All About Royal Families

On this day, 21 April 2026, we remember the birth of a sovereign whose life came to symbolise continuity, duty, and quiet strength. Born in 1926, Queen Elizabeth II would go on to shape the course of modern monarchy in a way few could ever have imagined. Here are ten carefully chosen facts that reveal the remarkable life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II; facts that, taken together, tell the story of duty, resilience, and history in motion. 1. A record-breaking reign Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years and 214 days, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history and the longest-reigning queen regnant the world has ever known. 2. She was never expected to be queen Born in 1926 in Mayfair, she was not destined for the throne. It was only after the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, in 1936 that her father became king and Elizabeth became heir presumptive. 3. “Lilibet” at home Within the family, she was affectionately called Lilibet, a childhood nickname that stayed with ...

With the visit of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to the United States from April 13th to 15th, taking them to Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Florida,I could not help but think back to my own encounter with a much earlier royal journey between the Netherlands and America. In July 2025, I visited the elegant SS Rotterdam in Rotterdam. Walking through her interiors, I realised that this was not just a beautifully preserved ocean liner, but a ship that had quite literally carried royal history across the Atlantic. It was here that my thoughts naturally turned to 1959. This iconic flagship of the Holland America Line carries a distinctly royal touch from the very beginning. On 13 September 1958, the ship was officially christened by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands . Just a year later, in 1959, a young Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands crossed the Atlantic on board, travelling to the United States during her formative years as heir to the D...