...or even if you're someone, you'll be smaller, 'cause of all the people that you could have been, but weren't... -V for Vendetta
Stockholm, Sweden
The Princess of Avondale and The Duchess of Kendal this afternoon departed from Royal Air Force Northolt for Sweden and were received this evening upon arrival at Stockholm Arlanda Airport by Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden (His Excellency Mr David Cairns). Sir David Manning, Mr Miguel Head and Ms Catherine Quinn are in attendance.
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kensingtonpalace HRH Princess Nicole of Avondale @hrhprincessofavondale and HRH Duchess Brianna of Kendal @hrhduchessofkendal have arrived in Stockholm, Sweden and appear on the balcony of Benign.
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xoxonikki my favorite royals❤
jlosus glowing! 🌟 🌟 🌟
hananjeames my favorite twins!
sylivanene I hope I get to meet them
[Nicole's Outfit]
[Brie's Outfit]
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kensingtonpalace The Princess and Duchess are with The King and Queen of Sweden, and Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm
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jlosus the twins and Victoria kind of look alike
jameshell fav royal family and the twins fit right in
henrigerbil ❤
"Nicole, Brie, I'm so glad you girls came to visit." Queen Silvia said giving us each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you, for having us." I said.
"Nonsense, you girls are always welcome to come and visit." King Carl XVI Gustaf said.
"Thank you." Brie said as she hugged Victoria and then her husband, Daniel.
"I'm glad you guys are here, everyone else is in the dining room." Victoria said giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh, good I'm starving." Brie said causing everyone to laugh.
They walked down a long hallway and reached the end of the hallway where to butlers were at the double doors, as soon as they saw us, they opened them.
We walked in and Carl Philip greeted us loudly. Sofia was standing behind her husband and shyly was watching us.
"It was about time you two came to Sweden." Carl Philip said while he gave Brie a weird handshake and a hug.
Brie laughed as he did the same with me.
"Brie, how are you? I love the dress." Madeleine said giving Brie a hug.
"How are you, Sofia?" I asked giving her a hug.
"I'm great, how are you?" She asked.
"I'm good, Madeleine, thank you. Nice to meet you, Chris." Brie said and offered her hand for a handshake.
Chris shook Brie's hand.
"Madeleine, how come we haven't interacted if you live in London?" I asked her as I gave her a hug.
"Royal life in England is different than Royal life in Sweden, there are way more rules for you to follow but I'm sure after your royal tour ends we can meet up and do something in London." Madeleine said.
"Yes, hopefully." I said.
"Alright, everyone it's time to eat." King Carl XVI Gustaf said.
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kensingtonpalace HRH The Princess of Avondale and the Duchess of Kendal take a private tour around the National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm with the Swedish royal family.
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"Who are these people?" Brie asked as we took a private tour around the National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm.
"King Albert I of Belgium with his son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Brabant (later King Leopold III and Queen Astrid of Belgium), and their daughter Princess Joséphine Charlotte (later Grand Duchess of Luxembourg) in 1930." King Carl XVI Gustaf said.
"Your next stop is Belgium and then Luxembourg, correct?" Queen Silvia asked.
"No, it's Norway then Belgium." I corrected.
"Oh, lovely I believe you do have living family members in Norway too." Queen Silvia said.
"Really?" Brie asked.
"All European Royal families are connected. Once you're born or married to a royal member, you find that you all have a connection." King Carl XVI Gustaf said.
"Seems like we will be finding out a lot on this royal tour." I said.
"Yes, indeed you will." Queen Silvia said.
"This is Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium with fiancee Princess Astrid of Sweden in 1926." Victoria said.
"Is this one of the ways we're related?" I asked.
"Yes." King Carl XVI Gustaf answered.
"This is Princess Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians." Madeleine said.
"This is Prince Bertil and Princess Lillian." Carl Philip said.
"This is Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1912." King Carl XVI Gustaf said.
"This was taken in 1873 by Amalia Lindegren, Queen Louise of Denmark, Princess of Sweden and Norway." Victoria said.
