All About Royal Families

30 September 1956 marks the birth of Princess Marie-Esméralda. This royal event took place at Stuyvenberg Castle in Laeken near Brussels in Belgium. Family Her parents were King Leopold III of Belgium and Lilian Baels, Princess of Réthy. Esméralda had a brother: Prince Alexandre of Belgium and a sister: Princess Marie Christine of Belgium. She also had famous halfbrothers and a halfsister: - Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg - King Baudouin I of Belgium - King Albert II of Belgium She is thus an aunt of the current King: Philippe of Belgium. Love and Marriage On 5 April 1998, Princess Marie-Esméralda of Belgium married in London to Sir Salvador Moncada, an Hondurian-British pharmacologist. They have two children together: a daughter and a son. Duty Princess Marie-Esméralda of Belgium is a journalist and an author under the name Esméralda de Réthy. She also produced some documentaries. Princess Marie-Esméralda is the President of Ki...

As the tragic history of World War II really fascinates me, I'm always interested in books and movies about Winston Churchill. So, I decided to read the book The Darkest Hour, written by Anthony McCarten. At the end of September 2019, I also saw the movie The Darkest Hour. I must say, I both liked them, however strange but true, this time the movie was slightly better than the book. The Darkest Hour is about May 1940, when the Nazi's overwhelmed Europe, states and even democracies fell under their rule and dictatorship. In Britain, Winston Churchill just had become Prime Minister. He and the country had one important choice: - making peace with the Nazi's; - to continue fighting against Hitler and Nazi Germany. I think the movie shows the desperate feelings of Winston Churchill the best. It was a very interesting story and movie about the difficult choices that people can make. I read the Dutch version of The Darkest Hour, translated:  In D...

28 September 1863 marks the birth of Carlos of Portugal. This royal event took place at the Ajunda National Palace in Lisbon. Family Carlos was the son of King Luis I of Portugal and Queen Maria Pia. His paternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Portugal (born Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Queen Maria II of Portugal. His maternal grandparents were King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy and Adelaide of Austria. Carlos was thus a member of the noble house of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Youth In 1883, Carlos traveled to the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy on his Grand Tour. In 1883, 1886 and 1888 he ruled as regent over Portugal, when his father was abroad. Love and Marriage A son of a King, Carlos was a good match on the royal wedding market. His first bridal candidate was one of the daughters of German Emperor Frederick III and his wife Victoria, Princess Royal (a daughter of Queen Victoria). The pressure of British diplomacy prevent...

In September 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a celebrity wedding in Rome, Italy. The wedding was also attended by Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie as well as Ivanka Trump and her husband. This A-lasting event took place at the Hotel De Russie in Rome. In 2017, I visited the lovely capital of Italy and I saw this amazing Hotel near the Spanish Stairs. I was immediately interested in its royal history. Some history The Hotel De Russie was designed by Roman architect Giuseppe Valadier between 1816 and 1818. The Hotel got its name from the many members of the Imperial Family of Russia who chose to stay there during their visit to Rome. During World War II the Hotel De Russie was ordered by the Military Information Services. After 1945, the Hotel was taken over by Count Romolo Vaselli. It became the head office of RAI, the Italian television channel until 1993. On 15 April 2000, the Hotel was re-opened under Sir Rocco Forte. Hotel de Russi...

Usually beautiful castles or palaces are located in or near a town. However there are some exceptions, inter alia the Jagdschloss Grunewald.  This hunting lodge, near the Grunewaldsee in Dahlem, Berlin, Germany  really is a royal surprise. It also has a very nice history. Some royal history At the beginning of the 16th. century, Elector Joachim II Hector started to order the building of some hunting lodges in the Margraviate of Brandenburg in the wooded and wild area around Alt-Berlin and Cölln. For the construction of a hunting lodge in the forest area of the Teltower Heide today's Grunewald, Elector Joachim II acquired from the noble  family of Spi(e)l a plot of land.  During the reign of Joachim II, Renaissance architecture also found its way into the Margraviate of Brandenburg. He received inspiration for  the design of his buildings from his cousin the Saxon Elector Johann Friederich I. The act...

