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Showing posts from March, 2022

Who is photographer Annie Leibovitz?

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On 28 March 2007, Annie Leibovitz took four pictures of Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace in London. The pictures marked the Queen's official State Visit to the United States of America.  In 2016, for the occassion of the Queen's 90th. B-Day, Annie Leibovitz made another series of pictures from the Queen, inter alia with her daughter the Princess Royal and her youngest grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  More about Annie Leibovitz Annie Leibovitz was born on 2 October 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut in the USA. Her parents were Samuel Leibovitz and Marilyn Edith Heit.  Education Annie Leibovitz attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied for painting with the intention to became an art teacher. It was at school that she had her first photography workshop and she changed her major to photography.  Famous clients * Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her State Visit to the USA and in 2016 for her 90th B-Day on this link .  * John Lennon and Yoko Ono in

Books on Sunday: The Queen 70 glorious years

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During the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, a lot of new books are issued, which is a delight for us royalty watchers and bloggers. One of the newest is The Queen - 70 Glorious years. About the book This is an official souvenir publication of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and issued by the Royal Collection Trust.  Through photographs the book illustrates the most memorable events in the reign of Britain's longest serving monarch.  It is like browsing in a beautiful family album. The book is divided in clear chapters as: - early life; - iconic portraits; - the role of the monarch; - traveling in the kingdom and the commonwealth; - the day job; - family; and milestones. The Queen 70 glorious years is issued on 3 February 2022 and it is a wonderful item to have in my royal book collection.  See more at the royal Collection shop on this link . 

Travel - Special Destinations: La Monnaie in Brussels

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In November 2021, I visited "La Monnaie" a famous opera house in central Brussels. This place even had an important place in the history of Belgium. So, let's take a look at the amazing history of this wonderful opera house. La Monnaie outside own picture taken in November 2021 History The first permanent public theatre for opera performances of the court and City of Brussels was built between 1695 and 1700 by the Venetian architects Paolo and Pietro Bezzi, as part of a rebuilding plan following the bombardment of Brussels of 1695 by the French army of King Louis XIV . It was erected on the site of a building which had served to mint coins. The name of this site—La Monnaie (originally spelled La Monnoye) in French or De Munt in Dutch (both meaning "The Mint")—remained attached to the theatre for the centuries to come. The construction of the theatre had been ordered by Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria , at that time Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands.

OTD 10 March 1863 Royal Wedding of England and Denmark

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On 10 March 1863, a Royal Wedding took place at the St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Then Prince Albert Edward (who later became King Edward VII) married to Princess Alexandra of Denmark. What preceded Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, were already concerned with finding a bride for their son and heir, Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales. They enlisted the aid of their daughter, Crown Princess Victoria of Prussia, in seeking a suitable candidate. Alexandra was not their first choice because the Danes were at loggerheads with the Prussians over the Schleswig-Holstein Question, and most of the British royal family's relations were German. Eventually, after rejecting other possibilities, they settled on her as "the only one to be chosen" On 24 September 1861, Crown Princess Victoria introduced her brother Albert Edward to Alexandra at Speyer. Almost a year later on 9 September 1862 (after his affair with Nellie Clifden and the death of his father) Alb

Who was King Alfonso VII of Léon and Castille?

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On 1 March 1105 a prince was born in Caldas de Reis in Galicia, now a part  of Spain.  The Way To Power 1111, Diego Gelmírez, Bishop of Compostela and the count of Traba, crowned and anointed Alfonso King of Galicia in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. He was a child, but his mother had (1109) succeeded to the united throne of León-Castile-Galicia and desired to assure her son's prospects and groom him for his eventual succession.  By 1125 he had inherited the formerly Muslim Kingdom of Toledo. On 10 March 1126, after the death of his mother, he was crowned in León and immediately began the recovery of the Kingdom of Castile, which was then under the domination of Alfonso the Battler.  By the Peace of Támara of 1127, the Battler recognised Alfonso VII of Castile. The territory in the far east of his dominion, however, had gained much independence during the rule of his mother and experienced many rebellions. After his recognition in Castile, Alfonso fought to curb the autono