Princess Madeleine of Sweden's Wedding

The European royal sweetheart finally found her own Prince Charming.

The gorgeous Swedish princess, Madeleine, breathtakingly pretty in her Valentino bridal gown. She wore a family tiara held in place with orange blossoms

For the past years, since I saw her pretty face in a royal magazine cover in 1997, I became very delighted with Sweden's young princess, Madeleine, not only she came from one of the most popular royal houses in Europe, she has also this cute pair of lovely dimples that made her even more stunning when she smile. By then she was heavily touted as the suitable future bride of Britain's Prince William.

Prior to William's birth in 1982, marrying a commoner with no aristocratic background among the  first in line to the British throne was downright inconceivable (the very reason why Prince Charles was discouraged by his great uncle, Lord Louie Mountbatten--the maternal uncle of his father, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh---from pursuing his romance with the former Camilla Shand), so the press and even royalists looked for someone in the elite circle of aristocracy that can be considered as a perfect bride for the handsome Prince, and they seemed found an ideal candidate, Princess Madeleine, she is not only royal by birth but also a direct descendant of Queen Victoria.

But due to distance and maybe lack of opportunity to introduce/meet them, the touted romance fizzled and was not realized and the two royals traversed a different destiny eventually. And as a result of being too free to choose a spouse (disregarding tradition and royal protocol) William fell in love with a commoner. And so Madeleine.

The beautiful Princess wed her American financier boyfriend, Chris O'Neil. Photo by Getty Images from the Daily Mail UK

At thechurch ceremony. Photo from EPA from the Daily Mail UK

Her white blooms bridal bouquet perfectly defined her wedding theme: Summer Meadow

Sealed with a Kiss!

I always thought Princess Madeleine one of the prettiest female royals in the European royalty next to Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark. She is a lot prettier than her older sister, Princess Victoria, who is destined to become the first female monarch of Sweden. So I often wished that she will be ended up with someone from the royal circle. But just like Prince William, the inability to meet royals and the short supply of royal spouses not to mention the faded protocol of following the ancient tradition of marrying only fellow royals, pushed Madeleine to exercise her free will and chose an "outsider".

The couple rode in a horse drawn carriage after the ceremony

In 2009, the current fourth in line to the Swedish throne, was engaged to her long time boyfriend, Jason Bergstrom, and was reported to marry in the early part of 2011, but several months later, Madeleine discovered her beau had been unfaithful to her so she broke the engagement and temporarily left her home country and moved to New York to nurse a broken heart. A year later, she met a strapping Financier, Christopher O'Neil and eventually fall in love.

Early this year, their official engagement was announced and finally last June 8, 2013, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the two sealed their romance through the marriage vows witnessed by their families, dignitaries, American society figures and royals around the world.

Madeleine's mother and brother, Queen Silvia and Prince Carl Philip. Image from Reuters

 Royal guests

Princess Charlene of Monaco (who attended the ceremony without her husband Prince Albert), the Earl and Countess of Wessex Prince Edward and his wife Sophie

Royal guests

Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark and her sisters-in-law Princess Tatiana and Princess Chantal Marie

The wedding took place at the Royal Chapel in Stockholm, Sweden. The Princess was very radiant and enchanting in her Valentino wedding gown as she glided down the aisle in the arm of her father, King Carl XVI Gustav. As for the rest of royal weddings in Europe, the bride and groom were transported in a horse-drawn carriage after the ceremony to the palace for the reception.

As much as the bride wanted the affair to be very simple and private, her royal status beckoned at the horizon and let the rest of the world picked up some details of the ceremony, including beautiful photos.

Britain is represented by The Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince Edward and Sophie. The two had been Her Majesty's representatives in all royal weddings in Europe maybe because among her children it's only Prince Edward who never undergone divorce.

Other royals who graced the fairytale wedding event were HRH Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark and her brothers, Prince Phillipos, Prince Nicholaos and Prince Pavlos, sisters-in-law Tatiana and Chantal Marie, Princess Charlene of Monaco who attended without her husband, Prince Albert, Prince Frederick of Denmark and wife, Princess Mary, Prince Joachim of Denmark and wife Princess Marie, Prince Haakon of Norway and wife, Princess Mette Mariet, Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and wife Princess Stephanie and other royalty.

It was not known if the groom would be given a royal title or if he would take the status of his wife who is also titled Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland, but following the tradition of the marriages of other Swedish princesses who are not direct heirs and whose husbands were not given any title, Mr. O'Neil might follow suits and could not get one.