Recently, I read the splendid royal history book: Marie José, the last Queen of Italy in Dutch (laatste koningin van Italië).  It was written by Agnes Adriaensen who also wrote other interesting books. Marie José was born on 4 August 1906 as the youngest child of King  Albert I of Belgium and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (born Duchess  Elisabeth in Bavaria). She had two brothers: - the later King Leopold III of Belgium - Prince Charles, Regent of Belgium. On 8 January 1930 Marie José married in Rome to Crown Prince  Umberto of Italy. In those days this sociality and royal wedding was widely bespoken in the press. In 1946, Marie José became Queen of Italy for one month. She had to exile the country on 13 June 1946.  Her life (she died on 27 January 2001) had lots of dramas, personal  things as political ones as well. It was an interesting book to read as  Marie José, Princess of Belgium and the last Qu...

21 September 1371 marks the birth of Frederick I, who became Elector of Brandenburg. Frederick was born in the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg. Family His parents were Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg and Elisabeth of Meissen. His maternal grandmother was Mathilde of Bavaria. Frederick was the brother-in-law of Albert III, Duke of Austria. Frederick I belonged to the noble house of Hohenzollern. Love and Marriage On 18 September 1401, Frederick married to Elisabeth of Bavaria- Landshut. This royal couple would have 10 children together. 9 of them married to other noble/royal families from mostly Germany. Duty In 1395, Frederick fought under King Sigismund I of Hungary against the Ottomans. In 1410, after the death of Rupert, King  of the Germans, the throne was vacant. Frederick allied to Sigismund to obtain this position. This took place in 1411. For his good service King Sigismund offered to Frederick the titles: Oberster Hauptmann...

Saudi Arabia always is a country which often makes the headlines of the news often due due to oil prices. Most people know that Saudi Arabia has a monarchy with a King as the head of the State. Nowadays the country is ruled by Salman bin Abdulaziz. However Saudi Arabia really has a nice royal history. Some royal history Between 1446 and 1447 the earliest recorded ancestor of the Al Saud family was Mani' Ibn Rabiah Al-Muraydi. He and his clan settled in Diriyah. His clan was called the Mrudah. In 1744, the First Saudi State was founded. This period was marked by the conquest of neighboring areas. At its height the First Saudi State included most of the territory of modern-day Saudi Arabia and raids by Al Saud's allies reached into Yemen, Oman, Syria and Iraq. Leadership of the Al Saud during the time of their first state passed from father to son. The first imam, Muhammad ibn Saud was succeeded by his eldest son Abdulaziz in 1765. In 1802 this Abdulazi...

Lisbon is a fantastic city with lots of beautiful, old buildings, a nice atmosphere, a great cultural heritage and of course very good food and drinks. However one of the most amazing and relaxing green places in the capital of Portugal is the Edward VII Park (in Portuguese Edwardo VII). It also offers a wonderful view over Lisbon. But it also has a great royal history. Edward VII Park in Lisbon Portugal Royal History The Edward VII Park was named after King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. King Edward VII was the son of Queen Victoria and he ruled from 1901 till 1910 over the United Kingdom. The King visited Lisbon and Portugal in 1902 to strengthen the relations between Portugal and the United Kingdom. Until his visit, the Park had the name 'Liberty Park'. Although Liberty Park was a beautiful name,  I prefer the new royal name :-) Edward VII Park in Lisbon Portugal Location The Edward VII Park is located between the Avenida de L...

