Category Archives: Former Monarchies

James I, King of Scots

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

James I, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

James I, King of Scots, along with his elder twin brother Robert who died in infancy, was born July 25, 1394, at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland. He was the second surviving son of Robert III, King of Scots and Anabella Drummond. In 1388, two years before he became king, James’ father was kicked by a horse and became an invalid. James’ grandfather Robert II, King of Scots died in 1390 and James’ father became King of Scots. At the time of his birth, James’ much older brother David was the heir to the throne of Scotland.

James had six siblings:

Several events occurred during James’ childhood that would eventually affect him. As time went by, Robert III’s disabilities worsened and he fell into a state of depression. There were disputes among the children of his two marriages as to who was the legitimate heir. Queen Anabella knew she had to take matters into her own hands to protect the rights of her elder son David, the heir to the throne. In 1398, Anabella arranged a tournament in Edinburgh at which her eldest surviving son 19-year-old David was knighted. Later that same year, he was created Duke of Rothesay and Lieutenant of the Realm. However, serious problems began to emerge between David and his uncle Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, who was the third in line to the throne after David and James.

Anabella, Queen of Scots died in October 1401. With the loss of his mother’s protection and his father too incapacitated to protect him, David, Duke of Rothesay fell prey to his uncle Robert’s machinations. David was accused unjustifiably of appropriating and confiscating funds and was arrested in 1402. He was imprisoned at Falkland Palace and died on March 26, 1402, at the age of 22, probably of starvation.

Eight-year-old James, now heir to the throne, was the only one in the way of transferring the royal line to the Albany Stewarts. In 1402 Albany and his close Black Douglas ally Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas were absolved of any involvement in David’s death, although it is surely likely that they were to blame This cleared the way for Albany’s re-appointed as the Lieutenant of the Realm. Eventually, fearing for the safety of his only surviving son James, Robert III sent him to France. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured on March 22, 1406, by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III, King of Scots, aged 68, died at Rothesay Castle on April 4, 1406, after hearing of his son’s captivity.

12-year-old James was now the uncrowned King of Scots and would remain in captivity in England for eighteen years. Back in Scotland, his uncle Robert, Duke of Albany consolidated his power and ruled as regent in his nephew’s absence. Unsurprisingly, Albany made little effort to secure James’ ransom and return to Scotland, focusing instead on securing his power and interests. Albany died in 1420 and was succeeded as Duke of Albany and regent by his son Murdoch Stewart.

In England, James had a small household of Scots nobles. King Henry IV treated the young James well and provided him with a good education and James was able to observe Henry IV’s kingship and political control. During his captivity, James used personal visits from his nobles and letters to important people to maintain his connection to his kingdom. King Henry IV died in 1413 and his son King Henry V immediately ended James’s relative freedom, first holding him in the Tower of London with the other Scots prisoners. One of these prisoners was James’s cousin Murdoch Stewart, Albany’s son, who had been captured in 1402 at the Battle of Homildon Hill. Initially, they were held apart, but from 1413 until Murdoch’s release in 1415, they were together in the Tower of London and at Windsor Castle.

By 1420, 26-year-old James’ standing went from hostage to more of a guest. James accompanied Henry V to France where his presence was used against the Scots fighting on the French side during the Hundred Year’s War. He attended the coronation of Henry V’s wife Catherine of Valois in February 1421 and was honored by sitting on the queen’s left at the coronation banquet. In March 1421, James accompanied Henry V on a tour of important English towns. During this tour, James was knighted on Saint George’s Day. By July 1421, Henry V and James were back campaigning in France. Henry appointed his brother John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford and James as the joint commanders of the Siege of Dreux. After Henry V died of dysentery in France on August 31, 1422, James was part of the escort taking the king’s body back to London.

While in England, James met his future wife Lady Joan Beaufort. She was the third of the six children and the first of the two daughters of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland. Her mother was the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, the eldest son of Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, known as “The Fair Maid of Kent” from her first marriage to Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, 2nd Baron Holland. Joan of Kent later married Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and was the mother of King Richard II of England.

Joan Beaufort’s father John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset was the eldest of the four children of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and his mistress Katherine Swynford. Their children were given the surname “Beaufort” after a former French possession of John of Gaunt. On January 13, 1396,  John of Gaunt married Katherine Swynford at Lincoln Cathedral in England. After the marriage of John and Katherine, their four children were legitimized by both King Richard II of England and Pope Boniface IX. After John of Gaunt’s eldest son from his first marriage to Blanche of Lancaster deposed his first cousin King Richard II in 1399, the new King Henry IV inserted a phrase excepta regali dignitate (“except royal status”) in the documents which legitimized his Beaufort half-siblings which barred them from the throne.

As Joan was related to the English royal family, she was often at court. Joan is said to be the inspiration for The Kingis Quair  (“The King’s Book”), a poem supposedly written by James after he looked out a window and saw Joan in the garden. Although there may have been an attraction between Joan and James, their marriage was political as it was a condition for James’ release from captivity.

James I, King of Scots and Joan Beaufort; Credit – Wikipedia

Joan was well-connected. She was a great-granddaughter of King Edward III, a first cousin once removed of King Richard II, a niece of King Henry IV, and a first cousin of King Henry V. Her paternal uncle Henry Beaufort was a Cardinal, Bishop of Winchester, and Chancellor of England. The English considered a marriage to a Beaufort gave the Scots an alliance with the English instead of the French. Joan’s dowry of £6,000 was subtracted from James’ ransom of £40,000. The couple was married on February 12, 1424, at St. Mary Overie Church, now known as Southwark Cathedral in Southwark, London, England. James was released from his long captivity on March 28, 1424, and the couple traveled to Scotland. On May 21, 1424, James and Joan were crowned King and Queen of Scots at Scone Abbey by Henry Wardlaw, Bishop of St. Andrews.

The entrance, the only remaining part of Scone Abbey; Photo Credit – By Patrick Gruban from Munich, Germany – IMG_3910Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9553070

James and Joan had eight children:

Upon returning to Scotland after an absence of 18 years, James found that Scotland was in horrible condition, with much poverty and lawlessness. He set about transforming his kingdom, and made him many enemies. In addition, there were still doubts about the validity of the first marriage of Robert II, James’ grandfather, and this raised questions about James’ right to the throne of Scotland. James found himself facing challenges from descendants of his grandfather’s two marriages. He knew he had to crush the power of his cousin Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany to strengthen the crown’s power and restrain the power of the lawless nobles. A Parliament held in Perth in 1425 issued orders for Murdoch’s arrest, and in May 1425 a trial was held at Stirling where Murdoch, his sons Alexander and Walter Stewart, and his father-in-law Duncan, Earl of Lennox were all found guilty of treason and immediately executed. Murdoch’s third son James fled to Ireland, where he would spend the rest of his life in exile.

James ruled Scotland with a strong hand and made numerous financial and legal reforms. He tried to reshape the Scottish Parliament on the English model, and in 1428 renewed the Auld Alliance with France. On this occasion, James arranged for the marriage of his eldest daughter Margaret to the French Dauphin, the future King Louis XI of France. However, Margaret died before Louis became king. Although James’ measures were effective, he created many enemies.

On February 20, 1437, plotters supporting the claim to the throne of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, a son of Robert II’s second marriage, broke into the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland where James and Joan were staying. The conspirators reached the couple’s bedroom where Joan tried to protect James but was wounded. James then tried to escape via an underground passage but was cornered and hacked to death by Sir Robert Graham. There was no strong support for the conspiracy and James’ assassins were soon captured and brutally executed.

James was buried in the Carthusian Charterhouse of Perth, which he had founded. On May 11, 1559, following a sermon by John Knox, a leader of the Scottish Reformation and the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, a mob of Protestant reformers attacked the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth. Everything was destroyed including the royal tombs and remains.

A monument now marks the site of the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth; Photo Credit – By kim traynor, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29398897

James I, King of Scots was only 42 years old when he was killed and left a 7-year-old son to succeed him as King James II. James I’s wife Joan served as regent for her son for a few short months and then was forced to give up the regency and the custody of her son. Joan made a second marriage, had three more children, died in 1445, and was buried with her first husband.

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

  • Ashley, Michael, and Julian Lock. The Mammoth Book Of British Kings & Queens. London: Constable & Robinson, 2012. Print.
  • “James I Of Scotland”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “Joan Beaufort, Queen Of Scots”. En.wikipedia.org. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • “Scottish Royal Burial Sites”. Unofficial Royalty. Web. 27 May 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Anabella Drummond, Queen of Scots

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Robert III, King of Scots and his wife Annabella Drummond as depicted on the 1562 Forman Armorial; Credit – Wikipedia

Anabella Drummond, born circa 1350 at Dunfermline Abbey in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, was the daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, 11th Thane of Lennox and Chief of Clan Drummond and Mary de Montfichet, daughter and co-heiress with her sisters of Sir William de Montfichet, of Stobhall, Cargill, and Auchterarder. Sir John’s sister Margaret Drummond was the second wife of David II, King of Scots.

Anabella had at least seven siblings:

  • Dougal Drummond
  • Sir Malcolm Drummond (circa 1351 – 1402), married Isabel Douglas, Countess of Mar, no issue, he was murdered by men from the Clan Stewart of Appin
  • Margaret Drummond (born circa 1354), married Sir Colin Campbell of Lochow
  • Sir John Drummond, 12th Thane of Lennox (1356 – 1428), married Elizabeth Sinclair
  • Mary Drummond (born 1357)
  • William Drummond, 1st Thane of Carnock (born 1358), married Elizabeth Airth
  • Jean Drummond (born 1362)

In 1367, Anabella married John Stewart, Earl of Carrick (the future Robert III, King of Scots), the eldest son of Robert II, King of Scots and his first wife Elizabeth Mure. The couple had seven children:

In 1388, two years before he became king, Anabella’s husband had been kicked by a horse and became an invalid. Robert II, King of Scots died in 1390 and Anabella’s husband John Stewart, Earl of Carrick became King of Scots. John decided to use Robert as his regnal name. He thought John was an unlucky name as evidenced by John Balliol, King of Scots, King John of England and Kings Jean I and II of France. Anabella was crowned with her husband Robert III, King of Scots at Scone on August 14, 1390, by William Trail, Bishop of St. Andrews.

As time went by, Robert III’s disabilities worsened and he fell into a state of depression. Supposedly, Robert told Anabella that he should be buried in a dung heap with an epitaph that read, “Here lies the worst of kings and the most miserable of men.” Anabella knew she had to take matters into her own hands to protect the rights of her son David, the heir to the throne. In 1398, Anabella arranged a tournament in Edinburgh at which her eldest surviving son 19-year-old David was knighted.  Later that same year, he was created Duke of Rothesay and Lieutenant of the Realm. Prior to David gaining more power, his paternal uncle Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany had held the power as protector of the kingdom.

In 1400, King Henry IV of England invaded Scotland and was able to reach Edinburgh where he laid siege to the castle, but eventually had to retreat because of the lack of supplies. The Scots had seemed powerless to respond to the English invasion. Anabella, Queen of Scots died in October 1401 at Scone Palace and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey. With the loss of his mother’s protection and his father too incapacitated to protect him, David, Duke of Rothesay fell prey to his uncle Robert’s machinations. David was accused unjustifiably of appropriating and confiscating funds and was arrested in 1402. He was imprisoned at Falkland Palace and died on March 26, 1402, at the age of 22, probably of starvation.

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

  • “Anabella Drummond”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • Ashley, Michael. British Kings & Queens. 1st ed. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998. Print.
  • “Clan Drummond”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • “David Stewart, Duke Of Rothesay”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • “Person Page”. Thepeerage.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • “Robert III Of Scotland”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Robert III, King of Scots

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Robert III, King of Scots and his wife Anabella Drummond; Credit – Wikipedia

John Stewart, later Robert III, King of Scots, was born around 1337. He was the eldest child of Robert II, King of Scots and his mistress Elizabeth Mure. The couple married in 1346, but the marriage was not in agreement with the Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church. After receiving a papal dispensation, the couple remarried. The children born before their marriage were legitimized. Despite the legitimization of Elizabeth’s children, there were family disputes over her children’s right to the crown. John’s mother Elizabeth died before May 1355 when John was between 18 and 21 years old.

John had at least nine siblings:

John had four half-siblings from his father’s second marriage in 1355 to Euphemia de Ross:

John was created Earl of Carrick by his great uncle David II, King of Scots in 1368. In 1371, John’s father succeeded his uncle David II as Robert II, King of Scots, the first king of the House of Stewart (later Stuart). John was declared heir to the crown soon after his father’s accession.  In order to dispel all conflict among the children of his two marriages, Robert II had a succession act passed in Parliament in 1373. If the heir apparent John, Earl of Carrick died without sons, the succession would pass to his brother Robert, Duke of Albany, and then to his younger brothers from Robert II’s two marriages in order of birth. As his reign progressed, Robert II delegated more power to his three eldest sons, John, Earl of Carrick and heir to the throne; Robert, Duke of Albany and Alexander, Earl of Buchan, who became his lieutenant in the north of Scotland.

In 1367, John married Anabella Drummond, daughter of Sir John Drummond of Stobhall, 11th Thane of Lennox and Chief of Clan Drummond and Mary de Montfichet, the daughter and co-heiress with her sisters of Sir William de Montfichet, of Stobhall, Cargill, and Auchterarder. Sir John’s sister Margaret Drummond was the second wife of David II, King of Scots.

The couple had seven children:

In 1388, two years before he became king, John was kicked by a horse and became an invalid. Robert II, King of Scots died in 1390 and John Stewart, Earl of Carrick became King of Scots. John decided to use Robert as his regnal name. He thought John was an unlucky name as evidenced by John Balliol, King of Scots, King John of England and Kings Jean I and Jean II of France. Robert III, King of Scots and his wife Anabella were crowned at Scone on August 14, 1390, by William Trail, Bishop of St. Andrews. Because of his disability, Robert III delegated most of his power to his brother Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany.

