King Philippe cancels his hello to Spain

King Philippe of the Belgians and his consort, Mathilde, have cancelled their welcome visit to Spain following the death of the former Spanish Prime Minister, Adolfo Suarez.  The king and queen were due in Madrid on March 25th on a one day visit to introduce themselves as monarchs.  But following the death of Adolfo Suarez, King Juan Carlos and his family have cancelled all engagements for at least three days and would not have been able to hold the lunch planned for their visitors.  It's believed the tour will be re-arranged for a later date.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians have postponed their visit to Spain

Spain and Belgium's royals change their plans

Following the death of former Spanish Prime Minister, Adolfo Suarez, the Spanish Royal House has cancelled all engagements scheduled for the first three days of the week to observe official mourning. And that means that the welcome visit planned by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians may change.

Mathilde of Belgium and Letizia of Spain were due to meet again this week as the new queen visited Madrid with her husband

The Prince and Princess of Asturias were due to meet the Belgian monarchs at Barajas airport on their arrival in Madrid and accompany them to the Zarzuela Palace where they were all to have lunch with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.  But it's not clear whether the visit will go ahead as planned as the Spanish royals mourn the former prime minister.  The Belgian royals have another important visit this week as they are due to welcome President Barack Obama of the United States as he pays a two day visit linked to commemorations for the centenary of the start of World War One.  For now, Spanish royal plans are in flux as the king mourns a man he described as a 'loyal friend' and his royal household joins official mourning.

Royal pictures for 2013: Belgium

The abdication of Albert II, King of the Belgians came as a surprise to many and certainly hadn't been predicted at the start of 2013.  Instead, the country began the year by looking forward to the planned celebrations in August for the king's 20th jubilee but on July 3rd 2013 he went on television to tell his fellow citizens that he planned to stand aside in favour of his son on Belgium's National Day, July 21st.  The royal household released an image of the king just before his abdication which gave Albert's departure an emotional touch.

Albert II, King of the Belgians, 1993 - 2013, leaves the stage

King Albert and his consort, Queen Paola, embarked on a farewell tour of the country where they were greeted by huge crowds everywhere they went.  The tour ended in Liege, the city of which Albert was made prince on the day of his birth.  Queen Paola found it hard to contain her tears as the monarchs bade an emotional farewell to their fellow citizens before handing over to a new royal family.

Tears of a queen - Paola of the Belgians says farewell in Liege, the area of which she was princess for decades before Albert's unexpected accession to the throne in 1993

The actual day of abdication and accession was a joyful occassion which began with a Te Deum in Brussels before the outgoing king signed away his kingdom and his successor took an oath of allegiance in front of politicians and family members.  Philippe, King of the Belgians then rode through the streets of Brussels to greet his fellow citizens as their monarch for the first time before a balcony appearance where all eyes were on his consort, Mathilde, the first Belgian born queen of the country.

Mathilde, Queen of the Belgians, with her husband, Philippe, on the day of their accession, July 21st 2013

The new royal family kept a low profile after the accession with the king taking on many new functions while the royal children - including the first heiress to the throne, Princess Elisabeth - carried on with their normal routines.  And at the beginning of September there was a chance to see a king on the school run.

King Philippe of the Belgians takes three of his four children to school on the first day of term in September 2013

Belgium now has two kings and three queens and Fabiola, consort of Baudouin, led the tributes to her late husband in August on the twentieth anniversary of his death.  While the former king and his successor and the two most recent consorts stood by, it was the poignant sight of Fabiola being wheeled towards a giant photo of the man she loved for decades during a religious service to commemorate his life that really stuck in the memory.

A queen remembers her lost love - Fabiola of the Belgians at the memorial service for her late husband, King Baudouin, in August 2013

New kings on the block

There's always one friend who will never quite let you get away with anything.  If you get a new car, they get one a few months later.  If you move, they find themselves upping sticks not long afterwards.  You become king of your country following the abdication of a long serving monarch, they grab a crown of their own a few months later.  We got to see the newest crowned heads in Europe together for the first time today - and let's not split hairs about neither of them actually having a coronation.

