Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden visit WaterAid

TRH Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, Duchess and Duke of Västergötland visited WaterAid on 15 June 2012. The Crown Princess and Prince Daniel are the patrons of WaterAid Sweden.

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Source: Oscar Segerström, WaterAid Sverige

Changes to the Duchy of Cornwall

The Duchy consists of around 54,424 hectares of land in 22 counties, mostly in the South West of England, and includes agricultural, residential and commercial property holdings.

 It also has an investment portfolio. The Duchy estate was created in 1337 by HM King Edward III for his son and heir, Prince Edward, and its primary function was to provide him and future Princes of Wales with an income from its assets. A charter ruled that each future Duke of Cornwall would be the eldest surviving son of the Monarch and the heir to the throne.

This last rule has now been changed. The beneficiary of the Duchy is now the heir to the throne. He or she does not have to be the Duke of Cornwall.

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 Sovereign Grant Act: main provisions

 Clause 9: Duchy of Cornwall income and grant to the heir to the throne

Clause 9 ensures that equivalent financial provision is made for heirs to the throne, whether Duke of Cornwall or not.

It provides that, if the heir is not the Duke of Cornwall and is over 18, the heir is given a grant equal to the Duchy revenues, unless Duchy revenues are more than the Sovereign Grant. The monarch would receive the Duchy revenues, and the Sovereign Grant would be reduced by an equal amount. In effect, the heir would receive the Duchy income.

If the Duke of Cornwall is a minor, 90% of the revenues of the Duchy would go to the monarch and the Sovereign Grant would be reduced by an equivalent amount.

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/leg_sovereign_grant_main_provisions.htm

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark on new stamp

The Heart Foundation released a new stamp with an portrait of their patron, HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

Click HERE to view the stamp enlarged.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark received the "Naasut" tiara from Greenland

HM Queen Margrethe of Denmark received the "Naasut" tiara from Greenland on occasion of the Queen's 40th anniversary on the throne.

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Source: Christian Meyer, Kongehuset

Zara Phillips joins UK 2012 London Summer Olympics equestrian team

Zara Phillips, daughter of HRH The Princess Royal, Princess Anne of Great-Brittain, has joined the UK 2012 London Summer Olympics equestrian team with her horse High Kingdom.

Christening of the Duke of the Abruzzi

HRH the Duke of the Abruzzi, Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta, the second son of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Apulia, Prince Aimone and Princess Olga, née Princess of Greece, was christened on 8 June 2008.

The little Prince was christened Amedeo Michel after his grandfathers.

Present were, other then the little Prince with his parents and older brother, HRH the Prince of Piedmont, Prince Umberto, among others TRH the Duke and Duchess of Aosta, Prince Amedeo and Princess Silvia; HRH Princess Claude of Orléans and Enrico Gandolfi; HRH Prince Michael of Greece with his wife, Princess Marina; HRH Princess Mafada of Savoy-Aosta with her children Nob. Anna, Nob. Carlo and Nob. Elena Lombardo di San Chirico; and HIRH Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este, Princess of Savoy-Aosta.

The godparents of Prince Amedeo are Princess Mafalda of Savoy, Princess Marina of Greece and George Antaki.

Click HERE to view pictures of the christening at monarchia.it.

The Duke of Cambridge qualified as an operational captain

HRH The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William of Great-Brittain, has qualified as an operational captain within the Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Force. Flight Lieutenant Wales, as he is known in the military, will now command Search and Rescue operations in RAF Sea King helicopters.

Until now, Flight Lieutenant Wales has only co-piloted the aircraft. The Duke of Cambridge completed the captaincy tests on 29 May 2012.

The operational captaincy check involved ground and air based practical tests, spread over a two day period. The tests were a culmination of almost two years of flying experience and study for The Duke of Cambridge since joining C Flight, 22 Squadron at RAF Valley in Anglesey in September 2010.