As time went by, Robert III’s disabilities worsened and he fell into a state of depression. Supposedly, Robert told Anabella that he should be buried in a dung heap with an epitaph that read, “Here lies the worst of kings and the most miserable of men.” Anabella knew she had to take matters into her own hands to protect the rights of her son David, the heir to the throne. In 1398, Anabella arranged a tournament in Edinburgh at which her eldest surviving son 19-year-old David was knighted. Later that same year, he was created Duke of Rothesay and Lieutenant of the Realm.

Anabella, Queen of Scots died in October 1401 at Scone Palace and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey. With the loss of his mother’s protection and his father too incapacitated to protect him, David, Duke of Rothesay fell prey to his uncle Robert’s machinations. David was accused unjustifiably of appropriating and confiscating funds and was arrested in 1402. He was imprisoned at Falkland Palace and died on March 26, 1402, at the age of 22, probably of starvation.

Fearing for the safety of his only surviving son James (the future James I, King of Scots), Robert III decided to send him to France. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured on March 22, 1406, by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III, King of Scots, aged 68, died at Rothesay Castle on April 4, 1406, after hearing of his son’s captivity and was buried at Paisley Abbey.

Paisley Abbey; Photo Credit – By © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28719655

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.

Wedding of Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

source: Wikipedia

Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were married in Coburg in October 19-20, 1932. They were the parents of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

Gustaf Adolf’s Early Life

Gustaf Adolf (second from left) with his parents and siblings, 1912. source: Wikipedia

Prince Gustaf Adolf Oscar Fredrik Arthur Edmund of Sweden was the eldest son of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught. He was born at the Royal Palace of Stockholm on April 22, 1906, and was soon joined by four younger siblings – Ingrid, Bertil, Sigvard, and Carl Johan. His education began privately at home and then he attended the Lundbergs School, a private boarding school in Värmland. After graduating in 1925, he began a military career, serving in the cavalry. He attended the Military Academy Karlberg and the War College, and later studied at Uppsala University and the Stockholm School of Economics.

In addition to his studies and military training, Gustaf Adolf (known within the family as Edmund) became quite skilled at both fencing and horse riding. He went on to become Swedish champion in saber fencing and competed in show jumping in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He served as president of the Swedish Olympic Committee from 1933 until his death. He also was an avid steeplechase rider, although he later gave that sport up at the time of his marriage. Gustaf Adolf was also very involved with scouting, from the time he was a young boy. He remained involved his entire life, later serving as the first president of the Swedish Scouting Federation, and serving on the World Scout Committee.

Sibylla’s Early Life

Sibylla (center) with her parents and siblings, c1915. source: Wikipedia

Her Royal Highness Princess Sibylla Calma Marie Alice Bathildis Feodora of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born at Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha on January 18, 1908. She was the second of five children of Carl Eduard, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born Prince Charles Edward of Albany) and Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Her father was a grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (son of Victoria’s youngest son, Leopold, Duke of Albany), and her mother was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria’s half-sister, Feodora of Leiningen. Her siblings were Johann Leopold (1906-1972), Hubertus (1909-1943), Caroline Mathilde (1912-1983), and Friedrich Josias (1918-1998). At birth, she also held the title Princess of the United Kingdom, as her father was born a British prince.

Sibylla was educated at home, and then attended the Gymnasium Alexandrinum in Coburg, and then the Kunstgewerbeschule in Weimar, Saxony. During World War I, Sibylla’s father – despite being born a British prince – sided with the Germans as the reigning Duke of one of the German states. For this, his cousin, King George V of the United Kingdom had him stripped of the Order of the Garter which he had received in 1902. He was deposed in November 1918 and formally announced that he had “ceased to rule”, although he never technically abdicated. The family retained Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, as well as several other properties in Europe, and were given the right to live at Veste Coburg. They also received significant compensation for other lost possessions and properties.

In March 1919, the family was stripped of their British titles and peerages under the British Titles Deprivation Act. Sibylla lost her style of Royal Highness (which was derived from her father’s British title) and became simply Her Highness Princess Sibylla.

The Engagement

Despite being second cousins (both were great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla did not meet until November 1931 at the wedding of Lady May Cambridge in London. Lady May was a first cousin of Sibylla and a second cousin of Gustaf Adolf. Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf’s sister, Ingrid, were both bridesmaids, and it was Ingrid who introduced them. A romance quickly developed, and soon there was much public speculation over a possible engagement.

Gustaf Adolf was very coy with the press, denying any engagement but still telling the media to “wait and see”. In mid-June 1932, he traveled to Coburg along with his sister Ingrid. Two days later, on June 16, after having received the formal consent of King Gustaf V of Sweden, the couple’s engagement was announced at Schloss Callenberg in Coburg.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, The Crown Prince of Sweden, Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf, The Crown Princess of Sweden, The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

In the days leading up to the wedding, Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf, along with her parents, hosted a reception at the Veste Coburg for the press, who were able to find out many of the details of the wedding and see the display of wedding gifts. There were also several dinners and gala events, including a gala performance at the Opera, with many of the royal guests in attendance. In addition, a select few residents of Coburg were invited to attend as well.

Wedding Guests

Over sixty members of royal and noble families from Europe attended the wedding. One very prominent absentee was the groom’s grandfather, King Gustaf V, who refused to attend due to Coburg’s Nazi connections. He was instead officially represented by the Swedish Ambassador to Berlin. Some of the notable guests were:

The Groom’s Family
Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Crown Princess Louise
Prince Sigvard, Duke of Uppland
Princess Ingrid
Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland
Prince Carl Johan, Duke of Dalarna

The Bride’s Family
The Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Prince Johann Leopold
Prince Hubertus
Princess Caroline Mathilde
Prince Friedrich Josias

Royal Guests
Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria
King Ferdinand of Bulgaria
Prince Harald of Denmark and Princess Helena Adelaide
Princess Feodora of Denmark
Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark
Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway
Grand Duchess Victoria Melita of Russia
Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia
The Duke of Connaught
The Earl and Countess of Athlone

The Wedding Attire

For the church ceremony, the bride wore a simple gown of white silk satin with a long train. The train had belonged to Sibylla’s paternal grandmother, The Duchess of Albany, who had received it from Queen Victoria. Made of white satin, embroidered with silver and ostrich feathers, it was nine feet in length.

Another heirloom was her veil of Brussels lace. It had originally belonged to Queen Sofia, the consort of King Oscar II of Sweden (the great-grandparents of the groom), and has since become a traditional wedding bride for several Swedish brides. Instead of a tiara, Sibylla wore a crown of myrtle and flowers. She carried a bouquet of large white lilies.

The groom wore his uniform as a Lieutenant in the Swedish Guards, adorned with the sash and star of the Saxe-Ernestine House Order (of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and the star and insignia of the Swedish Order of the Seraphim and Order of the Sword.

The attendants wore simple white dresses, with pale blue shoes and white floral headdresses with blue ribbon. The blue matched the color of the groom’s regiment.

The Civil Ceremony

The civil ceremony took place on October 19, 1932, at the Coburg Castle. The brief ceremony was officiated by the Nazi Mayor of Coburg, Herr Franz Schwede. The groom wore a morning suit, while the bride wore a red wine dress. The Mayor gave a short speech, in which he recognized the joint effort of the Coburgers and the Swedes in defending the Coburg Castle during the Thirty Years’ War. He concluded that this must surely be a good omen for the success of the couple’s marriage.

Following the mayor’s speech, the marriage register was signed. Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla chose their fathers to serve as witnesses. The register was signed on a table that had originally belonged to Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the older brother of the couple’s mutual great-grandfather, Prince Albert. After the ceremony, the couple drove to St. Moritz’s Church for the rehearsal of their religious wedding the following day.

That evening, Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla, along with their parents and royal guests, viewed a torchlight procession of members of various civil organizations dancers and musicians, as well as Nazi stormtroopers. This was followed by a private dinner at the castle.

The Religious Ceremony

The religious ceremony was held on October 20, 1932, at the St. Moritz Church in Coburg. In the very traditional Lutheran service, the bride was escorted down the aisle by her father, to Handle’s “Prelude”.

The bride and groom had the following attendants:

  • Princess Ingrid of Sweden
  • Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia
  • Princess Feodora of Denmark
  • Princess Caroline of Denmark
  • Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein
  • Countess Dagmar Bernadotte (trainbearer)
  • Prince Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Prince Alexander of Prussia
  • Prince Bertil of Sweden
  • Prince Sigvard of Sweden
  • Prince Carl Johan of Sweden
  • Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (trainbearer)

The Wedding Banquet

Processing back to the castle (note the swastika displayed in the background). source: Wikipedia

Following the ceremony, the couple greeted the crowds gathered outside the church and then processed by car back to the Castle – with the roads lined with well-wishers – where a banquet was held in the Congress Hall. The guests dined on:

Wildsuppe von Fasan
(wild pheasant soup)

Seezungenfilet, gebacken, Rémouladensauce
(baked filet of sole with Rémoulade sauce)

Tarteletten mit Gänseleberpastete
(Tartelettes with goose liver pate)

Poularden, gebraten, Erbsengemüse, Kompott, Salat
(fried poulard with peas, compote and salad)

Wallsee Pudding

Käsegebäck
(Cheese pastry)

Return to Sweden

Haga Palace. photo By Holger.Ellgaard – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4389507

Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla spent a month honeymooning in Italy before returning to Sweden. They sailed into Trelleborg on November 24 and took the train to Stockholm, arriving the next day and being greeted by the Prime Minister and members of the Royal Family. They traveled by motorcade to the Royal Palace, where a Te Deum was held in the Royal Chapel. The following day, a reception was held in the Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry in the palace, followed by a musical performance in the Hall of State and then dinner in the White Sea Ballroom. The next day, a gala performance was held at the Royal Opera.

Tragically, Gustaf Adolf was killed in a plane crash in 1947, leaving Sibylla widowed with five young children. She continued to take a very active role in the Swedish Royal Family, and after the death of Queen Louise in 1965, she served as the first lady for her father-in-law. Sibylla died in November 1972, just ten months before her son succeeded to the throne as King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Children

Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla with their five children in 1946; Credit – Wikipedia

Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla had four daughters and one son:

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.

Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

source: Zimbio

King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark were married on September 18, 1964, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens.

Constantine’s Early Life

Constantine was born on June 2, 1940, at Villa Psychiko in Athens to Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Friederike of Hanover. He has one older sister – Queen Sofia of Spain, and one younger sister – Princess Irene of Greece. During World War II, the Greek Royal Family was forced to flee Greece, settling in Alexandria, Egypt, and then Cape Town, South Africa. They returned to Greece in 1946, and the following year, his uncle, King George II died. Constantine’s father became King, and Constantine became Crown Prince.

He attended school in Athens from 1949-1955, followed by all three Greek military academies. He then went to the National University of Athens to study law. An avid athlete, Tino (as he was known in the family) participated in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, winning a gold medal in sailing (Dragon Glass). This was Greece’s first gold medal in 48 years. He became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1963.

He became King of the Hellenes following his father’s death in March 1964. Just three years after the wedding, following a coup in 1967, the Greek royal family went into exile, living in Rome for several years before moving to Denmark and then finally settling in the United Kingdom. While in exile, King Constantine was deposed and the monarchy was formally abolished in 1974.

For more information about Constantine see:

Anne-Marie’s Early Life

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Princess Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid of Denmark was born on August 30, 1946, at Amalienborg in Copenhagen. She is the third and youngest daughter of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden. Her two older sisters are Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. A year after her birth, her grandfather died, and her father became King Frederik IX. Several years later, the King had the succession laws changed to allow for female succession, putting Anne-Marie third in line to succeed her father.

After attending a private school in Copenhagen from 1952-1961, Anne-Marie was enrolled at the Chatelard School for Girls, a boarding school in Switzerland, from 1961-1963. She then attended the Institut Le Mesnil, a Swiss finishing school.

For more information about Anne-Marie see:

The Engagement

Constantine and Anne-Marie are third cousins, several times over, through their mutual descent from both King Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. They first met in 1959, when Constantine accompanied his parents on a State Visit to Denmark. Constantine was 19, and Anne-Marie was just 13. They met again in Denmark in 1961, but it was in 1962 that the romance truly began to blossom. Anne-Marie was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Constantine’s sister, Sophia, to Juan Carlos of Spain. By that time, Tino was clearly smitten and the two spent much of the night dancing together. After that, Tino made many visits to Denmark to see Anne-Marie, and the media began to speculate about a romance with Anne-Marie’s older sister Benedikte. In the summer of 1962, Anne-Marie was on holiday in Norway with her governess, and Tino was also there competing in yacht racing. They spent a lot of time together, and soon he proposed, and Anne-Marie accepted. His parents were delighted with the news, but the Danish King was hesitant to give his blessing. Soon, however, he realized that the two were in love and he relented, giving his consent. However, several conditions had to be met. He insisted that the wedding could not take place until Anne-Marie had finished her education and reached her eighteenth birthday and that the engagement could not be made public until the beginning of the next year.

For the next six months, the couple kept their engagement a secret, while Constantine made many trips to Denmark, often using sailing events as an excuse for his visits. Finally, on January 23, 1963, the Danish Royal Court announced the couple’s engagement. Several days later, Constantine, Anne-Marie, and their parents appeared at a press conference and then greeted the crowds from the balcony at Amalienborg.

Once the excitement had died down, Anne-Marie returned to School in Switzerland and Tino returned to his official duties in Greece. The wedding was planned for January 1965. However, this would soon change due to the death of King Paul. In early 1964, King Paul was diagnosed with cancer. After undergoing surgery, he suffered from a pulmonary embolism and died on March 6, 1964. Tino assumed the Greek throne as King Constantine II. The wedding plans were moved forward and scheduled for September 18, 1964. This would be just weeks after Anne-Marie’s eighteenth birthday, and days after the end of the official court mourning.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

The celebrations began on September 7, 1964, when Constantine arrived in Denmark. That evening, a private dinner and dance were held at Fredensborg Castle, and the following day they returned to Amalienborg for the official display of the wedding gifts. That evening, they attended a gala performance at the Royal Theatre, followed by a lavish banquet held at Christiansborg Palace, with over 1,000 guests. The next morning, Anne-Marie and Tino were guests at a reception held by the City of Copenhagen and rode in a carriage procession through the streets to greet the thousands of Danes who had come out to wish them well.

