some of the King’s advisors did not think him good enough for her. He was a prince without a home or kingdom. Some of the papers played long and loud tunes on the string of Philip’s foreign origin.” Later biographies reported Elizabeth’s mother had reservations about the union initially, and teased Philip as “The Hun.” In later life, however, the Queen Mother told biographer Tim Heald that Philip was “an English gentleman.”

Before the marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, officially converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, and adopted the style Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, taking the surname of his mother’s British family. Just before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh and granted the style His Royal Highness. However, he wasn’t made a Prince of the United Kingdom in his own right until 1958 when Her Majesty granted him that distinction.

Elizabeth and Philip were married on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey. They received 2,500 wedding gifts from around the world. Because Britain had not yet completely recovered from the devastation of the war, Elizabeth required ration coupons to buy the material for her gown, which was designed by Norman Hartnel. In post-war Britain, it was not acceptable for Philip’s German relations, including his three surviving sisters, to be invited to the wedding. The Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, was not invited either.

Vlad III the Impaler/Count Dracula

Tags

Bela Lugosi, Bram Stoker, Count Dracula, Dracul, Dracula, Halloween, Ottoman Empire, Vlad III, Vlad the Impaler, Voivode of Wallachia

Vlad III Dracula, known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian history and a national hero of Romania. He was born
circa 1428/31 and died circa 1476/77.

Vlad was the second legitimate son of Vlad II Dracul, who was an illegitimate son of Mircea I of Wallachia. Vlad II had won the moniker “Dracul” for his membership in the Order of the Dragon, a militant fraternity founded by Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. The Order of the Dragon was dedicated to halting the Ottoman Empire’s advance into Europe.

Vlad III, Voivode of Wallachia

Vlad and his younger brother, Radu, were held as hostages in the Ottoman Empire in 1442 to secure their father’s loyalty. Vlad’s father and eldest brother, Mircea, were murdered after John Hunyadi, regent-governor of Hungary, invaded Wallachia in 1447. Hunyadi installed Vlad’s second cousin, Vladislav II, as the new voivode. Hunyadi launched a military campaign against the Ottomans in the autumn of 1448, and Vladislav accompanied him. Vlad broke into Wallachia with Ottoman support in October, but Vladislav returned and Vlad sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire before the end of the year. Vlad went to Moldavia in 1449 or 1450, and later to Hungary.

The Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II, ordered Vlad to pay homage to him personally, but Vlad had the Sultan’s two envoys captured and impaled. In February 1462, he attacked Ottoman territory, massacring tens of thousands of Turks and Bulgarians. Mehmed launched a campaign against Wallachia to replace Vlad with Vlad’s younger brother, Radu. Vlad attempted to capture the sultan at Târgoviște during the night of 16–17 June 1462. The sultan and the main Ottoman army left Wallachia, but more and more Wallachians deserted to Radu. Vlad went to Transylvania to seek assistance from Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, in late 1462, but Corvinus had him imprisoned.

Vlad was held in captivity in Visegrád from 1463 to 1475. During this period, anecdotes about his cruelty started to spread in Germany and Italy. He was released at the request of Stephen III of Moldavia in the summer of 1475. He fought in Corvinus’s army against the Ottomans in Bosnia in early 1476. Hungarian and Moldavian troops helped him to force Basarab Laiotă (who had dethroned Vlad’s brother, Radu) to flee from Wallachia in November. Basarab returned with Ottoman support before the end of the year. Vlad was killed in battle before 10 January 1477. Books describing Vlad’s cruel acts were among the first bestsellers in the German-speaking territories. In Russia, popular stories suggested that Vlad was able to strengthen central government only through applying brutal punishments, and a similar view was adopted by most Romanian historians in the 19th century.

Count Dracula portrayed by Bela Lugosi

Vlad’s reputation for cruelty and his patronymic inspired the name of the vampire Count Dracula, for whom, however, he did not serve as the general inspiration, in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula.

According to “Dracula: Sense and Nonsense” by Elizabeth Miller, in 1890 Stoker read a book about Wallachia. Although it did not mention Vlad III, Stoker was struck by the word “Dracula.” He wrote in his notes, “in Wallachian language means DEVIL.” It is therefore likely that Stoker chose to name his character Dracula for the word’s devilish associations. 

The theory that Vlad III and Dracula were the same person was developed and popularized by historians Radu Florescu and Raymond T. McNally in their 1972 book “In Search of Dracula.” Though far from accepted by all historians, the thesis took hold of the public imagination, according to The New York Times. 

