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Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

August 30, 1813 – Birth of Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and wife of Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, in Augsburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Mathilde Karoline Friederike Wilhelmine Charlotte
The eldest daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Mathilde Karoline married the future Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine but the couple had no children. Mathilde Karoline died of cancer at the age of 48 in 1862. Because she had remained Catholic after her marriage into the Grand Ducal family who was Lutheran, she is buried at St. Ludwig’s Catholic Church in Darmstadt.
Unofficial Royalty: Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

August 30, 1831 – Death of Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the divorced wife of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in Paris, France; buried at the Ducal Family Mausoleum, Glockenburg Cemetery in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Louise was the mother of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. Although her marriage to Ernst was initially happy, the couple soon grew apart due to Ernst’s infidelities. In 1823, Louise had an affair with Gottfried von Bülow, the court chamberlain, and in 1824, she had an affair with Alexander von Hanstein, one of her husband’s equerries. At midnight on September 2, 1824, Louise was forced into exile and permanently cut off from her children. Louise and von Hanstein married but had no children. In 1831, Louise traveled with her husband to see doctors in Paris, France because of the deterioration of her health. Unfortunately, incurable cervical cancer was diagnosed. Louise died on August 30, 1831, in Paris at the age of 30.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

August 30, 1870 – Birth of Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, born Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia, daughter of King George I of Greece, wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, at the Mon Repos villa on the Greek island of Corfu
Alexandra was the eldest of the three daughters of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. She was named after her paternal aunt Alexandra of Denmark, the future Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, wife of King Edward VII. Alexandra married Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, the youngest child of Alexander II, Emperor of all Russia. The couple had two children but sadly, Alexandra died after giving premature birth to her second child.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia

August 30, 1915 – Birth of Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland, wife of Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland, born Lilian May Davies in Swansea, Wales
Lilian and Prince Bertil, who was serving as a naval attaché at the Swedish Embassy in London, first met at a cocktail party in 1943. At that time Bertil was third in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. By the time his father came to the throne in 1950, Bertil was now second in the line of succession. His elder brother Gustaf Adolf had been killed in a plane crash in 1947, leaving an infant son, Carl Gustaf, the future King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the heir to the throne. With the likelihood of Bertil being called to serve as Regent for his young nephew, he and Lilian chose not to marry so that he could retain his position in the Royal Family. Bertil’s father died in 1973, and Bertil’s nephew became King Carl XVI Gustaf. The rules, as well as the times, were beginning to change. The King married in June 1976 to a commoner, Sylvia Sommerlath, and soon after, he granted his formal permission for Bertil and Lilian to marry.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland

August 30, 1917 – Birth of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia, son of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in Porvoo, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire, now in Finland
Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia was the pretender to the throne of Russia from 1938 – 1992.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia

August 30, 1946 – Birth of Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, wife of former King Constantine II of Greece, daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark, born Anne-Marie of Denmark at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid
Six months after his accession to the Greek throne, on September 18, 1964, King Constantine married 18-year-old Anne-Marie.  Upon marriage, she became Queen of the Hellenes and relinquished her place in the line of succession to the Danish throne. Before the wedding, Anne-Marie converted to Greek Orthodoxy. Anne-Marie and Constantine are third cousins twice, sharing both King Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom as common ancestors. The couple had five children. Unfortunately, her tenure as Queen did not last very long. Following a coup in 1967, the Greek royal family went into exile, living in Rome for several years before moving to Denmark and then finally settling in the United Kingdom. While in exile, King Constantine was deposed and the monarchy was formally abolished in 1974. In 2013, Anne-Marie and Constantine were able to return permanently to Greece, where Constantine died in 2023.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne-Marie of Denmark, Queen of Greece

August 30, 1963 – Death of Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, at Glücksburg Castle in Glücksburg, Germany; buried at New Cemetery in Glücksburg, Germany
Alexandra’s husband was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. At the end of World War I, following her husband’s abdication on November 14, 1918, the family was forced to leave Mecklenburg. They traveled to Denmark at the invitation of Queen Alexandrine, Friedrich Franz’s sister, and stayed for a year. The following year, they were permitted to return to Mecklenburg and recovered several of their properties. At the end of World War II, with the Soviet Army approaching Mecklenburg, the family was again forced to flee. Intending to return to Denmark, they traveled to Glücksburg Castle, in Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, the home of their youngest daughter where they both lived the rest of their lives.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