 

The king and queen of the Belgians drop in for coffee with the king and queen of the Netherlands.  Luckily, they rang ahead so everyone had their best clothes on

 

Queen Maxima and Queen Mathilde made up for that with some pretty spectacular hats for their indoor chat.  The meeting marked the end of the introductory tours that both couples have been undertaking since then took over their country's monarchies earlier in the year.  Willem-Alexander and Maxima finished their getting to meet you tours of the European royal houses three weeks ago while Philippe and Mathilde completed their Joyeuses Entrees into major Belgian towns and cities a week ago. 

 

 

Leading politicians were also present at the meeting between the kings of Belgium and the Netherlands at the Noordeinde Palace on November 8th 2013

 

And with this brief meeting between old friends, it was almost as if the introductory periods of their respective monarchies came to an end.  Pretty soon, Willem-Alexander and Maxima were off to Moscow for their first major state visit since becoming monarchs and Philippe and Mathilde return home to a full agenda.  After the excitement of the handover from one era to another, the pageantry of the ceremonies and the writing of chapters in the history books, the day to day duties of being king and queen now rule once more in Belgium and the Netherlands.

 

 

Royal baby number two - lessons from Europe

William and Kate are currently keeping us all guessing over the names of the godparents they've chosen for baby George but once that's out of the way and we've seen everyone smiling in big hats on the christening day, then that favourite guessing game of royal watchers can begin again in earnest.  The increase in public duties for the Duchess of Cambridge will co-incide with an increased focus on the size of her impossibly flat tummy as the wait for the spare for the heir of the heir begins.

 

Kate and William on Anglesey six weeks after the birth of George.  Reports of pregnancy number two are likely to begin just days after the christening of baby number one if the experiences of other consorts and consorts in waiting are anything to go by

Admittedly, most European heirs and their wives haven't kept people waiting too long for baby number two.  The shortest gap between babies is about eighteen months with three royal couples giving themselves just about enough time to pause for breath before starting all over again.  The new king and queen of the Netherlands had just over a year an a half between the birth of their two eldest girls with Catharina-Amalia arriving on December 7th 2003 and Alexia joining her on June 26th 2005.

The then Prince and Princess of Orange were well prepared for the christening of Princess Alexia of the Netherlands - they'd done it all not that long before for baby Amalia

Also leaving just enough time for a couple of nights out before hunkering down into new babyhood again were the Danish and Spanish heirs and their wives.  Back in those heady days of the early noughties, when Fred and Felipe couldn't do anything without the other one following hard on their heels, both of them presented baby number two just eighteen months after showing off their first borns.  Frederik and Mary welcomed baby Isabella on April 21st 2007 in the same hospital where Christian had arrived on October 15th 2007. 

Isabella of Denmark with her brother, Christian, and parents Frederik and Mary a few days after her birth in April 2007

That gap of just over eighteen months was beaten by a few days by Felipe and Letizia when they welcomed Sofia on April 29th 2007.  Their eldest child, Leonor, had arrived on October 31st 2005 meaning their gap was two days short of eighteen months.

 

The Prince and Princess of Asturias leave hospital with baby Sofia just eighteen months after they'd faced the cameras on the day they brought Leonor home

 A slightly longer gap for the Belgian and Norwegian heirs although the dates of birth of Haakon and Mette-Marit's children make the space look slightly smaller.  Ingrid Alexandra was born on January 21st 2004 with Sverre Magnus arriving 22 months later on December 3rd 2005.

 

Sverre Magnus was still getting the hang of posing for portraits at his christening - everyone else's faces are on display but he clearly wants no more photos judging by the hand over his eyes

A gap of around 22 months was the choice of the now king and queen of the Belgians, Philippe and Mathilde, when they came to expand their family after the birth of their heiress, Elisabeth, on October 25th 2001.  Her little brother, Gabriel, arrived on August 20th 2003, just short of a one year ten month space between them.

