All About Royal Families

The  House of Mecklenburg The House of Mecklenburg is a North German dynasty of Slavic origin which ruled until 1918 in the Mecklenburg region. This was one of the longest-ruling families of Europe.  History The family was established by Pribislav, a Slavic prince who converted to Christianity and accepted the suzerainty of Saxon Duke Henri the Lion. The main branch of the house was elevated in 1347 to ducal rank. In the family there were several branches: - Duchy of Mecklenburg; - Lordship of Rostock; - Principality of Schwerin; - County of Schwerin; - Principality of Ratzenburg; - Lordship of Stargard; - Principality of Wenden. Titles and claims to the thrones Sweden The Dukes of Mecklenburg pursued from the 14th. century a claim to  the Swedish throne. The Duke of Mecklenburg was a descendant and the heir of two women whom legends tied to Scandinavian royal houses: * Christina, who was the wife of Henry Borwin II, Lord of Mecklenburg; * Marianna, who was the wife of duke Barnim I of

On 17 January 1991, King Olav V of Norway died. He was King from 1957 till his death. In 2005, a poll organized by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation named King Olav "Norwegian of the Century." But what do we know about this popular King? Birth Prince Alexander Edward Christian Frederik was born in Appleton House on the Royal Sandringham Estate, Flitcham in the United Kingdom.  His parents were Prince Carl, second son of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark (later King Frederick VIII) and Princess Maud. She was the youngest daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, himself the eldest son of Britain's  Queen Victoria.   The newborn Prince was a member of the House of Glücksburg.  Early Life In 1905, Prince Carl, Olav's father was elected King of Norway and he took the name Haakon VII. One day Haakon was crowned he gave his two-year old son the Norwegian name Olav, after Olaf Haakonsson, King of Norway and  Denmark.  Olav was thus the first heir to the throne

Music is all over the world. People can play it everywhere, from the smallest houses to the biggest royal palaces.  But this blog is about royal families in past and present. So, let's take a closer look to the royals who played amazing music themselves.  Music was in the past an obligated part of the education of princesses and future queens. Although I found some dukes, princes and Kings who played music too. Enjoy this post! piano at the royal palace in Brussels own picture taken in 2015 Nowadays Queen Máxima of The Netherlands and Queen Mathilde of Belgium are trying to promote more music and culture at school. It's their amazing mission. In the past, Belgium has had some musical queens. The most famous without doubt is Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, who played the violin herself. A well-known music competition was called after her. On the picture you see her favourite violin.  In The Netherlands it is known that Catharina Amalia, the current princess of  Orange loves to sing,

On 4 September 1557, Sophie of Mecklenburg was born in Wismar (nowadays located in Northern Germany).  Family Her parents were Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Elizabeth of Denmark. Her paternal grandparents were Albrecht VII, Duke of Mecklenburg and Anna of Brandenburg. Her maternal grandparents were King Frederick I of Denmark and Sophie of  Pomerania.  Sophie of Mecklenburg was a member of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Love and Marriage On 20 July 1572, Sophie of Mecklenburg married to Frederick II of Denmark. She was only 14 years old, he was 38! They were half-cousins, through their grandfather King Frederick I of Denmark and Norway.  Despite the difference of age between Sophie and Frederick the marriage was described as harmonious. The couple would have 7 children! Her daughter,  Anne would marry King James VI of Scotland.  Duty In 1575, King Frederick II of Denmark became ill due to malaria. Sophie  nursed her husband personally. When he died in 1588, Sophie's son

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 Carl of Denmark was born on 3 August 1872 at the Charlottenlund Palace near Copenhagen. He was the second son of Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark and his wife Louise of Sweden.  Family Prince Carl of Denmark's paternal grandparents were King Christian IX  of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. His maternal grandparents were King Charles XV of Sweden and Louise of The Netherlands.  Prince Carl was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg- Glücksburg, branch of the House of Oldenburg.  The family had permanent links with Norway beginning from the late Middle Ages. Several of his paternal ancestors had been kings of independent Norway (Haakon V of Norway, Christian I of Norway, Frederick I, etc... ). Education Prince Carl was educated at the Royal Danish Naval Academy from 1889 to 1893, graduating as a second lieutenant in the Royal Danish Navy. In 1894 he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant a

On 1 November 1999, Bill Clinton then President of the United States traveled to Oslo in Norway on the occasion of an official State Visit. It was the first official visit to Norway by a US president. History The American Revolution of 1776 had a huge impact to the country of Norway. It was no secret that the constitution of the USA served as an example for the own constitution of Norway in 1814. There is even much more. From 1825 till 1940 many Norwegians emigrated to the USA. Around 850.000 Norwegians found their new home in the United States of America. The friendly state of bilateral relationship was reinforced when King Harald V of Norway hosted the visit of US President Bill Clinton on 1 November 1999. Main participants of the State Visit Bill Clinton (born on 19 August 1947) was the 42nd President of the United States of America. His presidency lasted from 20 January 1993 till 20 January 2001. During his presidency there was a long period of peace i

20 July 1973 marks the birth of Prince Haakon of Norway. His birth took place at The National Hospital in Oslo. Family His parents were then Crown Prince Harald of Norway (now King) and Crown Princess Sonja (now Queen). His paternal grandparents were King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. Haakon has one sibling: Princess Märtha Louise of Norway who was born in 1971. Prince Haakon also is in the line of succession of the British throne as a great-great-grandson of King Edward VII and a great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria. Army & education Crown Prince Haakon has served in the Royal Norwegian Army. He also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political sience from the University of California in Berkeley. Later Haakon attended lectures at the University of Oslo. In 2003 he completed his education at the London School of Economics. Love and Marriage Crown Prince Haakon married a commoner and a single mother: Mette-Marit Tjess