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Showing posts with the label Switzerland

Books on Sunday: Princess Marie-José - Between Belgium and Italy : A royal wardrobe

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Recently I bought a royal book from the library in Sint-Niklaas. I received a hint from a wonderful colleague and he discovered a real treasure. It is a book about Princess Marie-José of Belgium, who became the last Queen of Italy and her royal wardrobe.  Source picture: Bookcover Who was Princess Marie-José of Belgium? Princess Marie-José of Belgium was the third child and only daughter of King Albert I of Belgium and Queen Elisabeth (born Duchess in Bavaria). Her brothers were the  later King Leopold III of Belgium and Prince Charles (Regent of Belgium). Princess Marie-José was born on 4 August 1906 in Ostend (Oostende). During the First World War she was evacuated to England and later she attended the College  of Santissima Annunziata in Florence, Italy. On 8 January 1930, Princess Marie-José of Belgium married Crown Prince Umberto of Italy. They would have 4 children. She became president of the Red Cross in Italy. During World War II, Princess Marie-José became a diplomatic channe

A lot of bling bling: Chopard

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You can never get enough watches even in this modern, digital time. I'm fond of Swiss watches. I wore Swatch by myself but there are lots of other magnificent brands such as Chopard. Besides watches Chopard sells lots of beautiful jewelry such as necklaces, earrings and of course tiara's. This brand still has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and it also has a nice royal history. Due to its lovely history Chopard is mentioned on this blog. Chopard Shop in Rome Italy Some royal history In 1860, the 24-year old Louis-Ulysse Chopard (1836-1915) founded its watch manufactory in Sonvilier Switzerland. He specialized himselves in making ultra-thin, high-precision pocket-watches intended for daily wear. He traveled across Eastern Europe, Russia and Scandinavia to find customers. He even became a supplier to Tsar Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas II In 1904 Karl Scheufele I (1877-1941) bought a company in Pforzheim, Germany. He invented a special c