The Qatar royal family this week paid $250 million to secure Paul Cézanne’s The Card Players, part of a series by the famous artists.

The quarter of a billion dollar sale more than doubles the previous price for such a price which occurred last year during a secret sale. Last year’s record breaking sale of artwork came from a Picasso piece that sold for $106 million.

An art expert explained the sale to Vanity Fair:

“You take any art-history course, and a Card Players is likely in it,” while adding, “It’s a major, major image.”

Experts believe that the family purchased the work of art as they attempt to develop Qatar into an intellectual center.

This isn’t the first time The Card Players has generated interest, the painting for a long time was owned by a Greek shipping magnate who before his death had entertained bids of $220 million from several major art dealers. In the end it was Qatar’s oil cash that gulped up the piece.

More art buys are expected in the coming months and years ahead as the Qatar royal family has hired the chairman of Christie’s to find, value and purchase art for the countries increasing collection.

With that being said, I personally don’t believe that a country can simply become a cultural center by buying up and displaying a bunch of art pieces, they need to encourage the arts, inspire their artists and grow culturally from the inside out.

Do you think buying a bunch of expensive art automatically makes Qatar a culturally diverse center?

Qatar Royal Family Buys ‘The Card Players’ Painting For $250 Million is a post from: The Inquisitr

On January 2nd I reported about an unidentified body found on the grounds of the Sandringham House royal estate by a dog walker and now authorities using DNA technology have identified the victim.

According to police the body belongs to 17-year-old Alisa Dmitrijeva who was reported missing in August.

At this time police in the area are offering a  £5000 (Approx. $7500) reward for information leading to the arrest of the person(s) possibly responsible for the teens death.

While police have not revealed the exact cause of the death they have called it a murder case, noting that they are “investigating the murder.”

Alisa’s family had immigrated from Latvia and according to officials the body has been sitting at the time for some time between one and four months.

According to the areas police chief:

“We would like to identify people who may have worked in that area or were involved in organizing or running any specific events that may have taken place.”

The body was discovered while Queen Elizabeth II was celebrating Christmas as the Sandringham House, a traditional gathering spot for the royal family over the holiday’s. The Sandringham House has also been the private home for four generations of monarchs all the way back to 1862.

The estate is surrounded partly by a 600-acre country park that is open to the public.

Police have revealed very few other details at this time and the investigation is ongoing.

Body Found On Grounds Of Queen’s Royal Estate Identified is a post from: The Inquisitr

When he isn’t busy being all royal Prince William can be found rescuing sailors from sinking ships off the coast of Wales. That’s the scenario that played out this week when the military man and his fellow helicopter troops saved two Russian sailors from a sinking vessel.

The Prince and his fellow soldiers arrived on the seen where The Swanland  and it’s haul of 3000 tonnes worth of limestone was taking on water after it’s hull cracked due to bad weather conditions. Lt. William Wales was co-piloting the helicopter that was part of the search-and-rescue team that airlifted the pair to a base in Anglesey.

Rescuers were able to recover the two men however five more are still missing at sea and one sailors body was recovered close to the scene of the sunken ship.

According to a spokesman for the coast guard:

“We know that at least some of them are wearing immersion suits and have strobe lighting with them, however, sea conditions are challenging at best.”

While it’s just another day in the life of a search-and-rescue team the scenario shows that Prince William isn’t just a poster boy for the countries military efforts.

[Image via Damian Herde / Shutterstock.com]

Prince William Helps Rescue Russian Sailors From Sinking Ship is a post from: The Inquisitr

A fan of the Royal Family who couldn’t travel to London to see Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding due to illness has received a sweet slice of compensation – a piece of the wedding cake!

Mary Relph, 77, missed the ceremony in April after hurting her back. To make up for her disappointment, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and stepmother to William, sent her a slice of cake with a personal note.

Camilla often chats to Mrs. Relph outside Sandringham church in Norfolk, so when she heard about the Royal superfan’s letdown, she was swift to act. The handwritten note that accompanied the cake read:

“A little bird told me you were unable to get to the wedding as you had injured your back. I hope this cake will help to alleviate this. With my best wishes, Camilla.”

