Belgium

Belgian royals celebrate King's Day

King Albert, Queen Paola and Prince Laurent took part in a Te Deum (or Thanksgiving Service) in St Michael and Gudule Cathedral in Brussels. The service is held every year on the 15th of November in the main church in Brussels to celebrate King’s Day. The holiday falls on St Leopold’s Day, Leopold being the name of three Belgian Kings, including the first two following the…
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Queen in all but name: the royal mistress who ruled a controversial king

Charles II, the Merry Monarch, had several different mistresses. However, one of these mistresses stands out from the rest for several reasons- Barbara Villiers. John Evelyn pronounced her the “curse of the nation”, and she would hold sway over the Restoration court for decades, exerting huge influence on the king.  Barbara Villiers was born in St. Margaret’s, Westminster on 27 November…
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Royal Mistresses: Nell Gwyn

For the last millennium, royal mistresses have played a substantial role at court – given that most royals were not allowed to marry for love and instead served as strategic national alliances. So it makes sense that in many marriages, one or both partners would look elsewhere for their romantic relationships, and Charles II was no exception. He had at least seven different mistresses…
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Lady Jane Grey - The Nine Days Queen

Lady Jane Grey, or Lady Jane Dudley, was proclaimed Queen on this day in 1553. She has been commonly referred to as The Nine Days Queen. She was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII through his daughter Mary, Queen of France. From 10 July to the 19 July, she was the de facto…
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When Mozart met Marie Antoinette?

The ‘meeting’ between Marie Antoinette and the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has a fabled quality, not least because of the oft-repeated folklore that has grown around it. From the point of view of posterity, it is a fascinating moment to contemplate, when two legendary (Austrian) figures were in the same room, their biographical futures lying still before them. I want to explore the facts…
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