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Carlo Alberto, King of Sardinia; Credit – Wikipedia

July 28, 1684 – Death of Charlotte FitzRoy (Charlotte Paston, Countess of Yarmouth), the illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England and his mistress Elizabeth Killigrew in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England

Charlotte’s second husband was William Paston, 2nd Earl of Yarmouth. The Paston family is famous for the Paston Letters, a collection of letters between members of the Paston family and others written between 1422 and 1509. The letters are an important primary source of information about life in England during the Wars of the Roses and the early Tudor period. Charlotte died suddenly, aged thirty-four, on July 28, 1684, at her home in London and was buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte FitzRoy (Charlotte Paston, Countess of Yarmouth), Illegitimate Daughter of King Charles II of England

July 28, 1844 – Death of Joseph Bonaparte, former King of Spain and King of Naples in Florence, now in Italy; buried at the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence
Joseph Bonaparte, the older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was King of Naples from 1806 – 1808 and King of Spain from 1808 – 1813 through the machinations of his brother. After the fall of Napoleon, Joseph spent his exile living in Switzerland, the United States (seventeen years total spent in New York City, Philadelphia, and New Jersey, where he had an estate, Point Breeze, in Bordentown, New Jersey, on the Delaware River), London, and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany where he died and is buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain and King of Naples

July 28, 1849 – Death of Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia in exile in Porto, Portugal; buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy
In 1848, Carlo Alberto attempted to rid the Italian peninsula of Austria’s rule resulting in the First Italian War of Independence, part of the Italian Unification.  In 1849, Carlo Alberto abdicated in favor of his son Vittorio Emanuele II after his forces were defeated. On March 24, 1849, the day after his defeat, Carlo Alberto left the Italian peninsula and wound up in Porto, Portugal on April 19, 1849. During his travels to Portugal, he became ill with a liver condition. Although Carlo Alberto had coughing fits and two heart attacks, his doctors considered the liver condition more serious. After being in quite a serious condition, Carlo Alberto seemed to improve on July 28, 1849, but then his condition seriously deteriorated after a third heart attack. He was given last rites, fell asleep with a crucifix on his chest, and died at 3:30 PM at the age of 50.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia

July 28, 1852 – Birth of Princess Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe, wife of Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz, in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Ida Mathilde Adelheid
On October 8, 1872, 20-year-old Ida married 26-year-old Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz. Ida and Heinrich XXII had one son and five daughters. Their only son Heinrich XXIV would be unable to marry and be unable to rule because of his physical and mental disabilities as a result of an accident in his childhood. Heinrich XXIV would be nominally the 6th Prince Reuss of Greiz but two Regents from the House of Reuss-Gera (also called the Younger Line) successively ruled the Principality of Reuss-Greiz.
Unofficial Royalty: Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess Reuss of Greiz

July 28, 1860 – Birth of Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of  Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, at Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
In 1879,  Anastasia, the daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia and the granddaughter of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, married the future Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The couple had three children: Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IIV of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Alexandrine who married King Christian X of Denmark, and Cecilie who married Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia. Anastasia had six brothers. Her brother Sergei was among the five other Romanovs murdered by the Bolsheviks along with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna on July 18, 1918. Two of her brothers, Nicholas and George, were among the four Grand Dukes murdered by the Bolsheviks on January 28, 1919.
Unofficial Royalty: Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

July 28, 1894 – Birth of Freda Dudley Ward, mistress of King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, born Winifred May Birkin in Nottinghamshire, England
Freda Dudley Ward was the mistress of the future King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom from 1918 – 1934 while he was Prince of Wales.
Unofficial Royalty: Freda Dudley Ward, mistress of King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

July 28, 1952 – Birth of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand in the Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall of the Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand
King Vajiralongkorn is the current King of Thailand. On October 13, 2016, upon the death his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand who had reigned for seventy years, it was announced that Vajiralongkorn would be proclaimed King of Thailand following a period of personal mourning. Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn did not want to be immediately named king to give the nation time to mourn his father’s death. He was proclaimed King of Thailand on December 1, 2016. Coronation ceremonies for King Vajiralongkorn were held May 4 – May 6, 2019.
Unofficial Royalty: King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand

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The Marriage of Princess Louise of Wales with the Duke of Fife at Buckingham Palace, 27th July 1889 by Sydney Prior Hall; Credit – Royal Collection Trust

July 27, 1765 – Birth of Friederike of Württemberg, Princess of Holstein-Gottorp, wife of the future Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, in Treptow an der Rega, Pomerania, now Trzebiatów, Poland
Full name: Friederike Elisabeth Amalie Auguste
At just 15 years old, Friederike married Prince Peter of Holstein-Gottorp (later Duke Peter I of Oldenburg) on June 6, 1781. The marriage was promoted by her sister Sophie, who was married to the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, and was intended to help strengthen the relationship between Württemberg and Russia. Friederike and Peter had two surviving children. Several weeks after having given birth to a stillborn son, Friederike died at the age of 20.
Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Württemberg, Princess of Holstein-Gottorp

July 27, 1773 – Birth of Luisa of Naples and Sicily, first wife of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany at the Royal Palace in Naples, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, now in Italy
Full name: Luisa Maria Amalia Teresa
Luisa was the daughter of King Ferdinando IV of Naples and III of Sicily, later Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies, and his first wife Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. In 1790, Luisa married Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. At the Tuscan court, there was gossip about Luisa’s lack of attractiveness. However, many considered the gossip about her looks superficial and saw Luisa as someone who showed great kindness to everyone. Luisa and her husband had five children. Sadly, she died in childbirth delivering a stillborn son in 1802.
Unofficial Royalty: Luisa of Naples and Sicily, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

July 27, 1888 – Birth of Prince Oskar of Prussia, son of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, at Marmorpalais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Oskar Karl Gustav Adolf
In 1914, Oskar married Countess Ina-Marie von Bassewitz. The marriage was considered morganatic, so the bride could not take her husband’s style and title. Instead, four days before the wedding, Ina-Marie was created Countess von Ruppin. The couple had four children. Several years later, in November 1919, the marriage was decreed dynastic, and Ina-Marie and her children were elevated to HRH Prince/Princess of Prussia as of June 1920.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Oskar of Prussia

July 27, 1889 – Wedding of Princess Louise of Wales, later Princess Royal, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife, later 1st Duke of Fife, at the Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace, London, England
Despite her mother’s possessiveness and her grandmother’s matchmaking, Louise decided that she wanted to marry for love. She preferred to marry a British subject rather than a European prince that would take her away from home and so, like her aunt Princess Louise who had married the future 9th Duke of Argyll, she chose a husband from the British aristocracy, Alexander Duff, then the 6th Earl Fife.  When Louise’s grandmother Queen Victoria arrived at Sandringham to discuss a potential engagement with Louise’s parents, she was met by Louise who tearfully explained that if she was not allowed to marry Alexander, she would die an old maid. Queen Victoria, who had known Alexander since childhood, explained that as her grandmother and sovereign, she had to spend some time with her potential groom before deciding about the marriage. Queen Victoria was partial to Scotsmen and approved of the marriage when she spent some time with Alexander.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife

July 27, 1900 – Birth of Prince Knud of Denmark, later Hereditary Prince of Denmark, son of King Christian X of Denmark. at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark
Full name: Knud Christian Frederik Michael
In 1947 when King Christian X died and his elder son became King Frederik IX, Knud was the heir presumptive. Danish succession law did not allow for female succession, so King Frederik IX’s three daughters, including the current monarch Queen Margrethe II, were not in the line of succession. It was expected that Knud and then his elder son Ingolf would become king. However, the 1953 Danish Act of Succession allowed a female to become queen if she did not have any brothers. With the passage of that act, Knud and his son Prince Ingolf went from being first and second in the line of succession to being fourth and fifth after the three daughters of King Frederik IX. The 2009 Act of Succession now allows for the eldest child to become the monarch regardless of gender. To compensate for the change in the succession, Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince of Denmark, and both Knud and his elder son Ingolf were granted fixed annuities and additional flexible annuities for life.
Unofficial Royalty: Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark

July 27, 1932 – Death of Archduchess Gisela of Austria, daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, in Munich, Germany; buried at St. Michael’s Church in Munich, Germany
Gisela married her second cousin Prince Leopold of Bavaria. The couple had a long and happy marriage and lived in the Palais Leopold in the Schwabing section of Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. Leopold died in 1930, at the age of 84. Two years later, Gisela died aged 76. She was buried with her husband in the Wittelsbach crypt at St. Michael’s Church in Munich, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduchess Gisela of Austria

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King Otto of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

July 26, 1678 – Birth of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, King of Croatia, and King of Hungary, in Vienna, Austria
Joseph ruled over the hereditary Habsburg lands and was elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1705. In 1699, Joseph married Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Joseph and Wilhelmine Amalie had three children but their only son died from hydrocephalus before his first birthday.
Joseph’s reign lasted just six years. During the smallpox epidemic in 1711, which killed Louis, Le Grand Dauphin of France, the only surviving child and heir of King Louis XIV of France, and three siblings of the future Holy Roman Emperor Franz I, Joseph also became ill with smallpox. He died, aged thirty-two, on April 17, 1711, at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.
Unofficial Royalty: Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor

July 26, 1756 – Birth of Maria Fitzherbert, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, born Maria Anne Smythe at Tong Castle in Shropshire, England
Maria Fitzherbert was the mistress of The Prince of Wales (later King George IV of the United Kingdom) from 1784 until 1794 and again from 1798 until 1807. The couple married secretly in 1785, however, the marriage was not considered legal as it had not received the approval of the Sovereign as required under the Royal Marriages Act.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Fitzherbert, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

July 26, 1767 – Death of Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, mistress of King George II of Great Britain, at Marble Hill House in Twickenham, London, England; buried at Berkeley Castle in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England
In 1714, Henrietta and her husband Charles Howard, the future 9th Earl of Suffolk traveled to Hanover hoping to get into the circle of the future King George I and secure themselves a better financial future. Their venture was successful, and following George’s accession to the British throne, the couple returned to England, and both received positions within the Royal Household. Charles was appointed Groom of the Bedchamber to the new King, and Henrietta was appointed a Woman of the Bedchamber to the new Princess of Wales, Caroline of Ansbach. Through this role, Henrietta met and became the mistress of the Prince of Wales, the future King George II, and maintained a relationship with him until 1734.
Unofficial Royalty: Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk

 July 26, 1865 – Birth of Marie of Baden, Duchess of Anhalt, wife of Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt, in Baden-Baden, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Full name: Marie Luise Amelie Josephine
In 1889, Marie married the future Friedrich II, Duke of Anhalt. Her husband became the reigning Duke of Anhalt upon his father’s death in 1904. Although the couple did not have any children, their marriage was a happy one. Marie quickly became involved in charity after her marriage, supporting organizations that promoted education and care for the underprivileged. In 1892, along with her mother-in-law, she helped found the Anhalt Deaconess Institution, which educated women in caring for the sick and the poor.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Baden, Duchess of Anhalt

July 26, 1867 – Death of former King Otto of Greece, born Prince Otto of Bavaria, at Neue Residenz in Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried at Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
In 1832, the Convention of London established Greece as a kingdom, and the Great Powers appointed Prince Otto of Bavaria the new kingdom’s first king. However, while away from Athens in 1862, a coup led to the formation of a provisional government, and Otto was deposed. Under the advice of the Great Powers, Otto accepted the situation, and he again boarded a British warship and returned to Bavaria. He would continue to wear his Greek uniforms and secretly gave most of his fortune to support the Greek troops in the Cretan Rebellion of 1866. He spent his exile living at the New Palace in Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. At his specific request, he was buried in his Greek uniform.
Unofficial Royalty: King Otto of Greece

July 26, 1938 – Death of Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, at Easton Lodge in Little Easton, Essex, England; buried at the Collegiate Church of St Mary in Warwick, Warwickshire, England
Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, was the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from 1889 until 1898, while he was The Prince of Wales. A renowned social hostess, she later put much of her time, effort, and money into helping those less fortunate. Interestingly, Daisy was descended from King Charles II of England in several different ways, through his mistresses Nell Gwyn, Barbara Palmer, and Louise de Kéroualle.
Unofficial Royalty: Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

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Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

July 25, 1182 – Death of Marie of Blois, Countess of Boulogne in her own right, daughter of King Stephen of England, at the Abbey of St. Austrebert near Montreuil-sur-Mer, County of Boulogne; buried at the Abbey of St. Austrebert
A daughter of King Stephen of England, Marie of Blois was Countess of Boulogne in her own right after the deaths of her mother Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne in her own right and her two surviving brothers Eustace and Willliam who were both Count of Boulogne but had childless marriages. As a young girl, Marie entered a convent and became a nun. Shortly after Marie became Countess of Boulogne, she was abducted from her convent by a young nobleman and forced into marriage with the nobleman who then claimed the title of Count of Boulogne jure uxoris (by right of his wife). The marriage was eventually annulled and Marie returned to religious life as a nun.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Blois, Countess of Boulogne

July 25, 1394 -Birth of James I, King of Scots and his elder twin brother Robert who died in infancy, at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland
Robert III, King of Scots,  the father of James I, feared for the safety of his only surviving son because of the machinations of his half-brother and decided to send him to France. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III, King of Scots, aged 68, died soon after hearing of his son’s captivity. 12-year-old James was now the uncrowned King of Scots and would remain in captivity in England for eighteen years where he was more of a guest than a hostage. While in England, James met his future wife Lady Joan Beaufort, the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset who was the eldest of the four children of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and his mistress Katherine Swynford.  The English considered a marriage to a Beaufort gave the Scots an alliance with the English instead of the French. The couple was married in 1424,  traveled to Scotland, and had eight children.
Unofficial Royalty: James I, King of Scots

