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David II, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

February 22, 1371 – Death of David II, King of Scots at Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland; buried at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, now in ruins
The second and last monarch of the House of Bruce, David II, King of Scots is one of the longest-reigning monarchs of Scotland, having reigned for 41 years, 260 days. He was the only surviving son of Robert I, King of Scots (also known as Robert the Bruce) and his second wife Elizabeth de Brugh. In 1328, four-year-old David married seven-year-old Joan of the Tower, the youngest daughter of King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. David’s mother had died in 1327 and upon the death of his father on June 7, 1329, five-year-old David succeeded to the Scottish throne. Joan died in 1362, at the age of 41, without giving her husband an heir. David married his mistress Margaret Drummond in 1364. He divorced her in 1370 on the grounds of infertility. However, Margaret successfully petitioned Pope Urban V to reverse the divorce because it seemed likely that David was infertile as his 34-year marriage to his first wife produced no issue. In the later years of his reign, David continued to pursue peace with England and worked to make Scotland a stronger kingdom with a more prosperous economy. David, aged 46, died unexpectedly in 1371. As both his marriages were childless, David was succeeded by his nephew, the son of his half-sister Marjorie, who became Robert II, King of Scots, the first monarch of the House of Stewart.
Unofficial Royalty: David II, King of Scots

February 22, 1921 – Death of Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein at Castle Primkenau in Primkenau, Germany, now in Przemków, Poland; buried in the Ducal Graveyard at Castle Primkenau
In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchy of Holstein and the Duchy of Schleswig became occupied territories of the German Confederation. Two years later, following the Austro-Prussian War, the duchies became part of the new Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein. Just as with his father, Prussia recognized Ernst Gunter as the mediatized duke of these two duchies, with the rank and all the titles. (mediatize – to annex to another state, while allowing certain rights to its former sovereign) In 1898, Ernst Günther married Princess Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the daughter of Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Louise of Belgium. They had no children. However, in 1920, they adopted Princess Marie Luise and Prince Johann Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the children of Prince Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his first wife, Countess Ortrud of Ysenburg and Büdingen. Ernst Günther, aged 58, died in 1921. As he had no legal heir, his titles were inherited by his cousin, Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, son of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, and a grandson of Queen Victoria.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

February 22, 1933 – Birth of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, born Katharine Worsley at Hovingham Hall in Yorkshire, England
Full name: Katharine Lucy Mary
In 1956, Katharine met her future husband, Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent, while he was stationed with the British Army at Catterick Garrison, near Richmond, England. They were married in 1961 and had two sons and one daughter. The Duchess of Kent was known for presenting the women’s singles final trophies at the annual Wimbledon Championships from the 1970s to 2001. In 1994, Katharine converted to Catholicism, the first senior member of the royal family to convert publicly since the enactment of the Act of Settlement in 1701. One of her children and several of her grandchildren have also become Catholic. In 2002, Katharine reduced her public role and asked to be known as Katherine, Duchess of Kent (a style typically used for one widowed or divorced). However, formally she remains HRH The Duchess of Kent. She began teaching music at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull and also purchased an apartment in Notting Hill, London where she gave music lessons. The Duchess has not been seen in public recently. She did not attend the 2021 funeral of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, the 2022 funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, or the 2023 coronation of King Charles III although her husband did attend all three.
Unofficial Royalty: Katharine, Duchess of Kent

February 22, 1968 – Birth of Princess Delphine of Belgium, formerly known as Delphine Boël, the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium and his longtime mistress Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, born in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium
In June 2013, Delphine filed a lawsuit to prove, through DNA testing, that she was King Albert II’s biological child. After a long legal process, in January 2020, the former King Albert II finally acknowledged that he was Delphine’s biological father, as proven by DNA testing. On October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg. In addition, she is legally entitled to inherit one-quarter of the former King’s estate – a share equal to that of his three legitimate children. She is still considered illegitimate (born out of wedlock) and as such, Delphine and her descendants are not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Delphine of Belgium

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Peter III, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

