Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Wedding of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Section of The Marriage of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh by Nicholas Chevalier; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia were married on January 23, 1874, at the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Russia. Alfred was the only one of Queen Victoria’s nine children not to marry in his home country.

Alfred’s Early Life

Alfred, on the left, with his elder brother Bertie, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the second of the four sons and fourth of the nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was born at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on August 6, 1844. After being educated at home, along with his older brother The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), Alfred entered the Royal Navy at just 14 years old. Rising quickly through the ranks, by February 1866 he had been elevated to the rank of Captain, and the following year was given command of his own ship, HMS Galatea. Alfred went on to have a thirty-five-year career in the Royal Navy.

Along with his military career, Prince Alfred studied at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Bonn. With his future role as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in mind, in 1865 Alfred purchased a palace in Coburg, just across the square from Schloss Ehrenburg, the official ducal residence. This palace, known as Palais Edinburg, would be his residence in Coburg until his accession 28 years later.

To learn more about Alfred, see Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Maria’s Early Life

Maria with her father and her brothers (Grand Duke Paul had not yet been born) – From left to right: Grand Duchess Maria, Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia with Grand Duke Sergei in his lap, Grand Duke Vladimir, Grand Duke Alexander (the future Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia), Grand Duke Alexis and Tsarevich Nicholas (who was the heir but predeceased his father); Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia was born on October 17, 1853, at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia. She was the only surviving daughter of the two daughters and the sixth of the eight children of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. Maria was the sister of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, and the paternal aunt of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. She was raised in luxury and splendor in the large palaces and country estates owned by the Romanovs. Maria was the first Russian grand duchess to be raised by English nannies and to speak fluent English. Besides her native Russian and English, she was also fluent in German and French.

To learn more about Maria, see Unofficial Royalty: Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

The Engagement

Alfred and Maria’s engagement photo, 1873; Credit – Wikipedia

Alfred and Maria first met in August 1868 in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine. Maria’s mother was born a Princess of Hesse and by Rhine and Maria and her family were visiting their Hesse and by Rhine relatives. At the same time, Alfred was visiting his sister Alice who had married Maria’s first cousin, the future Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Alfred was impressed with Maria and needed little encouragement from his pro-Russian sister Alice to consider Maria as a potential bride. However, Alfred’s Royal Navy commitments kept him away until 1871.

Alfred, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, visited Hesse and by Rhine in 1871 as did Maria, along with her parents and her two elder brothers. Maria and Alfred spent much time together, walking, talking, and playing music together. Alfred made his feelings regarding Maria known to her father. Alexander II wrote to Victoria that he did not oppose a marriage between their children but that they would have to wait a year for a definitive decision because Maria was so young, and he was reluctant to ever part with his only daughter. Queen Victoria was also unsure about the marriage because of Maria’s Russian Orthodox religion. Both countries had negative feelings about the other country relating to when they were on opposites sides in the Crimean War (1853-1856). Negotiations dragged on and on, with no progress. In 1873, there an Anglo-Russian dispute over the Afghan border, and Queen Victoria’s government thought a marriage between the two countries might ease the tension.

In July 1873, Alfred and Maria, accompanied by her parents, met again in Hesse and by Rhine. On July 11, 1873, 29-year-old Alfred proposed to 19-year-old Maria and she accepted. Queen Victoria sent her congratulations but confessed to her diary, ” Felt quite bewildered. Not knowing Marie & realizing that there may still be many difficulties, my thoughts & feelings are rather mixed, but I said from my heart “God bless them”, & I hope and pray it may turn out for Affie’s happiness.”

Queen Victoria was further incensed when Alexander II refused her request to bring Maria to Scotland so she could meet her son’s intended bride before the wedding which would be held in St. Petersburg. In return, Victoria incensed Alexander II by requesting a Church of England marriage ceremony be performed along with the Russian Orthodox one.

Portrait of Maria Alexandrovna sent to Queen Victoria, now part of the Royal Collection; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

A portrait of Maria was sent to Queen Victoria and it arrived at Osborne House on January 18, 1874, a few days before the wedding. Queen Victoria wrote about the painting in her diary: “The face is very pleasing & very like the photographs, so that I should think it must be a good likeness.”

The Wedding Site

The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; Credit – By Alex ‘Florstein’ Fedorov, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49250446

After the engagement, one of the issues to be decided was the site of the wedding. In 1858, Queen Victoria insisted that her eldest child Victoria, Princess Royal be married in London as it was “not every day that one marries the eldest daughter of the Queen of England” even though the Princess Royal was marrying a future King of Prussia and German Emperor. Maria’s parents were no different. They insisted that their only daughter would be married in Russia. The wedding site was to be the Grand Church of the Winter Palace. In the photo above of the Winter Palace, the golden cupola of the Grand Church can be seen on the left side of the photo.

I have visited the Winter Palace on the banks of the Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia and it is truly awe-inspiring. It was the official residence of the Russian Emperors and Empresses from 1732 to 1917. Today, part of the palace houses the State Hermitage Museum, one of the world’s premier art museums. The Winter Palace’s monumental scale was intended to reflect the might and power of Imperial Russia and it is still a mighty and powerful building. It is said to contain 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms, and 117 staircases.

The Grand Church of the Winter Palace; Credit – By Januarius-zick – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42460200

Wedding Guests

There is no guest list but it was noted in Alfred’s biography by John Van der Kiste that there were “thousands of guests.” Queen Victoria did not travel to Russia for the wedding. She was at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight on the wedding day. It was the only wedding of her children that she did not attend. Alfred wanted his mother to feel part of his wedding so he commissioned artist Nicholas Chevalier to record the events of the day. Chevalier created a series of watercolor sketches that he later used to create oil paintings. In addition, Queen Victoria sent Arthur Stanley, Dean of Westminster to conduct the Church of England wedding service. Lady Augusta Stanley, the Dean of Westminster’s wife, born Lady Augusta Bruce, was a good friend of Queen Victoria and one of her ladies-in-waiting and was charged to report back all the details to the Queen.

The following members of Alfred’s family, along with the officiant for the Church of England service along with his wife, and the following members of royal households attended:

  • The Prince of Wales, Alfred’s brother, and his wife The Princess of Wales
  • Victoria, German Crown Princess, Crown Princess of Prussia, Alfred’s sister, and her husband Friedrich, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia
  • Prince Arthur, Alfred’s brother
  • Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Alfred’s paternal uncle
  • Arthur Stanley, Dean of Westminster and Lady Augusta Stanley
  • Colonel William Colville, Comptroller of Prince Alfred’s Household
  • Sir John Clayton Cowell, Alfred’s former governor
  • Sir Howard Elphinstone, Arthur’s governor

It is noted in a contemporary newspaper article that Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (the future King Frederik VIII) and Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, the bride’s maternal uncle, signed the marriage register, so they were both present.

We can assume that these members of the Russian Imperial Family, among others, attended:

  • Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, Maria’s father
  • Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of All Russia, Maria’s mother, born Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine
  • Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, Maria’s brother, the future Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia
  • Tsesarevna Maria Feodorovna, wife of Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, sister of Alfred’s sister-in-law the Princess of Wales
  • Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, Maria’s brother
  • Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, Maria’s brother
  • Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Maria’s brother
  • Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, Maria’s brother
  • Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, Maria’s paternal uncle
  • Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna, Konstantin Nikolaevich’s wife, born Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg
  • Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, Maria’s paternal uncle
  • Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, Nicholas Nikolaevich’s wife, born Duchess Alexandra of Oldenburg
  • Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich, Maria’s paternal uncle
  • Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna, Michael Nikolaevich’s wife, born Princess Cecilie of Baden

Groomsmen

Unlike the British tradition, there were no bridesmaids, only groomsmen – Alfred’s brother Arthur and three of Maria’s brothers. Their main job was to hold the gold marriage crowns over the heads of the bride and groom during the Russian Orthodox wedding ceremony. During the Church of England marriage ceremony, Prince Arthur and one of Maria’s brothers acted as Alfred’s supporters.

  • Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich
  • Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich
  • Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich
  • Prince Arthur

The Wedding Attire

The Imperial Order of St. Andrew, obverse (left) and reverse (right); Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Alfred wore a Russian naval uniform and the Russian Order of Saint Andrew. Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia had recently given Alfred the honorary rank of Captain in the Russian Navy and Chief of the 2nd Division of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna wore a silver sarafan set with jewels, a traditional dress worn by all Russian imperial brides for their wedding, and the diamond Romanov nuptial tiara, formed like the traditional Russian kokoshnik headdress. In addition, Maria wore the diamond Romanov nuptial crown and an immense purple velvet mantle trimmed with ermine. Lady Augusta Stanley commented about Maria: “…the small graceful head still so childlike, must have ached with the immense weight of jewels, the necklace of diamonds…the most beautiful ones I ever saw, and the gown was studded with them, round the body and the sleeves and down the front of the body and skirt.”

The photo below is not Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna but rather her niece, Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, the daughter of her brother Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. The photo was taken on the day of Elena Vladimirovna’s wedding to Prince Nicholas of Greece in 1902. I have not found a photo of Maria Alexandrovna on her wedding day but she would have been dressed as her niece was dressed. Notice on her head the Romanov nuptial tiara, in the front and the Romanov nuptial crown with the cross in the back. The hairstyle is traditional for Romanov brides.

Maria Alexandrovna’s niece Elena Vladimirovna dressed as her aunt would have been dressed on her wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

The Wedding

The Marriage of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh by Nicholas Chevalier; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The halls of the immense Winter Palace were filled with people and activity. As the imperial procession began, a hush went through the halls. Leading the procession were sixty chamberlains dressed in gold lace, followed by dignitaries wearing their medals and orders. Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, dressed in a general’s uniform, and his wife Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of All Russia, dressed in a yellow satin dress with a long train, acknowledged the people lining the halls by bowing their heads. Next came Alfred leading Maria while six chamberlains carried the bride’s train. They were followed by members of the Russian Imperial Family, foreign royalty, and members of the Russian court.

Once in the Grand Church, Alfred and Maria stood on a crimson carpet before a lectern on which lay the Gospels in a bejeweled cover. The Metropolitans of Novgorod, Moscow, and Kiev conducted the Russian Orthodox wedding ceremony. After much chanting and low-voiced reading, the gold marriage crowns were brought out. Prince Arthur and one of Maria’s brothers (either Vladimir or Sergei) took the crowns and held them at arm’s length over Alfred and Maria’s heads. Arthur and the Grand Duke frequently changed hands because of the weight of the crowns. Finally, when Arthur was exhausted, Maria’s brother Grand Duke Alexis took his crown.

Alfred and Maria, holding lighted candles, walked three times around the altar and the lectern. The marriage crowns were then placed on a gold plate and carried into the inner chapel. Alfred and Maria followed and walked three times around the altar and then they received Communion. A beautiful, triumphal chant ended the Russian Orthodox service.

Alexander Hall in the Winter Palace, St Petersburg by Eduard Hau (1861); Credit – Wikipedia

The procession then traveled to Alexander Hall, a white hall with purple velvet curtains on the windows. The walls were covered with paintings of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia and his military battles during the Napoleonic Wars. The window curtains were drawn and the room was lighted with thousands of candles. It is here that the Church of England wedding service took place. Arthur Stanley, Dean of Westminster was waiting to perform the service. Alexander II led his daughter to the altar. Alfred took his place beside Maria, supported by Prince Arthur, one of Maria’s brothers, and four chamberlains. After a chant by a Russian choir, Dean Stanley began the Church of England marriage service. Maria said her vows in perfect English as she had learned the language beginning in early childhood. Before she had entered Alexander Hall for the Church of England service, Maria had been given a bouquet sent by Queen Victoria which contained sprigs from a myrtle tree at Osborne House. Since the wedding of Alfred’s eldest sister Victoria, Princess Royal, it has become a British royal family tradition for bridal bouquets to contain a sprig of myrtle from that tree.

