Last modified: 8 May 2021
1 April
The life and legacy of the late Diana, Princess of Wales is to be commemorated with a blue plaque of English Heritage marking her home at 60 Coleherne Court, Earl’s Court, London, where she lived before marrying in 1981.
The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam received the first Covid-19 vaccine in his country. Also Rebecca Bettarini received the Sputnik-vaccine.
2 April
The princely family of Monaco wished Happy Easter.
3 April
The mummies of 18 kings and four queens of Egypt were transported in chronological order of their reigns from the Egyptian Museum to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation five kilometres away. The historic procession, called the Pharaohs’ Golden Parade, in the city of Cairo was also streamed online. The new museum will fully open on 18 April and should help reliving tourism.
4 April
Former Jordan Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein has said that he has been placed under house arrest after several high-level arrests have been made. In a video Hamzah accuses the leaders of Jordan of corruption, incompetence and harassment. He himself denies being part of any conspiracy, but says he was told to stop actions that could be used to target the “security and stability” of Jordan. His mother, Queen Noor, said on Twitter: “Praying that truth and justice will prevail for all the innocent victims of this wicked slander. God bless and keep them safe.”
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark attended the Easter mass at the cathedral of Aarhus. The mass only lasted 30 minutes due to the current Covid-19 restrictions. Her son Prince Joachim and his family went to the Danish church Frederikskirken in Paris, France, where they live.
Cute Easter wishes from the Duke and Duchess of Parma and their three children.
5 April
After a meeting with his uncle Prince El Hassan and several other family members Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein of Jordan has signed a letter stating that he puts himself at the disposal of his halfbrother King Abdullah II of Jordan and will always remain committed to the covenant of his ancestors and loyal to their legacy. He will always support his halfbrother and his nephew Crown Prince Al Hussein.
Princess Eugenie of York and her little family wished her Instagram followers Happy Easter.
6 April
The Luxembourg Grand-Ducal Court announced the engagement of Prince Louis of Luxembourg and Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue. His sons Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah are very happy for the couple. Scarlett-Lauren was born in Bordeaux, France, on 8 August 1991 as daughter of Pierre Sirgue and Scarlett Berrebi (who died on 5 March 2021). Like her parents she is a lawyer. She has two siblings: Elisabeth Defforey and Archibald Sirgue.
In an interview with the Norwegian newspaper “Verdens Gang” Princess Märtha Louise has confirmed plans to move to the USA with her daughters to be with her boyfriend Durek Verrett.
7 April
The ITV special “The Day Will and Kate Got Married” was broadcasted to celebrate the 10th wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge later this month. Some of the people involved closest on the day gave interviews, including Catherine’s uncle Gary Goldsmith, the cakemaker and the wedding dress embroiderer. It is revealed by designer Daniella Helayel that Catherine already had her engagement dress in her wardrobe and choose herself what to wear. Fiona Cairns tells in the documentary how the wedding cake was transported in a fleet of vans – in 40 boxes – from her factory to Buckingham Palace. A door had actually to be removed to be able to get the cake on its place. When Queen Elizabeth II had a look, she joked “I hear you’ve been dismantling my house.” A former Metropolitan Police commander remembers somebody in a car managed to reach the secure zone and to drive up close to The Goring Hotel where the Middleton family stayed, just before the bride was to leave the hotel. The car was searched but turned out not to be a threat for the security. Catherine had invited several people from the village of Bucklebury, where her parents live, for the wedding.
The Duke of Sussex’s Invictus Games will take place in The Hague, The Netherlands, from 16 to 22 April 2022. As announced earlier this week the first project of Archewell Productions for Netflix will be a docuseries on the Invictus Games. Athletes who are preparing for the Invictus Games are being followed.
Although the traditional summer opening of Buckingham Palace’s state rooms and themed exhibition, again has been cancelled, the garden will be open this year. The garden will open to visitors from July to September, allowing the grounds of the official London residence of the Queen to be explored through a self-guided tour for the first time. The unique opportunity to enjoy a picnic on one of the sweeping lawns will be part of the visit. Tickets, for as long as there are any available, can be bought here.
8 April
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway congratulated her daughter Leah Isadora on Instagram with her 16th birthday.