August 29, 1298 – Death of Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar, daughter of King Edward I of England, wife of Henri III, Count of Bar, in Ghent, County of Flanders, now in Belgium; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Eleanor married Henri III, Count of Bar. The Duchy of Bar was a sovereign state located in what is now northeast France. An alliance with Henri against King Philippe IV of France could provide a significant military advantage. Eleanor and Henri had one son and one daughter. Eleanor and Henri’s marriage lasted a little less than five years. On August 29, 1298, 29-year-old Eleanor died in Ghent, County of Flanders, now in Belgium, of unknown causes. Possibly, she died in childbirth (along with the baby), which at the end of the 13th century was a frequent cause of premature death of women.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar

August 29, 1763 – Death of Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany; buried at the Stadt-Kirche Bad Wildungen in Bad Wildungen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse
In 1728, upon the death of his elder brother, Karl August then became the reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Karl August had been left a great deal of debt due to his father’s ambitious building projects and he tried to limit the debt burden in his small country. However, he and his wife had the Residenzschloss Arolsen redesigned and expanded in the Rococo style. Karl August issued letters of protection to Jewish families provided they could prove that they had assets of at least 1,000 thalers, thereby allowing the immigration of Jewish residents into the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl August, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

August 29, 1790 – Birth of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden, in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
As his parents’ marriage was morganatic, Leopold and his siblings were not titled Prince/Princess of Baden, nor were they initially in the line of succession. They were styled as Baron/Baroness of Hochberg, and later as Count/Countess of Hochberg. Leopold’s father had always intended that his younger children would be eligible for succession if there were no heirs left from his elder sons. In 1817,  the Hochberg children were raised to Prince and Margrave of Baden and formally given succession rights by the government the following year. Leopold became Grand Duke of Baden in 1830, upon the death of his unmarried brother.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden

August 29, 1923 – Death of Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds, Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark, first wife of Prince Christopher of Greece, at Spencer House in London, England; buried in the Leeds mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York
Nancy had married two wealthy men who both died, leaving her a very wealthy widow. While visiting Biarritz, France in 1914 Nancy met Prince Christopher, the youngest child of King George I of Greece. The two quickly fell in love and decided to marry. Their engagement was first announced in 1914, but it would be six years before they actually married. There was much reservation within the Greek royal family over the bride being an American and already married twice. Finally, the couple was married on February 1, 1920, and several days after the marriage, Nancy converted to Greek Orthodoxy and took the name Anastasia. Not long after her marriage, Anastasia was diagnosed with the cancer that caused her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds, Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark

August 29, 1935 – Death of Queen Astrid of the Belgians, born Astrid of Sweden, wife of King Leopold III of the Belgians, in a car accident near their villa at Küssnacht am Rigi in Schwyz, Switzerland; buried at the Church of Our Lady in Brussels, Laeken, Belgium
In August 1935, Leopold, Astrid, and their children were on holiday in Switzerland. On August 29, 1935, having sent the children ahead, Leopold and Astrid decided to take one last outing before returning to Belgium. On a drive in the mountains near Lake Lucerne, with King Leopold at the wheel, and Astrid beside him, the king was distracted by something Astrid pointed out to him and lost control of the car. The convertible went off the road and down a steep slope, crashing into a tree. Both of them were thrown from the car, but Leopold was not seriously injured. Astrid, who was pregnant, was thrown into another tree and died from her injuries. She was just 29 years old. Later, a chapel and memorial were built in her honor in Küssnacht am Rigi, at the scene of the accident. Astrid was the mother of two Belgian kings, Baudouin and Albert II, and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.
Unofficial Royalty: Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians

August 29, 1966 – Death of Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, wife of King Manuel II of Portugal, in Münchhöf, Baden, Germany; buried at Langenstein Castle in Baden, Germany
In 1912, Augusta Viktoria met the former King Manuel II of Portugal while both were visiting Switzerland. Manuel had become King in 1908 following the assassinations of his father and elder brother but was deposed two years later when the Portuguese First Republic was declared. The couple married in 1913 and lived at Fulwell Park, Manuel’s home outside London, England. Augusta Viktoria and Manuel had no children. Manuel died in 1932, and in 1939, Augusta Viktoria married Count Robert Douglas, head of the Swedish comital house of Douglas, a branch of the Scottish Clan Douglas. The couple lived at Langenstein Castle in Orsingen-Nenzingen Baden, Germany, and had no children.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

August 29, 1968 – Wedding of King Harald V of Norway and Sonja Haraldsen at Olso Cathedral in Oslo, Norway
In June 1959, Crown Prince Harald attended a party hosted by a friend, Johan Stenersen where he met another friend of Johan Stenersen, Sonja Haraldsen. The relationship between the Crown Prince and Sonja was controversial as many people, including politicians and journalists, felt the Crown Prince should marry a princess and not a Norwegian commoner. The controversy continued for years as did the relationship despite the media’s attempts to promote a royal marriage with either of the Greek princesses Sophia and Irene. Crown Prince Harald made it clear to his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried if he could not marry Sonja. This would have resulted in a succession crisis as Harald was the sole heir to the throne. At that time, Norway did not allow female succession, so his two sisters Ragnhild and Astrid were not in the line of succession. Finally, in 1968, when King Olav felt the position of the Norwegian people had changed to favor Sonja, he consulted with parliamentary leaders and other government leaders and gave his consent for the Crown Prince to marry a commoner.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Harald V of Norway and Sonja Haraldsen

