They first met when her father was Belgian ambassador in Greece and Albert visited because he had trouble with his yacht. From then on...the rest c'est l'histoire!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bO9iQ2z8ac
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Belgium: An interview with the mother of Delphine Boel
It is in French...so for those of you who understand the language...it is a fascinating interview with the former mistress of King Albert II of the Belgians, by whom she had a daughter, Delphine Boel.
They first met when her father was Belgian ambassador in Greece and Albert visited because he had trouble with his yacht. From then on...the rest c'est l'histoire!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bO9iQ2z8ac
They first met when her father was Belgian ambassador in Greece and Albert visited because he had trouble with his yacht. From then on...the rest c'est l'histoire!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bO9iQ2z8ac
Thursday, September 5, 2013
UK: The Mountbatten Sisters in Vanity Fair
I love subscribing to Vanity Fair and have been an avid reader for more than 20 years. As a subscriber, one gets access to their website as well.
The Countess Mountbatten of Burma is an extraordinary lady. She was immensely helpful to Ilana Miller during the writing of THE FOUR GRACES, published by us at EUROHISTORY (and currently being readied for a Second Edition).
Look at this little jewel...
Vanity Fair – September 2013
The Countess Mountbatten of Burma is an extraordinary lady. She was immensely helpful to Ilana Miller during the writing of THE FOUR GRACES, published by us at EUROHISTORY (and currently being readied for a Second Edition).
Look at this little jewel...
Vanity Fair – September 2013
Mountbatten Sisters
Not many people remain who can tell stories like Lady Pamela Hicks and her big sister, Patricia, Countess Mountbatten of Burma. But, then, few people ever witnessed the history they did. The only children of Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma—and great-great-granddaughters of Queen Victoria—the sisters can recall going to tea with Queen Mary, having Mr. and Mrs. Simpson come to one of their parents’ weekend house parties at Adsdean, the family’s estate in Sussex, along with King Edward VIII, and being evacuated from London on the eve of the Blitz to New York, where they were billeted by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III at her colossal residence at 640 Fifth Avenue, a vestige of the Gilded Age.
Their third cousins Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret served as bridesmaids for Patricia, while Pamela was a member of Elizabeth’s wedding party in 1947. Pamela had to rush back to England for the occasion from India, where her parents were Britain’s last Viceroy and Vicereine, and where she herself would become fast chums with Gandhi and Nehru. In 1952, she set off as a lady-in-waiting on what was to be a six-month tour of the Commonwealth with Elizabeth and Philip, a first cousin. One week out, Pamela was one of the few people with the couple in Africa when word arrived that George VI had died and Elizabeth was now Queen. So while Pamela is 84 (and Patricia is 89), it’s no wonder that her new memoir, Daughter of Empire: Life as a Mountbatten, stops at age 24. There was so much to get in.
Yet the ensuing decades continued to be eventful for both sisters. Pamela married celebrated interior designer David Hicks, and Patricia enjoyed a long and fascinating marriage to John Knatchbull, the seventh Baron Brabourne, a movie producer whose credits included A Passage to India and numerous Agatha Christie adaptations. In 1979, their world was upended when a bomb planted by the IRA on a fishing boat off Ireland killed their father, along with one of Patricia’s seven children, her mother-in-law, and a local boy. Patricia and her husband were gravely wounded.
Continue reading..
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
UK: Queen Victoria
An article from the EXPRESS written by Matthew Dennison regarding his latest book!
She applied rules to other people, her own family included, which she cheerfully broke herself.
And if this behaviour frequently made her infuriating to her loved ones, her ministers and her servants she herself never understood the cause of their irritation.
She was consistently inconsistent.
Early in her marriage she complained to her favourite uncle Leopold I of Belgium that she had no desire to have a big family. She went on to have nine children.
She deplored the immorality of the aristocracy but turned a blind eye to her own cousin marrying his mistress despite the mistress being an actress who had already given birth to four illegitimate children by three fathers.
When her eldest son, the funloving Bertie, Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VII), embarked on a series of affairs, she criticised him roundly for his bad behaviour which she blamed on his laziness. Yet she was determined to exclude him from royal work: she refused to allow him to see state papers and denied him a key to the red boxes. It was Victoria, therefore, who forced upon him a life of aimlessness.
She was consistently inconsistent.
Early in her marriage she complained to her favourite uncle Leopold I of Belgium that she had no desire to have a big family. She went on to have nine children.
She deplored the immorality of the aristocracy but turned a blind eye to her own cousin marrying his mistress despite the mistress being an actress who had already given birth to four illegitimate children by three fathers.