February 21, 1728 – Birth of Peter III, Emperor of All Russia in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, now in Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany
Born: Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, grandson of Peter the Great via his eldest daughter Anna Petrovna
Peter III, Emperor of All Russia was born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp. His father was Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. His mother was Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, daughter of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. Peter III’s life dramatically changed when his unmarried maternal aunt, his mother’s younger sister, Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia, declared him her heir and brought him to St. Petersburg, Russia. He married his second cousin, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (later Catherine II the Great). Peter succeeded his aunt in 1762. A conspiracy to overthrow Peter was planned and centered around the five Orlov brothers with Grigory, Catherine’s favorite, and Alexei being the main conspirators. Peter III, Emperor of All Russia died at the age of 34 on July 17, 1762, at Ropsha Palace, a country estate outside of St. Petersburg, Russia. He was probably murdered but the circumstances of his death remain unclear. His wife became the Empress of All Russia, known as Catherine the Great.
Unofficial Royalty: Peter III, Emperor of All Russia

February 21, 1937 – Birth of King Harald V of Norway at Skaugum, the Crown Prince Residence in Asker, Norway
King Harald V is the only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. His paternal grandparents were King Haakon VII of Norway (born Prince Carl of Denmark, son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark) and Queen Maud (born Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom). King Harald is closely related to several European monarchs: King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg are his first cousins once removed, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is his second cousin, and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and King Charles III of the United Kingdom are his second cousin once removed. In 1968, Harald married Sonja Haraldsen and the couple had two children.  Harald succeeded to the throne in 1991 upon the death of his father.
Unofficial Royalty: King Harald V of Norway

February 21, 1960 – Death of Edwina Ashley, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in Jesselton, British North Borneo (now Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia), as per her wishes, she buried at sea off the coast of Portsmouth, England
As the wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Edwina was a member of the extended British Royal Family. Her grandfather was Sir Ernest Cassel, a successful financier and capitalist who had become one of the richest men in Europe. He was King Edward VII’s close friend and advisor who had bestowed several honors on him during his reign. Upon his death, Sir Ernest left an estate valued at over £6 million (approx. £240 million today), a large portion of which went to Edwina. Edwina and her husband had two daughters, Lady Patricia Mountbatten and Lady Pamela Mountbatten who were first cousins of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Unofficial Royalty: Edwina Ashley, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

February 21, 1980 – Birth of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Dragon King of Bhutan, at Dechencholing Palace in Thimphu, Bhutan
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the current Dragon King of Bhutan. After beginning his education in Bhutan, Jigme Khesar attended boarding school in Massachusetts, first at the Phillips Academy and then graduating from the Cushing Academy. He attended Wheaton College in Massachusetts, before enrolling in the Foreign Services Program and earning his Master’s Degree in Politics at Magdalen College, Oxford in the United Kingdom. In 2006, his father King Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated and Jigme Khesar became the 5th Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo) of the Kingdom of Bhutan. At the time, he was the world’s youngest monarch, at just 24 years old. In 2011, King Jigme Khesan married Jetsun Pema in a traditional Buddhist ceremony. As part of the ceremony, he crowned her as Queen of Bhutan. The couple has two sons and one daughter.
Unofficial Royalty: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan

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Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

February 20, 1437 – Assassination of James I, King of Scots at the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland; buried at the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth, Scotland which was destroyed in 1559 by a mob of Protestant reformers
Robert III, King of Scots, the father of James I, feared for the safety of his only surviving son because of the machinations of his half-brother and decided to send him to France. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III, King of Scots, aged 68, died soon after hearing of his son’s captivity. 12-year-old James was now the uncrowned King of Scots and would remain in captivity in England for eighteen years where he was more of a guest than a hostage. While in England, James met his future wife Lady Joan Beaufort, the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset who was the eldest of the four children of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and his mistress Katherine Swynford.  The English considered marriage to a Beaufort gave the Scots an alliance with the English instead of the French. The couple was married in 1424 and traveled to Scotland, and had eight children. Plotters supporting the claim to the throne of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, a son of Robert II, King of Scot’s second marriage, broke into the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland where 42-year-old James I, King of Scots and his wife Joan Beaufort were staying. The conspirators reached the couple’s bedroom where Joan tried to protect James but was wounded. James then tried to escape via an underground passage but was cornered and hacked to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of James I, King of Scots
Unofficial Royalty: James I, King of Scots

