Book launch invitation: “Bran Castle”, 27 May

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Bran castle, Bran castle by Diana Mandache, European royal families, Princess Ileana, Queen Marie, Romanian Royal Family

Your are kindly invited to the book launch of my latest work: “Castelul Bran. Romantism si regalitate”. Speakers: Camelia Csiki, Andrei Muraru, Diana Mandache.

Bookfest (International Book Fair), 27 May, 2 pm (Curtea Veche Publishing, Pavilion C2), Bucharest

 

BRAN CASTLE, May 2017, Curtea Veche Publishing, hardback, dust jacket, 216 pages, c. 190 photos (colour, b &w), 1st edition, Romanian language.

 

 

From Buckingham to Cotroceni, June 1904

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British Royal Family, European royal families, Marie Alexandrovna, Marie of Romania

June 12^th 1904, Buckingham Palace

Dearest Missy!

Only a few words in the middle of the greatest agitations, but all going well and Baby enjoying it very much. We had a court ball, a big dinner and a concert, a private dinner and dance at Lord Farquhar and more opera then I quite can stand… All very amiable, especially the Majesties, no explanations or unpleasant conversations, Aunt Alix quite charming and remarkably “frisky”, enjoying life more than she did for years, all tell me so. Yesterday I went with her for a long auto drive in the country and as I have found her far more nervous than myself, I was not a bit ridiculous and sat in perfect calm. We had tea in the grass with some select people and dinner at Lady de Grey. Oh! You see, I am severely in for it, but I will do them all, as I am fresh and well, and they already tired! So I develop all my spirits and astound them! Non of your dull poor old Duchess, for I auftreten with the greatest aplomb and pounce upon all my acquaintances.  Well, this will set me up again in London society and I stand it for a short time, but it is very fatiguing and I drop to sleep on an armchair even before luncheon and a frightfully correct page wakes me up with a start, to announce 2 o’clock and luncheon. The whole morning I have been seeing people and “gushing Gussy” is very trying, because she jabbers away and I never can turn her out of the room within a good half hour. This afternoon the Majesties go off to Windsor for Ascot week and we to Kensington which might just be a bit dull, for I don’t think Aunty B. cultivates much the society, nor sees many people. However, there are some invitations for Baby and myself. Imagine that she is quite different determined to amuse herself and danced with pleasure, sans se faire prier! What a good thing for her. We went once to Clarence House to tea and Aunt Alix came too. Well, it gave me a pang at first, but it is much changed and in many ways immensely improved, only my own rooms were much nicer before. Aunt Louischen always looks sour, so I don’t find that she is worse than before.

Has Ducky written to you to say, how all our efforts to arrange their marriage, miserably failed again and just as all seemed so well arranged! It is too wretched for words and now we again don’t know what to do. A last effort is being made by Erni H. and if that fails I think we must apply to the King and his kindness. The details I cannot write now, as I have only a short half hour to write and must end now, the mornings are always one series of interruptions and later on I am quite incapable. Aunt Alix would be so pleased to see you, but she says the 15^th of July is too late. I saw the Astors, thought him also charming but advised him to let his moustache grow again… This Thursday I asked to go to Ascot to show baby this dull amusement, one day we can stand it. This week more opera but I prefer some amusing plays… You know that Ducky and Kyrill are at Langenburg, went all together in automobile.

Much love, please write soon. Aunt Alix enchanted with your picture.

©Diana Mandache

The Duchess of Coburg writes about the fate of her Russian family

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Duchess of Coburg, Duchess of Edinburgh, European royal families, Familia regala, George V, Marie Alexandrovna, Noblesse et Royautés, Queen Marie of Romania, Russian Imperial Family, Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna

From Zurich, in August 1917, Maria Alexandrovna, the Duchess of Coburg, in her despair about the fate of the Russian Imperial family, was looking for help from the British Royal Family, writing a few letters to George V and to the Dowager Queen Alexandra. Here is an extract from the correspondence to her eldest daughter:

This morning I read the description of how those unfortunate Nicki and Alix with their children were bundled off in the middle of the night to some unknown destination! May God have mercy on them! … In my despair about the Russian family I wrote a long letter to Aunt Alix, especially pointed out Aunt Minny’s hopeless position and asking point blank if the English government cannot really interfere to save them and let at least Aunt Minny to go to Denmark. I also wrote to George to ask him to keep me to get back my money on the base of my marriage contract, which many people think possible. But how can one really discuss with such a government as in Russia?

