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Lady Anne Hyde, Duchess of York; Credit – Wikipedia

March 12, 1637 – Birth of Lady Anne Hyde, Duchess of York, first wife of James, Duke of York (later King James II of England), at Cranbourne Lodge in Windsor, England
Anne was the daughter of Edward Hyde, later created 1st Earl of Clarendon, an adviser to Charles II,  the king in exile in the Netherlands after the English Civil War, and soon became his chief adviser. Charles appointed Hyde Lord Chancellor in 1658. In 1654, while in the Netherlands, Anne Hyde was appointed a maid of honor to Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England, the widow of Willem II, Prince of Orange, and the mother of the young Willem III, Prince of Orange who would marry Anne’s daughter Mary. Anne was very attractive and stylish and attracted many men, including James, Duke of York, the future King James II of England. On November 24, 1659, Anne and James made a secret marriage in front of witnesses. James and Anne had eight children, but only two survived childhood, and both were Queens Regnant: Queen Mary II and Queen Anne. Anne Hyde never became Queen Consort as she died before her husband became king.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Anne Hyde, Duchess of York

March 12, 1673 – Death of Margarita Teresa of Spain, Holy Roman Empress, the first of the three wives of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, then in the Archduchy of Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna
Margarita Teresa was both first cousin and niece of her husband Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Margarita Teresa and Leopold had four children but only one survived to adulthood. Weakened from six pregnancies in six years (four living childbirths and two miscarriages), and four months into her seventh pregnancy, Margarita Teresa died on March 12, 1673, at the age of 21, and was buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna.
Unofficial Royalty: Margarita Teresa of Spain, Holy Roman Empress

March 12, 1723 – Death of Anna Christine of Palatine Sulzbach, Princess of Piedmont, first wife of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia, due to childbirth complications, at the Royal Palace of Turin in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy; first buried at Turin Cathedral and was moved to the Basilica of Superga in Turin in 1786
Anna Christine was the first of the three wives of Carlo Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Piedmont, the heir apparent to the Kingdom of Sardinia, and, after Anna Christine’s death, Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia. They married in 1722 and had one son who died in early childhood. On March 12, 1723, a few days after giving birth to her son, Anna Christine, aged nineteen, died of childbirth complications.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Christine of Palatine Sulzbach, Princess of Piedmont

March 12, 1781 – Birth of Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, at Karlsruhe Palace in Karlsruhe, Margraviate of Baden now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
Full name: Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmina
In 1797, Frederica married King Gustav IV Adolph of Sweden and had five children. After a 17-year reign, Frederica’s husband was deposed in 1809, and the couple and their family went to Frederica’s homeland, the Grand Duchy of Baden. However, the couple became incompatible and divorced in 1812. In the divorce settlement, Gustav Adolf renounced all his assets in favor of his mother and his children. He also renounced the custody and guardianship of his children. Two years later, Frederica placed her children under the guardianship of her brother-in-law, Alexander I, Emperor of Russia. Frederica acquired several residences and spent much time at her brother’s court in Karlsruhe, but she also traveled around Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, using the name Countess Itterburg after a ruin in Hesse she had acquired. During her final years, Frederica was often ill and she died from heart disease at the age of only 45.
Unofficial Royalty: Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden

March 12, 1821 – Birth of Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria at the Würzburg Residence in Würzburg, Kingdom of Bavaria now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Luitpold Karl Joseph Wilhelm Ludwig
Luitpold was the regent and the real ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, due to the mental incompetency of his nephews, King Ludwig II and King Otto. He was the third son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. In 1844, Luitpold married Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria and they had four children including Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria. On June 10, 1886, Luitpold became Prince Regent after his nephew King Ludwig II was declared mentally incompetent. Ludwig II died three days later under mysterious circumstances, and the throne passed to Ludwig’s brother Otto. However, by this time, Otto had also been declared mentally ill, and Luitpold continued as Prince Regent. Luitpold died at the age of 91, after having developed bronchitis. He was succeeded as Regent by his eldest son, who became King Ludwig III the following year, after deposing his cousin King Otto.
Unofficial Royalty: Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria

March 12, 1958 – Death of Ingeborg of Denmark, Princess of Sweden, daughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, in Stockholm, Sweden;  buried in the royal cemetery in Haga Park, Solna, Sweden
Ingeborg married Prince Carl of Sweden, son of King Oscar II of Sweden, and they were the parents of Queen Astrid of Belgium and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway. Belgian Kings Baudouin and Albert II, Norwegian King Harald V, and the late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, the wife of the late Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg are all grandchildren of Carl and Ingeborg. The royal families of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Norway descend from Carl and Ingeborg. Both Carl and Ingeborg lived long lives. Carl died in 1951 at the age of 90. Ingeborg survived him by seven years, dying on March 12, 1958, at age 79.
Unofficial Royalty: Ingeborg of Denmark, Princess of Sweden

March 12, 1972 – Death of Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, second wife of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; buried in Bad Krozingen, Germany
Feodora was the great-granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. In 1910, she married Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and they had four children. Feodora struggled to cope with the strict etiquette and protocol of the Weimar court. She was active in charitable organizations that helped the poor. After World War I, her husband abdicated in November 1918 and the family went into exile in Heinrichau, Silesia (now Henryków, Poland), where her husband died several years later. When the area fell under Soviet occupation in World War II, the family was again forced to flee, losing their estates and many of their assets. As a means of negotiating with the authorities, Feodora agreed to sign over the Goethe and Schiller Archive, on the condition that it would be converted into a private foundation, and the family’s assets would be returned. Despite the written agreement, the government did not return many of the family’s assets, and the dispute continues today. Feodora settled in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where she died on March 12, 1972, at the age of 82.
Unofficial Royalty: Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

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Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, Queen of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

March 11, 1278 – Birth of Mary of Woodstock, daughter of King Edward I of England at Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England
Mary became a nun. In 1285, she entered Amesbury Priory, a Benedictine monastery in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. She lived in comfort in private quarters at Amesbury Priory. In the early 1280s, Mary’s grandmother Eleanor of Provence had begun building a suite of rooms at the priory where she would live with her two granddaughters (Mary’s first cousin Eleanor of Brittany was also a nun) in a style befitting royalty. Eleanor of Provence arrived at Amesbury Priory in 1286 and lived there until she died in 1291, when she was buried at the priory. Despite living in a style that befitted a princess, Mary followed the daily routine of a nun, communal prayer throughout the day and night, private religious reflection, and silence during the day. Mary died on May 29, 1332, aged 54, and was buried in Amesbury Priory church near her grandmother Eleanor of Provence, but all the graves and tombs have been lost.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary of Woodstock

March 11, 1849 – Death of Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, Queen of Sardinia, wife of Carlo Felice, King  of Sardinia, in Savona, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy; buried with her husband at Hautecombe Abbey, now in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, France
Maria Cristina was the daughter of Ferdinando IV, King of Naples and Sicily (later Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies) and Maria Carolina of Austria. Her maternal grandmother was Maria Theresa, the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories from 1740 until she died in 1780, and was the only female to hold the position. In 1807, Maria Cristina married the future Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia, but their marriage was childless. In 1821, Carlo Felice’s brother Vittorio Emanuele I was not willing to grant a liberal constitution. He abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of Carlo Felice who reigned until he died in 1831. Maria Cristina survived her husband by eighteen years, dying on March 11, 1849, aged 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, Queen of Sardinia