The Londoner auction house Bonhams on 28 April auctions “London Jewels“. Among the pieces sold are jewelry from the Countess of Rosse, mother of the 1st Earl of Snowdon.
9 April
Around noon the British Royal Family let know: “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss. ” The Duke would have celebrated his 100th birthday on 10 June. You can sign the book of condolence online. Many royals have already send their condolences to the family.
Queen Sofia of Spain has received her second Covid-19 jab.
Kei Komuro, the boyfriend of Princess Mako of Akishino, released a statement on Thursday expressing his resolve to tie the knot and to correct erroneous information regarding a monetary dispute involving his mother. Because of the money issue the marriage of Kei and Mako thus far has been postponed for over two years. Today Princess Mako herself stated that she has expressed hope that his statement will lead to more public understanding.
Princess Shirin bint Mired of Jordan became engaged to Jaafar Nabelsi. She was born in 1993 as daughter of Prince Mired bin Ra’ad of Jordan (and Iraq) and his wife Dina.
10 April
The funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh will take place on Saturday 17 April 2021 at 3pm in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and will start with a national minute’s silence. Previously the ceremonial procession will be preceded inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. It will be a ceremonial royal funeral in line with the personal wishes of the Duke himself. The Queen and her family will be in attendance, including the Duke of Sussex, who will fly in from the USA. The funeral will be broadcasted live on TV in the UK, and probably also abroad. RTL Germany has already announced it will show the funeral.
11 April
The German tv-channels Arte and ZDF History this week broadcasted the documentary “Auguste Viktoria – die letzte Kaiserin” (Auguste Viktoria – the last Empress). I am not sure the video links work elsewhere, but for me they do.
ITV announced last week that it is going to broadcast the new documentary “The Queen and Her Cousins” on 15 April at 9pm. The documentary is to mark the Queen’s 95th birthday on 21 April. Alexander Armstrong met with family members, including Princess Olga Romanoff and Lord Ivar Mountbatten, as well as her great niece and goddaughter Victoria Pryor, who talked about their famous relative. The program however seems to have disappeared from the schedule, due to the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.
12 April
His lawyer Naoji Ueshiba said that Kei Komuro, the fiance of Princess Mako of Akishino, intends to provide money to settle a financial issue between his mother and her former fiance. It turns out not to be easy to settle the issue through discussions. Kei has also spoken with Mako about the issue. On Monday he released a document describing how the issue had developed and tried to correct misinformation. Since 2018 Kei has been studying at a US law school and plans to take the bar examination after his graduation in May 2021.
Prince Nayef bin Asem of Jordan married Sharifa Farah bint Nasser Al Luhaimaq in Amman, Jordan.
13 April
In an interview with the Danish Brain Foundation magazine Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark for the first time spoke about the blood clot accident of the prince in July 2020. A great translation can be found here.
14 April
The Danish royal house has announced that Prince Christian will continue his education after the summer at the Herlufsholm Gymnasium in Næstved, Denmark. He will enroll as a boarding student. He will conclude the ninth grade at the Tranegårdenskolen in Gentofte at the end of June.
15 April
At the Falemasiva Hall in Havelu, Tongatapu, Tonga, Princess Pilolevu Tuita was the first person to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The princess volunteered to take the first AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine.
16 April
Surprisingly Queen Margrethe II of Denmark did appear in front of the Fredensborg Palace on her 81st birthday to watch the changing of the guards at noon. She also received a musical surprise from the Kongelige Livgardes Musikkorps.
Princess Eléonore of Belgium celebrated her 13th birthday. A nice picture was released.
The Dutch King’s Day on 27 April will end with a concert of The Streamers from the Royal Stables in The Hague. The concert will be shown as off 8pm via an online stream. Free tickets can be bought here (a donation is appreciated though). The digital program of the day itself can be found here.
17 April
The small ceremonial royal funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh took place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. The service was attended by 30 members of the royal family, was conducted by the Dean of Windsor and the blessing was pronounced by the Archbishop of Canterbury. None of the guests wore a uniform, but a morning coat with medals. They all wore masks. A choir of four sang in the Nave, the pieces of music were chosen by the Duke himself. At the end of the service the coffin was lowered into the royal vault.
