Monthly Archives: January 2015

February 1915: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer


Not a Lord, but a Lady

Lord Gray

Gray family coat of arms; Photo Credit – http://www.tailoredtoursonline.co.uk

While researching the background of a son of a peer who died in February of 1915, I was perplexed because I could not find out what peerage his father had held. I thought there had been an error, but then I looked more closely at his mother, and sure enough, she was the peer. Most titles have traditionally been created for men with remainder to male heirs. However, some titles are created with special remainders to allow women to inherit them, and these women are peeresses in their own right. Eveleen Smith-Gray, 19th Lady Gray (1841–1918) was the mother of Henry Campbell-Gray, killed in action in February of 1915. Lord/Lady Gray is an old Scottish barony and most Scottish baronies, along with many old English baronies, allow the peerage to pass to the “heirs general,” so females can inherit them.

Lord Gray is a title in the Peerage of Scotland and was created in 1445 for the Scottish diplomat and politician Sir Andrew Gray (c. 1390–1469), who served three Kings of Scotland, James I, James II, and James III.

The Master of Gray trilogy by Nigel Tranter are historical novels based upon the life of Patrick Gray, 6th Lord Gray, a political schemer and diplomat during the reign of the young King James VI of Scotland (later King James I of England).

There have been four female holders of the barony:

Madelina Gray, 16th Lady Gray (1799–1869)
Margaret Murray, 17th Lady Gray (1821–1878)
Eveleen Smith-Gray, 19th Lady Gray (1841–1918)
Ethel Eveleen Gray-Campbell, 21st Lady Gray (1866–1946)

Wikipedia: List of Lord/Lady Gray titleholders

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Timeline: February 1, 1915 – February 28, 1915

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A Note About German Titles

Most of the royals who died in action during World War I were German. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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February 1915 – Royals/Nobles/Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website  or to The Peerage website.  If a person has a Wikipedia page, their name will be linked to that page.

Thomas Knox, Viscount Northland

Francis Tyrrell

Henry Campbell-Gray

Graf Otto von Westarp

Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands; Credit: Wikipedia

Prince Hendrik was the husband of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and thus far, is the longest-serving Dutch consort. Heinrich Wladimir Albrecht Ernst was born on April 19, 1876, in Schwerin in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.  He was the youngest of the four children of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and his third wife Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt.

Heinrich had three full siblings:

Heinrich had six half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Princess Auguste of Reuss-Köstritz:

Heinrich had one half-sister from his father’s third marriage to  Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine:

  • Duchess Anne (1865 – 1882), unmarried, died in her teens

Heinrich had seven half-siblings, and five survived to adulthood.  Among his half-siblings were Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, father of Alexandrine, Queen of Denmark and Cecile, last Crown Princess of Prussia and Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Maria Pavlovna of Russia) who married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia. Their son Kirill became a pretender to the Russian throne after the assassination of his cousin Nicholas II of Russia.

When Heinrich was seven years old, his father died. After finishing his secondary education in Dresden, he traveled to Greece and the British colonies of India and Ceylon.  He then joined the Prussian Army and served as a first lieutenant in the Garde-Jäger-Bataillon in Potsdam, Prussia.

In 1900, Heinrich and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands were introduced by their mothers. After spending part of the summer together, the two became engaged on October 16, 1900.  The wedding preparations were overshadowed by the deaths of Wilhelmina’s uncle Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach on January 5, 1901, and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom on January 22, 1901.

The couple was married on February 7, 1901, at the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk in The Hague in the Netherlands.  Following the wedding, Heinrich became a Prince of the Netherlands and also became known by the Dutch version of his name – Hendrik. Wilhelmina decreed that the Dutch royal house would remain the House of Orange-Nassau and not change to the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.  Although the marriage was a peaceful one, Hendrik and Wilhelmina grew apart due to her religious mysticism and his unfaithfulness and frustrations over his lack of an official role in the Netherlands.

Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Hendrik; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmina had no surviving siblings at the time of her marriage and the fear that the Dutch throne would pass to a German prince made it imperative that she provide herself with an heir. The couple’s only child, the future Queen Juliana, was born on April 30, 1909, to her parents’ great relief.  Wilhelmina had several miscarriages before and after Juliana’s birth, as well as a stillborn child.

Juliana in 1910; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Throughout his marriage, Hendrik was plagued by financial problems.  He received no subsidy from the Dutch treasury, and instead received an annual sum of 100,000 guilders from his wife. His activities and pastimes cost money and he was expected to financially support charities and also provide funds to his impoverished family in Germany.  In addition, there was money Hendrik had to give to his mistresses who bore him illegitimate children.  Dutch historian Gerald Aalders has said Prince Hendrik had eight known illegitimate children.  After Hendrik’s death, Queen Wilhelmina continued to compensate the mothers of his illegitimate children.

Hendrik held various honorary appointments in the armed forces and also served on the Council of State, but his wife kept him out of all political matters. He deeply regretted his rather insignificant position and said about his situation, “It’s not nice when you always want some more bacon and all that’s ever left is beans.”

