Royalty in a Glance

Prince Harry deployed in Afghanistan

Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations placed the Monarchy’s popularity at an all-time high. But not for too long. Since staying tuned at the Diamond celebrations, I haven’t stayed that much hooked up, reeling behind a busy schedule that kept me further away from keeping this blog running.

To make up for all my failure to keep this stuff posted, let’s take a little look up on some of the hottest news that shook the world of royalty in the past two months.

Prince Harry and the Naked Photo Scandal. 

What happens in Vegas doesn't really stay in Vegas.
Proof: Prince Harry's nude photos went viral online.

Ever the playboy prince, Prince Harry really knows that good times mean…. And he means it with the naked photos that surfaced last Tuesday. According to TMZ, Prince Harry went down the bar of his Las Vegas hotel where he invited some hot chicks to check out his suite. 

But what happened was a wild strip game that turned out into nudity. Party goers didn’t miss the chance and they immediately snapped photos of Harry with his hands covering his genitals while woman standing behind him. 

In another photo, the Prince was seen bear-hugging another woman who is also naked.  Then followed the publishing frenzy of the photos showing the prince in compromising position while seemingly having time with friends. The prince stayed mum about the issue and it seems the scandal has been cooling down from what was obviously a volcanic that saw the government battling the press to prevent those photos from scattering online and in print. The American media immediately printed the photos, although their British counterpart were hesitant to do so since Clarence House warned them that they could be liable to the Press Complaints Commission for doing so.

Prince Harry Assigned to the Afghan Front. 

On Sept. 7, perhaps, perhaps in an effort to shield the Prince away from the nude scandal, he was deployed to Afghanistan for four months, where he will take part on a combat against the Taliban. He was earlier deployed to the Afghan front in 2007-2008. Prince Harry will have “difficult and demanding job. And I ask that he be left to get on with his duties and allowed to focus on delivering support to the coalition troops on the ground,” says Royal Navy Captain Jock Gordon, Commander of the Joint Aviation Group.

Duchess of Cambridge on cover of Closet magazine

Duchess of Cambridge’s Topless Photos

On Sept. 13, the Daily Mail and New York Times reported that the French edition of "la presse people" magazine Closer published a photograph of the Duchess sun-bathing topless while on holiday at the Château d'Autet. Analysts from The Times believe that the photograph was taken from the D22 (Vaucluse) road from a distance of 500 m from the pool - a distance that would require an 800-mm or a 1000-mm lens. 

On 17 September 2012, BBC reports  the couple laid a criminal complaint to the French Prosecution Department and launched a claim for civil damages at the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Nanterre; the following day the courts granted an injunction against Closer prohibiting further publication of the pictures and also announced that a criminal investigation would be initiated.

Death of Princess Ragnhild of Norway. 

Princess Ragnhild of Norway

On Sept. 16, Princess Ragnhild of Norway, elder sister of King Harald, passed away. She was the eldest child of King Olav and Princess Martha of Sweden. Born June 9, 1930, she married industrialist Erling Lorentzen in 1953, and with him, she moved to Brazil. An obituary by the Telegraph writes: “In 2004 the Princess attracted some controversy when, in an interview with Norway’s TV2 station, she declared that she disapproved of the spouses chosen by Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and his sister Princess Märtha Louise… and went so far as to say that she hoped she would be dead before Mette-Marit became Queen.”

Death of Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco. 

Morocco's Princess Lalla Amina

On Aug. 16, Princess Lalla Amina, aunt of Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, died of undisclosed illness. She was born on  April 8, 1954, she was the youngest daughter of King Mohammed V. Since 1999, the Princess was President of Morocco’s Royal Federation of Equestrian Sports.

Sultan of Brunei's Daughter's Lavish Wedding.

Sultan of Brunei's daughter's wedding

Sept. 24, the world’s eyes were tuned on the lavish wedding of Princess Hajah Hafiza Sururul Bolkiah, fifth daughter of Sultan of Brunei. She was 32, while her groom, civil servant Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini, was 29. The opulent ceremony was held at the Throne Hall of Istana Nurul Iman palace, so far the world’s largest inhabited palace, witnessed by more than 2,000 guests, including members of the Brunei Royal Family, as well as royalties from Malaysia, Japan, Jordan, and Great Britain.