A Look Back at a Royal 2012

In this post, I'm looking back at a Royal 2012. Obviously, I can’t mention everything. The information below is a summery of what happened last year.

In January, Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg married Gunilla Stenfors and HRH Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein of Jordan married Basma Bani Ahmad. It was announced on 4 January, that HRH the Duchess of Cambridge had taken on 4 patronages, her first. The Danish Royal Court released new official pictures of HRH Prince Vincent and HRH Princess Josephine and their parents and older siblings, to celebrate the first birthday of the twins. HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Prof. mr. Pieter van Vollenhoven celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on 10 January. The Dutch Royal Court released a new official picture of the couple to celebrate this. The Norwegian Royal Court released new official pictures of HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra to celebrate the 8th birthday of the Princess on 21 January. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai, and his second wife, HRH Princess Haya bint Hussein of Jordan, had their second child and first son together. HH Sheikh Zayed joined older full sister HH Sheikha Al Jalila and several half-siblings. HSH Princess Tatiana of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Hubertus Stephan had a son, Carl Stephan, on 22 January. HH Princess Athena, the second child and first daughter together of TRH Prince Joachim and Princess Marie was born on 24 January. Princess Athena joined older brother HH Prince Henrik and older half-brothers HH Prince Nikolai and HH Prince Felix. HRH Prince Siaosi Tuku’aho of Tonga, eldest son of TRH Crown Prince Tupouto’a Lavaka and Princess Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho and second in line to the throne, announced his engagement to his first cousin, the Hon Sinaitakala Fakafanua, only daughter of HRH Princess ‘Ofeina Fakafanua and the late Fakafanua, on January 24. The Faitohi ceremony took place at the end of July 2011. January also brought the birth of HRH Princess Antoinette of Orléans, the second child and first daughter of TRH the duke and Duchess of Vendôme and older sister of HRH Prince Gaston, on 28 January. The first pictures of the Princess were released at the end of January

HH The Crown Prince of Umm al-Qaiwain, Sheikh Rashid bin Saud Al Mu’alla, married the daughter of HH Sheikh Saqr bin Khalid bin Humaid Al Qasimi of Ras al-Khaimah on 4 February 2012, and HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, a daughter of the Crown Prince, married HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Saif bin Mohammed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi on 12 February. HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark celebrated her 40th birthday on 5 February. New pictures of the Crown Princess and her family were released and a party took place the day before her birthday. HM Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee on 6 February. In connection with the jubilee, new official pictures of the Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh were released. The main events took place from 2 June till 5 June. TRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, HRH Prince Harry of Wales, HRH the Duke of York, TRH the Earl and Countess of Wessex, HRH the Princess Royal, HRH the Duke of Gloucester and HRH the Duke of Kent traveled overseas to represent the Queen. A photoshoot took place with TRH the Duke and Duchess of Vendôme and HRH Prince Gaston and HRH Princess Antoinette on 9 February. Princess Astrid, Mrs Ferner, turned 80 on 12 February. New official pictures of the Princess were released, and a gala banquet was held. A photoshoot with the Danish Crown Princely family took place on 12 February. HRH Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, second son of HM Queen Beatrix, became a victim of an avalanche in the ski resort of Lech on 17 February. TRH the Duke and Duchess of Anjou and Duke-Consort and Duchess of Cadaval, Prince Charles-Philippe and Princess Diana of Orléans, had their first child, HRH Princess Isabelle on 22 February. On 23 February, Sweden got a new heiress to the throne, when TRH Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel had their first child, HRH Princess Estelle. The first pictures of the newborn Princess were released after a few days. HIRH Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria, Prince of Tuscany died on February 13, while HRH Princess Norodom Daravadey of Cambodia died on 16 February and HRH Infanta Maria Adelaide of Portugal died on 24 February. The 100th anniversary of the birth of the late HRH Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland, took place on 28 February. The Dutch Royal Court released new official pictures of HM Queen Beatrix, HRH the Prince of Orange and HRH Princess Máxima in February.