The festivities then moved to Greece. Constantine, Anne-Marie, and her family sailed to Greece aboard the Danish Royal Yacht, Dannebrog, where they were greeted by Queen Frederica, Princess Irene, and Prince Michael.

King Constantine hosted three large receptions at Tatoi Palace, with more than 6,000 guests invited. A special committee had been formed in Athens to select people from around the country to come – at the Government’s expense – to meet the King and his future Queen. A reception was also held at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, in Athens, in honor of the Danish royal family.

On September 16, most of the royal guests began to arrive, and King Constantine personally greeted most of them as their planes landed in Athens. That evening, a gala ball was held in the gardens of the Royal Palace of Athens, with 1,600 invited guests. The royal guests were resplendent in their gowns and uniforms, with their best jewels on show. The bride wore a light blue gown with the Greek Emerald Parure, which was among the jewels given to her by Queen Frederica.

Wedding Guests

More than 1,200 guests attended the wedding, including many members of royal and noble families from around the world. According to the New York Times, the guest list included “eight reigning monarchs and their consorts, two former kings, more than 55 princes and princesses, and heads of state and representatives from more than 87 countries”. The royal guests included:

Constantine’s Immediate Family

  • Dowager Queen Frederica
  • Princess Sofia and Prince Juan Carlos of Spain
  • Princess Irene
  • Princess Viktoria Luise, Dowager Duchess of Brunswick

Anne-Marie’s Immediate Family

  • King Frederik and Queen Ingrid
  • Princess Margrethe
  • Princess Benedikte

Royal Guests

  • King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium
  • Prince Ingolf of Denmark
  • Prince Michael of Greece
  • Princess Eugenie of Greece, Duchess of Castel Duino
  • Princess Tatiana Radziwill
  • Prince George Radziwill
  • Princess Irene of Greece, Dowager Duchess of Aosta
  • The Duke and Duchess of Aosta
  • Princess Katherine of Greece, Lady Brandram and Sir Richard Brandram
  • Princess Alice of Greece
  • King Hussein and Princess Muna of Jordan
  • Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg
  • Prince Rainier of Monaco
  • Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
  • Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands
  • King Olav of Norway
  • Crown Prince Harald of Norway
  • The Count and Countess of Barcelona
  • King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden
  • Crown Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden
  • Princess Christina of Sweden
  • King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand
  • The Duke of Edinburgh
  • The Prince of Wales
  • Princess Anne of the United Kingdom
  • Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent
  • Prince Michael of Kent
  • Earl Mountbatten of Burma
  • Tsar Simeon and Tsaritsa Margarita of Bulgaria
  • Prince Georg Wilhelm and Princess Sophie of Hanover
  • Prince Karl of Hesse
  • Princess Clarissa of Hesse
  • King Umberto and Queen Marie-José of Italy
  • King Mihai and Queen Anne of Romania
  • Queen Mother Helen of Romania
  • Princess Margareta of Romania
  • Count Michael Bernadotte
  • Princess Olga of Yugoslavia
  • Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia

Wedding Attire

The bride wore a gown made by a Danish designer, Jørgen Bender. The simple, yet elegant dress featured a wide neckline, empire waist, and three-quarter sleeves, with a split-front skirt with a detailed edge, extending out into a 20-foot train.

Her veil of Irish lace was a family heirloom. It was originally a gift to her grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught, for her wedding to the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden in 1905. Holding the veil in place, Anne-Marie wore the Khedive of Egypt Tiara, another piece that goes back to her grandmother’s wedding, having been a wedding gift from the Khedive of Egypt. You can read more about the tiara here. Keeping with tradition, both the veil and the tiara have been worn by all of Queen Ingrid’s female descendants.

The groom wore his white Field Marshal’s uniform, adorned with several Greek and Danish orders and medals.

The bride’s attendants (listed below) wore simple gowns of white organza, with white flowers in their hair.

  • Princess Anne of the United Kingdom
  • Princess Christina of Sweden
  • Princess Irene of Greece
  • Princess Margareta of Romania
  • Princess Tatiana Radziwill
  • Princess Clarissa of Hesse

Wedding Ceremony

On the morning of September 18, 1964, with all of the guests already assembled at the Cathedral, King Constantine, accompanied by his mother, left the Royal Palace in an open carriage. Soon, he was followed by Princess Anne-Marie and her father. The bride’s attendants were waiting outside the cathedral to help her with her gown and train, and then the procession began.

The traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony was conducted by Archbishop Chrysostomos, the Primate of Greece. After hearing the sacraments of marriage, the two exchanged rings and took communion. Part of the service involved crowns being held over their heads. This was done first by Queen Frederica, and then by a succession of princes – Crown Prince Harald of Norway, Crown Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden, The Prince of Wales, Prince Michael of Greece, Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, Prince Ingolf of Denmark, Prince Michael of Kent, Prince Karl of Hesse and Count Michael Bernadotte.

At the end of the service, red and white rose petals fluttered down into the cathedral, as the couple embraced her parents, and the Dowager Queen Frederica curtsied to Greece’s new Queen.

Following the ceremony, the King and his new Queen led a carriage procession back to the Royal Palace where a wedding breakfast was held for 80 guests. Constantine and Anne-Marie then left for Corfu to begin their honeymoon.

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.

Wedding of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Juliana and Berhard at their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Juliana, the future Queen Juliana, and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld were married on January 7, 1937, in a civil ceremony at The Hague Town Hall in the Netherlands and in a religious ceremony at the Great Church (St. Jacobskerk), also in The Hague.

 

Juliana’s Family

Princess Juliana with her mother Queen Wilhelmina in 1914; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Juliana was born on April 30, 1909, in The Hague, the daughter of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her consort Prince Hendrik, formerly Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Juliana was born to the couple after eight years of marriage. Wilhelmina was the only surviving child of her father, Willem III of the Netherlands, so she needed to provide herself with an heir. Wilhelmina experienced several miscarriages and a stillbirth before the birth of Juliana who was, incidentally, her only surviving child. Although Juliana’s parents were not happily married, Wilhelmina and Hendrik doted on their daughter. Juliana was named for Juliana von Stolberg, the mother of Willem I of Orange, the liberator of the Dutch Netherlands from Spanish rule. Juliana spent her childhood at the palaces of Het Loo, Huis ten Bosch, and Noordeinde.

Juliana was educated with a small group of similarly aged girls of the Dutch nobility. Wilhelmina had selected Juliana’s “class” upon advice that she would learn best among children her own age. After her initial education was complete, Juliana enrolled in the University of Leiden. The intellectually curious Juliana spent four years at Leiden and received an honorary degree in literature and philosophy.

Juliana’s beloved grandmother, the former Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (known as the Queen Mother) passed away in 1935. A few months later, Prince Hendrik died suddenly of a heart attack. This meant that Queen Wilhelmina and Princess Juliana now made up the entire House of Orange. As it had been with her mother, it was necessary for Juliana to marry and produce her own heir to ensure the survival of the Dutch monarchy. While possible contenders for the future role of Juliana’s consort had been bantered about since the mid-1920s, 1935 signaled the year when full-fledged marriage preparations began.

For more information about Juliana see:

Bernhard’s Family

Bernhard with his father in 1914; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Bernhard Friedrich Eberhard Leopold Julius Kurt Carl Gottfried Peter, Graf von Biesterfeld was born on June 29, 1911, in Jena in the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach now in Germany. He was the elder son of Prince Bernhard of Lippe (younger brother of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe) and his wife Armgard von Cramm. Bernhard and Armgard’s marriage was considered morganatic, so the younger Bernhard was styled Graf von Biesterfeld (Count of Biesterfeld) at birth. Bernhard had one younger brother Prince Aschwin of Lippe-Biesterfeld (1914 –1988). In 1916, Bernhard’s uncle, the reigning Prince of Lippe, created Armgard Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld with the style Serene Highness and this title and style also was extended to her two sons.

Bernhard started his education with tutors at home and at the age of 12 began to attend a boarding school for boys in Züllichau in the Prussian province of Brandenburg, now Sulechów, Poland. In 1929, he completed his secondary education and then studied law at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland and at the Friedrich-Wilhelm University in Berlin, Germany, now Humboldt University. Bernhard then obtained a job at the Parisian subsidiary of the German chemical company IG Farben, where he continued to work until his engagement to Juliana.

For more information about Bernhard see:

The Engagement

Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard celebrate their engagement in Amsterdam on September 8, 1936

In early 1936, Wilhelmina and Juliana attended the Winter Olympics in Bavaria. The Olympic Games had long since had significant royal connections (the Greek royals had been instrumental in their revival in the late 19th century), and several royals were known to be in attendance. Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld was one of these princes at the Winter Games. Bernhard’s father, also named Bernhard, had been acquainted with Prince Hendrik, but the younger Bernhard had never been considered as a husband for Juliana. Bernhard had suffered from ill-health as a child, was the product of a morganatic marriage, had a bit of a wild side, and was not even officially a prince until after his fifth birthday, but Wilhelmina was growing desperate and consented to Bernhard’s request to meet Juliana. The two took skiing lessons together under Wilhelmina’s watchful eye.

Juliana was finally impressed with a prince – in Bernhard’s case, his intelligence, education (he had studied law in Switzerland for a time), and charisma. For his part, Bernhard found Juliana thoughtful, good-natured, and likewise intelligent. Bernhard asked Wilhelmina if he could visit Juliana in the Netherlands, which Wilhelmina granted. When these visits went well, Bernhard asked if he could accompany mother and daughter on their summer vacation in Switzerland.

Wilhelmina could see the writing on the wall. Bernhard had obviously caught Juliana’s attention and seemed sincere in his interest in her. Wilhelmina was advised of Bernhard’s previous health issues, but those had seemed to disappear after childhood. Bernhard’s family was unimpressive, but perhaps limited family interference would be a good thing. Bernhard’s mother Armgard was divorced prior to his birth and somewhat of a woman about town in her past. However, her second marriage seemed to have had a calming effect on Armgard and she was quite devoted to her family. There were rumors of Bernhard’s involvement with alcohol, women, and fast cars, but Wilhelmina dismissed these to youth.

Of more concern was Bernhard’s association with Nazism. Bernhard was a member of the honorary motorized SS corps, but this was almost standard for young German men interested in motorcycles at the time. Bernhard’s brother Aschwin was also a follower of Nazism and later became an officer in the German army. After gaining attention as a candidate for Juliana’s hand, Bernhard met briefly with Adolf Hitler. Hitler disliked Bernhard immediately – and the feeling was mutual for Bernhard. Bernhard’s dismissal of Hitler – and Juliana’s growing attachment to him – convinced Wilhelmina to allow Bernhard to propose.

And so Juliana and Bernhard became engaged in Weissenburg, Switzerland, during the summer of 1936. The engagement was announced to the Dutch public on September 8 of that year, with a wedding scheduled for January 7, 1937 – the anniversary of Juliana’s maternal grandparents. Bernhard visited his fiancée at Noordeinde Palace as an accompaniment to the announcement. Bernhard became a Dutch citizen on November 24.

In preparation for her wedding, Juliana followed a German diet plan that allowed her to lose some weight. Her dress had to be fitted multiple times to accommodate her weight loss.

The Wedding

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Juliana and Bernhard registered their marriage (known in Dutch at the “ondertrouw” or “under-marriage”) on December 19, 1936, a few weeks before the wedding. The couple attended an orchestral performance in their honor the night before the wedding. The Nazi and British national anthems were both played, with many guests on both sides visibly uncomfortable.

Dutch cafes and restaurants stayed open all night before the wedding to accommodate many curious visitors to The Hague. Oranges hung from trees in The Hague to celebrate the marriage of the heir of the House of Orange.

On January 7, 1937, Juliana and Bernhard had a civil ceremony in The Hague Town Hall. The couple traveled to the civil ceremony in the State Coach presented to Queen Wilhelmina at the time of her marriage in 1901. A second, religious service took place in the Great Church (St. Jacobskerk). Bernhard received the title of Prince of the Netherlands on the day of the wedding. Given Juliana’s position as heir to the Dutch throne, the usual bride’s vow to obey her husband was eliminated from the wedding ceremony.

Juliana and Bernhard rode to their religious wedding in a coach of glass and gold; Queen Wilhelmina followed behind the couple in a crystal coach. The bridesmaids and groomsmen traveled in three four-horsed coaches escorted by eight Hussar officers.

Juliana’s bridesmaids and child attendants included Princess Thyra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Princess Anastasia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Duchess Woislawa of Mecklenburg, Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia, Princess Helena of Erbach-Schonberg, Princess Sieglinde of Lippe-Detmold, Princess Elizabeth of Lippe-Detmold, Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg, and Countess Svea of Oeynhausen-Sieperstorff.

Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Juliana’s second cousin, was originally chosen as a bridesmaid but could not attend as the Nazi government refused to issue her a visa. Though her visa was issued at the last moment, Sophie did not attend the wedding. Baroness von Heeckeren van Kall, a lady-in-waiting to Juliana, served as a bridesmaid in her place.

Bernhard’s supporters included four Dutch nobles, four German counts, two German barons, a French cavalry officer, the Prince von Windishgraetz. Professor Huizenga of the University of Leyden took the place of the Prince of Wied who, like Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was denied a visa from Germany. His child attendants were Prince Armin of Lippe and Kaspar of Oeynhausen-Sieperstorff.

Wedding Guests

The wedding guests were made up mostly of family members of the couple, the majority of whom were German nobles and royalty. More guests were expected but many German royals and nobles did not get their expected visas from the Nazi government.

  • Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
  • Princess Armgard zur Lippe-Biesterfeld
  • Prince Viktor Adolf & Princess Rosa, Prince & Princess zu Bentheim und Steinfurt
  • Princess Elisabeth, Princess zu Erbach-Schönberg
  • Prince George, Duke of Kent (representing HM George VI)
  • Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone & HSH the Earl of Athlone
  • Major Henry & Lady May Abel Smith
  • Prince Leopold & Princess Anna, Prince & Princess of Lippe
  • Prince Armin of Lippe
  • Prince Aschwin zur Lippe-Biesterfield
  • Prince Julius & Princess Marie of Lippe
  • Prince Ernst August of Lippe
  • Princess Karola of Lippe
  • Grand Duke Friedrich Franz & Grand Duchess Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Hereditary Grand Duke Friedrich Franz of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Duke Adolf Friedrich & Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Grand Duchess Elisabeth of Oldenburg
  • Hereditary Grand Duke Nikolaus & Hereditary Grand Duchess Helena of Oldenburg
  • Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg
  • Prince Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont
  • Count Paul & Countess Allene Kotzebue
  • Count Rabe & Countess Margarethe von Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff
  • Count Caspar von Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff
  • Countess Svea von Oeynhausen-Sierstorpff
  • Count & Countess von der Goltz

Wedding Attire

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Juliana wore five diamond rose brooches connected with small pearls. The rose is in the family coat of arms of the House of Lippe. The brooches were bought at Mellerio and had been a gift from King Willem III to Queen Emma. Juliana wore an ivory satin draped dress designed by Masion Kühne of The Hague. The dress was inspired by the clothing of ancient Greece. Juliana’s veil was of white tulle with silver embroidery. The veil hung from a diadem of diamonds in the shape of a rose in honor of the House of Lippe, a gift to Juliana from Bernhard’s mother Armgard. Roses and orange blossoms also adorned her veil.

Bernhard wore the uniform of the Royal Dutch Hussars, as an honorary captaincy had been bestowed upon him when he renounced his German citizenship. Bernhard also wore a cluster of Dutch military orders on the uniform. Bernhard long wore his medals in the English style, while most Dutch wore theirs in Prussian style. The twelve bridesmaids wore satin dresses of differing pastel colors (blue, lilac, green, yellow, pink, and orange) to form the appearance of a rainbow.

Juliana and Bernhard appeared on the balcony of Noordeinde Palace after the wedding. Following a mock departure from the wedding banquet, Juliana and Bernhard left for the honeymoon the day after the wedding.

The Honeymoon

Wawel Castle; Photo Credit – By Kriskros – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21142368

Juliana and Bernhard embarked on a 3-month tour of Europe immediately after the wedding. They spent much time in Poland, skiing in Krynica Zdroj in the southern part of the country. The newly-married couple also visited Wawel Castle in Krakow. Juliana and Bernhard also visited Vienna, Budapest, Nice, Monaco, Paris, and Rome.

Children

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Juliana, Bernhard and their four daughters

Juliana and Bernhard had four daughters:

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.

Wedding of Queen Victoria of The United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were married at the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace in London, England on February 10, 1840.

Queen Victoria’s Family

Queen Victoria with her mother; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 6, 1817, a great tragedy struck the British Royal Family. Twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of George, Prince of Wales, the future King George IV, died after delivering a stillborn son. At the time of her death, Charlotte, who was second in line to the throne, was the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, despite the fact that thirteen of his fifteen children were still alive. Her death left no legitimate heir in the second generation and prompted the aging sons of George III to begin a frantic search for brides to provide for the succession.

George III’s eldest son (Charlotte’s father) and his second son Frederick, Duke of York, were in loveless marriages, and their wives, both in their late forties, were not expected to produce heirs. William, Duke of Clarence, age 53, married 26-year-old Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. 50-year-old Edward, Duke of Kent, married 32-year-old widow Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld. Victoria was the sister of Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Princess Charlotte’s widower, and the future Leopold I, King of the Belgians. Twenty-one-year-old Augusta of Hesse-Kassel married 44-year-old Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge. It was then the scramble to produce an heir began.

Within a short time, the three new duchesses and Frederica, the wife of Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, became pregnant. Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a son on March 26, 1819, and Adelaide, Duchess of Clarence had a daughter the following day. Victoria, Duchess of Kent produced a daughter on May 24, 1819, and three days later Frederica, Duchess of Cumberland had a boy. Adelaide’s daughter would have been the heir but she died in infancy. The child of the next royal duke in seniority stood to inherit the throne. This was Alexandrina Victoria, daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent and Victoria. The baby was fifth in line to the throne after her uncles George, Frederick, and William, and her father Edward.

The baby’s father, Edward, Duke of Kent died on January 23, 1820, eight months after her birth. Six days later, King George III’s death brought his eldest son to the throne as King George IV. Frederick, Duke of York, died in 1827, bringing the young princess a step closer to the throne. George IV died in 1830 and his brother William IV succeeded him. During William IV’s reign, little Drina, as she was called, was the heiress presumptive. There was always the possibility that King William IV and Queen Adelaide would still produce an heir, but it was not to be. William died on June 20, 1837, and left the throne to his 18-year-old niece, who is known to history as Queen Victoria.

Sources:
“Brewer’s British Royalty” by David Williamson
“Her Little Majesty” by Carolly Erickson
“Royal Weddings” by Dulcie M. Ashdown

Prince Albert’s Family

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Franz Albrecht August Karl Emanuel of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, better known by his anglicized name Albert, was born at Rosenau Castle near Coburg, in the Duchy of  Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in the German state of Bavaria, on August 26, 1819. Albert was the second son of the reigning Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. In 1825, the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became extinct and the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin dynasty were rearranged. Albert’s father then became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Albert became a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Albert’s parents had marital problems shortly after his birth. Ernst was a notorious womanizer and Louise also sought affection elsewhere. The couple separated in 1824 and divorced in 1826. After Louise’s early death from cancer in 1831, Ernest married his niece, Marie of Württemberg. Albert grew up at Rosenau Castle with Ernst, his older brother. The two brothers were complete opposites. Ernst grew up to be a womanizer like his father. Albert was serious-minded and had a great love for the arts and sciences.

The Coburg family had strong ties to the British Royal Family. Albert and Ernst’s uncle Leopold had married Princess Charlotte of Wales, who died tragically in childbirth. Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, their aunt, married George III’s son, Edward, Duke of Kent, and was the mother of Princess Victoria. Augusta Reuss of Erbesdorf, the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, grandmother of Victoria and Albert, suggested the possibility of marriage between them in a letter to her daughter Victoria, Duchess of Kent, in 1821, when the children were but two years old. Later, the idea was taken up by their uncle Leopold, who became the first King of the Belgians in 1831.

First cousins Victoria and Albert met for the first time in 1836 when Albert and Ernst visited England. Seventeen-year-old Victoria seemed instantly infatuated with Albert. She wrote to her uncle Leopold, “How delighted I am with him, and how much I like him in every way. He possesses every quality that could be desired to make me perfectly happy.”

In October 1839, Albert and Ernst again visited England, staying at Windsor Castle with Victoria, who was now Queen. On October 15, 1839, the 20-year-old monarch summoned her cousin Albert and proposed to him. Albert accepted, but wrote to his stepmother, “My future position will have its dark sides, and the sky will not always be blue and unclouded.”

Sources:
“Brewer’s British Royalty” by David Williamson
“Her Little Majesty” by Carolly Erickson
“Uncrowned King” by Stanley Weintraub
“Royal Weddings” by Dulcie M. Ashdown

The Wedding 

The wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; Credit – Wikipedia

Queen Victoria proposed to her cousin Albert on October 15, 1839. He accepted, and the couple was married in the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace on February 10, 1840, at 1 pm. Traditionally, royal weddings took place at night, but this wedding was held during the day so the Queen’s subjects could see the couple as they traveled down The Mall from Buckingham Palace, the short distance to St. James’ Palace.

WEDDING GUESTS

The Bride’s Family

  • The Dowager Duchess of Kent (Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld), the bride’s mother
  • Prince Carl, 3rd Prince of Leiningen and the Princess of Leiningen, the bride’s half-brother and his wife
  • Ernst Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Leiningen, the bride’s half-nephew
  • The Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (Princess Feodora of Leiningen) and Ernst I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the bride’s half-sister and her husband
  • Carl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the bride’s half-nephew
  • Queen Adelaide, widow of the bride’s paternal uncle King William IV
  • Princess Augusta Sophia, the bride’s paternal aunt
  • King Ernst August and Queen Frederica of Hanover, the bride’s paternal uncle and aunt
  • George, Crown Prince of Hanover, the bride’s first cousin
  • Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex and Cecilia Underwood, 1st Duchess of Inverness, the bride’s paternal uncle and aunt
  • Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and Duchess of Cambridge (Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel), the bride’s paternal uncle and aunt
  • Prince George of Cambridge, the bride’s first cousin
  • Princess Augusta of Cambridge, the bride’s first cousin
  • Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the bride’s first cousin
  • Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the bride’s paternal aunt
  • Princess Sophia, the bride’s paternal aunt

The Groom’s Family

(Note: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were first cousins.  Victoria’s mother and Albert’s father were siblings and so they share Saxe-Coburg-Gotha first cousins, aunts, and uncles)

  • Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and his second wife Marie of Württemberg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the groom’s father and stepmother, and the bride’s maternal uncle and aunt
  • Ernst, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the groom’s brother, and the bride’s first cousin
  • Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia (Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld), the groom’s paternal aunt, and the bride’s maternal aunt
  • Prince Ferdinand and Princess Maria Antonia of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, the groom’s paternal uncle and aunt, and the bride’s maternal uncle and aunt
  • King Consort Ferdinand (Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry) and Queen Maria II of Portugal, the groom and bride’s first cousin and his wife
  • Prince August and Princess Clémentine of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry (Princess Clémentine of Orléans), the groom and bride’s first cousin and his wife
  • Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, the groom and bride’s first cousin
  • Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry, the groom and bride’s first cousin
  • King Leopold I (Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld) and Queen Louise-Marie of the Belgians (Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans), the groom’s paternal uncle and aunt, and the bride’s maternal uncle and aunt
  • Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the groom and bride’s first cousin
  • Prince Philippe of Belgium, the groom and bride’s cousin
  • The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (Princess Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel), the groom’s maternal step-grandmother

Wedding Attire

Victoria’s Wedding Dress; Credit – Wikipedia

Bridesmaid’s Dress; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

Albert wore the uniform of a British field marshal, over which hung the collar of the Order of the Garter, an honor Queen Victoria had recently bestowed on him. Victoria’s wedding dress was made from rich white satin trimmed with orange flower blossoms. On her head, she wore a wreath of the same flowers, over which was a veil of Honiton lace. She wore her Turkish diamond necklace and earrings and Albert’s wedding present of a sapphire brooch.

While Queen Victoria may have popularized the white wedding dress, she was not the first royal bride to wear one. Documentation from the 1406 wedding of Philippa of England, daughter of King Henry IV of England, and Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway indicates that Philippa wore a tunic and cloak in white silk bordered with gray squirrel and ermine, making her the first documented princess to wear a white wedding dress. In 1558, when Mary, Queen of Scots married the first of her three husbands, the future (and short-reigned) François II, King of France, she also wore white defying the tradition that white was the color of mourning for Queens of France.

Bridesmaids

The twelve bridesmaids, all daughters of peers of the realm, were dressed in tulle and white roses. Each bridesmaid received a gold brooch in the shape of an eagle covered in turquoise, rubies, and pearls with a diamond beak, designed by Victoria herself.

  • Lady Mary Howard, daughter of Henry Howard, 13th Duke of Norfolk
  • Lady Caroline Gordon-Lennox, daughter of Charles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond
  • Lady Adelaide Paget, daughter of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey
  • Lady Eleanora Paget, granddaughter of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey
  • Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle
  • Lady Wilhelmina Stanhope, daughter of Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope
  • Lady Sarah Villiers, daughter of George Child Villiers, 5th Earl of Jersey
  • Lady Elizabeth Sackville-West, daughter of George Sackville-West, 5th Earl de la Warr
  • Lady Ida Hay, daughter of William Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll
  • Lady Frances Cowper, daughter of Peter Cowper, 5th Earl Cowper
  • Lady Mary Grimston, daughter of James Grimston, 1st Earl of Verulam
  • Lady Jane Pleydell-Bouverie, daughter of William Pleydell-Bouverie, 3rd Earl of Radnor

William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward Venables-Vernon, Archbishop of York, and Charles James Blomfield, Bishop of London performed the wedding ceremony. There had been no rehearsal and the chapel was too small for the large wedding party. The bridesmaids stepped on each other’s dresses and kicked each other’s heels. At times it appeared Albert was not quite sure what he should be doing, and he seemed rather awkward and embarrassed.

After the Wedding

The Wedding Cake; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

After the ceremony, the couple returned to Buckingham Palace for a wedding breakfast. Hundreds of wedding cakes were distributed, mainly to members of the royal family. The main wedding cake was more than nine feet in diameter, but only sixteen inches high. This remarkable piece of Victoriana consisted of Britannia gazing at the royal couple while they pledged their vows at the top of the cake. At their feet were two turtledoves and a dog. The letters “V & A” were visible as well as Cupid writing the date of the wedding on his tablet.

After the wedding breakfast, the couple changed into their traveling outfits. Prince Albert wore a dark suit, while Victoria wore a white satin cloak trimmed with swansdown and a textured white velvet bonnet with plumes of feathers and a deep fall of Brussels point lace. They set off for Windsor Castle, where they spent their two-day honeymoon.

Sources:
“Victoria & Albert: A Family Life at Osborne House” by The Duchess of York
“Prince Albert: A Biography” by Robert Rhodes James
“Queen Victoria” by Cecil Woodham-Smith
Wikipedia: Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

The Honeymoon

View from Coopers Hill, with Runnemede and Windsor Castle, engraved by E. Radclyffe after a picture by Thomas Allom, published 1842; Credit -Wikipedia

Newlyweds Victoria and Albert set off in a coach for Windsor Castle for a short honeymoon. There were so many well-wishers along the route that their arrival at Windsor was delayed. Victoria had a “sick headache” and had to lie down on a sofa. Despite this, she described her wedding night as “bliss beyond belief” and confided to her diary, “we did not sleep much.”

Anna Russell, The Duchess of Bedford, one of Victoria’s Ladies of the Bedchamber, observed that Albert seemed “not a bit” in love with Victoria and gave the impression of “not being happy.” He spent the afternoon lying down recovering from the previous day’s and night’s activities. After a very short stay at Windsor Castle, the couple returned to London where Victoria resumed her duties.

Sources:
“Brewer’s British Royalty” by David Williamson
“Her Little Majesty” by Carolly Erickson
“Uncrowned King” by Stanley Weintraub

Children of Victoria and Albert

Carte-de-visite photomontage, circa 1861 by John Mayall; Credit- Wikipedia

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children.

