20th July 1944 - a missed opportunity for Germany

Germany commemorates Graf Stauffenberg who tried to kill Hitler on 20th July 1944.

Today Germany commemorates the 20th July 1944, when an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf’s Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The apparent purpose of the assassination attempt was to seize political control of Germany and its armed forces from the Nazi Party (including the SS) in order to obtain peace as soon as possible.

Many of the officers involved in “Operation Valkyrie" were monarchists and wanted the Monarchy given back to the German people. They wanted to by-pass Crown Prince Wilhelm and had contacted his son an heir, Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, who should have been “regent". In an obituary The Independent wrote about this fascinating personality:

"The dubious role which some members of the deposed German Imperial family played during the Nazi period was not shared by Prince Louis Ferdinand. Far from it, his spell as an officer in the German Air Force during the Second World War was short-lived, as in 1940 he retreated to his country estate after being expelled from military service by Hitler’s new law restricting the military activities of members of the former Imperial family. He later had close contacts with members of the German underground movement, among them Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg and Dr Carl Goerdeler - who were executed after their involvement in the failed attempt in July 1944 to kill Hitler - and with Klaus Bonhoefer, Otto John and Field Marshal Georg von Kuchler. These activities are described in greater detail in Prince Louis Ferdinand’s fascinating autobiography, Im Strom der Geschichte: die Heimkehr noch Potsdam. This book was first published in 1983 as an extension and amended version of his earlier book Die Geschichte meine Lebens (‘The History of my Life’, 1968). Documents of the underground movement show that he was in fact seriously considered a possible future head of state in the event that the coup planned for 20 July 1944 against Hitler succeeded."

Prince Louis Ferdinand, The Rebel Prince, played a role in the 1944 plot to kill Hitler.

At the end of the Second World War, Prince Louis Ferdinand had to flee with his family from his Eastern estates to West Germany and made the Wümmehof in Bremen his private residence, concentrating on the administration of the rather reduced assets left to the Hohenzollern family and on an extensive restoration of Burg Hohenzollern in Hechingen, southern Germany, the family's original seat.

The castle of Hohenzollern in southern Germany.

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Fatherly advice

His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan advising HRH Crown Prince Al Hussein

 

His Majesty King Abdullah II has sent a letter to HRH Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II on the occasion of his 18th birthday on 28th June.

Following is the full text of King Abdullah’s letter to Prince Hussein:

Your Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II May God preserve and protect you, Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you, It is a pleasure to extend to you my Arab Hashemite greetings, expressing my love for you, my satisfaction and pride in you. You are a Hashemite knight whom I have consecrated to the service of his country and loyal people, and the Arab and Islamic nation.

I have chosen to send you this message upon the completion of the 18th year in what will, God willing, be your long life. At such age, you are fit to shoulder the burden of responsibility. May this letter be a beacon that guides you in the days to come as you fulfil your responsibilities and may it show you the way of life and approach to work that you will adopt.

This has been the vision of governance as far as we, the Hashemites, are concerned. It has been passed from generation to generation, starting from our great ancestor, Prophet Mohammad, may peace and God’s blessings be upon him. He taught us and humanity at large that fearing God is the ultimate wisdom and that the pious will always be divinely guided out of their dilemmas. He taught us that those who are modest will be raised to higher status by God and that justice is the cornerstone of governance. We have also learned from the Prophet that mercy, forgiveness and tolerance as personal traits are blessings that God grants only to his good servants, as evident in the holy Koranic verse: "It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (their faults), and ask for (Allah's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast taken a decision put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him)." Our fathers and grandfathers have followed this path. They have upheld the belief that responsibility is a trust and serving the people is a duty and an honour. They have always believed that a good ruler is the one who sees himself as the servant of his people, even if they see him as their master.

I have learned from your grandfather, the late Al Hussein, God bless his soul, that I should treat each and every fellow Jordanian as a brother, a father or a son. He taught me to respect the elderly, have mercy on the young and the vulnerable and treat all on equal footing when it comes to rights and duties. I was taught to forgive wrongdoers, and work relentlessly to serve the people and their interests and those of the future generations. The relationship between us, the Hashemites, and the faithful Jordanian people has never been one between the ruler and the ruled. Rather, it was founded on cordiality, respect, compassion and solidarity. We have always been one loving family. Jordanians of all backgrounds and origins have seen the most difficult conditions and experiences. Nevertheless, they remained one united and loving family. They have never failed their leadership, nor have they failed to carry out a duty or offer a sacrifice, regardless of its scale. It is our duty to pay back, returning to our people the same love, pride, appreciation and gratitude they have given us.

