All About Royal Families

In 2021, there was a lovely exhibition of Napoleon Bonaparte in Liège, Belgium. On the exhibition, one corner of the royal descendants of the Bonaparte family immediately took my attention. That's why I wanted to make a  "royal" family post. part of the exhibition in Liège in 2021 What does King Philippe of Belgium, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg,  King Carl XIV Gustav of Sweden, King Harald of Norway and Queen Margrethe II of Demark in common? They are all descendants of  Empress Joséphine.  Belgium King Philippe of Belgium's parents are King Albert II of Belgium and Queen Paola. Through his father, King Philippe is a descendant of the Bonaparte family. The mother of King Albert II of Belgium was Princess Astrid of Sweden. Her father, Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, was a grandson of Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, herself a daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais, a son of Empress Joséphine. Denmark Queen Margrethe II of Denmark was born as the daughter of King Frederick I

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

Is tennis a Royal Hobby or not? Tennis is mentioned in literature as far back as the Middle Ages. In the Second Shepherds' Play (c 1500) shepherds gave three gifts, including a tennis ball, to the newborn Christ. Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's round table, plays  tennis against a group of 17 giants in the Turke and Gowin (c 1500).  The Medieval form of tennis is termed as real tennis, a game that evolved over three centuries from an earlier ball game played around the 12th. century in  France which involved hitting a ball with a bare and later with a glove. By the 16th. century, the glove had become a racket, the game had moved to an enclosed playing area, and the rules had been stabilized. Real tennis  spread in popularity throughout royalty in Europe, reaching its peak in the 16th. century.  Austria In 1899 Archduke Franz Ferdinand left his watch chain after a tennis party in  Pressburg. In his watch chain there was a portrait of his later wife Sophie.  Forgetting his

On 4 July 1799, Oscar was born in Paris, then a part of the French Republic. Napoleon Bonaparte himself chose the name Oscar after one of the heroes  in the Poems of Ossian by James Macpherson. (Via Johan Bengtsson @ Twitter) Family Oscars parents were King Charles XIV of Sweden and Désirée Clary. His paternal grandparents were Henri Bernadotte and Jeanne de Saint-Jean. Désirée Clary was the daughter of a wealthy silk merchant and her sister July Clary married Joseph Bonaparte. July Clary became queen of Naples and Sicily. It was Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, who was the godfather of Oscar of Sweden. (Via Johan Bengtsson @ Twitter)  King Oscar I of Sweden was a member of the House of Bernadotte. Childhood On 21 August 1810, Oscars father Charles XIV was elected at the Riksdag of the Estates as King Charles XIII had no heirs. On that day, Oscar was created Prince of Sweden with the style your Royal Highness. He also received the title Duke of Södermanland. Prince Alexander

Recently (in 2021), the Duchess of Cambridge revealed the newest hobby of her  youngest son, Prince Louis. This is cycling.  Is he the only royal who like(s)d to ride on a bike and what's the history of cycling?  History Bicycling was introduced around the 1800's and it became soon very popular. In 1868, the first bicycling race was held near Paris. In Europe cycling went strong until the 1950's. However it is still a favourite sport.  Belgium King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians are often pictured while riding on a bike and their children: Princess Elisabeth, the Duchess of Brabant, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eleonore as well. During their holidays in France they like to be out and around on bike. However they are pictured in  Belgium as well on their bikes: while they were promoting tourism during covid-19 and on Car Free Sundays.  It is no secret that Queen Fabiola of Belgium liked to ride on a bike as well.  Princess Marie-José of Belgium,