When her eldest son, the funloving Bertie, Prince of Wales (who later became Edward VII), embarked on a series of affairs, she criticised him roundly for his bad behaviour which she blamed on his laziness. Yet she was determined to exclude him from royal work: she refused to allow him to see state papers and denied him a key to the red boxes. It was Victoria, therefore, who forced upon him a life of aimlessness.
Continue reading...
Aristocracy: The Duchess of Medinaceli
The Telegraph has now published an Obituary for the Duchess of Medinaceli!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10262447/The-Duchess-of-Medinaceli.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10262447/The-Duchess-of-Medinaceli.html
Monday, August 26, 2013
UK: Baby Prince George of Cambridge
In his first interview since his son’s birth on July 22, Prince William said he and his wife were enjoying being parents but were looking forward to being able to sleep through the night again.
He added that Prince George was “doing very well” and reminded him of himself and his brother, Prince Harry, when they were children.
UK: Love is in the Marriage Redux?
Friends claim that the couple are so close that they will eventually formalise their reunion.
“Mark my words, they will remarry,” said one friend. “It is only a matter of time.”
Another said: “It wouldn’t surprise me at all. They are a wonderful couple together and, better still, pretty amazing parents.”
The couple have remained close since they divorced in 1996 and both live at Royal Lodge, the former country home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, in Berkshire.
They joined Beatrice, 25, and her sister, Princess Eugenie, 23, for the weekend at Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish retreat, earlier this month.
Continue reading...
©Tim Graham/Getty Images
Monday, August 19, 2013
Aristocracy: The Duchess of Medinaceli (1917-2013)
Doña Victoria Eugenia Fernández de Córdoba y Fernández de Henestrosa, 18th Duchess of Medinaceli, passed away at home, Seville's historic Casa de Pilatos, yesterday, August 18.
Her funeral took place in the Medinaceli ducal crypt, Toledo, this afternoon.
She is survived by only one of her four children, don Ignacio Medina y Fernández de Córdoba, Duke of Segorbe, second husband of Princess Maria da Gloria d'Orléans-Braganza.
Her eldest daughter, the Countess of Ofalia, was once married to Prince Max of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, predeceased her mother. The new Duke of Medinaceli, 19th holder of Spain's most renowned duchy, will be Prince Marco of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the late countess' eldest son.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Eugenia_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_C%C3%B3rdoba,_18th_Duchess_of_Medinaceli
http://www.vanitatis.com/noticias/2013-08-19/fallece-a-los-96-anos-la-duquesa-de-medinaceli-once-veces-grande-de-espana_18935/
Monday, August 12, 2013
+Prince Johan Friso of Orange-Nassau (1968-2013)
The state information service RVD has announced that prince Friso, in a coma since a skiing accident in February 2012, has died.
Friso died as a result of 'complications' after receiving serious brain damage in the skiing accident in Lech, Austria, in February 2012, the RVD said. He died on Monday morning at the Huis den Bosch palace, where he has been cared for since July.
The prince had been treated in the specialist Wellington hospital in London since his accident but was brought back to the Netherlands because 'no further treatment was necessary'. Since last November he was said to have shown signs of 'minimal consciousness'.
Friso, the second son of former queen Beatrix, married Mabel Wisse Smit in 2004 and the couple have two daughters.
- See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/08/breaking_news_prince_friso_has.php#sthash.gqm4qV0R.dpuf
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
UK: Birth Certificate of Prince George of Cambridge
It is an interesting historical document no doubt...interestingly, the Duke of Cambridge lists his wife's profession as "Princess of the United Kingdom."
One was under the impression, by Buckingham Palace's own admission, that Catherine was HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, without the princely title?
One was under the impression, by Buckingham Palace's own admission, that Catherine was HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, without the princely title?
Friday, August 2, 2013
Ratibor und Corvey: Unique Ancestor of the Duke of Ratibor und Corvey
I purchased this beautiful photo at an auction in Berlin two weeks ago. It was a hard fought battle, but luckily I succeeded and now this amazingly rare, signed photo is part of the Eurohistory Archive!
But who is the lady in question, my readers may wonder?
She is Princess Sophie von Metternich (1857-1941), eldest daughter of Fürst Richard von Metternich (the Austrian Chancellor's eldest surviving son...who was Austrian ambassador to France during the reign of Napoleon III) and of his wife, and niece, the former Countess Pauline Sándor von Szlanicza (1836-1921), one of the most famous luminaries at the court of Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie. Pauline was the daughter of Princess Leontine von Metternich (1811-1861) and of her husband Count Moritz Sándor von Szlanicza, who died in 1878.