In Stoker’s novel, Jonathan Harker is having a conversation with Dracula in Chapter 3, where he refers to his own background, and these speeches show elements which Stoker directly copied from An Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia: With Various Political Observations Relating to Them by William Wilkinson. Stoker mentions the Voivode of the Dracula race who fought against the Turks after the defeat in the Battle of Kosovo, and was later betrayed by his brother, historical facts which unequivocally point to Vlad III, described as “Voïvode Dracula”.

This indeed encourages the reader to identify the Count with the Voivode Dracula first mentioned by him in Chapter 3, the one betrayed by his brother: Vlad III Dracula, betrayed by his brother Radu the Handsome, who had chosen the side of the Turks. But as noted by the Dutch author Hans Corneel de Roos, in Chapter 25, Van Helsing and Mina drop this rudimentary connection to Vlad III and instead describe the Count’s personal past as that of “that other of his race” who lived “in a later age”. By smoothly exchanging Vlad III for a nameless double, Stoker avoided that his main character could be unambiguously linked to a historical person traceable in any history book.

Happy 18th Birthday HRH Princess Elisabeth of the Belgians, Duchess of Brabant.

Tags

Duchess of Brabant, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Brabant, King Albert II of the Belgians, King of the Belgians, Philippe of Belgium, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians

Happy 18th Birthday HRH Princess Elisabeth of the Belgians, Duchess of Brabant.

HRH Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (Elisabeth Theresia Maria Helena), is the heir apparent to the Belgian throne. The eldest child of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Elisabeth was delivered by Caesarean section at 21:58 CET on October 25, 2001 at the Erasmus Hospital, the teaching hospital of Université libre de Bruxelles in Anderlecht, Brussels.

She was baptized on December 9, 2001 in the chapel of Ciergnon Castle in the Belgian Ardennes, by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Her godparents are Archduke Amedeo of Austria-Este (paternal cousin), and Countess Hélène d’Udekem d’Acoz (maternal aunt).

An official stamp on the occasion of the eighteenth birthday of Princess Elisabeth has been released. The photos was taken by King Philippe in the garden of the Castle of Laeken.

Princess Elisabeth studied at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in the Marollen district of Brussels, which had been attended by her older cousins, the children of her paternal aunt, the Archduchess of Austria-Este. This is a significant change in the habits of the royal family, as it is the first time that a future Belgian monarch’s education has begun in Dutch. Elisabeth speaks Dutch, French, German and English.

On 21 July 2013, once her father had taken the oath of office as King of the Belgians(his father, King Albert II, having abdicated shortly before), Princess Elisabeth became heir apparent to the throne and as such bears the title of Duchess of Brabant.

Elisabeth is currently studying at UWC Atlantic College in Wales, with the goal of completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in the May 2020 session.

Position

Ten years prior to Elisabeth’s birth, a new act of succession was put into effect which introduced absolute primogeniture, meaning that Elisabeth comes first in the line of succession because she is the eldest child. If she ascends to the throne as expected, she will be Belgium’s first queen regnant.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Brabant, age 12, in 2014.

Styles and Titles

* 25 October 2001 – 21 July 2013: Her Royal Highness Princess Elisabeth of Belgium
* 21 July 2013 – present: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Brabant

Though the eldest son of an heir apparent was traditionally titled Count of Hainaut, Elisabeth was not granted the title by royal decree following her birth. Instead the title was abolished, as French “Hainaut” was not considered linguistically neutral for the title to be conferred on her.

Her Majesty, The Queen wears the George IV State Diadem at the Opening of Parliament.

Tags

Duchess of Cornwall, Duke of Edinburgh, George IV State Diadem, Imperial State Crown., Parliament, Princess of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, State Opening of Parliament

Today, October 14, 2019, Her Majesty the Queen wore the George IV State Diadem for the State Opening of Parliament instead of the Imperial State Crown. Her Majesty was accompanied by HRH The Prince of Wales since HRH The Duke of Edinburgh has retired from public life. HRH The Duchess of Cornwall was seated nearby. The Imperial State Crown was seated on a stand near Her Majesty and carried in the procession.

