WEDDING FLOWERS: Dutch Royalty
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Showing posts with label Dutch Royalty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dutch Royalty. Show all posts

Royal Platinum Wedding: 5 other royal events of 1947

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In the end, it is the royal event we all remember from 1947. The marriage of the then Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten on November 20th 1947 has gone down in history as a regal milestone and the start of an historic story. But it wasn't the only major royal event that year.
Three reigns came to an end, two tenures began, one monarchy ended for good. There was also a regency and a tragic event that would change another throne forever. Here are five more royal events of 1947...

Death of a prince


Who Prince Gustaf Adolf Oscar Frederik Arthur Edmund, Duke of Vasterbotten, eldest son of the Crown Prince of Sweden and second in line to his country's throne

When January 26th 1947

Where Kastrup Airport, Copenhagen, Denmark

What Prince Gustaf Adolf was on his way back from visiting Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands when his plane made a routine stop in Copenhagen. On taking off again, the aircarft got into trouble, stalled and crashed, killing all 22 people on board.

Consequences The prince left behind a widow and five children. As Swedish law at the time only permitted princes to succeed to the throne, his only son, nine month old Carl Gustaf, immediately became second in line to the throne. Gustaf Adolf was buried on Karlsborg Island, Solna. His son is now the King of Sweden.

A change of power in Greece


Who King George II of the Hellenes and King Paul I of the Hellenes

When April 1st 1947

Where Athens, Greece

What King George II of the Hellenes died on April 1st 1947 at the Royal Palace in Athens. He was succeeded the same day by his younger brother who became King Paul I of the Hellenes.

Consequences The Greek monarchy had gone through turbulent times and George had only returned to his country in 1946 following a referendum which supported the restoration of royal rule. King Paul's rule would be more stable although republican sentiments in Greece continued to flourish. Paul died in 1964 and was succeeded by his son, Constantine, who went into exile in 1967. 


A new king for Denmark



Who King Christian X of Denmark and King Frederik IX of Denmark

When April 20th 1947

Where Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen

What King Christian X of Denmark died on April 20th 1947 and was immediately succeeded by his son who became King Frederik IX of Denmark

Consequences Christian X had been a popular monarch and was widely mourned. His son was also well supported and made a major change to the monarchy in 1953 when he changed the rules to allow women to succeed - previously they had had no rights at all. Frederik died in 1972 and was succeeded by the eldest of his three daughters, Margrethe II, who still rules today.


The end of an era begins in the Netherlands



Who Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Princess Juliana of the Netherlands

When October 14th 1947 - December 1st 1947

Where Amsterdam, the Netherlands

What Juliana, heir to the Dutch throne since her birth, became her country's regent time when her mother's health proved problematic. In that capacity, she attended the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip at Westminster Abbey on November 20th 1947.

Consequences Wilhelmina is said to have wanted to abdicate during this regency but was urged to remain on the throne by Juliana who wanted her mother to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee, set for 1950. However, in 1948 it became clear that Wilhelmina would step aside and the abdication took place on September 4th that year. Wilhelmina died in 1962. Juliana was Queen of the Netherlands until her own abdication in 1980. 


Abdication of a King





Who King Michael I of Romania

When December 30th 1947

Where Bucharest, Romania

What King Michael of Romania returned from attending the Royal Wedding at Westminster to find his country in more turmoil. The pro Soviet government, in place since the end of World War Two, forced him to abdicate at the end of the year. 

Consequences Michael went into exile in January 1948 and didn't return to his country until 1990. Throughout that time he was supported by his wife, Anne, who he met at the wedding of Elizabeth and Philip. He now enjoys a strong level of popularity in his home nation but has always maintained the monarchy can only be restored there with public backing which has never materialised.

You can read lots more about the royal Platinum Wedding on a special page here.

Photos Wiki Commons

Royal Social Media: October's Instagram hits

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Social media is fast becoming THE way royal houses choose to communicate. In an age where news moves faster than fast and often gets boiled down to a few words and a picture or two, official social media channels help set the agenda while keeping a seemingly insatiable appetite for royal stories going. What the royal houses choose to post on their official Instagram accounts tells us what they want to show to the world. What gets the most likes tells us just what hits a nerve. So to see what really got royal audiences going in October, here's a run down of the most popular Instagram posts on each official royal account. It's going to be busy - we're off to a swimming pool, climbing trees and trying out a bit of ballet. And you have to wait til the end for the biggest hit of the month. Grab the tea and biccies and enjoy October's royal social media hits.







