News Archive December 2003

December 31, 2003. King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain ended the year with a religious ceremony honoring St. James in Santiago.
Hello! article
Czech aristocrats are trying to recover property confiscated by the Communists.
Telegraph article
American officials revealed terrorist plots against members of the Saudi royal family.
Telegraph article
Princess Anne's guilty bull terrier has also attacked a maid.
BBC News article
Telegraph article
MSNBC article

December 30, 2003. The transmission of hemophilia among the royal descendants of Queen Victoria continues to generate curiosity.
New York Times Q&A
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond is to host a revealing new television series about the royal family.
Telegraph article
Queen Elizabeth paid for the Sandringham church service to be broadcast to the public.
Telegraph article
A different one of Princess Anne's dogs may have actually been responsible for the death of the Queen's corgi.
Telegraph article
A majority of Australians remain opposed to a republic.
Herald Sun article

December 29, 2003. Clotilde Courau, wife of Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Italy, gave birth to a girl Sunday in Geneva.
Hello! article
BBC News article
The Windsors wrapped up their Christmas weekend at Sandringham.
Hello! article

December 28, 2003. A historian claims to have discovered evidence that King Edward IV (1442-1483) was illegitimate, making Australian Michael Hastings the rightful King of England.
The Australian article
The RSPCA has called for Princess Anne to have her English bull terrier put down.
BBC News article
Telegraph article
An old comrade revealed how Prince Philip had saved scores of lives during World War II.
Observer article

December 27, 2003. Most Swedes' support for the monarchy would not be affected if Crown Princess Victoria married her commoner boyfriend.
U-Redlands Daily Facts article
New revelations suggest that the Metropolitan Police knew more about the theft of the Duchess of Windsor's jewels than previously thought.
Telegraph article
More on the Japanese succession:
Guardian article

December 26, 2003. Japan may change the law of succession to allow Princess Aiko to eventually become Empress.
AFP article
The Royal Family's visit to Sandringham church stirred sadness over the death of Queen Elizabeth's dog.
Telegraph article
Yesterday's Christmas message emphasized the Queen's appreciation of the efforts of the British military.
Telegraph article
The Scotsman article

December 25, 2003. This Christmas marked the 102nd birthday of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, as well as the 67th birthday of Princess Alexandra of Kent.
Ananova article
Scotsman article
The Queen has made her first public appearance since she underwent knee surgery, attending a Christmas Day church service at Sandringham.
BBC News article
Queen Elizabeth praised the United Kingdom's "brilliant" troops in her annual Christmas message.
BBC News article and text in full

December 24, 2003. Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe died at 79.
Telegraph obituary
A growing number of Serbs are beginning to sense that monarchy may be just what their ailing nation needs.
Financial Times article
Until the birth of Princess Catharina-Amalia, 2003 was not a good year for the House of Orange.
Radio Netherlands article
One of the Queen's corgis has been put down after being savaged by an English bull terrier owned by Princess Anne.
BBC News article
Telegraph article
With the Queen's approval, Buckingham Palace is lit up for Christmas.
Telegraph article
BBC News article
Emperor Akihito greeted well-wishers on his birthday yesterday.
Japan Times article

December 23, 2003. Today Queen Silvia of Sweden turns 60, and Emperor Akihito of Japan turns 70.
Hello! article
Deutsche Welle profile (Queen Silvia)
BBC News article (Emperor Akihito)
Prince William surprised cinema staff by attending a regular showing of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Ananova article
In the years since the fall of Communism, Eastern Europe's royals and aristocrats have attempted to regain their positions and possessions, with mixed results.
Napa News article
Queen Elizabeth II has recorded her traditional Christmas Day speech to the nation at an Army barracks in Windsor.
BBC News article

December 22, 2003. 2003 has not been as calm a year as the Windsors might have hoped.
BBC News article
Prince Felipe of Spain and his fiancée visited her grandparents in Asturias.
Hello! article
A veteran Serbian politician announced his support for the restoration of the monarchy.
B92 article
A new book urges a favorable reevaluation of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The Scotsman article
The coroner conducting the inquest into Princess Diana's death will be under pressure to examine the claim that she was pregnant.
Independent article

December 21, 2003. Hundreds of British celebrities have refused royal honors since World War II.
The parents of murdered schoolgirl Holly Wells thanked Prince Charles for comforting them after their daughter's death.
BBC News article
Pope John Paul II is to beatify the last emperor of Austria-Hungary, Charles I (1887-1922), after recognising a miracle attributed to him.
BBC News article
Yahoo! News article
New York Times article
The heart of titular king Louis XVII (1785-1795) will finally be buried with his ancestors in the French royal crypt.
Telegraph article
A senior French policeman claimed that Princess Diana was pregnant at the time of her death.
Independent articles

December 20, 2003. The Crown Prince of Dubai has ordered 3,000 tons of sand from England.
Telegraph article
More on the Hampton Court Palace "ghost":
Telegraph article

December 19, 2003. The name of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit's first child will be announced at first Council of State meeting after the birth in January.
Aftenposten article
With doctors satisfied with his recovery, Norway's King Harald V left the hospital.
Aftenposten article
Security cameras appear to have caught a "ghost" at King Henry VIII's Hampton Court Palace.
CNN article
More on Diana and Dodi:
BBC News article
Telegraph article

December 18, 2003. The inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed will be opened on January 6, 2004.
BBC News article
The Scotsman article
India's tribal kings are proud of their heritage despite poverty.
BBC News article