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Prince William of Gloucester: Credit – Wikipedia

August 28, 1592 – Birth of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, favorite of King James I of England and King Charles I of England, in Brooksby, Leicestershire, England
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a courtier and favorite of King James I of England and his son King Charles I until a disgruntled army officer assassinated him. In 1615, George was knighted and became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber. He became Master of the Horse in 1616, was raised to the peerage as Baron Whaddon, Viscount Villiers, and was also made a Knight of the Garter. In 1619, George was made Lord High Admiral of England. In 1617, George was created Earl of Buckingham and climbed the steps of peerage when he was created Marquess of Buckingham in 1618, and Duke of Buckingham in 1623.
Unofficial Royalty: George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, favorite of King James I of England and King Charles I of England

August 28, 1667 – Birth of Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Queen of Denmark and Norway, first wife of King Frederik IV of Denmark and Norway, in Güstrow, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Louise grew up at her father’s modest court at Güstrow Castle. Her parents were adherents to Pietism, a movement that originated in the Lutheran Church in the 17th century that stressed personal piety over religious formality and orthodoxy. In 1695, Louise married the future Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway. Louise and Frederik had four sons and one daughter. Sadly, three sons died in infancy. Louise found it difficult to endure her husband’s infidelities and even worse, his two bigamous marriages. At times, Louise reproached her husband which often led to embarrassing situations at court. It is suspected that Louise’s deep religiousness was also an escape from her disappointing marriage. Louise took part in the official court life and fulfilled her ceremonial duties. Otherwise, she led a withdrawn and quiet life. Queen Louise died on March 15, 1721, aged 53, at Charlottenborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, Queen of Denmark and Norway

August 28, 1676 – Birth of Isabel Stuart at St. James’s Palace in London, England
Isabel was the second of the seven children and the second of the five daughters of the future King James II of England, who was then Duke of York, and his second wife Maria Beatrice of Modena. Isabel’s mother Maria Beatrice had twelve pregnancies and gave birth to seven live children, four of whom died in infancy. To her father James, this seemed a repeat of his first marriage to Lady Anne Hyde when six of their eight children died young. Only the last two of Isabel’s six siblings survived childhood. For most of her short life, Isabel was her parents’ only child and was fourth in line to the throne behind her father and her elder half-sisters Mary and Anne from her father’s first marriage. Isabel died on March 2, 1681, five months before her fifth birthday, at St. James’s Palace in London while her parents were still in Scotland. Her father regretted that he “could not have the satisfaction of seeing and assisting her in her sickness.” When he was King James II of England, he named the royal yacht Isabella in her memory. Her mother consoled herself with “thoughts that I have more angels to pray for me.”
Unofficial Royalty: Isabel Stuart

August 28, 1691 – Birth of Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, wife of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor, in Brunswick, then located in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
Elisabeth Christine was the eldest of the four children, all daughters, of Ludwig Rudolf, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. In 1708, she married the future Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Elisabeth Christine and Karl had one son who died in infancy and three daughters, with one dying in childhood. including Maria Theresa of Austria, in her own right Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia because she succeeded to her father’s Habsburg hereditary lands. In 1740, at the age of 55, Elisabeth Christine’s husband Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor died after a ten-day illness. His symptoms were typical of death cap mushroom poisoning but the definitive cause of Karl’s death remains unknown. Elisabeth Christine survived her husband by ten years, dying, aged 59, in Vienna, Austria, on December 21, 1750.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empress

August 28, 1779 – Birth of Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Württemberg in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Antoinette Ernestine Amalie
Antoinette was the sister of Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians and an aunt to both Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1798, Antoinette married Duke Alexander of Württemberg whose brother Friedrich would become the first King of Württemberg. Antoinette and her husband had five children including Marie who would become the second wife of her maternal uncle Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  Antoinette died from erysipelas, a bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin, at the age of 44 on March 14, 1824, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Württemberg