Prince Hendrik had a great interest in the social and economic life in the Netherlands. He oversaw the merger of the two scouting organizations to create De Nederlandse Padvinders (The Netherlands Pathfinders), an organization that still receives royal patronage.  He was chairman of the Dutch Red Cross and in 1928 he opened the Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

Funeral of Prince Hendrik; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

During the last years of his life, Hendrik’s health quickly deteriorated. His arthritis worsened, he gained much weight, and had his first heart attack in 1929. The second heart attack followed on June 28, 1934. During the afternoon of July 3, 1934, while in his office, Prince Hendrik died at the age of 58 of cardiac arrest. As per his wishes, he had a white funeral and was buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Queen of Spain

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Queen of Spain; Photo: Wikipedia

Princess Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena of Battenberg (known as Ena) was born on October 24, 1887, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the only daughter of Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria.

The infant princess was named after her grandmother Queen Victoria and for her godmother Eugénie de Montijo, the Spanish-born French empress and widow of Napoleon III, who lived in exile in the United Kingdom. To her family, and the British general public, she was known by the last of her names, as Ena. She was christened in the Drawing Room at Balmoral Castle on  November 23, 1887. Her godparents were:

Ena had three brothers:

Raised in her grandmother’s household, the family moved constantly between Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle, and Osborne House. In January 1896, Ena’s father died of malaria while en route to fight in the Ashanti War. Following his death, Queen Victoria gave the family apartments at Kensington Palace where they lived while in London. After Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, Kensington Palace became their primary residence, along with Osborne Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House.

 

In 1905, Ena met her future husband, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, while he was on a State Visit to the United Kingdom. The two soon began corresponding and quickly became smitten with each other. However, several issues needed to be resolved before they could consider marriage. First was the looming threat of hemophilia. Ena’s brother Leopold was suffering from the disease, so there was a very good chance that she might bring it to the Spanish royal family. However, with little known about the disease at the time, Alfonso did not seem too concerned. The bigger obstacles were Ena’s religion and, as far as Alfonso’s mother was concerned, her less than royal bloodline. However, Ena willingly agreed to convert to Catholicism, and her uncle, King Edward VII, elevated her rank to Royal Highness so there could be no question of an unequal marriage. These seem to have appeased the Dowager Queen and the engagement was announced.

Assassination attempt at Alfonso and Victoria Eugenie's wedding, 1906.

Assassination attempt at Alfonso and Victoria Eugenie’s wedding, 1906.

The couple married on May 31, 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid, in a wedding attended by many royals from around the world. The marriage was not, however, without incident. While the wedding procession was returning to the Royal Palace, an assassination attempt was made on the King and his new Queen. Both Alfonso and Ena were unharmed, however, several guards and bystanders were killed or injured.

Eventually, the couple would have seven children:

Queen Ena with her children in 1918 (from left to right) Maria Cristina, Alfonso,  Gonzalo, Juan, Jaime and Beatriz; Credit – Wikipedia

After the birth of their first son, Alfonso, it was discovered that he was suffering from hemophilia. Despite having known the risks beforehand, King Alfonso blamed Ena, and it began a rift in their marriage that would never fully heal. In the end, only their first and last sons had the disease. See Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants.

Victoria Eugenie threw herself into her new role as Queen, and began working with charities that supported the poor, promoted education, and took a particular interest in nursing and hospital care. She would later be instrumental in reorganizing the Spanish Red Cross and is often credited with helping to advance the healthcare system in Spain. Despite a somewhat rocky relationship at first, she soon became greatly admired and loved by the Spanish people.

Following the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, the family went into exile. Settling first in France, and then Italy, the couple soon went their separate ways. Ena returned to London, taking up residence at 34 Porchester Terrace to be close to her mother. In 1938, she would reunite with her husband in Rome, for the christening of their grandson, Juan Carlos. The following year she left London and returned to Rome. Despite their separation, she was concerned about Alfonso’s diminishing health and wanted to be nearby. Alfonso died in February 1941, surrounded by his family. Less than a year later, she was forced to leave Italy, as members of Mussolini’s government were accusing her of spying. She settled in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the Hotel Royal. Several years later, in 1947, Ena purchased a villa – Vieille Fontaine – in Lausanne. It was here, in 1961, that she welcomed the media to announce the engagement of her grandson, Juan Carlos, and Princess Sophia of Greece.

 

Queen Victoria Eugenie’s later life was spent enjoying her grandchildren and keeping up her busy social schedule. Shortly after Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Ena took the young Grace under her wing, helping her adjust to her new royal life. A lifelong friendship ensued, and Ena was asked to be godmother to their son, the future Prince Albert II. She was also the godmother to Queen Fabiola of Belgium and the late Duchess of Alba.

photo: Casa Real

Holding her great-grandson, the future King Felipe VI of Spain, at his baptism; Photo: Casa Real

In February 1968, Queen Victoria Eugenie returned to Spain for the first time since going into exile in 1931. Staying at the Palace of Liria with her goddaughter, the Duchess of Alba, Ena was there to serve as godmother to her new great-grandson, the future King Felipe VI of Spain. She was deeply touched by the crowds who came to greet her wherever she went and tried to see as many things as she could during her short visit. After the christening, she allegedly took General Franco aside to discuss the monarchy’s future, particularly the succession to the throne. Several different stories exist about the actual conversation but Ena had previously stressed that it would probably be best to skip over her son Juan and entrust the future of the monarchy, and Spain, to Juan Carlos.