A lot of royals are interested in the climate case. Some of them take the lead to do something to improve the climate.  Own picture taken in Monaco in 2013 Belgium Princess Astrid of Belgium, daughter of King Albert II of Belgium has taken up the climate change because of its relevance to her main area of interest : the  spread of malaria. Crown Princess Elisabeth of Belgium has given her name to a Belgian scientific research station on Antarctica. This is called Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.  Crown princess Elisabeth of Belgium Source picture: book cover Prinsessen van België (Dutch) Princess Esmeralda of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold III and Lilian Baels is going to write a book about the climate (2021). Denmark, Sweden, Norway Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway travelled to Greenland together to witness themselves the effects of climate change. They visited a research centre. Malaysia Several sultans in Malaysi

The noise of motors on the black asphalt ... the tension and of course  the competition. Who will win the race? Who will lose?  Car racing certainly is a nice hobby for everyone who likes cars,  technique and especially speed.  But what's the history of Car racing and which royals love(d) the high speed of cars. Read it in the following paragraphs. own picture taken in 2013 in Monaco History The first prearranged match race of two self-powered road vehicles over a prescribed route took place on 30 August 1867.  On 28 April 1887, the first organized contest took place. This was organized by the chief editor of Paris publication Le Vélocipède, Monsieur Fossier. It ran 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Neuilly Bridge to the Bois de Boulogne near Paris. It was won by George Bouton. He used a car constructed by Albert, the Comte de Dion.  On 22 July 1894, the Parisian magazine Le Petit Journal organized the world's first motoring competition from Paris to Rouen in France. 69 cars stared th

"A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in."  This was quoted by King Frederick the Great of Prussia. History  Since 1987,  the Belgian Fabienne Delvigne has specialized in the  design of Haute Couture Hats, jewellery and headgear. After  studying Marketing she launched her own company and she became one of the most influential hat designers of Europe.  In 2001, Fabienne Delvigne became Royal Warrant holder of the royal family of Belgium. Then Albert II and Paola were King and Queen of the Belgians.  At the inauguration of King Philippe on 21 July 2013, Fabienne Delvigne made for Queen Mathilde a wonderful symbolic hat.  King Philippe also granted Fabienne Delvigne a royal warrant.  The shop of Fabienne Delvigne is located at: 8 André Fauchille Street 1150 Brussels - Belgium.  Royal clients: * Queen Paola of Belgium;  * Queen Mathilde of the Belgians; * Princess Elisabeth of Belgium; * Queen Máxima of the Netherlands;  * Marina Windsor wore one of Fabienne Delvigne's

9 October 1586 marks the birth of Leopold V, Archduke of Austria. This royal event took place in Graz. Family The parents of Leopold V, Archduke of Austria were Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. His paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and  Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. His maternal grandparents were Albert V, Duke of Bavaria and Anna of Austria. Leopold V, Archduke of Austria was thus a member of the royal house of Habsburg. Duty Already as a child, in 1598, Leopold was invested as a Bishop. In 1607 he became Bishop of Strasbourg. Although he resigned to marry in 1626. In 1632 Leopold V defended Tyrol against the Swedes.  Love and marriage On 19 April 1626, Leopold married to Claudia de' Medici, a daughter of Fernando I de' Medici. They would have 5 children together. Death Leopold V, Archduke of Austria died on 13 September 1632 in Schwaz, Tyrol. Source pictures: Wikipedia

It was a big surprise, on 17 May 2020, when Queen Máxima of The Netherlands shared the recipe of  her favorite cookies: Alfajores with dulce de leche. The Kitchen at the Penna Palace in Sintra - own picture However Queen Máxima wasn't the only Dutch royal who went to the kitchen during the Covid-19 - crisis. On Instagram, Princess Viktória de Bourbon de Parma shared a picture of her self-made Irish Soda Bread. Princess Aimé of Orange, the wife of Prince Floris reacted immediately and asked the recipe. In Belgium Queen Mathilde and her children made cakes and Brussels Waffles for people who lived in nearby elderly homes. It is no secret that Crown Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant likes to try out some new things in the kitchen. In the period around Christmas, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has made a television program with Mary Berry. Even Prince George, was pictured with his father, his great father, the Prince of Wales and the Queen, making a rea

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