Press Communiqué from Crown Prince Alexander

HRH CROWN PRINCE ALEXANDER EXPRESSES GRATITUDE TO HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH IRINEJ OF SERBIA AND THE HOLY SYNOD REGARDING THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE TRANSFER TO SERBIA OF THE ROYAL FAMILY BURIED ABROAD

Belgrade, 29 February 2012 ? HRH Crown Prince Alexander II expressed his gratitude to His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia and the Holy Synod of the  Serbian Orthodox Church, for their support in his initiative that all members of Karadjordjevic Royal Family who were buried abroad should be transferred to the homeland and buried in the Crypt of St. George Church in Oplenac. 

When English Nobles Threatened the Pope – Henry VIII's First Divorce

The three ft-wide parchment letter, complete with 81 wax seals and red silk ribbons, was one of the highlights of the exhibition, which chronicles more than 1,200 years of the Vatican’s dealings with kings, conquerors and caliphates.

The letter was sent on Henry VIII’s orders to Pope Clement VII in 1530 and was signed by members of the English parliament, as well as bishops, abbots and the Archbishops of York and Canterbury.

They urged the Pope to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine so that he could marry one of her ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn, in the hope of producing a longed for male heir.

“If the Pope is unwilling, we are left to find a remedy elsewhere. Some remedies are extreme, but a sick man seeks relief in any way he can find,” the lords wrote in a barely veiled threat.

Henry had fallen in love with Boleyn in 1526 and was desperate for his marriage to Catherine to be annulled – a struggle against the Vatican that he referred to as his “great matter”.

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 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9114639/Vatican-archive-reveals-nobles-threat-to-papacy.html

©AP

King George VI: his ill-health is testament to the dangers of smoking

The account by “our medical correspondent” of King George VI’s demise on the front page of The Daily Telegraph of February 7 1952 – reproduced to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne – is of some medical significance. The King’s later years were dogged by ill health, including intermittent claudication due to narrowing of the arteries requiring the operation of lumbar sympathectomy, where cutting the nerves to the legs improves the circulation.

Next there was “the unrelenting course of the King’s lung trouble”, warranting the resection of a malignant growth, and, finally, he succumbed to a coronary thrombosis due to a clot in the artery to the heart.

The King was, in short, testament to the dangers of smoking, suffering three of its major harmful effects – though tactfully the report does not mention this. He was just 56, and one feels the tenor of post-war Britain would have been quite different had he abjured the habit. He would almost certainly have lived on for another two or three decades.

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Duke of Palma de Mallorca's Defiance of The King

The Duke of Palma, the husband of the King's youngest daughter Cristina, appeared in court in Majorca over the weekend, subpoenaed to give evidence in a case that has turned the spotlight on Spain's royal family.

The Duke, a former Olympic handball medallist who received the title when he married in 1997, has stirred latent antimonarchist sentiments in Spain with the suggestion that he used his royal influence to feather his own nest.

The Duke, 44, is implicated in a case that alleges the embezzlement of public funds through the Noos Institute, a non-profit organisation that arranged sporting and cultural events for the regional governments of Valencia and the Balearics, and which the Duke was chairman of between 2002 to 2006.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9109219/Son-in-law-of-King-Juan-Carlos-of-Spain-admits-he-defied-orders-in-corruption-trial.html

©Reuters

 

Archduke Joachim of Austria – How They Grow!

Archduke Joachim of Austria,. Prince of Belgium, second son of Archduke Lorenz of Austra-Este and of his wife Princess Astrid of Belgium, will swear allegiance on 3 March 2012 at Zeebrugge Naval Base. The young Archduke was appointed Naval Ensign, 2nd Class, last 26 December. The Belgian Royal Palace announced that the young naval ensign's allegiance ceremony will also be attended by Queen Paola and Archduke Joachim;s parents.

Prince Friso being Moved to London!

Prince Friso, who has been in a coma for nearly two weeks following a skiing accident, is being moved by hospital plane to a specialist clinic in London on Thursday afternoon, according to various media reports.

Queen Beatrix' second son has severe brain damage after spending at least 25 minutes under snow after being hit by an avalanche in the Austrian resort of Lech. The prince was being cared for in hospital in Innsbruck.

The prince is being moved to London because that is where he lives with his wife Mabel and two daughters, Austrian papers said.

The Netherlands does not have a clinic specialising in stimulating older coma patients.
The state information service RVD declined to comment on the reports.


http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/03/prince_friso_being_moved_to_lo.php

Princess Daisy of Pleß – A Thought

Our friend and reader Mateusz Mykytyszyn, who is a Polish expert on the Pleß and their legacy, has penned this interesting piece on famed beauty Princess Daisy of Pleß.

Enjoy!

http://daisyvonpless.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/why-does-walbrzych-need-daisy-by-mateusz-mykytyszyn/

First Photos of Princess Isabelle d'Orléans

From Lisbon we now see the first photos of proud parents, Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans (Duke d'Anjou) and his wife Princess Diana, Duchess of Cadaval, with their baby daughter Princess Isabelle, born just a few days ago.

Congratulations to the happy parents!

First Public Pram Ride for Princess Estelle of Sweden

The proud and happy parents, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, went on a stroll with their newborn daughter.

Adorable...

The Prince and Princess of Monaco at the Oscars

TSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco were the personal guests of the President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts at this year's Oscar ceremony.

Later this year it will be the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Princess Grace, the former Actor Grace Kelly (Academy Award Winner).

I saw Prince Albert interviewed on TV. They seemed to be having a rather fine time!