Those Rocking, Jammin' German Royals

This was like a Royal Command Performance in reverse; instead of commoners performing for royals, royals performed for commoners in a charity jazz concert.

The event took place in the splendour of Munich’s Prince Regent Theatre, formerly an opera house, which opened in August 1901 with a performance of The Mastersingers of Nuremberg by Richard Wagner.

Charly and the Jivemates sounds like some forgotten band of the Sixties, but in fact, Charly is also His Highness Karl Friedrich, prince of Hohenzollern, 58, head of the princely house of Hohenzollern and great-grandson of the last King of Saxony. He is not just head of the family’s extensive agricultural and forestry business, but a most accomplished lead singer, guitarist and saxophonist. He was accompanied by Paul Müller on the double bass, Peter Schmidt on drums, Norbert Rettenmeier on the saxophone, and pianist Frieder Berlin, all commoners, alas, but none the less accomplished musicians.

 Fürst Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/8502838/Highnesses-and-high-notes-at-a-German-jazz-concert-with-a-difference.html

Ilana Miller signs copies of her book

Ilana Miller, at Eurohistory, busily signing copies of her new book, THE FOUR GRACES – Queen Victoria's Hessian Granddaughters!

 Ilana Miller holding the first copy of her new book!

 Ilana Miller and our son Derrick having a signing marathon!

Al-Fayed Last Blast – Financing the latest conspiracy theory on Diana's death

Personally, I am not a conspiracy theorist. In fact, I find these an attempt against my intelligence. Whether you, my dear reader, believe these nonsensical claims, of course, is your right. However, I simply do not believe that the RF is monstrous enough to sponsor, conspire or organize with "the establishment", whatever that is, to take out Diana Princess of Wales.

Mohammed Al-Fayed has spent the last decade and a half vilifying the RF and "the establishment", spending along the way a King's ransom on his own sad quest to prove that he shares culpability, and even responsibility, for the inept events that led to the tragic death of the former Princess of Wales.

Believe what you want...enough said!


From The HuffingtonPost...

CANNES, France -- According to a provocative new documentary at the Cannes Film Festival, Britain's royals are racist "gangsters in tiaras" and Prince Philip is a womanizing psychopath.

The movie "Unlawful Killing" revives claims that Princess Diana – adored by millions as the "people's princess" but viewed in royal circles as an embarrassing loose cannon – was murdered by the British establishment. The film was screened Friday for the first time at the festival.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/16/cannes-diana-film-slams-u_n_862286.html

The infamous hat worn by Princess Beatrice fetching a King's Ransom!

Princess Beatrice of York decided to sell for charity that strange contraption she wore at her cousin William's wedding.

The Ebay auction is up to nearly $29,000 as of tonight!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Princess-Beatrice-Royal-Wedding-Hat-Philip-Treacy-/230620500557?pt=Women_s_Accessories_UK&hash=item35b20d924d

+ Princeess donha Maria of Brazil (1914-2011)

Born Princess Maria of Bavaria, eldest daughter of Prince Franz (1875-1957) and Princess Isabella of Croÿ (1890-1982), in 1937 she married Prince Pedro Henrique, Head of the Imperial House of Brazil. They had 12 children and settled in Brazil, where both were to die. Dom Pedro Henrique died in 1981, aged seventy-one.

Donha Maria seems to have passed away in Rio, where she had entered a home for the elderly some time ago.

May She Rest in Peace!

And the honeymoon is on!

Update: The Telegraph writes Seychelles, it is -- "A spokeswoman for the Indian Ocean country's department of tourism said the royal couple landed at the country's main airport at 7.20am local time this morning. They were then transferred by helicopter to a private island where they were expected to spend 10 days at a secluded villa."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/william-kate-honeymoon-seychelles_n_859779.html

How Civil List reform will affect the Royal family

The Civil List system of funding the Queen and her family is to be swept away, in a reform which will require belt-tightening by the Royal Family. 

Instead, they will receive a share of the income from the 900-year-old Crown Estate. Here, we examine what the change involves.

How is the Royal Family currently funded?
 

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh receive an annual Civil List grant from the government to the monarch to meet the expenses of acting as Head of State. This was fixed by the Chancellor at £7.9 million for 2011, a figure unchanged for more than a decade. Separate grants are paid to cover the cost of running the Royal household, set for 2011 at £22 million. The Queen will receive a one-off £1 million supplement in 2012 to help pay for diamond jubilee celebrations. 

How will it change?

From 2013, the Civil List and the household grant will be scrapped in favour of a Sovereign Support Grant based on a share of profits from the Crown Estate.

What is the Crown Estate?

The Crown Estate manages the assets of Britain's reigning monarch. It is not the private property of the monarch, and cannot be sold. Instead, it is run as if it were a business and pays all profit back into the public purse. In 2009/10 it handed £211 million to the Treasury.

What does the Crown Estate own?

It manages a vast property empire dating back to the records of William the Conqueror in the Domesday Book of 1086. The holdings were worth £7.3 billion in 2008, although they lost value during the credit crunch and the most recent estimate of their worth was £6.6 billion. The portfolio ranges from sought-after assets such as London's Regent Street and Ascot racecourse to more pedestrian investments such as industrial estates, retail parks and a stake in the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. It also owns 146,000 hectares of farmland, dozens of forests and estates and the majority of Britain's coastline, as well as the rights to all naturally-occurring gold and silver. It has more than 12,000 tenants paying full market rents, including many farmers, and owns the freehold to many London properties such as Millbank Tower.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/8499943/How-Civil-List-reform-will-affect-the-Royal-family.html

 

William and catherine's Friends

While politicians and foreign dignitaries were out in force at Westminster Abbey for the Royal wedding between Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will have been most thrilled by those who had gathered in Statesmen's Aisle in the abbey's north transept to see them marry.

This was the space, overlooked by statues of Disraeli, Gladstone and Palmerstone, reserved for some of the couple's closest friends.

Valued for their loyalty and discretion, they include childhood friends, and confidantes from school and university.

Also among them were long-time friends of the Royal family, wealthy landowners and aristocrats who have known Prince William all his life, together with the mentors who helped him cope with his mother's death and saw his bride transformed from commoner to future Queen.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8500132/Royal-wedding-William-and-Kates-inner-circle.html

Ilana Miller's The Four Graces – Queen Victoria's Hessian Granddaughters

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we announce that Ilana Miller's new book, The Four Graces – Queen Victoria's Hessian Granddaughters is in print and about to begin shipping!

This excellent contribution to the study of royalty will begin mailing the week of May 16 to all our clients who have pre-purchased and/or told us they want a copy.

The book can be purchased through Eurohistory at:


http://www.eurohistory.com/shopping/index.php?page=detalle&idP=128


The Four Graces will also be sold at Galignani (Paris) and van Hoogstraten English Bookstore (The Hague). As other outlets join us in bringing this book to you, we will let our readers know!

Amazon will list the book this coming week!

The author, Ms Miller, will be at Eurohistory signing copies as they begin to mail!

Royal Wedding highlights: the 30 best pictures of William & Kate's marriage

Enjoy!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/royal-wedding-pictures/8485465/Royal-wedding-highlights-the-30-best-pictures-of-William-and-Kates-marriage.html