New Danish Prince and Princess

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark gave birth to twins, a boy and girl, today in Copenhagen. The prince and princess are her and Crown Prince Frederik's third and fourth children. My congratulations to the royal couple. (I do hope they are not really going to call the little prince "Elvis." Perhaps a middle name, but surely not the first?)

Wedding Details Revealed

On a happier note, Clarence House has released some information about the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The ceremony will begin at 11 AM and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, with the Bishop of London and Dean of Westminster also playing major roles. Eleven o'clock in London is 5 AM in Dallas, but I'll be up and ready!

Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi of Iran (1966-2011)

HIH Prince Ali-Reza Pahlavi, second son of the last Shah of Iran, committed suicide in Boston this morning, according to his brother's official website. This is a terrible tragedy for his family, especially his mother Empress Farah, who has now lost two of her four children. Apparently Prince Ali Reza, who was deeply saddened by Iran's suffering since 1979 and more recently by the death of his sister Leila, was never able to come to terms with being exiled from his homeland by the revolution that deposed his father. He can therefore be considered yet another casualty of the evil Islamic Republic of Iran, an illegitimate abomination that has no right to exist and has already claimed so many lives. My heart goes out to his family; may he rest in the peace he was not able to find on Earth.

Nine Kings 1910

I should have compiled this page in time for the centennial of the death of King Edward VII in May 2010, but didn't think of it until tonight. Here is a tribute to one of my favourite photographs of royalty: the nine kings who assembled in London for Edward VII's funeral in 1910. I wish that someone with the power to bring it about had had my idea of re-creating the photo a hundred years later with those kings' present-day heirs.

Austrian Republic still afraid of three-letter word

A European Union court has ruled that the Austrian Republic's law prohibiting the use of the aristocratic "von" (even when legally part of one's name in Germany) is not a violation of Ilonka von Sayn- Wittgenstein's (adoptive daughter of Prince Lothar von Sayn-Wittgenstein) human rights. I would not be anxious to attempt to apply liberal "human rights" doctrine to the defense of nobility, and there may be legitimate questions in this particular case even from a traditional monarchist perspective as to whether the adoption genuinely confers aristocratic status (or even exactly who "Prince Lothar" is!). However, since the prohibition hinders her professional freedom of movement between Austria and Germany (guaranteed to EU residents), the hypocrisy of the republic and the EU is deafening. What are they afraid of?

Nicholas II replaces Lenin

Good news from Russia: in the eastern town of Shushenskoye, a new monument to Tsar Nicholas II has replaced a statue of Lenin. May this symbolic positive development herald a growing appreciation of Russia's imperial past, paving the way for restoration of the monarchy. Bozhe Tsariya Khrani!

Planning the Royal Wedding

Hugo Vickers has an interesting commentary on the complications of planning a royal wedding, informed by his access to the archives regarding Princess Alexandra's marriage in 1963.