HH Duke Konstantin of Oldenburg married Esther Sanchez on 3 March. HRH Princess Maria anna of Bavaria, Duchess in Bavaria, and Klaus Runow had a son, Johannes on 24 March. Peter and Autumn Phillips had their second child and second daughter, Isla Elizabeth on 29 March. Isla joins older sister Savannah. HSH Prince Alexander of Liechtenstein died on 16 March. HM King George Tupou V of Tonga died on 18 March 2012. The Norwegian Royal Court released more pictures of HRH Princess Ingrid Alexandra in March. More official pictures, the Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg released new official pictures of HRH Prince Félix. HM King Tupou VI of Tonga bestowed on 30 March 2012 the title of Crown Prince Tupouto’a on his oldest son, HRH Prince Siaosi Tuku’aho aka HRH Prince ‘Ulukalala. The Dutch Royal Court released new official pictures of HRH Princess Amalia, HRH Princess Alexia and HRH Princess Ariane on 23 March, while the first official pictures (together) of the Crown Princess family of Sweden were also released in March. A photoshoot with the Norwegian Crown Princely family took place in March. The first official pictures of HH Princess Athena of Denmark,then still officially unnamed, were also released in March.

HIRH Princess Fatma Neslisah Osmanoglu Sultan of Egypt and of Turkey died on 2 April. HH Princess Elisabeth of Ligne and Baron Baudouin Gillès de Pélichy had their fourth child and second daughter, Baroness Marguerite Gillès de Pélichy on 9 April. The couple also have 2 sons, Antoine and Charles, and a daughter, Philippine. HRH The Duchess of Cornwall was appointed as Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 9 April. HSH Prince Rudolf of Liechtenstein married Tilsin Tanberk. on 20 April, while HRH Princess Maria Carolina de Bourbon de Parme married Albert Brenninkmeijer in a civil ceremony on 21 April. The Danish Royal Court released 3 new pictures of HRH Princess Isabella to celebrate her 5th birthday on 21 April 2012. The pictures were taken by her mother, HRH  Crown Princess Mary. HIH Prince Osman Selahaddin Osmanoglu of Turkey and Hanife Candan Günen were married on 22 April, and HSH Prince Carl Albrecht of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Camilla Schloesser were married on 28 April. The Grand Ducal Court announced the engagement of Hereditary HRH Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy on 26 April. The Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg released 6 new official pictures of HRH Prince Sébastien in April. Other picture news, engagement pictures of HIRH Archduke Imre of Austria and Kathleen Walker, were released in April.

May started off with sad news, 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. A new picture of HRH Crown Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco was released to celebrate the 9th birthday of the Crown Prince on 8 May. 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.  HRH Princess Felipa of Bavaria married Christian Dienst on 12 May. 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. HH Sheikh Saeed bin Dalmouk bin Juma Al Maktoum of Dubai and his wife, née HH Sheikha Hessa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai, one of the daughters of HH the Emir of Dubai, had their second child and first son, Sheikh Rashed, on 20 May 2012. HH Sheikh Rashed joins older sister HH Sheikha Hind. The christening of HH Princess Athena of Denmark, the second child together and first daughter of TRH rince Joachim and Princess Marie, took place on 20 May with as godparents; Gregory Grandet, Edouard Cavallier, Carina Axelsson, Julie Mirabaud, Diego de Lavandeyra and Henriette Steenstrup. It’s because the couple attended Princess Athena’s christening, that it became known that TSH Prince Christian and Princess Lena of Schaumburg-Lippe were expecting their first child. 2 days later, the christening of HRH Princess Estelle of Sweden, the first child of TRH Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel and the future Queen of Sweden, took place on 22 May with as godparents; HRH Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, HRH Prince Carl-Philip of Sweden, HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, HRH the Prince of Orange (Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, and Anna Westling Söderström. During the wedding of Charles Alexander Graf von Faber-Castell and Melissa Eliyeşil on 26 May, it became clear that TRH Hereditary Prince Donatus and Hereditary Princess Floria of Hesse, née Countess of Faber-Castell, were expecting their third child.They are already parents to twins HH Princess Paulina and HH Prince Moritz. The first pictures of HRH Princess Luisa of Bourbon-Parm, first child of TRH the Duke and Duchess of Parma, were released in May. HRH Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan completed his secondary education at King’s Academy in May 2012. HRH The Duke of Cambridge was appointed as Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle in May.

