All About Royal Families

Camilla Rosemary Shand was born at King's College Hospital, London, on 17 July 1947. She grew up in The Laines - an 18th-century country house in Plumpton, East Sussex—and a three-storey house in South Kensington, her family's second home.  Family Her parents were British Army officer-turned-businessman Major Bruce Shand and his wife Rosalind, the daughter of Roland Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe.  She has a younger sister, Annabel Elliot, and had a younger brother, Mark Shand.  One of her maternal great-grandmothers, Alice Keppel, was a mistress of King Edward VII from 1898 to 1910.  Camilla's mother was a housewife, while her father had various business interests after retiring from the army. He was most notably a partner in Block, Grey and Block, a firm of wine merchants in South Audley Street, Mayfair, later joining Ellis, Son and Vidler of Hastings and London. Childhood During her childhood, Camilla became an avid reader through the influence of her f...

When I had the chance to choose a free book via Booktasters, my eyes immediately fell on this copy: "HRH so many thoughts on royal style" written by Elizabeth Holmes. I must say, I really enjoyed the book, reading it was a pleasure! It contains so many lovely and beautiful pictures and the more it was very positive about the royals. It had nothing to do with sensation. It also was written very well and the chapters were chronological. So, I'm happy this book is a part of my royal book collection. If you like royal  fashion this is a must read. "HRH so many thoughts on royal style" was released in November 2020 and has 327 pages. The author Elizabeth Holmes (born 1980) is an American writer and journalist based in san Francisco California. Known for her coverage of British  royal style and fashion. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Town & Country, Real Simple and InStyle. "HRH: So many Thoughts on royal Style" made the New York Times best...

Recently I bought from the local library a small but amazing book in Dutch called Diana & Dodi: A love Story. It was written by Rene, the butler and personal assistant from Dodi Al Fayed. He saw the romance between Diana, the Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed blossoming untill their tragic death on 31 August 1997 in Paris. I think most of the people knew Diana, Princess of Wales but who was Dodi (Al) Fayed? Who was Dodi Fayed? Dodi was born in Alexandria, Egypt on 15 April 1955 as the eldest son of  Mohammed Al Fayed and Samira Khashoggi. Dodi studied in Swiss and he served as an attaché at the United Arab Emirates Embassy in London. Later Dodi was a producer for film and movie series. He also worked for his father on Harrod's marketing. In 1986, Dodi married Suzanne Gregard but the couple divorced after a few months.  Only in July 1997 Dodi became romantically involved to Diana, Princess of Wales. My review The tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed ...

Some royals do have a fantastic garden around their estates. These always  give fantastic ideas for your own garden or balcony ....  So let's take a closer look to Highgrove, the home of Charles, Prince of Wales. It is no secret at all that Highgrove has a wonderful garden too.  Highgrove is the family residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. It lies southwest of Tetbury in Gloucestershire, England. Near Tetbury, in the County of Gloucestershire in South West England, Gatcombe Park, the country residence of Anne, Princess Royal is located between the villages of Minchinhampton and Avening.  History Highgrove  House was built in 1796 to 1798 by John Paul Paul and believed to have designed by architect Anthony Keck.  In 1864 the house was sold to a barrister, William Yatman. Yatman was described as one of the "chief preservers of foxes."  Yatman left Highgrove following a fire in 1893. The house was rebuilt by Arthur Mitchell. T...

Diana Spencer was born on 1 July 1961 at Sandringham in Norfolk, United Kingdom. She was born into the British nobility as the youngest daughter of John Spencer, the 8th. Earl of Spencer and Francess Shand Kidd.   In 1981 Lady Diana married to Charles, Prince of Wales and the Crown Prince of the United Kingdom. The royal couple had two sons: William and Harry but unfortunately things didn't turn well and their marriage ended in a divorce in 1996. On 31 august 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died in Paris after a tragic car crash.  A style icon as well as a legend was born.  Source picture: book cover Summary  Diana: Style Icon showcases her fashion evolution with illustrations of over 60 of her most loved looks and the stories behind them. From 80s ruffles to memorable red-carpet classics, exciting off-duty outfits and her confident, considered revenge look, which emerged after the break-up of her marriage.  This book is a celebration of the Prince...

On 25 August 2018 the movie Diana finally was shown on Belgian Television. About the movie In 2013 a biographical drama film about Diana, Princess of Wales was created. It was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. The drama told about the last two years of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. The screenplay was based on Kate Snell's book 'Diana: Her Last Love' from 2001. It was Naomi Watts who had the honour to play the role of Diana, Princess of Wales. The world premiere of the film was held in London on 5 September 2013. It was released in the UK on 20 September 2013. The events of the movie The movie started with the events when Diana divorced Charles, Prince of Wales. Then she meets and falls in love with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. The film shows Diana's historic tours of Angola in her campaign against the use of land mines. It also shows Diana's trips to Australia, Pakistan, New York City, Bosnia, Italy and finally Paris. ...

The amazing Hôtel Ritz in Paris is located at the Place Vendôme (number 15) in the first arrondissement of Paris. The hotel is ranked at the list of the "Leading hotels of the world". After a major renovation the Hôtel Ritz re-opened on 6 June 2016. Besides these facts, the hotel really is an interesting place full of  royal history. Ritz Hotel in Paris Entrance - own picture taken in 2017 Some (royal) history On 7 June 1738, Cesar Ritz bought the building at the Place Vendôme number 15 to for fill his dream. The hotel was an immediate success, attracting a distinguished and moneyed clientele headed by the Prince of Wales in 1897. Ritz's innovative standards of hygiene demanded a bathroom for every suite, the maximum possible amount of sunlight and the minimum of curtains and other hangings. The hotel opened on 1 June 1898 to a "glittering reception". Together with Auguste Escoffier, a French chef, Ritz made the hotel synonymous with opu...

On July 29th. 1981, the wedding took place between Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Book Cover The ceremony was a traditional Church of England wedding ceremony in the gorgeous St. Paul's Cathedral in London. St Paul's Cathedral in London own picture taken in 2016 Charles, Prince of Wales took interest in her as a potential bride in the summer of 1980, when they were guests at a country weekend. Later the Prince invited Lady Diana Spencer for a sailing weekend to Cowes on board of the Royal Brittania. Later Lady Diana was invited at Balmoral Castle where she was well received by the Queen, Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother. The engagement On February 24st. 1481 their engagement became official. Lady Diana Spencer selected a large diamond engagement ring with a blue sapphire. The wedding Around 3500 guests attended the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. T...