Photos and News of the Royals around the Globe
Yes Toot I have been watching this news I wonder if mummy will rescue Andrew?
apparently they were friends before he missed his payments.
The team watching Harry and Meghan in LA is believed to have been handpicked by Gavin de Becker, 65 a former security chief for President Ronald Reagan
Spains heir and spare.
Spains royal family
Felipe VI of Spain Queen Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano,
Princess Leonor Born 31st Oct 2005 and younger sister Princess Sofia Born 29th April 2007.
King of Ghana
Nana Akufo-Addo The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is Nana Akufo-Addo, who won the 2016 presidential election against the incumbent, John Dramani Mahama, by a margin of 9.45%.
He’s a state university president and an African king. How Millersville’s new leader is bridging those worlds https://www.inquirer.com/education/millersville-university-king-president-africa-ghana-20190802.html
One day last October, in a town in central Ghana, a land dispute dating back three generations was about to turn violent.
That same day, on another continent thousands of miles away, at a usually quiet state university campus in central Pennsylvania, another crisis was looming: Someone had drawn a swastika in the men’s room at the library.
Countess Mary who is a native of Sudan, is the wife of Ferdinand Leopold Joseph Count von Habsburg of Austria
https://thescoop.co/2018/12/23/scholarship-students-living-allowances-to-increase-next-year/
Scholarship students’ living allowances to increase next year, Sultan also calls for firm action to be taken against students who refuse to serve their bond.
HM the Sultan delivers a titah at the London Hilton on Park Lane, during a reception with 1,700 Bruneians living in the UK and Ireland, December
I wonder if we have here in Australia any students from Brunei reading this site?
https://www.australianforeignaffairs.com/afaweekly/asias-residual-royals
Asia-Pacific is home to a quarter of the world's 29 remaining monarchies.(ABC News: Jarrod Fankhauser)
2019 is set to be a big year for several monarchies in the region, including the abdication of the current Japanese emperor in April, in which his eldest son will take the Chrysanthemum Throne.
This will be followed by coronation of the King of Thailand, who will be formally crowned in a lavish three-day ceremony in May.
And in a shocking and unprecedented move, Malaysia's sultan Muhammad V abdicated earlier this week, which means that a new sultan will be elected within months.
Here is a snapshot of some of the monarchies in the Asia-Pacific region:
Bhutan
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is refered to as the 'Prince William of The Himalayas'.(Wikipedia)
Style: Constitutional (formerly absolute)
Monarch: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Established: 1907
Succession: Hereditary (males are preferred over females and if there is no suitable candidate, the king can choose his own heir.)
Fact: Bhutan's current king is the only monarch in the world who has ever given up power without any influence, pressure or expectation, but for the good of their country.
Bhutan's hereditary monarchy was established in 1907 following several hundred years of loosely connected regions that the reigning Wangchuck family played a significant role in running.
The small mountain-locked country of Bhutan is perhaps best known for its formal pursuit of happiness through its "Gross National Happiness" program. But at what cost is this achieved?
Since then, five kings have ascended the 'Golden Throne' and guided the relatively isolated country through several significant changes, including building ties with India and Britain, developing its highly lucrative tourism industry and the creation of its Gross National Happiness (GNH).
GNH is Bhutan's guiding philosophy for socio-economic development, environmental sustainability, good governance, plus strong health, cultural diversity and high living standards.
Current King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck shocked the country when he announced that he would be abandoning absolute monarchy in 2008 — but he retains significant influence and remains a highly popular figure.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is the second-longest serving monarch in the world still alive, only behind Queen Elizabeth II.(Reuters: Piroschka van de Wouw, file)
Style: Absolute
Monarch: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
Established: 1400s
Succession: Hereditary
Fact: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is one of the richest men in the world thanks to Brunei's abundance of oil and gas reserves. His personal wealth is valued at $US40 billion ($56 billion), according to Forbes.
This tiny country, sandwiched between the South China Sea and Malaysia, is one of the few absolute monarchies left in the world. Brunei does have a parliament, although elections haven't been held since 1962.
And with a long history of invasion and foreign control, now-independent Brunei's laws are a mix of English common law and strict Sharia law.
Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah sits with foreign dignitaries and guests during a royal banquet at Nurul Iman Palace in 2017.(Reuters: Ahim Rani, File)
Despite the country's strict Islam-based morality, the royal family is well known for its ostentatious spending, which includes living in one of the world's biggest palace, despite the country's population being just 436,733.