I have raised you, and I have great faith in you. I am totally confident that you will follow on the path of your father and grandfathers as a man committed to loving your country with a high sense of belonging and devotion to sincere, hard work. I am confident that you will show selflessness, humility, resolve and strong will. You will always follow the guidelines of the Hashemites, reflecting their traits: the good manners and generosity that stem from fear of God in the first place, and then from their love for people, modesty in dealing with them, keenness to serving them and treating them on equal footing.

I am happy and proud of the person you have become now and the one you will be in the future, God willing. You will always have my support and good advice.

May God protect you and grant you success in serving your people and country. I ask Him to render you the source of our hope and optimism, and that of your people and supporters, the members of the one great Jordanian family.

Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.

Your father, Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein Amman, June 28, 2012 AD Shaaban 8, 1433H

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Belgian Crown Prince Philippe ready to be King

Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium is ready for the throne. King Albert II’s oldest son told journalists that he is ready to take over the reigns as our country’s head of state when the time comes.

Prince Philippe added: “My father is doing a good job and I try and help him as much as I can whenever he asks me to do so. I would be ready, if I were asked to step in”.


King Albert II was born 6th June 1934, the second son and third child of King Leopold III and Queen Astrid of the Belgians. On 9th August 1993, after the death of King Baudouin on 31st July, Prince Albert, Duke of Liège, was sworn in as sixth King of the Belgians.

Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant was born on 15th April 1960. On 4th December 1999 he married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz, daughter of a Walloon Count of Belgian noble family and female line descendant of Polish noble families.


The couple has four children:
Princess Elisabeth Thérèse Marie Hélène, born 25th October 2001, heiress presumtive,
Prince Gabriel Baudouin Charles Marie, born 20th August 2003,
Prince Emmanuel Léopold Guillaume François Marie, born 4th October 2005,
Princess Eléonore Fabiola Victoria Anne Marie, born 16th April 2008.

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Who knew first about Crown Prince's visit?


Murdoch and Fairfax newspapers argue with each other. That's nothing new, but it is a kind of ironic, that the two equally fiercely republican papers argue about who first published news about the Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary's visit to Australia. Today The Age claimed the crown for itself.

RUPERT Murdoch's excited minions grabbed the 'exclusive' stamp again and plastered it over a Sunday Herald Sun story about Denmark's Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik coming to Australia on November 19, the headline saying 'Aussie tour dates revealed'. This column revealed on August 3 that the couple were arriving on November 19 to head the Bright Green Denmark business and trade delegation and show off their twins. Royal bridesmaid Amber Petty is 'massively excited' about the visit. The tabloid said the couple was tipped to attend the Alannah and Madeline Foundation Starry Starry Night ball, a fact also mentioned in this column and in 3AW's Rumour File in July. Not that anyone wants to ruin the 'exclusive' excitement.

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Another Royal Wedding - in Tonga



The South Pacific will soon see its own royal wedding. The second in line to the throne of the Kingdom of Tonga is to get married.





Prince 'Ulukalala (26), second in line to the Tongan throne, is courting Hon Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana Fakafanua (24).



The pair, who are both great-grandchildren of the late Queen Salote, were matched in a Faitohi ceremony held by their families at Ma'ufanga on 28th July.



The Faitohi ceremony is a traditional Tongan courting ritual in which Prince 'Ulukalala officially asked for Hon Sinaitakala's hand in marriage at her residence Siatapu at Ma'ufanga.



Prince 'Ulukalala is the eldest son of Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka and Princess Nanasipau'u Tuku'aho.



Hon. Sinaitakala is the only daughter of Princess 'Ofeina Fakafanua and the late Fakafanua (Tutoatasi).



The King of Tonga, His Majesty Siaosi (George) Tupou V, is a bachelor and has no children.



For more photos of the Faitohi ceremony go to Matangi Tonga online.

