All About Royal Families

  From 5 till 8 November 2021, I was in "hellhole" Brussels to visit the Bright  Brussels festival and some museums. Quite by accident I ended up in the chapel of the Palace of Nassau.  Immediately I was fascinated by its history. Was it a part of a real royal palace? Who lived there? The painting of the Palace of Nassau Broodhuis in Brussels - own picture 2021 the chapel at the Palace of Nassau own picture 2021 History The Palace of Nassau, also called Hof van Nassau in Dutch and Hôtel de Nassau in French, was the former city palace of the Counts of Nassau located on the Coudenberg in Brussels.  The construction was started in the 14th. century. Willem van Duivenvoorde settled in Brussels. However Willem Van Duivenvoorde had twelve natural children but no legal ones, so his possessions came into the hands of the family Van Polanen. When Johanna van Polanen - the last descendant of this family - married Engelbrecht I of Nassau-Siegen in 1403, the palace came in...

On 22 June 1868, queen Victoria hosted the first ever Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.  Of course, she mentioned this special event in her diary:  "The afternoon splendid & not too hot." "Quantities of people on the lawn who I had to recognise as I went along." Despite her anxiety the day was a resounding success. It was recorded in  The Illustrated London News.  Two particularly lavish Garden Parties were held to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden and Diamond Jubilees in 1887 and 1897. Source pictures: Wikipedia

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...

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...

Lisbon is a fantastic city with lots of beautiful, old buildings, a nice atmosphere, a great cultural heritage and of course very good food and drinks. However one of the most amazing and relaxing green places in the capital of Portugal is the Edward VII Park (in Portuguese Edwardo VII). It also offers a wonderful view over Lisbon. But it also has a great royal history. Edward VII Park in Lisbon Portugal Royal History The Edward VII Park was named after King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. King Edward VII was the son of Queen Victoria and he ruled from 1901 till 1910 over the United Kingdom. The King visited Lisbon and Portugal in 1902 to strengthen the relations between Portugal and the United Kingdom. Until his visit, the Park had the name 'Liberty Park'. Although Liberty Park was a beautiful name,  I prefer the new royal name :-) Edward VII Park in Lisbon Portugal Location The Edward VII Park is located between the Avenida de L...