Category Archives: Former Monarchies

Robert I, King of Scots (Robert the Bruce)

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Statue of Robert the Bruce in Stirling, Scotland; Credit – By Ally Crockford – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28842870

Robert the Bruce is a Scottish national hero and was King of Scots during the First War of Scottish Independence. Robert de Bruis (or Brus), his birth name from his Norman ancestors, popularly called Robert the Bruce, was born on July 11, 1274. He was the eldest son and third of the eleven children of Robert de Bruis, 6th Lord of Annandale and Marjorie, Countess of Carrick in her own right. His birthplace is uncertain, but he was probably born at the Carrick family’s main castle, Turnberry Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland.

The ruins of Turnberry Castle; By Walter Baxter, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14529485

Robert had ten siblings. Three of his four brothers were executed and the fourth was killed in battle.

Not much is known about Robert’s childhood. It can be assumed that he was trilingual. He and his brothers would have learned the Anglo-Norman language of their father, the Gaelic language of their mother, and Latin which would have given them an access to a basic education. The tutors for Robert and his brothers were most likely from the clergy, especially clergy associated with churches and abbeys their family patronized. Robert and his brothers would have had masters who taught them horsemanship, swordsmanship, jousting, hunting, and the code of chivalry. The family would have moved between the castles of their lordships: Lochmaben Castle, the main castle of the lordship of Annandale, and Turnberry Castle and Loch Doon Castle, the castles of the earldom of Carrick. When Robert was about twelve years old, his training for knighthood would have begun and he would have resided with one or more allied English noble families.

Robert’s family was involved in the political turmoil that occurred following the death of Alexander III, King of Scots. Alexander III, King of Scots (reigned 1249 – 1286) had only two surviving children, a son Alexander and a daughter Margaret who married King Eric II of Norway. Margaret of Scotland, Queen of Norway died in childbirth in 1283, giving birth to her only child Margaret, Maid of Norway. In 1284, the earls and barons of Scotland recognized Margaret, Maid of Norway as the heir to the throne of her grandfather King Alexander III of Scotland if he died without a male heir. Later that year, Alexander III’s 20-year-old Alexander died. When Alexander III died in 1286, his three-year-old granddaughter was the heir to his throne. The Scottish earls, barons, and clerics met to select the Guardians of Scotland who would rule the kingdom for the rightful heir. In 1290, Margaret, Maid of Norway died while traveling to Scotland,

Margaret, Maid of Norway; Stained glass window at Lerwick Town Hall in Scotland; Photo Credit – By Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18837762

The death of Margaret, Maid of Norway began a two-year interregnum in Scotland caused by the succession crisis. With Margaret’s death, the line of William I (the Lion), King of Scots became extinct and there was no obvious heir. Fifteen candidates presented themselves as candidates for the throne of Scotland.  The most prominent were John Balliol, great-grandson of William I’s younger brother David, Earl of Huntingdon, and Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale, David of Huntingdon’s grandson and the grandfather of Robert the Bruce.

The Scottish lords invited King Edward I of England to arbitrate the claims. Edward I agreed but forced the Scots to swear allegiance to him as their overlord. In 1292, it was decided that John Balliol should become King of Scots. After John Balliol became King, Robert, 5th Lord of Annandale resigned the lordship of Annandale and his claim to the throne to his eldest son Robert de Brus, the father of Robert the Bruce. Around the same time, Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale’s wife Marjorie, Countess of Carrick died, and the Earldom of Carrick, which Robert had ruled jure uxoris (by right of his wife), devolved upon their eldest son, Robert the Bruce. John Balliol proved weak and incapable, and in 1296 was forced to abdicate by Edward I, who then attempted to annex Scotland into the Kingdom of England. For ten years, there was no monarch of Scotland.

The Scots refused to tolerate English rule, resulting in the Wars of Scottish Independence, a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England, first led by William Wallace and after his execution, led by Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce as Earl of Carrick and 7th Lord of Annandale, held estates and property in Scotland, a barony and some minor properties in England, and a strong claim to the throne of Scotland.

Notable figures in the first Scottish War of Independence, Detail from a frieze in the entrance hall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh; Photo Credit – By William Brassey Hole – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32601439

On February 10, 1306, Robert the Bruce and his supporters killed a rival for the throne, John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch at Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, Scotland. There had been long-time bad blood between the two men, and they had found it impossible to work together as Guardians of Scotland. Shortly after, Robert and his followers went to Scone, the traditional coronation site of the Kings of Scots. On March 27, 1306, Robert the Bruce was proclaimed Robert I, King of Scots, and the crown was placed on his head by Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan “in the presence and with the consent of four bishops, five earls, and with the consent of the people.” According to tradition, the ceremony of crowning the monarch was performed by a representative of Clan MacDuff.

Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan, crowns Robert the Bruce at Scone in 1306 from a modern tableau at Edinburgh Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

Robert married two times. His first wife Isabella of Mar died before her husband became king. She was born about 1277 at Kildrummy Castle and was the daughter of Domhnall (Donald), 6th Earl of Mar and Elen the Younger ferch Llywelyn, an illegitimate daughter of the de facto Prince of Wales, Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great), Prince of Gwynedd and Prince of Powys Wenwynwyn.

Isabella’s father was the Earl of Mar, in Gaelic, the Mormaer of Mar. A mormaer was a regional or provincial ruler, second only to the King of Scots, and more senior than a taoiseach or chieftain. Mormaers were equivalent to English earls. Mar was located in present-day Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Kildrummy Castle near Kildrummy in Aberdeenshire, Scotland was the Mar family seat.

Isabella of Mar with her husband from the Forman Armorial, produced for Mary, Queen of Scots in 1562; Credit – Wikipedia

After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway in 1290, Domhnall, 6th Earl of Mar became one of the first Scottish nobles who supported the claim of Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick to the throne of Scotland. Domhnall saw a great advantage to his family if one of his daughters married Robert. In 1295, Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick and Isabella of Mar married. Shortly after the wedding, Isabella became pregnant. Nineteen-year-old Isabella had a healthy pregnancy but died soon after giving birth to a daughter named Marjorie on December 12, 1296, at the Manor of Cardross in Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Isabella was buried at Paisley Abbey in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, but her tomb has not survived.