March 11, 1899 – Birth of King Frederik IX of Denmark at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark
Full name: Christian Frederik Franz Michael Carl Valdemar Georg
With Frederik’s birth, there were four generations of Danish kings alive: the current monarch and Frederik’s great-grandfather King Christian IX, his grandfather the future King Frederik VIII, his father the future King Christian X, and baby Frederik. In 1935, Frederik married Princess Ingrid of Sweden, daughter of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple had three daughters including Frederik’s successor, Queen Margrethe II. In 1947, Frederik succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father King Christian X. During Frederik’s reign, the 1953 Danish Act of Succession was adopted allowing for female succession if the monarch had no sons. A 2009 succession law now allows the succession of the firstborn child regardless of gender. Frederik had a great love for music and was a talented pianist and conductor. Several recordings of orchestral music originally heard on Danish radio conducted by King Frederik have been released on CDs. In January 1972, shortly after Frederik had given his New Year speech, he became ill with flu-like symptoms. On January 3, 1972, he had a cardiac arrest and was rushed to Copenhagen Municipal Hospital. The king improved for a time but took a turn for the worse on January 11, and on January 14, 1972, King Frederik IX died at the age of 72
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik IX of Denmark

March 11, 1922 – Death of Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, at Villa Fantasia in Èze, near Cannes, France; buried in the Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum on the grounds of Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Germany
Anastasia was the only daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia son of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. She had six brothers, and three were murdered by the Bolsheviks. Her brother Sergei was among the five other Romanovs murdered by the Bolsheviks along with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna on July 18, 1918. Two of her brothers, Nicholas and George, were among the four Grand Dukes murdered by the Bolsheviks on January 28, 1919. In 1879, Anastasia married the future Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. They had three children, including Alexandrine who married King Christian X of Denmark. After her husband died in 1897, Anastasia preferred to stay at the hunting lodge in Gelbensande in Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Cannes, France, and traveled often to St. Petersburg, Paris, and London. In 1902, Anastasia had an illegitimate son with her personal secretary, Vladimir Alexandrovitch Paltov. Anastasia, aged 61, died in Èze, France on March 11, 1922, after suffering a stroke.
Unofficial Royalty: Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

March 11, 1953 – Death of Zizi Lambrino, mistress and morganatic 1st wife of King Carol II of Romania, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Zizi Lambrino was the first wife of the future King Carol II of Romania. The couple married in 1918, but the Romanian government deemed the marriage unconstitutional and it was annulled. On August 8, 1920, in Bucharest, Zizi gave birth to the couple’s only child – a son named Mircea Gregor Carol Lambrino. As Zizi and Carol’s marriage had been legally annulled, the child was considered illegitimate and was given his mother’s surname. Soon after the birth, the future Carol ended his relationship with Zizi, choosing instead to remain in line for the Romanian throne. Zizi and her son were forced to leave the country and were financially supported by the Romanian government. Zizi Lambrino died in near poverty on March 11, 1953, aged 55,  just three weeks before the death of her former husband Carol II.
Unofficial Royalty: Zizi Lambrino, mistress and morganatic 1st wife of King Carol II of Romania

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The future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

• March 10 – United Kingdom – Commonwealth Day

March 10, 1452 – Birth of King Ferdinand II of Aragon at Palacio de los Sada in Sos del Rey Católico, Kingdom of Aragon, now in Spain
Ferdinand was the husband of Queen Isabella I of Castile and the father of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. He was the king of Aragon from 1479 until he died in 1516. As the husband of Queen Isabella I of Castile, he was also the king of Castile from 1475 to 1504 (as Ferdinand V). He reigned jointly with Isabella over a dynastically unified Spain and together they are known as the Catholic Monarchs.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ferdinand II of Aragon

March 10, 1746 – Death of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen
Never expected to be Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Friedrich Wilhelm was the fifth of the six sons of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. When his father died in 1706, his eldest son Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, succeeded him. Following the death of his brother, Ernst Ludwig I, in 1724, Friedrich Wilhelm served as one of the guardians for his two young nephews – Ernst Ludwig II and Karl Friedrich – during their reigns. Following the death of his nephew Karl Friedrich in 1743, he became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen as all his elder brothers had died in childhood. After reigning for just three years, Friedrich Wilhelm died in 1746, aged 67. As he was unmarried and had no heirs, the ducal throne passed to his younger half-brother Anton Ulrich.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

