Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie Auguste Eugénie Napoléonne was the third of the five daughters and the fourth of the seven children of Eugène de Beauharnais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria. Her paternal grandparents were Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie, Empress Jospéhine, the first wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, and Joséphine’s first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais, Vicomte de Beauharnais who was guillotined during the French Revolution. Amélie’s maternal grandparents were King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his first wife Princess Augusta Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt. Amélie was born on July 31, 1812, in Milan in the Kingdom of Italy while her father was serving as Viceroy of Italy.

Amélie had six siblings:

After Napoleon lost power in 1814, Amélie’s family settled at the Palais Leuchtenberg in Munich, the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria, where her maternal grandfather reigned. In 1817, King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria created Amélie’s father Duke of Leuchtenberg and Prince of Eichstätt. Amélie’s parents downplayed their connection to the defeated Napoleon. They knew that the connection might hurt their children’s marriage prospects. Their plan worked. In 1823, their eldest child Joséphine married the future King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway, and in 1835 their son Auguste, who had become the 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg when his father died in 1824, married Queen Maria II of Portugal. However, Auguste died two months after the marriage.

Emperor Pedro I of Brazil in 1830; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1826, Maria Leopoldina of Austria, wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, died from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after the miscarriage of her eighth child. Pedro had flaunted his affair with his mistress. He was increasingly rude and disrespectful to Leopoldina, left her short of money, prohibited her from leaving the palace, and forced her to endure his mistress as her lady-in-waiting. After Leopoldina’s death, Pedro had remorse for how he had treated her, decided to become a better person, and remarry. However, eight European princesses refused his marriage proposals because of his bad reputation. Amélie’s mother knew that if she played her cards right, Amélie could be Empress of Brazil.

However, Leopoldina’s father Emperor Franz I of Austria tried to stop the search for a new bride for Pedro. Franz wanted to prevent possible sons from the second marriage of his former son-in-law from inheriting the Brazilian throne. After lengthy negotiations, the marriage contract was finally signed on May 30, 1829, in Canterbury, England, and Amélie’s guardian King Ludwig I of Bavaria ratified the marriage contract on July 25, 1829, in Munich.

A proxy wedding was held in the chapel of the Palais Leuchtenberg on August 2, 1829. The groom was represented by Amélie’s favorite uncle Prince Karl Theodor of Bavaria. Two days after the proxy wedding, Amélie left Bavaria to travel to her husband in South America. She was accompanied by her brother Auguste. During the journey, Amélie was prepared for life in Brazil by the scientist Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, an expert on Brazil. von Martius taught Amélie interesting facts about Brazil, its customs, and traditions. Ana Romana de Aragão Calmon, Countess of Itapagipe familiarized Amélie with her husband’s personality and the customs of the Brazilian court and began to teach her Portuguese. 17-year-old Amélie arrived in Rio de Janeiro on October 15, 1829. Pedro and Amélie were married in person two days later at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. They had a happy marriage and Amélie’s relationship with her stepchildren was very positive.

The Emperor’s Second Marriage, painted by Jean-Baptiste Debret; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie and Pedro had one daughter:

Amélie and her daughter Maria Amélie in 1840; Credit – Wikipedia 

On April 7, 1831, after a political crisis that ended with the resignation of his ministers and in the middle of an economic crisis, Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil in favor of his six-year-old son who reigned as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. Pedro and his pregnant wife Amélie left for Europe. In Portugal, Pedro’s brother Miguel had been serving as Regent for Pedro’s daughter Queen Maria II. Maria had been sent to Vienna to continue her education. It was on this journey that Maria learned her uncle Miguel had deposed her and then declared himself King of Portugal on June 23, 1828. Emperor Pedro insisted that his daughter was the rightful Queen of Portugal and demanded that she be treated as such. Maria traveled to the United Kingdom, hoping to garner the support of the British government, but they instead supported Miguel. She met up with her father in France, where they stayed with King Louis Philippe I, where Maria received her education. For several years, forces loyal to Maria and her father would try to force Miguel from the throne. Finally, on May 26, 1834, Miguel was forced to abdicate, and Maria was returned to the Portuguese throne.

On September 24, 1834, at the age of 35, Pedro died from tuberculosis at his birthplace, the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. Amélie was left a widow at the age of twenty-two with a three-year-old daughter. Amélie never remarried. She then retreated to the Palace of Janelas Verde in Lisbon, Portugal, and devoted herself exclusively to the care and education of her daughter Maria Amélie. In the mid-1840s, with the purpose of refining her education, Maria Amélie moved with her mother to Munich in the Kingdom of Bavaria, where many of her relatives lived. In 1850, Maria Amélie and her mother returned to Portugal and again lived in the Palace of Janelas Verdes.

Princess Maria Amélia, circa 1849; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie made arrangements to betroth her twenty-year-old daughter to Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. However, the official betrothal never took place. Maria Amélie was ill with tuberculosis, the same disease that had killed her father. In August 1852, Amélie and her daughter moved to the island of Madeira in Portugal because of the mild climate. Maria Amélie died on February 4, 1853, at the age of twenty-one. She was first buried in the Braganza Pantheon, located in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1982, Maria Amélie’s remains were transferred to Brazil and buried in the Convento de Santo Antônio (Convent of Saint Anthony) in Rio de Janeiro, where other Brazilian royals are also interred.

Maria Amélie’s last moments with her mother at the bedside; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie visited her daughter’s tomb on every anniversary of her death until her death. She financed the construction of a hospital to treat patients with lung diseases in Funchal on the island of Madeira called the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélie which is still in existence. When Amélie died, the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélia was handed over to her sister Queen Joséphine of Sweden, and according to the terms of Amélie’s will, it is owned and administered by the Swedish Royal Family. King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden have visited the hospital.

Amélie in her later years; Credit – Wikipedia

After her daughter’s death, Amélie returned to the Palace of Janelas Verdes in Lisbon, Portugal. Toward the end of her life, she was confined to the palace because of heart disease. One of the few distractions in the last years of her life was the 1871 reunion with her stepson Emperor Pedro II of Brazil who was on a European tour with his wife Teresa Maria Cristina of Naples-Sicily.

On January 26, 1873, Amélie died at the age of 60 in Lisbon, Portugal. Under the terms of her will, her sister Queen Joséphine of Sweden was her primary heir. She received, among other things, the Braganza Tiara which is still in the possession of the Swedish royal family and is often worn by Queen Silvia, wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Amélie arranged for documents pertaining to her husband Emperor Pedro I of Brazil to be willed to Brazil, where they are kept in the archives of the Imperial Museum of Brazil.

Amélie was first buried in the Braganza Pantheon, located in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1982, her remains were transferred to Brazil and placed in the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil next to her husband Emperor Pedro I and his first wife Maria Leopoldina of Austria.