HSH Princess Benigna Reuss and Don Oscar Ascoz y Planes had their first child, Don Jaime María de Ascoz y Reuss, on 1 June. Countess Hemma of Neipperg, the oldest daughter and fourth child HIRH Archduchess Andrea of Austria [herself the oldest child of the late HIRH Archduke Otto of Austria and his late wife, née Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen] and Hereditary Count Karl Eugen of Neipperg, married Roman Keno Spech on 2 June. HH Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum of Dubai and his wife, had a son. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Saeed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum was born on 4 June. The Belgian Royal Court released new official pictures of HIRH Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduchess and Archduke of Austria, to celebrate the 50th birthday of the Princess. on 5 June. Family celebrations were held on 2 June. Sad and good news for 6 June. First the sad: HIH Prince Tomohito of Mikasa of Japan died. The good news: after becoming a grandfather again last month, HH the Emir of Dubai now shares 2 more grandchildren with HM the King of Bahrain. Their children, TRH Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain and Sheikha Sheikha Bint Mohammed al Maktoum of Dubai, had twins, their second and third child, both named after a grandfather, HRH Sheikh Mohammed and HRH Sheikh Hamad. They are also parents to a daughter, HRH Sheikha Sheema, who was born in 2010. The civil wedding of HSH Prince Christian of Salm-Horstmar and Countess Pilar Pilati von Thassul zu Daxberg took place on 6 June and the wedding of HSH Prince Constantin of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Freiin Alimée-Alexandrine of Gersdorff took place on 8 June. The christening of 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, took place on 8 June, with as godparents; HRH Princess Mafalda of Savoy, HRH Princess Marina of Greece and George Antaki. The christening of HRH Princess Masamba Nkwanzi of Bunyoro-Kitara took place on 10 June in the St. Peter’s Cathedral in Hoima by the Rt. Revd. Bishop Nathan Kyamanywa of Bunyoro-Kitara. The second child and first daughter together of TM the King and Queen. 4 Royal/Princely weddings took place on 16 June. The one of HRH Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Parma [youngest daughter of late HRH the Duke of Parma and his former wife, HRH Princess Irene of the Netherlands] and Albert Brenninkmeijer; the one of HSH Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein and Count Clemens Hoyos; the one of Prince Ghislain de Broglie and Victoire Tetzlaff; and the one of HSH Prince Georg “Jirí” Lobkowicz and Zdenka Hojková.  Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia died on 16 June. HSH Fürst Heinrich IV Reuss died on 20 June. HSH Princess Livia of Liechtenstein [daughter of HSH Prince Franz Géza and his late wife, née Laura Malvezzi Campeggi] married Richard Turner on 23 June.

TSH Prince Pawel and Princess Eloise Radziwill had their fourth child and first daughter, HSH Princess Willow, on 3 July. A sister for HSH Prince Barnaby, HSH Prince Alexei and HSH Prince Felix. HSH Princess Cecily of Salm-Salm married Ludwig Benecke on 7 July. A photoshoot with the Crown Princely family of the Netherlands took place on 7 July. HRH Crown Prince Tupouto’a of Tonga married the Hon Sinaitakala Fakafanua on 10 July (cival wedding) and 12 July (religious wedding). HRH Prince Mohammed bin Saud bin Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia died on 8 July. Marc Teran d’Antin, the oldest son of HIRH Archduchess Michaella of Austria and her former husband Eric Teran d’Antin, married Trisha Johnston on 14 July. The Swedish Royal Court send summer greetings, complete with 2 pictures, from TM the King and Queen and the Crown Princess family at the end of July. A photoshoot with the Belgian Crown Princely family took place in Londen at the end of July. A new official picture of HH Princess Marilène of Orange-Nassau was released in July.

