more news of the royal guests (with their short profile) from the 60th celebration's website :
The Prince Consort of Denmark and the Crown Prince of Norway to Join the Celebrations of 60th Year of His Majesty’s Reign
Royals comprising monarchs and their representatives from 25 countries have confirmed that they would participate in the sixtieth anniversary celebrations of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s accession to the throne on June 12 and 13. Out of the 25 countries, monarchs from 12 countries will come in person. Those from the remaining 13 nations will send their representatives. Among them are His Royal Highness Prince Henrik, the Prince Consort of Denmark, and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.
Prince Henrik is the husband of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. The Queen’s style of reigning is outgoing and she is regarded by the whole kingdom with respect and affection. The Prince Consort studied law and political science at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1967, he married Princess Margrethe, the heiress presumptive to the Danish throne. They have two children, Crown Prince Frederick and Prince Joachim. He speaks fluent English, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Prince Henrik is now 72 years old.
He paid a private visit to Thailand in 1999 to observe natural resource conservation. Two years later, he accompanied Queen Margrethe II on a state visit to Thailand and joined the Elephant Reintroduction Project, initiated by Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. Thailand and Denmark began their trade contact during the Ayutthaya period. The two countries have developed relations in all fields since they signed a treaty on amity, commerce, and navigation in 1858. Their Majesties the King and Queen paid a state visit to Denmark in 1960. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn visited Denmark once in 1988 and Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in 2002.
Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will be accompanied by his consort, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their son, Prince Sverre Magnus, on the visit to Thailand this month, as the representative of His Majesty King Harold V of Norway. Aged 33, Crown Prince Haakon obtained a master’s degree in international politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He paid a visit to Thailand in 2004 on the occasion of the centennial celebrations of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Norway in 2005.
Their Majesties the King and Queen paid a state visit to Norway in 1960. Members of the Thai Royal Family also exchanged visits occasionally with the Norwegian Royal Family. Thailand and Norway moved closer together when King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, visited Norway in 1907. There is a project to build a Buddhist and Thai Cultural Center in Oslo, Norway, as part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of King Chulalongkorn’s visit to Norway. The opening of the center is scheduled for July 2007.
Royal Representatives from the Middle East in the Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of His Majesty’s Accession to the Throne
Representatives of three countries in the Middle East will represent their heads of state in the 60th anniversary celebrations of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s accession to the throne on June 12 and 13. They are from
Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister of Bahrain, will attend the celebrations on behalf of His Majesty Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa. He is the uncle of the reigning monarch of Bahrain and has served as prime minister since 1971.
Aged 71, the Prime Minister of Bahrain was educated in the United Kingdom. He paid several private visits to Phuket Island, and in 2001, he visited Thailand as guest of the Government. He was also granted audiences with His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej during some of his visits here. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn paid a visit to Bahrain in 1989.
His Highness Sayyid Shihab bin Tariq Tairmour Al-Said will join the celebrations on behalf of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said. The Prince serves as advisor to the ruler of the Sultanate of
Oman. He was educated in the United Kingdom and is now 50 years old. The Prince paid several private visits to Thailand. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn visited Oman once in 1989, as guest of the Government of Oman.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan will represent the reigning monarch and president of the
United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in the celebrations in Bangkok. Sheikh Mohammed is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and he is now 45 years old. He paid a private visit to Thailand in 2003 to attend a soccer tournament between the two countries.
Visiting Royalty from Bhutan, Liechtenstein, Morocco, and Tonga for the Celebrations of His Majesty the King’s 60th Year on the Throne
Thailand will see a large gathering of the world’s monarchs, who will visit Thailand for the sixtieth anniversary celebrations of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne on June 12 and 13. Royals from
Bhutan, Liechtenstein, Morocco, and Tonga will represent their kings in the celebrations.
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck of Bhutan will be here on behalf of his father, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Aged 26, the Crown Prince of Bhutan is unmarried. He completed his studies in the Foreign Service Program from Oxford University, national defense from National Defense College in India, and innovations in governance from Kennedy School of Governance, the United States.
Crown Prince Jigme, who is now the president of the Royal University of Bhutan, has an active role in numerous cultural, educational, and economic organizations. He paid several private visits to Thailand, where he once visited the Royal Project in Chiang Mai. The King of Bhutan has announced his intention to abdicate in 2008, and then the Crown Prince will succeed to the throne. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn visited Bhutan once, in 1991.
His Serene Highness Hereditary Prince Alois is the eldest son of the reigning Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein. Aged 38, the Prince graduated from the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, England, and completed his studies in law from Salzburg University in Austria. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej once visited Liechtenstein while he was studying in Switzerland. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn paid a visit to this country in 1998, at the invitation of Prince Hans Adam II. So far, there have been no high-level visits by Liechtenstein to Thailand.
Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Salma Bennani is the consort of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco. She is the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publicly acknowledged and given a royal title. Princess Lalla Salma received a degree in computer science and she is now 27 years old. She paid a private visit to Thailand once in July 2005, following a private visit here by the King of Morocco in 2002. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn visited Morocco in 1994.
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tupouto’a of Tonga will come here on behalf of the King of Tonga. The eldest son of King Taufa’ahua Tupou IV, the Crown Prince graduated from Sandhurst Royal Military Academy and Oxford University in the United Kingdom. He served as Foreign Minister from 1979 to 1998 and has substantial business interests in Tonga and abroad. Aged 58, he is unmarried.
The Crown Prince of Tonga paid several private visits to Thailand. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited Tonga in 1996 and she also wrote, in one of her books, about her impressive meeting with the Crown Prince of Tonga.