18 April
The president of Sinn Féin, Mary Lou McDonald, has apologised for the murder of the Earl Mountbatten of Burma in 1979. In an interview with Times Radio she said: “I can say of course I am sorry that happened. Of course, that is heartbreaking. My job, and I think that Prince Charles and others would absolutely appreciate this, my job is to lead from the front, now, in these times.”
Several interesting documentaries with great footage and interviews with family members appeared on German TV recently, and I hope they are visible abroad.
- Philip von Battenberg – So hessisch sind die Royals (Philip of Battenberg – So Hessian are the British royals)
- Die Wittelsbacher – Geiseln Adolf Hitlers (The Wittelsbach – Hostages of Adolf Hitler)
- Napoleons Erben in Bayern – Die Herzöge von Leuchtenberg (Napoleons Heirs in Bavaria – The Dukes of Leuchtenberg)
19 April
The Danish crown princely family have moved into the Chancellery at Fredensborg Palace this weekend. They will reside in their former permanent home for several months.
20 April
The United Nations has asked the United Arab Emirates to provide concrete proof that Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum of Dubai is still alive, it says in a statement issued in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday. The human rights experts of the United Nations also want her to be released urgently.
21 April
On her 95th birthday Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain sent a message to the people across the world to thank for their tributes and messages of condolence following the death of The Duke of Edinburgh.
After a week in Great Britain the Duke of Sussex has returned home to Montecito, California. He flew into Los Angeles on an American Airlines flight from London Heathrow on Tuesday shortly after 1.30pm.
A 44-year old Spanish woman managed to enter the grounds of the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park on Monday after claiming to the security officers that she was the fiancée of the Duke of York. Security apparently also paid her cab fare. She walked around for 20 minutes before entering the Royal Lodge to ask for Prince Andrew. Staff called the police and they sectioned the woman, who called herself Irene Windsor, under the 1984 Mental Health Act. Also a security review has been launched.
New photos were released upon the 14th birthday of Princess Isabella of Denmark.
The Royal Vault in the New Church in Delft, The Netherlands, is to be enlarged, so 20 more members of the Dutch royal family can find their last resting place here.
22 April
The Princess of Asturias christened the submarine “Isaac Peral” in Cartagena, Spain. She was accompanied by her parents King Felipe VI. and Queen Letizia of Spain and her younger sister Infanta Sofia.
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg have received their first Covid-19 vaccine at the Vaccine Centre of Luxembourg-Limpertsberg.
BBC will mark the 10th wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with a documentary featuring many people involved in the wedding. “Royal Wedding: A Day to Remember” will air in the evening of Friday 30 April.
Jordan has released 16 people that were arrested earlier this month for alleged conspiracy against the monarchy. King Abdullah II had requested to let them go in honor of the holy month of Ramadan. Only two former senior royal officials, Bassem Awadallah and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, will remain in custody.
The Crown Prince of Johor and his wife Che’ Puan Besar Khaleeda Bustamam had their fourth child. Their daughter Zahrah Zarith Aziyah was born on 21 April at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. A photo.
23 April
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands opened the Koningsspelen at Kindcentrum Vlinderslag in Amersfoort.
A lovely photo was released on the occasion of the 3rd birthday of Prince Louis of Cambridge.
The British royal household has ended royal mourning. After the Duke of Edinburgh died on 9 April the family has only carried out appropriate official duties and have dressed in black when appearing in public.
24 April
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and his wife Princess Sarah bint Manshour had their fifth child, a son called Abdul Aziz, on 18 April. A brother for Salman, Manshour, Fahda and Noura.
Markgräfin Helene Pallavicini née Duchess of Württemberg died on 22 April in Altshausen, Germany, aged 91. The private funeral will take place in Altshausen. She is mourned by her four children and five grandchildren, and her estranged husband.
25 April
Prince Christian accompanied his grandmother Queen Margrethe II of Denmark to the Sunday service at Asminderød Church near Fredensborg. The visit was part of Christian’s confirmation preparation. The confirmation will take place in three weeks time.
