The year 2020 will go down in history as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the changes that came with it. Nevertheless, there were some happy and interesting moments that made the year for me. Here is my top five:
Luxembourg’s royal baby
The birth of the first child of the Hereditary Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg was quite a momentous affair as this child would follow in their father’s footsteps no matter what gender. It turned out to be a healthy baby boy named Charles. The beaming couple left the hospital soon after the birth and have been proudly sharing photos of Prince Charles ever since. How can you go wrong with chubby cheeks?
Belgium gains a Princess
It’s not often that a country gains a fully-grown Princess. The former Delphine Boël fought to be recognised as King Albert II’s daughter from a relationship with Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps and won her battle earlier this year. Delphine received the title of Princess of Belgium and the style of Her Royal Highness, which also extends to her son and daughter. However, they will not be included in the line of succession. Her new official name will be Delphine of Saxe-Coburg (van Saksen-Coburg). The new Princess Delphine had the first meeting with her half-brother King Philippe before meeting with her father and his wife a little while later.
Royals gather in Jerusalem to celebrate the liberation of Auschwitz
In what would prove to be one of the last major gatherings of royals before the outbreak of the pandemic, several European royals attended a ceremony in Israel to commemorate that the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The ceremony was held at the Holocaust Memorial Centre Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. The British Royal Family was represented by Prince Charles while King Felipe of Spain, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands, King Philippe of Belgium, and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway also attended the event.
A surprise wedding
After having to cancel her original wedding plans due to the pandemic, Princess Beatrice decided to surprise us all with a private wedding in July. An even bigger surprise was her wedding dress – which was loaned to Beatrice by The Queen, and she had worn the gown to the premiere of Lawrence of Arabia in London in 1962. Much of the wedding ceremony remained a secret except for a few photos that were released of the beaming couple and Princess Beatrice’s grandparents, Her Majesty The Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The happy occasion cheered up royal fans all around the world.
Princess Gabriella imitates her father
Monaco’s ruler Prince Albert II had quite a difficult year after being diagnosed with COVID-19. Luckily he recovered and he had the help of his family around him. No doubt he found comfort in his wife and children. Princess Gabriella was seen joking around behind her serious-looking father in photos shared to Instagram by her mother Princess Charlene, and I bet she managed to bring a smile to everyone’s face that day. The following photos from Christmas showed that Prince Albert had no trouble acting silly either!
