Royal round up, week ending October 12th 2013

A round up of all the news from Europe's royal houses for the week ending October 12th 2013...

 

United Kingdom

 

 

Rumours grew throughout the week that Prince Harry would announce his engagement to Cressida Bonas following reports in The Daily Telegraph that his girlfriend had overcome her fears about life as a royal wife.  There was no official comment. 

 

 

The Telegraph reported on October 6th 2013 that Prince Harry was about to get married to Cressida Bonas after an eighteen month relationship
 

There were also unconfirmed reports that the Queen has invited both the Middleton family and Cressida Bonas to spend time with the royals at Christmas. But what was definite was the reappearance of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh who carried out their first official public engagement together since Prince Philip's operation in July 2013.  Queen Elizabeth II and her consort launched the Queen's Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace on October 9th 2013, beginning the final countdown to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July 2014.

 

 

Queen Elizabeth II places her specially written message inside the baton for the Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on October 9th 2013.  The baton will now travel round the world before arriving in Glasgow for the games in July 2014.  The queen is seen here with HRH Prince Imran, president of the Commonwealth Games Foundation

 

On the same day, the Queen held a council at Buckingham Palace and also swore in four new Privy councilors.  She also presented the seals of office to the new Secretary of State for Scotland, Alistair Carmichael.  On October 10th 2013 the Queen held an investiture at Buckingham Palace and afterwards met the King and Queen of Tonga at an audience at the palace.  And she ended her week with a series of meetings at Buckingham Palace including an audience with the newly appointed ambassador to Spain.

 

 

The Queen presents the MBE to Christine MacRae from the Western Isles of Scotland at an investiture at Buckingham Palace on October 10th 2013

 

The Duke of Edinburgh visited St. Michael's Care Complex in Aylsham in Norfolk on October 8th 2013.  After attending the launch of the Queen's Baton Relay on October 9th, Prince Philip opened the new fundraising offices of his Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme in London.  And on the following day, the Duke held at reception at St James' Palace for young people who have achieved the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award before hosting a Special Reception at the palace in the afternoon to mark the 500th presentation he has made of Gold awards.

 

 

The Duke of Edinburgh hands out the Gold Award from the scheme that bears his name for the 500th time at a Special Reception at St James' Palace, London on October 10th 2013

 

There was another major event at Buckingham Palace on October 7th 2013 when the Duke of Cambridge, president of the Football Association, hosted the first football match ever played at the palace to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the FA.  The only original side left from the eleven that formed the Association in 1863, Civil Service FC, played another amateur side, Polytechnic FC, on the lawns of Buckingham Palace which had been marked as a football pitch for the day.  Prince William also presented awards to some of the heroes of grassroots football before warning the players that if they broke any of the palace's 760 windows they'd have to answer to the Queen.

 

 

William, Duke of Cambridge before kick off at the first football match to be played at Buckingham Palace on October 7th 2013

 

Prince Harry represented the Queen at the International Fleet Review in Sydney on October 5th 2013.  The prince took the salute before going on a walkabout where he was almost mobbed by tens of thousands of people.  He later met the new Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, who told him that for one day at least everyone in the country was a monarchist.  And he ended his forty eight hour whistlestop tour with a visit to the Australian Special Air Service in Perth on October 6th 2013.  On his way back he stopped off in Dubai where he attended a dinner in aid of the charity of which he is patron, Sentebale.  Another charity, the Al Jalila Foundation, was also honoured. 

 

 

 Prince Harry at the International Fleet Review in Sydney, Australia on October 5th 2013

 

The Duke of York completed a tour of Florida where he visited Saint Andrew's School on October 6th 2013 and the Round Square Conference at Office Depot Corporate Headquarters, Boca Raton on October 7th 2013.  On his return to the UK, the Duke had several business related engagements including the opening of Box London in Fulham on October 9th.  The following day he was in the north of England where he visited For Entrepreneurs Only at the Enterprise Centre, University of Hull.  Later on he spent time at JSR Genetics Limited near Driffiled in Yorkshire before heading on to  Bridlington Spa to present the annual awards for The Duke of York's Community Initiative of which he is patron.  And on October 9th 2013 he received the ambassador from Turkey.

