All About Royal Families

In these series the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog continues to talk about the hobbies of the royals in past and present. One popular hobby of royals is painting. Painting often is described as: "Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or another  medium  to a solid surface.  Painting is an important form in the  visual arts." Prince Charles of Belgium, Count of Flanders was a keen artist So, who are the royals who liked to paint? It almost is impossible to make a complete list and it's sure that some royals are forgotten on the list. If you want some of the royals to be included in this blogpost, please let me know (and why) (only painters). Austria Maria Theresa of Habsburg, Holy Roman Empress was educated to paint. Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (hint by @empressofHAB via Twitter) Belgium Queen Louise-Marie of Belgium was a decent drawer and painter. It also is known that the Princess Maria of Hohenzollern- Sigmari

The Belgian royal family counts many interesting and extraordinary women which were often forgotten in history. One of them is Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was born on 17 November 1845 as the daughter of Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Josephine of Baden. She was thus the granddaughter of Karl, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Marie Antoinette Murat (a niece of Joachim Murat, King of Naples). She also was the granddaughter of Charles Grand Duke of Baden and Stéphanie de Beauharnais (a niece of Napoleon Bonaparte). Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was thus the sister of inter alia: Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (who was the father of King Ferdinand I of Romania). Princess Stéphanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, who married to King Pedro V of Portugal. Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, who became King of Romania. Love and Marriage As every roy

Oostende near the North Sea in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, always has had  a strong link to the Belgian royals. Nowadays there is still a link to King Albert II of Belgium and Queen Paola. However that's not the main reason the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog likes to spend some time there. Oostende really has an interesting art scene.  Many art galleries have found shelter in this amazing city near the  North Sea.  One of the main attractions of the city is with no doubt the Mu.ZEE.  The Mu.Zee is a museum specialized in Belgian art from 1830 till now.  It has an interesting history and a large art collection as well. Mu.Zee Mu.Zee in Oostende Belgium Some history Already in 1885, the history of the fine arts museum of the city of  Oostende started with a large gift of a private art collector.  It was in 1897 that a museum was created to house the large art collection.  At the beginning of World War II, in 1940, an

On 4 February 2020, King Philippe of the Belgians visited the National Bank of Belgium in Brussels. Nationale Bank België Brussel National Bank of Belgium in Brussels Royal history The National Bank of Belgium has been the central bank of Belgium since 5 May 1850. First they worked from a mansion in the Warmoesberg in Brussels. But this became soon too small. The organization bought some properties near the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. This is nowadays a museum about the history of the National Bank of Belgium. Later the National Bank of Belgium opened suboffices around the country. Even in my hometown Sint-Niklaas there was a building of the National Bank. Most of them are closed now. In 2010, the National Bank of Belgium acquired the buildings of the Union du Crédit in Brussels. These buildings were designed by Désiré De Keyser. The most impressive is the glass roof, held by a steel structure. National Bank Belgium Museum

In the summer of 2019, I had the chance to see a wonderful exhibition at the Sentate of Belgium. Meanwhile my husband and I got a guided tour  in the building. It really is a splendid royal destination not only due to its history but  also due to the building and due to the many royal links inside.  I must admit, I'm not a political genious and most of the time, I stay far  away from the complicated politics in Belgium. However I really liked  being in the Belgian senate. What is the Senate of Belgium? The Senate of Belgium is one of the two chambers of the Federal Parliament of Belgium. The other house is the Chamber of  Representatives. Thus the Senate is considered to be the upper house of the Federal  Parliament.  The senate was created in 1831 as a chamber fully equal to the Chamber of Representatives. It has undergone several reforms in the past. The most important ones took place in 1993 and 2014. Entrance of the Senate

The Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, located in the historic center of Dijon (France) houses nowadays a museum of fine arts. This was opened in 1787. It became one of the oldest museums in France. The tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy at the Musée des Beaux Arts in Dijon France taken in 2019 History In 1766 the art school of Dijon was created by François Devosge. His collections, which have been presented within the Museum since 1787, represent the beginnings of the museum's collections. Initially there were two rooms one for sculpture and one for paintings. The location is very special. It is in the former palace of the Dukes of Burgundy  . Here people can see the tombs of : Philip the Bold; John the Fearless; and Margaret of Bavaria. It also houses amazing items from Antiquity, Middle Ages and Renaissance as well as masterpieces stretching from the 17th. century till the 21st. century. The museum also houses Islamic glasses, ivories of Africa, African c

On 2 January 1861, Frederick William IV of Prussia died and his brother William (in German: Wilhelm) ascended the throne as William I of Prussia. This important event marked a total change in his life as he wasn't expected to reign over Prussia. Family William Frederick Louis of Prussia (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig von Preussen) was born on 22 March 1797 in the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin. His parents were Prince Frederick William and Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. His paternal grandparents were King Frederick William II of Prussia and Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt. His maternal grandparents were Charles II Grand Duke of Mecklengburg- Strelitz and Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt. William (Wilhelm) was thus a member of the royal house of Hohenzollern. He would have several siblings but one sister Charlotte, became Empress of Russia. Early life In 1797, his father Frederick William III became King of Prussia. William was educated from 1801 t

On 18 December 2019 the annual Christmas Concert at the Royal Palace in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, will take place. Their Majesties the King and the Queen of Belgium offer the annual Christmas Concert at the Royal Palace in Brussels. They in particular wish to thank the people who contributed to the smooth running of their royal activities in 2019. To be expected from the Belgian Royal family are: King Philippe of the Belgians; Queen Mathilde of the Belgians; King Albert II of Belgium; Queen Paola of Belgium; Their Royal Highnesses: Princess Elisabeth of Belgium; Prince Gabriel of Belgium; Prince Emmanuel of Belgium; Princess Eléonore of Belgium; Princess Astrid of Belgium; Prince Lorenz of Belgium; Prince Laurent of Belgium; and Princess Claire of Belgium. It will be full house :-) The concert is provided by artists and teachers connected to the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. They bring a musical program on the theme of Christmas with compositio

The Igreja de São Roque or in English the Church of Saint Roch is an amazing beautiful church in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It was the earliest Jesuit Church in Portugal, for more than 200 years, before the Jesuits were expelled. The church is famous for its 18th. century Chapel of St. John the Baptist, at that time it was the most expensive chapel in Europe. With such an expensive chapel, it must be clear that the Church of Saint Roch really has a fantastic royal history. Royal History When Lisbon was being ravaged by the plague, which had arrived by ship from Italy, in 1505, the King and his court were forced to flee the Portuguese capital for a while. The site of São Roque, which was then outside the city walls, became a cemetery for plague victims. At the same time the King of Portugal, Manuel I (reigned from 1495-1521), sent someone to Venice for a relic of St. Roch, the patron of the plague Victims. The relic was sent by the Venetian governmen