All About Royal Families

When an institution has the prefix 'royal' in its name, it is certainly worth to mention it as Royal Destination. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich (known as the Royal Greenwich Observatory or RGO) even played an important role in the history of astronomy and navigation. In front of the observatory there is the prime meridian of Greenwich. Royal Observatory in Greenwich - United Kingdom Some history In 1675 the Royal Observatory was commissioned by King Charles II and the foundation stone was laid on August 10th. Sir Christopher Wren chose this particular site. King Charles II also appointed John Flamsteed as first Astronomer Royal. The building was completed in 1676 and then people called it often: Flamsteed House, to refer to its first occupant. On October 1884 the Royal Observatory in Greenwich was voted as the World's Prime Meridian at a Conference. Prime Meridian Greenwich - United Kingdom

On 29 June 1475 a very noble girl was born. She received the name: Beatrice d' Este. This birth took place in Ferrara, Italy. Family Her parents were Ercole I d' Este and Leonora of Naples. One of Beatrice 's siblings, Isabella, married Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua. Love and Marriage In 1480, to obtain an alliance, Ludovico Sforza asked formally for Beatrice's hand by her father. Small detail: Ludovico first asked the hand of Beatrice 's elder sister: Isabella. She was already promised to Francesco II Gonzaga. Although Ludovico didn't make an objection to marry Beatrice. In January 1491 a double wedding took place: Beatrice d' Este and Ludovico Sforza Alfonso d' Este (Beatrice's brother) and Anna Sforza (Ludovico's niece). Beatrice and Ludovico would have two children. Life at the court Beatrice d' Este was educated very well. She liked the Milanese court immediately. Beatrice made from the Sfor...

Duke Friedrich Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg was born on 25 June 1797 in Bad Carlsruhe, (then a place in the Kingdom of Prussia, now renamed as Pokój, a place in south-western Poland). Family His parents were Duke Eugen of Württemberg and Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern. Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg was a nephew of Frederick of Württemberg, the first King of Württemberg. Travels Between 1822 and 1824, Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg undertook some expeditions to Cuba and North America. There he kept a diary in which he described the places he visited. Love and Marriage On April 17th. 1827, Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg married Princess Maria Sophia of Thurn und Taxis in Regensburg. They would have one son. However their marriage ended in a divorce on May 2nd. 1835. Castle After her divorce, Princess Maria Sophia of Thurn und Taxis acquired the Württembergische Palais in Regenburg. There she spent the rest of her life. Duke Paul Wilhelm of W...

June 23rd. 1456 marks the birth of Margaret of Denmark, sometimes referred as Margaret of Norway. This took place in Copenhagen. Family Her parents were King Christian I of Denmark (also from Sweden and Norway) and Dorothea of Brandenburg. Margaret of Denmark had two brothers John and Frederick. Love and Marriage In 1460, Margaret was betrothed to James of Scotland. This marriage was an arrangement on the advice of the King Charles VII of France. In July 1469, at the age of 13!, Margaret married James III, King of Scotland in Holyrood Abbey. This Royal Couple would have 3 children: King James IV, James Stuart, Duke of Ross and John Stewart, Duke of Mar. Reign Margaret became very popular in Scotland. The Queen was described as gentle, beautiful and sensible. Death Margaret died on July 14th. 1486 at Stirling Castle. There are some rumors around her death that John Ramsay, 1st. Lord Bothwell, gave poison to her but this was never proved. Margaret...

On 21 June 1788 a very noble girl was born in Munich. She received the names: Princess Augusta Amalia Ludovika of Bavaria (in German: von Bayern). Family Her parents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. Love and Marriage Initially she was promised to Charles, the heir of Baden, until Napoleon intervened. He ordered a wedding between Princess Augusta of Bavaria and Eugène the Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepson. Princess Augusta's father gave his son in law the title: Duke of Leuchtenberg. Finally this political marriage turned out to be a happy one. They would have 7 children. Death Princess Augusta of Bavaria died on 13 May 1851, at the age of 62, in Munich. Source picture: Wikipedia

