Latest news with #nationalday
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Rare sighting of Belgian royal love child stuns
On July 21 the Belgian royal family celebrated the country's national day, gathering on a stage on Brussel's Place des Palais to review a military parade. At the front, King Philipe and Queen Mathilde proudly watched as their military student son Prince Gabriel marched. But one royal family member stood out, clad in a red vegan leather dress and heart-shaped sunglasses. For the sartorially adventurous Princess Delphine, sister to the King, the journey to her place on that stage was a tortured and teary one that involved decades of secrets, stalking paparazzi, and court fights, a battle which took from an artsy life in the UK to The Palace of Brussels. The day everything changed for Delphine: Her 17th birthday in 1985. Her mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamp took her out to lunch at her favourite restaurant in London and finally revealed the truth. Her real father was not industrialist Jacques Boël but the man who would be King Albert II of Belgium. (Albert was the heir to the throne at the time.) What followed could not be further from any sort of Princess Diaries-type fantasy sweep. Delphine became, her lawyer later would say, a 'state secret'. For Delphine, Albert was already a family friend. She had nicknamed him Papillion - French for butterfly - and he gave her cards and presents, even holidaying with her and her mother. After that lunch, Delphine later said, she knew she had to 'shut up because the [fallout] could be terrible.' 'I had to protect, first of all, my father. I had to protect my mother. And I had to protect my country. Because if it is known that I exist and I was born outside the marriage of my father, who comes from a very Catholic background, there will be a big scandal, and my father could maybe lose his throne'. And so in her 20s and 30s, she did just that. Delphine graduated from then Chelsea School of Art and Design in London, worked to establish herself as an artist, lived on London's Portobello Road and stayed schtum. Even when she began dating an American named Jim O'Hare, long since husband, she did not tell him of her royal status. Then, in 1999, teenage monarchist Mario Danneels entered the picture, having decided to write a biography of King Albert's wife, Queen Paola. Royal insiders, Danneels later told Vanity Fair, 'just saw me as a cute little boy, I suppose, who admired the queen…A lot of people told me too much as well as a result.' The history-changing moment came when a former courtier 'casually' told him: 'Everyone knows Albert has a daughter with another woman.' The existence of Delphine 'was an open secret with the Belgian media,' Danneels has said. 'But no one there was [willing] to report it.' In 1999 his book came out revealing Delphine's existence and suddenly, as he later explained, 'it was open season' on her. Jim O'Hare finally found out that his father-in-law was actually a King - and Delphine's life took a turn for the worst. With no security and cut off from the palace, she was reportedly stalked by the press and harassed by people in the street. Danneel's biography, he later said, was 'was the excuse that [the media] needed to go all out on this.… The next day it was in the British paper The Times—the headline was: 'Love Child of Belgian King Living in London,' and a huge picture of Delphine on the front cover.…' A Belgian palace spokesperson called Danneel's revelation 'malevolent gossip,' the BBC reported at the time. For the next two years Delphine and Albert stayed in contact until 2001 when, as she later told a documentary, 'he just went mad'. 'He said, 'Leave me alone. You're not my daughter.' That was a shock.' After the King cut off contact, 'I was taken aback,' she later told Talter. 'It was surreal and very disturbing… You don't have a child and then kind of… kick it… He kind of left me like a piece of met to the dogs.' Being a not so secret princess came at a cost. Her art works were 'removed from municipal buildings ahead of royal visits,' the Times reported in 2014. Delphine, who moves in aristocratic circles, would be invited to parties - only to have the invitation rescinded if a Belgian royal was also going. A German car said they wanted to use her art in a magazine - only for them to cancel. 'The company did not want 'trouble'' the Times reported. A company executive said, 'We sell a lot of cars to the palace.' In 2003 Delphine became a mother, welcoming her daughter Joséphine. Two years later, for the very first time she claimed in an interview that Albert was her father. (Her son Oscar was born in 2005.) The King never actually denied any of this - however nor did he claim Delphine as his own. The last straw for her came when her UK bank accounts were reportedly closed because she and Baroness Sybille were listed as 'politically exposed persons'. 'My life and that of my children had become unnecessarily difficult and at one point it became unbearable,' she has said. 'When I wanted to open a bank account for my children, it was a problem. I saw that my son Oscar was referred to as PEP: a 'politically exposed person' who had been blacklisted.' In 2013, Albert abdicated in favour of his son Phillipe, removing his legal protection as sovereign. Delphine told Tatler of her decision to take her father to court, 'I was pretty much like: 'I really don't like you. And I'm going to have to fight for my life. It's me now, and my children. Our future. No more lies. This story has to come out in the open.'' Delphine filed a lawsuit to try and force Albert to publicly acknowledge her. 