All About Royal Families

The House of Orléans is a noble dynasty with a rich history that dates back several centuries. The House of Orléans takes its name from the city of Orléans, located in north-central France. History The House of Orléans is the name used by various branches of the French royal family, all descended from the legitimate male line of the dynasty's founder, Hugo Capet.  The last branch to bear the ducal title descended from Henry of Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme (Henry IV of France), who became king (nominally) in 1589, and is sometimes known as the House of Bourbon-Orléans.  The eldest of these branches consisted of Gaston of Orléans, the younger son of Henry IV, and the four daughters of his two marriages.  The youngest and last House of Orléans descended from Philip of Orléans, the younger brother of Louis XIV (who, as such, was known at court simply as Monsieur).  From 1709 until the French Revolution, the Orléans dukes were next in the order of succession to the French thr...

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 2 February 2002, Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands married Máxima.  The bride wore a beautiful wedding dress made by Valentino. Who is this wonderful fashion designer, which is the history of this house and which are/were the royal clients? Check it in this fashion blog post. Who is Valentino? Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (born 11 May 1932), known  as Valentino, is an Italian fashion designer and the founder of the Valentino brand and company.  Valentino was born in Voghera, in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. His mother named him after screen idol Rudolph Valentino. He became interested in fashion while in primary school in his native Voghera, Lombardy, northern Italy, when he apprenticed under his aunt Rosa and local designer Ernestina Salvadeo, an aunt of noted artist Aldo Giorgini. Valentino then moved to Paris to pursue this interest with the help of his mother Teresa de Biaggi and his father Mauro Garavani. There he studied at the École des Beaux...

Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte was born on 20 March 1811 at the Tuileries Palace in Paris.  Family His parents were Emperor Napoleon I of France and Empress Marie Louise  born Marie Louise of Austria).  Since his birth Napoléon II had been Prince Imperial of France and King of Rome as well.  Childhood On 9 June 1811 Napoléon II was baptised in the Notre Dame de Paris. Napoléon was put in the care of Louise Charlotte Françoise Le Tellier  de Montesquiou. She was affectionate and intelligent. The governess assembled a considerable collection of books intended to give the infant a strong grounding in religion philosophy, and military matters.  Napoleon I saw his second wife and their son for the last time on 24 January 1814.  The Treaty of Fontainebleau in 1814 gave Napoleon II the right to use the title of Prince of Parma, of Placentia and Guastalla. His mother was styled the Duchess of Parma, of Placentia and of Guastalla.  On 13 April ...

 The Hôtel national des Invalides (The National residence of the Invalids) really is a wonderful royal destination located in the 7th. arrondissement of Paris in France.  It contains museums and monuments all relating to the military history of  France as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans.  Les Invalides also has a Dôme, which is a large church - the tallest of Paris -  with the tombs of France's war heroes, the most well-known of them is of course Napoleon Bonaparte.  Les Invalides also has an amazing royal history, which I will explain in the next chapter. Some royal history On 24 November 1670, King Louis XIV of France gave the order to build a hospital and a home for aged and unwell soldiers.  The architect of Les Invalides was Libéral Bruant and the selected location  was in the suburban plain of Grenelle. Later they fell that the veterans  needed a chapel. Jules Hardouin-Mansart assisted the then aged B...

Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, who was born on 23 June 1763, married on 13 December 1779 to Alexandre de Beauharnais. Alexandre died on 23 July 1794 at the guillotine. On 15 October 1795, Joséphine met Napoleon Bonaparte. He was 6 years  younger than her. In January 1796 Napoleon asked her hand and the two were married on 9 March at the Town Hall of the (then) 11th. arrondissement in Paris.  She was known as Rose but Napoleon preferred to call her Joséphine, a name she adopted since then. The marriage wasn't well received by Napoleon's family because she was an older widow with two children. Two days after his wedding, Napoleon left Paris to lead his French army in Italy. During their separation they sent each other lots of love letters.  Joséphine rarely wrote back.  Joséphine left in Paris started an affair with Hippolyte Charles. Rumors of the affair reached Napoleon and his love for her changed forever....

