United Kingdom
Prince George of Cambridge embarked on his first foreign holiday as the week came to an end as it was revealed, on February 1st 2014, that the future king had accompanied his mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, on a trip to Mustique to spend time with his maternal family, the Middletons.
Prince George of Cambridge headed to the Caribbean for his first sunshine holiday
It was announced in the week that the Duchess of Cambridge would start her public engagements for 2014 on February 11th with a visit to the Royal Portrait Gallery, of which she is patron. The Duke of Cambridge continues his studies at Cambridge University. Meanwhile, the Queen spent her last full week of the Christmas break at Sandringham - she traditionally remains there until the anniversary of her father's death and her own accession, February 6th.
The Queen spent the last full week of her Christmas holidays in Sandringham as January 2014 came to an end
During the week, her finances came under scrutiny when an influential committee of MPs said that the Queen had been let down by her Household and by the Treasury over spending and saving. It was revealed that royal expenditure had eaten into reserve funds so much that only around a million pounds of back up cash remained. And the Public Affairs Committee also criticised the way royal buildings had been left without major refurbishment, pointing out that the heating system at Buckingham Palace is over sixty years old and costs around three quarters of a million pounds a year to run.
The way that Buckingham Palace is maintained was criticised by British MPS in the week
On January 27th 2014, Prince Charles held a meeting with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, at Clarence House. That evening, the prince hosted a reception for Age UK at St James' Palace - he is the charity's patron. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Purfleet in Essex on January 29th to see High House Production Park in the town - the visit was part of the prince's work as patron of the Royal Opera House. The royal couple then visisted the Bell Pub in Purleigh where the duchess tried her hands at darts and the prince tried pulling a pint of beer. Their day in Essex ended in Westcliff-on-Sea where they spent some time at the Shakespeare in Schools Festival at the Palace Theatre.
A prince pulls a pint - Charles and Camilla at the Bell Pub in Purleigh on January 29th 2014
On January 30th 2014, the Prince of Wales held several meetings at Clarence House linked to several of his charities including the Prince's Learning Trust. In the afternoon, Prince Charles held a reception at Clarence House for the Soil Association and in the evening, the prince hosted a dinner at Buckingham Palace for the Prince of Wales Young Sustainability Entrepreneur Prize. On the same day, the Duchess of Cornwall attended a reception at Lancaster House in London for Diamond Champions - older people who volunteer in their local communities.
The Duchess of Cornwall with Doris Neal of Cambridgeshire, one of the Diamond Champions honouered at an event in London on January 30th 2014
The Duke of York was in Aylesbury on January 29th 2014 where he opened Buckinghamshire University's Technical College. On the following day, the duke held several meetings linked to his charities at Buckingham Palace and hosted a dinner in the evening at Windsor Castle for the Outward Bound Trust. The Earl of Wessex made a two day trip to Switzerland, on January 28th and 29th, in his capacity as an honorary member of the Kandahar Ski Club. On January 29th 2014, at Buckingham Palace, the Countess of Wessex launched the Womens' Network Forum of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme - the countess is patron of Women in Business.
The Earl of Wessex at celebrations for the Kandahar Ski Club which he attended in Switzerland on January 28th and 29th 2014
On January 29th 2014, the Princess Royal attended a seminar in London on the influence of families on children's learning in her capacity as patron of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education. Later the same day, Princess Anne attended the annual reception for volunteers for the National Deafblind and Rubella Association of which she is patron. It took place in London. On January 27th 2014, the Duke of Gloucester attended a dinner to mark the 60th anniversary of the Kensington Society in London. On January 29th 2014, the duke took part in a seminar in London on flood risk management as part of his work with the Institution of Civil Engineers. The following day, the Duchess of Gloucester went to California where, as patron of the Lawn Tennis Association, she attended a reception.
Norway
On January 27th 2014, King Harald attended a ceremony marking International Holocaust Day held at the Akershus Quay in Oslo where the memorial to Norwegian Jews who were deported from their country by the Nazis is situated.
King Harald of Norway at the ceremony held on January 27th 2014 to mark International Holocaust Day
The king was joined by the queen and the Crown Prince and Princess on January 30th for an official lunch at the Royal Palace in Oslo for members of the Supreme Court. The following day, King Harald and Queen Sonia visited Flatanger in central Norway where a forest fire had spread to homes earlier in the week. They met some of those affected and rescue teams.
King Harald and Queen Sonja in Flatanger at the start of their visit on January 30th 2014
King Harald of Norway held several audiences throughout the week at the Royal Palace in Oslo. On January 27th he met representatives from the Society for the Promotion of Ski-ing and on January 30th 2014 he was joined by Queen Sonia and Crown Prince Haakon for a meeting with the country's foreign minister. The Crown Prince had begun his week by holding a Dignity Day at Vestby High School in Akershus on January 29th 2014. The prince holds the days on a regular basis around the country to encourage young people to consider how dignity affects everyone in everyday life.