After the wedding, the couple will return to New York where the groom worked as  an Investment banker and Princess Madeleine worked for World Child Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by her mother, Queen Silvia.

Royal Wedding for 2013 is all set

One of the most beautiful princesses in the world will be out in the market comes June.

Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine of Sweden and her future husband, American financier Chris O'Neil. Image by Reuters from the Daily Mail UK

Her Royal Highness, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, one of my personal favourites then to marry Prince William of Wales (now the Duke of Cambridge), will finally walk-down-the-aisle with her American financier boyfriend, Christopher O'Neil, on June 8, 2013 at the Royal Palace Chapel in Stockholm.

The ceremony might not a grand royal affair in Europe but will surely attract royal watchers around the world and royal guests will add glamour and sophistication to the event.

The princess, 4th in line of succession to the Swedish throne, is the youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden and his German wife, Queen Sylvia. Madeleine already provided the public with some hints on how her wedding would look like. In an interview, she revealed her wedding will be an afternoon ceremony with a lavish palace reception and guests with no more than 500. So far the royal guests confirmed to be attending are the Earl and Countess of Wessex, who had been attending royal weddings in Europe for the past years to represent the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Felipe and Letezia, Prince Frederick of Denmark and wife Princess Mary.

Madeleine and Chris attending the gala dinner for their royal guests

Princess Madeleine currently holds the title Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland but it is not known whether her future husband will be given a royal title and whether their future children will earn their places in the line of succession to the Swedish throne.

It is an interesting note to share that the Princess had been engaged in 2009 to a Swedish lawyer, Jonas Bergstrom, but months after the announcement of their official engagement, the two broke up due to some issues of infidelity on the side of Madeleine's fiance prompting her to move to New York after the wedding of her older sister, Crown Princess Victoria in 2010, to forget the heartache she suffered from the breakdown of her almost one decade romantic relationship. A year later she met O'Neil.

Christopher O'Neil despite his status of being commoner was born from a wealthy family. He has a British blood and holds a dual American and British citizenship. He studied at a boarding school in Switzerland and obtained a degree in International Relations from Boston University and earned a masters degree in Business at the Columbia Business School in New York.

Abdication and Accession in the Netherlands

Finally! After more than a century, The Netherlands has a King!

Today, April 29, 2013, as the sun goes down, the reign of Queen Beatrix will also come to an end. She has been on the Dutch throne for 33 years since 1980, she abdicated in favor of her son, Wilhelm-Alexander, the Prince of Orange.

One of the Netherlands' most popular tourist attractions is the country's canal in the capital city

where the new King and Queen believe to be travelling following the inauguration ceremony

Joy, happiness and great anticipation for the future will be celebrated all through out Netherlands and royals around the world confirmed their attendance to attend the historic event, first at the state dinner marking the  end of the reign of the Queen, second at the inauguration ceremony of the new King.

Queen Beatrix will finally step down on April 30, 2013 and from then on, she will be known as Her Royal Highness, Princess Beatrix, Princess of Orange-Nassau, the original title she assumed upon the ascension of her mother, Queen Juliana, to the throne. Princess of Orange-Nassau is a title reserved for the future Danish Queen. It can never be used by a wife of the Prince of Orange, thus, Maxima, the wife of Prince Wilhelm-Alexander is only titled Princess of the Netherlands.

The young royal family, a day before the abdication and accession

Prince Wilhelm-Alexander and wife Princess Maxima with three daughters

Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Arianne

Upon his accession to the throne, Wilhelm-Alexander becomes the youngest crown head in all Europe and his wife, Maxima, the youngest Queen Consort. They have three daughters, Princess Amalia, the Hereditary Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia and Princess Arianne.

Members of the royal family are expected to be in full attendance for the historic event except for Prince Friso, the second son of the Queen, who is still in deep coma at a London clinic. He was struck by avalanche while skiing last year, February 2012. If one day, Prince Friso will still be given a second life, he will awake to find out his mother is no longer the Queen and his brother, the new Dutch King.

Royals arrived for the last state dinner in honor of Queen Beatrix:

They arrived together at the state dinner. Queen Beatrix,

Princess Maxima and Prince Wilhelm-Alexander

Princess Mabel, the wife of Prince Friso (second son of Queen Beatrix who is still in deep coma

at a London clinic), Prince Constanjin, the Queen's youngest son, and wife Princess Laurentien

THE SECOND GENERATION ROYALS 

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall attending her very first major royal engagement outside Britain. The accession of the Prince of Orange to the throne might be the pondering moment of the Prince of Wales, who, at 64, is the oldest King-in-waiting in present-day Europe. But the Prince might still wait few more years before he could take the British crown because his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at 87, is still very active and shows no sign of slowing down.

