THE MONARCHIST INITIATIVE

MONARCHY FOR SERBIA

2011-01-04T21:35:00.004+01:00

Danas, 31 December 2010

by Prince Alexander Karageorgevitch

"I firmly believe in the benefits of Constitutional Monarchy in Serbia. We need stability, unity and continuity.

Arguments in favor of that can be seen everywhere. Look around you, and if you were hoping and fighting for that, then you are a happy person, and I congratulate you on that! But, look again, and see how many other people feel the same way! I am afraid that you won’t see much of them. If you believe that Republic is cheaper than Constitutional Monarchy, make another calculation. If you believe that a citizen makes a greater influence in a Republic than in a Constitutional Parliamentary Monarchy, reconsider what polity is present in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Spain, Japan, Australia, Canada, New Zealand …"

HRH Crown Prince Alexander II of Serbia

MONARCHIES - THE MOST DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD!

2010-12-14T00:58:00.007+01:00

The Democracy Index is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit examining the state of democracy in 167 countries, focusing on five general categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation and political culture. The countries are categorized into "Full Democracies", "Flawed Democracies", "Hybrid Regimes" (all considered democracies), and "Authoritarian Regimes" (considered dictatorial).

SEVEN OUT OF THE FIRST TEN COUNTRIES ARE CONSTITUTIONAL PARLIAMENTARY MONARCHIES!

Democracy Index 2010
Rank	Country	Overall score	Electoral process and pluralism	Functioning of government	Political participation	Political culture	Civil liberties
	Norway	9.80	10.00	9.64	10.00	9.38	10.00
	Iceland	9.65	10.00	9.64	8.89	10.00	9.71
	Denmark	9.52	10.00	9.64	8.89	9.38	9.71
	Sweden	9.50	9.58	9.64	8.89	9.38	10.00
	New Zealand	9.26	10.00	9.29	8.89	8.13	10.00
	Australia	9.22	10.00	8.93	7.78	9.38	10.00
	Finland	9.19	10.00	9.64	7.22	9.38	9.71
	Switzerland	9.09	9.58	9.29	7.78	9.38	9.41
	Canada	9.08	9.58	9.29	7.78	8.75	10.00
	Netherlands	8.99	9.58	8.93	8.89	8.13	9.41

Serbia takes the 65th position in the list.

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2010

2010-12-13T23:10:00.000+01:00

Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja attended the 10 December ceremony to mark the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo.

Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. Liu Xiaobo is currently in confinement in China and was unable to accept the award in person. Nor were any of his close relatives able to be present to receive the award on his behalf. The laureate was therefore represented by an empty chair on the dais.

Singer Marita Kvarving Søberg opened the ceremony with an interpretation of “Solveig’s Song” by Edvard Grieg, accompanied by pianist Håvard Gimse.

In his speech, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjørn Jagland explained why the committee decided to award the prize to Liu Xiaobo this year:

„Your Majesties, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace. Such rights are a prerequisite for the "fraternity between nations" of which Alfred Nobel wrote in his will.“

Mr Jagland concluded his speech with a symbolic presentation of the award by placing the Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma on the empty chair which Liu Xiaobo would have occupied.

Mr Jagland’s speech was followed by a performance by Chinese-American violinist Lynn Chang.

Actress Liv Ullmann read the speech Liu Xiaobo gave in his defence at his trial on 23 September 2009 – “I Have No Enemies”. Two days after the trial he was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The ceremony concluded with traditional Norwegian songs sung by the children’s choir of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet.

On the evening of 10 December, King Harald and Queen Sonja attended the traditional Nobel Banquet at the Grand Hotel in Oslo in honour of the laureate. Their Majesties also attended the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert held at Oslo Spektrum on 11 December.

CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY IS AN AVENUE TO SERBIA'S RECOVERY

2010-10-29T22:22:00.003+02:00

Does Serbia have an “ace up its sleeve”? Serbia might need to turn to another avenue that they have to recover from the financial crisis and enter the European Union sooner- Constitutional Monarchy. Certainly the return of constitutional monarchy after almost 70 years would attract media attention and without a doubt erase Serbia’s image of war and replace with a more elegant picture. And what about the European Union? Let’s not forget that almost half of the initial participant countries in the European Union were Constitutional Monarchies. One quarter of European countries are constitutional monarchies today, out of 27 countries in the European Union, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom are.

Do constitutional monarchies lead to better lives? In fact 5 out of 10 richest countries in Europe are Constitutional Monarchies. According to reports, Luxembourg is the richest country in Europe. It possesses the highest GDP of $ 81,730 per capita when measured on purchasing power parity followed by Norway: Norwegians enjoy the second highest GDP per capita (PPP) in Europe having $ 55,198. The Netherlands has the 16th largest economy in the world, and ranks 10th in GDP (nominal) per capita; GDP (purchasing power parity) of Netherlands is $ 40,433. Denmark is the eight richest countries in Europe with GDP (PPP) $ 38,207 per capita and Sweden is ninth richest country of Europe having $ 37,525 GDP (Purchasing power parity) per capita.

Forbes ranked the best countries to live in 2008 and the list again shows the constitutional monarchy countries of Norway, ranked No. 1, scoring 82% while Sweden was not far behind posting a score of 81.4%. Other monarch countries in the top 10 include New Zealand (79%), Denmark (75%) and the Netherlands (74%).

Why Constitutional Monarchy? Why Tradition? Is there an advantage to have a head that has no political affiliations? Who is there to provide unity, continuity and peace? Does monarchy help with lowering corruption? The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). The 12 out of the top 20 which had scores above 7.5 are monarchies and include Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada, Netherlands, Barbados, Australia, Norway, Luxembourg, Japan, Qatar and the United Kingdom. Serbia ranked 78th with a score of 3.5. These monarchies in Europe are Constitutional Monarchies provide unity, continuity and peace not political interference.

Will having Constitutional Monarchy in Serbia influence the European Union? Certainly it could not hurt. Does it mean anything that the European Union is located in a country that has a Constitutional Monarchy? In fact, there is no doubt that the image of monarchy creates money. Overseas tourists flocking to sites linked to the British royals is generating around 500 million pounds a year, reveals research from VisitBritain.

A United Nations 2009 human development report ranking 187 countries shows that 6 out of the top ten are monarchies. Norway, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Sweden, Japan. Actually, if you look at the Annual report on the Quality of Life in different countries, you will notice that more than half of the countries in the first 10 are Monarchies (UK, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, etc.).So believe it or not, life could actually better under Constitutional Monarchies.
“A symbol is a concretization. Every human being, even the most depraved of the moderns, needs something tangible, something to point to and say to themselves and others: "This is what I believe," or "this is what I am.”

So what’s the negative? Will Serbia accept more charitable contributions, more possibilities to enter the European Union, an elegant image, gracious hosts, business people from all over the world gracing the steps of the Palaces, and promotion of Serbia throughout the world? Many Serbs support this notion, and other Serbs relish on all the benefits it brings. “There will be only good benefits, and I don’t see that there will be any more strain on the country.” said Jelena Tasic a student in Belgrade.

But would Crown Prince Alexander continue to commit to dedicating his life to Serbia with the endless hours of work associated? The answer is yes; even with all of this he'd be happy to take the throne. A typical day for the Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine range from the charitable to investor promotion to international public relations for Serbia. Crown Prince Alexander is bringing investors, educational scholarships, and important VIP’s from all over the world each and every month. Crown Princess Katherine has saved many lives, provided millions in aid and support. The couple continually travels throughout the world meeting heads of states, top business people and the media for their quest to help Serbia and the Serbian people. All this attributes to tens of millions a year in support for Serbia. There is even a Monarchy for Serbia group that has reared up recently in the country with tens of thousands of members.

The bottom line is that Kingdom of Serbia seems to make good business sense

SPANISH NATIONAL DAY PARADE

2010-10-20T22:17:00.004+02:00

Spanish air force planes and helicopters flew in formation across Madrid for the annual Oct. 12 national holiday, this year marked by cutbacks.

Thousands of people lined the sidewalks to watch Tuesday's military procession of troops and tanks held to celebrate Hispanic Day. It commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World and is also armed forces day.

Some 3,000 Spanish soldiers took part in the parade presided over by TM King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia down the city's Paseo de la Castellana - 1,000 fewer than last year.

Spain's economic crisis over the past two years has seen the parade reduced in size by some 20 percent. Air force jets flying overhead spewed out plumes of red and yellow smoke in the shape of the Spanish flag.

HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF SWEDEN HANDED OVER THE 2010 POLAR MUSIC PRIZES

2010-09-05T21:59:00.002+02:00

Icelandic rock star Bjork and Italian composer Ennio Morricone have received the 2010 Polar Music Prize from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf. The musicians accepted their awards at a glitzy ceremony in Stockholm Concert Hall last Monday. Each award is worth 1 million kronor ($136,000).

Bjork said she was honored to receive the prize and that it tickled her vanity to be mentioned together with previous laureates such as rock band Pink Floyd and singer Joni Mitchell.

The Polar Music Prize is typically shared each year by a pop artist and a classical musician. It was founded by the manager of Sweden's legendary pop group ABBA, Stig Anderson, in 1989. Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel attended the awards ceremony as well.

Arguments for the Kingdom of Serbia (10)

2010-04-04T20:20:00.002+02:00

28 March 2010

INTERVIEW WITH Mr MATIJA BEĆKOVIĆ, MEMBER OF THE CROWN COUNCIL OF SERBIA

Some say the idea of monarchy has not yet been presented in a proper way to the Serbs, while others consider it to be outdated. Is there any blame on the side of the Crown Council for either of that?

Serbia had been a kingdom for „only“ eight centuries, which obviously wasn’t enough for the idea of monarchy to be properly presented and rooted more deeply. With the republic, however, it is the other way round. And it is no wonder, when we know that the kingdom was founded by Nemanja and Saint Sava, and the republic was founded by Josip Broz Tito. Tito is Stefan Nemanja of the Republic of Serbia. When Serbia became a kingdom, it was one of the most important dates in her history, and many studies have been written about it. None have been written about how it ceased to be a kingdom and lost her crown, as if it never had anything, or lost anything. And Serbia didn’t lose just the crown, it lost her head as well.

Today’s Serbia is a perfect example of what a country that had never been a republic looks like trying to be one. It is a republic which celebrates and praises only what was achieved while it was a kingdom. The biggest problem is that we have our own dynasty. If only the Duchess of Cornwall, if not Prince Charles himself, or Prince Albert of Monaco, or at least Carla Bruni or David Copperfield were pretenders to the Serbian throne, the nation would pull itself together overnight!

Kingdom of Morocco and EU deepen bilateral cooperation

2010-03-11T22:52:00.003+01:00

HM King Mohammed VI has sent a message to the EU-Morocco Summit held on March 7 in Granada, Spain. In his message the King reaffirms his country’s pro-European commitment and advocates moving towards „an exceptional association“. The sovereign is pleased about the advanced Statute agreed on with the EU but says that it is necessary to move towards an exceptional association „of legal, institutional and contractual scope“.“That prototype for increasing closeness between the two parties would further be positively reflected on a regional scale,“ the Moroccan King pointed out.

In his message he reaffirms his country’s wish to make progress with reforms inspired by its association with the EU and mentions the fields in which the social economic and human relationship can be developed. With regard to the economy he refers to the possibilities offered by renewable sources of energy and advocates close cooperation.

His Majesty did not omit to mention „that it augurs well that the EU-Morocco Summit, the first of its kind, is being held in the historic city of Granada, a symbol and witness of the historical cultural and human symbtegrity.”

Morocco-EU Summit which was held in Granada (south of Spain) is the first Summit of the EU with a non-member country following the Lisbon treaty’s approval. Morocco also is the first first Arab country to get an Advanced Statute within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and the new European Neighborhood Policy.

HRH Crown Prince Alexander on "One on One"

2010-01-18T09:00:00.005+01:00

CONTINUITY AND NO ARGUMENT

Interview of HRH Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia with Riz Khan
for One on One,
2 January 2010

Is there something that you see as a specific benefit that the country would get from restoring monarchy?

Absolutely! I think you have a cutting out a person who would be a member of a political party, a president of a political party and replacing him with a person who’s neutral, not a member of any party, not a president of a party and a meeting point and a point of continuity. This is no disrespect to a current president – who may be become a prime minister – we’d have the same politicians as we have now, but we’d have minus one. So, they’d have continuity and no argument.

What do you feel was the biggest risk trying to go home before 2001?

Games, incredible games of the intelligence service. Inventions, the media were state controlled; there was a small independent media who were working very hard, they were beaten up by the state, and the state media would invent all sort of stories that I never did or my family never did, and in fact, it worked against them, eventually. But it was very annoying, I must admit.

Read the transcript at
CONTINUITY AND NO ARGUMENT

2,000 MEMBERS ON FACEBOOK!

2009-11-08T21:07:00.002+01:00

Ladies and gentlemen,
brothers and sisters,
dear friends,

Our Facebook group now has over 2,000 members! Thank you very much for supporting us and please do keep promoting constitutional parliamentary monarchy as a superior form of government.

With faith in God, for King and country!

Gavrilo Došen
Chairman of The Monarchist Initiative

Democracy or monarchy?

2009-09-28T10:00:00.002+02:00

Dr Hans-Herman Hoppe is an Austrian school economist and libertarian/anarcho-capitalist philosopher, Distinguished Fellow with the Ludwig von Mises Institute, founder and president of The Property and Freedom Society, and editor-at-large of the Journal of Libertarian Studies. He taught economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and at John Hopkins University in Bologna.

Lew Rockwell: Dr. Hoppe, tell us a little bit about democracy and monarchy?

Hans-Hermann Hoppe: The first point that needs to be made is that states, whether monarchical or democratic, are not firms. They do not produce anything that is sold in the market and receive payment for the goods that are produced, but they live off taxes which are course of payment made to them. So, I will neither advocate monarchies, nor am I advocate of democracies, but if one has to choose between two evils, monarchical state and democratic state, then monarchies have certain advantages. The reason is that kings were generally perceived by the public for what they are, that is, privileged individuals who could tax their subjects, and because everybody knew „I cannot become a king“, there was resistance against attempts on the part of kings to increase taxes into increased exploitation of their subjects.