February 20, 1513 – Death of King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden at Aalborghus Castle in Denmark; buried first in the Gråbrødre Church at the Franciscan monastery in Odense, Denmark, later his remains were moved to St. Canute’s Cathedral in Odense, Denmark
King Hans held four royal titles: King of Denmark (1481 – 1513), King of Norway (1483 – 1513), King of Sweden (1497 – 1501), and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig (1482–1513 jointly with his younger brother, the future King Frederik I). In 1478, Hans married Christina of Saxony and they had six children. In 1501, Hans began a long-term affair with Edel Jernskjæg, one of Christina’s ladies-in-waiting. The affair caused a scandal and a de facto termination of his marriage. From that time on, the marriage of Hans and Christina was one in name only. In January 1513, King Hans was on his way to Aalborghus Castle when he was thrown by his horse and was injured. He became increasingly weaker and died from his injuries at his birthplace Aalborghus Castle.
Unofficial Royalty: King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

February 20, 1618 – Death of Filips Willem, Prince of Orange at the Palace of Nassau in Brussels; buried at the Catholic parish church of Saint Sulpice in Diest, now in Belgium
Filips Willem was the only son of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, and the first of his four wives Anna van Egmont. In 1568, Willem I, Filips Willem’s father, became the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs who held the land that we now know as the Netherlands and Belgium. That set off the Eighty Years’ War and resulted in the formal independence of the Dutch Republic in 1581. Angered by Willem I’s revolt, King Philip II of Spain arranged for 13-year-old Filips Willem to be kidnapped and taken to Spain, partly as a hostage, but also to be raised as a Catholic and a loyal subject to Spain. Filips Willem never saw his father again. In 1584, Balthasar Gérard, a subject and supporter of Philip II, assassinated Willem I. Filips Willem became Prince of Orange, however, he was not allowed to return to his homeland because he was not trusted and was considered an agent of Spain. In 1596, 28 years after he was kidnapped, Filips Willem returned to the Netherlands and lived at the Palace of Nassau in Brussels. At the request of the States-General (the legislature), he did not engage in political affairs. Filips Willem died on February 20, 1618, aged 63, after a botched medical procedure. In his will, he requested to be buried in one of his cities (Breda, Orange, Lons-le-Saunier, or Diest) whichever would be closest to his place of death. He had a Catholic funeral and was buried at the Catholic parish church Saint Sulpice in Diest, now in Belgium.
Unofficial Royalty: Filips Willem, Prince of Orange

February 20, 1685 – Death of Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway, wife of Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway, in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
In 1643, Sophie Amalie married the future Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway. Sophie Amalie and Frederik had eight children including Jørgen who married Queen Anne of Great Britain and had his name anglicized to George, and Ulrika Eleonora who married King Karl XI of Sweden. In 1647, Frederik’s 44-year-old childless elder brother Christian died and when his father died in 1648, Frederik became King of Denmark and Norway. As Queen, Sophie Amalie became the center of court life. She replaced the old medieval court entertainment with opera and ballet. She enjoyed fashion, parties, theatre, and masquerades, and made the French taste fashionable in Denmark. Sophie Amalie was ambitious, participated in state affairs with her husband’s blessing, and influenced policy as his adviser. Sophie Amalie survived her husband King Frederik II by fifteen years, dying on February 20, 1685, aged 56.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Queen of Denmark

February 20, 1731 – Death of Prince Antonio I of Monaco in Monaco, buried at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Antonio I, Prince of Monaco was the elder of the two sons and the eldest of the six children of Louis I, Prince of Monaco. In 1688, Antonio married Marie of Lorraine, the daughter of Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac. Antonio and Marie had six daughters but only two survived to adulthood.  In 1701, when his father died, Antonio became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. He reigned for thirty years until he died on February 20, 1731, at the age of 70. Antonio I was succeeded by his eldest daughter Louise Hippolyte who had a very short reign of ten months. She died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Antonio I of Monaco

February 20, 1790 – Death of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna
The fourth of the sixteen children and the eldest of the five sons of Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II reigned from 1765 to 1790 as Holy Roman Emperor after being elected Holy Roman Emperor following the death of his father Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1765. He was co-regent with his mother from 1765 – 1780 of Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, and several other Habsburg hereditary lands. Joseph was the sole ruler from 1780 to 1790, following the death in 1780 of his mother Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, the only woman to be ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands in her own right. Joseph married twice. His first wife was Princess Isabella of Parma. Joseph and Isabella had two daughters but neither survived childhood, and Isabella died from smallpox in 1763. After Isabella’s death, Joseph married his second cousin Maria Josepha of Bavaria. The couple had no children and Maria Josepha died of smallpox, as had her predecessor Isabella. Joseph died from tuberculosis, aged 48, on February 20, 1790, in Vienna, Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

