All About Royal Families

Our 3rd. Royal Palace visit took place on January 7th. 2024 in The Hague.  Then we visited the Lange Voorhout Palace and the exhibition "Escher in het Paleis".  Some History The Lange Voorhout Palace in The Hague was designed in 1760 by the architect Pieter de Swart for Anthony Patras (1718-1764), a deputy to the States General of the Netherlands. In 1796 the mansion was bought by Archibald Hope (1747-1821), a manager of the Dutch West India Company.  Archibald was a cousin of Henry Hope and Jan Hope and involved in the family banking business. In 1808 his wife died.  Napoleon and his wife on their travels through the First French Empire used it one night. The inventory was sold in December 1821 and lasted more than two weeks.  The building was bought by Renaud Diederick James de Ginkell, 7th Earl of Athlone (1773–1823), married to a daughter of John Williams Hope. In 1831 the Minister of Foreign Affairs Johan Gijsbert Verstolk van Soelen (1776-1845) moved in. H...

Kasteel Cortewalle is a Flemish moated castle in Beveren in Belgium, which was inhabited for many years by the de Brouchoven de Bergeyck family. History The castle dates from the 15th century and is one of the oldest in the Waasland. It is built in white sandstone, in the style of the Flemish Renaissance . It was expanded by Joos Vijd, who bequeathed it to his cousin Joos Triest.  Joos Vijd & Ghent Altarpiece Vijd was the third son of Clais Vijd and Amelberga van der Elst and was born in the moated castle of Singelberg. His father was a castle guardian and bailiff and moor master of Beveren, but was relieved of these functions in 1390 by Philip the Bold after an investigation into fraud and self-enrichment. The family fortune has its origins in interest on land, peat extraction and dyke tenders in the Waasland.  Around 1392, Joos married Lysbette Borluut, a patrician daughter from Ghent (she is also depicted on one of the panels). The couple lived in a Ghent city house, kn...

Antonine de Mun was born on 14 November 1849 in Paris as the daughter of marquis Adrien de Mun and Pauline de Ludre.  Love and Marriage She married her nephew Joseph d'Ursel. He became duke d'Ursel and he entered in the Belgian senate. portrait from 1926 painted by Philip de László Source picture: Wikipedia Charles Joseph d' Ursel by by Emile Wauters Source picture: Wikipedia Antonine de Mun moved from Paris to Belgium, where she lived in Hingene  and Brussels. portrait of Antonine made by her mother own picture taken in 2019 In Belgium, she became a respected artist in aristocratic circles. She  painted many portraits of family members and members of the Belgian Royal Family.  a portrait of her daughter in law own picture taken in 2019 A year before her death, she was honoured in her own right by the Belgian King: she was rewarded and became a Dame in the Order of Leopold.  Royal Letters Antonine duchess d'Ursel also had a correspo...

On 28 March 2007, Annie Leibovitz took four pictures of Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace in London. The pictures marked the Queen's official State Visit to the United States of America.  In 2016, for the occassion of the Queen's 90th. B-Day, Annie Leibovitz made another series of pictures from the Queen, inter alia with her daughter the Princess Royal and her youngest grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  More about Annie Leibovitz Annie Leibovitz was born on 2 October 1949 in Waterbury, Connecticut in the USA. Her parents were Samuel Leibovitz and Marilyn Edith Heit.  Education Annie Leibovitz attended the San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied for painting with the intention to became an art teacher. It was at school that she had her first photography workshop and she changed her major to photography.  Famous clients * Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her State Visit to the USA and in 2016 for her 90th B-Day on this link .  * John Lennon ...