The sultan's brother, Prince Jefri, is commonly dubbed the "playboy" prince and reportedly owns a luxury yacht named "Tits".
Because of Brunei's natural resources, it ranks as the world's fifth richest nation and has one of the highest quality of living in the world.
Sultan Bolkiah celebrated his 50th anniversary on the throne in 2017, making him the seconding-longest reigning monarch in the world still living, behind only Queen Elizabeth II.
Cambodia King Norodom Sihamoni waves to crowds from his car during the day"
"https://www.abc.net.au/cm/rimage/10684344-4x3-xlarge.jpg?v=2" class="_1z778" sizes="100vw"
The king's role is ceremonial but he does in fact hold some power.(Reuters: Pring Samrang)
Style: Constitutional
Monarch: King Norodom Sihamoni
Established: 1st century AD
Succession: Elective
Fact: Cambodia followed in the footsteps of Thailand and in 2018 introduced majeste law, which makes it a crime to criticise or insult the king.
Cambodia's historic monarchy is well documented and has undergone several dramatic evolutions since it was established 2000 years ago.
This includes the names of its very first monarch, who was a woman — Queen Soma, who ruled alongside her husband, Kaundinya I.
How are the world's remaining monarchies enduring?
In a highly unusual move, the monarch's succession was moved to an elective model in 1993, one of just two in the world. The elected monarch, who holds the role for life, must be at least 30 years old and whose lineage can be traced to one of either two of Cambodia's historic royal houses, the house of Norodom or the house of Sisowatch.
The king's role is ceremonial but he does in fact hold some power, including appointing the prime minister and cabinet. He also has the power of commutation and pardon, and can appoint a limited number of members to the Senate and Constitutional Council.
In a highly embarrassing move, in 2011 WikiLeaks released hundreds of diplomatic cables from the US Embassy, some of which describe the monarchy as a "tragedy, comedy and melodrama all rolled into one that could have provided grist for at least a half dozen Shakespeare plays".
Style: Constitutional
Monarch: Emperor Akihito
Established: 660 BC
Succession: Hereditary (males only)
Fact: During World War II, Emperor Hirohito placed himself as the head of Japan's traditional religion, Shinto, which led to the development of an extremist cult that created the infamous kamikaze bombers.
Casting aside the trappings of palace life in order to marry a commoner definitely sounds romantic — but in reality, Japan's princesses don't have any other options.
Home to the world's oldest continuing monarchy, the Japanese imperial family are highly revered by the public and are the only monarchy that is still led by an emperor.
Historically, the emperor did wield some power, but never had complete authority and in 1947, the monarchy was formally stripped of any power and was instead shaped as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people".
The emperor and imperial family now play an important role in national ceremonies and traditions.
The imperial family are set for a momentous 2019 when Emperor Akihito voluntarily abdicates and his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, takes on the role.
Like parts of Japanese culture, the monarchy retains several archaic rules, including that only sons can succeed and that any female royal who marries a commoner must cede her title and royal income.
Style: Constitutional
Monarch: Sultan Muhammad V (abdicated January 2019)
Established: 1957
Succession: Elective
Fact: Sultan Muhammad V, who was only two years into his five-year term, abdicated in early January 2019, just weeks after it was widely reported that he had secretly married Russian Oksana Voevodina, a former Miss Moscow who has a degree in business, although neither the Malaysian Government nor palace has confirmed.
The king of this Asian country is not born to rule but elected instead. Although the current system was established in 1957, monarchies across some of Malaysia's 13 states and three federal territories date back to the 16th century.
Monarchs are elected to a five-year term by the rulers of nine of Malaysia's states, whom together form the Conference of Rulers. Only these nine rulers can stand for the kingship, and all must be male, Malay Muslims of royal origin; most of those nine states have hereditary rulers.
The king, also known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, has extensive powers through the constitution, although in reality those powers are in fact quite limited. He can choose the prime minister from those elected into parliament, although he cannot dismiss the prime minister.
His role also includes attending diplomatic functions and being the symbolic head of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
If the French nation had a Royal family today this gent would be their King.
Louis Alphonse de Bourbon
Legitimist pretender to the French throne
as Louis XX
Pretendence30 January 1989 – present.