February 20, 1773 – Death of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia at the Royal Palace in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy; buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin
In 1715, Carlo Emanuele’s fifteen-year-old elder brother Vittorio Amedeo died from smallpox and Carlo Emanuele became the heir to the throne and the Prince of Piedmont. He married three times but all three wives died young. Carlo Emanuele and his first wife Anna Christine of Sulzbach had one child. He had six children with his second wife Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg and three children with his third wife Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine. In 1731, two years after Carlo Emanuele’s mother died, his father Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, married his mistress and abdicated the throne. Carlo Emanuele was a soldier-king who gained territory for his kingdom by fighting on the French side in the War of the Polish Succession and then on the Austrian side in the War of the Austrian Succession. His ancestors were avid art collectors and Carlo Emanuele was no different. He added many new paintings to the collection of the House of Savoy. On February 20, 1773, Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia died at the age of 71. He survived his three wives, his five siblings, and six of his ten children.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

February 20, 1867 – Birth of Louise, Princess Royal, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, at Marlborough House in London, England
Full name: Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar
Louise was the eldest daughter of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark. In 1889, Louise followed the example of her paternal aunt Princess Louise and married a husband from the British nobility.  Seventeen years older than his bride, Alexander William George Duff was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay, daughter of the 18th Earl of Erroll and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence, an illegitimate daughter of King William IV.  Known as Duff, Alexander became 6th Earl Fife when his father in 1879.  Two days after the wedding, Queen Victoria created the groom Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.  The couple had a stillborn son and two daughters. Despite their age difference, the couple was well-matched and settled down to a life of country pursuits with Duff managing his Scottish estates and Louise becoming an expert at salmon fishing.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise, Princess Royal

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Henry, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

February 19, 1594 – Birth of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King James I of England, at Stirling Castle, Scotland
Full name: Henry Frederick
The heir to the thrones of England and Scotland, by the time he was 18 years old, Henry was physically mature, well-educated, an independent thinker, and ready to assume some government responsibility. Negotiations began for a bride for Henry and princesses from Spain, France, and Savoy were in the running. He was on his way to making an excellent and popular king. Henry died of typhoid fever at age 18. His brother Charles (later King Charles I) became heir to the throne.  Henry’s death was considered a national tragedy. Henry’s brother, the future King Charles I, who was now the heir to the throne, felt the loss deeply and insisted until the end of his life that Henry had been poisoned. We can only wonder how different English history might have been if Henry Frederick had been King instead of his brother King Charles I, who was deposed and beheaded.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry, Prince of Wales

February 19, 1817 – Birth of King Willem III of the Netherlands in the Palace of the Nation (now the building that houses the Belgian legislature) in Brussels, which was then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium
Full name: Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk
In 1839, Willem married his first cousin Sophie of Württemberg. Willem and Sophie had three sons, but they all predeceased their father. When his father died in 1849, Willem succeeded as King of the Netherlands. After Sophie died in 1877, Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. In 1879, 61-year-old Willem married 20-year-old Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and the marriage was extremely happy. The last decade of Willem’s life was the best years of his reign. Willem and Emma had one daughter, Wilhelmina, who succeeded her father. In 1888, King Willem III’s health began to decline., Emma was sworn in as Regent when it became apparent that Willem could no longer reign. On November 23, 1890, 73-year-old King Willem III died and his ten-year-old daughter Wilhelmina became Queen. Emma took over as Regent for her daughter until Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday in 1898.
Unofficial Royalty: King Willem III of the Netherlands

February 19, 1919 – Death of Bertha Louise of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, Princess of Lippe, the first of the two wives of Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe, in Detmold, then in the Weimar Republic, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia; buried at the Christ Church in Detmold
In 1901, Bertha Louise married the future Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe. The couple had five children. Alexander, Prince of Lippe, the last of the Lippe-Detmold line, died in 1905. With the extinction of the Lippe-Detmold line, the throne of the Principality of Lippe went to Bertha Louise’s husband who reigned as Leopold IV and would be the last reigning Prince of Lippe. Following the German Empire’s defeat in World War I and the German Revolution of 1918-1919, Leopold IV was forced to renounce the throne. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government allowing his family to remain in Lippe. Three months later, Bertha Louise died, aged 44.
Unofficial Royalty: Bertha Louise of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, Princess of Lippe