Isabella’s daughter, Princess Marjorie, once her father became Robert I, King of Scots in 1306, married Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland in 1315. On March 2, 1316, Marjorie, who was pregnant, was riding in Paisley, Renfrewshire. Her horse was suddenly startled and threw her to the ground. Marjorie went into premature labor and her child Robert was delivered by cesarean section at Paisley Abbey. Marjorie died within a few hours. She was 19 years old at the time of her death, like her mother, who was the same age when she died in childbirth, and like her mother, was also buried at Paisley Abbey. Her son became Robert II, King of Scots, the first monarch of the House of Stewart. Marjorie’s descendants include the House of Stuart, all their successors on the thrones of Scotland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, and many other European royal families.

Marjorie Bruce’s tomb in Paisley Abbey; Photo Credit – By © User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47156391

Robert’s second marriage was to Elizabeth de Burgh, the third of the ten children of Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and 3rd Baron of Connaught and his wife Margaret, possibly his cousin Margaret de Burgh or Margaret de Guines. Elizabeth’s father Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster and 3rd Baron of Connaught was one of the most powerful Irish nobles of his time. He was the friend and ally of King Edward I of England and ranked first among the Earls of Ireland. Elizabeth probably met Robert the Bruce, then the Earl of Carrick, at the English court. Today, Earl of Carrick, which came from the family of Robert’s mother, is one of the titles of the eldest living son and heir-apparent of the British sovereign. Along with Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick was one of the traditional titles of the eldest living son and heir-apparent of the throne of Scotland. When King James VI of Scotland also became King James I of England after the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the Scottish titles came along with him.

Robert the Bruce and Elizabeth de Burgh from Seton Armorial in the Nation Library of Scotland (MS Acc. 9309); Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth de Burgh and Robert married at Writtle, near Chelmsford, Essex, England in 1302 when Elizabeth was about 18 years old and Robert was 28 years old. In 1306, when her husband became King of Scots and Elizabeth de Burgh became Queen of Scots, she did not think she would be queen for long because she feared her husband would be defeated by Edward I. She supposedly said, “Alas, we are but king and queen of the May! ” Both Robert the Bruce and John Comyn had sworn fealty to King Edward I of England. When Edward I heard that John Comyn had been murdered, he vowed “by the God of Heaven and these swans” to avenge Comyn’s death and the treachery of the Scots. On his demand, his knights took a similar oath and were sent off to Scotland to seek revenge.

In Scotland, Robert I, King of Scots was already engaged in a civil war with the family and friends of the murdered John Comyn. His coronation had given him some legitimacy, but his position was uncertain. By the middle of June 1306, the English were in Perth, Scotland, and were joined by supporters of John Comyn. Robert, abiding by the conventions of feudal warfare, invited the English commander to leave the walls of Perth and join him in battle, but the English commander declined to do so. Robert believed that the English refusal to accept his challenge was a sign of weakness, and moved his forces a few miles to nearby Methven, where he made camp for the night. Before dawn on June 19, 1306, Robert’s army was taken by surprise and almost destroyed. Robert barely escaped and fled with a few followers to the Scottish Highlands.

Elizabeth was not so lucky. After the Battle of Methven, under the protection of his brother Niall, Robert sent Elizabeth, his daughter Marjorie from his first marriage, his sisters Mary and Christina and Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan (who had crowned him) to Kildrummy Castle, the seat of the Earls of Mar, the family of his first wife Isabella of Mar. The English besieged Kildrummy Castle and Niall Bruce and all the men of the castle were hanged, drawn, and quartered. However, the women had escaped and sought sanctuary at St. Duthac’s Chapel in Tain, Scotland. Their sanctuary was breached by William, Earl of Ross who had the women arrested and handed over to the English.

King Edward I of England sent his hostages to different places in England. Marjorie went to the convent at Watton, Yorkshire and her aunt Christina Bruce was sent to another convent. Marjorie’s aunt Mary Bruce and Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan were imprisoned in wooden cages and exposed to public view. Mary’s cage was at Roxburgh Castle and Isabella’s was at Berwick Castle. Marjorie, Mary, and Christina were set free around 1314 – 1315, probably in exchange for English noblemen captured after the Battle of Bannockburn in June 1314. There is no mention of Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan in the records, so she probably died in captivity.

 The punishment of Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan

Queen Elizabeth’s punishment was lighter than that of the other women because King Edward I needed the support of her father, the powerful Earl of Ulster. She was imprisoned for eight years by the English and was moved around quite a bit, being held captive in English manor houses, castles, and abbeys. After the Scots’ victory at the Battle of Bannockburn where they routed the English in June 1314, Elizabeth was moved to York while prisoner exchange talks took place and where she had an audience with King Edward II of England who had succeeded his father in 1307. Finally, in November 1314, she was moved to Carlisle, close to the Scots border, just before the exchange and her return to Scotland.  Because of the turmoil in Scotland and Elizabeth’s imprisonment, Robert and Elizabeth did not have any children until after her return to Scotland in 1314.

Elizabeth de Burgh and Robert had four children:

While Elizabeth and the other women were held as hostages by King Edward I and then by his son King Edward II, Robert continued his fight for Scottish independence. After hiding for nearly a year in the Scottish Highlands following his defeat at the Battle of Methven, Robert came out of hiding and defeated the English at the Battle of Loudon Hill on May 10, 1307. During the following two years, Robert won back most of the country. His forces continued to grow in strength, encouraged in part by the death of King Edward I in July 1307. Raids into northern England took place in 1312-1313. The decisive Battle of Bannockburn, a landmark in Scottish history, occurred near Stirling, Scotland on June 24, 1314. Stirling Castle, a Scots royal fortress, occupied by the English, was under siege by the Scottish army. King Edward II of England, who was at the battle, assembled a formidable force to stop the siege. This attempt failed, and Edward II’s army was defeated by a smaller army commanded by Robert the Bruce.