The George IV State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem, is a crown that was made in 1820 for King George IV. The diadem is worn by Queen Regnants and Queen Consorts in procession to coronations and State Openings of Parliament. It has been featured in paintings and on stamps and currency. It can be seen in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

George IV commissioned Rundell & Bridge to make the diadem in 1820 at a cost of £8,216. The fee included a hire charge of £800 for the diamonds but there is no evidence they were ever returned to the jewellers. George IV wore the diadem over his velvet cap of maintenance in the procession to his coronation at Westminster Abbey.

It has been worn by every queen and queen consort from Queen Adelaide, the wife of William IV, onwards. The diadem was reset with jewels from the royal collection for Queen Victoria. Queen Elizabeth II wore the diadem in the procession to her coronation in 1953, and she also wears it in the procession to and from the annual State Opening of Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II Wore the diadem for the State Opening of Parliament on October 14, 2019. When not in use, the diadem is on display in the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

HM King Carl XVI Gustaf limits the members of the House of Bernadotte.

Tags

Act of Succession, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, House of Bernadotte, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Kings and Queens of Sweden, Royal Family

Today, October 7, 2019, HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden limited the members of the House of Bernadotte. These personages will still be members of the Swedish Royal Family, but only official members of the House of Bernadotte will be expected to work in representing the King.

Styles such as His/Her Royal Highness have been stripped from non working royals. According to the Marshal of the Realm, the princely titles will be regarded as personal. Future spouses and children are not entitled to use those titles.

The Act of Succession has not been change. The requirement that they have to be brought up in Sweden has not been abolished.

Below is the decree released by the Marshal of the Realm.

Here is a previous list of the Members of the House of Bernadotte with the now current members.

Here is a picture of the King and his children, their spouses and grandchildren. Below that is a picture of the King, his daughter Crown Princess Victoria and her eldest daughter and heir Princess Estelle.

HRH Princess Beatrice of York is engaged!

Tags

Duke of York, Engagement, Prince Andrew, Princess Beatrice, Princess Beatrice of York, Royal Family, Sarah Furgeson

Buckingham Palaced released the information that HRH The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York announce the engagement of their daughter HRH Princess Beatrice of York and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are now engaged!

Wedding will be in 2020 more details to follow.

Queen and Duke of Edinburgh meet the new son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Tags

1917 Letter's Patent, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, Duchess of Sussex, Duke of Sussex, Elizabeth II, House of House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, House of Windsor, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Queens

Master Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor

TRH the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were today introduced to the newborn son of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. The Duchess’ mother, Ms Doria Ragland was also present.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are delighted to announce that they have named their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Ms Doria Ragland and TRH the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were photographed with their newborn son earlier at Windsor Castle today.

The baby was born on Monday, 6th May, at 05:26 in the morning, weighing 7lbs 3oz at birth and The Duke of Sussex was present.

The name Archie was brought into England by the Normans when William I “The Conqueror” invaded England and became king in 1066. Eventually, in the Middle Ages, the name became common in Scotland and means ‘True and Bold.” The longer version is Archibald. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have simply used the shortened version of “Archie” as the official name.

Harrison simply means “Harry’s son” which I think is pretty clever.

Here is a link to my earlier blog post why Archie Mountbatten-Windsor will not have a tittle. https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/2019/04/03/will-the-children-of-the-duke-and-duchess-of-sussex-have-titles/

However, as a non-royal son of a Duke, Archie is entitled to be styled by his fathers secondary title “Earl of Dumbarton” but it has been confirmed that he will not use that title and will be simply known as Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

6th Anniversary of the Accession of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

Tags

House of Orange-Nassau, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherland., Kingdom of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange, Prince of Orange-Nassau, Princess Catharina-Amelia., Princess of Orange, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

April 30th should be renamed “Abdication Day.” Today the Heisei Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan in favor of his son, Naruhito (徳仁, born 23 February 1960) who is now the current Emperor of Japan. He succeeded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, 2019, following the abdication of his father Akihito on April 2019. (As I type this today, April 30, 2019, it is already tomorrow in Japan). The Emperor of Japan is the only head of state in the world with the English title of “Emperor.” The Era of Naruhito’s reign bears the name “Reiwa” (令和), and according to custom he will be renamed Emperor Reiwa(令和天皇 Reiwa Tennō) by order of the Cabinet after his death.

HM King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau.

On 30 April 1980, Beatrix became Queen of the Netherlands when her mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated. Queen Beatrix herself abdicated in favor of her eldest son, Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, on April 30 2013.

