All About Royal Families

The eldest daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, Margarita was born at the Royal Palace in Athens on 18 April 1905.  Family Through her mother, Margarita was the eldest great-great grandchild of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom . Contrary to the custom of the time, her father attended her birth because her grandmother, Queen Olga, believed that "it is only justice that men see the suffering they cause to their wives, and from which they completely escape". She also was a great-great grandchild of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia , trough her father. With their mother, Margarita and her sisters communicated in English, but they also used French, German, and Greek in the presence of their relatives and governesses. The princesses were formally educated in English and Greek. Balkan War Between 1912 and 1913, Greece engaged in the Balkan Wars, which put the country in opposition to the Ottoman Empire and to Bulgaria. Called to join the arm

Prince Albert was born on 6 June 1934 in Stuyvenberg Castle, Brussels, as the second son and youngest child of King Leopold III and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden.  He was second in line to the throne at birth, and was given the title Prince of Liège.  Family Through his mother, Queen Astrid, King Albert II of Belgium is a descendant of Princess Ingeborg of Denmark (grandmother), Frederick VIII of Denmark and King Christian IX of Denmark (the father-in-law of Europe).  A Tragedy Queen Astrid died in a car accident on 29 August 1935, in which King Leopold was lightly injured but survived, when Prince Albert was one year old.  The King remarried to Mary Lilian Baels (later became Princess of Réthy) in 1941. The couple produced three children: Prince Alexandre, Princess Marie-Christine and Princess Marie-Esméralda (who is also Albert's goddaughter).  Albert and his siblings had a close relationship with their stepmother and they called her "Mother" World War II D

Prince Harald was born on 21 February 1937 at the Skaugum estate during the reign of his grandfather King Haakon VII and was baptised in the Royal Chapel of the Royal Palace in Oslo on 31 March 1937 by Bishop Johan Lunde. His godparents were: his paternal grandparents King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway; his maternal grandparents Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden; King Leopold III of Belgium; Queen Mary and King George VI of the United Kingdom; and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark. His parents already had two daughters, Princess Ragnhild and Princess Astrid. Family and ties At the time of Harald's birth, he was 2nd in line of succession to the Norwegian throne following his father, Crown Prince Olav; and also was 16th in line of succession to the British throne as a descendant of King Edward VII through his paternal grandmother, Queen Maud. He is a member of the House of Glücksburg. World War II In 1940 the entire royal family had to flee Oslo because of the German i

Only a few noble families are intertwined with the history of  a country.  The de Liedekerke family has it all: a long and interesting history and close ties to the rules of their country.  Let's take a closer look!  History It was in 1301 that the history of the family de Liedekerke started.  Then Knight Raas of Herzele signed an official document in Beveren. His son was Raas of Herzele of (de) Liedekerke. His descendants called themselves de Liedekerke.  But there were many interesting people in the family de Liedekerke. connections with the Duke of Burgundy Raas of Liedekerke, lord of Nieuwerkerken (+/- 1421 - 1494/1495) was married to a certain Johanna. Due to his marriage he became Lord of Heestert and Zulte. In 1476 he went on a military campaign with Charles the Bold. Duke of Burgundy. In 1477, Mary of Burgundy, appointed him as bailiff of Aalst and Geraardsbergen.  Charles the Bold Mary of Burgundy Connections with the House of Habsburg Steven of Liedekerke (+/- 1457 - 1530

On 11 November 1940 the commemoration of the 2600th B-day of the Japanese Empire took place in Tokyo. Around 50.000 Japanese people from in and outside Japan participated in the celebration before the imperial palace. For the VIP guests there was a lavish banquet in the presence of the imperial family. Joseph Grew, the ambassador of the United States of America in Japan had conveyed his congratulations. The Emperor of Japan accepted these wishes with gratitude. The festivities ended on 15 November 1940. More than one year later, on 7 December 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.  Source pictures: Wikipedia

This time the Allaboutroyalfamilies series of royals and World War II, stays in Scandinavia. The new post will talk about Princess Märtha of Sweden. Her family Märtha Sofia Lovisa Dagmar Thyra of Sweden was born on 28 March 1901 as the second child of Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. Her father was the younger brother of King Gustaf V of Sweden. Her mother was the younger sister of King Christian X of Denmark and of King Haakon VII of Norway. What's all in the family? There were even more family ties! Märtha had an elder sister who became Princess Margaretha of Denmark and a younger sister who became Queen Astrid of Belgium. Love and Marriage? Princess Märtha of Sweden became engaged to Olav of Norway, who was her first cousin. The engagement took place during the Olympic Summer Games of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 1928. This news was well received in both the countries. It was an excellent match in te

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld was born on 29 June 1911 at Jena in Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in Germany. His parents were Prince Bernhard of Lippe and Armgard von Cramm. In  1916 his uncle Prince Leopold IV of Lippe styled him as Serene Highness. He studied law at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland) and in Berlin. During his studies, Prince Bernhard met numerous important people, he also joined the Nazi Parti. Later Bernhard went to Paris where he 'worked' as an executive secretary at the office of IG Farben, then the 4th. largest company of the world. Love and Marriage In 1936 Prince Bernhard met Crown Princess Juliana of The Netherlands at the Winter Olympics in Garmish-Partenkirchen. On 8 September 1936, the royal engagement was announced and the couple married on 7 January 1937. Before their marriage, Prince Bernhard was granted the Dutch citizenship. He also became a royal highness by the Dutch law. Princess Juliana and Prince Ber

On 30 April 1909, Juliana of The Netherlands was born at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague as the daughter of Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Prince Consort of The Netherlands. Love and Marriage On 7 Janurary 1937 Princess Juliana of The Netherlands married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, a German aristocrat. The wedding caused lots of troubles in the country because Bernhard was a German therefore he was granted Dutch citizinship on 24 November 1936. The date 7 January 1937 was chosen very well. On the same day, Princess Juliana's grandparents, King Willem III and Queen Emma had married 80 years earlier. Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard would have 4 children together. World War II In 1940 at the start of World War II, Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands, her daughter Princess Juliana and her son-in-law, exiled their country. They went to London, the capital of the United Kingdom. Later Princess Juli

On 6 June 2019 it will be 75 years ago that the Normandy landings, also known as D-Day took place. This marked the beginning of the end of World War II. World War II was a dramatic period in the life of many people also in that of many royal families. In May 1940, Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands had to make the major decision in her whole kinship. To stay or to leave The Netherlands during the war. Queen Wilhelmina was born on 31 August 1890 at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands. Her parents were King William III of The Netherlands and Princess Emma of Waldeck-Piedmont. In 1895 Wilhelmina visited Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. The Queen wrote in her diary: The young Queen still her hair hanging loose. She is slender and graceful, and makes an impression as a very intelligent and very cute girl. She speaks good English and knows how to behave with charming manners.  Emma and the later Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands Taken in Het Loo Pa