 

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium holds her new brother, Gabriel, as the family pose for photographers two days after the little prince's birth in August 2003

Victoria of Sweden will have at least two years between the birth of Estelle and any other baby that comes along for the heiress and her husband.  The baby princess turns two in February 2014 and with no announcement of number two by now that means she'll be the oldest sibling with the biggest gap between herself and her heir unless, of course, William and Kate decide to leave it a few years before another child.

 

Philippe and Mathilde as king and queen

We've had the accession, the memorial mass for a former monarch and the pictures taking the kids to school.  But today the reign of King Philippe of the Belgians got into full swing and he and his queen consort, Mathilde, began their tour of the country.  Known as 'Joyful Entries', their visits to towns and cities across Belgium will be their first chance to introduce themselves as monarchs.  It all started this morning in Louvain.

 

King Philippe and his queen, Mathilde, in Louvain as they start their official tour introducing themselves as monarchs of the Belgians

 

The royal couple got a bit of modern performance art as part of their tour as well as a formal greeting from local officials.  Several thousand people turned out to see the couple including a small group demanding an end to the monarchy.  Early reports indicate Mathilde was more in demand than her husband with the crowds but everyone got a good chance to see both king and queen with a balcony appearance.

 

 

Philippe and Mathilde greet the crowds in Louvain on September 6th 2013

 

And there was another new arrival - a brand new tweet from the Royal Palace at the start of the visit.  There's a new Twitter account to follow Belgium's royals on.  New king, new technology, new times.  The reign of the new king of the Belgians is well and truly under way.

 

 

The photo tweeted by Belgium's Royal Household to kick off the visit of Philippe and Mathilde to Louvain turned out to be a nice shot of the building with a couple of royals just making it into view

 

 

 

 



Back to school in Belgium

It's been a while since we saw a king take his kids to school but Philippe of the Belgians took charge of three of his four children this morning to help them on their first day back in class.  The new king of the Belgians made sure his heiress, Princess Elisabeth, and her brother, Gabriel, and sister, Eleonore, had their new dictionaries, protractors and pens not to mention their packed lunches and dropped them at the school gates for the beginning of another academic year.  Mum Mathilde took Prince Emmanuel to his school and then it was back to work for both the new king and queen.

 

King Philippe is back to work as a monarch but number one on the to do list is get the kids to school on time

 

This is a real back to school for Philippe himself as well - he became King of the Belgians on July 21st since when we've only seen the new royal family occasionally.  They posed for photos at the start of their summer holiday in Yeu and the new king and queen attended the memorial service for King Baudouin not long after that.  There was also a quick trip to the European hockey championships for the king.  But the beginning of September marks the start of their reign proper and on September 1st both Philippe and Mathilde appeared at the Cavalcade of Hanswijck, giving a royal presence to the famous procession that takes place in Mechelen every 25 years.

 

 

The King and Queen of the Belgians get back to public life and a month marking the full start of their time as monarchs

 



And it's so far, so good for the new king as Philippe's approval rating has shot up since becoming monarch according to a new poll.  The survey was carried out for two Belgian newspapers - De Morgen and Le Soir - and the TV stations RTL and TVM.  It found 69% of people say they trust Philippe now but before he became king that was 51%.  A solid start for Europe's newest king as he gets back to school himself.

Royal round up, week ending August 30th 2013

A round up of royal news from around Europe for the week ending August 30th 2013

UNITED KINGDOM

Another quiet seven days for the House of Windsor with things picking up as the week drew to a close.  On Saturday 30th August, the Royal Mail announced that the Prince of Wales would be one of the judges on its competition to design a Christmas stamp which has seen almost a quarter of a million children across the UK send in their vision of what the festive season means to them.  Prince Charles will cast his eye over the top 24 and select the winner. 

But it was his daughter in law who made all the headlines again this week with two chances to catch a look at Kate just five and a bit weeks after giving birth to Prince George.  First there were snatched shots in a supermarket car park showing a slim duchess pushing a trolley.  And then Kate made an unexpected appearance with William to start the Anglesey Ring of Fire marathon - the couple's last official outing on the island before they leave as the Duke of Cambridge's duties there come to an end.

