All About Royal Families

On August 30th. 1813, Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria was born in Augsburg, Germany. Family Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria was the second child and eldest daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Love and Marriage On December 26th. 1833, Princess Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria married the Hereditary Grand Duke Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt. The couple had no children. Death On May 26th. 1862, Princess Mathilde Caroline died. She was buried in the St. Ludwig church in Darmstadt. Source picture: Wikipedia

Say never it's just a Toy Shop to Hamleys. This amazing store is located on Regent Street, London, United Kingdom. Prince and princess of Wales King Charles III and the Duke of Sussex in Lego History * The shop was founded in 1760 in London and named after William Hamley. * In 1881 the store moved to Regent Street. * In 1938, Hamleys received a Royal Warrant from Queen Mary, the wife of    King George V. * Queen Elizabeth II also granted a Royal Warrant to Hamleys. * In 2003 Hamleys was bought by the Baugur Group. Royal Toy Horses Stores Nowadays there are shops in inter alia: Dublin; Stockholm; Dubai; Mubai (India); Moscow (Russia); Kuala Lumpur; Abu Dhabi; Mexico City. Big Ben in Hamleys I visited Hamleys in April 2016. I was impressed by the size of the shop and the beautiful things they sell. I also found the staff extremely friendly and helpful.  To know more Check the company's site on this link .

Anne of Austria was born on August 16th. 1573 in Graz, Austria Family Her parents were Charles II, Archduke of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. By birth, Anne of Austria was a member of the House of Habsburg. Love and Marriage On May 31st. 1592, Anne of Austria became the first wife of King Sigismund of Poland. They would have five children. Only one child: Wladyslaw survived childhood. Duty In May 1592, Anne was crowned Queen of Poland by Primas Karnkowski. On February 19th. 1594, Anne was crowned Queen of Sweden too. In Sweden, she had a conflict with the Dowager Queen, Gunilla Bielke about religious reasons. Anne also accused the Dowager Queen for taking valuable things from the palace. Anne didn't like to show herself to the Swedish people, in her eyes, they were rebels. She left Sweden in July 1594. Death On February 10th. 1598, Anne of Austria died in Warsaw, Poland. She was buried at the Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland. Source Picture:...

August 11th. 1874 marks the birth of Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg. This happy event took place in Altenburg, now located in Germany. Family Her parents were Prince Moritz of Saxe-Altenburg and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Meiningen. She was a member of the noble House of Wettin. Love and Marriage On February 6th. 1895, Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg married Prince Eduard of Anhalt. The two would have 6 children. On January 26th. 1918, the couple divorced. Death On April 14th. 1953, at the age of 78, Princess Louise Charlotte of Saxe-Altenburg died. Source picture: Wikipedia

Joseph Wenzel was born on August 9th. 1696 in Prague. Family His parents were Prince Philip Erasmus of Liechtenstein and Countess Christina Theresa von Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rochefort. Army Prince Joseph Wenzel entered the army. He firstly was a general and a successful campaigner.In 1745 he became Generalissimo in Italy and later, in 1753 he was made General Chief Commander in Hungary. He also reorganized the Habsburg artillery. Between 1735 and 1736 he was Imperial Envoy in Berlin and he was Ambassador in Paris from 1712 till 1718. Prince Joseph Wenzel also was a Knight in the Austrian order of the Golden Fleece. Love and Marriage Prince Joseph Wenzel married on April 19th. 1718 to his cousin, Princess Anna Maria Antonie of Liechtenstein. The couple would have 5 children, who all died in childhood. Death Joseph Wenzel died on February 10th. 1772 in Vienna (Austria). Source picture: Wikpedia

One of the most unique hotels in Belgium is the Martin's Patershof hotel, located in Mechelen. It is a quirky building because the hotel first was ... a church! St. Martin's Patershof Hotel History Around 1231, the Friar Minors were established in Mechelen. At the end of the 18th. century the order was driven out of the country by French revolutionists. At the end of the 1990's the building was sold through an estate agent. In 2006, the Martin's Hotel Group bought the building. They turned it into a hotel. It was opened in 2009. The Rooms There are various types of Rooms. On the picture you can see a 'Charming Room'. Room St. Martin's Patershof Hotel Even the breakfast was served on a special location: Place for Breakfast Breakfast room in St. Martin's Patershof To know more check the hotel site on this link  or Tripadvisor on this link

