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I'm writing this in regards to the increasing sexualization of royalty. Ever since Diana the young royals of Europe have been increasingly subjected to the standards usually held by celebrities. Royalty, like celebrity, is expected to be 'hot, young, sexy," and instead of dignified and doing their duty, they are supposed to have excellent PR. They are now supposed to socialize with celebrities, be on their good side, and prove their 'relevance' in the same manner as celebrities do.

Here is a video report on Great Britain's Prince Harry who is about to turn 25 years old, and will inherit his portion of the estate left to him by Princess Diana. It is estimated he will inherit $15 million on Tuesday. Prince Harry has become very popular in Great Britain, especially since his military service in Afghanistan. . . . (VIDEO)

“Kings,” Louis XIV once observed, “should enjoy giving pleasure” and when it came to the fairer sex, he obeyed this precept zealously and often. “They’re all good enough for him, provided they’re women,” his sister-in-law remarked, “peasants, gardeners’ daughters, chambermaids, ladies of quality”; women of every stripe benefited from the Sun King’s sexual largesse. Neither the bonds of matrimony (to the sad, neglected Marie-Thérèse of Spain) nor the intrigues of his “official” mistresses (one of whom, Athénaïs de Montespan, wasn’t above spreading the rumor that a particular rival had scabs all over her body) could deter him from sharing the...

A suicide bomber failed in his attempt to kill the prince who heads Saudi Arabia's anti-terrorism campaign, the first attack on a member of the royal family since the start of a wave of violence by Al-Qaeda six years ago. Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the deputy interior minister, was meeting well-wishers on Thursday when a man blew himself up, a ministry spokesman said. Al Arabiya television showed Prince Mohammed, apparently slightly injured, meeting King Abdullah after the attack. Prince Mohammed told King Abdullah that the attacker was a wanted militant who had indicated he was going to turn himself in....

The Queen won't make a statement about the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, I'm told, although she knighted him in March 'for services to the U.S.- UK relationship and North Ireland' - admittedly at the behest of Gordon Brown. Meanwhile the Prime Minister says fulsomely that the Senator will be mourned 'on every continent'. Perhaps a touch of royal distance over Kennedy is justified. He supported Irish Republicans who murdered Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten. The Prince of Wales - who became very close to Mountbatten - once refused to meet or sit down to lunch with the Senator when...

King Mswati III of Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarch and ruler of some of the poorest people in the world, has sent his favourite wives on a multimillion-pound shopping jaunt through Europe, the Middle East and Asia, provoking fierce criticism of his profligacy. Britain has been drawn into the row because of the millions of pounds in aid reportedly given to the kingdom, with campaigners accusing Whitehall of double standards. “They shout about Zimbabwe, but keep quiet about what is happening in Swaziland, even though they are one of its biggest aid donors. They are wasting British taxpayers’ money on...

There are few things more annoying than a millionaire socialist -- hearing someone condemn capitalism after they’ve already banked their million. The only thing worse is a billionaire socialist. Folks like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez make this list. And now add to it Britain’s bonnie Prince Charles. Earlier this month the prince gave a lecture in which he blamed capitalism and consumerism for bringing the world to the brink of collapse and declared that the “age of convenience is over.” He warned that the world has just 96 months to avert "irretrievable climate and ecosystem collapse, and all that...

British Muslim hate preacher Anjem Choudary has called for prosecuting Queen Elizabeth for genocide because “she is the one who applauds her sons and daughters to go out and massacre hundreds and thousands of innocent people.” The preacher, who is not a British citizen, declared that the Queen should be tried for “the extermination of a nation,” the London Sun reported. Labor party Member of Parliament Andrew Dismore responded that Choudary himself should be prosecuted. “It’s about time he was busted,” he added.

Sikh soldiers guard Queen Elizabeth II AP – [Pic in URL] Lance Corporal Sarjvit Singh, left, of The Army Air Corps, and Signaller Simranjit Singh of the Royal … Fri Jul 31 LONDON – Queen Elizabeth II has switched bearskin hats for turbans outside Buckingham Palace, where Sikh soldiers have begun guarding the monarch and her treasures, Britain's defense ministry said Friday. Signaler Simranjit Singh and Lance Cpl. Sarvjit Singh are the first Sikhs to take part in patrols outside the queen's residence and to stand watch over the Crown jewels at the Tower of London across town. Guard duties...

LONDON – Queen Elizabeth II has switched bearskin hats for turbans outside Buckingham Palace, where Sikh soldiers have begun guarding the monarch and her treasures, Britain's defense ministry said Friday.