After the Wedding

Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace by Konstantin Andreyevich Ukhtomsky (1879); Credit – Wikipedia

A wedding banquet for 800 people was held in Nicholas Hall, the largest room in the palace at 11,870 square feet/1,103 square meters. Originally known as the Great Hall, it was renamed the Nicholas Hall after the death of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and a large equestrian portrait of the late emperor was hung on a wall. The guests had assembled at 4:30 PM and at 5:00 PM, they fell silent as Alexander II, his wife Maria Alexandrovna, Alfred and Maria and other members of the Russian Imperial Family entered Nicholas Hall.

As soon as the imperial procession was seated, the entertainment started. Two of the most renowned operatic sopranos performed: Adelina Patti from Italy and Emma Albani from Canada. While Emma Albani sang an aria from Rigoletto, the cannons from the Peter and Paul Fortress, just across the Neva River, began firing salutes but Miss Albani’s voice soared above the sound of the cannons. The menu included such delicacies as Potage de Gibier à l’Indienne (Wild Indian Game Soup) and Collettes de Perdreaux à la Maréchale Garni de Gelée Muscovite à l’Ananas (partridges garnished with Muscovite jelly with pineapple). At 6:00 PM, the banquet ended but the celebrations were not yet over. Over 3,000 guests attended a ball in the Great Throne Room later in the evening.

St George’s Hall (also referred to as the Great Throne Room); Credit – By Poudou99 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58055018

Alfred and Maria attended the ball but left early to board a train for the fifteen-mile trip to Tsarskoe Selo where they would spend their honeymoon at the Alexander Palace. Alexander II, ever hoping that his daughter would not really go off to live in England, had ordered an elaborate honeymoon suite on the ground floor, hoping that it would persuade the couple to remain in Russia. However, after a short honeymoon, Alfred and Maria left Russia to live in England. The honeymoon suite was kept for Alfred and Maria in hopes that they would change their minds and return to live in Russia. In 1894, it became the bedroom suite of the last Emperor of All Russia, Nicholas II, Maria’s nephew, and his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, born Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Alfred’s niece.

Children

Marie with her children; Credit – Wikipedia

Alfred and Marie had five children:

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Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred,_Duke_of_Saxe-Coburg_and_Gotha [Accessed 9 Sep. 2019].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Maria_Alexandrovna_of_Russia [Accessed 9 Sep. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2015). Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-alfred-duke-of-edinburgh-duke-of-saxe-coburg-and-gotha/ [Accessed 9 Sep. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2015). Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/grand-duchess-maria-alexandrovna-of-russia-duchess-of-edinburgh-duchess-of-saxe-coburg-and-gotha/ [Accessed 9 Sep. 2019].
  • Rct.uk. (2019). The marriage of Prince Alfred and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. [online] Available at: https://www.rct.uk/collection/themes/exhibitions/russia-royalty-the-romanovs/the-queens-gallery-buckingham-palace/the-marriage-of-prince-alfred-and-grand-duchess-maria-alexandrovna [Accessed 9 Sep. 2019].
  • Trove. (1874). THE MARRIAGE OF THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH. – The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954) – 8 Apr 1874. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13334461 [Accessed 9 Sep. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, John and Jordaan, Bee. (1995). Dearest Affie: Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Victoria’s Second Son. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton.
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2011). Queen Victoria’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.

Wedding of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

The Marriage of Princess Helena, 5 July 1866 by Christian Karl Magnussen; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Princess Helena of the United Kingdom and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg were married on July 5, 1866, at the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

Helena’s Early Life

Helena with her favorite sibling Alfred, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1849; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Helena was the fifth of the nine children and the third of the five daughters of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was born at Buckingham Palace on May 25, 1846. Known within the family as Lenchen, Helena’s childhood was spent at her mother’s various homes, in the care of nurses and nannies. An accomplished artist and pianist from a young age, she was overshadowed throughout her life by her siblings. Helena was closest to her brother Alfred, and the two remained so for their entire lives.

Helena’s life would change drastically in 1861, with the death of her beloved father. She began helping her sister Alice who became an unofficial secretary to their mother. After Alice’s marriage, Helena would continue in this role, along with her younger sister Louise, before the role was primarily taken by her youngest sister, Beatrice.

Helena had a brief romance with Carl Ruland, who had served as her father’s librarian. When the Queen discovered her daughter’s interest in one of the servants, Ruland was quickly dispatched back to Germany. Victoria then began a quest to find Helena an appropriate husband.

For more information on Princess Helena, see Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

Christian’s Early Life

Prince Christian by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1866; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, generally shortened to Schleswig-Holstein was born on January 22, 1831, in Augustenborg, Denmark, the sixth of the seven children of Christian August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Countess Louise Sophie of Danneskiold-Samsøe. His elder surviving brother was Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein who married Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a daughter of Queen Victoria’s half-sister Feodora of Leiningen, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Among Friedrich and Adelheid’s children was Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein who married Queen Victoria’s grandson Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia.

While attending the University of Bonn, Christian became close friends with the future German Emperor Friedrich III. This friendship would serve him well in later years, as Friedrich’s wife was Victoria, Princess Royal, the eldest sister of Christian’s future wife.

For more information on Prince Christian, see Unofficial Royalty: Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein

The Engagement

Princess Helena and Prince Christian, part of a series of photographs following their engagement; Credit – Wikipedia

Helena was described by her mother as plump, dowdy, uncomplicated, unambitious, obedient, and without charm – which did not help her with marriage prospects. One of Queen Victoria’s requirements for Helena’s husband was that he had to be prepared to live near the Queen so that Helena could continue to be her companion and secretary. This eliminated many potential husbands. The final candidate in Queen Victoria’s search was a 35-year-old impoverished prince, Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, suggested by Queen Victoria’s uncle Leopold I, King of the Belgians.

Being fifteen years older than Helena, Christian was closer in age to Queen Victoria. When Christian was first summoned to meet Queen Victoria, he assumed that the widowed Queen was inspecting him as a new husband for herself rather than as a husband for one of her daughters. Christian was balding, looked older than his age, and was not considered handsome, certainly not the type of prince a 19-year-old princess sees in her dreams. However, Christian was agreeable and easy-going, spoke fluent English, and had been a long-time friend of Helena’s brother-in-law, the future German Emperor Friedrich III.

In August 1865, Queen Victoria and all her children went to Coburg to unveil a statue of Prince Albert. It was there that Helena and Christian first met. The possibility of a marriage between Helena and Christian was not met with unanimous approval within the royal family. The Princess of Wales (formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark) could not tolerate a marriage to someone who, she felt, took the Schleswig and Holstein duchies away from her own father, the King of Denmark. The Prince of Wales supported his wife in this. Helena’s sister Alice also disapproved as she felt Queen Victoria was pushing Helena into this marriage to ensure that Helena would remain near her side. The fact that Christian was 15 years older than Helena certainly did not help that suggestion. However, Helena and Christian knew they did not have many marriage prospects and were both agreeable to the marriage. Their engagement was announced on December 5, 1865.

The Wedding Site

The original Private Chapel in Windsor Castle, lithograph by Joseph Nash, 1848; Credit – Wikipedia

The Private Chapel in Windsor Castle was created for Queen Victoria by architect Edward Blore between 1840 and 1847. There were niches with marble sculptures, pews, and a large Gothic chandelier hanging from the ceiling. On November 20, 1992, a fire began in the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle when a painter left a spotlight too close to the curtains. The fire caused much damage to Windsor Castle. The Private Chapel was later restored but the new Private Chapel is much smaller, has chairs instead of pews, and is only able to fit thirty people. The new altar was made by Queen Elizabeth II’s nephew David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, a furniture designer and maker.

The Wedding Guests

This is a complete list from the London Gazette, Issue 23140, 17 July 1866.

Royal Guests

  • Queen Victoria, mother of the bride
  • The Prince and Princess of Wales, brother and sister-in-law of the bride
  • Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, brother of the bride
  • Prince Louise, sister of the bride
  • Prince Arthur, brother of the bride
  • Prince Leopold, brother of the bride
  • Princess Beatrice, sister of the bride
  • The Duchess of Cambridge, great-aunt of the bride
  • Leopold II, King of the Belgians, first cousin once removed of the bride, and his wife Queen Marie Henriette
  • Ernst, 4th Prince of Leiningen, half-first cousin of the bride, and his wife Marie, Princess of Leiningen
  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
  • Prince Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, brother of the groom
  • The Maharajah Duleep Singh

The Queen’s Household – participated in the royal, bridegroom’s and bride’s procession

  • Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, Mistress of the Robes
  • Susanna Innes-Kerr, Duchess of Roxburghe, Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting
  • The Honorable Mrs. Robert Bruce, Woman of the Bedchamber in Waiting
  • John Townshend, Viscount Sydney, Lord Chamberlain of the Household
  • Valentine Browne, Viscount Castlerosse, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
  • John Ponsonby, 5th Earl of Bessborough, Lord Steward
  • George Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Marquess of Ailesbury, Master of the Horse
  • Lieutenant General The Honorable Charles Grey, Joint Keeper of the Privy Purse, Equerry in Waiting
  • Major General Sir Thomas Biddulph, Joint Keeper of the Privy Purse
  • Lord Otho Fitzgerald, Treasurer of the Household
  • Granville Proby, 4th Earl of Carysfort, Comptroller of the Household
  • George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan, Gold Stick in Waiting
  • Thomas Foley, 4th Baron Foley, Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms
  • Henry Reynolds-Moreton, 3rd Earl of Ducie, Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
  • Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork, Master of the Buckhounds
  • Major Sir John Cowell, Master of the Household
  • Frederick Methuen, 2nd Baron Methuen, Lord in Waiting
  • Lieutenant-Colonel W.H.F. Cavendish, Equerry in Waiting
  • Lord Alfred Paget, Clerk Marshal
  • Colonel The Honorable Dudley F. DeRos
  • General The Honorable Sir Edward Cust, Master of Ceremonies
  • Lieutenant-Colonel R. Palmer, Silver Stick in Waiting
  • Colonel H.F. Ponsonby, Field Officer in Brigade in Waiting
  • The Honorable Spencer Ponsonby, Comptroller in the Lord Chamberlain’s Department
  • Sir William Martins, Gentleman Usher
  • Major General Henry S. Stephens, Senior Gentleman Usher
  • Sir Charles G. Young, Garter King of Arms
  • Mr. Albert W. Woods, Lancaster Herald
  • Mr. Matthew C.H. Gibbon, Richmond Herald

Bride’s Attendant

  • Jane, Spencer, Baroness Churchill, Lady of the Bedchamber to The Queen

Bridegroom’s Attendants

  • Major General Francis Seymour, Groom of the Robes to the Queen
  • Count Rantzau, Gentleman of Honor to the Bridegroom

Foreign Representatives

  • Henri-Godefroi-Bernard-Alphonse, Prince de La Tour d’Auvergn, French Ambassador
  • Count of Lavradio, Portuguese Ambassador
  • Phillip Ivanovich Brunnov, Russian Ambassador
  • Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish Foreign Minister
  • The Hanoverian Foreign Minister
  • The Prussian Ambassador
  • The Turkish Ambassador

Clergy

  • Charles Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury
  • Archibald Campbell Tait, Dean of the Chapels Royal, Bishop of London
  • Samuel Wilberforce, Lord High Almoner, Bishop of Oxford
  • Henry Philpott, Clerk of the Closet, Bishop of Worcester
  • Charles Sumner, Prelate of the Order of the Garter, Bishop of Winchester
  • Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor

Government Officials

  • Robert Rolfe, 1st Baron Cranworth, Lord High Chancellor
  • Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, Lord President of the Council
  • George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll, Lord Privy Seal
  • John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
  • Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet, Secretary of State for the Home Department
  • George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
  • Edward Cardwell, Secretary of State for the Colonies
  • Spencer Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, Secretary of State for War
  • George Robinson, 3rd Earl de Grey, 2nd Earl of Ripon, Secretary for the State of India
  • Chancellor of the Exchequer, William Ewart Gladstone
  • Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset, First Lord of the Admiralty
  • Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley Postmaster-General
  • George Goschen, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
  • Thomas Milner Gibson, President of the Board of Trade
  • Charles Pelham Villiers, President of the Poor Law Board
  • William F. Cowper, First Commissioner of Works
  • Adjutant General, Major-General Lord William Paulet
  • Quartermaster General, Lieutenant-General Sir James Hope Grant

