Philippe, King of the Belgians

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Belgium's National Day is now the anniversary of the start of his reign. Philippe became King of the Belgians on July 21st 2013 on a sunny day filled with joy. Three years on, his rule is seen as a success and a lot of that has been attributed to the support of his consort, Queen Mathilde. Now well settled in their roles as king and queen, Philippe and Mathilde begin a new chapter in their royal lives as they establish their reign and look to the future.

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

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

Royal Review of 2013 - a year of surprises

Europe's royals have had a busy year.  But when the dust settles and the ink dries on the history books, 2013 will be remembered for the arrival of a future king and the departure of two monarchs.  The impending birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby was known about as the year began but the abdications of Beatrix of the Netherlands and Albert II of the Belgians were both unexpected in their own ways and changed the royal landscape of Europe rapidly and decisively.

 

Memories of times now past - the reigns of Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands and Albert, King of the Belgians both came to an end in 2013

 

The abdications brought the continent two new monarchs, two new consorts and two new families of young princes and princesses.  Overnight, the average age of the continent's monarchs and heirs dropped by several decades.  But the events also changed attitudes towards monarchies and suddenly questions were asked about the ongoing reigns of just about every other European king or queen and the likelihoods of them, too, leaving their posts for a younger generation to fill them were raised.  Nowhere more so than in Spain where in a strange day in September the country was set abuzz with whispers, unfounded and wrong, that Juan Carlos I was about to leave his palace by a back door and his crown with his son and heir. 

 

 

Three generations of Spanish royalty together and, despite a day of fevered rumours, there was no change in the order of seniority in the family in 2013

 

The Spanish king did have to contend with ill health and with more controversies around his family.  If 1992 was an annus horribilis for Elizabeth II, 2013 is added to a list of similar bad years for the Spanish royals who spent the year experiencing the same turbulence that hit them in 2012 and 2011 as well.  It was a more peaceful year for the Norwegian and Danish royals with regular public appearances and some high profile overseas trips including King Harald's visit to Turkey and Crown Princess Mary's humanitarian trip to a camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

 

 

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark meets young Syrians in a refugee camp in Jordan earlier in 2013

 

And the personal part of royal life was in the spotlight as well.  Mathilde of Belgium began the year with her focus on her fortieth birthday, perhaps not knowing that within six months she would become the first Belgian born queen of her country.  In the Netherlands, the royal family was left devastated by the unexpected death of Prince Johan Friso.  The second son of Beatrix died of complications of the injuries sustained in an avalanche in Austria in 2012 - he had been unconscious since the accident and died in the Netherlands after being brought back there from treatment in London earlier in the year.

 

 

Prince Johan Friso, brother of the king of the Netherlands, died in 2013 at the age of 44

 

In Sweden the royal family was at the centre of the country's life for the whole of 2013.  Princess Madeleine's wedding, in June 2013, was greeted with widespread celebrations and the announcement of her pregnancy just a few months later brought more happiness.  But it was the year of events marking the 40th jubilee of King Carl XVI Gustaf that really focused the joy of a nation on the royal family.  The year ended with the 70th birthday of Queen Silvia and more national celebrations which topped a spectacular year for Sweden's royals.

 

 

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, with Queen Silvia at his side, toasts his people on September 15th 2013 - the 40th anniversary of his accession to the Swedish throne

 

But it was the birth of a future king in Great Britain that captured the most attention.  While Monaco had also welcomed a possible future ruler when Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo welcomed a son in March, it was the birth of George Alexander Louis of Cambridge that really caught the popular imagination around the world.  The arrival of a fourth generation of monarch in the British royal family secured the succession well into the 22nd century in the year that Queen Elizabeth II marked the 60th anniversary of her coronation.

 

 

The first glimpse of a boy who will be one of the most photographed in the world - George of Cambridge leaves hospital on July 23rd 2013 with his parents

 

Over the next few days, there's a chance to look back at these royal highlights and plenty more in the Royal Review of 2013.

 

Royal round up, week ending November 30th 2013 - Belgium and the Netherlands

A round up of all the news from Europe's royal houses for the week ending November 30th...the focus now on Belgium and the Netherlands

Belgium

 

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians held a reception on November 27th 2013 for members of the B-Fast team who had been to the Philippines to help those affected by Typhoon Haiyan earlier in the month.  The members of the team - the Belgian First Aid and Support Team, set  up in 2000 to offer overseas emergency help - met the king and queen at the Laeken Palace.

 

 

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were joined by Belgian prime minister, Elio di Rupo, for the reception at the Laeken Palace on November 27th 2013 for members of the overseas emergency help team, B-Fast

 

The rest of the king's week was taken up with audiences.  On November 25th he held his regular meeting with prime minister, Elio di Rupo, who also attended the B-Fast reception later that week.  On November 29th 2013, King Philippe met the Secretary General of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, at the Royal Palace in Brussels and later that same day the king held an audience with Belgium's employment minister, Monica de Coninck.  And Queen Paola made just her second public appearance since her recent operation when she attended a concert in Brussels on the afternoon of November 30th organized by the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and Equinox. 

 

 

Queen Paola of the Belgians at a concert in Brussels on November 30th 2013

 

Princess Astrid spent most of the week in India on a trade visit where she carried out a series of engagements to promote Belgian business.  The trip, from November 23rd to November 29th, was made on behalf of the king and the princess was accompanied by several ministers.  And Prince Laurent and Princess Claire attended the 25th annual Caius de Promethea awards in Brussels on November 27th which celebrate cultural and architectural achievements.

