Thursday 24 May 2018

Princess Adrienne of Sweden's Christening (June 8th, 2018)

Princess Adrienne of Sweden will be christened on Friday, June 8th. The day is extra special because it is her parent's 5th wedding anniversary & her older sister Leonore was christened on this day 4 years ago as well.

Adrienne is the 3rd child of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Chris O'Neil & is 10th in line to the Swedish Throne. She will be just about 3 months old when christened.

The christening will take place at the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace. (Her older sister Leonore & Nicolas as well as cousins, Alexander & Gabriel were also christened there.)

Swedish public service broadcaster, Sveriges Television, will be broadcasting Princess Adrienne's christening. The Live Coverage starts at 11:30 AM. The Live Stream and Service will both be in Swedish, but don't worry it's not hard to follow. And, of course, a bunch of us will be Live Tweeting the whole thing.


Schedule: 11 AM Stockholm = (10 AM London) (5 AM Toronto/New York) (2 AM San Francisco) (8 PM Sydney)

11 AM Guests start to arrive at Chapel

*Approx 11:30  Live Steam Starts*

12 Christening ceremony

12:45ish Guests leave Chapel

1 PM  King and Queen hold Reception

*Approx 1 PM Live Steam Ends*

(Later: Private Lunch)

Guests:
Immediate Family, Godparents plus spouses, family, friends, representatives from Parliament, the Government and Official Sweden.
    In lieu of gifts, the couple have asked for donations to Childhood & Min Stora Dag.

    If you are international, donations can also be made to a local children's charity, or to some other cause you support. 

    God Parents:
    • Miss Anouska d'Abo
      • (Chris's Niece)
    • Mrs Coralie Charriol Paul
    • Mr Nader Panahpour
    • Baron Gustav Thott
    • Mrs Charlotte Kreuger Cederlund
    • Mrs Natalie Werner
    Official Photos:
    Official Christening Pictures should be released within a few days of the ceremony.  There will be a few different combinations of photos:
    • Family: Madeleine, Chris, their children
    • Extended family: Adrienne, Siblings, Parents & Grandparents (Both Sets)
    • Godparents: Adrienne, Parents and God Parents
    • etc,

    Prince William's tour of Jordan, Israel & Palestine

    Sunday 24th - Jordan (2)

    • (Arrived at Marka airport greeted by Crown Prince Al-Hussein Bin Abdullah II)
    • Visit Fablab, an initiative of the Crown Prince Foundation that seeks to equip young entrepreneurs with the technology they need to realize their ambitions.
      • With Crown Prince Al-Hussein
    • Attend Queen’s Birthday Party at the British Ambassador's residence
      • Give Speech
    • (Attend Private dinner with the Crown Prince Hussein at Beit al Urden, the King’s private residence)
      • Watch world cup match
    • (Spend the night at Beit al Urden, the King’s private residence)

    Monday 25th - Jordan (5)

    • Visit to the archaeological site at Jerash, a first century Roman city 
      • Attend event for the Makani programme supported by UNICEF
    • Visit a new base for the Quick Reaction Force (QRF)
      • Watch pre-deployment drills and meet officers
    • Visit the Dar Na’mah Centre – a project of the Princess Taghrid Institute, which supports women
    • Visited the audio, film and animation production studios at Luminus Technical University College
      • Meet students including some Syrian refugees
    • Meet with crew involved in the Jordanian Air Ambulance, at Marka airport
    • (Arrive in Israel at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv)
    • (Spend the night at King David Hotel)
    Tuesday 26th - Israel & Palestine (7)
    • Visit Yad Vashem’s Hall of Remembrance, Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust
      • Meet with a survivor of the Holocaust and the Kindertransport 
      • Lay a wreath
    • Visit the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and meet him and his wife
    • Meet with President Reuven Rivlin at his residence
    • Attend football event in Jaffa with youth charities, the Equaliser and the Peres Centre for Peace
    • Visited Frishman Beach
    • Viewed Israeli Technology demonstrations at the Residence in Ramat Gan.
    • Reception at the residence of British Ambassador to Israel
    Wednesday 27th - Israel & Palestine (7)
    • Visited a coffee kiosk on Rothschild Boulevard
    • Visit Beit Ha’ir Museum in the newly renovated Old City Hall of Tel Aviv
      • Attend a civil society reception
    • Meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the President’s office
    • Visited Jalazone Health Clinic, in Jalazone Refugee Camp
    • Visited Jalazone Girls' School, in Jalazone Refugee Camp
    • Attended a Cultural Festival at the Ramallah Municipality City Hall
    • Reception at the residence of the Consul General in Jerusalem
      • Give Speech
    Thursday 28th - Israel & Palestine (6)
    • Visit viewing point at the Mount of Olives
    • Visit Church of St Mary Magdalene where he will pay his respects at the tomb of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice
    • Visited Haram al-Sharif
    • Visited the Western Wall
    • Visited the Muristan next to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer 
    • Visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
    • (Fly back to the UK)