Attendants to Other Royalty – some participated in processions

  • John Poyntz Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer, Groom of the Stole to The Prince of Wales
  • James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton, Gentleman of the Bedchamber in Waiting to The Prince of Wales
  • The Honorable Charles L. Wood, Groom of the Bedchamber in Waiting to The Prince of Wales
  • Lieutenant-General Knollys, Comptroller and Treasurer to The Prince of Wales
  • Major G. H. Grey, Equerry in Waiting to The Prince of Wales
  • George Harris, 3rd Baron Harris, Chamberlain to The Princess of Wales
  • Countess of Morton, Lady of the Bedchamber in Waiting to The Princess of Wales
  • The Honorable Mrs. Edward Coke, Woman of the Bedchamber in Waiting to The Princess of Wales
  • Comte Van der Straten-Ponthoz, Grand Marshal to The King of the Belgians
  • Comte Gustav de Lannoy, Chamberlain to The Queen of the Belgians
  • Marquise de Trazeguies, Lady in Attendance to The Queen of the Belgians
  • Comtesse de Yves de Bavai, Lady in Attendance to The Queen of the Belgians
  • Jules de Vaux, Secretary to The King of the Belgians
  • Thomas Stonor, 3rd Baron Camoys, Lord in Waiting to Queen Victoria in attendance to The King and Queen of the Belgians
  • The Honorable Eliot Yorke, Equerry in attendance to The Duke of Edinburgh
  • Major Sir Howard Craufurd Elphinstone, Governor to Prince Arthur
  • Lieutenant Walter George Stirling, Governor to Prince Leopold
  • Lady Caroline Barrington, Lady Superintendent to Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice
  • Lady Augusta Stanley, Lady in attendance to Princess Louise and Princess Beatrice
  • Colonel Home Purves, Comptroller of the Household to The Duchess of Cambridge
  • Lady Geraldine Somerset, Lady in Waiting to The Duchess of Cambridge
  • Lieutenant-Colonel James Oliphant, Gentleman in attendance to The Maharajah Duleep Singh
  • Lady Susan Leslie Melville, Lady in Waiting to Princess Helena
  • Gardner D. Engleheart, Comptroller to the Household of Prince Christian and Princess Helena
  • Lieutenant-Colonel George G. Gordon, Equerry to Prince Christian

Other Guests

  • Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond and Frances Gordon-Lennox, Duchess of Richmond
  • Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch and Charlotte Montagu Douglas Scott, Duchess of Buccleuch
  • Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington and Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
  • Augusta, Countess Dornberg, morganatic wife of Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
  • Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, half-first cousin of the bride, and his morganatic wife Laura, Countess Gleichen
  • James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn
  • Mary Brudenell-Bruce, Marchioness of Ailesbury
  • George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby and Laura Phipps, Marchioness of Normanby
  • Frances Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough
  • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
  • Catherine Murray, Dowager Countess of Dunmore
  • William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 6th Earl Fitzwilliam and Frances Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, Countess Fitzwilliam
  • Caroline Edgcumbe, Dowager Countess of Mount Edgcumbe
  • John Campbell, 2nd Earl Cawdor and Sarah Campbell, Countess Cawdor
  • Emily Townshend, Viscountess Sydney
  • George Byng, 7th Viscount Torrington
  • Charles Shaw-Lefevre, 1st Viscount Eversley
  • Lady Emily Seymour and The Honorable Miss Seymour
  • The Honorable Reverend Charles L. Courtenay and Lady Caroline Courtenay
  • The Honorable Mrs. Grey and Miss Grey
  • Lieutenant-General Jonathan Peel, politician
  • The Right Honorable Benjamin Disraeli, future Prime Minister
  • Lieutenant-General The Honorable H. Byng and Mrs. Byng
  • The Honorable Mrs. Wellesley, wife of Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor
  • Major-General The Honorable A. N. Hood, Lady Mary Hood and Miss Hood
  • The Honorable Lady Biddulph, wife of Major General Sir Thomas Biddulph, Joint Keeper of the Privy Purse
  • Sir James Clark, Baronet, former Physician-In-Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Elizabeth Couper, Dowager Baroness Couper
  • Dr. William Jenner, Physician-In-Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Sir Richard Mayne, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
  • Mr. Bernard Woodward, Royal Librarian at Windsor Castle
  • Mr. Hermann Sahl, Librarian and German Secretary to Queen Victoria
  • Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, Dean of Westminster
  • Reverend Henry Ellison, Chaplain-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria
  • Reverend James St. John Blunt, Chaplain-in-Ordinary to Queen
  • Dr. Douglas Argyll Robertson, Surgeon Oculist to Queen Victoria
  • Miss Louisa Bowater, a friend of Princess Helena
  • Lieutenant-Colonel George Ashley Maude, Crown Equerry of the Royal Mews, and Miss E. Maude
  • Mr. Frederick Gibbs, tutor to The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred
  • Reverend Henry Mildred Birch, Chaplain to The Prince of Wales
  • Reverend William Rowe Jolley, tutor to Prince Alfred
  • Reverend George Prothero, Chaplain-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria, Rector of St. Mildred’s Church, Whippingham, Isle of Wight, where Queen Victoria’s family worshipped when at Osborne House
  • Reverend Robinson Duckworth, tutor to Prince Leopold
  • Reverend N. Shuldham, tutor to Prince Leopold
  • Mr. Adolf Buff, German tutor to Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold
  • Miss Sarah Anne Hildyard, tutor to Queen Victoria’s children
  • Miss Ottilie Bauer, German tutor to Queen Victoria’s children
  • Mademoiselle Norele, French tutor to Queen Victoria’s children

The Supporters and Bridesmaids

Prince Christian’s supporters were his brother Prince Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg and Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.

Helena had eight bridesmaids, all of whom were unmarried daughters of British Dukes and Earls:

  • Lady Muriel Campbell, daughter of John Campbell, 2nd Earl Cawdor, married Sir Courtenay Edmund Boyle
  • Lady Ernestine Edgcumbe, daughter of Ernest Edgcumbe, 3rd Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, unmarried
  • Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, daughter of William Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 6th Earl FitzWilliam, married The Honorable Hugh Le Despencer Boscawen
  • Lady Albertha Hamilton, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, married George Spencer-Churchill, 8th Duke of Marlborough
  • Lady Caroline Gordon-Lennox, daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, unmarried
  • Lady Alexandrina Murray, daughter of Alexander Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore, married Rev. Henry Cunliffe
  • Lady Laura Phipps, daughter of George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby, married John Vivian Hampton-Lewis
  • Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott, daughter of Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, married Donald Cameron of Lochiel, 24th Chief of Clan Cameron

The Wedding Attire

Princess Helena in her wedding dress; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Helena’s wedding dress was made from white satin with deep flounces of Honiton lace. The design of the lace featured roses, ivy, and myrtle. The train, also made of the Honiton lace, had bouquets of orange blossom and myrtle attached. On her head, Helena wore a wreath of orange blossoms and myrtle with a veil made of Honiton lace which matched her dress. She wore a necklace, earrings, and a brooch, all of opals and diamonds, a wedding gift from her mother Queen Victoria. In addition, Helena wore bracelets set with miniatures and the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert.

The eight bridesmaids were dressed in white glacé dresses covered with tulle under a long tunic of silver tulle, which was looped up on one side with a chatelaine of pink roses, forget-me-nots, and white heather. The bodice and skirt were also trimmed with pink roses, forget-me-nots, and heather. On their heads, the bridesmaids wore a wreath of pink roses, forget-me-nots, and heather with a long tulle veil.

The Wedding

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The wedding ceremony was held at 12:30 PM on July 5, 1866, at the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. At noon, members of the British royal family, along with other royalty and important guests gathered in the White Drawing Room in Windsor Castle. Princess Helena remained in Queen Victoria’s Private Apartments while members of her procession assembled in the corridor outside Queen Victoria’s Private Apartments. Prince Christian, his supporters and members of his procession waited in the Red Room. The Ladies and Gentlemen of The Queen’s Household along with the Ladies and Gentlemen of foreign royalty assembled in the corridor. Ambassadors, Foreign Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, and other guests assembled in the Red and Green Drawing Rooms and were then conducted to their seats. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the other clergy taking part in the wedding ceremony assembled in the Audience Chamber. They then proceeded to the Private Chapel and took their places at the altar.

After the Ambassadors, Foreign Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, and other guests had taken their seats and the clergy had assembled in the Private Chapel, the Royal Procession formed in the corridor outside the White Drawing Room and were conducted to the Private Chapel by the Lord Chamberlain and the Vice-Chamberlain. The Lord Chamberlain and the Vice-Chamberlain then proceeded to the Red Room and conducted Prince Christian’s procession to the Private Chapel. Finally, the Lord Chamberlain and the Vice-Chamberlain proceeded to Queen Victoria’s Private Apartments and conducted Princess Helena’s procession to the Private Chapel. As her father had died in 1861, Helena was escorted by her mother Queen Victoria, her eldest brother The Prince of Wales, and her eight bridesmaids.

As the Bride’s Procession made its way to the Private Chapel, the March from the opera “Scipio” by Georg Friedrich Handel was played. When Helena arrived in the Private Chapel she took her place on the left side of the altar while Queen Victoria was led to her seat.

Princess Helena and Prince Christian; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Charles Longley, Archbishop of Canterbury performed the entire wedding ceremony. The responses of both Helena and Christian were made in a firm and audible voice and Christian spoke with a decidedly foreign accent. When the Archbishop of Canterbury asked, “Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man?”, it was Queen Victoria, in lieu of her deceased husband, who answered in a dignified and determined manner. During the ceremony, the choir sang a chorale by William George Cusins, specially composed for the occasion. Cusins was the organist in Queen Victoria’s Private Chapels and played the organ during the wedding ceremony.

When the ceremony was over, Helena was warmly embraced by Queen Victoria and The Prince of Wales. Then, to Ludwig Spohr’s march from the oratorio “The Fall of Babylon”, Helena and Christian proceeded to the White Drawing Room, accompanied by the royal procession and the clergy, to sign the marriage registry along with Queen Victoria, other royalty, and some members of the Royal Household.

Post-Wedding

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Princess Helena and Prince Christian leave Windsor Castle for their honeymoon

Luncheon was served to members of the British royal family and other royalty in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle. Other guests were served a buffet in the Waterloo Chamber. At 4:15 PM, guests desiring to return to London boarded a special train. At the same time, the bride and groom left Windsor by special train for Southampton where a boat would convey them to the Isle of Wight for their honeymoon at Osborne House.

Later that evening at Windsor Castle, a banquet was held in the Waterloo Gallery and an evening party was held in St. George’s Hall.

Children

Helena and Christian had five children:

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Works Cited

  • Chomet, Seweryn. (1999). Helena: A Princess Reclaimed. New York: Begell House Inc.
  • Google Books. (1866). The London Gazette Issue 23140. 17 July 1866. [online] Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=xTxEAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA4089&lpg=PA4089&dq=London+Gazette.+Issue+23140.+17+July+1866&source=bl&ots=EnAnytK-0J&sig=ACfU3U36Jz4GH6riAvk5Y2WdCGzEbr4sAA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwivwaH9r4bkAhWwT98KHe3WCb0Q6AEwDHoECAwQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2015). Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/prince-christian-of-schleswig-holstein/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2015). Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-helena-of-the-united-kingdom-princess-christian-of-schleswig-holstein/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].
  • Packard, Jerrold. (1998). Victoria’s Daughters. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
  • Trove. (1866). MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCESS HELENA. – The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842 – 1954) – 14 Sep 1866. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13136740 [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, J. (2011). Queen Victoria’s Children. Stroud: The History Press.

Wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

The Marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, 25 January 1858 by John Phillip; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/ © His Majesty King Charles II

Victoria, Princess Royal married Prince Friedrich of Prussia, the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, at the Chapel Royal of St. James’s Palace in London, England on January 25, 1858. The couple had eight children and the Greek, Prussian, Romanian, Serbian, and Spanish royal families descended from this marriage.

Victoria’s Early Life

Queen Victoria with her eldest child Victoria, Princess Royal circa 1845; Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest of the nine children and the eldest of the five daughters of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born on November 21, 1840, at Buckingham Palace, nine months after her parents’ marriage. Named Victoria after her mother and called Vicky in the family, she was created Princess Royal shortly before her first birthday.

Vicky started learning French with a French tutor when she was eighteen months old and then began learning German at age three. Later, Vicky studied science, literature, Latin, and history. All Vicky’s governesses and tutors were impressed with her intelligence.

Once Vicky was engaged to be married to her Prussian prince, her father Prince Albert personally taught her politics and modern European history and had her write essays about events in Prussia. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria ardently hoped that Vicky’s marriage would make the ties between London and Berlin closer and lead to a unified and liberal Germany. However, once married and in Prussia, Vicky and her husband were politically isolated, and their liberal and Anglophile views clashed with the authoritarian ideas of the Minister-President of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck.

For more about Vicky, see Unofficial Royalty: Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

Friedrich’s Early Life

Friedrich, circa 1841; Credit – Wikipedia

The future Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia was born at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany on October 18, 1831. The elder of the two children of the future Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia and his wife Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, he was given the names Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl but was known in the family as Fritz. His younger sister Louise married Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden.

Fritz received both a military and a classical education. He studied history, geography, physics, music, and religion. He had a talent for foreign languages, becoming fluent in English and French, and also studying Latin. Naturally, Fritz studied the traditional Hohenzollern areas of fencing, riding, gymnastics, and practical craft skills such as carpentry, book printing, and bookbinding. In addition, he also received a military education. Fritz interrupted his military training at the age of 18 to study history, politics, law, and public policy at the University of Bonn. His time at the University of Bonn helped solidify his liberal, reforming beliefs.

For more about Fritz, see Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia

The Engagement

Photograph taken at Balmoral to mark the Princess Royal’s engagement to Prince Friedrich of Prussia on September 29, 1855; From left to right: Prince Friedrich of Prussia, The Princess Royal, Prince Alfred (seated on the grass), Princess Alice, Princess Helena, Queen Victoria, Princess Louise, Prince Albert and The Prince of Wales; Credit – Photograph by George Washington Wilson, The Royal Collection Trust

In 1851, Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (the future Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and German Emperor) and his wife Augusta were invited to London by Queen Victoria to visit the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, which her husband Prince Albert was instrumental in organizing. Wilhelm and Augusta brought their two children, 20-year-old Friedrich and 13-year-old Louise. On a visit to the Great Exhibition, nine-year-old Vicky was allowed to accompany the group as a companion to Louise. Despite being so young, Vicky made an impression on Friedrich (Fritz), who was eleven years older.

Four years later, in 1855, Fritz was invited back to England by Victoria and Albert for a visit to their Scottish home Balmoral. The British and Prussian royal families expected Fritz and Vicky to decide if they would marry. Fritz was second in line to the Prussian throne after his father, who was expected to succeed his childless brother. Even though a marriage would not be universally popular in either country, Vicky and Fritz agreed to marry each other. They became engaged on September 29, 1855, but the engagement was not publicly announced until May 17, 1856. Because Vicky was so young, her parents decreed that the wedding would have to wait until Vicky was 17 years old.

The Wedding Site

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The Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace

It was and still is, customary for the wedding to be in the bride’s home territory, but Vicky was marrying a future monarch and the wedding was therefore expected to be in Berlin in the Kingdom of Prussia. However, Queen Victoria had other ideas: “The assumption of it being too much for a Prince Royal of Prussia to come over to marry the Princess Royal of Great Britain in England is too absurd, to say the least…Whatever may be the usual practice of Prussian Princes, it is not every day that one marries the eldest daughter of the Queen of England. The question must therefore be considered as settled and closed…” Queen Victoria got her way and the wedding was scheduled for Monday, January 25, 1858, in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England, where the bride’s parents had been married.

Located in St. James’ Palace, a Tudor palace in London next to Clarence House and nearby Buckingham Palace, the Chapel Royal was built around 1540 and has had alterations over the years. Although St. James’ Palace is no longer used as one of the monarch’s residences, it is used for offices and receptions, and several minor members of the British Royal Family have apartments there. The Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace was the venue for several earlier Hanover weddings, including the wedding of Vicky’s parents. The Chapel Royal seats about 100 people so Vicky and Fritz’s wedding was nowhere near the size of today’s royal weddings. Accordingly, the guest list had to be limited.

Partial List of Wedding Guests

Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Victoria, Princess Royal; Credit – Wikipedia

The above photograph is a daguerreotype taken just before the wedding. The figure of Queen Victoria is blurred due to her movement. Of the event, Queen Victoria wrote in her journal, “Vicky was daguerreotyped in my room, & she & her dear father & I, together, but I trembled so that it has come out indistinct. Then, it was time to go.”

The guest list below was gleaned from the New York Times re-publication on February 12, 1858 of the London Times’ article “The Royal Wedding – The Marriage of The Princess Royal – Graphic and Detailed Description of the Ceremonies”, published on January 26, 1858. It is most likely an incomplete guest list.

Royal Guests – The Bride’s Family

  • Queen Victoria, mother of the bride
  • The Prince Consort, father of the bride
  • Duchess of Kent, grandmother of the bride
  • Prince of Wales, brother of the bride
  • Prince Alfred, brother of the bride
  • Prince Arthur, brother of the bride
  • Prince Leopold, brother of the bride
  • Princess Alice, sister of the bride
  • Princess Helena, sister of the bride
  • Princess Louise, sister of the bride
  • Prince George, 2nd Duke of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Duchess of Cambridge, great-aunt of the bride
  • Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Leopold I, King of the Belgians, great-uncle of the bride
  • Prince Leopold of Belgium, Duke of Brabant, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, first cousin once removed of the bride
  • Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, uncle of the bride
  • Ernst, 4th Prince of Leiningen, half first cousin of the bride
  • Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, half first cousin of the bride

Royal Guests – The Groom’s Family

  • Prince and Princess Wilhelm of Prussia, parents of the groom
  • Prince Adalbert of Prussia, first cousin once removed of the groom
  • Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, first cousin of the groom
  • Prince Albrecht of Prussia, uncle of the groom
  • Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, first cousin once removed of the groom

Other Royal Guests

  • Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale and Maria, Carolina, Duchess d’Aumale
  • Robert, Duke of Chartres
  • Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
  • Helen, Duchess of Orléans
  • Philippe, Count of Paris
  • Clementina, Princess of Salerno
  • Prince Julius of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

Other Guests

  • George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll
  • George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl
  • Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch
  • William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester
  • Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle
  • Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and Caroline Gordon-Lennox, Duchess of Richmond
  • Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington
  • Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne
  • Louisa Hamilton, Marchioness of Abercorn
  • Elizabeth Campbell, Marchioness of Breadlebane
  • Harriet de Burgh, Marchioness of Clanricarde
  • Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby and Emma Smith-Stanley, Countess of Derby
  • Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke and Susan Yorke, Countess of Hardwicke
  • Caroline Ponsonby, Countess of Bessborough
  • Marie Louise Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville
  • Sophie Child Villiers, Countess of Jersey
  • Caroline Edgcumbe, Countess of Mount Edgcumbe
  • Laura Phipps, Countess of Mulgrave
  • Susan Stapleton-Cotton, Viscountess Cumbermere
  • Emily Townshend, Viscountess Sydney
  • Edward Stanley, 2nd Baron Stanley of Alderley and Henrietta Stanley, Baroness Stanley of Alderley
  • John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell and his wife Mary Elizabeth Campbell, 1st Baroness Stratheden
  • Robert Grosvenor, 1st Baron Ebury and Charlotte Grosvenor, Baroness Ebury
  • Fox Maule-Ramsay,2nd Baron Panmure and Montague Maule-Ramsay, Baroness Panmure
  • Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton
  • Sir George Cornewell Lewis, 2nd Baronet and Lady Cornewell Lewis
  • Lord Alfred Paget, Queen Victoria’s Chief Equerry and Clerk Marshal, and Lady Paget
  • Sir George Grey and Lady Grey
  • Sir Charles and Lady Mary Wood
  • Lord and Lady Ernest Bruce
  • Mr. Vernon Smith
  • Matthew Talbot Baines, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Mrs. Baines

Procession Participants

Among the procession participants in The Queen’s Procession, The Bridegroom’s Procession and The Bride’s Procession at the Chapel Royal were:

  • The Earl Marshal: Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 14th Duke of Norfolk
  • Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury: Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
  • Treasurer of the Household: George Phipps, Earl of Mulgrave
  • Comptroller of the Household: Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare
  • Lord Chamberlain of the Household: John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane
  • Keeper of the Privy Purse: Colonel The Honourable Sir Charles Beaumont Phipps
  • The Lord Steward: Edward Granville Eliot, 3rd Earl of St Germans
  • Lord Privy Seal: Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby
  • Lord President of the Council: Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville
  • Lord High Chancellor: Robert Rolfe, 1st Baron Cranworth
  • Mistress of the Robes: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
  • Lady of the Bedchamber: Frances Jocelyn, Viscountess Jocelyn
  • Groom of the Stole to The Prince Consort: James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Abercorn
  • Chief Equerry and Comptroller of the Household of The Duchess of Kent: Sir George Couper, 2nd Baronet
  • Train Bearer for The Duchess of Kent: Lady Anna Maria Dawson, daughter of John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington
  • Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge: Lady Geraldine Somerset, daughter of Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
  • Train Bearer for The Duchess of Cambridge: Lady Arabella Sackville-West, daughter of
  • George Sackville-West, 5th Earl De La Warr
  • Baron Otto Theodor von Manteuffel, Minister-President of the Kingdom of Prussia

Supporters and Bridesmaids

Victoria, Princess Royal’s, bridesmaids 1887 copy after an original of 25 Jan 1858 Hughes & Mullins: Ryde, Isle of Wight (photographer); Credit – Royal Collection Trust From left to right, Lady Cecilia Gordon-Lennox, Lady Susan Pelham-Clinton, Lady Katherine Hamilton, Lady Emma Stanley, Lady Constance Villiers, Lady Susan Murray, Lady Cecilia Molyneux, and Lady Victoria Noel

Fritz was supported by his father Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (the future Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia) and his uncle Prince Albrecht of Prussia.

Vicky had had eight bridesmaids, all of whom were unmarried daughters of British Dukes and Earls:

  • Lady Cecilia Gordon-Lennox (1838-1910), daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond, married Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan
  • Lady Susan Pelham-Clinton (1839-1875), daughter of Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle, married Lord Adolphus Vane-Tempest
  • Lady Katherine Hamilton (1840-1874), daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn, married William Edgcumbe, 4th Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
  • Lady Emma Stanley (1835-1928), daughter of Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, married Sir Wellington Patrick Chetwynd-Talbot
  • Lady Constance Villiers (1840-1922), daughter of George Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon, married Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby
  • Lady Susan Murray (1837-1915), daughter of Alexander Murray, 6th Earl of Dunmore, married James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk
  • Lady Cecilia Molyneux (1838-1910), daughter of Charles Molyneux, 3rd Earl of Sefton, married Hugh Dawnay, 8th Viscount Downe
  • Lady Victoria Noel (1839-1916), daughter of Charles Noel, 1st Earl of Gainsborough, married Sir Thomas Buxton, 3rd Baronet

The Wedding Attire

Victoria, Princess Royal in her wedding dress; Credit – https://www.royal.uk/wedding-dresses

Vicky’s wedding dress was made of white moire antique (a textile with a wavy appearance), trimmed with Honiton lace and orange flowers and myrtle. The train, carried by the eight bridesmaids, was also made of white moire antique lined with satin bordered with white satin ribands, Honiton lace, orange flowers, and myrtle. Vicky wore a wreath of orange flowers and myrtle and a veil of Honiton lace on her head. The Honiton lace in the dress, train, and veil consisted of bouquets in openwork of the rose, shamrock, and thistle in three medallions. The rose, the shamrock, and the thistle are the national flowers of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Vicky wore a diamond necklace, diamond earrings, and a diamond brooch. On her left sleeve, Vicky wore the Order of Louise, a Prussian order of chivalry created by King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia in honor of his late wife, born Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert.