Unofficial Royalty: Queen Victoria’s Children and Grandchildren

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Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

NPG x24138; Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha by Vernon Heath, printed and published by Samuel E. Poulton

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha by Vernon Heath, published by Samuel E. Poulton, albumen carte-de-visite, 1861 NPG x24138 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Prince Franz Albrecht August Karl Emanuel of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, better known by his anglicized name Albert, was born at Rosenau Castle near Coburg, in the Duchy of  Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in the German state of Bavaria, on August 26, 1819. Albert was the second of the two sons of the reigning Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. In 1825, the House of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg became extinct and the Saxon Duchies held by the Ernestine line of the Wettin Dynasty were rearranged. Albert’s father then became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Albert became a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Albert was christened with the German names Franz Albrecht August Karl Emanuel but was called Albrecht, Albert in English. His godparents were:

Albert had one brother who was fourteen months older:

Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, with her children, Albert and Ernst; Credit – Wikipedia

Since Albert and Ernst were close in age, they were also close companions during their childhood. However, their childhood was marred by their parents’ disastrous marriage, separation, and divorce. Albert’s mother and father, who were seventeen years apart in age, were very different and drifted apart soon after Albert’s birth. Albert’s father was a notorious womanizer and as a result, his young wife Louise sought consolation with Baron Alexander von Hanstein, the Duke’s equerry. Louise was exiled from court in 1824 and divorced in March 1826. Seven months later, Louise secretly married von Hanstein. She died in 1831 at the age of 30 from cancer of the uterus. After Louise’s exile from court in 1824, she probably never saw her sons again. In 1831, the Duke married again to Duchess Marie of Württemberg, his niece, the daughter of his sister Antoinette. The Duke and Marie had no children, but Marie had a good relationship with her stepsons, also her first cousins, and maintained a correspondence with Albert throughout their lives.

Albert was first educated at home by a caring tutor, Johann Christoph Florschütz, who had a lifelong correspondence with Albert. Albert then studied with private tutors in Brussels, Belgium, where his paternal uncle was King Leopold I of the Belgians. He then studied at the University of Bonn, which many German princes attended. While at the University of Bonn, Albert studied law, political economy, philosophy, and art history. In his free time, he played music and excelled in gymnastics, fencing, and riding.

The Coburg family had strong ties to the British royal family. Albert’s uncle Leopold (the previously mentioned King of the Belgians) had married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of King George IV, who had died in childbirth. His aunt Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld had married King George III’s son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and was the mother of the future Queen Victoria. Plans for a possible marriage between first cousins Victoria and Albert had first been mentioned by their grandmother the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg in letters to her daughter the Duchess of Kent in 1821. The idea was later taken up by their uncle Leopold.

In 1836, the cousins met for the first time when Ernst and Albert were taken by their father on a visit to England. Seventeen-year-old Victoria seemed instantly infatuated with Albert. She wrote to her uncle Leopold, “How delighted I am with him, and how much I like him in every way. He possesses every quality that could be desired to make me perfectly happy.” In October of 1839, Albert and Ernst again visited England, staying at Windsor Castle with Victoria, who was now Queen. On October 15, 1839, the 20-year-old monarch summoned her cousin Albert and proposed to him. Albert accepted, but wrote to his stepmother Marie, “My future position will have its dark sides, and the sky will not always be blue and unclouded.” The couple was married in the Chapel Royal at St. James’ Palace on February 10, 1840, at 1 p.m. Traditionally, royal weddings took place at night, but this wedding was held during the day so the Queen’s subjects could see the couple as they traveled down The Mall from Buckingham Palace.

NPG D11227; The Bridal Morn (Queen Victoria; Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) by Samuel William Reynolds Jr, after Frederick William Lock

The Bridal Morn (Queen Victoria; Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) by Samuel William Reynolds Jr, after Frederick William Lock, mezzotint, published 1844 NPG D11227 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Shortly after his marriage, Albert wrote to a friend, “I am only the husband and not the master in my house.” Albert was expected to be ready at a moment’s notice to go to his new wife to read aloud, play the piano, be petted, or blot her signature. Victoria was delighted to parade Albert before her court and, as she confided to her diary, to have him put her stockings on her feet. During Victoria’s early pregnancies, Albert showed a talent for diplomatic dealings with her ministers and an ability to understand complex government documents. Soon Albert was dealing with more and more of Victoria’s governmental duties and they worked with their desks side-by-side. As Albert’s influence over Victoria grew, she began to defer to him on every issue.

Victoria was quite temperamental and had a strong sexuality which Albert apparently met, as evidenced by the birth of nine children. Albert was somewhat prudish and his high moral standards would never allow extramarital affairs. He found marriage to Victoria a full-time job which exhausted him physically and mentally. Victoria rewarded Albert by creating him Prince Consort in 1857.

All of Victoria and Albert’s nine children grew to adulthood. However, their youngest son, Leopold, was afflicted with the genetic blood clotting disease hemophilia and two of their daughters, Alice and Beatrice, were hemophilia carriers.

Albert and Victoria had nine children:

Victoria and Albert’s children and grandchildren married into other European royal families giving Victoria the unofficial title of “Grandmother of Europe.” Their grandchildren sat upon the thrones of Germany/Prussia, Greece, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom as monarchs or consorts. Through these marriages, Victoria and Albert’s daughters and granddaughters transmitted the genetic disease hemophilia to other royal families. Victoria and Albert’s descendants currently sit upon the thrones of Denmark, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Victoria and Albert and their nine children in 1857; Credit – Wikipedia

Victoria and Albert, whose primary residences were Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, felt they needed residences of their very own. Albert’s architectural talents are evident in the seaside Italian-style palace Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and in Balmoral, a castle in the Scottish highlands. Osborne and Balmoral became their favorite homes. Following Victoria’s death, Osborne was given to the state and served as a Royal Navy training college from 1903-1921. Today it is open to the public as a home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Balmoral Castle remains the private property of the monarch and is used by the British Royal Family for their summer holidays.

Balmoral Castle; Credit – By Stuart Yeates from Oxford, UK – Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=728182

Besides helping Victoria privately with her paperwork, Prince Albert took on several public roles. He became President of the Society for the Extinction of Slavery. Slavery had already been abolished throughout the British Empire but was still legal in many places including the United States and the French colonies. After being appointed Chancellor of Cambridge University, Albert had the curriculum modified to include modern history and the natural sciences in addition to the traditional mathematics and classics.

Albert’s interest in applying science and art to the manufacturing industry led to the Great Exhibition of 1851.  Prince Albert and Sir Henry Cole, a civil servant and an inventor, organized the exhibition. In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, the exhibition allowed countries to show their modern and technological achievements. Queen Victoria opened the exhibition in a specially designed glass building known as the Crystal Palace on May 1, 1851. It was a huge success and a surplus of £180,000 was used to purchase land in South Kensington, London on which was established educational and cultural institutions, including what would later be the Victoria and Albert Museum.

NPG D16397; The Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851. Plate 2. The Foreign Nave by Joseph Nash

The Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851. Plate 2. The Foreign Nave by Joseph Nash, hand-coloured lithograph, published 1851, NPG D16397 © National Portrait Gallery, London

After years of mismanagement by the previous Hanover monarchs, Albert managed to modernize the royal finances and investments, and under his watch, the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall, the hereditary property of the Prince of Wales, steadily increased. Today’s British royal family can thank Prince Albert for their financial situation.

On March 16, 1861, Queen Victoria’s mother died. Because of Victoria’s grief, Albert took over many of her duties although he was chronically suffering from stomach problems. In the fall, Victoria and Albert learned that their 20-year-old eldest son Bertie (the future King Edward VII) was having an affair with an Irish actress. Devastated by this news, Albert traveled to Cambridge to discuss the matter with his son. On November 25, 1861, the two walked together in the pouring rain while Albert explained how horrified he and the Queen felt about the situation. Victoria later blamed her son for Albert’s final illness – “That boy…I never can, or ever shall look at him without a shudder.”

When Albert returned to Windsor Castle, he complained of shoulder, leg, back, and stomach pain and could not eat or sleep. He was examined by doctors who assured Victoria that Albert would be better in two or three days. Even while Albert was feeling ill, he was still working. When the Trent Affair, the forcible removal of Confederate diplomats from a British ship by Union forces during the American Civil War, threatened war between the United States and the United Kingdom, Albert intervened on November 30, 1861, to soften the British diplomatic response. His action probably prevented war between the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, Albert’s condition continued to worsen. Victoria continued to hope for a recovery, but finally, on December 11, the doctors told her the dismal prognosis. At 10:50 PM on December 14, 1861, Albert died in the presence of his wife and five of their nine children.

Sir William Jenner, one of Prince Albert’s doctors, diagnosed his final illness as typhoid fever, but Albert’s modern biographers have argued that the diagnosis is incorrect. Albert had been complaining of stomach pains for two years and this may indicate that he died of some chronic disease, perhaps complications from Crohn’s disease, kidney failure, or cancer.

L0021975 The last moments of HRH the Prince Consort.

The last moments of HRH the Prince Consort, Credit: Wellcome Library, London

Left a widow with nine children at the age of 42, the Queen’s grief was immense. She withdrew from public life and wore black for the 40 years that she survived Albert. The Blue Room in Windsor Castle where Albert had died was kept as it had been when he was alive, complete with hot water brought in the morning, and linen and towels changed daily.  Queen Victoria’s family called December 14 “Mausoleum Day”. They were expected to attend the annual memorial service in the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore where Albert was buried. After her death on January 22, 1901, at the age of 81, Victoria was interred alongside her beloved Albert in the Royal Mausoleum.

Sarcophagus of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore, Credit – www.findagrave.com

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House of Hanover and Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Wedding of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Photo Credit – 02varvara.wordpress.com

King Juan Carlos of Spain, whose title at the time was The Prince of Asturias, married Princess Sophia of Greece on May 14, 1962, in a Roman Catholic ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Denis in Athens, Greece, and then in a Greek Orthodox ceremony at the Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral of the Virgin Mary also in Athens.

Juan Carlos’ Early Life

Juan Carlos, his father and his brother Alfonso in 1950; Credit – Wikipedia

Juan Carlos was born in Rome, Italy, on January 5, 1938, the eldest son of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and his second cousin, Maria de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. The Count of Barcelona was considered an heir to the defunct Spanish throne at the time of his son’s birth. Born one month premature, Juan Carlos’ mother had been at the movie theater and his father hunting when labor began.

Juan Carlos joined his then 2-year-old sister Pilar in the nursery. Juan Carlos’ second sister Margarita followed in 1939, along with brother Alfonso in 1941. Although he was christened Juan Alfonso Carlos in honor of his father and grandfathers, he was known among his family as “Juanito,” the diminutive version of Juan. Like the majority of Spaniards, Juan Carlos was raised a Roman Catholic.

Born several years after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic and the exile of the Spanish royals, Juan Carlos grew up mainly in Portugal, Switzerland, and Italy. Juan Carlos and Alfonso later continued their studies in Spain with the consent of Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Juan Carlos completed his secondary schooling at the San Isidro Institute in Madrid.

In 1956, Juan Carlos’ life took a tragic turn when his younger brother Alfonso died after a shooting at the family’s home in Portugal. Stories began circulating that Juan Carlos had unintentionally killed his brother by firing the gun, unaware it was loaded. Juan Carlos’ role in Alfonso’s death (if he had one) has never been officially addressed, although by most accounts the death was accidental.

The Prince visited the United States in 1958, at which time Generalissimo Franco discussed reviving the Spanish monarchy following his own death. Although Franco regarded the Count of Barcelona with suspicion, he seemed to hold his son Juan Carlos in affection. The Count of Barcelona said he would never abdicate his claim to the throne to his son, and Juan Carlos said he would not accept the throne against his father’s wishes.

Juan Carlos served in the army, navy, and air force in Spain, and studied at the University of Madrid for a time, with a focus on economics and philosophy. He eventually became fluent in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and English and learned some Greek. Juan Carlos developed interests in hunting, waterskiing, golf, and car racing. During his young adulthood, he also collected records and cigarette lighters.

For more information about  Juan Carlos see:

Sophia’s Early Life

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Sophia was born in Psychiko, Greece, a suburb of Athens, on November 2, 1938. Sophia is the eldest child of Paul I, King of the Hellenes and his German-born wife, Frederica of Hanover. Sophia’s brother, the future King Constantine II, was born in 1940. Her sister Irene followed in 1943. Sophia was brought up in the Greek Orthodox faith.

Known within the family as Sophie, Sophia lived with her family in Egypt, Crete, and South Africa during World War II and the subsequent expulsion of the Greek monarchy from the country. The family returned to Greece in 1946.

Sophia was educated at the El Nasr Girls’ College in Alexandria while she lived in Egypt. Sophia later attended the Schloss Salem School in Salem, Germany, where her Hanoverian uncle George served as headmaster. After spending time as a student at Fitzwilliam College at Cambridge University, Sophia completed her education in Athens.

In 1958, Sophia visited the United States with her mother and brother. The family made appearances at several sites in numerous states during their month-long visit. During a stop in Quincy, Massachusetts, Queen Frederica christened a new oil tanker The Princess Sophie. The tanker was owned by Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos, via one of his many companies. At the time, The Princess Sophie was the largest cargo ship ever built in the United States.

In 1960, Sophia served as an alternate to her brother on the Greek Olympic sailing team. The entire family traveled to Rome to see Constantine and the Greek sailing team win the Dragon class gold medal. Along with her native Greek, Sophia became fluent in her mother’s native language German, English, and later French and Spanish.

For more information about Sofia see:

Royal Romance

In an effort for young, suitable European royals to meet and mingle (and also to boost tourism in Greece), Sophia’s mother arranged a Mediterranean cruise on the Greek yacht Agamemnon in 1954. Several teenage and twenty-something royals were invited to tour a handful of Greek islands. Juan Carlos and Sophie were among the young royals on the cruise.

Common with young, marriageable royals of the time, Sophia and Juan Carlos were romantically linked with others early in their adulthood. Juan Carlos was rumored to be involved with Maria Gabriella of Italy, a daughter of former King Umberto II. He often spoke of Maria Gabriella in letters to friends, escorted her at weddings, and was photographed with her. Sophia’s name was frequently mentioned as a possible bride of the future King Harald V of Norway. There was also talk of Sophia marrying into one of the wealthy Greek ship-owning families.