Let's start with the best photo of the month, a future king and queen apparently under water. We know Mary and Fred are pretty unflappable but even they need help not to appear soaking wet while apparently under water. The royal couple were photographed at the famous ''Swimming Pool Illusion'' artwork by Leandro Erlich at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa during their visit to Japan this month. It is, of course, an optical illusion but left us all with a fab photo of the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark. It was a huge hit on the official Danish Royal Household Instagram account, winning 16.2k likes, more even than the new photo of Prince Christian taken to mark his 12th birthday which wasn't far behind with 15.1k likes.



It shows the power of a good photo. Usually birthday portraits are a sure fire for the most liked any month of the year. That was the case in Belgium where a new photo of Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant was shared to mark her 16th birthday and won just over 1,500 likes. It doesn't sound a lot when you look at the numbers for other royal accounts but this is the smallest of the official regal Instagram accounts and photos average around 300 likes. The total for the new portraits of the heir to the throne are big for this channel.



Another relatively small and new channel is the one belonging to the Norwegian Royal Household which began by sharing photos of the places and people visited by the family on their travels. Now it focuses much more on the royals themselves and the likes are jumping as a result. The most popular photo here in October was one of three generations of royal women opening a new sculpture in the park named after future Norwegian queen, Princess Ingrid Alexandra. The second in line to the throne was snapped with her mum, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and her granny, Queen Sonja, on an autumnal day and the result was liked over 2,900 times. The photo itself is a great example of why social media can work so well for royalty. It's not the best quality shot (blurred here and there) and hardly formal but it's got a real behind the scenes feel as Mette-Marit looks on proudly at her little girl who is, herself, taking the camera on with confidence. Easy to see why it was published and liked.

OK, we've done the swimming pool, time to climb a tree. Clarence House went through a phase of sharing so much on its Instagram feed it was hard to keep up. It also comes a long way behind in the number of likes compared to the two other accounts run by the British royals and this month's most popular image is interesting in that regards. Despite plenty of photos of Charles and Camilla going about their royal business, top of the tree was an owl having a snooze. It is a fab photo, there's no doubt about that, and if you stop and read the post that goes with it, it's also a rather clever way of promoting a cause close to Prince Charles' heart. There is lots of information there about the owl himself and why such care is being taken around him and his habitat. Saving the planet without getting everyone's back up - perhaps Prince William needs to take a few lessons from papa.



While Instagram is a very modern medium, sometimes history can't be beaten. The most liked photo on the Royal Family's official account came from 1958. The image of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh meeting members of the Royal Ballet after a performance almost fifty years ago scored 37.5k likes. But then what's not to love about the pure divadom of the ballet stars as they curtsey to the Queen in one of her sparkliest tiaras? Social media is all about moments and this is 



Social media can also let some very serious moments take on the significance they need. On October 5th 2017, the high profile politician, Eberhard van der Laan, died after a very public battle with lung cancer. He was 62 and had given up his tenure as Mayor of Amsterdam less than three weeks earlier. The Dutch Royal Household posted a poignant tribute to Mr van der Laan with a personal message from King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima who underlined their admiration for his love for Amsterdam and his desire to help others. They also offered their condolences to his family. Over 12,000 people showed their support for this post.


New beginnings also featured high on the most liked royal Instagrams of October 2017. After keeping us waiting for several weeks, Prince Gabriel of Sweden finally starred in his own official portraits. The little prince, born on August 31st 2017, was snapped in the arms of his father, Prince Carl Philip, while mummy Sofia cuddled big brother, Alexander. The photos won 35.5k likes - hardly a surprise to learn they are the most popular on the official Swedish royal account. When were new baby photos ever going to be anything other than completely and totally loved?



