January 2020 - Page 2 of 7 - History of Royal Women

Queen Elizabeth II surpasses Emperor Franz Joseph I to become fifth longest-reigning monarch in history

Sunday, 26 January 2020, 17:01 Moniek Bloks 3

Queen Elizabeth II has reached yet another milestone. Just last year, she surpassed Eleanor of Aquitaine, who ruled the Duchy of Aquitaine in her own right, as longest-reigning female ruler. In 2015, she surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning British monarch. Now, she has surpassed Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria to [read more]

Sophie of Hohenberg – The insanity of life (Part two)

Sunday, 26 January 2020, 0:00 Moniek Bloks 2

Read part one here. Sophie and her brothers travelled to Vienna with their aunts and uncles and stayed with their stepgrandmother Maria Theresa at the Belvedere, but they were not allowed to attend their parents’ funeral service. A large wreath with a ribbon bearing their names would be the only reminder that there were now [read more]

Sophie of Hohenberg – The insanity of life (Part one)

Saturday, 25 January 2020, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

Sophie of Hohenberg was born on 24 July 1901 at Konopiště as the daughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg. Her parents’ relationship had had quite a rocky start as her mother, a born Countess Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin, was considered too low-born for the heir [read more]

Greet Hofmans – Queen Juliana’s Rasputin

Friday, 24 January 2020, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

She was once called the Rasputin of the Dutch Royal family – Greet Hofmans was a faith healer who nearly brought down the Dutch monarchy. Greet (Margaretha) Hofmans was born on 23 June 1894 as the eldest daughter of Frits Hofmans and Hermien Penner. She would be one of four siblings. Not much is known [read more]

Queen Wilhelmina – Wilhelmina’s fourth miscarriage

Thursday, 23 January 2020, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

With Wilhelmina’s marriage to Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on 7 February 1901, she and her mother both fervently prayed for healthy children to continue their line. Tragically, Wilhelmina would go on to suffer five miscarriages and only one healthy child was born to Wilhelmina and Henry. At the end of 1911, Queen Wilhelmina was pregnant again, [read more]

Denying HRH – The Case of the Duchess of Windsor

Wednesday, 22 January 2020, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 1

“This most flagrant act of discrimination in the whole history of our dynasty.” When Wallis Simpson married The Duke of Windsor on 3 June 1937, she should have become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Windsor. But, she was denied the style with her husband bitterly commenting that it was a “nice wedding present.” So [read more]