August 28, 1789 – Birth of Stéphanie de Beauharnais, wife of Karl, Grand Duke of Baden, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
Full name: Stéphanie Louise Adrienne
Stéphanie was from the same family as the first husband of Napoleon’s wife Josephine, Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais. Alexandre had been guillotined during the French Revolution. After the death of Stéphanie’s mother, Napoléon brought her to Paris and placed her under the care of his wife Joséphine. After becoming Emperor in 1804, Napoléon sought to strengthen alliances with several of the European dynasties by arranging several marriages of his extended family. One of these marriages was between Stéphanie and the future Karl I, Grand Duke of Baden. Before the marriage, Napoléon adopted Stéphanie and elevated her to an Imperial Highness and French Princess. Through the marriages of her children, Stéphanie’s descendants include the former Kings of Romania and Yugoslavia, as well as the royal families of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Stéphanie de Beauharnais, Grand Duchess of Baden

August 28, 1814 – Birth of Susanna Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria, in Heningford, Yorkshire, England
Born Susanna Stephania Dalbiac, she was the daughter of Lieutenant-General Sir James Dalbiac, a British Army officer and Member of Parliament. She married James Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe.
Unofficial Royalty: Susanna Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe

August 28, 1853 – Birth of Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein at Schloss Liechtenstein near Vienna, Austria
Full name: Franz de Paula Maria Karl August
In 1914, Franz met Elisabeth von Gutmann, the widow of the Hungarian Baron Géza Erős of Bethlenfalva. The couple wanted to marry in 1919 but Franz’s brother Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein refused to consent to the marriage because of Elsa’s lower social status and Jewish background, although she had converted to Catholicism before her first marriage. Elsa and Franz secretly married in 1919, and that same year, Pope Benedict XV received the couple at the Vatican. Johann II died in 1929, and as he was unmarried with no children, his only brother succeeded to the throne as Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Now that Franz was the  Sovereign Prince, he could officially marry Elsa. Their marriage was childless and upon Franz’s death, he was succeeded by his great-nephew, Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein

August 28, 1895 – Death of Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Oldenburg, first wife of the future Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, in Fulda, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Hesse, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
In 1878, Elisabeth Anna married the future Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg but she died before he became Grand Duke.  The couple was married in a double wedding, along with Princess Charlotte of Prussia and Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Meiningen. Elisabeth Anne and Friedrich had two daughters.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Oldenburg

August 28, 1941 – Birth of Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps Boël, former mistress of Albert II, King of the Belgians
Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps was the mistress of the future King Albert II of the Belgians from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s. Their child, Delphine Boël, now Her Royal Highness Princess Delphine of Belgium, is well-known for pursuing legal acknowledgment of her parentage. This was finally received in early 2020.
Unofficial Royalty: Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps Boël, Mistress of Albert II, King of the Belgians

August 28, 1942 – Death of Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria in Vienna, Austria, pretender to the Grand Ducal Throne of Tuscany; buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria was the Pretender to the Grand Ducal Throne of Tuscany from 1908 until 1921 when he married unequally and was forced to renounce his rights.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria

August 28, 1943 – Death of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria at Sofia, Bulgaria; originally buried at Rila Monastery in Rila, Bulgaria, re-buried in the courtyard of the Vrana Palace during the Communist regime, at a later date the Communist regime moved the coffin to an unknown location
Boris was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until his death.  In 1930, he married Princess Giovanna of Italy and the couple had two children. With the outbreak of World War II, Boris tried to retain Bulgaria’s neutrality. After the threat of a German invasion, and with the promise of regaining territory formerly ceded to Greece, Boris signed a treaty aligning Bulgaria with the Axis powers.  In 1941, Boris signed into law the Law for Protection of the Nation, which imposed restrictions on Jewish Bulgarians. Despite signing the law, Boris helped to prevent the forced deportation of the Bulgarian Jews. In August 1943, Boris was summoned to a meeting with Hitler, who wanted Boris to deport Bulgarian Jews, and to declare war on Russia – both of which Boris strongly refused to do, making Hitler furious. Just weeks later, 49-year-old Boris died. The circumstances of his death remain mysterious, with many believing that Boris had been poisoned because of his refusal to concede to the demands of the Nazis.
Unofficial Royalty: Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria

August 28, 1972 – Death of Prince William of Gloucester in an airplane accident at an air show at Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton, England; buried at Royal Burial Grounds, Frogmore in Windsor, England
Prince William was the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and brother of the current Duke of Gloucester.  William would have been Duke of Gloucester had he lived. He was a licensed pilot, owned several airplanes, and enjoyed competing in air shows. On August 28, 1972, the prince planned on competing at the Goodyear International Air Trophy races at Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton, England. Express and Star photographer Ray Bradbury, an eyewitness, described what happened: “I saw Prince William’s Piper, number 66, and another Piper, number 69, take off. Number 69 appeared to get airborne before the prince. Then it seemed he was in some sort kind of trouble. He banked to port. It looked as though the Prince might have been troubled by the other aircraft making a turn but at a higher altitude. His port wing seemed to hit the trees and he disappeared from view. Then there was an explosion.”
Unofficial Royalty: Prince William of Gloucester
Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August

