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10 royal birthdays for September

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September has its fair share of royal birthdays but it stands out as a celebration month for one reason. Three of those anniversaries, all biggies, fall on one day. Yep, get the cake ready and put aside an hour to look at official photos on September 15th when a queen, a consort in waiting and a prince who may or may not be about to get married all celebrate their special day. There's plenty to party about on either side of that date too - here are ten royal birthdays for September.




Queen Paola of Belgium is 80 on September 11th 2017




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Born Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria
On September 11th 1937, Forte dei Marme, Tuscany
Daughter of  Fulco, Prince Ruffo di Calabria and Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana e di Sebastiano
Family married to King Albert of Belgium, mother of King Philippe of the Belgians, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent of Belgium
Royal claim to fame Queen of the Belgians from 1993 until 2013



Princess Martha Louise of Norway is 46 on September 22nd 2017



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Born Princess Martha Louise of Norway
On September 22nd 1971
Daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
Family mother of Maud, Leah and Emma Behn from her marriage to Ari Behn (2002 - 2016)
Royal claim to fame fourth in line to the throne of Norway



Queen Letizia of Spain is 45 on September 15th 2017



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Born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
On September 15th 1972, Oviedo
Daughter of Jesus Jose Ortiz Alvarez and Maria de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodriguez
Family wife of King Felipe VI of Spain, mother of Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia of Spain
Royal claim to fame Queen of Spain since June 19th 2014




Prince Daniel of Sweden is 44 on September 15th 2017



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Born Olof Daniel Westling
On September 15th 1973, Orebro University Hospital, Orebro
Son of Olle Westling and Ewa Westring
Family husband of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, father of Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar of Sweden
Royal claim to fame Prince of Sweden since his marriage on June 19th 2010



Prince Henry of Wales is 33 on September 15th 2017



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Born Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales
On September 15th 1984, St Mary's Hospital, Paddington
Son of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales
Family brother of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and quite possibly about to get wed himself...
Royal claim to fame second son of the Prince of Wales, fifth in line to the British throne

Pierre Casiraghi is 30 on September 5th 2017


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Born Pierre Rainier Stefano Casiraghi
On September 5th 1987, Princess Grace Hospital Centre, Monaco
Son of Caroline, Princess of Hanover and the late Stefano Casiraghi
Family married to Beatrice Borromeo, father of Stefano Casiraghi (born 2017)
Royal claim to fame nephew of Prince Albert II of Monaco, grandson of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco, seventh in line to the throne of Monaco



Juan Urdangarin is 18 on September 29th 2017


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Born Juan Valentin Urdangarin y de Borbon
On September 29th 1999, Barcelona
Son of Infanta Cristina of Spain and Inaki Urdangarin
Family Grandson of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain
Royal claim to fame Nephew of King Felipe VI of Spain, seventh in line to the Spanish throne




Victoria de Marichalar is 17 on September 9th 2017




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 Born Victoria Federica de Marichalar y Borbon
On September 9th 2000, Madrid
Daughter of Infanta Elena of Spain and Jaime de Marichalar
Family Granddaughter of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain
Royal claim to fame Niece of King Felipe VI of Spain, fifth in line to the Spanish throne



Prince Noah of Nassau is 10 on September 21st 2017
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Born Noah Etienne Guillaume Gabriel Matthias Xavier de Nassau 
On September 21st 2007, Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital, Luxembourg
Son of Prince Louis of Luxembourg and Tessy de Luxembourg
Family Grandson of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
Royal claim to fame made HRH Prince Noah of Nassau in 2009, no succession rights



Emma Behn is 9 on September 29th 2017


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Born Emma Tallulah Behn
On September 29th 2008
Daughter of Princess Martha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn
Family Youngest grandchild of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway
Royal claim to fame Seventh in line to the Norwegian throne




The Summery Summary: Belgium

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As the warm months of July and August pass into history, it's time to sum up what the royals were up to in the summer. And where better to start than in Belgium where September 1st means back to school for the youngest members of the Royal Family and a boosted agenda for the grown ups. The headlines from the past couple of months give us a good idea of how the holiday season was spent - here's the summery summary for Belgium's royals.



