Royally Speaking with Marlene of Royal Musings and Royal Book News

In number four of the summer interviews with some of our favourite bloggers (in no particular order), I talked to Marlene Koenig of Royal Musings and Royal Book News...

The first question of the interview is one of the most asked ones for every royal blogger or even every royal watcher for that matter, how did you get interested in royalty in the first place and how did you interest develop from there?

My mom was interested in royalty too. She and my dad got married right before Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation, which my mom watched on TV. The women’s magazines, such as Ladies Home Journal, in the 60s, always had stories on the British royals and Princess Grace. I have always been a voracious reader, and I loved reading histories and biographies. 

Queen Victoria

When I was 12 I decided it was time to leave the teen section, and go upstairs and borrow books from the adult section. I went to the biography section, and the first book I pulled off the shelf was Elizabeth Longford’s " Queen Victoria Born to Succeed". I took the book to the check out counter and handed over my library card. The librarian said I wasn’t old enough (I think you had to be 13 to borrow books from the adult section.) I looked straight at the librarian and said: You call my mother. She will say I can borrow this book. The librarian did not call my mom. She let me borrow the book. Took it home and started reading it. This book had a family tree pull out section on Victoria’s descendants. So I started borrowing books on these descendants: British, German, Roumanian and so on. My great-great-great grandmother was a nursery playmate of the Kaiser and his sister, Charlotte. Suffice to say, getting that book on Queen Victoria was the key to the start of what would become my area of expertise: the descendants of Queen Victoria. My parents were divorced when I was young, and I am an only child, so reading became my go to safe place.

You have been an author of royal books and articles as well as a blogger for many years. What is it that keeps you writing about royals and why do you think the public is so fixating with reading about them?

This may sound strange, but I do believe God gives us gifts, talents, interests, whether it be a scientist working on a cure for cancer or a musician composing a new opera. I was very lucky. I had parents who didn’t think my interest was all that weird – and it lead to and interest in literature and history, too. There are Europeans who are recognized experts in American culture or American politics so it is conceivable that an American can be an expert on British and European royalty. There are historical and, yes, emotional ties to monarchy. Tradition, heritage, history are all brought together in a monarch, a royal family. Monarchy offers stability. Royals are real people, too, and for the most part, they are consciously aware of their own heritage and responsibilities. I think the US has done well rather since declaring independence in 1776, but we do not have 1000+ years of history. We don’t have that pomp and pageantry that the British do so well … but we can appreciate it because we share the same culture and language.

Your blog covers an array of European current and former royal families, which ones do you find most interesting and why?

The British, of course, because of the Anglo-American connection … British history is our history, too. I would add the Swedish, the Luxembourgs, Hannover (because that is where my family is from), the Prussians, and many of the mediatized families. Also rather partial to the Roumanians and Yugoslavians, and have had the immense honor of being invited to several recent royal events in both countries. I think Royal Musings is unique because I have the opportunity to cover historic royal events, writing the story as if it is the day of the event, but also current news, too. I also have a second blog, RBN – Royal Book News, where I review royal books. This blog is the successor to an eponymous newsletter that I published for 25 years.

Photo: Marlene Koenig

Focusing on Luxembourg a little, I know that you have had plans to write a book on the descendants of Grand Duke Adolph for a few years now, how is it coming along? Can you see light on the end of the tunnel yet and tell us when we will be able to find in in our (online) bookshops?

I am in the sending out the questionnaires, making my way through all of the adult living descendants. Now that I am nearly finished with my next article for the European History Journal, I can start on the next batch of questionnaires, which I do send out by airmail with a proper letter. I have a publisher, but no pub date. Don’t worry – you will be among the first to know when the book is about to be published.

Lastly if you could invite six royals (dead or alive) to a dinner party, which ones would find an invitation in their mailbox?

Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia (I have been to his house three times so I should reciprocate), Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales, Queen Sophie of Greece (Consort of Constantine I) because we share the same birthday and then try to interview her to set the record straight about her loyalty to the Allied nations, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Max of Baden (the last royal chancellor).

