Last modified: 3 April 2022
2 March
Prince Oscar of Sweden celebrated his 6th birthday. As usual a photo was released.
3 March
The Spanish Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced that it has dropped three separate investigations into the financial affairs of King Juan Carlos of Spain, as there is insufficient evidence and most of the crimes have taken place while he held immunity as a head of state. In December the Swiss authorities already dropped their investigation.
A court in Bilbao has decided to suspend the prison sentence of Iñaki Urdangarin, the husband of Infanta Cristina of Spain. That means he since 2 March he is a free man again.
Queen Paola of Belgium has broken her right upper arm in a fall. Surgery is not necessary. She is to rest and recuperate for the next eight weeks and has cancelled all of her appointments.
Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko of Japan will finally be able to move into the newly renovated former Akasaka imperial residence in Tokyo in April. After leaving the imperial palace in March 2020 they have temporary been residing in the Sento Kari Gosho.
On the occasion of World Book Day the Duchess of Cambridge has shared her five reading recommendations for children.
Samantha Markle has sued her half-sister, the Duchess of Sussex, for the Oprah Winfrey-interview in March 2021. She said that Meghan has made “false and malicious statements” during the interview. Unlike what she said Meghan is not an only child, also she has lied about the timeframe of when she and Samantha saw each other last.
Sheikha Moneera Fahad al-Sabah of Kuwait, a granddaughter of the previous Kuwaiti emir, and her partner Mesaed al-Mesaileem are seeking asylum in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where they moved in 2020. The couple have been publicly critical of their country on social media and their blog. On request of Kuwait Interpol has issued a red notice for al-Mesaileem.
Pieter Haitsma Mulier and his wife Princess Vanessa zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg have bought the Burg Schaumburg in Rinteln. They are planning a ten-year refurbishment and renovation of the property they bought from Fürst Alexander zu Schaumburg-Lippe. The castle will remain open to the public but also serve as the private home of the family. There are currently no plans to revive gastronomy at the Schaumburg.
4 March
Princess Adrienne of Sweden celebrated her 4th birthday.
King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen-Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk of Cambodia have left for their regular medical check-up in Beijing, China.
7 March
The Spanish royal house has announced that King Juan Carlos of Spain has decided to stay in Abu Dhabi, where he lives since August 2020. The King wrote to his son King Felipe VI: “For now, I prefer for personal reasons which concern nobody but myself, to continue residing in a permanent and stable manner in Abu Dhabi.” He says he has found peace in Abu Dhabi, although he plans to frequently come back to Spain.
The confirmation of Princess Isabella of Denmark will take place on 30 April at the Fredensborg Palace Church and will be led by the royal Chaplain-in-Ordinary bishop Henrik Wigh-Poulsen. After the ceremony Isabella will be celebrating in private with family and friends.
The hair of the Duchess of Sussex is the surprising topic of the Serbian song that will take part in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, in May. In “In corpore sano” Konstrakta sings about the “healthy hair” and beauty regime of Meghan.
8 March
The Danish Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen has decied to transfer the Charlottenlund Palace and its seven buildings in the garden to the state property company Freja Ejendomme, probably during the second quarter of 2022. This company will then sell the property to the highest bidder. The site was originally a deer park owned by King Christian IV. Several royals lived at the property in the years to come. Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Princess Louise took over the palace in 1869 and had it fully rebuild in 1880-1881. The royal family stopped using the building in 1935.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands have again cancelled their state visit to Greece, that was to take place from 16 to 18 March. The reason is the war in Ukraine.
Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein of Jordan sent a letter to his halfbrother King Abdullah II of Jordan to apoligize following a meeting between the two on Sunday evening. He acknowledged that he had made errors and took responsibility for his actions and offences towards Jordan and His Majesty over the past years.
10 March
The royal family of Bavaria has donated one million Euro to help the victims of the war in Ukraine. The Duke of Bavaria and Prince Ludwig of Bavaria have both already been involved in refugee aid and development work for a long time.
Princess Tatiana of Greece gave a lovely interview to Mega TV in English. She talks about her commitment to mental health, her organisation Breathe, but also about her love for Greece. She says she feels at home somewhere for the first time, but confessed to have been jealous of the country at first because her husband Prince Nikolaos was so in love with her.
12 March
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has celebrated her name day in Stockholm in presence of Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar. Also her birthday on 14 July will take place at Solliden, Island of Öland, again, as before the Covid-19-pandemic. For pictures see Royal Press.
The board of Queen Margrethe’s and Prince Henrik’s Foundation and the board of Crown Prince Frederik’s and Crown Princess Mary’s Foundation have together decided to donate 1,000,000 DKK for victims of the war in Ukraine.
