The journalist Louisa Peacock opens her article «Royal Baby name: Kate Middleton should go wild» (Telegraph.co.uk 3 july 2013) by stating that «The royal baby will become famous overnight regardless of what it's called» and continues by claiming that «This gives the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge free rein to call their prince or princess something completely loopy that everyone is at pains to pronounce and spell correctly - unlike most people's names».
But no, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge should not go bananas - or wild - when settling on the names for their firstborn child. In theory the couple could come up with whatever names they would like, but in reality they are bound by the traditions of the British royal family and monarchy and will most likely find names that can be found in earlier royal generations. Of course, there might be one surprise or two among the four given names that we expect the child will get, but the call name will most certainly be a traditional one.
If the firstborn is a girl, I would be surprised if she is not named after her great-grandmother Elizabeth, although I am sure that names like Victoria, Charlotte, Alexandra and Mary will also be popular choices. Yes, if Victoria is chosen, Europe could end up with having two reigning queens with the same name at the same time (although the Swedish Victoria will most likely succeed many, many years before her British cousin), but that will hardly be a problem. Has anyone ever mixed up King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and King Abdullah of Jordan? I don't think so.
If the firsthborn is a boy, however, I think George is the most likely name. But, one thing is what name I expect the couple to settle on, another is what name I personally would have preferred (not that my opinion matters much, but I will have a go at it as anyone else). I wouldn't mind going back a few hundred years. There have been several English kings named Richard, and that is also the name of Catherine's great-grandfather, Richard Middleton (1878-1951). Yes, I know that the Duke of Gloucester, Queen Elizabeth's first cousin, is named Richard, so the connection could be closer than King Richard I, II or III.
However, my safest bets would be:
Girl: Elizabeth Alexandra Diana Carole (the last two after the child's grandmothers)
Boy: George Albert Charles Michael (again the the last two after the child's grandfathers)
But if one really should go for some "wild names", one just have to look up The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton by William Addams Reitwiesner. What about Theophilus (ancestor no. 26) or Gaston (no. 1200) or Valerie (no. 5) or Olive (no. 9). Seriously, the majority of the given names found in the said book could be said to be rather traditional, but acceptable even today. And for the record, there is of course nothing "wrong" with any of the "wild names" I have mentioned, so there is no reason to take offence!
Funnily enough, two nights ago I woke up after having dreamt listening to the names being announced on the radio. Crazy to have such a dream, huh? I can only remember the first two names, and they were Stanford Sixtus ... No, it won't happen. Not sure where I got Stanford from, but if you google it, you will find that there are quite a few men in the United States who are christened Stanford. Not sure where I got it from, but I started reading a biography about President Herbert Hoover the night before, and he gradutated from the said university in 1895, so that is a possibility. I can't explain Sixtus, though.
3 July 2013
Bjorn Egeli: A Life in Images by Peter E. Egeli
Information about the book, Bjorn Egeli: A Life in Images, by Peter E. Egeli (ISBN: 978-0-615-81743-9) can be found at the website BjornEgeli.com.
Bjorn Egeli, originally Herbjørn Peter Egeli, was born in Horten in Norway on 15 November 1900 as the eldest son of Even (Herbjørnsen) Egeli (1874-1915) of Kristiansand and Josephine Mathilde Wennerstrøm (1875-1921) of Hidra outside Flekkefjord. While Even Egeli and his two brothers Torkild and Hermann were born in Kristiansand, the Egeli family originally came from the cotter's farm Øykjeli at Haukeli in Vinje, Telemark, where their great-grandfather Svein Olsen Egeli (1779-1853) settled around 1826. The Egeli family were well-known for their artistic skills. Bjorn Egeli's great-great-uncle Tor Sveinsen (1825-1882) was a recognized rosepainter in Telemark before he together with his family as well as 2 brothers and also his widowed mother emigrated to Wisconsin, USA in 1861. Tor's father Svein Olsen Egeli and brother Even (1822-1873) were both skilled ski carpenters. After Even's death two of his children - Svein and Hæge - and eventually also his widow Liv Tollevsdatter (1824-1905) - emigrated to the United States, leaving behind the eldest son Herbjørn Evensen Egeli (1848-1893). Herbjørn, who served in Kristiansand as an (non-commissioned) officer and later settled down as a fireman, was the artist Bjorn Egeli's grandfather.
