Royal News for December

Mixed news around the royal court of Europe for the month of December. While one Kingdom was shrouded with grief for the passing of their former Queen Consort, another principality is rejoicing for the birth of two royal children.

BIRTHDAY

Princess Catharina-Amalia, the Hereditary Princess of Orange, celebrated her 11th birthday last December 7. She is the future Queen of the Netherlands as the heir-apparent of her father, King Wilhelm-Alexander. Her mother is an Argentinian born former investment banker, Maxima. The future Queen has two younger sisters, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariana.

BIRTH

Hi Serene Highness, Albert, the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, welcomed his heirs yesterday, December 12, as his wife, Princess Charlene, gave birth to fraternal twins, Princess Gabriella, and Prince Jacques, at the Princess Grace hospital in Monaco.

Princess Gabriella was born one minute ahead of her brother, Prince Jacques, but Monaco is still embracing the male-preference primogeniture succession, thus, she will only be second in the line of succession to the Monegasque throne after his brother.

DEATH

Belgium is morning the date of their former Queen Consort, Fabiola, who died last December 6, 2014 at the age of 86. No cause of death had been revealed to the press but the public speculated poor health might be the caused of death of the former Queen.

Fabiola, who was born a Spanish aristocrat, was the wife of King Boudouin of Belgium who died in 1993 of heart attack. She had been Queen Consort from 1960 to 1993, she and the King had no children as all her pregnancies ended up in miscarriages, thus, Boudouin was succeeded by his younger brother, King Albert, to the throne. Albert abdicated in 2013 in favor of his son, Philippe, the reigning King of the Belgians.

Happy Birthday Prince William!

Today, June 21, is the 29^th birthday of His Royal Highness, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. 


Here are some of his perky facts!

--He is left-handed.


--He was born on June 21, 1982 at St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London.

--Since his birth in 1982, he is second in the line of succession to the British throne behind his father.

--His real name is William Arthur Philip Louis. For several days after his birth, he was known as baby Wales because his parents could not agree what to call him, his mother wanted to call him William but his father insisted the name Arthur, eventually Diana won and Arthur became the baby’s second name. His two other names are chosen to honour his paternal grandfather, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and paternal great uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Earl of Burma whom Prince Charles referred as his dear grandpapa.

--He was baptized on August, 4, 1982 on the 84^th birthday of the late Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth (mother of the Queen) at the music room of Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

--His parents: HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

--His paternal grandparents: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

--His maternal grandparents: The late John Spencer, the 8^th Earl of Althorp and the Honourable Mrs. Frances Shand-Kydd (daughter of Lord Edmund Burke-Roche, the 4th Baron Fermoy).

--Brother: HRH Prince Harry (Henry Charles Albert David) born on September 23, 1984.

--Royal House: Windsor

--In 1983, he made history by being the first royal infant to travel in an official foreign tour when his mother insisted to the Queen to bring him to Australia and New Zealand.

--While still a young boy, he was nicknamed by his mother as Wombat.

--He inherited the physical features of his mother and that of the Spencers: Tall, Blonde hair, Sapphire (blue) eyes.

--He is the first future British heir to be educated at Eton College, the most prestigious and tough school for boys in England.

---An excellent tennis player like his late mother. The Prince is into football and polo games too.

--If the ancient rules of monarchy will be used as the basis of tracing bloodlines, he belonged more to the Royal House of Glucksburg-Sonderburg-Beck than to the House of Windsor. Glucksburg-Sonderburg-Beck is the Royal House where his grandfather, Prince Philip, descended on the male-line. This is the former royal house name of Greece and still in used today by the royal houses of Denmark and Norway.

--He referred Africa as his second home. He frequently visited this continent with his brother, Prince Harry and often spent a private holiday at Kenya. It was in Kenya where he reportedly proposed to Kate Middleton in October 2010. They also spent their honeymoon last May in Seychelles, another African island country with terrific beaches facing Indian Ocean.