March 10, 1776 – Birth of Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie
Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. She was wildly popular in Prussia from the start, and descriptions of her from this time speak of her grace, goodness, and beauty. The marriage was happy, and the couple raised their nine children quietly at Paretz Palace west of Berlin. Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia in 1797. As queen, Luise traveled around Prussia with her husband, becoming more well-known and well-liked. On July 19, 1810, while visiting her father, 34-year-old Luise died in her husband’s arms from an unidentified illness. Her grieving husband later instituted the Order of Louise in her name and her family mourned her death each year on July 19.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia

March 10, 1804 – Birth of Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, second wife of the future Grand Duke August I of Oldenburg, at Schaumburg Castle in the Principality of  Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Ida married the then Hereditary Prince August of Oldenburg, the widower of her elder sister Adelheid. The couple had one son Peter, who succeeded his father. Sadly, Ida died just three years after her marriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Hereditary Princess of Oldenburg

March 10, 1826 – Death of King João VI of Portugal in Lisbon, Portugal; buried at Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
João VI was the son of Maria I, Queen of Portugal and her husband and paternal uncle Pedro III, King of Portugal. Because Maria I’s father José I, King of Portugal had no sons, it was inevitable that Maria would become the reigning Queen of Portugal. However, since female succession to the throne of Portugal had never happened before, her father decided that Maria would marry his younger brother Infante Pedro of Portugal, then the first male in the line of succession. In 1792, because of his mother’s mental instability, João took over the government on his mother’s behalf but he did not assume the title of Prince Regent until 1799. In 1816, Maria I, Queen of Portugal died, and her son succeeded her as João VI, King of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves.
Unofficial Royalty: King João VI of Portugal

March 10, 1845 – Birth of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
In 1866, Alexander III married Princess Dagmar of Denmark, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. They had six children including the ill-fated Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Alexander III became Emperor of All Russia in 1881 upon the assassination of his father Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. Because of his father’s assassination, Alexander III’s reign was reactionary, and this started as soon as he became Emperor. On the day of his assassination, Alexander II signed a proclamation creating a consulting group to advise the Emperor, which some considered a step toward constitutional monarchy. The new emperor, Alexander III, canceled the new policy before it was published. In 1894, Alexander became ill with nephritis, a kidney disorder. His condition rapidly deteriorated and he died on November 1, 1894, at the age of 49.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia

March 10, 1863 – Wedding of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England
By 1860, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were already searching for an appropriate bride for their eldest son, known in the family as Bertie. With the help of Bertie’s older sister Vicky, by then the Crown Princess of Prussia, Queen Victoria developed a list of prospective brides. Princess Alexandra of Denmark was fifth on the list, but Vicky found her to be the perfect match for Bertie. Prince Albert agreed that Alexandra was “the only one to be chosen.” The couple first met at Speyer Cathedral in Prussia, on September 24, 1861, in a meeting arranged by Vicky. The following year, on September 9, 1862, Bertie and Alexandra became engaged at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Belgium, the home of Bertie’s great-uncle, King Leopold I of the Belgians. Bertie presented Alexandra with a ring featuring six precious stones – purposely selected so that their names would spell out ‘Bertie’ — Beryl, Emerald, Ruby, Turquoise, Jacynth, and Emerald.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark

March 10, 1864 – Death of King Maximilian II of Bavaria in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried at the Theatinerkirche in Munich
Maximilian studied history and constitutional law at the University of Göttingen and the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin (now Humboldt University) and reportedly said that had he not been born into his position, he would have liked to be a professor. In 1842, Maximilian married Marie Friederike of Prussia. The couple had two sons, King Ludwig II of Bavaria and,
King Otto of Bavaria. Both sons suffered from mental illness that severely hampered their abilities to rule Bavaria. Maximilian came to the throne suddenly in 1848, when his father abdicated, and quickly introduced reforms to the constitution to establish a more constitutional monarchy. King Maximilian II died suddenly on March 10, 1864, after a very brief illness, aged 54.
Unofficial Royalty: King Maximilian II of Bavaria

