All About Royal Families

During the state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to Belgium, a sense of anticipation filled the air as the two royal couples embarked on a journey to strengthen the bonds between their respective nations.  The visit marked an important milestone in the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium, further solidifying the long-standing friendship between the two neighboring countries. Besides this, both King Willem-Alexander and King Philippe are celebrating this year their tenth anniversary on the throne.  I really looked forward to see lovely pictures from the royals and they didn't let me down.  Picture: Bjorn Hoex State Visit Willem-Alexander/Máxima to Belgium DAY 1 As King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima arrived at the Royal Palace in Brussels, they were warmly welcomed by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.  Pictures made by Bjorn Hoex Then they paid homage to the fallen ...

The people from Antwerp (Belgium) haven't forgotten a visit from the Russian Tsar Peter the Great (1672-1725). He visited the city near the Scheldt for three days in 1717! According to some  sources the Tsar and his court could drink a lot and he wanted to know the length of the cathedral by measuring it with a rope.  Antwerp and its people never saw such a special person before and of course they wanted to honour him or his visit by a statue.  The statue of Peter De Grote was created in 1998 on the initiative of Art Group International who wanted - after the fall of the communism - to strengthen the cultural ties between Antwerp and Russia. The creator of the statue was Georgy Frangulyan.    Who was Peter the Great? Peter I Aleksejevitsj Romanov, nicknamed Peter the Great was Tsar from Russia from 9 June 1672 till his death on 8 February 1725.  He was the first Russian Tsar who travelled outside his country. He modernised  the vast empire and he...

Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer born on 11 July 1934. He formed his  company Armani in 1975. By 2001, Armani was the most successful Italian fashion designer.  Source picture: Book Cover Giorgio Armani was born in the northern Italian town of Piacenza, where he was raised with his older brother Sergio and his younger sister Rosanna by their mother Maria Raimondi and father Ugo Armani. During the secondary school at the liceo Scientifico Leonardo Da Vinci in Milan,  Armani aspired to a career in medicine, particularly after reading A.J Cronin's  The Citadel. He enrolled in the Department of Medicine at the University of Milan. But he left after three years and in 1953 he joined the army. Due to his medical  background, he was assigned to the Military Hospital in Verona.  Finally he opted luckily for another career path. After the army, Armani found a job as a window dresser at La Rinascente, a department store in Milan in 1957. He went on to be...

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...

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...

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/1530 - 9 September 1569) was one of the most prominent artists of the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, well known for his landscapes and his peasant scenes. Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Census at Bethlehem (1566) own picture taken in 2016 Personal life In 1551, Bruegel became a free master in the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp. Later he traveled to France and Italy. The painter visited Rome and he had probably reached Sicily. In 1554/1555, Bruegel returned to Antwerp, then it was the publishing center of Northern Europe. There he made over 40 prints for Hieronymus Cock, an important print publisher. In 1563, Bruegel was married in Brussels to Mayken Coecke, a daughter of the painters Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Mayken Verhulst. Bruegel and his wife had at least 3 children inter alia: Pieter Bruegel the Younger and Jan Bruegel the Elder. Pieter I Bruegel - The Fall of Icarus (around 1560's) own picture taken in 201...