Princess Beatrice Gives Birth To A Girl

Princess Beatrice gave birth to a daughter at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London at 23.42 (local time) on September 18th.

The baby is Queen Elizabeth's twelfth great-grandchild.

BREAKING NEWS: Catherine In Labour

The royal birth is imminent! Clarence House tweeted the news and the Prince of Wales website released a statement this morning.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has been admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London in the early stages of labour.

The Duchess travelled by car from Kensington Palace to the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital with The Duke of Cambridge.

Prince William Reveals Details of Engagement to ITN’s Tom Bradby

In his first post engagement interview, Prince William revealed more details of his proposal to Catherine Middleton to ITN’s Tom Bradby. The prince said he carried his mother’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring for weeks in his rucksack before popping the long-awaited question to his girlfriend of eight years whilst on a safari trip to Kenya in October.

The couple’s interview was relaxed with light-hearted banter on some of the finer details of their romance. Whilst pursuing his courtship of Catherine, Prince William said that friendship first in the relationship was a good foundation and a massive advantage.

The wedding will take place next year in London.

Below is ITN’s Tom Bradby post engagement interview of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Marie-Chantal Working on Motherhood, Stores and Website

Fans of Marie-Chantal’s children clothing designs will be delighted to know that two more retail stores will be opening in the Fall. One clothing store will be in Los Angeles; the other will be located on Sloane Street in London. Besides the openings of the new stores, Marie-Chantal will be launching her new website in October.

She is the mother of five children; she gave birth to a son on June 29th.

Princess Haya Plans to Compete in the London Olympics

As a member of the International Olympic Committee and President of the Fédération Equestre Internationale Executive Board, Princess Haya of Jordan’s agenda has been crammed with the obligations of these two posts, but she has revealed that she wants to participate in the equestrian events at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. “I still think of myself as an athlete. Yes, I want to compete in London,” she effused.

Besides revealing her desire to participate in future Olympics, the princess was optimistic about the outlook for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. During a CNN interview with John Vause, the princess offered nothing but praise for the hosts and said, “I think the crowd and the people in China are going to make it a fantastically fun games. That’s still to be seen, but from what we’ve already seen, the facilities are fantastic, and the athletes are really happy.”

Below is the CNN video: Saddling up for Olympics.

Photo: Petra

Prince Willem-Alexander Views Plans for 2012 Summer Olympics in London

The Prince of Orange appeared in London this week to view the layout for the 2012 Summer Olympics. About 60% of the sport venues will be built in East London as part of the restructuring plan to help regenerate growth in the district. Included in his agenda was a lunch with volunteers from the district of Newham and a visit to Newham Sports Academy.

For more information on the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, visit the official website.

Photo: Andrew Baker

Dutch Royal Fans To Be Exhibited at the Fan Museum

The Fan Museum, located in Greenwich, London, will be showcasing an exhibit entitled A Touch of Dutch – Royal Fans from the House of Orange-Nassau at the end of the month. The House of Orange-Nassau Historic Collections Trust and the Royal Collection loaned out sixty-eight fans which included personal loans from Queen Beatrix and Princess Máxima of the Netherlands. The Dutch royal fans range from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Two fans included in the exhibit are painted by Queen Wilhelmina. The exhibit opens on February 29, 2008 and ends on May 28, 2008.

For more information on the exhibit entitled A Touch of Dutch – Royal Fans from the House of Orange-Nassau, visit The Fan Museum’s official website.

Photo: RVD

Abdullah II and Rania Champion Peace in London

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan attended a dinner in London hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah as part of their official visit to the United Kingdom from November 6th to November 8th.

In his meeting with the prime minister, the king championed the strengthening of economic ties between the two countries; constituting a partnership with the G8 and G11 initiatives and the Middle East peace process. As the date for the Annapolis meeting with Arab states and Israel draws near, King Abdullah and Gordon Brown discussed the regional and international efforts for the peace talks and the support of international diplomacy to achieve Middle East peace.

Abdullah concluded his visit at the Royal College of Defense Studies where he spoke of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and his desire for “achieving a fair and comprehensive peace” in the Middle East that would “result in regional development and stability.”

Princess Máxima Elucidates on Financial Development at Conference

Princess Máxima of the Netherlands was invited to speak at the High Level Financial Inclusion Congress in London on June 19th. The event was organized by the British Ministry of Finance and the Department for International Development (DFID)

After thanking her hosts for the invite, the princess emphasized that microcredit was not the sole solution for financial development in poverty and low income predicaments and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, by now, research has convincingly shown that a sound financial sector is an essential part of the development process. Financial development and improving access to finance not only accelerates economic growth, but also reduces poverty and income inequality.”

“Access to a wide variety of financial services and products, such as loans, savings, insurance products and remittances can be a powerful tool to generate income, build capital and protect people against risk. However, as we all know, world financial systems are still not inclusive today. Well over two billion people do not have access to basic financial services and we are here to change that.”

“Having said that, I must stress that microfinance is not THE solution to the poverty problem. Nor is a small loan always the best way to help a person without resources. Grants and other types of direct support are sometimes better solutions. This is important to remember in the determination of development policies.”

“The Advisors to the Year of Microcredit, recommended in 2005 that the UN should appoint a group of experts to see the work they had begun through to completion. As a result, the UN Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors was established last June. This advisory group is formed by a broad international group of experts from private and public sector, practitioners, NGO’s, donors and academia.”

“The key role of the Advisors Group is to advise and guide the UN and its member states on building financial sectors that enable wide access to a diverse range of financial services. Our Advisors group aims also to support, not replace existing initiatives. I am therefore inviting all individuals, organisations and governments to work with us and share their concerns, experiences and solutions. In this field, as in many others, combining and coordinating efforts is key to increase effectivity…and that is probably one of our main tasks.”

Princess Máxima's entire speech at the High Level Financial Inclusion Congress in London can be read here.

Photo: DFID