The Cross of Laeken

Today is the nineteenth anniversary of King Baudouin's sudden and quite untimely death. He was only 62 when he succumbed to a heart atta...

Queen Elisabeth's sister, magnificent in red.

History and Other Thoughts   remembers the heroic Englishwoman and her terrible death. King Albert and Queen Elisabeth greatly admired Mis...

A touching account of Sissi comforting a tragically widowed young woman.  (Via Tea at Trianon ). Although I generally find the Belgian Elisa...

Above, Marie Gabrielle of Bavaria bids farewell to her mother, Maria Josepha of Portugal. Below, her sister Elisabeth, future Queen of th...

Daniel Wybo kindly sent me some excerpts from the practical speech the new King delivered on ascending the throne, on February 23, 1934. I...

In the past, I have discussed Elisabeth's sculpting lessons with Russian artist Catherine Barjansky, and the mutual admiration and affec...

Here is an article by Mary Roberts Rinehart reporting on wartime interviews with Albert and Elisabeth.  It was exaggerated in Allied propaga...

A theory about the possible murder of Ludwig II of Bavaria.

I wish there were more online television interviews with Princess Esmeralda, youngest daughter of Leopold III and Lilian Baels. The few clip...