--One of his favourite holiday destinations in the world aside from Africa, is Mustique, a breathtaking private island in the West Indies.

--When he becomes a King, he will be the first monarch to descend from Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch because his bloodline will be traced from Diana whose father, the Earl Spencer, was a direct descendant of the Stuart monarchs. The Stuarts reigned ahead of the Hanovers (the bloodline of Prince Charles and the Queen) in the British throne. He will be known as King William V when he succeeds his father to the throne.

--He completed his BA degree in Geography at St. Andrews University, Fife, Scotland, in 2004.

--Like the future Kings before him, he joined the military service after he finished college. He began his military training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, England in 2006. Like his brother, he became a member of the Household Cavalry as a reserved officer after he completed his military training. He also trained at the Royal Navy and Royal Air force. In 2008, he earned his wings at the Royal Air force and subsequently trained to become a search-and-rescue operation pilot where he remained in the service until today.

--In 2008, he became the 1008^th Knight of the Garter.

--In 2010 November, the official engagement between him and his longtime girlfriend, Kate Middleton, was announced by the Clarence House, the official London residence of his father, Prince Charles. He presented his fiancée with the oval shaped 18 carat Blue Sapphire ring surrounded with 14 diamonds which previously belonged to his late mother. They married on the 29^th of April, 2011 at Westminster Abbey. He was created by his grandmother as the Duke of Cambridge.

--Traditionally, British royals never carry cash, they never owned credit cards also, their finances are handled by the Master of the Household who get the budget from the Civil List, but this tradition might create tension in the new household of Prince William as his wife stubbornly insisted to handle their finances and all the shopping alone. Previously, it was reported that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will share the apartment of Prince Harry at Clarence House when they are in London, but recent report updates revealed that William expressed interest to make one of the vacant apartments at Kensington Palace as their official London residence. KP echoes wonderful childhood memories to Prince William, it was in this royal residence that he grew up with his brother and spent happy days with his late mother, Diana.

--This coming July 2011, he and his wife will take their first joint foreign trip to the state of California in the United States.

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh

His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will be celebrating his 90th birthday this coming June 10, 2011. There will be a great celebration to be organized in his honour.

Since his wife's accession to the throne in 1952, the Prince has played an important role in the national life of Britain and supported the Queen in her duties and responsibilities as the ruling sovereign of the United Kingdom and her realms. The duke is patron to more or less 800 organizations and at his age, continue performing his public duties.

The Queen has been in the throne for 59 years now, making Prince Philip the longest-serving Prince consort in British history. Originally intended to make Navy his lifetime career, this dream however cut short when his father-in-law, King George VI, died suddenly on February 1952 making his wife sovereign at the age of 25. Since then he became active in his role as Prince consort, representing Britain and the monarchy in many ceremonial functions. In 1956 he established The Duke of Edinburgh Award, aimed to honour the youth for their active participation in the community.

The Prince was born His Royal Highness Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the youngest and only son of His Royal Highness Prince Andrew of Denmark (son of King George I of Greece) and Princess Alice of Battenberg (daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg who was created Lord Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford-Haven in 1917). His parents were both first cousins of King George V through King Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Victoria of England making him third cousin and second cousin once removed to his wife, Queen Elizabeth II. He has four elder sisters who married German princes. He is especially close to his cousin, King Michael of Romania.

Prince Philip during his youth. He was often described before as "blindingly handsome, debonair and a real Prince Charming". Image from the Gallery of the official site of the British Monarchy

Prince Philip went to live with his maternal grandmother, Princess Victoria, at Kensington Palace in England when the marriage of his parents fell apart. His maternal uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Earl of Burma,  stood as his father in his entire life. Lord Mountbatten advised him to take a career in the Navy. After he completed his naval training he was commissioned as a midshipman in 1940 and saw action during World War II aboard the battleship HMS Ramillies. At the course of the Second of World War, the Prince would serve many more battleships, later, he was awarded with the Greek War Cross of Valour. He was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant and subsequently First Lieutenant, making him one of the youngest first lieutenants in the Royal Navy. In 1947, he was obliged to renounce his Greek royal title for his impending marriage to the future British Queen. He became a British subject (though technically he was already a British subject at that time of his birth as he directly descended from Princess Sophia of Hanover) and switched his religion from Greek Orthodox to Anglican. Prince Philip took the name Philip Mountbatten.

