On Sale at Eurohistory – DEAREST MISSY

The Letters of Marie Alexandrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh and her daughter, Princess Marie of Edinburgh, Crown Princess of Romania (1879-1900); hardback, 472 pp., 40 photos , RRB, October 2011.

Marie Alexandrovna’s life and character has been imprinted by her upbringing at the Russian imperial court, as the daughter of Tsar Alexander II, in a grandiose and yet level-headed milieu that in a great measure personified her father’s way of life and vision of the world. Her personality was thus a distinctive mix of dominant behaviour and imperial outlook, tempered by an astute, realistic perception of the world.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/9197567175/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1319642292&sr=8-1&condition=new 

Prince Harry Lands in California

He will be engaged in helicopter training for the next two months...

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/news-26797925/prince-harry-hits-america-26863877.html

Ay Cayetana, por Dios...

The bride was an eccentric 85-year-old billionaire with more titles than Queen Elizabeth II. The groom was a mere civil servant young enough to be her son.
Despite the objections of her six children and plenty of public controversy, Spain’s colourful Duchess of Alba wed Alfonso Diez, 60, at her 15th century palace in Seville yesterday.


The famously flamboyant Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart wore a delicate pale pink gown designed by Victorio y Lucchino for her third marriage, which took place in front of 38 guests.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2045627/Duchess-Alba-marries-toyboy-Alfonso-Diez-lavish-wedding-ceremony.html#ixzz1aCjMxub7

Forgotten Hero of the King's Speech...

On a warm summer day, two men in tennis whites walked onto Wimbledon’s No 2 Court, wooden rackets under their arms. A small, dark-haired woman with a fox fur around her neck smiled encouragingly from the stands, trying to hide her anxiety.

For the younger of the two men was her husband Albert, the Duke of York, and she knew how desperately nervous he was and how badly he might take defeat.

To her anguish, she watched Albert (or Bertie, as he was better known) and his doubles partner lose game after game to their opponents, a pair of veteran Wimbledon champions. The final score was a resounding 1-6, 3-6, 2-6 defeat.
And yet despite losing, the fact that Bertie had taken part in such a public spectacle was a victory in itself for the still-awkward 30-year-old, whom some royal courtiers had once dismissed as mentally defective because of his stammer.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2046282/Forgotten-hero-Kings-speech-The-cheeky-Glaswegian-cured-George-VIs-crippling-shyness.html#ixzz1aCicr0Ps

Queen doña Sofía of Spain visits Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — European royalty arrived in impoverished Haiti on Friday as Spain's Queen Sofia came to check on aid efforts that seek to help the Caribbean nation rebuild after last year's earthquake.

The queen plans to spend her two-day visit touring reconstruction projects that the Spanish government and her own foundation hope will improve housing, education, sanitation and health in Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries.

When the queen arrived on a Spanish government jet, she stepped on to the tarmac where Haitian President Michel Martelly and first lady Sophia Martelly greeted her. Martelly and the queen chatted amicably before and after the National Palace band performed national anthems from both countries. Several dozen Haitian school girls waving Spain's gold-and-red flag greeted the queen, including one who gave her a bouquet.

Continue reading:

http://news.yahoo.com/spains-queen-sofia-visiting-aid-projects-haiti-204623498.html

The Queen and The Duke of Cambridge

The Daily Mail has gotten an extended insider scoop on the royals, thanks to Mail reporter Robert Hardman's research for his book "Our Queen."
While there will surely be many juicy anecdotes from the book, our favorite so far is a tidbit from Prince William talking candidly about his grandmother -- and her taste in clothes.
"I wanted to decide what to wear for the wedding," Prince William said in the excerpt. But the Queen would have none of it.

"I was given a categorical: 'No, you’ll wear this!'"

The "this" was the bright red military uniform. Writes Hardman, "Having just appointed Prince William to the position of Colonel of the Irish Guards, his most senior military appointment — and one of her Guards regiments to boot — the Queen was quite clear that her grandson should be getting married in his Irish Guards uniform."

Apparently the prince is an officer in all three Services of the British military as well as a Royal Air Force member -- we didn't realize there were so many uniform options!

What we did know, however, is that the Queen has plenty of opinions about such things. Although Kate picked out her own dress, Queen Elizabeth II was not a fan of the dress's exhibition at Buckingham Palace.

"Horrid, isn't it? Horrid and dreadful!" the Queen supposedly commented to her new granddaughter, who took in the Royal Wedding exhibit with the Queen in July.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/26/the-queen-prince-william-wedding-outfit_n_980843.html

Saudi King Allows Women to Vote in Local Elections

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi King Abdullah announced Sunday that the nation's women will gain the right to vote and run as candidates in local elections to be held in 2015 in a major advancement for the rights of women in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.

In an annual speech before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council, the Saudi monarch said he ordered the step after consulting with the nation's top religious clerics, whose advice carries great weight in the kingdom.

"We refuse to marginalize the role of women in Saudi society and in every aspect, within the rules of Sharia," Abdullah said, referring to the Islamic law that governs many aspects of life in the kingdom.

The right to vote is by far the biggest change introduced by Abdullah, considered a reformer, since he became the country's de facto ruler in 1995 during the illness of King Fahd. Abdullah formally ascended to the throne upon Fahd's death in August 2005.

The kingdom's great oil wealth and generous handouts to citizens have largely insulated it from the unrest sweeping the Arab world. But the king has taken steps to quiet rumblings of discontent that largely centered on the eastern oil-producing region populated by the country's Shiite Muslim minority.

Continue reading...

http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-king-allows-women-vote-local-elections-130210104.html