However, by the summer of 1958, it appeared that Sophia and Juan Carlos were beginning to take a romantic interest in one another. At the wedding of Duchess Elisabeth of Württemberg and Antoine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies that July, Juan Carlos reportedly said that Sophia enchanted him. The two spent a much time together at the wedding celebrations, although he was officially the escort of Maria Gabriella.

The families of Sophia and Juan Carlos reunited in Rome at the 1960 Olympic Games. The Greek royal family held a dinner for their Spanish guests onboard the ship Polemistis. At that point, Sophia and Juan Carlos had not seen each other for several months. During that time Juan Carlos had grown a mustache, which Sophia disliked on sight. She reportedly grabbed Juan Carlos’ hand, took him to the ship’s bathroom, and shaved off the mustache. Sophia later expressed surprise that he let her do it. Following the Olympics, Sophia’s family invited Juan Carlos and his family to spend Christmas 1960 with them in Corfu, Greece.

Sophia, Constantine, and Irene traveled to the United Kingdom in June 1961 to attend the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Due to a matter of protocol, Juan Carlos conveniently served as Sophia’s escort. Irene and Sophia were seen spending time with Juan Carlos at the wedding and various other events, which caught the eye of the press, encouraging rumors that Juan Carlos was courting one of the two sisters. Constantine acted as an unofficial chaperone for Sophia and Juan Carlos when the two attended several private events in London.

Following the success of the Kent wedding, Juan Carlos spent much of the summer of 1961 on Corfu at Mons Repos, the Greek royal summer home. Sophia later remarked that the two had several rather nasty arguments while sailing. She said it was during this trip that she decided marriage to Juan Carlos would be a viable option, as she felt if they could move past those arguments (which they did), they stood a chance at having a successful marriage.

Juan Carlos’ presence in Greece led to talk of him courting Sophia or Irene, but both families continued to officially deny the rumors. The Spaniards, in particular, wished to hide the news of the romance from Generalissimo Franco, whose relationship with Juan Carlos’ family had deteriorated in recent months.

The Engagement

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The engagement was announced on September 13, 1961, during a dinner at the villa of Juan Carlos’ grandmother, former Queen Victoria Eugenie (Ena) in Lausanne, Switzerland. The parents of the bride and groom soon joined their children in Lausanne to mark the happy event.

At the villa, Sophia and Juan Carlos later met with members of the Swiss press to discuss the engagement. Juan Carlos said that he was not certain when he fell in love with Sophia, but that the couple had known each other for several years. Evidently, the two had surprised both sets of parents by indicating their wish to marry.

Reportedly, Juan Carlos popped the question to Sophia in a rather unusual way. While attending an event at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Lausanne, Juan Carlos said “Sofi, catch it!” while tossing a small box in her direction. Sophia did catch the box, and when she opened it she saw that it contained a ring made from melted ancient coins dating back to the reign of Alexander the Great. Juan Carlos then happily said, “Now we will get married, okay?” Years later, Sophia jokingly remarked that Juan Carlos never officially asked her to marry him.

Crown Prince Constantine, acting as regent of Greece during his father’s absence from the country, announced news of the engagement in Greece. According to Constantine, Paul was so excited by the news that he was unaware of the late hour (3:00 AM) when he called to share it with his son. Constantine himself said he was so thrilled by the news of the engagement that he had trouble going back to sleep.

In celebration of his sister’s engagement, Constantine provided Greek news editors with champagne at the royal palace in Athens the following day. A 21-gun salute was fired from nearby Mount Lycabettus to announce to the Greek public the upcoming marriage of their princess.

Juan Carlos and his mother left Lausanne the following day for Athens, traveling with Sophia and her family. Over 100,000 Greek citizens were waiting in the streets of Athens to welcome the new couple to the country.

Wedding Preparations

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Due to Juan Carlos’ uneasy position in Spain, an Athens wedding was planned for May, the beginning of the tourist season in Greece. The celebrations involved 4 ½ months of nearly round-the-clock preparation headed by Colonel Dimitri Levidis, Grand Marshal of the Greek royal court. Colonel Levidis was in charge of every detail from the wording of the invitations to the exact timing of each ceremony. Because May was often a hot month in Greece, most of the official events connected with the wedding were scheduled indoors for the comfort of guests.

The difference in Juan Carlos’ and Sophia’s faiths posed questions on how the couple should be religiously married. In addition, Juan Carlos’ position regarding the restoration of the Spanish monarchy needed to be considered. While conversion to Catholicism was not required of Sophia to marry, the Spanish public would likely expect a future queen to be a practicing Catholic.

As such, a meeting was scheduled in November 1961, between Juan Carlos and a group of Spanish advisors at his home in Estoril, Portugal. The focus of the meeting was to discuss the best way to navigate the question of religion. Sophia began lessons in Spanish language, history, and geography. As a gesture of affection toward his fiancée, Juan Carlos simultaneously began learning the Greek language.

An estimated 5,800 hotel rooms were added in Athens in late 1961 and early 1962 in preparation for the wedding, predicted as the highlight of that year’s Greek tourist season. Officials also began seeking wealthy Greek citizens with extra space to house the influx of tourists and guests.

The wedding expenses were a major sticking point for many, with protests over the cost and the tradition surrounding Sophia’s $300,000 tax-free dowry. The opposition parties of the Greek Parliament abstained from voting on the dowry proposal but voiced displeasure on the “anachronistic and barbarous” practice of granting such monies, as well as expressed general criticism toward the royal family.

Sophia was seen at the Paris summer fashion season in January 1962 with her mother, sister, and Olga of Yugoslavia, herself a Greek princess and friend of Queen Frederica. The group was in Paris to view the collection of Jean Desses, the Paris-based designer hired to design Sophia’s dress and trousseau. Desses later remarked that the trousseau was not particularly costly or extensive as the Greek royal family was reported to be somewhat poor compared to their royal counterparts.

Celebrations in Athens

Three days of pre-wedding festivities began in Athens on May 10. Events included a garden party for 2,000 guests hosted by the parents of the couple. Spanish ambassador Marquis Luca de Tena held a gala for the couple in Athens the evening before the wedding. The gala featured Greek folk dancers performing in front of a large gathering of fellow royals and other prominent guests.

Prince Constantine took charge of the younger, unmarried adult royals attending the festivities, hosting a ball and sightseeing tours for up-and-coming royals. Members of the wealthy Athenian youth served as tour guides for the visitors.

Juan Carlos was observed as rather tense and gloomy during the celebrations. Unknown to most of the public, Juan Carlos was in severe pain. Less than a month before the wedding, he had broken his left collarbone while practicing judo with Prince Constantine. The sling had been removed just days before the parties began, but the pains in Juan Carlos’ arm and shoulder were still considerable.

Approval of the Churches

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As Juan Carlos and Sophia were of different faiths, special consent was needed from both churches for the marriage to occur. A Greek Orthodox ceremony was required for the couple to be married in Greece, but the Spanish would likely not accept a future royal couple that had not been married according to Roman Catholic rites. The Duke of Edinburgh was asked to weigh in on his own experience converting from Greek Orthodoxy to the Church of England upon his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II.

After some discussion, an agreement was made to marry the couple in dual Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox ceremonies. The Catholic service would be held at the Cathedral of St. Denis, while the Orthodox ceremony would take place at the Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in Athens.

Sophia signed a pledge issued by Pope John XXIII promising to raise any children in the Catholic faith and not to convert Juan Carlos to Orthodoxy. She also received instruction in Roman Catholicism, but at the time of the wedding, her own possible conversion to the faith was still officially in question. Shortly before the wedding, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church gave their approval for the Orthodox ceremony.

Two days before the wedding, Sophia formally renounced her claim to the Greek throne. The renunciation was seen as a precursor to Sophia’s expected conversion to Roman Catholicism, as adherence to Greek Orthodoxy was required of Greek rulers. However, the Greek government had repeatedly expressed their opinion that should Sophia convert, she should not do so before leaving Greece.

Three weeks after the wedding, it was announced that Sophia would be converting to the Catholic faith. During a honeymoon visit in Rome, Pope John XXIII received the couple in celebration of the announcement and presented Sophia with a rosary.

Wedding Ceremonies

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Very early on the morning of the wedding, several loads of fresh red roses were delivered to both the Catholic and Orthodox churches at the request of the bride and Queen Frederica. Over 35,000 roses alone decorated the Orthodox cathedral. Father Benedict Brindisi, Archbishop of Athens, and Chrystomos, Primate of Greece conducted the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox ceremonies respectively.

The Catholic ceremony was to be held first, scheduled for 10:00 AM on May 14, 1962. Sophia and her father traveled from the palace to the Cathedral of St. Denis in the same coach used for the 1908 wedding of George, Prince of Greece and Marie Bonaparte. The carriage was pulled by six white horses.

According to estimates by the Athens police, several hundred thousand (possibly up to one million) Greek and Spanish spectators packed the two-mile procession between the palace and both cathedrals. Upon arrival at St. Denis, Sophia was said to have seemed nervous and worried about the appearance of her train. However, before entering the cathedral, Sophia turned to wave at the excited spectators.

The cathedral was decorated with several thousand yellow and red roses and carnations in honor of the colors of Spain. While waiting at the altar at the beginning of the ceremony, Juan Carlos was said to be standing “ramrod-stiff”. Juan Carlos was addressed in Spanish during the ceremony, while Sophia was addressed in Greek.

Following the Catholic ceremony, Juan Carlos and Sophia rode together in state coach to the royal palace, while the guests headed to the Metropolitan Cathedral for the Orthodox service. After a very brief rest, Sophia and her father again rode from the palace to Orthodox cathedral via the same 1908 blue and gilt coach, while Juan Carlos traveled in a separate carriage with his mother.

The Orthodox service began at noon at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Virgin Mary. As part of the Orthodox ceremony, attendants exchanged the rings and crowns worn by Juan Carlos and Sophia three times. The crowns were the same as those used during the wedding of Paul and Frederica in 1938.

Sophia smiled throughout both ceremonies, although she did shed some tears toward the end of the Orthodox service. Queen Frederica was also said to have cried during the service. Juan Carlos put his arm around and offered Sophia his handkerchief to comfort her. Not to be outdone by the Catholics, 22 Orthodox bishops assisted the Primate during the ceremony.

Upon leaving the Orthodox cathedral, a very excited Sophia nearly tripped over her long train. The couple descended the cathedral steps under a tunnel of swords held by eighteen Spanish officers, friends of Juan Carlos from the three Spanish military academies. Spanish royalists shouted, “Long live the King!” as the couple exited under a tunnel of swords. Sophia then threw her wedding bouquet, caught by Anne-Marie of Denmark, who married Sophia’s brother Constantine in 1964.

A short civil ceremony was held at the Greek Royal Palace following the religious services. Sophia would now be known as Sofia – the Spanish version of her name. A wedding banquet followed for guests attending the two religious ceremonies.

While most of the Greek public cheered the new couple with Greek and Spanish flags, the wedding was not universally popular. The heat of the wedding day also took a toll on several spectators. A 72-year-old Greek woman died of a heart attack during the festivities, and several others were treated for heat-related conditions.

Wedding Attire

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Sophia wore a dress of silver lame covered in layers of heirloom Bruges lace and tulle. The dress was rather simple in design, with fitted three-quarter-length sleeves, a flared skirt, and a jewel neckline. The twenty-foot-long white lame and organza train extended from the neck of the dress.

The dress was designed by Jean Desses, a French designer of Greek heritage and a favorite of Queen Frederica. The choice of a designer located in neither Greece nor Spain caused an uproar, which Sophia attempted to soothe by requesting the dress be cut in Paris and assembled in Athens by a Greek seamstress. Desses also designed most of the pieces of Sophia’s trousseau.

Sophia’s veil consisted of fifteen feet of heirloom Bruges lace. Queen Frederica had worn the same veil when she married Paul of Greece in 1938. Sophia’s shoes, designed by Roger Vivier for Jean Desses, were also covered in lace. She carried a bouquet of lilies of the valley, a traditional wedding flower.

Sophia chose to wear the tiara now known as the Prussian Diamond Tiara or Hellenic Tiara. This tiara was originally gifted from German Emperor Wilhelm II to his daughter Viktoria Luise upon her marriage to Ernst Augustus of Hanover. Viktoria Luise then passed it to her daughter, Sophia’s mother Frederica upon her marriage into the Greek royal family. Frederica, in turn, gave the tiara to Sophia, as a wedding present. Very Hellenic in appearance, the platinum and diamond tiara features lines of pillars, Greek keys, and laurel surrounding an oval framing a single and free-hanging pear-shaped diamond.

The eight bridesmaids each wore a strapless dress of silver lame gauze. The skirt of the dress had many shallow pleats, which flared out the lightweight material. The dress was covered by a pastel silk faille top with three-quarter length sleeves and scoop necklines. Narrow ribbons tied into small bows just below the bust and at the waist created a cummerbund-style effect. The bridesmaids wore thick, braided headpieces that matched the dress and wore long white gloves during the ceremonies.

As he had served in all branches of the Spanish military, Juan Carlos had his choice of uniforms to sport on the wedding day, eventually wearing the olive green army uniform, possibly to please Generalissimo Franco. Like most royal grooms, Juan Carlos wore several of his many orders on his uniform. The Greek Order of the Redeemer was worn as the primary order, one of the oldest and most distinguished decorations awarded in Greece. Juan Carlos also wore several of his Spanish orders, including the Order of the Golden Fleece and the Order of Charles III.