Under democracy, the illusion rises that we all rule ourselves, even though it should be perfectly clear, of course, that also under a democracy there exist rulers and people who are ruled, but, because of the fact that everybody can potentially become a public employee, the illusion of „we rule ourselves“ arises, and this then leads to reduction of the resistance that existed vis-à-vis kings when it came to attempt of increasing tax revenue.

But there is an even more important disadvantage of democracy as compared to monarchy. One can imagine a king to be person who regards a country as his private property and the people living in his country as his tenants who pay some sort of rent to the king. On the other hand, if we have democratic politicians, they do not own the country as a king does, they are temporary caretakers of the country for four years, eight years and so forth, and the role of an owner versus a role of a caretaker is very, very different. One can imagine, for instance, that I make somebody owner of the house, so that he can sell the house in the market, that he can determine who will be his successor, who will be his heir, and, on the other hand, I give a house, the same kind, to somebody and make him for four years the caretaker of this house. That is, he can not sell the house, he can not determine who will be the heir, but he can make as much income out of using the house for a temporary period of time. And this will imply that temporary caretaker will use up the capital value embodied in the country in as fast time as possible, because, after all, he does not have to bear the cost of capital consumption, after all, the house is not his. Whereas a king, being the owner of the house, has a longer-term perspective, he will not want to use up the value embodied in the house as quickly as possible, after all, that would be reflected in a lower price of the house or of the country, and it would be reflected, of course, in the lower value of property being passed on to the next generation. So, a king has a long-run perspective, wants to preserve, and possibly, enhance the value of the country, whereas a democratic politician has a short-run orientation and wants to maximize his income as quickly as possible at the expense of losses in capital value.

Lew Rockwell: One of the points that you made in your book, Democracy: God that failed, that most impressed me, was the difference in wars waged under monarchs and under democracies, that there’s a reason why monarchical wars tended to be, what Mises described as “soldiers of wars”, whereas the democratic wars involved mass murders of civilians on a scale, of course, never before seen in human history.

Hans-Hermann Hoppe: And that began with something to do with the fact that monarchs considered countries as their property, and the reason for going to war, were typically, property disputes. Do I own this castle or somebody else owns this castle? Do I own this province or does somebody else? The objective was always limited, whereas democratic wars tend to be ideological wars. You want to liberate a country, you want to convert them to a different ideology and it is difficult to determine when you have actually achieved this goal. The only sure way to determine it is to kill the entire population of the country that you tried to invade or occupy, whereas a monarch, of course, would never have this interest, after all, he wants to add a certain province, a certain town, a certain castle to his own private estate, and wants to cause as little damage as possible. So, for monarchs, it was easy to begin a war, but it was always also very easy to determine when the objective had been reached, and the war came to an end. There was never any ideological motivation why different kings went to war against each other, whereas under democracies, in civil or religious wars, it is a clash of civilizations, a clash of value systems, and that makes it almost impossible to ever come to an end in wars and, in addition, kings’ wars were considered to be king’s by the public. Kings had to rely, by and large, on volunteers fighting their wars, whereas under democracies the entire country goes to war and all the resources of the entire country than can be dedicated to the war, and typically, with democracy, came also the draft. In the US nowadays we do not have a draft, but the typical situation for democracies is of course, that we do have a draft, people can be drawn into a war and forced into a war with the argument that “now you have a stake in the war, under democracy, now that you have a stake in the state, you must also fight the wars of the state", whereas under monarchy people did not have a stake in the state, it was considered to be the king’s affair, the public was entirely different entity from the state, and because of that their involvement in the war was very limited.

Lew Rockwell: The late Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, whom we both had the honor of knowing, used to point out that one of the things he liked about monarchical government was that there was much less nationalism, which is a feature of the 20th century and the 21st century, and that nobody thought there was anything wrong with, say, a German nobleman going into the employ of the Tsarina of Russia, nor people fighting on various sides were considered „traitors“. Of course, with the rise of democracy, we had the rise of this belligerent and unfortunate philosophy of nationalism.

Hans-Hermann Hoppe: The high aristocracy is, so to speak, the most international group of people. Almost all high noblemen are intermarried, interrelated with noblemen in other countries. The German Kaiser was related to the British rulers and to the Russian rulers, Kuehnelt-Leddihn even pointed out that all ruling houses in Europe were also related in some indirect way to Muhammad, through Islamic countries, and because those were family feuds, so to speak, feeling of nationalism was something impossible for them to arise, because they themselves were the most international class of people around, so nationalistic feelings were entirely strange and unusual for a class such as that.

DEMOCRACY: THE GOD THAT FAILED

Princesses open Museum “M” in Leuven

2009-09-24T12:06:00.003+02:00

HRH Princess Mathilde of Belgium and HRH Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, officially opened the new Museum M last Sunday, the renovated city museum of Leuven, one of the oldest cities in the Low Countries, which hosts one of the oldest universities of Europe. The Princesses took the time to talk to the people who had turned up to greet them. As usual when they are together, they seemed to have a lot of fun while cutting the ribbon to declare the museum opened.

The museum currently hosts a collection of the Flemish Primitive artist Rogier Van der Weyden, one of the most important painters of the Medieval Low Countries.

Most popular royal summer photos

2009-09-19T14:37:00.002+02:00

According to the Roal Forums members poll

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her fiance Daniel Westling during Victoria's 32nd birthday celebrations on July 14, 2009 in Borgholm, Sweden. The royal wedding will take place at Stockholm’s Storkyrkan on June 19, 2010. The couple in choosing this date is following royal tradition. Crown Princess Victoria’s parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia were married June 19, 1976, on the same date in 1823 Crown Prince Oskar (later to become King Oskar I), wed Josefina of Leuchtenberg, and Crown Prince Karl (King Karl XV) married Princess Louise of the Netherland also on June 19, 1850.

Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she is shown an orphaned cygnet during a swan upping census, the ancient ritual of her swans being counted, on the River Thames, July 20, 2009. Traditionally, the Monarch of the United Kingdom owns all unmarked mute swans, which dates from the 12th century, when swans were a common food source for royalty. This year Her Majesty, as "Seigneur of the Swans," attended the Swan Upping ceremony for the first time in her reign, and the first time that a monarch has watched the ceremony in centuries.

Belgium's Crown Prince Philippe and his wife Crown Princess Mathilde talk while Queen Fabiola holds up an apple after the traditional military parade on National Day in front of the Royal Palace in Brussels July 21, 2009. The widow of King Baudouin showed humour by mocking her would-be assassins, who had written in anonymous letters to newspapers she would be killed with a cross bow during the national day celebrations. ‘Here is an apple’, the queen seemed to say, ‘so, where are you William Tell?"

Belgian and Swedish Royals Open „It’s our Earth 2“ Exhibition

2009-09-11T16:36:00.003+02:00

TRH Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde of Belgium and HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden officially opened the exhibition “It’s our Earth 2. From Kyoto to Copenhagen” at Tour & Taxis in Brussels on Wednesday. This is the new edition of the exhibition “It’s our Earth”, which focused on sustainable energy and development. Because of the great demand, the original exhibition was reopened, under the new name and with new emphasis on the influence of the human presence on the Earth, biodiversity, global warming and other contemporary issues.

The royals want to show their support for the efforts that are being undertaken to make people conscious of the need to change their habits, to counter global warming, climate change, and everything entailed in it.

In the afternoon, Prince Philippe and Princess Victoria attended the conference “Climate and Jobs – The EU’s Global Agenda”. The conference was organized by Sweden, who is currently presiding over the Council of the European Union.

HRH Crown Prince Haakon in Afghanistan

2009-09-04T10:00:00.001+02:00

Norway's Crown Prince Haakon got a chance last week to see for himself how his country's troops are faring in Afghanistan.

Hearing from the men how their efforts are helping rebuild the nation, his trip took him from Kabul to Maymenah and Faryab, and then back to Kabul.

"It was nice for me to come down here and see with my own eyes what the situation is for the Norwegian armed forces in this country," said the 36-year-old royal. "I am impressed by the Norwegian force contribution and I have learned a lot."

As a trained officer himself, Haakon can no doubt appreciate what his countrymen are going through. He served in the Royal Norwegian Navy undertaking his first-level officer's education at the Norwegian Naval Academy, followed by a year aboard missile torpedo boats and other vessels.

And he's not the first Europian heir to the throne to visit troops in the country. At the end of last year Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik spent time on bases in Helmand province, and this April Crown Prince Willem Alexander of the Netherlands visited the Dutch troops stationed in the Afghan province of Uruzgan.

95th Anniversary of the Battle of Cer

2009-08-14T16:00:00.002+02:00

The Battle of Cer, one of the first battles of World War I, was was waged in the area of Mt. Cer from 16 to 20 August 1914. The battle between the Austro-Hungarian Army and Serbian forces under the supreme command of HRH Prince Regent Alexander Karadjordjevic marked the first Allied victory in the war.

King and Queen of Spain inaugurate Largest Telescope in the World

2009-07-27T13:15:00.003+02:00

On Friday, July 24, TM King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia of Spain officially inaugurated the GTC (Gran Telescopio Canarias) or Grantecan, which is consider the most powerful and advanced telescope in the world.

The new “Crown Jewel” is situated at 2,400 meters above sea-level, in one of the top astronomical sites in the Northern Hemisphere: Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (RMO), on La Palma Island, a declared World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and a place where Jose Miguel Rodriguez Espinosa, director of GCT, said it is an “ideal observation point, because it is scarcely populated and scarcely illuminated.”

On June 2, 2000, His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias, a well-known astronomy fan, laid the foundation stone of the GTC, and on July 2007 he also attended the “firs observation” of the new telescope.

“With this Observatory, Canaries and its peoples have demonstrated that this land, beyond its enviable tourist offer, offers undoubted possibilities for the development of new initiatives with the join of the rest of Spain”, said King Juan Carlos during the official inauguration.

Queen Margrethe II designed costumes and scenography for „The Swineherd“

2009-07-23T14:30:00.001+02:00

Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark attended a press conference at the Pantomime Theatre in the Tivoli amusement park on July 15th, to discuss the costumes and scenography she designed for the ballet „The Swineherd“.

Queen Margrethe said that she took inspiration from royal caricatures when designing the costumes. Using colours like acid green, pink and purple, Margrethe told how she was inspired ”rather more from outsiders’ comments about my world than from my own.”

The Queen also told how as a young school-girl, she played the prince in her school theatre’s version of „The Swineherd“. “For the one thing I certainly would not be was the pink princess,” Margrethe II said with a big grin. She also told how important the works of Hans Christian Andersen are to her, reading several to her two eldest grandchildren, Princes Nikolai and Felix.

This ballet is the fourth Pantomime Theatre performance since 2001 that Queen Margrethe has been the scenographer for. The ballet features dancers from Denmark, neighbouring Norway and Finland, Spain and Portugal, France, England and the United States. It had its first show at Tivoli on July 16th, and will run until September 20th.

„The Swineherd“ is a fairytale written by the famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story revolves around a poor prince who dresses as a swineherd to woo the Emperor’s daughter.

100th Anniversary of Birth of Milena Pavlović-Barilli

2009-07-20T13:00:00.000+02:00

Retrospective exhibition of the works of Milena Pavlović-Barilli entitled „By the Trail of the Stars“, was opened last Friday at the Gallery of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), thus commencing marking the Centennial of birth of the most prominent Serbian artist.

We Should Restore Monarchy in the USA!

2009-07-17T19:00:00.000+02:00

by Stephan Kinsella July 2, 2009

The celebration of the 4th of July as if it's a libertarian holiday is a bit much to bear. Secession from Britain was a mistake. It's easy enough to realize that the Constitution was not some libertarian achievement as conservatives and libertarians delude themselves into thinking. The Declaration of Independence in 1776 led to all the standard evils of war and raising an army – in the words of Jeff Hummel, "unfunded government debt, paper money, skyrocketing inflation, price controls, legal tender laws, direct impressment of supplies and wide-spread conscription." Hmm, doesn't sound very libertarian to me. Stealing, conscripting, enslaving, murdering. The glorification of democracy. The expansion of empire. The entrenching of corporatist interests with the state. The substitution of traditional order with worship of the democratic state.

Monarchy isn't perfect, as Hoppe argues, but the move from monarchy to democracy was not "progress" as even some libertarians have mistakenly believed (as Hoppe notes, "although aware of the economic and ethical deficiencies of democracy, both Mises and Rothbard had a soft spot for democracy and tended to view the transition from monarchy to democracy as progress"). When I suggest it was a mistake to secede from Britain, libertarians – brainwashed by both Saturday morning Schoolhouse Rock propaganda (No More Kings; Fireworks; Three-Ring Government; The Preamble) and Randian pro-America mythology – freak out. "You want us to have a king? How terrible?!" or "But Britain is more socialist than we are!" Well, first, I don't want us to have a king. I'd prefer we have no state: no kings or congresscritters or revenuers. But we have a king now, under another name; he can tax and murder us, just like the dreaded monarchian boogey-man; the state is overlord of all our property, as in feudalism. And rejoining socialist Britain now would be terrible – but would the European monarchies have become democratic socialist states if America had never left Britain? Our secession led to a constructivist new utopian order based on a "rational, scientific" paper document and the rejection of traditional, unwritten, limits on state power, thus setting the world on the path of democracy and democratic tyranny, and all the evils of the 20th Century-WWI, WWII, the Holocaust, the Cold War, Communism, Naziism, Fascism, Great Depressions I and II. America's reckless utopianism corrupted its mother state, rendering it unfit to rejoin. But had we never left? One percent tax paid to a distant King over the ocean sound appealing, anyone?

If I didn't hate states and flags so much I might just fly the ole Union Jack this Saturday!

Prince Charles handed CBE to Robert Plant

2009-07-15T10:00:00.000+02:00

Robert Plant was honoured as a CBE by Prince Charles in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace last Friday, letting the former Led Zeppelin singer finally one-up guitarist Jimmy Page.

While Page is a member of the Order of the British Empire, Plant now outranks him with his new title of Commander of the British Empire.

Led Zeppelin have not played together since their one-off O2 Arena gig in December 2007. Though Page had tried to reunite the group for a tour with bassist John Paul Jones and drummer Jason Bonham, the late John Bonham's son, Plant declined to join them.

Asked if a Led Zeppelin reunion may still be on the horizon, Plant pretended to be hard of hearing. "Sometimes I go a bit deaf in either ear, especially when people are talking nonsense," he said.