Crown Prince Haakon Magnus at the Dignity Day in Akershus on January 29th 2014
And on January 31st 2014, Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited Balder Textiles in Oslo which supports people with learning disabilities to get jobs and develop business ideas. The princess saw some of the materials made there and ordered a rug before she left.
Mette-Marit of Norway at Balder Textiles on January 31st 2014
Belgium
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde hosted their major New Year reception at the Royal Palace in Brussels on January 29th 2014 for the central government, regional politicians, dignitaries, clergy and the judiciary.
On January 31st 2014, Queen Paola and Queen Mathilde were seen together at an event for Child Focus, a charity which helps young people who have suffered sexual abuse and also children who have gone missing. Queen Paola has been its honorary president since 2002 but on Friday ceded that role to Queen Mathilde at a meeting in Brussels.
The king and queen of the Belgians arriving at the New Year's reception held in Brussels on January 29th 2014
They were accompanied by the king's brother, Prince Laurent, and his sister, Princess Astrid, as well as her husband, Prince Lorenz who all heard King Philippe make his first New Year address to the authorities in which he talked about the rejuvenation of his country. But the king' father, King Albert II, and mother, Quen Paola, were not at the reception amid reports that Albert is refusing to attend some state events because of a cut in his allowance following his abdication last year. Other reports indicate that the former king wishes to stay out of the spotlight to allow his son to establish his rule.
King Philippe delivers his New Year speech to the authorities at a reception at the Royal Palace in Brussels on January 29th 2014
Queen Paola and King Albert had already made a public appearance by the time the New Year reception took place. On January 28th they attended a concert at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels to mark the 75th anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
Queen Paola arrives at the concert held to start the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels on January 28th 2014
Queen Paola and Queen Mathilde at the Child Focus meeting in Brussels on January 21st 2014
King Philippe held several audiences in the week at the Royal Palace in Brussels. On January 27th 2014 he met Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Politburo. On January 28th, the king held his regular meeting with the Belgian Prime Minister, Elio di Rupo, as well as an audience with Rita Leysen as she took up her office as a judge of the constitutional court. On January 30th 2014 the king held an audience with the president of the Flemish government, Kris Peeters, and Maggie de Block, the Asylum and Immigration Minister. On Friday 31st January 2014, King Philippe received Rudy Demotte, the president of the French community's government and held a meeting with Maxime Jadot of BNP Paribas Fortis. The king had held an audience on January 28th with Johan de Cock of INAMI, the organisation which supervises the compulsory health and benefits insurance in Belgium. On January 30th 2014, the king attended an academic conference organised by INAMI marking 50 years of the insurance held at the Auditorium of the National Bank of Belgium in Brussels.
King Philippe at the INAMI conference he attended on January 30th 2014 to mark the organisation's 50th anniversary
The king was accompanied by Princess Astrid on January 31st when he attended a New Year reception held by the Agency for Foreign Trade at their offices in Brussels. Earlier in the week, on January 30th, Princess Astrid attended a conference on surviving cancer as part of her work with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer held in Brussels. And Prince Laurent had one solo engagement in the week when he visited the exhibition 'The Art of the Brick' being held in Brussels on January 26th 2014.
Prince Laurent at the Bourse in Brussels on January 26th 2014 where he visited an exhibition
The Netherlands
A gala to say thank you to the former queen of the Netherlands, Beatrix, was held on February 1st 2014 in Rotterdam with the entire royal family and many dignitaries attending. The tribute to Princess Beatrix had been postponed from September after the death of her second son, Friso, in August 2013.
The day before, January 31st 2014, Princess Beatrix had celebrated her 76th birthday privately. The princess had had one public engagement in the week when she attended the ninth annual Liberty Linked In conference in Utrecht. It heard from representatives of several different faiths who were discussing their dreams for the Netherlands.
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands arriving at a gala to say thank you for her reign - it took place in Rotterdam on February 1st 2014
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands at the Liberty Linked In conference in Utrecht on January 28th 2014
On January 29th 2014, at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, King Willem-Alexander welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Arkady Dvorkovich, at the start of his two day visit to the Netherlands.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands with Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
Also on January 29th 2014, the king opened the new headquarters of Enexis which is responsible for developing and building new power networks. On January 30th 2014, the king was in Utrecht where he marked the tenth anniversary of the foundation of CSR Netherlands which is a network for corporate social responsibility. And on the same day, at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, he welcomed Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Secretary General of NATO, at the start of his visit to the Netherlands.