Wedding Party

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Sophia chose a collection of eligible, young, European royal women born right around the beginning of World War II as her bridesmaids. The bridesmaids were:

  • Anne of Orléans, a daughter of Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris and pretender to the French throne, and his wife Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza, a princess of the old Brazilian empire.
  • Benedikte and Anne-Marie of Denmark, the two younger daughters of Frederik IX of Denmark and Ingrid of Sweden. Their elder sister Margrethe later became Queen of Denmark. Anne Marie also married Sophia’s brother Constantine in 1964.
  • Tatiana Radziwiłł, a distant cousin of Sophia’s and the daughter of Eugenie of Greece and Polish prince Dominik Radziwiłł.
  • Alexandra of Kent, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and a granddaughter of King George V.
  • Irene of the Netherlands, the second daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and her consort, Bernhard of Schaumburg-Lippe. Irene was then a Spanish language student in Madrid. Her marriage two years later to Carlist pretender Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma caused considerable controversy in her home country.
  • Pilar of Spain, the older sister of Juan Carlos.
  • Irene of Greece, Sophia’s younger sister.

King Paul and several European princes served as crown bearers during the Orthodox service. Besides Paul, the crown bearers were:

  • Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, Sophia’s younger brother.
  • Michael of Greece, Sophia’s cousin.
  • Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, a distant cousin of Juan Carlos and Sophia.
  • Ludwig Wilhelm of Baden, a distant cousin of Sophia (and of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh).
  • Victor Emmanuel, Prince of Naples, son of Umberto II of Italy.
  • Don Marco Alfonso Torlonia, 6th Prince of Civitella-Cesi, a cousin of Juan Carlos.
  • Christian of Hanover, Sophia’s uncle.
  • Carlos of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, a distant cousin of Juan Carlos.

Michael and Amedeo doubled as Sophia’s witnesses for the civil wedding. In addition, two relatives of Juan Carlos, Alfonso of Orléans and Alfonso of Bourbon and Dampierre, served as his witnesses.

Wedding Guests

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Many members of Europe’s ruling and non-ruling families attended the wedding. The guest list would be short for a royal wedding, given the capacities of the relatively small venues of the Cathedral of St. Denis and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Additionally, dignitaries, nobility, and other prominent non-royal guests needed to be accommodated. As a compromise, half of the royal guests would attend the Catholic wedding ceremony and the other half would attend the Orthodox service.  Notable guests included:

  • King Olav V of Norway
  • Queen Ingrid of Denmark
  • Prince Constantine of the Hellenes
  • King Paul I and Queen Frederika of the Hellenes
  • Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
  • Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco
  • Princess Claude of Orléans
  • Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
  • Former King Umberto II and Queen Marie-Jose of Italy
  • Former King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania
  • Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein
  • Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte
  • Henri and Isabella, Count and Countess of Paris
  • Helen of Greece, former Queen Mother of Romania
  • Victoria Eugenie (Ena) of Battenburg, former Queen of Spain
  • Tomislav of Yugoslavia
  • Louis Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten of Burma
  • Robert, Duke of Parma
  • Alfonso, Duke of Calabria
  • Luis of Orleans-Braganza, Prince Imperial of Brazil
  • Ernest August V of Hanover
  • Amadeo, Duke of Aosta
  • Duarte Pio of Braganza
  • Philip of Württemberg
  • Philip of Hesse
  • Marina, Duchess of Kent
  • Franz of Bavaria
  • Friedrich-Franz V of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Spanish naval minister Felipe Abarzuza y Oliva (official representative of Generalissimo Franco)

Wedding Gifts

Sophia and Juan Carlos received numerous wedding gifts from around the world. American President John F. Kennedy sent a golden cigarette box. Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco (later good friends of the new couple) provided a new sailboat (El Fortuna) and Greek shipping magnate George Goulandris gave the couple a yacht, both apt presents for gifted sailors.

From her family, Sophia received several gifts including a silver tea set, Greek silk bed linens, silverware, and a set of gold bracelets encrusted in gemstones. Juan Carlos’ parents gave Sophia a diamond and pearl tiara and pearl earrings. Even Generalissimo Franco showed his affection for the couple by gifting a diamond brooch. Sophia, likely aware of her new position in Spain, sent a personal letter of thanks to Franco.

Eager to take additional Greek-made items to her new home, Sophia was happy to receive various local crafts from areas around the country. Aside from the Goulandris yacht, Juan Carlos and Sophia were also received gifts of smaller watercraft and cars from Greek shipping tycoons. When by an agricultural organization asked for her choice of a wedding gift, Sophia requested a laurel tree planted at the couple’s future home to remind her of her home in Greece.

Generalissimo Franco and the Wedding

Generalissimo Francisco Franco announced before the ceremony that the Spanish monarchy would likely one day be restored following his rule. The wedding and Sophia’s conversion to Roman Catholicism added fuel to the rumors that the succession would pass the Count of Barcelona in favor of Juan Carlos and Sophia. Monarchists were said to happily approve of a union between their prince (and likely heir) and a royal princess of a ruling house.
Franco declined an invitation to the wedding, instead sending his naval minister Felipe Abarzuza y Oliva. Franco further allowed ample press coverage of the wedding, an action viewed as highly unusual and encouraging to monarchists. Two major newspapers were allowed to publish full front-page photos of the couple with accompanying articles. A third newspaper carried front-page articles on the wedding, while photographs of the event were shown on state television.

In celebration of the wedding, Generalissimo Franco bestowed the Collar of the Order of Charles III on both Juan Carlos and Sophia. This honor was and still is typically given only to Spanish monarchs.

Franco permitted only one photo of the Count of Barcelona to be published in Spain, which was placed in the newspaper’s classified ads. At the time of the wedding, reports of Franco bypassing the Count of Barcelona and naming Juan Carlos as his successor were still seen as highly unlikely.

The Honeymoon

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A few weeks after the wedding, Juan Carlos and Sophia set out on a cruise of several Greek islands aboard the Greek yacht Eros, followed by a much longer trip around the world. The two made stops in Greece, Spain, Monaco, Italy, India, Thailand, the United States, and Japan. President Kennedy wished the couple good luck during a visit in August 1962. The honeymoon lasted several months as talks between Generalissimo Franco and the Count of Barcelona took place on the future of the Spanish monarchy. No final decision had been made when the couple returned in the late summer of 1962, forcing the two to embark on several extended stays with relatives in Switzerland, Portugal, and Greece as they had no permanent home.

New Couples

A gathering of such a large number of reigning and non-reigning European royals often resulted in talk of “who’s next” to be married. These types of rumors had followed royal weddings for decades. As so many of the participants in Sophia’s and Juan Carlos’ wedding were young, prominent, and eligible royals, the gossip mill was ripe in the following weeks and months. Eventually, there was a surprising amount of bona fide new royal couples. This included a set of sisters who became reacquainted with their respective new husbands during the wedding events.

Irene of the Netherlands was already a student in Spain when she was asked to serve as a bridesmaid for Sophia. Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma, a son of the Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne may have met Irene at the wedding (or shortly before it) and the couple began to see one another not long after. Irene’s conversion to Catholicism and marriage to Carlos Hugo in 1964 created enormous controversy in the bride’s home country. Objectors pointed to years of Spanish rule of the Netherlands by Spain, fears of Generalissimo Franco’s regime, and Irene’s proximity to the throne. No one from the Dutch royal family attended the wedding and Irene gave up her succession rights. The couple had four children, but separated in 1980 and divorced the following year.

Bridesmaid Anne of Orléans became reacquainted with a childhood friend (and crown bearer) Carlos, Duke of Calabria during their involvement with Sophia’s and Juan Carlos’ wedding. The couple married in 1965 and had five children and eighteen grandchildren.

Anne’s sister Claude began seeing another crown bearer, Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, shortly after the wedding. The couple announced their engagement in 1963 and married the following year. Claude and Amedeo had three children before separating in the mid-1970s and divorcing a few years later.

Sophia’s brother Constantine had become acquainted with Anne-Marie of Denmark (another bridesmaid) during a state visit to Denmark a few years before. He had expressed interest in eventually marrying Anne-Marie shortly before the Spanish-Greek wedding, and the two spent a great deal of time together during the festivities. The engagement was announced in early 1963 when Anne-Marie was just sixteen. Constantine and Anne-Marie were married in September of 1964, just weeks after her eighteenth birthday.

Children

Juan Carlos, Sofia and their family in 1976; Photo Credit- http://www.casareal.es

Juan Carlos and Sofia had two daughters and one son:

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Wedding of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

 

King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg were married on May 31, 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid, Spain.

King Alfonso XIII of Spain’s Background

King Alfonso XIII of Spain with his mother and sisters, 1897; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 25, 1885, three days before his 28th birthday, King Alfonso XII of Spain died from tuberculosis at the Royal Palace of El Pardo in Madrid, leaving two daughters and his queen pregnant with her third child. It was decided that Alfonso’s widow, born Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria, would rule as regent until the child was born. If the child were a male, he would become king and if the child were a female, Alfonso and Maria Christina’s elder daughter María Mercedes would become queen.

On May 17, 1886, Maria Christina gave birth to a son. King Alfonso XIII of Spain was the Spanish sovereign from his birth until the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic on April 14, 1931. He was given the names Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena. His mother would remain Regent until Alfonso turned 16 and took control of the monarchy. He had two older sisters:

  • Infanta Mercedes, Princess of Asturias (1880 – 1904)
  • Infanta Maria Teresa (1882 -1912)

During Maria Christina’s regency, Spain lost its colonial rule over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States as a result of the Spanish-American War (1898). In 1902, at the age of sixteen, Alfonso XIII was declared of legal age and assumed the constitutional role of head of state. The week of his sixteenth birthday was marked by festivities, bullfights, balls, and celebrations throughout Spain.

Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg’s Background

Princess Victoria Eugenie with her mother and brothers, 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena of Battenberg (known as Ena, which will be used in the rest of the article) was born on October 24, 1887, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the only daughter of Prince Henry of Battenberg and Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria. She had three brothers:

  • Prince Alexander of Battenberg, later Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrooke (1886-1960)
  • Prince Leopold of Battenberg, later Lord Leopold Mountbatten (1889-1922), hemophilia sufferer
  • Prince Maurice of Battenberg (1891-1914), killed in action during World War I

Raised in her grandmother’s household, the family moved constantly between Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle, and Osborne House. In January 1896, Ena’s father died of malaria while en route to fight in the Ashanti War. Following his death, Queen Victoria gave the family apartments at Kensington Palace where they lived while in London. After Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, Kensington Palace became their primary residence, along with Osborne Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House.

The Engagement

 

In 1905, nineteen-year-old King Alfonso XIII of Spain toured Europe seeking a bride, and he made a stop in the United Kingdom where the press speculated that Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Patricia of Connaught, known as Patsy, would most likely catch Alfonso’s eye. At a dinner at Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria’s eligible granddaughters were seated around the dinner table, all aware that they had the possibility of being the next Queen of Spain. Alfonso had been seated next to Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Helena who answered his questions about the princesses. When his eyes fell on seventeen-year-old blonde Ena, Alfonso was immediately smitten and asked, “And who is that young lady with the nearly white hair?”

Alfonso saw the tall, blond, dignified Ena again the next night at a reception. However, he forgot her name and referred to her as “the fair-haired one” and his feelings were reciprocated by Ena. A ball was held at Buckingham Palace on the third evening and it was the first time Alfonso and Ena could speak privately with each other. Because Alfonso’s English was limited and Ena spoke no Spanish, they spoke French. While dancing together, Alfonso asked Ena if she collected postcards, a common hobby for well-born women. When Ena said she did, Alfonso promised he would send her some postcards if she promised to reply.

After the London visit, the couple exchanged letters and Alfonso regularly sent her postcards, and it was through this correspondence that their courtship developed. However, there were several problematic issues. The first issue was religion. Alfonso was Catholic while Ena was Protestant. It was unthinkable that a Queen of Spain not be Roman Catholic. The second issue was the potential of Ena bringing hemophilia into the Spanish royal family. As Ena’s brother Leopold suffered from the disease, there was a chance that Ena herself was a carrier. Today we know that there was a 50% chance that Ena would be a hemophilia carrier. However, with little known about the disease at the time, Alfonso did not seem too concerned. The third obstacle was Alfonso’s mother, Maria Christina. She did not feel the Battenbergs were royal enough due to the morganatic marriage which started that family and wanted her son to marry a member of the Habsburg dynasty of Austria.

Nevertheless, Ena and Alfonso met again in Biarritz, France in January 1906 where they became unofficially engaged. Six days later, Ena went to Spain for the first time and met Alfonso’s mother at Miramar Palace in San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain. Maria Christina finally agreed to her son’s choice of a bride and sent a letter to Princess Beatrice, Ena’s mother, telling her about the love Alfonso felt for her daughter and seeking unofficial contact with King Edward VII, Beatrice’s brother and Ena’s uncle. Several days later at Windsor Castle, King Edward congratulated his niece on her future engagement.

Ena agreed to convert to Roman Catholicism and she started religious instruction with Monsignor Robert Brindle, Bishop of Nottingham. She was officially received into the Roman Catholic Church on March 7, 1906, at Miramar Palace, and the engagement was officially announced on the same day. On April 3, 1906, King Edward VII elevated his niece’s style from “Her Highness” to “Her Royal Highness” thereby softening Maria Christina’s objection that the Battenbergs were not royal enough.

The terms of the marriage were settled by two agreements, a public treaty and a private contractual arrangement. The treaty was executed between Spain and the United Kingdom in London on May 7, 1906. One of the provisions of the treaty stated that Ena “forfeits forever all hereditary rights of succession to the Crown and Government of Great Britain.” This was solely because by marrying and becoming a Roman Catholic, Ena lost any right to inherit the British crown as a consequence of the Act of Settlement 1701. Any of Ena’s descendants who did not become Roman Catholic or marry a Roman Catholic would remain in the line of succession to the British Throne.

Wedding Preparations

Royal Palace of Madrid; Photo Credit – By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42954029

On May 24, 1906, Ena arrived in France onboard a British warship and took a special train to the Spanish border where she was met by Alfonso, the Spanish Prime Minister and the Spanish Foreign Minister who accompanied her to the Royal Palace of El Pardo in the Fuencarral-El Pardo district of Madrid. Enormous crowds assembled outside the gates of Pardo Palace and greeted the king and their future queen with loud cheering and cries of “Long live the King!” and “Long live the Queen!” Once they entered the palace, the gates were opened and the crowds were admitted to the palace grounds. Alfonso appeared on the palace balcony holding Ena’s hand, thrilling the crowd. Later in the evening, Alfonso returned to the Royal Palace of Madrid and Ena stayed at Pardo Palace with her mother until the wedding.

