© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Today’s Royal Events

• National Day of Spain (October 12)

October 12, 1537 – Birth of King Edward VI of England at Hampton Court Palace in Richmond upon Thames, England
Twenty-six years into his reign, King Henry VIII of England was still without a male heir. He married his third wife Jane Seymour eleven days after Anne Boleyn’s execution, and Jane was pregnant before her first wedding anniversary, which would prove to be her only wedding anniversary. As was tradition, Jane went into confinement a month before the baby’s due date. At 2 AM, on October 12, 1537, the long-awaited male heir was born. Jane’s labor had been long, two days and three nights. Three days later, the baby was christened Edward after Edward the Confessor whose feast day is October 13. His half-sisters 21-year-old Mary and four-year-old Elizabeth attended the ceremony along with his mother who was carried on a litter. Henry’s joy soon turned into grief. On October 17, 1537, Jane’s condition deteriorated and she was given the last rites. She died on October 24, 1537, most likely from puerperal fever or childbed fever, a bacterial infection. Edward succeeded his father at age nine but died from tuberculosis six years later.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VI of England

October 12, 1576 – Death of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, Archduke of Austria in the Imperial City of Regensburg, now in the German state of Bavaria; buried in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic
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

October 12, 1730 – Death of King Frederik IV of Denmark and Norway; at Odense Palace in Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark
Frederik is known for the two bigamous marriages he made with his mistresses. Despite this, he was a fairly successful ruler. He selected his advisors carefully and held audiences in which ordinary people could speak to him and present letters with complaints or requests. Frederik was not very familiar with the Danish language, which he only used on state occasions. He usually spoke and wrote in German and French. Frederik IV was interested in Italian architecture and traveled to Italy several times and he had two palaces built in the Italian Baroque style. Frederiksberg Palace, located in Frederiksberg, close to Copenhagen, was built 1699 – 1735. Fredensborg Palace built 1720 – 1726, is located on Lake Esrum in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand in Denmark. Toward the end of his life, Frederik IV suffered from edema, then called dropsy. He died the day after his 59th birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik IV of Denmark and Norway

October 12, 1798 – Birth of King Pedro IV of Portugal/Emperor Pedro I of Brazil at Queluz Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Full name: Pedro de Alcântara Francisco António João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim
As Emperor Pedro I, he was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil. As King Pedro IV, he reigned briefly over Portugal. On April 7, 1831, after a political crisis that ended with the resignation of his ministers and in the middle of an economic crisis, Pedro abdicated the throne of Brazil in favor of his six-year-old son who reigned as Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. Pedro returned to Portugal where he died at the age of 35, from tuberculosis at his birthplace.
Unofficial Royalty: Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal

October 12, 1810 – The origin of Oktoberfest was the wedding of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
In 1809, Therese was included on a list of prospective brides for Napoleon I, Emperor of the French who was looking to marry into one of the old royal houses of Europe. However, the future King Ludwig I of Bavaria would become her husband.  The couple met in December 1809 when Ludwig visited Hildburghausen, and the couple became engaged on February 12, 1810. After prolonged negotiations, primarily due to Therese’s unwillingness to convert to Catholicism, she and her family traveled to Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, for the marriage. Therese and Ludwig married on October 12, 1810, and celebrations were held for several days at the Theresienwiese in Munich, a large outdoor space named in her honor. The Bavarian royal family invited the citizens of Munich to attend the festivities. Theresienwiese is the site of Oktoberfest, held each year to commemorate the wedding.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ludwig I of Bavaria
Unofficial Royalty: Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Queen of Bavaria
Unofficial Royalty: Oktoberfest’s Royal Connection

October 12, 1837 – Death of Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, wife of King Willem I of the Netherlands, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands; buried at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
In 1791, Wilhelmine married her first cousin Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau, later King Willem I of the Netherlands, and the couple had four children. Wilhelmine was not successful in her role as Queen. While she still contributed generously to charities, her subjects thought her cold and distant as she only came in contact with family and her court ladies. In the now modern-day Belgium areas, Wilhelmine was ridiculed for her old-fashioned German style of dress.  Wilhelmine’s health worsened in 1820 and by 1829, she rarely appeared in public. After a trip in the spring of 1837 to a grandson’s christening in Berlin, Wilhelmine was beyond exhaustion. She spent the summer at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. On October 4, 1837, Wilhelmine and her husband traveled to Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. The trip greatly weakened Wilhelmine and her condition worsened. Queen Wilhelmine died eight days later, at the age of 63, with her family at her bedside.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands

October 12, 1876 – Birth of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia at Tsarskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia
Kirill was the son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia) and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In 1905, he married his first cousin Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Because Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia did not consent to the marriage, Kirill was stripped of his military appointments and his funding. The couple was banished from Russia and settled in France. By 1908, Kirill was third in line to the Imperial throne, following several deaths within the family. Nicholas II relented and allowed Kirill to return to Russia, restoring his military positions and his funding. (See below. Kirill died on his 62nd birthday.)
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia

October 12, 1894 – Birth of Elisabeth of Romania, Queen of Greece, wife of King George II of Greece, daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania, at Peleş Castle in Sinaia, Romania
Full name: Elisabeta Charlotte Josephine Alexandra Victoria
Elisabeth was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria through her mother Princess Marie of Edinburgh. In 1921, she married the future King George II of Greece. George and Elisabeth had no children, and would eventually divorce in 1935. After her divorce, Elisabeth petitioned to have her Romanian citizenship restored which she had relinquished upon her marriage. Through wise investments and the booming Romanian economy, Elisabeth became financially well-off. She devoted much of her time to charity, working with many organizations to help children and those who were ill. At her own expense, she established a hospital and children’s home in Bucharest, Romania.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Romania, Queen of Greece

October 12, 1938 – Death of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia in Neuilly, France; first buried  in the Ducal Mausoleum at the Glockenburg Cemetery in Coburg, Germany, in 1995 his remains were moved to the Grand Ducal Mausoleum at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, Russia
Following the abdication of Nicholas II in 1917, Kirill and his family left Russia. They settled first in Finland, before moving on to Munich, Germany, and then Zurich, Switzerland. They settled permanently in Saint-Briac, France, in the mid-1920s. In addition, they had inherited property in Coburg from Victoria Melita’s mother. Bolstered by a group of supporters, and the laws of the former Imperial Family (under which Kirill was the rightful heir to the throne), on August 31, 1924, Kirill declared himself Emperor of All the Russias. His son Vladimir Kirillovich and then Vladimir’s daughter Maria Vladimirovna both took on the claim.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia

October 12, 2018 – Wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Eugenie and Jack were introduced by mutual friends in Verbier, Switzerland. Eugenie was on holiday and Jack was working there at the time. After seven years together, Jack proposed to Eugenie while on holiday in Nicaragua at the end of 2017.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Louise-Marie of Orleans, Queen of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

October 11, 1159 – Death of William of Blois, Count of Boulogne, son of King Stephen of England, in the County of Toulouse, now in France; buried at the Abbey of Montmorel in the Duchy of Normandy, now in France.
William was the youngest of the five children and the third but the second surviving of the three sons of Stephen I, King of England (born Stephen of Blois) and Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne in her own right. Circa 1148 – 1149, William married Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey in her own right but the couple had no children. William’s mother Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne in her own right died in 1152, and her eldest son succeeded her as Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne. When Eustace suddenly died in 1153, William became Count of Boulogne. In 1159 William accompanied King Henry II of England on an unsuccessful invasion of the County of Toulouse, now in France. William died October 11, 1159, aged circa twenty-two, from an illness on the return trip to England, while still in the County of Toulouse.
Unofficial Royalty: William of Blois, Count of Boulogne

October 11, 1671 – Birth of King Frederik IV of Denmark and Norway at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
In 1695, Frederik married Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. They had four sons and one daughter. Sadly, three sons died in infancy. Frederik had two bigamous marriages to his mistresses. The adultery and bigamy of Frederik IV and the effect it had upon Queen Louise deeply affected and disturbed their son Crown Prince Christian, the future Christian VI. Christian distanced himself from his father and he came to detest his father’s bigamous wives. After the death of Queen Louise in 1721, Frederik and Anna Sophie Reventlow were married in a second formal wedding conducted with great ceremony. Although the marriage was still scandalous, it was not declared morganatic and Anna Sophie was crowned Queen. Anna Sophie and Frederick IV had six children. Three were born before the legal marriage in 1721 but none survived. This was seen by many as divine punishment for their bigamy. The three children born after the 1721 marriage were styled as Prince/Princess of Denmark but none survived infancy.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik IV of Denmark and Norway

October 11, 1721 – Death of Prince Anton Florian of Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Liechtenstein Crypt in Vranov near Brno, Czech Republic
In 1679, Anton Florian married Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein and the couple had eleven children including Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1712, Anton Florian’s nephew Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, died without a male heir. Anton Florian was the heir according to primogeniture. Still, he was not very popular with the family, and  Hans-Adam I had named his second cousin once removed Josef Wenzel as his heir. In 1718, after negotiations, Anton Florian became Prince of Liechtenstein and Josef Wenzel concentrated on his military career.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Anton Florian of Liechtenstein

October 11, 1739 – Birth of Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, in the village of Chizhovo near Smolensk, Russia
Grigory and Catherine had known each other since 1762 but their sexual relationship began in the spring of 1774 when Grigory was 34 and Catherine was 44. Grigory and Catherine worked out a new relationship that preserved their affection toward each other and their political collaborations but allowed each of them to choose other sexual partners. That relationship lasted until Grigoryi died. He is considered Catherine’s great love. Trivia: The term “Potemkin Village” derives from Grigory Potemkin. It has come to mean, especially in a political context, any hollow or false construct, physical or figurative, meant to hide an undesirable or potentially damaging situation. The term comes from stories of a fake portable village built solely to impress Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, by Grigory Potemkin, during her journey to Crimea in 1787.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

October 11, 1753 – Birth of Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark, son of King Frederick V of Denmark and his second wife, Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
After the death of his father King Frederik V, Frederik’s half-brother from his father’s first marriage King Christian VII succeeded to the throne.  Christian VII had many symptoms of mental illness. Frederik and his mother Juliana Maria were instrumental in a coup that would bring about the fall of Christian VII’s physician Johann Friedrich Struensee and discredit Christian’s wife Caroline Matilda of Wales who was having an affair with Struensee. They arranged for King Christian VII to sign an arrest warrant for Struensee after they had already arrested him. Struensee was executed and Caroline Matilda was exiled. After the fall of Struensee, Juliana Maria and her son Frederik took charge of the Council of State. Christian VII was only nominally king from 1772 onward.
Unofficial Royalty: Hereditary Prince Frederik of Denmark

October 11, 1850 – Death of Louise-Marie of Orleans, Queen of the Belgians, wife of King Leopold I of the Belgians, at Ostend, Belgium; buried at the Royal Crypt in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Louise-Marie was the eldest daughter and second child of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies. Among her ancestors are the Kings of France, Spain, Poland, Sicily and Naples, and Holy Roman Emperors. Marie Antoinette, Queen of France was her mother’s aunt. In 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, became the first King of the Belgians. Leopold had to marry again to provide for the Belgian succession and his choice was Louise-Marie. The couple had four children. In August 1850, during a memorial service for Louise-Marie’s father, it was noticed that Louise-Marie had difficulty walking and needed support from her husband to prevent her from falling. A month later, suffering from tuberculosis and feeling increasingly weak, she moved to Ostend, Belgium on the sea. Surrounded by her mother, her husband, and her children, Louise-Marie died at the age of 38.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise-Marie of Orleans, Queen of the Belgians

October 11, 1861 – Death of Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, at the family estate Bifrons in Patrixbourne, Kent, England; buried at St. Mary’s Church in Patrixbourne, Kent, England
Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham was the last mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, from 1820 until the King 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 at the Brighton Pavilion for Elizabeth and her family and ensured they traveled with him when he moved from one residence to another. 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 George IV, nothing was ‘off limits’ for his beloved Elizabeth. However, it would all end when George IV died at Windsor Castle in 1839. 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. Elizabeth remained in Paris until the death of William IV in 1837. She returned to the family’s Bifrons estate in the village of Patrixbourne, near Canterbury, where she lived the remainder of her life.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

