All About Royal Families

Margaret Rhodes (née Elphinstone; 9 June 1925 – 25 November 2016) was a British aristocrat and a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. From 1991 to 2002,she served as Woman of the Bedchamber to her aunt Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Childhood Born Margaret Elphinstone in Westminster, London, Rhodes was the youngest daughter of the 16th Lord Elphinstone and his wife, Lady Mary Bowes-Lyon, an elder sister of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Less than a year older than the future queen, she was a frequent playmate of the young Princess Elizabeth. During the Second World War she lived at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, and took a secretarial course. On 20 November 1947, she was a bridesmaid to Princess Elizabeth at her wedding to Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh. Duty During World War II, she worked as a secretary for MI6. She was a Woman of the Bedchamber – a mix of lady-in-waiting and companion – to her aunt, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, from 1991 until the latter'

On 5 June 1962 Princess Astrid of Belgium was born on the day before her father's 28th birthday at the Château de Belvédère, near Laeken, and was named after her late paternal grandmother, Astrid of Sweden, the popular first wife of King Leopold III.  Godparents Her godparents were her uncle Fabrizio, Prince Ruffo di Calabria-Santapau, 7th Duke di Guardia Lombarda, and her aunt Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg. Love and Marriage Princess Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este, subsequently head of the Archducal House of Austria-Este, on 22 September 1984 at Brussels. Lorenz is the eldest son of Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este (1915–1996), and his wife Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta (1930–2022). Her husband was also created Prince of Belgium by Royal Decree on 27 November 1995. Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz have five children: Prince Amedeo, born on 21 February 1986  Princess Maria Laura, born on 26 August 1988  Prince Joachim, born on 9 December 1991

In 2022, Her Majesty The Queen will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service. own picture taken in London in 2016 Get involved in celebrating Her Majesty’s historic reign in the run up to the Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend which takes place from 2nd to 5th June. On June 2nd the Trooping of the Colour will take place .  1st Battalion Irish Guards will Troop their Colour in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen on Thursday 2nd June 2022. Taking part will be up to : - 1500 soldiers of the Household Division and The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery; -  400 musicians from the Massed Bands; - 200 horses; - 70 aircraft.  The ceremony of Trooping the Colour is believed to have been first performed  during the reign of King Charles II (1660-1685). In 1748 it was decided that  this parade would be used to mark the official birthday of The Sovereign. It became and annual event after George III became King in 1760. Guards taking part are draw

Royal jewelry and especially tiara's mostly have a wonderful and sometimes surprising history. In this blogpost we take a closer look to the Vladimir Tiara . The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara, sometimes the Diamond and Pearl Tiara, was bought, along with a diamond rivière, by Queen Mary from Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, mother of the Duchess of Kent, in 1921 for a price of £28,000.  Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna and her mother Source picture: Wikipedia The grand duchess, known after her marriage as Princess Nicholas of Greece, inherited it from her mother, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, who received it as a wedding gift from her husband in 1874. It originally had 15 large drop pearls, and was made by the jeweller Carl Edvard Bolin at a cost of 48,200 rubles. Princess Mary of Teck wearing the Vladimir Tiara. More about Princess Mary of Teck on this link . Source picture: Wikipedia During the Russian Revolution in 1917, the tiara was hidden with other jewels somewher