Monarchs from around the world made their way to Westminster Abbey today to see the coronation of King Charles.

In a break with tradition, King Charles added crowned royals to the guest list for this coronation, meaning a number of kings and queens could attend the pageantry.

For centuries, convention dictated that no other crowned royals should attend the coronation of a British monarch, in a tradition that lasted 900 years.

This was based on the idea that the sacred event should be an intimate exchange between the monarch and his people in the presence of God. But Charles decided to move on, which is one of the ways he’s tried to modernize the ceremony, meaning his crowned friends, including European kings and rulers from Arab states, have made it onto the guest list.

Among the royals leading the glam were Princess Charlene of Monaco and Queen Letizia of Spain, among others.

Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monaco

Prince Albert of Monaco, who became the first European king to confirm his attendance at the coronation, attended the event with his wife Princess Charlene

He became the first European king to confirm his attendance at King Charles’ coronation, revealing the news in late January.

And Prince Albert of Monaco, 64, spoke fondly of the British king, whom he described as “a very learned man and someone with a great sense of humour”.

He also indicated he was looking forward to the event, telling PEOPLE magazine he was “sure it will be an incredible ceremony and a very moving one”.

He was accompanied by his wife Princess Charlene of Monaco.

The South African Olympic swimmer’s marriage to Prince Albert has been plagued by controversy lately, with Albert admitting to having two children out of wedlock and Charlene spending a lot of time away from Monaco.

But today they joined forces and entered the ministry together.

The couple share eight-year-old Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco, and Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès, but the twins weren’t with them today.

Princess Charlene looked chic in a cream two piece pants suit. She donned a matching cream hat that was worn atop her cropped hair.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Spain

Spanish royalty – Queen Letizia of Spain and King Felipe of Spain – were typically glamorous on their way to the Abbey today

Queen Letizia of Spain, who worked as a journalist before marrying King Felipe, was present today with her husband King Felipe of Spain.

Felipe is a distant cousin of Charles: his mother, Queen Sofia, was a third cousin of the Queen and a first cousin once removed of the Duke of Edinburgh.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth, whom Felipe called Aunt Lilibet, the Spanish king wrote a touching letter to Charles.

King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, Jordan

Like many of the other royal women, Rania opted for a monochromatic outfit, pairing her long-sleeved cream midi length dress with her cream stiletto pumps

Queen Rania was also typically chic as she arrived at today’s ceremony with her husband King Abdullah.

Like many of the other royal women in attendance, she wore a monochromatic outfit.

Her long-sleeved midi length, which featured long sleeves and a high neckline, paired perfectly with cream pumps.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked stylish in cream as she attended the ceremony with her husband King Willem-Alexander

Queen Maxima attended along with her husband King Willem-Alexander.

The 51-year-old opted for a light cream dress that reached just above her knees. The dress was accompanied by matching gloves and a bright hat.

Maxima opted for high heels and nude stiletto pumps to match the bare handbag she was carrying in one hand.

King Willem-Alexander is distantly related to King Charles – he was the Queen’s fifth cousin, once removed thanks to an ancient connection in her family tree.

Willem-Alexander is a descendant of Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau, daughter of William IV, Prince of Orange, and his wife Anne, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain and his wife Caroline of Ansbach.

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

Representatives of the Norwegian royal family were Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The Norwegian royal family is closely linked to the British royal family

There is a long-standing connection between the British and Norwegian royal families, which intensified after Germany visited Norway in 1940 and the royals stayed in Britain.

Charles was named after the former King Haakon VII, known colloquially as Carl to friends and family and nicknamed Uncle Charles by Queen Elizabeth.

Crown Prince Haakon is the great-grandson of Haakon VII and represented his family at the coronation together with his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit today.

Haakon donned ceremonial military attire for the event.

Mette-Marit, meanwhile, looked elegant in soft pink and wore a monochromatic outfit with a matching midi dress, hat, gloves and stiletto pumps.

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Princess Mary

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was present today, accompanied by his wife, Crown Princess Mary, dressed in purple

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was present today together with his wife Crown Princess Mary.

Opting for a more colorful ensemble than some of the other royal women, Mary opted for a bright purple outfit.

She combined her coat dress, which reached just below the knees, with a purple fascinator and pumps with stiletto heels.

Queen Margrethe – the only living European queen since the death of Queen Elizabeth – was unable to attend due to back surgery.

King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde

King Philippe of Belgium was one of the royal guests today, along with his wife Queen Mathilde, who looked effortlessly chic in pastel pink satin

The Queen’s distant cousin, King Philippe of Belgium, also attended the coronation and was snapped alongside his wife, Queen Mathilde.

Philippe is about King Christian IX. of Denmark, who is known as the “Grandfather of Europe” because of his extensive family tree, is very distantly related to Karl.

The late Queen Elizabeth II was Christian’s great-great-granddaughter, while Philippe is his great-great-grandson.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde attended the service without their four children.

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, with Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal

Queen Anne Marie of Greece attended the coronation at Westminster Abbey along with Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal

Queen Anne Marie of Greece was photographed with her son Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his wife Crown Princess Marie-Chantal at the ceremony.

Prince Pavlos is the eldest son and second child of Constantine II, the last King of Greece from 1964 to 1973, and his wife.

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg donned a ceremonial military garb for the event. Meanwhile, his wife Maria Teresa opted for a night blue pantsuit

The Grand Duke of Luxembourg and his wife Maria Teresa were also guests at today’s ceremony.

Maria Teresa bucked the midi dress trend and opted for a stylish midnight blue pantsuit instead. The garment consisted of trendy flared trousers and a long blazer.