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Photos of Hope
After the liberation of the eastern part of Libya, the people of the Cyreneica display royal symbols.

A young rebel with a portrait of King Idris I of Libya.

Consisting of a white crescent and star on a horizontal red, black and green triband - with the central black band twice the width of the outer bands - the flag was adopted when Libya became independent on 24th December 1951 with King Mohammed Idris as-Senussi as its head of state. Today, the flag is still used by monarchists and the Libyan opposition abroad.

Un insurgé brandisse le drapeau du roi Idris, renversé par Qaddafi en 1969, à Tobrouk, près de la frontière égyptienne.

The French newspaper Le Figaro spoke with Libyan Crown Prince Mohammed es-Senussi L'héritier du trône libyen en exil à Londres: «Je me bats d'abord pour l'histoire, pour faire respecter le nom ma famille. Si dans l'avenir les Libyens choisissent la monarchie, je suis là.»

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For goodness sake, he’s the King

The Indian occupation of Sikkim is an ongoing violation of international rights.
In reaction to a previous posting the RadicalRoyalist received a testimonial from a former fellow student of Prince Wangchuk Tenzing Namgyal (*1st April 1953), second son of the 12th Chogyal of Sikkim, Palden Thondup Namgyal (+ 29th January 1982). He was crowned as Sikkim's 13th king after his elder brother, Crown Prince Tenzing Namgyal was killed in a road "accident" on 11th March 1978.

David from London wrote: "I have read much about the political situation in Sikkim, especially at the time the 11th Chogyal was dealing with the Nepalese, the Indians and the Chinese. It certainly is a tragic story, after so many centuries of the monarchy. It would be very interesting to get the perspective of the 13th Chogyal on the situation – although I don’t suppose much will change now.

A small story about Wangchuk that may amuse you:"

He [Prince Wangchuk] used to accompany a small group of us to the pub at lunchtimes. He was never a big drinker, but used to participate in the banter, and enjoy the company.

One day I asked him where he came from - he replied:

“Sikkim – it’s a small country in the Himalayas, between Bhutan and Nepal”.

I then asked, “So why are you here in London, Wangchuk?”

“Oh, my father thought it would be a good idea for me to get a British education”.

My next question was: “So what does your father do in Sikkim, Wangchuk?”

“Oh, he’s in the government.”

“So what does he do in the government, Wangchuk?”

“Oh, he’s quite senior actually...”

“Well, how senior, Wangchuk?”

“Well, really quite senior.”

“Come on, Wangchuk – what does he do??”

“Oh for goodness sake, he’s the King, OK?!”

Stunned silence ensued, followed by an animated conversation about the political situation, and how unhappy his father was...

Wangchuk was always the most charming chap, although quite self effacing. I enjoyed his company immensely.

Sikkim's Royal Family, Prince Wangchuk is second from the right(with spectacles).

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The royal origin of the Oktoberfest 200 years ago

What started as a horse race at the first royal wedding of the newly created Kingdom of Bavaria in 1810 has become one of the world's best known folk festivals: the Oktoberfest in the Bavarian capital Munich, which was opened yesterday. And before you ask, yes, the Oktoberfest actually starts in September, just as the October Revolution started in November.

On 12th October 1810 Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (grandparents of the more famous King Ludwig II of Bavaria). To pep up the ceremony, a horse race was proposed and a race track built. Deutsche Welle gave an insight into the royal origin of what the French call "la fête de la bière".

Charging horses weren't the only spectacle at the ceremony, though. Munich came alive with music and decorations, and the rich feast provided by Bavaria's future king prompted archivists to describe the event as a full-scale folk festival. The horse race followed about a week later and drew 30,000 spectators. Visitors could catch a glimpse of the nobility, who entered in an elegant procession and went to a separate pavilion from where they would watch the race. They were followed by another procession of 16 pairs of children wearing the traditional attire associated with various regions in Bavaria. Each pair paid homage to Ludwig and his wife.

The festivities also served as a kind of image campaign for Crown Prince Ludwig's father, King Maximilian I. Napoleon had granted King Max I rule of Bavaria just four years prior, and there were still many foreign influences in the region which worried the nobility. The wedding and revelry were a way to strengthen solidarity in the region.