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The highlight of the Belgian summer is always National Day which falls on July 21st and which marks the start of the reign of King Philippe who took the throne on that day in 2013 when his father, Albert II, abdicated. This year, the festivities took place in sunshine, starting with the traditional Te Deum where the family was pretty in pink.




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The military parade followed with the royal children, led by Princess Elisabeth, stealing the show before mum and dad headed off by themselves for evening celebrations.





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We'd already enjoyed a family day out that month when the King and Queen of the Belgians took their two daughters and two sons to the coast to see a lifesaving exercise and enjoy a day by the seaside.  The family were later snapped on their annual visit to l'Ile d'Yeu.




There was another major set of engagements for King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in July when they led royal remembrances at the 100th commemoration of the Battle of Passchensdaele where they were joined by the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.




Prince Gabriel, second in line to the throne, turned 14 on August 20th when his family shared a new photo of him taken at the National Day celebrations just weeks earlier.




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Meanwhile, Prince Laurent continued in his role as chief commotion causer when he tweeted photos of himself taking part in events marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army at the Chinese embassy in Brussels. Laurent had previously been banned from meeting foreign dignitaries without express permission. His official Twitter account was deleted and he lost part of his annual allowance following the incident on July 29th. Laurent was last seen at an official event eight days earlier when he attended National Day celebrations.




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But this summer was, above all, about family and while this is a summary of July and August, let's sneak in a photo from the very end of June. Queen Paola turns 80 on September 11th 2017 but got the party started with a celebration alongside many of her grandchildren on June 29th. It set the tone for the season - overall, this was a summer of sunshine and smiles for the Belgian Royal Family.

Sweden has a new prince

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Royal Baby Sweden is a boy.  The announcement was made by proud dad, Prince Carl Philip, at a press conference at Danderyd Hospital where his son was born earlier today. The baby, a second child for the prince and his wife Princess Sofia, weighed 3.4kg (7lbs 7oz) and measured 49cm.


The baby was born at 11.24 on August 31st 2017 and is the second son for the couple who married on June 13th 2015 in Stockholm. Their first child, Prince Alexander, is now 16 months old, arriving on April 19th 2016 at the same hospital.  Carl Philip announced the arrival by referring to a little brother for Alexander and described his new son as ''charming'' and ''pure joy'' as well as ''perfect''.


The baby prince is sixth in line to the throne of Sweden and the sixth grandchild and fourth grandson for King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. His names and title will be announced at a special cabinet meeting on Monday.

Photo credit: kungahuset.se

A royal baby for Sweden

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Sweden has a new royal baby. Princess Sofia has given birth to her second child. The new sixth in line to the throne was born on August 31st 2017 at 11.24am local time at the Danderyd Hospital. Mother and baby are well. A happy beginning to a new royal chapter.




The announcement came in a brief communique from the Marshall of the Realm. We don't yet know whether the baby is a boy or a girl - that will come in a press conference with proud papa, Prince Carl Philip, a little later on today. The new baby is a little brother or sister for Prince Alexander who was born on April 19th 2016 and a sixth grandchild for King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.



The new second time mummy was last seen in public at a friend's wedding. Her last public engagement was at the start of August when she attended a conference on Sustainability in the Future. It's not yet known when she will leave hospital with her second child. But we do know that Sweden's latest royal baby provides a happy end to the regal summer. Well done, that princess.

Photo credit: kungahuset.se

Diana, Princess of Wales 1961 - 1997

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Diana, Princess of Wales
1961 - 1997

Diana, Princess of Wales died twenty years ago today. Fatally injured in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris just after 12.20am on August 31st 1997, she died in Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital around 4am. Twenty years on, many tributes have been paid and many memories shared. The princess continues to fascinate and will for many years to come. An integral part of the House of Windsor, her life and her death changed it forever. Twenty years on, the world still remembers Diana, Princess of Wales.



There are several articles on the blog about Diana and the events marking her anniversary this year. Among them are the tributes paid to her by her sons, William and Harry, who visited the White Garden planted in her honour on August 30th 2017.