Princess Sofia and Prince Alois of Liechtenstein

Princess Letezia and Prince Felipe of Spain

Princess Mary and Prince Frederick of Denmark

Princess Mette Mariet and Prince Haakon of Norway 

The youngest among the second generation royals

Princess Stephanie and Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg

Princess Mathilde and Prince Philippe of Belgium

Prince Daniel and Princess Victoria of Sweden alongside Naruhito, the Crown Prince of Japan

who came with his wife, Princess Masako

European Royals Attended Pope's Inauguration

Roman Catholic European Royals attended the inauguration of the 266th Vicar of Christ, His Holiness, Pope Francis, last March 19, 2013 at the Vatican. Among those who attended were Their Majesties, King Albert II of Belgium and wife Queen Paola, Their Royal Highnesses, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and their son, Prince Felix, Their Serene Highnesses, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Felipe and Princess Letezia of Spain, Their Royal Highnesses Princess Sophie and Princess Margaretha of Liectenstein, the future King and Queen of the Netherlands, Prince Wilhelm-Alexander and Princess Maxima, an Argentinian who remained a Roman Catholic despite being married to a protestant heir to the Dutch throne, they came together with Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte.

Women in black. Princesses Maxima and Letezia attended the papal inauguration

with their spouces, Prince Wilhelm-Alexander and Prince Felipe

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco

The inauguration also drew several dignitaries including heads of states and other VIPs. The united states was represented by Vice President, Joe Biden, a Roman Catholic, the Republic of the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country in Asia, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain was represented by his cousin, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester and his wife, the Duchess of Gloucester.

Vatican protocol dictates that anyone who will be attending a papal audience should wear black so the Princesses, Maxima, Letezia, Charlene, Sophie and Margaretha wore striking black outfit with black lace mantilla covering their heads, except for the Duchess of Gloucester who stick with a traditional British royal custom of wearing a pill box instead of a mantilla. Wearing a mantilla (made of a lace fabric in any color) is a Roman Catholic tradition normally wore by women when attending a Holy Mass.

Over 200,000 pilgrims attended the inauguration ceremony at the St. Peter's square which marked the official start of the pontificate of the first Latin American Pope.

Pope Francis, whose name was taken from the 13th century Catholic saint, Francis of Assisi, stunned the public with his humble lifestyle exemplifying  gesture of humility and modesty. He sets the tone for a humbler papacy discarding the elegance and formality normally associated with the reigning Pope.

King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duchess of Gloucester

The Pope chose the name Francis to signify his intention for a poor church and a ministry serving the disadvantaged. Simplicity and humility are the noble characters that the Pope wants to highlight his leadership and the church's mission. He wanted to be close to the masses and urged the public to respond to the true Christian mission to take care of the poor, the disadvantaged,  the weakest, the least important and the environment.

The people's Pope. His Holiness, Pope Francis, the 266th Vicar of Christ

And like St. Francis who shunned family fortune to serve the church, Pope Francis turned down material things associated with grandeur, at his inauguration, he chose a papal ring made of silver instead of gold and chose to wear a simple white cassock without a red cape.

Prince Philip Steps in for the Queen

We rarely heard the Queen of England got sick but several days ago, Her majesty was hospitalized due to gastroenteritis which sounds like a stomach bug illness. 

In her absence, her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who at 91 is still actively doing his official duties publicly, stood in, along with his daughter in-law, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, hosting reception for British politicians in Buckingham Palace.

His Royal Highness, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh stood in for the Queen to welcome British politicians for dinner at Buckingham Palace

The Queen suffered from gastroenteritis last week

There were more or less 150 MPs and MEPs across the country who attended the event and enjoyed the royal family's hospitality. The Queen's illness has forced her to cancel her engagements including a trip to Rome where she was scheduled to meet President Giorgio Napolitano. The Queen was released from the hospital within a day after being assessed by doctors.

The Queen's health is always excellent ever since she was a child, she rarely got sick, in fact she was only caught chicken pox in her early 50s when her grandson, Peter Phillips was ill with the disease. The Queen's health was in great contrast to that of her only sibling, the Princess Margaret, who died in 2002 at the age of 72. Margaret was a compulsive drinker and a chain smoker and suffered multiple illnesses related to alcohol and smoking abuses.