All About Royal Families

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld was born on 29 June 1911 at Jena in Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in Germany. His parents were Prince Bernhard of Lippe and Armgard von Cramm. In  1916 his uncle Prince Leopold IV of Lippe styled him as Serene Highness. He studied law at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and in Berlin. During his studies, Prince Bernhard met numerous important people, he also joined the Nazi Parti. Later Bernhard went to Paris where he 'worked' as an executive secretary at the office of IG Farben, then the 4th. largest company of the world. Love and Marriage In 1936 Prince Bernhard met Crown Princess Juliana of The Netherlands at the Winter Olympics in Garmish-Partenkirchen. On 8 September 1936, the royal engagement was announced and the couple married on 7 January 1937. Before their marriage, Prince Bernhard was granted the Dutch citizenship. He also became a royal highness by the Dutch law. Princess Juliana and Prince Ber...

In the 1960's, King Bhumibol of Thailand (Rama IX) set off for an international tour. He was accompanied by his wife, Queen Sirikit. During this tour the royal couple of Thailand visited at least 29 countries. Among the countries, they paid a visit to Belgium. At the Royal Palace in Brussels they met King Baudouin of Belgium and Queen Fabiola. King Bhumibol of Thailand, Queen Sirikit and King Baudouin of Belgium picture taken at the exhibition in the Royal Palace in 2018 King Baudouin of Belgium and King Bhumibol of Thailand were good friends because they both studied at the same time in Lausanne Switzerland. King Bhumibol died on 13 October 2016. From that day, King Rama X rules Thailand. Perhaps a new State Visit is possible? Royal Palace in Brussels own picture taken in 2017

One of the most famous destinations in Germany certainly is the Brandenburg Gate (in German: Brandenburger Tor) in Berlin. This Brandenburg Gate not only has a nice neoclassical architecture it also has a fantastic royal history. Brandenburg Gate in Berlin Germany own picture taken in 2013 Some royal history The Brandenburg Gate was built on the orders of King Frederick William II of Prussia after the (temporarily) successful restoration of order during the early Batavian Revolution in the Dutch Republic (nowadays The Netherlands). It has been said that the people in the Dutch Republic had to pay special taxes for the creation of the Brandenburg Gate in Prussia. Frederick William II of Prussia Source picture: Wikipedia The Gate was designed by Carl Gotthard Langhans and built between 1788 and 1791, replacing the earlier simple guardhouses which flanked the original gate in the Customs Wall. The Gate has twelve Doric columns, 6 to each side, for...

When World War II broke out in 1940, Lord Louis Mountbatten was an expert on the field of communication in the British Marine. He was advisor for the allied forces and involved by military operations in Dieppe (France), North Africa. Later he was sent to India, Birma and Singapore. During World War II, Lord Louis Mountbatten was a very clever and an extreme popular general. More about his life. Birth Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten was born on 25 June 1900 at Frogmore House in Windsor. His parents were Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. His maternal grandparents were Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom (who was the daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert). His paternal grandparents were Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Julia of Battenberg. His siblings were: - Princess Alice of Battenberg (the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh); - Queen...

On 21 June 1962, Princess Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Marie of Belgium - the daughter of the Prince and Princess of Liège (later King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium) was baptised. Baptism of Princess Astrid of Belgium in Brussels Her godparents were Prince Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria (the brother of the Princess of Liège (later Queen Paola of Belgium)) and Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg. The other names referring to: - Astrid - her paternal grandmother; - Elisabeth - her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium; - Paola - her mother - Paola Ruffo di Calabria; - Marie - to Maria - St. Mary, mother of Jesus. This is a habit at the Belgian   royal court. The baptism of Princess Astrid of Belgium took place in a lovely spot: the Saint Jacques on the Coudenberg Church in central Brussels. Saint Jacques on the Coudenberg Church in Brussels Belgium The Coudenberg Church always had an impor...