Sophie, the eldest of three daughters, married Fürst Franz Albrecht zu Oettingen-Oettingen und Oetingen-Spielberg (1847-1916). Sophie was the mother of three children: Franz (1879-1895), Moritz (1885-1911) and Princess Elisabeth (1886-1976), who in 1910 married Viktor III (1879-1945), Duke of Ratibor, Fürst von Corvey.
It was Sophie's sister, Princess Klementine who adopted Franz Albrecht, Sophie's grandson. Since the adoption, which took place in the late 1920s, Franz Albrecht and his descendants have used the last name "Metternich-Sándor."
The Ratibor und Corvey family owned vast estates in Central Europe. These estates included the duchy of Ratibor in Upper Silesia. The title of Duke of Ratibor was acquired by Landgraf Victor Amadeus of Hesse-Rotenburg in 1821. King Frederick William IV of Prussia, in 1840, granted it to the landgrave's nephew Prince Viktor of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, in turn for his renunciation of the Hohenlohe inheritance in favor of his younger brother Chlodwig, who later became German Imperial Chancellor during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
From Landgraf Victor Amadeus, the last of his line, Prince Viktor of Hohenlohe-Schillngsfürst (1818-1893), who became the Duke of Ratibor and Prince of Corvey, besides Ratibor, inherited the impressive estate of Corvey in Westphalia. In Austria, the family owns one of the country's most beautiful estates, Schloß Grafenegg (https://www.grafenegg.com/home/en), site of a renowned summer music festival.
Although the family's once vast estates in Silesia and Bohemia were lost after the end of the Second World War, there was still quite a bit left. The remaining estates inherited by Franz Albrecht, only surviving so of Princess Elisabeth and Duke Viktor III.
Franz Albrecht Metternich-Sándor, Duke of Ratibor, Fürst of Corvey, was born in Rauden (the duchy of Ratibor) in 1920. In 1962 he married Altgräfin Isabella zu Salm-Reifferscheidt-Krautheim und Dyck (b. 1939). The ceremony took place in Dyck, Germany. Married for nearly five decades, Franz Albrecht and Isabella were the parents of five sons: Viktor (b. 1964), married to Alexandra von Wohlgemuth (by whom he has 2 sons and 2 daughters), Tassilo (b. 1965), who is married to Countess Clarissa zu Törring-Jettenbach (by whom he has 2 sons and 1 daughter – Clarissa is a granddaughter of Princess Elisabeth of Greece and thus a Romanov and Schleswig-Holstein descendant), Stephan (b. 1968), who married Kathleen Robbins (by whom he has 1 daughter), Benedikt (b. 1971), who married Anna-Christine von Oswald (by whom he has 2 sons and 1 daughter), and Philipp (b. 1976), who married Countess Assunta Calice (by whom he has 1 son). In total, the five sons have regaled their parents with twelve grandchildren, nine of them boys.
Duke Franz Albrecht passed away in June 2009. His obituary was included inside Eurohistory Issue LXXI (Volume 12.5 – October 2009).
His son Viktor IV is the current Duke of Ratibor, Fürst of Corvey.
The late Franz Albrecht, Duke of Ratibor, Fürst of Corvey.
(1920-2009)
Eurohistory Issue LXXI – Volume 12.5, October 2009
UK: A New Baby, A New Country Home
The Queen is said to have paid the current tenant of Anmer Hall in Norfolk a “generous” settlement to vacate the 10-bedroomed Georgian property.
It was earmarked as the Duke and Duchess’s country retreat last year and aides have been granted planning permission for major developments to upgrade the home.
Anmer Hall was home to the Duke and Duchess of Kent between 1972 and 1990 and had been leased until March 2017 to James Everett, who owns Norfolk Oak, a kitchen and timber company, which is run from its stables.
A blog posting on the company’s website confirmed that he was already in the process of relocating to make way for the new royal tenants.
“Unlike many businesses, Norfolk Oak has the pleasure of moving from one historic place to another. Anmer Hall, which is soon to be faced with royalty once more, to historic, rustic RAF West Raynham,” it said.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
EUROHISTORY: Link to Our Books Selling on AMAZON
Many of our readers have emailed asking for a link to the books we sell on AMAZON.
Here it is!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main/ref=olp_merch_name_1?ie=UTF8&asin=0985460326&isAmazonFulfilled=0&seller=A3SHUOZBCCEYBL
Here it is!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aag/main/ref=olp_merch_name_1?ie=UTF8&asin=0985460326&isAmazonFulfilled=0&seller=A3SHUOZBCCEYBL
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
UK Royal baby: William and Kate name their son George
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their son George Alexander Louis, Kensington Palace has said.