 February 19, 1960 – Birth of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Andrew Albert Christian Edward
In 1979, Andrew began a career in the Royal Navy that lasted until 2001. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 and the couple had two daughters. Andrew’s obligations as a naval helicopter pilot and the negative attention Sarah received from the media contributed to the couple’s estrangement. Andrew and Sarah separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York (her style upon her divorce) are on amicable terms with each other and are both devoted parents to their daughters. Andrew was accused of child sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, who alleges that as a minor she was sex trafficked to him by American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was the defendant in a civil lawsuit over sexual assault filed by Giuffre in New York State which was settled out of court in February 2022. Following negative reactions to his connections to Epstein, Andrew permanently resigned from public roles and his honorary military affiliations and his royal charitable patronages were returned to Queen Elizabeth II in January 2022.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Andrew, Duke of York

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Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

February 18, 1478 – Execution of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, who opposed his brother King Edward IV of England, in the Tower of London; buried at Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucester, England
In 1478, George was tried for treason against his brother King Edward IV and privately executed in the Tower of London.
Unofficial Royalty: George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence 

February 18, 1516 – Birth of Queen Mary I of England at the Palace of Placentia (Greenwich Palace), in Greenwich (London), England
Excluding the disputed reigns of Empress Matilda in the 12th century and Lady Jane Grey, Mary’s predecessor, Queen Mary I was the first queen regnant of England. Mary was the only child of King Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon to survive infancy. Upon the death of her half-brother King Edward VI of England in 1553, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and Lord Protector of the Realm arranged for his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of King Henry VII of England, to be proclaimed Queen of England instead of Mary. Mary quickly assembled a force and deposed Jane, who was ultimately beheaded. Mary was 37 and needed to marry and produce an heir to supplant her Protestant sister, the future Queen Elizabeth I of England. In 1554, Mary married the future King Philip II of Spain but the couple had no children. Throughout her reign, Mary was steadfast in her determination to restore the Roman Catholic religion to England. During her reign, Edward VI’s religious laws were abolished and nearly 300 Protestants were burned at the stake for heresy.  Mary had become weak and ill in May 1558, possibly from ovarian cysts or uterine cancer. In November 1558, she fell ill during an influenza outbreak and died at the age of 42. Mary wanted to be buried with her mother at Peterborough Cathedral but was buried in Westminster Abbey in a vault she would eventually share with her Protestant sister Elizabeth.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Mary I of England

February 18, 1712 – Death of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, son of Louis, Le Grande Dauphin and grandson of King Louis XIV of France, at the Château de Marly in France; buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris
Louis, Duke of Burgundy was the eldest of the three sons of Louis, Dauphin of France and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. At the time of his birth, Louis’ grandfather Louis XIV was King of France and his father was the heir apparent to the French throne. After Louis’ birth, his father was called Le Grand Dauphin and his son Louis, who was second in the line of succession, was called Le Petit Dauphin. However, King Louis XIV outlived his son and his grandson and was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson King Louis XV when he died in 1715.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin

February 18, 1790 – Death of Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria, first wife of the future Emperor Franz I of Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Elisabeth was the first of the four wives of Emperor Franz I of Austria. At the age of 15, Elisabeth went to Vienna, Austria to prepare to become the bride of Archduke Franz, the nephew of the then Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II. The Protestant princess was educated by nuns at the Church and Monastery of the Visitation and converted to Roman Catholicism. Elisabeth married Archduke Franz (the future emperor) in 1788 but died at the age of 22 two years later in childbirth after giving birth to a daughter who lived only four months.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria

February 18, 1802 – Birth of Lord Adolphus FitzClarence at Bushy House in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
Adolphus was the fifth of the ten children and the third of the five sons of the future King William IV of the United Kingdom and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. He joined the Royal Navy when he was twelve, had a naval career, and attained the rank of Rear Admiral. Fifty-four-year-old Adolphus suffered a paralytic seizure on or a few days before May 17, 1856, and died unmarried on May 18, 1856.
Unofficial Royalty Lord Adolphus FitzClarence

February 18, 1840 – Death of Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia, first wife of the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, in Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia, now Szczecin in Poland; buried in the Chapel of the Ducal Castle of Stettin
In 1765, Elisabeth Christine married her first cousin, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II), in a marriage arranged by their mutual uncle, King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia. The couple had one daughter Frederica Charlotte who married Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second son of King George III of the United Kingdom. Elisabeth Christine’s marriage was never happy, as Friedrich Wilhelm had constant affairs and completely ignored his wife. Elisabeth Christine soon began her own affair and found herself pregnant. Her lover, a musician, was arrested and reportedly beheaded, and Elisabeth Christine took some drugs to end her pregnancy. Her marriage ended in divorce and she spent the rest of her life under house arrest. She never saw her daughter Frederica again. Elisabeth Christine died on February 18, 1840, at the age of 93, after spending 71 years under house arrest.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia

February 18, 1932 – Death of former King Friedrich August III of Saxony at Sibyllenort Castle in Sibyllenort, Germany, now Szczodre, Poland; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Friedrich August began his military career at age 12, entering the Saxony Army as a second lieutenant, and serving with various regiments over the next 27 years before his accession to the throne in 1904. In 1891, he married Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, and they had seven children. However, the marriage was not happy. The marriage quickly broke down, as Luise was unwilling to conform to the strict protocols of the Saxony court, and Friedrich August failed to stand up for her or support her. She began an affair with their children’s tutor and caused quite a scandal. Friedrich August’s father threatened to have her interned at a mental asylum in 1902, which led to Luise fleeing the country while pregnant with their youngest child. The marriage ended in divorce, by royal decree of King Georg in 1903. Friedrich August III was the last King of Saxony, abdicating on November 13, 1918, at the end of World War I. Friedrich August retired to Sibyllenort Castle in Lower Silesia (now Poland) where he lived the rest of his life. He died there on February 18, 1932, after suffering a stroke.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich August III of Saxony

February 18, 1947 – Death of Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt at the Soviet NKVD Special Camp No. 2, the former Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, East Germany, now in the German state of Thuringia; his remains were thrown into a mass grave
Joachim Ernst was the last Duke of Anhalt. He came to the throne in September 1918 when he was 17 years old. As he was underage, his father’s brother Prince Aribert of Anhalt served as Regent. With the German Empire crumbling at the end of World War I, Aribert abdicated on Joachim Ernst’s behalf on November 12, 1918. Joachim Ernst married twice. His first marriage was to actress Elisabeth Strickrodt at Ballenstedt Castle in 1927. The marriage was morganatic and lasted only two years. In 1929, Joachim Ernst married Edda-Charlotte von Stephani-Marwitz. They had five children. Joachim Ernst spent his post-abdication life at Ballenstedt Castle, where he raised his family and became a trained agricultural and forestry farmer. Always at odds with the Nazis, he was arrested in 1944 and imprisoned at the Dachau Concentration Camp for three months. He was arrested again in September 1945, this time by the Soviets, and was sent to the NKVD Special Camp No. 2 at the former Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The former Duke of Anhalt died at the camp on February 18, 1947, and his remains were thrown into a mass grave.
Unofficial Royalty: Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt

February 18, 1947 – Birth of Princess Christina of the Netherlands, daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, at Soestdijk Palace in the Netherlands
Full Name: Maria Christina
Because her mother contracted German measles while pregnant, Christina was born nearly blind. Medical treatment and glasses improved her vision. In 1975, Christina married Jorge Pérez y Guillermo. Having not received the government’s consent, Princess Christina relinquished her rights to the Dutch throne (as well as for her descendants) and her position as a member of The Royal House. The couple had three children and divorced in 1996. Princess Christina was an accomplished musician, recorded several CDs, and sang at several family events, including the funeral of her mother Queen Juliana. In June 2018 it was announced that Princess Christina was suffering from bone cancer. Princess Christina died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands on August 16, 2019, at the age of 72 from bone cancer.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Christina of the Netherlands

February 18, 1984 – Birth of  Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, wife of Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, born Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy in Ronse, Flanders, Belgium
Full name: Stéphanie Marie Claudine Christine
Both of Stéphanie’s parents come from noble Belgian families. Stéphanie and her siblings all have the rank of Count and Countess in Belgium, as sons and daughters of a Count. Stéphanie first met Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg when they were introduced by friends in Germany eight years before they married. They did not see each other until they met again about five years later and that was when they fell in love. Guillaume proposed to Stéphanie three weeks before their engagement was announced. Unfortunately, Stéphanie’s mother died from a stroke two months before the wedding on October 20, 2012.  The couple has two sons. In his Christmas Eve speech on December 24, 2024, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg announced that he would abdicate in favor of his eldest son Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg on October 3, 2025. Guillaume and Stéphanie will then become the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg,
Unofficial Royalty: Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

