Yearly Archives: 2017

Isabella of Mar, Countess of Carrick

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Isabella of Mar with her husband from the Forman Armorial, produced for Mary, Queen of Scots in 1562; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella of Mar was the first wife of Robert I (the Bruce), King of Scots, but she died before her husband became king. She was born about 1277 at Kildrummy Castle and was the daughter of Domhnall (Donald), 6th Earl of Mar and Elen the Younger ferch Llywelyn, an illegitimate daughter of the de facto Prince of Wales, Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great), Prince of Gwynedd and Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn.

Isabella’s father was the Earl of Mar, in Gaelic, the Mormaer of Mar. A mormaer was a regional or provincial ruler, second only to the King of Scots, and more senior than a taoiseach or chieftain. Mormaers were equivalent to English earls. Mar was located in present-day Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Kildrummy Castle near Kildrummy in Aberdeenshire, Scotland was the Mar family seat.

Ruins of Kildrummy Castle; Photo Credit – By Van de Beek – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4644660

Isabella’s father Domhnall was very involved in the politics of Scotland. He was knighted by King Alexander III of Scotland in 1270 and succeeded his father as the 6th Earl of Mar in 1281. In the same year, his name appeared with that of other Scottish nobles on the marriage contract between King Eric II of Norway and Margaret, the only daughter of King Alexander III. In 1284, he was among those who recognized the daughter of this marriage, Margaret, Maid of Norway, as the heir to the throne of her grandfather King Alexander III of Scotland if he died without a male heir.

Isabella had at least five siblings:

After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway in 1290, Domhnall, 6th Earl of Mar became one of the first Scottish nobles who supported the claim of Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick to the throne of Scotland. Domhnall saw a great advantage to his family if one of his daughters married Robert. In 1295, Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick and Isabella of Mar married. Shortly after the wedding, Isabella became pregnant. Nineteen-year-old Isabella had a healthy pregnancy but died soon after giving birth to a daughter named Marjorie on December 12, 1296, at the Manor of Cardross in Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Isabella was buried at Paisley Abbey in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, but her tomb has not survived.

Isabella’s daughter, Princess Marjorie, once her father became Robert I, King of Scots in 1306, married Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland in 1315. On March 2, 1316, pregnant Marjorie, who was pregnant, was riding in Paisley, Renfrewshire. Her horse was suddenly startled and threw her to the ground. Marjorie went into premature labor and her child Robert was delivered by caesarean section at Paisley Abbey. Marjorie died within a few hours. She was 19-years-old at the time of her death, like her mother, who was the same age when she died in childbirth, and like her mother, was also buried at Paisley Abbey. Her son became Robert II, King of Scots, the first monarch of the House of Stewart. Marjorie’s descendants include the House of Stuart, all their successors on the thrones of Scotland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, and many other European royal families.

Tomb of Majorie Bruce at Paisley Abbey; Photo Credit – 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.

Robert I, King of Scots (Robert the Bruce)

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Statue of Robert the Bruce in Stirling, Scotland; Credit – By Ally Crockford – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28842870

Robert the Bruce is a Scottish national hero and was King of Scots during the First War of Scottish Independence. Robert de Bruis (or Brus), his birth name from his Norman ancestors, popularly called Robert the Bruce, was born on July 11, 1274. He was the eldest son and third of the eleven children of Robert de Bruis, 6th Lord of Annandale and Marjorie, Countess of Carrick in her own right. His birthplace is uncertain, but he was probably born at the Carrick family’s main castle, Turnberry Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland.

The ruins of Turnberry Castle; By Walter Baxter, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14529485

Robert had ten siblings. Three of his four brothers were executed and the fourth was killed in battle.

Not much is known about Robert’s childhood. It can be assumed that he was trilingual. He and his brothers would have learned the Anglo-Norman language of their father, the Gaelic language of their mother, and Latin which would have given them an access to a basic education. The tutors for Robert and his brothers were most likely from the clergy, especially clergy associated with churches and abbeys their family patronized. Robert and his brothers would have had masters who taught them horsemanship, swordsmanship, jousting, hunting, and the code of chivalry. The family would have moved between the castles of their lordships: Lochmaben Castle, the main castle of the lordship of Annandale, and Turnberry Castle and Loch Doon Castle, the castles of the earldom of Carrick. When Robert was about twelve years old, his training for knighthood would have begun and he would have resided with one or more allied English noble families.

Robert’s family was involved in the political turmoil that occurred following the death of Alexander III, King of Scots. Alexander III, King of Scots (reigned 1249 – 1286) had only two surviving children, a son Alexander and a daughter Margaret who married King Eric II of Norway. Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Norway died in childbirth in 1283, giving birth to her only child Margaret, Maid of Norway. In 1284, the earls and barons of Scotland recognized Margaret, Maid of Norway as the heir to the throne of her grandfather King Alexander III of Scotland if he died without a male heir. Later that year, Alexander III’s 20-year-old Alexander died. When Alexander III died in 1286, his three-year-old granddaughter was the heir to his throne. The Scottish earls, barons, and clerics met to select the Guardians of Scotland who would rule the kingdom for the rightful heir. In 1290, Margaret, Maid of Norway died while traveling to Scotland,

Margaret, Maid of Norway; Stained glass window at Lerwick Town Hall in Scotland; Photo Credit – By Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18837762

The death of Margaret, Maid of Norway began a two-year interregnum in Scotland caused by the succession crisis. With Margaret’s death, the line of William I (the Lion), King of Scots became extinct and there was no obvious heir. Fifteen candidates presented themselves as candidates for the throne of Scotland.  The most prominent were John Balliol, great-grandson of William I’s younger brother David, Earl of Huntingdon, and Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale, David of Huntingdon’s grandson and the grandfather of Robert the Bruce.

The Scottish lords invited King Edward I of England to arbitrate the claims. Edward I agreed but forced the Scots to swear allegiance to him as their overlord. In 1292, it was decided that John Balliol should become King of Scots. After John Balliol became King, Robert, 5th Lord of Annandale resigned the lordship of Annandale and his claim to the throne to his eldest son Robert de Brus, the father of Robert the Bruce. Around the same time, Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale’s wife Marjorie, Countess of Carrick died, and the Earldom of Carrick, which Robert had ruled jure uxoris (by right of his wife), devolved upon their eldest son, Robert the Bruce. John Balliol proved weak and incapable, and in 1296 was forced to abdicate by Edward I, who then attempted to annex Scotland into the Kingdom of England. For ten years, there was no monarch of Scotland.

The Scots refused to tolerate English rule, resulting in the Wars of Scottish Independence, a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England, first led by William Wallace and after his execution, led by Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce as Earl of Carrick and 7th Lord of Annandale, held estates and property in Scotland, a barony and some minor properties in England, and a strong claim to the throne of Scotland.

Notable figures in the first Scottish War of Independence, Detail from a frieze in the entrance hall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh; Photo Credit – By William Brassey Hole – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32601439

On February 10, 1306, Robert the Bruce and his supporters killed a rival for the throne, John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch at Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Scotland. There had been long-time bad blood between the two men, and they had found it impossible to work together as Guardians of Scotland. Shortly after, Robert and his followers went to Scone, the traditional coronation site of the Kings of Scots. On March 27, 1306, Robert the Bruce was proclaimed Robert I, King of Scots, and the crown was placed on his head by Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan “in the presence and with the consent of four bishops, five earls, and with the consent of the people.” According to tradition, the ceremony of crowning the monarch was performed by a representative of Clan MacDuff.

Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan, crowns Robert the Bruce at Scone in 1306 from a modern tableau at Edinburgh Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

Robert married two times. His first wife Isabella of Mar died before her husband became king. She was born about 1277 at Kildrummy Castle and was the daughter of Domhnall (Donald), 6th Earl of Mar and Elen the Younger ferch Llywelyn, an illegitimate daughter of the de facto Prince of Wales, Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great), Prince of Gwynedd and Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn.

Isabella’s father was the Earl of Mar, in Gaelic, the Mormaer of Mar. A mormaer was a regional or provincial ruler, second only to the King of Scots, and more senior than a taoiseach or chieftain. Mormaers were equivalent to English earls. Mar was located in present-day Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Kildrummy Castle near Kildrummy in Aberdeenshire, Scotland was the Mar family seat.

Isabella of Mar with her husband from the Forman Armorial, produced for Mary, Queen of Scots in 1562; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway in 1290, Domhnall, 6th Earl of Mar became one of the first Scottish nobles who supported the claim of Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick to the throne of Scotland. Domhnall saw a great advantage to his family if one of his daughters married Robert. In 1295, Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick and Isabella of Mar married. Shortly after the wedding, Isabella became pregnant. Nineteen-year-old Isabella had a healthy pregnancy but died soon after giving birth to a daughter named Marjorie on December 12, 1296, at the Manor of Cardross in Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Isabella was buried at Paisley Abbey in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, but her tomb has not survived.

Isabella’s daughter, Princess Marjorie, once her father became Robert I, King of Scots in 1306, married Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland in 1315. On March 2, 1316, Marjorie, who was pregnant, was riding in Paisley, Renfrewshire. Her horse was suddenly startled and threw her to the ground. Marjorie went into premature labor and her child Robert was delivered by cesarean section at Paisley Abbey. Marjorie died within a few hours. She was 19 years old at the time of her death, like her mother, who was the same age when she died in childbirth, and like her mother, was also buried at Paisley Abbey. Her son became Robert II, King of Scots, the first monarch of the House of Stewart. Marjorie’s descendants include the House of Stuart, all their successors on the thrones of Scotland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, and many other European royal families.

Marjorie Bruce’s tomb in Paisley Abbey; Photo Credit – By © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47156391

Robert’s second marriage was to Elizabeth de Burgh, the third of the ten children of Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and 3rd Baron of Connaught and his wife Margaret, possibly his cousin Margaret de Burgh or Margaret de Guines. Elizabeth’s father Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and 3rd Baron of Connaught was one of the most powerful Irish nobles of his time. He was the friend and ally of King Edward I of England and ranked first among the Earls of Ireland. Elizabeth probably met Robert the Bruce, then the Earl of Carrick, at the English court. Today, Earl of Carrick, which came from the family of Robert’s mother, is one of the titles of the eldest living son and heir-apparent of the British sovereign. Along with Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick was one of the traditional titles of the eldest living son and heir-apparent of the throne of Scotland. When King James VI of Scotland also became King James I of England after the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the Scottish titles came along with him.

Robert the Bruce and Elizabeth de Burgh from Seton Armorial in the Nation Library of Scotland (MS Acc. 9309); Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth de Burgh and Robert married at Writtle, near Chelmsford, Essex, England in 1302 when Elizabeth was about 18 years old and Robert was 28 years old. In 1306, when her husband became King of Scots and Elizabeth de Burgh became Queen of Scots, she did not think she would be queen for long because she feared her husband would be defeated by Edward I. She supposedly said, “Alas, we are but king and queen of the May! ” Both Robert the Bruce and John Comyn had sworn fealty to King Edward I of England. When Edward I heard that John Comyn had been murdered, he vowed “by the God of Heaven and these swans” to avenge Comyn’s death and the treachery of the Scots. On his demand, his knights took a similar oath and were sent off to Scotland to seek revenge.

In Scotland, Robert I, King of Scots was already engaged in a civil war with the family and friends of the murdered John Comyn. His coronation had given him some legitimacy, but his position was uncertain. By the middle of June 1306, the English were in Perth, Scotland, and were joined by supporters of John Comyn. Robert, abiding by the conventions of feudal warfare, invited the English commander to leave the walls of Perth and join him in battle, but the English commander declined to do so. Robert believed that the English refusal to accept his challenge was a sign of weakness, and moved his forces a few miles to nearby Methven, where he made camp for the night. Before dawn on June 19, 1306, Robert’s army was taken by surprise and almost destroyed. Robert barely escaped and fled with a few followers to the Scottish Highlands.

Elizabeth was not so lucky. After the Battle of Methven, under the protection of his brother Niall, Robert sent Elizabeth, his daughter Marjorie from his first marriage, his sisters Mary and Christina and Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan (who had crowned him) to Kildrummy Castle, the seat of the Earls of Mar, the family of his first wife Isabella of Mar. The English besieged Kildrummy Castle and Niall Bruce and all the men of the castle were hanged, drawn, and quartered. However, the women had escaped and sought sanctuary at St. Duthac’s Chapel in Tain, Scotland. Their sanctuary was breached by William, Earl of Ross who had the women arrested and handed over to the English.

King Edward I of England sent his hostages to different places in England. Marjorie went to the convent at Watton, Yorkshire and her aunt Christina Bruce was sent to another convent. Marjorie’s aunt Mary Bruce and Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan were imprisoned in wooden cages and exposed to public view. Mary’s cage was at Roxburgh Castle and Isabella’s was at Berwick Castle. Marjorie, Mary, and Christina were set free around 1314 – 1315, probably in exchange for English noblemen captured after the Battle of Bannockburn in June 1314. There is no mention of Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan in the records, so she probably died in captivity.

 The punishment of Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan

Queen Elizabeth’s punishment was lighter than that of the other women because King Edward I needed the support of her father, the powerful Earl of Ulster. She was imprisoned for eight years by the English and was moved around quite a bit, being held captive in English manor houses, castles, and abbeys. After the Scots’ victory at the Battle of Bannockburn where they routed the English in June 1314, Elizabeth was moved to York while prisoner exchange talks took place and where she had an audience with King Edward II of England who had succeeded his father in 1307. Finally, in November 1314, she was moved to Carlisle, close to the Scots border, just before the exchange and her return to Scotland.  Because of the turmoil in Scotland and Elizabeth’s imprisonment, Robert and Elizabeth did not have any children until after her return to Scotland in 1314.

Elizabeth de Burgh and Robert had four children:

While Elizabeth and the other women were held as hostages by King Edward I and then by his son King Edward II, Robert continued his fight for Scottish independence. After hiding for nearly a year in the Scottish Highlands following his defeat at the Battle of Methven, Robert came out of hiding and defeated the English at the Battle of Loudon Hill on May 10, 1307. During the following two years, Robert won back most of the country. His forces continued to grow in strength, encouraged in part by the death of King Edward I in July 1307. Raids into northern England took place in 1312-1313. The decisive Battle of Bannockburn, a landmark in Scottish history, occurred near Stirling, Scotland on June 24, 1314. Stirling Castle, a Scots royal fortress, occupied by the English, was under siege by the Scottish army. King Edward II of England, who was at the battle, assembled a formidable force to stop the siege. This attempt failed, and Edward II’s army was defeated by a smaller army commanded by Robert the Bruce.