The garden was planted earlier this year and is one of many tributes to the princess. It's at her London home, Kensington Palace, which is also hosting an exhibition of her dresses to mark her life in fashion. Buckingham Palace also has a special display celebrating the life of the princess.



William and Harry have also been speaking about their mum this year in several TV programmes and interviews. Their tributes are the most moving and poignant as they remember Diana, twenty years on.

Photo credit: Wiki Commons 

William, Harry, Diana: forever her boys

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Twenty years ago this week, two young princes stood and contemplated the flowers left in memory of the mother they had lost. Two decades on, they did the same. The sight of William and Harry looking at tributes left in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales as the twentieth anniversary of her death approaches is perhaps the moment we will all take away from the sea of remembrances that have marked this summer. Twenty years on, they remain forever her boys.


William and Harry in front of those gates immediately brings back memories of them as youngsters, bravely looking at tributes in the days after their mother's passing on August 31st 2017. Then they were handed flowers and cards from wellwishers and twenty years on history repeated itself.  The two princes were passing the afternoon at Kensington Palace where several events had been scheduled. But an impromptu walkabout ended with William and Harry accepting floral tributes which they then placed at the gates along with others already left. Two boys, two decades, too poignant.  




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There was something instantly moving about seeing William and Harry in front of the tributes to Diana. Face to face with their mother, with banners declaring how great she was, with words written large that her legacy lives on in them, it felt almost overwhelming. And maybe that's why it struck such a chord. It made us remember those days after Diana's death when that huge sea of public grief came rushing at them and they handled it all with such dignity. Twenty years on, they took the tributes and accepted them with grace and the imagery was lost on no one.




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The moment at the gates came during what will be William and Harrry's only public appearance during the time of the actual anniversary itself. The princes, along with the Duchess of Cambridge, toured the White Garden at Kensington Palace planted in memory of Diana and met gardener Sean Harkin who worked on the tribute as well as Graham Dillamore who tended the grounds during Diana's time at the palace.






There was also a chance for the trio to meet representatives of some of the charities of which Diana was patron. Among the people they chatted to were members of the Osteopathic Centre for Children - the organisation had been in contact with the princess about their Sweet Pea appeal in the months before her death. One of the meetings already in her diary for September 1997 was with them.  That summed up this afternoon. Memories of a princess and many reminders that her life was cut tragically short and her work, which helped many people, ended far too soon. 



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But it was the walkabout with the small crowds gathered in heavy rain that proved the moment that will endure. Beneath umbrellas, with the weather getting worse as the minutes passed by, William and Harry stopped to chat, to listen and to accept more tributes to Diana. They then walked over to the gates and carefully arranged the flowers among the bouquets already left there.




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A tweet from Kensington Palace said that they were ''grateful for the many flowers, letters and messages they had received about their mother'' while a later one added '' they wanted to say thank you to those who made the journey to Kensington Palace''.  Diana's legacy is a big one. She is the royal who changed royalty, the princess who embraced celebrity, the woman who wanted to help and who altered far more for the good than she probably ever knew. Those who came to pay tribute brought all that with them. The princes took it all in their stride while making sure their mother was centre stage. Whatever happens on personal, public or constitutional levels one thing stands out in the tale of William, Harry, Diana and will always remain. They are forever her boys.

Diana, 20 years on: tributes at Kensington Palace

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Diana has dominated the royal summer and with just a day to go until the 20th anniversary of her death, flowers and tributes are already being laid at Kensington Palace. The gates of her London home were the focal point for national grief in 1997. Today, they are filled again with fond memories of a princess gone but not forgotten.


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The posters and banners have been hanging there for several days now with a steady stream of flowers joining them as people start to make their way to Kensington.





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Already, room on the main gates is running out and tributes are appearing on the smaller side fences that flank them.




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Kensington Palace has again been the focal point for remembering Diana. The exhibition of her dresses that tells her story through her love of fashion has been running since early this year while the White Garden planted in her memory is in full bloom.




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Later today, Prince William and Prince Harry will visit the garden in a public tribute to their mother. It's the only time we will see them during the actual 20th anniversary - understandably, the day itself will be spent privately. But the flowers will keep on coming as Kensington Palace, which was carpeted in flowers in the days after Diana's death, once again becomes a place to remember. Twenty years on, Diana remains a beloved royal.