During the covid pandemic I really missed the tiara moments of the royals, though I found some solace in beautiful books. One of them was published on 1 December 2021 and written/collected by photographer Chris Jackson. The book came just in time for Christmas and New Year. It is a collection of the most beautiful pictures of Queen Elizabeth II during the two most recent decades of her reign. It also mentions the highlights of the royal year in the United Kingdom. The book is devided into 7 chapters: - An extraordinary reign; - Duty and Dignity; - Global Icon; - Never out of fashion; - Family First; - Horses and Highlands; - Passing on the Baton. This is a wonderful book for the royal collection.  I hope there will be plenty of more royal books and souvenirs for the Platium Jubilee.  Who is Chris Jackson? Chris Jackson is Getty Images Royal Photographer . From private shoots with HM The Queen to The Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cam...

Hadrian was born on 24 January 76, probably in Italy (near modern Seville) in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. He was named Publius Aelius Hadrianus after his father. His father was a senator of praetorian rank.  Hadrian's mother was Domitia Paulina, daughter of a distinguished Hispano-Roman senatorial family from Gades (Cádiz).   Childhood Hadrian's father was thus a senator and would have spent much of his time in  Rome. Trajan was Hadrian's father's first cousin.  In 86, Hadrian's parents died. He was then only ten years old. He and his sister became wards of Trajan. Hadrian enjoyed hunting. When he was 14, Trajan ordered him to Rome and arranged his further education to become a young Roman aristocrat. Hadrian had an enthusiasm for Greek literature and  culture, which gave him the nickname: Graeculus ("Greekling"). Emperor Hadrian @ Louvre in France Source picture: Wikipedia  Love and Marriage Hadrian married Trajan's seventeen or eighteen-y...

On 18 September 53, Marcus Ulpius Trajanus was born in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica (in what is now Andalusia in modern Spain) near Seville.  Trajan was the son of Marcia, a Roman noblewoman and sister-in-law of the second Flavian Emperor Titus.  His father was Marcus Ulpius Trajanus the elder. He served under Vespasian in the First Jewish Roman War.  The army In 76-77, Trajan's father was governor of Syria, where Trajan himself remained as Tribunus legionis. After his father's replacement, Trajan moved to the Rhine department of the army. However his time in the army remained obscure. Love and Marriage Trajan married Pompeia Plotina. This was a happy marriage but the couple didn't have any children together.  Rise to power When Nerva became Roman Emperor, he was so unpopular with the army, he felt he had to gain the support of the military in order to avoid being ousted.  He accomplished this in the summer of 97 by naming Trajan as his adoptive  ...

On Saturday, October 17th. 2020, "Love" the new statue of the newbe Princess Delphine of Belgium was inaugurated in (my hometown) Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. "Love" is located in the Gerda Park, a green lung between modern buildings of several elderly homes. On Tuesday, October 20th. 2020, I went researching for royal traces in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. I could take some lovely pictures of me and the "Love" Statue of Princess Delphine of Belgium.  I also have some amazing pictures of the inauguration ceremony with princess Delphine of Belgium taken by my fantastic colleague, Marie-Christine Rottier. "Love" statue with the Chairman of Kunst in de Stad VZW Princess Delphine  and Ine Somers of Open Vld (picture: Marie-Christine Rottier) 👉The Statue "Love" was bought by "Kunst in de Stad VZW", check the Dutch website on this link . They also bought the statue of the royal skeletons, more about this on next link .  Princess Delphine of Be...

In these series the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog is researching about the hobbies of members of the royal family in past and in present as well. This week, the blog wants to talk about gardening. Which royal like(d) to spend some time in the garden? Who are or were the Monty Dons of the Royal Family? Let's check it! First of all: there are many royals who designed (or gave the order to design their palace gardens) and much royals like to garden themselves. It's a long list and far from complete. So if you have remarks or you want to add royals on the list, please let me know! Schönbrunn Schönbrunn Schönbrunn Belvedere Belvedere Austria Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (1768-1835), gave the order to redecorate the palace garden of Schönbrunn in its Neoclassical Style as people can see today. Another beautiful palace with an amazing garden in Vienna is the Belvedere Palace, built in order of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Belgium It was k...