March 10, 1873 – Death of Pauline of Württemberg, Queen of Württemberg, third wife of King Wilhelm I Württemberg, in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried at the Royal Crypt in the Schlosskirche at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Kingdom of Württemberg now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
In 1820, Pauline became the third wife of her first cousin King Wilhelm I of Württemberg. The couple had three children, including Wilhelm I’s successor. The couple seemed happy at first, but within a few years, Wilhelm returned to his mistresses and the marriage became very strained. While not getting the respect she deserved from her husband, Pauline did receive much respect from the people of Württemberg, both for her devotion to helping the poor and because she provided an heir to the throne. After King Wilhelm died in 1864, Pauline lived much of her remaining years in Switzerland.
Unofficial Royalty: Pauline of Württemberg, Queen of Württemberg

March 10, 1964 – Birth of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Edward Antony Richard Louis
Edward is the youngest of the four children of Queen Elizabeth II and the youngest brother of King Charles III. He studied history at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986. In 1999, Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones and the couple had a daughter and a son. On his wedding day, Edward was created Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn, breaking with the tradition of a dukedom granted to the son of the Sovereign upon marriage. Edward has a busy schedule of engagements in the United Kingdom and overseas in support of his brother King Charles III and for the charities and organizations with which he is involved. King Charles III granted his younger brother Prince Edward the title Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday, March 10, 2023. His ducal title is not hereditary, so it will become extinct on his death.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh

March 10, 1966 – Wedding of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg, civilly at the City Hall, religiously at the Westerkerk both in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Beatrix and Claus initially met at the wedding of Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse in the summer of 1964. They met again in January 1965 at a ski resort in Gstaad, Switzerland, as guests of Prince Moritz of Hesse. The release of a photograph of Claus and Beatrix together on Juliana’s birthday in April 1965 piqued public interest in the couple. A second photo of the couple walking hand in hand was released in May, appearing in British, then Dutch newspapers. Beatrix and Claus hoped to keep their romance a secret for a bit longer but speculation about their relationship increased after the release of the photos. Beatrix’s mother Queen Juliana announced the engagement to the Dutch public via television on June 28, 1965.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg

March 10, 2013 – Death of Princess Lilian of Sweden, wife of Prince Bertil of Sweden, at Villa Solbacken in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at the Royal Cemetery at Haga Park in Solna, Sweden
Born Lilian May Davies, in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, she met Prince Bertil, son of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught, who was serving as a naval attaché at the Swedish Embassy in London, 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. In June 1976, King Carl Gustaf XVI married a commoner, Sylvia Sommerlath, and soon after, he granted his formal permission for Bertil and Lilian to marry. Prince Bertil died in 1997. Lilian survived him by sixteen years, dying at the age of 97, on March 10, 2013.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Lilian of Sweden

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Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, German Emperor; Credit – Wikipedia

March 9, 1566 – Murder of David Riccio, secretary, musician, and favorite of Mary, Queen of Scots, in her presence, at the Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh, Scotland; buried in the cemetery at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland
David Riccio was an Italian musician and private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, and was brutally murdered in the presence of the queen by a conspiracy of Protestant nobles, in part due to the jealousy of Mary’s husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Read more about Riccio and his murder at the following link.
Unofficial Royalty: David Riccio, secretary, musician, and favorite of Mary, Queen of Scots

March 9, 1661 – Death of Cardinal Jules Mazarin, favorite of King Louis XIV of France, at the Château de Vincennes in Vincennes, France; buried at the Collège des Quatre-Nations, now Institut de France, in Paris, France
Cardinal Mazarin was a favorite of King Louis XIV of France, and perhaps the most influential person in the French court at the time. Having served prominently in the court for several years during the reign of King Louis XIII, he was formally appointed Chief Minister by Queen Anne when she assumed the regency for her young son King Louis XIV, and Mazarin remained in that position until he died in 1661. His tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution and his remains were thrown into the street.
Unofficial Royalty: Cardinal Jules Mazarin, Favorite of King Louis XIV of France