The Cambridges playing catch up

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Here's to a new school year. As they prepare to send their first born off to classes for the first time, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also renewing their diaries as Kensington Palace announces the first engagements after the summer. And perhaps with good cause. The latest royal work stats, compiled by the Press Association show that William and Kate are really playing catch up when it comes to work in 2017.



September is almost as much a time of reflection as New Year's Eve. The start of the academic calendar sees many people taking stock and starting again. Kensington Palace said, in a press release on August 29th, that means William and Kate mostly basing their family in London rather than Norfolk from now onwards. But others were more struck by the numbers of days worked by the Royal Family this year which makes stark reading for the younger faces of the House of Windsor.



Kate is bringing the rear in this list. She might top the most liked royal Instagram posts on a regular basis but with 39 days worked so far in 2017 she's a long way off the title of busiest royal of the year. William and Harry both have 46 days under their regal belts this year, a week more of work than the duchess. But all are a long way behind the busiest royal of 2017. There are absolutely no prizes for guessing that the Princess Royal has taken first place - so far this year, Anne has clocked up 114 days on royal engagements.



Which means this back to school time is a real landmark for William and Kate. Even before they drop George off at St Thomas' School, Battersea on September 7th for his first day, we have a renewed agenda with Kensington Palace announcing engagements for both of them as well as Harry in the next few days. But the challenge seems to be heavier for the Cambridges - Harry has the Invictus Games coming up in September which will mean a couple of high profile weeks for the prince. William has now given up his job as an air ambulance pilot and there has long been a general expectation that when that happened, the couple would take on more royal duties. The calendar will need to fill soon to avoid awkward questions.


The announcement from Kensington Palace seems to point that way although actual engagements were limited to the start of September with some talk of European tours later in the autumn. There's little chance of reeling in Anne on the days worked list but a good autumn will provide strong foundations for the Cambridges as they enter a new phase of their royal lives with children growing up and more responsibilities beckoning in the not so distant future. New school year, new challenges, new beginnings. Time for William and Kate to catch royal life with both hands and keep on going.

Photo credit: Kensington Palace Instagram

5 royal brides who didn't wear tiaras....

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Royal brides wear tiaras, we all know that to be true. And if you're hubby is a) a ruling sovereign or b) quite likely to end up as one then a diadem is all but compulsory. However, several very important royal brides have bucked that trend including one who celebrates her 49th wedding anniversary today and walked down the aisle with only flowers in her hair. Here are five famous royal consorts who didn't wear tiaras to their weddings.



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Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
April 26th 1923


When Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married Albert, Duke of York at Westminster Abbey she wasn't expected to be queen. She was also marrying into a royal family that hadn't really done bridal tiaras for a while. So the lack of diamond diadem was less surprising than it might have been. Instead, the woman who would end up as Queen Mother chose to wear myrtle in her hair with a white York rose on either side of her headdress. Yep, even then, Elizabeth knew just how to do things right. This dress is very 1920s and really rather simple for a woman who would become one of the last empresses of the 20th century. Not many of those just wear flowers in their hair.





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 Princess Astrid of Sweden
November 1926

Just three years later, one of the most popular royal brides of the twenties swerved a wedding tiara chance not once but twice. Astrid of Sweden's marriage to Leopold, heir to the throne of Belgium, was one of the love stories of the time. The couple were hugely popular with massive crowds gathering for both their civil wedding in Stockholm on November 4th 1926 and again for their religious ceremony at the Cathedral of St Michel and St Gudula in Brussels on November 10th that year. Astrid didn't wear a tiara to either celebration. She kept things very traditional for her home wedding, choosing a Swedish crown of myrtle to top her lace veil. There was even less adornment for her Belgian wedding even though just about every female guest at the ceremony was wearing a tiara. Astrid was marrying an heir to the throne but chose to do things her way. She would become Queen of the Belgians in 1934 on her husband's accession as Leopold III. Queen Astrid died following a car accident on August 29th 1935.