Bjorn Egeli moved with his family (he got two younger brothers, Arne Torleif (1902-1973) and Odd Eivind (1910-1970) from Horten to Kristiania (now Oslo) where he went to school. The family eventually settled in the parish of Vålerenga. After his father's death (he died of tuberculosis, as did Bjorn's grandparents and two first cousins) in 1915, Bjorn went to sea, where he spent 7 years before settling down in the United States, where he was trained as an artist. In 1931 he returned to Norway to visit his family. This turned out to be his last visit to his homeland. In 1932 he was married to Lois Baldwin (1908-1993) and had five children - Peter, Cedric, Bjorn James, Mary Lois and Carolyn - who all became professional artists. Also several grandchildren followed the same path. Bjorn, who bought the Glebe Farm in Valley Lee, St. Mary's County, Maryland in 1942, died on 20 October 1984, nearly 84 years old.
I know the Egeli family well, as Bjorn's father Even Egeli (1874-1915) was the elder brother of my great-grandfather Torkild Johan Ekeli (1878-1939), and thus Bjorn was the first cousin of my grandmother Torborg Hoelseth (1924-1992). Having worked on my family genealogy for years, I tracked down the Egelis in Maryland in 1997 (for unknown reasons the Ekeli branch of Sandefjord - the spelling of the family name varied in the various branches - must have lost contact with Even Egeli's branch after Bjorn went to sea - there is no indication that Bjorn met his Sandefjord relatives during his visit in 1931 - the Sandefjord Ekelis kept in touch with Even and Torkild's younger brother Hermann, however).
Since 1997 we have visited eachother in Norway and in the United States several times, and Bjorn's eldest son Peter and his wife were guests in my wedding in 2007. Considering the family connections, there is no wonder why the new book will become a treasured item in my library!
Some information about the Egeli/Ekeli family - including links to several Egeli websites in the United States - can be found at my website. See also the biography of Bjorn Ekeli at Wikipedia.
King Albert II of the Belgians to abdicate on 21 July 2013
In a televised speech at 6 p.m. tonight, King Albert II of the Belgians announced that he was going to abdicate on 21 July 2013, the Belgian national day. In the speech the king, who celebrated his 79th birthday on 6 June, said that his health was no longer good enough to fulfil his duties,
and that it was time to "pass on the torch to the next generation". He also said that his eldest son, Prince Philippe, who is first in line, was "well prepared" to be his successor and that he had confidence in both his son and daughter-in-law, Princess Mathilde.
As far as I understand the text of his speech, Albert II will hold his last speech as reigning king on the evening of 20 July 2013, before witnessing the swearing-in ceremony of Prince Philippe the day after.
King Albert II became King of the Belgians on 9 August 1993, upon taking the oath following the death of his brother, King Baudouin I on 31 Jul 1993. The king was married to Queen Paola, née Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria in 1959. They have 3 children and 12 grandchildren. Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, is 53 years old and has got his education from the Royal Military Academy as well as Stanford University in California, USA, where he took a Master of Arts Degree in political science in 1985. He married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz (b. 1973) in 1999 and they have 4 children - Elisabeth, Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eléonore. The eldest, Elisabeth, born in 2001, will become Duchess of Brabant and in time the first reigning Queen of the Belgians. The biography of the future king can be read here.
The succession means that Belgium soon will have 3 queens - Queen Fabiola, widow of King Baudouin, Queen Paola and Queen Mathilde, a situation that doesn't happen too often. Not in Belgium, at least, but most people will remember the short time (1952-1953) when there were 3 queens in the United Kingdom - Queen Mary, widow of King George V, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, widow of King George VI and (the reigning) Queen Elizabeth II.
Princess Mathilde is half Polish and has an interesting background in the Polish nobility, as her mother was born Countess Anna Maria Komorowska and her maternal grandmother was Princess Zofia Sapieha.
