Spotted in Vancouver for the start of the Winter Olympics this weekend were Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Maxima (with their little girls!) of the Netherlands, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, and Princess Anne of Great Britain.

Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince Frederik and Princess Anne are all members of the International Olympic Committee. Prince Frederik is the newest royal to join the committee, having made a member only in October of last year.

The Dutch royals (photo above) were on hand to witness and celebrate the gold medal win of countryman Sven Kramer in the men’s 5000m Speed Skating race on February 13, 2010. It must be quite thrilling for the little princesses, Amalia, Alexia and Ariane, to be watching the games with their parents.

Click on the gallery pictures below to find out which games Prince Frederik and Princess Anne watched in Vancouver.

images via Zuma Press

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One of the most significant segments of the day was his visit to areas in Melbourne that were affected by bush fires last year. Among these areas were Flowerdale and Kinglake West. Prince William talked to residents in a temporary village in Flowerdale. Among the prefabricated houses, he enjoyed a barbecue lunch and a game of cricket with children from the village.

William finished the day at the Australian Open, where he watched Switzerland’s Roger Federer beat Victor Hanescu of Romania. The prince made quite a stir upon his entrance at the Rod Laver Arena, with lots of clapping from the audience. It’s the end of his unofficial tour in the country, and it was very much a success! The Australians love him, and were not afraid to show it!

Congrats to Prince William for a job well done (both in New Zealand and Australia)!

images via Zuma Press

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Prince William took part in a live firing exercise with the Australian Army’s 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment at the Holsworthy army base. The visit with members of the military was William’s idea.

After the visit with the military, Prince William turned his attention to the crowds gathered at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Hundreds of people went out to see the young prince, who is on his second trip to the country. The first was in 1983, during a  tour with his parents when he was just 9 months old.

William then spoke during a barbecue lunch at Victoria Lodge, with the Sydney Opera House forming a gorgeous backdrop. He was accompanied at the barbecue by New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally. After lunch, Prince William took a high speed boat ride around Sydney Harbor.

Our young prince has definitely filled his trip down under. But we’re not just getting official business news. Daily Express’s Richard Palmer, who has been on-site for Prince William’s NZ and Australia trips, revealed that Prince William might have hinted at something regarding him and Kate Middleton. He was asked by one of the crowd about when he’s getting married. His answer?

“I keep saying it: wait and see.”

What do you think that means? Do we dare to speculate that we don’t have to wait a long time for something very wonderful indeed? I’ll keep the bubbly nice and chilled, just in case!

images via Zuma Press

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Another welcome ceremony waited for Prince William at the Redfern Community Centre. There, an Aboriginal elder performed a traditional smoking ceremony (a cleansing ritual involving setting fire to fresh leaves and allowing the smoke to waft over the participants). Later, Prince William met members of Australia’s indigenous community, played a game of table tennis and listened to a musical performance (which he seemed to enjoy very much!).

images via Zuma Press

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His first stop was at the National War Memorial which honors the men and women who had given their lives in the course of duty. He inspected the guard during a ceremony and then laid a rose on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. He was accompanied by Prime Minister John Key.

Prince William then proceeded to Wellington to open the building of the Supreme Court. Upon his arrival, he was greeted in the traditional Maori way: The ‘hongi’ is performed by pressing one’s nose to another’s. In the photo above, he is greeted by Sir Ralph Ngata Love. (More photos below)

See the video below for a glimpse of the welcome ceremony. This report mentions that Prince William was given a photo of his mother Princess Diana, from her own visit there in 1983. And, a revelation that we won’t see the prince kissing any babies in the crowd because it breaks royal protocol!

In his speech at the Supreme Court, Prince William recounted his first visit in 2005, and mentioned his own “links to the legal profession” (In July 2009, he was made honorary barrister at London’s Middle Temple). He ended his speech with a note about the architecture of the building and a common Maori idiom which shows agreement or support:

This room has an extraordinary feel to it – as if we are actually inside the cone of the Kauri – the giant of the ancient forests of New Zealand.  I understand that when the Kauri cone matures, its winged seeds are dispersed by the wind.  In the same way, let this Court dispense justice to all parts of the nation.

Tēnā tatou katoa.

The afternoon was a change of pace, with a visit to the nature reserve on Kapiti Island. Prince William spent some time with well-wishers before boarding a boat that took him to the island. One of the interesting creatures he met there was the kiwi, NZ’s official bird! Footage from the island trip is also in the video below so don’t miss it!

The day ended with Prince William and Prime Minister Key donning aprons for a barbecue at Premier House in Wellington.

images via Zuma Press

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On his first day, Prince William visited Eden Park, which is undergoing renovations in preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Auckland’s Mayor John Banks and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key joined him at the Park. The prince got a chance to demonstrate his rugby skills during a pickup game with  members of the Pakarunga under 10 rugby team.

In the afternoon, the royal boarded the America’s Cup yacht NZL40 at the Waitemata Harbour to take a sail around Auckland (photo above). And he wasn’t just a passenger too. Prince William took the helm from Team NZ skipper and America’s Cup yachtsman Dean Barker during the sail.

Prince William finished his first day as a guest of honor at a hangi. The traditional Maori feast involves food cooked using heated rocks inside a pit oven. Governor General of New Zealand Anand Satayanad hosted the feast at the Government House in Auckland.

Prince William will be in New Zealand until January 19, 2010, after which he will go to Australia.

