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9 April 2021: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh passed away

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Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh passed away at Windsor Castle on 9 April 2021. Who was Prince Philip? Source picture: Book Cover   Family Prince Philip was born on 10 June 1921 at Mon Repos on Corfu in Greece.  More about Mon Repos on this link . His parents were Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and  Princess Alice of Battenberg.  His paternal grandparents were King George I of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia. His maternal grandparents were Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.  Prince Philip was a member of the House of Glücksburg and later a member of the House of Mountbatten. Education Prince Philip first went to The Elms, an American school in Paris run by Donald MacJannet.  In 1928, Philip went to the United Kingdom to attend Cheam School, where he lived with his maternal grandmother, Victoria Mountbatten, Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven at Kensington Palace and his uncle George Mountbatten, 2nd. Marques of Milford Haven at L

Books on Sunday : The other side of the coin

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Angela Kelly has worked with The Queen and walked the corridors of the Royal Household for 25 years, initially as Her Majesty's Senior Dresser and later as Her Majesty's Personal Adivsor and Curator (The Queen's Juwellery, Insignias and Wardrobe) and In-house Designer. The Queen even gave Angela her blessing to share their extraordinary bond with the world. This was written down in the book: The other side of the coin. Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth Alexandra was born on 21 April 1926 as the eldest daughter of the Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.  On 6 February 1952 she became Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth Realms. She is perhaps one of the most powerful women on earth.  My review In "the other side of the coin" tells Angela Kelly about her time as  Her Majesty's senior dresser and her other functions she had. She speaks openly about her work, which is extraordinary and she lifts a tip of the veil about who The Queen really is.  It is n

Who is who? Limburg Stirum?

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One of the oldest families in Europe is without any doubt The House of  Limburg Stirum. It is the eldest and only surviving branch of the House of Berg, which was among the most powerful dynasties in the region of the Lower Rhine duing the Middle Ages.  Some History The Counts of Limburg descended from Count Adolf I van Berg.  Diederik I, Count of Isenberg-Limburg received in 1243 a part of his father's territorium and he called himself: of Limburg. He also possessed the manor of Stirum.  However the titles of the House of Limburg Stirum were confirmed in  1812 by Napoleon Bonaparte.  In 1814 the family was recognised in the nobility of the Kingdom of The Netherlands.  Who is who? Herman Otto II of Limburg Stirum  (1675-1704) fought in the War of the Spanish Succession in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, against France and Bavaria. He lost the Battle of Höchstadt and the Battle of Schellenberg.  Leopold, Count of Limburg Stirum (1758-1840)  was Lieutenant General o

Who was Charles-Marie Bonaparte?

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On 27 March 1746, Carlo Maria Buonaparte also called Charles-Marie Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio Corsica (then a part of the Republic of Genoa) as the youngest of three children.  Family His parents were Giuseppe Buonaparte, who had represented Ajaccio at the Council of Corte in 1749 and Maria Saveria Paravicini.  The Corsican Buonapartes were descended from minor Italian nobility of Tuscan origin, who had come to Corsica from Liguria in the 16th. century.  Carlo studied to be a lawyer at the Pisa University but he left before earning his degree to take charge of family responsibilities.  Love and marriage Carlo married Donna Maria Letizia Ramolino. Both were of Corsican nobility and very young at the time of their marriage. Carlo was 17, Letizia was 13! Their marriage was arranged.  They would have 13 children between 1768 and 1784. Five of them died, eight children survived.  Among them: Napoleon Bonaparte, who became later Emperor of the French.  Gaining Power In June 1764, Carlo wo