October 11, 1916 – Death of King Otto I of Bavaria at Schloss Fürstenried in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried at St. Michael’s Church in Munich
Like his brother King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Otto was also mentally ill. After Ludwig and his doctor were found dead in a lake, Otto became King of Bavaria. However, because of his incapacity, Otto probably never understood that he had become king. His uncle Prince Luitpold who had been Regent of Bavaria during Ludwig II’s reign remained Regent during Otto’s reign. Otto remained in isolation at Fürstenried Palace for the rest of his life. When Prince Luitpold died in 1912, he was succeeded by his son Ludwig as Regent. The following year, Ludwig had the Bavarian constitution amended to allow King Otto to be formally deposed. In 1913, Otto was formally deposed and replaced by his cousin who took the throne as King Ludwig III. Otto died three years later, aged 68, as the result of a bowel obstruction.
Unofficial Royalty: King Otto I of Bavaria

October 11, 1927 – Birth of Josephine-Charlotte of Belgium, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, wife of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, at the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Josephine-Charlotte Ingeborg Elisabeth Marie-José Marguerite Astrid
Joséphine-Charlotte was the eldest child and only daughter of Leopold III, King of the Belgians and Princess Astrid of Sweden. Her two younger brothers Baudouin and Albert II were both Kings of the Belgians. In 1953, Joséphine-Charlotte married Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, the eldest child of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. The couple had five children including Henri, the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg.  In 1964, Grand Duchess Charlotte abdicated, and Jean and Joséphine-Charlotte became the new Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
Unofficial Royalty: Josephine-Charlotte of Belgium, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

October 11, 1954 – Birth of Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Sultan of Oman, in Muscat,  then in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, now in the Sultanate of Oman
On January 11, 2020, the day after the death of Haitham’s first cousin Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Haitham was named Sultan of Oman after a sealed letter from Qaboos was opened identifying whom he wished to take his place. On the same day, Haitham was sworn in as the Sultan of Oman during an emergency session of the Council of Oman at the Al-Bustan Palace in Muscat, Oman.
Unofficial Royalty: Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Sultan of Oman

October 11, 1963 – Birth of Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein of Jordan, son of King Hussein I of Jordan and his second wife Princess Muna Al Hussein (the former Antoinette Gardiner), in Amman, Jordan
Prince Feisal is the younger brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan. In addition to his military duties with the Jordanian Air Force, Feisal has been President of the Jordan Olympic Committee since 2003, Founder and Chairman of Generations for Peace since 2007, and a Member of the International Olympic Committee since 2010.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein

October 11, 1969 – Birth of Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, at Utrecht University Hospital in Utrecht, the Netherlands
Full name: Constantijn Christof Frederick Aschwin
Constantijn is the youngest of the three sons of the former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. His eldest brother King Willem-Alexander is the current King of the Netherlands. Constantijn married Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst in 2001 and had two daughters and one son. He does not undertake many official duties for the Dutch monarchy. However, as a member of the Dutch Royal House, he and his wife are typically in attendance at major events, such as King’s Day and the annual Opening of Parliament.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

October 10, 1344 – Birth of Mary of Waltham, Duchess of Brittany, daughter of King Edward III of England at Bishop’s Waltham Palace in Bishop’s Waltham, Hampshire, England
Mary had thirteen siblings. Her brothers married into the English nobility and it was their descendants who later battled for the throne in the Wars of the Roses. Around  July 3, 1361,16-year-old Mary and 22-year-old John IV, Duke of Brittany were married at Woodstock Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. Mary and John remained at the English court after their marriage. Arrangements were being made for them to leave England and reside in Brittany as the Duke and Duchess of Brittany. However, within weeks, Mary became quite ill, and she died sometime before September 13, 1361,
Unofficial Royalty: Mary of Waltham, Duchess of Brittany

October 10, 1741 – Birth of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz at Mirow Castle in Mirow, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Carl Ludwig Friedrich
Carl was the brother of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who married King George III of the United Kingdom. In 1794, Carl became the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz upon the death of his brother Adolf Friedrich IV. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna recognized Mecklenburg-Strelitz as a grand duchy. Carl II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz became the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Carl married Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt who died due to childbirth complications giving birth to her tenth child. Two years later, Carl married Friederike’s younger sister, Charlotte who also died due to childbirth complications shortly after giving birth to their only child.
Unofficial Royalty: Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

October 10, 1796 – Death of Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen of Denmark, second wife of King Frederik V of Denmark, in Fredensborg Palace in Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Denmark
In 1752, Juliana Maria married Frederik V six months after his first wife Louisa of Great Britain died. The couple had one son. After the death of Frederik V, he was succeeded by his son from his first marriage King Christian VII who had many symptoms of mental illness. Juliana Maria was instrumental in a coup that would bring about the fall of Christian VII’s physician Johann Friedrich Struensee and discredit Christian’s wife Caroline Matilda of Wales who was having an affair with Struensee. Juliana Maria arranged for King Christian VII to sign the arrest warrant of Struensee after she had already made the arrest in the name of the king. Struensee was executed and Caroline Matilda was exiled. After the fall of Struensee, Juliana Maria and her son, Christian VII’s half-brother Hereditary Prince Frederik, took charge of the Council of State. Christian VII was only nominally king from 1772 onward.
Unofficial Royalty: Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen of Denmark

October 10, 1811 – Death of Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden, the illegitimate son of King George II of Great Britain and his mistress Amalie von Wallmoden, in Hanover in the Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony; buried in the von Wallmoden family’s hereditary burial site below the tower of the Church of Heinde in Heinde now in the German state of Lower Saxony
Born on April 22, 1736, in Hanover in the Electorate of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden was the illegitimate son of King George II of Great Britain and Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, George II’s mistress from 1735 until he died in 1760.  Johann Ludwig was brought up at his father’s court and received a comprehensive education. During a grand tour of Italy, Johann Ludwig began to collect art and antiquities. Johann Ludwig joined the Hanoverian Army and rose to the rank of major general. Johann Ludwig married two times: to Charlotte Christiane Auguste Wilhelmine von Wangenheim with whom he had five children and to Baroness Luise Christiane von Lichtenstein with whom he had three children.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden

October 10, 1830 – Birth of Queen Isabella II of Spain at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain
Full name: María Isabel Luisa
Isabella’s father Ferdinand VII died in 1833, and she succeeded to the throne, not quite three years old. Isabella married her double first cousin Infante Francisco de Asís de Borbón, Duke of Cadiz. Her marriage was not happy and there were rumors that few, if any, of her children, were fathered by her husband. Isabella had nine children, but only five reached adulthood. Her only surviving son was King Alfonso XII of Spain, the great-great-grandfather of the current Spanish monarch King Felipe VI. Isabella’s authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military, and the chaos of her reign — sixty different governments — helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that exiled her to Paris. The new government replaced Isabella with Amadeo I, the second son of King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.  During Amadeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings and he abdicated in 1873 and returned to Italy. The First Spanish Republic was declared, but it lasted a little less than two years.  Isabella officially abdicated in 1870 and after the First Spanish Republic collapsed, her son Alfonso XII became king.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Isabella II of Spain

October 10, 1837 – Death of Princess Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg, Princess Reuss of Greiz, wife of Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz, in Greiz, Principality of Reuss-Greiz, now in the German state of Thuringia; buried at the Stadtkirche St. Marien in Greiz
The daughter of Karl Christian, Duke of Nassau-Weilburg and Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau, twenty-year-old Wilhelmine Luise married thirty-eight-year-old Heinrich XIII, the heir to the throne of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz in 1786. Wilhelmine Luise and Heinrich XIII had four sons. When his father died in 1800, Heinrich XIII succeeded as Prince Reuss of Greiz. Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz died on January 29, 1817, aged 69. Wilhelmine Luise survived her husband by twenty years, dying on October 10, 1837, aged 72.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg, Princess Reuss of Greiz

October 10, 1846 – Birth of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe at Schloss Bückeburg, in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany
Full name: Stephan Albrecht Georg
In 1882, Georg married Princess Marie Anna of Saxe-Altenburg, who was eighteen years younger than him. The couple had nine children. Before he succeeded to the throne, Georg had a career in the Prussian Army. Upon the death of his father on May 8, 1893, Georg became the reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

October 10, 1903 – Birth of Prince Charles of Belgium, Prince Regent of Belgium, at the Palace of the Marquis d’Assche in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Charles-Théodore Henri Antoine Meinrad
Charles was the younger brother of Leopold III, King of the Belgians. When Belgium was occupied by Germany during World War II, Leopold III surrendered and was held under house arrest at the Palace of Laeken. After the liberation of Belgium, the Belgian Parliament appointed Charles as Prince Regent. During his Regency, Charles worked to restore Belgium after the war, helping to establish financial aid and grants for the restoration of properties damaged or destroyed. Charles remained Prince Regent of Belgium until a 1950 referendum returned Leopold III to the throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Charles of Belgium Count of Flanders, Prince Regent of Belgium

October 10, 1914 – Death of King Carol I of Romania at Sinaia, Romania; buried at the Curtea de Arges Monastery in Romania
Born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, he was elected by the Romanian government to become the new Ruling Prince in 1866 after Ruling Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza was forced to abdicate. He took on the more Romanian spelling of his name, Carol. In 1881, the Romanian parliament declared Romania a Kingdom, and he became King Carol I. He married  Princess Elisabeth of Wied and they had one daughter who died in childhood from scarlet fever. After a reign of 48 years, Carol I died at the age of 75 and was succeeded by his nephew, King Ferdinand I, the second son of his elder brother Leopold.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carol I of Romania

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Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland; Credit – Wikipedia

October 9, 1690 – Death of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
In 1679, Henry married Isabella Bennet, daughter and heiress of Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington and Elisabeth of Nassau, a granddaughter of Maurits of Nassau, Prince of Orange, and a great-granddaughter of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange. When her father died, Isabella became the 2nd Countess of Arlington in her own right. Henry and Isabella had one son Charles FitzRoy, who succeeded his parents as 2nd Duke of Grafton and 3rd Earl of Arlington. Henry was raised as a sailor and was well-suited to military life. He was appointed Colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 1681 and served as Vice-Admiral of England from 1682 to 1689. On October 9, 1690, in Cork, Ireland, 27-year-old Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton died from wounds received two weeks earlier at the Siege of Cork, during the Williamite War in Ireland when supporters of the former King James II attempted to retake the English throne from King William III and Queen Mary II.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton

October 9, 1709 – Death of Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, mistress of King Charles II of England, at Walpole House in Chiswick, England; at the Old Chiswick Cemetery at St. Nicholas Church in Chiswick, London, England
In 1659, Barbara married Roger Palmer, later 1st Earl of Castlemaine. At the end of 1659, Roger and his new wife left with other supporters of the exiled  King Charles II of England, joining him in the Netherlands. In 1660, Barbara became Charles’ mistress and continued as his mistress when Charles II returned to England later that year. Barbara gave birth to six children, some of them, possibly all, were the children of Charles II. Among Barbara’s descendants are Diana, Princess of Wales; Sarah, Duchess of York; the Mitford sisters; philosopher Bertrand Russell; and British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden. In 1673, King Charles II cast Barbara aside and took Louise de Kérouaille as his newest favorite mistress. Barbara eventually reconciled with King Charles II and he enjoyed an evening in her company a week before he died in February 1685.
Unofficial Royalty: Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland

October 9, 1757 – Birth of King Charles X of France at the Palace of Versailles in France
Both King Louis XVIII and King Charles X were brothers of the beheaded King Louis XVI who reigned in France during the Bourbon Restoration. When Napoleon was overthrown in 1814, King Louis XVIII was formally made King of France. In 1824, King Louis XVIII died, and his brother Charles X succeeded to the French throne. Charles longed for a return to absolute rule. He often instructed his prime minister to change or remove laws that he felt were too liberal. Charles’ own actions led to the July Revolution of 1830, his abdication, and the Chamber of the Deputies proclaiming Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans as Louis Philippe I, King of the French.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles X, King of France

October 9, 1934 – Assassination of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia in Marseilles, France; buried at the Memorial Church of St. George, Oplenac near Topola, Serbia
45-year-old Alexander I, King of Yugoslavia was assassinated in Marseilles, France, by Bulgarian assassin Vlado Chernozemski during a state visit to France. In the pre-World War II era, French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou was attempting to build alliances. King Alexander was making a state visit to France to sign a Franco-Yugoslav agreement. Barthou met King Alexander when he arrived in Marseilles, France on the Royal Yugoslav Navy destroyer Dubrovnik. The pair slowly traveled in a motorcade through the streets of Marseilles, lined with people eager to see the king. Vlado Chernozemski emerged from the crowd and jumped onto the running board of Alexander and Barthou’s car. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers, in which his pistol was concealed, and shouted “Vive le roi!” (“Long live the king!”) Chernozemski shot Alexander, hitting him once in the abdomen and once in the heart, killing the king within minutes.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Alexander I, King of Yugoslavia
Unofficial Royalty: King Alexander I of Yugoslavia

