Another One Bites the Dust: Prince Felix of Luxembourg is engaged

Sad news today for all those single women out there who were hoping to bag a Prince of their own.  Prince Felix, the second son of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, announced his engagement today to his long-time girlfriend Claire Lademacher. The statement reads: "The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess have the imense joy to announce the engagement of their son, His Royal Highness Prince Felix, to Miss Claire Lademacher." Like Prince Harry of Great Britain, Prince Felix has all the perks of being a prince without many of the responsibilities that his brother Guillaume has. Felix becomes the third son of Grand Duke Henri and his Cuban born wife Maria Teresa to marry.  His younger brother Prince Louis is married to Princess Tessy.  This leaves Prince Sebastian as the only eligible bachelor in the immediate family.  Since he's only 20, it will probably be awhile before he thinks about marriage ladies!

According to Hello Magazine, German-born Claire who is 27  is an heiress who grew up near Frankfurt, the second of two children. Her father, Hartmut Lademacher, is worth an estimated €600 million and garnered his fortune thanks to savvy investments in the software industry. When she was 11, the family moved to Atltanta Georgia where she attended the Atlanta International school for three years before the family moved back to Europe. Her history with Felix dates back to their student days at Beau Soleil boarding school, a prestigious institution nestled in the stunning valleys of Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. So this pair have known each other since they were probably still using Pro-Activ!  Claire studied at the American University of Paris and started her career at Conde Nast Publications and is a passionate campaigner of the subject which she based her dissertation on – organ donation.  So not only is she smart but she's also philanthropic as well.  According to Wikipedia, currently, Claire is studying for a doctorate in the field of organ donation ethics (she already has her Masters degree). Other than German, Claire speaks English, French and Italian.  No doubt she will soon add Luxembourgish to her list of languages!

Her groom studied at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst but had to leave the program early due to health concerns. In 2009, he too began studying for a Masters in Bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome along side his fiancee.  Before that he worked in the Marketing and Public Relations department of Grand Chelem Management SA, a Swiss company specializing in the organization deemed to sporting and cultural events, a company for which he continues to work as an independent consultant.
Over the past several months, the happy couple have been seen out and about at various weddings from Felix's cousin Archduke Imre in Washington, DC to his brother's wedding last month, although Claire did not sit with the family.  The happy couple are both athletically inclined, Claire plays tennis, volleyball and badminton.  She also skis and is interested in music and photography.

No word on when the happy couple will be tying the knot, but no doubt it will probably be in the Spring or Summer of 2013.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Will + Kate = A Royal Baby!

Just in time for Christmas!

It was announced today that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting her first child, the palace has confirmed.

"Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby," read the statement released Monday. "The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news.

"The Duchess was admitted this afternoon to King Edward VII Hospital in Central London with Hyperemesis Gravidarum," the statement continued. "As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, Her Royal Highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter."

The couple have made no secret of their desire to have start a family. Just recently Prince William told a young fan at a royal engagement that he and Catherine hoped to have two children. There is now word yet on when exactly Catherine is due, but fashion bloggers will have their pens ready to take note of every maternity outfit that Kate wears over the next seven or so months. Will she go full out maternity or just wear regular clothes but in larger sizes? And a royal baby means that there will be a christening. Who will be the babies godparents? No doubt both Prince Harry and Pippa will make the short list, with a few royals and aristocrats scattered in for good measure.  What an end to the Queen's Jubilee year!

Ever since the royal couple's April 29, 2011 wedding, which was watched by almost a billion people, royalty watchers have been on 'bump' alert. Every time Kate drank water instead of champage or even looked just a little bit fuller, the tabloids announced that she was pregnant.  Just recently both US Magazine and Life & Style had covers touting Kate's pregnancy.  This time it seems the tabloids got it right for a change.  If William and Kate's baby is a girl, she can expect to inherit the throne from her father, irrespective of whether any other child the royal couple has is a boy. Until recently, boys took precedence. This follows on the heels of Sweden, Norway and Belgium, which also have changed the laws of succession so that the next generation of monarchs will all be Queens.

The news couldn't have come at a better time.  The couple will soon be moving into a 20-room apartment at Kensington Palace early next year.  Twenty rooms should be plenty for the growing family, certainly there will be room for at least two kids! Until then, William and Kate are based in a four bedroom farmhouse at an idyllic location on Anglesey, North Wales, so William can be to his base at RAF Valley, where he's a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

There had been speculation for months that William would be leaving the RAF in the coming year to take on more royal duties. Both the Queen, 86 and Prince Philip at 91, have decided to cut back their schedules which means that someone will have to take up the slack. Now that it has been confirmed that the Duchess is pregnant, expect news in the New Year, that William will becoming a full-time royal.

Congratulations to the royal couple!