Tombs of Pedro I and Amélia in the Imperial Chapel in São Paulo, Brazil: 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.

Portugal Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélie von Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie_von_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélie of Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie_of_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Maria_Am%C3%A9lia_of_Brazil [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/pedro-iv-king-of-portugal-pedro-i-emperor-of-brazil/ [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. (2018). Amélia de Leuchtenberg. [online] Available at: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lia_de_Leuchtenberg [Accessed 20 Oct. 2018].

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal: Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal was born on October 12, 1798, at the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. Named in honor of St. Peter of Alcantara, his full name was Pedro de Alcantara Francisco António João Carlos Paula Xavier Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim. Pedro was the fourth of the nine children and the second but the eldest surviving son of King João VI of Portugal and Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain. He became the heir apparent to the throne upon the death of his six-year-old elder brother Francisco António in 1801.

Pedro had eight siblings:

Pedro around age 11; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1807, when Pedro was nine years old, the Portuguese royal family moved to Brazil to escape the Napoleonic invasion and then remained in Brazil where Rio de Janeiro became the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire. At that time, Brazil was ruled as a kingdom united with Portugal. Pedro was instructed in mathematics, political economy, logic, history, and geography. He was fluent in Portuguese, Latin, and French, could translate from English, and understood German. As an adult, Pedro would devote at least two hours each day to studying and reading.

Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1816, negotiations began for a marriage between 18-year-old Pedro, Crown Prince of Portugal and Prince of Brazil, and 19-year-old Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria. Known as Leopoldina, she was fifth of the twelve children and the fourth of the eight daughters of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Leopoldina and Pedro were married by proxy at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Austria on May 13, 1817, with Leopoldina’s uncle, Archduke Karl, Duke of Teschen standing in for the groom. The bride left Vienna on June 3, 1817, and arrived in Livorno, Tuscany (now in Italy) on July 24, 1817, where she was to embark on a three-month voyage to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. On November 6, 1817, Leopoldina and Pedro were married in person in the chapel of the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher’s Palace) in Rio de Janeiro where the couple lived after their marriage. Leopoldina had to adjust to Brazil’s heat and humidity, tropical rainfall, and the ever-present insects.

Pedro and Leopoldina had seven children:

Leopoldina with some of her children;  Credit – Wikipedia

In 1821, after a series of revolutions and army mutinies, Pedro’s father King João VI, under pressure from the Portuguese parliament, departed Brazil for Portugal, leaving behind Pedro as Regent. Pedro discussed all government affairs with his wife Leopoldina and usually followed her advice. In January 1822, Pedro initiated an autonomous government for Brazil, a decisive step in the history of Brazil, which was definitely due to the influence of Leopoldina. This was done because it was known that Portugal intended to recall Pedro and relegate Brazil to the status of a colony.

In August 1822, Pedro appointed Leopoldina Regent while he went on a political trip to the Province of São Paulo. While Pedro was away, Leopoldina received news that Portugal was about to take action, and without waiting for Pedro’s return, met with the Council of State on September 2, 1822, and signed the Decree of Independence, declaring Brazil independent from Portugal. Pedro I was declared Emperor of Brazil on October 12, 1822, his 24th birthday, and Leopoldina became Empress of Brazil. Pedro’s coronation was held on December 1, 1822, in what is today known as the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

The coronation ceremony of Emperor Pedro I; Credit – Wikipedia

When Pedro’s father King João VI of Portugal died in March 1826, it caused a succession crisis. Pedro was his eldest living son and heir but he had declared Brazil’s independence and was ruling as Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. King João VI had appointed his daughter Isabel Maria to serve as regent until the “legitimate heir returned to the Kingdom” but he never specified who that should be. Pedro was ruling as Emperor of Brazil and King João VI’s younger son Miguel (the future King Miguel I of Portugal) had been exiled to Austria after leading several revolutions against his father and his liberal regime. While Pedro was the legitimate heir, the Brazilian people did not want the two thrones to be reunited. Pedro reigned as King of Portugal for only two months and then abdicated the Portuguese throne on May 2, 1826, in favor of his seven-year-old daughter Queen Maria II.

Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1822, Pedro began an affair with Brazilian noblewoman Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos. He had mistresses during his marriage to Leopoldina but was always careful to conceal his affairs. This time, Pedro flaunted the affair. He was increasingly rude and disrespectful to Leopoldina, left her short of money, prohibited her from leaving the palace, and forced her to endure his mistress Domitila as her lady-in-waiting. In November 1826, while Leopoldina was pregnant with her eighth child (she had given birth to seven children in six years), Pedro arranged a farewell reception before he left for a military trip. He demanded that his wife and his mistress attend the reception along with government, diplomatic, and church officials. Leopoldina refused to attend, causing a bitter argument with Pedro which remained unresolved when he left on his trip. Shortly thereafter, 29-year-old Leopoldina died at the Palacio de São Cristovão on December 11, 1826, from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after a miscarriage.

After Leopoldina’s death, Pedro had remorse for how he had treated her and decided to become a better person. In 1828, Pedro insisted that his mistress Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos leave Rio de Janeiro. However, after several European princesses refused his marriage proposals because of his bad reputation, Pedro allowed his mistress Domitila to return to court. It was not until after negotiations for a second marriage were successfully concluded that Domitila permanently left the court.

Amélie of Leuchtenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Pedro’s second wife was 17-year-old Princess Amélie of Leuchtenberg, daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais Duke of Leuchtenberg, the only son of Napoleon’s first wife Empress Josephine and her first husband Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, and Princess Augusta of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria. A proxy marriage was held in the chapel of the Palais Leuchtenberg in Munich, Bavaria on August 2, 1829. Amélie arrived in Rio de Janeiro on October 15, 1829. Two days later, Pedro and Amélie were married in person at the Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro. They had a happy marriage and Amélie’s relationship with her stepchildren was very positive.

The wedding of Pedro and Amélie, next to Pedro are his children from his first marriage: Pedro, Januária, Paula and Francisca; Credit – Wikipedia

Amélie and Pedro had one daughter:

Amélie and her daughter Maria Amélia in 1840; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 7, 1831, after a political crisis that ended with the resignation of his ministers and in the middle of an economic crisis, Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil in favor of his six-year-old son who reigned as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. Pedro and his pregnant wife Amélie left for Europe. In Portugal, Pedro’s brother Miguel served as Regent for Pedro’s daughter Queen Maria II. Maria had been sent to Vienna to continue her education. It was on this journey that Maria learned that her uncle Miguel had deposed her and declared himself King on June 23, 1828. At that time Emperor Pedro insisted that his daughter was the rightful Queen, and demanded that she be treated as such. She traveled to the United Kingdom, hoping to garner the British government’s support, but they instead supported Miguel. Maria met up with her father in France, where they stayed with King Louis Philippe I, and Maria received her education. For several years, forces loyal to Maria and her father would try to force Miguel from the throne. Finally, on May 26, 1834, Miguel was forced to abdicate, and Maria was returned to the Portuguese throne.

