UNITED KINGDOM
Another quiet seven days for the House of Windsor with things picking up as the week drew to a close. On Saturday 30th August, the Royal Mail announced that the Prince of Wales would be one of the judges on its competition to design a Christmas stamp which has seen almost a quarter of a million children across the UK send in their vision of what the festive season means to them. Prince Charles will cast his eye over the top 24 and select the winner.
But it was his daughter in law who made all the headlines again this week with two chances to catch a look at Kate just five and a bit weeks after giving birth to Prince George. First there were snatched shots in a supermarket car park showing a slim duchess pushing a trolley. And then Kate made an unexpected appearance with William to start the Anglesey Ring of Fire marathon - the couple's last official outing on the island before they leave as the Duke of Cambridge's duties there come to an end.
The Duchess of Cambridge looking very well indeed less than six weeks after becoming a mother
The Queen continues her holiday at Balmoral. And Prince Edward, who is a Trustee of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, attended a dinner for the organisation in Bachory, Aberdeenshire.
SPAIN
It was a very quiet week for the Spanish royal family as the summer holidays drew to a close. The king is understood to be in Madrid but speculation continued over the location of the Prince and Princess of Asturias who are on private holiday with their two daughters with Italy being he favourite location in hunt an heir. Queen Sofia remained in Mallorca where she visisted the headquarters of a food bank organization which is supported by the foundation that bears her name. The queen met the management to find out about the services needed as economic crisis continues to affect Spain and she met voluteers working at the banks.
Queen Sofia with volunteers and patrons of the food bank in the Balearics
BELGIUM
A final week of preparations for the new king and queen before they get back to work at the beginning of September. But visitors to the royal palace at Laeken were given the opportunity to pay their respects to Queen Astrid as they crypt was opened on August 29th to mark the anniversary of her death in 1935.
THE NETHERLANDS
It was back to work for the Dutch royals this week. The main news was the public reappearance of former queen Beatrix following the death of her second son, Friso, in the middle of August. Princess Beatrix attended a concert organised by the European Cultural Foundation at the Portuguese synagogue on August 26th alongside her youngest child, Constantijn, and his wife, Laurentien, who is the foundation's president.
The first public appearance of Beatrix of the Netherlands following the death of Prince Friso
Two days later, Beatrix appeared by herself at a concert by the European Union Youth Orchestra in Amsterdam. Meanwhile the new king marked the 100th anniversary of the Peace Palace in The Hague by attending a reception to mark the start of festivities across several weeks. Also in attendance was the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, who earlier in the week had been invited to a special dinner in his honour by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima with Princess Beatrix also there but not featuring the official photo released by the Dutch royal household.
The King and Queen of the Netherlands with Ban Ki-Moon and his wife at a dinner at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague on August 27th 2013
NORWAY
Crown Princess Mette-Marit unveiled a new sculpture trail at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. The trail has been created by and for children and features ten works of art which will remain in place for three years before being returned to the home towns of the children who designed them.
Princess Mette-Marit of Norway with one of the ten sculptures making up the trail in Akershus Fortress in Oslo
Crown Prince Haakon visited a school in Gjøvik, north of Oslo, as part of his involvement in Global Dignity. The organization was set up by the prince in 2006, along with two friends, to promote the importance of human dignity for all to school children. The prince often visits schools to lead courses on dignity. This week's event was captured by pupils at the school themselves and is the start of the run up to Global Dignity Day on October 16th 2013 when many schools and colleges in 50 countries around the world will focus on the issue.
Prince Haakon during his visit to a school in Gjøvik as part of Global Dignity
At the end of the week, Prince Haakon attended the funeral of Rolv Wesunland, one of Norway's most popular actors who died at the age of 76.
DENMARK
Queen Margrethe II was back from her summer holidays this week and one of her first appearances was at the opening of a special exhibition charting the relationship between Denmark and Russia between 1600 and 1900 at the National History Museuam at Frederiksborg Castle.
Queen Margrethe II inspecting one of the statues that form part of the new Danish-Russian exhibition she opened this week
(photo Hanne Juul, Billed-Bladet)
The Queen also attended the commemoration marking the anniversary of the Danish government resigning in 1943 marking the formalization of Danish resistance to the Nazi regime which had taken over the country at the beginning of World War Two. Margrethe laid a wreath on this commemoration day.
Crown Prince Frederik spent some time with the Danish national volleyball team this week to mark his role as patron of the European Volleyball Championships which take place across Denmark and Poland later in the month with the final taking place in Copenhagen on September 29th 2013.
Prince Frederik training with the Danish volleyball team ahead of the European Championships which will take place later this month
It was a sporty week all round as photos were released of the Crown Prince sailing with Oracle Team USA 17 in San Francisco where the famous trophy will be up for grabs again this September. Frederik's sport theme continues - he's now a member of the International Olympic Committee which will spend the first week of September deciding where the 2020 Olympic Games will be held.
Fred afloat - the Crown Prince of Denmark at the build up to the Americas Cup in San Francisco
Meanwhile, Crown Princess Mary opened a new language centre in Aarhus in her role as patron of the Danish Refugee Council.
Princess Mary with some of the students at the new language centre in Aarhus she opened this week
(photo Miguel Mielgo)
And she attended the INDEX design awards ceremony which recognizes ideas that have improved life. It was set up in 2005 by Frederik and Mary oversaw the presentation of the five prizes, each worth 100,00 euros while her husband was in America.
A princess in purple - Mary of Denmark at design awards in Helsingor on August 29th 2013
SWEDEN
King Carl XVI Gustaf attended the opening of the Sami parliament. He has attended on a regular basis since the Sami people were granted their own parliament as part of their recognition as an indigenous people in the early 1990s.
The King of Sweden is welcomed to the Sami parliament by its chairman, Stegan Mikaelsson
Carl XVI Gustaf also presented the Polar Music Prize, handed out every year since 1992. Winners this year included Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Youssou N'Dour at the Polar Music Prize at Stockholm's Concert Hall on August 27th 2013
The king and queen continued their tour of the country to mark his 40 years on the throne this week. They've been in Vastmanlad, west of Stockholm where they visited a riding school. Earlier in the week they went to Gavelborgs, north of the capital, where the visit included a trip to a heritage farm and demonstrations of how the health benefits of gardening are being put to use in the area.
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden on their visit to Vastmanlad on August 30th 2013. The carriage ride took place in Stromsholm.
Crown Princess Victoria attended the annual Hermes export awards in Stockholm. The prize is given out every year to a company with strong export records that have put Swedish business on the map and this year it went to computer game firm, Mojang.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at the annual Hermes export awards in Stockhom, August 29th
Prince Daniel was also looking at business in Sweden this week and spent a day at IKEA as part of his promotion of entrepreneurship in the country. He spent some time with the company's founder, Ingvar Kamprad, to get tips on creating business and trade. The prince then attended Raoul Wallenburg Day, established to promote racial harmony in memory of the Swedish architect who saved thousands of Jews in World War Two and intended to be an annual event from now on.
Prince Daniel at events to mark Raoul Wallenburg Day in Stockholm on August 27th - Raoul's sister, Nina Lagergren, is on the prince's left
Prince Carl Philip opened an exhibition at the Varmland Museum showing the enduring legacy of the Muslim world in Sweden. The event is called 1001 Inventions and highlights the legacy of the Muslim word over a 1000 year period.
Prince Carl Philip on his tour of the exhibition - Discover the Muslim Heritage in Our World - which will tour Sweden
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