[Denmark] Happy (1st) birthday to Prince Vincent & Princess Josephine!

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[UK][VIDEO] The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2011

Queen Elizabeth addresses the highlights (the good and the bad) in the world, spec. the Commonwealth and in her family (re: Zara & William's weddings).

King Jigme of Bhutan proposed to his wife when she was... 7 years old!

The royal couple apparently met when aged seventeen and seven respectively at a family picnic in Thimphu.

The then-prince got down on his knees and said "when you grow up, if I am single and not married and if you are single and not married, I would like you to be my wife, provided we still feel the same," he told students in August of the current year.

Read more at the source

[Bhutan] King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck marries beautiful 21-year-old student Jetsun Pema

At exactly 8.20am – a time ordained by astrologers – the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan proceeded up the steps of the country's most sacred monastic fortress in the ancient capital Punakha on the way to greet his bride.

Monks chanted in celebration as King Jigme Khesar Namguyal Wangchuk, 31, placed an embroidered silk brocade crown on her head, making her the new queen of this tiny Himalayan nation.

Thousands came down from the surrounding mountains to celebrate his wedding to pilot's daughter Jetsun Pema with three days of dancing.

The focus of the festivities was the ancient capital of Punakha, where in 2008, he was installed in some splendour on a golden throne.

But make no mistake, despite his elaborate floral robe and royal sash, this union is not merely the traditional match that it seems.

Oxford-educated, with slicked-back hair and matinee idol looks, the king has forged his own path ever since his revered father Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated in his favour, under plans to usher in democracy and a constitutional monarchy.

He often invites ordinary folk around for tea and mingles freely with them at public functions much to the exasperation of his security team.

And unlike the elder Wangchuk, who wed four sisters in a polygamous ceremony, the "prince charming of the Himalayas", as he is affectionately called, is marrying for love.

He and his 21-year-old bride lived together for eight months before the nuptials.

Her husband's subjects know little about Jetsun. However, her dazzling looks and CV – she studied in London and is pursuing a degree in international relations – would seem to make her a worthy addition to the royal family.

And locals have noted her effect on their monarch. He holds her hand in public and talks openly of his love for her.

Watching the dancing in their honour, one villager, named Pema Gyeltshen, summed up the nation's joy, saying: "I have longed for this celebration, and here it is."

So quite clearly had his sovereign. When one well-wisher asked how it felt to be married, the groom said: "Are you married yourself?"

Learning that she wasn't, he responded: "It's great; you should try it yourself."

hellomagazine

[Monaco] The civil royal wedding that turned Charlene into a princess

A simple sentence quietly but firmly uttered, ushered in a new era in Monaco and changed the life of a young South African woman forever. Just after 5.30pm the reigning Grimaldi family's registrar said: "I now pronounce you man and wife".

With that time-honoured phrase, spoken in French to Prince Albert and his bride in the red silk damask-draped Throne Room of the royal palace in Monte Carlo, 33-year-old Charlene Wittstock became the newest member of a clan that has ruled the glittering principality since 1297.

The statuesque blonde, a former Olympic swimmer, wed her beloved prince - the man she met, aged 22, and whom she recognised immediately as 'The One' - on Friday during a touching civil ceremony.

It all took place in the very same room in which the groom's parents Princess Grace and Prince Rainier III wed on April 18, 1956.

No one could fail to notice the parallels with their union. Then too, an exquisitely attired bride, capped off her smart suit with a halo of flaxen hair.

The start of a new chapter

And Albert's actress mother was also closing one chapter of her life, leaving behind Hollywood and America for a new start far away in a European court.

Essential aspects of the script were different, though. Grace's story was hailed as a fairytale.

Saying 'oui, je veux', while their friends and family looked on, Charlene might have been tempted to reflect on the unkind rumours and sniping directed at her, if that was her way. Those who know her say it isn't.

The road which led her to the sumptuosly-decorated Throne Room - where for centuries the principality's rulers have taken their sacred oaths - has been a long one.

And the resilient African, who is described by the prince's journalist friend Stephan Bern as having "nerves of steel" hasn't faltered under the weight of expectation upon her any more than she did during her gold-medal-winning sporting career.

Another friend, Albert's Olympian colleague Mark Thomas notes: "She has handled the pressures of the relationship with dignity." No mean feat for someone following such a beguiling precedessor.

This ceremony - during which she became Her Serene Highness, Princess Charlene of Monaco - is seen as a new start for the people of the principality, who are hoping the marriage heralds stability after centuries of ill-fated royal unions.

Then, there is Albert's past as one of most sought-after prizes on the royal marriage market – and the scrunity she faces as the women who finally got him to settle down.