King Willem-Alexander with Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of NATO, at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague on January 30th 2014
On the same day, January 30th 2014, Queen Maxima was in Maassluis in the west of the Netherlands to open a new sustainable industrial complex run by the Lely Group which works in farming technology.
Queen Maxima with Alexander van der Lely at the opening of the new Greenest Innovation Campus in Maassluis on January 30th 2014
The following day, Queen Maxima was in Utrecht to give a speech at a symposium held to mark the fifth anniversary of QCredits, a rural credit organisation helping people start or re-start businesses.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands giving a speech in Utrecht on January 31st 2014
Sweden
King Carl XVI Gustaf started his week in the Philippines where he was taking part in a three day visit in his role with the World Scout Foundation. The king met children who had been helped by the Ticket to Life project which aims to give a better future to street children. And during the trip, which ran from January 24th to January 26th 2014, he visited Tacloban which was badly hit by Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. The king saw work being done by the Scouts to help improve living conditions for those who were devastated by the typhoon and its aftermath.
The king of Sweden in the ruins of San Jose High School in Tacloban in the Philippines where he met scouts who are trying to help people rebuild their lives following Typhoon Haiyan which hit the area in November 2013
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia attended the annual meeting of the Royal Agricultural and Forestry Academy at Stockholm City Hall on January 27th 2014 where the king presented the organisation's prizes.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden at Stockholm City Hall on January 28th 2014
On January 29th 2014 the king and queen hosted a reception at the Royal Palace in Stockhom where Carl XVI Gustaf distributed the King's Medal to the recipients for 2014. The medal, established in 1814 and in several different ranks, is awarded for exemplary service in a wide range of fields.
The King and Queen of Sweden with Archbishop Anders Vejryd, one of the King's Medal recipients for 2014. The archbishop was recognised for his services to the church
On January 31st 2014, King Carl XVI Gutsaf visited Lund University in southern Sweden where he attended a lecture on climate change. He went on to visit ESS, a research centre currently being built, and MAX IV which is involved in the university's work in physics.
King Carl XVI Gustaf during his visit to the MAX IV research area in Lund on January 31st 2014
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel attended a memorial service on January 27th 2014 for those who died in the Holocaust. The ceremony, at Raoul Wallenburg Square in Stockholm, was held on International Holocaust Day.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at the service held to mark International Holocaust Day on January 27th 2014
The following day, January 28th 2014, the couple began a two day visit to Germany which was focused on business links between Germany and Sweden. Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel began their tour in Hamburg where they visited the Chamber of Commerce and the princess spoke at a seminar on green initiatives in modern cities.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden opening the seminar on Green Cities in Hamburg on January 28th 2014
Later on the same day, the royal couple went to the Ethnology Museum in Hamburg where the Crown Princess opened an exhibition featuring young Swedish design. Princess Victoria and Princess Daniel then went on to visit the HafenCity area of Hamburg where they were given a tour of the regeneration work going on there which is creating a new quarter in the city.
Victoria and Daniel of Sweden at the start of their tour of HafenCity in Hamburg on January 28th 2014
The same day, the couple also visited Dusseldorf where they had a meeting about relations between Sweden and Germany before heading to a dinner hosted in their honour at the Castle Or.
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel spent the evening of January 28th 2014 in Dusseldorf
Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel began the second day of their visit in Dusseldorf where they visited the European headquarters of Ericsson and then attended a seminar on the digital economy. Their time in Dusseldorf ended with a networking lunch. In the afternoon, the royal couple moved on to Essen where they visited a cultural centre built in a former coal mine. They then toured the Red Dot Museum where they viewed an exhibition featuring Swedish designers. They ended their two days in Germany with a round table discussion about culture helping growth and talked about the possibilities being European City of Culture could bring to Umea in northern Sweden which has that title in 2014.
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden viewing Swedish design at the Red Dot Musuem in Essen on January 29th 2014, day two of their two day tour of Germany
And on January 31st 2014, the royal couple along with their daughter, Princess Estelle, headed to Umea for a three day visit.
Princess Estelle of Sweden meets handcraft artist, Jonas Nystrom, at the start of their visit to Umea in the north of the country which is European Capital of Culture for 2014
Prince Daniel enjoyed some of the modern art on display in the city with a visit to the University of Umea artistic complex on February 1st 2014.
Prince Daniel of Sweden at Thilo Franks' installation at the University of Umea on February 1st 2014
But it was Estelle who stole the show and she and her family enjoyed a walk through Umea on February 1st. The little princess was pulled along on a sled by her father and was the centre of attention on her first real royal tour.
