Their tour included a meeting with the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, at the Quirinale Palace and audiences with leading politicians. Here are the photos that tell the story of Felipe and Letizia in Rome.
The women who have worn the crown: their lives, their loves, their stories. England and elsewhere, princesses sometimes too with dashes of all kinds of royal.
Thursday, 20 November 2014
Felipe and Letizia in Rome - the photos
King Felipe and Queen Letizia spent Wednesday in Rome on another introductory visit.
Their tour included a meeting with the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, at the Quirinale Palace and audiences with leading politicians. Here are the photos that tell the story of Felipe and Letizia in Rome.
Their tour included a meeting with the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, at the Quirinale Palace and audiences with leading politicians. Here are the photos that tell the story of Felipe and Letizia in Rome.
Royals in Rome
It's been a busy week for King Felipe and Queen Letizia. Less than seven days after touching down in Luxembourg for an introductory visit that segwayed into a courtesy call on Bruseels they completed a hat trick of hellos when the royals hit Rome. A trio of trips that have allowed the new monarch and his consort to make their mark on Europe.
The King and Queen of Spain during their introductory visit to Rome on November 19th 2014
The third visit followed the pattern of many of the others. The royal couple were given an official welcome and then met the head of state - President Giorgio Napolitano. The president and his wife posed for photos with their guests before a private lunch.
Felipe and Letizia are given an official welcome on their arrival at the Quirinale Palace at the start of their official visit to Rome
There was also an opportunity for the newest king on the continent and his wife to meet leading politicians and during their time in Rome Felipe and Letizia said hello to the Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi, as well as to the President of the Senate and the President of the Chamber of Deputies.
The Prime Minister of Italy,Matteo Renzi, with his royal guests at the Chigi Palace in Rome
The visit, as usual, lasted one day and is part of an ongoing tour being carried out by the king and queen following the accession of Felipe VI on June 19th 2014. But while the summer was busy for the royal couple, November has been jam packed with visits - November has been a series of new encounters for Felipe and Letizia.
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
A new prince Louis?
The recent poll to choose the most likely name for a Prince of Monaco had a clear winner and a very Monegasque one at that. Louis, already the name of two sovereigns of the Principality, claimed top spot. And if Albert and Charlene do select it for a son at the end of the year then that little royal will be joining an illustrious group of princes of Monaco who have borne the name.
The first sovereign to take the name Louis was only the second man to be called Prince of Monaco. Louis I was born in the Prince's Palace in the country in 1642, the eldest son of Ercole Grimaldi and his wife, Maria Aurelia who was a member of the powerful Genoese clan, the Spinolas. Ercole became known as Hercule and was heir to the first man to rule Monaco as a prince, Honore II, but he died before his father and so Louis got the title in 1662. He ruled the principality until 1701 and was succeeded by his son, Antonio.
The second Louis of Monaco would begin his reign over 200 years later. Louis Honore Charles Antoine was sovereign between 1922 and 1949 but packed plenty into his life before that. He was born on July 12th 1870, the only child of the then heir to the throne, Albert I, and his wife, Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton. Louis' parents parted soon after his birth and he was raised in Germany by his mother and step-father before returning to Monaco to learn the art of monarchy. But he ended up joining the French Foreign Legion while his father became a well known sovereign prince with a love of culture and, in particular, oceanography.
This second Louis took the throne on his father's death and his great passion in his reign was sport with Monaco Football Club taking shape soon after his accession and the first Grand Prix to be held in the principality taking place in 1929. Louis had had a relationship with a singer called Marie Juliette Louvet which produced a daughter, Charlotte, who in 1919 was declared heir after a change to the law. She passed her rights to her son, Rainier, who succeeded on Louis' death in 1949.
Louis was also one of Prince Rainier III's names and the current sovereign is called Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre. It is a name with plenty of history in Monaco and the one chosen in the recent poll as the most likely to feature in a birth announcement from the Prince's Palace later this year should one of the royal twins be a boy.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco are expecting twins later this year
The first sovereign to take the name Louis was only the second man to be called Prince of Monaco. Louis I was born in the Prince's Palace in the country in 1642, the eldest son of Ercole Grimaldi and his wife, Maria Aurelia who was a member of the powerful Genoese clan, the Spinolas. Ercole became known as Hercule and was heir to the first man to rule Monaco as a prince, Honore II, but he died before his father and so Louis got the title in 1662. He ruled the principality until 1701 and was succeeded by his son, Antonio.
Louis II, Prince of Monaco, who ruled between 1662 and 1701
The second Louis of Monaco would begin his reign over 200 years later. Louis Honore Charles Antoine was sovereign between 1922 and 1949 but packed plenty into his life before that. He was born on July 12th 1870, the only child of the then heir to the throne, Albert I, and his wife, Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton. Louis' parents parted soon after his birth and he was raised in Germany by his mother and step-father before returning to Monaco to learn the art of monarchy. But he ended up joining the French Foreign Legion while his father became a well known sovereign prince with a love of culture and, in particular, oceanography.
Louis II, Prince of Monaco who ruled the state from 1922 until 1949
This second Louis took the throne on his father's death and his great passion in his reign was sport with Monaco Football Club taking shape soon after his accession and the first Grand Prix to be held in the principality taking place in 1929. Louis had had a relationship with a singer called Marie Juliette Louvet which produced a daughter, Charlotte, who in 1919 was declared heir after a change to the law. She passed her rights to her son, Rainier, who succeeded on Louis' death in 1949.
Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand was the sovereign Prince of Monaco between 1949 and 2005
Louis was also one of Prince Rainier III's names and the current sovereign is called Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre. It is a name with plenty of history in Monaco and the one chosen in the recent poll as the most likely to feature in a birth announcement from the Prince's Palace later this year should one of the royal twins be a boy.