"This is Sophia of Nassau (9 July 1836 – 30 December 1913)." Carl Philip said. "Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway was the consort of King Oscar II. She was born Princess Sophia Wilhelmine Marianne Henriette of Nassau on July 9, 1836 at the Biebrich Palace in Wiesbaden, Germany, the youngest of four children of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau and his second wife, Pauline of Württemberg. She also had eight half-siblings from her father's first marriage to Princess Louise of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Sophia, by all accounts, was a very smart child and was educated privately by tutors. She was most interested in languages, history, and religion – three subjects which would serve her well in the life which lay ahead of her. She spent some time in Russia court specifically to learn about life in a grand court. Having lost her father at the age of three, and her mother at the age of 20, Sophia then lived with her elder half-sister, Princess Marie of Wied. It was in July 1856 that Sophia met her future husband, Prince Oscar of Sweden, Duke of Östergötland. He was the third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway and Josephine of Leuchtenberg. The two fell in love and were engaged just two months later. Between their engagement and marriage, Sophia learned both the Swedish and Norwegian languages, as well as studying the history of both countries. Sophia and Oscar married on June 6, 1857, at Biebrich Palace, and made their entrance into Stockholm several weeks later. Sofia (who had now taken the Swedish spelling of her name) was quickly embraced by the Swedish people who nicknamed her The Blue Duchess, because of the blue dress she wore when she arrived. They had four sons." Carl Philip said.
"In 1859, Sofia and Oscar became the Crown Prince and Crown Princess following her father-in-law's death. They lived at the Hereditary Prince's Palace (Arvfurstens palats) in Stockholm and would remain there until Oscar's accession. They also purchased, in 1864, a farm in Helsingborg where they built a small palace called Sofiero. The palace was later enlarged after Oscar's accession and would become a favorite summer residence of the family. In 1905, Sofiero was given to Oscar's grandson, the future King Gustaf VI Adolf, as a wedding present. Following the death of King Carl XV on September 18, 1872, Sofia and Oscar became The King and Queen of Sweden and Norway. They were crowned in Stockholm on May 12, 1873, and in Trondheim (Norway) on June 18, 1873. Sofia embraced her role as Queen of both countries, and was seen as an insightful advisor to her husband, who was not initially very popular. She often spent her summers in Norway, where she was well-loved by the Norwegian people, and admired for her simple lifestyle. In the late 1870s, Sofia became a follower of the teachings of Lord Radstock, a noted British missionary, and often spent much of her day in prayer. She withdrew significantly from court life, attending functions only when absolutely necessary. Her health was also a factor in her reduced activities. She spent several years abroad for various cures and spas, and avoiding the harsh winters in Scandinavia.
Queen Sofia was instrumental in establishing organized nursing schools in Sweden. A follower of Florence Nightingale, she learned much from a visit to the United Kingdom in 1881, and began her project upon returning to Sweden. In 1882, she arranged for formal classes for nurses at the Sabbatsberg hospital. Two years later, she opened the Sophiahemmet University College, and in 1889 it became the Sophiahemmet, a combined school for nurses and hospital. Along with her efforts in this area, Queen Sofia also lent her name and her efforts, to nearly 50 other patronages both in Sweden and Norway. In 1905, she ceased to be Queen of Norway following the dissolution of the union between the two countries. The situation had taken its toll on her husband, and his health soon began to decline. Following her husband's death in December 1907, Queen Sofia lived primarily at Ulriksdal Palace, and kept herself abreast of politics, despite no longer having the influence she had enjoyed during her husband's reign. She continued to travel extensively and remained very involved with her charitable work, especially Sophiahemmet. In fact, it was at the exam celebrations for new nurses at Sophiahemmet, on December 3, 1913, that Queen Sofia made her last public appearance. Just weeks later, Queen Sofia died on December 30, 1913 at Ulriksdal Palace. At the time, she was the longest serving Queen of Sweden (until surpassed in 2011 by Queen Silvia), and is the last to hold the title of Dowager Queen. Following her funeral in the Stockholm Cathedral, she was buried with her husband in the Riddarholm Church." Madeleine said.
"Through her children, Queen Sofia is the ancestress of the current sovereigns of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden." Queen Silvia said.
"And now in England through you, Nicole." Brie said.
"Yes." Queen Silvia said.
