All About Royal Families

How it started Franz Ferdinand became heir presumptive of the throne in 1889 after the suicide of his cousin Crown Prince Rudolf and after the death of his father Karl Ludwig in 1896. This gave him a great deal of trouble, for he could not marry the woman he loved: Sophie, Countess of Chotek. Her family was not of dynastic rank.Franz Ferdinand refused to renounce Sophie to marry. A marriage In 1899, under pressure from family members (especially the Archduchess Maria Theresa, the emperor's formidable sister-in-law and Franz Ferdinand's stepmother) the couple were granted permission to wed.  Franz Ferdinand was allowed to retain his place in the order of succession and a suitable title was promised for his future wife. However, to prevent Franz Ferdinand from attempting to proclaim his wife empress-queen or declaring their future children dynasts and thus eligible to inherit the crown (especially that of Hungary, where morganatic marriages were unknown to law) once he ascended t...

Prince William was born at St Mary's Hospital, London on 21 June 1982 as the first child of Charles, Prince of Wales (heir apparent to Queen Elizabeth II) and Diana, Princess of Wales. His name His names, William Arthur Philip Louis, were announced by Buckingham Palace on 28 June. Baptize He was baptised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace on 4 August, the 82nd birthday of his paternal great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.  William had six godparents: * former King Constantine II of Greece (his paternal second cousin once removed); * Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Mrs Ogilvy (his paternal first cousin twice removed); * the Duchess of Westminster; * Lady Susan Hussey (a confidant of The Queen) ; * Lord Romsey (his paternal second cousin once removed); and Sir Laurens van der Post. A first trip He was the first child born to a Prince and Princess of Wales since Prince John in 1905.   William accompanied hi...

There are not many books about the grand ducal family of Luxembourg. However  recently I found and bought a very beautiful book: un Amour Souverain. It is a mix written in English and in French. Source picture: book cover Context While studying in Geneva, Henri met the Cuban-born María Teresa Mestre y Batista, who was also a political science student.  They married in Luxembourg in a civil ceremony on 4 February 1981 and a religious ceremony on 14 February 1981 with the previous consent of the grand duke, dated 7 November 1980; and they remain married. The couple has five children: Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Prince Félix of Luxembourg, Prince Louis of Luxembourg, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, and Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg. For the first time, on the occasion of their emerald wedding, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess agreed to confide in Stéphane Bern in complete privacy, to tell their love story, to unveil their personal album with unpublishe...

Probably on 30 December AD was Titus born in Rome, as the eldest son of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, known as Vespasian and Domitilla the Elder. Titus had one younger sister, Domitilla the Younger and one younger brother, Titus Flavius Domitianus, mostly referred to as Domitian.  Youth Titus' family: Flavia, rose from relative obscurity to prominence in only four generations, acquiring wealth and status under the Emperors of the Julio- Claudian dynasty. Titus great-grandfather, Titus Flavius Petro had served during Caesar's Civil War.  Titus showed interest in military arts, he also was a skilled poet and orator both in Greek and Latin.  As an adult Titus was a military tribune in Germania from around 57 to 59. He also served in Britannia. Love and Marriage Around 62 AD, Titus married Arrecina Tertulla, the daughter of Marcus Arrecinus Clemens, a former Prefect of the Praetorian Guard. She died. Titus then took a new wife. He married Marcia Furnilla, her family was closely ...

68-69 The year of the Four Emperors Birth & family Serverius Sulpicius Galba (sounds as a name in Harry Potter) was born near Terracina on 24 December 3 BC.  He was not related to any of the emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty but he was a member of a distinguished noble family.  Love and marriage Galba had a sexual preference for men above women. Nevertheless he married a woman named Azmilia Lepida and he had two sons. Aemilia and their sons died during the early years of the reign of Claudius (41-54) and Galba would remain a widower for the rest of his life. Public life Galba became praetor in about 30, then he became governor of Aquitania for  about a year, then consul in 33.  In 39, Emperor Caligula learned of a plot against himself in which Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Gaetulicus, the general of the Upper German legions was a key figure. Caligula installed Galba in the post held by Gaetulicus. As commander, Galba gained a reputation as a disciplinarian....

Most people know Roman Emperor Nero due to its bad reputation and his  role  in the Great Fire of Rome. But how did he become as he was? What's his  background? You'll read it in this post of the Roman Series.  Was Nero a bad guy?  Family Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus on 15 December 37 AD in Antium. He was the only son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahnobarbus and Agrippina the Younger. His maternal grandparents were Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder.  Nero was thus a great-great grandson of Augusts and he descended from  the first Emperor's only daughter Julia.  Early Life in 40 AD Nero's father Domitius died. A few years before his death  Domitius had been involved in a political scandal. The next year Nero's mother Agrippina had been caught up in a scandal on her own. She was suspected of adultery with her brother-in-law Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Agrippina and her sister Julia Livilla were banished by Caligula to a remote island in the Med...

On 4 December 1999 Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz married Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium. First they had their civil wedding at the Town Hall on the Grand Place in Brussels. Later they went to the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels for their ecclesiastical wedding. Kardinal Godfried Danneels gave his blessing for the marriage. Mathilde's bridal gwon was designed by Édouard Vermeulen of Natan. The flowers in the Cathedral were created by Daniel Ost. On the day of her wedding Mathilde became officially Duchess of Brabant and Princess of Belgium (this was published on 13 November 1999). On 21 July 2013 Philippe and Mathilde became King and Queen of the Belgians. Though they are not that popular in Belgium and especially in Flanders, the northern part of the country, the royals are doing it better than King Philippe's parents: King Albert II of Belgium and Queen Paola of Belgium. On the occasion of the 20th. Wedding Jubilee of t...