 

 

Andrew, Duke of York on his visit to Bridlington in Yorkshire on October 10th 2013

 

The Earl and Countess of Wessex spent most of the week in South Africa where Prince Edward attended over a dozen events linked to the Duke of Edinburgh Award across the country.  The countess also carried out engagements linked to one of her favourite causes, improving sight, including a lunch meeting in Johannesburg in her role as a patron of Vision 2020: the Right to Sight.  The countess also visited several schools as a global ambassador the Duke of Edinburgh award.  The Earl of Wessex also held an investiture on behalf of the Queen in Pretoria on October 5th 2013 and held a business lunch as well as a meeting to promote the  United Kingdom - South Africa 2014 Year of Arts and Culture.  And at the end of their visit, the Earl and Countess of Wessex met the President of South Africa in Cape Town.  The couple ended their tour on October 11th 2013.

 

 

Sophie, Countess of Wessex at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg on October 7th 2013

 

The Princess Royal began the week in Scotland where she carried out three days of engagements in Edinburgh.  On October 7th 2013 she held a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in her capacity as patron of the South Georgia Heritage Trust before hosting a dinner in the same palace as chancellor of the University of Edinburgh.  The following day she opened the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at Edinburgh University.  Anne Rowling was the mother of Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, and died aged 45 from multiple sclerosis.  Her daughter donated £10 million towards the setting up of the centre.

 

 

Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, and the Princess Royal at the opening of the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic in Edinburg on October 8th 2013

 

On the same day, the Princess Royal opened the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation and attended a dinner following a Special Graduation Ceremony at McEwan Hall in Edinburgh.  On October 9th 2013, Princess Anne visited St. Mary's Cathedral Workshop in the city before seeing the work of the Cancer Research UK Centre in Edinburgh.  The princess returned to London that afternoon to be present at the Court Autumn Dinner at Fishmongers' Hall for the Fishmongers' Company in London.  On October 10th 2013, Princess Anne named the Natural Environment Research Council's Royal Research Ship DISCOVERY at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton.  That afternoon she visited Exeter Prison as a patron of prison charity, the Butler Trust, and in the evening was at the dinner marking the tenth anniversary of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth.  Her week ended when she took the salute at the  King's Squad Passing Out Parade for the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines in Devon on October 11th 2013.

 

 

The Princess Royal meeting those involved with the Natural Environment Research Council's Royal Research Ship in Southampton

 

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended the Royal British Legion Central Band Concert in London on October 12th 2013.  Earlier in the week, on October 10th 2013, the Duke had been in Kent where he visited Tunbridge Wells Mental Health Resource Limited before opening the renovated  Ryder House at West Kent Young Men's Christian Association.  The Duke also travelled on the famous Bluebell Railway from Sheffield Park Railway Station to East Grinstead Railway Station to mark the opening of a new section of the track.  The Duke had started the week presenting awards to upcoming stone masons and workers at the Duke of Gloucester Awards for the Masons Society in London on October 8th 2013.  On the same day, the Duchess of Gloucester had visited the Open Academy at the Royal Academy of Music in London.  The Duke of Kent was in Oxfordshire during the week where he visited the BMW Mini Car Plant in Cowley, Oxford.  And Princess Alexandra of Kent presented the Royal Humane Society Awards at Buckingham Palace on October 8th 2013. 

 

 

Princess Alexandra at the presentation of the Royal Humane Society Awards in London on October 8th 2013
 

Sweden

 

 

King Carl XVI Gustaf opened a new bridge on a rail link that had first been inaugurated by his great, great grandfather.  Oscar II did the ribbon cutting duties on a section of track between Motala and Mjölby in 1873.  One hundred and forty years later, King Carl XVI Gustaf opened a new bridge in the area which will take both trains and cars. 

 

 

The King of Sweden on the new Motala bridge on October 9th 2013.  He travelled there with local governor, Elisabeth Nilsson, by vintage car.

 

At the end of the week, the king went on a tour of technology companies organized by the Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences.  He visited Gothenburg on Thursday 10th October where he saw a youth project.  The following day he was in Borås where he saw technological advances in textiles.

 

 

King Carl XVI Gustaf on his visit to Borås on October 11th 2013

 

Queen Silvia started her week opening a conference on culture for children in Stockholm where museums from around the world got together to discuss how to make learning fun.  The following day, October 9th, she welcomed children to the Royal Palace in Stockholm where she presented them with certificates for their fundraising.  The pupils from Adolf Frederik's Music School have raised tens of thousands of pounds and spent the morning with queen to tell her about their efforts.