Scandinavian kings and queens at Millennium Celebrations in Lithuania

2009-07-09T11:00:00.003+02:00

HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, TM King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, and HM King Harald V of Norway attended the celebrations of Millennium of Lithuania’s name in the capital Vilnius last Monday.

Several other Heads of State also attended the celebrations: President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland, President Valdis Zatleras of Latvia, President Lech Kaczyński of Poland, President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, President Tarja Halonen of Finland, President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia, as well as Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Legate of Pope Benedict XVI, and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip of Estonia.

The celebrations started with a flag Hoisting Ceremony on the Daukanto Square and the address by outgoing Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, after which the guests attended Holy Mass at Vilnius Cathedral. President Adamkus then opened the rebuild Palace of Rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In the afternoon the royal and other guests watched „The Song of the Centuries“ concert in Vingio Park. After the concert, the President of Lithuania hosted a gala reception in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace, dedicated to the Millennium of the First Mention of the Name of Lithuanian in Written Records and the Lithuanian State Day (King Mindaugas Coronation Day).

HIH REZA PAHLAVI SUPPORTS IRANIAN PROTESTERS

2009-06-23T11:00:00.005+02:00

The National Press Club, Washington D.C, Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Thank you all for coming. Thank you for your time, and attention to the cry for freedom and democracy on the streets of Iran. I can tell you, first hand, how much my compatriots are appreciative of your generous attention to their plight. The best I can do for you today is to recount what my fellow Iranians tell me about their conditions, hopes and fears.

Bear in mind that for the great majority of Iranians born after the Islamic Revolution, the unfolding events are the most significant transforming experiences of their collective memory. The courage of their convictions gives hope for peace and democracy in the most troubling region of the world. On the other hand, their defeat will encourage extremism from the shores of the Levant, to the energy jugular of the world. At the very least it will threaten regional tranquility and global economic recovery through fears of terrorism, slowdown of globalization and steeply higher energy prices. At worst, fanatical tyrants - who know that the future is against them - may end their present course on their terms: a nuclear holocaust.

But which will it be? That is the question of the day. My message to you is: do not underestimate the role you play in the outcome. International media are already the information artery connecting different parts of the freedom movement in Iran. That is why the regime has ominously warned media, that only officially approved reports can be dispatched out of the country. Having restricted the return path of media, they are also jamming electronic transmission and restricting internet traffic into the country. But it is the third leg of communication, from people to people, from one resistance cell to another, and from leaders to supporters inside Iran, of which the regime is most fearful. They cannot fight people who stand together. Only an information blackout can isolate individuals, so that they can be oppressed separately. Thus the outcome of this struggle will depend on your ability, the free media, to fight their blackout with the light of information.

Your second contribution is keeping your political leaders informed about the brutal violence of the regime's plain-clothes thugs against unarmed people. Your governments have insisted that they would not interfere in Iran's internal affairs. I applaud that. Any such attempt will give the tyrants the excuse they need to paper over their own differences, and target every man struggling for freedom as a foreign agent. But that is not all they do. They are painting every statement in defense of human rights as foreign interference, benefiting from the confusion between the two. It is vital that the free world not fall for such cruel cynicism in the name of realpolitik.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights knows no national boundaries. Its defense is not only a matter of ethics, but a mutual obligation of all governments who are its signatories. It is also in their interest. No one will benefit from closing his or her eyes to knives and cables cutting into faces and mouths of our young and old, or from bullets piercing our beloved "Neda" whose only sin was the quest freedom - no one, no one but tyrants and their thugs. Do not let them define what is disrespect for sovereignty, what is interference in others' affairs.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A movement was born on the 22nd of Khordad in my calendar, the 12th of June in yours. It is not Islamic or anti-Islamic, it is not for capitalism or socialism, nor any other ideology or specific form of government. It cares little about historical squabbles before its birth. It is about the sanctity, even more, the sovereignty of the ballot box. It may not succeed immediately. It may have ebbs and flows. But, let me assure you it will not die, because we will not let it die.

A week later, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic decided to stand erect as a dam in front of this movement, sanctioning theft of the ballot box and flagrant fraud, all in the name of Islam. It was an ugly moment of disrespect for both God and man. It will not stand. The citizens of Iran will not stand it. And at the end, he will not stand.

Rest assured, the Movement of 22nd of Khordad, already invested with the blood of my brave countrymen, with energy and support in every corner of Iran and the globe will not rest until it achieves unfettered democracy and human rights in Iran.

110th Anniversary of Birth of Friedrich von Hayek

2009-06-08T15:00:00.002+02:00

Friedrich August von Hayek (8 May 1899 – 23 March 1992) is rivaled by only Adam Smith as the preeminent theorist of the market system. Hayek's account of how changing relative prices communicate signals which enable individuals to coordinate their unique plans in an ever changing world is widely regarded as one of the landmark achievements of economic science. This and a host of other important contributions has made Hayek one of the most influential economists of modern times. One of the great polymaths of the 20th century, Hayek also made significant contributions in jurisprudence, neuroscience, philosophy and the history of ideas.

In 1974 Hayek shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics with Gunnar Myrdal "for their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the interdependence of economic, social and institutional phenomena." He also received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991.

Hayek lived in Austria, Great Britain, the United States and Germany, and became a British subject in 1938.

In 1984, he was appointed as a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on the advice of the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for his "services to the study of economics". After his twenty-minute audience with the Queen, he was "absolutely besotted" with her according to his daughter-in-law, Esca Hayek. Hayek said a year later that he was "amazed by her. That ease and skill, as if she'd known me all my life". The audience with the Queen was followed by a dinner with family and friends at the Institute of Economic Affairs. When, later that evening, Hayek was dropped off at the Reform Club, he commented: "I've just had the happiest day of my life".

SERBIAN ROYAL COUPLE AT THE SUSAN G. KOMEN GLOBAL RACE FOR THE CURE® IN WASHINGTON

2009-06-07T12:00:00.000+02:00

Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine attended the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure® in Washington D.C. on Saturday.

US Vice President Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, are Honorary Co-Chairs of the Global Race for the Cure. Dr. Biden, a long-time advocate for breast health education and outreach, delivered a speech to more than 50,000 runners and walkers during the Race’s opening ceremonies.

“My husband Joe and I are thrilled to participate in the ongoing effort to raise awareness, fund research and empower people throughout the world in the fight against breast cancer,” said Dr. Biden.

Following the opening speech by HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, HRH Crown Princess Katherine in her speech said: „If you wonder, at the dawn of this beautiful day, whether what you are doing really has an impact on the entire world… If you wonder whether the steps you take in your nation’s capital today will have an impact in capitals across the globe… If you wonder whether the lives you are saving in the United States will translate into lives saved in Serbia, or Ghana, or Brazil…then wonder no more.“
Ambassador Nancy Brinker said:” Nearly thirty years ago, before breast cancer took her life, my sister - Susan G. Komen - made me promise her that I would do everything in my power to find a cure for this horrible disease. Through my travels as Ambassador, I meet thousands of women who still need our help. I promise them that they will not be abandoned or forgotten”.

The race was also attended by the Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, actress Sarah Chalke, CBS’s The Early Show anchor Maggie Rodriguez, and W*USA9 morning anchor Andrea Roane, as well as Dr. Branko Terzic, member of the Crown Council and great friend of the Royal Couple.

The Komen Global Race for the Cure marked 20th annual running of the Komen Race for the Cure Series in Washington, D.C., which was formerly known as the Komen National Race for the Cure. Komen for the Cure gathered more than 50,000 people to participate in the Global Race and raised over $6.1 million.

Why I am a monarchist (11)

2009-06-04T00:00:00.000+02:00

Sylvia Mortoza

I live in Bangladesh, and have done so for almost half a century, though my parents were born within the sound of Bow Bells, and I am Anglo-Saxon, with blue eyes and fair hair. Of my ten grandchildren, five live in England, five in Bangladesh.

The fact that Britain has a good Queen, (and an intelligent, strong one) has provided me with a sense of identity to which I have clung throughout my life here. No president, elected or not, could possibly do the same for me or bring out the sense of pride I feel about myself. The monarchy provides glamour but also gains my respect and loyalty. The monarchy so fits in with my mental make-up, I cannot imagine how it would be without one.

I was born and brought up in Britain and my mother taught me from a very young age to pay allegiance to the Crown. She had a great regard for the monarch of the time, King George V and later for his son, King George VI. Her brother, my uncle, was decorated by King George V for bravery. When I was eight, I saw Queen Mary driving through Salisbury forest in Wiltshire. We had a street party to celebrate the coronation of King George VI in 1937. I even remember the dresses we sisters wore - red, white and blue taffeta with blue "doggie" buttons. Strange the things that stay in the mind!

Perhaps, to some, this qualifies me as being “brainwashed”. But I do know that without a monarch I may have lost my sense of identity long ago as fate took me away from my homeland. I was isolated from the British community for many years as my husband and I were not in Dhaka till 1965 (the time of the Indo-Pakistan war) and only came into contact with a few of my countrymen at the end of that decade. Unfortunately these friendships did not last long, as the War of Liberation that began in March 1971 drove them away.

Being British is vitally important to me – and the monarch is at the centre of that. It is not just ‘pomp and ceremony’. The monarchy also gives me a sense of history - and permanency - in a world gone awry. It is an indispensable part of my heritage and makes me feel that, though 6000 miles away from home, I truly belong!

No nation is a wholly natural community. Without a unifying force it would soon fall apart into warring or feudal groups. In Britain, the seeds of dissent can be seen because immigrants do not feel they completely ‘belong’. Yet if they too had been subjected to the same kind of “brainwashing” I had, they would not feel like so many pieces of flotsam floating on a torrential sea.

The sense of “we” is so important to a people. It cannot continue if people are living in ghettoes and studying in religious schools. Without a monarchy to hold us together, we shall no longer be a nation but instead, many splinter groups all looking for something with which to identity. People would no longer feel they were British, or do all those simple things a nation does – from celebrating royal occasions or supporting England during international cricket matches. The sense of being “we” would no longer exist and Britain would be less than a nation.

Prince Harry in New York

2009-06-01T10:00:00.002+02:00

HRH Prince Henry of Wales arrived in New York City on Friday, in his first ever official visit to the United States. The third in line to the British throne is in the Big Apple to raise money for his charity, Sentebale, and pay his respects to those who died in the 9/11 terror attacks.

Stopping by Ground Zero, he met with relatives of those who were killed that day. Harry then laid wreath on the fence that surrounds the deep hole where the World Trade Center once stood. He left a handwritten note tacked to the wreath, citing an “admiration of the courage shown by the people.”

Later on, Prince Harry moved to Hanover Square, to the renamed British Garden, to plant a magnolia bush in memory of the 67 Britons who died on 9/11.

Next, Harry went to the Veteran’s Medical Center to tour its prosthetics lab and meet some veterans. Prince Harry himself is a veteran in a sense. He fought for 10 weeks in Afghanistan in early 2008.

The next day the Prince toured Harlem's Children Zone, a community organization that offers families social and educational services, together with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. They chatted with students working preparing for a Regents Exam.

After that, he took part in one of his favorite activities - playing polo on Governor’s Island. On a brilliantly sunny day in New York Harbor, the Prince drew a crowd that included stars like Madonna, actresses Kate Hudson and Chloe Sevigny, and rapper LL Cool J, but also lots of ordinary New Yorkers out for a rare sight: a polo game in the city. The event will raise money for Harry’s Sentebale charity which helps children in the Lesotho, a small kingdom in southern Africa.

"Prince Seeiso and I both lost our mothers when we were very young," Harry said in brief remarks before the match. "We set up Sentebale in their memory, and because my mother loved this city, it makes this occasion all the more poignant for me."

Prince Philippe at Soyuz Launch

2009-05-28T13:00:00.000+02:00

Belgian Crown Prince, HRH Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, travelled on Wednesday to the Kazach steppes, to Star City Baikonur, where he attended the launch of the Soyuz, on a landmark mission that will double the crew of the International Space Station.

The Soyuz TMA-15 craft carrying Russian Cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk and Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne soared into the hot afternoon skies over Kazakhstan's northern steppe on a two-day journey to the orbiting station. The three will join the three crew members already on board the ISS, giving the station six permanent members for the first time.

Prince Philippe attended the very last meeting of the astronauts with the press, family and friends. He told De Winne that the whole of Belgium was with him in thoughts, and his 6-month stay at the ISS would be followed from down below. Frank De Winne, a General in the Belgian Air Force, thanked the Prince, not only for his kind words and his coming to Kazakhstan, but also for his support to space travel in general.

After that, scores of journalists, relatives and Prince Philippe, watched from a viewing stand a mile (1.5 kilometers) away, applauding as the rocket roared into the sky.

"This is very important for Belgium. De Winne represents Europe and he represents Belgium. He represents international collaboration for peaceful application of science", the Prince said.

Prince Albert in a charity football match

2009-05-25T13:00:00.001+02:00

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco played on May 19 in a charity football match for AMADE Monaco (Association Mondiale des Amis de l'Enfance, World Association of Children's Friends), a foundation that helps children from around the world by developing infrastructure and has special ties to the Monaco ruling family, as it was first organized by Princess Grace. Princess Caroline currently heads the organization but was unable to attend the event.

The AMADE football match is an annual event that is played against current Formula 1 drivers with the opposition coming from past F1 drivers and other celebrities. The match always occurs in the week of the Monaco Grand Prix and is played at the Stade Louis II in Monaco.

This year, playing on the Formula 1 'Nazionale Piloti team' were Formula 1 drivers such as Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Giancarlo Fisichella, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel and Giorgio Pantano. Some of the players on the Star team were HSH Prince Albert II, Riccardo Patrese, Max Biaggi, Troy Corser, Alex Caffi and Marco Simone. Both teams were cheered on the sidelines by Monaco’s Princess Stephanie.

Advantages of Constitutional Monarchy

2009-05-22T13:00:00.003+02:00

Alastair Endersby has twice coached England teams in the World Schools Debating Championships. He currently teaches History and Politics at Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury, England. He is the Editor of Debatabase.

Constitutional monarchy is a very effective political system. A hereditary Head of State acts as an important element of continuity within a democratic system. The real powers (as opposed to purely theoretical ones – no British ruler has actually vetoed an Act of Parliament since c1720) of European monarchs are negligible. But as unelected figures above the political conflicts of the day, they retain an important symbolic role as a focus for national unity (very important in Belgium, for example). In Britain their right “to advise, encourage and warn” the Prime Minister of the day has acted as a check against overly radical policies, in Spain King Juan Carlos actually faced down a military coup in the 1980s.