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Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Credit – Wikipedia

August 27, 1487 – Birth of Anna of Brandenburg, first wife of the future King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway, in Berlin, Margraviate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Brandenburg.
Anna died before her husband became King of Denmark and Norway but she was the mother of his heir. ,  Anna and Frederik, who was the Duke of Schleswig and Holstein at that time, lived at Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in Schleswig in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Anna often accompanied her husband on his travels and she was very popular with the people of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Apparently having two children during her teenage years weakened Anna’s health. She contracted tuberculosis and died on May 3, 1514, aged 26, while six months pregnant.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Brandenburg, Duchess of Schleswig and Holstein

August 27, 1669 – Birth of Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia, first wife of Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, at the Château de Saint-Cloud in France
Anna Marie was the daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of Louis XIV, King of France, and Princess Henrietta of England, the youngest child of Charles I, King of England. In 1684, she married Vittorio Amedeo II, Duke of Savoy, the future King of Sardinia and the couple had six children. Anne Marie is an important link in the Jacobite succession to the thrones of England and Scotland, and now to the United Kingdom. In 1688, Anne Marie’s maternal uncle James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots was deposed. After James II lost his throne, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his Roman Catholic heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. When the line of the deposed King James II of England died out the Jacobite claims to the British throne descended from the line of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, James II’s sister and Anne Marie’s mother. Since Anne Marie’s elder sister had died and had no children and her brother died in childhood, the Jacobite claims descended through Anne Marie.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

August 27, 1758 – Death of Bárbara of Portugal, Queen of Spain, wife of King Fernando VI of Spain, at Palacio Real de Aranjuez; buried at Salesas Reales Church (Santa Barbara) in Madrid, Spain
The daughter of João V, King of Portugal, Bárbara married King Fernando VI of Spain but the couple had no children except a stillborn son. Benevolent but weak, Fernando VI left the government mostly to others. Bárbara was the conduit through which the government ministers worked with Fernando VI. She was presented with all documents of state before they were given to Fernando VI because only she knew what should be said or hidden from him. Bárbara suffered from severe asthma for most of her life and became obese in the years before her death. Bárbara’s death at the age of 46,  broke Fernando’s heart. During the last year of his reign, probably at least partially caused by his wife’s death, Fernando VI rapidly lost his mental capacity and was held at the Castle of Villaviciosa de Odón, near Madrid, where he died less than a year after Barbara’s death, on August 10, 1759, as the age of 45.
Unofficial Royalty: Bárbara of Portugal, Queen of Spain

August 27, 1789 – Birth of Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in Hildburghausen, Duchy of  Saxe-Hildburghausen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Joseph became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg upon his father’s death in 1834. As a ruler, Joseph was very conservative and against any sort of reform. With unrest spreading through Europe in 1848, Joseph quickly brought in troops to squash the growing demands for a free state in Altenburg. Despite his attempts, the people refused to back him and Joseph was forced to abdicate on November 30, 1848, just two days after the death of his wife. As he had no male heirs, he was succeeded by his younger brother Georg.
Unofficial Royalty: Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

August 27, 1851 – Death of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Glockenberg Cemetery in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Ferdinand was the uncle of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and founded the Koháry branch of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He married Princess Maria Antonia Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya, the daughter of Ferenc József, Prince Koháry de Csábrág et Szitnya and Countess Maria Antoinetta Josefa of Waldstein-Wartenburg. Although Ferdinand was Lutheran and Maria Antonia was Catholic. The couple married in the Catholic Church, with the condition that they would raise their children Catholic. The couple had four children including Ferdinand who married Queen Maria II of Portugal. Ferdinand’s wife was the sole heiress to her father’s vast fortune, which she inherited upon his death in 1826. At the time, Ferdinand converted to Catholicism.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

August 27, 1968 – Death of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England
Princess Marina was the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia. She married Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V, and was the last foreign princess to marry into the British royal family. The couple had three children, the first cousins of Queen Elizabeth II. In July 1968, Princess Marina spent several days in the hospital, where it was discovered that she was suffering from an inoperable brain tumor. Sadly, her condition diminished very quickly. At 11:40 am, on August 27, 1968, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her children, and her sister Olga.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August