But the most popular photo shared on official royal Instagram accounts in October was all about a major story for 2018. The first official appearance of the Duchess of Cambridge following the announcement that she is expecting her third baby was always going to get people excited so it's perhaps no surprise that the photo of Kate with William at a reception to mark World Mental Health Day got just so much love. It won 127k likes, making it easily the most popular photo on the always popular Kensington Palace account. We can expect royal social media to be dominated by the new baby, due in April 2018. No doubt there will be plenty of posts to come - the likes are bound to follow.

State Visit Style: Queen Maxima in Portugal

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Well, thanks for that. Queen Maxima has got the autumn State Visit season off to a flying start with a wardrobe that can only be described as eclectic. After luring us into a false state of security with a very Maxima outfit to start off with things went from feathers to flowers as the Queen of the Netherlands tried out all kinds of different looks on her three day visits. You'll love some, you'll be less certain about others but because it's Friday and because we've not been able to do this for months. here's the return of State Visit style as Queen Maxima wows Portugal.



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The Dutch king and queen arrived in Lisbon on the evening of October 9th 2017 ahead of the official welcome the following day. There was no missing Maxima at the airport as she gave us purple trousers, purple top and bright pink scarf all in one go. That's the way to make a first impression.



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Things were much more muted for the first full official day of the State Visit. We've seen Maxima in this overall look many times before. For a day which included an official welcome (complete with national anthems and inspection of the guard), a ride on a tram and a visit to the tomb of poet Luiz Vaz de Camoes, Maxima kept things calm in a beige dress with large brimmed straw hat and toning accessories. The hat is so familiar it's almost uniform for the Queen of the Netherlands while the dress is pretty usual too. Don't worry, things are about to get a lot busier.




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The State Banquet involved an all time Maxima classic. The Dutch queen chose an off the shoulder green dress with fabulous frills and spills at the edge of the skirt. The feather effect embellishments on top of lace might be too much for most people to pull off. Not Maxima. She added that cracker of an emerald tiara belonging to her royal house along with some of its most stunning green stones and wowed all round. The queen of green in Portugal.



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Day two involved about as packed an agenda as you'll find in a royal diary this week. The King and Queen of the Netherlands visited a cancer treatment centre, met students at the University of Lisbon, held a trade lunch, opened an art exhibition and posed for photos by the Tagus River. It was sunny, there were blue skies, it was almost like summer which may be why Maxima stuck the world's biggest fabric flower to the side of her head. The dress is a familar royal sight - Crown Princess Victoria has the same frock and debuted it at the christening of Prince Alexander last year. However, Maxima tried to mix it up and make it her own by adding a range of accessories in a variety of colours, none of which seemed to go with the dress itself. When even Maxi can't make a look work, it really is beyond royal hope.
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There was no retiring quietly despite the mismatch. On the evening of day two, Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander welcomed their hosts to a concert given as a thank you from them for the visit. Can you spot the Dutch queen? Yep, why wear one trend when you can pack several into an outfit that will linger long in the memory? We've got this season's hottest colour, red. We've got the vogue for stripes and blocks. We've got this summer's cape sleeves. We've got it all in one dress. Maxima is in a league of her own and then some.




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It's not how you start, it's how you finish as they say and for her last hurrah in Portugal, Maxima tried a mix of all the fabulous fancy bits she'd shown us already on this three day visit. The last part of the trip saw the royal couple head out of Lisbon for a day involving time at the gorgeous palace of Sintra and a visit to an aeronautical factory. What better outfit to pick for this than a one sleeved top with tassle effect skirt and a large floral headpiece? We can only be glad that she went for palest peach and nothing bolder because this is such a statement it defies description. But it sums up the State Visit style of this trip perfectly. It's bold, it's got its own sense of style and no one will ever forget it. Rather like the queen wearing it. Well played, Maxima.

Photo credit: President of Portugal press photo.

State Dinner Sparklers: Netherlands to Portugal

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It's been a while. There is a distinct lack of sparkle during the royal summer as the State Visit quota drops and the tiaras are dusted down and stored away safely through most of August and September. But fear not, glitter season has returned. As October gets under way, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are on a State Visit to Portugal and that means one thing. A State Banquet and a dose of diamonds to cheer us all up. Here's the tiara chosen by Maxima to get the autumn glitter going.