Monarchy acts as a guardian of a nation’s heritage, a living reminder of the events and personalities that have shaped it. As such it is a powerful focus for loyalty and a source of strength in times of crisis, for example World War II, and a reminder of enduring values and traditions. Separating the positions of Head of State and Head of Government also makes great practical sense; the monarchy undertakes much of the ceremonial work at home and abroad, leaving the Prime Minister free to focus more effectively upon governing.

Monarchy is highly cost-effective when compared to the expense of maintaining a Presidency with a large staff and equally stringent security requirements. Royal residences are held in trust for the nation, and would require the same upkeep costs whether they were inhabited by a monarch or not. Instead monarchy more than pays its way through its generation of tourist revenue as millions visit sites associated with royalty, and through its role in promoting trade and industry abroad on royal visits.

Monarchy is preferable to the alternative; an elected Presidency. It avoids the partisan nature of a Presidency, inevitably associated with one of the political parties, and thus incapable of uniting the nation as monarchy can. In all countries public trust of politicians is sinking to new lows, another reason why an elected Presidency fails to provide a focus for national feeling. Constitutional monarchy is also a more effective system of government, vesting real power clearly in the hands of democratically accountable leaders with a mandate to govern, without all the dangers of political gridlock that can result from conflict between two differently elected bodies (e.g. in the USA or France).

Monarchy can lead public opinion. Although above party politics, modern monarchs have proved able to raise important and sometimes unpopular issues that would otherwise have been ignored. For example, in the U.K. Prince Charles has legitimised discussion of environmental issues and stimulated a lively debate about the purpose of architecture, while Princess Diana’s work with Aids sufferers helped shift public opinion.

Princess Haya attends UN Conference

2009-05-19T09:15:00.001+02:00

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon launched a report on „2009 UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction“ on May 17, 2009 in Bahrain’s capital, Manama.

Speaking at the launch of the report was UN Goodwill Ambassador for the World Health Programme, HRH Princess Haya bint al-Hussein of Jordan (wife of Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai) who emphasised that disasters are added to the present challenges faced such as poverty, education, health, and famine. „It’s hard to motivate political leaders to focus on preventive measures to face possible disasters, because politically it’s difficult under the normal circumstances to convince the people of the benefits of such investments to face things which might not take place,” she said.

The report calls for a shift in thinking to reduce disaster risks and to adapt to climate change in order to reduce poverty. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to all nations to bolster efforts to curb disaster risk, stressing that decisive action taken now can be „one of the best investments countries can make.“

Princesses at UNESCO gathering

2009-05-19T09:00:00.001+02:00

Her Royal Highness The Princess of Hanover (Princess Caroline of Monaco) was in Paris on May 14 to preside over the annual gathering of UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The Annual Meeting, convened by the Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura, brings together a large number of international personalities, from the worlds of art, film, music, literature, charity and public affairs.

Princess Caroline has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 2003 and uses her role in the forum to promote education and training for young women.

UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945. Its stated purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the UN Charter.

Also participating at the Goodwill Ambassadors gathering were HRH Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco (sister of King Mohammed VI) and HRH Princess Firyal of Jordan (sister-in-law of the late King Hussein). Princess Lalla Meryem seeks to promote the UN body activities in zones stricken by post-conflicts and natural disasters. Speaking at the Annual Meeting she said: “My country’s commitment in this regard is as strong as its attachment to peacekeeping operations, in which it has been actively involved for almost 50 years.”

Crown Prince Haakon joins opening of "Hydrogen Highway"

2009-05-15T09:00:00.001+02:00

HRH Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway joined the first stage of the EVS Viking Rally, from Oslo to Lier, together with internationally renowned racing car driver Henning Solberg.

The Norwegian "hydrogen highway", HyNor, was officially opened by Norwegian Transport Minister Liv Signe Navarsete on Monday 11 May, at StatoilHydro's new hydrogen station in Oslo.

The EVS Viking Rally 2009 is an international rally for hydrogen cars, electric cars and plug in-hybrid cars.

ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SOMBOR AT THE ROYAL PALACE

2009-05-14T09:00:00.002+02:00

Belgrade, Sunday, May 10, 2009

A meeting took place at the Royal Palace in Belgrade between Mr. Dragomir Acović and Mr. Dušan Babac, the members of the Privy Council, and Mr. Veljko Suzić and Mrs. Dobrinka Golubović who informed the Privy Council about the current projects of the Royal Historical Society and Rotary Club Sombor. Also present at the meeting was Mr. Gavrilo Došen, chairman of the Monarchist Initiative. Particular emphasize was put on the project Sombor Salash Cluster, which aims at revitalization of small and medium farms, and is supported by the TAM program of the EBRD. Mr. Acović pointed up the willingness to assist these projects.

Mr. Sima Jančić, member of the Royal Historical Society (RHS), presented the archive of the Royal Palace with copies of his family archive documents related to the Royal Family, and gave HRH Crown Prince Alexander a copy of his book „Window of an Architect“ as a personal gift.

Mr. Branko Milešević, RHS member, took photographs of the Royal Compound in Dedinje, some of which are going to be exhibited during the „Museum Night“ manifestation in Sombor.

Mr. Acović and Mr. Babac were introduced to the members and friends of the RHS and Rotary Club Sombor. Mr. Acović pointed out that Sombor is one of the towns in Serbia and Vojvodina where different cultures and traditions meet, and where the idea that one’s own identity can be preserved within the community that shares the same present and future.

For the Royal Historical Society
Mladen Bulut, spokesperson

Freedom wears a Crown

2009-05-13T14:00:00.004+02:00

Most people would reflexively ridicule the notion that we were freer when kings sat all-powerful on their thrones, but not so Mark Steyn („Regulatory Despotism“, published in his blog):

Two centuries ago, de Tocqueville wrote: „There was a time in Europe in which the law, as well as the consent of the people, clothed kings with a power almost without limits. But almost never did it happen that they made use of it.“

True. The king was an absolute tyrant — in theory. But in practice he was in his palace hundreds of miles away, and for the most part you got on with your life relatively undisturbed. As de Tocqueville wrote:

„Although the entire government of the empire was concentrated in the hands of the emperor alone, and although he remained, in time of need, the arbiter of all things, the details of social life and of individual existence ordinarily escaped his control.“

But what would happen, he wondered, if administrative capability were to evolve to make it possible „to subject all of his subjects to the details of a uniform set of regulations“? That moment has now arrived in much of the western world, including America... — and the machinery of bureaucracy barely pauses to scoff: In an age of mass communication and computer records, the screen blips for the merest nano-second, and your gun rights disappear. The remorseless, incremental annexation of „individual existence“ by technologically all-pervasive micro-regulation is a profound threat to free peoples. But do we have the will to resist it?

Pope in Jordan

2009-05-11T12:00:00.001+02:00

Pope Benedict XVI began his first trip to the Middle East on Friday, expressing his deep respect for Islam and hopes that the Catholic Church would be a force for peace in the region.

The pope was given a red-carpet welcome at the airport by Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania and praised the moderate Arab country as a leader in efforts to promote peace and dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

„My visit to Jordan gives me a welcome opportunity to speak of my deep respect for the Muslim community, and to pay tribute to the leadership shown by His Majesty the King in promoting a better understanding of the virtues proclaimed by Islam“, Benedict said shortly after landing in Jordan.

He said Jordan was in the forefront of efforts to promote peace, inter-religious dialogue and to curb extremism. Later at a Catholic center for the handicapped, he said his only agenda was to bring hope and prayers „for the precious gift of unity and peace, most specifically for the Middle East.“

Jordan's king praised the pope and said the world must reject „ambitious ideologies of division“. „We welcome your commitment to dispel the misconceptions and divisions that have harmed relations between Christians and Muslims“, said Abdullah.

Christians make up 3 percent of Jordan's 5.8 million people. Benedict's three-day stay in Jordan is his first visit to an Arab country as pope.

The New Prince of Denmark

2009-05-08T13:34:00.001+02:00

Balloons and flags bobbed cheerfully over the entrance to Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, as Denmark's newest little prince was presented to the public by his overjoyed parents Princess Marie and her husband Prince Joachim, the younger son of Queen Margrethe II.

Cradled in his mother's arms, the tiny royal - who's seventh in line to the throne - snoozed peacefully through the photocall, blissfully unaware of all the excitement his arrival has generated.

Most of the attention was naturally focused on the little cutie, but onlookers were obviously anxious to know how Marie, a first-time mum, was feeling. She certainly was looking radiant - indeed, some commented that Joachim was looking more exhuasted than she!

The French-born royal waved happily to the crowd and answered questions in Danish, which she's been learning since her wedding last summer. She said that her son's name is a secret for the moment and that he will be bilingual.

Her proud husband Joachim - father to two boys from his previous marriage - then drove mother and child to Amalienborg Palace.

Royal memories in the heart of Europe

2009-05-06T09:00:00.003+02:00

Adam Zamoyski

When the communists took power in Poland in the wake of the Second World War, they were desperate for any shred of legitimacy. As a result, they reached back to the tenth century and to Poland's first royal dynasty, the Piasts, for a sense of homeland and nationhood around which to build their new People's Republic.

This is hardly surprising. Poland had been created and put on the map of Christendom by the Piasts in the year 966. The kingdom fragmented several times, and might have been sucked into Bohemia or one of the German states had it not been for this energetic dynasty. Under the last Piast, Kazimierz the Great (1333-1370), the country flourished as never before and rarely since.

At this point, Poland became part of a dynastic union under the Lithuanian Jagiellons, which more than doubled the size of the kingdom and extended its power correspondingly. But when the Jagiellon dynasty died out two centuries later, the Poles were obliged to start electing their kings.

This elective monarchy, which lasted from 1572-1795, was in effect a presidential system. It had its advantages, but these were far outweighed by the negative consequences. It did not provide the continuity and stability which were essential in view of Poland's multi-ethnic and multi-religious makeup, as well as its far-reaching civil liberties. Most of the kings did no more than wield power while they had it, and few even thought of investing time and funds in long-term enterprises or improvements. Poland declined into a state of political impotence.

In a last-ditch attempt to save the state, a group of enlightened aristocrats and patriots passed a new liberal constitution in 1791, which was universally hailed as a great fruit of the Enlightenment. This was based on a return to a stronger, constitutionally-framed hereditary monarchy on the English model. Fearing a Polish resurgence, Russia, Prussia and Austria sent in their troops and partitioned Poland's territory amongst themselves.

Had they allowed that constitution to stand, there can be no doubt that in the nineteenth century Poland would have become an outpost of liberalism and economic progress in Central Europe. This would have made it impossible for Tsarist Russia to resist reform, and probably would have meant that Prussia would never have gained the ascendancy in Germany that she did. The history of that whole area, and therefore of the world, would have been entirely different.

Between memory and longing

The Poles are not naturally deferential. They have always shown aggressively egalitarian instincts. Quite apart from the fact that there are no likely candidates, there could be no question of establishing a monarchy in Poland today. But they still think of their country and its past largely in terms of those who reigned over them. Periods and styles are defined by individual rulers, kings and queens figure prominently among national heroes and are used to brand drinks and cigarettes. The royal mausoleum in Krakow is massively visited. And when the old communist currency was finally replaced in the 1990s, only kings appeared on the notes.

More to the point, most Poles realise that the decline in national cohesion and stability which led to the partitions and all the subsequent disasters was the direct result of a lack of strong monarchical power, and not a few look wistfully at the English model.

Arguments for the Kingdom of Serbia (9)

2009-05-04T09:00:00.005+02:00

Philip McCray

The statement about the possibility of a sudden dictatorship taking hold is a very valid one. Serbia's political environment is simple too unstable with the nationalist conflicts which simply won't go away. A monarch who is respected by the majority can be a strong aid to democracy. While Monarchs originally stood as the bars against democracy now, more often than not, Western Monarchs are the guardians of democracy.

Take for instance King Juan Carlos of Spain. He is not only credited with making the transition from Francoism to Democracy a smooth one but his speech on the night of the 1981 coup is seen as what truly ended it and restored Spain back to calm. I firmly believe the HRH the Crown Prince Aleksandar Karadordevic would do the same. He is a man of strong, fine character and a very vocal proponent of democracy. His role as Head of State would allow him to act as a Steward of Democracy in Serbia, protecting it from those who would do it harm by unifying his people under one symbol, one Sovereign who would lead his people in the direction of peace and prosperity and away from chaos and its war torn past.

Let him be the beginning of a new era for Serbia. Let Serbia's century of violence come to a close by restoring what was lost when it started. Allow the Karadordevic Dynasty to be the alpha and the omega of Serbian chaos. They were there before the decent into chaos, let them be there to lead them out of it and into a brilliant new future!

God Save Serbia and God Save Her King!
May His Reign Come Soon and Long May He Reign!

The Big Question

2009-05-01T11:00:00.001+02:00

The Big Question: What is the extent of European royalty, and does it still have a role?

By Paul Vallely

Wednesday, 29 April 2009

Why are we asking this now?

Because Holland is seized with rumours that its monarch is about to abdicate. This week Queen Beatrix will celebrate her 71st birthday – which is the age at which her own mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated. The Dutch crown prince Willem-Alexander, who has a day job as an expert in water management, became 42 on Monday, the same age his mother was when she ascended the throne in 1980. Abdication is a well-established tradition among the Dutch royal family.

How many monarchies are left in Europe?

Ten, in Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Holland, Norway, Spain and Sweden, with the principalities of Liechtenstein and Monaco and the Grand Duchy Luxembourg included. Technically speaking the Vatican City is also a monarchy. The official definition of a royal family includes any ruling a sovereign country at the Congress of Vienna of 1815, even if the country is now a republic or ceased to exist. There are 21 royal families without a country to reign over.

Do any of them still exercise power?

Not in the sense that monarchies do in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait where royals routinely hold key government jobs. But not all are purely ceremonial like the King of Sweden whose responsibilities don't go much beyond cutting ribbons and waiving to crowds. Some have a potency, if not a power. The royal family in many countries are seen as intangibly important to national identity.

In Holland the royal family is an important talisman of Dutchness at a time when the Netherlands is struggling with its national identity. It is particularly popular with ethnic minorities who like the wife of the heir to the throne, Princess Máxima. She herself is a recent immigrant and she does public works on issues of integration and the inclusion of women. But some European monarchies still have considerable political influence.