Ena’s trip to Spain would be one of her last public appearances. She returned to her home in Switzerland, and soon her health began to fail. Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Queen of Spain, passed away on April 15, 1969, at her home in Lausanne, Switzerland, surrounded by her family. Ironically, it was 38 years to the day that she had been forced to leave Spain in 1931. Her funeral was held at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Lausanne, Switzerland and she was buried in the nearby Cemetery Bois-de-Vaux. In April 1985, her grandson, King Juan Carlos, had her remains returned to Spain where they were interred in the Pantheon of the Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

King Alfonso XIII of Spain

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

King Alfonso XIII of Spain – photo: Wikipedia

King Alfonso XIII of Spain was the Spanish sovereign from his birth on May 17, 1886, until the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic on April 14, 1931. He was born Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena, the son of the late King Alfonso XII of Spain and Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria. Because his father had died before his birth, his mother served as Regent while awaiting his birth. She would remain Regent until Alfonso turned sixteen and took control of the monarchy.

He had two older sisters:

 

While on a state visit to the United Kingdom in 1905, King Alfonso met Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, the daughter of Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. The two soon began corresponding and developed quite strong feelings for each other. However, several obstacles in their relationship needed to be resolved before they could consider marriage. The first issue was religion. Alfonso was Catholic while Victoria Eugenie was Protestant. The second issue was the potential of bringing hemophilia into the Spanish royal family. As Victoria Eugenie’s brother  Leopold suffered from the disease, there was a very good chance that Victoria Eugenie herself was a carrier. And the third obstacle was Alfonso’s mother, the Dowager Queen. She did not feel the Battenbergs were royal enough due to the morganatic marriage that started that family, and she wanted her son to marry a member of the Habsburg dynasty of Austria. Eventually, all three obstacles were overcome. Victoria Eugenie (known as Ena) agreed to convert to Catholicism, and despite the risk of hemophilia, Alfonso still chose to marry her. Her uncle, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, raised her style to Royal Highness to remove any question of the marriage being equal.

Assassination attempt at Alfonso and Victoria Eugenie's wedding, 1906.

Assassination attempt at Alfonso and Victoria Eugenie’s wedding, 1906.

The couple married on May 31, 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid, Spain in a wedding attended by many royals from around the world. While the wedding procession was returning to the Royal Palace, an assassination attempt was made on the King and his new Queen. Both Alfonso and Ena were unharmed, however, several guards and bystanders were killed or injured.

Eventually, the couple would have seven children:

Alfonso and Ena’s marriage was strained from the birth of their first son Alfonso. Shortly after his birth, it was discovered that he was suffering from hemophilia. Of their children, only their oldest and youngest had the disease. Despite knowing the possible risk before they married, King Alfonso blamed Ena for bringing the disease into the royal family and distanced himself from her. He had several mistresses and fathered at least 6 illegitimate children.

In 1923, General Miguel Primo de Rivera seized power in a military coup, with the support of King Alfonso.Alfonso named him Prime Minister and Primo de Rivera served as dictator for the next seven years. In 1930, after falling from grace with the King and losing much of his public support, Primo de Rivera resigned. Having been an ally for most of that time, the King also suffered a huge lack of support from the Spanish people. In 1931, elections were held, resulting in the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic. Alfonso and his family fled Spain, settling in France and then Italy.

 

Soon after going into exile, King Alfonso and Queen Victoria Eugenie went their separate ways. He remained in Rome, while Ena settled in Switzerland. On January 15, 1941, feeling that his life was coming to an end, Alfonso formally abdicated in favor of his third son, Juan, Count of Barcelona. His two older sons had both renounced their claims to the throne in the early 1930s. Just weeks later, on February 28, 1941, King Alfonso XIII died at the Grand Hotel in Rome, Italy. He was just 54 years old. His funeral was held at the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome, and he was buried at the Church of Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli, the Spanish national church in the city. In 1980, his remains were returned to Spain and interred in the Pantheon of Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

The Pantheon of the Kings. Photo: Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Claus of the Netherlands (Claus von Amsberg)

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Claus of the Netherlands was the husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg was born on September 6, 1926, at Haus Dötzingen, his family’s estate near Hitzacker, Germany. He was the only son of the seven children of Klaus von Amsberg, a member of the German Niederer Adel (lower nobility), and Baroness Gösta von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen.

