The royal week (ending 23rd August 2013)

A quick round up of what the royal families of Europe have been up to this week...

NORWAY

 

Perhaps the busiest royal household this week was the Norwegian.  On Sunday, the family was out in force for a religious service to mark the 40th birthday of Crown Princess Mette-Marit although her actual anniversary, on the Monday, was quiet and private.  It brought to an end the celebrations for the big birthdays being marked by Mette-Marit and her husband, Haakon, this summer.

 

Royals in wellies - the Norwegian royal family pulled their boots on for a special religious service in the Queen's Park in Oslo to mark Crown Princess Mette-Marit's 40th birthday

More day to day activitities for King Harald who held a regular Council of State with the Crown Prince at his side. He's also held several farewell audiences for ambassadors. Meanwhile, Queen Sonia has been to several concerts linked to the Interntional Music Festival which bears her name as well as the event's grand finale.

 

Queen Sonia of Norway with soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan who won at the Queen's International Music Festival

Queen Sonia's daughter, Princess Martha Louise, was given an award of her own.  The =Norge prize is given each year to someone who has shown outstanding contributions to social commitment and the princess was chosen for her work with children.  Previous winners have included a project dedicated to helping drug addicts. 

 

Richard Johannessen, presents Princess Martha Louise with the 2013 =Norge award

 

SPAIN

King Juan Carlos has been in Madrid continuing his recovery from the hip operation he underwent earlier this year.  But in a sign that he's getting back to normal, off he went to the football to see the annual friendly organised by Real Madrid in memory of Santiago Bernabeu, the man credited with turning the team into a powerhouse of European football.  The king handed over the trophy to Real Madrid after their 5-0 win against Al-Sadd.  And he welcomed back to the club one of its favourite sons.  Raul now plays for Al-Sadd but spent sixteen years playing for Real.  In recognition of his long career, Juan Carlos presented Raul with a mini replica of Madrid's famous Cibeles fountain.

King Juan Carlos presents Raul with a special trophy to mark his long and very successful career

 

But in the absence of any major activity, the Spanish press has continued to speculate on the state of the marriage of Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia.  The royal house said their union was as strong as ever but rumours of a strained summer continue to come thick and fast.

DENMARK

 

Princess Mary spent several hours at a camp in Jordan for Syrian refugees this week as part of her work as patron of the United Nations Population Fund. The princess met many people, including children, who have had to leave their homes as the conflict in Syria escalates.  Mary was evacuated form the camp towards the end of her visit after protests about the chemical weapons attack near Damascus escalated.

 

 

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark speaking to children at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.  The children are among 120,000 people at the camp forced to leave their homes in Syria as the conflict there escalates

 

The royal family begins its official activities in full this week after the summer break and the Crown Prince took the chance to enjoy some last minute diversions.  He completed the Copenhagen Iron Man competition, coming in 706th overall.

 

 

Crown Prince Frederik taking part in the Copenhagen Iron Man competition

 

THE NETHERLANDS

 

The Dutch royal family continues its private mourning for Prince Johan Friso who died on August 12th and was buried last week close the home where his mother, Beatrix, will spend her retirement.  It was announced in the week that the farewell party for the now princess Beatrix, scheduled for September 14th, will be put back until some time in 2014.  The former queen is due to make her first public appearance since the death of her second son in the coming week. 

 

BELGIUM

 

A quiet week for the Belgian royal family as well as the new king and queen take a last few days of holiday before their children return to school and they get ready to embark on a tour of the country to say hello to their fellow citizens as monarchs for the first time. The royal progress begins on September 6th in Louvain. 

 

SWEDEN

 

The king and queen of Sweden have already been on a progress with the visits to various parts of the country to mark Carl XVI Gustaf's forty years as king continuing.  This week we got photos of them in eastern Sweden and their days in Vasternorrland and Vasterbotten counties.  There was a good turn out to celebrate the big jubilee and the king and queen spent quite a lot of time learning about forestry in the areas.

 



 

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia on their visit to Vasterbotten county in eastern Sweden as part of the tour to mark the king's 40th jubilee.  Silvia became queen on her marriage in 1976.

 

UNITED KINGDOM

 

After a four week wait, the official photos of Prince George of Cambridge were released.  The snaps, taken by his maternal grandfather, Michael Middleton, showed the baby with his parents in the garden of her family home in Berkshire. 

 

 

One more time....the world's most famous baby in the world's most famous baby photo.  George, Kate and William share the limelight with Lupo the dog...

 

Meanwhile, Prince Harry was in Angola on a private visit to see the work of the Halo Trust, the charity which works to clear landmines and which his mother, Diana, famously helped promote.  The photograph of the princess walking through mineclearing work is one of the best known images of a woman who was pictured almost constantly for fifteen years.  Her youngest son is now patron of Halos' 25th Anniversary Appeal and Harry spent several days learning about the trust's work in Angola, meeting people injured by landmines and learning how to destroy the devices.

 

 

Prince Harry, patron of the Halo Trust's 25th Anniversary Appeal, learns about the work they do in Angola on a private visit to the country this week

 

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent became grandparents for the first time when their daughter-in-law, Sophie, gave birth to a little girl called Maud in America.  Maud Windsor became the first female member of Britain's royal family to be guaranteed her place in the line of succession ahead of any future little brother.

 

Meanwhile, the Queen and Prince Philip continued their holidays at Balmoral.