Setsuko Matsudaira was born in the Surrey town of Walton-on-Thames, the daughter of Tsuneo Matsudaira, the Japanese Ambassador to Washington and London. In 1910, when she was one year old, she returned to Japan. Her father was in the midst of forging a brilliant career in the diplomatic service. Both her parents descended from daimyo… Continue reading Pocket Profile – Setsuko, Princess Chichibu
Category: Pocket Profiles
Pocket Profiles – Adosinda, First Queen of Asturias (Part Two)
Missed Part One? It's going to matter a lot, so read it first here. Alfonso II, First Rule Adosinda's husband Silo died in 783 and was buried in Santianes de Pravia, the monastery his wife founded. It still stands and is the parish church of the village. Alfonso II was crowned at aged 19. The… Continue reading Pocket Profiles – Adosinda, First Queen of Asturias (Part Two)
Pocket Profiles – Adosinda, First Queen of Asturias (Part One)
Thank you to Baguette Iselen for this history of Asturias! If you have wondered why this region has such strong Celtic roots, read on. To understand the story of Asturias, you have to start with its geography and work your way through the early kings and one important Queen. Geography of Asturias Asturias is different… Continue reading Pocket Profiles – Adosinda, First Queen of Asturias (Part One)
Pocket Profile – Bamba Müller and Her Daughters
"Have we no hold on her?" George V, talking about Sophia Duleep Singh Bamba Müller Bamba Müller was born in Cairo in 1848, under circumstances that should have destined her to obscurity. Her father was a German merchant banker, and her mother was his mistress, Sofia. Sofia was an Abyssinian Coptic Christian slave. It was… Continue reading Pocket Profile – Bamba Müller and Her Daughters
Pocket Profile – Frederica, Queen of the Hellenes
Friederike Luise Thyra Victoria Margarita Sophia Olga Cecilia Isabella Christa of Hanover is quite a lot to fit on a birth certificate, isn't it? Within her family, she was known as Freddie, much easier for everyday use. She was born in 1917, and the long name was indicative of her lineage. She was royal to… Continue reading Pocket Profile – Frederica, Queen of the Hellenes