Pedro on his deathbed; Credit – Wikipedia

On September 24, 1834, at the age of 35, Pedro died from tuberculosis at his birthplace, the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. He was first buried at the Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1972, Pedro’s remains were transferred to the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil.

Pedro’s tomb in Braqzil; 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.

Portugal Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].
  • Es.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I de Brasil y IV de Portugal. [online] Available at: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_de_Brasil_y_IV_de_Portugal [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Pedro I of Brazil. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_I_of_Brazil [Accessed 19 Oct. 2018].

Royal Connections of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris; Photo Credit –  © Susan Flantzer

Tragically, on April 15, 2019, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) caught on fire and sustained significant damage, including the destruction of the spire and much of the roof. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Notre-Dame will be rebuilt, stating “It’s part of the fate, the destiny of France, and our common project over the coming years. And I am committed to it.”

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris on fire; Credit – By LeLaisserPasserA38 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78064310

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Part of Paris, Banks of the Seine. Construction of the cathedral began in 1163 with the laying of the cornerstone in the presence of King Louis VII of France and Pope Alexander III. The high altar was consecrated in 1189, the 223 foot-high towers were built between 1210 and 1250, and the church was officially completed in 1345.

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris does not have as many royal connections as Westminster Abbey in London, England. Coronations of Kings of France were traditionally held at Reims Cathedral in Reims, France. The Basilica of Saint-Denis in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis is the burial place of the Kings of France. The remains of all but three monarchs of France from the 10th century until 1789 are interred at Saint-Denis.

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris; Photo Credit –  © Susan Flantzer

However, several significant royal events have occurred at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. The information has been compiled from articles at Unofficial Royalty.

December 16, 1431: Nine-year-old King Henry VI of England is crowned King of France

King Henry VI being crowned King of France in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris; Credit – Wikipedia

King Charles VI of France suffered from some kind of mental illness (he thought he was made of glass) and his son was not a great prospect as king, and so the old dynastic claim to the throne of France, first pursued by King Edward III of England, was renewed. King Henry V of England, the father of King Henry VI of England, demanded the complete restoration of the Angevin Empire, including Normandy, to England, part of the Hundred Year’s War. When the English army reached the walls of Paris, negotiations for peace were started. This resulted in the Treaty of Troyes, an agreement that King Henry V of England and his heirs would inherit the throne of France upon the death of King Charles VI of France. The treaty also arranged for the marriage of Charles VI’s daughter Catherine of Valois to Henry V and the disinheritance of the Dauphin of France (the future King Charles VII of France) from the French succession.

On June 2, 1420, King Henry V married Catherine of Valois in Troyes, France. Two years later, King Henry V succumbed to dysentery, a disease that killed more soldiers than battle, leaving a nine-month-old son to inherit his throne. King Charles VI of France died a couple of months after Henry V, making the young Henry VI King of England and King of France. Henry VI was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on November 6, 1429. Two years later, he was crowned King of France at Notre Dame de Paris in a ritual similar to that established by his great-grandfather King Charles V of France. This was an attempt to counter the coronation of Henry VI’s uncle and rival, Charles VII of France, who had been crowned at Reims Cathedral in 1429. Before Henry VI came of age, English rule in France had begun a steady decline with Joan of Arc‘s campaign in support of Dauphin of France, later King Charles VII of France. By 1453, only Calais remained of Henry V’s French conquests.

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January 1, 1537: James V, King of Scots is married to Madeleine of Valois

Madeleine of Valois by Corneille de Lyon; Credit – Wikipedia

After the Battle of Flodden in 1514, where James IV, King of Scots led an invading army into England, was defeated and died in the battle, Scotland wanted to strengthen their alliance with France. The Treaty of Rouen was signed in 1517 and one of the provisions was for James V, King of Scots to marry a French princess.  James V was the son of James IV and Margaret Tudor, the daughter of King Henry VII of England and the sister of King Henry VIII of England. When  James V reached a marriageable age, talks began regarding marriage with Madeleine of Valois, the daughter of King François I of France and his first wife Claude, Duchess of Brittany. However, Madeleine’s ill health was an issue and another French bride, Mary of Bourbon, was offered as a substitute. When James V came to France to meet Mary of Bourbon, he met Madeleine and decided to marry her. Because of his daughter’s health issues, François I was reluctant to agree to the marriage, but eventually, he did so. Madeleine of Valois and James V, King of Scots were married on January 1, 1537, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The couple arrived in Scotland on May 19, 1537, after months of celebrations in France, with Madeleine’s health having further deteriorated. Madeleine wrote a letter to her father on June 8, 1537, saying that she was feeling better and that her symptoms had subsided. Despite this, on July 7, 1537, Madeleine died in her husband’s arms, a month short of her seventeenth birthday.

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April 24, 1558: Mary, Queen of Scots is married to François, Dauphin of France

François and his wife Mary, Queen of Scots; circa 1558; Credit – Wikipedia

James V, King of Scots had died in 1542 leaving his six-day-old daughter Mary to succeed him as Queen of Scots. In 1548, because of English hostilities, and fearful for Mary’s safety, the Scots appealed to France for help. Henri II, King of France proposed to unite France and Scotland by marrying the young Queen of Scots to his three-year-old son and heir to the French throne François. In July 1548, the Scottish Parliament approved Mary’s marriage to François, Dauphin of France. On August 7, 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years.

On April 24, 1558, 15-year-old Mary married 14-year-old François, Dauphin of France outside Notre-Dame de Paris. It was a marriage that could have given the future kings of France the throne of Scotland and also a claim to the throne of England through Mary’s great-grandfather, King Henry VII of England. A little more than a year after the wedding, a great tragedy occurred in France, when François’s father King Henri IV was killed in a tournament and his son succeeded him as King François II of France.

After only a 17-month reign, François II, King of France, aged 16, died in great pain on December 5, 1560, possibly from mastoiditis, meningitis, or otitis which turned into an abscess. Left a childless widow, Mary decided to return to Scotland, where she married two more times, lost her throne, and was eventually beheaded after being held captive in England for 18 years.

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August 18, 1572: King Henri III of Navarre is married to Marguerite of Valois

Henri of Navarre, later Henri IV of France, and Marguerite of Valois, Credit – Wikipedia

Henri, who was the first French king of the House of Bourbon, was the son of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and Antoine de Bourbon, Duke de Vendôme. Although he was baptized in the Catholic Church, he was raised as a Protestant. Upon his mother’s death on June 9, 1572, Henri took the throne as King Henri III of Navarre. Just months later, on August 18, 1572, at Notre Dame de Paris, Henri married Marguerite of Valois, the daughter of King Henri II of France and Catherine de’ Medici. As Henri was a Protestant Huguenot, he was not permitted inside the cathedral so the ceremony was held just outside of the building.

