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Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

August 7, 1282 – Birth of Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, Countess of Holland, Countess of Hereford, daughter of King Edward I of England, at Rhuddlan Castle in Wales
Elizabeth married Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Constable of England and the couple had ten children. Elizabeth and especially her husband Humphrey had issues with King Edward II’s relationship with his favorite Piers Gaveston who Humphrey bluntly called a traitor. This caused years of estrangement between Elizabeth and her brother King Edward II. They were finally reconciled in 1315, three years after Gaveston’s murder by English nobles who had had enough of him. Elizabeth gave birth on May 5, 1316, to her tenth child, a daughter but sadly, 33-year-old Elizabeth and her daughter both died the same day.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, Countess of Holland, Countess of Hereford

August 7, 1385 – Death of Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales, wife of Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince) and the mother of King Richard II of England, at Wallingford Castle in Oxfordshire, England; buried at the Church of the Greyfriars, a Franciscan friary in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England
Joan’s father was Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, the younger of the two sons of King Edward I of England and his second wife, Margaret of France, and was, therefore, a half-brother of King Edward II. Joan and her first husband Thomas Holland are the ancestors of many prominent figures in the Wars of the Roses, including Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (father of King Edward IV and King Richard III), Henry Tudor (later King Henry VII) and his wife Elizabeth of York (daughter of King Edward IV), Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the Kingmaker) and his daughter Anne Neville (wife of King Richard III). They were also ancestors of Catherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of King Henry VIII. After the death of her first husband, Joan married Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), her first cousin once removed and the son and heir of King Edward III of England, and became the very first Princess of Wales. Her husband predeceased his father Edward III and their son succeeded his grandfather as King Richard II. Joan requested to be buried beside her first husband at the Church of the Greyfriars, a Franciscan friary in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England which was destroyed during King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.
Unofficial Royalty: Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales

August 7, 1751- Birth of Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange, wife of Willem IV, Prince of Orange, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friederike Sophie Wilhelmina
In 1767, 16-year-old Wilhelmina married 19-year-old Willem V, Prince of Orange, son of Willem IV, Prince of Orange and Anne, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain. The marriage was negotiated at the request of the bride’s uncle King Friedrich II of Prussia. In 1795, the revolutionary Patriots, supported by the French Army, replaced the Dutch Republic with the Batavian Republic which remained in power until 1806. Willem V and his family fled to England where they lived in exile until 1802 in London in the part of Kew Palace known as the Dutch House with the permission of Willem’s first cousin King George III. In 1802, the family went to Germany where they lived in Nassau and Brunswick. Willem spent the rest of his life in exile. Wilhelmina eventually returned to the Netherlands and survived long enough to see her son become Willem I, the first King of the Netherlands.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange

August 7, 1783 – Birth of Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Royal Lodge in Windsor, Berkshire, England
Amelia was the sixth of the six daughters and the youngest of the fifteen children of King George III. The living conditions of King George III’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Only three of the six daughters were eventually allowed to marry. Amelia was frequently ill and her early symptoms indicate tuberculosis. While taking a cure at the seaside town of Weymouth, she was accompanied by Colonel The Honorable Charles Fitzroy, an equerry to King George III. A romance began that was immediately shut down by Amelia’s mother Queen Charlotte. By 1810, Amelia was fatally ill with pulmonary tuberculosis when she developed erysipelas, an acute skin infection. Before the advent of antibiotics, erysipelas frequently resulted in death. On her deathbed, Amelia made a will leaving much of her assets to Charles Fitzroy. Amelia made one last attempt to marry Fitzroy when she asked her doctor to seek permission from her father to marry. The doctor refused her request. Amelia died at the age of 27 with her sister Mary at her bedside. Mary wrote to Fitzroy, “My dear Fitzroy, Our beloved Amelia is no more but her last words to me were, ‘Tell Charles I die blessing him.'”
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom

August 7, 1821 – Death of Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom, estranged wife of King George IV of the United Kingdom, at Brandenburg House in Hammersmith, London, England; buried at the Cathedral of St. Blasius in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Caroline was chosen as the bride of her first cousin, the future King George IV. This marriage is one of the worst ever royal marriages. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. Their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was born nine months later. Caroline and George found each other equally unattractive and never lived together or appeared in public together. When George became king in 1820, he was determined to be rid of Caroline and his government introduced a bill in Parliament, the Pains and Penalties Bill 1820, to strip Caroline of the title of queen consort and dissolve her marriage. Although the bill passed, it was so controversial that the Prime Minister withdrew it. No plans had been made for Caroline to participate in George IV’s coronation. On the day of the coronation, Caroline went to Westminster Abbey, was barred at every entrance, and finally left. Three weeks later Caroline died at the age of 53. Before her death, Caroline had requested that she be buried in her native Brunswick. The official route of Caroline’s funeral procession through London was to avoid major streets. However, members of the public blocked those streets and forced a new route through the major streets. Caroline was buried alongside her father. Her casket bears the inscription, “Here lies Caroline, the Injured Queen of England.”
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom

August 7, 1834 – Birth of Sophie of Baden, wife of Woldemar, Prince of Lippe, in Karlsruhe, then in the Grand Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg
The daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Baden and Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Württemberg, Sophie married Woldemar, the future Prince of Lippe in 1858. Their marriage was childless. Woldemar became Prince of Lippe upon the death of his childless elder brother Leopold III in 1875. Woldemar, Prince of Lippe died in 1895. Sophie survived her husband Woldemar by nine years, dying at the age of 70, on April 6, 1904, at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie of Baden, Princess of Lippe

August 7, 1862 – Birth of Queen Victoria of Sweden, wife of King Gustav V of Sweden, born Victoria of Baden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Full name: Sophie Marie Viktoria
In 1881, Victoria married the future King Gustaf V of Sweden. As a great-granddaughter of King Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden, Victoria’s marriage united the former ruling house of Holstein-Gottorp with the new Bernadotte dynasty, and she was known in Sweden as the ‘Vasa Princess’.  The couple had three children including King Gustaf VI Adolf who married Princess Margaret of Connaught and Lady Louise Mountbatten. When her husband became king, Victoria took part in all the court festivities and responsibilities of her new role. She traveled extensively with her husband and entertained visiting royalty from around Europe. She spent much of her time working with several charities, including taking the helm of Sophiahammet after the death of her mother-in-law Queen Sofia. During World War I, Queen Victoria’s German roots often led to unpopularity amongst the Swedes.
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria of Baden, Queen of Sweden

 August 7, 1909 – Birth of Prince Roberto Hugo of Parma, Duke of Parma, at Weilburg Palace in Baden bei Wien, Austria
Roberto Hugo was the head of the house of Bourbon-Parma and pretender to the former throne of the Duchy of Parma from 1959 until 1974.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Roberto Hugo of Parma, Duke of Parma

August 7, 1947 – Death of Hermine Reuss of Greiz, German Empress, Queen of Prussia, second wife of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia, at Paulinenhof, a Soviet internment camp near Brandenburg, Germany; buried at the Temple of Antiquities in Potsdam, Germany
Hermine was a widow with five children when one of Hermine’s sons sent birthday wishes to Wilhelm II, formerly German Emperor, living in exile at Huis Doorn in Doorn, the Netherlands, who then invited the boy and his mother to Doorn. Wilhelm found Hermine very attractive and greatly enjoyed her company. Having both been recently widowed, the two had much in common. Wilhelm was determined to marry Hermine despite objections from his children. 63-year-old Wilhelm and 34-year-old Hermine married on November 5, 1922, in Doorn. Although Wilhelm had abdicated, he continued to use his royal styles and titles, and therefore Hermine was styled Her Imperial Majesty The German Empress, Queen of Prussia. Hermine returned to Germany after Wilhelm died in 1941. After World War II, Hermine was held under house arrest at Frankfurt an der Oder in the Soviet Zone of Germany. She died at Paulinenhof, a Soviet internment camp near Brandenburg, Germany. She was buried at the Temple of Antiquities in Potsdam, Germany where Wilhelm’s first wife, Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, and several other family members are buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Hermine Reuss of Greiz, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

