All About Royal Families

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 pregnan

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. Chuchill visited Rotterdam

At the year of the Platinum Jubilee of The Queen, the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog wants to talk about the jewelries, the history and the residences of the royal  House of Windsor. This is a blogpost/bookreview about Windsor Castle, nowadays the main royal residence of Queen Elizabeth.   Windsor Castle - An Illustrated History    Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. History Of course, the book Windsor Castle - An Illustrated History contains a lot of history, which goes back to William The Conqueror.  The Medieval Castle It was built in the decade after the Norman conquest of 1066. William established a defensive ring of motte and bailey castles around London; each was a day's march – about 20 miles (32 km) – from the City and from the next castle, allowing for easy reinforcements in a crisis.  Windsor

The crown of the crowns ...  During the covid pandemic, I really missed the bling moments of the royal families.  I started reading books about royal jewelry and I began to interest me in the  history of this famous pieces. So, I hope you'll enjoy next blog post about the Imperial State Crown. Escpecially during this year of the Platinum Jubilee of The Queen, I hope to  catch up with some special jewelry posts.  St Edward's Crown, used to crown English monarchs, was considered to be a holy relic, kept in the saint's shrine at Westminster Abbey and therefore not worn by monarchs at any other time. Instead, a "great crown" with crosses and fleurs-de-lis, but without arches (an open crown), was a king's usual headgear at state occasions until the time of Henry V, who is depicted wearing an imperial crown of state with gold arches (a closed crown). Arches were a symbol of sovereignty, and by this point in history, the king of England was being celebrated as rex in

On 2 February 2002, Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands married Máxima.  The bride wore a beautiful wedding dress made by Valentino. Who is this wonderful fashion designer, which is the history of this house and which are/were the royal clients? Check it in this fashion blog post. Who is Valentino? Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (born 11 May 1932), known  as Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer and the founder of the Valentino brand and company.  Valentino was born in Voghera, in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. His mother named him after screen idol Rudolph Valentino. He became interested in fashion while in primary school in his native Voghera, Lombardy, northern Italy, when he apprenticed under his aunt Rosa and local designer Ernestina Salvadeo, an aunt of noted artist Aldo Giorgini. Valentino then moved to Paris to pursue this interest with the help of his mother Teresa de Biaggi and his father Mauro Garavani. There he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and at t

In a world full of fashion, the House of Gucci made the difference.  Who were they? And what is/was their connection with the royals? History Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci in Florence, Tuscany on  7, Via della Vigna Nuova in Florence, Azienda Individuale Guccio Gucci where he sold imported leather luggage.  He also opened a small workshop to have his own leather goods made by local craftsmen. Eventually, a larger workshop had to be acquired to house Gucci's 60 artisans. In 1935 the invasion of Ethiopia by Mussolini led the League of Nations to impose a trade embargo on Italy. Leather became scarce, pushing Guccio Gucci to introduce other fabrics in the composition of the products, such as raffia, wicker, wood, linen and, jute. The rombi motif, a Gucci signature, was created. The Gucci's developed a new tanning technique to produce "cuoio grasso", which became a Gucci trademark. In 1937, Gucci launched its handbags. Guccio's wife and children all worke

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading  on 9 January 1982 into an upper-middle-class family. She was baptised at St Andrew's Bradfield, a local parish church, on 20 June 1982. Here you can see a part of the interior of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's home: Kensington Palace in London Family She is the eldest of three children born to Michael Middleton (b. 1949) and his wife, Carole (née Goldsmith; b. 1955),a former flight dispatcher and flight attendant, respectively, who in 1987 founded Party Pieces, a privately held mail order company that sells party supplies and decorations with an estimated worth of £30 million. By the early 20th century, the Middleton family had married into the British aristocracy and benefited financially from trust funds which they established over 100 years ago. Her Middleton relatives, including her great-grandmother Olive Middleton , played host to members of the British royal family in the 1920s and 19