July 25, 1642 – Birth of Louis I, Prince of Monaco at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco
Nine-year-old Louis became heir apparent to the throne of Monaco when his father Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux, the only child and the heir of Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, was killed accidentally in a firearms accident. Louis married Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, from a French noble family and the couple had six children. After a reign of fifty-eight years, Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, Louis’ grandfather, died in 1662, and 20-year-old Louis became Prince of Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis I, Prince of Monaco

July 25, 1821 – Death of Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, mistress of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom, in Cheltenham, England; buried in the Villiers Family vault in Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire, England
Frances began her affair with George, then Prince of Wales, in 1793, following a string of other discreet affairs. George was secretly married, in contravention to the Royal Marriages Act, to Maria Fitzherbert, but his wandering eye could not be kept in check. Frances had convinced the Prince to end his relationship with Mrs. Fitzherbert and encouraged him to marry his future wife, Caroline of Brunswick. Frances was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Princess of Wales. Frances and George continued their affair and he also brought Mrs. Fitzherbert back into his life. The two women disliked each other greatly, but the Prince continued his affairs with both. Then, a new mistress made her appearance, The Marchioness of Hertford soon replaced Frances as the Prince of Wales’s mistress. By 1807, Frances lost her royal household position and left the court. Having been widowed in 1805 and left with little financial means, Frances struggled to maintain the lifestyle expected of someone of her rank. She benefited only from her son’s generosity who increased her annual income and often paid off her debts.
Unofficial Royalty: Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

July 25, 1797 – Birth of Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, at Rumpenheim Castle in Offenbach am Main in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Auguste Wilhelmine Luise
Augusta was the youngest of the eight children of Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen. Her father was the youngest son of Landgrave Friedrich II of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Mary of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain. After the tragic death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, the king’s aging bachelor sons needed to seek brides to provide for the succession. Of all the bachelor sons, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge was the most eligible. He married Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. The groom was 44 and the bride was 20. Despite the age difference, the marriage was happy. Adolphus was in love with Augusta, and the couple had three children. Augusta and Adolphus are the ancestors of the current British royal family. Their youngest child Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge was the mother of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, later Queen Mary, the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Cambridge

July 25, 1860 – Birth of Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught, wife of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, at Marmorpalais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Luise Margarete Alexandra Victoria Agnes
Louise Margaret was the granddaughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. In 1879, she married Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. They had one son and two daughters including Margaret of Connaught who married Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. Margaret died before her husband became King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden but she is an ancestor of the Danish and Swedish Royal Families. Louise Margaret spent the first twenty years of her marriage accompanying her husband on his various military assignments. In 1911, Arthur was appointed the first Governor-General of Canada who was a member of the Royal Family. Louise Margaret and her youngest child Patricia accompanied Arthur to Canada. Louise Margaret died from bronchial pneumonia at the age of 56. She became the first member of the British Royal Family to be cremated, which was done at Golders Green Crematorium. Burying ashes in an urn was still unfamiliar at the time, and her urn was placed in a coffin during the funeral, which was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise Margaret of Prussia, Duchess of Connaught

July 25, 1869 – Birth of Prince Ferdinando Pio of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria, in Rome, Italy
Prince Ferdinando Pio, Duke of Calabria was Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and pretender to the former throne from 1934 until he died in 1960. His death brought about a dispute between two branches of his extended family, both claiming to be the rightful heir and thus head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Ferdinando Pio of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria

July 25, 1876 – Birth of Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians, wife of King Albert I of the Belgians, born Elisabeth of Bavaria at Possenhofen Castle in the Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Elisabeth Gabriele Valérie Marie
Elisabeth was the third of six children of Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria (a grandson of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria), and his second wife, Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal (a daughter of King Miguel I of Portugal). She was named after her father’s sister, Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria. While in Paris in May 1897, attending the funeral of her aunt, Elisabeth met her future husband, the future Albert I, King of the Belgians. The two quickly became involved, and several months later they became engaged. They married in 1900 and had three children.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgians

July 25, 1938 – Death of Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein in Valtice, Czechoslovakia, now in the Czech Republic; buried in the New Crypt of the Princely Mausoleum on the grounds of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, in Vranov, near Brno, in Czechoslovakia, now in the Czech Republic
In 1914, Franz met Elisabeth von Gutmann, the widow of the Hungarian Baron Géza Erős of Bethlenfalva, at a gala for the Relief Fund for Soldiers. The couple wanted to marry in 1919 but Franz’s brother Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein refused to consent to the marriage because of Elsa’s lower social status and Jewish background, although she had converted to Catholicism before her first marriage. Elsa and Franz secretly married Elsa in 1919, and that same year, Pope Benedict XV received the couple at the Vatican. Johann II died in 1929, and as he was unmarried with no children, his only brother succeeded as Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein. Now that Franz was the Sovereign Prince, he could officially marry Elsa. Their marriage was childless and upon Franz’s death, he was succeeded by his great-nephew, Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein

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Prince William, Duke of Gloucester; Credit – Wikipedia

July 24, 1681- Death of Agaphia Semenovna Grushevskaya, Tsaritsa of All Russia, first wife of Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia; first buried at the Ascension Convent, a Russian Orthodox nunnery in the Moscow Kremlin, in 1929 moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin
On July 21, 1681, Agaphia gave birth to a son Tsarevich Ilya Feodorovich. Sadly, Agaphia died of puerperal fever (childbed fever) three days later at the age of 18. Tsarevich Ilya Feodorovich survived his mother by a week. Feodor III was so grief-stricken that he was unable to attend his wife’s funeral. Agaphia was buried at the Ascension Convent, a Russian Orthodox nunnery in the Moscow Kremlin where royal and noblewomen were buried. In 1929, the Ascension Convent was dismantled by the Soviets to make room for the Red Commanders School. At that time, the remains of those buried there were moved to the crypt of the Archangel Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.
Unofficial Royalty: Wives of Feodor III of Russia: Agaphia Semenovna Grushevskaya and Marfa Matveyevna Apraksina

July 24, 1689 – Birth of Prince William, Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne of Great Britain, at Hampton Court Palace in Richmond, England
Full name: William Henry
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 Prince William died at age 11.  When Virginia’s General Assembly named Williamsburg as the colony’s capital in 1699, it ordered that its main street “in honor of his Highness William Duke of Gloucester shall for ever hereafter be called and knowne by the Name of Duke of Gloucester Street.” Sadly, 11-year-old William died on July 30, 1700, leaving the House of Stuart with no heir. His 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: Prince William, Duke of Gloucester