*************

All rights reserved ©Diana Mandache’s Weblog: Royal History

The Balcic of Queen Marie (2014)

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Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Beatrice Infanta of Spain, Crown Prince Michael of Romania, European royal families, Historic Residences, Ileana Archduchess of Austria, King Alexander II of Yugoslavia, King Michael of Romania, Prince Nicholas of Romania, Princess Ileana of Romania, Queen Marie of Romania, Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, Romanian Royal Family, Royal Palaces, Victoria Melita Grand Duchess

Diana Mandache, “The Balchik of Queen Marie”, Curtea Veche Publishing, Book Launch 22 November 2014

Diana Mandache, “The Balcic of Queen Marie”, 204 pp, 201 ill. (Sepia & colour), Curtea Veche Publishing, 2014, hardback, dust jacket, 1st edition (Romanian language)

The text is structured over seven chapters:

• “Overseas” (The Duke of Edinburgh, Marie at Osborne, Eastwell, Malta, Fabron. Heraldry and symbols);
• “In search of Paradise” (The Marriage, Cotroceni Palace – The Image of a New Identity),
• “Queen Marie’s Balchik (The Orient of Romania, Photographers. American delegation, Tenha Yuvah of the Sultana)
• “From Paradise: letters, journal, photographs” (Roxo Weingartner. “Vahdah”, Regency, Visits, Eugen Zwiedinek, Ray Baker Harris, Madonna Stella Maris)
• “The Queen’s Heart” (Funerals, Will, Mignon’s inquire in England, Stella Maris, Carol and Michael at Balchik)
• “Tenha Yuvah after the Treaty of Craiova” (Royal Property, Romanian Urban Property, Holiday home for writers in communist Bulgaria, Cultural Center “Dvoretsa”);
• “Diplomatic documents”

Sources of documents and photographs. Notes

This new book is based on new sources which bring to light a novel understanding of the vision of the Romanian Queen for the creation of her Fool’s Paradise, as she called the new residence on the Black Sea shore in the interwar period. The text is accompanied by photographs from various sources, mainly from Queen Marie’s diary. The Balchik of Queen Marie thus becomes an imago mundi whilst her marine royal residence “Tenha Yuvah” (The Solitary Nest) stands as the center of the world, being the home reuniting important personalities from her inner circle and also from royal history (King Ferdinand of Romania, Victoria Melita, Sandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Beatrice Infanta of Spain, Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, King Alexander II of Yugoslavia, King Peter II of Yugoslavia, Ileana, Princess of Romania and Archduchess of Austria, Anton Archduke of Austria, King Carol II of Romania, Crown Prince Michael of Romania, Princess Helen of Romania). I also found information about King George V, Queen Mary,  King George VI, or about the Edinburghs at Eastwell, Osborne, Fabron, in Malta, etc. Past times, royalty and politics, the magnificent royal gardens of the Balchick royal estate, all of these recall a glorious period from this part of the world, the Queen’s views on international politics and events in the 1930s. Marie asked in her will to have her heart interred at Stella Maris chapel on the grounds of her Black Sea estate. As a consequence of the changing of the frontieres in 1940 and loss of that territory by Romania, a new destiny started for her former sea shore domain. The diplomatic documents that I unearthed, from the tumultuous period 1940-1948 also reveal the evolution on the property, a fate that was in the end decided by the communist regimes of Romania and Bulgaria. This volume is a book about royal destinies, royal heritage, historic architecture and the beautiful riviera of interwar Romania, Balchik is now a part of Bulgaria after the Treaty of Craiova concluded in September 1940. Today the former royal estate is a Cultural Center in the neighbouring country, a magnet for Romanian tourists and also for many travellers all over the world fascinated by the multifaceted personality of Romania’s great queen.

***

http://www.curteaveche.ro/balcicul-reginei-maria-diana-mandache.html

see also http://royalbooknews.blogspot.ro/2015/02/balcicul-reginei-maria-by-diana-mandache.html 

Netherlands celebrates Bicentenary Kingdom in Maastricht

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European royal families, King Willem-Alexander, Netherlands, Queen Maxima

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands greet supporters during the celebration to the 200 Years of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on August 30, 2014 in Maastricht

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa & Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Queen Maxima & King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Philippe of Belgium with Queen Mathilde, Daniela Schadt and Federal President of Germany Joachim Gauck attend celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the kingdom of The Netherlands.