King Albert II will be the third monarch to abdicate this year. His neighbour Queen Beatrix abdicated on 30 April, while Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, stepped down on 25 June. In addition Pope Benedict XVI resigned his papacy on 28 February 2013.
I hope to come back with more details about King Albert's abdication and how Prince Philippe's accession to the throne is formalized in due time.
As far as I understand the text of his speech, Albert II will hold his last speech as reigning king on the evening of 20 July 2013, before witnessing the swearing-in ceremony of Prince Philippe the day after.
Dames en Heren,
Diep ontroerd richt ik mij vandaag tot u allen.
Ik ben mijn tachtigste jaar ingegaan, een leeftijd die geen enkele van mijn voorgangers in de uitoefening van zijn ambt heeft bereikt.
Ik stel vast dat mijn leeftijd en mijn gezondheid mij niet meer toelaten mijn ambt uit te oefenen zoals ik dat zou willen doen.
Ik zou mijn plichten niet nakomen en mijn opvatting van de Koninklijke functie niet huldigen mocht ik in die omstandigheden te allen prijze mijn ambt blijven bekleden. Het is een kwestie van elementair respect voor de instellingen en ten opzichte van u, waarde medeburgers.
Na een regeerperiode van 20 jaar ben ik dus van mening dat het ogenblik is aangebroken om de fakkel aan de volgende generatie over te dragen.
Ik stel ook vast dat Prins Filip goed is voorbereid om mij op te volgen. Hij geniet samen met Prinses Mathilde mijn volle vertrouwen.
Met de tijd, en onder meer in het kader van de economische zendingen in het buitenland, heeft Prins Filip aangetoond hoezeer zijn inzet voor ons land hem na aan het hart ligt.
En bovenal heb ik in de loop der jaren geleerd dat ons land op een buitengewone troef kan rekenen, en dat is U waarde landgenoten.
Met een bevolking die zo rijk is aan talenten, aan verscheidenheid, aan edelmoedigheid en energie, is de toekomst van ons land in de beste handen.
Het is dus met sereniteit en vol vertrouwen dat ik u mijn voornemen meedeel om op 21 juli 2013, de dag van onze nationale feestdag, af te treden ten gunste van de troonopvolger, mijn zoon Prins Filip.
Dames en Heren,
Tijdens mijn ganse regeerperiode heeft een vaste overtuiging met betrekking tot de Koninklijke functie mij geleid.
De rol van Koning der Belgen en zijn legitimiteit bestaat erin ten dienste te staan van de democratie en van haar burgers. Zij zijn de enige rechtmatige titularissen van de soevereiniteit.
In dat opzicht, moet het koningschap met zijn tijd meegaan.
Op 20 juli zal ik u, zoals gewoonlijk, andermaal toespreken, en daarna zal ik samen met de Koningin en de nieuwe Vorsten, de plechtigheden van 21 juli bijwonen.
Maar nu al wens ik u te zeggen, hoezeer ik het als een eer en een geluk beschouw, een groot deel van mijn leven te hebben kunnen wijden aan de dienst van ons land en van zijn bevolking.
Koningin Paola en ikzelf zullen de hartelijke banden die tussen de bevolking en ons zijn gegroeid met de loop der jaren nooit vergeten.
Wij danken u voor het vertrouwen dat u ons heeft geschonken, voor uw blijken van sympathie en van steun, ook weleens met enige kritiek. Maar altijd hebben wij u een warm hart toegedragen.
Wij bewaren zoveel herinneringen aan talloze ontmoetingen in blijde dagen, maar ook in dagen van zware beproeving.
Natuurlijk betekent het einde van mijn regeerperiode niet dat onze wegen nu uiteengaan. Wel integendeel!
Leve België!The speech in French translation can be read at the court's official website. (If an English translation is published later, I will replace the Dutch text.). BBC News' report can be read here, while Expatia.com's article is also well worth reading. After the king's speech, it was Prime Minister Elio di Rupo's turn, and his words can be read in Dutch and French here.