George had been the bookmakers' favourite for the first name of the prince, who is third in line to the throne.
He will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.
They are currently at the duchess's family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, after spending a night at Kensington Palace.
The Duke and Duchess had been expected to pick a traditional royal name for their son, who was born at St Mary's Hospital in London on Monday at 16:24 BST, weighing 8lbs 6oz.
Royal infants usually have historical names which are passed down through the generations.
This is a relatively quick announcement of a name compared to previous royal babies.
It was seven days before the name of a newborn Prince William was announced in 1982, and there was a wait of a month following the Prince Charles's birth in 1948.
All births in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, regardless of parentage, must be registered within 42 days at the hospital before leaving or a register office.
UK: Echoes of 1982
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge left hospital on Tuesday evening with their new baby son, born on 22 July. The duke was born at the same hospital - the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London - some 31 years and one month almost to the day earlier.
UK: Her Majesty Visits a Future King
The Queen has paid a half-hour visit to Kensington Palace to meet her new great-grandson, the son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The new parents left St Mary's Hospital in west London on Tuesday evening, where the duke said they were yet to name the third in line to the throne.
They spent the night at the palace and they have now gone to Catherine's family in Bucklebury, Berkshire.
Other visitors to the palace included Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton.
After a morning of visitors, the duke and duchess were seen leaving Kensington Palace with their newborn at 13:00 BST.
The BBC's royal correspondent Luisa Baldini said there had been wide speculation that the couple would head to the maternal grandparents' home but it was not known how long they would stay.
Catherine is very close to her parents, Carole and Michael, and Prince William has previously said how comfortable he feels around them, she said.
"The house is large and private enough for the duke and duchess to bond with their newborn son," she added.
'Very special'The Queen visited without her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, as he continues to recover from abdominal surgery.
She made the short journey from Buckingham Palace in a dark green Bentley.
Continue reading...
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
[LEAKED] Kate and Will Arguing Over Royal Baby's Name LEAKED -- Find out what it is here!
Click on any two advertisements posted on this blog to reveal a hidden blog with the royal baby's name.
It will appear alongside a leaked cell phone video-recording of Kate disagreeing with William on his choice for the boy's name, only to follow with an eventual concession from the Duchess.
It will appear alongside a leaked cell phone video-recording of Kate disagreeing with William on his choice for the boy's name, only to follow with an eventual concession from the Duchess.
Hint: the name starts with H.
Here is a teaser screenshot of the video to wet your appetite:
Just click on any two ads to find out now!
Royal baby: Put yourself there as Prince William and Kate Middleton show off their little Prince
IT was the moment the world had waited for as Prince William and his wife Kate emerged from St Mary's hospital to show off their son and the future king - and now you can experience the moment as if you were there.
Barely a day old, the son of Prince William and wife Kate was shown to the world from the steps of St Mary's hospital in London about 7.15pm local time (4.15am AEST).
With the cheers of wellwishers ringing in their ears, the royal couple could not contain their joy as they broke from protocol and walked out of the Lindo Wing to face the world's media and chat about their new addition.
With our special 360-degree panorama and video (above) we put you front and centre at the historic moment. It's easy to use: Just click on four arrows to expand then use your arrow keys – or finger if on a mobile – to guide it around.
The new royal baby meets the world...and even manages a wave!
And he joked: “He’s got her looks, thankfully, and way more hair than me.
“He’s got a good pair of lungs on him, that’s for sure!”
The elated new dad held on to his son as he admitted he and Princess Kate had still not chosen a name for the third in line to the throne.
And Prince Wills, 31, proved he will be a great dad, as Kate said: “He’s done his first nappy already.”
William said: “He’s a big boy, he’s quite heavy. We are still working on a name, so we will have that as soon as we can.
“It’s the first time we have seen him really, so we are having a proper chance to catch up.”
Wills and Kate, both 31, greeted well-wishers outside the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, as applause erupted.
The Duchess Of Cambridge, still showing a bump under her blue summer dress, said she was overwhelmed at becoming a mum.
She looked a little tearful as she said: “It’s very emotional, it’s such a special time. I think any parent will know what this feeling is like.”
Her husband agreed, adding: “It’s very special.
“I’ll remind him of his tardiness when he’s a bit older.
“I know how long you’ve all been standing here so hopefully the hospital and you guys can all go back to normal now and we can go and look after him.”
Kate appeared at 7.14pm, carrying the baby in a white blanket.