700th Anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce’s statue at the battlefield

In 1320, the Declaration of Arbroath was sent by a group of Scottish nobles to the Pope affirming Scottish independence from England. Two similar declarations were sent by the Scottish clergy and Robert the Bruce. In 1327, King Edward II of England was deposed and killed. An invasion of northern England by Robert the Bruce forced King Edward III of England to sign the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton on May 1, 1328. The treaty recognized the full independence of the Kingdom of Scotland and acknowledged Robert the Bruce, and his heirs and successors, as the rightful rulers. To further seal the peace, Robert’s son and heir, the future David II, King of Scots, married the sister of Edward III, Joan of the Tower.

Robert’s wife Elizabeth de Burgh died on October 27, 1327, at Cullen Castle in Banffshire, Scotland, aged about 43-years-old. She was buried at Dunfermline Abbey in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the resting place of many Kings and Queens of Scots.

Robert had been suffering from a serious illness from at least 1327. Chronicles from the time state that he was said to have contracted and died of leprosy and that he was a victim of “la grosse maladie”, which is usually taken to mean leprosy. Historians have disagreed with the leprosy diagnosis with claims that there does not seem to be any evidence as to what the king himself or his physicians believed his illness to be, nor is there any evidence of an attempt in his last years to segregate Robert in any way from friends, family, courtiers, or foreign diplomats as would have been done if Robert had leprosy.

However, research of Robert the Bruce’s skull and the reconstruction of his face released in December 2016 by a collaboration between historians from the University of Glasgow and craniofacial experts from Liverpool John Moores University, shows that his skull shows the signs of leprosy, including a disfigured jaw and nose. Professor Caroline Wilkinson, director of the Face Lab at LJMU, who also reconstructed the face of Richard III, said: “We could accurately establish the muscle formation from the ­positions of the skull bones to determine the shape and structure of the face. We produced two versions – one without leprosy and one with a mild representation of leprosy. He may have had ­leprosy, but if he did it is likely that it did not manifest strongly on his face.”

Facial reconstructions of Robert the Bruce; Photo Credit – Liverpool John Moores University https://www.ljmu.ac.uk

Robert I the Bruce, King of Scots survived his wife by only 19 months. He died at the age of 54 on June 7, 1329, at the Manor of Cardross, near Dumbarton, Scotland. He was succeeded by his five-year-old son David II, King of Scots. Robert’s funeral procession was led by a line of knights dressed in black which included Robert’s 13-year-old grandson Robert Stewart, the future Robert II, King of Scots, the son of his daughter Marjorie Bruce.  Robert the Bruce was buried at Dunfermline Abbey next to his wife in a vault in front of the high altar. A monument made in Paris of gilded marble was erected over the vault. Because he had been denied the chance to participate in a crusade, Robert ordered that his heart should be removed and taken to the Holy Land. This was to be done by Sir James Douglas, one of the chief commanders during the Wars of Scottish Independence, but Sir James and his companions were killed in Spain on the way to the Holy Land. Robert’s heart was then brought back to Scotland and buried at Melrose Abbey in Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland.

Modern marker for the site of the burial of the heart of Robert the Bruce at Melrose Abbey; Photo Credit – By Otter at nl.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3378812

In 1560, Dunfermline Abbey was sacked by the Calvinists during the Scottish Reformation, and Elizabeth and Robert’s tomb was destroyed. During construction work on the new abbey in 1819, Robert’s coffin was discovered and Elizabeth’s coffin was rediscovered in 1917. Both coffins were re-interred in the new abbey.

The Victorian brass plate covering the tomb of Robert Bruce and Elizabeth de Burgh; Credit – By Otter – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5117548

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.

Works Cited

  • Ashley, Michael. British Kings & Queens. 1st ed. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998. Print.
  • “Battle Of Bannockburn”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • “Battle Of Methven”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Apr. 2017.
  • Dodson, Aidan. The Royal Tombs Of Great Britain. 1st ed. London: Duckworth, 2004. Print.
  • “Elizabeth De Burgh”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Apr. 2017.
  • “First War Of Scottish Independence”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • “Is This The Face Of Robert The Bruce?”. Ljmu.ac.uk. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • “Isabella Of Mar”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • “Robert The Bruce”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Apr. 2017.
  • Sarah Knapton. “Face Of Robert The Bruce Reconstructed Showing Scottish King Had Leprosy”. The Telegraph. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

When The British Monarch Dies: Royal Titles and Arms

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Letters Patent creating Prince Charles as Prince of Wales, 1958

Royal Titles

As already discussed, when the Monarch dies, the heir apparent immediately takes the throne. This includes all of the titles and trappings of the monarchy. The titles of the Monarch remained relatively unchanged from the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 to the accession of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 (with the exception of the title Emperor/Empress of India, which was held from 1876 until 1947). Currently, the British monarch is also the monarch of 14 other realms and is titled differently in each one. Barbados became a republic on November 30, 2021, and the British monarch ceased to be the monarch of Barbados.  The titles of the Monarch remain the same following the accession of King Charles III in 2002.

United Kingdom
His Majesty Charles III, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

Antigua and Barbuda
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Antigua and Barbuda and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Australia
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Australia and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

The Bahamas
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Belize
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Belize and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Canada
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

Grenada
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Grenada and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Jamaica
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Jamaica and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

New Zealand
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of New Zealand and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

Papua New Guinea
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Papua New Guinea and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Saint Kitts and Nevis
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Saint Christopher and Nevis and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Saint Lucia
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Saint Lucia and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Solomon Islands
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Solomon Islands and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

Tuvalu
His Majesty Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Tuvalu and of His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth

The monarch also immediately becomes Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces, and Sovereign of all of the Honours and Orders of Chivalry both in Britain and the other realms.  It is expected that the titles will remain the same, with the possible exception of ‘Head of the Commonwealth’. In 1949, King George VI became the first Head of the Commonwealth, and the role and title passed to his daughter Queen Elizabeth II upon her accession. When the Commonwealth was formally established, the Declaration states that the King will serve as Head of the Commonwealth. In keeping with that sense of heredity, when Prince Charles was created Prince of Wales in 1958, the Letters Patent issued stated that he, and his heirs, will serve as Heads of the Commonwealth. However, there are those who feel that, when the current reign ends, the various members of the Commonwealth should collectively determine who will succeed in the role.  In 2018, Commonwealth leaders agreed that Charles would become Head of the Commonwealth upon his accession, while acknowledging that the position was non-hereditary.  The new King Charles III became Head of the Commonwealth in September 2022.

Upon becoming monarch, any and all titles held by that person revert to the Crown, meaning that they cease to exist. For example, Prince Charles ceased being Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, etc., the moment he became King. Some of his previous titles will pass automatically to the new heir apparent, and others must be specifically granted. You can read more about those titles in our previous article – When The Monarch Dies: Immediately and Automatically.