Which is the most powerful?

In Holland the Queen chairs the council of state which scrutinises government legislation before it is put to parliament. She also appoints the formateur, the politician whose job it is to form a coalition government after general elections. She holds weekly meetings with the prime minister. Queen Beatrix wields more power than most of Europe's reigning monarchs, especially in international relations; she once threatened to dismiss a cabinet minister if he turned down her request to open a Dutch embassy in Jordan.

In Belgium the King of the Belgians (he is named for his people not their territory) is a constitutional monarch who accedes to the throne, not upon the death of his predecessor, but on taking a constitutional oath. He too has power in the formation of the government. He meets with the prime minister at least once a week, and regularly summons other ministers and opposition leaders to the palace. He has the right, like the British monarch, to advise on government policies.

The Belgian King is above the law. He cannot be prosecuted, arrested or convicted, nor can he be summoned before a civil court or parliament, though he could be brought to book at the International Criminal Court under European law.

Are these monarchies modernising?

Slowly, in both style and law. The Dutch have had bicycling royals for decades. Queen Juliana routinely left behind her gilded palace to drop in, unannounced, on schools and other institutions near her home. During Holland's worst storm in 500 years, dressed in boots and an old coat, Queen Juliana waded through water and deep mud to bring food and clothing to her devastated subjects. But her daughter, Beatrix, has been more formal in her time as Queen.

Several monarchies – including Norway, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark – have changed their old Salic laws of succession to allow their monarchs' daughters to succeed on equal terms with their sons.

Will they survive?

Quite probably. In Holland, for example, a majority of parliamentarians, on paper, want to limit the power of the royal family. But with the monarchy currently boasting a 85 percent approval few politicians want to take the risk of raising the subject with voters.

There seems little appetite for change elsewhere. But royal families know they are vulnerable to the volatility of public opinion, particularly when scandals rear their head. The present popularity of the Dutch royal family stands in contrast to the position in 1976 when it was revealed that the Queen's husband, Prince Bernhard had accepted a $1m bribe from the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed to influence the government's purchase of fighter aircraft. The prince was forced to resign as an admiral, general and as Inspector General of the Armed Forces. But the monarchy survived.

What are those who have been ejected from power doing now?

Some, like the King of Greece, retain in exile their pretensions of royalty. Constantine II, who fled to Rome when a group of Greek colonels toppled the elected government in 1967 was declared deposed and he did not return even after the junta fell in 1974. He and his wife and children, who now live in London, are still invited to functions by reigning royals many of whom are related to him, thanks to the propensity of his forebears for keeping marriages within the European royal family.

Others keep their head down for different reasons. The Liechtenstein dynasty runs a bank which the US Senate's subcommittee on tax havens has described as "an aider and abettor to clients trying to evade taxes, dodge creditors or defy court orders". The son of the former King of Italy has been working as a hedge fund manager in Geneva.

Could these royals ever return?

The hedge fund manager had lawyers write to the Italian government a couple of years ago seeking damages for his years in exile and demanding the return of the Quirinale palace in Rome. The government threatened a counter-suit for damages arising out of the royal family's collusion with Mussolini. King Michael I of Romania, who was forced by the Communists to abdicate in 1947, became a commercial pilot and worked for an aircraft equipment company. After the fall of Communism he declared: "If the people want me to come back, of course, I will come back".

Three years later, when he returned to the country to celebrate Easter, a million people turned out to see him. The new government promptly banned him again. A poll in 2007 showed that only 14 per cent of Romanians were in favour of the restoration of the monarchy. A year on, however, the figure had risen by two per cent.

It will take a long time before the figure rises to the 85 per cent rating of the royal family in Holland. And, no doubt, the Romanian government will do all it can to restrain the notion. But it shows that, for all its failings, the attraction of royalty is far from dead.

Is monarchy on the Continent on the way out?

Yes...
* Three-quarters of European countries, 35 in total, have now waved goodbye to their royal families.
* There are 21 royal families without a country to reign over; the rest have died out.
* Many parliamentarians want further curbs on the powers of constitutional monarchs.

No...
* Royal families are still seen as embodying something important about national identity.
* Royals are changing their behaviour, and their laws, to match the changes among their people.
* The monarchy gets approval ratings as high as 85 per cent among many voters fed up with their politicians.

Coronation Anthems - George Frideric Handel

2009-04-29T17:00:00.001+02:00

This year is the 250th anniversary of the death of one of the greatest composers, George Frideric Handel, who died on 14 April 1759. Handel composed a total of 18 organ concertos, 40 operas and 21 oratorios.

The four anthems Handel composed for the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline on 11 October 1727 have never lacked popular favor. They were repeatedly performed at concerts and festivals during his life and since. Rarely did a composer of the day have such an audience for his new works and Handel composed his four anthems to match the pomp and grandeur of the occasion and, of course, the venue – Westminster Abbey.

The success of the anthems may have contributed to the popular image of Handel as a grandiloquent composer demanding huge forces of voices and instruments. In fact, Handel always matched his music to the occasion and the building for which it was written, and no occasion could be grander than a coronation. The forces that he used were substantial for the period: an augmented Chapel Royal Choir of 47 and an orchestra that may have numbered as many as 160!

Zadok the Priest, the first anthem, was written with words adapted from the first chapter of the First Book of Kings:

Zadok, the Priest, and Nathan, the Prophet, anointed Solomon King;

And all the people rejoic'd, and said:

God save the King, long live the King, may the King live for ever!

The words of Zadok the Priest have been sung at every coronation since that of King Edgar in 973 AD, and Handel's setting has been sung at every one since 1727.

Let thy hand be strengthened, the second anthem, Psalm 89:

Let thy hand be strengthened and thy right hand be exalted.

Let justice and judgment be the preparation of thy seat!

Let mercy and truth go before thy face.

The King Shall Rejoice uses a text from Psalm 21 and Handel sets each of the four sentences and the final Allelujah as separate musical sections:

The King shall rejoice in thy strength, O Lord.

Exceeding glad shall he be of thy salvation.

Glory and great worship hast thou laid upon him.

Thou hast prevented him with the blessings of goodness and hast set a crown of pure gold upon his head.

The piece has a magnificently grand and elaborate conclusion which, as it was performed at the actual crowning section of the coronation service, matches the occasion perfectly.

My Heart is Inditing is an adapted and abridged text using verses from Psalms 45 and Isaiah 49. It was sung late in the service when Queen Caroline was crowned, and throughout Handel's setting are references in the words that are relevant to a queen:

My heart is inditing of a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made unto the King.

Kings daughters were among thy honourable women.

Upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in vesture of gold and the King shall have pleasure in thy beauty.

Kings shall be thy nursing fathers and queens thy nursing mothers.

Queen Rania meets Michelle Obama

2009-04-27T09:15:00.001+02:00

HM Queen Rania of Jordan visited the White House on Thursday and was hosted by the U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.

Queen Rania is accopmanying her husband HM King Abdullah II on a working visit to the United States. She was the keynote speaker at the 8th Annual Global Philanthropy Forum Conference in Washington D.C.

IN MEMORIAM

2009-04-27T09:00:00.003+02:00

Stepa Stepanović
(12 March 1856 – April 27, 1929)

Today is the 80th anniversary of death of Stepa Stepanović (Serbian: Степа Степановић), a field marshal of the Serbian Army who distinguished himself in Serbia's wars from 1876 to 1918.

„You've got nothing to write about. Everything that's been done, was done by the officers and soldiers of my army. They’re the ones who defeated the enemy and liberated our country. If you already want to write something for the French and British newspapers – there, you write that.“

Stepanović’s words to the correspondent of the Press bureau of the Supreme Command, who wanted to write his biography for the Allied press, on the occasion of the victory in the Battle of Cer.

Pourquoi le Roi?

2009-04-24T09:00:00.002+02:00

WHY THE KING?

What are the advantages of the monarchy?

A king has a role of an arbitrator...

He is independent of the parties...

So, he really represents all the French.

First of all, he is self - legitimate

Because his legitimate dynasty ruled by the people and for the people.

He is the true guarantor of the institutions,

He guarantees a sound and real separation of powers.

Louis will crown France

And rid our country of the republican hypocrisy.

Let us dare to have the King!

Why I am a monarchist (10)

2009-04-22T09:00:00.004+02:00

Dragiša Jocić

It is my opinion that parliamentary monarchy is the only way, and our genetic code, that will lead Serbia to a better future and prosperity. I believe now is the right moment to achieve this goal. After the WW2, Serbia lost a true head of state, and she is still without one – although we could easily have a true head of state – His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander II Karadjordjevic. I see no reason to keep having false heads of state, and one can see that a candidate for the position is not wasting time, we just can’t allow that to happen, I think today we have a unique chance that we mustn’t miss. Serbia today has no true political alternative and no hope for the future, which is very dangerous, for it can in no time erupt into anarchy or dictatorship, which is the reason why we must work very wisely to give hope and alternative to our citizens, and I mean honest and real hope and alternative – reestablishment of parliamentary monarchy. Our final goal is to establish a system of values, to promote democracy, without abusing it. People who should work on this goal must exemplify democratic values and importance of parliamentary monarchy in achieving this goal, which for sure leads to Serbia’s progress.

The Royal Family has done so much for Serbia and Serbian people, without fanfare. Having in mind our mentality, this sort of approach must be changed, and although I am aware that the Karadjordjevics wish to have a calm, unassuming and gradual approach, circumstances have changed, and it really does not depend so much on them anymore. Simply, it can very easily happen that they remain stuck in the status they currently have, and that the idea of the Kingdom of Serbia vanishes like a soap bubble. I am deeply convinced that we must enter the EU as a kingdom, for it is only the Kingdom of Serbia that will be able to retain political and economic independence, while becoming a member of the European Union.

Crown prince Willem-Alexander in Afghanistan

2009-04-20T09:00:00.002+02:00

HRH Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands paid a secret visit to the Dutch troops stationed in the Afghan province of Uruzgan last week. The Prince, who was accompanied by Major General Peter van Uhm, commander of the Dutch armed forces, was on his third visit to Afghanistan, where he met civilians and aid workers as well as soldiers.

In a speech, the Crown Prince heaped praise on the heads of the Dutch soldiers: „What you have achieved is unbelievable, impressive. On behalf of all Dutch people, I say that I am proud of what you are doing and of your willingness to make great sacrifices.“ During his visit, the Prince of Orange repeatedly mingled with the Dutch soldiers. He ate his meals with them and slept on thin mattresses in steal bunk beds.

„Of course there are frustrations among those who came here with positive expectations and feel that change is taking too long,“ the Prince wrote in his online diary. „But despite all this, I still have a sense of hope for a lasting peace and development, primarily because of the conversations and experiences of all these brave men and women who I've had the honour to meet here. They believe in their mission, and so do I.“

In an exclusive interview with AD newspaper, Prince Willem-Alexander said: „The Netherlands is forever inextricably bound up with Uruzgan. We will always continue to follow this province. It is a beautiful land with an extraordinary, old history.“

CHRIST RESURRECTED!

2009-04-19T00:00:00.000+02:00

Serbian Orthodox Church continues to use the Julian calendar. The starting point in determining the date of Orthodox Easter is also March 21, but according to the Julian reckoning, which corresponds to April 4th on the Gregorian calendar. In addition, the lunar tables of the Julian calendar are 4 days (sometimes 5 days) behind those of the Gregorian calendar. The 14th day of the lunar month according to the Gregorian system is only the 9th or 10th day according to the Julian. The result of this combination of solar and lunar discrepancies is divergence in the date of Easter in most years.

Two sultans meet

2009-04-17T09:00:00.005+02:00

His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, arrived on Wednesday in Muscat, starting an official state visit to Oman.

Upon arrival at the royal private airport, he was warmly welcomed by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said.

The visit was marked by the launch of a joint 100 million dollar investment fund, official news agency ONA reported.

The fund, which will be equally shared between the two states and based in Muscat, is aimed at fostering investment opportunities in the two countries in the commercial, industrial and tourism sectors.

The visit to Oman is part of Sultan of Brunei’s current tour of a number of countries in the region.

King of Jordan meets Emperor of Japan

2009-04-15T09:00:00.002+02:00

His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan was on a three-day working visit in Japan, where he met with His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito and a number of high-ranking officials.

King Abdullah held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso on the means to bolster bilateral ties, mainly in the economic and trade fields, explore areas of cooperation and build strong partnership between Jordan and Japan in the economic and social domains.

Discussions also focused on developments in the Middle East and efforts to bring about peace in the region, in addition to regional issues of mutual concern.

His Majesty was accompanied by HRH Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, HRH Princess Raiyah Bint Al Hussein and the King's Personal Envoy Prince Ghazi bin Mohammad. Princess Raiyah is a half-sister of King Abdullah II and is studying at Ritsumeikan University in Japan.

Breakfast With Prince Georg Friedrich

2009-04-13T09:00:00.019+02:00

Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia opened the exhibition “Déjeuner Royal - Frühstücks- Service aus vier Jahrhunderten” (Royal breakfast - breakfast service from four centuries) last week. The exhibition will run till June 28 at the tower of castle of Hohenzollern.

Two tables with china wear will be displayed as well as various other items from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century. A set of travel dishware of Frederick the Great is one of the most interesting things of the exhibition. The exhibition is a cooperation between Burg Hohenzollern, the castle of the houses of Hohenzollern, and the royal porcelain factory (Königlichen Porzellanmanufaktur) in Berlin.

HI&RH Prince Georg Friedrich (32) is the head of the royal family of Prussia. He succeeded his grandfather in 1993, as his older uncles married morganatically. Burg Hohenzollern is maintained by both the royal as the princely branch of the house of Hohenzollern.

Prince Emanuele Filiberto Meets With Earthquake Victims

2009-04-10T09:00:00.006+02:00

Prince Emanuele Filiberto and his wife, Princess Clothilde, visited the site of Italy’s massive earthquake Tuesday. They met with survivors and rescue workers in the town of L’Aquila, where nearly 300 were killed and thousands have been left homeless.

“In these times our thoughts turn to the families of the victims of this tragedy,” said the Prince. “What happened was terrible and the proportions of the earthquake appear to worsen with each passing hour. I am very concerned about the consequences of the many homes that have suffered severe damage and are uninhabitable.”

