All About Royal Families

Royal jewelry and especially tiara's mostly have a wonderful and sometimes surprising history. In this blogpost we take a closer look to the Vladimir Tiara . The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara, sometimes the Diamond and Pearl Tiara, was bought, along with a diamond rivière, by Queen Mary from Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, mother of the Duchess of Kent, in 1921 for a price of £28,000.  Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna and her mother Source picture: Wikipedia The grand duchess, known after her marriage as Princess Nicholas of Greece, inherited it from her mother, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, who received it as a wedding gift from her husband in 1874. It originally had 15 large drop pearls, and was made by the jeweller Carl Edvard Bolin at a cost of 48,200 rubles. Princess Mary of Teck wearing the Vladimir Tiara. More about Princess Mary of Teck on this link . Source picture: Wikipedia During the Russian Revolution in 1917, the tiara was hidden with other jewels som...

Princess Victoria Mary ("May") of Teck was born on 26 May 1867 at Kensington Palace, London, in the same room where Queen Victoria, the cousin of her mother , had been born 48 years and 2 days earlier. Queen Victoria came to visit the baby, writing that she was "a very fine one, with pretty little features and a quantity of hair". Family Her father was Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, the son of Duke Alexander of Württemberg by his morganatic wife, Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde (created Countess von Hohenstein in the Austrian Empire).  Her mother was Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, a granddaughter of King George III and the third child and younger daughter of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, and Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. Baptize She was baptised in the Chapel Royal of Kensington Palace on 27 July 1867 by Charles Thomas Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury.   From an early age, she was known to her family, friends and the public ...

The National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour (Ordre royal de la Légion d'honneur), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, it has been retained (and slightly altered) by all later French governments and régimes. The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie ("Honour and Country"), and its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur next to the Musée d'Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris. The order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand officier (Grand Officer), and Grand-croix (Grand Cross) or the Grand Eagle. Foundation This order was founded on 19  May 1802.  The idea During the French Revolution, all of the French orders of chivalry were abolished and replaced with Weapons of Honour. It was the wish of Napol...

On 14 May 2022 Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan passed away at the age of 73. Family Khalifa was born on 7 September 1948 at Qasr Al-Muwaiji, Al Ain, in Abu Dhabi (then part of the Trucial States), the eldest son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Hassa bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Education   He was a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Crown Prince When his father, Zayed, became Emir of Abu Dhabi in 1966, Khalifa was appointed the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi and Head of the Courts Department in Al Ain. Zayed was the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region before he became the Emir of Abu Dhabi. A few months later the position was handed to Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan. On 1 February 1969, Khalifa was nominated the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and on the next day he was appointed Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Defense. In that post, he oversaw the build up of the Abu Dhabi Defense Force, which after 1971...

On 9 May 2022, the Queen Elisabeth Music Contest starts at the Flagey in Brussels.  Due to a number of cancellations, a total of 66 of the 68 selected candidates will appear in the first round. In this recital, each cellist will perform a Boccherini sonata with cello accompaniment, the first movement of Ysaÿe's Sonata for solo cello and a modern work with piano accompaniment, chosen by the candidate from Phantasiëstuck by Paul Hindemith, Nocturne by André Jolivet and the first two movements of Pohádka by Leoš Janáček. The Flagey building  The Flagey Building, designed by Joseph Diongre after winning a competition launched in 1933, was opened in 1938.  The competition was launched to create a building to house the first national broadcaster in Belgium, the National Institute for Radio Broadcasting (French: Institut National de Radiodiffusion or INR, Dutch: Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep or NIR) (1930–1960). Famous architects Henry van de Velde and ...

The State Opening of Parliament formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.  Queen Victoria at the State Opening of Parliament Source picture: Wikipedia It includes a speech from the throne known as the Queen's Speech (or King's Speech). The event takes place in the House of Lords chamber on the first day of a new session, which is usually in May or June, and traditionally in November, but can occur at any time of year depending on the timing of General Elections and parliamentary session start dates.  It takes place in front of both Houses of Parliament. The monarch, wearing the Imperial State Crown , reads a speech that has been prepared by his or her government outlining its plans for that parliamentary year. In 1974, when two general elections were held, there were two State Openings. Queen Elizabeth II has opened every session of Parliament since her accession in 1952, except in 1959, 1963, and 2022. In 1959 and 1963,  she was p...

On 10 May 1774, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette became king and queen of France. Upon the death of Louis XV on 10 May 1774, the Dauphin ascended the throne as King Louis XVI of France and Navarre with Marie Antoinette as his queen.  When Louis XVI acceded to the throne in 1774, he was nineteen years old. He had an enormous responsibility, as the government was deeply in debt, and resentment of despotic monarchy was on the rise. He himself felt woefully unqualified to resolve the situation. As king, Louis XVI focused primarily on religious freedom and foreign policy. While none doubted his intellectual ability to rule France, it was quite clear that, although raised as the Dauphin since 1765, he lacked firmness and decisiveness.  His desire to be loved by his people is evident in the prefaces of many of his edicts that would often explain the nature and good intention of his actions as benefiting the people, such as reinstating the parlements.  When questioned about his dec...

On 8 May 1946, Winston Churchill flew to The Netherlands. In Amsterdam he was received by Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands. Together they  marked the first anniversary of VE-Day.  The Dutch Royal family also received Winston Churchill on Soestdijk Palace where he was invited to a dinner. Princess Beatrix (later Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands) knew the former British Prime Minister very well from his famous speeches. Apperently, her mother, Queen Juliana (then Princess) once caught her performing a Churchill radio speech, while using a curtain cord as micro.  Winston Churchill - book Cover On 9 May 1946, Winston Churchill spoke to the Dutch parliament in  The Hague on 12.30. On 10 May 1946 he was in Leiden University for the presentation of his degree. Churchill received an honorary doctorate of law. Source picture: Wikipedia On Saturday 11 May 1946, Churchill received in Amsterdam a Gold Medal. He also took a cruise on the city's canal.  On May 13th. Chuchi...

3 May 1870 marks the birth of Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein. Family Princess Helena Victoria (always known to her family as Thora) was born at Frogmore House, near Windsor Castle. Her father was Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the third son of Christian, Duke of Augustenburg and Countess Louise af Danneskjold-Samsøe. Her mother was Princess Helena, the fifth child and third daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her parents resided in Britain from marriage. She was baptised in the private chapel at Windsor Castle on 20 June 1870. Her godparents were Queen Victoria, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, Prince Leopold, Prince Valdemar of Denmark, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, Princess Louise Auguste of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Caroline Amelie of Schleswig-Holstein (the latter two represented by the Duchess of Roxburghe). Princess Helena "Thora" was a bridesmaid at the 1885 wedding of her matern...