700th Anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce’s statue at the battlefield

In 1320, the Declaration of Arbroath was sent by a group of Scottish nobles to the Pope affirming Scottish independence from England. Two similar declarations were sent by the Scottish clergy and Robert the Bruce. In 1327, King Edward II of England was deposed and killed. An invasion of northern England by Robert the Bruce forced King Edward III of England to sign the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton on May 1, 1328. The treaty recognized the full independence of the Kingdom of Scotland and acknowledged Robert the Bruce, and his heirs and successors, as the rightful rulers. To further seal the peace, Robert’s son and heir, the future David II, King of Scots, married the sister of Edward III, Joan of the Tower.

Robert’s wife Elizabeth de Burgh died on October 27, 1327, at Cullen Castle in Banffshire, Scotland, aged about 43-years-old. She was buried at Dunfermline Abbey in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, the resting place of many Kings and Queens of Scots.

Robert had been suffering from a serious illness from at least 1327. Chronicles from the time state that he was said to have contracted and died of leprosy and that he was a victim of “la grosse maladie”, which is usually taken to mean leprosy. Historians have disagreed with the leprosy diagnosis with claims that there does not seem to be any evidence as to what the king himself or his physicians believed his illness to be, nor is there any evidence of an attempt in his last years to segregate Robert in any way from friends, family, courtiers, or foreign diplomats as would have been done if Robert had leprosy.

However, research of Robert the Bruce’s skull and the reconstruction of his face released in December 2016 by a collaboration between historians from the University of Glasgow and craniofacial experts from Liverpool John Moores University, shows that his skull shows the signs of leprosy, including a disfigured jaw and nose. Professor Caroline Wilkinson, director of the Face Lab at LJMU, who also reconstructed the face of Richard III, said: “We could accurately establish the muscle formation from the ­positions of the skull bones to determine the shape and structure of the face. We produced two versions – one without leprosy and one with a mild representation of leprosy. He may have had ­leprosy, but if he did it is likely that it did not manifest strongly on his face.”

Facial reconstructions of Robert the Bruce; Photo Credit – Liverpool John Moores University https://www.ljmu.ac.uk

Robert I the Bruce, King of Scots survived his wife by only 19 months. He died at the age of 54 on June 7, 1329, at the Manor of Cardross, near Dumbarton, Scotland. He was succeeded by his five-year-old son David II, King of Scots. Robert’s funeral procession was led by a line of knights dressed in black which included Robert’s 13-year-old grandson Robert Stewart, the future Robert II, King of Scots, the son of his daughter Marjorie Bruce.  Robert the Bruce was buried at Dunfermline Abbey next to his wife in a vault in front of the high altar. A monument made in Paris of gilded marble was erected over the vault. Because he had been denied the chance to participate in a crusade, Robert ordered that his heart should be removed and taken to the Holy Land. This was to be done by Sir James Douglas, one of the chief commanders during the Wars of Scottish Independence, but Sir James and his companions were killed in Spain on the way to the Holy Land. Robert’s heart was then brought back to Scotland and buried at Melrose Abbey in Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland.

Modern marker for the site of the burial of the heart of Robert the Bruce at Melrose Abbey; Photo Credit – By Otter at nl.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3378812

In 1560, Dunfermline Abbey was sacked by the Calvinists during the Scottish Reformation, and Elizabeth and Robert’s tomb was destroyed. During construction work on the new abbey in 1819, Robert’s coffin was discovered and Elizabeth’s coffin was rediscovered in 1917. Both coffins were re-interred in the new abbey.

The Victorian brass plate covering the tomb of Robert Bruce and Elizabeth de Burgh; Credit – By Otter – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5117548

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. British Kings & Queens. 1st ed. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998. Print.
  • “Battle Of Bannockburn”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • “Battle Of Methven”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Apr. 2017.
  • Dodson, Aidan. The Royal Tombs Of Great Britain. 1st ed. London: Duckworth, 2004. Print.
  • “Elizabeth De Burgh”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Apr. 2017.
  • “First War Of Scottish Independence”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • “Is This The Face Of Robert The Bruce?”. Ljmu.ac.uk. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • “Isabella Of Mar”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • “Robert The Bruce”. En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 3 Apr. 2017.
  • Sarah Knapton. “Face Of Robert The Bruce Reconstructed Showing Scottish King Had Leprosy”. The Telegraph. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
  • Williamson, David. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell, 1996. Print.

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma; Credit – By Allan warren – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12111584

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was a member of the extended British Royal Family and a distinguished Naval officer. A great-grandson of Queen Victoria (and the last great-grandson to be born during her lifetime), he was born a Prince of Battenberg but grew up fiercely British. In addition to his naval career, he also served as the last Viceroy and first Governor-General of India. Mountbatten also played a very prominent role in the lives of his nephew Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and grand-nephew King Charles III.

Prince Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas of Battenberg was born on June 25, 1900, at Frogmore House in Windsor, England the youngest child of Prince Louis (Ludwig) of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine.

Louis, known almost from birth as “Dickie”,  had three elder siblings:

Dickie was christened in the large drawing room of Frogmore House on July  17, 1900, by the Dean of Windsor, Philip Eliot. His godparents were:

Through both of his parents, he was closely related to numerous other royal families of Europe. His mother’s younger sister was Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, and in his childhood, Dickie was close to her children. At a very young age, he began a “lifelong platonic love affair” with one of them, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, and kept a framed photo of her by his bed for his entire life.

At the age of 10, Dickie was enrolled at the Lockers Park School in Hertfordshire, and then at 13 entered the Royal Naval College, Osborne. Destined for a naval career, he received his first posting in July 1916, as a midshipman on HMS Lion. After studying for two terms at Christ’s College, Cambridge, Louis was posted to HMS Renown, accompanying The Prince of Wales on a tour of Australia. The following year, on HMS Repulse, he again accompanied his cousin on a tour of India and Japan. It was during this trip that he became engaged to his future wife.

