All About Royal Families

Chess sometimes is called a royal game. However which royals play(ed) chess? Discover it in this blogpost!  Austria Archduchess Anna of Austria and her husband Albert V, Duke of Bavaria liked to play chess (portrait made in 1522). In 1873, the Vienna Chess tournament took place at the Prater from May 1st.  Through this tournament Austria-Hungary presented itself as a world leader  and the equal of France and England. Emperor Franz Joseph, Baron Albert Salomon von Rothschild and Baron Ignaz von Kolisch contributed large sums to the prize fund.  Belgium In Belgium, King Baudouin used to play chess just for fun.  Bohemia King Ottokar II of Bohemia also known as the Iron and Golden King liked to play chess.  Czech Republic Oldrich Duras was a famous chess player from the Czech Republic. He played against Dr. Jur. Wladimir Count Lazanski (1857-1925).  This man was the  husband of Mechtilidis Wallburg-Zeil-Trachburg. As you can see on the name, she was ...

Buckingham Palace is without no doubt one of the most iconic buildings of London and the symbol of the British monarchy.  This book is not about the palace itself or the events that happened there but it's, what me interested the most: its gardens.  Normally it's hidden from sight as it is The Queen's private Londen garden. However the garden also fulfils many roles. Every summer it welcomes thousands of guests for the famous Garden Parties.  Buckinham Palace - A Royal Garden is a wonderful book from the Royal Collection  Trust and written by Claire Masset.  The book The book features wonderful pictures and fatastic ideas to implement at your garden or balcony at home.  The chapters are devided in the seasons of the year: spring, summer, autumn and  of course winter with lots of fantastic hints. It also tells about the history of Buckingham Palace: A Royal Garden, when  King George III and Queen Charlotte turned parts of the garden to pasture....

On 22 June 1868, queen Victoria hosted the first ever Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.  Of course, she mentioned this special event in her diary:  "The afternoon splendid & not too hot." "Quantities of people on the lawn who I had to recognise as I went along." Despite her anxiety the day was a resounding success. It was recorded in  The Illustrated London News.  Two particularly lavish Garden Parties were held to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden and Diamond Jubilees in 1887 and 1897. Source pictures: Wikipedia

After the lockdown of 2020 due to Covid-19, I was very happy to go out and about, to finally visit a real royal palace in Antwerp, Belgium. History The Royal Palace at the Meir in Antwerp was built by Johan Alexander van Susteren, a wealthy merchant in the 18th. century. It was designed by architect Jan Pieter van Baurscheidt de Jonge. In 1811, the Palace at the Meir was acquired by Napoleon Bonaparte. The French Emperor embellished the interior, inter alia the salon with green furniture in  Empire Style. Napoleon himself, never lived at the Royal Palace at the Meir in Antwerp, but his rival Tsar Alexander I of Russia stayed there during Napoleon's exile in Elba. Tsar Alexander I of Russia was the brother of Anna Pavlovna of Russia. She married King Willem (William) II of The Netherlands.  After the defeat of Waterloo in 1815, Belgium became a part of the United Kingdom of The Netherlands with King Willem (William) I as head of State. He gave the order to create the salon of t...

Probably on 30 December AD was Titus born in Rome, as the eldest son of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, known as Vespasian and Domitilla the Elder. Titus had one younger sister, Domitilla the Younger and one younger brother, Titus Flavius Domitianus, mostly referred to as Domitian.  Youth Titus' family: Flavia, rose from relative obscurity to prominence in only four generations, acquiring wealth and status under the Emperors of the Julio- Claudian dynasty. Titus great-grandfather, Titus Flavius Petro had served during Caesar's Civil War.  Titus showed interest in military arts, he also was a skilled poet and orator both in Greek and Latin.  As an adult Titus was a military tribune in Germania from around 57 to 59. He also served in Britannia. Love and Marriage Around 62 AD, Titus married Arrecina Tertulla, the daughter of Marcus Arrecinus Clemens, a former Prefect of the Praetorian Guard. She died. Titus then took a new wife. He married Marcia Furnilla, her family was closely ...

The Trooping of the Colour has marked the official B-day of the British Sovereign  for 260 years.  Source picture: Book cover Source picture: Wikipedia Who is participating? 1400 soldiers, 200 horses, 400 musicians come together each June in a display of military precision. All to mark the Queen's official B-Day.  What will happen?  It closes with an RAF fly-past, watched by Members of the Royal Family from the Balcony of Buckingham Palace. Once The Queen has arrived at the Horse Guard's Parade at Whitehall, she's greeted by a Royal Salute and carries out an inspection of the troops.  The Queen used to attend the Trooping of the Colour on horseback herself, but in recent years she travelled by carriage. source picture: Wikipedia Of course, this event is broadcasted by BBC.  Due to Covid-19, the edition of 2021 takes place at Windsor Castle.

Prince Leopold of Belgium was born on 12 June 1859 at the Royal Castle of Laeken near Brussels. Family His parents were King Leopold II of Belgium and Marie Henriette of Austria.  He was a member of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He had one elder sister Princess Louise and two younger sisters:  Princess Stéphanie and Princess Clémentine. By birth his grandfather, King Leopold I granted him the title: Count of Hainaut. When his grandfather died in 1865, Prince Leopold became Duke of Brabant.  Death On 22 January 1869, Prince Leopold died at Laeken after falling in a pond.  His body was interred at the Royal Vault at the Church of Our Lady in Laken. Source pictures: Wikipedia

On 5 June 1316, King Louis X of France died at Vincennes at the age of 26. Family and youth On 4 October 1289 Louis was born as the eldest son of King Philip IV of France and Joan of Navarre. He was thus a member of the House of Capet. His paternal grandparents were King Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon. His maternal grandparents were King Henry I of Navarre and Blanche of Artois. Love and marriage On 21 September 1305, at the age of 15, Louis married Margaret of Burgundy.  They had a daughter Joan. However Margaret was accused for adultery and she was taken captive at Chateau Gaillard, where she died.  In 1315, Louis remarried to Clementia of Hungary, who gave birth to John, after the King's death. However their child only lived a few days. Reign Louis was King of Navarre and later of France. He abolished slavery but he was very dominant and so there were lots of feuds with the nobles.  Flanders was a problem too. They ruled as a wealthy independent state but ...