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Maxima was the queen of green at the banquet offered in honour of the royal visitors by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the Ajuda National Palace on the evening of October 10th 2017. The Dutch consort chose a green lace off the shoulder gown and added the some of the family's famous emerald jewels, including a rather striking tiara, to complete the look.



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These stones could quite happily call themselves the Wilhelmina Emeralds and get away with it. The stones in this tiara arrived in the Netherlands in the 18th century via Wilhelmina of Prussia who married William V of Orange and ended up all but ruling for him. At the end of the 19th century they were turned into the tiara we know today for the new and very young Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. They've been a staple of the Dutch royal collection ever since.



This tiara is a bit of a Maxima go to - when a queen suits green this well, it would be wrong not to let the emeralds do the talking from time to time. Add to that the other parts of this rather stunning parure, including that necklace with that central emerald, and everything about this says regal. We might have missed the sparkle over the summer but Maxima has ensured that the State Visit glitter business has got under way again in style.

Photo credit: President of Portugal press video still.

8 royal birthdays for October

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Some months are awash with royal birthdays and while October can't quite match the cake baking, card sending regal frenzy of September it doesn't do too badly on the celebrations front. Some royal houses seem to be particularly fond of October babies (not looking at anywhere in particular here, Belgium) but there's a good spread of royal birthdays going on this month. So get the cake ready and the cards written, here are eight royal birthdays for October.






Prince Emmanuel of Belgium is 12 on October 4th
Emmanuel Leopold Guillaume Marie, second son and third child of Phillipe and Mathilde of Belgium, was born on October 4th 2005 at the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht. Fourth in line to the throne at the time of his birth he moved up to third behind his sister, Elisabeth, and his brother, Gabriel, on the accession of their father as King of the Belgians on July 21st 2013. He attends school in Kessel-Lo and accompanies his parents on an increasing number of engagements.



The Duke of Kent is 82 on October 9th
Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick of Kent was born on October 9th 1935 at Number 3 Belgrave Square, London,the first child of George, Duke of Kent and his wife, Marina. He succeeded to his father's title in 1942 when the Duke of Kent was killed in a plane crash. He performed royal engagements from an early age and still maintains a busy schedule of events on behalf of the Queen. He married Katherine Worsley in 1961 and the couple now has three children and ten grandchildren.




Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands is 48 on October 11th
Constantijn Christof Frederik Ashwin is the third son of former Dutch queen, Beatrix, and her late husband, Claus. He was born on October 11th 1969 in Utrecht when his mother was still heir to the throne. Prince Constantijn trained in law and business and married Laurentien Brinkhorst in 2001 - the couple has three children. Constantijn, brother of King Willem-Alexander, is currently fourth in line to the throne of the Netherlands.



Prince Christian of Denmark is 12 on October 15th
Christian Valdemar Henri John, first child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, was born on October 15th 2005 at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. Second in line to his country's throne from birth, his name was first revealed - as is traditional for Denmark's royals - at his christening in January 2006. Christian lives with his parents and three siblings in Copenhagen where he attends school.


Prince Laurent of Belgium is 54 on October 19th 
Laurent Baudouin Benoit Marie was born on October 19th 1963 at the Chateau de Belvedere, near Laeken. The second son and third child of the then Prince and Princess of Liege, Albert and Paola, he was born third in line to his country's throne and has since seen his father and older brother succeed as monarchs. Prince Laurent married Claire Coombs in 2003 and the couple has a daughter and twin sons. 



Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant, is 16 on October 25th
Elisabeth Therese Marie Helene was born on October 25th 2001 at the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht. She was the first child of Philippe, then heir to the throne of Belgium, and his wife, Mathilde. On her father's accession as King of the Belgians on July 21st 2013 she became the first female heir to the throne in her country's history and on her accession she will be its first queen regnant. Elisabeth, as first in line, takes the title of Duchess of Brabant. She attends school in Brussels where she lives with her parents and three siblings.






Princess Margaretha of Sweden is 83 on October 31st
Margaretha Desiree Victoria of Sweden was born on October 31st 1934 at the Haga Palace near Stockholm, the first child of Prince Gustaf Adolf and his wife, Princess Sybilla. Her father was then second in line to his country's throne but was killed in a plane crash in 1947 leaving Margaretha's nine month old brother, Carl Gustaf, as future heir. Margaretha married John Ambler in 1964 and the couple had three children. Princess Margaretha, eldest sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, now lives in England.