Titles and Styles of the Descendants of the Monarch

For the most part, the titles and styles of a Monarch’s descendants are determined by the Letters Patent issued by King George V in 1917. Under these Letters Patents, the style of ‘Royal Highness’ and title of ‘Prince/Princess’ is granted to:

  • children of the monarch
  • grandchildren in the male line
  • the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales

Several additional LPs have been issued since then, which make some alterations to the original LPs:

  • 1948 – King George VI issued LPs declaring that all children of then-Princess Elizabeth would be styled as HRH and titled as Prince/Princess. Without these LPs, Charles and Anne would not have become HRH until The Queen’s accession in 1952. Instead, they would have been styled as children of a Duke. Charles would have been Charles Mountbatten, Earl of Merioneth (using his father’s most senior subsidiary title by courtesy), and Anne would have been Lady Anne Mountbatten.
  • 1957 – Queen Elizabeth II issued LPs creating her husband a Prince of the United Kingdom. Until that point, he was merely HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, and not ‘Prince Philip’ as the media often referred to him.
  • 2012 – Queen Elizabeth II issued LPs declaring that all children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would be styled as HRH, with the title Prince/Princess. While this had no effect on Prince George, who was already entitled as the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, it did affect his younger sister Princess Charlotte. Were it not for these LPs, Charlotte would be styled Lady Charlotte Mountbatten-Windsor until her grandfather became King.

Children of the Monarch

Upon the accession of a new monarch, two changes take place when it comes to the titles and styles of the monarch’s children. Children of a sovereign are formally styled with the article ‘The’ preceding their names. They also cease using any territorial designation. For example, Prince George of Wales, (the son of Prince William, Prince of Wales) upon his father’s accession, will become The Prince George. Should he have a peerage by that point, he would continue to be formally styled as such – ‘HRH The Duke/Earl of XXX’.  These changes remain in place, even after that monarch has passed away.  For example, the younger daughter of King George VI became The Princess Margaret upon her father’s accession in 1936 and remained so for the rest of her life.  That style did not end upon her father’s death.

Based on the assumption that the current line of succession remains unchanged, the following changes will occur with the next reign: Prince William will become HM The King, and Prince George will automatically become HRH The Duke of Cornwall. It would then be expected that Prince George would at some point be created Prince of Wales. At that time, any children of Prince George would take ‘of Wales’ as their territorial designation.

Here is a great article that explains further – Unofficial Royalty: What’s In a Title: The Changing Royal Style

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Royal Arms

The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. photo: By Sodacan – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21101265

The Royal Arms have remained unchanged since Queen Victoria’s accession in 1837. On the shield, they feature the three gold lions in the 1st and 4th quarter (representing England), the red rampant lion in the second quarter (representing Scotland), and the gold harp in the 3rd quarter (representing Ireland).  There is also a second version used in Scotland which features the Scottish emblem in the 1st and 4th quarter, with the English in the 2nd.

Arms of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (son of Queen Victoria), featuring the Arms of Saxony. photo: By SodacanThis vector image was created with Inkscape. – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11758689

Until 1917, when King George V changed the name to the House of Windsor and removed all German styles and titles, the arms of male-line descendants of Queen Victoria also featured in inescutcheon of the Arms of Saxony in recognition of their descent from Prince Albert (who was a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and a Duke of Saxony).

Children and grandchildren of the monarch, in the male line, are typically granted their own coats of arms around the time they reach the age of 18, and all are based on the Royal Arms. They are made unique by the use of a label – with three points for children of a monarch (and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales), and five points for grandchildren.

Arms of The Prince of Wales; Credit – By Sodacan – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=122806074

The arms of the Prince of Wales feature a plain three-point label and also feature an inescutcheon of the traditional arms of the Principality of Wales. As Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, he also has a different coat of arms (here).

The labels on the arms of children and grandchildren of the monarch also feature a mark of cadence on one or more of the points. This makes each coat of arms unique to that person. For example, Prince Harry’s arms – granted on his 18th birthday – featured a five-point label (as a grandchild of the monarch), with a red scallop shell on the first, third and fifth point. These are taken from the Spencer arms, used by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. Similar marks of cadence appear on all of the arms granted to children and grandchildren of the monarch.

These arms are granted for the person’s lifetime and do not pass to their children. They do, however, change slightly when there is a new monarch. A grandchild who now becomes a child of the monarch will see their label change from five points to three. (Example: the arms of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, changed to a three-point label, with red scallop shells on each point).  And the new heir apparent – once created Prince of Wales – will assume the arms of the Prince of Wales.

Arms of the Duchess of Cambridge. photo: By SodacanThis vector image was created with Inkscape. – Own work, Based on: BBC News and Official website, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14960090

Wives traditionally use their husband’s arms impaled with their own (or their father’s) arms. Such is the case with the arms of the Duchess of Cambridge seen above. They feature the Duke of Cambridge’s arms on the left and the arms of her father on the right.  Upon the accession of her father-in-law, King Charles III, the now-Princess of Wales’s arms will change to reflect her husband’s new coat of arms as Prince of Wales.

Up until 1975, none of these individual grants of arms were heritable. But in 1975, The Queen issued a Royal Warrant declaring that the arms of grandsons of a monarch (other than the eldest son of the Prince of Wales) are heritable with appropriate differentiation. This means that the arms of the current Dukes of Gloucester and Kent, as well as Prince Michael of Kent, will pass on to their eldest sons.

British Monarchy: Coat of Arms
Wikipedia: Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom
Unofficial Royalty: English Royal Heraldry

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When The British Monarch Dies: Royal Wills and Inheritance

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

While wills are typically public records, those of members of the royal family are traditionally sealed. This goes back to the death of Queen Mary’s younger brother, Prince Francis of Teck, in October 1910. (One very notable exception is the will of Diana, Princess of Wales, which was made public after her death in 1997. You can read her will here.)

 

Born in 1870, Prince Francis was the third of four children of Francis, Duke of Teck, and Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. In addition to being a career military officer, Frank – as he was known – was also known for his love of gambling and women. He never married but had a long affair with The Countess of Kilmorey (née Ellen Constance Baldock), a former mistress of King Edward VII.

When Francis died suddenly of pneumonia in 1910, he left a large collection of emeralds to The Countess of Kilmorey in his will. These emeralds, known as the Cambridge Emeralds, had a very interesting history. Years earlier, Francis’s grandmother, The Duchess of Cambridge (née Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel), had won a box of emeralds in a charity lottery during a visit to Frankfort. Believed to be between 30-40 cabochon emeralds, they passed to Francis’s mother in 1889, and upon her death in 1897, they passed to Francis.

 

Mary – who had become Queen several months before Francis’s death, and was due to be crowned several months later – was mortified that the jewels would be passing out of the family, and to a mistress no less! She quickly set out to get the emeralds back and ended up purchasing them from The Countess for £10,000. Queen Mary was also very aware that the details of the will, and Francis’s affair, would cause a public scandal and could potentially tarnish the monarchy, so she successfully petitioned The High Court to have her brother’s will sealed. (Queen Mary later used the emeralds in creating some of the jewelry for the Delhi Durbar in 1911. To read more about the emeralds and the jewelry that was created, check out this great article from our friends at From Her Majesty’s Jewel Vault — CLICK HERE!)

 

Even though the wills are sealed, there are several clear traditions for how some assets are passed from one generation to the next. By tradition, Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House – both of which are personal property – pass from monarch to monarch. For the most part, this has been a smooth transition. However, when King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, the properties remained his personal property, and the new King George VI was forced to purchase them from his elder brother.

The Queen Mother wearing the Oriental Circlet and crown rubies

A similar tradition applies to some of the more important pieces of jewelry. When Queen Victoria died in 1901, she designated several items as jewels of the Crown – meaning that they pass automatically from monarch to monarch. Some of these include the Coronation necklace and earrings, the Oriental Circlet, and Queen Victoria’s ruby necklace and earrings.

