Biggest Royal News of 2011
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Minus the William-Kate wedding, which
is undeniably the biggest royal newsmaker of 2011, two royal
weddings, a pregnancy, a birth, a funeral, an uprising, and a scandal
round up list of the other royal news that shaped the world of
monarchies this year. Despite the many tragedies that struck the
world, it's still a pretty good year for crowned heads, dashing
princes, and glittering princesses. Here are the biggest royal news
that kept royals in the limelight.
Prince Albert-Charlene Wittstock
Nuptials
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| Photo Source: http://www.zimbio.com |
Prince Albert II, 55, reigning
sovereign of Monaco and son of dashing Prince Rainier III and
Hollywood queen Grace Kelly (both deceased) finally tied the knot
with Charlene Wittstock, 33, in a two-day wedding ceremony, held last
July 1-2.
“Residents of the principality on the
Riviera swarmed the plaza outside the palace where the ceremony took
place, hoping to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds during the first of
two days of royal wedding events,” reports ABC News.
“Aside from France's President
Nicolas Sarkozy and the kings and queens of Sweden and Belgium, the
crowd included fashion designers, models, sportsmen, more minor
royals and senior officials from the tiny principality,” reports
The Telegraph.
Philippe Narmino, who conducted the
civil ceremony July 1, spoke to The Guardian of the "joy"
of celebrating the union, but some of those watching on big screens
outside spoke of an atmosphere of sadness and an absence of signs of
affection.
Crown Princess Mary Gives Birth to
Twins
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| Photo Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au |
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark gave
birth to twins, “at 10:40 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds, 14 ounces. The
girl arrived 26 minutes later and weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces,”
reports AOL News. Crown Prince Frederick was with Princess Mary
during the delivery.
"It's a miracle. It's two small
hearts to keep an eye on,” reports The Telegraph.
The twins are now fourth and fifth in
line to the Danish throne, after their eldest brother Prince
Christian, five, and elder sister Isabella, three.
The twins were baptized Prince Vincent
and Princess Josephine, respectively.
CBS News reported that the births
touched off widespread celebrations in Denmark, where the newborns
are fourth and fifth in line to the throne after their father and
older siblings, and in Australia, which they are expected to visit
before year's end.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Announces Pregnancy
 |
Aug. 18, 2011, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden announced her pregnancy, told the press
relations of the royal family of Sweden Annika Sonnenberg.
“Sonnenberg further told that the
Royal Family is full of joy about the news and that the Crown
Princess is well,” according to Experts Column.
“The child is reportedly due in March
of 2012, but the Princess will not make any alterations to her travel
schedule until early next year. We may think of the life of a
princess as mostly filled with idle luxury, but there's actually a
lot of state visits, fundraisers and speaking engagements
involved,”reports Cinemablend.
Crown Prince Sultan Dies
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| Photo Source, http://newshopper.sulekha.com |
A Sad year for the Saudi Royal Family on
the death of Crown Prince Sultan last Oct. 23, 2011.
“The crown prince was King Abdullah's
half-brother and first in line to the Saudi throne. He was also
minister of defence and aviation,” reports BBC.
“He was in his eighties and was
diagnosed with colon cancer in 2004. He is thought to have died at a
New York hospital.”
"It is with deep sorrow and grief
that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdel
Azizi Al Saud mourns the loss of his brother and Crown Prince His
Royal Highness Prince Sultan Abdel Aziz Al Saud," the palace said in
a statement.
King Jigme Wangchuk of Bhutan Marries
His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyal
Wangchuk, King of Bhutan, married the love of his life, Jetsun Pema.
The king rules the relatively unknown Himalayan state of Bhutan, in a
relatively lowprofile wedding, unusual to the common, glittery, and
paparazzi-filled weddings, like that of the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge early this year.
Read: Bhutan King's Wedding
The King was 31 while his bride was ten
years younger. The ceremony was held in an elaborate, traditional way
practiced in Bhutan since it was founded in the 16th century, amidst
monks, cheering locals, and curious media, although no foreign
royalty or dignitary was around to grace the event.
Inaki Urdangarin, Duke of Palma's
Alleged Corruption Scandalous
In November 2011, Inaki Urdangarín,
Duke of Palma was accused of diverting public funds for his own
profit through the Noos institute in the 'Palma Arena' case.
The Duke is the wife of Infanta
Cristina, youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia of
Spain.
It is believed that Urdarangin had
persuaded different Spanish public, regional administrations make an
agreements with his company, the Noos Institute, a registered a
not-for-profit organization, for both works that were never done, and
works that were dramatically over-budgeted up to €5,800,000 from
public Administrations.
The Anticorruption bureau confirmed in
Dec. 2011 that Urdangarin had been sending important sums of public
money to tax havens in Belize and the UK. At the height of the
scandal, King Juan Carlos announced that the Duke of Palma was not
going to participate in any official Royal Family activity for the
foreseeable future, as a result of the Instituto Noos scandal.
The Duke of Palma is subpoenaed to
appear on 6 February 2012, before a judge over the allegations of
corruption. He now faces a lawsuit together with 14 other defendants,
including Jaume Matas, former premier of the Balearics.
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