  
  Princess Leonor of Spain, Princess of Asturias is 12 on October 31st
Leonor de Todos los Santos, Princess of Asturias, was born on October 31st 2005 at the Ruber Clinic in Madrid, the first child of the then heir to the throne of Spain, Felipe, and his wife, Letizia, On her father's accession as King of Spin on June 19th 2014, Leonor became heir to the throne and took the title Princess of Asturias. She lives in Madrid with her parents and sister, Sofia, and attends school there.

Royals on the Vanity Fair Best Dressed List 2017

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It kind of snuck under the radar this year. Vanity Fair's Best Dressed List is always pored over by royal watchers keen to see whose style has hit the mark in the past twelve months but this time round it was somewhat eclipsed by another item in the same month's magazine, an interview with a certain Meghan Markle. Let's face it, we're all convinced that Meghan will be gracing this list in the coming years with an HRH in front of her name. She's not on the 2017 line up but we do get a couple of royal nods. Here's who hit the Vanity Fair heights in the style stakes for this year...



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Absolutely nobody was surprised to see Queen Letizia of Spain on the Best Dressed List for 2017. Leti is always a style smash but this year saw her grab global headlines for her sense of chic as the Spanish State Visit to the UK got everyone talking.




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And it's a State Visit style moment chosen as her chicest of the year. Vanity Fair has Letizia's most memorable look of 2017 as the yellow coat, dress and hat combo chosen for the official welcome at the start of the State Visit.




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That's perhaps not everyone's pick of the Leti looks for the past year but it does sum up the Queen of Spain's modern take on royal dressing. It also acknowledges her passion for Spanish fashion (the coat and dress were by Felipe Varela) while the go to designers for Letizia are a mix of designers (Hugo Boss, Carolina Herrera) and High Street (Mango, Zara).



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Another stand out Leti look is the red dress chosen for the 50th birthday party of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in April this year which brings us neatly to the other major royal mention on the list. WA and Maxima get a nod in the 'Couples' section of the Best Dressed run down of 2017.




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There's no real citation for the King and Queen of the Netherlands just several photos where they look rather co-ordinated and very loved up. It's that colour matching that gets a special nod with the blue dress and navy suit combo chosen for a welcome ceremony at the Noordeinde Palace this year mentioned in the citation.


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The royal offering on this year's list is rather small but we have to remember that three nods sees someone inducted into the Vanity Fair Best Dressed Hall of Fame and several of the royal style icons of the 21st century have already taken a bow and joined the legends with Crown Princess Mary of Denmark the most recent in 2016.
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But there is one more royal to mention before we're done. Every year, Vanity Fair has a special citation and in 2017 that goes to Prince Philip. Yep, the Duke of Edinburgh has added another feather to his already overladen cap by being given recognition he probably has no interest in at all.




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Who cares? Head to Vanity Fair and check out some rather nice photos of Philip looking effortlessly stylish in the Sixties and equally dashing in the Noughties. The man has panache and zing and couldn't care less. When it comes to style, that's all you need, royal or not.

5 royal outfits for a civil marriage

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Royal civil weddings, eh? Why on earth would anyone be thinking about those right now? Odd. But as we are, let's talk outfits. Several European royals have had a civil and religious wedding on the same day in which case there's no change for the bride. They can keep their big frocks to themselves right now. We're looking at outfits made purely for a civil marriage. Other brides have said 'I do' in front of a registrar in a different outfit from the one worn to the church for their religious wedding or blessing afterwards. Among them is Claire Lademacher whose civil wedding to Prince Felix of Luxembourg took place on September 17th 2013. In honour of that, and the possibility we might just be doing civil weddings in the UK again sometime soon, here's a look at five recent times we've seen royal brides dressed for a civil marriage.


