Willem-Alexander has been sworn in as the new king of the Netherlands following the abdication of his mother, Queen Beatrix, on Tuesday. With his inauguration, Willem-Alexander becomes the country’s first king since 1890. Numerous orange-clad revelers gathered in Amsterdam’s Dam Square outside the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) where the monarch’s inauguration ceremony took place.
William and Kate are expecting their first child, follow Pope Benedict XVI on Twitter, demonstration on World Disability Day in Srinagar, Santa Dash with soccer ties and more in today’s daily brief.
A Kenyan mother names her newborn twins Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, a department store collapses in Ghana, Russians commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution and the 71st anniversary of the Nazi invasion, Greek workers protest austerity and more in today’s daily brief.
It’s hard to miss the following “family” while sifting through thousands of daily news photos. Gary Stretch, “Space Cowboy,” and the “Monsters of Schlock” are a few of the members of the “The Royal Family of Strange People.” Acts from this exotically-talented family tree will be on display until September 29th at the Priceless London Wonderground, next to the Jubilee Gardens, feeding spectators of the Summer Olympics with it’s strange fruit.
Photographer Oli Scarff of Getty Images caught the following sneak peek, and who knows, maybe even Queen Elizabeth might catch this other “royal family” show this summer.
The River Thames in London was a spectacular sight on Sunday with an extravaganza of steam boats, tugs, speed boats and historic vessels as part of festivities for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. The Queen joined the armada of 1,000 boats in a gilded royal barge as revelers braved the rainy weather to help celebrate the occasion by waving flags, popping bottles of champagne and cheering.
The 86-year-old queen celebrates her 60th anniversary since taking the throne in 1952. She is the second-longest serving monarch. According to Reuters, only five other kings and queens in British history have reigned for 50 years or more: Victoria (63 years), George III (59 years), Henry III (56 years), Edward III (50 years), and James VI of Scotland (James I of England) (58 years).
More →
Baltimore neighborhoods
Baltimore street photographers
Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
24 hours with...
A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above