Wednesday, 4 March 2015

King Felipe and Queen Letizia host a gala dinner in Madrid

King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia have been playing host to the President of Colombia and his wife who have made a three day visit to Madrid.


And one of the high points of the stay of Juan Manuel Santos and Maria Clemencia Rodriguez de Santos was a gala dinner at the Zarzuela which was attended by sports and media stars. Here are some of the best images of the evening.

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Richard III, coming to a TV near you

When he died, in 1485, Richard III's body was paraded publicly and buried quickly in a grave that was soon lost. In 2015, things will be very different. The reinterment of Richard will be carried live on a major British TV channel while other broadcasters are launching apps and internet based coverage to feed an appetite for history that shows no signs of being satisfied.


Richard III, King of England, 1483 - 1485

Richard III's bones were discovered under a car park in Leicester in 2012 - the site used to be part of Grey Friars church in the city where the last Plantagenet king was buried after his death at Bosworth. Confirmation that this much maligned king had definitely been found came in 2013 and after a judicial dispute over where he should be laid to rest again, plans were made for his reinterment in a tomb in Leicester. On March 26th the ceremony takes place with the Countess of Wessex and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester among the congregation. Now millions will get the chance to watch the event as it happens as Channel 4 offers live coverage of the reburial and the processions in the days preceding it.


Richard III will be reburied in Leicester on March 26th 2015

The programmes will no doubt get a huge audience. Interest in Richard III has never been greater. It's not every day that a former king is found but the desire to know all about the all time great villain of British royal history is one of the media stories of 2015. There are several other royal events that will get plenty of TV coverage this year - from baby Cambridge number two to the Queen becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history. But when the story of 2015 comes to be written, Richard III will figure large too. The latest chapter in the tale of a man born before printing was invented will be told on live TV.
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Monday, 2 March 2015

Kate bumps her way on to the front pages

Her husband may well be undertaking the first tour of China by a senior British royal in almost thirty years but William's diplomatic efforts have been overshadowed by his wife, a floral frock and a photo that confirms baby Cambridge number two is definitely just around the corner. Kate was papped leaving the Goring Hotel in London today after helping the establishment mark its 105th birthday and her print covered tummy got everyone talking. The duchess has bumped her other half out of the spotlight. Again.



The duchess was guest of honour at a lunch at the hotel to mark its big birthday and to celebrate another milestone in its history - Kate also reopened it after a brief closure for a complete refurbishment. From the luxurious Royal Suite, where she spent her last night as a single woman, to the famous front door where she exited as a royal bride on her way to her very royal wedding, the Goring has been dusted down and brushed up. And having Kate snapped on its steps showing off a very big baby bump will have ensured that the good news gets a global audience.



The Coldstream Guards had turned up to welcome guests but even the sight of them in their uniforms crammed into the London street that houses the opening of the hotel was overshadowed by the sight of the girl who will be queen leaving after lunch. Wearing a floral dress, and looking understandably tired, the duchess made her latest public appearance as she approaches eight months pregnant.

Meanwhile, her husband was several thousand miles away on a tour of China. His most recent engagements included a tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing and a visit to the Shijia Hutong Museum where he saw the work of children's charities. To be fair, William's latest excursion is getting plenty of attention back home. But not quite as much, today, as the appearance of his wife for a minute outside the hotel where she was last seen as a bride. Four years on, with baby number two imminent, Kate has bumped her way on to the front pages.
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Sunday, 1 March 2015

Royals on social media

The stories and photos that the Royal houses of Europe post to their official social media channels are the regal highlights of their week. Here's how the kings and queens and princes and princesses of the continent shared their stories in the week just gone.


We weren't expecting that

His dad has been a celebrated environmentalist for decades and his big brother has recently had a high profile launching his United for Wildlife campaign but this week it was the turn of Prince Harry to love nature. His surprise engagement this week involved finding out about the protection of red squirrels in Northumberland and there were plenty of images to see on the official Kensington Palace Instagram account.



No one expected Queen Mathilde of the Belgians to arrive at an engagement at the EU Parliament in Brussels sporting a brace on her leg but the images shared by the official Twitter account showed the consort laughing off her injury.

King Felipe of Spain visited a fruit protection company in the week and suprised everyone by swapping his usual grey suit for a white coat as he toured the factory - the photos were posted on the official Twitter account.

Far from home

The Duke of Cambridge headed to Japan at the start of week long tour which will also take him to China. His engagements included a visit to the country's public service broadcaster, NHK, leading to a rather unusual royal snap being shared on the official Kensington Palace Instagram account.


King Juan Carlos of Spain headed to Uruguay for the inauguration of the country's new president, Tabare Vazquez. The official Twitter account, Casa Real, published plenty of images of the king's visit.

King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway travelled to Australia for the first State Visit by a head of state of their country. There were lots of images shared on the official Facebook page of the Norwegian Royal Family including one of the couple on a visit celebrating nature and the environment.


The last days of winter

As winter entered its final furlong, there was a poignant photo call for the Royal Family of the Netherlands as King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and their daughters joined Princess Beatrix to pose for snaps on their ski-ing holiday in Lech. The king's brother, John Friso, died in August 2013 - eighteen months after being hit by an avalanche at the resort. The family shared images on the official Twitter account.



The future queen of Sweden celebated her third birthday on February 23rd. And to mark the occasion, the Royal House shared photos of Princess Estelle ski-ing on its official Facebook page.


And Norway's future queen, Ingrid Alexandra, was wishing everyone a happy winter holiday in a message shared on the official Twitter account of her parents, the Crown Prince and Princess.




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Sunday, 8 February 2015

Royals on social media

In the past week, Elizabeth II marked the 63rd anniversary of her accession - the last time the occasion will pass before she takes the record for longest reigning monarch in British history. But it was business as usual for the Queen as her Christmas holidays came to an end. In fact it was a very businesslike week all round for the royal families of Europe and here's how they shared their seven days on their official social media channels.


On the brink of history

The Queen usually leaves Sandringham after the anniversary of her accession which falls on February 6th. She marks the day privately - it is, after all, the anniversary of the death of her beloved father, George VI. But around this time every year the Queen takes on an engagement in Norfolk and this week was no different - the British Monarchy Instagram account shared a photo of her visit to South Lynn Fire and Rescue Service.


The next time that Elizabeth II steps out in Norfolk at the start of another year of engagements she will be the longest reigning monarch Britain has ever known with excitement already growing ahead of the big day in September - this image shows a queen on the brink of history.


Some like it hot


Crown Prince Haakon Magnus swapped the chill of Oslo for the warmth of Timor Leste as he undertook a tour there. And there were several images shared on the official Twitter account representing the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway.



Prince Carl Philip of Sweden was treated to hot food and a touch of spice as he helped judge a cookery contest in the week with photoso shared on the Royal Family's official Facebook page.



Some like it cold


The Earl and Countess of Wessex headed to Finland for a series of engagements where they braved snow and chilly conditions. The British Monarchy Twitter account shared several images.

Meanwhile Prince Harry donned his best anorak for a visit to Huntingdon and was seen out in the freezing cold weather on a series of tweets shared on the official Kensington Palace Twitter account.


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