Asian Royalty Update

This week, the news will focus exclusively on the lands of Eternal Asia. We start in the Land of the Rising Sun where Japanese fans of Princess Aiko, only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, were given cause for concern when the 9-year-old Princess was admitted to the hospital on Monday due to a persistent cough and fever according to a report released by the Imperial Household Agency. Opinion remains rather divided on the family of the Crown Prince. The Crown Princess has been extremely reclusive and has taken on few to know official duties due to stress and anxiety. Some have been a little upset about this, seeing it as a dereliction of the duties she knew to expect marrying into the Imperial Family while others place the blame on the Imperial Household Agency, accusing them of being too rigid and controlling. In the same way, many instantly fell in love with little Princess Aiko and began calling for an end to the tradition and law preventing women from ascending to the Chrysanthemum throne so that she could someday become Empress. Some continue to do so. However, when the Princess was pulled out of school after being traumatized by what has only been described as the behavior of “rowdy boys” and only later returned to school in the constant company of her mother, a few have begun to believe that the seeming ultra-fragility of the Crown Princess may have been inherited by her daughter. This latest report will probably not help in that regard. However, there has been happier news as well. On Thursday 5-year-old Prince Hisahito (son of Prince Akishino) marked his official transition from infancy to childhood in a traditional Shinto ceremony. The Mad Monarchist sends the little Prince congratulations and also wishes Princess Aiko a very speedy recovery.

Japan was also visited by TRH Prince Joachim and Princess Marie of Denmark who came to Tokyo to attend the Wild Swans Exhibition. The exhibition features some artwork done by HM Queen Margrethe II of Denmark herself and was also attended by TIH Prince Hitachi and Princess Hanako of Japan (the younger brother and sister-in-law of HM the Emperor). Down in southeast Asia there were large celebrations and huge crowds of people to mark the 89th birthday (on Monday) of “King-Father” Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia. He only recently returned from an extended stay in China for medical treatment concerning his many and worsening ailments. The “King-Father” who has been the one constant face in Cambodian national life since World War II, addressed his people and said that he would be staying in Cambodia for the rest of his life though he would need regular attention by a Chinese medical team. Although he still showed the same sparkle he has always had when addressing a crowd, some observers have taken this as a sign that King Norodom Sihanouk does not expect to live much longer. The occasion was also taken to celebrate his return from exile 20 years ago following the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia that overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot.

Read More: http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2011/11/royal-news-roundup-asia-special.html