The rest of this blog post will have some biographical information on King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and also information on the Dutch inauguration ceremony

Willem-Alexander (born Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand, 27 April 1967) was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beatrix and diplomat Claus van Amsberg. He became Prince of Orange as heir apparent upon his mother’s accession as queen on 30 April 1980, and succeeded her following her abdication on 30 April 2013. He went to public primary and secondary schools, served in the Royal Netherlands Navy, and studied history at Leiden University.

On January 31, 2013, Beatrix announced her intention of abdicating. On the morning of 30 April, Beatrix signed the instrument of abdication at the Moseszaal (Moses Hall) at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam. Later that afternoon, Willem-Alexander was inaugurated as king in front of the joint assembly of the States General in a ceremony held at the Nieuwe Kerk.

As king, Willem-Alexander has weekly meetings with the prime minister and speaks regularly with ministers and state secretaries. He also signs all new Acts of Parliament and royal decrees. He represents the kingdom at home and abroad. At the State Opening of Parliament, he delivers the Speech from the Throne, which announces the plans of the government for the parliamentary year. The Constitution requires that the king appoint, dismiss and swear in all government ministers and state secretaries. As king, he is also the chairman of the Council of State, an advisory body that reviews proposed legislation. In modern practice, the monarch seldom chairs council meetings.

The Dutch Royal Family.

On February 2, 2002, he married Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. Máxima is an Argentine woman of Basque, Portuguese and Italian ancestry, who prior to their marriage worked as an investment banker in New York City. The marriage triggered significant controversy due to the role the bride’s father, Jorge Zorreguieta, had in the Argentinian military dictatorship. The couple have three daughters:

* The Princess of Orange (Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria; born 7 December 2003 at HMC Bronovo in The Hague)
* Princess Alexia Juliana Marcela Laurentien of the Netherlands(born 26 June 2005 at HMC Bronovo in The Hague)
* Princess Ariane Wilhelmina Máxima Inés of the Netherlands(born 10 April 2007 at HMC Bronovo in The Hague).

HRH Prince Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, The Princess of Orange.

Willem-Alexander is the first Dutch king since Willem III, who died in 1890. Willem-Alexander had earlier indicated that when he became king, he would take the name Willem IV, but it was announced in January 2013 that his regnal name would be Willem-Alexander.

Inauguration Ceremony

Upon his or her accession to the throne, the new Dutch monarch undergoes an inauguration ceremony as required by the constitution. The ceremony is taken as a joint session of the two houses of the States General, and is held at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.

The King and Queen of the Netherlands at their Inauguration Ceremony.

As with many other European monarchic customs, in the Netherlands new monarchs are not crowned. (Only the British Monarchy continues a coronation ceremony) The Dutch crown and other regalia have never been physically bestowed. Article 32 of the Dutch constitution states that as soon as the monarch assumes the royal prerogative, he is to be sworn-in and invested in Amsterdam at a public joint session of the two houses of the States General. The monarch may not exercise the royal prerogative until reaching the age of 18.

Crown of the Netherlands.

Inauguration is strictly ceremonial as the successor to the throne instantly becomes the new monarch at the moment the former monarch dies or abdicates. The last Dutch monarch to rule until his death was Willem III in 1890. His successor was his daughter, Wilhelmina; however, she was not inaugurated until her coming of age in 1898. Her mother Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont was regent from 1890 to 1898. Wilhelmina passed the throne via abdication to her daughter Juliana in 1948. Every monarch since Wilhelmina have so far chosen to abdicate their thrones after a certain time. This is a custom or tradition and not required by the constitution. The monarch can choose to reign until their death if her or she so chooses.

The monarch, the heir to the throne, the royal family and the cabinet led by the prime minister meet in the Royal Palace of Amsterdam in the State Hall. The monarch signs the instrument of abdication, which is then signed by the heir, members of the royal family and members of government. As soon as the instrument is signed, the new monarch’s accession is complete. The previous monarch then steps on the balcony of the palace, where the new monarch is introduced to the waiting public outside.

The ritual is held at the Nieuwe Kerk, in the capital city of Amsterdam. Regalia such as the crown, orb and sceptre are present but are never physically given to the monarch, nor are they worn by him or her, instead they are placed on cushions, on what is called a credence table. The royal regalia surround a copy of the Dutch constitution. Two other regalia–the sword of state and the standard of the kingdom bearing the coat of arms of the Netherlands–are carried by two senior military officers. During the ceremony, the monarch, wearing a ceremonial mantle, is seated on a chair of state on a raised dais opposite members of the States General.