Days later, the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre took place, in which thousands of Protestant Huguenots were killed. Henri narrowly escaped death, mostly thanks to his new Catholic wife, and his promise to convert to Catholicism. In 1584, Henri became the heir-presumptive to the French throne, as the last heir to King Henri III of France had died. Henri, Marguerite’s husband, was the most senior agnatic descendant of King Louis IX, and therefore the rightful heir. In 1589, King Henri III of France, brother of Marguerite, was assassinated, and Henri succeeded as King Henri IV of France.

In a loveless and childless marriage, and knowing that he needed an heir, Henri IV had begun negotiations to end his first marriage to Marguerite of Valois. He hoped to marry his mistress but those plans were squelched by his ministers. Instead, he married Marie de’ Medici and the couple had six children. Marguerite, who never remarried, remained a favorite at court and maintained a remarkably close relationship with her former husband and his new wife. Henri IV was assassinated in 1610.

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December 2, 1804: Coronation of Napoléon I, Emperor of the French and his first wife Joséphine

Joséphine kneels before Napoléon to be crowned during their coronation at Notre-Dame de Paris. Pope Pius VII sits behind Napoleon, by Jacques-Louis David and Georges Rouget; Credit – Wikipedia

Napoléon I, Emperor of the French was born Napoleone di Buonaparte on the island of Corsica, then part of France and now part of Italy. When he was in his twenties, he adopted the more French-sounding Napoléon Bonaparte. Napoléon joined the French army and quickly advanced. During the latter part of the French Revolution, he rose to prominence and by the age of 30 was the First Consul of France. Napoléon was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815.

Napoléon married Joséphine de Beauharnais (born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie on the island of Martinique in the Caribbean) in 1796. Through her first marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais (who was guillotined during the French Revolution), Joséphine is the ancestor of the royal families of Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, and Luxembourg.

Napoléon and Joséphine were crowned Emperor and Empress of the French in an extremely elaborate ceremony presided over by Pope Pius VII. Napoléon was anointed by Pope Pius VII who was then about to crown him. However, Napoléon went to the altar, took the crown and placed it upon his own head. He then replaced the crown with a laurel wreath of gold made in the ancient Roman style and crowned his wife, who knelt before him.

Joséphine and Napoléon’s marriage was childless and in 1809, Napoléon decided to divorce his wife so he could marry again and his new wife produce an heir. Desperately upset upon first hearing the news about the divorce, Joséphine ultimately agreed. After their divorce, Napoléon insisted that Joséphine retain the title of Empress. Joséphine received a pension of 5 million francs per year and several residences.

Napoléon married Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, the eldest child of Emperor Franz I of Austria and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. Marie Louise gave birth to a son Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte in 1811. Young Napoléon died of tuberculosis at the age of 21. Regarding Marie Louise, Napoléon said that he had married a womb.

Napoléon’s various invasions throughout Europe resulted in the collapse of his empire and his defeat by a coalition of European nations. He was exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany but escaped and took control of France once again. He was soon defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later. Napoléon’s last words were, “France, army, head of the army, Joséphine.”

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January 30, 1853 – Napoléon III, Emperor of the French is married to Eugénie de Montijo

Credit – Wikipedia

Napoléon III, Emperor of the French, was the last monarch of France, reigning from 1852 until 1870. He was born Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (but typically known as Louis-Napoléon). His parents were Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland (younger brother of Napoléon I, Emperor of the French) and Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Emperor Napoléon’s first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais).

The French Revolution of 1848 led to the abdication of King Louis-Philippe, and the declaration of the Second Republic. In September 1848, Louis-Napoléon was elected to the French National Assembly. He immediately threw his hat into the ring to become President of the French Republic and on December 20, 1848, was declared the winner of the election. Taking the title Prince-President, Louis-Napoléon took up residence at the Élysée Palace.

Not content being simply a Prince-President, he arranged for the Senate to schedule a referendum to decide if he should be declared Emperor. On December 2, 1852, following an overwhelming vote in his favor, the Second Republic ended and the Second French Empire was declared. Louis-Napoléon took the throne as Napoléon III, Emperor of the French. He quickly made the Tuileries Palace his official residence.

After being turned down by several European princesses, Napoléon III found his future bride, Spanish-born Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick on May 5, 1826, in Granada, Spain. Known as Eugénie de Montijo, she was the daughter of Spanish nobleman Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero and María Manuela Enriqueta Kirkpatrick de Closbourn y de Grevigné.

Napoléon III and Eugénie were married in a civil ceremony on January 29, 1853, at the Tuileries Palace in Paris The following day, a much grander religious ceremony was held at Notre Dame de Paris. The couple had one son Napoléon, Prince Imperial who died fighting in the Zulu War in South Africa in 1879.

In July 1870, France entered the Franco-Prussian War. Without significant allied support, and with unprepared and limited forces, the French army was quickly defeated. Emperor Napoléon III was captured at the Battle of Sedan and quickly surrendered. As word reached Paris, the Third Republic was declared on September 4, 1870, ending – for the last time – the French monarchy.

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Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Crown Princess of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Crown Princess of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Mariane was the second wife of the future King Frederik VII of Denmark. Born in Neustrelitz in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, on January 10, 1821, she was the second of the two daughters and the third of the four children of Georg, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Marie of Hesse-Kassel.

Caroline Mariane had three siblings:

In 1839, King Christian VIII of Denmark succeeded to the Danish throne. His son Frederik, who had divorced his first wife, was now Crown Prince and needed to marry again. He heard about Caroline Mariane who had been taught Danish by a Danish poet and thought she might make a good wife. 33-year-old Frederik and 20-year-old Caroline Mariane were married in Neustrelitz in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz on June 10, 1841. On June 21, they arrived in Denmark and made a festive entrance in Copenhagen.

The marriage was childless and unhappy. Frederik’s bad temperament, excessive drinking, and shameless womanizing put a great strain on Caroline Mariane. She was young, inexperienced, shy, and nervous, and no match for Frederik’s boisterous personality. In 1844, Caroline Mariane visited her parents and refused to return to Denmark. The couple divorced on September 30, 1846. The divorce documents stated: “The divorce was due to the inherited morbidity and broken health of the Princess.” The truth was that Caroline Mariane had been completely run down by her husband’s wild and unbearable life and that Frederik was pleased to reconnect with his mistress Louise Rasmussen who became his morganatic third wife in 1850.