Monday, 17 November 2014
The day of the two queens
It's happened once and once only. On this day in 1558 one woman succeeded another to the throne of England. Against all the odds, Elizabeth I followed her half-sister Mary I as regnant of a country their father didn't think a woman could manage. November 17th is unique in British history. It is the day of the two queens.
Elizabeth I, Queen of England, was the only woman to succeed another to rule the country
Like Mary, Elizabeth's reign began in hope and turmoil. When Mary had taken the throne in 1553 she had had to fight for her right to rule after the installation of Lady Jane Grey as queen in an ill fated coup. Mary's triumphant ride to London saw her greeted by thousands cheering her as their rightful monarch. It hadn't taken long to unravel and by the time she died, aged 42, on November 17th 1558 her reputation was damaged. She was 'Bloody Mary' who had put to death many Protestants as she tried to re-establish Catholicism as the main religion of her country. She was queen at a time of economic uncertainty and difficult harvests. And she was the woman who was called to be the first female regnant of her country but who was so desperate to marry by the time she won her crown that her unswerving devotion to her husband, Philip of Spain, led to many fearing that he might rule through her. Mary's reign quickly turned from sweet to sour. The rise of Elizabeth was a relief for many and a sign of hope on the horizon.
Mary I, Queen of England, always in the shadow of her glorious sister
Mary had bowed to the inevitable and named her Protestant half-sister as he heir before her death. Elizabeth, aged 25, was in at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire when news reached her that she was now Queen of England. The little girl declared illegitimate at the age of two and a half when her mother, Anne Boleyn, had been executed and who had grown up in the turmoil of the Tudor court before finding herself under house arrest in the reign of her sister was now the leader of her country. The realm belonged to her and her arrival as regnant was greeted with cheering. Except this time the story would have a far happier ending.
Henry VIII, father of Mary and Elizabeth, changed the succession twice to stop his daughters wearing his crown but both would reign in the end
Elizabeth's reign is one of the most famous in European history. Known as Gloriana she reshaped politics, foreign policy and the whole concept of monarchy. She was the Virgin Queen who ruled alone and who made it quite clear early on that there would be no blood line to inherit the throne. And in so doing she made sure that her country learned to love the concept of a king or queen rather than the family who embodied it at that time. Elizabeth's reign was a game changer but then it started in a most unique way. The only woman every to succeed another, she took the throne in a wave of hope which she turned into an ocean of success. The two sisters, so often apart and opposed in life, would eventually be buried together in Westminster Abbey. For their lives, their relationships and their reigns were forever intertwined. And today is an important date in that story. It is the day of the two queens.
Saturday, 15 November 2014
Tweeting the royals, November 15th
We got lunch and dinner from Europe's royals this week not to mention a few trips to meet the neighbours. There were also acts of remembrance and celebrations of peace and all of it shared on the official social media channels of the continent's courts. Here's how the royals tweeted the week that was..
Feeling hungry?
Crown Princess Mette-Marit has made no secret of her love of books and reading and this week she held a dinner to promote literacy with hubby Haakon coming along to lend a hand. There were pics of her meeting her guests on the Norwegian Royal Family's Facebook page.
The King and Queen of Spain made an introductory visit to Belgium in the week and after a welcome in the wind they went inside for a spot of lunch. And Felipe, Letizia, Philippe and Mathilde were shown about to tuck in on tweets featured on both the Spanish and Belgian royals' official Twitter accounts.
Lunch ter ere van de Koning en de Koningin van Spanje - Déjeuner offert en l'honneur du Roi et de la Reine d'Espagne pic.twitter.com/6NIowIAVYr
— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) November 12, 2014
The Duke of Cambridge attended a dinner held by Skill Force UK in the week with a pretty impressive backdrop - as seen on the Clarence House Instagram account.
Testing times
The Duchess of Cambridge met young athletes who hope to represent their country at the Olympics in years to come on a visit to GSK in Essex in the week. While there, Kate tried an exercise to test her reflexes and Clarence House shared a video on its Instagram page.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands has set himself a task - over the next year he will make a series of working visits to find out more about the work of different government ministers. First on the list was social affairs and that led to some striking images on the official Facebook page of the king in some unusual headgear.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden got the chance to test things of a different kind when she visited an exhibition about water and sanitation and saw some very unusual designs for new toilets - photos of the royal reactions were shared on the official Facebook page.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden got the chance to test things of a different kind when she visited an exhibition about water and sanitation and saw some very unusual designs for new toilets - photos of the royal reactions were shared on the official Facebook page.
Popping in on the neighbours
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia made two introductory visits in the week, popping into see the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg first of all with images shared on the official Twitter account of Casa Real.
Encuentro de los Reyes con los Grandes Duques de Luxemburgo @CourGrandDucale http://t.co/QfQZd3vYlI pic.twitter.com/CgiG9tL3K7
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) November 11, 2014
Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway spent part of November in Belgrade and in the week the Royal Household shared some images of the trip on the official Facebook page.
The Swedish Royal Family attended an event remembering 200 years of peace in the country and shared a video on the official You Tube channel.
Remembering
Remembrance Day was marked in the week and the Queen led tributes on Remembrance Sunday in London. The British Monarchy also shared an image of the family at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on its official Twitter account.
A poignant moment for the Queen at the Royal Albert Hall Remembrance concert pic.twitter.com/jmcSr5VhN3
— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) November 8, 2014
The Swedish Royal Family attended an event remembering 200 years of peace in the country and shared a video on the official You Tube channel.
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