Close-up detail of The Marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, 25 January 1858 by John Phillip; Credit – Royal Collection Trust/ © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Fritz wore the General’s uniform of the Prussian First Infantry Regiment of the Guard – a dark blue tunic with gold embroidery on the collar and cuffs, a gold aiguillette (ornamental tagged cord or braid) on the right shoulder, a silver sash, and white kerseymere (a fine woolen cloth with a fancy twill weave) trousers.

The Wedding Ceremony

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Queen Victoria and her family at the wedding, engraved from the painting by John Philip

Eighteen carriages and 300 soldiers were in the procession for the short ride from Buckingham Palace to St. James’ Palace. Queen Victoria and Vicky were in the very last carriage. They were met at St. James’ Palace by Prince Albert and King Leopold I of the Belgians, the uncle of both Victoria and Albert. Vicky’s four brothers were in Highland dress and the elder two (Bertie and Alfred) preceded the Queen down the aisle. Vicky’s two younger brothers (Arthur and Leopold) accompanied their mother down the aisle followed by three of Vicky’s four sisters (Alice, Helena, and Louise), dressed in white lace over pink satin. Beatrice, Vicky’s youngest sibling, was left back at Buckingham Palace as she was not even a year old. Next came Fritz, accompanied by his father and his uncle Prince Albrecht of Prussia. Finally, Vicky came down the aisle escorted by her father Prince Albert and her great-uncle Leopold I, King of the Belgians.

John Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury, conducted the service and he was so nervous that he left out several parts of the service. However, Queen Victoria was pleased that both “Vicky and Fritz spoke plainly,” as she wrote in her journal. The service was concluded with George Friedrich Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and then Vicky and Fritz led the recessional to The Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn (click to listen). Thereafter, it became a popular wedding recessional. The music is from a suite of incidental music to Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Queen Victoria loved Mendelssohn’s music and he often played for her while on his visits to the United Kingdom.  The bride and groom along with Queen Victoria and the princes and princesses then proceeded to the Throne Room of St. James’ Palace where the marriage certificate was signed in the presence of the clergy who participated in the ceremony.

The Wedding Luncheon

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‘A National Toast’, 1858. ‘Health and Happiness to the Bride and Bridegroom! (Hoorah!)’. Mr. Punch, as the People’s representative, raises a foaming glass of champagne to celebrate the marriage of Victoria, Princess Royal, to Prince Friedrich of Prussia. From Punch, or the London Charivari, January 30, 1858. (Photo by The Cartoon Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Vicky and Fritz led the carriage procession back to Buckingham Palace. Back at the palace, Queen Victoria, The Prince Consort, the newlyweds, the British royal family, and the foreign princes and princesses walked from the Picture Gallery to the State Dining Room where a luncheon was served.

Vicky and Fritz’s wedding cake; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

The elaborate wedding cake was placed in the middle of the table. It was seven or eight feet high and was divided into three parts from top to bottom. The upper part had two cupids holding a medallion with portraits of Vicky and Fritz. The middle part consisted of niches containing statutes including ones of Innocence and Wisdom. The bottom part had medallions of vases and baskets of flowers.

Other guests including the Officers of State, the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Households of The Queen and The Prince Consort, and other important guests had luncheon in the Lower Dining Room at Buckingham Palace.

After luncheon, Vicky and Fritz appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with and without their parents.

The Honeymoon and Leaving England

Vicky and Fritz on January 29, 1858; Credit – Wikipedia

After the wedding luncheon, the newly married couple left by train for a two-day honeymoon at Windsor Castle. Upon arrival at Windsor, Vicky and Fritz were met by fireworks, cannons, an honor guard, and cheering crowds. Schoolboys from nearby Eton pulled their carriage from the train station up the hill to Windsor Castle.

The next day, Vicky and Fritz went on a walk and went ice skating. Family members and members of the wedding party arrived at Windsor Castle two days after the wedding. Queen Victoria wrote in her diary that it was quite strange to see Vicky walking off with Fritz at bedtime.

On January 29, 1858, everyone returned to London for more festivities before Vicky and Fritz left for Prussia. On her last day at home, February 1, 1858, Vicky spent a quiet day with her mother and then spent the early evening playing with her nine-month-old sister Beatrice. Vicky confided to her mother, “I think it will kill me to take leave of dear Papa.”

On the day of Vicky’s departure, Queen Victoria described the scene in her diary: “We went into the Audience Room where Mama & all the Children were assembled & here poor Vicky and Alice’s, as well as the other’s tears began to flow fast…The Hall was filled with all our people and theirs [the Prussians]…amongst the many servants there. Poor dear child…I clasped her in my arms…kissed good Fritz…Against the door of the carriage, I embraced them both…What a dreadful moment, what a real heartache to think of our dearest child being gone & not knowing how long it may be before we see her again!”

Vicky and Fritz, accompanied by her father, her two oldest brothers Bertie and Affie, and her mother’s uncle The Duke of Cambridge drove to Gravesend where they were to board the royal yacht for the voyage to the European continent. As they reached the yacht, Bertie and Affie cried and Vicky sobbed as she said goodbye to her father, who somehow maintained his composure. The next day, Prince Albert wrote his daughter a letter: “My heart was very full when yesterday you leaned your forehead on my breast to give free vent to your tears. I am not of a demonstrative nature and therefore you can hardly know how dear you have always been to me, and what a great void you have left behind in my heart.”

Embed from Getty Images
The departure of The Princess Royal to Germany, circa January 1858. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Children

Vicky, Fritz and their children; Credit – Wikipedia

Vicky and Fritz had eight children:

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

Works Cited

  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/friedrich-iii-german-emperor-king-of-prussia/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/victoria-princess-royal-german-empress-queen-of-prussia/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2019].
  • Pakula, Hannah. (1995). An Uncommon Woman. New York: Simon & Shuster.
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. (1858). The Royal Wedding – The Marriage of The Princess Royal – Graphic and Detailed Description of the Ceremonies,. [online] Available at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1858/02/12/78528860.pdf [Accessed 15 Aug. 2019].
  • Van der Kiste, John. (2013). Dearest Vicky, Darling Fritz. Stroud: The History Press.
  • Victoria and Ramm, Agnes. (1998). Beloved & Darling Child. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton Pub.

King Henri III of France

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Henri III of France; Credit – Wikipedia

The last of the kings of the House of Valois, King Henri III of France was born at the Château de Fontainebleau in France on September 19, 1551. He was the fifth of the ten children and the fourth of the five sons of King Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici. On December 5, 1551, in the chapel at the Château de Fontainebleau, Henri was baptized Alexandre Édouard, the names of his two godparents, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese and King Edward VI of England. At his confirmation in 1565, he took his father’s name, Henri. He was created Duke of Angoulême and Duke of Orléans in 1560 and Duke of Anjou in 1566.

Henri had nine siblings:

In 1559, when Henri was eight years old, his 40-year-old father King Henri II died from injuries suffered while jousting in a tournament. Henri’s eldest brother succeeded their father as King François II of France. After only a 17-month reign, François II died in great pain on December 5, 1560, possibly from mastoiditis, meningitis, or otitis which turned into an abscess. François II had been married to Mary, Queen of Scots but died childless, so his ten-year-old younger brother succeeded him as King Charles IX, and his mother Catherine de Médici was named Regent of France. Henri was now the heir to the French throne.

Henri was educated by Jacques Amyot and François de Carnavalet, followers of Humanism, from whom he learned to love learning and intellectual discussions. Henri had an official role at an early age. When he was nine years old, Henri attended the Estates-General with his ten-year-old brother King Charles IX. He then accompanied his brother on his grand tour of France. In 1567, the sixteen-year-old Henri was appointed Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom, making him the head of the royal armies. Henri was considered as a husband for the thirty-seven-year-old Queen Elizabeth I of England. Most historians think that Elizabeth was using a possible marriage to Henri to arouse Spain. Nevertheless, eighteen-year-old Henri referred to Elizabeth as a putain publique (public whore) and made disparaging remarks about their age difference.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre; Credit – Wikipedia

Henri was a Catholic military leader in the French Wars of Religion – Catholics against the Protestant Huguenots – and helped plot the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of August 23-24, 1572 in which 5,000 to 30,000 Protestant Huguenots were killed. The reigns of Henri and his two brothers saw France in constant turmoil over religion.

In 1573, Polish nobles chose Henri as the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. On his way to Krakow, the capital of his new kingdom, Henri was welcomed in Nancy in the Duchy of Lorraine by his brother-in-law and his sister, Charles III, Duke of Lorraine and Claude of Valois, Duchess of Lorraine. All members of the House of Lorraine were invited to welcome Henri and participate in the celebrations and Louise of Lorraine-Vaudémont, daughter of Nicolas of Lorraine, Count of Vaudémont and Duke of Mercœur, and her family attended the celebrations. A beautiful, tall, blonde 20-year-old young woman, Louise of Lorraine-Vaudémont, caught Henri’s attention and stayed in his mind.

In 1574, 23-year-old Charles IX, King of France, died from tuberculosis without a male heir, and so his brother succeeded him as Henri III, King of France. In mid-June 1574, upon learning of his brother’s death, Henri secretly left Poland and headed back to France. Because he did not return to Poland, the Polish Parliament declared the throne vacant. Henri did not regret this because he would have more power as King of France.

Once back in France, 23-year-old Henri III knew he must provide an heir to the throne. Henri III had an unrequited love for Marie of Cleves, the wife of Henri of Bourbon, Prince of Condé. He planned to obtain an annulment of Marie’s marriage and then marry her himself but Marie died before he could implement his plan. Catherine de Medici wanted her son to marry a foreign princess and Henri III wanted to end his mother’s matrimonial machinations. He remembered Louise of Lorriane-Vaudémont, the girl he met passing through Lorraine who resembled his lost love Marie of Cleves, and decided to marry her.

Henri’s wife Louise of Lorraine; Credit – Wikipedia

In January 1575, Henri III sent emissaries to Louise’s father to ask for her hand in marriage. At that time, Louise was away on a pilgrimage and her father agreed to the marriage without consulting her. Upon her return from the pilgrimage, Louise was in disbelief when told she was to marry the King of France. Henri’s choice of a bride from a relatively modest noble family also surprised the French court and many people in the Kingdom of France, including Henri’s mother. Henri decided to combine his coronation and his wedding. Henri was crowned as King of France at the Cathedral of Reims on February 13, 1575. Two days later, Louise and Henri were married at the Cathedral of Reims by Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon.

Louise suffered a miscarriage with complications in May 1575 and she never had children. Henri and Louise went on many pilgrimages and took thermal cures hoping to have an heir. Despite Henri’s affairs, Louise and Henri both loved each other and Louise did an admirable job with her duties as Queen of France.

Seated, left to right: Henri III, his mother Catherine de Medici and his wife Louise; Credit – Wikipedia

Henri signed the Edict of Beaulieu in 1576 which gave the Protestant Huguenots many rights including the right of public worship. This resulted in Catholic activist Henri I, Duke of Guise, forming the Catholic League which promoted the eradication of Protestants in Catholic France and removing Henri III from the French throne. Eventually, Henri III was forced to rescind most of the rights given to the Protestants.