Dickie first met Edwina Ashley in October 1920, when both attended a ball at Claridge’s in London, hosted by Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt III. Edwina was the daughter of Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple (a grandson of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury), and Amalia Cassel (daughter of Sir Ernest Cassel). The two were invited to the same house parties and shooting weekends, and a romance began. Both were guests of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland at Dunrobin Castle in Scotland in September 1921, when Louis received word that his father had died. When Edwina’s grandfather died just ten days later, the two grew very close in their shared grief. Several months later, Edwina went to visit Dickie while he was in India with the Prince of Wales. It was there, at a Valentine’s Day Ball held at the Viceregal Lodge in Delhi, that Dickie proposed.

Louis and Edwina were married on July 18, 1922, at St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster in London, England. The wedding was a lavish affair, attended by King George V and Queen Mary and other members of the British Royal Family and other royal houses of Europe. The bridal party included The Prince of Wales, who served as Best Man, and Dickie’s four nieces – Princesses Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie, and Sophie of Greece. Following a honeymoon that took them to Canada and the United States, Dickie and Edwina settled at Brook House in London – one of the several properties Edwina had inherited from her grandfather.

They had two daughters:

Admiral Lord Mountbatten receiving the Japanese surrender at Singapore, September 1945. source: Wikipedia.

Dickie was posted to several other boats before being given his first command – HMS Daring – in 1934. This was followed by the commands of HMS Wishart (1934-1936), HMS Kelly (1939-1941), and HMS Illustrious (1941). From 1941 – 1943, he served as Chief of Combined Operations, and then from 1943 – 1946 as Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia Command. In that role, in September 1945 Mountbatten received the Japanese surrender in Singapore.

On August 27, 1946, he was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma by King George VI. The following February, Prime Minister Clement Atlee appointed him Viceroy of India and tasked him with overseeing India’s independence from Britain. Following independence in August 1947, Mountbatten served for the next ten months as the country’s first Governor-General. On October 28, 1947, he was created Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Baron Romsey. As Mountbatten had no sons, the Letters Patent creating both the Viscountcy and the Earldom were written to allow the titles to pass to his daughters and their male heirs. Had this not been done, the titles would have ended upon Mountbatten’s death. Instead, they passed to his elder daughter, Patricia, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma.

Following his time in India, Mountbatten returned to military service in 1949, serving as Commander of the 1st Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. From 1950-1952, he served as Fourth Sea Lord, and then from 1952-1954 as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. Finally, in April 1955, nearly forty-one years after his father had been forced to relinquish the role due to anti-German sentiment, Mountbatten was made First Sea Lord – the head of the British Royal Navy. The following year, he reached the rank of Admiral of the Fleet. Dickie served as First Sea Lord until October 1959, when he became Chief of the Defence Staff, serving until his retirement in July 1965. During this time, he also served as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1960-1961.

Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in uniform as Colonel of the Life Guards, with Gold Stick in Hand (1973). Source: Wikipedia, photo: by Allan Warren – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28983433

Upon retiring, he was granted several honorary appointments. He was made Colonel of the Life Guards, Gold Stick in Waiting, and Life Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines. The Queen also appointed him Governor of the Isle of Wight. In 1974, he became the first Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight.

Lord Mountbatten was killed on August 27, 1979, when his boat was blown up by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on Donegal Bay, in County Sligo, Ireland. He had been staying at his summer home, Classiebawn Castle, in County Sligo, Ireland, with much of his family. Mountbatten, his grandson Nicholas, his son-in-law’s mother, The Dowager Baroness Brabourne, and a young crew member, Paul Maxwell, all died as a result of the blast. Mountbatten’s daughter Patricia, her husband John, and their son Timothy were all critically injured but they survived. See Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August (scroll down).

A ceremonial funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on September 5, 1979, attended by most of the British Royal Family and many other European royals. He is buried at Romsey Abbey.

Earl Mountbatten’s tomb at Romsey Abbey. Source: Wikipedia, photo by JohnArmagh

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.

Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby, Marchioness of Milford Haven

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby, Marchioness of Milford Haven. source: Wikipedia

Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby was the wife of Prince George of Battenberg (later George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven). She was born in Cannes, France on March 28, 1896, the second daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich of Russia, a grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and Countess Sophie von Merenberg. As her parents’ marriage was morganatic, her father was stripped of his position at the Imperial Court and banished from Russia for the rest of his life. The morganatic marriage also meant that none of Mikhail’s styles or titles passed to his wife or their children. However, shortly after they married, Sophie’s uncle – Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg – created Sophie Countess de Torby, a title that also passed down to Nadejda and her two siblings:

Nadejda (left), with her brother, sister, and father. source: Wikipedia

By the time she was four years old, Nadejda’s family had settled in England but they also spent part of the year at their villa in Cannes, France. The family became prominent members of British society and developed friendships with several members of the British Royal Family. Through these friendships, Nadejda met her future husband, Prince George of Battenberg.

George was the eldest son of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (later the 1st Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven). His father’s siblings included Princess Andreas of Greece, Queen Louise of Sweden and Earl Mountbatten of Burma. His mother was the daughter of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Alice of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria’s second daughter. Nadejda and George married at the Russian Embassy in London on November 15, 1916. They settled at Lynden Manor in Bray, Berkshire, and had two children:

When King George V asked his German relatives to relinquish their German titles in 1917, Nadejda and her husband became simply Mr. and Mrs. George Mountbatten. Several months later, when George’s father was created Marquess of Milford Haven, George assumed his father’s subsidiary title, Earl of Medina. It would only be another 4 years when George’s father died, and he and Nadejda became the 2nd Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven. In later years, Nadejda and her husband helped to raise George’s nephew, Prince Philippos of Greece (later The Duke of Edinburgh).