Predecessor Alfonso, Duke of Cádiz
Heir apparent Louis, Duke of Burgundy
Gonzalve Victor Emmanuel Marc de Bourbon;[3][4][5] born 25 April 1974, in Madrid) is a member of the Royal House of Bourbon, and Legitimist pretender to the defunct French throne as Louis XX.
As the senior male heir of Hugh Capet by traditional male-line primogeniture, he is often recognised as the "Head of the House of Bourbon", and by Legitimist royalists as the rightful claimant to the French crown, being the senior agnatic descendant of King Louis XIV of France (ruled 1643–1715) through his grandson King Philip V of Spain.[6]
Louis Alphonse is patrilineally the senior great-grandson of King Alfonso XIII of Spain. However, his grandfather Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia, renounced his rights to the Spanish throne for himself and his descendants owing to his deafness (a renunciation disputed by legitimists). The crown of Spain has descended to his second cousin, King Felipe VI of Spain. Through his mother, he is also a great-grandson of Spain's caudillo (dictator), General Francisco Franco and through his father, a great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.[3]
HRH The Duke of Anjou
HRH The Duchess of Anjou
HRH The Duke of Burgundy
HRH The Duke of Berry
HRH The Duke of Touraine
HRH Princess Eugenie
HRH The Duchess of Aquitaine
https://www.francetoday.com/learn/history/after-marie-antoinette/
Mon dieu! The handsome 41-year-old is married to Venezuelan María Margarita Vargas Santaella, 31
If Austria still had a royal family this chap would be their Head.
Karl von Habsburg
Head of the House of Habsburg-LorraineArchduke Karl von Habsburg
Karl von HabsburgHead of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine
Tenure1 January 2007 – present
Predecessor Otto von Habsburg
Heir apparent Archduke Ferdinand Born (1961-01-11) 11 January 1961 (age 59)
Starnberg, Bavaria, West Germany
Spouse Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza (m. 1993)
Issue
Archduchess Eleonore
Archduke Ferdinand
Archduchess GloriaFull nameKarl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam
Father Otto, Crown Prince of Austria
MotherPrincess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen
Karl von Habsburg (Karl Thomas Robert Maria Franziskus Georg Bahnam; born 11 January 1961), also known as Karl of Austria and referred to by his ancestral titles as Archduke of Austria, Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia,[4] is an Austrian politician, the current head of the House of Habsburg respectively House of Habsburg-Lorraine, which used to rule the lands of the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy, the Empire of Austria, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and the Kingdom of Hungary as well as the Crown lands of Bohemia and Croatia by hereditary right until the end of World War I.
Karl von Habsburg is known as such in the English-speaking world, but in Hungary he is known as Habsburg Károly, in the Czech Republic as Karel Habsbursko-Lotrinský, in Croatia as Karlo Habsburško-Lotarinški, in Italy as Carlo d'Asburgo-Lorena, in Spain as Carlos de Habsburgo-Lorena and in France as Charles de Habsbourg-Lorraine.
Born in Starnberg, Germany, in 1961, he is the son of Archduke Otto von Habsburg, Crown Prince of Austria and Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen, and the grandson of the last Austro-Hungarian emperor, Charles I. He is head and sovereign of the Austrian Order of the Golden Fleece. Habsburg served as a Member of the European Parliament for the Austrian People's Party 1996–1999. He is known as an Pro-European and advocate for the Pan-European movement.
Karl von Habsburg has long been committed to protecting the world's cultural heritage from threats such as armed conflict and natural disasters. Habsburg vigorously advocates international humanitarian law, the right of peoples to self-determination and the protection of ethnic minorities worldwide. He has been President of the cultural protection organization Blue Shield International since 2008.
If Germany had a royal family this man would be their king.
Georg Friedrich Ferdinand Prinz von Preußen
(born 10 June 1976) is a German businessman who is the current head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern, the former ruling dynasty of the German Empire and of the Kingdom of Prussia.
He is the great-great-grandson and historic heir of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, who abdicated and went into exile upon Germany's defeat in World War I in 1918.
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Fergie are alleged to owe Isabelle de Rouvre £6.7million after she sold them her luxury Swiss ski chaletCredit: Rex Features
Isabelle de Rouvre sold the Yorks the huge seven-bedroom lodge for £18million in 2014 but she is now pursuing them through the courts, alleging they still owe her £6.7million.
An insider told US jet set mag Air Mail that the Queen will pay the debt herself — to avoid another scandal engulfing her son following the Jeffrey Epstein affair.