August 27, 1979 – Assassination of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, son of Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg (later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven) and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine and uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Mullaghmore, County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland; buried at Romsey Abbey in England
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was a member of the extended British Royal Family and a distinguished Naval officer. A great-grandson of Queen Victoria, he was born a Prince of Battenberg but grew up fiercely British. In addition to his naval career, he also served as the last Viceroy and first Governor-General of India. Lord Mountbatten was killed on August 27, 1979, when his boat was blown up by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on Donegal Bay, in County Sligo, Ireland. He had been staying at his summer home, Classiebawn Castle, in County Sligo, Ireland, with much of his family. Mountbatten, his grandson Nicholas, his son-in-law’s mother, The Dowager Baroness Brabourne, and a young crew member, Paul Maxwell, all died as a result of the blast. Mountbatten’s daughter Patricia, her husband John, and their son Timothy were all critically injured but they survived.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August

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Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (left) with his brother and mother; Credit – Wikipedia

August 26, 1551 – Death of Margareta Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden, second of the three wives of King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden; died at Tynnelsö Castle in Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland, Sweden; buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden
Margareta was selected as the king’s second wife because she belonged to one of the leading Swedish noble families which created an alliance between the king and one of the most powerful factions of the nobility. Although Margareta was twenty years younger than her husband, she felt very comfortable in her role as Queen of Sweden and had a great influence on King Gustav I Vasa. Margareta gave birth to ten children. Her constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia at the age of 35.
Unofficial Royalty: Margareta Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden

August 26, 1728 – Death of Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia, wife of Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, at Villa della Regina in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy
Anne Marie is an important link in the Jacobite succession to the thrones of England and Scotland, and now to the United Kingdom. In 1688, Anne Marie’s maternal uncle James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots was deposed. After James II lost his throne, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his Roman Catholic heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. When the line of the deposed King James II of England died out the Jacobite claims to the British throne descended from the line of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, James II’s sister, and Anne Marie’s mother. Since Anne Marie’s elder sister had died and had no children and her brother died in childhood, the Jacobite claims descended through Anne Marie. The Jacobite line of succession has proceeded over the years from the House of Savoy to the House of Austria-Este, and to the House of Wittelsbach (Bavaria). It appears in the future, that it will proceed to the House of Liechtenstein.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne Marie d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

August 26, 1819 – Birth of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Schloss Rosenau in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Franz Albrecht August Karl Emanuel
The husband and first cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Albert was the second of the two sons of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his first wife Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The Coburg family had strong ties to the British royal family. Albert’s uncle Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (the future King of the Belgians) had married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of King George IV, who had died in childbirth. His aunt Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld had married King George III’s son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and was the mother of the future Queen Victoria. Plans for a possible marriage between first cousins Victoria and Albert had first been mentioned by their grandmother the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld in letters to her daughter the Duchess of Kent in 1821. The idea was later taken up by their uncle Leopold.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

August 26, 1836 – Birth of Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes 1885–1886, 1885–1886, 1895–1901 and Queen Alexandra’s Mistress of the Robes 1901-1912, in Brighton, Sussex, England
Born Lady Louisa Hamilton, she was the daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn and married William Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch and 8th Duke of Queensberry. They are the grandparents of the late Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and the great-great-grandparents of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester and Sarah, Duchess of York.
Unofficial Royalty: Louisa Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry

August 26, 1850 – Death of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, in exile at Claremont, Surrey, England; buried at the Chapelle Royale in Dreux, France
The economic crisis of 1847, led to the French Revolution of 1848 and, once again, the end of the French monarchy. On February 24, 1848, Louis Philippe abdicated in favor of his grandson, Philippe, Count of Paris. Afraid that he may be imprisoned and executed, he quickly left Paris, and using a disguise, made his way to England. Two days later, the Second Republic was declared, once again ending the monarchy in France. In England, Louis Philippe and his wife took up residence at Claremont, a country house in Surrey, England where he died in 1850.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis-Philippe I, King of the French

August 26, 1944 – Birth of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester at Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire, England
Full name: Richard Alexander Walter George
A first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, Richard had one elder brother, Prince William of Gloucester who was killed in an airplane accident at an airshow in 1972. At that time, Prince Richard became the heir to his father’s titles. In 1963, Richard began studying architecture at Magdalene College, Cambridge University where he received a Diploma of Architecture. He was a partner in a London architecture firm and planned to make it his career. However, upon his brother’s death in 1972, when Richard became his father’s heir, he took on increased royal duties and the responsibility for the family estate, so he resigned from his partnership. On June 10, 1974, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester died and Prince Richard succeeded his father as Duke of Gloucester.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester

August 26, 1954 – Birth of Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, husband of Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, at the Château de Belœil in Belœil, Belgium
Full name: Carl Christian Maria Anna Rudolph Anton Marcus d’Aviano
Carl Christian is a grandson of the last Austrian Emperor Karl I and his wife Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. In 1982, Archduke Christian married his second cousin, Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, the daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium. The couple had five children.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Carl Christian of Austria