Hereditary Grand Duke in Liège

#453156708 / gettyimages.com

100 years ago today, the German troops crossed the border into neighbouring Belgium thus committing a breach of neutrality and starting World War I, a conflict that would ultimately claim over 16 million lives. Representatives from various nations including royals from Belgium, Great Britain, Spain and Luxembourg gathered today in Liège to commemorate the event. The Grand Duchy was represented by Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume appearing in his father's place.

Visuals of the event can be found all over the world wide web. For Luxembourg-specific ones, have a look on the website of the cour, Wort and APA.

Guillaume Takes Over Grand Duke's Duties

While checking the news yesterday to find pictures of the World War I commemoration in Luxembourg, I wondered why Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume was the one carrying out the engagement as I seemed to recall that the Grand Duke himself was supposed to. Indeed I was right; in the press information sent out in mid-July, Grand Duke Henri was the one scheduled to attend the event alongside Prime Minister Xavier Bettel. However at some point in time, the agenda on the website of the cour was changed to announce the Hereditary Grand Duke's attendance.

Turns out, it will also be Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume who will represent the Grand Duchy at the First World War memorial in the Belgian town of Liège tomorrow. Belgian officials have sent out a list of high foreign representatives announcing S.A.R. le Prince Guillaume, Grand-Duc Héritier as the guest from Luxembourg. The Belgian court has reconfirmed that it was not a mistake. As she is neither mentioned of the official guest list nor was her mother-in-law supposed to accompany the Grand Duke, don't expect to see Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie in Liège tomorrow.

Here's hoping that whatever makes Grand Duke Henri cancel his events is not too severe and that he will make a quick recovery (as I assume that he is sick).

When the First World War Came to Luxembourg...

Photo: Gerry Huberty / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

100 years ago yesterday towards 7pm, the First World War came to Luxembourg when the first German soldiers crossed the border into the northern part of the Grand Duchy. The next day, on August 2nd, 1914, Germany launched a full invasion and thus the occupation of the country, which would last four years, began. To commemorate the sad event, sirenes rang out throughout the entire Grand Duchy between 2:58 and 3pm today. In addition, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, together with Luxembourgish, German, French and Belgian politicians, laid wreaths of flowers below the Gëlle Fra, a war memorial dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers who volunteered for service in the armed forces of the Allied Powers during World War I, in the Place de la Constitution.

Galleries of visuals of today can be found at Wort in German, Wort in French, Wort in English, Wort in Portuguese, Tageblatt, L'essentiel, RTL, Manuel Dias and the website of the government. RTL also has a video.

Luxarazzi 101: Referendum About the Future of the Monarchy in Luxembourg in 1919

These days the world is commemorating the beginning of the First World War which also had profound impact on Luxembourg though the country technically remained neutral. In 1919, the world came very close to losing its last grand duchy. The Luxembourg monarchy was undergoing a crisis brought about by the enormous impact of World War I, the blurred lines between the powers of a monarch and the functions of politics, the abolishment of several other European monarchies during that time, and the interest in new socioeconomic theories (such as socialism and communism) in Europe was forcing the citizens of Luxembourg to question whether or not a new system of governance was needed.  The matter was decided through a referendum held in fall of 1919, in which the fate of the Luxembourg monarchy was decided.

The Grand Ducal Family in 1918

After months of struggle, Marie-Adélaïde, Luxembourg’s first grand duchess to rule in her own right, had abdicated in favor of her younger sister, Charlotte, in January 1919. But due to increasing republican sentiment in the country, Charlotte’s position was anything but secure. A public vote on the structure of the government was planned for early fall 1919. In the meantime, at least two surrounding countries had taken notice of the instability in Luxembourg. Both France and Belgium had interests in annexing the grand duchy, and the crisis seemed to represent the best opportunity to do so.  In fact, it was French troops who had led the effort to suppress revolutionary action in Luxembourg.

By early March, there were indications that the citizens of Luxembourg were leaning toward a union with Belgium as the Grand Duchy was most familiar with a monarchy. If Luxembourg were to become a republic, critics argued, the French would likely absorb the territory and impose heavy taxes upon its people. Land-locked Luxembourg also preferred to use the port of Antwerp for shipping, making partnership with Belgium logical. A shortage of labor in France could mean increased job opportunities for Luxembourg citizens, but the cost of living within France was more expensive than in Belgium. 