August 7, 1972 – Death of Aspasia Manos, Princess of Greece, wife of King Alexander I of Greece, in Venice, Italy; first buried at the Cemetery of San Michele Island near Venice, Italy, reburied at the Tatoi Royal Cemetery in Greece
Aspasia and Prince Alexander, the second son of King Constantine I of Greece, began a romance, despite the unlikelihood of being able to marry due to their different ranks. In June 1917, King Constantine I was forced to step down from the throne, and his son Alexander was appointed to replace him. Despite the challenges from his family and the Prime Minister, Aspasia and Alexander married secretly on November 17, 1919. Aspasia was not given the title of Queen, instead, she was known simply as Madame Manos. Less than a year later, King Alexander died after contracting septicemia from a monkey bite several weeks earlier. When Alexander died, Aspasia was four months pregnant and gave birth to their daughter Alexandra in 1921. Alexander’s father was restored to the throne and issued a decree recognizing the marriage of Alexander and Aspasia and legitimizing their daughter Alexandra. Aspasia was now Princess Alexander of Greece and Denmark. Despite this, her relationship with her husband’s family was never easy.
Unofficial Royalty: Aspasia Manos, Princess of Greece

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Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh; Credit – Wikipedia

August 6, 1644 – Birth of Louise de la Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Vaujours, mistress of King Louis XIV of France, born Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc at the Hôtel de la Crouzille in Tours, France
Louise de la Vallière was the mistress of King Louis XIV of France from 1661 until 1667. She later became a nun, Sister Louise de la Miséricorde (Sister Louise of Mercy), and lived the last 36 years of her life in a convent.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise de la Vallière, mistress of King Louis XIV of France

August 6, 1666 – Birth of Maria Sofia of Neuberg, second wife of King Pedro II of Portugal, at Schloss Benrath outside Düsseldorf in the Electorate of Palatine-Neuberg, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Full name: Maria Sophia Elisabeth
Portugal had a succession crisis. Isabel Luísa of Braganza, Princess of Beira, the only child and heir presumptive of Pedro II, King of Portugal, was not married. Because of her sickly nature and the Law of the Cortes of Lamego that prevented the marriage of an heiress to a foreign prince, all marriage possibilities failed. 39-year-old Pedro knew he had to marry again to provide for the succession. 21-year-old Marie Sophia was chosen as Pedro’s second wife because of her family’s reputation for producing fertile women. Pedro II and Maria Sophia had eight children so Maria Sophia did her duty by providing heirs. However, only their eldest surviving child João V, King of Portugal married and had children although some of their sons had illegitimate children. On August 4, 1699, two days before her thirty-third birthday, Maria Sophia died at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal from erysipelas, a bacterial infection of the skin that can spread to other areas of the body through the bloodstream.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Sofia of Neuberg, Queen of Portugal

August 6, 1673 – Birth of Henry FitzJames, 1st Duke of Albemarle, Illegitimate son of King James II of England, in a private house in St. James’s Square, Westminster, London, England

Unofficial Royalty: Henry FitzJames, 1st Duke of Albemarle (article coming soon)

August 6, 1697 – Birth of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, also Karl I, Prince-Elector of Bavaria, in Brussels, then in the Duchy of Brabant, now in Belgium
Karl reigned as Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor from 1742 – 1745 and as Karl I, Prince-Elector of Bavaria from 1726 – 1745. He was a member of the House of Wittelsbach and his reign as Holy Roman Emperor marked the end of three centuries of the House of Habsburg’s rule as Holy Roman Emperors. In 1726, Karl married Archduchess Maria Amalia of Austria, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and niece of Emperor Karl VI. The couple had seven children but only four survived to adulthood. After Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI died in 1740, Karl claimed the Archduchy of Austria and briefly gained hold of the Bohemian throne. In 1742, he was elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He ruled until his death three years later.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor, Elector of Bavaria

August 6, 1746 – Death of King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway at Hørsholm Palace in Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Christian became King of Denmark and Norway upon the death of his father Frederik IV, King of Denmark and Norway in 1730. Christian VI is known as a religious ruler and remained devoted to Pietism. His court was considered dull. Only religious music was played and dancing was not allowed. Christian was shy, anxious about responsibility and decisions, and uncomfortable with his ceremonial obligations as the king. He never traveled except for one trip to Norway in 1733.
Unofficial Royalty: King Christian VI of Denmark

August 6, 1775 – Birth of Louis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême (Legitimist pretender as King Louis XIX of France), son of King Charles X of France, at the Palace of Versailles
Louis-Antoine was the last Dauphin of France and was technically King of France for less than twenty minutes on August 2, 1830, after his father abdicated and before he also abdicated. After his father’s death, he was the Legitimist pretender to the French throne and is sometimes known as King Louis XIX. He married his first cousin Marie-Thérèse of France, the only surviving child of the executed Louis XVI, King of France and Marie Antoinette.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême

August 6, 1820 – Death of Frederica, Duchess of York, born Frederica of Prussia, wife of Frederick, Duke of York, at Oatlands Park in Weybridge, Surrey, England, buried at Weybridge Churchyard in Surrey, England
Fredrica was the only child of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and his first wife and first cousin, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Her marriage to Prince Frederick, Duke of York was unsuccessful. Frederick was unfaithful and the couple was unable to have children. In 1794, the couple separated and Frederica lived out her life at Oatlands Park in Weybridge, Surrey, England. Frederick and Frederica remained on good terms and the couple never caused any scandal. Frederica had suffered from tuberculosis for some time and died at the age of 53 at her home Oatlands Park. Frederick was present at her death and shortly before she died, Frederica begged him to allow her to be buried in Weybridge instead of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Unofficial Royalty: Frederica of Prussia, Duchess of York

August 6, 1844 – Birth of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Full name: Alfred Ernest Albert
Alfred’s father Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and elder brother, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom had both renounced their rights of succession to the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, leaving Alfred as heir to childless his uncle Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The transition to his new position was not easy. The people were mostly against the idea of a British prince being their Duke even though his father was born a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. However, Alfred gained the people’s confidence in him and soon became quite popular.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh

August 6, 1845 – Birth of John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, husband of Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Stafford House in London, England
Full name: John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland
The marriage of Lorne, as he was called after the courtesy title he used while his father was alive, and Louise was met with protests by some of Louise’s siblings and the Prussian court. Queen Victoria saw the marriage as an opportunity to “infuse new and healthy blood” into the royal family. However, the marriage was childless. In 1878, Lorne was appointed Governor-General of Canada, serving for five years. Lorne and Louise traveled extensively throughout Canada, bringing a royal touch to the country.
Unofficial Royalty: John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll

August 6, 1915 – Birth of Queen Geraldine of the Albanians, wife of King Zog I of the Albanians, born Countess Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy-Apponyi in Budapest, Hungary
Full name: Geraldine Margit Virginia Olga Maria
Queen Geraldine was born Countess Geraldine Margit Virginia Olga Maria Apponyi de Nagy-Appony. Her father Count Gyula Apponyi de Nagy-Appony was from a prominent family of Hungary’s high upper nobility. Her mother, Gladys Steuart, was the daughter of an American diplomat who had served as Consul in Belgium. Geraldine first met her future husband, King Zog I of the Albanians, in 1937. After seeing a photo of her, the King asked one of his sisters to invite Geraldine to a New Year’s Ball where they were introduced. Quickly smitten, the King proposed within days and Geraldine accepted. The couple married in 1938 in a civil ceremony at the Royal Palace in Tirana, Albania. Despite their religious differences – the King was a Muslim while Geraldine was Catholic – the marriage was blessed by all of the religious leaders, including the Pope who had initially refused.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Geraldine of the Albanians