October 9, 1935 – Birth of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent at 3 Belgrave Square in London, England
Full name: Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick
Edward became Duke of Kent at age 7 when his father Prince George, Duke of Kent died in a plane crash during active military service in World War II. In 1961, Edward married Katharine Worsley and the couple had three children. As a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, he was an active member of the Royal Family and represented the Queen at events in the United Kingdom and around the world.  He is probably most recognized for his role as President of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, serving from 1969 – 2021, a position to which he succeeded upon his mother’s death in 1968. In this role, he presented the champion’s trophies at Wimbledon each year.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

October 9, 1937 – Death of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Schloss Wolfsgarten in Langen, Germany; buried at Rosenhöhe Chapel in Darmstadt, Germany
Ernst Ludwig was the son of Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Alice and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. He made an unsuccessful marriage to his first cousin Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The couple had one daughter who died in childhood. They waited until after Queen Victoria died to divorce. In 1905, Ernst Ludwig married Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich and they had two sons. He lost his throne after World War I, however, he was allowed to remain in Hesse and retained several of the family’s properties. Tragically, just weeks after his death, a plane crash in Belgium took the lives of many of his remaining family – his widow, elder son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. The plane crash took place on November 16, 1937 – ironically, this was the anniversary of the deaths of both Ernst Ludwig’s sister May (in 1878) and his daughter Elisabeth (in 1903).
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

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King Zog I of Albania; Credit – Wikipedia

October 8, 1515 – Birth of Lady Margaret Erskine, mistress of James V, King of Scots
James V, King of Scots had several mistresses but Lady Margaret Erskine was his favorite and the mother of the most important of his nine illegitimate children. Margaret’s father John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine was appointed guardian of the ten-year-old James V, King of Scots and Constable of Stirling Castle, and so Margaret and James had been acquainted from an early age. Within a few years of her marriage to Sir Robert Douglas of Lochleven, Margaret became the mistress of James V. Margaret and James V’s son James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, born circa 1531, had become Protestant like most of Margaret’s family. Despite their religious differences, James Stewart became the chief advisor to his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots and in September 1561, Mary created her half-brother Earl of Moray.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Margaret Erskine, mistress of James V, King of Scots

October 8, 1895 – Birth of Ahmed Zogu, King Zog I of Albania, at Burgajet Castle in Burrel,  the Ottoman Empire, now in Albania
After Albania achieved independence, Ahmed Muhtar Zogu held numerous positions within the government, including Minister of the Interior, Chief of the Albanian Military, Prime Minister, and President. In 1927, several Albanian politicians suggested that Albania should become a monarchy again. A commission was quickly established and on August 30, 1928, the Constitutional Assembly overwhelmingly approved the vote. The Kingdom of Albania was established, and President Zogu was offered the throne. The following day, September 1, 1928, Ahmet Zogu took the oath, becoming King Zog I of the Albanians, the country’s first and only reigning King. In 1938, King Zog married Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy-Appony. On April 7, 1939, just two days after Queen Geraldine gave birth to the couple’s only child, Italian forces invaded Albania. Despite attempts to hold them off, the Albanian military was unsuccessful and the royal family was forced into exile. After several years of ill health, King Zog passed away on April 9, 1961, at 66.
Unofficial Royalty: King Zog I of Albania

October 8, 1972 – Death of The Honorable Sir Alexander Ramsay, son of John William Maule Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie and husband of Princess Patricia of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, at his home Ribsden Holt in Windlesham, Surrey, England; buried in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, Windsor, England
Ramsay had a long career in the Royal Navy. While serving as naval aide-de-camp to Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught in his early years as Governor-General of Canada, Ramsay became acquainted with his youngest child Princess Patricia of Connaught. The couple became engaged at the fishing lodge of J. K. L. Ross, a Canadian businessman, sportsman, thoroughbred racehorse owner/breeder, and philanthropist, on St. Anns Bay in Nova Scotia, Canada. The wedding was held at Westminster Abbey on February 27, 1919. This was the first major royal event after World War I and the first royal wedding at Westminster Abbey since the 1382 wedding of King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. The couple had one son.
Unofficial Royalty: The Honorable Sir Alexander Ramsay

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Maria Caterina Brignole, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

October 7, 1471 – Birth of King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway at Haderslevhus in Haderslev, Denmark
Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway was the youngest of the four sons and the youngest of the five children of Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Frederik’s nephew Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had been deposed in Sweden in 1521 and replaced by Gustav Vasa, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa. By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian II was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and Frederik, his paternal uncle, was offered the crown. Frederik was the last Roman Catholic Danish monarch. All subsequent Danish monarchs have been Lutheran. Although Frederik remained Catholic, he was somewhat tolerant of the new Protestant Lutheran religion. He ordered Lutherans and Roman Catholics to share the same churches and encouraged the first publication of the Bible in the Danish language. Frederik’s attitude toward religion postponed the all-out warfare between Protestants and Roman Catholics that occurred during the reign of his son King Christian III that ultimately turned Denmark into a Protestant nation.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway

October 7, 1515 – Birth of Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, daughter of Margaret Tudor and mother of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, at Harbottle Castle in Harbottle, Northumberland, England
Lady Margaret Douglas was the only child of Margaret Tudor, Dowager Queen of Scots and the second of her third husbands, Scottish noble Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus. She was third in the line of succession to the English throne at the time of her birth. Her elder son was Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley who married his first cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, the daughter and successor of Lady Margaret’s half-brother James V, King of Scots. Darnley and Mary’s son James VI, King of Scots succeeded as King James I of England upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Margaret and her family suffered the dangerous misfortune of being a threat to the English throne. All British monarchs from King James I onward, and many European royals are the descendants of Lady Margaret Douglas.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox

October 7, 1672 – Birth of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen at Friedenstein Palace in Gotha, Duchy of Saxe-Gotha, now in Thuringia, Germany
Ernst Ludwig succeeded his father, Bernhard I, as Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Unlike his own father who had divided his territories among his sons, Bernhard stipulated in his will that the duchy should remain united. However, he also wanted his sons to rule jointly, which none of them wanted to do. Ernst Ludwig, as the eldest son, felt that the throne should go solely to him and his heirs, which caused a rift between him and his brothers. Eventually, he reached an agreement with them which gave him sole reign. His two remaining brothers later ruled after his death, in the guardianship of Ernst Ludwig’s sons.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