HSH Princess Maria-Anna of Salm-Salm married Count Dominik of Neipperg on 4 August. The Count is the third son of HIRH Archduchess Andrea of Austria and The Hereditary Count of Neipperg, Count Karl Eugen. HRH Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco died on 16 August. Countess Alix of Lannoy, the mother of the (then) fiancée (now wife) of the HRH Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, died on 26 August. TRH Hereditary Prince Donatus and Hereditary Princess Floria of Hesse, née Countess of Faber-Castell, had their 3rd child on 24 August. HH Prince August joins older siblings, the twins, HH Prince Moritz and HH Princess Paulina. The Swedish Royal Court released new official pictures of HRH Prince Carl Philip and HRH Princess Madeleine on 29 August. The Danish Royal Court has released new individual pictures of HRH Prince Christian, HRH Princess Isabella, HRH Prince Vincent and HRH Princess Josephine in August. The pictures were al taken by the children’s mother, HRH Crown Princess Mary.

Prince Edouard of Merode married Sylvia Steisel on 1 september. That same day, HSH Prince Wenzel of Lobkowicz, youngest son of HSH Fürst Johannes of Lobkowicz and his wife, née Countess Johanna of Castell-Castell, married Countess Maria Katharina of Neipperg, the youngest daughter of HIRH Archduchess Andrea of Austria and the Hereditary Count of Neipperg, Count Karl. A photoshoot with a large part of the Belgian Royal family took place on 2 September. The Imperial Household Agency of Japan released new official pictures of HIH Princess Mako, HIH Princess Kako and HIH Prince Hisahito to celebrate the 6th birthday of Prince Hisahito on 6 September. HIRH Archduke Imre of Austria, the middle son of HIRH Archduke Carl Christian and his wife, née HRH Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, married Kathleen Walker on 8 September. The Spanish Royal Court has released new official pictures of the Crown Princely family to celebrate the 40th birthday of HRH the Princess of Asturias on 15 September. Princess Ragnhild, mrs. Lorentzen, sister of HM the King of Norway, died on 16 September. HSH Princess Elisabeth of Urach died on 20 September. HRH Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah of Brunei married Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini in a glittering ceremony on 20 September 2012. In the week prior to the ceremony, there were several just as glittering parties, the bride appeared in no less then 3 tiaras. Philippe de Riquet, Prince of Caraman and Chimay, married Françoise Peter on 21 September 2012. HH The Crown Prince of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, and his second wife, HH Sheikha Al-Anoud bint Mana al-Hajri, had their second child and first son together on 29 September. HH Sheikh Abdullah joins older sister, HH Sheikha Nayla and older half-siblings, HH Sheikha Al-Mayassa, HH Sheikh Hamad and HH Sheikha Aisha. HRH The Prince of Orange took pictures of his children to be used for the Children’s Stamps 2012. The Prince follows in his late father, HRH Prince Claus, who, 40 years ago, took pictures of his children to benefit the Children’s Stamps Foundation as well. The stamps will be released on 7 November. The Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg released 2 new official pictures of HRH Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and his then fiancée (now wife), Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy.

TIRH The Prince and Princess of Prussia, Prince Georg Friedrich and Princess Sophie, née Princess of Isenburg, are also expecting their first child. HRH Prince Albert of Saxony died on 6 October. HSH Prince Dominik of Lowenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg married Countess Olga of Castell-Rudenhausen, the oldest daughter of HSH The Prince of Castell-Rudenhausen, religiously on 6 October. HH Duchess Rixa of Oldenburg married Stephan Sanders on 13 October, while the last heir to a Ruling House of Europe, HRH Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg married Countess Stephanie of Lannoy on 19 (civil wedding) and 20 (religious wedding) October 2012. To celebrate the 7th birthday of HRH Prince Christian on 15 October, the Danish Royal Court released 4 new official pictures of the Prince. New official pictures of the Crown Princess family of Sweden were released in connection with the opening of The exhibition “Princess Estelle – Birth and Christening” on 19 October. The pregnancy of HRH Princess Felipa of Bavaria. The Princess and her husband, Christian Dienst, expect their first child in April of 2013. The christening of HRH Princess Isabelle of Orléans took place on 21 October. Her godparents are HRH the Prince of Asturias and Countess Maria Theodora della Gherardesca, Countess of Löwenstein-Scharffeneck. The Swedish Royal Court announced on October 25 that HRH Princess Madeleine will marry Christopher O'Neill in 2013.