 

The Duchess of Cambridge looking very well indeed less than six weeks after becoming a mother

 

The Queen continues her holiday at Balmoral.  And Prince Edward, who is a Trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, attended a dinner for the organisation in Bachory, Aberdeenshire.

 

SPAIN

 

It was a very quiet week for the Spanish royal family as the summer holidays drew to a close.  The king is understood to be in Madrid but speculation continued over the location of the Prince and Princess of Asturias who are on private holiday with their two daughters with Italy being he favourite location in hunt an heir.  Queen Sofia remained in Mallorca where she visisted the headquarters of a food bank organization which is supported by the foundation that bears her name.  The queen met the management to find out about the services needed as economic crisis continues to affect Spain and she met voluteers working at the banks.

 

 

Queen Sofia with volunteers and patrons of the food bank in the Balearics

 

BELGIUM

 

A final week of preparations for the new king and queen before they get back to work at the beginning of September.  But visitors to the royal palace at Laeken were given the opportunity to pay their respects to Queen Astrid as they crypt was opened on August 29th to mark the anniversary of her death in 1935.

 

THE NETHERLANDS

 

It was back to work for the Dutch royals this week.  The main news was the public reappearance of former queen Beatrix following the death of her second son, Friso, in the middle of August.  Princess Beatrix attended a concert organised by the European Cultural Foundation at the Portuguese synagogue on August 26th alongside her youngest child, Constantijn, and his wife, Laurentien, who is the foundation's president.

 

 

The first public appearance of Beatrix of the Netherlands following the death of Prince Friso

 

Two days later, Beatrix appeared by herself at a concert by the European Union Youth Orchestra in Amsterdam. Meanwhile the new king marked the 100th anniversary of the Peace Palace in The Hague by attending a reception to mark the start of festivities across several weeks.  Also in attendance was the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, who earlier in the week had been invited to a special dinner in his honour by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima with Princess Beatrix also there but not featuring the official photo released by the Dutch royal household.

 

 

The King and Queen of the Netherlands with Ban Ki-Moon and his wife at a dinner at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague on August 27th 2013

 

NORWAY

 

Crown Princess Mette-Marit unveiled a new sculpture trail at Akershus Fortress in Oslo.  The trail has been created by and for children and features ten works of art which will remain in place for three years before being returned to the home towns of the children who designed them.

 

 

Princess Mette-Marit of Norway with one of the ten sculptures making up the trail in Akershus Fortress in Oslo

 

Crown Prince Haakon visited a school in Gjøvik, north of Oslo, as part of his involvement in Global Dignity.  The organization was set up by the prince in 2006, along with two friends, to promote the importance of human dignity for all to school children.  The prince often visits schools to lead courses on dignity.  This week's event was captured by pupils at the school themselves and is the start of the run up to Global Dignity Day on October 16th 2013 when many schools and colleges in 50 countries around the world will focus on the issue.

 

 

Prince Haakon during his visit to a school in Gjøvik as part of Global Dignity

 

At the end of the week, Prince Haakon attended the funeral of Rolv Wesunland, one of Norway's most popular actors who died at the age of 76.

 

DENMARK

 

Queen Margrethe II was back from her summer holidays this week and one of her first appearances was at the opening of a special exhibition charting the relationship between Denmark and Russia between 1600 and 1900 at the National History Museuam at Frederiksborg Castle.

 

 

Queen Margrethe II inspecting one of the statues that form part of the new Danish-Russian exhibition she opened this week

(photo  Hanne Juul, Billed-Bladet)

 

The Queen also attended the commemoration marking the anniversary of the Danish government resigning in 1943 marking the formalization of Danish resistance to the Nazi regime which had taken over the country at the beginning of World War Two.  Margrethe laid a wreath on this commemoration day.