 Officer Commanding 22 Squadron, Wing Commander Mark Dunlop said:

“Flt Lt Wales demonstrated the required standards needed for the award of Operation Captaincy. Due to the nature of search and rescue operations, the required standards are always set at a very high level. Operational Captaincy carries the overarching responsibility for the safety of the aircraft, its crew and any casualties.”

The Duke of Cambridge becomes Patron of Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust

HRH The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William of Great-Brittain, has accepted an invitation to become Patron of the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust which supports severely injured players from Wales. He will fulfil the new role alongside his existing link with the sport as Vice Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The Trust supports seriously injured Welsh rugby players who are all confined to wheelchairs after suffering spinal injuries in games. It was set up in 1972 and is the declared priority for charitable assistance from within the Welsh Rugby Union. The charity currently supports 20 seriously injured players and also gives financial help to players who have not suffered permanent disability.


Source: British Royal Court

New official pictures of Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium

The Belgian Royal Court released new official pictures of TIRH Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduchess and Archduke of Austria, to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Princess.

Click HERE to view the pictures at the official website.

50th birthday of Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este

HIRH Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, will celebrate her 50th birthday on 5 June 2012. She has already celebrated her birthday with her family on 2 June. Present were, other then the Princess, her husband, HIRH Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, Prince of Belgium, their children, HIRH Prince Amedeo, HIRH Princess Maria Laura, HI&RH Prince Joachim, HIRH Princess Luisa Maria and HIRH Princess Laetitia Maria, the Princess's parents, TM King Albert and Queen Paola of the Belgians, and the younger brother of the Princess with his family, TRH Prince Laurent and Princess Claire with HRH Princess Louise, HRH Prince Nicolas and HRH Prince Aymeric.

Also attending the lunch were HRH the Duchess of Brabant, Princess Mathilde, and her daughters, HRH Princess Elisabeth and HRH Princess Eléonore. HRH the Duke of Brabant, Prince Philippe, their sons, HRH Prince Gabriel and Prince Emmanuel, and HM Queen Fabiola did not attend.

Click HERE to view pictures at Day Life.

Princess Mako of Japan to study abroad

HIH Princess Mako of Japan will study abroad from September 2012 till May 2013. The Princess is currently a junior at International Christian University in Tokyo.

Royal Genealogy - May 2012

Royal Genealogy events in May 2012 .

Royal births and pregnancies
TRH The Duke and Duchess of Parma, Prince Carlos and Princess Annemarie of Bourbon-Parma, had their first child, HRH Princess Luisa, on 9 May 2012. TH Sheikh Saeed bin Dalmouk bin Juma Al Maktoum of Dubai and his wife, née Sheikha Hessa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai, one of the daughters of the Emir of Dubai, had their second child and first son, HH Sheikh Rashed, on 20 May 2012. Sheikh Rashed joins older sister HH Sheikha Hind. HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan and her husband Khaled Edward Blair are expecting their first child. Although the Jordanian Royal Court hasn't announced her pregnancy [they only announced the pregnancies of the Queen], it became clear after the Princess and her husband attended attended the awarding of the Asian Women of Achievement Awards in London on 16 May. TSH Prince Christian and Princess Lena of Schaumburg-Lippe are also expecting a child, as became clear from pictures from the christening of the Danish Princess Athena, daughter of Denmark's Prince Joachim and Princess Marie. As visible at the wedding of Charles Alexander Graf von Faber-Castell and Melissa Eliyeşil, TRH Hereditary Prince Donatus and Hereditary Princess Floria of Hesse, née Countess of Faber-Castell, are expecting their third child. They are already parents to twins HH Princess Paulina and HH Prince Moritz.

The list of current (known) Royal pregnancies:
- HSH Princess Benigna Reuss and Oscar Ascoz y Planes (1st child, due in June 2012)
- Lady Davina and Gary Lewis (2nd child together, 3rd child for Gary)
- HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan and Khaled Blair. (1st child)
- TSH Prince Christian and Princess Lena of Schaumburg-Lippe (1st child)
- TRH Hereditary Prince Donatus and Hereditary Princess Floria of Hesse, née Countess of Faber-Castell (3rd child)
- TSH Prince Pawel and Princess Eloise Radziwill (4th child)

Royal engagements and weddings
HRH Princess Felipa of Bavaria married Christian Dienst on 12 May.