Despite the tragic conditions, the Prince had nothing but praise for the way Italians reacted to the disaster.

“All the Italians have proven to be united, this is a fine example of brotherhood and solidarity in these moments I am proud to be Italian. I am happy that the many friends of the House of Savoy have been enabled to bring their help enabling us to collect as much as three containers of food. Obviously proceed in total coordination with Army and Civil Protection.”

The House of Savoy was Italy’s royal family until 1946 when the country voted to abolish the monarchy. Prince Emanuele is the grandson of Italy’s last king.

Monday, the Prince had launched a campaign of solidarity between the Friends of the House of Savoy and between members of the knightly orders of the Royal House. The prince has visited two refugee camps and a field hospital and then heading to the Center of Coordination of aid in assessing how to distribute the aid offered by dynastic Orders of the House of Savoy.

HGD Guillaume Awards Work Promotion Diplomas

2009-04-08T09:00:00.003+02:00

Luxembourg’s Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume awarded Work Promotion 2008/2009 diplomas.

The event took place at the Grand-Théâtre de la Ville, and Guillaume awarded the dilpomas to young master craftsmen and those who were awarded with the Work Promotion 2008/2009 diplomas.

The King of Spain Human Rights Prize

2009-04-06T09:00:00.004+02:00

HM King Juan Carlos awarded last week the King of Spain Human Rights Prize to the Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights, (CLADEM), at a ceremony where he called for an end to violence against women and for education and employment accessible to all.

The monarch, accompanied by Queen Sofia, expressed these sentiments at the auditorium of the University of Alcala de Henares near Madrid, during the ceremony awarding this biennial prize with its cash award of 30,000 euros ($40,000). The prize is designed to honor organizations that have distinguished themselves in the defense and promotion of human rights and democratic values in Latin America.

In his address, the king said that to assure equality and decent living conditions for women we must „eradicate the domestic violence so many women suffer; eradicate poverty, hunger and disease and ensure their full access to education and employment“.

„I hope that this prize“, he said, „will go some way towards achieving a fairer life for all citizens of Latin America“. He added that rights and freedom are „by their very definition a rejection of violence and zero-tolerance for the hateful curse of terrorism“.

According to the King, this prize recognizes „the sum of efforts being made in Latin American communities to establish fundamental rights and liberties, as well as a greater social and economic development“.
CLADEM, which was the unanimous choice of the jurors, is a non-profit making organization operating in Latin America and the Caribbean, which coordinates an extensive network of regional organizations and individuals committed to defending these rights. It was founded in 1987 in San José in Costa Rica, has its headquarters in Lima and currently operates in 17 different countries in the region.

CLADEM coordinator Norma Enriquez expressed her gratitude for the award because it acknowledges the role of defenders of human rights who, she said, often meet with „bludgeoning power exercised by rulers who consider that whoever defends human rights, demands they be respected or complains when they are violated are enemies of the state.“

Enriquez explained that one of the initial goals of CLADEM when it was founded twenty years ago was to achieve laws against domestic violence. In less than ten years almost every Latin American country had one as a result.

World leaders at The Queen’s reception

2009-04-03T09:00:00.004+02:00

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for world leaders, to mark the beginning of the G20 Summit in London.

(from left, standing): Kevin Rudd, PM Australia; Stephen Harper, PM Canada; Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director IMF; Angela Merkel, Chancellor Germany;Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General; of the United Nations; José Luis Zapatero, PM Spain; Pascal Lamy, Director General WTO; Jan Peter Balkenende, PM The Netherlands; Abhisit Vejjajiva, Chair of ASEAN and PM Thailand; Kgalema Motlanthe, President South Africa; Taro Aso, PM Japan;
(from left, sitting): Lee Myung-bak, President S. Korea; Nicolas Sarkozy, President France, Co-Prince Andorra; King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia; Hu Jintao, President China; Gordon Brown, PM UK; Queen Elizabeth II;

(from left, standing): Abhisit Vejjajiva, Chair of ASEAN and PM Thailand; Kgalema Motlanthe, President South Africa; Taro Aso, PM Japan; Silvio Berlusconi, PM Italy; Barack Obama, U.S. President; Mirek Topolanek, PM Czech Republic and Chair of EU; Recep Tayyip Erdogan, PM Turkey;Mario Draghi, Chairman Financial Stability Forum; Manmohan Singh, PM India;Robert Zoellick, President World Bank; Jose Manuel Barroso, President European Commission; Meles Zenawi Chair of NEPAD and PM Ethiopia.
(from left, sitting): Queen Elizabeth II; Luiz Innacio Lula da Silva, President Brazil; Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President Indonesia; Felipe Calderón, President Mexico; Cristina Kirchner, President Argentina; Dmitry Medvedev, President Russian Federation.

Crown Princess Margarita Celebrated 60th Birthday

2009-04-01T16:18:00.002+02:00

HRH Crown Princess Margarita of Romania celebrated her 60th birthday on March 26th in grand style. Her husband, Prince Radu has organised a dinner at the C.E.C. palace (Casa de Economii şi Consemnaţiuni) in Bucharest, that was attended by the family and many friends of the princess. Among them the Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, his wife Crown Princess Katherine, Archduke Domenic of Austria-Tuscany and Archdukes Martin and Lorenz of Austria-Este.

When the princess started a welcome speech to the guests she was still somewhat emotional by the surprise, as she shared with the guests. In her speech the princess thanked her guests for coming and especially welcomed Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, who is in a similar situation as the Romanian royal family. The crown princess’ parents King Michael and Queen Anne were also present as were two sisters of the Princess and her nephew and niece.

The birthday celebrations lasted three days, on Friday the guests made a tour at the royal estate of Sinai, where they visited Pelesh and Pelishor castle. Later that day they attended a performance at the Ateneul Roman, the concert building in Bucharest.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit at exercise with the Civil Defense

2009-03-30T16:15:00.000+02:00

Following in the footsteps of her in-laws, HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway arrived at Vikafjellet to attend the Norwegian Civil Defense’s winter exercise.

She is the latest European Crown Princess to go through training for a military position. Last year, Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary qualified as a lieutenant for the Danish Home Guard. In 2003, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden completed a boot camp course which would help her be a head of the Swedish military when she becomes Queen.

Mette-Marit, dressed in the traditional Civil defence uniform, went through such exercises as movement in difficult terrain and under extreme weather conditions. She also received a briefing about safety and possible evacuation of people.

Other members of the Norwegian royal family have officer position in the military. King Harald is the supreme leader of the military, and a four star general. His wife, Queen Sonja, is a brigadier. Mette-Marit’s husband, Crown Prince Haakon, trained in the navy, and is also an officer.

Prince Emanuele Filiberto wins the national vote

2009-03-26T09:00:00.000+01:00

The scion of the House of Savoy has succeeded where his ancestors have failed. Prince Emanuele Filiberto decidedly won a national referendum, taking 75 percent of the vote.

Alas, Emanuele Filiberto did not reclaim the throne his grandfather lost after a national referendum in 1946. He merely claimed first place, along with Russian ballerina Natalia Titova, in the nationally televised "Dancing with the stars" competition.

But victory was sweet for the much maligned Prince of Piedmont and Venice, who decided to take part in the talent show in order that the Italians might better get to know him. "I want to prove that I know how to start from scratch, that I am able to work hard", he said. Emanuele Filiberto, 36, did more than that. He captured the nation, beating out younger stars Andrea Montovolo and Ola Karieva.

The gamble the Prince took, paid off in other ways too. Hardly a week has gone by since the start of the talent show in January without Emanuele Filiberto appearing in some way in the national media. And as a first for the notoriously infighting House of Savoy: most publicity was on a positive note.

Sheikha Mozah calls for Protection of Educational Systems

2009-03-23T09:00:00.000+01:00

HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Misnad of Qatar, UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education has expressed her deep belief in the sacred nature of the right of quality education for everyone, saying „that this right is the perfect path to bridge the gap between different cultures and to reconcile various civilizations.“

Addressing the opening session of the Thematic and Interactive Debate on Education in Emergencies United Nations General Assembly, Sheikha Mozah said: „Education in emergencies signifies that the right to education is being threatened by nature made causes relating to disasters, and unfortunately, by human made causes“.

„The right to quality education for everyone is the perfect way to bridge the gap between different cultures and to reconcile various civilisations. Without such a right, values of liberty, justice and equality will have no meaning,“ Sheikha Mozah said.

Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, president of the UN General Assembly, lauded the efforts of HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Misnad in helping Palestinian schoolchildren.

„As you may know, she has been working tirelessly to restore as quickly as possible the scores of UN-sponsored schools that were damaged during the invasion of the Palestinian territory of Gaza two months ago,“ said D’Escoto. „She has made the case and the government of Qatar has been instrumental in raising the funds to rebuild the secure, nurturing learning environment that children and young people so desperately need.“

Three princes join in global water debate

2009-03-20T09:00:00.004+01:00

The Fifth World Water Forum was launched in Istanbul in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, HIH Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan and HRH Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, Crown Prince of the Netherlands.

Dozens of heads of states and ministers, as well as thousands of activists, entrepreneurs, mayors, parliamentarians and business executives from all around the world have gathered for the weeklong World Water Forum, which is held every three years to promote ideas about conserving, managing and supplying water. Climate change and the impact of the global economic meltdown are key issues on the agenda this year.

PRAGUE DECLARATION ON EUROPEAN CONSCIENCE AND COMMUNISM

2009-03-18T09:00:00.001+01:00

We, participants of the Prague Conference "European Conscience and Communism", call for:

1. reaching an all-European understanding that both the Nazi and Communist totalitarian regimes each to be judged by their own terrible merits to be destructive in their policies of systematically applying extreme forms of terror, suppressing all civic and human liberties, starting aggressive wars and, as an inseparable part of their ideologies, exterminating and deporting whole nations and groups of population; and that as such they should be considered to be the main disasters, which blighted the 20th century,

2. recognition that many crimes committed in the name of Communism should be assessed as crimes against humanity serving as a warning for future generations, in the same way Nazi crimes were assessed by the Nuremberg Tribunal,

3. formulation of a common approach regarding crimes of totalitarian regimes, inter alia Communist regimes, and raising a Europe-wide awareness of the Communist crimes in order to clearly define a common attitude towards the crimes of the Communist regimes,

4. introduction of legislation that would enable courts of law to judge and sentence perpetrators of Communist crimes and to compensate victims of Communism,

5. ensuring the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination of victims of all the totalitarian regimes,

6. European and international pressure for effective condemnation of the past Communist crimes and for efficient fight against ongoing Communist crimes,

7. recognition of Communism as an integral and horrific part of Europe’s common history

8. acceptance of pan-European responsibility for crimes committed by Communism,

9. establishment of 23rd August, the day of signing of the Hitler-Stalin Pact, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, as a day of remembrance of the victims of both Nazi and Communist totalitarian regimes, in the same way Europe remembers the victims of the Holocaust on January 27th,

10. responsible attitudes of National Parliaments as regards acknowledgement of Communist crimes as crimes against humanity, leading to the appropriate legislation, and to the parliamentary monitoring of such legislation,

11. effective public debate about the commercial and political misuse of Communist symbols,

12. continuation of the European Commission hearings regarding victims of totalitarian regimes, with a view to the compilation of a Commission communication,

13. establishment in European states, which had been ruled by totalitarian Communist regimes, of committees composed of independent experts with the task of collecting and assessing information on violations of human rights under totalitarian Communist regime at national level with a view to collaborating closely with a Council of Europe committee of experts;

14. ensuring a clear international legal framework regarding a free and unrestricted access to the Archives containing the information on the crimes of Communism,

15. establishment of an Institute of European Memory and Conscience which would be both - A) a European research institute for totalitarianism studies, developing scientific and educational projects and providing support to networking of national research institutes specialising in the subject of totalitarian experience, B) and a pan-European museum/memorial of victims of all totalitarian regimes, with an aim to memorialise victims of these regimes and raise awareness of the crimes committed by them,

16. organising of an international conference on the crimes committed by totalitarian Communist regimes with the participation of representatives of governments, parliamentarians, academics, experts and NGOs, with the results to be largely publicised world-wide,

17. adjustment and overhaul of European history textbooks so that children could learn and be warned about Communism and its crimes in the same way as they have been taught to assess the Nazi crimes,

18. the all-European extensive and thorough debate of Communist history and legacy,

19. joint commemoration of next year’s 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the massacre in Tiananmen Square and the killings in Romania.

British leftist about the United Kingdom in the 21st century

2009-03-11T09:00:00.000+01:00

Tony Blair:

A lot of people of my generation have decided, in part because of how important a unifier for the country the Queen has been, that actually this is a better system - rationally, not simply emotionally or as part of tradition - but rationally this is a better system.

Donald Macintyre:

A genuinely republican argument grows in strength every time there is another royal mess: the problem is not the high-maintenance, outer members of the family, but the institution itself. Rupert Murdoch's The Sun recently came its closest yet to suggesting that no amount of cosmetic reform can, or should, in the long term save the monarchy.

This is an argument worth examining ¬ in part for its flaws. For extravagant claims are made for the abolition of monarchy, not least that it would at a stroke make Britain not only a less class-conscious, but also a more democratic society. The danger, rather, is that if republicanism starts to become a fashionable cause on the left, it will distract from the much more important, but necessarily lower profile reforms which would actually have that effect.

A popular starting point among republicans is the royal prerogative, under which Prime Ministers can without consulting parliament ¬ make war in Iraq or the Balkans, sign treaties, appoint judges, fill the House of Lords, or prorogue parliament itself. But this is to misunderstand the nature of those powers. Yes, they were inherited from those deployed by the monarch when the monarch was powerful. Yes, it might be highly desirable to curtail them. But they do not depend on the existence of the monarch. The idea that governments would willingly abandon them simply because there was an elected head of state is to misunderstand the nature of political power.

Not to mention the near-powerlessness of the sovereign herself (other than very briefly in the very rare circumstances of ¬ say ¬ a hung parliament). As Professor Anthony King pointed out in his Hamlyn lectures, „the Monarchy [has] long since to feature significantly in British political life, yet a substantial proportion of the scholarly writings on the UK's constitution is still devoted to discussions of the monarch's role.“ The same fallacy applies to those who elevate abolition of the monarchy to the status of a pivotal constitutional reform.