Princess Claire of Luxembourg
Civil Ceremony September 17th 2013


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And the bride wore white. No surprises there then. Claire Margareta Lademacher's civil marriage to Prince Felix, second in line to the throne of Luxembourg, took place in Konigtein near Frankfurt on September 17th 2013. Claire, whose civil wedding took place near her home town as is traditional, chose a simple but striking ivory dress with cap sleeves and a peplum waist. Keeping it bridal, she carried a bouquet of cream roses with white flowers and added something blue with aquamarine jewels. The couple's religious wedding took place on September 21st 2013.



Princess Charlene of Monaco
Civil Ceremony July 1st 2011


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Charlene Lynette Wittstock went for all blue when she wed Prince Albert II of Monaco in a civil ceremony in the principality on July 1st 2011. The bride chose a shimmering shade that was dubbed 'Charlene blue' after the wedding. Charlene also helped design the outfit alongside Karl Lagerfeld. It was a surprising look, pairing chiffon trousers with a neat jacket. But it made more sense in the evening when the bride lost the jacket and revealed the trousers were part of a rather cutting edge strapless outfit. This is perhaps the most unusual royal wedding outfit we'll see in a long while. The couple's religious wedding took place on July 2nd 2011.




The Duchess of Cornwall
Civil Ceremony April 9th 2005




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Camilla Rosemary Parker Bowles kept things much more traditional when she said 'I do' to the Prince of Wales in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9th 2005. Camilla chose a chiffon cream dress with applique details at the hem and a cream coat, both by Robinson Valentine. There was a cream hat with feathers, by Philip Treacy, but no flowers for this civil marriage - Camilla kept the bouquet for the blessing at St George's Chapel, Windsor, later that day.




Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands
Civil Ceremony May 17th 2001




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Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst was pretty in pink for her civil wedding to Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands on May 17th 2001 in The Hague. Constantijn was the first of the three sons of Beatrix of the Netherlands to wed and his bride got things off to a bright start with a rosy wrap coat and pale mauve wide brimmed hat that made sure no one lost this new princess in the crowd. Laurentien was the only one of the three brides of that royal generation to have a separate outfit for her first ceremony - she was traditional in white for her religious wedding in The Hague on May 19th 2001.




Stephanie of Luxembourg
Civil Ceremony, October 19th 2012



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Let's head back to where we started because the recent royal brides of Luxembourg have been kind in providing civil wedding outfits. Stephanie Marie Claudine Christine de Lannoy chose a cream Chanel suit for her civil marriage at the Town Hall in Luxembourg City on October 19th 2012. The new Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg kept the accessories simple for this part of her wedding celebrations letting the famous jacket and skirt style speak for itself. The couple's religious wedding took place on October 20th 2012.
Photo credit: Grand Cour Ducale, Eric Chanel.

Royal Number Seven

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Sweden's royal baby boom continues and the latest pregnancy announcement (Madeleine, number three, March next year, all well) has put the country's king and queen in a rather special situation. For this little prince or princess will be grandchild number seven for Carl Gustaf and Silvia. Seven is a bit of a magic number, lucky for most and special for many. So in honour of their exciting news, here's a run down of who else makes the number seven royal grandkids club. We'll start with the current monarchs of Europe and their broods...




United Kingdom



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Lady Louise Windsor is the seventh grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh

Name Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary
Born November 8th 2003, Frimley Park, Surrey
Daughter of Edward, Earl of Wessex (youngest child of Elizabeth and Philip) and Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Place in line of succession Lady Louise is eleventh in line to the throne
Title Lady Louise Windsor (though technically she is entitled to be known as HRH Princess Louise of Wessex)


Denmark



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Princess Josephine of Denmark is the seventh grandchild of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik


Name Josephine Sophia Ivalo Mathilda
Born January 11th 2011, Copenhagen
Daughter of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark (and elder son of Margethe and Henrik) and Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark
Place in line of succession Princess Josephine is fifth in line to the Danish throne
Title Her Royal Highness Princess Josephine of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat


Of course, many of Europe's monarchs are still raising their children so don't have grandchildren yet. That's not going to stop a royal review in its tracks. Let's go one generation back to the monarchs who have recently abdicated and put a call out for number seven....