HRH Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten during the announcement of their engagement (July 9, 1947). Image from the Gallery of the official site of the British Monarchy

The royal wedding in November 20, 1947

During the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (June 1953). Image from garethrussellcidevant.blogspot.com

His engagement to Princess Elizabeth was announced on July 1947 and he presented his future bride with a platinum engagement ring taken from the Greek Tiara owned by his mother. They got married on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey attended by all European royal members. He was created by King George VI as Duke of Edinburgh, Earl Marrioneth and Baron Greenwich and appointed to the Order of the Garter on the night before his wedding. They have four children: Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales (born 1948), Princess Anne, the Princess Royal (1950), Prince Andrew, the Duke of York (1960) and Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex (1964). Presently, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen have eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild (from Peter Phillips--son of Princess Anne).

The royal family in September 1979 while at Balmoral Castle.

From left: Prince Edward, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Philip, the Queen and Prince Andrew. Image from the gallery of the British monarchy official site

In 1952 he was appointed by his wife as Admiral of Sea Cadet Corps and subsequently Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal and Marshal of the Royal Air Force. The Prince received many more appointments and decorations in the Commonwealth in succeeding years. According to one report in 2007, Prince Philip is being worshipped as a god by some inhabitants in small villages in Vanuatu, a small country in the South Pacific near Australia. The villagers has a portrait of the Duke in their villages and hold feasts annually on his birthday, but so far no official comment was heard about this issue from the palace.

Coat-of-Arms of Prince Philip with a prominent flag of Greece (white cross against blue shade)

The Prince's Arms feature the elements of the two royal houses in which he descended in the male-line, the royal houses of Denmark and Greece. It also features the elements of his maternal grandfather's house, the Battenberg or Mountbatten and Edinburgh City.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the wedding of their grandson, Prince William

The Duke of Edinburgh has been known with his very strict almost authoritative behaviour in the royal circle because of his effort to make the monarchy appear dignified in public. He consciously guarded its mystic and became active in protecting the crown from malicious issues. His temper is legendary but his charm and appeal as one of the most irresistible royal princes in the European court often shrouded people's reservation. Though he made effort to modernize the monarchy and dismissed the ancient royal system as irrelevant, Philip still adheres to some royal traditions and practices. He is very vocal defending the image of the monarchy ensuring no scandal could damage the reign of his wife. His confidence eclipses that of Her Majesty and, except in official functions, the Queen often relied in his meticulous judgement and decisions.

  

85th Birthday of the Queen

Today, April 21, is the 85th birthday of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The celebration is very  meaningful because it coincides with Maundy Thursday. The British royal family has this cherished tradition called Royal Maundy since the middle ages. Maundy is taken from the Latin word Mandatum means instruction. During the Last Supper, it was believed Jesus Christ left an instruction to his disciples to "love one another". This act of gift giving is the British monarch's response to Christ's instruction.

Prior to the 17th century, English Kings washed the feet of their poor subjects at the same time presenting food and clothing, but during the 18th century the tradition retained the gift-giving only. Today, Royal Maundy is celebrated with a special church service in the UK cathedral, usually at Westminster Abbey, where the sovereign, with her husband, presents silver coins to the elderly recipients. The number of recipients usually coincide with the age of the monarch, so this year, there are 85 recipients.

 Since her accession in February 1952 on the death of her father, King George VI, the Queen is already in the throne for 59 years now. She acts as the head of state (the government is headed by the Prime Minister) of the United Kingdom, the British dominions (Australia, Canada and New Zealand) and the Commonwealth Realms (composed of 15 nations mostly located in North America), she ruled but never governed because monarchs should be above politics.