Grace Kelly
April 19th 1956

Grace Kelly wasn't just marrying a sovereign when she walked down the aisle in Monaco to say 'I do' to Prince Rainier III on April 19th 1956. She was creating the image of the perfect princess. The Hollywood superstar turned royal bride was dressed to impress by Helen Rose of MGM and the two of them decided to ditch the diadem. Instead of a tiara, the bride the world wanted to see wore a beaded lace Juliet cap. But then Grace didn't need diamonds to sparkle. Her wedding look was iconic from the moment it appears and remains the same today. 

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Paola Ruffo di Calabria
July 2nd 1959

Like Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Paola didn't think she was marrying a future king when she said 'I do' to Albert of Belgium in Brussels in July 1959. Her new husband was the younger brother of King Baudouin of the Belgians who, at that time, was expected to wed and have children himself. So Paola's marriage - which she had wanted to have in Rome - was a lower key affair although still packed with royalty, a huge train and epic amounts of flowers. And the bride's decision to wear orange blossom in her hair rather than a tiara was a bit of a departure from the expected norm at the time although all eyes were on her Brussels lace veil, a family heirloom of hers. Paola ended up Queen of the Belgians when Albert succeeded his brother in 1993 after Baudouin and his wife, Fabiola, had no children of their own. Albert abdicated in favour of his son, Philipppe, in 2013.

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Sonja Haraldsen
August 29th 1968

Like many a 1960s bride before and after her, Sonja Haraldsen went fake flowers for her hair ornament. Never mind that she was marrying the future King of Norway. Never mind that their royal romance had caused all kinds of controversy as the Crown Prince was meant to marry regally. Never mind that on saying 'I do' Sonja became the leading lady of Norway as her new father-in-law, King Olav, was a widower. None of that was enough to persuade Sonja to drop her dream look and swap a (rather pretty) artificial flower arrangement for a tiara. She chose a small spray of white flowers to top her simple veil and dress. Sonja, who became Queen of Norway in 1991, has never knowingly shied away from a tiara since her wedding but on the day she became a royal bride she chose to do things her way and keep the flowers unreal.

A handsome prince goes to the ball....

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After the summer they've had, Denmark's royals needed a reason to smile and a big birthday with fairytale ball provided the happy-ish ending they've been seeking for weeks. Prince Nikolai of Denmark turned eighteen on August 28th 2017 and grandma, Queen Margrethe II, threw him a party on the royal yacht, as you do, to mark the milestone. Even grumpy grandpa, Prince 'call me king, please' Henrik, smiled. Here's how Denmark's royals got happy with a party....


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The streamers and balloons were brought out to mark the coming of age of Nikolai William Alexander Frederik, eldest grandson of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik, who was born on August 28th 1999 - one of the last royal babies of the old millennium.  He'd already treated us to a set of rather striking birthday portraits and Nikolai looked just as cool and confident as he arrived for his big celebration.




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Nikolai was joined by little brother, fifteen year old Prince Felix, and his parents at the bottom of the gangplank leading to the Dannebrog. Prince Joachim and his first wife, Alexandra, have shared custody of the boys since their divorce.



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Joachim's second wife, Princess Marie, and their two children, Prince Henrik and Princess Athena, joined the family photo and no prizes for guessing who really loves their big brother from this photo.



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There was just one absence from this family fiesta - Crown Prince Frederik is on duty with the International Olympic Committee. But auntie Mary wasn't going to miss her nephew's big party and arrived juggling her four children.




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Christian and Isabella were doing the bag carrying (presents for the prince and what looked like a handbag, possibly mum's for the princess) while Mary was keeping the twins under control.






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Margrethe and Henrik were waiting on board, looking like the whole 'make me king or cancel the joint tomb' row hadn't happened and we even got a family portrait where everyone looked so happy that the summer stress seemed a million miles away.


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But then this evening wasn't about queens, kings or constitutions (even though Nikolai can now stand in for his grandmother as regent when she is out of the country). This was a party to celebrate the first born of the youngest generation moving into adulthood. It was a big birthday, it was a big party and it looked like a big success. This handsome prince will have been more than happy to go to the ball.

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