King Albert II became King of the Belgians on 9 August 1993, upon taking the oath following the death of his brother, King Baudouin I on 31 Jul 1993. The king was married to Queen Paola, née Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria in 1959. They have 3 children and 12 grandchildren. Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, is 53 years old and has got his education from the Royal Military Academy as well as Stanford University in California, USA, where he took a Master of Arts Degree in political science in 1985. He married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz (b. 1973) in 1999 and they have 4 children - Elisabeth, Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eléonore. The eldest, Elisabeth, born in 2001, will become Duchess of Brabant and in time the first reigning Queen of the Belgians. The biography of the future king can be read here.
The succession means that Belgium soon will have 3 queens - Queen Fabiola, widow of King Baudouin, Queen Paola and Queen Mathilde, a situation that doesn't happen too often. Not in Belgium, at least, but most people will remember the short time (1952-1953) when there were 3 queens in the United Kingdom - Queen Mary, widow of King George V, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, widow of King George VI and (the reigning) Queen Elizabeth II.
Princess Mathilde is half Polish and has an interesting background in the Polish nobility, as her mother was born Countess Anna Maria Komorowska and her maternal grandmother was Princess Zofia Sapieha.
King Albert II will be the third monarch to abdicate this year. His neighbour Queen Beatrix abdicated on 30 April, while Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, stepped down on 25 June. In addition Pope Benedict XVI resigned his papacy on 28 February 2013.
I hope to come back with more details about King Albert's abdication and how Prince Philippe's accession to the throne is formalized in due time.
2 July 2013
Våpenbrevet No. 89
The Theological Committee of the Church of Norway, presided by Stephanie Dietrich, refers to the St. Olav's axe as a "murder weapon" and symbolizes violence and harassment/injustice. The Norwegian Heraldry Society, represented by its chairman Tom S. Vadholm, reminds the readers that the axe symbolizes St. Olav's death at Stiklestad and his death is regarded as a marthyr's death. He opposes the idea of replacing an old, Norwegian tradition with "a newfangled logo".
In the latest issue of Våpenbrevet one can also read the minutes of the society's annual meeting, which took place in May 2013, as well as articles on the comital family of Guicciardini, the heraldry exhibition at Galleri Vera in Drøbak in March 2013, where the artist Einar Evar showed his works, and the 7th Heraldic Conference in Trondheim (24-26 May 2013).
The Netherlands: A son for Prince Floris and Princess Aimée of Orange-Nassau
The Dutch Royal Court announced on Monday 1 July 2013 the birth of Willem Jan Johannes Pieter van Vollenhoven, the third child of Prince Floris and Princess Aimée of Orange-Nassau. The little boy, who weighed 3650 grams at birth, was born at the Bronovo Hospital in the Hague on 1 July 2013 at 1.32 p.m.
This is the couple's third child. The daughter Magali was born on 9 October 2007, while Eliane came along on 5 July 2009.
Prince Floris is the fourth son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, younger sister of the former Queen Beatrix, and Pieter van Vollenhoven. Willem is Margriet and Pieter's 11th grandchild.
Prince Floris married the then Aimée Söhngen in 2005.
This is the couple's third child. The daughter Magali was born on 9 October 2007, while Eliane came along on 5 July 2009.
Prince Floris is the fourth son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, younger sister of the former Queen Beatrix, and Pieter van Vollenhoven. Willem is Margriet and Pieter's 11th grandchild.
Prince Floris married the then Aimée Söhngen in 2005.
1 July 2013
Royalty Digest Quarterly No. 2, 2013
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated on 30 April 2013 on behalf of her eldest son Willem-Alexander and she is now known as Princess Beatrix. The editiorial column is of course full of praise of the former queen and her many years of service to the the Dutch people. Her engagements will not stop, though, but she has allowed herself to reduce the number.
The magazine's historical consultant, Charlotte Zeepvat, got the first part of her article The True Value of Home. The life of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the younger published in March, and the second part, subtitled Sweden, Russia and exile, came in issue 2. Zeepvat's second contribution this time is the obituary of H.R.H. Prince Moritz, Landgraf of Hesse 1926-2013, who died on 23 May.