 

 

Princess Astrid of Belgium writing in the visitors' book at Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate, in New Delhi during her five day visit to the country.  The memorial commemorates70,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War One fighting for the British army

 

 

The Netherlands

 

 

King WIllem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were present at the start of a series of events to mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of the modern kingdom of the Netherlands.  On Saturday November 30th they visited the spot at Scheveningen where Prince William Frederick of Orange landed on November 30th 1813, eighteen years after his father, William V, had fled to England to escape the French invasion.  Later on November 30th 2013, the king, queen and former queen, Beatrix,  took part in ceremonies in The Hague before the whole royal family attended the annual Kingdom Concert at the Circus Theatre.   

 

 

 King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima take centre stage at the end of the concert held on November 30th 2013, the day the Netherlands began two years of celebrations to mark the bicentenary of the formation of this kingdom

 

Earlier in the week, the king and queen had hosted a symposium at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on the genetics and the secrets of the human genome.  Princess Beatrix was also present at the event, one of two lectures organized every year by the Royal Palace Foundation.  On the same day, King Willem-Alexander was at the Nooreinde Palace in The Hague to receive the credentials of the new ambassadors form Japan and Lesotho.  Willem-Alexander's engagements for November 27th also included receiving a copy of the first permanent stamp to bear his image as a king.  The event took place in The Hague.

 

 

 The first stamp bearing the image of Willem-Alexander as King of the Netherlands was unveiled in The Hague on November 27th 2013

 

On November 28th, King Willem-Alexander was in Nieuwegen to see the work of a night school offering support to adults who need help with language and learning.  On the same day, the king attended the jubilee conference of  the Aedes Housing Association where he heard speeches and debates on issues including care and the price of housing.

 

 

 King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands at the housing conference in ’s-Hertogenbosch he attended on November 28th 2013 to mark the 100th anniversary of Aedes - an association of

housing associations

 

On November 29th the king held a farewell audience with the outgoing Turkish ambassador, Z.E. Uğur Doğan, at the Eikenhorst Villa in Wassenaar.  And later that same day he was back in Amsterdam, at the Nieuwe Kerk, to receive copies of the new biographies of his predecessors on the throne of the Netherlands, Kings William I, II and III.

 

 

 King Willem-Alexander receives biographies on three earlier Dutch kings at a ceremony in Amsterdam on November 29th 2013

 

Queen Maxima was in the Schipol district of Amsterdam on November 26th 2013 where she opened the new barracks of the Royal Military Police in the district - the building has been named after her.

 

 

The queen of the Netherlands opens the Queen Maxima Barracks in Schipol on November 26th 2013

 

On the dame day, Princess Beatrix attended the jubilee conference of PUM - an organization which channels voluntary work from managers and businesspeople in the Netherlands to areas of the world where expertise is needed.  It took place in Rotterdam.

 

 

 Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands at the conference held to mark the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the PUM organization.  The event took place in Rotterdam on November 26th 2013

 

A Duke remembers

The Duke of Edinburgh was at Ypres today as part of the Armistice Day commemorations.  He saw the moving ceremony at the Menin Gate and was present as sacks of soil from Flanders Fields were loaded onto a funeral carriage to be taken back to England where they will be used for a special garden which will be opened by Queen Elizabeth II on Remembrance Day in 2014, the centenary of the start of World War One. As BBC Royal Correspondent, Nicholas Witchell, remarked while reporting on the duke's visit, those who fell have rested now for nearly one hundred years but those who are left behind will always keep on remembering them.

 

Prince Philip at the Menin Gate on November 11th 2013

 

And King Philippe of the Belgians led his country's commemorations for those who fell in armed conflict for the first time as monarch today.  He paid his respects at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Brussels.  Kings and princes may no longer lead their nation into battle but they still help lead the remembrance of those who gave their lives.

 

 

Philippe of the Belgians lays a wreath in Brussels on Armistice Day - his first time as king

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.

 

 

Philippe's first stamps

The first look at the stamps that debut Philippe of the Belgians as his country's king was announced with a message on the Royal Palace's Facebook page.  The three stamps all bear the same image of the new king but with different colours marking different values.  And while the photo and the design may not be ground breaking, the stamps have their place in history as the first of many featuring King Philippe of the Belgians.

 

He's definitely king now, his face is on the stamps

A new king and an old tradition

It had to happen. King Philippe of the Belgians has made it to almost three months into his reign before being photographed in an unusual hat.  The new monarch on the block was on a visit to Namur today when he was snapped in a traditional students' cap presented to him by some of the local university's pupils.

 

Where did you get that hat?  There was no crown for Philippe on the day he became king of the Belgians but almost three months on, we finally get to see him with some headgear

 

The hat, a calotte, is traditionally worn in Belgian universities and the red top she shows that the cap came from Namur.  The king looked almost comfortable wearing it and managed what can only be described as a semi smile but he'll have to get used to being snapped wearing strange and wonderful items of clothing.  All he has to do is ask any of the other kings and queens of Europe and they'll tell him, no doubt loudly and with lots of strange and wonderful examples of their own, that once you become a crowned head there's no end of people wanting to crown you with even stranger things as you visit factories, univerisities, shops, schools.....that almost smile will get more relaxed as the king gets used to it.

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