The Grand Duke in Croatia *

The Grand Duke made an official visit to The Republic of Croatia at the invitation of Croatian President Ivo Josipovic. The Grand Duke was accompanied by his Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn. A business delegation from Luxembourg joined the pair.

The morning was taken up with the usual reviewing the honor guard, national anthems, exchanging gifts and private audience. Following the delegation's meeting with President Josipovic, The Grand Duke met with Prime Minster Jadranka Kosor and Parlimentary Speaker Luka Bebic. Prime Minister Kosor thanked The Grand Duke for Luxembourg's support of Croatia joining NATO and their bid to join the EU. The Grand Duke also commended Croatia's efforts in border arbitration with Slovenia. Prime Minister Kosor also invited tourist from Luxembourg to visit the Adriatic coast of Croatia. I agree with the PM. The Adriatic coast in Croatia is spectacular.

Minister Asselborn met with his Croatian counterpart. They discussed bilateral ties and current European and International policy.

The Grand Duke was given a tour of the beautiful historic area of Zagreb. The visit concluded with a gala dinner. Sadly, The Grand Duchess was not on hand to provide any glitter. The Grand Duke, for his part, was the picture of regal dignity. Madame Kosor was also very stately.

RTL has coverage of the visit that showcases new photographs and a short video which features part of The Grand Duke's speech.

Prince Robert and Princess Julie in London *****

Prince Robert of Luxembourg and his wife Princess Julie of Nassau were in London yesterday. They attended a dinner hosted by the Prince at Lancaster House. The dinner is in honor of Chateau Haut-Brion. This is the 2nd of 8 dinners that Prince Robert will host around the world in honor of the 75th anniversary of his (American) family's ownership and production of wine at the Chateau.

Prince Robert discusses the dinners and his family's history at the Chateau in the clip below.

Getty has a gallery of visuals from the dinner. I'm super excited to be able to share pictures of the lovely Princess Julie of Nassau with you!! She's an elegant and discreet member of the Grand-Ducal Family. I also noted Sir Andrew and The Lady Lloyd Webber and The Viscount and The Viscountess Linely in attendance.

Sporting Grand Duchess

The Grand Duchess attended Sport Day on 5 June. The event was organized by the Luxembourg Olympic and Sporting Committee. There were workshops and demonstrations. .

The event was Sporting Day for Those With and Without Disabilities. That’s everyone, in my humble opinion. So.....I just renamed it Sport Day. :)

I’m not necessarily a fan of the shirt but I’m definitely a fan of the lady. :) Automobil Sport Online Magazine has a nice gallery. There are many photographs of our favorite Grand Duchess.

Audiences, audiences, audiences...

On 31 May, The Grand Duke received in audience Mr Jiang Jianqing, chairman of the board of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).

On 4 June, The Grand Duke received in audience the directors and representatives of the European Federation of Investment Funds (EFAMA, European Fund and Asset Management Association) and those of ALFI (Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry).

On 7 June, The Grand Duke received in audience the leaders of the associates and delegations (senior magistrates) of the Association of Councils of State and Supreme Administrative Courts of the European Union.

French Open

Prince Jean attended the French Open on 6 June. He's pictured here at the Roland Garros Village.

It's refreshing for me to finally be able to write something about Jean. I know he's not purposely under the radar and that he's often out-and-about at public events. I just never have any luck finding updates about him. Like his kinsmen, he's always well groomed and properly attired. I swear, I don't believe His Royal Highness owns a pair of jeans or a polo-shirt.

Thanks HGD for the update.

Indian Delegation to Luxembourg

Meira Kumar will be leading a high level delegation from India to Luxembourg. The 3 day visit will begin on 10 June. During the visit Madame Kumar and her delegation will meet with The Grand Duke, Premier Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and various other ministers.

The visit will focus on bilateral ties and a issues of international importance.

Tour de Luxembourg

The Grand-Ducal Couple, Prince Sébastien and the super cute little princes watched the final stage of the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg.

The Grand-Ducal Couple looked very comfortable in their casual clothing. I have to say that the teddy bear and swim shorts is a good look for Seb. Maybe I'm a little nutty but I like a prince who can pull of swim shorts, a teddy bear, tousled hair and a mismatched shirt. Seriousy, are Gabriel and Noah not just the cutest little princes in Europe!

Zermatt Summit

Prince Guillaume attended the Zermatt Summit in Switzerland. The conference was held 3-5 June. It seemed to be a humanitarian leadership conference. Archduke Rodolf was also in attendance.

I know that The Hereditary Grand Duke is often listed as simply "Prince Guillaume" in many news sources. The article does not specify if it is The Hereditary Grand Duke or his uncle. However, The Hereditary Grand Duke was in Shanghai until 3 June and his flight back to Europe was around 24 hours long (he needs a vaca, right?). Therefore, I conclude that it could was Prince Guillaume not The Hereditary Grand Duke who was present...if you were wondering.

Shanghai

While The Hereditary Grand Duke and Minister Krecké were in Shanghai they spent a considerable amount of time at the World Expo facilities. While they were there they visited the Saudi Pavilion, Dutch Pavilion, UK Pavilion, The Private Enterprises Pavilion and probably a dozen others. I did not check the websites of every pavilion for news and pictures.

Mr. and Mrs. Mao were the one millionth visitors to the Luxembourg Pavilion. They were fortunate enough that by a stroke of luck The Hereditary Grand Duke and Minister Krecké were in Shanghai. They received a commemorative coin and wine from The Grand Duchy.

This was an important working visit for for Luxembourg. The Hereditary Grand Duke and Minister Krecké made important contacts and participated in several events (noted in earlier entries).

Thanks HGD and OfPirateMind for info and links.

joyeux anniversaire

Today is the 26th birthday of Prince Félix. We wish Félix a fantastic birthday!

Wort has written a little bio and provided some pictures of his life. RTL also makes mention of this special day with a picture.