All About Royal Families

Princess Ludovika of Bavaria was born on August 30th. 1808 in Munich. as a daughter of King Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria and his wife Karoline of Baden.   Princess Ludovika - Source picture : Wikipedia Love & Marriage On September 9th. 1828, Princess Ludovika married  Maximilian Joseph, Duke in Bavaria in Tegerensee.    Duke Maximilian Joseph - Source picture: Wikipedia They had 10 children, including Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) of Austria .  Own picture of Book They were the grandparents of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium .   Queen Elisabeth of Belgium - Source: Wikipedia

Princess Sophie of Bavaria was born in 1805 in Munich. She was the identical twin sister of Princess Maria Anna, later Queen of Saxony.   Princess Sophie - Source picture: Wikipedia She married Franz Karl, Archduke of Austria .   Franz Karl - Source picture: Wikipedia During the Revolution of 1848, she persuaded her husband to give up his rights  of the throne in favour of her son, Franz Joseph.  At that time she was called 'the only man at court'. In the Sissi movies she is best remembered due to her bad relationship  to Empress Elisabeth (Sissi). Normally I hate rumors but this one I don't want to hold back. Archduchess Sophie had a close relationship with Napoleon II.  Yes! The son of Napoleon I, at that time emperor of France.  Napoleon II lived at the Viennese Court with the title: Duke of Reichstadt.   Hofburg Vienna own picture   Schönbrunn Vienna own picture She never rec...

  Amalie Auguste - Source picture: Wikipedia Princess Amalie Auguste was born in 1801 in Munich.  She was the identical twin sister of  Queen Elisabeth Ludovica of Prussia . She married John of Saxony.   John of Saxony - Source picture: Wikipedia They had 9 children. Prince John of Saxony was the younger brother of Frederick Augustus II. Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria was born in 1805.  She was the younger sister of Princess Amalie Auguste. Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria was the identical twin sister of  Archduchess Sophie of Austria .   Maria Anna - Source picture: Wikipedia She married Frederick Augustus II of Saxony .   Frederick Augustus II - Source picture: Wikipedia He died during a journey in Austria. 

  Own picture of a painting of Elisabeth Ludovika Princess Elisabeth Ludovika was born in 1801 in Munich. Her parents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Caroline of Baden. She was known in her family as Elise. She was the identical twin sister of Queen Amalie of Saxony. Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria married Frederick William IV of Prussia . She became Queen Consort of Prussia.   Frederick William IV - Source picture: Wikipedia Elisabeth Ludovika was never involved in politics.  So, she had no political influence. However due to her, there was a close  friendship between Prussia and the Austrian Empire. One of her sisters was Archduchess Sophie  (the mother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria -  I will talk about her later in this Weekend Special).   Elisabeth Ludovika died in 1873 in Dresden (during a visit to one of her other sisters). She's buried next to her husband at the Friedenskirs...

  Source picture: Wikipedia Caroline Augusta was born in 1792 in Mannheim. Her first marriage was arranged by Napoleon I of France.  She married William I of Württemberg .   Source picture - Wikipedia This was a political arranged marriage.  The couple lived separated in their palace. Later they divorced.  Pope Pius VII dissolved the marriage, so they could remarry for the  Catholic Church. Caroline Augusta remarried Francis II of Austria  (in German Franz II see also the page: House of Habsburg on this blog).   Source picture: Wikipedia After the death of her second husband, Carolina Augusta moved to Salzburg  (Austria).   Own picture of a rainy Salzburg Caroline Auguste was described as elegant, likeable, religious and intelligent. She was good friends with both her sister, Archduchess Sophie and her niece  Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi). Caroline...

Princess Augusta of Bavaria married Eugène de Bauharnais. Although this marriage was arranged by Napoleon I of France, it turned out to be a love match.   Princess Augusta of Bavaria - Source: Wikipedia   Eugène de Bauharnais - Source picture: Wikipedia Their eldest daughter Josephine married Oscar I, King of Sweden .   Josephine - Source picture: Wikipedia Auguste , one of their sons, married Marie II of Portugal .   Auguste - Source picture: Wikipedia Another daughter Amélie married Pedro II of Brazil .   Amélie - Source picture: Wikipedia Their youngest son, Maximilian, married  Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaievna of Russia   (daughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia ).   Maximilian - Source picture: Wikipedia

Last week, I was in Berlin. Of course I visited a lot of Prussian Royal Palaces. The only remaining Castle in the city is called Charlottenburg Castle  (built in the late 17th. century). During the second World War it was seriously damaged, but the castle was reconstructed. Charlottenburg Castle Berlin Germany Now it is a huge tourist attraction, as you can see on the picture. Sophie-Charlotte, Queen Consort of Prussia, gave the order to build this palace. She was the second wife of Frederick I.    Frederick I - Own picture of a painting   Sophie Charlotte of Hannover - Queen Consort of Prussia Here are some inside views of the Castle:   Beautiful ceilings: Finest Wall Decoration & furniture: The weather vane on the chimney-breast: The Porcelain Cabinet: The Charlottenburg Palace Chapel: Queen Consort Sophie Charlotte wanted 'the place she dedicated  ...