26 April
Surprise! The royal houses of Denmark, Norway and Sweden shared a few photos of a virtual meeting of the three crown princely couples. They talked about their families and their work. See some photos here and here.
Historical Royal Palaces announced their new exhibition: “Designing for royalty” at the Orangery. The exhibition will be on display from 3 June 2021 to 2 January 2022 and will explore the intimate relationship between fashion designer and royal client. One of the items on display is the wedding dress of Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as a surviving toile for the 1937 coronation gown of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.
27 April
Again a digital celebration of King’s Day. This time King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, the Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane travelled to Brainport Eindhoven (High Tech Campus). The main part of the event took place in a specially built studio, called the Orange Room, where some guests were received, and the royal family took place in a regional quiz. Back outside the princesses took part in a virtual race, while Ariane and Alexia also took part in a hovercraftrace. They paid tribute to the health workers during the Covid-19 crisis and saw a drone dance. At the end Willem-Alexander held a speech and said: “This was an unforgettable King’s Day and hopefully one never to be repeated.” The highlight of the day were however the small interviews his three daughters gave during the two hours in Eindhoven, speaking about life during Covid-19 and the future. In the afternoon the family visited the rehearsals for the The Streamers concert in the Royal Stables, that could be watched online in the evening. For photos see here. The report of royalty fan Wills, who was part of the selfie street.
28 April
A nice interview of Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg with the American TV-Channel ABC News. She said among others: “The worst thing you can do is fall in love with a crown prince.” She says you have to realize you don’t only marry your dream prince, but also the institution, the country. She said it is a tremendous challenge to enter a royal family, but also an honor. One also shouldn’t complain, being engaged. Being a royal however is not only walking on the red carpet and wear tiaras. Maria Teresa reveals that wearing a tiara for hours can cause headaches.They also had a report about Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini of Eswatini about her roots and future.
29 April
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with the release of two lovely photos and a cute video, also featuring their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
My old wedding report
The wedding can still be watched
One of the best commercials ever
According to a poll 43 per cent of the Brits think that the Duchess of Cambridge definitely will make a good queen, while another 33 per cent thinks she will probably do well. Only 3 per cent thinks she won’t. 31 per cent thinks it is better that she grew up as a commoner, while 59 per cent thinks it doesn’t make a difference. YouGov questioned 5,055 adults in Great Britain.
I spotted a mistake in The Crown season four, and all of the sudden my tweet featured in Hello Canada. I by the way later corrected the “only released in July 1981 after the wedding”, as of course the wedding was two weeks later.
The Jordan royal family announced the death of Prince Muhammed bin Talal in Amman. He was born in Amman on 2 October 1940 and the second son of King Talal, and thus a younger brother of the late King Hussein bin Talal. He was married twice and had two sons from the first marriage, Talal and Ghazi.
Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, Regent of the Zulu Nation surprisingly died aged 65. She was admited to hospital a few days earlier after having felt unwell for a long time. After the death of her husband King Goodwill Zwelithini on 12 March she was appointed as interim ruler of the Zulu nation pending the installation of the king’s successor. It is not clear in which hospital she died or what kind of illness she had. She was the daughter of the late King Sobhuza II of Eswatini, and sister of King Mswati III.
30 April
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden celebrated his 75th birthday, without public celebrations because of the Covid-19 pandemic. During a small audience at the royal palace in Stockholm he was congratulated by the First Deputy Speaker of the Riksdag Åsa Lindestam and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, the county governor of Västmanland (representing all county governors of Sweden)., the Chairman of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, and by the Marshal of the Real, Fredrik Wersäll, in name of all people working at the royal court. From the Riksdag and the government he received a portrait medaillon of himself, which will hang in the Riksdag building. In the afternoon the King received representatives from the Swedish Armed Forces. See for a small report here.
The funeral prayers for Prince Mohammed bin Talal of Jordan were held at the Royal Guards Mosque in Amman, after the funeral at the Royal Cemetery. Because of the pandemic a limited number of family members were present.
The Belgian royal court has announced that the Royal Greenhouses in Laken, Brussels, will open its doors between 13 May and 6 June. The smaller greenhouses will remain closed, but instead visitors will be able to walk through a part of the garden. One has to order tickets beforehand.