1934 saw Nadejda drawn into the international spotlight during the contentious custody trial of Gloria Vanderbilt. Nadejda was a close friend of the child’s mother – Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt – and became part of the story when a former maid of Mrs. Vanderbilt suggested during testimony that her employer and the Marchioness were lovers. After publicly denouncing the allegations as “malicious, terrible lies”, Nadejda considered traveling to New York to testify on her friend’s behalf but was talked out of making the trip by King George V and Queen Mary.

However, one relative who did travel to testify in Mrs. Vanderbilt’s defense was Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who was married to Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, a niece of Nadejda’s husband. Gottfried had briefly been engaged to Mrs. Vanderbilt in the late 1920s and was called to testify on her behalf after scandalous allegations were made in court testimony about their prior relationship.

And here’s another interesting tidbit of information relating to Mrs. Vanderbilt. Her twin sister, Thelma, Viscountess Furness, was the mistress of The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII / Duke of Windsor) in the early 1930s. It was Thelma who introduced the Prince to her good friend, Wallis Simpson. The rest, as they say, is history!

Four years later, Nadejda was widowed when her husband succumbed to bone marrow cancer in 1938. Nada was very close to her sister-in-law, Edwina, and the two often traveled together around the world.

Nada (center) with her son David and his fiancée, Romaine Pierce Simpson, photographed in October 1949. source: Zimbio

The Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven died in Cannes, France on January 22, 1963. She is buried beside her husband in the Bray Cemetery in Bray, Berkshire, England.

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.

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven. source: Wikipedia

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven was born on December 6, 1892, at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany. At the time of his birth, he was HSH Prince George Louis Victor Henry Serge of Battenberg, the third child and elder son of Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. George had three younger siblings:

George with his mother, Victoria. Credit – Wikipedia

A remarkably intelligent and clever child, George had his own workshop at his father’s Heiligenberg Castle by the age of ten and was soon designing and building precise working models of steam engines. He enjoyed complex math problems “for relaxation” and was recognized by his superiors at Dartmouth Naval College for being perhaps the most clever cadet the college had ever seen. During his time in the Royal Navy, he devised a system to provide air conditioning in his cabin and invented a device that would brew his morning tea, triggered by an alarm clock.

Wedding portrait of George and Nadejda.

On November 15, 1916, at the Russian Embassy in London, George married Countess Nadejda Mikhailovna de Torby. Nadjeda was born in Cannes on March 28, 1896, the younger daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess Sophie von Merenberg. Following their wedding, George and Nadejda settled at Lynden Manor, in Bray, Berkshire, and had two children:

  • Lady Tatiana Mountbatten (1917-1988) – unmarried, was mentally disabled, was placed in St. Andrew’s Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Northampton, England, where she spent the rest of her life.
  • David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven (1919-1970) – married (1) Romaine Pierce, no issue; (2) Janet Bryce, had issue

The following year, in 1917, King George V of the United Kingdom asked his relatives to relinquish their German royal titles. On July 14, 1917, the Battenbergs gave up their titles and styles and took on the surname Mountbatten. George, having previously been created a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, became Sir George Mountbatten. Four months later, on November 7, 1917, his father was created Marquess of Milford Haven, and George assumed the courtesy title Earl of Medina. Four years later, in 1921, George succeeded his father as 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven.

In the late 1920s, having lost most of his inheritance to German inflation – and having a wife with very expensive tastes – George left the Royal Navy for a career in business. He worked for a brokerage house before moving to the British Sperry Gyroscope Company where he became chairman. He also served as director for several large companies, including Electrolux and Marks & Spencer.

In 1930, George became instrumental in the upbringing of his nephew, Prince Philip of Greece. Philip’s mother suffered a breakdown that year, and his father was more or less separated from the family, living with a mistress on the French Riviera. George became Philip’s primary guardian, serving as a surrogate father and arranging for, and financing, Philip’s education.

In 1934, George and Nadejda were brought into the international spotlight during the custody battle for the young Gloria Vanderbilt in New York City. Allegations had been raised that Nadejda and Gloria’s mother – Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt – had been lovers. Nadejda traveled to New York to testify in the case, decrying the allegations as “malicious, terrible lies.”

In December 1937, George suffered a fall and broke his femur. A month later, when it didn’t appear to be healing, a further examination found that he was suffering from bone marrow cancer. Fearing that the diagnosis would cause him to decline quite quickly, the doctors chose to withhold it from him, in agreement with the family. He lingered for several months, finally losing his battle on April 8, 1938, in London, England. He is buried at the Bray Cemetery in Bray, Berkshire, England. By the time of his death, George had accumulated a large collection of erotic art, which he left – on permanent loan – to the British Library. The library’s index describes the collection as “prospectuses and catalogs of erotic and obscene books, pictures and instruments, dating from 1889 to 1929. 81 parts. Collected by George Mountbatten.”

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Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hesse, Princess of Hanover

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Sophie of Greece and Denmark in 1955, with her daughter Friederike. Photo source: Daily Mail

Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark was the third daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Known in the family as “Tiny”, she was born on June 26, 1914, at Mon Repos on the isle of Corfu, Greece. She had four siblings:

Because of the unstable political situation in Greece, Sophie’s family spent several years living in Switzerland and later settled in France in the early 1920s. However, the family was soon pulled apart. Her mother suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized in 1930, and her father had given up on his marriage and spent most of his time with a mistress on the French Riviera. So it was no surprise when Sophie, at just 16 years old, became engaged to be married. She would be the first of the sisters to marry, but the others followed within the following year. On December 15, 1930, at Schloss Friedrichshof in Kronberg, Germany, Sophie married Prince Christoph of Hesse, in both Greek Orthodox and Lutheran ceremonies. He was the son of Prince Friedrich Karl of Hesse and Princess Margarete of Prussia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Sophie and Christoph were second cousins once removed through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria.