    Grand Duke Henri & Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg - Birthday Reply (2018)

    I sent two letters to Luxembourg recently, one for Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's birthday in March and one for Grand Duke Henri's birthday in April.

    The replies came in the usual sort of envelope. But what was most interesting is the stamps are from 2002 & 2005, so they are both over a decade old. But was it really cool is they are actually the old stamps you have to lick. Most countries stopped making these kinds of stamps around 2008.



    It also interesting to see that the two sets of stamps are for different amounts. I looked it up and the price to mail sometime like this from Luxembourg to USA is 1,30€, so they overpaid with both replies. I assume they were just trying to use up their old stamps and weren't too worried about overpaying.

    Inside was the typical reply from Luxembourg, a flat card, with a pre-made message for the occasion. Before I've always gotten an English reply from Luxembourg. I assume this time they just ran out of the English replies, so they had to use one of the others. Luxembourg has three official languages: Luxembourgish, French, & German.

    Grand Duke Henri's reply is in French.



    Translated the card reads:
    Luxembourg, 16th April 2018
    His Royal Highness the Grand Duke warmly thanks you for the kind wishes on the occasion of his birthday.
    This attention gave him great pleasure.


    Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's Reply is in Luxembourgish. 


    Translated the card reads:
    Luxembourg, 22nd March 2018

    Your dear birthday wishes have given me much joy and touched me deeply.

    I thank you very much with all my heart.

    Maria Teresa 

    You will notice in addition to being in different languages, the two replies are formatted a little differently (color, 1st person vs. 3rd person, title vs. name, etc.). That is just the Luxembourg Royals. While they always reply with a flat card, they do not have a consistent format or style.

    You will notice both replies are dated with the Royal's birthday.

    Also Check Out:

    Tuesday 15 May 2018

    Send your Congratulations to Harry & Meghan for their Wedding!

    The Royals absolutely love to get letters and cards from the public, and special occasions like a Royal Wedding is no different!

    Writing for the 1st time?

    If you are writing to the Royals for the 1st time (or want a refresher on the basics) check out our page on "Writing to the Royals." This post will only cover the specifics for Harry & Meghan's Wedding. 

    & Just a remember international mail requires more postage than usual! 

    When to write?

    I would write after the wedding, as you may want to comment on the events, and your feelings about everything. And don't worry if you don't get your letter out right away. A week or two after the event is a very acceptable time frame to send your congratulations. (& honestly, given how much mail they are going to receive, a slightly latter reply is fine.)

    How to Address the couple?

    After their wedding, Prince Harry & Meghan Meghan will officially be known as "TRH the Duke & Duchess of ___." There are a lot of different ways you can address the couple in your letter, depending on if you want to be more formal and correct or more informal and every day. As long as you are being respectful and thoughtful, it is hard to go wrong. Here are just a few options:

    Envelope
    • TRH the Duke & Duchess of Sussex
    • Duke & Duchess of Sussex
    • The Sussexs 
    • Harry & Meghan
    • Prince Harry & Princess Meghan
    • Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan
    • Prince Henry & Princess Rachel 
    • TRH the Earl and Countess of Dumbarton/ Baron & Lady Kilkeel
      • Should you have a connection to the area where their lesser title is from
    • Etc. 
    "Dear _," Line
    • Your Royal Highnesses
    • Sir and Madam
    • Duke & Duchess of Sussex
    • Harry & Meghan 
    • Etc.

    Personally, I prefer the more formal approach and use "TRH Duke & Duchess of Sussex" on the envelope & open my letter with "Dear Your Royal Highnesses,".

    I would avoid both:
    • Meghan Markle
      • She got married, she's a Windsor now!
    • Prince Harry of Wales
      • Children only use their parent's territorial designation until they get married or get their own title
    The Royals won't be mad if you use either of these, but neither are correct post-wedding. 