December 17, 2003. Prince Rainier III of Monaco was hospitalized for flu complications.
Yahoo! News article
Britain angered Spain by announcing that the Princess Royal will visit Gibraltar next year to mark 300 years of British rule there.
Telegraph article
Mohammed Al Fayed's conspiracy theories were dismissed as "guesswork."
Telegraph article

December 16, 2003. As his stay in Australia nears its end, Prince Harry enjoyed the waves and sun at the beach.
Telegraph article
The Sun picture special
More on Diana and Dodi:
BBC News article
Telegraph article

December 15, 2003. Security services were monitoring Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Al Fayed in the month before their death, a Scottish court has heard.
BBC News article
New pictures show Prince William at ease in the St Andrews community.
BBC News photo gallery
Hello! article
Telegraph article
The Scotsman article
The Queen is recuperating at Buckingham Palace from her surgery.
Telegraph article
Prince Charles is backing a castle restoration effort in Scotland.
Telegraph article

December 14, 2003. Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen and director Peter Jackson met Queen Margrethe II at the Danish premiere of The Return of the King.
TheOneRing.Net scrapbook photo
Queen Elizabeth emerged from hospital yesterday frail but cheerful.
Scotland on Sunday article

December 13, 2003. Polls continue to show increasing support for the Norwegian monarchy.
Norway Post article
Bodies of members of Florence's Medici dynasty are to be exhumbed to learn more about their lives and deaths.
Telegraph article
More on the Queen's operation:
BBC News article
Telegraph article

December 12, 2003. The operation to remove a torn cartilage from the Queen's left knee has been successful.
CNN article
BBC News article

December 11, 2003. Queen Elizabeth has been admitted to hospital to have a torn cartilage removed from her left knee.
BBC News article
The younger members of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families took a central role in the Nobel Prize ceremonies.
Hello! article
More on yesterday's intrusion at Buckingham Palace:
Telegraph article

December 10, 2003. The issue of the monarchy has moved to the forefront of Serbian politics.
Transitions Online article
A man has been arrested in the grounds of Buckingham Palace after apparently climbing over a wall.
BBC News article
The Queen's knee operation is her second this year.
Telegraph article

December 9, 2003. Queen Elizabeth II will undergo knee surgery on Friday.
BBC News article
New York Times article
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano joined her royal future in-laws to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Spanish constitution.
Hello! article
The grave of a mysterious Viking queen may hold the key to a 1,200 year-old case of suspected ritual killing, and scientists are planning to unearth her bones to find out.
CNN article
Doctors reported that King Harald's surgery was successful.
Aftenposten article
This is a busy time for Norway's Crown Prince Regent Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit as they prepare for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies and the birth of their first child.
Aftenposten article
Prince Willem-Alexander explained the decision to quickly register the website bearing his daughter's name.
Expatica article
The future Queen of the Netherlands has indeed been named Catharina-Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria, but will be known simply as Amalia.
BBC News article
Expatica article
A socialite princess has become an Indian state's first female chief minister.
Telegraph article

December 8, 2003. Unofficial reports suggest that the new Dutch princess's name will be Catharina-Amalia.
Expatica article
The royal family and people of the Netherlands joyously celebrated the latest addition to the House of Orange.
Expatica article
BBC News article
Hello! article
The Prince and Princess of Orange returned home with their new daughter.
Expatica article
Polls showed a rise in support for the Norwegian monarchy as King Harald V prepared to undergo cancer surgery.
Aftenposten article
The French government has given permission for the heart of titular King Louis XVII (1785-1795) to be reburied with his ancestors.
Sydney Morning Herald article
BBC News article
The Scotsman article
Special candy bars created in honor of Spanish royal fiancée Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano sold out in hours.
Yahoo! News article

December 7, 2003. Princess Maxima gave birth to a healthy girl at Bronovo Hospital in The Hague.
Yahoo! News article
CNN article
Scotsman article
Expatica article
Modern European royals try to maintain a delicate balance between tradition and egalitarianism.
New York Times article

December 6, 2003. King Harald V of Norway, facing cancer surgery on Monday, was admitted to hospital.
Colour Press picture series

December 5, 2003. Thailand's ancient but adaptable monarchy holds a secure place in the hearts of the Thai people.
Taipei Times article
Security concerns required the Queen's encounters with "real Nigerians" to be mostly confined to a fake "market."
Telegraph article
BBC News photo gallery
A teenager surprised Prince Charles with a pointed question about single parenting.
Telegraph article

December 4, 2003. The Queen set foot on Nigerian soil for the first time in 47 years yesterday.
Hello! article
BBC News article
Telegraph article

December 3, 2003. The leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church has called for the restoration of the monarchy.
RFE/RL article
Norway's Princess Märtha Louise and her husband are postponing their move to New York indefinitely in light of her father's illnesss.
Aftenposten article
Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Nigeria for the start of a four-day state visit, amid tight security.
BBC News article
Residents of the Queen Mother's Scottish home town have voiced opposition to plans for a sand and gravel quarry.
BBC News article

December 2, 2003. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway is taking over the duties of Regent during his father's illness.
Aftenposten article
Hello! article
Queen Rania joined her husband King Abdullah at the opening of the Jordanian parliament.
Hello! article
The former royal butler Paul Burrell hopes to meet Princes William and Harry before Christmas.
BBC News article

December 1, 2003. Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia called for the restoration of the monarchy.
Sify News article
King Harald V of Norway has been diagnosed with cancer of the bladder.
Aftenposten article
Hello! article
CNN article
New York Times article

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