All About Royal Families

On 30 April 1909, Juliana of The Netherlands was born at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague as the daughter of Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Prince Consort of The Netherlands. Love and Marriage On 7 Janurary 1937 Princess Juliana of The Netherlands married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, a German aristocrat. The wedding caused lots of troubles in the country because Bernhard was a German therefore he was granted Dutch citizinship on 24 November 1936. The date 7 January 1937 was chosen very well. On the same day, Princess Juliana's grandparents, King Willem III and Queen Emma had married 80 years earlier. Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard would have 4 children together. World War II In 1940 at the start of World War II, Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands, her daughter Princess Juliana and her son-in-law, exiled their country. They went to London, the capital of the United Kingdom. Later Princess Juli...

Jean Benoît Guillaume Robert Antoine Louis Marie Adolphe Marc d'Aviano was born on 5 January 1921 at Berg Castle in Central Luxembourg. Family His parents were Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parme. His grandparents were: paternal: Robert I of Parma Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal. maternal: William IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal. Please note: Maria Antonia of Portugal and Marie Anne of Portugal were sisters. His siblings were: Princess Elizabeth who married Franz Duke von Hohenberg; Princess Marie Adelaide Princess Marie Gabrielle Prince Charles of Luxembourg Alix, Dowager Princess of Ligne. Among his godparents was Pope Benedict XV, who gave him Jean's second name. Early life Jean attended primary school in Luxembourg, where he continued the initial stage of his secondary education. He completed his secondary school at Ampleforth College, a Roman Catholic boarding ...

King's Day 2019 Each year on 27 April, King's Day - Koningsdag - takes place in The Netherlands. Then the Royal Family will visit one important city in their country. In 2019, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Queen Máxima, their children and their family will visit Amersfoort. Amersfoort is located in the Province of Utrecht. It also has one of the largest Railway stations in the Netherlands. In 2019, Amersfoort marked its 760th anniversary of a city. But of course there is lot more royal history. History Amersfoort already has settlements around 1000 Before Christ, but in the 11th. century after Christ, Amersfoort did appear in written documents. In 1259, Amersfoort was granted its city rights by the Bishop of Utrecht. His name was Henry I van Vianden. A first defensive wall was built around 1300, but as the city grew a new wall was needed. This was finished around 1450. Landmarks The Tower of Our Lady is one of the best perserved M...

Readers of this blog already know that Oostende in Belgium is my favourite city near the North Sea. Although the coastline of Oostende is a strip full of apartments and penthouses some amazing buildings have been saved for the future. One of those buildings is the beautiful Villa Maritza.  Besides its beauty Villa Maritza also has a wonderful royal history. Villa Maritza Oostende Belgium Some Royal History Villa Maritza was built in 1885 after a design of architect Antoine Dujardin for an industrial of Anderlecht. Villa Maritza is located on the sea bank, called the Albert I promenade (named after King Albert I of Belgium) in Oostende, Belgium. In the Belle Epoque, Villa Maritza  was owned by Georges Marquet, who also was the owner of the casino. The groundfloor was used to receive guests, the living areas were at the second and the third floor. Villa Maritza Oostende Belgium Architecture Villa Maritza was built in an eclectic style,...

Plaza de España in Sevilla Spain taken in 2018 One of the most instagrammed places of the world is without no doubt the Plaza de España in Seville, Spain. The Spain Square, as it is called in English is a place, located in the Maria Luisa Park in Seville Spain. It is a landmark and a pretty example of the Regionalism Architecture with mixed elements of the Renaissance Revival and the Moorish Revival. It also has a nice, royal history. Plaza de Espana in Seville Spain taken in 2018 Some royal history In 1929 the Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair took place in Spain. A lot of new developments were created mostly in Barcelona and Seville. King Alfonso XIII of Spain kept a close eye on all the building plans of the World's Fair. Alfonso XIII of Spain Source picture: Wikipedia So 1929 was an important year for Seville, then the city hosted the Ibero- American Exposition World's Fair, located in the celebrated Maria Luisa Park. Th...

On 12 April 2003 the Royal wedding of Prince Laurent of Belgium and Claire Coombs took place at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. Wedding Prince Laurent and Princess Claire  Prince Laurent is the youngest son of King Albert II of Belgium and Queen Paola (born Paola Ruffo di Calabria). Claire Coombs is a daughter of Nicolas Coombs, a businessman born in the United Kingdom, and Nicole Mertens (a Belgian). Princess Claire wore a beautiful white dress designed by Natan. The dress had lots of lace, which was to honour one of the oldest handicrafts of Belgium. The wedding took place with a clear blue sky and under a bright sun. It started at 9.40. Then the bride and groom and their parents left the Royal Palace of Belgium in Brussels to the Town Hall. There the civil ceremony took place. After the ceremony, the royal couple greeted the people from the balcony of the Town Hall at the Grand Place of Brussels. Town Hall Brussels, Belgium ...

Liberty London United Kingdom One of the most beautiful department stores in London, United Kingdom certainly is Liberty, located on the Great Marlborough Street, near Regent Street. It sells many luxury goods as fashion, cosmetics, fragrances, jewellery, accessoires, homeware, furniture, stationery and gifts. Liberty is known for its floral and graphic prints. Some history In 1843, Arthur Lasenby Liberty was born in Chesham, Buckinhamshire. He was employed by Messrs Farmer and Rogers in Regent Street in 1862. That was the year of the International Exhibition in London. Arthur Liberty - Source picture: Wikipedia Around 1874, inspired by his 10 years of service, he decided to start a business of his own, which he did the next year. He loaned 2.000 pounds from his future father-in-law and he accepted the lease of half a shop at 218A Regent Street with three staff members. His shop opened during 1875. It sold ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from...

On 1 April 1885 Clementine Ogilvy Hozier was born in Mayfair, London, United Kingdom. Family Clementine was the daughter of Lady Blanche Hozier and a granddaughter of David Ogilvy, the 10th. Earl of Airlie. The paternity of Lady Clementine is a subject of much debate as her mother, Lady Blanche was well known for infidelity. Lady Blanche maintained that Clementine's biological father was Capitain William George "Bay" Middleton a horseman and well-known to Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi). Others claimed that the children of Lady Blanche were fathered by her sister's husband: Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford, 1st. Baron Redesdale and the grandfather of the famous Mitford sisters. However officially it is reported that Clementine was the daughter of Lady Blanche and Sir Henry Montague Hozier. Youth When Clementine was fourteen, her mother and her family moved to Dieppe, a coastal community in the north of France. There the family met ot...