All About Royal Families

Kortrijk sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. In the Middle Ages, Courtrai grew significantly thanks to the flax and wool industry with France and England and became one of the biggest and richest cities in Flanders.  The city is often referred to as City of Groeninge or City of the Golden Spurs, referring to the Battle of Courtrai or the Battle of the Golden Spurs which took place on 11 July 1302 on the Fields of Groeninge in Courtrai.  In 1820 the Treaty of Kortrijk was signed, laying out the still-current borders between France and Belgium. Throughout the 19th and 20th century, the flax industry flourished and remains important within the Belgian textile industry today. To be honest, I only knew Kortrijk due to its railway station and the  direct train ways to Oostende, Bruges, Roeselare and other cities in the region. I never stayed in Kortrijk before. Huge time to search for an hotel and to

During the state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to Belgium, a sense of anticipation filled the air as the two royal couples embarked on a journey to strengthen the bonds between their respective nations.  The visit marked an important milestone in the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium, further solidifying the long-standing friendship between the two neighboring countries. Besides this, both King Willem-Alexander and King Philippe are celebrating this year their tenth anniversary on the throne.  I really looked forward to see lovely pictures from the royals and they didn't let me down.  Picture: Bjorn Hoex State Visit Willem-Alexander/Máxima to Belgium DAY 1 As King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima arrived at the Royal Palace in Brussels, they were warmly welcomed by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.  Pictures made by Bjorn Hoex Then they paid homage to the fallen soldiers of both cou

Recently I bought these stamps of King Felipe of Spain on a market in Madrid. It's a nice royal piece in the collection. But who is King Felipe of Spain?  Birth Felipe was born at Our Lady of Loreto Hospital at Madrid on 30 January 1968, as the third child and only son of Infante Juan Carlos and Princess Sofía of Greece and Denmark. He was baptised on 8 February 1968 at the Palace of Zarzuela by the Archbishop of Madrid, Casimiro Morcillo, with water from the Jordan River.  His full baptismal name is Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos , it consists of the names of the first Bourbon king of Spain (Felipe V), his grandfathers (Infante Juan of Spain and King Paul of Greece), his great-grandfather King Alfonso XIII of Spain, and de Todos los Santos ("of all the Saints") as is customary among the Bourbons.  His godparents were his paternal grandfather Juan and his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain. Additionally, he is the third cousin once

Queen Fabiola of Belgium was born  Doña Fabiola Fernanda María-de- las-Victoria Antonia Adelaida de Mora y Aragón on 11 June 1928 at the Palacio de Zurbano in Madrid. She was a daughter of Gonzalo de Mora y Fernández y Riera y del Olmo, Marqués de Casa Riera and Blanca de Aragón y Carrillo de Albornoz y Barroeta-Aldamar y Elío. Her birthplace was thus the lovely Palacio de Zurbano in Madrid. This  year I finally had the chance to see this amazing palace. The History of Palacio de Zurbano The Palacio de Zurbano was built by Severiano Sainz de la Lastra —architect, together with Eduardo Adaro, of the Bank of Spain building— in 1878 for Fermín de Muguiro y Azcárate, I Count of Muguiro (Olite, Navarra, July 7, 1831 -Madrid, 15 July 1892). The heirs of Ángela Beruete, widow of Fermín Muguiro, sold the property in 1919 for 750,000 pesetas to Gonzalo de Mora y Fernández, Count of Mora and Marquis of Casa Riera. Between 1915 and 1920 a second extension was carried out by Eladio Laredo, by whic

In the previous blog post  about  Windsor Castle , the Allaboutroyalfamilies blog mentioned a drinking feast in England with King Christian IV of Denmark. Who was this King Christian IV of Denmark? Check it in this brand new  post.  12 April 1577 marks the birth of Christian IV of Denmark. He was born at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark as the third child and eldest son of King Frederick II of Denmark–Norway and Sofie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. At the time, Denmark was still an elective monarchy, so in spite of being the eldest son Christian was not automatically heir to the throne. But Norway was an hereditary monarchy, and electing someone else would result in the end of the union of the crowns. However, in 1580, at the age of 3, his father had him elected Prince-Elect and successor to the throne of Denmark. Family His paternal grandparents were Christian III of Denmark and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. His maternal grandparents were Ulrich II of Mecklenburg- Güstrow and Elisabeth of Denm