July 24, 1720 – Birth of Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Adolf Frederik of Sweden, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Upon her wedding in 1744 to King Fredrik I, her new husband gave Louisa Ulrika the ownership of Drottningholm Palace, not too far from the Swedish capital of Stockholm. During Louisa Ulrika’s ownership of Drottningholm Palace, the palace interior was redecorated in a more sophisticated French rococo style. On Louisa Ulrika’s 33rd birthday, Adolf Fredrik presented her with the Chinese Pavillion on the grounds of Drottningholm Palace. Louisa Ulrika was also responsible for rebuilding Drottningholm Palace Theatre after the original building burned down in 1762. Louisa Ulrika encouraged the leading scientists of the time to gather at Drottningholm Palace. The famous Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus worked there, cataloging the royal collections’ natural objects. Louisa Ulrika and Adolf Fredrik continued to reside at the palace during their reign. In 1777, Louisa Ulrika sold Drottningholm Palace to the Swedish state. Currently, it is the home of the Swedish Royal Family.
Unofficial Royalty: Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Queen of Sweden

July 24, 1759 – Birth of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia at the Royal Palace in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy
Vittorio Emanuele I reigned as King of Sardinia from the abdication of his elder brother Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia in 1802 until he abdicated in 1821 in favor of his younger brother Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia. As the senior surviving descendant of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, daughter of King Charles I of England and sister of James II, King of England/James VII, King of Scots, Vittorio Emanuele I became the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland after the death of his brother Carlo Emanuele in 1819. James II had been deposed by the Glorious Revolution in 1688. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic heirs of King James II of England/VII of Scotland to the thrones of England and Scotland. However, unlike the Stuart Jacobite pretenders – James II’s son James Edward Francis Stuart and James II’s grandsons Charles Edward Stuart and Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart – none of the later Jacobite pretenders ever claimed the title.
Unofficial Royalty: Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

July 24, 1796 – Birth of Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in Hildburghausen, Duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Georg Karl Friedrich
As a younger son, it was not expected that Georg would one day succeed to the ducal throne. However, Georg became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg on November 30, 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’.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

July 24, 1817 – Birth of Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg, born Hereditary Duke of Nassau at Biebrich Palace in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Adolf Wilhelm August Karl Friedrich
Adolph was the son of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau whom he succeeded in 1839. Adolph’s first wife Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mikhailovna of Russia died in childbirth along with her child. Adolph married again to Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, but only two lived to adulthood including his successor Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In 1890, Adolphe became Grand Duke upon the accession of Queen Wilhelmina to the Dutch throne. The three previous kings of the Netherlands had also been Grand Dukes of Luxembourg. However, because Luxembourg did not allow female succession, Wilhelmina could not succeed to the throne of Luxembourg. 73-year-old Adolphe was a Protestant in a Catholic country and knew little about Luxembourg, so he left the governing to his prime minister.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg

July 24, 1860 – Birth of Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, at Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Viktoria Elisabeth Auguste Charlotte
Princess Charlotte was the daughter of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor. Charlotte wanted to leave home as quickly as possible. As a marriage offered her the only way out, Charlotte found herself a prince, her shy and well-educated second cousin Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Meiningen. Because the prince was a suitable marriage candidate and their daughter caused much unrest at home, Charlotte’s parents agreed to the marriage. Charlotte and Bernhard were in 1878  when Charlotte was not quite 18. In 1914, Charlotte’s husband became the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. His reign was short as Bernhard was forced to abdicate on November 10, 1918, and spent the rest of his life in his former country as a private citizen.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

July 24, 1947 – Birth of Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan, wife of Prince Hassan of Jordan, younger brother of King Hussein I of Jordan, born Sarvath Ikramullah, in Calcutta, India
Sarvath and her husband served as Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Jordan for 34 years, until 1999 when King Hussein named his eldest son Abdullah to succeed him just days before his death. During this time, Princess Sarvath worked with many organizations and initiatives within Jordan, with much of her focus on education and social welfare. The couple continues to represent Jordan at royal events around the world.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan

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Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg; Credit – www.victorian-gothic.co.uk  THE BACK: (L-R): Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, brother of the groom; Princess Louise of Wales; Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhine; Princess Victoria of Wales; Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg, brother of the groom THE MIDDLE: (L-R): Princess Maud of Wales; Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine; Princesses Marie Louise and Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein THE FRONT: (L-R): Princesses Victoria Melita, Marie, and Alexandra of Edinburgh and the bridal couple

July 23, 1536 – Death of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII of England, in Thetford, Norfolk, England; buried first at Thetford Priory, later moved to St. Michael’s Church in Framlingham, Suffolk, England
Henry Fitzroy died somewhat unexpectedly at the age of seventeen, likely of tuberculosis. At this point, King Henry VIII had made both his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, illegitimate and was left with no real heir. Henry VIII may have been planning to legitimize his son in the years before Fitzroy’s death. Fitzroy was buried rather hastily at Thetford Priory in Norfolk and with no autopsy, suggesting that perhaps he died of the plague. Fitzroy’s remains were later moved to St. Michael the Archangel Church in Framlingham, Suffolk, England where his widow was later interred.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset

July 23, 1781 – Birth of Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Juliane Henriette Ulrike
Juliane was the aunt of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She had an unhappy marriage with Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia, grandson of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia and son of the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. In 1799, Juliane left Russia under the auspices of medical treatment but was soon forced to return. After her father-in-law Paul I was assassinated in 1801, she once again found an opportunity to leave. Later that year, her mother came to Russia to accompany Juliane to Coburg to recover from ill health. Upon arriving home in Coburg, she refused to return to Russia and soon began negotiations for a divorce. However, the Russian court would not allow a formal end to the marriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna of Russia

July 23, 1880 – Birth of Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma in Biarritz, Switzerland
Full name: Elia Roberto Carlo Maria
Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma was head of the House of Bourbon-Parma and pretender to the former ducal throne of Parma from 1950 until he died in 1959. Additionally, he served as regent from 1907-1950 for two of his elder brothers Enrico and Giuseppe, who were mentally disabled.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Elia of Bourbon-Parma

July 23, 1885 – Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and Prince Henry of Battenberg, at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England
In 1884, Henry of Battenberg’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg married Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, the eldest child of Queen Victoria’s third child Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine. Of course, Henry attended the wedding in Darmstadt and so did the bride’s aunt Princess Beatrice. Queen Victoria had expectations that Beatrice would never marry and would remain her personal assistant and secretary. However, during the wedding celebrations, Henry and Beatrice fell in love. When Beatrice told her mother of her desire to marry Henry, Queen Victoria did not speak to Beatrice for seven months. Eventually, the Queen realized that Beatrice would not back down and with some persuasion from the Prince of Wales, Alice’s widower Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, and Henry’s brother Prince Louis of Battenberg, Queen Victoria decided to allow the marriage with several conditions: Henry must renounce his military career, his nationality, and his home and agree to live with Beatrice and the Queen.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg

July 23, 1986 – Wedding of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Sarah and Andrew had crossed paths throughout their lives, but they first really noticed each other a couple of years prior to their engagement at a weekend party at Floors Castle, the Scottish home of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe. Afterward, Sarah visited Windsor Castle, attended Ascot Week, dined at Buckingham Palace, and attended the ballet at Covent Garden with Andrew. Their friendship was slowly becoming something more. Their budding romance was helped along by the matchmaking skills of the Princess of Wales. Diana and Andrew, having been childhood neighbors at Sandringham, were longtime friends. On February 19, 1986, Andrew’s birthday, at the Scottish home of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe, where their romance first started, Andrew proposed to Sarah. Sarah accepted but added, “If you wake up tomorrow morning, you can tell me it’s all a huge joke.” Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson separated on March 19, 1992, and divorced on May 30, 1996. The couple remains on friendly terms and Sarah, no longer HRH The Duchess of York, uses the style of a divorced duchess, Sarah, Duchess of York.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson

July 23, 1999 – Death of King Hassan II of Morocco in Rabat, Morocco; buried at the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco
On July 23, 1999, King Hassan II of Morocco died, aged 70, from pneumonia in Rabat, Morocco. Over forty heads of state and other dignitaries attended his funeral including United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, American President Bill Clinton, former American President George H.W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and Prince Charles representing his mother Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The funeral became a diplomatic opportunity with many leaders holding informal meetings before and after the funeral.
Unofficial Royalty: King Hassan II of Morocco

July 23, 2012 – Death of Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen, Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne of Saxony from 1968, in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland; buried at the Royal Chapel in Königskapelle in Karrösten, Austria
Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen was Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne of Saxony from 1968 until he died in 2012. Having no children, his death brought about a dispute over the headship of the family between several of his relatives.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen

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Wedding of Princess Maud of Wales and Prince Carl of Denmark, later King Haakon VII of Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

July 22, 1210 – Birth of Joan of England, Queen of Scots, daughter of King John of England, wife of  Alexander II, King of Scots, in Gloucester, England
Joan was the eldest of the three daughters and the third of the five children of King John of England and Isabella of Angoulême.  Joan’s father died when she was six years old, leaving his eldest son King Henry III, a nine-year-old, to inherit his throne. Five years later, marriage negotiations were occurring for Joan. Twelve years older than Joan, Alexander II, King of Scots was the only son of William I, King of Scots (the Lion), and became King of Scots in 1214 when he was sixteen years old. On June 21, 1221, at York Minster in York, England, eleven-year-old Joan married 23-year-old Alexander. Alexander’s court was dominated by his mother Dowager Queen Ermengarde and Joan’s position was not strong. Joan and Alexander never had any children, which left Alexander without an heir, a major issue for any king. An annulment of the marriage was risky as it could provoke a war with England.
Unofficial Royalty: Joan of England, Queen of Scots

July 22, 1478 – Birth of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, husband of Juana I, Queen of Castile and León, in Bruges, Duchy of Burgundy, now in Belgium
Philip was the son of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. When his mother died, he inherited the Burgundian Netherlands.  He married Juana, the second daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile and León and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, and their eventual successor.  The year before his death, he co-reigned with his wife as Philip I. 
Unofficial Royalty: Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, King of Castile and León 

July 22, 1535 – Birth of Katarina Stenbock, Queen of Sweden, third wife of King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden, in Torpa, Västergötland, Sweden
Katarina’s mother was the sister of King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden’s second wife Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud. Therefore, Katarina was the first cousin of the ten children of Gustav Vasa and Margareta Leijonhufvud. Katarina’s parents, part of the Kungafränderna (The King’s Relatives), were given prominent positions and had much influence at court. It is quite probable that Katerina served as a maid of honor to her aunt Margareta Leijonhufvud. When Katerina’s aunt died in 1551, Gustav Vasa decided to marry Katarina despite the king being 56 and Katarina being 17. Gustav Vasa saw this marriage as a way to forgo the costs and the time-consuming negotiations necessary to arrange a marriage with a foreign princess in the complicated political climate in Europe due to the ongoing conflicts caused by the Protestant Reformation. Katarina’s family saw the marriage as a way to preserve the family connection they had made with Gustav Vasa through his previous marriage with Margareta Leijonhufvud. Katarina and Gustav Vasa had no children but Katarina served as a stepmother to her first cousins, the children of Gustav Vasa and her aunt Margareta Leijonhufvud.
Unofficial Royalty: Katerina Stenbock, Queen of Sweden

July 22, 1746 – Death of Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France, 1st wife of Louis, Dauphin of France, the son of Louis XV, King of France, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France; buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
In 1744, Maria Teresa married Louis, Dauphin of France, the son of Louis XV, King of France. Maria Teresa Rafaela soon became pregnant. On July 19, 1746, she gave birth to a daughter, named Marie-Thérèse by her husband in honor of his adored wife. Maria Teresa Rafaela initially recovered from childbirth but then her condition deteriorated quickly and she died on July 22, 1746, aged 20, at the Palace of Versailles. Maria Teresa’s husband Louis never succeeded to the French throne. He died of tuberculosis on December 20, 1765, at the age of 36.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France

July 22, 1751 – Birth of Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark and Norway, daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales, sister of King George III of the United Kingdom, wife of King Christian VII of Denmark, was born at Leicester House in London, England
Caroline Matilda has a sad history. Soon after her marriage to her first cousin Christian VII, Caroline Matilda discovered he was severely mentally ill. Johann Friedrich Struensee, Christian’s doctor, had some success dealing with the king but he also became the lover of the ill-treated Caroline Matilda, whose marriage was less than satisfactory. When the affair became known, Sturensee was brutally executed and Caroline Matilda’s marriage was dissolved, she lost her title of Queen and was forcibly separated from her children whom she never saw again. She was held in custody for the rest of her life at Celle Castle in the Kingdom of Hanover. Her time in custody proved to be short.  Three years later, Caroline Matilda died of “a putrid fever and sore throat,” probably scarlet fever at the age of 23.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline Matilda of Wales, Queen of Denmark

July 22, 1832 – Death of Napoléon II (Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte), son of Napoleon Bonaparte and his second wife Marie Louise of Austria, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria; originally buried in the Kapuzinergruft in Vienna; in 1940 his remains were transferred to Les Invalides in Paris, France where his father is buried
Napoléon I divorced his childless first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais telling her he needed to find another wife who could provide him a son. He married Marie Louise of Austria and they had one son Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte. After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoléon I abdicated in favor of his four-year-old son and was exiled to the island of Saint Helena. Napoléon II “reigned” for two weeks, when King Louis XVIII of France, the elder of the two surviving brothers of the beheaded King Louis XVI of France, returned to France to resume the throne he had vacated earlier that year due to Napoléon I’s return from his first exile. Napoléon II and his mother lived in her homeland of Austria. He had been dealing with lung problems from a very early age and eventually developed tuberculosis. He died on July 22, 1832, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria at the age of twenty-one.
Unofficial Royalty: Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon II

July 22, 1848 – Birth of Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Adolf Friedrich August Viktor Ernst Adalbert Gustav Wilhelm Wellington
Adolf Friedrich was the son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Augusta of Cambridge. At the time of his birth, he was 14th in line to the British throne, as his mother was a granddaughter of King George III of the United Kingdom. Adolf Friedrich was the highest-ranking person in the British succession who did not hold any British titles.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