The plebiscite was held on September 28, 1919. The citizens had the choice of keeping Charlotte as Grand Duchess, selecting another ruler from the Nassau dynasty, choosing a member of a different European royal family (which would have basically meant that King Albert I of the Belgians would have also become Grand Duke of Luxembourg), or transforming Luxembourg into a republic.  Voters were also asked to chose between allying economically with France or Belgium (but not being annexed by either).  The election marked the first time in which all citizens over the age of 21 - men and women - were eligible to vote. 

By the end of the first day of ballot counting, it was clear that the people of Luxembourg wished to keep Charlotte as its monarch.  In the end, voters elected to keep their ruling Grand Duchess, with 77.8% voting in favor of keeping the monarchy intact. In a distant second, slightly less than 20% of voters wished to abolish the monarchy in favor of the creation of a republic.  In their first turnout as voters, it was later reported that the percentage of female voters was higher than that of male voters.

Grand Duchess Charlotte in 1919

Charlotte said of the vote that kept her in power, “I am sure the people voted for me because it was the surest way to preserve the independence of the country.” Charlotte was likely correct in the fact that the people chose to keep her as their monarch as an indication of Luxembourg’s wish to remain independent as possible from outside control. The formation of a republic in Luxembourg may have involved increased French influence and possible annexation; removing Charlotte may have meant another European power would force a member of their own royal family on Luxembourg.         

Results also indicated that an economic partnership with France was preferred over Belgium, an outcome that had been expected. Over 73% of voters chose the French alliance over the Belgian. The outcome of the election prompted Belgium to accuse the French of interference, however, the French declined any economic association with Luxembourg and so, two years later, Luxembourg and Belgium formed an economic union (the Union économique belgo-luxembourgeoise or UEBL) that has flourished ever since. 

In the following years, Charlotte worked tirelessly to gain the trust and admiration of her people. Charlotte’s descendants have continued by her example in symbolizing and serving their country. Luxembourg's independence and unique status as the world's only Grand Duchy was maintained all thanks to the support of the citizen of Luxembourg and that historic vote back in 1919.

Royally Speaking with Netty of Netty Royal

This summer we are doing a series of interview with fellow royal bloggers to keep us at least a little busy over the holiday months. Today, I talked to Netty of Netty Royal.

The year is 2014 and you are a respected royal researcher and occasional journalist but how exactly did your passion for all things royal start?

Netty talking to Hereditary Prince Alois

On 31 January 1980 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands announced that she would abdicate. Of course for a 6 year old such events are very exciting and interesting, and I really wanted to know more about it. My mother encouraged me. I guess we also learnt something about the event at school, and we had a glass that is still in my possession. I also have some other souvenirs from that time. I don't think anybody could imagine at that time that royalty would become something I would spent hours on every day.

Admittedly I wasn't a regular watcher back then and only read your account in more recent years but in 2003 you visited Liechtenstein for national day, how did you experience the Staatsfeiertag?

I had planned my vacation so I could attend the wedding of Duchess Fleur of Württemberg on 9 August and Staatsfeiertag in Liechtenstein on 15 August. I arrived in my hotel in Schaan the previous day. I remember the public transport on that day was terrific, and even better, free. It was my only visit to Liechtenstein thus far. So of course I had a look in the Liechtenstein Princely Collections dependance in Vaduz, did some shopping and managed to find myself some old princely postcards, some books about the family.

All photos: Netty Leistra

Being from a country with almost no hills, it was quite a climb to the Castle of Vaduz on Staatsfeiertag. I found it pretty exciting to go there. Although I should recommend to everybody, don't go alone like I did. It is more fun together. Of course there is some security, but you can get quite close to the family, and take lots of pictures. And during the apéritif you can even speak to them if you wish. Everybody just mixes up in the gardens and has a drink. Just take a good camera with you. Mine at the time was quite simple. The middle of the day is pretty boring if you're alone. You can hear some music in Vaduz, sit on a terrace... At the time they had an interview with Prince Hans Adam II on one of the squares in the centre, and afterwards he had a beer with some locals. If you're lucky you can see some royals in town in the early evening too. I was looking forward to the fireworks, but unfortunately because of the heat in the previous weeks there only was a laser show, which was quite good also by the way.

