All About Royal Families

Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaievna of Russia was born on 18 August 1819 in St. Petersburg, then a part of the Russian Empire. Family Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaievna of Russia was a daughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, born Princess Charlotte of Prussia. She was thus a sister of inter alia Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Maria and her brother the future Tsar Alexander II She grew up in a close knit family and they remained on good terms all their lives. Maria was raised in the company of her sisters Olga and Alexandra. Their rooms were on the ground floor of the Winter Palace, they were unpretentious and void of luxury. Maria and her sisters received dancing, music and drawing lessons. Artistically gifted she showed an early interest in interior design. All three sisters were good in music and were involved in charitable work. Character Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaievna was noted for her formidable personality and her strong ch

During the months April and May, the garden of Het Oude Loo, 'The Old Woods' is open for public. In 2017, I had the occasion to visit this beautiful royal domain, in the company of my husband, Els Moraal and Oscar Meijer, creator of the Dutch site, De Staat van Oranje. Het Oude Loo - Apeldoorn - The Netherlands Some royal history Around the 15th. century the castle was built and Udo Talholt became the owner. In the 16th. century the residence belonged to the Bentinck family. They enlarged it around 1540. In 1684, the castle was bought by William III of Orange, who became King of England, Ireland and Scotland (in Scotland he was known as William II). King William III of England Source picture: Wikipedia Beautiful gardens of Het Oude Loo In 1795, William V, Prince of Orange-Nassau had to leave the Netherlands for the French armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon ruled the Kingdom of Holland. The cast