"This is Eugénie Bernardine Désirée Clary better known as Désirée Clary (8 November 1777 – 17 December 1860) one of my namesakes, Clary was born in Marseille, France, the daughter of François Clary a wealthy silk manufacturer and merchant, by his second wife Françoise Rose Somis Eugénie was normally used as her name of address. Clary had a sister and brother to whom she remained very close all her life. Her sister, Julie Clary, married Joseph Bonaparte, and later became Queen of Naples and Spain. Her brother, Nicholas Joseph Clary, was created 1st Count Clary. As a child, Clary received the convent schooling usually given to daughters of the upper classes in pre-revolutionary France. However, when she was barely eleven years old, the French Revolution of 1789 took place, and convents were closed. Clary returned to live with her parents, and was perforce home-schooled thereafter. Later, her education would be described as shallow. In 1794, Clary's father died. Shortly after, it was discovered that in the years before the revolution, he had made an appeal to be ennobled, a request that had been denied. Because of this, Désirée Clary's brother Etienne, now the head of the family and her guardian, was arrested. Désirée Clary met Joseph Bonaparte and was introduced to her family. Bonaparte and Clary were engaged, and his brother Napoleon Bonaparte also met her family. Soon Joseph was engaged instead to her older sister Julie while Napoleon was engaged to Désirée Clary on 21 April 1795. In 1795–1797 Clary lived with her mother in Genoa in Italy, where her brother-in-law Joseph had a diplomatic mission; they were also joined by the Bonaparte family. In 1795, Napoleon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais and broke the engagement to Clary on 6 September. He married Joséphine in 1796. In 1797, Clary went to live in Rome with her sister Julie and her brother-in-law Joseph, who was French ambassador to the Papal States. Her relationship with Julie remained close. She was briefly engaged to Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, a French general. The engagement has been assumed to be Napoleon's idea to compensate her with a marriage, while Duphot was attracted to her dowry and position as sister-in-law of Napoleon. She agreed to the engagement though Duphot had a long-term relationship and a son with another woman. On 30 December 1797, on the eve of their marriage, Duphot was killed in an anti-French riot outside of their residence Palazzo Corsini in Rome.In later years, Clary vehemently denied that her engagement to Duphot had ever existed. After her return to France, Clary lived with Julie and Joseph in Paris. In Paris, she lived in the circle of the Bonaparte family, who sided with her against Josephine after Napoleon had broken off their engagement. She herself did not like Josephine either, as she has been quoted calling her an aged courtesan with a deservedly bad reputation, but she is not believed to have shown any hostility toward Josephine as did the members of the Bonaparte family. She received a proposal from General Junot, but turned it down because it was given through Marmont.Clary eventually met her future spouse, Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, another French general and politician. They were married in a secular ceremony at Sceaux on 17 August 1798. In the marriage contract, Clary was given economic independence. On 4 July 1799, she gave birth to their only child, a son, Oscar. In August 1810, Bernadotte's husband was elected heir to the throne of Sweden and she heiress, now in that position being given the official name of Desideria. She initially thought this was to be similar to the position of Prince of Pontecorvo, and did not expect to have to visit Sweden more than she had been forced to visit Pontecorvo: "I thought, that it was at it had been with Ponte Corvo, a place from where we would have a title."She was later to admit, that she had never cared about any other country than France and knew nothing of foreign countries nor did she care about them, and that she was in despair when she was told that this time, she would be expected to leave Paris. Desideria delayed her departure and did not leave with her spouse. She was delighted with the position she had received at the French court after her elevation to crown princess (she had been invited to court events every week), and she was frightened by the stories of her reluctant French servants, who tried to discourage her from leaving by saying that Sweden was a country close to the North Pole filled with Polar bears. Finally, she left Paris and traveled by Hamburg and Kronborg in Denmark over the Öresund to Helsingborg in Sweden. On 22 December 1810, Desideria arrived with her son Oscar in Helsingborg in Sweden, and the 6 January 1811, she was introduced to the Swedish royal court at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The Swedish climate was reportedly a shock for her: she arrived during the winter, and she hated the snow so much that she cried. Her spouse had converted upon his election as heir to the Swedish throne, and upon their arrival, her son was also to do so, as was required, and was taken from her to be brought up a Lutheran. There was, in accordance with the Tolerance Act, no demand that she should convert, and a Catholic chapel was arranged for her use. Desideria was not religious,but the Catholic masses served to remind her of France, and she celebrated the birth of the son of Napoleon, the King of Rome, by a Te Deum in her chapel. Desideria was unable to adapt to the demands of formal court etiquette or participate in the representational duties which were required of her in her position of Crown Princess. Her French entourage, especially Elise la Flotte, made her unpopular during her stay in Sweden by encouraging her to complain about everything.She did