 

 Queen Silvia with children who received certificates for their fundraising efforts at Stockholm's Royal Palace

 

Crown Princess Victoria was in Brussels on October 8th 2013 for a meeting of the honorary members of the International Paralympic Committee where the achievements of London 2012 were discussed alongside aims for Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016.  On her return to Sweden she visited Uppsala for a visit looking at environmental and scientific issues which included a trip to the university.

 

 

Crown Princess Victoria at BioAgri in Uppsala which works on seed development that doesn't need chemical additives

 

Prince Daniel presented a research grant from the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation to Professor Fredrik Bäckhed from the University of Gothenburg on October 8th 2013.  And later in the week he visited Åland islands off the west coast of Sweden to find out more about industry and society in the area.

 

 

Prince Daniel met young business experts on the Åland islands on October 10th 2013

 

And Prince Carl Philip spent three days in South Korea between October 7th and 9th 2013 where he met Swedish businesses in the country.  He also spent time at a Road Safety Forum.  His second day involved a visit to the Hyundai buildings while his last day was spent in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea where a Swedish camp helps oversee the ceasefire.

 

 

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden on October 9th 2013, the last day of his visit to South Korea.  He is seen speaking to Colonel Ingemar Adolfsson about operations at the Swedish camp in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

 

Denmark

 Crown Prince Frederik headed a business delegation to Lithuania between 8th and 10th October.  After the official welcome from the president, Daila Grybauskaite, the prince visited the Bang & Olufsen store in Vilnius which is marking its 20th anniversary.  He also saw an art exhibition called International Relations featuring Danish work. 

 

 

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark with the president of Lithuania, Daila Grybauskaite, on his arrival for a three day business trip on October 8th 2013

 

On October 9th he was at the Lithuanian Business Forum in the morning before moving on to the Danish Bank where he launched a competition on financial literacy for Lithuanian children.  In the afternoon he opened an exhibition about the restoration of Frederik VII of Denmark's palace called 'A Modern Royal Household' and then went on to meet mayor of Vilnius at the Town Hall. The evening of October 9th featured a gala dinner.  The final day of the prince's visit included a business brunch and the opening of 'Danish Days', a project aiming to get Lithuanian businesses to open in Denmark.

 

 

Crown Prince Frederik is show the new city bikes being rolled out in Vilnius by the city's mayor on October 9th 2013

 

Queen Margrethe II presented a special version of the Nils Bohr gold medal to French physicist, Alain Aspect.  The medal used to be awarded every three years until 1982 but a special presenation was made this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nils Bohr.  And at the end of the week, the queen and the prince consort launched a joint exhibition of their work at the ARoS Art Museum in Aarhus.  The event, called Pas de Deux, will run until the middle of February 2014.

 

 

Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik of Denmark at the press launch for their exhibition on October 11th 2013.  The event officially opened on October 12th 2013 and will run until the middle of February 2014

 

And the Prince Consort had more of his artistic work on display during the week at the performance of a song called 'Echo' - he was involved in the piano for the song.  The music was composed by the King of Thailand and was performed by Michael Learns to Rock.

 

 

Prince Henrik of Denmark listens to another version of the song, Echo, when it was debuted on October 7th 2013

 

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attended a meeting about sexual health and reproductive health on October 10th 2013.  It was held at the Christiansborg Palace and involved a parliamentary group.

 

 

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark at her meeting on October 10th 2013

 

On October 6th 2013, Princess Marie attended an event organized by Neighbourhood Mothers.  The group is made up of mothers, many from communities new to Denmark, who help people moving to the country to settle into their new home.

 

 

Princess Marie of Denmark meets some of the women taking part in Neighbourhood Mothers in Vejle in the west of the country on October 6th 2013

 

On October 9th, Princess Marie helped relaunch a teaching tool used in primary schools called EMU.  She met teachers and pupils at a school in Gentofte, just north of Copenhagen.

 

 

Princess Marie at the relaunch of EMU with some of the schoolchildren she met in Gentofte

Belgium

Queen Paola was admitted to hospital for an operation for a benign bladder condition.  The announcement of the procedure, made on October 10th, said the queen was recovering well and that the surgery went as planned.  She will spend several weeks recuperating.