Alfred Ernest Albert was born on August 6th. 1844 at Windsor Castle in Berkshire (England). Family His parents were Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. As a son of the monarch, he received the title: His Royal Highness the Prince Alfred. In his family he was known as Affie. Love and Marriage On January 23rd. 1874 he married Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia. She was a daughter of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and his wife Marie of Hesse. Prince Alfred and Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna would have 5 children. Duty In 1856 Prince Alfred entered the Royal Navy. On February 24th. 1863, he was promoted to lieutenant. On February 22rd. 1866 Prince Albert became captain. On May 24th. 1866 Prince Alfred received the title Duke of Edinburgh with an annuity of 15.000 pounds granted by the parliament. He also became a member of the House of Lords. In 1866 Prince Alfred succeeded his uncle Ernest II as th...

August 5th. 1581 marks the birth of Princess Hedwig of Denmark. This took place at the Frederiksborg Palace in Denmark. Family Princess Hedwig was the seventh child and fourth daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and his wife, Sophie of Mecklenburg- Güstrow. Among the siblings of Princess Hedwig were inter alia: - Princess Anne of Denmark (who became Queen Consort of England and Schotland); - King Christian IV of Denmark Love and Marriage On September 12th. 1602, Princess Hedwig of Denmark married Christian II, Elector of Saxony in Dresden. Their marriage would be childless and Christian II would die on June 23rd. 1611. Duty Although her husband died in 1611, she kept huge power. Her subjects considered her as their sovereign instead of the new Elector. She could maintain independence and she granted letters of free passage. This was good for the commerce and the trade. As sister of the Danish King Christian IV and sister-in-law of the British, Kin...

August 4th 1906 marks the birth of Princess Marie José of Belgium. Family She was born in Ostend as the youngest child and only daughter of King Albert I of Belgium and his consort Duchess Elisabeth of Bavaria. Love & Marriage On January 8th. 1930, Princess Marie José of Belgium married in Rome Prince Umberto of Italy. See also a previous my blogpost on this link .  The couple would have four children. Princess of Piedmont In 1939, Princess Marie José was made president of the Italian Red Cross. May Queen After World War II, King Victor Emmanuel III withdrew from government, later he abdicated. Umberto became King of Italy on May 9th. 1946 and Princess Marie José, his Queen Consort. However on June 2nd. 1946, the monarchy was abolished in Italy and the Royal Couple left their country on July 13th. 1946. So Marie José often is called the May queen. In their exile the family lived a while together in Portugal. Later Princess Marie José move...

August 2nd. 1702 marks the birth of Dietrich of Anhalt -Dessau. Family Dietrich of Anhalt-Dessau was a member of the House of Ascania. His parents were Leopold I of Anhalt - Dessau and Anna Louise Föhse. Dietrich never married he also never had children. Death Dietrich died on December 2nd. 1769. Later his palace was used for a progressive school the Philanthropium. Source picture: Wikipedia

Princess Louise of Savoy was born on August 1st. 1627 at the Hôtel de Soissons in Paris (France). Family Her parents were Thomas Francis, Prince of Carignano and Marie de Bourbon. Through her mother, Princess Louise of Savoy was a granddaughter of Louis de Bourbon, an uncle of King Henry IV of France. Her father was a younger son of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and his Spanish wife, Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain Love & Marriage Princess Louise of Savoy married Margrave Ferdinand Maximilian of Baden-Baden on March 15th. 1653 at the Eglise Saint -Sulpice in Paris. The marriage itself was not successful because Princess Louise of Savoy refused to leave the French court. However on April 8th 1655 she gave birth to a son named Louis William of Baden-Baden. He was named after King Louis XIV, his godfather. Ferdinand Maximilian took his son away from her and brought him to Baden-Baden. Later the couple lived separated. Death Princess Louise of Sav...