20 June 1634 marks the birth of Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy (in Italian: Carlo Emanuele II di Savoia). This took place in Turin, Italy. Charles Emmanuel with his sister Family His parents were Victor Amadeus I, Duke of Savoy and Princess Christine of France. His maternal grandparents were King Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici. Duke of Savoy In 1638 Charles Emmanuel II became Duke of Savoy after the death of his elder brother Francis Hyacint. Due to his early age, his mother Christine of France governed in his place. When Charles Emmanuel reached his adulthood he asked his mother to continue her reigning over the duchy, while he had a life full of pleasure far away from the affairs of state. In 1663 Christine of France died and Charles Emmanuel received the real power over the Duchy. Then he improved the commerce and the wealth of the Duchy. He ordered to develop the port of Nice and to build a road in the Alps towards France. ...

June 18th. 1866 marks the birth of Prince Aribert Joseph Alexander of Anhalt. This took place in Wörlitz (now Germany). Family Prince Aribert was the fourth son of Frederick I, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. Love and Marriage On July 6th. 1891, Prince Aribert married Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Their wedding took place at the St. George's chapel in Windsor Castle. The Bride's first cousin, Emperor William II of Germany, had arranged the match. However in December 1900 Prince Aribert of Anhalt annulled their marriage. Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein regarded her vows as binding, so she never remarried, although she disliked her husband. There were historical reports that Prince Aribert was homosexual or bisexual. He was known for his holiday on Capri, then an isle with a reputation for attracting homosexual liaisons. Interested in...

Poppo von Babenberg was born around 986 as the son of Emperor Leopold I of Austria and Richardis of Sualafeldgau. Source picture: Wikipedia Family Poppo had several siblings inter alia: - Henry I, Margrave of Austria; - Ernest I, Duke of Swabia; - Adalbert, Margrave of Austria ... Life Poppo was educated in Regensburg (now Germany). In 1007, Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, appointed him as the first provost of his new cathedral in Bamberg. In 1015, Henry succeeded Archbishop Megingod in Trier. In 1016 this was confirmed by Pope Benedict IX. Poppo was involved with the extension of the Trier Cathedral. Death Poppo died on June 16th. 1047, during an inspection of the construction works of the Trier Cathedral. Cathedral of Trier

One of the most important Royal Destinations in London is of course Buckingham Palace. It is the London residence and the administrative headquarters of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Buckingham Palace Some important history 1624 Sir William Blake established a House on the grounds of Buckingham Palace From 1633 Lord Goring, the next owner, extended Blake's House and he developed much of today's garden. Later Henry Bennet, 1st. Earl of Arlington, obtained the mansion from the Goring family. 1674 Goring House burned down and Arlington House rose on the site of Buckingham Palace 1698 John Sheffield, later the first Duke of Buckingham and Normanby acquired the lease. 1761 Buckingham House was sold to King George III. The building was originally intended as a private retreat for King George III's wife: Queen Charlotte and initially it was known as the Queen's House. 1820 King George IV continued the renovation with the hel...

Prince Henry of The Netherlands (in Dutch: William Frederik Hendrik) was born on June 13th. 1820 at Soestdijk Palace in Baarn. Throughout his life, his title was: 'His Royal Highness Prince Henry of The Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau'. Parents His parents were King William II of The Netherlands and Anna Pavlovna of Russia Youth His siblings were: - the later King William III of the Netherlands - Prince Alexander - Prince Ernest Casimir - Princess Sophie He was the only member of the Royal Family of the House of Orange-Nassau, who visited Indonesia. Prince Henry with Princess Marie of Prussia Love & Marriage On May 9th. 1853 Prince Henry married Amalia of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. She died on May 1st. 1872. On August 24th. 1878 Prince Henry married Princess Marie of Prussia. Both marriages were childless. Duty In 1850, Prince Henry became governor of Luxembourg. There he lived at the Walferdange Castle. Death Prince Hen...

