How Times Change: Queen Elizabeth at the Vatican

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom finally got round to visit Italy, her first foreign visit since 2011. The trip had been planned for 2013 but was subsequently cancelled. Her visit in Rome enabled her to stop over for a chat with Pope Francis whom she hadn't met before. 

Aristocrats and No Noblesse

There are aristocrats, and then there are people with titles. Marcus Scriven piles it on thickly in his collection of the less than sublime. He recounts tales of aristocrats who fell on hard times. He jumbles the unpleasant on top of the unlucky, narrates the eccentric with the plain weird, and lists the madmen with the bad apples. All of this adds up to a colourful book with an appeal to the Schadenfreude crowd. It also caters to the readers who enjoy real life story that are hard to believe but true.

John Hervey and Francesca Fisher

Emperor Frederick II: Diplomacy by Power

Arab chroniclers converted him to Islam; and his family became related to that of Saladin. Christian history writers made him a philosopher, a consummate diplomat, and an icon of tolerance and multiculturalism. Emperor Frederick II would have been wondering about whom they were writing. He was none of that. If anything, he was the epitome of what Germans mean when talking of Realpolitik.

Emperor Frederick II

When Monarchs Abdicate

When Monarchs abdicate, then there usually is title conundrum. The exception can be found in the Netherlands due to its unique constitution and in Andorra with its foreign princes. But all other European monarchies are basically unprepared for such an event. This leads to some curious situations. And some questions are never quite officially answered because there is no answer (yet).

Queen Maxima, Princess Beatrix, King Willem-Alexander

New Law for Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

What is the role of the Queen in the Netherlands? (Hint: The Netherlands currently has no queen.) Who succeeds King Willem-Alexander in case of his death? And how to go about it if that successor is only 10 years old? Should she be taken out of school to be bored by the likes of Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin? The Netherlands obviously have a constitutional crisis.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

Popes’ List With Basic Information in Book Form

If you have a desire for (almost) complete lists, then there is a book that will being you the Popes in chronological order. As there were quite a few of them, the information on each of them is limited and sometimes anecdotal. But it is enough if you have to keep up with some Catholic small talk at the next reception in the Vatican.

Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

The Queen Silvia of Sweden Rap

HM Queen Silvia of Sweden is going to be 70 on 23 December. Celebrations have been sprinkled all over advent in December as the queen intends to spend the birthday proper with the family in preparation for Christmas. One such event was held at the Oscar Theatre in Stockholm, and the show contained an extra surprise for her.

Royal Christmas Traditions

Many Royal Christmas traditions we can think of are actually much younger than expected. But some are older than we were told, too. In his book A Royal Christmas published by Elliott & Thompson, Jeremy Archer traces the influence the British Royal family had on the way Christmas is celebrated in the United Kingdom. And in other countries other Royal families are leading in defining Christmas traditions.

Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Estelle, Prince Daniel

Emperor Frederick II: Expert Falconer

German historians in the 19th century promoted Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire to diplomatic wonder worker. They showed him as a mild monarch and philosopher of enlightened tolerance. This contrasted starkly with his treatment of Muslims in Sicily. His reading habits were not those of a philosopher, either.

Emperor Frederick II

Empress Helena of Rome

Roman Empress Flavia Iulia Helena is one of the few early church saints whose existence is a historical certainty. She must have been an energetic lady even in high age. She shared the Roman Emperors penchant for putting up representative buildings and went on a spending spree to erect numerous churches. According to legend, she was one of the first archaeologists as well as an avid collector of bric-a-brac.

The Prince, The Princess, And The Perfect Murder

If you think that marrying serial divorcee Wallis Simpson was the only blunder of the hapless Duke of Windsor, then here is a book to set you straight. It is also a book for all conspiracy theorists to enjoy. This conspiracy theory is well enough documented to hold water. It was a conspiracy to keep the promiscuous and rather stupid Prince David Prince of Wales out of a sordid murder trial. The price to pay was freedom of a murderess and princess. The Prince, The Princess, And The Perfect Murder by Andrew Rose was published by Coronet.

Emperor Frederick II and His Muslim Subjects

19th century historians stylized Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire into an epitome of tolerance and diplomacy. This was just the end of centuries of history writing and myth building around his person. They were based on the assumption that he had been on friendly terms with Muslim rulers in the East, an avid scholar of all things Arab, and accepting Islam as a religion equal to Christianity.

Emperor Frederick II

The Man Who Didn’t Want to be King (Part Two)

Prince Valdemar of Denmark was three times nominated for the crowns of two European countries. Instead of becoming a ruling Prince or King, he remained with the Danish navy. What had happened?

Prince Valdemar and Princess Marie of Denmark

Queen Mum: The Official Biography

Bad news first: You have to get through 1,000 pages from cover to cover. The meticulous retelling a life spanning more than a century takes up space. So many words, yet the author managed to skip everything relevant. If you belong to circles where you are expected to have this book lying around, you might want to put four legs on it and use it as a coffee table. Or is that a gin table?

The Man Who Didn’t Want to be King (Part One)

Prince Valdemar of Denmark was three times shortlisted for the crowns of two European countries. Instead of becoming a ruling monarch, he remained with the Danish navy. What had happened?

Prince Valdemar of Denmark

The Royal Horror Picture Show

Denmark has its latest scandal in form of a picture. The press has dubbed it the Royal Horror Picture Show. Artist Thomas Kluge is proud of it. he Royal family is reputed to have given a positive verdict on it. But what do you think of it?

The Wonder of The World: Emperor Frederick II

Hohenstaufen Frederick II Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Sicily was and still is regarded as a medieval thinker and philosopher. Many believe that he was breaking a lance for enlightenment and tolerance. Proof thereof is his supposed friendship with Muslim leaders. Question is: Is there any viable proof for this claimed friendship?

Emperor Frederick II

King Albert II of The Belgians Feels The Pension Pinch

Are you retired and have to live on a state pension without subsidy by private pension schemes? If so, you will understand the predicament of King Albert of the Belgians after he retired in July 2013. It is quite obvious that the meager handouts from the government are leaving him and his wife Queen Paola destitute and freezing in a hovel.

King Albert II of the Belgians

Celia Countess von Bismarck (1971 to 2010)

Celia Countess von Bismarck was born as Celia Demaurex in Geneva in 1971. She married and got divorced from Carl-Eduard Count von Bismarck, but kept the family name after the divorce. She died in Geneva of cancer at the age of 39.

Celia Countess von Bismarck

King Solomon's Alchemy

Archaeologists are constantly digging deeper in Jordan. As they do so, more light is shed on the historical time when King Solomon reigned over the Kingdom of Israel. A copper mine found 40 years ago was proven to date back to the 10th century B.C. It provides a probable solution to Solomon’s filled treasuries on grounds of a well-known alchemy formula called commerce.