That may explain why similar celebrations took place the next year and onward. By 1819, the event was declared an annual festival. Today's Oktoberfest takes place on the grounds where the original horse race was held.

Well into the 19th century, the Oktoberfest was much more about the King's solidarity with the folk than a certain beverage with hops. Uncivilized behavior was left to the many animals at the event, including the racehorses, prize-winning bulls and rams, and the soon-to-be-plucked game that served as targets for the marksmen.

The first few carousels and swings appeared in 1818. By the late 1830's, beer and fish stands were on the lawn, but there were still few attractions and merchants. Even in 1881, records show that the festival offerings remained limited. There were 23 show booths, six rides and 12 gaming stands.

Nonetheless, the number of visitors was on the rise, with hundreds of thousands of annual guests on record in the 1880s. By then, Munich's population had increased six fold since the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig in 1810.

An expanding rail network also made it easier for other Bavarians to visit the festival, and German unification in 1871 was enticing more and more people from beyond Bavaria's borders to visit the festival.

Oktoberfest's "big bang" came in the 1890's, along with electricity and a host of clever entrepreneurs. New rides, attractions, magic shows, menageries and wax figurine cabinets shot up all across the festival grounds.

At the end of the 19th century, Oktoberfest still wasn't a beer fest - in fact, some songs that encouraged drinking were forbidden. But beer and sausage consumption was growing, and the festival was extended to more than 14 days.

Oktoberfest's 100th anniversary in 1910 was held with the rather exaggerated motto: "The biggest Oktoberfest of all time." But it was true that the event had grown immensely and visitors would have scarcely recognized the Munich experienced by author August Lewald in 1835: "The moon hanging in a cloudless sky, the mountain tops ringed with haze, forests lying nearby and the thousand city lights burning alongside a few from villages beyond."

In the new century, the villages grew together and crowded out the forest. The thousand lights became 10,000, powered by electricity rather than gas. Those on the Oktoberfest lawn were drowned in the lights from the Ferris wheels, carousels and increasingly competitive beer halls.

The Kingdom of Bavaria sadly came to an end with the Revolution of 1918-19, and Oktoberfest brought revelers a glimpse of the good old days prior to the war and the loss of the beloved Bavarian Monarchy.

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Libya lost her Monarchy 40 years ago - and got Qaddafi instead

“For every Monarchy overthrown, the sky becomes less brilliant, because it loses a star.” It was Anatole France, first winner of the Nobel prize for literature 1921, who wrote this remark. It is certainly true, when we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the overthrowing of the Libyan Monarchy and the seizure of power of Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi. He used King Idris’ absence to declare a Libyan Arab Republic on 1st September 1969, a republic that has changed its name constantly during the past 40 years. Today its master pleases to call his construction “the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya”.

King Idris I, (Arabic: إدريس الأول‎) born Sayyid Muhammad Idris bin Sayyid Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi (12th March 1889 – 25th May 1983) was the reigning King of Libya from 1951 to 1969 and was also the Chief of the Senussi Muslim order.

In 1911, Italy conquered Cyrenaica in the brief Italo-Ottoman War. In 1920 Sayyid Muhammad Idris bin Sayyid Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi was recognized by the British under the new title of Emir of Cyrenaica, a position also confirmed by the Italians. Two years later he was named Emir of neighboring Tripolitania. Idris' efforts to gain the country's independence were suppressed by the Italians, and he was driven into exile in the late 1920s. After struggling for liberation through the 1930s, Idris fought with General Bernard Montgomery and his army and they defeated the Italian and German troops in Libya in 1943.

The Italian colony was dismembered in a British and a French occupation zone. Tripolitania and Cyrenaica belonged to the British zone, Fessan was French. After the Peace of Paris in 1947 the country became a trust territory of the UN. The occupation zones persisted. In 1949 the UN decided to grant Cyrenaica independence under the Senussi-Order and its Emir Mohammed Idris as-Senussi.

From Benghazi, Idris led the team negotiating with the United Kingdom and the United Nations over independence, which was achieved on 24th December 1951. Idris was proclaimed the King of Libya. The flag of the Senussi Emirate was black with silvery half-moon and star in the middle. After Libya gained her independence, she introduced a national flag that was that of the Cyrenaica, however completed by a red stripe above the black and broad middle stripe and by a green stripe below. The three stripes represented the three parts of the country: Fessan, Cyrenaica und Tripolitania.