We must remember that many of the monarch’s assets are technically not his or hers to give away, but are instead simply held by the monarch in trust for the nation. These include the royal palaces, the Crown Jewels, and much of the Royal Collection. These belong to the Sovereign, although not to the individual who holds the title.

As for personal property, the majority is usually left to the new monarch. A 1993 agreement with the government allows for bequests from monarch to monarch (or consort to monarch) to be free from inheritance tax. This arrangement avoids the need to sell assets in order to pay the nearly 40% inheritance tax when a monarch or consort dies. Sadly, many other royals have been forced to sell jewels and other assets in order to pay the tax bill, and historic pieces have left the family.

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.

When The British Monarch Dies: The Coronation

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

King George V and Queen Mary seated on the Chairs of Estate in front of the royal box at their coronation in 1911. It was the first time any part of the service had been photographed; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After a period of mourning, the new monarch is usually consecrated and crowned in Westminster Abbey. Normally, the Archbishop of Canterbury officiates, although the monarch may designate any other bishop of the Church of England. A coronation is not necessary for a monarch to reign. King Edward VIII was never crowned, yet during his short reign was the undoubted king. The length of time between accession and coronation varies. Below are the dates for accessions and coronations since Queen Victoria.

  • Queen Victoria: Accession – June 20, 1837; Coronation – June 28, 1838
  • King Edward VII: Accession – June 22, 1901; Coronation – August 9, 1902 (Coronation was scheduled for June 26, 1902, but was postponed because the king had an appendectomy on June 24, 1902.)
  • King George V: Accession – May 6, 1910; Coronation – June 22, 1911
  • King Edward VIII: Accession – January 20, 1936; No coronation, but it had been scheduled for May 12, 1937
  • King George VI: Accession – December 11, 1936; Coronation – May 12, 1937 (Preparations had been underway for Edward VIII’s coronation, so the date and the preparations were passed on the George VI)
  • Queen Elizabeth II: Accession – February 6, 1952; Coronation – June 2, 1953
  • King Charles III: Accession – September 8, 2022; Coronation – May 6, 2023

The United Kingdom is the only European kingdom that still has coronations. The other kingdoms that still crown their rulers are Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Thailand, and Tonga.

Practices in other European kingdoms:

  • Belgium: The monarch’s formal installation requires only a solemn oath on the constitution in parliament symbolizing the limited power allowed to the monarch under the 1831 Constitution. Belgium has no crown or regalia.
  • Denmark: Coronation was abolished with the introduction of the Danish Constitution in 1849. The public announcement of a monarch’s accession is made from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace, with the new monarch being acclaimed by her Prime Minister. The crown of Denmark is only displayed at the monarch’s funeral when it lies on top of the coffin.
  • Liechtenstein: Traditionally, the Sovereign Prince attends a mass celebrated by the Archbishop of Vaduz, followed by a choral display.
  • Luxembourg: The Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Luxembourg is enthroned at a ceremony held in the nation’s parliament. The Grand Duke of Grand Duchess takes an oath of loyalty to the state constitution and then attends a solemn mass at the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Luxembourg has no crown or regalia.
  • Monaco: The Sovereign Prince or Sovereign Princess attends a special investiture ceremony, consisting of a festive mass in Saint Nicholas Cathedral, followed by a reception where the new Sovereign Prince or Sovereign Princess meets his people. Monaco has no crown or regalia.
  • The Netherlands: The Dutch monarch is sworn in and inaugurated in Amsterdam at a public joint session of the two houses of the States-General held at the Nieuwe Kerk. The crown, orb, sword of state, and scepter are placed on cushions surrounded by a copy of the Dutch constitution. During the ceremony, the monarch is seated on a throne opposite the crown, regalia, and constitution as he or she takes his formal oath to uphold the kingdom’s fundamental law and protect the country with everything within his or her power. After the monarch has taken the oath, all members of the States-General pay homage to the new monarch by taking an oath of loyalty to him or her.
  • Norway: The Norwegian constitution of 1814 required the Norwegian monarch to be crowned, but this requirement was repealed in 1908. Since then, the monarch has only been required to take a formal accession oath in the Council of State and then in the Storting (parliament). King Olav V, desired a religious ceremony to mark his accession to the throne in 1957, and so he instituted a ceremony of royal consecration. This consecration took place again in 1991 when King Harald V and Queen Sonja were similarly consecrated. Both consecrations were held where the coronation rite had formerly taken place, Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.
  • Spain: The Spanish monarch appears at the Cortes (parliament), where he or she takes a formal oath to uphold the constitution. The crown is at the ceremony, but it is never placed on the monarch’s head.
  • Sweden: The coronation rite was last used to crown King Oscar II in 1873. Subsequent monarchs of Sweden chose not to be crowned, but there is no law preventing a coronation. The current monarch King Carl XVI Gustaf, during a meeting of the cabinet, took the then-required royal assurance (in Swedish Konungaförsäkran) to fulfill the duties associated with the office and not exceed them. The Riksdag Act of 1974 no longer requires that the monarch take the royal assurance, but says the monarch “can” take the royal assurance before the Riksdag (parliament). After King Carl XVI Gustaf took the royal assurance, he was enthroned in a simple ceremony in the throne room of the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The crown jewels were displayed on cushions to the right and left of the throne but were never given to the king. From the throne, King Carl Gustaf made an accession speech.

Coronation of King Harold II at Westminster Abbey in 1066 from the Bayeaux Tapestry; Credit – Wikipedia

The main elements of the coronation service and the earliest form of the oaths taken can be traced to the ceremony devised by Saint Dunstan for the coronation of Edgar the Peaceful, King of the English in 973 AD at Bath Abbey. For the order of service for the most recent coronation, see An Anglican Liturgical Library: Form and Order of the Service of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

For more information about coronations, see Unofficial Royalty: British Coronations.

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.

When The British Monarch Dies: The Burial

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Westminster Abbey in London; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The traditional burial places of English/British monarchs since the Norman Conquest in 1066 have been Westminster Abbey in London and St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Three of the seven Norman and Angevin monarchs were buried in France in lands they held as Duke of Normandy or Count of Anjou. The tombs of several monarchs have been destroyed. The fate and the burial place of King Edward V, one of the “Little Princes in the Tower,” is unknown. King James II who lived out his life in exile after he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, was buried in France. The first Hanoverian king, King George I, was traveling back to his homeland when he suffered a stroke, died, and was then buried in Hanover. While we associate grandiose tombs with royalty, it is interesting to note that some monarchs have no tomb or memorial, but simply a plaque on the floor, and a few monarchs have no plaque, memorial, or tomb.

 Conservation work being done in the chapel of Edward the Confessor’s shrine. Tombs of kings and queens are around the perimeter of the chapel. The tall structure in the middle is the tomb of Edward the Confessor.

In 1042, King Edward the Confessor began rebuilding St. Peter’s Abbey to provide himself with a royal burial church, the first Westminster Abbey. Construction of the second and present church was begun in 1245 by King Henry III who selected the site for his burial. In 1269, Henry III oversaw a grand ceremony to rebury Edward the Confessor in a magnificent new shrine, personally helping to carry the body of the saint to its new resting place. When Henry III died in 1272, he was buried in the original coffin of Edward the Confessor. Eventually, a grander tomb was built for Henry III and in 1290, his remains were moved to their current location in Westminster Abbey, in a tomb directly north of Edward the Confessor’s shrine. Nearby the shrine of Edward the Confessor, kings, their wives, and their relatives were buried over the years.