Can you remember the first time you attended a royal event and which is the one that has stayed in your memory the most?

I guess that must have been Queen's Day in 1993 when the Dutch royals visited Sneek, the town I lived in at the time. I can remember it was a very warm day. I tried to see as much of them as possible, although it wasn't that easy. To my idea it wasn't as crowded as nowadays, but still there were more than enough people.

Quite a lot of good memories. I still remember the wedding of Haakon and Mette-Marit of Norway. As it was my first wedding as a journalist, it was pretty exciting. A friend and I were going on the boat trip following the royals the day before the wedding, we were actually on the press stand next to the entrance of the church on the wedding day itself and even managed to see the balcony scenes at the palace. Victoria and Daniel of Sweden's wedding was quite good also. I stood in the audience with a group of friends all day from about 9am to 7pm. We had to wait and wait for hours, until finally in the late afternoon it became more interesting. The carriage passed far too quick, but then we got the balcony scene with speeches, music, lots of royal waves and guests. That half an hour made the whole day worth waiting really. But we were so happy to get something to eat and to drink afterwards!

Having been a royal watcher for so many years, what do you think has changed most about the perception of royals since you started to become interested in them?

When I started becoming interested in royals there was no internet, so there was hardly any way to get in touch with people of your own age who liked royalty. I actually put an add in the magazine "Vorsten" halfway the 1990s to find any but hardly got any reactions. I think especially young people must be very happy that nowadays their hobby is regarded less old-fashioned and strange as in my time when you rather didn't speak about it. You just go online and meet people on forums, go to events and meet people there. Neither did it cross my mind to do that, nor did I know that the royals would go somewhere unless I read it in the newspaper. 

The Internet has made it possible to follow the royals much better, surely not always to their own liking I guess. If there is a royal event, everybody can know about it long time before. People, including media, get much more of a chance to express their opinions about royals, adore them or criticize them. Lots of focus on fashion nowadays too, which I find a pity. But royals have also gotten a bigger chance themselves to make sure people know for example about the charities and good causes they support.

Lastly if you could invite six royals (dead or alive) to a dinner party, which ones would find an invitation in their mailbox?

Oh, that is a difficult question. Just thought about it very quickly and these are the first names to come in mind. Princess Marianne of the Netherlands (I think she was a very interesting woman), Camilla Duchess of Cornwall (who does very well in her job), Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (as they come closest to my age), Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (I had a crush on him for years) and perhaps Fürst Alexander zu Schaumburg-Lippe (to provide the entertainment, and he seems to be very good company too).

Royal Summer Weddings

This seems to be the summer of royal and noble weddings, non? Belgium, Isenburg, Ysenburg, Oettingen, Habsburg, Castell - and the summer is far from over. This past weekend, Prince François d'Orléans married Theresa von Einsiedel in Straubing near Munich, Germany. While the groom is a nephew of the Orléanist claimant to the defunct French throne, the bride has some very royal connection very relevant to this blog herself. Through her mother Princess Amélie of Urach, whose mother was Princess Iniga of Thurn und Taxis, she is a great-granddaughter of Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg, sister of Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde and Grand Duchess Charlotte.

Probably more due to friendly ties instead of this relation, Princess Maria-Anunciata, elder daughter of Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha, was among the guests of the wedding. Also present were Prince Gundakar, second cousin of Liechtenstein's head of state and his siblings, and his wife Princess Marie, a first cousin of the groom who actually introduced the newly weds to each other at a ball in Vienna. Prince Gundakar and Princess Marie were already among the guests of the wedding of Magdalena Habsburg-Lothringen, or Archduchess Magdalena of Austria if you want, and Sebastian Bergmann in Bad Ischl the weekend prior.

For more information and pictures of the Einsiedel/Orléans wedding, check out Royal Travel and Events. A big Dankeschön to Stefan for letting me use his pictures!