November brought several announced births and pregnancies. TRH Prince Hamzah bin Hussein and Princess Basmah Hamzah of Jordan had their first child together. HRH Princess Zein bint Hamzah was born on 3 November and joined older half-sister, HRH Princess Haya bint Hamzah, daughter of Prince Hamzah and of his former wife, HRH Princess Noor bint Asem of Jordan. TSH Prince Ludwig and Princess Philippa of San-Wittgenstein-Sayn, née Countess Spannocchi, had their first child, HSH Prince Vinzenz Alexander on 20 November, and TSH Prince Antonius and Princess Mathilde of Fürstenberg, née Countess Borromeo, had their second child and second son, HSH Prince Alexander, on 23 November. Prince Alexander joins older brother, HSH Prince Karl Egon. Tatiana Santo Domingo confirmed on 6 November that she and her fiancé, Andrea Casiraghi [the oldest son of HRH the Princess of Hanover, Hereditary Princess Caroline of Monaco], are expecting their first child in January 2013. The couple is planning to marry after the birth of their child. Bunte has reported that the older brother of the earlier mentioned Prince Antonius of Fürstenberg, HSH Hereditary Prince Christian, and his wife, HSH Hereditary Princess Jeannette of Fürstenberg, are expecting their first child. TRH Prince Gabriel and Princess Luciana of Orléans-Bragança are also expecting their first child, while HIH Princess Caroline Napoléon and Eric Querenet-Onfroy de Bréville are expecting their second child, a sibling for Elvire. November also brought the engagement announcement for HSH Princess Alexandra Galitzine and Thibault Lancksweert and the death of HSH Princess Rose-Sophie of Arenberg, Duchess of Arenberg, Reichsfreifrau of Guttenberg. The Dutch Royal Court released new official pictures of Highborn Lady Countess Eloise, Highborn Lord Count Claus-Casimir and Highborn Lady  Countess Leonore of Orange-Nassau in November.

December started off with TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announcing on 3 December that they are expecting their first child. The Dutch Royal Court released a new official picture of HRH Prince Constantijn and a new official picture of HRH Princess Laurentien. HH Sheikh Dhiyab bin Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi married a daughter of HH the Emir of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on 12 December. Hereditary Count Ignatius and Hereditary Countess Robinia of Toerring-Jettenbach had their fifth child and firth daughter, Countess Maximiliana, on 7 December. A sister for Floriana, Georgiana, Elisabeth and Elena. December 13 brought the announcement of the engagement of HRH Prince Félix of Luxembourg and Claire Lademacher, The Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg released private pictures of newly engaged couple and on 27 December, the couple and their families posed for the press. The Spanish Royal Court has released the Christmas cards of TM the King and Queen; and the Crown Princely family on 14 December. The birth of a new Princess of Savoy-Aosta, first daughter and third child of HRH Prince Aimone, Duke of Apulia, and his wife, née Princess Olga of Greece, took place on 14 December. The Swedish Royal Court released winter greetings from the Crown Princess family, including a lovely picture of the family of three in the snow at Haga Park. The Jordanian Royal Court announced the engagement of HRH Princess Iman bint Al Hussein of Jordan and Zaid Mirza on 20 December. The Swedish Royal Court has released a Christmas message from Haga Palace with 2 new official pictures of of HRH Princess Estelle of Sweden on 22 December. On 23 December the Swedish Royal Court announced the wedding date for HRH Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill. The couple will marry on June 8, 2013. HIRH Archduke Christoph of Austria married Adélaide Drapé-Frisch on 28 December (civil wedding) and 29 December (religious wedding.)