CastleMemory: Schloss Cecilienhof

Visiting Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, 
the home of the last crown prince of the German Empire, 
in 2005.

Currently popular posts...

Why You Shouldn't Bother Watching "Sisi", the New TV Series By RTL

Image
Hi there! I watched a series today that was so bad it made be write the first blog post in one and a half years. Will I write more again in the future? I don't know, I guess we'll see. In the meantime, follow all my latest castle adventures over on Instagram . See you there! Empress Elisabeth of Austria, the immortal Sisi, has inspired the imagination of the people for more than a century now. Her life, her love, her tragedies, her death. Adored, free spirited and one of the original royal IT girls. A face that could launch a thousands ships, well, bring peace to two feuding nations by simply being her charming self. A woman that, 120 years after her death, can still draw crowds and be the foundation stone of what seems like half the tourist industry of several regions. (Okay, that might have been slightly exaggerated but have you ever been to Vienna and seen the souvenir shops?) So it's not too surprising that time and time again, cinema and TV productions have tried to ca
Read more

CastleTalk: The Curious Case of the Thurn und Taxis Inheritance

Image
The death of Richard Fürst zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg earlier this week saw a surge in interest in my take on the (in)famous will of inheritance looming over the family . One point about the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg inheritance that many seem to find especially curious is the fact that the late Prince Richard never actually owned his family's fortune but that it was instead passed from his father - who went missing during World War 2 - to a yet unborn grandson - who was born in 1969 - (or anyone else, really, who would inherit after Prince Richard). The German nobility, however, isn't short of interesting inheritance constructions - case in point: The Thurn und Taxis inheritance. Princess Gloria and Prince Johannes of Thurn und Taxis The Thurn und Taxis family isn't just famous for their fabulous wealth, estimated at around $ 2.5 billion today - even though Princess Gloria of Thurn und Taxis says it less than a billion - but also for their lifestyle to go a
Read more

Royal Wedding in Hanover: The Guests (Part 4)

Image
After a week of sorting through all of my pictures from last weekend's wedding of Hereditary Prince Ernst-August and Princess Ekaterina of Hanover, here are some last pictures of the guests. If I am able to identify any more in the future, I will add them to this post, so make sure to check back every now and then. Prince Michael of Salm-Salm and his wife Princess Philippa, née Countess of Castell-Castell. Coordt and Inge von Mannstein. On the left: Baroness Helena of Cramm, née Countess Wolff-Metternich, and Baron Egbert of Cramm. I don't have a good picture of it but I saw Baron Egbert and Baroness Helena leaving the venue together in a car with Nikolaus and Anna von Veltheim. Pictured with the Cramms is Caspar von Veltheim. Baron Philip of Oldershausen and wife Baronee Thyra, née von Reden. In the foreground is Ludolf von Klencke, the couple behind him are Baron Ludolf of Oldershausen and his wife Baroness Sybille. Probably Count Philipp of Hochberg.
Read more