As she clutched the 8lb 6oz boy, the first Prince Of Cambridge to be born for more than 190 years, his hand appeared over the top of the cover, making it look as if he was waving to the crowds.
Royal baby is born: Kate gives birth to royal baby boy
LONDONIt's a boy for Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.
The birth was announced via a formal press release issued by Kensington Palace, which stated that the duchess "was safely delivered of a son" at 4:24 p.m., local time, weighing 8 lbs., 6 oz.
The royal baby is third in line to the English throne, after Prince Charles and Prince William, and would have gained this line of succession regardless of gender.
What's more, still-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth gains yet another royal accolade unique to her age by witnessing the birth of her great-grandchild in direct succession to the throne she occupies.
Queen Victoria, seen below, was the last monarch to do so circa 120 years ago. 
A true sign of the times: Bookmakers across the globe are taking bets on the royal baby's name.
One such entity, Paddy Power, listed the female name Alexandra as the initial favorite (although this was prior to the baby's birth) with 3 to 1 odds.
Ladbrokes also has George as the top boy name, giving it 10 to 1 odds, with Alexander listed second at 20 to 1, Richard and Louis tied for third at 25 to 1 and Charles, Edward and David locked into a
three-way tie at 33 to 1.
The Duke, 31, also revealed they had not yet decided what to call their son, saying: "We are still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can."
The Duke, 31, also revealed they had not yet decided what to call their son, saying: "We are still working on a name so we will have that as soon as we can."
He added: "It's the first time we have seen him really so we are having a proper chance to catch up."
Stay tuned for more news on the royal baby and the release of its name.
UK: First Glimpses of Baby Cambridge!
- The Duchess of Cambridge: "It was very emotional, it is such a special time". #RoyalBabyBoy
- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have left hospital with their new baby boy #RoyalBabyBoy
- Their Royal Highnesses would like to reiterate their thanks to the hospital for the care and treatment they have all received.
- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their son will travel home to Kensington Palace.
Clarence House Enjoy!
UK: Royal Birth – Images from London
Here are some images from the Royal Birth!
Enjoy...
Enjoy...
The Prince of Wales and their Duchess of Cornwall visit their grandson.
Official birth announcement outside Buckingham Palace.
The Town Crier makes an announcement.
The Duchess of Cambridge's parents visit their daughter, son-in-law and first grandson.
UK: Royal Baby Card
Clarence House has set up an online baby card for us all to sign, wishing Baby Cambridge the best of luck!
https://royalbabycard.withgoogle.com/
Monday, July 22, 2013
UK: More Royal Birth News
The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth Monday to her first child, an 8-pound, 6-ounce boy at 4:24 p.m. local time (11:24 a.m. ET).
The palace revealed the news via press release at 8 p.m. local time following a hospital stay that lasted more than 14 hours at London's St. Mary’s Hospital, the same facility where Princes William and Harry were born.
NBC News
The official announcement, placed on an easel outside Buckingham Palace.
The baby's birth was to be announced to the world in a formal declaration placed in front of Buckingham Palace on an easel, the same one used to announce Prince William’s birth 31 years ago. But the palace released the news to the media first; the formal notice was posted a few minutes later.
"Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well and will remain in hospital overnight," the statement read.
"We could not be happier," new dad Prince William said via his spokesman.
The name of the baby, the palace said, will be announced "in due course." Prince William's parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, took a week to announce his name.
The infant will be third in line to the British throne, after his father and grandfather, Prince Charles. He is the first grandchild for both Prince Charles and the Middleton family.
“Both my wife and I are overjoyed at the arrival of my first grandchild," said Prince Charles in a statement. "It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy. Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone’s life, as countless kind people have told me in recent months, so I am enormously proud and happy to be a grandfather for the first time and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future."
Continue reading...
©GettyUK: It's a Prince of Cambridge!
Clarence House has released the following information regarding the birth of Baby Prince of Cambridge!
The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted at St Mary's Hospital's Lindo Wing, earlier this morning.
After nearly 11 hours of labor, the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a little boy, who was born at 4:24PM, weighing 8.6lbs.
The Duke of Cambridge was present at the birth. HM The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as other members of the Royal Family, have been informed.
The Duchess of Cambridge and her son will remain at hospital overnight. Both are doing splendidly well!
The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted at St Mary's Hospital's Lindo Wing, earlier this morning.
After nearly 11 hours of labor, the Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a little boy, who was born at 4:24PM, weighing 8.6lbs.
The Duke of Cambridge was present at the birth. HM The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as other members of the Royal Family, have been informed.
The Duchess of Cambridge and her son will remain at hospital overnight. Both are doing splendidly well!
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