Carolinepalais in Neustrelitz; Credit – Von Concord – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31904684

Caroline Mariane lived quietly in Neustrelitz where her parents built the Carolinenpalais for her in 1850. She retained her Danish titles after her divorce and never remarried. Nor did Caroline Mariane ever speak about her former husband except when she described him to Danish visitors as “He was much too bizarre!” In 1860, Caroline Mariane donated funds for the construction of the Carolinenstift, a hospital in Neustrelitz.

Caroline Mariane died in Neustrelitz on June 1, 1876, at the age of 55. She was buried at the traditional burial site of the Grand Ducal Family of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the Johanniterkirche (Church of St. John) (in German) in Mirow, now in Germany.

The Johanniterkirche in Mirow; Credit – Thomas Kohler – originally posted to Flickr as Kirche Mirow, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12084832

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

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Mariane af Mecklenburg-Strelitz. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariane_af_Mecklenburg-Strelitz [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Caroline zu Mecklenburg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_zu_Mecklenburg [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duchess Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Caroline_Mariane_of_Mecklenburg [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). King Frederik VII of Denmark. [online]. Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].

Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, Princess Frederik of Denmark, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark was the first wife of the future King Frederik VII of Denmark, the wife of Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and the younger of the two surviving daughters of King Frederik VI of Denmark and his wife Marie of Hesse-Kassel. She was born on January 18, 1808, in Kiel Castle in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Vilhelmine Marie had seven siblings but unfortunately, six of them died in infancy:

  • Christian (born and died September 1791), died in infancy
  • Marie Louise (1792 – 1793), died in infancy
  • Caroline (1793 – 1881), married her father’s first cousin Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark, no children
  • Louise (August 1795 – December 1795), died in infancy
  • Christian (born and died September 1797), died in infancy
  • Juliana Louise (born and died February 1802), died in infancy
  • Frederikke Marie (June 1805 – July 1805), died in infancy

King Frederik VI and Queen Marie with their daughters Vilhelmine Maria and Caroline by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1821; Credit – Wikipedia

Vilhelmine Marie had several prospects for marriage including the future King Oscar I of Sweden of the new Bernadotte dynasty but an internal Danish marriage was arranged for her to Prince Frederik of Denmark (the future King Frederik VII), the only surviving child of King Christian VIII and his first wife Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Vilhelmine Marie and Frederik were half-second cousins, both descended from King Frederik V of Denmark. Vilhelmine Marie was a great-grandchild of King Frederik V of Denmark and his first queen Louisa of Great Britain. Frederik was a great-grandchild of King Frederik V and his second queen Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

The future King Frederik VII, Vilhelmine Marie’s first husband; Credit – Wikipedia

This marriage arrangement was mainly due to the desirability of a union of the two branches of the Danish royal family whose relationship was strained. Frederik and Vilhelmine Marie’s wishes and needs were not considered at all. Vilhelmine Marie and Frederick were engaged on May 28, 1826. The wedding was postponed for two years while Frederik was sent on an educational trip to Switzerland, France, and Italy. Frederik and Vilhelmine Marie were married on November 1, 1828, at the Christiansborg Castle Church in Copenhagen, Denmark. The wedding was very popular with the Danish people who participated in the many wedding festivities.

However, the marriage was childless and unhappy. Not only was Frederik a heavy drinker, but he was also unfaithful. Vilhelmine Marie, who had a kind-hearted and mild personality, was unable to have any influence on her husband who frequently hurt her feelings. Even Vilhelmine Marie’s parents, the reigning King Frederik VI and his wife Queen Marie, felt sorry for their daughter. The couple separated in 1834 and divorced in 1837.

Vilhelmine Marie’s second husband, Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg; Credit – Wikipedia

One year later, on May 19, 1838, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Vilhelmine Marie married her first cousin Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the eldest son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Princess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel. Karl was also the elder brother of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the future King Christian IX of Denmark who would succeed King Frederik VII, Vilhelmine Marie’s thrice-married but childless first husband. The marriage was a happy one but Vilhelmine and Karl had no children. It is believed that Vilhelmine Marie was unable to have children as there are no records of any miscarriages or stillbirths.

During the First Schleswig War (1848–1851), which Denmark won, Karl served as commander of a Schleswig-Holstein brigade fighting against Denmark. This caused Vilhelmine Marie’s relations with her Danish family to be cut off for some time. In 1852, Vilhelmine Marie reconciled with her Danish relatives. From then on, Vilhelmine Marie and her husband Karl lived mainly in Kiel Castle and Louisenlund Castle in Schleswig-Holstein

In 1864, after the Second Schleswig War, which Denmark lost, Karl’s duchy was annexed by Prussia and Karl lost his ducal title. Vilhelmine Marie and Karl were able to live at Karl’s family ancestral home Schloss Glücksburg which Wilhelm I, German Emperor allowed the former ducal family to keep. On October 24, 1878, Karl died at Schloss Glücksburg.

Vilhelmine Marie’s charitable work made her popular in Glücksburg. She was sad about Denmark’s loss of the Schleswig-Holstein duchies but the new Danish dynasty founded by her brother-in-law King Christian IX gave her much joy. Eventually, she became more and more isolated as her hearing loss made it difficult to communicate. Vilhelmine Marie survived her husband Karl for thirteen years, dying on May 30, 1891, at the age of 83 at Schloss Glücksburg in Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia, German Empire. She was buried next to her husband in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Neuer Friedhof Glücksburg (New Cemetery Glücksburg).

Entrance to the royal section at the Neuer Friedhof Glücksburg; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Vilhelmine af Danmark. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilhelmine_af_Danmark [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl,_Duke_of_Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gl%C3%BCcksburg [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Vilhelmine_Marie_of_Denmark [Accessed 20 Sep. 2018].
  • Flantzer, S. (2018). King Frederik VII of Denmark. [online]. Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].

Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie was the second wife of King Christian VIII of Denmark and was his Queen Consort from 1839 – 1848. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark on June 28, 1796, she was the eldest of the three children and the only daughter of Friedrich Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, and Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark. Caroline Amalie’s mother was the only daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark and Caroline Matilda of Wales, the sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. There is strong evidence that Louise Auguste’s father was her mother’s lover Johann Friedrich Struensee.

Caroline Amalie had two younger brothers:

Princess Caroline Amalie; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie spent most of her childhood in Denmark, moving with her family to Augustenborg Palace in her father’s duchy in 1807. In 1808, Prince Christian of Denmark, the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark, became the heir presumptive to the Danish throne when his half-uncle King Christian VII died. King Frederik VI, the new king, the only son of King Christian VII, had no surviving sons. Prince Christian had divorced his first wife and needed a new wife. His half-aunt Princess Louise Auguste of Denmark, also the sister of King Frederik VI, suggested her only daughter Caroline Amalie.

In December 1814, Caroline Amalie became engaged to Christian, now the Hereditary Prince of Denmark. The couple was married on May 22, 1815, at Augustenborg Palace.  After having no success conceiving a child, Christian and Caroline Amalie visited many spas throughout Europe from 1818 – 1822 seeking a cure for their inability to have children. Sadly, the couple remained childless.