    Where to send your letter/card to?

    Clarence House 
    London SW1A 1BA
    UNITED KINGDOM


    Why Clarence House, not Kensington Palace?

    What to write?
    Write whatever you feel like writing about. There is no one right answer. As long as you are being respectful and thoughtful, it is hard to go wrong.

    You can send them a card or letter with a short, simple acknowledgement. Or you can gush about your feelings about the wedding and how amazing this and that was. (But do keep you letter to 1 page max!) 

    Can I send a Gift?

    Harry & Meghan have asked that well-wishers donate to charity in lieu of sending a gift. They have even recomended 7 charities to donate to, although you can choose instead to donate to another charity of your choosing. 

    You can find details about the 7 chosen charities here

    And yes, it is perfectly fine to mention in your letter/card that you made a donation on their behalf to charity. They would love to hear about it. 

    What to expect?

    Harry & Meghan are going to get hundreds of letters and card from well-wishers congratulating them on their wedding. While they would love to send a personal thank you to everyone, that is just not possible. 


    Instead, they will reply with their usual postcard sized photo with a typed message on the back, like they did with their engagement reply.







    Expect a much longer response time than usual! (I would expect at least 2-4 month, but it could even take as long as 6 months. And as always, they reply to letters as they get to them. So, just because someone got a reply, doesn't mean you will get yours in the next few days or weeks. It takes months to get through all the mail for a major event like this.)

    Back to Royal Wedding 2018 - Main Page

    Sunday 13 May 2018

    Royal Wedding Live Streams

    There are A LOT of Royal Wedding Viewing options out there: TV, Radio, Apps, online streaming services, etc. I'm just keeping this list to free, online live streams, you don't need to log into any sort of account for. We will be updating as sites post their live stream links. Should anyone have a link to another live stream, feel free to share it with us.

    All times are for London/Windsor! (See our Royal Wedding Schedule with time zone converter for your local time.)
    We aren't 100% sure all of these will be available internationally, as there are sometimes country restrictions. Live Streams in Foreign Languages at the bottom of the Page.

    Royal Family
    • Live Stream Link (Youtube)
    • Available in:  International
    • Start Time: 11:00 AM London
    • Length: ?
    • Commentary: None

    Sky News (UK)
    • Live Stream Link (Youtube)
    • Available in: UK, International
    • Start Time: 9:00 AM London
      • Note: Sky New's Live Stream is 24/7, so it will be showing other content before the wedding. 
    • Length: 6 hours
    • Commentary: Kay Burley, Anna Botting, Alastair Bruce
    ABC NEWS/ GMA (USA)
    • Live Stream Link (Youtube)
    • Available in: USA, International??
    • Start time10 AM London
    • Length: 5 hours
    • Commentary:  Robin Roberts (GMA), David Muir, Paula Faris (The View)
      • With appearances by: Imogen Lloyd Webber, Victoria Murphy (Hello), Omid Scobie, Andrew Morton
    PBS (USA) with BBC (UK)
    • Live Stream Link (Youtube)
    • Available in: USA, International??
    • Start time: 8 AM? 9AM? London
    • Length: ? 
    • Commentary: Meredith Vieira, Matt Baker, Dr. Lucy Worsley, Anita Rani
    Global News (Canada)
    • Live Stream Link (Youtube)
    • Available in: Canada, International??
    • Start Time: 10:30 AM London
    • Length: ?
    • Commentary: Carolyn Mackenzie & Cheryl Hickey, Sangita Patel and Dawna Friesen
      • With appearances by: Emily Nash (Hello), Phil Dampier, etc.
    People TV (USA)
    • Live Stream Link (Youtube)
    • Available in: USA, International??
    • Start Time: 11:00 AM London
    • Length: ?
    • Commentary:  PEOPLE Now host Jeremy Parsons with a panel of PEOPLE editors and reporters
    New York Times (USA)
    • Live Stream Link (Youtube)
    • Available in: USA, International??
    • Start Time: 9:00 AM London
    • Length: ?
    • Commentary: 
    CBS NEW (USA)
    • Live Stream Link (Youtube)
    • Available in: USA, International??
    • Start time?
    • Length: ? 
    • Commentary: Gayle King (CBS This Morning) & Kevin Frazier (Entertainment Tonight)
    Live Streams in Foreign Languages:
    Bunte (Deutschland)
    • Live-Stream-Verbindung (Facebook)
    • Sprache: Deutsch
    • Startzeit:11 Uhr London (12 Uhr Deutschland)
    • Dauer: 3 Stunden
    • Kommentar: Thomas und Royals-Experteninnen Laura und Romy 
    HOLA! (España, y otros países)
    Tg5  (Italia)
    • Diretta Streaming link (Sito web)
    • Lingua: Italiano
    • Disponibile: solo in Italia
    • Ora di inizio: 11.15 AM Londra, (12.15 AM Italia)
    • Lunghezza: ?
    • Commento: Alfonso Signorini, Carlo Rossella, Cesara Bonamici e Barbara Palombelli
    Metro (Poland)
    • Transmisja link (Strona www)
    • JÄ™zyk: polski
    • Czas rozpoczÄ™cia: 10 AM Londyn (11 AM Polska)
    • DÅ‚ugość: ?
    • Komentarz: ?
    CNews (France)
    • Lien en direct
    • Disponible en: France seulement
    • Langue: Français
    • Heure de départ: 10h00 Londres (11h00 France)
    • Longueur: ?
    • Commentaire: ?
    Back to Harry & Meghan Royal Wedding - Main Page