Claus had six sisters:

  • Sigrid von Amsberg (born 1925), married in 1952 to Bernd Jencquel, had children
  • Rixa von Amsberg (born 1927 – 2010), married to Peter Ahrend, no children
  • Margit von Amsberg (born 1930 – 1988), married in 1964 to Ernst Grubitz, had children
  • Barbara von Amsberg (born 1930), married in 1963 to Günther Haarhaus, had children
  • Theda von Amsberg (born 1939), married in 1966 to Baron Karl von Friesen, had children
  • Christina von Amsberg (born 1945), married in 1961 to Baron Hans Hubertus von der Recke, had children

In 1928, the family moved to the former German colony of Tanganyika (later Tanzania), where his father was the manager of a coffee and sisal plantation. In 1933, Claus and his sisters were sent to live with their maternal grandmother in Lower Saxony, Germany. He attended the Friderico-Francisceum-Gymnasium in Bad Doberan, Germany from 1933 to 1936 and a German boarding school in Lushoto, Tanganyika from 1936 to 1938.

In 1938, Claus and his mother moved back to Germany and he attended Balt Schule, a boarding school in Misdroy, Pomerania, Germany (now in Poland). Claus then moved back with his maternal grandmother in 1943 and again attended the Friderico-Francisceum-Gymnasium. He joined the German Youth and later, the Hitler Youth.  Membership in both organizations was compulsory for eligible boys.

Claus was drafted into the German Wehrmacht in 1944. He trained with an armored division from August 1944 – March 1945. Claus then became a soldier in the German 90th Panzergrenadier Division in Italy in March 1945 but was taken as a prisoner of war by the American forces at Merano, Italy before taking part in any fighting. Claus was sent to a prisoner of war camp at Ghedi, Italy where he worked as an interpreter and a driver. In September 1945, he was sent to Camp Latimer, an American internment camp in England, and again served as an interpreter. In December of 1945, Claus was released and returned to his birthplace Hitzacker, Germany.

Claus was able to finish his secondary education in Lüneburg, Germany, and studied law at the University of Hamburg, graduating in 1952. After an internship in the United States and for a short period at a law firm, where he worked with the restitution of Jewish Germans in West Germany, he chose a new direction, diplomacy. He passed the necessary exams and worked in the West German embassies in the Dominican Republic and the Ivory Coast. In 1963, Claus went to work in the West German capital of Bonn at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Section for Economic Relations with Africa south of the Sahara.

On New Year’s Eve in 1962, Claus met Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, the heir to the Dutch throne, at a party with friends in Bad Driburg, Germany. The couple met again at the wedding-eve party of Princess Tatjana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, in June 1964. Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg acted as a go-between for the couple and did much to strengthen their relationship.

On May 1, 1965, a photographer took a photo of the couple in the gardens in the garden of Drakensteyn Castle in the Netherlands and their relationship became public. The fact that he was a German national, had been a member of the Hitler Youth, and had served in the Wehrmacht, caused great controversy among the Dutch people. Among other protests, orange swastikas were painted on walls around Amsterdam as an ugly association between the House of Orange and Germany’s Nazi past. Queen Juliana gave her permission to the marriage although she had given serious thoughts to not allowing it. The Dutch parliament debated long and vehemently about the proposed marriage. Only after the historian Loe de Jong had established that Claus was not to blame for any war crimes, was the marriage approved. On December 10, 1965, Claus received a Dutch passport and on February 16, 1966, his name was officially changed to Claus George Willem Otto Frederik Geert van Amsberg.

 

Claus and Beatrix were married on March 10, 1966, at the Westerkerk, a large church In Amsterdam, the Netherlands, just down the street from the building where Dutch Jewish teenager Anne Frank hid during World War II. The ride to and from the church was disrupted by riots with smoke bombs and firecrackers. According to some newspapers, there were about a thousand rioters chanting “revolution” and “Claus get out”. Claus was granted the style and titles His Royal Highness Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg.

 

After their marriage, Claus and Beatrix lived at Drakensteyn Castle and Claus began to learn Dutch. In the first year of his marriage, Claus kept in the background. The first time he was the center of attention was when he came to register the birth and name of his eldest son at the Utrecht city hall and then gave a short televised speech to the Dutch people.

Claus and Beatrix had three sons:

  • King Willem-Alexander (born 1967) married Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, had three daughters
  • Prince Friso (1968 – 2013) married Mabel Wisse Smit, had two daughters
  • Prince Constantijn (born 1969) married Laurentien Brinkhorst, has two daughters and a son

 

Over the years, Claus became accepted by the Dutch public, and during the last part of his life, he was considered the most popular member of the Dutch Royal Family. Claus remained fascinated by Africa and was appointed Chairman of the National Commission for Development Strategy, a publicity organization for the development of the African policy of the government. On April 30, 1980, Queen Juliana abdicated and Beatrix became Queen. The family moved to Huis ten Bosch, a royal palace in The Hague. On June 10, 1981, Claus was appointed regent in case Queen Beatrix died before their eldest son reached his 18th birthday.