Mary, whose Royal memorabilia collection includes a life-size cutout of Kate and William in her home along with plates, photos, and thimbles, has said she will never eat the cake. Instead, it shall take pride of place amongst the rest of her collection. She told the Daily Mail:

“I have no idea who told the Duchess of Cornwall about me. I don’t know how they knew. I was so upset I couldn’t go to see William and Kate’s wedding. We had hotel rooms booked and everything. My friend said I should use a wheelchair but she would never have got me through the crowds.”

In the end, Mary watched the ceremony from her niece’s home.

Kate Middleton, Prince William Fan Misses Wedding, Gets Sent A Piece Of Their Wedding Cake is a post from: The Inquisitr

British Royal Prince Charles announced this week during a yet to air interview that he’s a distant relative to Vlad the Impaler, also known as the original Dracula.

Charles made the comment when talking about his “stake” in Romania where he recently purchased a home in the region and where he has been working to conserve Romania’s forested areas.

The Prince says he discovered the genealogy connection when examining his families history.

Prince Charles visited Romania early in the year where he called Transylvania a “national treasure” because of the areas unspoiled landscape and farming traditions that have lasted more than 100-years.

Vlad the Impaler ruled Romanian as a warlord in the 15th-century and received his name by slowly killing anyone who went against him by impaling them in public on large stakes.

Prince Charles Claims Vlad The Impaler Is Related To Him is a post from: The Inquisitr

Price Harry will finish his Apache helicopter pilot training in 2012 and then it’s expected that Britain’s Prince will return to the fight in Afghanistan.

You may recall that Prince Harry served in the Helmand provence in 2008 but was eventually removed when members of the media disclosed his location which could have put his fellow soldiers in increased danger.

Harry’s squadron is expected to deploy into the region in 2012, right after the Prince receives his helicopter certification.

According to spokesperson Clarence House:

“Harry is an army pilot and will deploy wherever the army chooses to send him. His course finishes in 2012 and after that his deployment will be a matter for the army chain of command.

Prince Harry Headed Back To Active Duty In Afghanistan is a post from: The Inquisitr

Morrissey went on to add:

“I do seriously believe that they are benefit scroungers, nothing else,” and “I don’t believe they serve any purpose whatsoever. I’m not an anarchist, but I believe that people don’t want the Royal family — the so-called Royal family. They’re not royal to me, but they’re royal to the media for some reason.”

While the former Smiths singer may not want to watch the Royal Wedding you can catch a bunch of Live Royal Wedding Streaming Videos on Inquisitr.

Morrissey Attacks “Useless Royal Family” Ahead Of Wedding is a post from: The Inquisitr

The newest celebrities on Twitter are pretty old guard.

The Royal Family now has an official Twitter feed after a few weeks of piloting the service. The account was created to keep fans and subjects abreast of Royal Family news and events, but a spokeswoman was quick to point out that Her Highness would not be liveblogging her lunch at Buckingham Palace:

“The intention,” she explained, “is that it is a news service rather than a personal voice.”

Indeed, as you can see from the ho-hum content of the sample below, the Queen’s twitter account is rather dry.

The Prince of Wales presents The Queen’s Gallantry Medal to Sgt. Billy Owen for service in Afghanistan.

Gallery: The Queen receives the incoming Poet Laureate, Professor Carol Ann Duffy, at Buckingham Palace, 9… http://www.royal.gov.uk/D9

Gallery: The Queen knights Sir Donald McKinnon at Buckingham Palace, 9 July 2009. Sir Donald served as… http://www.royal.gov.uk/D8

On 11 Jul 11:00: Changing the Guard at Windsor Castle http://www.royal.gov.uk/G

On 11 Jul 11:00: Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace http://www.royal.gov.uk/G

On 11 Jul: The Duke of York – Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm, will visit Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton,… http://www.royal.gov.uk/c

New YouTube video: Prince William talks exclusively about charity Skill Force http://tinyurl.com/kr792x

Twitter isn’t the monarchy’s first foray into social media either- the Royal Family has had a YouTube channel since 2007.

Queen now tweeting under @BritishMonarchy is a post from: The Inquisitr