August 6, 1926 – Birth of Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse was head of the House of Hesse, and pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine from 1980 until he died in 2013, at the Castle of Racconigi in Racconigi, Italy
Full name: Moritz Friedrich Karl Emanuel Humbert
Moritz was the eldest child of Philipp, Landgrave of Hesse and Princess Mafalda of Savoy. In 1960, Moritz was adopted by his distant relative Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine. Ludwig had no children and would be the last member of the House of Hesse and by Rhine. This adoption ensured that the former grand ducal family’s estates and assets would remain in the Hesse family upon his death. In June 1964, Moritz married Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. The couple had four children before divorcing in 1974. Moritz died in Frankfurt, Germany on May 23, 2013.
Unofficial Royalty: Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse

August 6, 1975 – Death of Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Galliera, son of Infante Antonio of Spain, Duke of Galliera (a grandson of King Ferdinand VII of Spain) and Infanta Eulalia of Spain (a daughter of Queen Isabella II of Spain), at El Botánico Palace in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain; buried at the Convent of the Capuchin Fathers in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain
In 1906, at the wedding of his first cousin, King Alfonso XIII of Spain to Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Alfonso met the bride’s first cousin, Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. A granddaughter of both Queen Victoria and Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, Beatrice was the youngest daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. Alfonso and Beatrice married in 1909. The civil ceremony was followed by both a Catholic and a Protestant ceremony, as the bride chose not to convert to Catholicism. She did later convert in 1913. In the following years, the Spanish monarchy was overthrown and the country was thrown into Civil War. The couple’s second son Alonso was killed in action and the family lost their properties. Initially exiled to England, they eventually returned to Spain in 1937, and settled at a new estate, El Botánico, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where they would live for the rest of their lives.
Unofficial Royalty: Infante Alfonso of Spain, Duke of Galliera

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Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

August 5, 1103 – Birth of William Ætheling, son of King Henry I of England, in Winchester, England
William Ætheling was the only son of Henry I, King of England and his first wife Matilda of Scotland. His death in the sinking of the White Ship caused a succession crisis that resulted in a terrible civil war known as The Anarchy which lasted eighteen years.
Unofficial Royalty: William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy
Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession

August 5, 1301 – Birth of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, son of King Edward I of England, at Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England
Edmund was the second of the three children of King Edward I of England and his second wife Margaret of France. The life of Edmund ended with his execution by beheading, but he is rarely mentioned among the beheaded English royals. In 1329, Edmund had been persuaded by an unknown friar that his half-brother Edward II, who died under suspicious circumstances, was still alive and set about raising forces to free him and restore him to the throne. It later emerged that Roger Mortimer, who had helped to overthrow Edward II, was responsible for leading Edmund to believe the former king was still alive, in a form of entrapment. Edmund was executed by beheading for high treason at Winchester Castle on March 19, 1330. The execution had to be held up for a day because no one wanted to be responsible for a prince’s death. Eventually, a convicted murderer agreed to be the executioner in return for a pardon.
Unofficial Royalty: Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent

August 5, 1578 – Birth of Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, favorite of King Louis XIII of France, in Pont-Saint-Esprit, France
Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes was a close advisor and favorite of King Louis XIII of France from childhood until his death and held numerous top positions within the French court.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, favorite of King Louis XIII of France

August 5, 1737 – Birth of Johann Friedrich Struensee, favorite of King Christian VII of Denmark and lover of his wife Queen Caroline Matilda, in Halle, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Because he was known for a new kind of therapy for mental illness, Struensee, a medical doctor, was called to treat King Christian VII’s mental issues. Struensee could handle Christian’s instability, a great relief to the king’s advisers. Because of Christian VII’s confidence in him, Struensee gained political power and he also became the lover of Christian’s ill-treated wife Caroline Matilda of Wales (the sister of King George III) whose marriage was less than satisfactory. Eventually, Queen Dowager Juliana Maria, Christian’s stepmother, maneuvered a coup that brought about the fall of Struensee, who was brutally executed, and discredited Caroline Matilda who spent the rest of her short life in custody.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Friedrich Struensee, a favorite of King Christian VII and lover of Queen Caroline Matilda

August 5, 1828 – Birth of Queen Louise of Sweden and Norway, wife of King Carl XV of Sweden and Norway, born Princess Louise of the Netherlands in the Hague, the Netherlands
Full name: Wilhelmina Frederika Alexandrine Anna Louise
In 1849, Louise met Prince Carl of Sweden, the son and heir of King Oscar I, and negotiations were soon underway to arrange a marriage between the two. While Louise was enamored of her future husband from their first meeting, he found her unattractive. However, King Oscar wanted to create familial ties between the relatively new Bernadotte dynasty in Sweden and some of the other long-established European dynasties. With Louise’s Dutch and Prussian families and the promise of a large dowry, she was an ideal candidate. Prince Carl eventually conceded to his father’s wishes and Louise and Carl were married in 1850. The marriage was an unhappy one. Louise was desperately in love with her husband, but he was consistently unfaithful. Having had complications in her second pregnancy, Louise was unable to bear any more children. Following their son’s death in 1854, leaving no male heir to inherit the throne, Louise offered her husband a divorce, which he declined.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of the Netherlands, Queen of Sweden and Norway

August 5, 1833 – Birth of Carola of Vasa, Queen of Saxony, wife of King Albert of Saxony, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Karolina Fredrika Franciska Stefania Amalia Cecilia
Carola married the future King Albert of Saxony but the couple never had children. Between 1853 – 1860, Carola had ten miscarriages. Carola was very active in charity work. In addition to supporting organizations that provided medical care, she was also instrumental in establishing several organizations to provide training for a growing workforce due to an increase in industrialization. Through her efforts, homes were built for families who needed housing, nurses received more proper training, and advances were made in the care and treatment of tuberculosis within Saxony. Schools and nursing homes were established, along with several women’s organizations that provided vocational training. Queen Carola is often credited for greatly contributing to the increasing professional independence of women.
Unofficial Royalty: Carola of Vasa, Queen of Saxony

August 5, 1901 – Death of Victoria, German Empress, born Victoria Princess Royal, wife of Friedrich III German Emperor, at Friedrichshof in Krönberg im Taunus, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Hesse, Germany, buried at Friedenskirche in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
In 1899, while visiting her mother at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Vicky was diagnosed with breast cancer. By 1900, cancer had spread to her spine and she suffered a great deal during the last months of her life. When Queen Victoria died on January 22, 1901, Vicky was too ill to go to England. She died less than seven months later on August 5, 1901, at the age of 60. Vicky was buried in the royal mausoleum of the Friedenskirche in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany next to her beloved husband Fritz. Their two sons who died in childhood are buried in the same mausoleum.
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress

August 5, 1939 – Birth of Princess Irene of the Netherlands, daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, at Soestdijk Palace in the Netherlands
Full name: Irene Emma Elisabeth
Irene secretly converted to Catholicism and wanted to make a controversial marriage to Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma. It was announced that the wedding would take place and that Princess Irene would cease to be a member of the Dutch Royal House, and would relinquish all rights to the throne for herself and her descendants. No members of the Dutch royal family attended. Following their honeymoon, they settled in Madrid, Spain. Before divorcing in 1981, the couple had four children. Irene and her children returned to live in the Netherlands. She prefers to be known simply as Irene van Lippe-Biesterfeld and rarely participates in official events in the Netherlands. However, she is almost always seen at family functions and maintains a very close relationship with her sisters and extended family.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Irene of the Netherlands