 

Crown Prince Frederik spent some time with the Danish national volleyball team this week to mark his role as patron of the European Volleyball Championships which take place across Denmark and Poland later in the month with the final taking place in Copenhagen on September 29th 2013.

 

 

 Prince Frederik training with the Danish volleyball team ahead of the European Championships which will take place later this month

 

It was a sporty week all round as photos were released of the Crown Prince sailing with Oracle Team USA 17 in San Francisco where the famous trophy will be up for grabs again this September.  Frederik's sport theme continues - he's now a member of the International Olympic Committee which will spend the first week of September deciding where the 2020 Olympic Games will be held.

 

 

Fred afloat - the Crown Prince of Denmark at the build up to the Americas Cup in San Francisco

 

Meanwhile, Crown Princess Mary opened a new language centre in Aarhus in her role as patron of the Danish Refugee Council.

 

 

Princess Mary with some of the students at the new language centre in Aarhus she opened this week

(photo Miguel Mielgo)

 

And she attended the INDEX design awards ceremony which recognizes ideas that have improved life.  It was set up in 2005 by Frederik and Mary oversaw the presentation of the five prizes, each worth 100,00 euros while her husband was in America.

 

 

A princess in purple - Mary of Denmark at design awards in Helsingor on August 29th 2013

 



SWEDEN

 

King Carl XVI Gustaf attended the opening of the Sami parliament.  He has attended on a regular basis since the Sami people were granted their own parliament as part of their recognition as an indigenous people in the early 1990s.

 

 

The King of Sweden is welcomed to the Sami parliament by its chairman, Stegan Mikaelsson

 

Carl XVI Gustaf also presented the Polar Music Prize, handed out every year since 1992.  Winners this year included Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour.

 

 

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Youssou N'Dour at the Polar Music Prize at Stockholm's Concert Hall on August 27th 2013

 

The king and queen continued their tour of the country to mark his 40 years on the throne this week.   They've been in Vastmanlad, west of Stockholm where they visited a riding school.  Earlier in the week they went to Gavelborgs, north of the capital, where the visit included a trip to a heritage farm and demonstrations of how the health benefits of gardening are being put to use in the area.

 

 

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden on their visit to Vastmanlad on August 30th 2013.  The carriage ride took place in Stromsholm.

 



Crown Princess Victoria attended the annual Hermes export awards in Stockholm.  The prize is given out every year to a company with strong export records that have put Swedish business on the map and this year it went to computer game firm, Mojang. 

 

 

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at the annual Hermes export awards in Stockhom, August 29th

 

Prince Daniel was also looking at business in Sweden this week and spent a day at IKEA as part of his promotion of entrepreneurship in the country.  He spent some time with the company's founder, Ingvar Kamprad, to get tips on creating business and trade. The prince then attended Raoul Wallenburg Day, established to promote racial harmony in memory of the Swedish architect who saved thousands of Jews in World War Two and intended to be an annual event from now on.

 

 

Prince Daniel at events to mark Raoul Wallenburg Day in Stockholm on August 27th - Raoul's sister, Nina Lagergren, is on the prince's left

 

Prince Carl Philip opened an exhibition at the Varmland Museum showing the enduring legacy of the Muslim world in Sweden.  The event is called 1001 Inventions and highlights the legacy of the Muslim word over a 1000 year period.

 

 



 Prince Carl Philip on his tour of the exhibition - Discover the Muslim Heritage in Our World - which will tour Sweden



The Kingmaker of Belgium

The handover of royal power from Albert II to Philippe, King of the Belgians, this summer was smooth, peaceful and happy.  But the reason that Philippe and Mathilde have a kingdom to rule at all began 183 years ago today in rather more dramatic circumstances.  And it ended with the accession of a man who, by that time could have been King of Greece or Prince Consort of the United Kingdom.  Instead he became the first King of the Belgians and went on to make royal marriages and families across Europe.