King Henri III of Navarre, later King Henri IV of France; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1584, Henri’s youngest brother and heir presumptive Hercule François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon died. The Protestant Huguenot King Henri III of Navarre, who was married to Henri III of France’s sister Marguerite, was the most senior agnatic descendant of King Louis IX and therefore the rightful heir to the French throne. This led to what was known as the War of the Three Henris – King Henri III of Navarre, King Henri III of France, and Henri I, Duke of Guise. The Duke of Guise was a staunch opponent of the Huguenots and fought against the possibility of Henri of Navarre succeeding to the French throne.

The assassination of the Duke of Guise by Charles Durupt; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1588, Henri III of France had Henri I, Duke of Guise assassinated by “the Forty-Five,” the king’s bodyguard, as Henri III of France looked on. The day after, the Duke of Guise’s brother Louis of Lorraine, Cardinal of Guise was assassinated on Henri III’s orders. Henri III of France hoped that getting rid of the Guises would restore his authority with the French people. Instead, it caused such an outrage among the relatives and allies of the Guises and much of France that Henri III of France was forced to take refuge with Henri of Navarre. The two Henris were joined in their desire to defeat the Catholic League which had taken control of much of the country.

Stabbing and death of King Henri III; Credit – Wikipedia

Jacques Clément was a fanatic Dominican monk who sided with the Catholic League. He planned to kill King Henri III of France who he believed to be the enemy of Catholicism since the Duke of Guise’s assassination. On August 1, 1589, Henri III of France was with his army at Saint-Cloud, preparing to attack Paris. Jacques Clément, carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to Henri III. After giving Henri III some documents, Clément told Henri that he had a secret message for him. Henri III asked his attendants to step back to give him privacy. Clément whispered in Henri’s ear while stabbing him in the abdomen. Henri’s guards immediately killed Clément.

Henri III on his deathbed recognizing Henri of Navarre as his successor; Credit – Wikipedia

At first, Henri III’s wounds did not seem serious but infection soon set in. The dying king formally recognized his brother-in-law, King Henri III of Navarre, as his legitimate successor. After a day of agony, 37-year-old King Henri III of France died on August 2, 1589, at the Château de Saint-Cloud near Paris. He was buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, the traditional burial site of the Kings of France, but his tomb has not survived. His heart was placed in an urn atop a column at the Collegiate Church of Saint-Cloud. The column is now at the Basilica of Saint-Denis. Henri III of Navarre succeeded him as King Henri IV of France, the first of the kings of the House of Bourbon. Ironically, Henri IV was also assassinated by a Catholic zealot in 1610.

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.

France Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Henry III of France. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_France [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Assassinat d’Henri III. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassinat_d%27Henri_III [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Henri III (roi de France). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_III_(roi_de_France) [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2016). King Henri IV of France. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henri-iv-of-france/ [Accessed 2 Dec. 2019].

First Cousins: James I, King of England/James VI, King of Scots

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

James I, King of England/James VI, King of Scots (1566 – 1625)

(All photos credits – Wikipedia unless otherwise noted)

James was born in Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the only child of Mary, Queen of Scots and her second husband and first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, both grandchildren of Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and sister of King Henry VIII of England. James’ paternal grandparents were Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox and Lady Margaret Douglas, the only child of Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. James’ maternal grandparents were James V, King of Scots, son of Margaret Tudor and her first husband James IV, King of Scots, and his second wife Marie of Guise, the eldest daughter Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, head of the House of Guise, and his wife Antoinette de Bourbon.

Before James’ first birthday, his father was murdered by an explosion and his mother was forced to abdicate in James’ favor. Mary was forced to flee to England, where she was subsequently imprisoned by Queen Elizabeth I of England. She remained imprisoned for 21 years, until she was implicated in a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and beheaded. James married Anne of Denmark, the eldest daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark and Sophia of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. James and Anne had seven children, but only three survived childhood including King Charles I and Elizabeth Stuart who was the grandmother of the first Hanover king, King George I.

Since none of the children of King Henry VIII of England had children, James was the senior heir of King Henry VII of England through his eldest daughter Margaret Tudor. On her deathbed, Queen Elizabeth I gave her assent that James should succeed her. Upon the death of Elizabeth I, James was King James VI of Scotland and King James I of England. During James’ reign, the Golden Age of Elizabethan literature and drama continued, with writers such as William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, and Sir Francis Bacon and English colonization started in North American with the founding of Jamestown, Virginia. Several years after he became King of England, James ordered his beheaded mother’s remains exhumed from Peterborough Cathedral and reburied in Westminster Abbey. He built a beautiful marble tomb with an effigy in a chapel directly opposite the chapel where the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I is located.

James I had no maternal first cousins because all his maternal uncles died young and he had no maternal aunts.  He had only one first cousin, the daughter of his father’s brother and she has an interesting story (below).

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Paternal Uncle of King James I: Children of Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox and Lady Margaret Douglas

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Maternal Uncles of King James I: Children of James V, King of Scots and his second wife Marie of Guise

  • James, Duke of Rothesay (1540 – 1541), died in infancy
  • Arthur, Duke of Albany (born and died April 1541), died in infancy

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Maternal Half Uncles of King James I: Children of Marie of Guise and her first husband Louis II d’Orléans, Duke of Longueville

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Paternal First Cousin: Child of Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox and Elizabeth Cavendish

Lady Arbella Stuart (1575 – 1615)

Lady Arbella Stuart was the only child of Charles Stuart, 1st Earl of Lennox and Elizabeth Cavendish. Her paternal grandparents were Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox and Lady Margaret Douglas, the only child of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and widow of King James IV of Scotland. Arbella’s maternal grandparents were Elizabeth Hardwick, known as Bess of Hardwick, and Sir William Cavendish, the second of Bess’ four husbands. Arbella’s paternal uncle was Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the second of the three husbands of Mary, Queen of Scots. Like her husband, Mary, Queen of Scots was also a grandchild of Margaret Tudor.

Arbella was born in either Nottinghamshire or Hackney, both in England. By the time of her birth, her eight-year-old first cousin James VI, King of Scots had been King of Scots for seven years. In England, Queen Elizabeth I sat upon the throne. Both Arbella and James VI were Elizabeth I’s first cousins twice removed. Since none of the children of King Henry VIII of England had children, the line of Henry VII’s eldest daughter Margaret Tudor was the senior line and Arbella and James VI were both considered as possible heirs to the English throne. Some considered that Arbella had the stronger claim because she had been born in England. On her deathbed, Queen Elizabeth I gave her assent that James should succeed her.

Because Arbella was high up in the line of succession, she had a number of marriage prospects but they all came to naught.  In 1610, King James I heard rumors that Arbella was planning to marry William Seymour, then known as Lord Beauchamp, later 2nd Duke of Somerset. At that time, the rules of primogeniture placed Arbella fourth in the line of succession after James’ three surviving children and placed William Seymour sixth in the line of succession.

William was a descendant of Mary Tudor, King Henry VII’s younger surviving daughter. (Henry VII → Mary Tudor → Frances Brandon → Lady Catherine Grey → Edward Seymour → William Seymour). King James I saw a marriage between two potential Tudor pretenders to the throne as a threat to the fledgling English Stuart dynasty. Nevertheless, Arbella and William married in secret, without the permission of the king. When King James found out about the marriage, he ordered that Arbella be held in the custody of William James, Bishop of Durham and William to be imprisoned in the Tower of London for life.

In June 1611, William escaped from the Tower. He planned to meet Arbella, who also had escaped her captivity, and flee to Flanders, now in Belgium. However, bad weather and other circumstances prevented their meeting. Arbella was recaptured and taken to the Tower of London. William safely reached Flanders and was never reunited with Arbella.

Arabella was kept in confinement in the Tower but was never charged with a crime. Her health deteriorated and she hoped, to no avail, that her cousin James would release her. Eventually, Arbella gave up hope that she would be released. Refusing both medical attention and food, she died at the age of 39.

King James I refused to give his cousin Arbella a funeral and she was buried without ceremony in the vault of her aunt by marriage and first cousin once removed Mary, Queen of Scots in Westminster Abbey. In the 19th century, during a search for the tomb of King James I, Arbella’s coffin was found in the vault of Mary, Queen of Scots directly on top of Mary’s coffin.

William Seymour

As for William Seymour, he eventually returned to England, was elected a Member of Parliament and became a member of the House of Lords when he succeeded his grandfather as Earl of Hereford. He was a Royalist commander during the English Civil War. When the monarchy was restored, his service to the Royalist cause was recognized by King Charles II. All William’s former positions were restored including his great-grandfather’s Dukedom of Somerset, which had been forfeited in 1552 when Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector of England during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI, had been executed. William became the 2nd Duke of Somerset.

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

Works Cited

    • Lundy, D. (2019). Main Page. [online] Thepeerage.com. Available at: http://www.thepeerage.com/. (for genealogy information)
    • Unofficial Royalty. (2019). Unofficial Royalty. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com. (for biographical and genealogy information)
    • Wikipedia. (2019). Main Page. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/.  (for biographical and genealogy information)

Draga Mašin, Queen of Serbia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Draga Mašin, Queen of Serbia; Credit – Wikipedia

Draga Mašin was the wife of King Alexander I of Serbia, the last ruler of Serbia from the House of Obrenović. Alexander’s reign ended with his and Draga’s brutal assassinations. Born Draga Lunjevica on September 23, 1864, in Gornji Milanovac, Serbia, she was the fourth of the five daughters and the sixth of the seven children of Panta Lunjevica and Anđelija Koljević. Panta Lunjevica supported the House of Obrenović and served as a high government administrative official. Draga had two brothers: Nikola and Nikodije and four sisters: Hristina, Đina, Ana, and Vojka.

At the age of nine, Draga was sent to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, to attend school. There she completed her elementary and secondary education and then attended the Women’s Institute. She learned several foreign languages including Russian, French, and German. While in Belgrade, Draga began writing novels and short stories. Even though her father was wealthy enough to support her, Draga started to earn her own money. She translated books for money and had stories published in foreign magazines.

A younger Draga; Credit – Wikipedia

After Draga completed her education, her parents began to prepare for her marriage. Their choice of a husband for Draga was Svetozar Mašin, a close friend of Draga’s father and a well-known mining engineer, thirteen years older than his intended bride. Svetozar’s father was a respected physician and had served in the court of two Obrenović rulers Prince Mihailo Obrenović III and King Milan I of Serbia, then the current ruler. Draga and Svetozar Mašin were married on August 28, 1883, at the Parliamentary Church in Belgrade.

Because Draga’s husband was a friend of King Milan I of Serbia, Draga was often at court and became acquainted with many people including Queen Natalija, King Milan’s wife. Draga and Svetozar’s marriage lasted only three years. On May 21, 1886, 35-year-old Svetozar Mašin died from a heart attack, according to a doctor’s report. Draga inherited Svetozar’s pension and his name. Svetozar’s brother Alexander Mašin, an army officer, was so opposed to this that he later accused Draga of killing his brother and became one of the conspirators in the plot that assassinated Draga and her second husband King Alexander I of Serbia.

After her husband’s death, Draga continued to write novels and short stories and do translations. She was an editor of the magazine “Housewife” and a member of the Serbian Journalist Society. Draga lived in her husband’s state-owned apartment until she was forced to move out. Both her parents died, making Draga’s financial situation difficult. She tried to arrange a marriage for herself but to no avail.

Queen Natalija; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1888, King Milan I of Serbia and his wife Queen Natalija divorced. Queen Natalija bought the Villa Sasino in Biarritz, France. Since Queen Natalija was acquainted with Draga, she invited Draga to join her and become her lady-in-waiting. They traveled together by train to Russia, visited Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and his family, and then traveled to Biarritz, the spa resort on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast of France. In Biarritz, Draga accompanied Queen Natalija to various social events and took care of her wardrobe, jewelry, and cosmetics.