March 9, 1756 – Birth of Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of the future Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in Roda, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg now in Thuringia, Germany
In 1775, Luise married Friedrich Franz, then the Hereditary Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The couple had six children including Luise Charlotte who married Emil Leopold, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and had one daughter Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, mother of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Queen Victoria’s husband. Luise became the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin upon her husband’s accession in 1785. She died at the age of 52.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

March 9, 1881 – Death of Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Queen of Denmark, second wife of King Christian VIII of Denmark, at Sorgenfri Castle north of Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Caroline Amalie was the only daughter of Friedrich Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, and Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark. Caroline Amalie’s mother was the only daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark and Caroline Matilda of Wales, the sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. There is strong evidence that Louise Auguste’s father was her mother’s lover, Johann Friedrich Struensee. In December 1814, Caroline Amalie married the future King Christian VIII of Denmark as his second wife but their marriage remained childless. In 1839, Caroline’s husband inherited the Danish throne but died after a nine-year reign and was succeeded by King Frederik VII, his son from his first marriage. Caroline Amalie outlived her stepson King Frederik VII and in 1863, saw the resolution of the Danish succession crisis with the establishment of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg when King Christian IX, born Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, became the King of Denmark. Queen Caroline Amalie survived her husband by 33 years, dying on March 9, 1881, surrounded by the Danish royal family, at the age of 84.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Queen of Denmark

March 9, 1888 – Death of Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, German Emperor at the Berlin Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried at Charlottenburg Palace Mausoleum in Berlin
In 1829, Wilhelm married Augusta of Saxe-Weimar and the couple had two children. Wilhelm became King of Prussia in 1861 upon the death of his childless brother King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia. During Wilhelm I’s reign as King of Prussia, the work of Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck resulted in the unification of Germany and Bismarck then served as Chancellor of the German Empire.  In 1867, the North German Confederation was created.  It was a constitutional monarchy with the Prussian king as the head of state. After the Franco-Prussian War, on  January 18, 1871, in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in France, Wilhelm was proclaimed German Emperor (Kaiser). Wilhelm I was succeeded by his son Friedrich III, husband of Victoria, Princess Royal.  Already ill with throat cancer, Friedrich reigned only three months and was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II. 1888 is known as the “year of the three emperors.”
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, German Emperor

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King William III of England; Credit – Wikipedia

March 8, 1137 – Death of Adela of Normandy, Countess of Blois, daughter of King William I of England (the Conqueror), at the Cluniac Priory of Marcigny-sur-Loire, now in the Burgundy region of France; buried at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Caen, Duchy of Normandy, now in France
Adela was one of the six daughters of King William I of England and Matilda of Flanders.  She married Stephen, Count of Blois, their son Stephen took the throne of his uncle King Henry I from Henry’s only surviving child Empress Matilda, causing a long civil war known as The Anarchy. England did not see peace for 18 years until Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1153. Adela became a nun in the Cluniac Priory of Marcigny-sur-Loire and died there on March 8, 1137, aged 69–70.
Unofficial Royalty: Adela of Normandy, Countess of Blois

March 8, 1616 – Death of Maria Anna of Bavaria, Archduchess of Inner Austria, 1st wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, in Graz, Inner Austria, now in Austria; buried in the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II in Graz Cathedral
Maria Anna of Bavaria was the first wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. She died before her husband became King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, and Holy Roman Emperor, so she held only the title Archduchess of Inner Austria. Maria Anna and Ferdinand had seven children but only four survived childhood. Maria Anna was ill for a long time before she died on March 8, 1616, at the age of forty-one, in Graz, Inner Austria, now in Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Anna of Bavaria, Archduchess of Inner Austria

