Now, onto the family of the groom: Prince Edward and Countess Sophie, the super trooper!

The Countess of Wessex was a real trooper: she broke her rib on Monday, while horseback riding. I do not know how many painkillers she had to take, but she still attended the Pre-Wedding Dinner with her husband, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex. Sophie had a bit of a hard time while walking but she had her Edward's arm to hold on to. And she sure did not forget to smile!

source of the photos

[Sweden] Queen Silvia injured in New York while trying to evade photographer

Queen Silvia of Sweden was injured in New York this week while trying to escape the attentions of a photographer.

The 67-year-old royal was shopping with her youngest daughter Princess Madeleine, who lives in the city, on Monday.

During the outing, they were confronted by a Swedish photographer, who - according to the royal palace - ignored their pleas to be left alone.

"The queen chose to go out through a side door and walked quickly towards a parked car to keep away from the photographer who ran after her," the palace said in a statement. "The queen then fell and injured her foot and wrist." The photographer was a freelancer for tabloid Aftonbladet, whose editor-in-chief said the paper "deeply regretted the incident."

Silvia's schedule in New York has remained unchanged, and on Tuesday she received a prize from the Health Right International wearing a brace on her foot and walking with a cane.

source

[Luxembourg] Duke Henri had a health scare on February 4th

HRH Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg was sent to the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg today after feeling “unwell”. He reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest and had an emergency angioplasty. The latest official news from the Palais is that the Grand Duke's condition is "not worrying.” He remains in the hospital, most likely for observation as the procedure was deemed a success. Both of the Grand Duke’s uncles King Baudouin of Belgium and Prince Charles of Luxembourg died young of heart problems, so Henri’s family has reason to be cautious. After having a similar balloon angioplasty procedure, HRH will most likely need to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days. After that he could need a significant period of rest, up to or even exceeding a month. It is possible, depending on what caused the issue that the Grand Duke had, he could need to be on medication for the foreseeable future. HRH the Grand Duke had been in reportedly good health, he is 55 years old.

from the Examiner.com

[Japan] Princess Aiko goes home from school on foot for first time this year

Princess Aiko, daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, went home from school on foot with her mother on Sept. 24, the first time she has done so since becoming a third grader at Gakushuin Elementary School in Tokyo.

Aiko, 8, arrived at school with her mother by car as usual, and at the end of the day walked the few hundred meters home with her mother.

Earlier in the year, the Imperial Household Agency announced that Princess Aiko was not able to go to school due to a "strong sense of uneasiness."

from mdn.mainichi.jp

New Thai army chief takes helm with royal pledge

Thailand's powerful new military chief -- thought to take a hardline view of anti-government "Red Shirts" -- vowed to protect the country's monarchy in a ceremony Thursday to mark his appointment.

General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who officially starts work on Friday, is the Thai army's 37th commander-in-chief and takes the helm at a crucial juncture for the country following the deadliest political unrest in decades.

"I am ready to govern my subordinates fairly and will strive to develop the army to be prepared to maintain Thailand's sovereignty and protect the monarchy," he told soldiers at army headquarters in Bangkok.

Thailand remains deeply divided after deadly April and May protests, while a recent string of grenade blasts in Bangkok and the brief return of thousands of Red Shirts to the streets have stoked fears of continuing political crisis.

Revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, seen by some Thais as a demigod, has been a stabilising force for the country but he turns 83 in December and has been hospitalised for a year.

Prayut, 56, is seen as a strong opponent of the Red movement, whose protests descended into clashes between demonstrators and troops that left 91 people dead, mostly civilians.

He is reported to have overseen the deadly military assault on the protesters' fortified encampment in the retail heart of Bangkok in May.

Prayut, who could serve up to four years, said he would carry on the policies of his predecessor, General Anupong Paojinda, whose three-year term saw four prime ministers govern in a period of turmoil in Thailand.

Both men were central to the 2006 coup that ousted tycoon-turned-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is hailed by the Reds for his policies for the masses but seen by the establishment as corrupt and a threat to the monarchy.

During the Red crisis, Anupong appeared reluctant to use force to disperse the demonstrators, calling for a political solution in a country that has seen 18 coups or attempted coups since 1932.

Anupong, who appeared at the ceremony to officially hand over power, said that while he had faced "several complicated missions" during his tenure, cooperation from the army had made "all of those missions a success".

from AFP

[Thailand] Queen Sikirit, 78, hospitalized for a ‘Detailed Checkup’

Queen Sirikit, 78, has been admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok for a “detailed checkup,” local television reported Friday. The queen is the wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving monarch, who visited her on Friday, the reports said. The king, the country’s sole unifying figure through decades of sporadic political upheaval, has been at another Bangkok hospital for just over a year undergoing physical rehabilitation. He was admitted in September 2009 for treatment of fatigue and lung inflammation.

from nytimes.com

Jordan's Queen Rania undergoes procedure in New York to correct irregular heartbeat

Queen Rania underwent a nonsurgical procedure in New York to correct an irregular heartbeat. A spokesman for the queen said Rania had a procedure known as catheter ablation, in which doctors insert a catheter into a blood vessel and use an electric current to restore a normal heart rhythm.

A palace statement said the procedure went smoothly and that Rania, 40, is "well" and in "good spirits." Rania accompanied her husband, King Abdullah, who attended the UN General Assembly meetings in New York. She also attended separate functions, including a panel on empowering girls.

It was unclear if she timed the procedure to coincide with her visit to New York or if it was an emergency. Rania is to remain in an undisclosed New York hospital for two nights to recuperate and will return home later in the week, the royal family said.

from nydailynews.com