One of the first official portraits of Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, released just days after the accession of her husband on July 21st 2013

On the evening of August 25th 1830 riots broke out in Brussels which led to the independence of Belgium and the creation of a new monarchy that still survives today.  A special performance of an opera to mark the birthday of the ruler of the United Netherlands, of which the future Belgium was then a part, ended in protests on the streets of Brussels.  The trouble had been brewing a while with pressures for independence and it only increased after the trouble of August 25th, culminating in peace conference in London in which the modern Belgium was created.  It is a truth universally acknowledged in 19th century Europe that a new nation must be in need of a king and the throne was offered to a man called Leopold who had already come close to ruling in two other European nations.  And all by the age of 40.

Philippe is the great, great, great grandson of the man whose destiny as King of the Belgians began on this day in 1830 after a riot outside a theatre

 

The man became Leopold I, King of the Belgians and founder of several dynasties.  He had started life as Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the second youngest son of a duke called Franz and his wife, Augusta.  Franz became famous for two things - his large art collection and being the ancestor of most of modern Europe's royals  Not bad for a chap from an obscure part of Germany that no one had really ever heard of when he became ruler of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in 1800.

 

 

The great granddaddy of Europe's royals.  Franz of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld's genes are spread through the palaces of every modern monarchy on the continent, thanks to three of his children

 

By that time, little Leopold was ten and already in charge of an army.  Perhaps someone might have guessed then that he would go on to rule Europe through his descendants.  It might have been a purely ceremonial role but being made a colonel of a Russian regiment in his home state led to him going to Paris in 1806 following the Napoleonic occupation of Saxe-Coburg.  From there a military career in Russia beckoned where he fought again Napoleon and was climbing the ranks when he first came close to a crown.

 

 

Leopold I, King of the Belgians in his time in the Russian army

 

But while Leopold built his army career, his future career as king and royal superpapa was coming to find him.  In 1814, while in London, he met Princess Charlotte of Wales at a party and she asked him to call on her.  When he popped in for tea they spent the best part of an hour together, chaperoned of course, and a mutual attraction began to grow.  Reports show Charlotte's father, by then Prince Regent, as impressed by the young lieutenant general.  But the man who would be George IV had no intention of Leo scooping up his girl.  She was his only heir, the only legitimate grandchild at the time of George III, and she was going to be Queen of England.  Handsome but poor soldiers were not on dad's shopping list of potential husbands.

 

 

Princess Charlotte of Wales was in line to be England's fifth Queen Regnant from the moment she was born in 1796

 

Besides, George had just spent a lot of time and effort getting Charlotte to agree to marry the heir to the Dutch throne.  It was time badly spent because not long after she finally agreed to the wedding, she changed her mind and caused all kinds of ructions by running away in cabs to escape the marriage with royal uncles following her with warrants for her return to her father.  It's thought she had hopes of marrying a Prussian prince but that came to nothing as well and she told her father than she would wed Leopold or no one else.  The impoverished prince was summoned to Britain and the couple wed in 1816.  They were seemingly happy and Lieutenant Leo settled down to become the future Prince Consort of Great Britain.  But then disaster struck.  His wife died giving birth to their first child, a boy, who was stillborn.  After just 17 months of marriage, Leopold was a widower.

 



 

The last portrait of Princess Charlotte of Wales, made in the days before her death

 

Charlotte's death sparked a major crisis for the British royal family as there was now no legitimate heir beyond the sons of George III.  While Leopold mourned his wife, another member of his family became involved in the story.  His older sister, Victoria, was by now a widow and less than a year after Charlotte's death she married the fourth son of George III and provided him with the longed for legitimate heir, a little girl who bore the same name.  Leopold's niece became Queen Victoria.

 

 

Victoria of Saxce-Coburg-Saalfeld, sister of Leopold, gave the British crown the heir it needed

 

Leopold, meanwhile, was offered the throne of Greece.  He turned it down and by 1830 was a bit of a European enigma.  But the following year the great powers came calling and offered him the throne of Belgium - after considering him against several other candidates.  This time he liked the offer before him and agreed to take the title.  He swore his oath of allegiance on July 21st 1831 which became Belgium's national day.  He married again, giving Belgium its first queen, and went on to fight off an invasion from the Netherlands. 

