Prince William of Wales' Bachelor Party

Surf's up! "Good Morning America" has all the details on Prince William's bachelor party, which is said to include speedboats, wake boards and waterskis on the English Channel, followed by a pub crawl at bars only accessible by boat or foot (read: away from crowds). About 20 guys are expected to be in attendance and, of course, Prince Harry is putting together the festivities.

Duncan Larcombe also has the scoop on the possible honeymoon location -- Wills and Kate are looking for someplace where local laws deem it illegal to publish photos of others without consent. Interesting.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/23/prince-william-bachelor-party_n_827198.html

As the loathsome reign of Gadhafi Nears Its Ignominious End, the Old Royal Flag Begins to Soar

CAIRO — Heavy gunfire broke out in Tripoli as forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi tightened their grip on the Libyan capital while anti-government protesters claimed control of many cities elsewhere and top government officials and diplomats turn against the longtime leader.


While residents of cities in the eastern half of the country celebrated, raising the flags of the old monarchy, the mood in Tripoli was bleak. Residents were afraid to leave their houses, saying pro-Gadhafi forces were opening fire randomly in the streets.

International outrage mounted a day after Gadhafi vowed to defend his rule and called on supporters to crack down on anti-government protesters. Gadhafi's retaliation has already been the harshest in the Arab world to the wave of anti-government protests sweeping the Middle East.

Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said estimates of some 1,000 people killed in the violence in Libya were "credible," although he stressed information about casualties was incomplete. The New York-based Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at nearly 300, according to a partial count.

 King Idris I of Lybia
(r. 1951-1969)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/23/libya-protesters-defiant-_n_826958.html

Saudi king back home, orders $37 billion in handouts

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi King Abdullah returned home on Wednesday after a three-month medical absence and unveiled benefits for Saudis worth some $37 billion in an apparent bid to insulate the world's top oil exporter from an Arab protest wave.

The king, who had been convalescing in Morocco after back surgery in New York in November, stood as he descended from the plane in a special lift. He then took to a wheelchair.

Hundreds of men in white robes performed a traditional Bedouin sword dance on carpets laid out at Riyadh airport for the return of the monarch, thought to be 87.

Abdullah left his ailing octogenarian half-brother, Crown Prince Sultan, in charge during his absence.

Before Abdullah arrived, state media announced an action plan to help lower- and middle-income people among the 18 million Saudi nationals. It includes pay rises to offset inflation, unemployment benefits and affordable family housing.

 ©Reuters

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110223/wl_nm/us_saudi_king

Princess Victoria of Sweden's marriage a crossroads for royalty

He shook like a leaf, she cried like a princess. And so, Swedish Crown Princess Victoria had her prince, a commoner in the guise of handsome gym trainer Daniel Westling.

The Swedish royal wedding at Stockholm Cathedral on Saturday, with 8,000 soldiers and police patrolling rose-draped streets, sealed in matrimony the biggest palace love story since British Prince Charles and Diana tied the knot in 1981.

The 1,000 year-old Swedish royal court hoped to parlay that attention into boosting support for the figurehead monarchy at Kungliga Slottet. Instead, the incessant media coverage of the 8-year relationship between Crown Princess Victoria and now Prince Westling may have backfired, as many Swedes see the pomp and cost as anachronistic – even damaging to a nation politically drawn toward egalitarianism.

©Newscom

For further reading:

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2010/0619/Princess-Victoria-of-Sweden-s-marriage-a-crossroads-for-royalty

Do Monarchies Still Matter?

They met as students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and love bloomed amid the mist and timeless splendor of a historic city of worn cobblestones, wind-swept beaches, and the Old Course, golf's ancestral home.

They dated for several years, broke up, got back together, and finally, much to the relief of a nation, issued a long-awaited engagement announcement.

For more, continue reading The Christian Science Monitor...

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-Issues/2011/0216/Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-royal-wedding-Do-monarchies-still-matter

Statement of Reza Pahlavi of Iran On The Disgrace of the Tehran Regime on the UN Commission on the Status of Women

Today, in an act of unprecedented hypocrisy the misogynistic Islamic regime of Iran will be seated on the United Nation's Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW), which convenes it's 55th session.

The purported purpose of the UN CSW is to to play: "catalytic role in promoting gender mainstreaming at national level."  How the Islamic regime of Iran whose so-called constitution codifies discrimination against women at all levels, including jobs they can hold and all areas of family law, not to mention the horrific crimes committed against women who are demanding democratic rights, is qualified to participate is hard to understand and offensive to decent women and men the world over.

http://www.rezapahlavi.org/details_article.php?english&article=511

So what Will She Wear...

By Yvonne Yorke, Huffingtonpost.com

Along with the identity of the wedding dress designer, the actual design of Kate Middleton's dress is the most closely guarded secret of the wedding. Based on my knowledge of previous royal weddings, and from what I've heard from sources so far, here's what I predict Catherine (as she prefers to be called) will be wearing on the big day.

The Dress

First off, Catherine's gown will not look anything like Diana's, and I anticipate that it will be white rather than a cream or ivory hue. While the strapless look is popular with many celebrity brides, this is a royal bride, and that transcends mere celebrity. This means no strapless styles, no spaghetti straps, and no to anything that exposes the shoulders or too low-cut. If you look at previous royal bridal dresses, every one of them features sleeves. The last major royal wedding was that of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in June 2010 -- a wedding I covered from Stockholm, and she was the first royal bride to have a gown with an off-the-shoulder wrap neckline with short sleeves.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yvonne-yorke/kate-middle-royal-wedding-dress_b_816107.html

Invitations are Out!

The invitations to Prince William of Wales' wedding are out...

©Getty Iimages

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/21/royal-wedding-invitations_1_n_825870.html

Royal Wedding Bridesmaids Announced

More news about the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Ms Catherine Middleton.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/royalty/8323301/Royal-Wedding-Kate-Middleton-and-Prince-Williams-bridesmaids-and-page-boys.html

Sarah Duchess of York Not Invited to Royal Wedding

Not surprised by this at all...

From The Telegrpah:

"As the invitations to Prince William’s wedding drop on the doormats of the country’s best-connected households, one former member of the Royal family has been left disappointed.

Mandrake can disclose that Sarah, Duchess of York has not been invited to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, at which her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will be among the most prominent guests.

“She will not be attending the wedding,” confirms a spokesman for the former wife of the Duke of York. “She never expected to be invited or to attend. She will be overseas at the time.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8334160/Royal-Wedding-Dianas-friend-Sarah-Duchess-of-York-is-not-invited-by-Prince-William.html