Thousands of mourners gathered yesterday for the funeral of Gayatri Devi, one of India’s last queens and a former MP who was listed by Vogue as among the ten most beautiful women in the world. Gayatri Devi at Rambagh Palace in Rajasthan Devi, who was Maharani of the northwestern desert kingdom of Jaipur, died in a private hospital on Wednesday after being treated for stomach problems and a chest infection. She was 90. India mourned the death of one of its most glamorous and controversial royals, who was cremated at a state funeral. The Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan called her...

KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 21, 2009 – The Missouri National Guard’s agribusiness team in Afghanistan will get a touch of home when Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals and Fox Sports Network honor them during the Royals’ Aug. 8 game with the Oakland A’s at Kauffman Stadium here. Members of the Missouri National Guard agribusiness development team show off the Kansas City Royals baseball gear sent by the Royals and Fox Sports Network in preparation for an Aug. 8 game at which the Royals and Fox Sports Network will honor them. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

Britain's Prince Charles warns of climate doom From correspondents in London AAP July 09, 2009 09:17am BRITIAN'S Prince Charles has warned of environmental catastrophe, saying the world must "urgently confront" pressing green issues to avoid destroying "our children's future." Charles, the heir to the throne, warned that today's consumer society comes at an enormous cost to the planet and we must "face up to the fact'' that it was no longer sustainable. He also said that preserving and maintaining the world's ecosystems was inextricably linked to the economic well-being of nations. The prince, who has campaigned on safeguarding the rainforests...

Prince Charles warned Wednesday of environmental catastrophe, saying the world must "urgently confront" pressing green issues to avoid destroying "our children's future." Charles, the heir to the throne, warned that today's consumer society comes at an enormous cost to the planet and we must "face up to the fact" that it was no longer sustainable. He also said that preserving and maintaining the world's ecosystems was inextricably linked to the economic well-being of nations. The prince, who has campaigned on safeguarding the rainforests and is known for his strong environmental views, set out his vision for tackling the threats facing...

Prince Charles: next generation faces 'living hell' unless climate change tackled The Prince of Wales has warned the next generation face a "living hell" unless governments tackle climate change urgently. By Urmee Khan, Digital and Media Correspondent Published: 7:00AM BST 09 Jul 2009 Delivering this year's Richard Dimbleby Lecture, the Prince said: "In failing the Earth, we are failing humanity." Drawing parallels with the global financial crisis, he said Nature was the "biggest bank of all", warning the Earth is on ethe bring of environmental disaster. "Just as our banking sector is struggling with its debts... so Nature's life-support systems...

All Things Considered, June 24, 2009 · Documents obtained by The New York Times suggest members of the Saudi royal family may have provided financial support to extremists, including al-Qaida, in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The documents are part of an ongoing legal effort by Sept. 11 families to hold Saudi Arabia and the royal family accountable for the attacks. New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau offers his insight. (Audio at NPR link, above)

Watching Iran's fierce anti-government demonstrations on TV this week, Farah Pahlavi has marveled at how familiar it all seems, and yet how different. The young protesters are the same age as those who drove her husband Reza Pahlavi from power and chant some of the same slogans -- but there's one obvious difference. She hasn't seen a single demonstrator with a long beard, the trademark of the Islamic fundamentalists who seized power in Iran in 1979. ''Look at the faces of the young people in the streets, and compare them to the people who were demonstrating against us,'' says the...

Aberdeenshire, Scotland (BANG) - One of Britain's Queen Elizabeth's gamekeepers has been fined over a dead badger. Robbie Elliot, 45, admitted failing to check a fox snare at least once a day at Birkhall, which is part of the Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and was fined ?450 [$730] at Stonehaven Sheriff Court. A man had discovered the badger in a fox snare - known as a midden - on April 27 last year and found it was still there on May 4. When police were alerted and checked the area the following week, it had been removed but a...

Princes William and Harry spoke passionately today about their desire to serve their country in the armed forces - with the older royal hinting he would like to follow in his sibling's footsteps and fight on the front line. The royal brothers made their comments as they held a photocall for the world's

Queen Beatrix awarded a Dutch commando the country's highest military medal on Friday for his heroics leading an elite military unit in Afghanistan. Beatrix pinned the Willems Order cross and orange ribbon on Capt. Marco Kroon before slapping him on the left shoulder with her right hand to knight him at a ceremony in The Hague. It was the first time in more than 50 years that the medal has been awarded to an individual soldier. It also can be awarded to entire military units. Beatrix said Kroon showed "courage, discretion and dedication" in leading a commando unit in the...