On the opposite of the Tuileries Garden, between the Place de la Concorde and the Musée du Louvre on Rue de Rivoli , a magnificent historical palatial hotel is located: Hotel Le Meurice. Already from the street, Hotel Le Meurice looks fabulous and classy, but this blog is about royal history, so my surprise was big, when I researched more about this interesting topic. Hotel Le Meurice in Paris, France own picture taken in 2017 Some History During the 18th century, a French postmaster called Charles-Augustin Meurice knew that English tourists wanted to be on the continent with the comforts they were used at home. In 1815 he opened the Hôtel Meurice in Paris, however it was originally located at Rue Saint-Honoré. In 1835, Le Meurice moved from Rue Saint-Honoré to its current location on the Rue de Rivoli in a new luxurious building. A wealthy clientele followed and from the July Monarchy till the French Third Republic, Le Meurice welcomed the high society of th...

The amazing Hôtel Ritz in Paris is located at the Place Vendôme (number 15) in the first arrondissement of Paris. The hotel is ranked at the list of the "Leading hotels of the world". After a major renovation the Hôtel Ritz re-opened on 6 June 2016. Besides these facts, the hotel really is an interesting place full of  royal history. Ritz Hotel in Paris Entrance - own picture taken in 2017 Some (royal) history On 7 June 1738, Cesar Ritz bought the building at the Place Vendôme number 15 to for fill his dream. The hotel was an immediate success, attracting a distinguished and moneyed clientele headed by the Prince of Wales in 1897. Ritz's innovative standards of hygiene demanded a bathroom for every suite, the maximum possible amount of sunlight and the minimum of curtains and other hangings. The hotel opened on 1 June 1898 to a "glittering reception". Together with Auguste Escoffier, a French chef, Ritz made the hotel synonymous with opu...

Westin Hotel in Paris, taken in 2017 The Westin Paris is located at the Rue de Castiglione on the corner of the Tuileries and the Rue de Rivoli, near the Place Vendôme in Paris, France. Nowadays the building still is an important landmark but it really has an interesting and even a royal history. Some history * The Westin Hotel was opened on June 1st. 1878 as the Hôtel Continental . Share of the Hotel Continental - Source: Wikipedia * It was designed by Henri Blondel, who was the son-in-law of Charles Garnier, one of the best known French architects. * During that time, the Westin Hotel was one of the most luxurious hotels in Paris. * During the first World War, the hotel was used as an hospital. Royal guests * The Grand Dukes of Russia ussually stayed here inter alia Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg - Schwerin and her son Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia * Empress Egénie, wife of Napoléon III of France, visited regularly the hotel. * Queen M...

A place where even luxury becomes common, that's certainly Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Hotel de Paris - Monaco - own picture taken in 2013 Hotel de Paris was opened in 1864 as a part of the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM), under the watchful eye of Prince Charles III of Monaco. Charles III, Prince of Monaco, source picture - Wikipedia The Hotel de Paris has a Michelin 3-star Louis XV restaurant and Le Bar Americain, listed on the World's best Bar selection. In the Louis XV, a world famous chef is cooking. It is Alain Ducasse. It also has huge wine cellars. Hotel de Paris - Monaco detail facade - own picture taken in 2013 The Hotel de Paris has 99 rooms and one of the suite is named after Winston Churchill. Notable guests: - Princess Grace of Monaco - Winston Churchill (stayed here every winter) - Cary Grant - Sir Roger Moore - Frank & Barbara Sinatra - Rothschild - Rockefeller - Vanderbilt - King Gustav V of Sweden - Duke ...

George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus was born on May 27th. 1819 in Berlin. George V of Hanover - Source picture: Wikipedia His godparents were inter alia Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia and Wilhelmina of Prussia, Queen Consort of the Netherlands  (first wife of King William I). On  February 18th. 1843, George V married Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg. They had 3 children.  On November 18th. 1851, he became King of Hanover. He also was a member of the Peerage of Great)Britain and the Peerage of Ireland. In June 1878, George died in his residence in Paris. He was buried in the chapel at Windsor Castle.