All that was far from her, mind, however on Friday. Charlene looked radiantly happy, the smile never left her face. Though she did look a little shy when saying her vows in French – a language she has been making an effort to learn in the time since she arrived in Monaco.

Charlene's joy

While she was no doubt saving her most spectacular outfit for Saturday's religious ceremony, the glam blonde still looked gorgeous in a sky blue suit. Her hair was pulled back into an elegant chignon.

Albert looked deeply moved during the ceremony - the first princely wedding to take place in Monaco in the last 55 years - while his bride was beaming.

He even winked at her several times, and at one point leant over and took her hand and placed a tender kiss on it.

During the ceremony, the doors of the room were left open, symbolising the union of the couple in the presence of the public.

Just 80 guests were present – among them Charlene's parents Michael and Lynette. Also sharing in the joyous occasion were Albert's sisters Caroline and Stephanie, whose eyes misted over.

And fashion designer Isabell Kristensen and Donatella Knecht de Massy, Albert’s cousin – both of whom planned Charlene's New York hen party.

Thousands more were watching the historic moment unfold on giant screens in the Palace Square.

Conducting the civil service - in English, French and the local Monegasque dialect - was Mr Philippe Narmito, President of the State Council.

"This is the marriage that counts"

"In the eyes of the people, it is this marriage that counts," said the president ahead of the ceremony. Upon their arrival, he spoke - first in English, then in French - of the joining of Monaco and South Africa by the union.

"Charlene, you are marrying not only a prince, but a counry as well," he told the pretty South African.

He asked for the free consent of the couple, asking them if they wished to take each other as husband and wife.

And when Charlene uttered the phrase, je veux, there were jubilant cheers from those watching outside, and the flags of both nations fluttered from every corner of the square.

Then they were declared man and wife.

And then there was time for another kiss before the newlyweds signed the marriage register with a pen especially created for the occasion by Montblanc. Adorned with precious stones, the unique piece also featured their official monogram.

With their union sealed, Albert took his new wife's hand and led her out of the Throne Room and off to begin her new life.

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Royal Weddings Calendar 2011

2011 is the Royal Wedding Year. If you feel that you do not know who is marrying who where, little recap post to help you (and myself) out.

1. April 29th: Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton - London, England
2. June 18th: Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Alexander Johannsmann - Berleburg, Germany
3. July 1st & 2nd: Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock - Monaco
4. July 30th: Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall - Edinburgh, Scotland
5. August 27th: Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia (House of Hohenzollern) and Princess Sophie von Isenburg - Potsdam, Germany
6. October: King Jigme Khesar of Bhutan and Jetsun Pema - Thimphu, Bhutan

Want to watch the Royal Wedding in 8 minutes?

If the music sounds familiar to you, 

I think I have heard it before on the movie Love Actually's soundtrack.

[The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Wedding] The wedding service

[Denmark] Crown Princess Mary and husband CP Frederik take the twins home

What a beautiful new double addiction to the family. Is it just me or is Princess Mary REALLY glowing naturally? Congrats to the happy parents. And now they are six...

[Denmark] Crown Prince Frederik gives us more details on newborn twins

Crown Princess Mary gave birth to two healthy children this morning at Rigshospitalet.

The first child delivered, a son, was born at 10:30 weighing 2674 grams and measuring 47 centimeters.

The second child, a girl, was delivered 26 minutes later weighing 2554 grams and measuring 46 centimetres. Both reportedly have dark hair.

While the kingdom has been left guessing about the genders since it was announced in August that the Australian-born Mary, 38, was expecting twins, the closest members of the royal family were aware of their genders, according the crown prince.

No names have been mentioned for the twins yet, but Frederik, 42, noting that today is also Elvis Presley’s birthday, joked “we can call one of them Elvis for now”.

The twins are the third and fourth children for the royal couple. Their first, Prince Christian, was born in 2005 and is second in line to the throne after his father. Princess Isabella was born in 2007 and is third in line.

As is the case with most multiple births, mother, father and the two newborns will remain in the hospital for up to seven days.

from The Copenhagen Post Online

Flash news: Denmark's princess gives birth to twins

Danish media say Denmark's Crown Princess Mary has given birth to twins. National news agency Ritzau says the 38-year-old princess, who was admitted to the Rigshospitalet hospital in Copenhagen early Saturday, has given birth to a boy and a girl.
Tasmanian-born Mary married Crown Prince Frederik in 2004. The couple already have two children, 5-year-old Christian and 3-year-old Isabella.
There was no immediate confirmation from the royal palace.

from the Washington Post