They had five children:

  • Princess Christina of Hesse (1933-2011) – married (1) Prince Andrej of Yugoslavia, had issue; (2) Robert van Eyck, had issue
  • Princess Dorothea of Hesse (born 1934) – married Prince Friedrich Karl of Windisch-Grätz, had issue
  • Prince Karl of Hesse (1937-2022) – married Countess Yvonne Szapáry von Muraszombath, Széchysziget and Szapár, had issue
  • Prince Rainer of Hesse (born 1939) – unmarried
  • Princess Clarissa of Hesse (born 1944) – married Jean-Claude Derrin (div), had issue

Sophie and Christoph lived in Berlin, Germany where he worked in an insurance company, as well as serving as a reserve officer in the Luftwaffe, the German air force. At the outbreak of World War II, Christoph entered active service, serving as a navigator in a bomb squadron, and later transferred to a fighter squadron in Tunisia and Sicily. In October 1943, Hitler recalled all the German princes from active service. Christoph was en route back to Germany when his plane crashed on October 7, 1943, and he was killed.

Meanwhile, Sophie and her five children had been living with her mother-in-law at Schloss Friedrichshof. She was also raising the four children of her brother-in-law Prince Philip of Hesse, who had been imprisoned in 1943. Forced to leave Friedrichshof when the American troops arrived, Sophie and her family moved to Schloss Wolfsgarten, home of the family of the former Grand Dukes of Hesse and by Rhine.

Sophie married a second time on April 23, 1946, in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Her husband was Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover, the son of Ernst August III, Duke of Brunswick, a descendant of King George III through his son Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover and Duke of Cumberland, and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor. Sophie and Georg Wilhelm were second cousins. This marriage is the only known case where the British sovereign withheld permission to marry, under the Royal Marriages Act of 1772. Although Germany and Britain were at war, the groom’s father still requested consent from King George VI. King George VI wished to let them know that it would be inappropriate to give his consent due to the war but the British government would not allow it. Therefore, the request went unanswered, meaning that the marriage was not recognized under British law. Sophie and Georg had three children:

Throughout her life, Sophie was very close to her brother Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh. Although not invited to Philip’s wedding because of her German ties, Sophie and her husband paid a private visit shortly after the wedding, spending time with Philip and Queen Elizabeth II at Birkhall in Scotland. Six years later, Sophie, her surviving sisters, and their families were all in attendance for Elizabeth’s coronation. The families visited often, and Sophie was a regular guest at the Windsor Royal Horse Show each year, as well as most private family events. In 1964, she was named as one of the godparents of Philip’s youngest son Prince Edward. In 1994, Sophie and Philip traveled to Jerusalem, where their mother was posthumously honored as Righteous Among the Nations for her efforts to help Jewish families during the war.

Sophie and Philip in Jerusalem, 1994.

In her later years, Sophie lived in Schliersee, near Munich, Germany with her husband. She also regularly visited Princess Margaret of Hesse and by Rhine (the wife of Prince Ludwig) who was among her closest friends. In the summer of 2001, with her health failing, Sophie moved to a nursing home in Munich, where she later died on November 24, 2001. She was buried in the cemetery in Schliersee, and a memorial service was held two months later at Schloss Wolfsgarten, attended by The Duke of Edinburgh.

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Princess Cecilie of Greece, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Cecilie of Greece, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine – source: Wikipedia

Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark was born at Tatoi Palace in Greece on June 22, 1911. She was the third daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg.

Cecilie had four siblings:

Cecilie with her husband and two sons, c1933. photo: personal collection

On February 2, 1931, in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, Cecilie married her first cousin once removed, Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. He was the son of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich.

Cecilie and Georg Donatus (known as Don) had three children:

  • Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine (1931-1937)
  • Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine (1933 -1937)
  • Princess Johanna of Hesse and by Rhine (1936 -1939)

Cecilie’s life came to a tragic end on November 16, 1937. A very pregnant Cecilie, her husband, their two sons, and her mother-in-law, were traveling by plane to London to attend the wedding of her husband’s brother Prince Ludwig and Margaret Geddes four days later. Facing bad weather, the plane was unable to land in Brussels, Belgium as scheduled and instead was diverted to Ostend, Belgium. While attempting to land, the plane clipped a chimney on a factory near the airport and then crashed leaving no survivors.

Having received the news, a private wedding ceremony was hastily arranged for Ludwig and Margaret the following day. They then traveled to Belgium to accompany the bodies back to Darmstadt. A funeral was held a few days later, attended by all of Cecilie’s family. Cecilie and her family were all buried in the burial ground adjacent to the Neues Mausoleum at Rosenhöhe Park in Darmstadt, in Hesse, Germany

Ludwig and Margaret adopted Cecilie’s only surviving child Princess Johanna. Sadly, less than two years later, Johanna contracted meningitis and died. She was buried alongside the rest of her family.

Grave of Cecilie and her husband; Photo – www.findagrave.com

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Princess Theodora of Greece, Margravine of Baden

Princess Theodora of Greece, Margravine of Baden; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark was born on May 30, 1906, at Tatoi Palace in Greece, the second daughter of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. She had four siblings:

Theodora with her sisters in 1922. (l-r) Margarita, Cecilie, Theodora, Sophie.

Raised primarily in Greece, Theodora and her family had to leave Greece several times due to the political unrest and repeated overthrow of the monarchy.  They spent several years living in Switzerland and later settled outside of Paris.  After her mother suffered a nervous breakdown in 1930, Theodora and her sisters were quickly married, all into former reigning German royal families.

