All About Royal Families

This weekend I've visited a magnificent Royal Monument in Nieuwpoort, Belgium. This wasn't just a another Royal statue. Together with the environment it impresses me a lot. King Albert I monument - Own picture After World War I , remembrance committees decided to build a huge monument. This was finished in 1938.  Designer: Julien De Ridder Statue: Karel Aubroeck King Albert I monument - own picture The place wasn't chosen by hazard. Here the German soldiers were stopped on their way to France in 1914, by the water due to open the locks. Last year there was a huge ceremony! Then a lot of royals and notables visited this place inter alia: King Philippe of the Belgians; Queen Mathilde of the Belgians; Former Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands; Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and many more. King Albert I monument - own picture

First of all I want to wish all of you a very Happy Weekend and a Happy Easter! Instead of eggs on the picture, I've chosen for colorful Macarons. yummy Macarons taken in a window in Brussels - own picture A Macaron is a French sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder and food coloring. For the history fans, like me, there is something very interesting about the Macaron. At the beginning there is a huge debate about its origins. Some have traced its French debut back to the arrival of Catherine de' Medici's Italian pastry chefs, which she brought with her in 1533 upon marrying Henri II of France. Others say that the Macaron won fame in 1792 due to two Carmelite nuns, seeking asylum in Nancy during the French Revolution. They sold the Macarons in order to pay their housing. At last, Claude Gerbet, another baker claimed in the early 20th. century to have invented the Macarons. Of course, I like

April 3rd. 1812 marks the birth of Louise of Orléans. This event took place in Sicily (Italy). Her parents had been Louis Philipp I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies. As a child Louise of Orléans received a religious and a bourgeois education. On August 9th. 1832 Louise of Orléans married Leopold I, King of the Belgians at Château de Compiègne in France. They would have 4 children: Prince Louis Philippe of Belgium (who died young), Leopold II of Belgium, Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders (his son was King Albert I), Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Consort of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. King Leopold I, Queen Louise and their family - Source picture: Wikipedia Louise of Orléans died on October 11th. 1850 in Ostend. She had tuberculosis. Check also the page: Belgium a Royal History from 1830 till now on top of this blog or on next link . 

April 2nd. 1826 marks the birth of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. His parents had been Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and Princess Marie Frederica of Hesse-Kassel. George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen - Source picture: Wikipedia On May 18th. 1850 Georg married Princess Charlotte Frederica of Prussia. Her parents were Prince Albert of Prussia and Princess Marianne of The Netherlands.They would have 4 children. Their marriage was a real love match. One of the wedding gifts was the glorious villa on the Lake Como from their mother Marianne but they would live in Berlin. In 1855 faith strikes. First their second son Georg died and Charlotte followed a few months later. In 1858 Georg married his second cousin Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. She was a niece of Queen Victoria through her mother Princess Feodora who was the half sister of Queen Victoria. Georg and Feodora would have 3 sons. In 1872 Feodora had scarlet fever and she died of it. One year