But it isn't just that her constitutional role doesn't much matter. It's also that her existence can't be blamed for the many flaws in the British constitution, for which governments have a direct responsibility. It isn't the Queen's fault that the House of Lords has been turned from a hereditary chamber into a wholly appointed one. Or that parliamentary select committees cannot even be given the rudimentary independence from the executive that a proper system of elections would afford them. Or that so much real power is vested in non-elected quangos.

These arguments are essentially negative, of course. But unfashionable as it may be to say so, there may be positive ones as well. This goes beyond the possible benefits ¬ psychotherapeutic or political ¬ to a Prime Minister of being able to speak regularly in total discretion to someone who got her job when Churchill was still in office, and has pretty intimately known every one of his nine successors. Or the fact that the monarch remains a potent totem of the union between Scotland, Wales and England. And an honest broker on the very rare occasions one is needed. For there is an argument for the monarchy which, oddly, ought to have an especial appeal to the left. Which is that if you are trying to change society, and particularly if you are trying to change it radically, there is a great deal to be said for preserving the symbols of continuity. Clement Attlee, whose government was arguably the most radical in the 20th century, certainly understood this.

Historian Linda Colley in a brilliant lecture argued in favour of a transformed monarchy. Rightly, however, the most eye-catching part of Ms Colley's lecture was her massive proviso. And this goes a lot further than her correct disdain for the Merrie England flummery with which the Royal Family surrounds itself. Even slimming the family down ¬ though essential ¬ is only part of it.

But how far will go the help for monarchy to truly modernise in the interests of the institution itself? It would mean an end, at least when the Queen finally goes, to the palaces, to the tweediness, to the modes and manners of the 1950s. There are hopeful signs ¬that ¬ so far ¬ Prince William, at least, appears more than capable of getting with the programme. For the question is not whether it would be better to preserve a changed monarchy than go through all the immense, energy-sapping, upheaval abolition would require. In the right circumstances, it certainly would be. The question is whether it is do-able.

Linda Colley:

The symbolism and public culture of the new Citizen Nation would need to acknowledge the essential equality of the people of these islands far more than at present. Does this mean that Britain must become a republic? I don't think so, though it may happen. Monarchs can serve as extremely useful and reassuring symbols of stability, especially in periods of massive cultural, economic and political flux like this one.

But if there is to be a 21st century citizen's monarchy in this country capable of attracting broad, enduring support, it will require far more than a face-lift in image. Its public presentation will have to continue changing, but so must its avowed rationale. The crown jewels, together with the gorgeous robes, the golden coaches and the ermine should be consigned to museums.

At their coronations, future monarchs should not only undertake to protect the faiths of each and all of their subjects, they should also swear a new oath of service to the majesty of the people. Members of all parliaments and assemblies in these islands should also swear oaths of service to the majesty of the people.

If all this sounds excessively radical, I must point out that Denmark implemented similar reforms to the ones I've just outlined after 1848, yet the Danish monarchy remains - as you know - one of the most dignified and popular in Europe. The notion that monarchs must either be surrounded by pomp, circumstance, rank and traditional glitter, or be reduced to riding bicycles, sets up a thoroughly false dichotomy. We need next millennium to move beyond it.

Princess Mary ready to defend her country

2009-03-04T09:00:00.002+01:00

The Danish Territorial Army has a new royal lieutenant: Crown Princess Mary. She completed her officers training course and was promoted to her new rank: løjtnant. Danish newspaper B.T. put it this way: ‘The Crown Princes is ready to defend God, King and Country’.

Mary can do more than wave and cut ribbons, or wear gala dresses and tiara’s’ the tabloid oozed. "Our future queen can shoot, extinguish fires, provide first aid."
The Crown Princess’s training included first aid, weapons handling and shooting, fire fighting and rescue, and she was also trained in security and surveillance. She went on marches and slept in the open field.
Major General Jan S. Norgaard, head of the Home Guard, said it was both a "honour and a pleasure" to have Crown Prince Mary as member of the Territorial Army, hjemmeværnets.
"Her membership is of great importance for the Home Guard and can help create more interest among prospective members", Norgaard said. Crown Princess Mary follows in the tradition of other members of the royal family, who like her, took military training courses.

Engagement of Crown Princess Victoria

2009-02-27T11:34:00.004+01:00

Swedish Crown Princess Victoria has become engaged to her boyfriend Daniel Westling, the royal palace announced Tuesday, ending years of speculation. The princess, 31, has been dating Westling, 35-year-old gym owner from Ockelbo — a small town unheard of to most Swedes — since 2002.

"Daniel and I have become engaged, the King and the government have given their consent to our marriage and the wedding is being planned for spring or early summer 2010," Victoria told reporters.

They met at the gym. Seven years later Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and her former personal trainer Daniel Westling told the world they are engaged to be married. It's hardly standard procedure for royal matchmaking, but Tuesday's announcement shows how relaxed the monarchy has become in this egalitarian welfare state.

"It was a friendship that grew and became love," a beaming Victoria told reporters at the Royal Palace in a joint news conference with her soon-to-be prince.

The princess is first in line to the throne now occupied by her father, King Carl XVI Gustaf. Sweden is a constitutional monarchy and the king has no political power. Victoria became the heir apparent in 1980 after a reform of the constitution meant that the throne would be inherited by the monarch's eldest child without regard to gender.

For Westling, marrying the next queen of Sweden will mean a major change in lifestyle — even if the monarch is a figurehead with purely ceremonial functions, like handing out the annual Nobel Prizes. For one, he will get a royal title: Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland.

He said his life now would be focused mainly on "supporting the Crown Princess in her important work for Sweden" and that he would not continue in an active role in business.

Conservative Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said he was informed about the wedding plans Sunday. In an uncharacteristic display, Reinfeldt said he was moved by the news.

"I felt that love had been victorious," he said. He told reporters that the announcement was a ray of hope in a dark and dismal time for Sweden and for much of the rest of the world.

"I think we can all feel the warmth of the love these two exhibit for each other," he said.

Sweden's monarchy traces its origins back more than 1,000 years, though the current royal family assumed the throne in the early 19th century, when French marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte became King. He had been elected as successor to the Swedish throne by Sweden's parliament in 1810.

Carl XVI Gustaf has been King of Sweden since 1973. The last Swedish royal wedding was in 1976 when he married German-born Silvia Sommerlath, whom he met at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

The court announced the engagement after informing government ministers Tuesday. In a televised address, the king said he had given his consent to the marriage and requested the approval of the government, in line with Sweden's constitution.

"Obviously it is a special day for us, but also a special day for Sweden," the monarch said. Queen Silvia added she fully backed Victoria's choice. "We welcome Daniel into our family with open arms," she said, describing her future son-in-law as "wise" and "full of energy."

Royal expert Jenny Alexandersson, who has reported on the crown princess for the celebrity magazine Svensk Damtidning since 2003, said the wedding would be "fantastic" for Sweden, especially considering the current economic crisis.

"The fact that Sweden's heir to the throne will marry will give echoes around the world. It will be a great big wedding with more than 1,000 guests, including representatives from all big royal families," Alexandersson said.

She also said the wedding would be important for the Swedish monarchy.
"We have seen in our neighboring countries Norway and Denmark that the popularity of the monarchy has risen at times of royal weddings," she said.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Royal Palace in central Stockholm, where workers for the tabloid Aftonbladet handed out balloons and T-shirts with Victoria's and Daniel's initials and the word "congratulations" in the blue and yellow of the Swedish flag.

PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM OF SERBIA

2009-02-22T16:29:00.004+01:00

On Monday, 22 February 1882 (OS) in the morning, just when the clerks, traders, professors and students were about to take a break in the warm pre-spring sun, everybody stood to a halt, listened and looked up, as if they wanted to ask flocks of frightened sparrows and pigeons what had happened. Right after that, from the direction of the Parliament, hummed the joyful voices and cries. Waves of people who had gathered in no time, flooded Terazije square and stopped in front of the Palace. At that moment, the Parliament proclaimed Serbia a kingdom, and Prince Milan Obrenović IV – the King of Serbia, Milan I. By proclaiming the Kingdom, Serbia got not just the royal titles, but many institutions of culture as well. The Lyceum became The Advanced School, the law on compulsory elementary education and organization of high-schools was passed. Serbian Learned Society became Serbian Royal Academy, with Josif Pančić as its first president.

The Meeting of Our Lord

2009-02-15T08:00:00.002+01:00

The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Presentation is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante (lit., 'Meeting'). Other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. In many Western liturgical churches, Vespers (or Compline) on the Feast of the Presentation marks the end of the Epiphany season. In the Church of England, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is a Principal Feast celebrated either on 2 February or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February.

The event is described in the Gospel of Luke 2:22–40. According to the gospel, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth to complete Mary's ritual purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn, in obedience to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12, Exodus 13:12-15, etc.). Upon bringing Jesus into the temple, the Holy Family encountered Simeon the Righteous.

The Gospel records that Simeon had been promised that "he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord." (Luke 2:26) Simeon prayed the prayer that would become known as the Nunc Dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon, which prophesied the redemption of the world by Jesus: "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel." (Luke 2:29-32).

Simeon then prophesied to Mary: "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against—yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35). The elderly prophetess Anna was also in the Temple, and offered prayers and praise to God for Jesus, and spoke to everyone there about Jesus and his role in the redemption of Israel (Luke 2:36-38).

Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates this day according to Julian calendar, on 15 February. On the Meeting in 1804, The First Serbian Uprising began. On the same day in 1835, the first democratic constitution was brought, and since 2006, The Meeting of the Lord is Statehood Day of Serbia.

TODAY IS ALSO THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE MONARCHIST INITIATIVE BLOG!

WITH FAITH IN GOD, FOR KING AND COUNTRY!
TILL VICTORY - TILL ŽIČA MONASTERY!
LONG LIVE THE KINGDOM OF SERBIA!

Royal wedding gives hope to Georgians

2009-02-11T09:00:00.005+01:00

A prince and a princess from Georgia's ancient Bagrationi dynasty were wed in a lavish ceremony in Tbilisi on Sunday, bringing together two feuding strands of the royal house that once ruled this Caucasus nation.

Spanish-born Prince David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli, 32, and Princess Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, 31, were married before hundreds of guests in Tbilisi's Trinity Cathedral as crowds of well-wishers gathered outside.

The marriage is expected to bring an end to feuding over who is the rightful heir to Georgia's centuries-old throne and to boost a campaign to transform this ex-Soviet republic into a constitutional monarchy.

The bride wore a flowing white dress and the groom was in traditional Georgian costume, with a khanjali dagger belted to his waist. Georgian flags waved in the background as the pair exchanged vows before a priest of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Princess Anna’s father, Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, said the wedding marked an historic day for his country. "The most important thing is that this day will be beneficial for Georgia's future," he said.

The wedding was celebrated on the day Georgians commemorate King David the Builder, who ruled from 1089 to 1125 and is revered as the country's greatest king.

"This is a double holiday as we are celebrating both King David's day and the wedding of representatives of our royal Bagrationi dynasty that was abolished by Russia," one of the guests, opposition Conservative party co-leader Zviad Dzidziguri, told journalists before the ceremony.

Claiming descent from the biblical King David, the Bagrationi dynasty ruled a large chunk of present-day Georgia from at least the 9th century until the country was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the early 19th century. A noble family in Tsarist Russia, many of the Bagrationis were scattered across Europe after the Bolshevik Revolution and the Soviet takeover of Georgia in 1921 following a brief period of independence. Many of those who stayed were killed or thrown into Soviet concentration camps. Various branches of the family have laid claim to the Georgian throne, with the Mukhraneli and Gruzinsky branches considered the most likely contenders.

David Bagrationi-Mukhraneli is the son of Jorge de Bagration y de Mukhrani, a prominent racing driver whose branch of the family settled in Spain after World War II. A cousin of Spain's King Juan Carlos, the father died in 2008 after settling in Tbilisi.

Despite having spent his entire life in Spain and not speaking Georgian, David settled in Tbilisi in 2003 and obtained dual citizenship. His bride, Anna Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, is the daughter of Nugzar Bagrationi-Gruzinsky, a Tbilisi theatre director. The two houses have long feuded over their claims to the throne and historians say any children from the marriage would resolve the dispute.

It comes as support is growing for Georgia to adopt a constitutional monarchy in place of the presidential system it adopted after gaining its independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The influential patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, His Holiness Ilia II, has promoted the restoration of the monarchy and a recent phone-in survey on Georgian Public Television showed more than 40 percent of callers backed the idea.

Monarchy and tolerance (2)

2009-02-07T09:00:00.004+01:00

Charles and Camilla visit the Dawoodi Mosque in London

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited a Muslim community in London on Wednesday.

Numbering over a million and settled in over 40 countries, the Shiah Fatemi Ismaili Tayyibi Dawoodi Bohras are a denomination of Islam with a distinct identity, culture and ethos that preserves their Islamic beliefs while aiming to integrate and assimilate with the cultural fabrics of the countries in which they have made their homes.

There are over 6,000 Dawoodi Bohras in the UK, mostly from Indian or Yemeni descent. In London, they number more than 3,000, although the Dawoodi Bohra Mosque in North-West London welcomes large numbers of visitors from all over the UK, Europe and the World.

The Prince and The Duchess are practising Anglicans. Over the years His Royal Highness has worked tirelessly to encourage inter-faith dialogue in the UK and overseas and regularly visits different faith communities.

Prince Qaidjoher Ezzuddin, the son of the Dawoodi Bohra's leader, praised The Prince in a speech to the gathered people in the mosque in Northolt.

"It is heart-warming for our community and all Muslims residing in the United Kingdom that the Heir to The Throne of the country they live in values their religion and traditions in the way you do. It is an inclusive and sincere approach, not born out of a political need or even a sense of responsibility as the future monarch, but a wish to seek out the best that the rich diversity of your subjects can offer."

Their Royal Highnesses slipped off their footwear inside the building located close to a snow-covered park in the quiet suburban area of London.

After being shown the large prayer hall in the mosque, The Prince and The Duchess were taken to a Madrasah based on the first floor of the mosque where young children are taught religious and cultural lessons two evenings a week and every Saturday.

Before Their Royal Highnesses left they were presented with traditional shawls made from wool and cotton which were draped around their shoulders. The Prince was also presented with a traditional cap called a topi.

Wearing the garment, The Prince stood up to speak and said: "I suspect it's no coincidence that members of your community are among the most successful businessmen and professionals in this country.