Opting for statement jewelry, she opted for silver pieces like a necklace, bracelet, and brooch.

Shortened by Queen Elizabeth in 1953, today’s two-hour service is a pivotal moment in the history of the Royal Family and will balance ancient traditions and a 21st-century future.

(CNN) The rival military factions fighting for control of Sudan will hold face-to-face talks for the first time since fighting began last month.

The meeting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is intended to end the unrest and is to take place in the Saudi city of Jeddah, according to Saudi Arabia and the US.

Clashes began on April 15 and since then a series of ceasefires have collapsed.

Saudi Arabia and the US have welcomed the start of “pre-negotiation” talks due to take place on Saturday, urging both factions to “engage actively in talks on a ceasefire and an end to the conflict”.

“(We) urge both parties to consider the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people,” the two countries said in a press release on Friday.

Hundreds have been killed and thousands more injured since the fighting began. At least 190 children have been killed and 1,700 others injured in the fighting, according to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) figures released on Friday.

A tentative truce is currently allowing other nations to evacuate their citizens – but locals are facing deteriorating conditions and shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel.

Hospitals targeted

Meanwhile, local people in the country have told CNN that RSF fighters are trying to take control of “strategically located” hospitals that could be used as bases for the paramilitary force.

The RSF has already fully taken over Omdurman Maternity Hospital, a senior medical worker at a hospital in Khartoum state told CNN.

The source, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told CNN he had confirmed this through interviews with several hospital staff.

He said the RSF had targeted hospitals because they needed protection from air raids, “especially after their main military bases were completely destroyed by the army in the early days of the war.”

“They have been inspecting the maternity hospital in Omdurman for the past few days. It is the largest obstetrics and gynecology hospital in the country. (The RSF has parked many of their vehicles in the hospital yard. It will provide them with very good cover… It will be impossible for the Army (SAF) to attack it from the air as the surrounding area is full of civilians , it sits in the middle of three major neighborhoods.

A second medical source, who works at another hospital in Khartoum and also wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed that RSF had taken over Omdurman Maternity Hospital.

CNN was unable to contact the hospital due to network connectivity issues in Sudan. However, it has received a widely circulated statement, reportedly issued by the administration of Omdurman Maternity Hospital, saying the hospital was “attacked” by RSF forces at dawn on Thursday.

“They managed to break into the hospital and steal about 20 million Sudanese pounds from the exchange counter, including deposits (from patients), according to the counter’s balance sheets. They also kicked out the workers from the hospital so that the hospital was under their full control and their vehicles entered the hospital (area),” the statement said.

CNN has not independently verified these claims, nor has CNN been able to reach the paramilitary RSF for their comments.

Omdurman is Sudan’s most populous city, located less than an hour northwest of the capital’s center and is often referred to as Khartoum’s twin city.

A manager at another hospital in Khartoum expressed concern about the spread of gangs in the two cities.

“These gangs are becoming increasingly aggressive, robbing banks and markets and destroying businesses. They have already stolen a large sum of money from Khartoum Bank. There is a total lack of police and the army cannot secure many roads. ‘ said the manager.

A landslide caused by Friday’s earthquake in Suzu city, Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, Saturday May 6, 2023. AP

Authorities are still assessing the damage on Saturday, May 6, after a powerful earthquake hit central Japan that killed at least one and injured 29.

The 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Ishikawa Prefecture at 2:42 p.m. (0542 GMT) on Friday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). She initially estimated the magnitude at 6.3.

As of Saturday morning, at least fifty-five aftershocks have been recorded since the initial tremor, according to the agency. She further warned of the danger of landslides in the area.

Landslides and destroyed buildings

Residents inspect their house for collapse after a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that struck the previous day central Japan in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, May 6, 2023. STR/ AFP

“Our employees are assessing the damage caused by the earthquake,” an official from the city of Suzu in the hardest-hit department of Ishikawa told Agence France-Presse. Two people trapped in a destroyed building were rescued, he added, and about fifty people were given emergency shelters at schools and town hall.

Japanese government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno reported a death to the media on Friday. The victim died after falling from a ladder in Suzu on the Sea of ​​Japan coast, a local crisis management official said. The number of injured was revised upwards by the national crisis team on Saturday.

Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed destroyed or damaged wooden houses in the city with broken windows and smashed roofs. A sagging section of the mountain could also be seen.

The earthquake in places reached level 6+ on the Japanese Shindo scale, which has 7. For its part, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 6.2 and l ‘is located slightly offshore, while the Japanese agency placed the epicenter on the mainland.

Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers In Japan, ten years after the tsunami, the concrete wave

Frequent earthquakes

Located on the Noto Peninsula, the city of Suzu was hit by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in 2007, injuring hundreds and damaging more than 200 buildings. Earthquakes are common in Japan, which lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of ​​high seismic activity spanning Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin. In March 2022, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 occurred, mainly in the east of the country, and killed one person.

A building is pictured the day after it collapsed after the earthquake in the city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, May 6, 2023. STR / AFP

The archipelago has strict building standards to allow its buildings to withstand severe shaking. Emergency drills to prepare for a major earthquake are organized regularly.

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But Japan is haunted mostly by the memory of the March 11, 2011 magnitude 8.9 earthquake off Japan’s northeast coast. The terrible quake triggered a tsunami that was the main cause of the high death toll with nearly 18,500 dead or missing.

The ensuing nuclear accident at the flood-hit Fukushima plant, which melted the cores of three out of six reactors, forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate and rendered entire communities uninhabitable for several years.

Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers From the tsunami to Fukushima: 350 kilometers and ten years in the eye of Japanese photographer Hisashi Murayama

The world with AFP