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King Ludwig I of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

August 25, 1160 – Death of Gervase of Blois, Abbot of Westminster, illegitimate son of King Stephen of England; buried in the south cloister of the old Westminster Abbey in London, England
Gervase was the illegitimate son of King Stephen of England and his mistress Damette. In 1138, when Gervase was no older than his early 20s, his father arranged for him to be appointed Abbot of Westminster, giving Westminster Abbey hope of receiving additional royal funds. Gervase was certainly too young to hold this position and was neither a monk nor a priest. Alberic of Ostia, the papal legate to England, immediately ordained Gervase as a priest. In 1139, Gervase attended the Second Lateran Council in Rome, the tenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church. King Henry II came to the throne after defeating Gervase’s father King Stephen in the terrible civil war known as The Anarchy. Henry had no love lost for Gervase and accused him of mishandling the abbey’s estates and he was dismissed as Abbot of Westminster in 1157.
Unofficial Royalty: Gervase of Blois, Abbot of Westminster, illegitimate son of King Stephen of England

August 25, 1482 – Death of Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England, wife of King Henry VI of England, at Château de Dampiere in Anjou, France, buried at St. Maurice’s Cathedral in Angers, France
In 1445, Margaret married King Henry VI of England and had one son Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales. Margaret was one of the principal players in the Wars of the Roses, the battle for the English crown between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.  Her son was killed at the Battle of Tewkesbury where Margaret led the Lancastrian forces. Her husband was sent to the Tower of London where he died, probably murdered on orders from King Edward IV from the House of York. Margaret was imprisoned at Wallingford Castle in England while her father René, Duke of Anjou worked tirelessly to arrange his daughter’s release. In 1475, King Louis XI agreed to pay Margaret’s ransom provided that her father would cede to France his territories of Anjou, Bar, Lorraine, and Provence. Margaret returned to France and died on August 25, 1482.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England

August 25, 1699 – Death of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway in Copenhagen, Denmark after a hunting accident; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Christian V died from the after-effects of a hunting accident that occurred on October 19, 1698. Christian was hunting with his two surviving sons and his half-brother. While they were taking a break, they received the news that the hunting dogs had exhausted and surrounded a deer. Christian immediately left to give the deer the death blow. Instead, he missed and the deer kicked him. The injuries were severe and Christian never recovered,
Unofficial Royalty: King Christian V of Denmark and Norway

August 25, 1707 – Birth of King Luis I of Spain at Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, Spain
After the abdication of his father, Luis I, King of Spain had a very short reign, from January 14, 1724 to August 31, 1724. Luis married Princess Louise Élisabeth of Orléans in 1722 but the marriage was unsuccessful and resulted in no children due to the young age of Louise Élisabeth and because she became increasingly known for her erratic and impulsive behavior. On January 14, 1724, Luis’s father King Felipe V abdicated the Spanish throne in favor of Luis for reasons that are still unclear. Perhaps it was because Felipe suffered from mental instability and did not wish to reign due to his increasing mental decline. King Luis I contracted smallpox in July 1724. His wife Louise Élisabeth was his only company because his parents, fearful of the illness, left the Palacio del Buen Retiro in Madrid, Spain. Luis’s smallpox was complicated by pneumonia. Fourteen-year-old Louise Élisabeth cared for and remained with her seventeen-year-old husband until his death, on August 31, 1724. She also contracted smallpox but recovered from the illness.
Unofficial Royalty: King Luis I of Spain

August 25, 1786 – Birth of King Ludwig I of Bavaria at the Hôtel des Deux-Ponts in Strasbourg, France
Full name: Ludwig Karl August
In 1810, Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The wedding was held in a large outdoor space called the Theresienwiese in Munich. Named for his bride, Theresienwiese is the site of Oktoberfest, held every year to commemorate the wedding. Ludwig became King of Bavaria upon his father’s death in 1825. However, by 1848, Ludwig’s reign was ending abruptly. Facing protests and demonstrations by students and the middle classes, the King had ordered the university to close. Shortly after, the crowds raided the armory on their way to storm the Munich Residenz. Ludwig’s brother Karlappeased the protesters, but the damage was done. The King’s family and advisors turned against him, forcing him to sign the March Proclamation, giving substantial concessions toward a constitutional monarchy. Unwilling to rule this way, King Ludwig I abdicated on March 20, 1848. Ludwig spent the rest of his life in Bavaria, devoting his time to supporting and fostering the arts. He published several books of poems during his reign and translated several plays. On February 29, 1868, Ludwig died in Nice, France, aged 81, having survived his wife and five of his children.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ludwig I of Bavaria
Unofficial Royalty: Oktoberfest’s Royal Connection

Sophia Sidney, Baroness De L’Isle and Dudley was born Sophia FitzClarence on August 25, 1796, in London, England.