Following independence Libya faced a number of problems. There were no colleges in the country and just sixteen college graduates. Also the country had just three lawyers with not a single Libyan physician, engineer, surveyor or pharmacist in the Kingdom. It was also estimated that only 250,000 Libyans were literate and that 10% of the population was blind, with eye diseases such as trachoma widespread. In light of these Britain provided a number of civil servants to staff the government.

In April 1955 oil exploration started in the kingdom with its first oil fields being discovered in 1959. The first exports began in 1963 with the discovery of oil helping to transform the Libyan economy.
On April 25, 1963 the federal system of government was abolished and in line with this the name of the country was changed to the Kingdom of Libya to reflect the constitutional changes.

King Idris maintained close relations with the West in spite of increasing tensions between the US, UK, and the Arab world. In 1969, King Idris I had decided to abdicate in favor of his nephew on 2nd September. A coup led by Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi (and with murky support from the Italian government of the day) overthrew the King's government on 1st September, while the King was receiving medical treatment in Turkey. The King's nephew and Crown Prince, Sayyid Hassan as-Senussi, was placed under house arrest, along with most of the rest of the Royal Family. King Idris was placed on trial in absentia in the "Libyan People's Court" and sentenced to death in November 1971.

In 1984 Qaddafi released the Royal Family from house arrest and tossed them onto the street. The family lived for a period in a cabin on a public beach. Crown Prince Sayyid Hassan, suffering from poor health, was allowed to travel with most of the family to London for medical treatment, where they settled. The Crown Prince died in 1992, and was succeeded by his son, Prince Sayyid Muhammad bin Sayyid Hasan ar-Rida al-Mahdi as-Senussi.

Today's Libyan Royal Family
Prince Muhammad, the de jure King of Libya, has been active in Libyan exile circles, participating in an anti-Qaddafi rally in London in 2005, when he joined hundreds of Libyan opposition members in London to push for Qaddafi's ouster - their first conference in exile to tell the world, they said, there is an alternative to Qaddafi that is not Islamic extremism, but the Constitutional Monarchy.

Prince Muhammad has made Libyan democracy his public cause and has not renounced the throne. When in December 2007 Qaddafi put up his tent in Paris he was not left alone. From London came the claimant of the Libyan throne and reminded the French and the Libyan dictator that there is an alternative to the North African clown, as Taki calls him. The French newspaper Le Figaro had an extensive interview with Prince Mohammed as-Senoussi. Although he and his supporters were forbidden by the French police to stage a demonstration against Qaddafi, his presence in the Paris was enough to upset Qaddafi and his host Sarkozy.


Muammar al-Qaddafi as a tourist in the Louvre, Paris

Qaddafis' Monarchy
In August 2008, Qaddafi appeared in public wearing a regal crown and carrying a scepter, for the formal signing ceremony of a reconciliation pact with Italy. In tow was his son, Seif al Islam, designated as his dynastic successor to rule the republic or kingdom. All of this followed a meeting in which 200 tribal leaders conferred the title of “King of Kings” upon the once anti-monarchist revolutionary.

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Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka of Tonga has been visiting Australia

ADF reported on a Royal visit:
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka of Tonga and his Chief of Defence Services visited the ARMY ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (AACAP) in Mapoon, Queensland today (27th August) to view the works being conducted by ten Tongan Defence Personnel who are attached as part of the AACAP Contingent.

Lieutenant Chris Thompson (right) shows His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Tonga Tupouto'a Lavaka (left) and Brigadier Jeff Sengelman (centre) around a vertical construction site at the AACAP in Mapoon, QLD.

His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Tonga Tupouto'a Lavaka and Chief of Tongan Defence Services Brigadier Tau'aika Uta'atu, with Engineering Trainees and their Australian Army Mentors at the AACAP in Mapoon, Queensland.

AACAP has offered the opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the Army and the Tongan Defence Service (TDS) through positive international engagement. The TDS has contributed 10 tradesmen (including carpenters, plumbers and electricians) to work alongside Army tradesman to complete the AACAP vertical construction task: involving the completion of three houses for community members.

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