But most importantly, I cannot applaud enough the invaluable example of your belief that patriotism is part of faith. This makes an enormous contribution to modern British society."

European Princes at The World Economic Forum

2009-02-02T09:00:00.001+01:00

HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and HRH The Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attended the Annual Meeting of The World Economic Forum, which was held in Davos, Switzerland, from 28 January to 1 February 2009. The theme of this year’s meeting was "Shaping the Post-Crisis World".

Among the record number of world leaders taking part in the Annual Meeting, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addressed participants on the opening day. Angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor of Germany; Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and Premier Taro Aso of Japan also addressed sessions of the Meeting. Public figures included 41 heads of state and government, 17 ministers of finance, 19 central bankers, 22 trade ministers, 16 ministers of foreign affairs, 15 ministers of environment and energy, 9 EU commissioners and the heads of 30 international organizations.

An American Coronation

2009-01-30T13:00:00.001+01:00

An American Coronation, writes the Los Angeles Times, and who can disagree with them given the lavish ceremony that took place in Washington. Words can be deceiving, but appearances generally are not.

It was a century ago when Theodore Roosevelt explained that an American President is "an elective King", making the implausible point that the United States was essentially a monarchical country within a republican framework. Contrast the power of His Mightiness with the limitations of our own Monarch, and you see increasingly the reverse in Commonwealth countries; that is, republican governments camouflaged within a monarchical framework, to the point where they effectively become "crowned republics" completely sapped of their royalist spirit.

As David Flint points out in President Obama: the elective King inaugurated, "The considerable British jurist, Lord Hailsham explained that the American system centres on ‘an elective monarchy with a king who rules with a splendid court and even...a royal family, but does not reign.’ He contrasted this with the Westminster system which he said involves ‘a republic with an hereditary life president, who being a queen, reigns but does not rule’."

But the important fact here is that both trends run contrary to the conservative impulse, as both are marked by a distinct lack of constitutional deference. American republicans are weary of their countrymen swooning over Princess Obama and becoming a monarchy in all but name, and Commonwealth monarchists are concerned about the increasing emasculation of their own constitutions, with the creeping regicide of Her Majesty.

The BBC's Katty Kay, for her part, is somewhat appalled at "the coronation of King Obama":

„So this is why you booted us out a couple of centuries ago. You simply replaced the pomp and ceremony of hereditary monarchy and with the pomp and ceremony of elected monarchy. OK, you didn't opt for the dynastic duo of Bush and Clinton, which really had us scratching our crowned European heads, but the fanfare with which Caroline Kennedy has entered the political picture suggests your infatuation with royal families is still not over.

This week Washington feels like London in the run up to one of our own grand royal events. Hostesses twitter on the phone, or just Twitter, to woo A-list guests to pre- and post-inauguration parties. A-list guests measure their piles of invites in feet, not inches...

Still, there is a more serious problem with treating Barack Obama as an elected monarch; one that affects us journalists, in particular. Put a man on a pedestal and suddenly it's hard for the press to drag him through the political wringer. It happened in 2003 in the run up to the invasion of Iraq and risks happening again.

In Britain, we invest the Queen with our ceremonial hopes which leaves us free to treat our prime minister as exactly what he is—an elected official, paid for by the taxpayers, and serving at the people's will. While George W. Bush was being asked patsy questions by a subdued White House press corps, Tony Blair was being drubbed by un-cowed political hacks. It is far easier to do when you don't stand the moment the man walks into the room.“

Certainly it is no secret that the political ambition of the British Left is to abolish the British Monarchy, but how does one square that with the Kennedyesque tendency of the American Left to institute its own national dynasty? Probably because the Left wants untrammeled democracy, equality and "progress", and the Right wants limited democracy, liberty and constitutionalism.

That is why an elective monarchy is intuitively fine for an American Democrat, whereas hereditary monarchy is an insufferable anachronism for the British, Canadian and Anzac lib-laboury. What right does a hereditary monarch have to say no to an elected government, they chime.

And there is reason to believe that this contradiction at the heart of the American soul, which has in recent years led several congressman, including Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Harry Reid, to introduce legislation to repeal the Twenty-second Amendment, may continue to evolve towards monarchy USA. In each of 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009, Rep. Jose Serrano introduced a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the 22nd Amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as president. Each resolution, with the exception of the current one, died without ever getting past the committee.

But with Congress going formidably Democrat, and President Obama assuming Office, one has to believe they now have a fighting chance.

LET US EXCLAIM LOVE TO SAINT SAVA!

2009-01-27T09:00:00.002+01:00

Hymn to Saint Sava

Let us exclaim love
to Saint Sava!
Serbian churches and schools –
exclaim to the saint’s wisdom.

Thither wreath, thither glory
whereat our Serbian shepherd Sava.
Sing, Serbs,
and make the song threefold!

Grateful Serbia,
you’re so full of love
towards your shepherd
Saint Sava.

All of Serbdom celebrates
its father Saint Sava.
Sing, Serbs,
and make the song threefold!

From heavens comes the blessings
from the Holy Father Sava.
Serbs, from all sides –
from the seaside and the Danube,

raise your heads to the skies
and look for Sava there:
Sava, the Serbs’ patron
in front of the Creator’s Throne!

May all Serbian hearts
unite with you!
May the sun of peace and love
shine on all of us!

Help us all live
in harmony, Saint Sava!
Hear the voice of your kin,
the Serbian people!

For five centuries the Serbs
have languished in slavery,
yet they celebrated
the name of Saint Sava.

Saint Sava loves the Serbs
and prays to God for them.
Sing, Serbs,
and make the song threefold!

Kings of Morocco and Jordan urge Obama to help

2009-01-26T09:00:00.003+01:00

King Mohammed VI of Morocco sent a message of congratulations to U.S. President Barack Obama on his own behalf and on behalf of the Moroccan people.

The monarch called on President Obama to take an active role in the Middle East, where „intensified efforts“ are called for „to reach a final, peaceful, comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the conflict in this region, that will end the tragedy of the Palestinian people and guarantee the right to create a viable independent state living in peace and harmony, with Israel.“

King Abdullah II of Jordan congratulated President Obama on the takeover of his responsibilities, telling him that he looked forward to working with him in addressing the region's issues.
The monarch stressed the need for resolving the Palestinian- Israeli conflict on the basis of the „two-state formula which provides the best way for achieving security and stability in the region“. He also „underscored the importance of an early involvement by the US administration in serious and effective negotiations“ that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as the earliest possible time, the Jordanian court statement said.

Monarchy and tolerance

2009-01-24T00:00:00.000+01:00

King of Bahrain donates plot of land to build a Catholic church

А new Catholic church is going to be built in the country’s capital Manama. The decision by King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa comes in response to a request Pope Benedict XVI made to the Gulf State when its new ambassador presented its credentials to the Holy See.

“Everyone is aware today that because of the rising number of Catholics, it would be desirable for them to have more places of worship,” the Pope said during the audience with Naser Muhamed Youssef Al-Belooshi, first representative of the Arab kingdom to the Vatican.

About 80 per cent of the 800,000 people living in the country are Muslim (60 per cent Sunni and 20 per cent Shia). Catholics represent about 10 per cent, mostly foreign workers from Asian nations.

Bahrain became the first country in the Persian Gulf to build a Catholic church, the Sacred Heart Church, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary this year, since it was inaugurated with a Christmas Midnight Mass in 1939.

Relations between the Holy See and the Gulf kingdom saw significant progress in 2008. Not only did the Vatican receive the first ambassador from Bahrain, but King Hamad met Pope Benedict XVI as well. After the meeting on 9 July the sovereign issued an official communiqué inviting the Holy Father to visit the country.

Why I am a monarchist (9)

2009-01-14T09:00:00.001+01:00

I am a monarchist by tradition. It is the tradition of my country, Canada, to have a monarchy. Historically monarchies have been more stable and humane institutions than their republican competitors, the only really successful republics in history are the Roman, the Swiss, the Dutch (which is today a monarchy) and the American. Most republics have been disasters. The French Republic - now on version 5.0 - survived into the second half of the twentieth century largely because of the efforts of one man, Charles de Gaulle, whom many called an uncrowned king in his dozen years as President. Why are most republics such spectacular failures? The modern world affords many examples of stable democratic republics, South Korean, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece and most of the states of Eastern Europe. Notice, however, that none of these republics have strong liberal democratic traditions dating before 1945, most were dictatorships of one variety or another as late as the 1970s or 1980s. None, importantly, have faced a grave military or economic crisis and should - forbid the thought - the world undergo another Great Depression I cannot see many standing for very long.

The period between 1929 and 1932 signalled the end of what has been called the first era of globalization, it was also the end of the first era of global liberalism, in the broad and original understanding of that word. Poverty and crisis overwhelmed the feeble republics of Europe and Latin America. Among the republican states only Switzerland, France - barely - and America survived. The stability of the House of Windsor, and the houses of Scandinavia, were never questioned.

An inherited position, especially of great wealth, mitigates corruption or ambition. A politician has the perspective of a few years between elections, and he is always fund raising. A monarch, or one in waiting as Prince Charles, must take the perspective of centuries. Unlike private wealth, which may come without responsibility, the wealth and glory of a monarch in a modern liberal democracy does not. The Queen and the Prince of Wales are among the hardest working people in the United Kingdom, enduring a schedule as brutal as that of many cabinet ministers or top executives. To whom much is given, much is expected.

It instills a sense of duty and public service, in the older meanings of those words. Today duty is seen as a thankless task performed with reluctance. Public service a code word for subservience to an over mighty state. No sane man would wish to be King, but having been placed in that line of fate, awesome even in a constitutional state, the opportunity to make an impact on the world is still great. It is this perspective, the wrinkles of centuries, that gives a monarchy its flavour and grandeur. To have lasted so long does not guarantee goodness, but it suggests that an institution has spoken to some deep desire and need of the human race. We ignore this truth at our peril. Those eager to replace the House of Windsor, and the personal union of Her Majesty's 16 Commonwealth realms, with some kind of crowned republic are pursuing, at best, a foolish, and often dishonest strategy.

We too, in Canada, Australia and New Zealand can have some bloodless head of state like Italy or Israel, a nonentity plucked from obscurity to shake hands with foreign diplomats, a figure too weak and irrelevant to challenge an overly ambitious minister of state. A monarch like our current sovereign is not crossed lightly. She has seen too much and been enough away from the fray of politics, a detached and largely impartial observer, not to have learned much. We do not know what she thinks. We are fairly certain she was no fan of Mrs Thatcher, but very much liked Mr Wilson and Mr Major. Yet government worked as smoothly as ever. It was headlines when the Queen was alleged to have reprimanded Mrs Thatcher for being "uncaring," yet Thatcher could not - whatever the rightness of her cause - ignore the crown with impunity. А constitutional monarch who reigns more than rules, provides a valuable check on the power of her ministers. Crown is something not to be trifled with.

The Queen and I

2009-01-12T08:00:00.000+01:00

Empress Farah, the widow of the Shah of Iran, is set to be an unlikely star of the Sundance Film Festival as the subject of a new documentary, „The Queen and I“.

When Nahid Persson Sarvestani, an Iranian exile, set out to make a documentary about her, she expected to encounter her opposite. As a child, Persson Sarvestani had lived in dire poverty, watching Farrah’s wedding as if it were a fairy tale. As a teenager, she joined the Communist faction of Khomeini’s revolution that deposed the shah, sending him and his family volleying from country to country. When Khomeini betrayed his promise for democracy, imposing more violent measures than the shah had, Persson Sarvestani was also forced to flee. Thirty years later, she needs key questions answered and goes directly to the source. Surprisingly, Queen Farrah welcomes her as a fellow refugee from their beloved homeland, granting unprecedented access.

Over the next year and a half, Persson Sarvestani enters the queen’s world, planning to challenge the shah’s ideology; instead, she must rethink her own. In the struggle to understand each other’s experiences, an unlikely friendship has blossomed. Confronting Farrah about the shah’s repression has become not only a political conflict but a personal one, and Persson Sarvestani’s objectivity is shaken. In this gripping, poignant consideration of subjectivity as truth, we learn that people write history. And can also heal it. „The Queen and I“ couldn’t be more relevant as we reach across our own political aisles.

„Although I knew that she (Nahid Persson) held a different political opinion, I thought at some point we had to have a dialogue and that we should not keep our animosity and bitterness forever. That is why I accepted,“ the Empress says to explain her decision to take part in the documentary.

Since leaving Iran in 1979 with the Shah, who died in 1980, the Empress has had plentiful experience in the glare of Western media. To many, she is a symbol of a regime guilty of human rights abuses and the suppression of free speech. To her supporters, she is a link with an old order that they hope will one day be restored.

At times, Persson's documentary makes the deposed queen seem like a modern-day Marie Antoinette. With its archive footage of the Empress in her crown at her coronation ceremony shown next to old newsreel material of her forced into exile after the revolution as street protesters burned her image, it highlights the extreme contrasts in her life. One moment, she is living an existence of fairy tale-style opulence. The next, she's a pariah. Old friends melted away as she and her husband looked for sanctuary after the revolution.
The Empress knew that once she agreed to participate in Persson's film, she would have little control over how she was portrayed. „At one point, as you saw in the film, I was tired and I was not sure I was doing the right thing. But then I decided I should continue. After all, I have been the queen of my country for 20 years. Even if I have been outside the country for 30 years, I still have feelings for my country.“

She knew Persson was bitterly opposed to the Shah's regime but says that the film-maker was only a teenager at the time of the revolution. „She came from a very poor family. At that age, they believe communism can give them happiness and equality. That's why I still have a feeling for the young people in Iran.“

What makes „The Queen and I“ moving and disorienting is the unlikely friendship that springs up between the two women. The film-maker is clearly wary about being seduced by the charm of the Empress. The Empress, for her part, knew that the documentary could easily turn into a hatchet job. However, both the director and her subject eventually rise above their suspicions of one another. When they come face to face, they can't help but like one another.

„I guess some will like the documentary and some will dislike it. It's like anything else. The supporters who know me and who understand me will agree with what I have done. But as I say, you can't please everyone“, says the Empress.

She is unlikely to be going on the festival circuit to accompany screenings of „The Queen and I“ at Sundance and elsewhere. „It is Nahid's film. I frankly don't think that I could go to attend these festivals ... but I wish Nahid success.“

The Sundance Film Festival runs from 15 to 25 January at Park City, Utah (festival.sundance.org/2009/)