March 8, 1702 – Death of King William III of England at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
William was the only child of Willem II, Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and Mary, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. William’s father died of smallpox at age 24, eight days before William’s birth, so from birth, William was the sovereign Prince of Orange. In 1677, William married his first cousin Mary, the elder surviving daughter of James, Duke of York, later King James II of England/James VII of Scotland. William followed Mary and her sister Anne in the line of succession to the English throne. In 1688, Mary’s father King James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution and Mary and her husband William became the joint sovereigns as King William III and Queen Mary II. The couple had no children. On February 20, 1702, William went riding on his horse Sorrel at Hampton Court Palace. The horse stumbled on a molehill and fell. William tried to pull the horse up by the reins, but the horse’s movements caused William to fall on his right shoulder. His collarbone was broken and was set by a surgeon, but instead of resting, William insisted on returning to Kensington Palace that evening by coach. A week later, it was discovered that the fracture was not mending well and William’s right hand and arm were puffy and did not look right. His condition continued to worsen and by March 3, William had a fever and had difficulty breathing. King William III died on March 8, 1702.
Unofficial Royalty: King William III of England

March 8, 1724 – Birth of Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany
Ernst Friedrich was the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. In 1764, Ernst Friedrich succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and transferred the official residence of the duchy from Saalfeld to Coburg. Because the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was heavily in debt, Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II appointed a debit commission headed by Prince Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen and then Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, to prevent the bankruptcy of the duchy. The work of the debit commission lasted over thirty years and during that time, Ernst Friedrich was given a strict annual allowance.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

March 8, 1748 – Birth of Willem V, Prince of Orange in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands
Willem V was the son of Willem IV, Prince of Orange and Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain. In 1767, Willem married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia. They had five children, but only three survived infancy, including Willem I, the first King of the Netherlands. In 1795, the revolutionary Patriots in the Dutch Republic, supported by the French Army, replaced the Dutch Republic with the Batavian Republic which remained in power until 1806. Willem V and his family fled to England where they lived in exile until 1802 in the part of Kew Palace known as the Dutch House with the permission of Willem’s first cousin King George III. In 1802, the family went to the European mainland where they lived in the Principality of Orange-Nassau and the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Willem spent the rest of his life in exile. Willem was vilified during his lifetime and is still considered a failure as a ruler. Queen Wilhelmina refused to attend the reburial of Willem V at the Nieuwe Kerk. When asked why, she said she did not want to walk behind the coffin of a fool.
Unofficial Royalty: Willem V, Prince of Orange

March 8, 1844 – Death of King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden and Norway at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden was born Jean Baptiste Bernadotte in Pau, France. He joined the military, and quickly stood out for his courage and leadership. During the French Revolution, he rose quickly through the ranks, attaining the rank of Brigadier General in 1794. In 1798, he married Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, whose sister Julie Clary was married to Napoleon’s brother, Joseph Bonaparte. Désirée had previously been engaged to Napoleon. Jean and Désirée had one son, the future King Oscar I of Sweden, born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte. In 1804, Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor of France and appointed Bernadotte as a Marshal of France. In 1810, just as Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was about to start a new position as governor of Rome, the Swedish Riksdag elected him heir to the childless King Carl XIII of Sweden. The Riksdag wanted a soldier as the king because of their worries over Russia. In addition, Bernadotte was popular in Sweden because of his considerate treatment of Swedish prisoners during the recent war with Denmark. Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte became king in 1818 upon the death of King Carl XIII. He reigned as King Carl XIV Johan and started the House of Bernadotte which still reigns in Sweden. On his 81st birthday in January 1844, King Carl XIV Johan suffered a stroke, from which he never recovered, and he died on March 8, 1844.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden

March 8, 1878 – Death of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
Archduke Franz Karl was the son of Emperor Franz I of Austria, the father of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, the grandfather of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination led to World War I, and the great-grandfather of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. In 1824, Franz Karl married Princess Sophie of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Franz Karl of Austria

March 8, 1955 – Death of Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon at her home in Nice, France, the Villa Clairvallou; buried at the Imperial Chapel of Ajaccio in Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Clémentine was the third of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria. In 1869, when Leopold and Marie-Henriette’s only son Leopold died, King Leopold II blamed Queen Marie-Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Queen Marie-Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl, Clémentine. Clémentine’s parents completely separated after her birth. In 1910, she married Prince Victor Bonaparte, the Bonapartist pretender to the French throne, and the couple had two children. On March 8, 1955, Clémentine died at the age of 82, at her home in Nice, France, the Villa Clairvallou.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon

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