The Dutch fashion designer Jan Taminiau at the moment has his own exhibition at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht, The Netherlands. “Jan Taminiau. Reflections” has unfortunately already almost come to an end, running from 21 April 2018 to 26 August 2018. After some terribly warm weeks I finally made it to Utrecht last weekend. Among […]
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Last weekend my parents took me to a place I hadn’t been anymore for nearly 30 years, but which we visited several times when I was a child. A place with a royal history. We have to go back to the year 1676 when Albertine Agnes – daughter of Frederik Prince of Orange and his […]
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It was an interesting reunion with a dress I did see for the last time in April 2004. I remember vividly that only days before the wedding of Prince Friso of the Netherlands and Mabel Wisse Smit on 24 April 2004 in Delft, The Netherlands, the magazine “Story” managed to publish a drawing of a […]
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At the moment both the Dutch designer Jan Taminiau and the designer duo Viktor&Rolf have their own exhibition in the Netherlands – both also with a royal touch. Both exhibitions seem to be a must for anybody who loves fashion and royalty. Anyway I did make it to the exhibition “Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years” […]
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I had to search for my scrapbook to see when I visited Antwerp, Belgium, for the first time. It turns out it was early July 1995, when I spent a few days there with a friend. Of course we didn’t have much money so we decided to stay at the youth hotel. Amazingly they still […]
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When King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan came to Belgium for a state visit in 2016, Queen Mathilde took choc-a-holic Rania to “The Chocolate Line” shop in Bruges, on request of the Jordan queen herself. Both queens were received in chocolate heaven by chocolate maker Dominique Persoone, who told afterwards that Rania had […]
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Planning a trip to Leeuwarden, the Dutch city that will be one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2018? The event will be opened in presence of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands on Saturday evening 27 January 2018. There will be lots of activities this year, not only in Leeuwarden, but […]
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I spent the weekend in Antwerpen (Antwerp), Belgium, and even managed to pay a visit to some places despite of my health and the heat. High on my list was a visit to the new Diamond Museum DIVA. More about the museum itself later, but I spotted this beautiful, not too big tiara in a […]
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A few years ago when I visited Saxony I had some time left one afternoon and decided to pay a visit to a castle called Schloss Wackerbarth – also known in the past as Wackerbarth’s Ruh – in Radebeul. I never got into the castle, but I did enjoy my visit anyway, despite of the […]
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On 11 November 1918 the armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne, France. Two days earlier Margrave Max von Baden, who was the Chancellor, announced the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who fled the country He officially only abdicated on 28 November 2018 at Amerongen Castle. The monarchy and the German Empire […]
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On Sunday I just had enough time to pop into the Groninger Museum in my hometown Groningen. From King’s Day, 27 April 2018, until 17 May the portraits Photographer Erwin Olaf took of Queen Máxima and her daughters Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane for the 50th birthday of King Willem-Alexander, were on display […]
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Queen Elizabeth II has given her permission for the wedding of Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle to take place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on 19 May 2018. The wedding ceremony will start at noon and will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, the Rt Revd. David Conner and the Rt […]
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Windsor Castle is one of the biggest castles in the world and according to its website the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. It has since been the home to British Kings and Queens for 39 generations. History The castle was built by King William I The Conqueror, who reigned 1066-1087. The castle […]
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When you’re walking on the Long Walk near Windsor Castle and look around you might notice a small building popping up in the distance behind some trees. This is the mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the gardens at Frogmore House. The house itself is not visible from the Long Walk as far […]
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I remember thinking during my last visit to The Hague, The Netherlands, last November, that the area in front of the Noordeinde Palace looks a bit shabby. It turns out there were already plans to make changes. Work has started on 15 January and it will likely take a year. There will be more space […]
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