Breitling is a luxury brand of Swiss watches. Source picture -Wikipedia  S ource picture - Wikipedia In 1884 the company was founded by Léon Breitling. The headquarters are located in Grenchen (Switzerland). Royal Clients: King Juan Carlos of Spain; Prince Felipe of Spain (son of King Juan Carlos).

Mango is a Spanish clothing design and manufacturing company founded in 1984 by Isak Andic. Since 1995 the retailer has a website. The headquarters are located in Barcelona (Spain). There are Mango Shops around the world inter alia in: Spain, South Africa, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Kuwait, Oman, France and Belgium. Mango Shop in Nice - France Royal Clients: In April 2011, Princess Letizia visited the Company Headquarters in an outfit of .... Mango.

Monte Carlo - Casino - Own picture taken in 2013 Monte Carlo was once a little unimportant Mountain Village with Olive trees. Charles III of Monaco got the bright idea to build a casino. Charles III of Monaco - Source picture: Wikipedia Besides the casino he set up a new neighbourhood. He called it after himself: Monte Carlo. Monte Carlo Monaco Hotel De Paris Why is this a Royal Destination? The Monte Carlo Casino was founded by Charles III of Monaco . He created (together with a business partner) a company called: Société des Bains de Mer de Monaco . This is a public company in which the Monaco Government and the  ruling (Grimaldi)  family  have majority interest. 

Oscar de la Renta Short history: Oscar de la Renta was born in 1932 in Santo Domingo. At the age of 18 he left the Dominican Republic. He studied at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid (Spain). He was trained by Cristóbal Balenci aga  (famous Spanish Fashion Designer). Later Oscar de la Renta left Spain and moved to Paris (France). There he worked at Lanvin. From 1993-2002 Oscar de la Renta worked for the house of Balmain. He was the first Dominican to design for a French Couture House. Nowadays the designer creates a lot of things: - Bridal wear; - Homeware; - Accessories line; - Fragrance.... He even designed Tortuga Bay , a boutique hotel at PUNTACANA Resort & Club. Royal Clients: The Spanish Royal family is a huge fan of him. King Juan Carlos of Spain offered Oscar de la Renta two awards: - Gold Medal of Bellas Artes; - La Gran Cruz de la Orden de Merito Civil. Oscar de la Renta is the chairman of the Queen Sofia Spanish Inst...

Burberry is a British Fashion House which was founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry. Burberry produces inter alia: clothing; accessoiries; and perfumes. Queen Elisabeth II and Charles, Prince of Wales, have granted the company as Royal Warrant Holder. Burberry has shops arround the world: Austria; Belgium; Bulgaria; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Finland; France; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Malta; The Netherlands; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Slovakia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey, United Kingdom (at the 1st. picture - Store in London); Brazil; Canada; United States; Australia; China; Hong Kong (at the 2nd picture - Burberry in Hong Kong); India; Japan; Macao; Malaysia; Singapore; South Korea; Taiwan; Kuwait; Qatar; United Arab Emirates and many other countries. Source pictures - Wikipedia

Daniel Ost  was born in 1955 in Sint-Niklaas (Belgium). (Sint-Niklaas is my hometown too) Daniel Ost is a floral artist. He created his own world with flowers. In 1999 at the wedding of Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde,  the Belgian Royal Family asked him to do flower decoration in the St.Michael and St.Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. In 2003 at the wedding of Prince Laurent and Princess Claire, Daniel Ost also was responsible for the flower decoration in the cathedral He is famous around the world in particular in: Japan Dubai Qatar Seoul Minneapolis and many other locations. In Sint-Niklaas, his shop is located at a very busy square: 'Onze-Lieve-Vrouwplein'. Daniel Ost Shop Sint-Niklaas - Belgium Own Picture On this link you'll find the official website of Daniel Ost: https://www.danielost.be/

This week I want to put some Favorite Designers and Favorite Shops of the Royals in the spotlights. I start with a famous Designer from Belgium: Natan Natan Brussels Belgium Natan Shop @ Avenue Louise - Own picture Who is Edouard Vermeulen - Natan? Édouard Vermeulen is born at March 4th. 1957 in Ypres. He studied interior architecture at St. Lucas (Brussels). In 2000 he was appointed as court purveyor for the Belgian Royal Family. In 2003 he became officer in the Order of Leopold II. He designed the wedding dress of: Princess Mathilde of Belgium , who is now Queen Mathilde of the Belgians. Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands Princess Claire of Belgium Other Royal Fans Queen Máxima of The Netherlands and Maria Teresa, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, also are huge fans of Natan. On this link you can read more information about this fashion brand https://www.natan.be/index.php?s=Historique&lng=nl