June 10th. 1688 marks the birth of James Francis Edward Stuart. This event took place at the St. James's Palace in London. James and his mother Mary of Modena Family James Francis Edward Stuart was the son of King James II of England and Ireland and Scotland (although there he reigned as King James VII) and Mary of Modena. Youth His mother, Mary of Modena, took James Francis Edward Stuart on December 9th. 1688 to France. There he was brought up at the Royal Castle in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. On the throne or not ? In 1701 King James died and James Francis Edward Stuart was recognized by King Louis XIV of France and the Pope as the rightful heir to the English and Scottish thrones. They refused to recognize William III of England, Mary II and even Anne as rightful heirs and the struggle started. In 1713 Queen Anne became ill, in 1714 she recovered. However she had no long time to live. Diplomats started to convince James Francis Edward Stuart to become a...

Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine was born on June 9th.1806 in Darmstadt, Hesse, (now Germany). Family Louis III of Hesse and by Rhine was the son of Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and his wife Wilhelmine of Baden. Love and Marriage On December 26th. 1833, Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse married Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria. Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria was the eldest daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. This marriage remained childless. Princess Mathilde Caroline died in 1862. In 1868 Louis III of Hesse and by Rhine married morganatically to Magdalene Appel, who was created Baroness of Hochstädten. Important Royal Network During the Autstro-Prussian war of 1866, Louis III wrote to Queen Victoria, the mother-in-law of his nephew and successor: " in the same sense I had already written before, but it would be  utterly useless". Death On June 13th. 1877 Louis III, Grand Duke of of Hesse and by Rhine died in S...

On the occasion of the 90th. B-day of Queen Elizabeth, there will be a few Royal Destinations logs on this blog about London. The most iconic symbol of London is of course the amazing Tower Bridge over the River Thames. Tower Bridge London - Own Picture History In the second half of the 19th. century the East End area of London increased her commercial development and a new bridge was needed. However a fixed bridge couldn't be built due to the ship traffic over the River Thames. In 1877 a Special Bridge or Subway Committee was founded. The design of Sir Horace Jones, a City Architect, was approved. It was Sir Jones' engineer who launched the idea of a bascule bridge with two towers. In 1887 the construction works started. This took eight years with five major contractors: Sir John Jackson, Baron Armstrong, William Webster, Sir H.H Bartlett and Sir William Arrol & Co. Tower Bridge London - Own picture Royal Link On June 30th. 1894 the Tower B...

June 7th. 1702 marks the birth of Louis George (in German: Ludwig Georg) of Baden-Baden. His birth took place at Schloss Ettlingen in Germany. Family His parents were Louis William of Baden-Baden and Duchess Sibylle of Saxe-Lauenburg. Reign Already at the age of four, Louis George became Margrave of Baden-Baden. However his mother acted as regent and she did that very well. Due to his mother Baden-Baden had no longer debts. Love and Marriage When Louis George was sixteen years old he fell in love with Marie Leszcynska. She was the daughter of the former King of Poland. However they actually never reunited. Instead she married King Louis XV of France and later she became Queen Consort. In the summer of 1720 Louis George and his mother traveled to Prague to find a suitable bride. The lucky one was Maria Anna of Schwarzenberg. She was the daughter of Prince Adam Franz of Schwarzenberg. The two married on April 8th. 1721. They would have four children but only o...

Joseph I of Portugal (José I)  was born on June 6th. 1714 at the Ribeira Palace in Lisbon. Family His parents were John V of Portugal and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria. Joseph had an elder brother, Peter. However Peter died at the age of 2. Then Joseph was styled Prince of Brazil, as heir apparent of the King and Duke of Braganza. Love and Marriage On January 1729, Joseph married Maria Victoria of Spain. She was the daughter of King Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese. Joseph 's elder sister, Barbara of Portugal, married the future Ferdinand IV of Spain. Maria Victoria was a serious woman, who disliked her husband's affairs. I made a 'Today in History' about Maria Victoria of Spain, which you can read on this link .  Reign In 1750 Joseph I succeeded the Portuguese throne. At that time he was 36 years old. The actual power in Portugal during Joseph's reign was in the hands of the Marquess of Pombal. Death On February 24...