 Henry VII Chapel: In the vaults under the chapel, many royals are buried. The tomb of Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York is in the center of the photo.

In 1502, King Henry VII started the rebuilding of the Lady Chapel, devoted to the Virgin Mary, at Westminster Abbey. The old Lady Chapel was demolished in 1502, construction began in January 1503, and was completed in 1509. The beautiful chapel, known as the Henry VII Chapel, is famous for its spectacular pendant fan vault ceiling. Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York are buried in the chapel in a magnificent tomb. The vaults under the chapel became the burial place for many of his successors and members of the royal family. King George II was the last monarch buried there. In 1790, the last British royal was buried at Westminster Abbey, Prince enry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and a younger brother of King George III.

St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle; Photo Credit – By Aurelien Guichard from London, United Kingdom – WindsorUploaded by BaldBoris, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15203080

By the time of George II’s death in 1760, the royal burial vaults at Westminster Abbey were quite crowded. His successor, his grandson King George III, decided to build a new royal vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. St. George’s Chapel was built during the reign of King Edward III (reigned 1327-1377). The new Royal Vault was constructed in 1804 under what is now the Albert Memorial Chapel, which had originally been intended to serve as a chapel for the tombs of Henry VII and his successors. Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, is not buried there, but his son Prince Leopold and his grandson Prince Albert Victor (Prince Eddy) are.

 An artist’s view inside the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel

Above is a view inside the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel. Caskets were placed on the shelves along the sides. The bench in the middle was used as a temporary place for caskets waiting to be buried elsewhere. None of the Hanovers buried in the Royal Vault have a memorial except Princess Charlotte of Wales, who tragically died in childbirth at age 21 and most likely would have succeeded her father King George IV to the throne.

Memorial to Charlotte; Photo Credit – http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/

The Royal Vault is accessible from the Choir of St. George’s Chapel where a portion of the floor can be raised for lowering coffins into the passage that led to the vault. In 1873, steps to the vault were added behind the high altar and a mechanically operated platform was installed to ease the lowering of coffins into the vault. In the photo below, the Royal Vault is open as the coffin of King George V has been lowered into the vault following his funeral.

Princess Amelia, the youngest child of George III, was the first person buried in the new Royal Vault in 1810. George III’s two youngest sons, Prince Alfred who died at age two in 1782, and Prince Octavius who died at age four in 1783, were both originally buried at Westminster Abbey.  Their remains were moved to the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on February 11, 1820, shortly after their father’s death.  Burials in the Royal Vault continued until 1927.

Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore; Photo Credit – By WyrdLight.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14615493

In 1928, the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, adjacent to Queen Victoria’s mausoleum and near Windsor Castle, was consecrated as a cemetery for junior members of the British Royal Family. One monarch, King Edward VIII who abdicated in 1936 after ten months on the throne, was buried at the Royal Burial Ground. At the time of the consecration, eight coffins of junior royals were moved from the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel and interred at the new Royal Burial Ground. Presumably, the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel could then be used for the burial of future monarchs and their consorts. Since that time, there have been no permanent burials in the Royal Vault. Many remains interred at the Royal Burial Ground temporarily rested in the Royal Vault before transfer to Frogmore. The Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore is the final resting place of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. A crypt below Victoria and Albert’s tomb has nine spaces that were reserved for the couple’s nine children, but none of them were buried there.

Queen Victoria’s Royal Mausoleum in Frogmore with the Royal Burial Ground in the front; Photo Credit – By Gill Hicks, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3347750

 Interior of the Royal Mausoleum, burial place of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Four days after the death of Prince Albert in December 1861, Queen Victoria ordered a mausoleum to be built at Frogmore in Windsor Great Park where both she and Albert would be interred. Albert was temporarily interred in the Royal Vault and in March 1862, construction of the mausoleum began. In December 1862, Albert’s coffin was transferred to the Royal Mausoleum. When Queen Victoria died in January 1901, her coffin rested in the Albert Memorial Chapel for two days after the funeral, and then it was transferred to the Royal Mausoleum.

Tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, Photo source: www.findagrave.com

King Edward VII who died in 1910, was temporarily interred in the Royal Vault while a tomb with recumbent effigies was completed on the south side of the high altar in St. George’s Chapel. When Edward VII’s wife Alexandra died in 1925, the king’s coffin was removed from the Royal Vault and placed with his wife’s in front of the altar in the Albert Memorial Chapel. On April 22, 1927, both coffins were placed in the tomb.

Tomb of King George V and Queen Mary; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

King George V was temporarily interred in the Royal Vault. A tomb with recumbent effigies was built at the west end of the north aisle of the nave of St. George’s Chapel. George V’s coffin was removed from the Royal Vault and interred in the tomb on April 23, 1939. His wife Queen Mary was interred in the tomb when she died in 1953.

King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

King George VI died in 1952, and like his two predecessors was temporarily interred in the Royal Vault. After lengthy discussions, a memorial chapel was built on the north side of St. George’s Chapel between 1967-1969. This was the first major addition to St. George’s Chapel since 1504. In March 1969, George VI’s coffin was transferred from the Royal Vault to the new King George VI Memorial Chapel. When his wife Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother died on March 30, 2002, her coffin was interred there along with the ashes of her younger daughter Princess Margaret who had died in February 2002. King George VI’s elder daughter and successor Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022, was interred with her parents and her sister’s ashes in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died in 2021 and was originally interred in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel. At the time of the burial of his wife Queen Elizabeth II, his coffin was transferred to the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Recommended Book
The Royal Tombs of Great Britain by Aiden Dodson

Below is some brief information about the burials of English/British monarchs since the Norman Conquest in 1066. For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: British Royal Burial Sites

House of Normandy

House of Angevin

  • King Henry II: Abbaye de Fontevraud in Anjou, France, remains destroyed by French Huguenots in 1562, effigy survived
  • King Richard I: Abbaye de Fontevraud in Anjou, France, remains destroyed by French Huguenots in 1562, effigy survived
  • King John: tomb in Worcester Cathedral

House of Plantagenet

  • King Henry III: tomb in Westminster Abbey
  • King Edward I: tomb in Westminster Abbey
  • King Edward II: tomb in Gloucester Cathedral
  • King Edward III: tomb in Westminster Abbey
  • King Richard II: tomb in Westminster Abbey

House of Lancaster

  • King Henry IV: tomb in Canterbury Cathedral
  • King Henry V: tomb in Westminster Abbey
  • Henry VI: tomb in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle

House of York

  • King Edward IV: tomb in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle
  • Edward V: unknown
  • King Richard III: buried at Greyfriars Church in Leicester which was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, remains discovered in a car park and were re-interred at Leicester Cathedral in 2015

House of Tudor

  • King Henry VII: tomb in Westminster Abbey
  • King Henry VIII: buried in a vault in the Choir of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, plaque on the floor
  • King Edward VI: tomb in Westminster Abbey
  • Jane: after execution buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London
  • Mary I: shared tomb with her half-sister Elizabeth I at Westminster Abbey
  • Elizabeth I: shared tomb with her half-sister Mary I at Westminster Abbey