Belgium


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Prince Gabriel of Belgium is the seventh grandchild of King Albert II and Queen Paola

Name Gabriel Baudouin Charles Marie
Born on August 20th 2003, Anderlecht
Son of King Philippe of the Belgians (eldest child of Albert and Paola) and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians
Place in line of succession Prince Gabriel is second in line to the Belgian throne
Title His Royal Highness Prince Gabriel of Belgium

Spain



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Princess Leonor is the seventh grandchild of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia

Name Leonor de Todos los Santos
Born on October 31st 2005, Madrid
Son of King Felipe VI of Spain (youngest child of Juan Carlos and Sofia) and Queen Letizia of Spain
Place in line of succession Princess Leonor is the heir to the Spanish throne
Title Her Royal Highness Princess Leonor, Princess of Asturias



Netherlands

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Countess Zaria is the seventh grandchild of Princess Beatrix and her late husband, Prince Claus

Name Joanna Zaria Nicoline Milou
Born June 18th 2006, London
Daughter of the late Prince Johan Friso (second son of Beatrix and Claus) and Princess Mabel
Place in line of succession None, Zaria has never held succession rights
Title Countess Zaria of Orange-Nassau




In Norway, King Harald and Queen Sonja currently have five grandchildren and one step grandson while Luxembourg's Grand Duke and Duchess, Henri and Maria Teresa, have three grandchildren. Sweden's monarchs welcome their sixth grandchild in September when Princess Sofia is due to give birth to her second baby with Prince Carl Philip and number seven will arrive in March 2018 with Madeleine's latest arrival. 

The Royal Week in 5 Photos

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And then we came to the end. After weeks of sunshine, shorts and sandals, the royal summer is beginning to pack its bags and head off for another year. Random royals are starting to appear with tans that clearly weren't acquired in the minstrels' gallery of some dusty castle and we'd now be shocked, if not horrified, to see anyone do a photocall in espardrilles. Yep, summer is saying goodbye and we're saying hello to a busier royal diary. Here are five fun photos to sum up the royal week where summer started to fade....





Autumn means back to school and even when you're second in line to your country's throne that still includes your dad making you roll your eyes. As Princess Alexia, now twelve, got ready for her first day at her new college, her dad took a video and some photos to share on the official Dutch royal social media accounts. OK, dad is King Willem-Alexander but that didn't stop this almost teenager looking, well, very actual teenager as she posed reluctantly for the family album. What's not to love?




This week also saw a return to royal duties for Alexia's mum, Maxima, after a summer where she lost her father, Jorge Zorreguieta. Maxima said a final farewell to her dad a couple of weeks ago but was back on duty to visit the Bartholomeus Guesthouse which provides shelter for those in need and the Buurtgezinnen Foundation which offers support to single parent families. The smile was mega watt but what else do you expect? This is Maxima, royal superstar.





Talking of royal superstars back on duty, here's Queen Margrethe. Denmark's monarch looked carefree and really very happy as she made her first appearance after two weeks in France with a husband who firstly gave a magazine interview in which he said she'd treated him badly over his decision not to be buried with her and who then ended up in hospital with a repeat of a leg complaint that has already given cause for concern. But if you'd missed all of that, you would never have known that Margrethe has had a really tough summer. She was literally glowing as she opened the Aarhus Festival. Keep royally calm and carry on. 




Royals do a lot of waving but it's good to see that this most basic of regal staples can take even them by surprise. Princess Madeleine of Sweden looked really very excited indeed to be waving as she attended the European Showjumping Championships in Gothenberg this week.  Madeleine also appeared to have a great time doing those other royal favourites including cutting a ribbon and officially declaring the event open. Summers can be very long when you're a mummy to two small children - a day out takes on many layers of extra meaning after weeks of pureed food and kids TV.




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King Felipe of Spain returned to Barcelona at the end of the week to take part in a march in memory of those killed in the terrorist attacks in the city and in Cambrils last week. Some estimates put the number marching through the streets to pay their respects at around half a million. Many were holding banners reading 'No Tinc Por' - 'We are not afraid' but there were also posters protesting at the presence of officials including the King and Felipe was booed at one point. It follows a week of debate about Spanish government policy. Felipe ignored the protests, instead taking his place at the front of the march and in so doing, becoming the first Spanish monarch to take part in a popular demonstration.

Photo credit: casareal.es

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