Luxarazzi 101: Burg Nassau

Pictures: Wikimedia Commons

Burg Nassau, or Nassau Castle, is considered the ancestral home of the Nassau family. Today, the castle, perched 120 meters (or almost 400 feet) above the Lahn River, consists of two main parts: a tower, which 33 meters (or 108 feet) and a palace. Both contemporary structures are reconstructions of the original buildings.

The tower of the castle was commissioned by Count Dudo-Heinrich of Laurenberg. He was the son of Robert, who was the vogt of the Archbishop of Mainz. The role of vogt, based on a word that originated from the Latin advocatus, was one that encompassed both political and military protection within a clerical territory. Dudo-Heinrich is now considered the founder of the Nassau family, but this position did not come without conflict.

Today, historians tend to concur that construction of the original tower began around the year 1100. There is documentation to suggest the castle was already built by 1093, but historians consider the supporting document to be a forgery and this date to be unreliable. The construction of the tower immediately placed the count into dispute with the diocese of Worms The diocese, which was headed by the Bishop of Worms, claimed that the new structure was on their land, but the count continued work all the same. It should be noted that this was not the first time Dudo-Heinrich found himself up against a clerical territory. His political support eventually found him in dispute with archbishops in Cologne, Mainz, and Trier.

Dudo-Heinrich died in 1123, but his sons assumed his political aspirations. Both Ruprecht I and Arnold I, co-Counts of Laurenberg, planted themselves at Burg Nassau. It was Count Robert I who styled himself "Count of Nassau," a title that the Bishopric of Worms denied to acknowledge until 1159, when Dudo-Heinrich's grandson Walram I was officially granted the title.

Count Heinrich II, known rather fortuitously as "the Rich," was the son of Walram I and thus the great-grandson of Count Dudo-Heinrich. Around 1220, he commissioned a large palace to accompany the tower, and work on it continued for about a decade. A keep was later constructed in the 14th century.

Heinrich divided the role of Count of Nassau between his sons Walram II and Otto, and it is from the lines of these brothers that the modern members of the Nassau family trace their descent: Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, hails from the Walram line, while King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is a member of the Ottonian line. Additionally, all cities, towns, and other regions bearing the name of Nassau (such as Nassau, Bahamas, and Nassau County, New York) – but one – reflect the Nassau family. The one exception in this case is a village in Saxony that is located near Dresden.

A document from 1346 indicates that a second tower might have been added to Burg Nassau at some point, but no further information remains about it. Any second tower has long since been destroyed, and there is little even in the way of ruins to suggest its existence.

The counts of Nassau held Burg Nassau as their seat of power through the Middle Ages, but the family relocated to other castles and palaces (including Schloss Biebrich and Stadschloss Wiesbaden) as the decades progressed. A 17th-century engraving by Matthäus Merian the Elder points to Burg Nassau still being proudly intact at that time, but in the centuries to follow the castle fell into disuse and decay.

The end of World War II saw this once-impressive structure in almost complete ruin. In 1965, the Staatliche Schlösserverwaltung Rheinland-Pfalz, or State Castle Administration of Rhineland-Palatinate, took over possession of the castle, and in 1976, they undertook a large-scale reconstruction project that rebuilt both the tower and the palace. Today, the keep of Burg Nassau is open to tourists, free of charge, while visitors can enjoy a restaurant in the main building. What is more, the Registry Office of Nassau makes several rooms of the castle available for weddings, and a variety of medieval-themed events are also held there throughout the year.

French Pilgrimage

Photo: Véronique Le Bagousse / Le Télégramme

On July 26th, 1914, Pope Pius X declared Saint Anne the patron saint of Brittany. 100 years on, around 20,000 pilgrims, including Princess Marie-Astrid and her husband Archduke Carl-Christian, gathered in Sainte-Anne-d'Auray in north-western France to mark the occasion.

The most notable feature of the village located about three miles from the town of Auray is a large basilica dedicated to Sainte-Anne d'Auray. The original chapel was destroyed during the 7th century and only rebuilt more than nine centuries later. One of the villagers is said to have had apparitions of Saint Anne commanding him to rebuild the chapel. After the apparitions became frequent and well-known throughout the entire region, the Bishop of Vannes allowed the chapel to be build.