Princess Estelle of Sweden lets dad take the strain on her visit to Umea on February 1st 2014
Denmark
Queen Margrethe II, Prince Henrik and Prince Nicholas of Denmark attended the final of the European Handball Championships in Copenhagen. They saw their home team lose the final to France by 41 - 32.
Queen Margrethe, Prince Henrik and Prince Felix were joined by the Danish Prime Minister, Helle Thorning Schmidt, at the final of the European Handball Championships on January 26th 2014
Princess Marie of Denmark made a four day visit to Ethiopia, starting on January 27th 2014, as patron of DanChurchAid which carries out relief and development work in the country. On her arrival she had lunch with the Danish ambassador before visiting ENGSKO United Milling which produces millstones to grind grain. In the evening she held a meeting with DanChurchAid.
Princess Marie looks at the work of a milling company which provides millstones for grinding grain - it was one of three engagements on her first day in Ethiopia, January 27th 2014
The princess spent January 28th travelling from Addis Ababa, where her first engagements had taken place, to the Bale region. On January 29th she saw several projects there including a new water pump in Jibri and a water reservoir developed by DanChurchAid. Her day also included a visit to a nursery and meeting a family who are trying to grow climate resilient crops.
Princess Marie of Denmark during her visit to Jibri village in Ethiopia on January 29th 2014
On January 30th, Princess Marie visited an AIDS/ HIV education programme in Goro. And on January 31st she was in Tufa-Miessa to see another agriculture programme. Her visit ended with a reception given by the Danish ambassador.
Spain
The king of Spain had just one engagement this week when he presented the 24th FIES Journalism award in a ceremony at the Zarzeula Palace in Madrid to Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo Ibanez-Martin.
King Juan Carlos of Spain presents a journalism award on January 30th 2014 in Madrid
Queen Sofia had begun her week visiting the CEDEL Foundation in Madrid which helps people with disabilities get into the workplace.
Queen Sofia of Spain watches some of the work being done by one of the people being helped by the CEDEL Foundation in Madrid which she visited on January 27th 2014
On the same day, the queen was at the Teatro Real in Madrid to see 'Tristan and Isolde' as part of the commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the first meeting of the Cortes of Cadiz in Madrid. On January 29th, the queen attended a meeting in Madrid of the Alzheimers Project associated with the Queen Sofia Foundation and heard of the research going on to try a diagnose the condition sooner.
Queen Sofia of Spain at the meeting of the Alzheimers Project of the Queen Sofia Foundation on January 29th 2014 in Madrid
The Prince of Asturias celebrated his 46th birthday on January 30th 2014 and spent the morning with a brigade of the Spanish Paratroopers in Paracuellos de Jarama in Madrid.
The Prince of Asturias during his visit to the Spanish Paratroopers Brigade on January 30th 2014
Earlier in the week, the Prince and Princess of Asturias had visited Tenerife where they inaugurated a tropical garden, the Palmetum Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on January 28th 2014. The couple toured the gardens and planted a palm tree.
The Prince and Princess of Asturias planting a palm tree during their visit to the Palmetum in Tenerife on January 28th 2014
The royal couple then moved on to Gran Canaria where they toured the 15th century Castillo de la Luz which was originally built to ward off pirate attacks but which had become a venue for art exhibitions until it was closed for restoration work. That work is now over and the prince and princess were among the first to see the full effects of the restoration.
The Prince and Princess of Asturias during their visit to Castiloo de la Luz in Gran Canaria on January 28th 2014
Monaco
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene led events to mark the feast day of Monaco's patron saint, St Devote, on January 27th. The royal couple attended a service at Monaco Cathedral before watching the traditional procession from the balcony of the Royal Palace.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene leaving Monaco cathedral after the service held to mark St Devote's Day on January 27th 2014
Albert and Charlene also took part in a traditional ceremony where they helped set alight to a boat to remember the fisherman's craft that St Devote's body was placed in after her death and which ran aground in Monaco.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene taking part in the traditional events that mark St Devote's Day
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene welcomed Monaco's team for the Winter Olympics in Sochi to their palace on Monte Carlo on January 29th 2014.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco with the team that will represent their country at the Winter Olympics in Sochi at a reception on January 29th 2014
Sacha Casiraghi, the eldest grandson of Princess Caroline, was christened in Gstaad at the end of January 2014, just days before the religious wedding of his parents. Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo married in August in Monaco but their religious ceremony will take place in Gstaad on February 1st 2014.
Tatiana Santo Domingo carrying her son, Sacha, after his christening in Gstaad at the end of January 2014
Prince Albert was understood to be in Gstaad at the end of the week, to attend his nephew's religious wedding.
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