The monegasque princely family has announced that Princess Charlène of Monaco is back home in Monaco with her husband Sovereign Prince Albert II and their children Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella. She will continue her convalescence in the principality. She was treated for emotional and physical exhaustion in a clinic, apparently in Switzerland, since November 2021.Charlène is expected to resume her official duties gradually as soon as her health is strong enough. At the moment she still needs peace and calm, and the family asks “that their private life and family environment continue to be respected”.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands worked as volunteer at care farm Op Aarde in Brielle, The Netherlands at the yearly day of the volunteer “NLDoet”.
The Duke of Sussex is getting ready for the Invictus Games in The Hague, The Netherlands, in April and took some Dutch lessons.
14 March
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain hasn’t attended today’s Commonwealth Day. However she has issued a statement.
Hereditary Prince Heinrich Donatus zu Schaumburg-Lippe has shared his impressions from the Ukraine border with the magazine Tatler. The Prince has been volunteering with the organisation Interhelp and gave medical aid to refugees arriving in Poland.
15 March
The route and program of King’s Day in Maastricht, The Netherlands, on 27 April 2022 has become known. The Dutch royal family is expected to show up with a large group of family members.
16 March
Victoria Federica de Marichalar de Borbón, daughter of Infanta Elena of Spain, gave her first big interview to the Spanish magazine Elle. She also posed for photos. Victoria among others spoke about her family and her future.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia left the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh after medical tests and a replacement of the battery of his heart pacemaker. He will continue to rest for a few more days.
17 March
Princess Aiko of Japan held her first press conference at the Imperial Palace on the occasion of her coming of age last December. She said to be heartbroken because of the war in the Ukraine and the earthquake that struck Japan a day before her 30-minute press conference, and expressed her deepest sympathy. She thanked everyone for supporting her during her life thus far, including her parents Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako and even said: “Thank you for bringing me into the world”. She told the media she hadn’t really thought about marriage yet, but said that “an ideal relationship would be one in which we can make each other smile”. Among her interests are classical literature, and she said she is an animal lover. She said she will fulfill her duties as an adult member of the Japanese imperial family “to the best of my ability”. The full text in Japanese.
Prince Hisahito of Akishino has graduated from Ochanomizu University Junior High School in Tokyo. Together with his parents Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan he attended the graduation ceremony today. He is set to enroll at the University of Tsukuba’s Senior High School at Otsuka in Tokyo in April. The young prince told the media: “While there was a time when the school was closed [due to COVID-19], I had various experiences and I feel I led a fruitful three years.”
The official range of souvenirs for the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II by the Royal Collection Trust has gone on sale. The design is inspired by the purple Robe of Estate worn by the Queen at her coronation in 1953. They also feature the official Platinum Jubilee emblem designed by teenager Edward Roberts.
The 82th birthday of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark will be celebrated on 16 April at Marselisborg in Aarhus. It is the first time since 2019 that the Queen can celebrate her birthday in a normal way. She and her family will receive wishes during a birthday parade.
A cousin of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Prince Floris van Oranje-Nassau van Vollenhoven, has been booked as a DJ at the Kingsland Festival in Amsterdam on 27 April.
18 March
After an investigation into the way Martin Bashir obtained his interview with the Princess of Wales in 1995 for the TV-program Panorama, the BBC has settled with Diana’s former private secretary Patrick Jephson. Bashir at the time allegedly forged Jephson’s bank statements and other documents to secure the interview with the Princess. The BBC states they accept and acknowledge that serious harm was caused to Jephson and apologises for the harm caused to him. They have paid him his legal costs and a substantial sum in damages. Jephson has announced he is very glad that the truth has come to light and said: “I now look forward to donating the damages I have been awarded to Ty Hafan, the hospice for children in Wales, in memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.”
For the second time the Let’s Dance dream of Princess Lilly zu Sayn-Witttgenstein-Berleburg came to an end. For three weeks she was already the first candidate to leave the show, but was allowed to return the next week after several competitors tested positive for Covid-19. A week later also Lilly herself was tested positive. Today she was however one of the two contestants that had to leave the show.
20 March
The war between Ukraine and Russia has caused Prince Michael of Kent to rethink his connections to the Kremlin. He already handed back an Order of Friendship award and now has left his role as patron of the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce. He however still is an ambassador and shareholder of RemitRadar, owned by Sergey Markov.
21 March
Austrian president Alexander Van der Bellen and his wife Doris Schmidauer were received by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians for three-day state visit. See photos of day 1 that included a state banquet.
