King Felipe and Queen Letizia Visit Brandenburg Gate

King Felipe and Queen Letizia Visit Germany

State Visit to Sweden For Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia

King Felipe and King Carl XVI Gustaf Give Press Statements

King Harald's Speech At Gala Dinner For Willem and Máxima

King Felipe Visits Andorra

King Felipe made a state visit to Andorra on March 26th.

Queen Elizabeth’s First Visit to Slovenia and Slovakia

It is the first visit by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to the countries of Slovenia and Slovakia. With the usual pomp and circumstance, the visit began in Slovenia yesterday afternoon. She was welcomed by Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk at Brdo Castle and later in the evening she toasted the president and his wife at a state banquet.

This morning, she visited Lipica Stud Farms which was founded in 1580. Whilst there, she was presented with a Lipizzaner horse nicknamed Kanizo. Included in her tour, was a demonstration by the skilled riders of the Lipica Riding School.

Tomorrow, she will wrap up her visit with a military farewell in Slovenia and head over to Slovakia to meet President Ivan Gašparovič at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava. Her tour ends on October 24th.

Below is the full text of Queen Elizabeth II’s speech at the State Banquet in Ljubljana, Slovenia on October 21, 2008.

"Mr. President,"

"Thank you very much for your kind welcome. Prince Philip and I are delighted to be paying our first visit to Slovenia so soon after your highly successful first Presidency of the European Union. I congratulate you for discharging those responsibilities so skilfully and thank you for the close co-operation between our two countries during such a busy period."

"This achievement has been all the more striking when we recall that it is only seventeen years since you first emerged as an independent European nation. Slovenia's transformation since 1991 is a remarkable tribute to the country's energy, vision and determination."

"The Slovenian state may be young, but her people have made a rich contribution to the life of Europe, in arts, science and letters. One important symbol of Slovenia, with deep and colourful historical roots, is of course the Lipizzaner horse which originated here. Tomorrow, Prince Philip and I will visit Lipica to learn more about a breed which has been prized for centuries in stables across the continent and with which Slovenia so strongly identifies itself."

"Contacts between our two nations go back many centuries. In 1687, your great scientist and historian Janez Valvasor was elected to our Royal Society for his contributions to our understanding of the natural world. In recent years we have lent his name to a scholarship scheme for Slovenian students in the United Kingdom."

"History dictated that the identity of Slovenia's people and their aspirations to be an independent European nation could only be fully achieved in the final decade of the Twentieth Century. Slovenia quickly made up for lost time and was strongly supported throughout the 1990s by the United Kingdom in its bid to join the European Union and NATO. The close ties established then with your government, judiciary, police and armed forces continue to flourish."

"Today, we are partners with Slovenia in transferring the lessons of her success to third countries in the West Balkans and beyond. I should also like to pay particular tribute to Slovenia's generous contributions to humanitarian and peacekeeping missions on the wider international stage. The United Kingdom is proud to be working alongside our Slovenian allies in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan."

"While co-operation between our governments is invaluable, we are also committed to the human dimension of our friendship. There is no better place to start this than with young people. Prince Philip and I are delighted that The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award for Young People is active in Slovenia, and even more so to learn that you, Mr. President, have taken a personal interest in its future."

"I must also mention the long-standing affection of British visitors for the Julian Alps, which dates back to the beginnings of Slovenian tourism in the 1920s. Winter and summer, British visitors continue to come here to admire the beauty of your mountains, forests and lakes and to enjoy the warmth and generosity of Slovenian hospitality. What is more, growing numbers of British people are making a second home in Slovenia."

"Looking to the future, I am confident that relations between our two countries will continue to prosper. I hope that this visit will demonstrate the importance the United Kingdom attaches to our relationship with Slovenia, as a partner in Europe and an ally in NATO, with whom we share so many common values and aspirations. For Prince Philip and myself, it is a very great pleasure to be with you."

"So please join me, ladies and gentlemen, in a toast to the President and people of the Republic of Slovenia."

Photo: Associated Press/Srdjan Zivulovic

Queen Beatrix’s First State Visit to Lithuania

Whilst her eldest son is in Spain for a water expo this week, Queen Beatrix began her first state visit to Lithuania yesterday. She was invited by the Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus. The queen began her tour in Vilnius stopping at the Presidential Palace, Antakalnis Cemetery and the Vilnius Academy of Arts. Included in her royal visit will be tours of Trakai Castle and Sugihara House. She will wrapped up her trip on June 26th in Kaunas.Below is Queen Beatrix’s entire speech at the state banquet in Vilnius, Lithuania on June 24, 2008.