The Brazilian Alberto Penna Rodrigues has made several contributions to the Royalty Digest Quarterly over the years, and this time the readers can enjoy the article Captives - The Duchesses of Aosta and the Nazis.
One the cover is a photo of Prince Leopold IV of Lippe (1871-1904-1918-1949) and his family. The prince returns in the photo article LIPPE - A Family Album, this time provided by Ricardo Mateos Sáinz de Medrano. The article includes as usual a short introduction to the family, a large collection of photos - 66 in all - as well as 4 pages with genealogical tables.
The year 2013 marks the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Romanov dynasty, and this is marked by Marion Wynn's article The Tercentenary of the Romanovs. Pilgrimage to Kostroma.
Elizabeth Jane Timms is the next one out with the article Engagement at Coburg, which is the second article about the Romanov dynasty, as it dwells on the engagement between Tsarevich Nicholas of Russia (later Emperor Nicholas II) and Princess Alix of Hesse in April 1894.
Then Michael Nash returns with a new article about the late Archduke Otto of Austria, titled The Centenary of Otto von Habsburg 1912-2012. An English Visit remembered. The visit in question was the one the former crown prince paid to Norwich, England in March 1994. The article goes beyond the visit, though. A rather nice portrait of "the last real representative of the lost world before 1918 ..."
Finally the magazine provides the regular column The World Wide Web of Royalty, this time with news about the royal, princely and/or mediatized houses (etc., etc.!) of Bavaria, Denmark, Hesse, Hohenlohe-Bartenstein, Hohenzollern, Murat, Ortenburg, Schaumburg-Lippe, Schwarzenberg, Solms-Braunfels, Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, Sweden and Waldburg-Zeil.
For Rosvall Royal Books' own presentation of issue no. 2, 2013 go here.
Information on Royalty Digest Quarterly can be found at its editor's website Royalbooks.se. See earlier presentation of RDQ here. See also its Facebook page.
American Independence Day Celebration in Oslo, Norway, 2013
The celebration always take place the last Sunday before the real day - 4th of July - among others because such a big event needs many volunteers, and they are usually not able to take the time off in the middle of the week. The number of visitors will naturally also be larger on a Sunday.
The public celebration in Frognerparken is very popular - at least when the weather is as nice as it was yesterday - not only the American exiles living in Norway and the many tourists are attracted to te event, but also many Norwegians come to the park to take part.
The program this year included entertainment by the coverband Airbuzz, the Blues singer Johnny Sansome, line dancer Kelli Haugen and singer Anee Karin Lee. The children could choose between many hands-on activities provided by Oslo Children's Museum as well as pony rides. Last summer my then 2-years-old made her horse riding debut at Lake Farmpark at Kirtland, Ohio and lovd it. She was very keen on a pony ride in Frognerparken as well, but as soon as she got up on the horse back she wanted to get down again immediately. A year can make a difference, I guess. She is much more sensitive to the dangers of the world now than last year. Oh well, I don't have to buy her a horse, then...
People could also try out softball/baseball or American football. No-one commented on my Cincinnati Reds cap and shirt, though, even if the baseball team had beaten Texas Rangers 6-4 the day before. Such a shame!
The American food feast is very popular - hamburgers, hotdogs, BBQ, sandwiches, baked goods, ice cream and much more! The many booths could also offer arts and crafts, voters registration assistance, US consular services and used book stands, to mention a few, while fans of American cars could enjoy the many vehicles that were on display (see two examples below).
The ACCN also publishes a rather nice Communuity Guide which includes the program for the Independence Day celebration, but also lots of useful information for Americans living in Norway. The guide for 2013-2014 also has several interesting articles, including one about the 25th anniversary of the Norwegian Pavillion in Walt Disney's EPCOT, The Norwegian Lady - A Tale of Two Cities and A little taste of Norway in Washington State (which comes in hany, as I plan to visit Seattle next year).
For a short film coverage of the celebrations, go to VGTV.
Airbuzz on stage.
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