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Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; Credit – Wikipedia

August 4, 1338 – Death of Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk, son of King Edward I of England, at Framlingham Castle in Suffolk, England; buried at the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England which was left in ruins during King Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries
In 1316, Thomas was given the office of Lord Marshal of England. The title of “marshal” at one time designated the head of household security for the King of England. The office became hereditary under John FitzGilbert the Marshal and his second son William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, served four kings (Henry II, Richard I, John, and Henry III) in this office and became one of the most powerful men in Europe. The office of hereditary Marshal (currently Earl Marshal) evolved into a Great Officer of State. In 1672, the office of Marshal of England and the title of Earl Marshal of England were made hereditary in the Howard family and since then the offices have been held by the Duke of Norfolk. Today, the Earl Marshal’s role is chiefly involved in organizing major state ceremonies such as coronations, state funerals, and the opening of parliament. Thomas was an ancestor of two of the wives of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
Unofficial Royalty: Thomas of Brotherton, 1st Earl of Norfolk

August 4, 1699 – Death of Maria Sofia of Neuberg, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Pedro II of Portugal, in Lisbon, Portugal; buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Maria Sophia of Neuburg, the second wife of Pedro II, King of Portugal. He married her because Portugal had a succession crisis. Isabel Luísa of Braganza, Princess of Beira, the only child and heir presumptive of Pedro II, King of Portugal, was not married. Marie Sophia’s family had a reputation for producing fertile women. Pedro II and Maria Sophia had eight children so Maria Sophia did her duty by providing heirs. On August 4, 1699, two days before her thirty-third birthday, Maria Sophia died at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal from erysipelas, a bacterial infection of the skin that can spread to other areas of the body through the bloodstream.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Sofia of Neuberg, Queen of Portugal

August 4, 1900 – Birth of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, wife of King George VI of the United Kingdom and mother of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, born The Honourable Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Full name: Elizabeth Angela Marguerite
On August 4, 1900, The Honorable Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born, the youngest daughter and ninth child of the ten children of Claude Bowes-Lyon, Lord Glamis (later the 14th and 1st Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne) and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. The exact place of her birth is unknown. She was alleged to have been born in her parents’ home in London, but her birth was registered at Hitchin, Hertfordshire, near her family’s English country house, St Paul’s Walden Bury, which was also given as her birthplace in the census the following year.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

August 4, 1906 – Birth of Queen Marie-Jose of Italy, wife of King Umberto II of Italy, born Princess Marie-Jose of Belgium  in Ostend, Belgium
Full name: Marie-Jose Charlotte Sophie Amélie Henriette Gabrielle
Marie José was the youngest child and only daughter of Albert I, King of the Belgians and Elisabeth in Bavaria. She married Crown Prince Umberto of Italy, Prince of Piedmont, the son of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy. After World War II, King Victor Emmanuel III abdicated on May 9, 1946. Marie José and her husband became the new King and Queen of Italy, however, their reign was short-lived. A referendum was held on June 2, 1946,  with the majority voting to abolish the monarchy. Accepting the people’s will, Umberto and Marie José left Italy on June 13, 1946, and were barred under the terms of the new constitution from returning to Italian soil. They settled in Portugal, but soon separated, with Marie José and her children then living in Switzerland.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie-Jose of Belgium, Queen of Italy

August 4, 1981 – Birth of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, born Rachel Meghan Markle in Los Angeles, California
Before her marriage, Meghan was an actress, appearing on Suits, an American legal drama television series, playing Rachel Zane, a senior paralegal with dreams of attending law school. Prince Harry and Meghan were married on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. The couple have one son and one daughter.
Unofficial Royalty: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

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King Haakon VII of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

August 3, 1460 – Death of James II, King of Scots at Roxburgh Castle in Scotland, buried at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland
The “Black Dinner” that occurred during James II’s reign was an inspiration for the famous “Red Wedding” massacre in “The Game of Thrones.” James II besieged Roxburgh Castle near the English border in support of King Henry VI of England and was accidentally killed when a cannon near where he was standing exploded. As with the start of the reigns of James I and James II, Scotland once again had a child king in James III, King of Scots, the son of James II. The rest of the Scottish Stuarts, James IV, James V, Mary, Queen of Scots, and James VI, would also be child monarchs. James II’s death also continued the violent deaths of the Scottish Stuarts that started with the assassination of his father James I and continued with the deaths in battle of James III and James IV and the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Unofficial Royalty: James II, King  of Scots

August 3, 1770 – Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Friedrich Wilhelm III became King of Prussia in 1797, upon his father’s death. He immediately implemented changes – cutting the expenses of the royal court, dismissing many of his father’s ministers, and taking on much of the responsibilities himself. This caused great inconsistency during his reign, as he was hesitant to delegate any responsibility to his ministers. He also made efforts to restore the moral dignity of the Prussian royal court – long plagued during his father’s reign with “political intrigues and sexual affairs”.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia

August 3, 1853 – Death of Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg at Jagdschloss Hummelshaim, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in Altenburg Cemetery in the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany. In 1974, all the remains in the mausoleum were removed and buried in an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.
Georg became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1848, succeeding his brother Joseph who was forced to abdicate. As Duke, he reformed the financial administration of the duchy and founded the George Foundation, which worked to promote and support artists and craftsmen. Georg came significant amounts of his own money to welfare efforts for the poor, earning him the nickname ‘Georg the Good’. His reign lasted a little less than five years. In declining health, Georg handed over much of his role to his son Ernst in the spring of 1853 and died two months later.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

August 3, 1872 – Birth of King Haakon VII of Norway at Charlottenlund Palace, near Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel
Born Prince Carl of Denmark, the son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, he was elected King of Norway when the union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved in 1905 and reigned for 52 years. Through his paternal aunts and uncles, Carl was related to many European royals. Among his first cousins were Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, and his future wife Princess Maud of Wales who was the daughter of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark, Carl’s paternal aunt. Carl’s elder brother King Christian X of Denmark reigned from 1912 – 1947.
Unofficial Royalty: King Haakon VII of Norway

August 3, 1943 – Birth of Princess Christina of Sweden, Mrs. Magnuson, sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at Haga Palace in Solna Municipality, Stockholm, Sweden
Full name: Christina Louise Helena
Christina is the fourth of the four elder sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Princess Christina married Tord Magnuson and like her sisters Margaretha and Désirée, she lost her royal style and title, becoming Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson

August 3, 1986 – Birth of Prince Louis of Luxembourg, son of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, at Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
In 2006, Louis and Tessy Antony had a son and they married later that year. At the time of the wedding, Louis relinquished his rights of succession, as well as that of any descendants. He retained his royal style and title and his wife took on the surname ‘de Nassau’. A second son was born in 2007.  In 2009, Tessy was created HRH Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, and their sons were made HRH Prince Gabriel and HRH Prince Noah of Nassau. Louis and Tessy divorced in 2017 and the divorce was finalized in 2019. On April 6, 2021, the Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg announced the engagement of Prince Louis of Luxembourg and Scarlett-Lauren Sirgue. On February 22, 2022, it was announced that Prince Louis and Scarlett-Lauren had called off the engagement
Full name: Louis Xavier Marie Guillaume
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Louis of Luxembourg

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King Henri III of France;  Credit – Wikipedia