 

 

Leopold I, King of the Belgians, and his second wife, Louise-Marie, Queen of the Belgians

 

But his involvement with the throne of England wasn't over yet.  He had lost his British princess, the girl who would have made him a Prince Consort.  But his niece needed a man to rule alongside her and in 1839, Leopold arranged a meeting between Victoria and one of his nephews, Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.  This time, the fairytale romance between a Queen Regnant and a poor-ish prince from a far away part of Germany had a happier ending.  Victoria and Albert produced nine children and gave their names to a whole age. 

 

 

Prince Albert, nephew of Leopold I, married his cousin, Victoria, in 1840

 

Victoria and Albert's descendants married into royal houses across Europe while Leopold's descendants still rule Belgium today. And all because of a riot 183 years ago - a peaceful summer night in Brussels in 1830 might have led to a very different modern Europe.



 











Princesses and the ageing process

All the future queen consorts of Europe, bar one, have now reached that big event that is their 40th birthdays.  Only Kate is still waiting for her fourth decade and as she is queen consort in waiting behind a princess consort in waiting it all gets very confusing.  So sticking with the royal women who are next in line to wear a crown - or who have just got one - who did best at marking the milestone that is turning 40?

Nine years and counting - the Duchess of Cambridge has almost a decade to go until her 40th birthday

(Tom Soper Photography)

 

There's one common theme among celebrations for the big day and that's a nice set of glossy photos to mark the occasion.  It's not surprising given that one of the main jobs for princes and princesses now is handling their media appearances.  And a good set of pictures is an easy way to let everyone cover the event without too much intrusion.  First to turn 40 was the new queen of the Netherlands.  Maxima was still Princess of Orange when she celebrated her fortieth in May 2011 and appeared in several official portraits including business like, in evening wear and showing off a tiara.

Maxima at 40 - one of the official photographs released to mark the then Princess of Orange's big birthday

 

Next on the list was Mary of Denmark who reached the milestone in February 2012 and again chose to pose in informal and formal wear.  Lots of outside shots and some posing on a desk in very worklike mode completed the set.

 

 

Future queen of Denmark, Mary Donaldson, goes for some office based photos for her 40th birthday

 

As in so many areas of their lives, Mary and Letizia of Spain co-incided on the 40th birthday celebrations.  Their engagements had been announced within days of one another, their weddings happened with just a week between them and baby Christian arrived a fortnight ahead of little Leonor in October 2005.  The Princess of Asturias turned 40 in September 2012 and issued a mega set of photos to mark the occasion where she posed by herself and alongside husband Felipe and their two girls.

 

 

A princess pretty in pink - Letizia in one of the photos released to mark her 40th birthday

 

The two princesses who were first to marry their princes were the last of the lot to turn 40.  Mathilde of Belgium married Philippe in 1999 but was the penultimate princess to make the big birthday when she celebrated her 40th anniversary in January this year.  Again there were plenty of poses to mark the day although there were criticisms about photoshopping on the images until the snapper said that there was no digital magic involved.  Her elevation to Queen of the Belgians is sure to be the bigger talking point for 2013.

 

 

One of the 40th photos for Queen Mathilde - still Duchess of Brabant at that point she was hit by criticisms of photoshopping on the snaps, denied by the photographer

 

And last of the ladies awaiting a crown to make 40 is Mette-Marit whose big day is August 19th 2013.  She married Haakon in 2001, almost two years after Mathilde and Philippe's wedding and six months before Maxima said 'I do.'  The photos for her big day also celebrated her husband's fortieth birthday as he made the milestone a month before his wife.  And again lots of photos of the children completed the set

 

 

Double celebrations as the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway both turn 40 in the summer of 2013

 

And in September 2013, the only prince consort in waiting marks his 40th birthday.  Prince Daniel of Sweden turns 40 on the same day his father-in-law, King Carl XVI Gustaf, marks his 40th anniversary as king.  That's a lot of balloons with 40 on them for Queen Silvia and Princess Victoria to get ready.