King Alexander I of Serbia, 1894; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1889, King Milan I suddenly abdicated the throne without an apparent reason and his twelve-year-old son Alexander became king. Several years later, in March 1895, Queen Natalija’s 18-year-old King Alexander I of Serbia arrived in Biarritz. After Draga saved King Alexander from drowning, Draga and Alexander began to see each other. Queen Natalija did not object to Alexander having an affair with Draga, who was twelve years older than Alexander, because she wanted her son ready for marriage to a high-ranking princess. However, the love that developed between Alexander and Draga was much stronger than Alexander’s parents thought. Alexander asked his mother to return to Belgrade and leave him alone with Draga. Queen Natalija did so, thinking it was just a passing adventure. Alexander tried to persuade Draga to leave his mother’s service, saying he would take care of her and her family. However, Draga remained in the service of Queen Natalija until 1897 when she returned to Belgrade.

In Belgrade, everyone knew about the affair of Alexander and Draga. Draga appeared at every important court function and was praised for her tact, elegance, beauty, wit, and restraint. However, everyone also thought that it was just an affair. On July 8, 1900, 24-year-old King Alexander suddenly announced his engagement to 36-year-old Draga. The proposed marriage was met with shock and great opposition. Draga was of unequal birth but more importantly, since Alexander was an only child, he needed to have a child to secure the succession and there were doubts that Draga could provide an heir.

Alexander and Draga; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander’s father Milan was out of the country and making arrangements for the marriage of Alexander to Princess Alexandra of Schaumburg-Lippe. Prime Minister Vladan Đorđević was visiting the Paris Universal Exhibition at the time of the announcement. Both Milan and Đorđević immediately resigned their positions, and Alexander had difficulty forming a new cabinet. Alexander’s mother also opposed the marriage and subsequently was banished from the kingdom along with Alexander’s father who died the following year from pneumonia in Vienna.

On August 5, 1900, King Alexander married Draga at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Belgrade, Serbia. On the morning of the wedding, thousands of people appeared at Draga’s house, calling out to her. King Alexander wore a military uniform with epaulets and decorations and Draga wore a white lace wedding dress with a brilliant diadem on her head. Two metropolitans, several bishops, and twenty-six archimandrites performed the Serbian Orthodox wedding ceremony. After the wedding, upon leaving the church, the people shouted, “Long live the King! Long live the Queen!”

On May 8, 1901, King Alexander announced that Queen Draga was pregnant and that Serbia would soon have an heir to the throne. However, it soon became apparent that Queen Draga was not pregnant. Whether Draga deliberately told a lie about being pregnant or whether she was the victim of a delusion by a doctor is not known. The incident completely undermined the reputation of King Alexander and Queen Draga.

Queen Draga; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 25, 1903, irritated by the independence of the Senate and the Council of State, King Alexander suspended the constitution for thirty minutes which was enough time to publish decrees dismissing and replacing the members of the Senate and councilors of state. This act greatly increased dissatisfaction in the country. In addition, the Serbian Government had decided to proclaim Prince Mirko of Montenegro, who was married to Natalija Konstantinovic, the granddaughter of Princess Anka Obrenović, an aunt of King Milan, as heir-presumptive to the Serbian throne, but King Alexander had his own ideas. Rumors began to circulate that Nikodije Lunjevica, one of the two unpopular brothers of Queen Draga, was to be proclaimed heir-presumptive to the throne.

The army had had enough. A conspiracy, the May Coup, was organized by the military to replace King Alexander I of the House of Obrenović with Prince Peter Karađorđević of the rival House of Karađorđević,  Serbia still used the Julian Calendar (Old Style) which was behind the Gregorian Calendar (New Style) that most other countries were using. The coup occurred on the night of May 28-29 Old Style (hence the May Coup) but on the night of June 10-11 New Style.

Illustration of the assassination from an Italian newspaper; Credit – Wikipedia

King Alexander, aged 26, and Queen Draga, aged 38, were brutally shot, mutilated, and thrown out a window at the Stari Dvor (Old Palace), the royal residence of the House of Obrenović which now houses the City Assembly of Belgrade, Serbia. Queen Draga’s two brothers, Nikodije and Nikola Lunjevica, were executed by a firing squad on the same day. Draga and her husband were secretly buried at St. Mark’s Church in Belgrade, Serbia. The assassination resulted in the extinction of the House of Obrenović. Prince Peter Karađorđević was then proclaimed as the new King of Serbia and the House of Karađorđević reigned until the monarchy was abolished in 1945.

Embed from Getty Images 
The graves of King Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga at St. Mark’s Church in Belgrade, Serbia

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.

Serbia/Yugoslavia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Draga Mašin. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draga_Ma%C5%A1in [Accessed 10 Nov. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019). King Alexander I of Serbia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-alexander-i-of-serbia/ [Accessed 10 Nov. 2019].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2019). Драга Обренович. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0_%D0%9E%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 [Accessed 10 Nov. 2019].
  • Sr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Драга Обреновић. [online] Available at: https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0_%D0%9E%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B [Accessed 10 Nov. 2019].

King Alexander I of Serbia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Alexander I of Serbia; Credit – Wikipedia

King Alexander I of Serbia was the last ruler of Serbia from the House of Obrenović. His reign ended with his and his wife’s brutal assassinations. The only surviving child of King Milan I of Serbia and his wife Natalija Keschko, Alexander was born on August 14, 1876, in a special maternity ward personally financed by his father. A brother, Sergei, was born in 1878 but he died soon after his birth.

Alexander with his parents in 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexander’s parents had an unsuccessful marriage. His father had affairs and the couple had political differences. King Milan favored alliances with Austria-Hungary which the Russophile Queen Natalija could not tolerate. Young Alexander became a weapon his parents used in their personal vendetta against each other.

Alexander with his father King Milan in 1888; Credit – Wikipedia

In May 1887, King Milan I and Queen Natalija, after years of personal and political conflicts, decided to separate. Queen Natalija took Alexander with her to a voluntary exile in the Crimea. Two months later, they returned to Serbia only to leave again for the Austrian-Hungarian Empire in August 1887. King Milan wanted to reconcile with his wife so that his son and heir would return to Serbia. He traveled to Budapest for a meeting with Queen Natalija and thought he had made the proper arrangements. However, instead of returning with her son to Serbia, Queen Natalija traveled to Wiesbaden in the Duchy of Nassau, now Hesse, Germany. At the request of King Milan, local police intervened, took Alexander away from his mother, and returned him to Serbia, under the control of his father. In 1888, Alexander’s parents divorced but the couple reconciled in 1893, and the divorce was overturned.

The Boy King, King Alexander I, 1889; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 6, 1889, the seventh anniversary of the elevation of the Principality of Serbia to the Kingdom of Serbia, King Milan unexpectedly abdicated in favor of his twelve-year-old son who became King Alexander I of Serbia. Because Alexander was a minor, a regency council would be in place until his eighteenth birthday. On June 15, 1889, the young King Alexander I of Serbia was anointed by Metropolitan Mihailo Jovanović, a political enemy of Alexander’s father who had exiled him, at the 13th-century Žiča Monastery near Kraljevo, Serbia, the traditional coronation site of Serbian rulers. Both Milan and Natalija were forced into exile. Natalija lived mostly in Biarritz, France, and Milan lived in Paris, France.

In 1893, 17-year-old King Alexander proclaimed himself of age and dismissed the regency council to take royal authority for himself. The following year, King Alexander abolished the 1889 liberal constitution and restored the former conservative 1869 constitution. Alexander’s mother returned to Serbia in 1895 and then in 1897 permanently. In 1897, Milan returned to Serbia and Alexander appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the Army, which he completely reformed and modernized.

King Alexander and Draga Mašin; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 8, 1900, 24-year-old King Alexander suddenly announced his engagement to 36-year-old Draga Mašin, a widow and a former lady-in-waiting to his mother. The proposed marriage was met with great opposition. Draga was of unequal birth but more importantly, since Alexander was an only child, he needed to have a child to secure the succession and there were doubts that Draga could provide an heir. Milan was out of the country and making arrangements for the marriage of Alexander to Princess Alexandra of Schaumburg-Lippe. Prime Minister Vladan Đorđević was visiting the Paris Universal Exhibition at the time of the announcement. Milan and Đorđević immediately resigned from their positions, and Alexander had difficulty forming a new cabinet. Alexander’s mother also opposed the marriage and subsequently was banished from the kingdom along with Alexander’s father who died the following year from pneumonia in Vienna. On August 5, 1900, King Alexander married Draga Mašin at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Belgrade, Serbia.

King Alexander attempted to reconcile the political forces in Serbia by granting a new liberal constitution that introduced into Serbia for the first time a two-chamber national legislature system. On May 8, 1901, King Alexander announced that Queen Draga was pregnant and that Serbia would soon have an heir to the throne. However, it soon became apparent that Queen Draga was not pregnant. Whether Draga deliberately told a lie about being pregnant or whether she was the victim of a delusion by a doctor is not known. The incident completely undermined the reputation of King Alexander and Queen Draga.

Queen Draga in the Serbian national costume; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 25, 1903, annoyed by the independence of the Senate and the Council of State, King Alexander suspended the constitution for thirty minutes which was enough time to publish decrees dismissing and replacing the members of the Senate and Councilors of State. This act greatly increased dissatisfaction in the country. In addition, the Serbian Government had decided to proclaim Prince Mirko of Montenegro, who was married to Natalija Konstantinovic, the granddaughter of Princess Anka Obrenović, an aunt of King Milan, as heir-presumptive to the Serbian throne, but King Alexander had his own ideas. Rumors began to circulate that Nikodije Lunjevica, one of the two unpopular brothers of Queen Draga, was to be proclaimed heir-presumptive to the throne.

The army had had enough.  A conspiracy, the May Coup, was organized by the military to replace King Alexander I of the House of Obrenović with Prince Peter Karađorđević of the rival House of Karađorđević.  Serbia still used the Julian Calendar (Old Style) that was behind the Gregorian Calendar (New Style) that most other countries used. The coup occurred on the night of May 28-29 Old Style (hence the May Coup) but on the night of June 10-11 New Style.

The Stari Dvor (Old Palace) where Alexander and Draga were assassinated. They were thrown out the open window after being shot and mutilated; Credit – Wikipedia

King Alexander, aged 26, and Queen Draga, age 38, were brutally shot, mutilated, and thrown out a window at the Stari Dvor (Old Palace), the royal residence of the House of Obrenović which now houses the City Assembly of Belgrade, Serbia. Queen Draga’s two brothers, Nikodije and Nikola Lunjevica, were executed by a firing squad on the same day. Draga and her husband were secretly buried at St. Mark’s Church in Belgrade, Serbia. The assassination resulted in the extinction of the House of Obrenović. Prince Peter Karađorđević was then proclaimed as the new King of Serbia and the House of Karađorđević reigned until the monarchy was abolished in 1945.

Embed from Getty Images 
The graves of King Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga at St. Mark’s Church in Belgrade, Serbia

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.

Serbia/Yugoslavia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Alexander I of Serbia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_I_of_Serbia [Accessed 9 Nov. 2019].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. (2019). Alexandre I da Sérvia. [online] Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_I_da_S%C3%A9rvia [Accessed 9 Nov. 2019].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2019). Александр Обренович. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80_%D0%9E%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 [Accessed 9 Nov. 2019].
  • Sr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Александар Обреновић. [online] Available at: https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80_%D0%9E%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B [Accessed 9 Nov. 2019].

Natalija Keschko, Queen of Serbia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Natalija Keschko, Queen of Serbia; Credit – Wikipedia

Natalija Keschko, Queen of Serbia, the wife of Milan I, the first King of Serbia, was born on May 14, 1859, in Florence, then in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy. She was the eldest of the four children of Petre Ivanovich Keschko, a Russian Imperial Army colonel, originally from Bessarabia, and Princess Pulcheria Sturdza from a Moldavian noble family.

