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The Hôtel des invalides, a royal destination in Paris

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 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 Bruant  and the chapel was finished in 1679.  On 14

"Love" The Statue of Princess Delphine of Belgium

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On Saturday, October 17th. 2020, "Love" the new statue of the newbe Princess Delphine of Belgium was inaugurated in (my hometown) Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. "Love" is located in the Gerda Park, a green lung between modern buildings of several elderly homes. On Tuesday, October 20th. 2020, I went researching for royal traces in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium. I could take some lovely pictures of me and the "Love" Statue of Princess Delphine of Belgium.  I also have some amazing pictures of the inauguration ceremony with princess Delphine of Belgium taken by my fantastic colleague, Marie-Christine Rottier. "Love" statue with the Chairman of Kunst in de Stad VZW Princess Delphine  and Ine Somers of Open Vld (picture: Marie-Christine Rottier) 👉The Statue "Love" was bought by "Kunst in de Stad VZW", check the Dutch website on this link . They also bought the statue of the royal skeletons, more about this on next link .  Princess Delphine of Be

A true royal destination: Natural History Museum in London

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In October 2020, the Princess of Wales, then Duchess of Cambridge, announced the Winner of the Wildlife  Photographer of the Year in a very nice setting: the Natural History Museum in London. Let's take a closer look to this important place "The Natural History Museum in London". The museum houses life and earth specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology. The museum also is a center of research of taxonomy, identification and conservation. It has specimen collected by the famous Charles Darwin. It also is known for its dinosaur skeletons.  "The Natural History Museum" in London does not charge an admission fee and its royal patron is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. But what about the history of "The Natural History Museum" in London? Some royal history The foundation of the collection of the museum was that of doctor Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753). His significant col

Who was James II of Scotland?

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On 16 October 1430, James II of Scotland was born at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Family His parents were King James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort! He was a  member of the House of Stewart. Childhood By his first B-Day, his elder twin brother, Alexander died, so James became heir of the throne of Scotland. He was called the Duke of Rothesay. Love and Marriage On 3 July 1449, then 18 years-old, James married Mary of Guelders who only was 15 years old! She was the daughter of the Duke of Guelders. She bore him seven children.  Duty On 21 February 1437, his father King James I was assassinated. James' mother the Queen managed to get her 6- year-old son.  On 25 March 1437, James II was crowned in Holyrood Abbey as King of  Scotland. Until 1439, James II lived together with his mother and his sisters - one of his sisters, Margaret, would marry King Louis XI of France, at  Dunbar Castle. In 1449, James II reached adulthood but he had to struggle to control his Kingdom due to