August 2, 1100 – Suspicious death of King William II Rufus of England in the New Forest in Hampshire and Wiltshire, England; buried at Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England
On August 2, 1100, William II Rufus, King of England rode out from Winchester Castle on a hunting expedition to the New Forest, accompanied by his brother Henry, who succeeded William II Rufus as King Henry I of England, and several nobles. During the hunt, an arrow hit William Rufus in his chest, puncturing his lungs, and killing him. Was there a conspiracy? Read more at the link below.
Unofficial Royalty: Suspicious Death of William II Rufus, King of England
Unofficial Royalty: King William II Rufus of England

August 2, 1589 – Assassination of King Henri III of France by Jacques Clement at the Château de Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, France; buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, near Paris, France
Jacques Clément was a fanatic Dominican monk who sided with the Catholic League. He planned to kill King Henri III of France who he believed to be the enemy of Catholicism because he gave some rights to the Protestant Huguenots. On August 1, 1589, Henri III of France was with his army at Saint-Cloud, preparing to attack Paris. Jacques Clément, carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to Henri III. After giving Henri III some documents, Clément told Henri that he had a secret message for him. Henri III asked his attendants to step back to give him privacy. Clément whispered in Henri’s ear while stabbing him in the abdomen. Henri’s guards immediately killed Clément.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Henri III, King of France
Unofficial Royalty: King Henri III of France

August 2, 1849 – Birth of Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Parma, first wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma, in Gaeta, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy
Maria Pia was the daughter of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Theresa of Austria. She was the first wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma from 1854 – 1859 and titular Duke of Parma from 1859 until he died in 1907. As a not quite six-year-old, Roberto succeeded his father who was assassinated, and then lost his throne five years later due to the Italian unification movement. Maria Pia and Roberto had twelve children. Six of the children were mentally disabled, two died in infancy, and one was stillborn. Their eldest child Marie Louise married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar). The dangerous practice of close pregnancies and births – twelve children in thirteen years of marriage – made Maria Pia weak and sickly. At the age of 33, Maria Pia died of puerperal fever (childbed fever), a week after giving birth to her last child, a stillborn son.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Parma

August 2, 1858 – Birth of Queen Emma of the Netherlands, second wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands, born Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont at Arolsen Castle in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Adelheid Emma Wilhelmina Theresia
In 1877, Queen Sophie, the first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands died, and Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. One of his three children (all sons) had died and neither of the other two sons was married. At the suggestion of his only sister, he got in touch with the royal couple of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who had several marriageable daughters. In July 1878, Willem visited the family at their summer home where he met 23-year-old Princess Pauline and 20-year-old Princess Emma. His eyes first fell on Pauline, but soon he chose Emma and proposed to her. Willem was 61 years old, 41 years older than Emma. Emma had lessons in the Dutch language and history before her marriage because she wanted to come to her new country Dutch. The couple was married on January 7, 1879. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and their marriage was happy. Their only child Wilhelmina succeeded her father as Queen of the Netherlands.
Unofficial Royalty: Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Queen of the Netherlands

August 2, 1868 – Birth of King Constantine I of Greece in Athens, Greece
Constantine married a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Sophie of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal. In 1913, Constantine’s father King George I of Greece was assassinated and he acceded to the Greek throne as King Constantine I. Due to much political turmoil, Constantine was forced to abdicate in 1917, restored to the throne in 1920, and then forced to abdicate a second time. He lived the rest of his life in exile.
Unofficial Royalty: King Constantine I of Greece

August 2, 1878 – Birth of Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, Princess of Sweden, daughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark at Charlottenlund Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Ingeborg Charlotta Carolina Frederikke Louise
Ingeborg married Prince Carl of Sweden, son of King Oscar II of Sweden, and they were the parents of Queen Astrid of Belgium and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway. Belgian Kings Baudouin and Albert II, Norwegian King Harald V, and the late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, the wife of the late Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg are all grandchildren of Carl and Ingeborg. The royal families of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Norway descend from Carl and Ingeborg.
Unofficial Royalty: Ingeborg of Denmark, Princess of Sweden

August 2, 1906 – Birth of Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at Callenberg Castle in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Johann Leopold Wilhelm Albrecht Ferdinand Viktor
Johann Leopold was the eldest of the five children of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a grandson of Queen Victoria. Although the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha no longer existed, Johann lost his succession rights when he made an unequal marriage in 1932. His younger brother Friedrich Josias became Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha upon the death of their father in 1954.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

August 2, 1916 – Birth of Queen Zein of Jordan, wife of King Talal of Jordan and mother of King Hussein I of Jordan, born Zein al-Sharaf Bint Jamal in Alexandria, Egypt
Born Zein al-Sharaf bint Jamal, she married her first cousin Prince Talal bin Abdullah, the eldest son of the future King Abdullah I of Jordan. The couple had six children including King Hussein I of Jordan. In 1951, her husband became King of Jordan upon the assassination of his father King Abdullah I of Jordan. At the time of his father’s death, Talal was in a sanatorium in Switzerland being treated for a nervous breakdown. Zein held the power while the newly proclaimed King Talal was treated outside the country. The Jordanian Parliament declared Talal mentally unfit a year later and proclaimed his eldest son Hussein King of Jordan. Zein again took the reins of power when her son Hussein was proclaimed king, until May 1953, when he turned eighteen and assumed full constitutional duties. During the reign of her son, Zein was an influential figure behind the scenes.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Zein of Jordan

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King Alexander of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

August 1, 1402 – Death of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, son of King Edward III of England, at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England; buried at the Church of the Mendicant Friars in Kings Langley, England
As a son of King Edward III, Edmund participated in many military campaigns in France with his brothers. Edmund’s nephew succeeded his grandfather as King Richard II of England. At Richard’s coronation, Edmund carried the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove, also called the Rod of Equity and Mercy. In 1381, Edmund served as chief commissioner in his nephew’s marriage negotiations to marry Anne of Bohemia. In 1399, Edmund was acting as regent while his nephew King Richard II was in Ireland. Henry of Bolingbroke (King Henry IV), another nephew, the son of Edmund’s brother John of Gaunt, was planning to depose his cousin Richard. Edmund was prepared to oppose Henry but instead decided to make peace with him.  Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, age 61, died on August 1, 1402, at his birthplace and was buried with his first wife at the Church of the Dominicans at Kings Langley, England. Edmund’s tomb was moved to the Church of All Saints in Kings Langley in 1575, and can still be seen there.
Unofficial Royalty:  Edmund of Langley, Duke of York

August  1, 1691 – Death of Marie de Hautefort, favorite of King Louis XIII of France
Marie de Hautefort was a close confidante and favorite of King Louis XIII of France. She was also a close friend and prominent member of the household of his wife Queen Anne, the former Anne of Austria. Marie first met King Louis XIII through her grandmother’s position as a lady-in-waiting to Louis XIII’s mother and wife.  Marie had an on-again, off-again relationship with Louis XIII and his wife Anne, shortly before and then after the death of Louis XIII.  She left the French court permanently in 1644 and married Charles de Schomberg, Duke d’Halluin, a military leader. After her husband’s death, Marie returned permanently to Paris and resumed contact with the Dowager Queen Anne. The two continued to correspond until Queen Anne died in 1666.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie de Hautefort, favorite of King Louis XIII of France

August 1, 1714 – Death of Queen Anne of Great Britain at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Queen Anne suffered a stroke on July 30, 1714. She died at Kensington Palace on August 1, 1714, at the age of 49 after suffering another stroke. Her remains were buried at Westminster Abbey in a vault under the monument to George Monck, Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel. Charles II, William III, Anne’s sister Mary II, and Anne’s husband George of Denmark were also buried in this vault. Anne had become so obese that her coffin was much larger than the other coffins in the vault. Electress Sophia of Hanover, the heir to the throne according to the Act of Settlement, had died on June 8, 1714, just six weeks before the death of Queen Anne, and so Sophia’s son became King George I and started the Hanover dynasty.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Anne of Great Britain