House of Stuart

  • James I: buried in the vault beneath the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, plaque on the floor
  • Charles I: buried in a vault with Henry VIII in the Choir in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, plaque on the floor
  • Charles II: buried in the vault beneath the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, plaque on the floor
  • James II: buried in the Chapel of Saint Edmund at the English Benedictines in Paris, France which was destroyed during the French Revolution, viscera rediscovered and reburied in 1824 at the Parish Church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
  • Mary II: buried in the vault beneath the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, plaque on the floor
  • William III: buried in the vault beneath the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, plaque on the floor
  • Anne: buried in the vault beneath the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, plaque on the floor

House of Hanover

  • George I: buried at the Chapel of Leine Castle in Hanover, Germany; re-interred in the mausoleum at Herrenhausen in Hanover, Germany in 1956
  • George II: buried in the vault beneath the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, plaque on the floor
  • George III: buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, no plaque, memorial, or tomb
  • George IV: buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, no plaque, memorial, or tomb
  • William IV: buried in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, no plaque, memorial, or tomb
  • Victoria: tomb in Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore, adjacent to Windsor Castle

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

  • Edward VII: tomb in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle

House of Windsor

  • George V: tomb in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle
  • Edward VIII (Duke of Windsor): Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore, adjacent to Windsor Castle
  • George VI: buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle
  • Elizabeth II: buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle

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.

When The British Monarch Dies: The State Funeral

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

The funeral procession of King Edward VII in Windsor; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

In the United Kingdom, a state funeral is usually reserved for the monarch or for a very distinguished person with the approval of the monarch and Parliament such as Sir Winston Churchill‘s funeral in 1965.  While there has not been a monarch’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in London since King George II’s funeral in 1760, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be held at Westminster Abbey.  It is expected that most of the traditions outlined here will be followed.

The members of the British Royal Family who have had state funerals since 1901 are:

1901: Queen Victoria at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
1910: King Edward VII at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
1936: King George V at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
1952: King George VI at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
2022: Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, London

Another classification of funerals in the United Kingdom is ceremonial funerals, usually reserved for senior members of the Royal Family, generally for those who hold a high military rank, the consort of the monarch and the heir to the throne, and high-ranking public figures such as the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma in 1979 and Baroness Thatcher in 2013.

The members of the British Royal Family who have had ceremonial funerals since 1952 are:

Other members of the British Royal Family have private funerals such as the funeral of Princess Margaret in 2002.

State funerals of recent past monarchs have had the features below with the exception of the state funeral of Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria wanted no public lying-in-state and therefore the only public event in London was a gun-carriage procession from one train station to another. She had died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and her coffin was transported via boat and train to Waterloo Station in London. Then the coffin was transported by gun carriage to Paddington Station for the train journey to Windsor.

 

The coffin is brought to Westminster Hall in London: From the place of death, the coffin is transported to London, if necessary, and then brought by horse-drawn gun carriage escorted by military, officials, and mourners to Westminster Hall for the lying-in-state.

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Lying-In-State in Westminster Hall: During the lying-in-state period, which occurs before the funeral, the coffin rests on a raised platform in the middle of Westminster Hall. Each corner of the platform is guarded around the clock by units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, Foot Guards, or the Household Cavalry.  Members of the public file past the coffin and pay their respects. See Unofficial Royalty: When The Monarch Dies: Lying-In-State in Westminster Hall

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The coffin is brought from Westminster Hall to Windsor or to Westminster Abbey: If the funeral service will be held at Westminster Abbey, the coffin will be transported the very short distance to Westminster Abbey. After the funeral, the coffin will be transported in the manner described below to Paddington Station for the burial in Windsor.  If the funeral will be held at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, a gun carriage carrying the coffin is hauled from Westminster Hall to Paddington Station by sailors from the Royal Navy accompanied by several military contingents, State office-holders, the Royal Household, and the deceased monarch’s personal staff and servants. The late monarch’s equerries serve as pallbearers and walk alongside the coffin which is escorted by the monarch’s bodyguards: the Gentlemen at Arms and the Yeomen of the Guard. The Royal Family (as chief mourners) follow the coffin, along with foreign and Commonwealth representatives. The journey from Westminster Hall to Paddington Station takes two hours. The coffin, mourners, and officials then travel by train to Windsor, where the procession re-forms for the short journey to Windsor Castle.

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St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; Photo Credit – By Andrewkbrook1 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28086094

Funeral service in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle or Westminster Abbey, London: The funeral service for the monarch is the same as for a commoner, the funeral service in the Book of Common Prayer. See Church of England: The Outline Order for Funerals and The Funeral Service. If the funeral is at Westminster Abbey, it is probable that the coffin will be transferred to Windsor for burial as described above.

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Burial: King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II were all buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.  Before the burial, the Garter King of Arms pronounces the formal style of the deceased monarch. As the coffin is lowered into the vault, the Lord Chamberlain breaks his white stave of office to symbolize the end of his period of service to the late monarch. After Queen Victoria’s funeral, her coffin rested for two days in the Albert Memorial Chapel in St. George’s Chapel. Her coffin was then taken by horse-drawn gun carriage the short distance to Frogmore Mausoleum to rest beside her husband Prince Albert.

For more specific information on the funerals of recent monarchs, see:

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.

When The British Monarch Dies: Lying-in-State in Westminster Hall

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster, London from Ackermann’s Microcosm of London (1808-11); Credit – Wikipedia

On the River Thames in London sits the Palace of Westminster, commonly known as the Houses of Parliament, the meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The building we see today was built after a fire destroyed the medieval Palace of Westminster in 1834. The first royal palace was built on the site in the 11th century and was the primary residence of the Kings of England until a fire destroyed much of the palace in 1512. After that, it served as the home of Parliament. Westminster Hall, built in 1097, survived both fires.  It was saved from the flames of 1834 because of the actions of the floating fire engine on the River Thames and also because a change in the wind direction kept the flames away.

The Palace of Westminster from the River after the Fire of 1834; Credit – Wikipedia

Westminster Hall is an impressive structure even today. It was built during the reign of King William II Rufus, the son of King William I the Conqueror. At the time it was built in 1097, it was the largest hall in Europe. It measures 240 by 67 feet (73 by 20 meters) and has an area of 16,080 square feet (1,460 square meters). Originally the roof was flat, but during the reign of King Richard II, the flat roof was replaced by a spectacular hammerbeam roof called “the greatest creation of medieval timber architecture” by the royal carpenter Hugh Herland.

Westminster Hall was often used for judicial purposes and was the setting for some of the most famous state trials in British history. The trials of Sir William Wallace in 1305, Sir Thomas More in 1535, Cardinal John Fisher in 1535, Guy Fawkes in 1606, King Charles I in 1649, and the rebel Scottish lords of the 1715 uprising and 1745 uprising were held in Westminster Hall. From the 12th to the 19th century, coronation banquets honoring new monarchs were held at Westminster Hall. The last coronation banquet held there was for King George IV in 1821. His successor King William IV thought the coronation banquet expense was too great and the idea was abandoned.

King George IV’s coronation banquet in 1821; Credit – Wikipedia

It is expected that the practice of deceased monarchs and deceased consorts lying-in-state at Westminster Hall will continue. Recent royal lyings-in-state:

1910 – King Edward VII
1936 – King George V
1952 – King George VI
1953 – Queen Mary, wife of King George V
2002 – Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, wife of King George VI
2022 – Queen Elizabeth II

During the lying-in-state period, which occurs before the funeral, the coffin rests on a raised platform in the middle of Westminster Hall. Each corner of the platform is guarded around the clock by units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, Foot Guards or the Household Cavalry. Each unit mans the guard for a total of six hours, with each detachment standing post for twenty minutes. The four soldiers stand at each corner with heads bowed, weapons inverted and their backs turned towards the coffin. Members of the public file past the coffin and pay their respects.

