Moniek Bloks, Author at History of Royal Women

Women who were passed over – Sweden

Monday, 8 December 2025, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

Sweden introduced absolute primogeniture in 1980 and immediately gained a Crown Princess. Before this change, the Swedish monarchy used agnatic-cognatic primogeniture, which only allowed women to rule if there were no more male dynasts. Sweden was originally an elective monarchy, but it became hereditary during the reign of King Gustav I. Between 1810 and 1980, [read more]

Book News Week 50

Saturday, 6 December 2025, 7:00 Moniek Bloks 0

*contains affiliate links* Book News week 50 – 8 December – 14 December 2025 Queen Elizabeth II: A Concise Biography of an Exceptional Sovereign Hardcover – 11 December 2025 (US) Cleopatra: A Reference Guide to Her Life and Works (Significant Figures in World History) Hardcover – 11 December 2025 (US) Marie-Antoinette’s Garden: An Eighteenth-Century Herbarium [read more]

The Luxembourg Amethyst and Pearl Bandeau

Friday, 5 December 2025, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

The Luxembourg Amethyst and Pearl Bandeau is believed to have been acquired by Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg. It is part of a demi-parure, which means that there is also a necklace and a pair of earrings to coordinate with. The bandeau consists of oval amethysts set among two rows of pearls. Embed from Getty [read more]

Royal burials in the United States (Part three)

Wednesday, 3 December 2025, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 1

Read part two here. Some royals have ended up in the United States, either by choice or after being exiled from their country. Some have never left. Here are some female royals who are buried in the United States. Princess Shams Pahlavi Princess Shams was born on 28 October 1917 as the eldest daughter of [read more]

Who would be Queen of Montenegro today?

Monday, 1 December 2025, 6:00 Moniek Bloks 0

The Kingdom of Montenegro existed between 1910 and 1918. It was preceded by the Principality of Montenegro, and Prince Nicholas of Montenegro became its first and only King. The Queens mentioned here are consorts, and they did not reign in their own right. Any titles after the abolishment of the monarchy are titular. King Nicholas [read more]

Book News Week 49

Saturday, 29 November 2025, 13:00 Moniek Bloks 0

*contains affiliate links* Book News Week 49 – 1 December – 7 December 2025 Queens at War: England’s Medieval Queens Book Four Hardcover – 2 December 2025 (US & UK) Women and Power at the French Court, 1483-15 Hardcover – 1 December 2025 (US) Marie-Antoinette’s Legacy: The Politics of French Garden Patronage and Picturesque Design, 1775-1867 [read more]