On August 17, 1931, in Baden-Baden, Germany, Theodora married Berthold, Margrave of Baden, the son of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden and Princess Marie Luise of Hanover. The couple was second cousins through their mutual descent from King Christian IX of Denmark. They took up residence at Schloss Salem in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Theodora and Berthold  had three children:

Theodora with her husband and two elder children, c1936. source: private collection

In her later years, Princess Theodora spent time with her children and grandchildren and occasionally visited England to see her brother Philip and his family.  At just 63 years old, she died in Büdingen in Hesse, Germany on October 16, 1969, just five weeks before the death of her mother. She was buried alongside her husband in the family cemetery in Salem, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

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Abdication of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, 1912; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia was born on May 18, 1868, the eldest son of  Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Princess Dagmar of Denmark, known as Maria Feodorovna after her marriage. He became Tsar at the age of 26 upon the death of his father on November 1, 1894. Shortly afterward, on November 26, 1894, Nicholas married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, the youngest surviving child of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.  After her marriage, Alix was known as Alexandra Feodorovna.

Nicholas and his wife were related to many other royals. Nicholas was a grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark, the maternal nephew of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, King George I of Greece, and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (wife of King Edward VII). Among his first cousins were King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, King Haakon VII of Norway and his wife Queen Maud (daughter of King Edward VII), King Constantine I of Greece and Prince Andrew of Greece, the father of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

Alexandra was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria; the niece of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom; Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress and Queen of Prussia (wife of Friedrich III, German Emperor); Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; and Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Her first cousins included Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, Queen Sophie of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, Queen Maud of Norway, Queen Marie of Romania, Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden, Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain.

Nicholas and Alexandra had four daughters and one son. Their son, Alexei, the heir to the throne, was a sufferer of the blood-clotting genetic disease hemophilia. Alexandra’s grandmother Queen Victoria was a hemophilia carrier. Queen Victoria’s son Leopold suffered from hemophilia and it is assumed that a spontaneous mutation occurred in Queen Victoria. Alexandra’s brother Friedrich was a hemophilia sufferer who had died at the age of two from a brain hemorrhage after falling out a window, so therefore her mother Alice was a hemophilia carrier.

Russian Imperial Family (between circa 1913 and circa 1914); Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas mobilized the Russian troops in 1914 which led to Russia’s entrance into World War I on the side of Entente Powers (also known as the Allies of World War I or the Allies). See Unofficial Royalty: World War I: Who Was On What Side? In the midst of World War I, the February Revolution, the first of two revolutions in Russia, took place in 1917. Later in 1917, the October Revolution occurred, paving the way for the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Historian Alexander Rabinowitch in The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd, summarized the reasons for the February Revolution: The February 1917 revolution “… grew out of prewar political and economic instability, technological backwardness, and fundamental social divisions, coupled with gross mismanagement of the war effort, continuing military defeats, domestic economic dislocation, and outrageous scandals surrounding the monarchy.” The revolution was confined to the capital St. Petersburg and its surrounding areas and lasted less than a week. It involved mass demonstrations and armed clashes with police and forces of the Russian army. The immediate result of the revolution was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire.

By March 12, 1917, all the remaining regiments of the Russian Imperial Army had mutinied. A Provisional Government was formed which issued a demand that Nicholas must abdicate. At this time, Nicholas was not in St. Petersburg, but at the Stavka, the headquarters of the Russian Imperial Army in Mogilev (now in Belarus), 500 miles/800km away, living on the Imperial Train. Despite many earlier warnings from many people that he should return to the capital, Nicholas remained at the Stavka.

Finally, when it was too late to take any action, Nicholas decided to return to his family at Tsarskoe Selo, 15 miles/24 km from St. Petersburg, the site of Alexander Palace, the family’s favorite residence. Aboard the train, Nicholas heard the news that the last of the regiments had mutinied and he realized he had no choice but to abdicate. On March 15, 1917, aboard the Imperial Train headed to Tsarskoe Selo, Nicholas signed the abdication manifesto. At first, he decided to abdicate in favor of his son Alexei, but he changed his mind after conferring with doctors who said the hemophiliac Alexei would not survive without his parents, who would surely be exiled. Nicholas then decided to abdicate in favor of his brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich. However, Michael declined to accept the throne unless the people were allowed to vote for the continuation of the monarchy or for a republic.

Nicholas issued the following statement:

“In the days of the great struggle against the foreign enemies, who for nearly three years have tried to enslave our fatherland, the Lord God has been pleased to send down on Russia a new heavy trial. Internal popular disturbances threaten to have a disastrous effect on the future conduct of this persistent war. The destiny of Russia, the honor of our heroic army, the welfare of the people and the whole future of our dear fatherland demand that the war should be brought to a victorious conclusion whatever the cost. The cruel enemy is making his last efforts, and already the hour approaches when our glorious army together with our gallant allies will crush him. In these decisive days in the life of Russia, We thought it Our duty of conscience to facilitate for Our people the closest union possible and a consolidation of all national forces for the speedy attainment of victory. In agreement with the Imperial Duma We have thought it well to renounce the Throne of the Russian Empire and to lay down the supreme power. As We do not wish to part from Our beloved son, We transmit the succession to Our brother, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, and give Him Our blessing to mount the Throne of the Russian Empire. We direct Our brother to conduct the affairs of state in full and inviolable union with the representatives of the people in the legislative bodies on those principles which will be established by them, and on which He will take an inviolable oath. In the name of Our dearly beloved homeland, We call on Our faithful sons of the fatherland to fulfill their sacred duty to the fatherland, to obey the Tsar in the heavy moment of national trials, and to help Him, together with the representatives of the people, to guide the Russian Empire on the road to victory, welfare, and glory. May the Lord God help Russia!”

One of the last photographs taken of Nicholas II, take Tsarskoe Selo after his abdication, Spring 1917; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Nicholas and his family were held under house arrest first at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo, and later at the Governor’s Mansion in Tobolsk, Siberia between August 1917 – April 1918. In April 1918, they were moved to the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Siberia. It was here on the morning of July 17, 1918, that the family was brought to a room in the basement and assassinated.