 

Queen Paola of the Belgians was admitted to hospital on October

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde continued with their Joyeuses Entrees, this time visiting Liege on October 11th 2013, the location of the last public appearance of King Albert II and Queen Paola before the abdication of July 21st 2013.  Around 8,000 people welcomed them with Queen Mathilde choosing a bright yellow outfit for her latest appearance.  They enjoyed a working lunch before meeting the crowds.

 

 

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde on their Joyeuse Entrée to Liege on October 11th 2013

 

King Philippe paid his respects after the death of the former Belgian prime minster, Wilfred Martens, who died in the week.  The king also held several audiences with the presidents of political parties and his regular meeting with the Belgian Prime Minister, Elio di Rupo, took place on October 7th.  He received the letters of credentials of four new ambassadors on October 9th 2013; Ousmane Matar Breme from Chad, Antonis Grivas from Cyprus, Adani Illo from Nigeria and Sékouba Cisse from Mali.  On the same day, the king and queen attended the 150th anniversary celebrations of chemical company Solvay in Neder-over-Heembeek in Brussels.

 

 King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians at the 150th anniversary celebrations of Solvay on October 9th 2013

 

On October 8th Queen Mathilde met Sister Angelique Namaika who has spent many years working to help the most vulnerable in society and in particular those who have been the victims of violence, among them thoseattacked by the Lord's Resistance Army in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sister Angelique has just been awarded the Nansen Refugee Award for 2013 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

 

 

Queen Mathilde with Sister Angelique Namaika at their meeting at the Royal Palace in Brussels on October 8th 2013

 

Princess Astrid attended the special meeting for honorary members of the International Paralympic Committee in Brussels on October 8th at the Royal Palace where she was joined by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (see above), Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Princess Margriet of the Netherlands.  On October 11th, Princess Astrid was a guest of honour at the special concert held to mark International Organ Donor Day at the Cathedral of St Michel and St Gudula in Brussels.  Princess Claire was also at a special concert that evening, at the AXA Auditorium in Brussles, marking the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Queen Marie Henriette Children's Centre which now helps around 140 children under the age of 10 whose parents are experiencing problems.  Prince Laurent was also at an event for children. On October 6th he was at the National Day for Children with Cancer.  On October 12th he was at the opening of the new Nature Zone in the Groot Shijn Park.  And on October 8th he attended the International Film Festival van Vlaanderen in Ghent.

 

 

 Prince Laurent of Belgium at the 40th International Film Festival on October 8th 2013

 

Spain

The king continued his recovery from the operation on his hip at the end of September which meant that Prince Felipe led the royal family at the annual military parade marking Spain's National Day.  It was the first time that the Prince of Asturias took the salute by himself at this event.  He was accompanied by the Princess of Asturias at the parade.  The traditional reception afterwards was hosted by Queen Sofia who was joined by the prince and princess and the Infanta Elena.  Princess Letizia found herself once more the subject of controversy when she was seen not to drink her glass of cava after the prince proposed a toast to Spain and the king even though the other members of the royal family did take a sip.

 

 

The Prince and Princess of Asturias with the Infanta Elena just before the prince's speech and toast following the events to mark Spain's National Day on October 12th 2013

 

The week had begun with another solemn and traditional event on October 6th 2013 when Queen Sofia was in Badajoz to present the flag to part of the Civil Guard on the day when the Virgin of Pilar, the Guard's patron saint, is honoured.

 

 

Queen Sofia in Badajoz on October 6th 2013

 

The queen opened an exhibition on Velazquez and his work showing the family of King Felipe IV on October 7th 2013 at the Prado Museum in Madrid.  On October 10th she presented Eunho Chang with the Musical Composition prize which bears her name at a ceremony at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.  Queen Sofia then went on to the Rafael del Pino Institute in Madrid to take part in a debate on the problems facing many children, in particular girls, around the world as part of International Children's Day.  And that evening she was back at the Prado where she took part in an event honouring her brother-in-law, the Duke of Soria, who was marking 25 years running the Friends of the Museum organization.

 

 

 Queen Sofia with Carlos Zurita, the Duke of Soria, husband of the Infanta Margarita of Spain, at an event celebrating his long association with the Friends of the Prado Museum in Madrid on Octotber 10th 2013

 

The Prince of Asturias also chalked up another first when he oversaw the annual meeting of the Cervantes Institute in his own capacity on October 9th 2013.  The prince oversaw the meeting at the Zarzuela Palace as the king was unable to attend because of his recovery.

