SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

BelgiumDenmarkJordanNorwaySwedenThe Netherlands

The royals you can expect to see at the UN this week

As the United Nations plans to hold its annual General Assembly in New York, royals from several royal families from across the globe will be in attendance for the 73rd session.

The royal families of Belgium, Denmark, Jordan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Tonga will be represented in New York City this year.

Queen Mathilde of the Belgians arrived in New York this weekend and attended an event marking the 20th anniversary of the Schwab Foundation last night alongside former US Vice President Al Gore to discuss the global goals, climate and human capital. The Queen will be in New York for meetings until 25 September as part of her role as an advocate of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The Belgian Royal Palace said that Her Majesty would “ask for special attention for the issues that matter to her, such as education and teaching, UNICEF’s new Children and Youth Agenda, health and well-being, and particularly mental health, as well as equivalence between men and women.”

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark will also be in New York from the 23-25 September. Last evening, she attended a reception for Women Deliver and dinner with Denmark’s UN Ambassador. The other days of her trip across the pond will partially consist of the opening of the architectural firm Henning Larsen’s new offices, speaking at the International Concourse for Women’s (ICRW) session at the Concordia Summit and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) “Protecting the health and rights of women affected by conflict,” and the opening of the UN General Assembly on the 25th.

The King meeting with the US Secretary of State in New York. Photo: State Department Photo by Ron Przysucha/ Public Domain

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan arrived in the United States on 19 September for a working visit. The King has already met with the World Economic Forum Founder and Executive Chairman Prof. Klaus Schwab and Mrs Schwab and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He and Queen Rania also met representatives of US and international Jewish organisations. They will also attend the UN General Assembly later this week. King Abdullah’s sister, Princess Haya will also attend.

In her role as UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands is in New York from 24 to 26 September. The Queen will attend a Mastercard breakfast event, participate in a meeting of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), meet the UN Secretary-General António Guterres alongside members of the Dutch delegation, among other events. Princess Mabel, Queen Máxima’s sister-in-law, is also expected.

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will be in the United States from 24 to 27 of this month where he will attend several events related to the 73rd General Assembly. He will also give a lecture on this last day regarding sustainable development and the UN’s sustainability goals at the International Conference on Sustainable Development at Columbia University.

Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria began her visit on 20 September and will conclude her trip today. During her time in New York, she has visited Aska Restaurant in Brooklyn and Gateway (the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce in New York). Her Royal Highness also attended a memorial service for former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. She also attended UN meetings and met ambassadors for the UN’s global goals.

The King of Tonga is expected to speak to the General Assembly, and the King of Morocco is rumoured to speak. However, this has yet to be confirmed as of publication.

The theme for this year’s General Assembly is “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies.”

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.