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

  • “February revolution.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2017. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.
  • Lincoln, Bruce W., and Lincoln. The Romanovs: Autocrats of All the Russias: Autocrats of All the Russias. New York, NY, Unofficialtes: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1983. Print.
  • “Nicholas II of Russia.” Wikipedia. N.p.: Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Feb. 2017. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.
  • Perry, John Curtis, and Constantine Pleshakov. The Flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga. New York, NY, United States: William S. Konecky Associates, 1999. Print.
  • Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks in Power: The First Year of Soviet Rule in Petrograd. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2008. Print.
  • Scott. “Emperor Nicholas II of Russia.” Russian Royals. Unofficial Royalty, 28 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2017.

Princess Margarita of Greece, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.; Photo –  Private Collection

Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark was born on April 18, 1905, at the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece. She was the eldest child of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg and was the first great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Margarita had four younger siblings:

 

1930-1931 saw the marriages of Margarita and her three sisters. Although she was the eldest, Margarita was the third to marry. Her groom was Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. He was the son of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a grandson of Queen Victoria’s half-sister Princess Feodora of Leiningen and Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Margarita and Gottfried were second cousins once removed through their mutual descent from Queen Victoria, and third cousins through Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. They married in Langenburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany on April 20, 1931, and had five children:

  • Prince Kraft, titular Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1935 – 2004), married (1) Princess Charlotte of Croÿ, had two daughters and one son, divorced  (2) Irma Pospesch, no children
  • Princess Beatrix of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1936 – 1997), unmarried
  • Prince Georg Andreas of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (born 1938), married Princess Luise of Schönburg-Waldenburg, had two daughters
  • Prince Rupprecht of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1944 – 1978), unmarried, twin of Albrecht
  • Prince Albrecht of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1944 – 1992), married Maria-Hildegard Fischer, had one son

In 1934, Margarita and her husband traveled to New York to testify in the famous custody battle for the young Gloria Vanderbilt. In the past, Gottfried had been in a romantic relationship with her mother Mrs. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt and during the custody hearing, a housemaid made some rather salacious allegations about the relationship between the two. Margarita also testified as a character witness for Mrs. Vanderbilt.

Although Margarita and her sisters were not invited to their brother Philip’s wedding (due to the strong anti-German sentiment so soon after the war), she and Philip remained close. In 1950, she was named as one of the godparents of Philip’s daughter, Princess Anne. In 1953, Margarita, her surviving sisters, and their mother were prominent guests at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. On April 17, 2021, Margarita’s grandson Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Head of the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, was one of the thirty guests at the funeral of his great-uncle Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

After being widowed in 1960, Margarita maintained a quiet life in Langenburg, in the German state of  Baden-Württemberg, visiting with her children and grandchildren, as well as occasional trips to visit Philip and his family in the United Kingdom. At the age of 76, Princess Margarita died in Langenburg on April 24, 1981, and was buried beside her husband in the family cemetery.

Margarita’s grave; Photo – www.findagrave.com

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Prince Andreas of Greece

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Photo source: The Peerage

Prince Andreas of Greece

Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark (typically known as Andrew) was born February 2, 1882, in Athens, Greece, the son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. At the time of his birth, he was fourth in line to the Greek throne behind his three brothers.  Andreas had seven siblings:

As a child, he was considered to be more ‘Greek’ than most of his siblings, refusing to speak anything but Greek with his parents, despite also speaking several other languages. His education was mostly in military schools which led to his joining the Greek forces at the age of 19.

Prince Andreas and Princess Alice, c1903.  source: Wikipedia

At the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom in August 1902, Andreas first met Princess Alice of Battenberg. She was the eldest daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (later the Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven). The couple married in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, in a civil ceremony on October 6, 1903, followed by both Lutheran and Greek Orthodox ceremonies. Over the next 18 years, they had five children:

Prince Andreas’ military service was often interrupted by the political turmoil in Greece. In the early years, he resigned from the army following a coup d’état in 1909. He later returned in 1912 and found in the Balkan Wars. Following the abdication of his brother, King Constantine I, in 1917, Andreas went into exile along with most of the Greek royal family. Upon Constantine’s return to the throne in 1920, Andreas was also reinstated in the Greek Army and saw service in the Greco-Turkish War. Following another coup d’état in 1922, Andreas was arrested and court-martialled. He was found guilty and faced possible death. Through the efforts of King George V of the United Kingdom, arrangements were made for Andreas to be spared, and with his family, he went into exile again. The family settled in Saint-Cloud, on the outskirts of Paris, France.

Prince Andrew and his family in 1928

Prince Andreas and his family in 1928

Andreas spent the next several years defending his actions during his military service in Greece, even writing a book in 1930 – Towards Disaster: The Greek Army in Asia Minor in 1921.  By the early 1930s, Andreas had less and less contact with his family.  His wife and suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized, his four daughters had all married into former German royal families, and his son was attending school first in Germany and then in the United Kingdom.  Somewhat at a loss, having been basically forced into a life of retirement, Andreas moved to the French Riviera.  There, he enjoyed a life of leisure, spending much of his time living aboard the yacht of his mistress, Countess Andrée de La Bigne.

Andreas only returned to Greece once, in 1936, after Greece had reversed his exile, and restored assets to the Greek royal family.  The following year, tragedy brought the family together.  In November 1937, Andreas’s daughter Cecilie, along with her husband, two sons, and mother-in-law were killed in a plane crash in Belgium. Andreas attended the funeral in Darmstadt, Germany where he was reunited with his wife Alice and son Philip for the first time in six years.  However, the reunion was short-lived, and Prince Andreas soon returned to his life in France.

The onset of World War II brought an end to the little contact Andreas had with his wife and children.  His wife had returned to Greece, his daughters were all behind German lines, and his son was fighting for the British forces.  His hopes of once again seeing his children soon came to an end.  Prince Andreas died at the Metropole Hotel in Monte Carlo on December 3, 1944, at the age of 62.  By that time, it had been five years since he had seen his wife or son.  He was initially buried at the Russian Orthodox Church in Nice, France, and in 1946, his remains were reinterred in the royal cemetery at Tatoi Palace in Greece.

Grave of Prince Andreas; Photo: www,findagrave.com

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