February 18, 2000 – Wedding of Letsie III, King of Lesotho and Anna Karabo Motsoeneng at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, Lesotho
Anna and King Letsie III were married on February 18, 2000, at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho The national sports stadium was filled to its capacity of 40,000 people, with thousands turned away.  Bernard Mohlalisi, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Maseru conducted the marriage ceremony. Guests included The Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), King Mswati III of Swaziland, and Nelson Mandela. King Letsie said Anna would be his only wife, going against the tradition in an area where polygamy is relatively common. After the ceremony, the bride and the groom left for a luncheon amid deafening cheers, singing, and ululation from the crowd. The couple hosted an evening banquet for their guests. After her marriage, Anna was known as Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso.
Unofficial Royalty: Letsie III, King of Lesotho
Unofficial Royalty: Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso (Anna Karabo Mots’oeneng)

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King Albert I of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

Current Royal Event – Commemoration for Deceased Members of the Belgian Royal Family – On or around February 17 each year, a Mass commemorating deceased members of the Belgian royal family is celebrated at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. Albert I, King of the Belgians was an avid mountain climber. On February 17, 1934, while climbing alone on the Roche de Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, 58-year-old Albert I fell to his death. A year later, on February 17, 1935, a Mass was celebrated in commemoration of the death of Albert I. After the death of Queen Astrid in a car accident later in 1935, it was decided to commemorate all deceased members of the Belgian royal family.
Unofficial Royalty Commemoration for Deceased Members of the Belgian Royal Family – On or Around February 17 – Belgium

February 17, 1718 – Death of Lady Charlotte FitzRoy, an illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland (aka Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine); buried in All Saints Churchyard in Spelsbury, Oxfordshire, England
Charlotte was one of the five children of King Charles II and Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland. In 1677, thirteen-year-old Charlotte married fourteen-year-old Edward Lee, the son and heir of Sir Francis Henry Lee, 4th Baronet of Quarendon. Charlotte and Edward had eighteen children and eleven survived childhood.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Charlotte FitzRoy

February 17, 1718 – Death of Prince George William of Great Britain, son of the future King George II, at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Little Prince George William lived from November 13, 1717 – February 17, 1718, three months and four days, but an event in his short life caused a huge family argument. The principals in the argument were George William’s grandfather King George I of Great Britain and his father The Prince of Wales, the future King George II of Great Britain. It was the beginning of the battles between fathers and sons that would plague the House of Hanover.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George William of Great Britain

February 17, 1729 – Death of Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in Saafeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the crypt at the Johanneskirche in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany
Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the founder of the House of Saxe-Saalfeld-Coburg which was the precursor to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the ancestor of all British monarchs since Queen Victoria. His father Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg had seven sons and disliked primogeniture in which the eldest son is the sole heir. When he died all seven brothers governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. Johann Ernst IV became Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld. Joann Ernst’s elder brothers Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg and Heinrich of Saxe-Römhild died without male heirs. Upon their deaths, Johann Ernest took possession of Coburg and Römhild, and then became Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

February 17, 1821 – Birth of Lola Montez, mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert in Grange, County Sligo, Connacht, Ireland
Lola Montez was a dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. She was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert on February 17, 1821, in Ireland. Starting in 1842, using the stage name Maria de los Dolores Porrys y Montez, also known as Lola Montez, she pretended to be a Spanish dancer from Seville, Spain. She also accepted favors from wealthy men in return for sex and was widely regarded as a courtesan. Lola became famous for her Spider Dance, which involved her shaking imaginary tarantulas out of her clothes and stamping on them. She then raised her skirt so high that the audience could see that she wore no underwear. In 1846, 25-year-old Lola became the mistress of the 60-year-old King Ludwig I of Bavaria. At the start of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, Lola was forced to flee, living in Austria, Switzerland, France, and London, working as an entertainer and lecturer. In 1851, Lola went to the United States where she was surprisingly successful. In 1852, on Broadway, she played herself in a theater revue, Lola Montez in Bavaria. She toured the east coast until 1853 when she went to San Francisco where her performances created a sensation. By 1860, Lola was exhibiting third-stage effects of syphilis. She died on January 17, 1861, aged 39, in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.
Unofficial Royalty: Lola Montez, mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria

February 17, 1861 – Birth of Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany, wife of Prince Leopold of the United Kingdom, Duke of Albany, at Arolsen Castle in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Helena Frederica Augusta
In 1882, Helena married Queen Victoria’s hemophiliac son Prince Leopold. The couple had one child and Helena was pregnant with their second child when Leopold slipped and fell on a staircase, injuring his knee and his head. He died apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. Helena continued to live with her children at Claremont House near Esher in Surrey, England, which Queen Victoria had bought for Leopold upon his marriage. Helena devoted the rest of her life to her children, grandchildren, and charitable work. She died of a heart attack at the age of 61 in Hinterriss, Austria where she was visiting her son.  At her request, Helena was buried in the beautiful countryside of Hinteriss.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany

February 17, 1909 – Death of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, at the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; buried in Grand Ducal Mausoleum, adjacent to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
As the third son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, Vladimir was considered distant from the throne but in 1865, the death of his eldest brother Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich at the age of 21 changed that. Vladimir was then the second in the line of succession after his elder brother Alexander, the future Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia. In 1874, Vladimir married Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and they had four sons and one daughter. On February 17, 1909, 61-year-old Vladimir died suddenly after suffering a major cerebral hemorrhage. Today, the most recognized claimant as the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia is through Vladimir’s line. Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousins, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and his sister and brother Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael, are Vladimir’s great-grandchildren through his daughter Elena who married into the Greek royal family.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia

February 17, 1905 – Assassination of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, in Moscow, Russia; first buried in a crypt at the Chudov Monastery within the Moscow Kremlin, in 1995 his remains were exhumed and reburied in a crypt at the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow, Russia
Sergei married  Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria but their marriage was childless. The couple was very close with Sergei’s brother Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna, and were often asked to represent them at royal events elsewhere in the world.  In 1891, Alexander III appointed his brother Serge Governor-General of Moscow. In 1905 in Moscow, Sergei was killed when an assassin threw a nitroglycerin bomb into his carriage. The bomb landed in Sergei’s lap and exploded.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia

February 17, 1934 – Death of King Albert I of the Belgians in a mountain climbing accident at Marche-les-Dames in Ardennes, Belgium; buried in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
In 1900, Albert married Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. They had three children including Leopold III, King of the Belgians and  Marie-José who married King Umberto II of Italy. Albert, who had become heir-presumptive upon his father’s death in 1905, succeeded his uncle as King Albert I of the Belgians in 1909. Albert was an avid mountain climber. Sadly, this would bring about his early death. On February 17, 1934, while climbing alone on the Roche de Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, King Albert I fell to his death.
Unofficial Royalty: King Albert I of the Belgians

February 17, 1940 – Birth of Prince Ingolf of Denmark, later Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark
Full name: Ingolf Christian Frederik Knud Harald Gorm Gustav Viggo Valdemar Aage
Ingolf, the son of Prince Knud of Denmark (son of King Christian X), was born a Prince of Denmark. He is a first cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. In 1968, Ingolf decided to marry Inge Terney, an untitled commoner. He did not seek the permission of his uncle King Frederik IX to marry, and therefore forfeited his succession rights and lost his royal title. After his first wife died, Ingolf married lawyer Sussie Hjorhøy Pedersen in 1998. Ingolf and his wife attend major events of the Danish Royal Family.
Unofficial Royalty: Count Ingolf of Rosenborg

February 17, 1947 – Death of Princess Shivakiar, first wife of King Fuad I of Egypt, at the Kasr al-Aali Palace in Cairo; buried in the Hosh al-Basha mausoleum in Cairo, Egypt

Unofficial Royalty: Princess Shivakiar Ibramin, first wife of King Fuad I of Egypt

February 17, 1954 – Birth of Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, sister of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, at Castle Betzdorf in Luxembourg
Full name: Marie-Astrid Charlotte Léopoldine Wilhelmine Ingeborg Antoinette Elisabeth Anna Alberta
Marie-Astrid is the eldest child of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium and the sister of Henri, the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In 1982, she married her second cousin Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, a grandson of the last Austrian Emperor Karl I and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Marie-Astrid and Carl Christian had five children. Marie-Astrid is typically in attendance at family functions in Luxembourg, as well as the occasional official events.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria

February 17, 1974 – Birth of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei, son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, born in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
On August 10, 1998, Al-Muhtadee Billah was proclaimed Crown Prince of Brunei. As Crown Prince, Al-Muhtadee Billah acts as Deputy Sultan when his father is out of the country and holds several positions. In 2004, Al-Muhtadee Billah married Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman. The couple has four children.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei

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.