August 1, 1817 – Birth of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany
Full name: Adolf Georg
Adolf married his maternal first cousin Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont. The couple had eight children including Adolf’s successor Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe who married Princess Viktoria of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. On November 21, 1860, upon the death of his father Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumberg-Lippe, Adolf became the reigning Prince of Schaumberg-Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

August 1, 1858 – Death of Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Georg II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, in Pyrmont, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Princely Mausoleum at Schloss Rhoden in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse
Emma married Georg II, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Emma survived her husband by thirteen years and was buried with her husband in the Princely Mausoleum at Schloss Rhoden in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse. Emma was the grandmother of Princess Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont who became Queen of the Netherlands when she married King Willem III of the Netherlands. Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont was born the day after her grandmother died and was named in her honor.
Unofficial Royalty: Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

August 1, 1893 – Birth of King Alexander I of Greece at the Tatoi Palace near Athens, Greece
Alexander was the second of the three sons of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. All three sons were Kings of Greece. Alexander was king for only three years. On October 25, 1920, King Alexander died after contracting septicemia from a monkey bite several weeks earlier.
Unofficial Royalty: King Alexander I of Greece

August 1, 1924 – Birth of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, then in the Sultanate of Nejd, now in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was proclaimed the sixth King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on August 1, 2005, upon the death of his half-brother King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. Throughout his life, King Abdullah had a love of the desert and a love of horsemanship. He was a breeder of pure Arabian horses and the founder of the equestrian club in Riyadh. Another lifelong passion was reading which he considered very important. He established two libraries, the King Abdulaziz Library in Riyadh, and one in Casablanca, Morocco. King Abdullah died on January 23, 2015, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the age of 90, three weeks after being hospitalized for pneumonia. He was succeeded by his 79-year-old half-brother Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the current King of Saudi Arabia.
Unofficial Royalty: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

August 1, 2005 – Death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; buried at the Al-Oud Cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Upon the death of his half-brother King Khalid on June 13, 1982, Fahd became King of Saudi Arabia. In 1986, King Fahd adopted the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques replacing His Majesty, to signify an Islamic rather than a secular authority. In 1990, Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, placing the Iraqi army on the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. King Fahd agreed to host American-led coalition troops in Saudi Arabia and later allowed American troops to be based there. This decision brought him considerable criticism and opposition from many Saudis and his full brothers, the Sudairi Seven, who objected to the presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil. Many foreign dignitaries attended King Fahd’s funeral on August 2, 2005, including American Vice President Dick Cheney, French President Jacques Chirac, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Prince Charles of the United Kingdom, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Unofficial Royalty: King Fahd of Saudi Arabia

August 1, 2016 – Death of Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of Romania, wife of former King Michael of Romania, at a hospital in Morges, Switzerland; buried at the Curtea de Argeș Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș, Romania
Anne was the wife of King Michael I of Romania, whom she married after he abdicated the throne. She was the daughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and  Princess Margrethe of Denmark. On her father’s side, she was the niece of Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma (husband of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg) and Empress Zita of Austria (wife of Karl, the last Emperor of Austria). On her mother’s side, she was the great-granddaughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and therefore closely related to the royal families of Denmark, Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom. It was not until 1992 that Anne first set foot on Romanian soil. Her husband was banned from the country, but Anne made several visits on his behalf. In 1997, the ban restrictions were lifted and some royal properties were returned to the royal family, including the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, which served as their primary residence when in Romania.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of  Romania

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Maria Ana of Portugal, wife of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg, with her six daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

 July 31, 1527 – Birth of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, Archduke of Austria in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria
Maximilian married his first cousin Infanta Maria of Spain, the daughter of his uncle Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who was also King Carlos I of Spain and Isabella of Portugal. The couple had fifteen children including two Holy Roman Emperors and two Queen Consorts (France and Spain).  Upon the death of his father Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, who was also King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia and Archduke of Austria, Maximilian succeeded as ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands and was elected Holy Roman Emperor. During his reign, Maximilian had to deal with the ongoing Ottoman-Habsburg wars, conflicts with his Spanish Habsburg cousins, and the effects of the 1555 Peace of Augsburg. The Peace of Augsburg officially ended the religious struggle between Lutherans and Catholics, and made the legal division of Christianity permanent within the Holy Roman Empire, allowing the rulers of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire to choose either Lutheranism or Roman Catholicism as the official religion of their state.
Unofficial Royalty: Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, Archduke of Austria

July 31, 1750 – Death of King João V of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal; buried at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon.
When João was nearly ten years old, his 32-year-old mother Maria Sophia of Neuburg died. His mother’s death caused changes in João’s behavior. He became withdrawn and depressed. His paternal aunt Catherine of Braganza, the widow of King Charles II of England, had returned to Portugal to live in 1693. Catherine took over caring for João and remained his main female role model until she died in 1705. In 1706, João’s father Pedro II, King of Portugal died and his 17-year-old son  João became King of Portugal. In 1708,  João married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, the daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. The couple had six children. In 1742, 52-year-old João had a stroke and became partially paralyzed. He recovered somewhat but was left diminished and much less energetic. His wife Maria Anna served as regent for the rest of his life. After a reign of forty-three years, João V, King of Portugal, aged 60, died on July 31, 1750.
Unofficial Royalty: King João V of Portugal

 July 31, 1737 – Birth of Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales at St. James’ Palace in London, England
Augusta was the elder sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. She married Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, the future Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The couple had seven children including Caroline who married her first cousin, the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. (The marriage was a disaster.) Augusta never fully adapted to life in Brunswick nor was she well-liked. Any popularity she had was damaged by the fact that her three eldest sons were born with handicaps. Although Augusta reported to her brother King George III that her marriage was happy, it was actually unhappy. Karl found Augusta dull and preferred to spend time with his mistresses. After her husband was killed during the Napoleonic Wars and Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was occupied by the French, Augusta escaped to Sweden. Her brother King George III sent a British naval ship to transport his sister back home to England. Augusta lived in London with her daughter Caroline, Princess of Wales. Augusta got to know her granddaughter Princess Charlotte of Wales, who told her grandmother upon their first meeting “that she was the merriest old woman she ever saw.” Augusta died on March 23, 1813, at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

July 31, 1769 – Birth of Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham, Mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, born Elizabeth Denison
Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham was the last mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, from 1820 until he died in 1830. George IV was so devoted to her that he bequeathed her his plate and jewels, although she refused them when he died. He also provided housing at Windsor Castle and the Brighton Pavilion for Elizabeth and her family. He ensured that they traveled with him when he moved from one residence to the other. She was given full use of the King’s horses and carriages, and most of the large dinners held at her London townhouse were prepared in the kitchens of St. James’s Palace. To King George IV, nothing was ‘off limits’ for his beloved Elizabeth. However, it would all come to a quick end on the morning of June 26, 1830, when King George IV died at Windsor Castle. By the following day, Elizabeth had packed her belongings and left Windsor for her brother’s home before traveling to Paris, reportedly expelled from the country by the new King William IV.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham, Mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