October 7, 1737 – Birth of Maria Caterina Brignole, Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Honoré III of Monaco, at the Palazzo Rosso in the Republic of Genoa, now in Italy
In 1757, Maria Caterina married Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, who was eager to marry to provide Monaco with an heir and to obtain Maria Caterina’s large dowry. The couple had two sons including Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. Maria Caterina and Honoré III lived mostly in Paris where Maria Caterina spent a lot of time with Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, a great-grandson of Louis XIV, King of France and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan. Louis Joseph used his influence to obtain a legal separation for Maria Caterina from Honoré and the right to manage her own finances. Honoré finally realized his relationship with Maria Caterina was over and eventually accepted Maria Caterina’s relationship with Louis Joseph. There was never a divorce or annulment. Honoré continued with his mistresses and he allowed Maria Caterina to see her two sons.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Caterina Brignole, Princess of Monaco

October 7, 1748 – Birth of King Carl XIII of Sweden at the Wrangel Palace on Riddarholmen islet in Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden
Carl was not destined to be king, but at the age of 60, he became King of Sweden and reigned for nine years. He would be the last Swedish monarch of the House of Holstein-Gottorp. On March 16, 1792, Carl’s elder brother King Gustav III was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström during a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. Thirteen days later, King Gustav III died of his wounds at the age of 46. His 13-year-old son succeeded him as King Gustav IV Adolf. Due to some questionable, and then some failed military decisions, Gustav IV Adolf was imprisoned in 1809. Carl agreed to form a provisional government and the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, approved the coup. Gustav Adolf abdicated, thinking if he did so, his son would become king. However, the Riksdag proclaimed that all members of Gustav Adolf’s family had forfeited their rights to the throne. After accepting a new liberal constitution, Prince Carl was proclaimed King Carl XIII of Sweden. King Gustav IV Adolf and his family were sent into exile.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carl XIII of Sweden

October 7, 1870 – Birth of Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine, son of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine and grandson of Queen Victoria, at Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Friedrich Wilhelm August Viktor Leopold Ludwig
Prince Friedrich, known as Frittie in the family, was the son of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine. Following a cut to his ear in February 1873, it was discovered that Frittie suffered from hemophilia when the wound took days to stop bleeding. In May 1873, Frittie and his brother Ernst Ludwig were playing in their mother’s bedroom at the Neues Palais. Ernst went into another room to look through the window, angled to the window in Alice’s bedroom. While Alice was out of the room to get Ernst, Frittie climbed up to the window in the bedroom to see Ernst. The chair he climbed on tipped over and Frittie fell from the window to the ground below. Due to his hemophilia, Prince Friedrich died from a brain hemorrhage.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine
Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants

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Élisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

October 6, 1644 – Death of Élisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal, daughter of King Henri IV of France, first wife of King Felipe IV of Spain, at the Royal Alcázar in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
In 1615, Elisabeth married the future King Felipe IV of Spain. Elisabeth and Felipe had eight children but only their youngest child, Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain who married King Louis XIV of France, survived childhood. Besides having so many children die young, Elisabeth had three miscarriages. Her husband probably transmitted to her a venereal disease he contracted from one of his mistresses. This would explain the miscarriages and the many dead infants. Weakened by her multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, Elisabeth died at the age of forty-one, after miscarrying a son.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal

October 6, 1773 – Birth of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, at the Palais-Royal in Paris, France
At the onset of the French Revolution, Louis Philippe fled the country to avoid likely execution, which would be the fate of his father, and other members of the French royal family. In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French was overthrown, and the Bourbons returned to the French throne. Louis Philippe returned to France and was welcomed into the French court during the reign of his cousins King Louis XVIII and King Charles X. In August 1830, King Charles X abdicated, naming his grandson, Henri, Duke of Bordeaux, as his successor. However, the Chamber of Deputies instead proclaimed Louis Philippe as the new monarch of France. An economic crisis of 1847, led to the French Revolution of 1848. Louis Philippe abdicated in favor of his grandson, Philippe, Count of Paris. Afraid that he may be imprisoned and executed, he quickly left Paris, and using a disguise, made his way to England. Two days later, the Second Republic was declared, ending the monarchy in France once again. In England, Louis Philippe and his wife took up residence at Claremont, a country house in Surrey, England, where they would live for the rest of their lives.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis-Philippe I, King of the French

October 6, 1779 – Birth of Francesco IV, Duke of Modena and Reggio at the Royal Palace of Milan in Milan, Duchy of Milan, now in Italy
Full name: Francesco Giuseppe Carlo Ambrogio Stanislao
Francesco was the son of Maria Beatrice d’Este, the heiress of Modena and Reggio and Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria, son of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa, in her own right Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. Francesco’s paternal grandfather Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio had been deposed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Francesco regained the Duchy of Modena and Reggio as Francesco IV in 1814, after the fall of Napoleon. In 1812, 1812, 33-year-old Francesco married his 20-year-old niece Maria Beatrice of Savoy and they had four children. While Francesco’s grandfather Ercole III reigned the Duchy of Modena and Reggio as an enlightened monarch, Francesco’s reign was more autocratic.
Unofficial Royalty: Francesco IV, Duke of Modena and Reggio

October 6, 1808 – Birth of King Frederik VII of Denmark at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Frederik Carl Christian
When Frederik was not even a year old, his mother Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was accused of adultery, divorced, and banished from the Danish court. Frederik never saw her again. In 1828, Frederik married Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, the younger of the two daughters of the reigning King of Denmark, Frederik VI. The marriage was childless and unhappy, mostly due to Frederik’s affairs and drinking. The couple separated in 1834 and divorced in 1837. Frederik married again in 1841 to Caroline Mariane of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Once again, the marriage was childless and unhappy. In 1844, Caroline Mariane went to visit her parents and refused to return to Denmark. The couple divorced in 1846. In 1848, Frederik succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father. Two years later, he married his third wife Louise Rasmussen, a ballerina and stage actress. Frederik began a relationship with Louise during the 1840s. As this was a morganatic marriage, Louise was not Queen of Denmark. Instead, she was given the title Countess Danner. Frederik and Louise did not have any children.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik VII of Denmark

