Belgium

Moment of history as future queen takes an important oath

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27th September 2023
Princess Elisabeth took her oath as an officer on Tuesday evening, following in the footsteps of future Belgian monarchs before her.The Belgian Royal Palace shared photographs of the future queen taking her oath as an officer in front of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eléonore, swearing that: “I swear allegiance to the King, obedience to the Constitution and…
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European Royals

The queen who fought an assassin with flowers

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24th September 2023
She was the queen who tried to save her dynasty with nothing more than a bouquet of flowers. Maria Amelia saw her husband and eldest son mortally wounded at close range in an assassination that would hasten the demise of their dynasty. She had done all she could to save the monarchy she married into but it would all come to nothing as she watched another son lose his throne just years after the…
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Norway

A tiny church and a scramble for a minister - a very unusual royal wedding

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22nd September 2023
When the leading princess of a royal court marries, it’s usually a grand affair with tiaras, sparkle and endless celebrations. But when Astrid, then the de facto first lady of Norway, said her ‘I dos’ in 1961, it was a low key affair that changed the rules of royal romance. Her marriage to Johan Martin Ferner was controversial but the fact that it took place at all signalled a…
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Spain

The heir to the throne of Spain reaches big milestone in military training

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20th September 2023
Princess Leonor was beaming as she received the sword that symbolises her official title of Dama Cadete (Dame Cadet), in the first important milestone of her military training.The Princess of Asturias was among the 613 new recruits who, on 19th September 2023, received their official titles of Cadets, and the ceremonial swords that come with that, from the hands of their peers in the…
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