King Frederik VI died on December 3, 1839, and Christian inherited the throne as King Christian VIII and Caroline Amalie became Queen. On June 28, 1849, Caroline Amalie attended Christian VIII’s anointing at the Frederiksborg Castle Church. He was the last Danish monarch to be anointed.

Anointing of King Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie by Joseph-Désiré Court, 1841; Credit – Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie was a composer of piano music and founded and supported several orphanages. She also was instrumental in opening a school for disadvantaged children and establishing the Women’s Care Association, whose purpose was to provide maternity nursing care for needy women.

On January 20, 1848, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, 61-year-old King Christian VIII died of blood poisoning after a blood-letting. After her husband’s death, Caroline Amalie spent the winters at Amalienborg Palace and the summers at Sorgenfri Castle north of Copenhagen. Caroline Amalie continued her charitable projects. When Queen Marie, wife of King Frederik VI died in 1852, she took over as patron of the charitable women’s society Det Kvindelige Velgørende Selskab, which remained in existence until 2004.

Caroline Amalie, 1879; Credit -Wikipedia

Caroline Amalie outlived her stepson King Frederik VII and in 1863, saw the resolution of the Danish succession crisis with the establishment of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg when King Christian IX, born Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, became the King of Denmark.

Queen Caroline Amalie survived her husband by 33 years, dying at Sorgenfri Castle north of Copenhagen, Denmark on March 9, 1881, surrounded by the Danish royal family, at the age of 84. She was buried next to her husband at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark in the Frederik V Chapel.

Tomb of Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg – Photo by Susan Flantzer

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Caroline Amalie. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Amalie [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian 8.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_8. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Caroline Amalie von Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Amalie_von_Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII.. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018]
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Amalie_of_Augustenburg [Accessed 19 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII_of_Denmark [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].

Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

The first wife of the future King Christian VIII of Denmark, Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was born December 4, 1784, in Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. She was fifth of the six children and the youngest of the two daughters of Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Charlotte Frederica in 1791; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte Frederica had five siblings:

During a visit to the court of his maternal uncle Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Prince Christian of Denmark (the future King Christian VIII), the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin fell in love with his first cousin Charlotte Frederica, who was two years younger. Christian and Charlotte Frederica were married at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, on June 21, 1806.

Charlotte Frederica’s husband Christian in 1813; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian and Charlotte Frederica had two sons:

Christian and Charlotte Frederica’s marriage soon became unhappy. Charlotte Frederica had an affair with her singing teacher Édouard Du Puy. In 1809, when Christian found out, Charlotte Frederica was sent into exile in Horsens, Denmark while Du Puy was banished from Denmark. The marriage officially ended with a divorce in 1810 and Charlotte Frederica never saw her son again.

While in Horsens and later in Aarhus, both in Denmark, Charlotte Frederica cultivated friendships with the local gentry and allegedly had affairs with army officers. In 1829, she was allowed to travel out of Denmark and moved to Carlsbad, a spa town, then in Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. She made one last move in 1830 to Rome, Italy where she lived in the Palazzo Bernini on Rome’s main street and converted to Roman Catholicism.

Charlotte Frederica had been exiled when her son, now King Frederik VI of Denmark, was only one year old. She hoped to see her son again but she soon became ill. Charlotte Frederica died in Rome on July 13, 1840, at the age of 55. She was buried in a tomb paid for by her son and created by the Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau at the Teutonic Cemetery, a burial site adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City that had been dedicated to the German-speaking residents of Rome.

On July 11, 2019, the tomb of Charlotte Frederica and the adjacent tomb of Princess Sophia of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein were opened to search for the remains of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old who disappeared in 1983. Not only was there no sign of Emanuela’s remains, but the remains of Princess Sophia and Duchess Charlotte Frederica were missing. It is possible that their remains were moved due to renovations at the end of the 1800s and again in the 1960s and 1970s. For more information see Unofficial Royalty: The Strange Case of the Tombs of Two 19th Century Princesses and a 20th Century 15-Year-Old Missing Girl.

Tomb of Charlotte Frederica; Credit – By Altera levatur – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59545772

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

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Charlotte Frederikke af Mecklenburg-Schwerin. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Frederikke_af_Mecklenburg-Schwerin [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian 8.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_8. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Charlotte Friederike zu Mecklenburg. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Friederike_zu_Mecklenburg [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII.. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII. [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Charlotte_Frederica_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Christian VIII of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_VIII_of_Denmark [Accessed 17 Sep. 2018].

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel was the wife of King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway. Born on October 28, 1767, in Hanau in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (now in Hesse, Germany), Marie Sophie Frederikke was the eldest child of Prince Carl of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Louise of Denmark and Norway. Her father was the second son of Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. Her mother was the youngest child of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway and his first wife Princess Louisa of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Magdalena, wife of King Gustav III of Sweden were Marie’s maternal aunt and uncle.

Marie had five younger siblings:

Being the second son, Marie’s father Carl had to find his own way in life and so he did what many other younger royal sons did, took positions from foreign royal relatives. Carl’s opportunities in Denmark were far greater than what Hesse-Kassel could offer him. He became a Field Marshal in the Danish Army and was royal governor of the Danish duchies of Schleswig-Holstein from 1769 to 1836. Marie and her siblings were raised at Gottorp Castle in Slesvig, then part of Denmark now Schleswig in Germany, and at her mother’s country estate Louisenlund.

Louiselund; Credit – By PodracerHH – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6889446

In 1772, due to the mental illness of King Christian VII, his half-brother Hereditary Prince Frederik became Regent but it was Hereditary Prince Frederik’s mother Dowager Queen Juliana Maria who really held the power. In 1784, Crown Prince Frederik, the only son of King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway, reached the age of legal majority. He had no intention of allowing Hereditary Prince Frederik and his mother Juliana to continue their rule. Crown Prince Frederik somehow managed to get his insane father to sign an order dismissing Hereditary Prince Frederik’s supporters from the council and declaring that no royal order was legal unless co-signed by the Crown Prince, thereby deposing his stepmother and half-brother. Crown Prince Frederik then ruled permanently as Crown Prince Regent until the death of his father.

Marie holding a portrait of her fiancé by Cornelius Høyer; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel was on the list of possible brides for Crown Prince Frederik. She had some advantages: her mother was the daughter of a King of Denmark and she had been raised in Denmark. However, factions of the Danish court did not support the marriage because a more dynastic marriage was preferred but Crown Prince Frederik wanted to show his independence and insisted upon the marriage.

Crown Prince Frederik, the future King Frederik VI; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 31, 1790, in the Gottorp Castle chapel, Frederik and Marie were married. The couple made a triumphant official entrance into Copenhagen on September 14, 1790. The Danish people were enthusiastic about the marriage because Marie was considered completely Danish and not a foreign princess although she had received a German education and German was her first language.