Sometimes books really became famous, sometimes their authors became stars. However at Porto in Portugal there is one bookstore which is extremely famous. The bookstore is called Livraria Lello. Lello is one of the oldest bookshops of Portugal and it is high rated in travel guides such as Lonely Planet. Lello Bookstore in Porto Portugal History In 1869, the Livraria Internacional de Ernesto Chardron was founded by the Frenchman Ernesto Chardron. At the age of 45 Ernesto died. The firm was sold to Lugan & Genelioux Sucessores. However in 1881, José Lello along with his brother-in-law created the firm David Pereira & Lello. After the death of David Pereira the establishment again changed its name in José Pinto de Sousa Lello & Irmão when José partnered with his younger brother António Lello. In 1891, the Chardron Bookstore acquired the establishments of A.R da Cruz Coutinho and other bookstores in the city. Mathieux Lugan sold his share in the Chard...

It is not always a destination far away, which touches you the most. Recently my family and I were walking alongside the Durme. This is a river in Lokeren, East Flanders in the northern Part of Belgium. Walking near the river, I suddenly was curious about its history and of course, I decided that I wanted to know more about the Durme. Lokeren Durme Belgium Lokere Durme Belgium Some royal history During the Middle Ages the Durme was much longer, she started at St. Joris near Beernem and then she went east untill Vinderhoute.  There the Durme merged with the Poekebeek (which came from Tielt). The city of Ghent wanted a connection with the North Sea and the Western Scheldt. In 1613 the Brugsche Vaart was dug out. This is nowadays a part of the channel of Ghent-Ostend. Between 1823 and 1827 the channel of Ghent-Terneuzen was made and the Durme was cut off from her source and its headwaters. Due to this, parts of the Durme were sanded. To contin...

Recently, I discovered the library of my home town Sint-Niklaas again. I  immediately noticed that there were many books about royal houses and the  history of different countries.   One of the books that instantly caught my attention was a biography of Queen Marie Antoinette of France written by Antonia Fraser.  own picture of the book with my notes (in Dutch) About Queen Marie Antoinette of France However, I think that everyone knows Queen Marie Antoinette of France by name, here is a short introduction.   Queen Marie Antoinette of France was born on 2 November 1755 in Vienna as an Archduchess from Austria. She was the daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.  As a daughter she was a pawn on the dynastical chessboard of Europe. After long negotiations she had to marry the dauphin of France. This big royal event (the ceremony) took place on 16 May 1770 at Versailles. On 10 May 1774,...

From 26 May till 4 June 1940 the evacuation of allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and the harbour of Dunkirk took place. History In September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Then the United Kingdom sent the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) to aid to defense France. The soldiers landed at Cherbourg, Nantes and Saint-Nazaire. The commander of these troops was General John Vereker, 6th. Viscount of Gort. On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded Belgium and the Netherlands. The BEF advanced from the Belgian border to positions along the River Dyle in Belgium. On 22 May Churchill ordered the BEF to attack southward in coordination with the French forces. On 24 May, the Germans had captured the port of Boulogne and surrounded Calais. Hermann Göring, Air Marshal, urged Hitler to let the Luftwaffe finish off the British. On 26 May 1940, King George VI attended a special service in Westminster Abbey. The Archbishop of Canterbury led prayers for ou...

On 2 June 1953 the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey. When King George VI, Elizabeth's father died on  6 February 1952, Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen at the age of 25. On 2 June 1953, Queen Elizabeth took the oath, was anointed with the holy oil, invested with the robes and relegia. Elizabeth was proclaimed queen of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, Canada and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). It was the first British coronation to be televised. The preparations took at least 14 months and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh became the chairman of the Coronation commission. Norman Hartnell was contacted to make the coronation gown and the other outfits for the royal family. When Queen Mary, Elizabeth's grandmother died on 24 March 1953, she stipulated in her will that the coronation should take place on 2 June 1953. Before the coronation there was a long procession and along the rout...

Following the royal families certainly is as a big circle of life. They have very happy moments such as births and weddings but there are sad things too. One of the most saddest moments in recent history was the Royal Massacre of Nepal, which took place on 1 June 2001. Then Crown Prince Dipendra opened fire at a house on the grounds of the Narayanhity Royal Palace, the residence of the Nepalese Royal Family. At that moment a party was being held. Crown Prince Dipendra shot and killed his father, King Birendra, his mother, Queen Aishwarya and seven other members of the royal family before shooting himself in the head. King Birendra of Nepal His motive for the murders is unknown but as always there are various theories. One of them was the fact that Dipendra wanted to marry Devyani Rana, whom he had met in the United Kingdom. However he had to give up his claim to the throne in order to marry her (because she came from a lower-class of Indian royal fam...