Natalija had two sisters and one brother:

  • Maria Keschko (1861 – 1935), married Prince Grigore Ghica-Brigadier
  • Ekaterina Keschko married Prince Eugen Ghica-Comănești
  • Ioniță Keschko

Because Natalija’s mother suffered from tuberculosis, the family spent much time abroad, especially in Florence, where the climate was milder. After her father died in 1865 and her mother died in 1874, Natalijia and her three younger siblings were raised by their maternal aunt Princess Ekaterina Moruzi and her husband Prince Constantin Moruzi. Natalija graduated from a boarding school for the daughters of aristocratic families in Paris, France.

Milan Obrenović; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 17, 1875, at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Belgrade, Serbia, 16-year-old Natalija married her second cousin, 21-year-old Milan Obrenović IV, Prince of Serbia. In 1882, the Principality of Serbia was elevated to the Kingdom of Serbia and Milan and Natalija became the first King and Queen of Serbia. Natalija and Milan had two sons but only the eldest survived:

Milan, Natalija and their son Alexander, circa 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was unsuccessful. Milan had affairs and the couple had political differences. Milan favored alliances with Austria-Hungary which the Russophile Natalija could not tolerate. The couple separated in 1886 and divorced in 1888. Natalija publically rejected the divorce and declared that she still considered herself Milan’s wife. Natalija left Serbia taking her son Alexander with her. Eventually, Milan succeeded in obtaining the custody of his son and Alexander returned to Serbia. The couple reconciled in 1893 and the divorce was overturned.

In 1889, Milan suddenly abdicated the throne without apparent reason and his twelve-year-old son Alexander became king under a regency council. Natalija was forced into exile and lived mostly in Biarritz, France. She returned to Serbia in 1895. Milan lived in Paris, France until 1897 when he returned to Serbia. He became Commander-in-Chief of the Army, which he completely reformed and modernized.

King Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1900, 24-year-old King Alexander suddenly announced his engagement to 36-year-old Draga Mašin, a widow and a former lady-in-waiting to his mother. There was much opposition to the marriage, including from both of his parents who were ultimately banished from Serbia by their son. Natalija returned to France and Milan eventually settled in Vienna, Austria where he died the next year on February 11, 1901, at the age of 46 from pneumonia.

On the night of June 10-11, 1903, a group of army officers who supported the rival House of Karađorđević led a coup d’état in which King Alexander and Queen Draga were brutally assassinated at the Stari Dvor (Old Palace), the royal residence of the House of Obrenović which now houses the City Assembly of Belgrade, Serbia. The assassination resulted in the extinction of the House of Obrenović. Prince Peter Karađorđević was then proclaimed as the new King of Serbia. The House of Karađorđević reigned until the monarchy was abolished in 1945.

After the horrible events of 1903, Natalija found some comfort in the Roman Catholic faith, to which she had converted in 1902.  After the assassination of her son and his wife, Natalija was the only member of the Obrenović dynasty. She donated the Obrenović inheritance to the University of Belgrade and churches and monasteries in Serbia. Natalija became a nun and died on May 8, 1941, at the age of 81 at the Monastery of Saint-Denis near Paris, France, and was buried at the Cemetery of Lardy in Seine et Oise, France.

Grave of Natalija Keschko, Queen of Serbia; Credit- By krischnig – Own workOriginal text: selbst fotografiert, Copyrighted free use, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48472059

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.

Serbia/Yugoslavia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Natalie of Serbia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_of_Serbia [Accessed 8 Nov. 2019].
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2019). King Milan I of Serbia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-milan-i-of-serbia/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2019].
  • Sr.wikipedia.org. (2019) Наталија Обреновић. [online] Available at: https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0_%D0%9E%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B [Accessed 8 Nov. 2019].

King Milan I of Serbia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

King Milan I of Serbia; Credit – Wikipedia

The first King of Serbia, Milan Obrenović was born on August 22, 1854, in Mărășești, then in Moldavia, Ottoman Empire, now in Romania. He was the only surviving child of Miloš Obrenović and Marija Obrenović, born Elena Maria Catargiu. Milan’s father was a member of the House of Obrenović which vied for control of Serbia, often violently, with the House of Karađorđević. His mother was from a noble family with Moldavian and Romanian roots. Milan’s family had lived in exile in Moldavia since 1842 when his uncle Mihailo Obrenović III, reigning Prince of Serbia was deposed by the rival House of Karađorđević.

Milan’s parents divorced a year after his birth. His mother became the mistress of Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Moldavia, Prince of Wallachia, and later the first Sovereign Prince of Romania, and the couple had two sons, Milan’s half-brothers. They were adopted by their biological father and his wife Elena Rosetti because they could not have children. In 1861, when Milan was seven years old, his father died fighting the Turks as a foreign mercenary in the Romanian Army.

Milan’s half-brothers:

  • Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1862 or 1864 – 1889), married Maria Moruzi, no children
  • Dimitrie Cuza (1865–1888), unmarried, died by suicide

Milan’s uncle Mihailo Obrenović III, Sovereign Prince of Serbia; Credit – Wikipedia

The House of Obrenović was restored to the Serbian throne in 1858. When he was six-years-old, Milan’s care and education had been taken over by his paternal uncle Mihailo Obrenović III, once again the Sovereign Prince of Serbia. After receiving his early education from a governess, Milan was sent to the prestigious Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris, France.

In 1868, Milan’s childless uncle Mihailo Obrenović III, Sovereign Prince of Serbia was assassinated. The plot behind the assassination has never been proven but the sympathizers of the House of Karađorđević were suspected of being behind the assassination. Fourteen-year-old Milan became the Sovereign Prince of Serbia but because he was a minor there was a regency until his eighteenth birthday in 1872.

Natalija in 1875; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 17, 1875, at the St. Michael’s Cathedral in Belgrade, Serbia, 21-year-old Milan married his 16-year-old second cousin Natalija Keschko, the eldest of the four children of Petre Ivanovich Keschko, an Imperial Russian Army colonel, originally from Bessarabia, and Princess Pulcheria Sturdza from a Moldavian noble family.

Milan and Natalija had two sons but only the eldest survived:

The marriage was unsuccessful and the couple separated in 1886 and divorced in 1888. Natalija publically rejected the divorce and declared that she still considered herself the king’s wife. Natalija left Serbia taking her son Alexander with her. Eventually, Milan succeeded in obtaining the custody of his son and Alexander returned to Serbia. The couple reconciled in 1893 and the divorce was overturned.

Milan, Natalija, and their son Alexander circa 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1882, the Principality of Serbia was elevated to the Kingdom of Serbia, so Milan became the first King of Serbia. Milan devoted his energy to improvements in Serbia particularly in communications and the development of natural resources. However, this led to heavy taxation and increased military service, making Milan unpopular.

In 1889, Milan suddenly abdicated the throne without apparent reason and his twelve-year-old son Alexander became king. Milan lived in Paris, France until 1897 when he returned to Serbia. He became Commander-in-Chief of the Army, which he completely reformed and modernized.

Milan in his later years; Credit – Wikipedia

However, in 1900, any positive relations between Milan and his son King Alexander ended. Milan and his wife strongly opposed his son’s marriage to Draga Mašin, a widow and a former lady-in-waiting to his mother, who was twelve years older than Alexander. Milan resigned his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and subsequently, King Alexander banished both his parents from Serbia. Milan eventually settled in Vienna, Austria where he died the next year on February 11, 1901, at the age of 46 from pneumonia. He was buried at the Krušedol Monastery in Vojvodina, Serbia. His son King Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga were brutally assassinated in 1903 resulting in the extinction of the House of Obrenović.

Milan’s wife Natalija survived him by forty years. She converted to Roman Catholicism and became a nun. Natalija died on May 8, 1941, at the age of 81 at the Monastery of Saint-Denis near Paris, France, and was buried at the Cemetery of Lardy in Seine et Oise, France.

Tomb of King Milan I of Serbia; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Serbia/Yugoslavia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Milan I of Serbia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milan_I_of_Serbia [Accessed 8 Nov. 2019].
  • Sr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Милан Обреновић. [online] Available at: https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD_%D0%9E%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B [Accessed 8 Nov. 2019].

Admiral Perikles Ioannidis, second husband of Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Perikles Ioannidis with his wife Princess Maria of Greece (on the left) and his mother-in-law Dowager Queen Olga of Greece (on the right); Credit – Wikipedia

The second husband of Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark, Perikles Ioannidis was born on November 1, 1881, in Corinth, Greece. He attended school in his hometown and then entered the Hellenic Naval Academy, graduating with the rank of Ensign.

Perikles was a fervent monarchist and supported King Constantine I of Greece in his disagreements with Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos called the National Schism.  Eventually, their disagreement over how Greece should participate in World War I led to Venizelos forcing King Constantine I from the Greek throne and into exile. Perikles was sentenced to three years in prison because he supported the king. After the November 1920 parliamentary elections were won by the monarchist People’s Party, Perikles was released from prison and recalled to the navy where he attained the rank of admiral.

Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark was the daughter of King George I of Greece (born Prince Vilhelm I of Denmark) and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. Maria had married Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia in 1900. George and Maria’s marriage was never particularly happy. Maria was not in love with her husband, despite his apparent devotion to her. She had never wanted to leave Greece and soon found excuses to leave Russia and her husband. She spent more time in Greece and elsewhere in Europe, often using her daughters’ health as the reason for her travels. Maria and her two daughters were in England when World War I broke out and chose not to return to Russia. They never saw George again. On January 28, 1919, George was killed by a firing squad with three other Grand Dukes of Russia at the Fortress of Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 1920, Maria was able to return to Greece when her eldest brother King Constantine I was brought back to power. She traveled aboard a Greek destroyer commanded by Perikles. Maria was determined to marry a Greek and a romance developed. Perikles and Maria married two years later, on December 16, 1922, in Wiesbaden, Germany. They had no children.

Maria with her daughters, circa 1918; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon his marriage, Perikles acquired two stepdaughters, the daughters of Maria and her first husband:

The couple settled in Athens but In 1924, the Second Hellenic Republic was declared and the monarchy was abolished. They lived many years in exile, first in the United Kingdom until 1925, and then in Italy until 1935. In 1935, Perikles and Maria returned to Greece when the monarchy was restored with Maria’s nephew King George II upon the throne. Perikles and Maria’s marriage did have its issues. Perikles had mistresses and often gave his mistresses jewelry stolen from his wife. Maria lost money playing backgammon and Perikles was forced to carefully monitor their expenses. Maria died of a heart attack at the age of 64 in Athens, Greece on December 14, 1940. She was buried at the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace near Athens.

Statue of Admiral Perikles Ioannidis in Rhodes one of the islands of the Dodecanese; Credit – By Thanasis Christodoulou – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46619481

In 1947, upon the return to Greece of the Dodecanese, a group of Greek islands that had been occupied during World War II, Perikles was named military governor until the establishment of a civilian government in 1951. Perikles then returned to Athens where he spent the remainder of his life devoted to philanthropy and public service. He was president of the Piraeus Yacht Club and a benefactor of the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece. He bequeathed his collection of photographs and historical items to the Historical and Ethnological Society of Greece and the society’s collection is now housed at the National Historical Museum in Athens.

Admiral Perikles Ioannidis survived his wife by twenty-five years, dying in Athens, Greece on February 7, 1965, at the age of 83. He was buried with his wife Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace.

Grave of Perikles Ioannidis and Princess Maria in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace Credit – Par Kostisl — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25382837

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

Works Cited

  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2019). Periklís Ioannídis. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perikl%C3%ADs_Ioann%C3%ADdis [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
  • Mehl, Scott. (2019). Princess Maria of Greece. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-maria-of-greece/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. (2019). Perikles Ioannidis. [online] Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perikles_Ioannidis [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2019). Иоаннидис, Периклис. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D0%BE%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%81,_%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%81 [Accessed 7 Nov. 2019].