Crown Princess Marie was under immense pressure to produce a male heir to the throne because the main line of the Danish royal family was in danger of becoming extinct. Frederik and Marie had eight children but unfortunately, six of them, including two boys, died in infancy. Only two daughters survived and both daughters had childless marriages. For the rest of her life, Marie would lament her lack of sons and grandchildren. Injuries from her last childbirth prevented Marie from having any further marital relations and she was forced to accept her husband’s adultery.

King Frederik VI and Queen Marie with their daughters Caroline and Vilhelmine by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1821; Credit – Wikipedia

When King Christian VII died on March 13, 1808, his son succeeded him as King Frederik VI of Denmark and Marie became Queen of Denmark. She became more acquainted with Danes, finally learned the Danish language more fluently, took an interest in Danish literature and history, and became interested in politics. When Frederick VI was participating in the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars from September 5, 1814 – June 1, 1815, Marie served as Regent.

Queen Marie of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

King Frederick VI died on December 3, 1839, at the age of 71 at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. He had reigned Denmark for a total of 55 years: 24 years as Crown Prince Regent and 31 years as King. As he had no sons, he was succeeded by King Christian VIII, the son of King Frederik’ VI’s half-uncle Frederik, Hereditary Prince of Denmark.

After her husband’s death, Marie retired from public life but remained a respected figure, living at Frederiksborg Castle and Amalienborg Palace. The conflicts between the branches of the Danish royal family during the succession crisis caused by a lack of male dynasts and the First Schleswig War (1848–51) caused her much distress.

Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark died on March 21, 1852, at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen at the age of 84. She was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel near her husband.

Tomb of Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark; Photo by Susan Flantzer

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2018). Frederik 6.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_6. [Accessed 15 Sep. 2018].
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Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2019

Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover; Credit – Wikipedia

Ernst August was the last Crown Prince of Hanover, and the last to hold the Dukedoms of Cumberland and Teviotdale in the United Kingdom. He was born Prince Ernst August Wilhelm Adolf Georg Friedrich on September 21, 1845, in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany. He was the only son of King Georg V of Hanover and Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg. He had two younger sisters:

Queen’s Villa in Gmunden. photo: Von Lars Staffanski – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32046268

Ernst August became Crown Prince upon his father’s accession in November 1851. However, in 1866, Hanover was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia after siding against Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War. Two years later, Ernst August’s parents moved their family to Gmunden, Austria. They took up residence at Villa Redtenbacher, which they later purchased. It would be his parents’ home until his father died in 1878, and later became known as the Queen’s Villa, as Queen Marie remained there until she died in 1907.

Princess Thyra of Denmark, c1871. source: Wikipedia

On December 21, 1878, Ernst August married Princess Thyra of Denmark at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. She was the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Luise of Hesse-Kassel. The couple first met while Ernst August was visiting his second cousin, The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII of the United Kingdom) at Sandringham in Norfolk, England in 1875. Princess Thyra was the sister of Edward’s wife Alexandra. Ernst August and Thyra had six children:

Ernst August with his wife and children, 1888. source: Wikipedia

Upon his father’s death in June 1878, Ernst August inherited his titles, becoming the 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale and Earl of Armagh in the United Kingdom, and head of the House of Hanover. He was also made a Knight of the Order of the Garter by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, his father’s first cousin. Like his father, he continued to claim his right to the Hanoverian throne, which caused friction with Prussia. This was such a big issue that when he became the rightful successor to the Duchy of Brunswick upon the death of his cousin Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick, the Kingdom of Prussia refused to allow him to ascend the ducal throne. Instead, they appointed Prince Albrecht of Prussia to serve as Regent for the duchy.

After succeeding his father, Ernst August purchased a large amount of land near the Villa, and in 1882, began construction on a new castle in Gmunden, Austria. Completed four years later, he named it Schloss Cumberland (link in German), in honor of his British title. Schloss Cumberland would become Ernst August’s primary residence for the rest of his life.

Reconciliation with Prussia finally came in 1913. Ernst August’s son, also named Ernst August, became engaged to Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of the German Emperor. In the days leading up to the wedding, Ernst August renounced his rights to the Duchy of Brunswick in favor of his son, who took his place as Duke of Brunswick.

World War I saw the end of what had always been a close relationship with his British relatives. He was removed from the roll of the Order of the Garter in 1915, and in 1917 was stripped of his title of Prince of the United Kingdom. Lastly, as a result of the Titles Deprivation Act, in 1919 he was stripped of his British peerages for “bearing arms against Great Britain.” The titles – Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale – remain in abeyance, and his direct descendants could petition to have them restored. To date, no such petition has been made.

Schloss Cumberland. photo: Stague49 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67974426

The former Crown Prince spent his remaining years at Schloss Cumberland in Gmunden, Austria where he died on November 14, 1923, after suffering a stroke. He is buried in the mausoleum at the Schloss, alongside his wife and mother.

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Prince Ernst August V of Hanover

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Prince Ernst August V of Hanover – Credit – www.tatler.com

Duchy of Brunswick: The Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a subdivision of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, the Congress of Vienna turned Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel into an independent country called the Duchy of Brunswick in 1815. Ernst August III, the last Duke of Brunswick was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, as the German Empire came to an end. Today the land that encompassed the Duchy of Brunswick is in the German state of  Lower Saxony. Since 1866, the senior heir of the House of Hanover has been the pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Hanover.

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Prince Ernst August (V) of Hanover is the current pretender to the thrones of the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick. Born on February 26, 1954, in Hanover, Lower Saxony, then in West Germany, now in Germany, he is the second of the six children and the eldest of the three sons of Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick, Prince of Hanover, the son of Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, and his first wife Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. At his christening, he was given a long string of names: Ernst August Albert Paul Otto Rupprecht Oskar Berthold Friedrich Ferdinand Christian Ludwig.

Ernst August has five siblings:

Ernst August (V), the tallest boy, with his parents and siblings; Credit – https://www.welfenbund.de/

Ernst August is among the senior male-line descendants of King George III of the United Kingdom. This line is directly descended from George III’s son, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, who became King of Hanover due to the Salic Law which forbade female succession following the death of his brother King William IV and the accession of Queen Victoria. (George III → Ernest Augustus (I), Duke of Cumberland, King of Hanover → George V, King of Hanover → Ernst August (II), Duke of Cumberland (married Princess Thyra of Denmark, daughter of King Christian IX) → Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick (married Viktoria Luise, only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor) → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick → Ernst August (V), Prince of Hanover)

He is also a great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria via his father (Queen Victoria → Victoria, Princess Royal → Wilhelm II, German Emperor → Viktoria Luise of Prussia → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick→ Ernst August (V), Prince of Hanover) and a great-great-grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark via his father (King Christian IX → Thyra of Denmark → Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick → Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick → Ernst August (V), Prince of Hanover).