    Thursday 10 May 2018

    Crown Prince Frederik 50th Birthday Celebrations

    Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark is turning 50 on May 26th. To celebrate this milestone birthday there will be a week of events in Denmark. Of course, the most exciting event will be the Gala Banquet on May 26th, which will be attended by a handful of foreign Royals.

    May 26th - Gala banquet at Christiansborg Palace (8 PM)
    • Attending: 
      • Denmark
        • Queen Margrethe 
          • Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary 
          • Prince Joachim, Princess Marie, Countess Alexandra
            • Prince Nikolai
        • Princess Benedikte
          • Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
          • Prince Gustav zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
      • Belgium 
        • King Philippe, Queen Mathilde
      • Greece
        • King Constantine & Queen Anne-Marie
          • Crown Prince Pavlos, Crown Princess Marie-Chantal 
            • Princess Maria-Olympia, Prince Constantine-Alexios
          • Prince Philippos, Princess Theodora
      • Liechtenstein 
        • Prince Alois, Princess Sophie
      • Luxembourg
        • Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa
      • Sweden 
        • King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, 
          • Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel 
      • Netherlands
        • King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima
      • Norway 
        • Crown Prince Haakon & Crown Princess Mette-Marit
      • House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
        • Prince Carlo, Princess Camilla
    Other Birthday Celebrations for Crown Prince Frederik's 50th:
    Friday May 18th 
    • 25th Anniversary celebrations of the Crown Prince Frederik Foundation
      • Present Grants (2 PM)
        • Attending: Crown Prince Frederik
      • Dinner at Frederik VIII’s Palace (7 PM)
        • Attending: Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary
    Monday 21st 
    • "Royal Run" in Aalborg, Aarhus, Esbjerg, Odense and Copenhagen/Frederiksberg
      • Crown Prince Fredrik will run one mile in Aalborg, Aarhus, Esbjerg and Odense and concludes by running 10 km through Copenhagen and Frederiksberg’s streets.  
      • Crown Princess Mary will run 10 km in Odense
      • Crown Princess Mary & her children will run one mile in Copenhagen
    Tuesday 22nd 
    • Reception on the Royal Yacht Dannebrog for Crown Prince Frederik's patronages (2:40 PM)
      • Attending: Crown Prince Frederik 
    Wednesday 23rd
    • Visit Aarhus (Denmark's 2nd largest city) for a day of engagements
      • Attending: Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary
    Thursday 24th
    • Unveiling of Crown Prince Frederik's new portrait at The Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Palace (3 PM)
      • Attending: Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary
    Saturday 26th 
    • Balcony appearance at Frederik VIII’s Palace for Changing of the guards (Noon)
      • Attending: 
        • Queen Margrethe 
        • Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary 
          • Prince Christian, Princess Isabella, Prince Vincent, Princess Josephine 
    • Gala banquet at Christiansborg Palace (8 PM)
      • (See top of the page for details)
    Sunday 27th
    • Attend DR’s birthday show “All of Denmark celebrates The Crown Prince”
      • Attending: 
        • Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary
        • Prince Joachim, Princess Marie