'The first time I visited him and his lawyers, he was very nasty and made me cry,' Delphine later told a documentary. During the encounter, she said, Albert 'sneered' at her, saying she was taking him to court 'because it's not going so well as an artist you need some attention'. 'I thought, 'how unbelievably rude is this?'' Delphine has said. 'After the first conversation with Albert and his lawyers, I walked out of the office completely crushed and crying.' Her lawsuit would slowly wind its way through the legal system for five years until, in 2018, a Brussels court ruled that Albert had to do a DNA test. He refused. For months still the saga dragged on until May 2019 when a judge ruled he would fine the King €5,000 euros ($8,965) a day until he did it. You only had to look at Delphine and by then King Philipe to know what the result would be. In October 2020, the Brussels Court of Appeal finally handed down their ruling - she was a princess and could officially be known as Delphine of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was the British royal family's surname until World War One when King George V changed it to 'Windsor'.) Not only did Delphine get a title but her children became Princess Joséphine and Prince Oscar. (One day Delphine will inherit, along with her siblings, her portion of Albert's approximately $1.4 billion fortune though she has made clear that money was never a motive. Jacques Boël is reportedly worth about twice as much as the King and after divorcing him Baroness Sybille married into Britain's Cayzer billionaire shipping family.) In October 2020, Delphine was finally introduced to her brother King Philipe. Several weeks later the Belgian palace released a photo of Delphine, Albert and Paola meeting in what looked like a decidedly tense face-to-face. Things were still far from fairytale. Josephine and Oscar, she told the times, got used to being asked if their mother was 'right in the head' for her royal claims. 'My children were being bullied at school by people saying that their mother is crazy, she wants attention, or God knows what. It's very unpleasant for children to hear that about their own mother,' Delphine told Vanity Fairy in 2022. In 2021, Delphine first appeared with her half siblings King Philippe, Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent for Belgium's national day celebrations and since then annually turns up dressed in the most eye-popping of ensembles. This week the princess rallied to fellow royal outsider Prince Harry's cause, telling a podcast she 'understands' him and his struggles and that 'he's just traumatised'. For decades, Delphine channeled her family drama into her art; maybe Harry needs to get himself some acrylics.
Zawya
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Morocco: His Majesty the King Congratulates Montenegro President on National Day
His Majesty King Mohammed VI sent a message of congratulations to President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, on the occasion of his country's national day. In this message, the Sovereign expresses His warmest congratulations along with His best wishes of good health and happiness to President Milatović, and of further progress and prosperity to the Montenegrin people. "I should like to say how much I value the relations based on friendship and cooperation between our countries. I am sure we share a strong desire to strengthen our ties and expand our cooperation to various sectors, for the mutual benefit of our peoples," HM the King writes. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crowds to gather for annual Tynwald Day ceremony
Hundreds of people are expected to attend Tynwald's annual open-air sitting later. The ancient ceremony, which has its roots in the Isle of Man's Viking links, will take place at St John's. Presided over by the Lieutenant Governor, the proceedings see members of the Manx parliament, joined by representatives of the judiciary and the clergy, gather on Tynwald Hill. President of Tynwald Laurence Skelly has encouraged people to travel to the fair field to celebrate the island's national day. The Captains of the Parish, Coroners and representatives of the island's local authorities also take part in the ceremony, which dates back more than 1,000 years. The reading of the island's newest laws from the hill in both English and Manx - known as the Promulgation of the Acts - remains a crucial part of the proceedings. If an act is not promulgated within 18 months of being given Royal Assent, it falls from the statute book. Ahead of the ceremony, the island's secondary schools will be represented in a processional march to the fair field, led by Onchan Silver Band. The pageantry of the day begins with the arrival of the visiting military band, which this year is the Band of the Royal Air Force College, accompanied by a fanfare team from The Band of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. The musicians are set to lead the Guard of Honour - this year from the King's Colour Squadron - and the standard bearers of all the Manx units and organisations to the ceremonial precinct. The formalities get under way with the arrival of Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer, who will inspect the Guard of Honour following an RAF flypast. After a short wreath-laying ceremony at the island's National War Memorial, Sir John will then take his place in the Royal Chapel of St John's for a short church service. It will include a solo performance by Cleveland Medal winner Ruth Tickle. The procession to the hill will then begin, followed