Anne of Austria and Louis XIII enriched the sanctuary with many gifts, among them a relic of St. Anne brought from Jerusalem in the thirteenth century, and in 1641 the Queen obtained from the Pope the permission to erect a confraternity, which Pius IX raised to the rank of an archconfraternity in 1872. The first stone of the present day basilica was laid in 1866.


Source: Le Télégramme

Royally Speaking with Ella of The Court Jeweller and The Royal Roundup

In part two of our summer interview series I talked to the lovely Ella Kay who you might know from a number of different blogs she has dedicated her time to over the years...

From Mad Hattery via A Tiara a Day to The Court Jeweller and The Royal Roundup, I think I have been there as a faithful reader on every step of your royal blogging life. Was the progress from hats to jewels a natural one for you or have you always been primarily interested in royal jewels? 

I initially got interested in royals because I love history, and my first royal blog (also named The Royal Roundup, started way back in 2008) had lots of historical content. Mad Hattery branched off from there, and once I realized that I could talk about sparkly headpieces too, I was hooked on royal jewelry. I love the way that the jewels give you the chance to mix history lessons with unabashed gawking at beautiful objects.

The Danish ruby parure

Personally, one thing I always found incredibly interesting about royal jewels is their history. Of course they look pretty – well, most of them do – but learning who else wore a certain tiara or a certain necklace centuries ago and how they passed from one family to the other simply fascinates me. What is the most interesting story you have ever come across while researching royal jewellery?

The story of the Hessian tiara that survived the 1937 plane crash in Belgium is a historical jewel anecdote that always gives me chills. But it's also fascinating to see centuries-old jewels that are still worn. Knowing that the rubies worn by Crown Princess Mary of Denmark were worn 200 years ago by Desiree Clary at Napoleon's coronation, for example, adds an extra dimension of excitement when you see her wearing them today.

Digging into the Liechtenstein and Luxembourgish vaults… If you could borrow one tiara from either family for a night, which one would it be? And with which necklace, bracelet and earrings would you accessorize? 

That's a tough question, so I'm going to pick one from each! The Habsburg fringe tiara from the Liechtenstein collection is, in my opinion, maybe the best example of the type out there. And I'd love to have a crack at the vine leaves tiara from Luxembourg -- so romantic and beautiful! And you could load on the diamonds with either, of course. The beautiful collet necklace that Maria Teresa wears sometimes with the Empire tiara would be a perfect fit, along with Josephine-Charlotte's diamond pendant earrings. (They didn't sell those, did they???) [Note: Unfortunately they were.]

Photo: Tom Wagner

And now the opposite, which tiara from either collection would you take to the jeweller to give it a make-over because it simply does not appeal to you? 

Sorry to say that the little turquoise tiara from Luxembourg would be taking a trip to the jeweler. I know the piece is apparently one of the older items in the Nassau vaults, but it just doesn't seem to flatter anyone in its current state!

Lastly, if you could invite six royals (dead or alive) to a dinner party, who would find an invitation in their mailbox? (And which tiara should they be wearing?) 

This is a seriously difficult question! Here are my six guests (the all-female edition, since tiaras are required): 

- Queen Margrethe II of Denmark (wearing the emerald set from the Danish crown collection)
- Queen Mary of the United Kingdom (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara and every diamond in her line of sight)
- Tsarina Marie Feodorovna of Russia (wearing the sapphire parure from her 1874 portrait)
- Queen Marie of Romania (wearing one of her giant theatrical headpieces)
- Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (wearing the Stuart parure, of course!)
- Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (wearing the Alexandra kokoshnik and every Cullinan stone she can find) 

[Honorable mentions, because this was an IMPOSSIBLE question: Marie-Adelaide of Luxembourg, the Duchess of Cornwall, Marie Antoinette, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, Queen Ena of Spain, Empress Eugenie of France, Josephine de Beauharnais, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Sofia of Spain, Queen Victoria of the UK, Anne Boleyn, and Mary, Queen of Scots! WHEW.]