July 22, 1896 – Wedding of Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and Prince Carl of Denmark, later King Haakon VII of Norway, at the Private Chapel in Buckingham Palace in London, England
Because Maud’s mother was a Danish Princess, Maud visited her Danish relatives often and was familiar with her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark, who was three years younger than her. There had been family gossip that Maud and Carl might marry, so it was not all that surprising when Carl proposed to Maud during a family reunion at Fredensborg Castle and Maud accepted. In 1905, upon the dissolution of the Union between Sweden and Norway, Carl became King of Norway taking the name Haakon VII. Because of their mutual descent from King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, the Norwegian Royal Family is the most closely related royal family to the British Royal Family.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Haakon VII of Norway and Princess Maud of Wales

July 22, 1899 – Birth of King Sobhuza II of Swaziland at the Zombodze Royal Residence in Zombodze, Swaziland
King Sobhuza II of Swaziland was the Paramount Chief and King of Swaziland, from 1899 – 1982, for 82 years and 254 days. Because Swaziland was a British protectorate from 1906–1968 and not a sovereign state, he is not on the list of longest-reigning sovereign monarchs. However, he is number one on the list of longest reigning monarchs of dependent or constituent states. Sobhuza was quite influential in the events leading to Swaziland’s independence. He rejected the constitution proposed by the British government, in which he would become a constitutional monarch. Following the elections of 1973, the constitution of Swaziland was suspended by King Sobhuza II who ruled the country by decree until he died in 1982. Despite being an absolute monarch, Sobhuza was able to blend traditional tribal customs with strategies to manage economic and social change for Swaziland, now called Eswatini.
Unofficial Royalty: King Sobhuza II of Swaziland

July 22, 2013 – Birth of Prince George of Wales, son of Prince William, Prince of Wales, at St. Mary’s Hospital in London, England
Full name: George Alexander Louis
Prince George is the eldest of the three children of Prince William, Prince of Wales and the former Catherine Middleton. He is second in line to the British throne, behind his father.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George of Wales

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Maria Christina of Austria, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

July 21, 1782 – Death of Karl Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Sonneberg, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; initially buried at the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, his remains were later moved to the Meiningen municipal cemetery in 1977
When he was eight years old, Karl Wilhelm succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Because of his age, his mother served as Regent and was instrumental in bringing the duchy back from the brink of financial and economic disaster. Karl Wilhelm married Princess Luise of Stolberg-Gedern but the couple had no children. Karl Wilhelm died at the age of 27 and was succeeded by his brother Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

July 21, 1838 – Death of Sophie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, Princess Reuss of Gera, first wife of Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz
In 1834, Sophie married the future Heinrich XX, 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz. Sophie was Catholic and her husband was Lutheran. There is no information on whether Sophie remained Catholic or converted to Lutheranism. On October 31, 1836, Heinrich XX’s elder brother Heinrich XIX, 3rd Prince Reuss of Greiz died. Because his brother had no son to succeed him, Sophie’s husband became the 4th Prince Reuss of Greiz. Sophie was in ill health for most of her marriage and never had any children. She died on July 21, 1838, at the age of 29. Her husband had the Sophienkreuz (Sophie Cross), also known as the White Cross, built in her memory on a hill overlooking Greiz. The cross has been knocked down several times due to bad weather but has always been rebuilt.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, Princess Reuss of Greiz

July 21, 1858 – Birth of Maria Christina of Austria, Queen of Spain, second wife of King Alfonso XII of Spain, at Židlochovice Castle near Brno, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic
Full name: Maria Christina Henriette Desideria Felicitas Raineria
After the death of his first wife, King Alfonso XII of Spain married Maria Christina. On November 25, 1885, three days before his 28th birthday, King Alfonso XII died from tuberculosis, leaving two daughters and Maria Christina pregnant with their third child. It was decided that Maria Christina would rule as regent until the child was born. If the child were a male, he would become king. If the child were a female, Alfonso and Maria Christina’s elder daughter María Mercedes would become queen. On May 17, 1886, a son was born who immediately became King Alfonso XIII. Maria Christina continued as regent until Alfonso XIII reached the age of 16 and took control of the monarchy in 1902.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Christina of Austria, Queen of Spain

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Wilhelm, German Crown Prince and Crown Prince of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

July 20, 1346 – Birth of Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke, daughter of King Edward III of England, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
In 1359, 11-year-old Margaret married 12-year-old John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. After their marriage, Margaret and her husband John remained at the royal court. Sadly, 15-year-old Margaret, Countess of Pembroke died unexpectedly, sometime after October 1, 1361, the last date there is a record that she was living. John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was in royal service for the rest of his short life, mostly as a military commander. He died in 1375 at the age of 27.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke

July 20, 1524 – Death of Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France, first wife of King François I of France and eldest daughter of King Louis XII of France and his second wife Anne, Duchess of Brittany in her own right at the Chateau de Blois in Blois, France; buried at Basilica of St. Denis near Paris, France
Because her parents had no sons, Claude was the heir to her mother’s Duchy of Brittany and she succeeded her mother upon her death. François, Count of Angoulême (the future King François I of France) became the heir presumptive to the French throne and remained the heir throughout Louis XII’s reign due to his lack of sons.  In 1514, François and Claude were married and in 1515, Claude’s father Louis XII died and her husband succeeded as King François I of France. Queen Claude, Duchess of Brittany died at the age of 24. It is suspected that Claude had tuberculosis and contracted syphilis from her husband and certainly seven pregnancies in eight years weakened her health.
Unofficial Royalty: Claude of France, Duchess of Brittany, Queen of France

July 20, 1649 – Birth of William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, favorite of King William III of England, born Hans Willem Bentinck in Diepenheim, Overijssel, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands
Bentinck and his first wife Anne Villiers are ancestors of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom through her mother’s family, specifically through her maternal grandmother Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. In 1664, fifteen-year-old Bentinck came to the court of fourteen-year-old Willem III, Prince of Orange, the future King William III of England, as a page. In 1672, Bentinck became Willem III’s chamberlain. Bentinck was an important advisor to Willem III and also had a military career. Bentinck played a key role in the planning and execution of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which resulted in the deposing of Willem’s uncle and father-in-law King James II of England, and Willem and his wife and first cousin becoming King William III and Queen Mary II of England. Bentinck went to England with William and Mary and was generously rewarded for his service with titles and estates. He remained William III’s closest advisor until William III’s death.  When William III’s wife Mary II died from smallpox, it was Bentinck who carried the nearly insensible William from the room. When William III was on his deathbed, he beckoned Bentinck to his bedside. Bentinck bent down and put his ear to William’s mouth but could only distinguish a few words of William’s incoherent speech. William then took Bentinck’s hand and placed it against his heart. Then William’s head fell back, he closed his eyes, took two or three breaths, and died.
Unofficial Royalty: William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, favorite of King William III of England