July 31, 1812 – Birth of Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil, second wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (King Pedro IV of Portugal), in Milan, Lombardy-Venetia, now in Italy
Full name: Amélie Auguste Eugénie
Amélie was the daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais (son of Empress Jospéhine, the first wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, from her first marriage) and Princess Augusta of Bavaria. Because of a political and economic crisis, her husband Emperor Pedro I of Brazil abdicated his throne in favor of a daughter from his first marriage. Pedro, Amélie, and their daughter Maria Amélie returned to Portugal. Both Pedro and his daughter Maria Amélie died from tuberculosis.  Amélie financed the construction of a hospital to treat patients with lung diseases in Funchal on the island of Madeira in Portugal called the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélie which is still in existence. When Amélie died, the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélia was handed over to her sister Queen Joséphine of Sweden, and according to the terms of Amélie’s will, it is owned and administered by the Swedish Royal Family. King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden have visited the hospital.
Unofficial Royalty: Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil

July 31, 1816 – Birth of Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of the Two Sicilies, second wife of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies, at Weilburg Castle near Vienna, Austria 
Full name: Maria Theresia Isabella
In 1836, Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies, wife of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies died at the age of 23 from childbirth complications after giving birth to a son. The widowed king met Maria Theresa during his stay in Vienna, Austria later in 1836, and they became engaged to strengthen the relations between Austria and the Two Sicilies and married in 1837. Maria Cristina and Ferdinando had twelve children. Ferdinando died in 1859 at the age of 49 after hesitating to have surgery for a strangulated hernia. During Ferdinando II’s reign, the Italian unification movement led by Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, later Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Italy, and Giuseppe Garibaldi, a noted general and politician, began. During the reign of Ferdinando’s son Francesco II, Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860-1861 invasion called the Expedition of the Thousand led to the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which then was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Maria Theresa and her children left Naples and settled in Rome. In the summer of 1867, a cholera epidemic broke out in Rome.  Both Maria Theresa and her youngest son, ten-year-old Gennaro developed cholera and died from the disease.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of the Two Sicilies

July 31, 1924 – Death of Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg, son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, in Territet, Switzerland; buried in the Schaffhausen Forest Cemetery in Schaffhausen, Switzerland
The Battenberg/Mountbatten family descends from Franz Joseph’s parents Prince Alexander of Hesse and by the Rhine and his morganatic wife Countess Julia von Hauke. Franz Joseph married Princess Anna of Montenegro but the couple did not have children. During World War I, they found their financial situation more and more precarious and sometimes struggled to make ends meet. After 1920, they began to receive some financial support from Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of Franz Joseph’s nephew Louis Mountbatten, the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Until her death in 1960, Edwina continued to send money to Princess Anna. Prince Franz Joseph outlived all of his siblings.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg

July 31, 1942 – Death of Maria Ana of Portugal, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, wife of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg, in exile during World War II in New York City; temporarily interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens in New York City and then buried at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg after World War II
Maria Ana married Guillaume, the future Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The couple had six daughters including two reigning Grand Duchesses of Luxembourg. Maria Ana fled Luxembourg with her family when the German Army invaded in 1940. She died in New York City on July 31, 1942, of a stomach ailment and was temporarily interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens in New York City. Her remains were later returned to Luxembourg and buried at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Ana of Portugal, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

July 31, 1993 – Death of Baudouin I, King of the Belgians in the Villa Astrida in Motril, Spain; buried at the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
On July 31, 1993, King Bauduin died at Villa Astrida, his private retreat in Motril, Spain. Although King Baudouin had heart surgery in March 1992, his death from heart failure still came unexpectedly and sent Belgium into a period of deep mourning. He was succeeded by his brother King Albert II, who would reign for the next 20 years until he abdicated in favor of his son Philippe. Baudouin’s funeral was held at the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula in Brussels, Belgium, and attended by many royals from around the world. One notable guest was Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who rarely attended royal funerals. Following the funeral, King Baudouin’s remains were entombed in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, the traditional burial site of the Belgian monarchs.
Unofficial Royalty: King Baudouin I of the Belgians

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Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

July 30, 1126 – Death of Cecilia of Normandy, Abbess of Holy Trinity Abbey, daughter of King William I of England, at the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Caen, Normandy, now in France; buried at the Abbey of Holy Trinity in Caen, Normandy
In early childhood, Cecilia was promised as a nun to the abbey her mother Matilda of Flanders founded, the Abbey of the Holy Trinity (also called the Abbaye-aux-Dames, Abbey of the Women), in Caen, Duchy of Normandy. Cecilia had a successful career at the abbey. In 1112, Cecilia became the Abbess of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity. Cecilia died on July 30, 1126, at the Abbey of the Holy Trinity and was buried at the abbey in the choir of the nuns, on the main axis of the church, opposite the choir of the laypeople where her mother Matilda of Flanders was buried. However, Cecilia’s grave is no longer accessible.
Unofficial Royalty: Cecilia of Normandy, Abbess of Holy Trinity Abbey

July 30, 1569 – Birth of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein at Valtice Castle in Valtice, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic
Karl I was the first Prince of Liechtenstein and the founder of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. In 1590, Karl married Baroness Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora. They had four children including Karl I’s successor Karl Eusebius. In 1592, Karl became the treasurer of Archduke Matthias of Austria, a future Holy Roman Emperor. Karl and his younger brothers were raised in the Evangelical Lutheran faith but they all converted to Catholicism in 1599. Karl’s younger brother Maximilian and his wife founded a Pauline monastery, and had the Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary built on the monastery grounds in the village of Vranov, then in Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. A crypt in the church served as the burial site for members of the House of Liechtenstein until the burial property was seized after World War II by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia. Since then, both Czechoslovakia and the current Czech Republic have refused to return the property to the Princely Family of Liechtenstein.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein

July 30, 1683 – Death of Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of France, wife of King Louis XIV of France, at the Palace of Versailles in France; buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
Maria Theresa was the daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and his first wife Elisabeth of France. As the Spanish monarchs at the time were part of the House of Habsburg, she was styled as Archduchess of Austria, as well as Infanta of Spain and Portugal. She was the first wife of King Louis XIV of France and gave birth to six children but only one, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, survived childhood but he predeceased his father. At the end of July 1683, Maria Theresa fell ill, the result of an abscess in her left arm which was not treated correctly. Septicemia quickly set in causing her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of France

July 30, 1700 – Death of William, Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne of Great Britain, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Queen Anne had 17 pregnancies with only five children being born alive. Two died on the day of their birth, two died at less than two years old within six days of each from smallpox, and William, Duke of Gloucester died at age 11. Some modern medical experts feel that William had hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is an excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain. William celebrated his eleventh birthday at a party held at Windsor Castle. Jenkin Lewis, his servant, reported, “He complained a little the next day, but we imputed that to the fatigues of a birthday so that he was much neglected.” In the evening, William complained of a sore throat and chills. Two days later, he was no better and had developed a fever and was delirious. The doctors suspected smallpox, but no rash appeared, so they used the usual treatments of the time, bleeding and blistering, which no doubt, made William’s condition worse. The 11-year-old duke’s death was the major reason for the passage of the Act of Settlement in 1701 which gave the throne to Sophie, Electress of Hanover and her Protestant descendants. Upon the death of Queen Anne, William’s mother, Sophia of Hanover’s son ascended to the British throne as King George I.
Unofficial Royalty: William, Duke of Gloucester

July 30, 1769 – Birth of Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, husband of Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Friedrich Joseph Ludwig Carl August
While Friedrich was in the military, he showed no inclination to marry. In 1814, 45-year-old Friedrich met 44-year-old Princess Elizabeth, the third daughter and seventh of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom at a ball held at the British court. None of George III’s six daughters had been allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Eventually, three of the six daughters managed to get married. In 1818, Elizabeth read a letter from 48-year-old Friedrich, then Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Homburg to her mother asking to marry Elizabeth. Queen Charlotte was not easily persuaded to agree to the marriage and after heated discussions and interventions from several of Elizabeth’s siblings, the Queen agreed to the marriage. Using Elizabeth’s dowry and annual allowance, the couple built new roads in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, restored the castles in Bad Homburg and Meisenheim, and became involved in the care of the poor. Using seeds and seedlings from England, they created an English garden at Bad Homburg Castle.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg

July 30, 1833 – Birth of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
Karl Ludwig was the father of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I. In 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf died by suicide at his hunting lodge Mayerling. Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph, had no sons, so the succession passed to Emperor Franz Joseph’s brother Karl Ludwig and his eldest son Franz Ferdinand. There have been suggestions that Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Franz Ferdinand. However, an act of renunciation was never formally signed and Karl Ludwig was never officially designated heir to the throne. He was only three years younger than Franz Joseph and not a realistic choice. When Karl Ludwig died in 1896, his son Ferdinand became the heir to his uncle’s throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria

July 30, 1872 – Birth of Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon, daughter of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and wife of Prince Victor Bonaparte, the Bonapartist pretender to the French throne, at the Royal Castle of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Clémentine Albertine Marie Léopoldine
Clémentine was the third of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria. In 1869, when Leopold and Marie-Henriette’s only son Leopold died, King Leopold II blamed Queen Marie-Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Queen Marie-Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl, Clémentine. Clémentine’s parents completely separated after her birth. In 1910, she married Prince Victor Bonaparte, the Bonapartist pretender to the French throne, and the couple had two children. On March 8, 1955, Clémentine died at the age of 82, at her home in Nice, France, the Villa Clairvallou.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Clémentine, Princess Napoléon

July 30, 1900 – Death of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Schloss Rosenau in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried in the Ducal Family’s mausoleum in Coburg Cemetery
Alfred’s father Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and elder brother, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom had both renounced their rights of succession to the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, leaving Alfred as heir to childless his uncle Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The transition to his new position was not easy. The people were mostly against the idea of a British prince being their Duke even though his father was born a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. However, Alfred was able to build up the people’s confidence in him and soon became quite popular.
Unofficial Royalty: Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

July 30, 1912 – Death of Emperor Meiji of Japan, at the Meiji Palace in Tokyo, Japan; buried in the Fushimi Momoyama Ryo (Graveyard) in Kyoto, Japan; his soul is enshrined in Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan
Since 1185, a shogun, a military dictator appointed by the Emperor had been the de facto ruler of Japan. In 1868, the last shogun lost power, and in the name and with the support of the young Emperor Meiji, a new, more Western-oriented upper class initiated the modernization of Japan known as the Meiji Restoration. Under Emperor Meiji’s reign, Japan started to become an industrial and naval power. The old feudal system was abolished and public state schools were introduced along with the Gregorian calendar. In 1890, the Emperor made the greatest contribution to the modernization of Japan with the enactment of a constitution. Emperor Meiji moved the capital of Japan from Kyoto to Edo (later Tokyo). Although he had little political power during his 45-year reign, he was an important symbol of the country’s unity. Emperor Meiji suffered from diabetes, nephritis, and gastroenteritis, and died of uremia at the age of 59.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Meiji of Japan

July 30, 1936 – Birth of Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz, daughter of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona, sister of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, in Cannes, France
Full name: María del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos
In 1967, Infanta Pilar married Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada. The marriage was controversial because Luis was not royal and Pilar had to renounce her succession rights to the Spanish throne. Infanta Pilar was President of the International Equestrian Federation from 1994 – 2005. She was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1996 to 2006 and was then an Honorary member. She was also a member of the executive board of the Spanish Olympic Committee. Infanta Pilar died on January 8, 2020, at the age of 83 from colon cancer.
Unofficial Royalty: Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz

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King Umberto I of Italy; Credit – Wikipedia

July 29, 1672 – Birth of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duc d’ Aubigny, an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, in London, England
Charles Lennox was an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom. After King Charles II died, Charles and his mother Louise went to France. Unsatisfied with his position at the French court and sure his position at the English court would be higher and that he would receive more revenue, 20-year-old Charles returned to England in 1692, during the reign of his first cousins, who reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II. In 1692, Charles married Anne Brudenell, the daughter of Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell. The couple had two sons and one daughter. In 1683, the English colony of New York was divided into ten counties. Staten Island, now one of the five boroughs of New York City, and several minor neighboring islands, were designated as Richmond County, named after Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. Still today, Staten Island is Richmond County, one of the counties of New York State.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox

July 29, 1735 – Death of Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia, third wife of Friedrich I, King in Prussia, at Schwerin Castle in Mecklenburg, Duchy of Mecklenburg Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried in the Schelfkirche St. Nikolai in Schwerin, Duchy of Mecklenburg Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Sophie Luise and her husband had no children. Being so much younger than her husband, and close in age to his children, Sophie struggled to find acceptance at the Prussian court. It did not help that her predecessor, Friedrich’s second wife Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, was greatly loved and admired by the Prussian people, and many saw Sophie Luise as a poor replacement. Sophie Luise became deeply religious but as time progressed, her devotion became obsessive and manic. During his final illness, her husband Friedrich awoke to find his wife standing before him, covered in blood and screaming at him. She had crashed through a glass door while running from her apartments to his, apparently to confront him in a fit of hysteria. Sophie Luise had no recollection of the event afterward and soon sent her husband back to Mecklenburg to be with her family. She lived the rest of her life with her widowed mother.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia

July 29, 1787 – Birth of Sarah Lyttelton, Baroness Lyttelton, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and Governess to the Royal Children, at Althorp in Althorp, Northamptonshire, England
 Born Lady Sarah Spencer, the daughter of George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer, she married Sir William Henry Lyttelton, 3rd Baron Lyttelton.
Unofficial Royalty: Sarah Lyttelton, Baroness Lyttelton

July 29, 1887 – Death of Marianne Skerrett, Head Dresser and Wardrobe-Woman to Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1862, at 41 Beaumont Street in Marylebone, London, England; burial unknown (Note: The depiction of Queen Victoria’s dresser in the series Victoria is completely false and an insult to the real person.)
Marianne Skerrett was born in 1793, so she was 44 years old when the 18-year-old Victoria became queen. She was intelligent, extremely well-read, and fluent in Danish, French, and German. Recommended to Queen Victoria by Louisa Petty-FitzMaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne, a Lady of the Bedchamber, Marianne became one of Queen Victoria’s two dressers in 1837 and eventually became head dresser. As the head dresser, Marianne oversaw the ordering of Queen Victoria’s clothing, shoes, hats, gloves, and undergarments. Marianne kept the wardrobe accounts and was diligent in checking all the bills to make sure no one tried to cheat Victoria. She was also responsible for supervising the hairdressers, dressmakers, and seamstresses who kept the royal wardrobe in good repair. After 25 years of serving Queen Victoria, Marianne retired in 1862 at the age of 69. She received a pension of £70 and went to live with her sister in the Marylebone section of London. Marianne Skerrett remained in contact with Queen Victoria, visiting her and writing to her, until she died in London, England on July 29, 1887, at the age of 94.
Unofficial Royalty: Marianne Skerrett

July 29, 1900 – Assassination of King Umberto I of Italy by anarchist Gaetano Bresci at Monza, Italy; buried in the Pantheon in Rome, Italy
On July 29, 1900, while visiting Monza, Italy, King Umberto I of Italy was shot and killed by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian anarchist, claiming to avenge the deaths of people in Milan during the riots of May 1898.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Umberto I, King of Italy
Unofficial Royalty: King Umberto I of Italy

July 29, 1981 – Wedding of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England
The Prince of Wales, later King Charles III, and Lady Diana Spencer were married on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales, separated in December 1992 and divorced in August 1996. Exactly a year later, Diana, Princess of Wales tragically died in a car accident in Paris, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer

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