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Remembrance Sunday in London 2024

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Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in November (the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of hostilities in World War I in 1918). This Remembrance Sunday took place at the London Cenotaph. In 2024, royal  photographer and friend, Bjorn Hoex had a wonderful place in front of the London Cenotaph. And there he made some lovely pictures for us. King Charles III at the Remembrance Sunday own picture of the Cenotaph taken in London in July 2024 The Princess of Wales and Duchess of Edinburgh The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh   The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester Duke of Kent and Timothy Laurence, husband of The Princess Royal Thank you for your amazing photo report Bjorn! Source pictures: Bjorn Hoex via

Princess Josephine of Baden, grandmother of King Albert I of Belgium

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On 21 October 1813 a very noble girl was born: Princess Josephine of Baden. This happy event took place in Manheim at the Grand Duchy of Baden. Family Her parents were Charles, Grand Duke of Baden and Stéphanie de Beauharnais. She was a member of the house of Zähringen. Love and Marriage On her B-Day in 1834 Princess Josephine of Baden married Karl Anton Joachim Zephyrinus Friedrich Meinrad, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Children  They would have 6 children and some of them and her grandchildren became famous: * Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern (22 September 1835 – 8 June 1905) he married Infanta Antónia of Portugal on 12 September 1861. They had three sons, including Ferdinand I of Romania . * Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (15 July 1837 – 17 July 1859) she married King Pedro V of Portugal on 18 May 1858, without issue. * Carol I of Romania (27 April 1839 – 10 October 1914) he married Princess Elisabeth of Wied on 15 November 1869. They had one daughter. * Prince

1830: the Belgian declaration of independence

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On 4 October 1830 the Provisional Government issued a declaration of Independence. Declaration of independence After Dutch forces were expelled from Brussels on 27 September 1830, the recently-created Revolutionary Committee transformed into the Provisional Government.  Source picture: Wikipedia There were only a few members of the Provisional Government: * Charles Rogier  * Emmanuel, Baron van der Linden d'Hooghvorst  * Félix, Count de Mérode  * Alexandre Gendebien  * Sylvain Van de Weyer  * André-Edouard Jolly  * Feuillen, Baron de Coppin de Falaën  * Joseph Van der Linden  * Louis de Potter  * Jean Nicolay  And so, the independence of Belgium as a state was officially declared on 4 October. The Congress Column is a monumental column in Brussels, Belgium, commemorating the creation of the Belgian Constitution by the National Congress of 1830–31.  own pictures taken in 2023 Afterwards In November 1830, the National Congress of Belgium was established to create a constitution for t

The special coat of arms of the de Medici family

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During our stay in Florence (Firenze) in Italy we saw the coat of arms of the de Medici family regularly. The House of Medici was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici during the first half of the 15th century.  The family originated in the Mugello region of Tuscany, and prospered gradually until it was able to fund the Medici Bank. This bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century and facilitated the Medicis' rise to political power in Florence, although they officially remained citizens rather than monarchs until the 16th century. However they had the official title Grand Duke from 1569. However in this post we will not talk about the family members, but about their interesting and beautiful coat of arms, which you will see almost everywhere in Florence. The blazon of the de' Medici family is a golden shield with five red balls, and a blue one decorated with three golden