The Royal Palace of Madrid was a scene of constant reception of arriving delegations, many of them bringing splendid presents. Presents already fill three large salons at the palace. On May 29, 1906, many foreign royals and envoys arrived in Madrid. That night, festivities were held at Pardo Palace for guests, including a theater performance.

The streets of Madrid were colorful and full of activity. Trains continued to arrive with thousands of Spaniards and foreigners and the streets were packed with throngs of people in bright summer attire. The streets along the cortege route were colorfully decorated with floral arches, British and Spanish flags, and floral garlands on balconies. 1,200 tons of flowers had been ordered from the Canary Islands and parks and other public places were transformed into gardens by planting thousands of palms and rose bushes. Many buildings were decorated with huge crowns that sparkled at night with electric lights. Even the trolleys were decorated with streamers.

Alfonso’s presented jewelry to Ena said to be worth over one million dollars (in 1906 dollars!) including a gold crown with brilliant-cut diamonds to be worn on state occasions; a diadem; two collars (necklaces), one of pearls and the other of rubies and sapphires; a pair of gold bracelets; a pair of magnificent pendants; and a large diamond brooch. Ena gave Alfonso an exquisite jeweled sword designed in Toledo, Spain.

Wedding Guests

The Prince and Princess of Wales (the future King George V and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom) arriving at the church; Photo Credit – Archivo HUM historia urbana de Madrid

Below is a list of some of the wedding guests. It is assumed that spouses of guests were also invited, but the only spouses listed are the ones found in sources.

Family of the Groom

  • Queen Maria Christina, mother of the groom
  • Infante Carlos de Borbón y Borbón, brother-in-law of the groom
  • Infante Alfonso de Borbón-Dos Sicilias y Borbón, nephew of the groom, heir presumptive to the Spanish throne
  • Infanta Isabel Alfonsa de Borbón, niece of the groom
  • Infanta Isabel de Borbón y Borbon, Countess of Girgenti, aunt of the groom
  • Infanta Maria de la Paz de Borbón y Borbón, Princess of Bavaria, aunt of the groom
  • Infante Fernando de Baviera y Borbón, cousin of the groom
  • Princess Pilar of Bavaria, cousin of the groom
  • Infanta Eulalia de Borbón y Borbón, Princess of Orleans, aunt of the groom
  • Infante Alfonso de Orleáns, cousin of the groom
  • Prince Genaro de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, distant cousin of the groom
  • Prince Raniero de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, distant cousin of the groom
  • Prince Philip, de Borbón-Dos Sicilias, distant cousin of the groom

Family of the Bride

  • Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, mother of the bride
  • Prince Alexander of Battenberg, brother of the bride
  • Prince Leopold of Battenberg, brother of the bride
  • Prince Maurice de Battenberg, brother of the bride
  • The Prince of Wales, cousin of the bride, and The Princess of Wales (future King George V and Queen Mary)
  • The Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Dowager Duchess of Edinburgh, aunt of the bride
  • Princess Beatrice of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, cousin of the bride
  • Princess Alice of Albany, cousin of the bride, and her husband Prince Alexander of Teck
  • Princess Maria Carolina of Battenberg, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg, aunt of the bride

Foreign Princes

  • Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne) and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg
  • Prince Albert of Belgium (future King Albert I of the Belgians)
  • Crown Prince Constantine of Greece (future King Constantine I of Greece) and Crown Princess Sophie (born Princess Sophie of Prussia), cousin of the bride
  • Prince Andrew of Greece
  • Hereditary Prince Louis of Monaco (future Louis II, Prince of Monaco)
  • Prince Heinrich of Prussia, cousin of the bride
  • Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Prince Albrecht of Prussia, Regent of Brunswick
  • Prince Luís Filipe, Duke of Braganza (heir apparent to the throne of Portugal)
  • Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia
  • Prince Tommaso of Savoy, 2nd Duke of Genoa
  • Prince Eugen of Sweden, Duke of Närke

Other Guests

  • Segismundo Moret, President of the Council of Ministers
  • Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres, Count of Romanones, Minister of Interior
  • Juan Manuel Sánchez Gutiérrez de Castro, Duke of Almodovar, Minister of State
  • Manuel García Prieto, Minister of Justice
  • Amós Salvador Rodrigáñez, Minister of Finance
  • Agustín de Luque y Coca, Minister of War
  • Víctor María Concas, Minister of the Navy
  • Vicente Santamaría de Paredes, Minister of Education and Fine Arts
  • Antonio de Aguilar y Correa, Marquis de la Vega de Armijo, President of the Congress of Deputies
  • José López Domínguez, President of the Senate
  • Ciriaco Sancha and Hervás, Archbishop of Toledo
  • José María Martín de Herrera, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela
  • Salvador Casañas and Pagés, Bishop of Barcelona
  • José María Salvador y Barrera, Bishop of Madrid-Alcalá
  • Eduardo Martínez del Campo and Acosta, President of the Supreme Court
  • Carlos Martinez de Irujo y Alcáza, Duke of Sotomayor, Majordomo of the King
  • Manuel Falcó y Osorio, Marquis de la Mina, Equerry of the King
  • Sir Maurice de Bunsen, British Ambassador to Madrid
  • Luis Polo de Bernabé, Spanish Ambassador to London
  • William Miller Collier, American Ambassador to Madrid
  • Frederick Wallingford Whitridge, American Special Envoy

Wedding Attire

Ena’s Wedding Dress; Credit – http://www.theroyalforums.com

Ena’s wedding dress was made by the Madrid dressmaker L. Heroe, who submitted several designs to Alfonso and Ena for their approval. The fabric was white duchesse satin which was embroidered by hand. In addition, point d’aiguille Brussels lace was used on the dress, veil, and train.

The bodice and skirt were embroidered with intertwined wreaths of silver roses and orange blossoms, bordered with fleur-de-lys, a symbol of the House of Bourbon. To support the enormous train, there was a court mantle, also of white satin and with the same decorations as the dress. In accordance with the strict observance of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain, the dress did not expose the bride’s decolletage or shoulders. The entire dress was given to the shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Paloma (Our Lady of the Dove) in a poor part of Madrid.

Ena wore a tiara resting on a wreath of orange blossoms. The impressive tiara, a wedding gift from Alfonso and known as “The Fleur-de-Lys Tiara”, is still in the possession of the Spanish royal family and is nicknamed “La Buena” (“The Good One”).  Set in platinum, the tiara features three large fleur-de-lys motifs, each filled with large round diamonds, and connected by swirls and scrolls of larger-sized diamonds.   The tiara is part of the jewelry that is passed down to Queens of Spain. Queen Sofia, the wife of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, often wore the tiara and Queen Letizia, the wife of King Felipe VI, continued the tradition of wearing the tiara.

 Queen Letizia wearing the Fleur-de-Lys Tiara in February 2017

 

King Alfonso XIII wore the Spanish Army’s Field Marshal uniform with the blue and white sash of the Order of Carlos II. On his uniform, wore the Order of the Golden Fleece and British Order of the Garter.

Wedding Ceremony

Alfonso and Ena leaving the church

Earlier in the morning, Ena and her mother traveled from Pardo Palace to the Ministry of Marine in the center of Madrid where they would prepare for the wedding. At 8:30 AM, the wedding procession started at the Royal Palace. Church bells were ringing, artillery salutes were firing and crowds of cheering people lined the procession route.

The crowds were thrilled when the royal coaches, each drawn by eight white horses with golden and silver harnesses wearing colored plumage on their heads, appeared: the Amaranth Coach for the ladies-in-waiting, the Cypher Coach for the lords-in-waiting, the Coach of the Ducal Crown for the Infantas and Infantes, and then and the Shell Coach for Queen Mother Maria Christina. Next came the Grandees of Spain, the highest-ranking members of the Spanish nobility, in twenty-five coaches drawn by only two horses according to the Spanish protocol. The coaches of the visiting foreign royalty followed.

Next came a coach bearing a royal crown carrying King Alfonso XIII, his witness Infante Carlos de Borbón y Borbón, the widower of Alfonso’s elder sister María de las Mercedes, and four-year-old Infante Alfonso de Borbón-Dos Sicilias y Borbón, son of Carlos and María de las Mercedes, nephew of the groom, and heir presumptive to the Spanish throne.

Immediately following the king’s coach came the bride’s procession with more gala coaches carrying the lords and ladies-in-waiting and princes and princesses of the House of Battenberg. Finally in a beautiful mahogany coach, came Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (Ena) with her mother Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom.

The Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo was regally decorated. Over the entrance was a huge canopy of red and yellow velvet embroidered with Spanish heraldic symbols and supported by gold-tipped lances. Royal guards and halberdiers stood awaiting. As the procession entered the church, the Spanish national anthem was played.

Inside the church, a majestic canopy with the arms of Spain in gold embroidery hung over a raised dais on the left side of the altar. On the dais, was a throne and two beautiful gilded armchairs with silk cushions. On the opposite side of the altar were gilded chairs for Queen Maria Christina, Princess Beatrice, the Spanish Infantas and Infants, and the members of the Battenberg family. Besides them were the foreign princes and princesses.

Credit – http://www.fororeal.net/bodasreyes.htm

As the royal procession entered the church, the congregation stood and a 200-voice choir sang a processional march. Alfonso looked calm and happy, but as usual, slightly pale. Ena entered with her mother, eldest brother, and Queen Maria Christina. Alfonso advanced to meet Ena and they stood together as the ceremony, officiated by Cardinal Ciriaco Sancha, Archbishop of Toledo, began. The hour-long ceremony ended with the Papal Nuncio, the Pope’s representative in Spain, pronouncing the papal blessing of the newlyweds and the chanting of the Te Deum, a hymn of praise.

The Bombing

Photograph taken moments after the assassination attempt on Alfonso and Ena on their wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

At the end of the ceremony, the newlyweds left the church while the joyful crowds cheered, church bells rang, and cannons boomed. Alfonso and Ena entered the royal coach for the journey through the streets back to the Royal Palace. Crowds along the route shouted, “Long live Queen Victoria!” However, the happy day soon turned into a tragic day when a bomb, concealed in a floral bouquet, was thrown at the royal coach from a third-floor window of an inn on Calle Major, a main street in Madrid.

Building from where the bomb was thrown; Credit – By Basilio – Treball propi, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17730999

The bomb hit the ground and exploded to the right of the royal coach between the last pair of horses and the front wheels of the coach. It would have hit the coach and most likely killed Alfonso and Ena if the bomb had not been deflected by an electric wire. Alfonso and Ena were not hurt, but the bomb killed 23 people and injured more than 100. Blood of the victims had spattered Ena’s wedding dress. Screams of the terrified crowd combined the groans of the injured and dying.

The dead included the Marchioness of Colosa and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Don Antonio Calvo and his six-year-old niece, Captain Barros who commanded the king’s escort, two other officers and six soldiers, a groom who was leading the horses, and two of the horses who were drawing the royal coach.

The sound and shock of the explosion were massive. The Duke of Cornachuelos immediately rushed forward, opened the door of the royal coach, and helped out Alfonso and Ena, who entered another coach and were quickly taken to the Royal Palace. The next day, Alfonso and Ena appeared in public in an open automobile without a military guard to reassure the people of Madrid.

Mateu Morral Roca, a Catalan anarchist, was responsible for the bombing. After the bombing, Morral tried to get lost in the crowd and was then helped and hidden by journalist José Nakens. Morral managed to escape from Madrid with the help of Nakens, but on June 2, 1906, he was recognized by several people in a village near Torrejón de Ardoz where he stopped to eat. These people warned a local policeman and after some inquiries, the policeman decided to follow Morral.

What happened next is unclear. The official investigation says that Morral surrendered peacefully, but while he was being led by the policeman to the Torrejón de Ardoz jail, Morral shot dead the policeman and then died by suicide. However, a forensic examination of the four photographs taken of Morral’s corpse indicates that the bullet wound in his chest is incompatible with both a close-shot range and the Browning pistol Morral allegedly carried.

Children

 Queen Victoria Eugenie in 1918, with her six children: (from left to right) Infanta Maria Cristina, Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, Infante Gonzalo, Infante Juan, Infante Jaime, and Infanta Beatriz

Alfonso and Ena had six children:

Afterword

Unfortunately, Alfonso and Ena’s marriage was not a happy one. After the birth of their first son Alfonso in 1907, it was discovered that he was suffering from hemophilia. Despite having known the risks beforehand, King Alfonso blamed Ena, and it began a rift in their marriage that would never fully heal. Their fourth and last son Gonzalo also had the disease. Both hemophiliac sons died young from internal bleeding after separate car accidents. See Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants.

From 1914 on, Alfonso had several mistresses and fathered five illegitimate children. A sixth illegitimate child had born before his marriage. Following the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, the family went into exile. Settling first in France, and then Italy, the couple eventually went their separate ways. Alfonso remained in Rome, while Ena eventually settled in Switzerland.

On January 15, 1941, feeling that his life was coming to an end, Alfonso formally abdicated his claim to the defunct Spanish throne in favor of his third son, Juan, Count of Barcelona, the father of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. His two older sons, Alfonso who had hemophilia and Jaime who was deaf, had both renounced their claims to the throne in the early 1930s. Just weeks later, on February 28, 1941, King Alfonso XIII died at the Grand Hotel in Rome.

In February 1968, Ena returned to Spain for the first time since going into exile in 1931. Staying at the Palace of Liria with her goddaughter, the Duchess of Alba, Ena was there to serve as godmother to her new great-grandson, the future King Felipe VI. Her trip to Spain would be one of her last public appearances. She returned to her home in Switzerland, and soon her health began to fail. Ena died on April 15, 1969, at her home, surrounded by her family.

Both Alfonso and Ena were buried outside of Spain due to the rule of dictator Francisco Franco. In 1969, Franco formally named Alfonso and Ena’s grandson Juan Carlos as his successor, giving him the newly created title ‘The Prince of Spain’. Franco died on November 22, 1975, and Juan Carlos was proclaimed King of Spain. Eventually, both Alfonso and Ena’s remains were returned to Spain where they were interred in the Pantheon of the Kings in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial.

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