 

 

 

 Felipe, Prince of Asturias at the meeting of the Cervantes Institute held in the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid on October 9th 2013

 

The Princess of Asturias went to Santander on October 8th 2013 for an event marking the start of the national Training Year.  She met apprentices in several fields and talked about the importance of training to improve productivity in all businesses.

 

 

Letizia, Princess of Asturias with some of the apprentices she met in Santander on October 8th 2013

 

Earlier in the week, the prince and princess had been in Cologne to visit the Spanish stand at the 32nd International Food and Drink Fair.  And on October 11th 2013, they gave out the prizes at the end of the StartUp and Investor Spain summit in Madrid.

 

 

The prince and princess of Asturias in Madrid on October 11th 2013 when they awarded the prizes at the StartUp summit which came to a close that evening

 

Norway

The main event for the Norwegian royal family this week was the state opening of parliament.  King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon attended the event on October 9th 2013 in Oslo with the king delivering a speech from the throne written for him by the government.  Princess Mette-Marit is still recovering from a recent bout of ill health and wasn't present.

 

 

The Norwegian royal family at the state opening of parliament on October 9th 2013

 

King Harald had begun his week attending events to mark two major centenaries.  On October 6th 2013 he celebrated 100 years of the Norwegian Theatre while he helped mark the 100th anniversary of Notodden municipality in the south of the country on October 8th. 

 

 

King Harald of Norway on his visit to Notodden on October 8th 2013

 

The king also had a series of audiences through the week.  On October 10th he met the outgoing minister of Foreign Affairs and he held an audience with the outgoing Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, the following day.  October 11th also saw an audience with members of the  Norwegian Student Society.  On the same day, King Harald presented Christiane Petzold with the King's Gold Medal.  And the king and queen hosted a tea dance at the royal palace, alongside Princess Astrid, for older people on October 10th.  The tradition was introduced to the royal family by Queen Maud.

 

 

King Harald, Queen Sonja and Princess Astrid of Norway at the tea dance in the Royal Palace in Oslo on October 10th 2013

 

Queen Sonja also visited a project called Quo Vadis in Oslo in the week.  The programme helps migrants to Norway gain the education and training they may have been denied in their home countries.  The queen saw some of the work going on at the centre including the literacy classes that have helped hundreds of women learn to read and write in the 22 years Quo Vadis has been going.

 

 

Queen Sonja on her visit to Quo Vadis in Oslo on October 8th 2013

 

The Netherlands

The Dutch Royal Family started the week with a wedding when Princess Beatrix's nephew, Prince Jaime of Bourbon Parme, married his Polish fiancée, Viktória Cservenyák, in Apeldoorn.  King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima and the whole royal family were in attendance with Princess Beatrix making one of her first public appearances since the recent operation for a broken cheekbone.

 

 

Jaime de Bourbon Parme and Viktória Cservenyák after their wedding in Apeldoorn on October 5th 2013

 

The princess was out again later in the week when she opened an exhibition at the Museum of Antiquities in Leiden on Petra on October 8th 2013.  And her younger sister, Princess Margriet, was in Brussels the same day to attend the meeting of honorary members of the International Paralympic Committee (see above).  Queen Maxima spent several days in Washington where she attended the annual meeting of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.  During her trip, from October 10th to 12th 2013, Queen Maxima took part in several discussions including one on technological changes which could improve access to financial services.

 

 

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands at a panel discussion with Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, and Professor Frank Sesno of George Washington University on October 11th 2013

 

King Willem-Alexander spent October 8th learning more about an initiative called 'Peeking at the Neighbours' which encourages school children and residents of a home for pensioners near one another in Oosterwolde to spend time together every day and help one another through community activities.

 

 

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands at the Peeking at the Neighbours project which he visited on October 8th 2013

 

On October 9th 2013, the king received the credentials of the ambassadors of Finland, Jordan and Senegal at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague.  And he ended his week opening the new campus of the United World Colleges in Maastricht on October 11th 2013.  There are twelve of the colleges around Europe and the one in Maastricht is the newest, opening in 2009 and now moving into its new buildings.  The king attended the United World College in Wales in 1985.

 

 

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in Maastricht on October 11th 2013