"Mr President,"

"It gives me great pleasure to be your guest here this evening during the first Dutch State visit to Lithuania. My son, Prince Willem-Alexander, and his wife, Princess Máxima, were here in June two thousand and two and spoke with great enthusiasm about their visit. I am very happy to have the opportunity now to become acquainted with your country in person."

"Lithuania regained its independence after a dark period in its history. Your country then oriented itself on Europe once again. In order to achieve membership of the EU as soon as possible, your country made enormous efforts and introduced extensive political and economic reforms. In this transition period, Lithuania went its own way, as it had done in the past. In acceding to the Union, your country brought with it both its unique traditions and its rich culture."

"The history of Lithuania is marked by many changes of fortune. Two elements are constant features of that history: a profound attachment to your national identity and a tradition of religious tolerance. As far back as the fourteenth century, your capital was known as a trading centre that offered religious freedom and protection even to foreign merchants and craftsmen. Vilnius thus acquired a cosmopolitan character and a reputation for tolerance. To this day, the great variety of places of worship is still an eloquent testimony to that fact. They have contributed in no small measure to the beauty and historic significance of your capital, which as a result has been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The tradition of tolerance lives on, as demonstrated by the fact that after independence was regained, citizenship was offered to all Lithuanian residents, whatever their ethnic background."

"Your rich and splendid history is also marked by an enduring and deep-rooted desire for freedom. Your people were long successful in resisting the expansionism of various foreign powers. Even in the period of foreign domination, they managed to preserve their identity in terms of language and culture, despite all attempts to enforce assimilation. Your impassioned struggle for independence was expressed in the late eighties in an impressive, peaceful, liberation movement, which was ultimately successful. The images of the human chain that stretched from Vilnius to Tallinn in nineteen eighty-nine will remain engraved in our memories forever. Sad to say, freedom was not regained without bloodshed. The monument I visited this afternoon is an imposing tribute to those who gave their lives in that cause."

"Now, eighteen years after your declaration of independence, democracy is firmly rooted in your country. In the coming parliamentary elections young people who have spent the whole of their lives in an independent Lithuania will vote for the first time. The establishment of a democratic state was accompanied by the transition to a market economy. The privatisation process was extensive and was completed remarkably quickly. The changes were not without setbacks and demanded great sacrifices of the Lithuanian people. But your government always enjoyed the support and confidence of the population. And so, success was not long in coming. In recent years, the economy has grown considerably and prosperity has increased. Innovation is high on the agenda. Your country occupies a leading position in biotechnology and the laser industry and is constantly developing new techniques in these fields."

"Economic changes have gone hand-in-hand with political developments. Lithuania has turned to Europe with great enthusiasm and resumed its rightful place in our continent. It is now a valued member of the European Union and of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Your country takes part in various peace operations and in particular is making an important contribution to the ISAF mission to Afghanistan. In this way, you are helping to create security and stability, and also assisting the humanitarian and development activities that this deeply stricken country so desperately needs. In that distant land, our countries stand side-by-side."

"Mr President,"

"In addition to the contacts our peoples engage in through the European Union and NATO, I would also like to mention our close bilateral ties. For these are not only important today: they go back many centuries to the time of the Hanseatic League, the great trading organisation which linked the Low Countries with the countries on the Baltic Sea. The more intensive trade relations that followed in our Golden Age were of great significance to the Netherlands. Furthermore, there were cultural and academic contacts, for example in the field of religion. In the seventeenth century Lithuanian students studied at Leiden University. And since nineteen thirteen Leiden has had a chair of Balto-Slavic languages, where our students have been able to learn about Lithuanian language and literature for almost a century."

"Mr President,"

"The white stork, Lithuania’s national bird, also occupies a central position in the coat of arms of our seat of government – and also my residence – The Hague. This happy coincidence would seem to be a favourable omen for the further development of our bilateral relations."

"I should like to invite all those present to raise their glasses with me and drink to your health, Mr President, to that of Mrs Adamkienë, to a bright future for your country and to continuing friendship between our two peoples."

Photos: REUTERS

Estonia Welcomes Belgian Monarch on Historical First Visit

Seldom does a monarch get the opportunity to be a tourist whilst on a state visit, but it was not a problem for King Albert II; he managed to snap some photos for his personal album as he toured the Estonian Open Air Musem at Rocca al Mare this week. Invited by Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, he and his wife, Queen Paola embarked on the first state visit to Estonia by a Belgian monarch on June 10th. Besides enjoying the hospitality of the obligatory state banquet and troop review, the royal couple visited the KUMU Art Museum and Tallinn’s Old Town. Accompanied by the wife of President Ilves, Evelin, the queen toured the Vodja School in Roosna-Alliku Rural Municipality. The historical visit wrapped up on June 12th.

For more information on the Estonian Open Air Museum, visit the official website.

For more information on the KUMU Art Museum, visit the official website.Photos: REUTERS