 King George VI lying-in-state in 1952

 

On two occasions, the guard has been mounted by four male members of the Royal Family, unofficially called “The Vigil of the Princes.”  At the lying-in-state of King George V in 1936, his four sons King Edward VIII, The Duke of York, The Duke of Gloucester and The Duke of Kent took guard around their father’s coffin. For Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s lying-in-state in 2002, her four grandsons, The Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), The Duke of York, The Earl of Wessex, and Viscount Linley (now 2nd Earl of Snowdon) stood guard. In 2022, the eight grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II: The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Sussex, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, Peter Phillips, and Zara Phillips Tindall stood guard at their grandmother’s coffin in Westminster Hall.

Queen Elizabeth II’s eight grandchildren stand vigil around her coffin

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Top Ten Articles of March 2017

The top ten viewed articles for March 2017 have three articles about Queen Victoria’s family which is probably due to residual interest generated by the Victoria series that recently was shown on PBS in the United States. We also saw interest in several articles about Princess Benedikte of Denmark, including her wedding article, because of the death of her husband Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg.  It’s nice to see an article about a medieval royal, John of Gaunt, a son of King Edward III in the top ten. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her predecessors since King Henry IV are descended from John of Gaunt. In fact, most European monarchies are descended from John.  Check out the article on King Edward VIII, The Duke of Windsor which had a major revision last week.

We invite you to spend some time checking out our archive of over 1,000 articles about royalty, past, and present at Unofficial Royalty: Royal Articles Index.

  1. Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  2. Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales in childbirth and its impact on the British succession
  3. Americans Who Married Royalty

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  4. King Edward VIII, The Duke of Windsor
  5. Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia
  6. Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the end of August
  7. Wedding of Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg
  8. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster
  9. Wedding of Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones and Daniel Chatto
  10. Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary Donaldson

April 1917: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia
  • Timeline: April 1, 1917 – April 30, 1917
  • A Note About German Titles
  • April 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

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Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

On July 12, 1912, Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia won a bronze medal for Germany in the equestrian team jumping event at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. A little more than two years later World War I began and in April 1917, the prince lost his life in the war.

Prince Friedrich Karl participating in the 1912 Summer Olympics; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Tassilo Wilhelm Humbert Leopold Friedrich Karl of Prussia, known as Friedrich Karl, was born on April 6, 1893 at Jagdschloss Glienicke, a hunting lodge now part of the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Birthplace of Prince Friedrich Karl, Jagdschloss Glienicke, by Ferdinand von Arnim, 1865; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Karl was the second of the three sons and the third of the four children of Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia and Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg.  His father was a great-grandson of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. His mother was the granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen,  Queen Victoria’s half-sister from the first marriage of her mother. Friedrich Karl was the nephew of the last German Emperor and Empress, Wilhelm II and Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, who was the sister of Friedrich Karl’s mother.

Friedrich Karl had three siblings:

Like all princes of the Prussian royal house, Friedrich Karl, at the age of ten, was given the rank of lieutenant à la suite in the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards.  À la suite is a military term that identifies persons who are entitled to bear a regimental uniform, but who have no official position. By 1908, the prince was an official member of the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards with the rank of lieutenant.

Prince Friedrich Karl participated in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden as a member of the German equestrian team. He won a bronze medal riding his horse Gibson Boy in the team jumping event. Because of the close connection between the equestrian events and the skills required in the military, only active officers represented their country riding their own service horses.

Germany’s bronze medal winning team in the team jumping event: Prince Friedrich Karl, Lieutenant Ernst Deloch, Lieutenant Sigismund Freyer, Lieutenant Wilhelm, Graf von Hohenau; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

During World War I, Prince Friedrich Karl served with the Imperial German Army, the combined land and air forces of the German Empire, as the captain (Rittmeister) of the Fliegerabteilung (Artillerie) 258, an aerial artillery spotting unit. In addition to his regular duties, the prince often flew his Albatros D.I, a German single-seater fighter aircraft, on patrols with the Jagdstaffel 2, one of the best-known German air squadrons in World War I

Prince Friedrich Karl landing his plane; Photo Credit – http://www.stahlgewitter.com

On March 21, 1917, British World War I flying ace Charles Pickthorn forced down a German Albatros D.I with a skull and crossbones insignia behind the British lines at Lagnicourt, France. Once on the ground, the German pilot attempted to run toward the German lines, but was shot in the back and severely wounded by Australian troops. The pilot turned out to be Prince Friedrich Karl.

Albatros D.I flown by Prince Friedrich Karl surrounded by a group of mostly Australians soldiers presumably the ones who had captured him; Photo Credit – Project 914 Archives

A German military report of March 22, 1917 said: “The aircraft operated by Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia has not returned from a flight over the enemy lines between Arras and Péronne.” The prince was taken into captivity and he died from his injuries on his 24th birthday, April 6, 1917, at the British military hospital in St. Etienne du Rouvray, France. The prince was given a funeral befitting his military rank of Rittmeister.  A division of 100 soldiers made up the funeral procession along with a band that played a mourning march. The prince was buried in the cemetery in St. Etienne du Rouvray. Two clergymen prayed at his grave and three volleys were fired. The British Air Corps donated two wreaths for his grave where a wooden cross with his name and dates was erected.

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Timeline: April 1, 1916 – April 30, 1917

  • April 2 – 3 – Australians attack Noreuil in France
  • April 6 – United States declares war on Germany
  • April 9 – May 17 – Second Battle of Arras in Arras, France, British attack a heavily fortified German line without obtaining any strategic breakthrough
  • April 9 – 12 – Canadians obtain a significant victory in the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Vimy, Pas-de-Calais, France, part of the first phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 9 – 14 – First Battle of the Scarpe near Arras, France, part of the first phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 10 – 11 – First Battle of Bullecourt near Arras, France, part of the first phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 15 – Battle of Lagnicourt in Lagnicourt, France, part of the Second phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 16 – May 9 – Second Battle of the Aisne between Soissons and Reims, France, ends in disaster for the French army
  • April 17 – 20 – Battle of the Hills in Champagne Province, France, a diversion to the Second Battle of the Aisne
  • April 19 – Second Battle of Gaza in Gaza, Palestine (now in the Gaza Strip), the Ottoman lines resist a British attack
  • April 22 – May 8 – Second Battle of Doiran near Lake Dojran, Kingdom of Serbia (present-day Macedonia)
  • April 23 – 24 – Second Battle of Scarpe near Arras, France, part of the second phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 28 – 29 – Battle of Arleux near Arras, France, part of the second phase of the Second Battle of Arras
  • April 29 – May 20 – Series of mutinies in the French army

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. 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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April 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of 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 or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

Captain Richard Godolphin Hume Chaloner

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Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (see above)

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Lieutenant The Honorable George Seymour Dawson-Damer

Photo Credit – http://www.winchestercollegeatwar.com

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Richard Bernard Boyle, 7th Earl of Shannon

Photo Credit – https://www.geni.com

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2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Charles Willoughby Murray Molesworth

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Henry Molyneux Paget Howard, 19th Earl of Suffolk

Photo Credit – http://www.thepeerage.com