August 25, 1805 – Death of Prince William Henry of Wales, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, son of Frederick, Prince of Wales and brother of King George III, at Gloucester House on Upper Grosvenor Street in London, England; buried in the Gloucester Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
William Henry was one of the two brothers of King George III whose marriages caused the passing of the Royal Marriages Act in 1772. The act stipulated that no descendant of King George II under the age of 25, except descendants of princesses who married into foreign families, could marry without obtaining the sovereign’s consent. Over the age of 25, those wishing to marry without obtaining consent needed to inform the Privy Council of their intention. If Parliament did not object, they would be free to marry in a year  In 1766, William Henry married Maria Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave, née Walpole. William Henry and Maria’s marriage was held in secret as William Henry’s marriage to a widow of non-royal rank and illegitimate birth would not have been acceptable. King George III was unaware of this marriage until 1772. The Royal Marriages Act was repealed on March 26, 2015, due to the 2011 Perth Agreement. The Royal Marriages Act’s provisions were replaced by less limited restrictions that apply only to the first six people in the line of succession to the British throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince William Henry of Wales, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh

August 25, 1845 – Birth of King Ludwig II of Bavaria in Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Ludwig Otto Friedrich Wilhelm
Ludwig was just 18 years old when he became king upon his father’s death. He continued with his father’s policies and retained his ministers, but his interests were not in ruling the country. His interests lay almost solely in the arts and he is probably best known for his love of architecture. Using his personal funds, he built several magnificent palaces and castles, the most famous being Neuschwanstein Castle. By 1885, the king was millions of marks in debt due to spending on his castles and palaces and had all but withdrawn from his duties as King. Several of his ministers began trying to find grounds to depose him, believing him to be mentally ill. Ultimately, Ludwig II had a mysterious end. On June 13, 1886, Ludwig went for a walk on the castle grounds, accompanied by Dr. von Gudden, his doctor, and several attendants. They went out again that evening without servants but never returned. Several hours later, King Ludwig II’s body was found in the water of Lake Starnberg, along with that of Dr. von Gudden. His death remains a mystery. It was ruled a suicide by drowning, but no water was found in his lungs during an autopsy. One belief is that Ludwig II was murdered while trying to escape; another is that he died of natural causes, possibly due to the extremely cold temperature of the water.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ludwig II of Bavaria

August 25, 1862 – Death of Mathilde of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine,  wife of Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; buried at St. Ludwig’s Catholic Church in Darmstadt
Mathilde Karoline married the future Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse and by Rhine. They had no children. She became Grand Duchess upon her husband’s accession in 1848. She died of cancer at the age of 48. Because  Mathilde Karoline had remained Catholic after her marriage and the Grand Ducal family who was Lutheran, she is buried at St. Ludwig’s Catholic Church in Darmstadt.
Unofficial Royalty: Mathilde of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

August 25, 1942 – Death of Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V of the United Kingdom and brother of King George VI of the United Kingdom, when a military plane taking him to Iceland, crashed in Scotland, buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England
Prince George, Duke of Kent was the father of Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousins Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent. On August 25, 1942, just six weeks after the birth of his youngest child, George boarded a Royal  Air Force plane in Scotland, headed for Iceland. The plane crashed near Dunbeath, Caithness in Scotland, killing all except for one person aboard. There is much speculation as to the nature of this trip. While officially it was a standard visit to troops in Iceland, there are allegations and suggestions that it was a “secret mission”. The Duke’s body was found with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist, full of 100 kroner notes. These had no value in Iceland at the time.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George, Duke of Kent
Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August

August 25, 2001 – Wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby at Oslo Cathedral in Oslo, Norway
Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit first met in the mid-1990s at a garden party during the Quart Festival, Norway’s largest music festival, in her hometown of Kristiansand. The two met at the Quart Festival again in 1999 and began a relationship. On December 1, 2000, the couple’s engagement was announced, but it was not without controversy. Mette-Marit was a commoner, had a child born out of wedlock, and was surrounded by rumors of a party-girl past and alleged drug use. The couple was living together which did not sit well with the Church of Norway. Surveys at that time reported that most Norwegians did not mind the couple living together or that she was a single mother. However, public support for the monarchy suffered as the details emerged about Mette-Marit’s drug past and there were calls for Haakon to relinquish his place in succession if he chose to marry Mette-Marit. The couple did, however, have the support of the King and Queen, and after a series of public interviews, they also regained the support of the Norwegian people.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby

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