 

Claus suffered from various health issues. In 1982, Claus was diagnosed with depression and spent some time in the hospital. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. Claus underwent successful surgery for prostate cancer in 1998, but the radiation for the cancer caused urinary tract problems. In 2001, a kidney was removed and he had problems with the other kidney. Respiratory infections kept him in the hospital during the spring of 2002, shortly after the wedding of his eldest son Willem-Alexander.

Credit – “Funeral of Prince Claus by Looi from nl. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

On August 9, 2002, he had a coronary angioplasty. Prince Claus, aged 76, died on October 6, 2002, at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands from Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia. He was buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Wales

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Augusta of Saxe-Coburg-Altenburg, the second youngest of the sixteen children of Friedrich II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and Magdalene Auguste of Anhalt-Zerbst, was born on November 30, 1719, in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany.

Augusta had fifteen siblings:

  • Sophie (1697 – 1703), died in childhood from smallpox
  • Friedrich III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1699 – 1772), married Luise Dorothea of Saxe-Meiningen, had nine children
  • Wilhelm (1701 – 1771), married Anna of Holstein-Gottorp, no children
  • Karl Frederick (1702 – 1703), died in infancy from smallpox
  • Johann August (1704 – 1767), married Luise Reuss of Schleiz, widow of his brother Christian Wilhelm, had two children
  • Christian (born and died 1705), died in infancy from smallpox
  • Christian Wilhelm (1706 – 1748), married Luise Reuss of Schleiz, no children
  • Ludwig Ernst (1707 – 1763), Munster Lieutenant General
  • Emanuel (1709 – 1710), died in early childhood
  • Moritz (1711 – 1777), regent in Saxony-Eisenach, Hesse-Kassel Lieutenant General
  • Sophie (born and died 1712), died in infancy
  • Karl (1714 – 1715), died in infancy
  • Fredericka (1715 – 1775), married Johann Adolf II, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels, had five children
  • Magdalena Sibylle (born and died 1718), died in infancy
  • Johann Adolf (1721 – 1799), married morganatically Marie Maximiliane Elisabeth Schauer, had three children

In 1736, at the age of 16, and still very young for her age, clutching a doll, and knowing no English, Augusta arrived in England for her marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales, the son of King George II of Great Britain.  On May 8, 1736, after having dinner with Frederick and his siblings, Augusta was led up the aisle of the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace by her future brother-in-law William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, to marry her 29-year-old groom.

The newlyweds were strictly controlled by Frederick’s parents who did not allow them to set up their own household.  Augusta only spoke German and a little French, so a tutor was arranged to teach her English.  Because she was so lonely, her old governess was brought to England to keep her company.  Having been brought up as a Lutheran, Augusta had misgivings about receiving communion in the Church of England.  She was only persuaded to do so when her mother-in-law threatened to annul her marriage and send her back home.

Frederick and Augusta had nine children including King George III who succeeded his grandfather King George II and Caroline Matilda, Queen Consort of Denmark whose marriage was a tragic story.

Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales painted in 1751 after the prince’s death; Photo Credit – Wikipedia Front row: Henry, William, Frederick; Back row: Edward, George, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales holding Caroline Matilda, Elizabeth, Louisa

During Augusta’s first pregnancy in 1737, King George II and Queen Caroline demanded to be present at the birth, but Frederick would not hear of it.  Augusta and Frederick were at Hampton Court Palace having dinner with Frederick’s parents when Augusta went into labor.  They took a bumpy carriage ride to St. James’ Palace to prevent the grandparents from being present at the birth.  Afterward, the king ordered them to leave St. James’ Palace and they moved to Kew Palace.  The queen paid a visit to Frederick and Augusta before they left St. James’ Palace and expressed a wish that she never see them again.  Queen Caroline got her wish as she died several months later without reconciling with her son and daughter-in-law.

After Queen Caroline’s death, the couple’s life was somewhat less tense and despite several fleeting affairs, Frederick was a good husband and father.  In early 1751, Frederick’s health began to be a concern and on March 31, 1751, he died at the age of 44.  His death was attributed to a burst abscess in his lung, but a ruptured aneurysm seems more likely.

At the time of Frederick’s death, his 32-year-old widow was pregnant with her ninth child.  Augusta spent her years as a widow raising her nine children and improving the gardens at Kew Palace, which today are a world-class botanical garden.  Her eldest son George succeeded his grandfather as king in 1760.  Augusta died of cancer of the throat on February 8, 1772, at the age of 52, and was buried at Westminster Abbey.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Princess Grace of Monaco

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

photo: Wikipedia

Princess Grace of Monaco

Princess Grace of Monaco was the wife of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and mother of the current Prince Albert II. She was born Grace Patricia Kelly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 12, 1929. She was the third of four children of John B. Kelly Sr., an American Olympic gold medalist in rowing, and Margaret Majer, the first coach of women’s teams at the University of Pennsylvania. Her siblings were Margaret (“Peggy”), John B. Jr, and Elizabeth (“Lizanne”). Two of her paternal uncles – Walter Kelly and George Kelly – had been vaudeville actors. George went on to become a prominent playwright, earning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1926. He would also be instrumental in Grace’s future career.

