HistorySpain

New details on the incident that led King Juan Carlos to shoot his younger brother

The Easter of 1956 was a nightmare for the Spanish Royal Family. Maundy Thursday in 1956 was the day when 18-year-old Juan Carlos, later King Juan Carlos of Spain, shot and killed his younger brother Alfonso de Borbon. Alfonso was the youngest child of Don Juan Carlos de Borbon and Princess Maria de las Mercedes and was called Alfonsito by family and friends. He was only 14 years old. At the…
Read more
Norway

King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon attend State Opening of Parliament

Crown Prince Haakon joined King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway for the State Opening of the Norwegian Parliament, Storting, in Oslo. Military forces from the Navy, Air Force and ground defence, as well as the King’s Guard, took their place on the parade street, which runs between the Royal Palace and the Parliament, ahead of the opening; roads were also decorated with Norwegian flags and…
Read more
Norway

Queen Sonja opens trio of art displays

Opening exhibitions is not unfamiliar for Europe’s royalty, but opening three displays on the same evening is probably rarer. However, Queen Sonja did just that when she made the trip to the new Munch Museum in Oslo. The director welcomed the Norwegian Queen in the…
BelgiumEuropean RoyalsFeatures

The Laws of Succession in...Belgium

King Philippe is nearing the end of his first decade as King of the Belgians, and the line of succession to the throne includes Belgium’s first queen regnant. The laws of succession are very straightforward in Belgium. The country introduced absolute primogeniture—the first-born child, regardless of sex, inherits the throne—in 1991, towards the end of King Baudouin’s reign. The…
Read more
European RoyalsNorway

Special royal park closes for the year

The Norwegian Royal Court has announced the traditional closure of the Queen’s Park, which will reopen on 18 May 2023.  The area is part of the larger Palace Park complex, which also includes ponds and museums. The Palace Park was built between 1840 and 1857, but the area that is now the Queen’s Park has served that purpose since the mid-1700s. The park was firstly acquired by the…
Read more