Royal Highlights of October 2026

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October will be a fascinating month for royal watchers, with state visits, royal birthdays, historic commemorations and several exhibitions that bring royal history back to life.

From Belgium and the Netherlands to Scandinavia, Spain and the United Kingdom, the royal calendar is once again filled with engagements. October is also an important month for the younger generation of European royals, with the birthdays of Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Crown Prince Christian of Denmark and Princess Leonor of Spain.

For me, this month will have an extra touch of royal history. I will be travelling to Paris myself, following in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette and Napoleon and discovering some of the places where their stories unfolded. 

So, let us take a look at the royal highlights, birthdays, anniversaries, books and exhibitions to watch in October 2026.


royal families Belgium Brussels
Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium and Prince Emmanuel of Belgium

Royal diary

October 1st: BE: Third "Her Majesty the Queen's Symposium" at the Palace of the Academies. This edition focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on healthcare professions.

royal families Belgium Brussels
Palace of the Academies in Brussels


October 1st: UK: The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

October 2nd: NOR: Opening of the Storting. King Haakon, Queen Mette Marit and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will attend.

October 2nd: BE: The King attends a World War II commemoration at the Henri-Chapelle American Military Cemetery.

October 2nd - October 3rd: MON: State visit to Italy. 

October 5th: UK: The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, will carry out engagements in Botswana. 

October 6th: DK: At 12:00 p.m., the King and Queen (King Frederik and Queen Mary) and H.R.H. Princess Benedikte will attend the opening of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget). H.M. Queen Margrethe will not attend the opening this year due to her recovery following a recent hospital stay.

October 6th - October 7th: UK: The Princess Royal will be in Norway. Patron, Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project, will visit Norway.

October 6th - October 7th: ES: King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will pay a State Visit to Finland at the invitation of President Alexander Stubb. This marks the first state visit to Finland by a Spanish monarch in 37 years.

October 8th: NL: Queen Máxima presents the 2026 Appeltjes van Oranje awards. King Willem-Alexander and Princess Beatrix are attending the presentation ceremony. Each year, the Oranje Fonds presents the Appeltjes van Oranje awards to three social initiatives within the Kingdom. The winners are announced during the ceremony. This will take place at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. 

royal families Spain Madrid
Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain


October 12th : ES - Spain's National Day.

October 19th - October 21st: SWE: State Visit from Singapore to Sweden.

October 20th - October 22nd: UK: The King and Queen will host the Sultan of Oman for a State Visit. This will take place at Windsor Castle. 

royal families united kingdom Windsor castle
Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom


October 27th - November 4th: UK: The King and Queen will undertake an Autumn Tour to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

royal families Belgium Laurent
Prince Laurent of Belgium


Royal B-days


October 4th – Prince Emmanuel of Belgium.

October 9th – Edward, The Duke of Kent.

October 11th – Princess Luisa Maria of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este.  

October 14th – Farah Pahlavi, The Empress of Iran.

October 15th –  Christian, The Crown Prince of Denmark.

October 17th – Princess Marie Caroline of Liechtenstein.

October 19th – Prince Laurent of Belgium.

October 25th – Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, The Duchess of Brabant.   

October 28th – Princess Sophia of Romania.

October 28th – Tessy Anthony-de Nassau.

October 30th – Reza, The Crown Prince of Iran.

October 31st – Leonor, The Princess of Asturias

Wedding Anniversaries


October 12th – Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank and Mr. Jack Brooksbank.

October 20th – Guillaume and Stephanie,  The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
royal families Luxembourg



Royal books

The Future Royal Family: William, Catherine and the Modern Royals – Scheduled for release on October 22, 2026, exploring the next generation of the monarchy.

Queen Elizabeth II: An Icon of Modern Monarchy:  (Paperback edition) – Scheduled for release on October 27, 2026, celebrating the late monarch's legacy.

royal families united kingdom london British Museum
British Museum in London

Royal exhibitions

Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI at Fontainebleau. Splendour and the Good Life at Fontainebleau Castle: Opening October 11, 2026, and running through January 25, 2027, this exhibition showcases 120 works exploring the royal couple's daily life and private boudoirs.

Monaco: Rainier & Grace. The wedding of the Century - Until October 15th. 

British Museum, London - The Bayeux Tapestry -10 September 2026 – 11 July 2027

Conclusion

October promises to be a wonderful month for anyone who loves royal families and royal history. While today's kings, queens, princes and princesses continue to write new chapters through state visits, official engagements and celebrations, exhibitions in places such as Fontainebleau and London invite us to step back into the royal world of centuries past.

I am especially looking forward to exploring Paris in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette and Napoleon, and of course I hope to share some of those discoveries with you here on All About Royal Families.

Which royal event, birthday or exhibition are you most looking forward to this October? And is there a royal place in Paris connected with Marie Antoinette or Napoleon that you think I should visit? Let me know in the comments.



Source pictures:
Bjorn Hoex, an amazing photographer and friend, and my own collection.
Location: Brussels, Belgium

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