by the ceremony itself, which begins with the fencing of the court. As well as the proclamation of the laws to the people, the proceedings include the ancient right for citizens to hand over petitions for redress of grievance, which are collected by the Clerk of Tynwald at the foot of the hill. The official proceedings are rounded off with the Captioning of the Acts, which takes place in the Royal Chapel and sees the new laws signed by both the President of Tynwald and the Speaker of the House of Keys. As well as the ceremony, St John's is set to play host to a number of other events to celebrate the island's national day. They include music on Tynwald Green by the Isle of Man Wind Orchestra and Castletown Metropolitan Silver Band. The afternoon will also see performances by Scran, Claasagh and the Lon Dhoo Male Voice Choir in the Royal Chapel. The arboretum will play host to the One World Centre's celebration of cultures from around the world in its Global Village, and there is a chance to visit a replica Viking village encampment at Cooil Y Ree. The Manx Tent, situated adjacent to Tynwald Hill, will offer a variety of activities and information about the island's language, culture and heritage. The day's events will be rounded off by a performance by the Ellan Vannin Pipes and Drums from 22:00 BST. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X. Celebrations mark Isle of Man's national day Tynwald Day 2025
BBC News
07-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Crowds to gather for annual Tynwald Day ceremony in St John's
Hundreds of people are expected to attend Tynwald's annual open-air sitting ancient ceremony, which has its roots in the Isle of Man's Viking links, will take place at St John' over by the Lieutenant Governor, the proceedings see members of the Manx parliament, joined by representatives of the judiciary and the clergy, gather on Tynwald of Tynwald Laurence Skelly has encouraged people to travel to the fair field to celebrate the island's national day. The Captains of the Parish, Coroners and representatives of the island's local authorities also take part in the ceremony, which dates back more than 1,000 reading of the island's newest laws from the hill in both English and Manx - known as the Promulgation of the Acts - remains a crucial part of the an act is not promulgated within 18 months of being given Royal Assent, it falls from the statute of the ceremony, the island's secondary schools will be represented in a processional march to the fair field, led by Onchan Silver pageantry of the day begins with the arrival of the visiting military band, which this year is the Band of the Royal Air Force College, accompanied by a fanfare team from The Band of the Princess of Wales's Royal musicians are set to lead the Guard of Honour - this year from the King's Colour Squadron - and the standard bearers of all the Manx units and organisations to the ceremonial precinct. The formalities get under way with the arrival of Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer, who will inspect the Guard of Honour following an RAF a short wreath-laying ceremony at the island's National War Memorial, Sir John will then take his place in the Royal Chapel of St John's for a short church will include a solo performance by Cleveland Medal winner Ruth procession to the hill will then begin, followed by the ceremony itself, which begins with the fencing of the well as the proclamation of the laws to the people, the proceedings include the ancient right for citizens to hand over petitions for redress of grievance, which are collected by the Clerk of Tynwald at the foot of the official proceedings are rounded off with the Captioning of the Acts, which takes place in the Royal Chapel and sees the new laws signed by both the President of Tynwald and the Speaker of the House of Keys. As well as the ceremony, St John's is set to play host to a number of other events to celebrate the island's national include music on Tynwald Green by the Isle of Man Wind Orchestra and Castletown Metropolitan Silver afternoon will also see performances by Scran, Claasagh and the Lon Dhoo Male Voice Choir in the Royal arboretum will play host to the One World Centre's celebration of cultures from around the world in its Global Village, and there is a chance to visit a replica Viking village encampment at Cooil Y Manx Tent, situated adjacent to Tynwald Hill, will offer a variety of activities and information about the island's language, culture and day's events will be rounded off by a performance by the Ellan Vannin Pipes and Drums from 22:00 BST. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Zawya
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Morocco: His Majesty (HM) the King Congratulates Belarus' President on National Day
His Majesty King Mohammed VI addressed a message of congratulations to the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, on the occasion of his country's national day. In this message, the Sovereign conveys to President Lukashenko His warmest congratulations, along with His best wishes for good health and happiness, and for further progress and prosperity to the people of Belarus. "I avail myself of this opportunity to commend the relations based on close friendship and mutual esteem between our countries. I therefore look forward to continuing to work with Your Excellency to strengthen our ties and expand our cooperation, for the mutual benefit of our peoples," HM the King writes. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Kingdom of Morocco - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates.