22 March
Both the Belgian and Dutch royal family have announced that Ukrainian refugees will be staying at their properties. The Belgians have agreed to open up two houses owned by the Royal Trust, while the Dutch will make the hunting castle Het Loo available. Also the Dumfries House estate and the Balmoral estate in Scotland are being considered as a home for refugees. Ukrainian refugees have also been welcomed at Burg Hohenzollern. Royals from Europe have also visited and talked to refugees in their respective countries, and attended church services and other events in connection with Ukraine.
The Princess of Orange spends her gap year in private. The Dutch royal family however shared a few photos of Amalia spending time at the pitch day of social initiatives for the 5th Growth Programme of the Oranje Fonds of her parents. It turns out she is spending part of her gap year doing an internship with the foundation and doing voluntary work with other organisations.
24 March
To the disappointment of King Juan Carlos of Spain the High Court in London has ruled that he doesn’t have the right to sovereign immunity. That means the trial of his former mistress Corinna Larsen (Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn) can continue. She has accused him and the Spanish secret service of multiple acts of harassment between 2012 and 2020. The king and his legal team are disappointed and consider to appeal.
Princess Haya bint Al Hussein of Jordan has received sole responsibility for the care of her children Sheikha Al-Jalila and Sheikh Zayed Al Maktoum of Dubai. A judge of the family court in London ruled that her former husband Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai has “consistently displayed coercive and controlling behaviour” towards Haya and other family members. He is not to have face-to-face contact with his children, but can only contact them indirectly. This should reduce the potential for continuing harm to the children. About the behaviour of Sheikh Mohammed towards his ex-wife the judge said it was domestic abuse on a large scale. The Ruler of Dubai keeps on denying the allegiations and said that he will always take care of his children and loves them.
The High Court in London has ruled that parts of the court case of the Duke of Sussex against the Home Office in connection with his police protection in the United Kingdom are to be kept private on request of both parties. The case involves information about the security arrangements for the Duke and other public figures in the country.
The Duchess of Sussex is to launch her groundbreaking Spotify podcast series in Summer 2022. The podcast will be called Archetypes and investigates the labels that try to hold women back. Meghan will speak with historians and experts to uncover the origin of these stereotypes and also speak with women who are familiar with these narratives.
25 March
Prince Josef Emmanuel von und zu Liechtenstein married María Claudia Echavarría Suárez at the Iglesia de San Pedro Claver in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in the evening. Among the guests were members of the princely family of Liechtenstein, the grand-ducal family of Luxembourg, the royal family of Belgium and the imperial families of Austria and France. Photos in Vaterland and at Monarchie.lu.
26 March
Prince Julian of Sweden turned one, and of course a new photo was shared.
From 19 to 26 March the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge officially toured Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas on behalf of the British Queen on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee. In Belize they visited historic Mayan sites and celebrated the rich culture of the Garifuna community and explored the country’s biodiversity. In Jamaica they celebrated the legacy of Bob Marley and engaged with the Jamaican Defence Force. In The Bahamas they spent time with communities, and experienced a world famous junkanoo parade. Also the repsonse to Covid-19 featured on their program. The program also touched on a number of themes that are close to the hearts of the royal couple. The tour was overshadowed by requests for apologies for British slavery and hints at removing the Queen as head of state. In a statement at the end of the tour Prince William said: “Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect. You learn so much.” In a speech in Jamaica he had already condemned the role of his country in slavery. He said: “I strongly agree with my father, the Prince of Wales, who said in Barbados last year, that the appalling atrocity of slavery forever stains our history. I want to express my profound sorrow. Slavery was abhorrent. And it should never have happened.”
28 March
It has been decided that Princess Isabella of Denmark will join her elder brother Prince Christian at the boarding school Herlufsholm in Næstved, Denmark. She will start the 9th class there.
Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi has ordered the biggest Hummer H1 truck in the world for his Sharjah Off Road History Museum. The car is three times bigger than a normal Hummer H1.
29 March
Members of the British royal family, including the eldest great-grandchildren, attended a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey in London for the late Duke of Edinburgh to celebrate his life, his dedication to his family and his support for the over 700 charitable organisations he was associated with. Also members of foreign royal families and the wider family and friends of the Duke attended the service, as well as over 500 representatives of his patronages and charities. For more information, including the order of service, the tribute from a Gold Award Holder and the address of the Dean of Windsor can be found here. Photos at Royal Press.
The website of the Swedish royal family has been redesigned. Also new portraits of the family have been published.
30 March
Princess Madeleine of Sweden introduced the newest member of her family: a cute little dog called Teddy.
31 March
The Danish royal family has published its annual report about their activities and spending in 2021. The balance sheet shows a surplus of around 1,7 million DKK.
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (Ferdinand Habsburg) has joined the Italian team Prema Racing to make his debut in the European Le Mans Series 2022. The season will start in the weekend of 11-12 April at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France.