not have a good relationship with Queen Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte, though the Dowager Queen Sophia Magdalena was reportedly kind to her. In her famous diaries, Queen Charlotte described her as good hearted, generous and pleasant when she chose to be and not one to plot, but also an immature "spoiled child", who hated all demands and was unable to handle any form of representation, and as "a French woman in every inch" who disliked and complained about everything which was not French, and "consequently, she is not liked." Queen Charlotte, who wanted to remain the center of attention at her own court, was not pleased with Desideria and also influenced King Charles against her. Desideria left Sweden in the summer of 1811 under the name of Countess of Gotland, officially because of her health, and returned to Paris, leaving her husband and her son behind. She herself said that the Swedish nobility had treated her as if they were made of ice: "Do not talk with me of Stockholm, I get a cold as soon as I hear the word." In Sweden, her husband took a mistress, the noble Mariana Koskull. Under the same alias Desideria officially resided incognito in Paris, thereby avoiding politics. However, her house at rue d'Anjou was watched by the secret police, and her letters were read by them. She had no court, just her lady's companion Elise la Flotte to assist her as hostess at her receptions, and she mostly associated with a circle of close friends and family. In 1818, her husband became King of Sweden, which made Desideria Queen. However, she remained in France, officially for health reasons. After she became Queen, the Swedish Queen Dowager wrote to her and suggested that she should have Swedish ladies-in-waiting, but she replied that it was unnecessary for her to have a court as she still resided incognito. She officially kept herself incognito and did not host any court, but she kept in contact with the Swedish embassy, regularly visited the court of Louis XVIII and often saw Swedes at her receptions, which she hosted on Thursdays and Sundays, unofficially in her role as queen, though she still used the title of countess. During this period, she fell in love with the French prime minister, the Duc de Richelieu, which attracted attention. According to one version, she fell in love with him after Louis XVIII had given him the task to deny her regular appeal for her sister Julie in the most charming way possible. True or not, she did fall in love with him, but the affection was not answered by Richelieu, who referred to her as his "crazy Queen". According to Laure Junot, she did not dare to speak to him or approach him, but she followed him wherever he went, tried to make contact with him, followed him on his trip to Spa and had flowers placed in his room. She followed him around until his death in 1822. During the summer of 1822, her son Oscar made a trip in Europe to inspect prospective brides, and it was decided they should meet. As France was deemed unsuitable, they met in Aachen and a second time in Switzerland. In 1823, Desideria returned to Sweden together with her son's bride, Josephine of Leuchtenberg. It was intended to be a visit, but she was to remain in Sweden for the rest of her life. She and Josephine arrived in Stockholm 13 June 1823. Three days later, the royal court and the government was presented to her, and 19 June, she participated in the official welcoming of Josephine and witnessed the wedding. On 21 August 1829, she was crowned Queen of Sweden in Storkyrkan in Stockholm. Her coronation had been suggested upon her return, but her consort had postponed it because he feared there could be religious difficulties. There was actually a suggestion that she should convert to the Lutheran faith before her coronation, but in the end, the question was not considered important enough to press, and she was crowned all the same. She was crowned at her own request after having pressed Charles John with a wish that she should be crowned: "otherwise she would be no proper Queen". A reason for this is believed to have been that she regarded it as protection against divorce. The 1830s were a period when she did her best to be active as a queen, a role she had never wanted to play. The decade is described as a time of balls and parties, more than had been seen at the Swedish court since the days of King Gustav III, but Desideria soon grew tired of her royal status and wanted to return to France. However, her husband did not allow it. As queen she is mostly known for her eccentric habits. She is known to have kept reversed hours and, consequently, for often being late and keeping guests waiting, something which agitated her spouse. Normally, she retired at four in the morning, and awoke at two o'clock in the afternoon. Before she went to bed, she took a "walk by carriage": during these trips, she often paid unannounced visits, which were normally inconvenient because of the time. When the weather was bad, her carriage drove round the courtyard of the royal palace instead. It was normal for her to arrive for a visit to an opera when the show had ended. On the last day of her life, Queen Desideria entered her box at the Royal Swedish Opera just after the performance had ended, and collapsed before reaching her apartment upon returning to Stockholm Palace on 17 December 1860." Victoria said.
"Wow, what a life she lived." I said.
"She is also one of you ancestors." Victoria said.
"King Carl XVI Gustaf and you girls are double third cousins as the descendant of William, Duke of Nassau through his daughters Helena and Sophia and his son Adolphe." Queen Silvia said.
"Which is why we received Swedish royal titles. I never thought I would ever be able to know so much about my ancestors." I said.
"It's crazy how we're learning all of this and now we'll be able to tell our kids this." Brie said.