Check out the video and gallery photos below for more details on Prince William’s first day in NZ!

images via Zuma Press

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You’ve probably seen the stills, the preview videos and the reviews. But nothing compares to seeing the movie on the big screen. All those gorgeous details to enjoy! The subtlety of the acting, the emotion and, of course, the warmth of a great love story.

For ‘The Young Victoria’ is a love story at its core. It is the story of how the young Queen Victoria found her partner in love and in life: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg. But it is not just like any other love story. Woven through the film is the story of how the young royal first found within herself what she needed to fulfill her destiny, and then the wisdom and courage to share that destiny with a man who would “play the game with her”.

The royal residences, gowns, tiaras and all the trappings of royal life which we so enjoy to see are on the screen for us to take in. I found myself not wanting to blink during the movie because I wanted to see every little detail. There’s some serious eye candy in this film.

And then, Emily Blunt. Emily Blunt! Are you kidding me, she was perfect, flawless, in this movie. I can’t think of any other actress who would have played the role as well as she did. She did her research, including reading Victoria’s letters, and internalized the part completely.

Rupert Friend played the role of Prince Albert to a T, as well, a perfect foil to Blunt’s Victoria. The casting for the film is pretty solid. A royal bonus: if you keep your eyes open, you’ll see Princess Beatrice (yep, the real one!) as one of the ladies-in-waiting.

‘The Young Victoria’ has become one of my top movies of all time. It is such a gorgeous film, and deserves the highest Merry Royals rating of:

Five crowns!

The story of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is part of the history of most of today’s royal families. The couple’s descendants include Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, King Harald V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, and Constantine II of Greece. So if you haven’t seen this movie yet, it’s still showing on theaters across the U.S. And then, there’s the DVD release to look forward to!

Here’s the trailer and more photos below:

images used with permission via BLT & Associates

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When I saw Kate’s tennis photos, I wondered how the ban would play in her situation. While she and Prince William have been together for years, she is not officially part of the royal family, not until they get engaged, anyway. But with the current reports saying that Kate’s family lawyers are suing the photographer, it appears that the Queen’s ban might also cover Kate, though informally.

Buckingham Palace’s reaction to the recent reports is to say that this is a “private complaint”, and to make it clear that it is not the royal family filing the suit in this case. Which is true. Kate’s family is the one taking action. But their lawyers, Harbottle & Lewis, are also the ones who represent the Queen.

The suit, then, has many interesting possible angles.

For one, the photos were taken at the Restormel Manor, a part of the Duchy of Cornwall. The Middletons were staying there at the time, and it’s not clear whether they were guests of Prince Charles or not. Now, does the suit have legs because of the location, which is a private property of a member of the royal family, though no royal was in the photos (Prince William wasn’t there)?

Or is it because the taking of the photos may be considered harassment of a private family, regardless of the Queen’s ban? Or does it point to a more proactive and deliberate approach taken by the British royals, with a view toward protecting the future bride of Prince William (and Prince Harry, for that matter)?

Too many questions? Well, just consider this then, do you think Prince William was involved/consulted in this decision by the Middletons to sue the photographer?

image via Zuma Press

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Prince William’s first engagement of the day was at the St Barnabas Hospice. He was accompanied by his aunt, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, during the visit which allowed time for chats with both patients and staff.

In the afternoon, Prince William opened the Life Skills Centre of Eresby School. The school, located in the town of Spilsby, provides training and educational opportunities to students with learning difficulties.

Prince William once more showed that he has inherited his mother’s warmth and capacity for empathy. When I look at these photos, I really feel that he doesn’t do these things just because it his his job. There is a genuine caring attitude and a desire to touch the lives of other people that endear him to those he meets.

The evening brought a more austere visit (no jumping on laps here!), to the Royal Air Force base in Coningsby. Prince William, who is an Honorary Air Commandant, was able to check out for himself the view from a Typhoon jet. His day ended with time to chat with the base crew and their families.

Such is the busy day in the life of a prince. It’s nice to see much of him today, especially since nobody really knows for sure where he was this past weekend. Saturday, of course, was the 28th birthday of his long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton. There are many speculations about where they celebrated Kate’s birthday. But everything is pretty much hush-hush, which I expect will be quite the norm with regards to Kate from now on.

The Daily Mail quotes a source as saying that Kate is “playing very much by Royal rules now”. If that’s true, it would appear that Prince William and Kate’s relationship has definitely entered a new phase, one that would prepare her for a role in the royal family.

Meanwhile, here’s something to look forward to: Prince William will be visiting New Zealand and Australia later this month. The visit will be the prince’s first official solo tour on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

images via Bauer-Griffin

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118 years ago

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, and eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, died of pneumonia on January 14, 1892. He was 28 and was about to be married to Princess Mary of Teck at the time of his death.

117 years ago

On January 10, 1893, Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania (right) married his distant cousin Princess Marie of Edinburgh in Sigmaringen, Germany. The couple had six children. Prince Ferdinand became King of Romania in 1914, reigning until his death in 1927.

38 years ago

After the death of her father King Frederik IX, Queen Margrethe II ascended to the throne of Denmark on January 14, 1972. She is the first female monarch since Margrethe I, who reigned in the 14th century.

5 years ago

Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, age 77, died on January 10, 2005. She was the eldest daughter of Leopold III and Queen Astrid of Sweden.

image via US Library of Congress

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