Ernst August (V)’s father was the brother of Frederica of Hanover who married King Paul I of Greece. Therefore, Ernst August (V) is the first cousin of Frederica and Paul’s children: the late King Constantine II of Greece, Queen Sofia of Spain, and Princess Irene of Greece. Ernst August (V)’s paternal uncle Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover married Princess Sophie of Greece, a sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

On June 17, 1914, King George V of the United Kingdom, who was the first cousin of Ernst August (V’s) grandfather Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick via their mothers and third cousins via their fathers, issued a Letters Patent granting the children of the Duke of Brunswick the style Highness and declaring that they would be Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Letters Patent clearly state the style and title were only for the children of Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick.

On November 8, 1918, at the end of World War I, Ernst August (V)’s grandfather was forced to abdicate his throne as reigning Duke of Brunswick. In 1919, German royalty and nobility lost their privileges in Germany. Thereafter, hereditary titles could only be used legally as part of surnames. In 1931, Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick declared that his descendants, as descendants of King George III, would continue to use British HRH Prince/Princess. However, legally they are not British HRH Prince/Princess. All titles used by the family are used in pretense.

As the senior male descendant of George III’s son, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, Ernst’s August (V)’s grandfather, the former Duke of Brunswick, also held the British peerage titles Duke of Cumberland, Duke of Teviotdale, and Earl of Armagh. In 1917, the British Parliament passed the Titles Deprivation Act 1917 which allowed the Privy Council to investigate “any persons enjoying any dignity or title as a peer or British prince who have, during the present war, borne arms against His Majesty or His Allies, or who have adhered to His Majesty’s enemies.” Under the terms of that act, an Order in Council on March 28, 1919, formally removed the former Duke of Brunswick’s British peerages, Duke of Cumberland, Duke of Teviotdale, and Earl of Armagh. The former Duke of Brunswick and his children also lost their titles of Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom and the styles Royal Highness and Highness. According to the Titles Deprivation Act, the male heirs of Ernst August, former Duke of Brunswick have the right to ask the British Crown to reinstate their British peerage titles but no descendant has ever done so. Currently, Ernst August (V) is the male heir of these British peerages.

Ernst August (V) attended schools in West Germany until the age of fifteen when his motorcycle driving license was revoked due to an accident. Shortly afterward, he was sent to England where he attended the Box Hill School in Surrey. Ernst August (V) discovered that he was interested in agriculture which he studied in Canada and then at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, England. Afterward, he worked as a businessman and producer of animal documentary films.

Ernst August and Chantal on their wedding day; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/314970567684403672/?lp=true 

In 1980, Ernst August (V) became engaged to Chantal Hochuli, the daughter of Johann Gustav Hochuli, a Swiss architect and millionaire from his family’s chocolate company, and Rosemarie Lembeck. Ernst August’s father was initially opposed to the marriage because of Chantal’s less-than-royal ancestry. However, he eventually changed his mind and modified the House of Hanover’s dynastic laws so that the marriage could take place. The couple was married on August 28, 1981, in a civil ceremony in Pattensen, Germany. A religious ceremony was held on August 30, 1981, at Marienburg Castle, also in Pattensen, Germany.

Ernst August and Chantal had two sons:

Prince Ernst August (VI) of Hanover and his wife; By Foto: Axel Hindemith, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60789603

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Prince Christian of Hanover and his wife

In 1987, Ernst August (V)’s father died and he became Head of the House of Hanover and pretender to the thrones of the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick.

Caroline and Ernst on their wedding day; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/30399366205165248/?lp=true

In 1996, rumors emerged that romantically linked Ernst August (V) to Princess Caroline of Monaco, a long-time friend. Ernst August and Caroline had been seen together in the Far East, New York, and London. On October 23, 1997, Ernst August and his wife Chantal were divorced. On January 23, 1999, in a civil ceremony in Monaco, Ernst August married Caroline who was pregnant with their child. It was the third marriage for Caroline.

The couple had one daughter:

While initially very happy, the couple, still legally married, now leads separate lives. Caroline and her daughter Alexandra live primarily in Monaco, while her husband remains at his homes in Germany.

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Princess Alexandra of Hanover

Over the years, Ernst August (V) has had several controversial incidents. In 2000, he was photographed urinating on the Turkish Pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany causing a diplomatic incident when the Turkish embassy accused him of insulting the Turkish people. In 2004, he was convicted of aggravated assault and causing grievous bodily harm after beating a German man in a nightclub in Kenya.

In 2004, Ernst August (V) signed over to his elder son Ernst August (VI ) his German property, including Marienburg Castle, Calenberg Castle, the Princely House at Herrenhausen Gardens and some forests near Blankenburg Castle. Since then, the younger Ernst August has taken over many representative tasks on behalf of his father. Ernst August (V) initially remained in charge of the family assets in Austria. In 2013, due to negligence, Ernst August (V) was removed as chairman of the family foundation that controls the family assets. His elder son Ernst August (VI) was made the chairman of the family foundation. Due to disputes over the family assets, Ernst August (V) declared his intention to withhold consent for his elder son’s marriage which he did not attend.

Ernst August (V) at the wedding of his son Christian, 2018; Credit – www.zimbio.com

Ernst August (V) also has had several health issues. On April 3, 2005, he was admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis. The next day, he fell into a coma, two days before the death of his father-in-law Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. A few days later, he was no longer in a coma but remained in intensive care. Ernst August (V) was hospitalized again in 2011, 2017, and 2018 for problems related to alcohol. The incident in 2018 occurred during the wedding celebrations of his son Christian in Lima, Peru. During the celebrations, Ernst August (V) lost consciousness because he drank too much and had to be admitted to a hospital where he was placed in a medically induced coma. After two weeks in the hospital, he was transferred to a clinic in Austria. In February 2019, he had another serious health issue. He was taken to the hospital by helicopter and needed emergency surgery for a ruptured duodenal ulcer. A week later, doctors discovered that Ernst August (V) had throat cancer. Because of the poor state of his health, doctors treated the tumor with cryotherapy.

In July 2020, it was reported that Ernst August (V) was temporarily taken to a psychiatric facility. He reportedly called police saying he needed immediate help. When the police arrived, Ernst August (V) was extremely aggressive and attacked them physically.

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

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  • Madame Figaro. (2017). Le mari de Caroline de Monaco s’oppose au mariage de son fils. [online] Available at: http://madame.lefigaro.fr/celebrites/ernst-august-de-hanovre-le-mari-de-caroline-de-monaco-soppose-au-mariage-de-son-fils-avec-la-russe-ekaterina-malysheva-030717-133081 [Accessed 22 Mar. 2019].
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