In the library of Sint-Niklaas, I discovered real treasures of royal biographies about the queens of Belgium. Louise Marie d'Orléans (1812-1850) was the first queen consort of Belgium, when she married King Leopold I of Belgium. Louise Marie d'Orléans screenshot Although it was an arranged marriage and she had lots of homesickness to her native country France, she started to devote herself for her new subjects. Slowly she was accepted by the Belgian people and even beloved. However nowadays she is a bit forgotten in history. Thanks to this excellent biography written by Mia van Kerckhove in French and in Dutch, Queen Louise of Belgium came back to the people's interests. Louise van Orléans - own picture of the bookcover This was a very interesting book to read because many letters from Louise d'Orléans were stated and it was written very well. More about Louise Marie d'Orléans, check the OTD post from this blog on this link . ...

20 June 1389 marks the birth of John of Lancaster. Family His parents were King Henry IV of England and Mary de Bohun. John was their third son . He also was the brother of King Henry V of England. They were members of the noble house of Lancaster. Life In 1399, Henry IV ascended the throne of England and John started to gain land and lucrative offices. On 12 October 1399, he was knightened. In 1402, John of Lancaster became Knight of the Garter. In 1414, John was granted the titles: Earl of Kendal, Earl of Richmond and Duke of Bedford by his brother King Henry V of England. Between 1422 and 1432, John of Lancaster had been Governor of Normandy during the Hundred Years' War. He was an important patron of arts. He ordered many illuminated manuscripts both from Paris and England. He also gave the order to found the University of Caen in France. Love & Marriage In June 1423, John married Anne of Burgundy, the daughter of John the Fearle...

The Royal Stables in Oostende, Belgium have it all to be mentioned as a Royal Destination. The complex is located between the Koninginnelaan (the Queen's Avenue) and the Maria Hendrika Park in Oostende. Nowadays it houses a sport complex, however the Stables have a very nice royal history. Some Royal History The Stables were built for King Leopold II of Belgium. Already in 1877, English architect, W.J. Green designed the first royal stables in Oostende. However this project wasn't finished at all. In 1902, King Leopold II of Belgium chose a design from the Norwegian architect Ivar Knudsen. Knudsen had become famous at the World Fair in Paris in 1900. The royal complex was built in wood and finished in 1904. But the Belgian royal family never used the stables. During the first World War the royal stables were used to house the refugees. From 1927 the city of Oostende used the Royal Stables from the Belgian Royal Trust. It had diffe...

The Rothschild family always had been very famous in the financial world. 9 September 1774 marks the birth of Salomon Mayer von Rothschild. This event took place at Frankfurt-am-Main, then a part of the Holy Roman Empire. Family Salomon Mayer von Rothschild was the  third child and second son of Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812) and Gutlé Schnapper (1753-1849). In 1800, Salomon married Caroline Stern (1782-1854). They had 2 children: 1/ Anselm Salomon (1803-1874) 2/ Betty Salomon (1805-1886), who married her uncle James Mayer de Rothschild in 1824. Bank & Business Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the father of Salomon, had built a prosperous banking business in Germany. He wanted to expand the family business across Europe. The eldest child remained in Frankfurt, while the others were sent to different European cities to establish a banking branch. Salomon von Rothschild was made a shareholder of the Rothschild Frères bank when it was opened in Par...

D'Ursel Castle located in the lovely town of Hingene in the municipality of Bornem at the Province of Antwerp in Flanders, Belgium, is really a wonderful royal destination. Not only it has lots of royal history but it also is a very beautiful residence and it has an amazing Park for walking. d'Ursel Castle own picture taken in Hingene Flanders Belgium Some Royal History D'Ursel castle was used as summer residence for the noble family of d'Ursel. I already have written a blog post about this dynasty on this link .  The first inhabitant of D'Ursel Castle was Diederik van de Werve. In 1608 his descendants sold the residence to Conrad III Schetz and through him the castle became a summer home for the Ursel family. They lived there for more than 350 years. d'Ursel Castle inside A famous occupant of the Castle was Conrad-Albert the first Duke of Ursel (1665-1738). His son Charles, the 2nd Duke of Ursel, asked the famous archi...