Grace was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and attended Ravenhill Academy. She later enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City (thanks to a little help from her uncle George). During this time, Grace worked as a model, earning enough to pay her own tuition. She made her Broadway debut in 1949 in The Father and was later cast in a television version of Sinclair Lewis’ Bethel Merriday. Appearing in over 60 television productions, Grace was soon noticed and began her film career. Her first film was Fourteen Hours in 1951, in a very small role. However, while visiting the set, Gary Cooper took notice of Grace.

The following year, she was offered the role of Amy Fowler, co-starring with Cooper in High Noon. 1953 brought the film Mogambo which earned Kelly her first Academy Award nomination. 1954 saw Grace appearing in five major films – Dial M For Murder, Rear Window, The Country Girl, Green Fire, and The Bridges at Toko-Ri. Grace went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1954, for her role in The Country Girl. In 1955, she took the last of her roles with Alfred Hitchcock, starring in To Catch A Thief with Cary Grant, and her last two movies were released in 1956 – The Swan (released on Grace and Rainier’s wedding day), and High Society (released several months later).

 

In 1955, Grace attended the Cannes Film Festival and was introduced to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. A relationship soon developed, in and December of that year, Rainier visited Grace and her family in Philadelphia. The couple’s engagement was announced in January 1956. Grace and her family sailed to Monaco aboard the SS Constitution, arriving on April 12th. The couple was married in a civil ceremony held in the Throne Room at the Palace on April 18, 1956. The following day, a large religious ceremony was held at the Cathedral of Monaco. As a condition to being released from her contract with MGM, Grace had allowed the studio to film the two ceremonies. The Wedding of Monaco was later screened around the world. Following the religious ceremony, the couple then drove to the Sainte-Dévote Chapel, where the following tradition, Grace left her bridal bouquet in tribute to the patron saint of Monaco. After a seven-week honeymoon cruising the Mediterranean on Rainier’s yacht, the couple settled back into the Palace and soon began their family. Three children would be born:

Having given up her acting career, Princess Grace threw herself into her new role as Princess of Monaco. She learned the language in just a few months and quickly became much loved by the Monegasque people. A huge fan of AS Monaco, she designed a new logo for their uniforms, which was used until 2013. She also began her extensive philanthropic work. In 1963, she founded the World Association of Children’s Friends (AMADE Mondiale), and the following year established The Princess Grace Foundation. Her interest and support of the arts continued, with the establishment of the Princess Grace Ballet Academy. She also served as President of the Monaco Red Cross until her death.

In addition to her work with various organizations, Grace was instrumental in helping to bring about many of her husband’s advancements in the small principality. Her “star power” brought new attention to Monaco, and Rainier often credited his wife for helping to turn the once-small gambling resort into the thriving country it has become.

Through the years, Grace continued to miss acting and had several opportunities to return to the screen. In 1962, Hitchcock approached her to star in his new movie, Marnie. With Rainier’s full support, she agreed to take on the role. However, the Monegasque people were against the idea of their Princess acting in a film, and Grace decided to decline the offer. Another offer would come in 1970, but this time her husband was adamantly against the idea. Needing a creative outlet of her own, Princess Grace later began giving poetry readings and even narrated several documentaries. This allowed her to enjoy some of her former life, and also gave her an opportunity to raise funds for her foundation and other charities. She also established Monaco’s Garden Club, indulging in another of her lifetime interests.

Despite all of her other interests, Grace felt that her first and most important role was being a mother to her children. Fiercely protective of them, she oversaw their education and did everything possible to ensure they were raised as normally as possible. Perhaps a meddling mother at times, she also allowed them to make their own decisions… and mistakes. To this day, all three of the couple’s children work tirelessly to ensure that their mother’s legacy continues – through her charitable organizations as well as exhibits around the world about Grace’s life.

 

Sadly, that life would come to a tragic end. On September 13, 1982, while driving back to Monaco from their home in France, Princess Grace suffered a stroke. The car veered off the road, and both Grace and Princess Stephanie were severely injured. Flown back to the hospital in Monaco, Grace never regained consciousness, having suffered major internal injuries. The following day, on September 14th, at 10:55 pm, Princess Grace of Monaco passed away. Her funeral was held several days later at the Cathedral of Monaco attended by many royal representatives from around the world, as well as many of Grace’s old friends from Hollywood. Following the funeral, she was buried at the Cathedral of Monaco.

After Grace’s tragic death, Prince Rainier named Princess Caroline the new president of the Princess Grace Foundation. Caroline also saw that many of her mother’s projects were finished. This included the Spring Arts Festival which began in 1984 and the formal establishment of the Monte Carlo Ballet in 1985. Caroline continues to this day to spearhead many of her mother’s charities and organizations.

