Royals attend UN General Assembly – UNGA Day 2

Royals from around the world attend day two of the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in New York, including some for the first time. Find out more below. 

Welcome back to your daily royal recap of UN Week in New York City! Tuesday was very busy for all as the General Debate of the UNGA81 opened yesterday. The day began with the plenary meeting with almost every delegation in attendance. Some sat through speeches while some met with world leaders on the sidelines of the general debate. Find out who is attending and who they met with on the first day of the general debate.

• Queen Mathilde

Queen Mathilde of the Belgians attended the general debate of the UNGA81 on Monday morning. The Queen was seated next to Queen Maxima of the Netherlands for a portion of the morning’s speeches before breaking away for various discussions and panels. Her Majesty attended and spoke at, amongst other engagements, the high-level side event ‘United Against Hunger Realigning Global Action for Food Crises in Times of Disruption.‘ In her opening remarks, Queen Mathilde touched on the need for collective action and active prevention to stop food crises and prevent famine.

• King Mswati III

King Mswati III of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) undertook his first engagement this week by attending the general debate yesterday morning. The King is expected to address the General Assembly later.

• King Abdullah II

Photo: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

King Abdullah II of Jordan gave a strongly worded address yesterday morning. The King “warned of the dangers of leaving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict unresolved” while noting the “world’s longest-running occupations forces” in Gaza. His Majesty called out the “forced displacement” of Palestinians and spoke about how the “scale of knowledge and the speed of change are unprecedented” in our modern era.

“If international law can be ignored for decades, then what exactly is that law worth? And how can we enforce it if we won’t even call out its violations?” — King Abdullah II 

Queen Rania and Crown Prince Al Hussein are accompanying King Abdullah. Queen Rania undertook several meetings on Monday and is expected to attend further engagements, while Crown Prince Hussein held numerous high-level meetings with various delegations and heads of state.

• Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah

Photo: UN Photo/Laura Jarriel

Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah of Kuwait, on behalf of Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, attended the general debate and several bilateral meetings, including with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday.

• Hereditary Prince Alois

Hereditary Prince Alois is accompanied by Hereditary Princess Sophie in New York City this week. The Hereditary Princely Couple attended the general debate after meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

• Grand Duke Guillaume V

Photo: UN Photo/Laura Jarriel

Grand Duke Guillaume V of Luxembourg is attending his inaugural UNGA as sovereign of the Grand Duchy. The Grand Duke gave his first speech at the UN in his capacity as head of state, noting his country’s efforts in helping Ukraine against “Russia’s war” while “peace requires constant effort, and that the principles on which the international order is built must be defended.”

Grand Duke Guillaume also spoke about the “privilege” in succeeding King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden as Honorary Chair of the World Scout Foundation and his “long-standing commitment to the scout movement“, which has fundamentally “taught” him to place “our trust in young people”, “giving them responsibilities”, and “allowing them to take action.” 

• Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Photo: UN Photo/Loey Felipe

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, spoke again at the UN General Assembly. This year, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad focused heavily on the crisis in the Gulf region, which, due to the “cumulative result of years of postponing crisis management through temporary solutions and unrealistic policies“, should “come as no surprise to anyone.”

We have previously called — from this very podium — for the establishment of such a system, and we reiterate that call after recent events have demonstrated the urgent need for it. In its absence, it has become possible for a war to erupt on the basis of considerations unrelated to the interests of the countries of the region; and it has become possible for one party to drag its neighbors into a war that is not theirs, targeting their vital assets and installations despite their strenuous efforts to avert escalation; and for an international waterway — through which nearly a quarter of the world’s energy trade passes — to be closed. — Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad

• Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud

Photo: UN Photo/Laura Jarriel

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is representing Saudi Arabia on behalf of King Salam. As well as attending the general debate, Prince Faisal attended a high-level meeting of Arab and Islamic leaders, which included King Abdullah of Jordan, the Amir of Qatar, as well as Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed (AbZ)

• Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (AbZ)

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (AbZ) is attending the UNGA81 on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. In addition to meeting with Arab and Islamic leaders, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed also held meetings with Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.