No Servants for Prince William and Catherine

The future king and queen have done everything they can to live life like any “normal” couple during their weekends together at the Prince’s rented cottage on Anglesey, doing their own shopping, cooking and cleaning.

And although they have bodyguards on 24-hour duty protecting their isolated cottage, they have told aides they intend to carry on fending for themselves when they return home as newlyweds.

The couple believe that sharing their home with servants would ruin the intimacy of their relationship, and will carry on looking after themselves until the Prince finishes his tour of duty as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot in three years’ time.

A senior royal source said: “It’s very much their instinct to manage on their own.

Continue reading the story by clicking the link below!

©Reuters

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/8207022/Well-manage-without-butlers-or-servants-say-Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton.html

Danish Royal Christmas

Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik, accompanied by Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, along with his sons Nikolai and Felix, attended a traditional Christmas mass at a church near Schackenborg Palace, Joachim's country residence.

Absent were Crown Prince Frederik and his family since his wife Mary is close to her delivery date. Twins are expected to be born in mid-January!

©HOLA

http://www.hola.com/realeza/casa_danesa/2010122850494/familia-real-danesa/misa-navidad/princesa-mary/1/?utm_source=boletin_101228&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=boletin&utm_term=Destacada+2&utm_content=diaria

Countess Elena zu Toerring-Jettenbach Born Today

Hereditary Count Ignaz and Hereditary Countess Robinia zu Toerring-Jettenbach welcomed today in Munich their fourth daughter, Countess Elena. Both mother and daughter are expected to be doing rather well.

The baby was born at 10.29am and will be given the names Elena Inocencia Maria Maximiliana Isabel Rita.

Toerring-Jettenbach Birth Expected Any Moment Now

Hereditary Countess Robinia of Toerring-Jettenbach is expected to deliver her fourth daughter any day now.

The newborn-to-be's name will be revealed once confirmation of a safe delivery is announced to us.

A great-grandchild for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh...

Any day now HM The Queen will become a great-grandmother. Mister Peter Phillips' wife Autumn is expected to give birth shortly, thus making Elizabeth II a great-grandmother. All along the birth has been expected to take place in late December, so it is just a matter of time before the first great-grandchild of The Queen and Prince Philip makes its arrival!

I do wonder if this time around he will be misguided enough, again, to sell the story to a tabloid as he did when he married Ms Kelly...

Here are Eurohistory.com we are on "nearly royal" baby watch!

A New Book on Emperor Pedro II by his Great-Great-Grandson

Don Carlos de Tasso y Saxe-Coburg-Bragança, a great-great-grandson of Emperor Pedro II, recently presented his latest book, which focuses on the Emperor's two visits to the capital of Austria in 1871 and 1877.

The author is the son of Princess Theresia of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha (1902-1990), one of the many children of Prince August Leopold (Kohary Branch) and his wife, the former Archduchess Karoline of Austria-Tuscany. August Leopold was the second son of Princess Leopoldine of Brazil (1847-1871) and her husband Prince Ludwig August (1845-1907. Leopoldine was the youngest child of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, while Ludwig August was the second son of Prince August and his Orléans wife, Princess Clementine. King Ferdinand of Bulgaria was Ludwig August's youngest sibling.

In 1930 Princess Theresia married Baron Lamoral Taxis di Bordogna e Valnigra (1900-1966), one year later her son Carlos was born. From an early age Carlos developed a deep interest in history, his success in various business ventures, which included the administration of inherited farmlands, allowing him the time necessary for such endeavors.

Carlos, who officially changed his last name to "Tasso de Saxe-Coburgo e Bragança", worked in Brazil for several decades, mainly involved in coffee production. In 1969 don Carlos married his distant cousin Archduchess Walburga of Austria-Tuscany, by whom he has eight children.

He now lives retired in Portugal's beautiful Algarve region.

In the image above we see don Carlos Tasso presenting his book at the Institute of History and Geography of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Three Generations of Romanian Royals

King Michael, Crown Princess Margarita and Prince Nicholas of Romania received lo=cal inhabitants at Savarsin Castle.

Throughout the holiday season various members of the royal family have received several delegations of local inhabitants at Savarsin. These have included farmers, performers and local guilds, all delighted that their King is staying nearby.

Prince Radu of Romania is doing a great job at keeping a window, using his blog, for us to peek through the various events the King and his family have attended.

©Prince Radu of Romania

http://www.princeradublog.ro/

The Year in Pictures @ The Danish Court

Danish Berlingske Newspaper has regaled us with a nice pictorial retrospective of 2010 at the Court of Queen Margrethe II.

The photos were a bit slow to upload, but perhaps that was because I watched them late at night PST, which was mid-morning Copenhagen time. yet, it is well worth the time it took to watch!

©Berlingske

http://www.berlingske.dk/billeder/aarets-kongelige-hoejdepunkter

A Poll in Sweden Wants the King to Retire

Whether this is a reaction to the scandals that broke out later in the year concerning the King's liaisons, or whether it is as a result f the Crown Princess' recent wedding, along with rumors of a possible pregnancy, a majority of Swedes polled by the newspaper Aftonbladet wanst King Carl XVIGustaf to abdicate the throne, thus allowing Crown Princess Victoria to succeed earlier than expected.

When asked who would be a more suitable head of state, those polled said:

60% Crown Princess Victoria
25% King Carl XVI Gustaf
2% Prince Carl Philip
1% Queen Silvia
1% Princess Madeleine
1% Prince Daniel
9% Does not know 

 The pool obviously shows great confidence in the future of the monarchy as Victoria is in her early thirties...but it also serves as a slap to the King, who has acted in a stellar manner since succeeding his grandfather Gustaf VI in 1973. Perhaps the Swedish monarch may want to consider following the Dutch example, of which I am personally not fond whatsoever, but if it helps the institution, so much the better.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article8330791.ab

Don Luis Alfonso de Borbón Opens a New Monarchist Organization

As the eldest male descendant of King Henri IV of France, don Luis Alfonso de Borbón y Martinez-Bordiu, only surviving son of the late Duke of Cadiz, himself the eldest morganatic descendant of King Alfonso XIII, decided to open a new "institute" to further his claim to Headship of House France.

I personally oppose in the strongest possible way these false claim...but t is interesting nonetheless to see what this young Spaniard is up to in his very active political actions, surely helped by the immense wealth he married into.

©Duc d'Anjou

http://institutducdanjou.fr/