On Wednesday, the Belgian government
announced that King Philippe is putting his support behind the “Be
Heroes” initiative. The initiative has been created to honour
everyday heroes who will be recognised during the National Day
ceremonies on the 21st of July. This will be an occasion to
highlight the role ordinary citizens play in the daily life of
millions of Belgians and to honour…
On Tuesday, King Felipe and Queen Letizia
of Spain presented three journalism awards. The ceremony,
which took place at the new ABC headquarters in Madrid, was held to
award three journalism prizes: the “Mariano de Cavia” Prize, which
went to Javier Cercas, the…
A picture is worth a thousand words and
sometimes captures the essence of a moment more than the most
perfect prose. The royal story is filled with images that tell a
tale all of their own.In this occasional series, Royal Central
looks at some of the best known…
It was a quiet country affair, far
removed from the pomp and ceremony we’ve come to expect from royal
weddings. The setting was an English parish church, the regal guest
list only filled a couple of pews, and the bride walked in several
minutes late carrying her own train to protect it from the rain.
The marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, on 8 July 1972,
was a royal wedding with a…
Today, Birgitte, the Duchess of
Gloucester, will celebrate her 75th birthday. A Danish member of
the British Royal Family, Birgitte is married to Prince Richard,
the Duke of Gloucester, who is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth
II. Together the couple has three children…
One of the busiest members of the Royal
Family is celebrating a special birthday this month. Birgitte, the
Duchess of Gloucester, is 75 on June 20th. The mother of three is
married to the Queen’s cousin Prince Richard, the Duke of
Gloucester. Originally from Denmark…
When Sophie Rhys Jones married Prince
Edward on June 19th 1999 at St. George’s Chapel, she carried a
bouquet with more than a hint of the past about it. The couple who
starred in the last big Windsor wedding of the 20th century had
gone for something of a medieval theme in the look of their big day
and the flowers carried by the bride fitted right in. From the
pageboys and bridesmaids in…
If ever a royal wedding dress summed up
its wearer, it was the gown chosen by Sophie Rhys-Jones for her
marriage to Prince Edward on 19 June 1999 at St George’s Chapel,
Windsor. Subtle, elegant and classic, this was the final Windsor
bridal dress of the 20thcentury…
On 27 May 1937, just a few days before
Wallis Simpson and the former King Edward VIII were due to be
married, a letter arrived from King George VI with “not very good
news.” Edward then learned that while Wallis would become Duchess
of Windsor upon marriage, she…
The Principality of Liechtenstein is one
of the least known countries in Europe. Located between Austria and
Switzerland, this micro-state has an area of roughly 62 square
miles and a population of about 39,000. A mostly mountainous
country, the principality is one of two doubly landlocked countries
in the world (the other being Uzbekistan), meaning it has no access
to a coastline and is…