Grave of Princess Grace of Monaco, Cathedral of Monaco. photo: Wikipedia

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Principality of Monaco Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Rainier III of Monaco

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Prince Rainier III of Monaco.photo: Wikipedia

Prince Rainier III of Monaco was Sovereign Prince from 1949 until his death in 2005. He was born Prince Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi on May 31, 1923, at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. He was the second child, and only son, of Princess Charlotte of Monaco, illegitimate and adopted daughter of Prince Louis II of Monaco, and Count Pierre de Polignac.

Rainier had an older sister:

Rainier’s parents separated soon after his birth, and he and his sister were caught in the middle of the fights between them. He was sent to school in England, attending Summerfields, in St Leonards-on-Sea, and the Stowe School, in Buckinghamshire, England. He then attended the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland and graduated from the University of Montpellier, in France, in 1943. He later studied at the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

In May 1944, he became the heir-presumptive to his grandfather, Prince Louis II, following his mother’s renunciation of her succession rights in his favor. Later that year, he joined the French Free Army and saw combat in Alsace. He was later awarded the French War Cross and made a member of the French Legion of Honor. On May 9, 1949, Rainier ascended to the throne of Monaco as Prince Rainier III, upon the death of his grandfather.

 

In January 1956, Rainier announced his engagement to American film star, Grace Kelly. The two first met at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 and soon began a relationship. In December of that year, Rainier came to the United States to visit Grace and her family, and it was then that he proposed. The couple married on April 18, 1956, in a civil ceremony held in the Throne Room at the Palace. A religious ceremony was held the following day at the Cathedral of Monaco. Following a honeymoon – seven weeks spent cruising the Mediterranean on Rainier’s yacht – the couple settled at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco.

Rainier and Grace had three children:

photo: Wikipedia

Upon becoming Sovereign Prince, Rainier began working to change the economic landscape of the small nation. Best known for its casino, Monaco’s primary source of revenue – over 95% – was from gambling. And despite that, the country’s coffers were nearly empty. Rainier began promoting Monaco as a tourist attraction, and a place to invest in real estate development, and perhaps most famously, a tax haven. With the casino and majority of resorts owned by the Société des Bains de Mer, a power struggle soon began between Rainier (a majority owner of the Society) and Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Onassis had established offices for his shipping firm in Monte Carlo, and soon gained majority control of the Society, planning to turn Monaco into strictly a gambling resort. Fortunately, Rainier was eventually able to take full control of the Society in the 1960s, and his vision was able to proceed.

And proceed it did! Known as the Builder Prince, Rainier oversaw the expansion of Monaco by reclaiming land from the sea. In 1958, 54,000 square meters was reclaimed to expand the Larvotto district, and in 1965, work began on the new Fontvieille ward, this time reclaiming over 220,000 square meters. In 1962, Rainier put forth a new Constitution of Monaco, which reaffirmed Monaco’s sovereignty and independence and significantly reduced the powers of the Sovereign. A more democratic system of government was established (although Monaco’s Sovereign still retains much more power than most of his contemporaries in Europe).

 

On September 13, 1982, while driving back to Monaco from their home in France, Princess Grace suffered a stroke. She and Princess Stéphanie, who was in the car with her, were transported to the hospital in Monaco. However, Grace’s injuries were very severe, and she passed away the following evening after Prince Rainier had to make the decision to remove her from life support. Rainier was devastated by his wife’s death and seemed to have aged drastically in just days.

Despite his grief, Rainier continued with his vision for Monaco, as well as maintaining, and honoring his late wife’s memory. The Princess Grace Rose Garden was opened in 1984 in Fontvieille, and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA was established to continue the works of Princess Grace in the arts. The USA Foundation is a branch of the original Princess Grace Foundation founded by Rainier and Grace in 1964 in Monaco.

By the turn of the century, Rainier’s health was declining. In January 2005, he made one of his last public appearances, at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo. On April 6, 2005, after several weeks in the hospital, Prince Rainier III passed away at 81 years old. He was succeeded by his son, Prince Albert II, who had been serving as Regent since the prior week. His funeral was held on April 15, 2005, at the  Cathedral of Monaco where he was then buried beside his late wife, Princess Grace.

photo: Wikipedia

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Principality of Monaco Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Queen Victoria’s Children and Grandchildren

Queen_Victoria_Prince_Albert_and_their_nine_children

Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their nine children in 1857; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

QUEEN VICTORIA OF THE UNITED KINGDOM (1819-1901) MARRIED (1840) PRINCE ALBERT OF SAXE-COBURG AND GOTHA (1819-1861)

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children and 42 grandchildren. Their grandchildren sat upon the thrones of Germany/Prussia, Greece, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom as monarchs or consorts. Today Victoria and Albert’s descendants include the monarchs of Denmark, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The links on the names below are links to an article about that person here at Unofficial Royalty. The links on “had issue” are links to the listing of the issue from Wikipedia. The “had issue” are, of course, Queen Victoria’s great-grandchildren.

1) Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901) married (1858) Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia (1831-1888)

Prussian Family; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

2) King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1841-1910) married (1863) Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925)

 

3) Princess Alice (1843-1878) married (1862) Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1837-1892)

Hessian_family_in_1876

Hesse and by Rhine family in 1876; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

4) Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1844-1900) married (1874) Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia (1853-1920)

Duchess_of_Edinburgh_with_her_children

Duchess of Edinburgh with her children; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

5) Princess Helena (1846-1923) married (1866) Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (1831-1917)

SchleswigHolsteinchildren2

Photo Credit – royal-splendor.blogspot.com

6) Princess Louise (1848 -1939) married (1871) John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll (1845-1914)

Princess_Louise_and_Lorne_engagement

Princess Louise and her husband at the time of their engagement; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

  • No children

7) Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (1850-1942) married (1879) Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (1860-1917)

ArthurConnaughtfamille

Connaught Family in 1893; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

8) Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (1853-1884) married (1882) Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (1861-1922)

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany; Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone by Hills & Saunders albumen cabinet card, 1883 NPG Ax5552 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany; Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, by Hills & Saunders, albumen cabinet card, 1883. NPG Ax5552 © National Portrait Gallery, London

9) Princess Beatrice (1857-1944) married (1885) Prince Henry of Battenberg (1858-1896)

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Princess Beatrice with her children in 1900

Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2015

Photo Credit – “Carl Johan Bernadotte 2010” by Atlantic Chef – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The last surviving great-grandchild of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Prince Carl Johan Arthur of Sweden, Duke of Dalarna was born on October 31, 1916, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm. At the time of his birth his parents, the future King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught, were the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden. Carl Johan’s mother was the daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and therefore a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Carl Johan was the youngest of his parents’ five children.

Carl Johan had three brothers and one sister:

In 1920, when Carl Johan’s mother was eight months pregnant with her sixth child, she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection developed which killed Crown Princess Margaret, at the age of 38, and her unborn child on May 1, 1920. Three-year-old Carl Johan and his elder siblings were left motherless. In 1923, Carl Johan’s father married Lady Louise Mountbatten, daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg (1917 Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple remained childless and became King and Queen of Sweden in 1950.

In 1935, Carl Johan graduated from the Lundsberg School and then did training in the military. He became a second lieutenant in the Mounted Life Guards Regiment, K 1.  In 1942, he was stationed with an armored regiment and was nicknamed “The Armor Prince.” Carl Johan served in the army reserves from 1945 – 1948. During the same time period, he studied and worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and served as an attaché in Paris.

Carl Johan in army maneuvers in 1938; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In 1939, Prince Carl Johan met the recently divorced Swedish journalist Kerstin Wijkmark. When the couple became engaged, Carl Johan asked his grandfather King Gustaf V for permission to marry and the king strongly refused to consent. The couple found it impossible to marry in Sweden. Because of World War II, travel was difficult and the wedding was delayed. The marriage finally took place on February 19, 1946, at the Riverside Church in New York City. Because of the marriage, Carl Johan lost his style and title His Royal Highness Prince of Sweden, and was subsequently styled His Excellency Carl Johan Bernadotte. In 1951, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg created him a Count of Wisborg in the Luxembourg nobility.

The couple resided for many years in New York and London. They had no children, but adopted a boy and a girl, who bear the surname Bernadotte but have no styles or titles:

  • Monica Kristina Margaretha Bernadotte (born 1948, adopted in 1951) married 1976 and divorced in 1997 Count Johan Peder Bonde af Björnö, had issue
  • Christian Carl Henning Bernadotte (born 1949, adopted in 1950) married 1980 Marianne Jenny, had issue

After his marriage, Carl Johan had a career as a businessman. He had executive positions with Anglo-Nordic Tractor, Sundstrand International, Sundstrand Deutschland GmbH, Sundstrand International SA, and OSEC Petroleum AG. Eventually, the relationship between Carl Johan’s wife Kerstin and his father King Gustaf VI Adolf improved and Kerstin even wrote a book about her father-in-law in 1967. In 1973, Carl Johan bought a summer home Villa Kungsberga in Bastad, Sweden He also had an apartment in Stockholm and a winter home Villa Varghem at Lund Farm, near Tistad Castle outside Nyköping, Sweden. After a long illness, Kerstin died on September 11, 1987, at the couple’s home in Bastad. She was buried in Bastad and not in the Royal Burial Grounds in Haga.

On September 29, 1988, Carl Johan married Countess Gunnila Wachtmeister af Johannishus, the daughter of Count Nils Wachtmeister af Johannishus and wife Baroness Märta de Geer af Leufsta.

 

Count Carl Johan of Wisborg died on May 5, 2012, at Ängelholm Hospital in Bastad, Sweden at the age of 95. After the funeral service in Bastad, his coffin was taken to the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden where a service of thanksgiving was held. Later that afternoon Carl Johan’s remains were interred at the Royal Burial Grounds in Haga in Solna, Sweden.  The services were attended by members of the Swedish and Danish royal families. Carl Johan was the uncle of both King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Carl Johan’s wife Countess Gunilla survived her husband by four years, dying on September 12, 2016, at the age of 93.

 

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