Over five decades, she saw major social and development changes in her realm, she also witnessed the empire built by her ancestors reduced into merely a Kingdom, reducing colonies into commonwealth. As the current head of the House of Windsor, probably the most famous royal house in the world, Her Majesty became the figurehead of the throne's survival from the tumultuous crisis and controversies. Now the Queen is taking another milestone in her life and on the road of preparing a grand celebration for her 60th anniversary on the throne by 2012.

But did you know that she was not expected to ascend to the British throne on the day she was born?

On April 21, 1926, the world did not care so much about the birth of Princess Elizabeth because her father, Prince Albert "Bertie", the Duke of York was not the heir-apparent. She was baptized Elizabeth Alexandra Mary and only third in line of succession to the British throne. It was expected her uncle, Prince David, the Prince of Wales will get married and if he has many children and if her father, Prince Bertie, will sire a son, Princess Elizabeth would be pushed further from the throne. 

But destiny worked on her side and secured her place in the world history.

Prince David ascended the throne on the death of King George V in 1936, but months later he voluntarily abdicated in order to marry his commoner, twice divorced girlfriend, Wallis Simpson, Elizabeth's father became King George VI. Sixteen years later, in  February 1952, the King died from coronary thrombosis.

The Queen is married to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh for more than 63 years now, they have four children and eight grandchildren. Their first great-grandchild, Savannah Phillips, arrived last year, 2010. The Duke of Edinburgh was the former Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, like the Queen, he is also a great-great grandchild of Queen Victoria, he will turn 90 years old this coming June 10, 2011.

Though the Queen's birthday falls on the 21st of April, the official celebration of her birthday is held on the second saturday of June during the Royal Ascot Party, the grand celebration includes the Trooping the Colours (commonly known as the Birthday Parade) and Fly-past presentation where members of the royal family gathered on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the fly-stunts of the Royal Air Force. The Queen's actual birthday is celebrated privately by the royal family, but the British troops traditionally fired gun salutes during the day to mark the Queen's special day: 41 gun salutes in Hyde Park, 21 gun salutes in Windsor Great Park and 62 gun salutes in the Tower of London.

According to the book, "The Royal Duty" by Paul Burrell, Her Majesty's personal footman for several years before he was hired by the Prince and Princess of Wales as Butler, the Queen is very soft-spoken and never raises a voice in the household, she is mild-tempered and very considerate. She never rebuke anybody and always show concern to the people around her. The Queen personally prepare her favorite tea, Earl Grey, in a silver kettle according to Burrell. She loves dogs and horses, she is an accomplished equestrianne and a good swimmer. When Burrell was still her footman, the Queen owned nine corgis (royal family's term for dogs). She is very fluent in French and used it to her best advantage when visiting Canada.

She had an excellent  relationship with her former daughters-in-law, the late Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York (estranged wife of Prince Andrew). When Diana was still alive, she was often quoted saying "I cannot do just anything because I don't want to disappoint Her Majesty. The Prince of Wales adored and respected his mother so much that he never entertained questions and discussions about the scenario of his reign because it means the death of the Queen.

The Queen drew support from her husband and members of her family in the day-to-day running of the Kingdom. She considered family life as virtually important, so every Christmas all members of the royal family gathered at Sandringham, while Easter and New Year usually celebrated at Windsor Castle, during summer in August, the rest of the family moved to Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The Queen's official London residence is Buckingham Palace while Windsor Castle is her favorite weekend residence.

As a ruling sovereign, Armed forces of the United Kingdom swear allegiance not to the country but to her. The Queen had dedicated her whole life to the Kingdom, and even at 85 she is still actively performing her duties, according to the official website of the British monarchy, even if the Queen is on a vacation, she receives official papers daily and remained fully informed on matters affecting her realms. She continues to undertake ceremonial and public duties. To date, she is the most traveled monarch in British history, regularly visiting her dominions and commonwealth overseas.