Royal Deaths
Both Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg and HSH Fürstin Delia of Oettingen-Oettingen and Oettingen-Wallerstein, née Countess of Stauffenberg died on 5 May.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark unveiled a new portrait at the National History Museum

HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark unveiled a new portrait of herself at the National History Museum on 31 May 2012. The portrait was painted by Gugger Peters.

HQ pictures:











Source: National History Museum (Denmark)

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attended the inauguration of the Tryg Foundation's Family House at Aarhus University Hospital

HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark attended the inauguration of the Tryg Foundation's Family House at Aarhus University Hospital on 30 May 2012.

HQ pictures:






Source: Tonny Foghmar, Aarhus Universitetshospital

The Crown Prince of Jordan completes secondary education

HRH Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan has completed his secondary education at King’s Academy.

The Duke of Cambridge appointed Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle

HM Queen Elizabeth of England has appointed HRH the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, as Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle represents the highest honour in Scotland. Revived by King James VII, the Order has a complement of 16 Knights (KT). In 1987, The Queen decided that ladies should be eligible for the Thistle in the same way as men.The Motto of the Order is Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity).

Other members:

ROYAL KNIGHTS OF THE THISTLE
Her Majesty The Queen
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, K.G., K.T., O.M., G.B.E., A.C., Q.S.O.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay, K.G., K.T., G.C.B., O.M., A.K., Q.S.O., A.D.C.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, K.G., K.T., G.C.V.O., C.B., A.D.C.

KNIGHTS AND LADY OF THE THISTLE
The Earl of Airlie K.T., G.C.V.O. (Chancellor of the Order of the Thistle)
The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, K.T., C.D.
The Viscount of Arbuthnott, K.T., C.B.E., D.S.C.,
The Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, K.T., G.C.V.O.
Lady Marion Fraser, L.T.
The Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden, K.T.
The Lord Mackay of Clashfern, K.T.
The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, K.T, G.C.M.G.
The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, K.T
Sir Eric Anderson, K.T.
The Lord Steel of Aikwood, K.T., K.B.E.,
The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, K.T., G.C.M.G.
The Lord Cullen of Whitekirk, K.T.
Sir Garth Morrison, K.T., C.B.E.
The Lord Hope of Craighead, K.T.
The Lord Patel, K.T.

First pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Parma with their daughter, Princess Luisa

TRH the Duke and Duchess of Parma, Prince Carlos and Princess Anne-Marie of Bourbon-Parma, released the first official pictures of themselves with their newborn daughter, HRH Princess Luisa of Bourbon-Parma. Click HERE to view the pictures at PPE.

Video of the christening of Princess Athena of Denmark

The Danish Royal Court released a video of the christening of HH Princess Athena of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, via their YouTube channel.

Christening of Princess Estelle: The Official pictures

The Swedish Royal Court has released the official pictures of the christening of HRH Princess Estelle of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland. The pictures were taken by Bruno Ehrs in the red diningroom of Princess Sibylla's apartments.

The first picture shows the little Princess with her parents, TRH Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, Duchess and Duke of Västergötland.



The second picture shows the little Princess with her parents and her grandparents, TM King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden and Olle and Ewa Westling.



The third picture shows Princess Estelle with her parents and her godparents, HRH Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Duke of Värmland; Anna Westling Soderstrom; HRH the Prince of Oranje, Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands; HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat; and HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.



 The fourth picture shows Princess Estelle with her mother and her maternal grandfather.

 

The fifth and final picture shows Princess Estelle with her maternal grandfather.

 

 Source: Bruno Ehrs / kungehuset.se

Christening of Princess Estelle: Video summary of the Christening

The Swedish Royal Court released a video summary of the christening of HRH Princess Estelle of Sweden, Duchess of Östergötland.