July 20, 1835 – Birth of Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein, wife of Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, in Langenburg, Principality of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Full name: Adelheid Victoria Amalie Louise Maria Konstanze
Adelheid’s mother was Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the elder half-sister of Queen Victoria, and therefore Adelheid was Queen Victoria’s niece. In 1856, Adelheid married the future Friedrich VIII, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. They had seven children including Princess Auguste Viktoria who married Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein

 July 20, 1859 – Birth of  Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe, first husband of Princess Viktoria of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich II, German Emperor, King of Prussia and granddaughter of Queen Victoria, at Schloss Bückeburg in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Adolf Wilhelm Viktor
In 1890, Prince Adolf married Princess Viktoria of Prussia, known as Moretta, daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal. After an extended honeymoon in Egypt and Greece, the couple lived in the Palais Schaumburg in Bonn. Moretta had a miscarriage early in the marriage and the couple remained childless. Following the death of Woldemar, Prince of Lippe in 1895, Prince Adolf became the Regent for Woldemar’s successor and brother Alexander who was mentally incapacitated. Adolf served as Regent until 1897 when Count Ernst of Lippe-Biesterfeld replaced him.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe

July 20, 1927 – Death of King Ferdinand I of Romania at Pelisor Castle in Sinaia, Romania; buried at the Cathedral of Curtea de Arges in Romania
Ferdinand’s uncle King Carol I of Romania had no sons to inherit the throne, and so the succession passed to his younger brother Leopold, Ferdinand’s father. When Leopold renounced and his eldest son their rights, Ferdinand became heir-presumptive to the Romanian throne and succeeded to the throne in 1914.  Ferdinand married Princess Marie of Edinburgh, daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (and later Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple officially had six children, however, the two youngest children are believed to have been fathered by Marie’s lover but were formally acknowledged by Ferdinand as his own.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ferdinand I of Romania

July 20, 1933 – Death of Elisabeth of Anhalt, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Neustrelitz in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried in the New Crypt at the Johanniterkirche in Mirow in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Elisabeth married the future Grand Duke Adolf Friedrich V of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Elisabeth used her public profile to bring attention to the causes near her heart, including nature and flowers. Following her husband’s death in 1914, she remained the first lady of Mecklenburg-Strelitz during the reign of her unmarried son and became very active with the Red Cross during World War I. Remaining active right up until her death, Elisabeth hosted visits from her daughters and grandchildren and stayed in close contact with relatives throughout Europe.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Anhalt, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

July 20, 1951 – Death of Johanna Loisinger, Countess of Hartenau, wife of Prince Alexander of Battenberg, former Prince of Bulgaria, in Vienna, Austria; buried at St. Leonhard Cemetery in Graz, Austria
Johanna was an opera singer, virtuoso pianist, and actress. She sang soprano operatic roles in Prague and Opava (now in the Czech Republic), in Linz, Austria, and at the court theater in Darmstadt in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (now in Hesse, Germany). Johanna was one of the best-known singers of Mozart’s music of her time. She married the former reigning Prince of Bulgaria, born Prince Alexander of Battenberg, (known as Sandro), and had two children. After her husband’s death, Johanna received a pension from Bulgaria, and she and her young children moved to Vienna. Johanna was active in Viennese musical life and was involved in building the Academy Mozarteum in Mozart’s birthplace, Salzburg, Austria. She served as president of the Vienna Mozart Society, the Vienna Concert Association, and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.
Unofficial Royalty: Johanna Loisinger, Countess of Hartenau

July 20, 1951 – Assassination of King Abdullah I of Jordan at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem; buried at Royal Cemetery in Amman, Jordan
On July 16, 1951, the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Riad Bey Al Solh, was assassinated in Amman, Jordan. Four days later, King Abdullah, accompanied by his grandson, the future King Hussein I of Jordan, traveled to Jerusalem to attend Al Solh’s funeral at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. While waiting for Friday prayers to begin, King Abdullah I was approached by a Palestinian activist, Mustafa Shukri Ashu, who fired three shots, hitting the king in the chest and head and killing him instantly. The future King Hussein was also caught in the gunfire, miraculously escaping harm when a bullet ricocheted off a medal he was wearing at his grandfather’s insistence.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Abdullah I, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Unofficial Royalty: King  Abdullah I of Jordan

July 20, 1951 – Death of Wilhelm, the last German Crown Prince and Crown Prince of Prussia, son of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, in Hechingen, Germany; buried at Hohenzollern Castle in Bisingen, Zollernalbkreis, Germany
Wilhelm was the last Crown Prince of Germany. After World War I, he went into exile in the Netherlands. Wilhelm and his wife Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin returned to Germany five years later after promising to remain out of politics. The family was able to retain much of its wealth and even some former residences, allowing them to live a comfortable life in Germany. By this time Wilhelm and Cecilie had separated but maintained friendly relations and reunited during family events. Wilhelm did not entirely remain out of politics despite his promise, as he met with and supported Adolf Hitler in his early days of power. He did not support Hitler’s activities after 1934 and lived a quiet life. Wilhelm became head of the House of Hohenzollern in 1941, upon the death of his father. After Cecilienhof, the family home in Potsdam, Germany, was seized by the Soviets following World War II, Wilhelm moved to a small house in Hechingen, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm, German Crown Prince , Crown Prince of Prussia

July 20, 1964 – Death of Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova, lady-in-waiting and favorite of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, in Helsinki, Finland; buried in the Russian Orthodox section of the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki, Finland
Anna was a lady-in-waiting and a great friend of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. After the arrest of the Imperial Family, Anna was also arrested and was imprisoned for five months in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg on suspicion of espionage and treason and underwent numerous interrogations. Anna lived in obscurity in St. Petersburg, then called Petrograd and later Leningrad where she was re-imprisoned several times. She became friendly with the writer Maxim Gorky who encouraged her to write her memoirs. In 1920, Anna and her mother escaped to Finland, where she spent the rest of her life. Anna did write her memoirs as Maxim Gorky had suggested, Memoirs of the Russian Court, published in 1923 and still available. After World War II, Anna took vows as a Russian Orthodox nun but was permitted to live in her home because of her physical disabilities. In memory of her beloved friend Empress Alexandra, Anna wore the ribbon of a maid of honor until her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova, lady-in-waiting and favorite of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia

July 20, 1973 – Birth of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway at Rikshospitalet in Oslo, Norway
Full name: Haakon Magnus
Haakon is the second of the two children and the only son and heir apparent of King Harald V of Norway. In 2001, he married Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby and the couple had two children. The Crown Prince undertakes many official duties, both within Norway and around the world.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

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Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

July 19, 1415 – Death of Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal, daughter of John of Gaunt, granddaughter of King Edward III of England, wife of King João I of Portugal, in Sacavem, Portugal; buried at Batalha Monastery in Leiria, Portugal
Philippa married King Joáo I of Portugal in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady in Porto, Portugal on February 2, 1387, sealing the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, a treaty that is still in effect. She is known as the mother of the “Illustrious Generation” of infantes (princes) and infantas (princesses). Philippa died at the age of 55 of the plague.
Unofficial Royalty: Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal

July 19, 1543 – Death of Mary Boleyn, mistress of King Henry VIII of England, probably buried at St. Peter Churchyard in Hever, Kent, England
After Mary Boleyn was sent back from France where she had been one of Mary Tudor’s English ladies during her short marriage to King Louis XII of France, her father arranged for her to be a maid-of-honor to Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII’s first wife. She married Sir William Carey who served King Henry VIII as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber. At some point, perhaps even before her marriage, Mary became Henry VIII’s mistress, supplanting Elizabeth Blount, but the starting date and length of the relationship are unknown. Wiliam Carey profited from his wife’s affair as he was granted manors and estates by King Henry VIII. Two children were born during the marriage of Mary and William. Because of Mary’s affair with King Henry VIII, it has been suggested that one or both of the children may have been Henry VIII’s biological children.  Although there is no proof, this claim has been a continued subject of debate. On June 22, 1528, at the age of 28, William Carey died of the sweating sickness. By the time of William’s death, Mary’s sister Anne had already caught the attention of King Henry VIII.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary Boleyn, mistress of King Henry VIII of England

July 19, 1578 –  Birth of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor at the Schlossberg in Graz, Duchy of Styria, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria
In addition to being Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1619 – 1637), Ferdinand was also Archduke of Inner Austria (reigned 1590 – 1637), King of Bohemia (1st reign 1617 – 1619, 2nd reign 1620 – 1637), and King of Hungary and Croatia (reigned 1618 – 1637). In 1600, he married his 26-year-old first cousin Maria Anna of Bavaria. They had seven children but only four survived childhood. After Maria Anna’s death, Ferdinand married his first cousin once removed Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua but their marriage was childless. The Thirty Years’ War (1618 – 1648) began in 1618 as a result of the inadequacies of Ferdinand II’s predecessors Rudolf II and Matthias. The war was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, with an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians dying as a result of battle, famine, and disease. On February 15, 1637, at the age of fifty-eight, Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor died in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Inner Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia

July 19, 1770 – Birth of Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Florida, the morganatic second wife of Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies, in Syracuse, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
Lucia was the daughter of Vincenzo Migliaccio, 8th Duke of Floridia, a Sicilian nobleman, and Dorotea Borgia dei Marchesi del Casale who was from a Spanish noble family. In 1791, Lucia married Benedetto Grifeo, Prince of Partanna, and the couple had seven children. Lucia’s husband died in 1812. In 1814, Maria Carolina, the wife of King Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies died. Wanting to remarry, the 63-year-old Ferdinando turned his attention to the 44-year-old Lucia, whom he had met frequently at court. Because Lucia was not royal, the marriage caused a considerable scandal. Lucia did not receive the title of queen and any children from the marriage would not be in the line of succession. However, the marriage remained childless. Ferdinando died from a stroke in 1825, and Lucia survived her husband by a little more than a year, dying on April 26, 1826, aged 55.
Unofficial Royalty: Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Florida

July 19, 1810 – Death of Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia, wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, at Schloss Hohenzieritz in Hohenzieritz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried in the garden at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, where a mausoleum was built over her grave
Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. Luise was wildly popular in Prussia from the start, and descriptions of her from this time speak of her grace, goodness, and beauty. The marriage was happy and the couple raised their nine children quietly at Paretz Palace west of Berlin. Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia in 1797. As queen, Luise traveled around Prussia with her husband, becoming more well-known and well-liked. On July 19, 1810, while visiting her father, 34-year-old Luise died in her husband’s arms from an unidentified illness. Her grieving husband later instituted the Order of Louise in her name and her family mourned her death each year on July 19.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia

July 19, 1822 – Birth of Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz,  wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, at the Palace of Montbrillant in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Augusta Caroline Charlotte Elizabeth Mary Sophia Louisa
Augusta was a granddaughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, first cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, and aunt of Queen Mary, wife of King George V of the United Kingdom.  Even though Augusta lived in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz after her marriage, she and her husband visited London frequently, staying with the Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace. Augusta retained close ties with the British Royal Family. Before the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and his wife Queen Alexandra in 1902, Augusta was consulted on matters of ceremony and attire as she was almost the only person alive who could remember the coronation of King William IV and Queen Adelaide.  Her recollection of Queen Victoria’s coronation also proved invaluable.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Cambridge, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

July 19, 1884 – Birth of Prince Charles Edward, Duke of Albany, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Claremont House in Esher, Surrey, England
Full name: Charles Edward George Albert Leopold
Charles Edward’s father Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany died three months before he was born. Prince Leopold, who inherited hemophilia from his mother Queen Victoria, died at age 30 from a fall that caused a cerebral hemorrhage. Charles Edward inherited his father’s title Duke of Albany at birth. In 1900, he became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha upon the death of his uncle Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Duke of Edinburg. In 1905, Charles Edward married Princess Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. The couple had five children including Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha who married Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, and is the mother of  Carl XVI Gustaf, the current King of Sweden. At the end of World War I, Charles Edward was deposed and signed a declaration relinquishing his rights to the throne. In 1933, he joined the Nazi Party. After the end of World War II, Charles Edward was placed under house arrest because of his Nazi sympathies. In 1949, a denazification appeals court classified Charles Edward as a Nazi Follower, Category IV. He was heavily fined, several properties were seized, and he was almost bankrupted. Some of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha properties that were now in East Germany were seized. Charles Edward spent the last years of his life in seclusion. He died of cancer on March 6, 1954, at the age of 69 in his apartment on Elsässer Straße (Street) in Coburg, Bavaria, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

July 19, 1890 – Birth of King George II of Greece at Tatoi Palace near Athens, Greece
George II was the eldest son of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia. Due to unrest in Greece, George was King of Greece twice (1st reign 1922 – 1924, monarchy abolished; 2nd reign 1935 – 1947)  and forced into exile three times. Also unlucky in marriage, he married his second cousin, Princess Elisabeta of Romania. Their marriage was childless and ended in divorce. His health declining, George was found unconscious in his office at the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece on April 1, 1947. Several hours later, it was announced that he had died of arteriosclerosis.
Unofficial Royalty: King George II of Greece

July 19, 1940 – Birth of  Princess Hitachi of Japan, wife of Prince Hitachi of Japan, born Hanako Tsugaro at her family home in Tokyo, Japan
The wife of Prince Hitachi of Japan, son of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), Princess Hitachi is the youngest of the four daughters of Count Yoshitaka Tsugaru and Hisako Mōri. Both her parents were descendants of the Japanese nobility. Prince and Princess Hitachi had no children.  Because her husband was the son and then the brother of The Emperor, Prince and Princess Hitachi were expected to represent Japan internationally and participate in charitable works. As the Prince and Princess got older, these responsibilities lessened.
Unofficial Royalty: Hanako, Princess Hitachi

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