October 6, 1819 – Death of Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome, Papal States, now in Italy; buried at the Church of Sant’Andrea al Quirinale in Rome
Carlo Emanuele IV abdicated the throne of Sardinia, was the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland, although he never claimed the title, and ended his life as a novice in the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Carlo Emanuele IV married Marie Clotilde of France, the sister of King Louis XVI of France, but they had no children. Carlo Emanuele IV succeeded to the throne of Sardinia upon the death of his father Vittorio Amedeo III in 1796. In 1798, the French occupied Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, and forced Carlo Emanuele to give up all his territories on the Italian mainland. He withdrew to the island of Sardinia in 1799. When Marie Clotilde died from typhoid fever in 1802, Carlo Emanuele was so upset by her death that he decided to abdicate. He left the throne of Sardinia to his brother who reigned as Vittorio Emanuele I. Carlo Emanuele settled in Rome and the nearby town of Frascati, both now in Italy. In 1815, he took simple vows in the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). He was never ordained as a priest but lived as a novice until his death at the age of 68.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

October 6, 1828 – Death of Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom and wife of King Frederick I of Württemberg, at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in the Royal Crypt in the Castle Chapel at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg
The living conditions of King George III’s six daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters were allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Charlotte was one of the three who eventually did marry. At the age of 31, Charlotte married 49-year-old Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Württemberg, the future King of Württemberg, a widower with three children. After Charlotte delivered a stillborn daughter, the marriage remained childless. Her husband Friedrich died of pneumonia in 1816. In 1827, Charlotte returned to England for the first time since her wedding in 1797, for the treatment of pulmonary edema, called dropsy at that time. Soon after her return to Württemberg, Charlotte fell ill. On October 5, 1828, Charlotte asked that her stepson King Wilhelm I of Württemberg, and his family come to her bedside. The next day, Charlotte died peacefully in the arms of her stepson surrounded by his family, her friends, and her faithful servants.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg

October 6, 1891 – Death of King Karl I of Württemberg in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; in the crypt beneath the Schlosskirche at the Old Castle (Altes Schloss) in Stuttgart
In 1846, Karl married Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia, the daughter of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. The marriage appeared to be happy but possibly it was never consummated. By most accounts, Karl was homosexual and enjoyed very close relationships with several men through the years. Karl and Olga adopted Olga’s niece, Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna. Karl became King of  Württemberg upon his father’s death in 1864. He was far more liberal than his father, and this was reflected in his actions. He restored the freedom of the press and universal suffrage. Although he sided with Austria during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, he soon entered into a treaty with Prussia, and would later fight alongside them in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
Unofficial Royalty: King Karl I of Württemberg

October 16, 1969 – Death of Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, Margravine of Baden, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in Büdingen in Hesse, Germany; buried in the Baden family cemetery in Salem, Germany
Raised primarily in Greece, Theodora and her family had to leave Greece several times due to the political unrest and repeated overthrow of the monarchy. They spent several years living in Switzerland and later settled outside of Paris. In 1931, Theodora married Berthold, Margrave of Baden, the son of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden and Princess Marie Luise of Hanover. The couple was second cousins through their mutual descent from King Christian IX of Denmark and they had three children. In her later years, Princess Theodora spent time with her children and grandchildren and occasionally visited England to see her brother Philip and his family. She died at the age of 63, just five weeks before the death of her mother, born Princess Alice of Battenberg.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, Margravine of Baden

October 6, 2002 – Death of Prince Claus of the Netherlands, born Klaus-Georg von Amsberg, husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, at the AMC University Hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; buried at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
On New Year’s Eve in 1962, Claus met Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, the heir to the Dutch throne, at a party. The couple met again at the wedding eve party of Princess Tatjana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, in 1964. Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg acted as a go-between for the couple and did much to strengthen their relationship. Claus and Beatrix were married on March 10, 1966, at the Westerkerk in Amsterdam, the Netherlands . The couple had three sons. Claus suffered from various health issues. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. Claus underwent successful surgery for prostate cancer in 1998, but the radiation for the cancer caused urinary tract problems. In 2001, a kidney was removed and he had problems with the other kidney. Respiratory infections kept him in the hospital during the spring of 2002, shortly after the wedding of his eldest son Willem-Alexander. Two months before his death, he had a coronary angioplasty. Claus died at the age of 76  from Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Claus of the Netherlands

October 6, 2012 – Death of Albert, Margrave of Meissen, disputed Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne of the Kingdom of Saxony, in Munich, Germany; buried at the Old Catholic Cemetery in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Full name: Albert Joseph Maria Franz-Xaver, Prince of Saxony
Albert, Margrave of Meissen was briefly one of the disputed Heads of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne of the Kingdom of Saxony.
Unofficial Royalty: Albert, Margrave of Meissen

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Prince Henry of Battenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

October 5, 1658 – Birth of Maria Beatrice of Modena, Queen of England, second wife of King James II of England, at Ducal Palace in Modena, Duchy of Modena, now in Italy
Full name: Maria Beatrice Eleanor Anna Margherita Isabella
Maria Beatrice had a strict religious upbringing and wanted to be a nun, but those plans changed when she was suggested as a second wife for England’s James, Duke of York, the younger brother of King Charles II. Her priest told her the marriage would be an offering to the Roman Catholic Church because she would play a role in converting England to Catholicism. Fifteen-year-old Maria Beatrice was married by proxy to the forty-year-old Duke of York on September 30, 1673, in Modena. Maria Beatrice arrived in England on November 21, 1673, and first saw her husband two days later at their in-person wedding ceremony. Maria Beatrice had twelve pregnancies and gave birth to seven live children, five of whom died young. The birth in 1688 of a Catholic heir to the British throne, James Francis Edward, was a contributing factor to the “Glorious Revolution”, the revolution which deposed King James II and replaced him with his daughter from his first marriage Mary II and her husband and first cousin William III. James and Maria Beatrice were forced to flee to France where King Louis XIV, James’ first cousin, gave them refuge and where they spent the rest of their lives.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Beatrice of Modena, Queen of England

October 5, 1640 – Birth of Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan, better known as Madame de Montespan, mistress of King Louis XIV of France, at the Château of Lussac-les-Châteaux in France
A prominent figure in the French court, Madame de Montespan soon set out to become the primary mistress of King Louis XIV, replacing his current mistress, Louise de La Vallière. Before long, she developed an intimate relationship with the King and replaced Louise. By 1669, she had become his primary mistress and had given birth to her first child with the King. They would have seven children together.
Unofficial Royalty: Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan

October 5, 1840 – Birth of Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein at Schloss Eisgrub, today called Schloss Lednice, in the Austrian Empire, now in the Czech Republic
Full name: Johann Maria Franz Placidus
Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein is one of the world’s longest-reigning monarchs, reigning for 70 years, 91 days. He led a solitary life. He was unsocial, did not participate in social events, and never married. Some considered him pathologically shy. However, Johann did enact many initiatives in Liechtenstein including compulsory education until the age of 14, the first constitution in 1862, and another constitution in 1921, still in effect. Johann was an art connoisseur and added works to the princely collections but also donated artwork to museums.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein

October 5, 1858 – Birth of Prince Henry of Battenberg, husband of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom, in Milan, Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, now in Italy
Full name: Heinrich Moritz
Henry was the fourth of the five children of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and Countess Julia Hauke. As his parents’ marriage was morganatic, Henry and his siblings took their titles from their mother, who had been created Countess of Battenberg and was later elevated to Princess of Battenberg in 1858. Henry and Beatrice met at the wedding of Henry’s brother Louis of Battenberg and Beatrice’s cousin Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. Queen Victoria expected that Beatrice would never marry and 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 decided to allow the marriage with several conditions: Henry must renounce his career, nationality, and home and agree to live with Beatrice and the Queen. Henry and Beatrice are ancestors of the Spanish royal family.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henry of Battenberg

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King Karl IX of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

October 4, 1550 – Birth of King Karl IX of Sweden at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden, on the site of the Royal Palace of Stockholm
Karl was the youngest of the ten children and the fifth of the five sons and was not expected to become King of Sweden. However, he came to the throne by championing the Protestant cause during the tense times when the Catholic and Protestant religions were pitted against each other. These religious conflicts caused the Swedish dynastic squabble that deposed Karl’s Catholic nephew Sigismund III and brought Karl to rule as king of Sweden.
Unofficial Royalty: King Karl IX of Sweden

October 4, 1585 – Birth of Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress, wife of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria
On December 4, 1611, Anna and Matthias were married at the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Austria. Although Matthias was 54 years old, he hoped to have children with his 26-year-old wife but their marriage was childless. However, Anna and Matthias left the future Habsburgs a burial site. They founded the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, where the Imperial Crypt, the traditional burial site of the Habsburgs, is located. Anna had come up with the idea of a Capuchin monastery and burial place for her and her husband and wanted to build it near Hofburg Palace in Vienna. In her will, Anna left funds to provide for the church’s construction. Construction began on November 10, 1618. Sadly, a month later, on December 15, 1618, Anna died and Matthias died three months later, on March 20, 1619. Because the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church had not yet been completed, Matthias and Anna were temporarily buried at the Poor Clares Convent of St. Maria, Queen of the Angels in Vienna.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress

October 4, 1841 – Birth of Maria Sophie in Bavaria, Queen of the Two Sicilies, wife of Francesco II, the last King of the Two Sicilies, at Possenhofen Castle in Possenhofen, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
Full name: Marie Sophie Amalie
Maria Sophie was a younger sister of the more well-known Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria (Sisi) who married Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria, and was assassinated in 1898. Marie Sophie’s husband lost his throne during the unification of Italy. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861, ending the reign of Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies. After losing the throne of the Two Sicilies, Francesco and Maria Sophia lived in Rome as guests of Pope Pius IX. In 1870, the annexation of the Papal States to Italy, including Rome, forced Francesco and Maria Sophie to find refuge in Austria, France, and Bavaria.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Sophie of Bavaria, Queen of the Two Sicilies

October 4, 2005 – Birth of Prince Emmanuel of Belgium, son of King Philippe of the Belgians, at Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, Belgium
Full name: Emmanuel Leopold Guillaume François Marie
Emmanuel is the third of the four children and the younger of the two sons of King Philippe of the Belgians and his wife Queen Mathilde (née Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz). He is the third in the line of succession to the Belgian throne after his sister Elisabeth and his brother Gabriel.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Emmanuel of Belgium

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Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg with her husband Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

October 3, 1283 – Execution of Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales
The campaign of King Edward I of England in Wales (1276 – 1284) resulted in England completely taking over Wales. The campaign ended with the deaths of the last two native Princes of Wales: Llywelyn ap Gruffudd who was ambushed and killed in 1282 and his brother Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the first prominent person in recorded history to have been hanged, drawn, and quartered, in 1283. On October 3, 1283, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury, England attached to a horse, then hanged alive, revived, then disemboweled and his entrails burned before him. He was then beheaded and his body was cut into four quarters. Dafydd’s four quarters were sent to different parts of England: the right arm to York, the left arm to Bristol, the right leg to Northampton, and the left leg to Hereford. His head was placed on a pole in the Tower of London near the head of his brother Llywelyn.
Unofficial Royalty: Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales

October 3, 1390 – Birth of Humphrey, 1st Duke of Gloucester, son of King Henry IV of England
Humphrey received an excellent education and it is thought he was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He had a great love of learning, was a collector of books and manuscripts, and commissioned translations of classical works from Greek into Latin. When Humphrey died, he donated his collection of 281 manuscripts to the University of Oxford. The university built Duke Humfrey’s Library as a second story to the Divinity School to house his collection in 1450-80. Duke Humfrey’s Library still exists and it is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.
Unofficial Royalty: Humphrey, 1st Duke of Gloucester

October 3, 1568 – Death of Élisabeth de Valois, daughter of King Henri II of France, third wife of King Philip II of Spain, died at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
Elisabeth was supposed to marry 14-year-old Carlos, Prince of Asturias, the only child and the heir apparent of King Philip II of Spain but Carlos died. Instead, Elisabeth became the third of the four wives of Philip II. Despite the 18-year-age gap, Elisabeth was also quite pleased with her husband. She considered her main duty to give birth to sons but she was unable to do so. She had five pregnancies but had only two surviving daughters. In May 1568, Elisabeth’s health suffered. A new pregnancy caused severe vomiting and dizziness which the doctors tried to relieve by bleeding which would have further weakened her and not helped her as the doctors then believed. On October 3, 1568, Elisabeth went into premature labor which turned out to be very complicated and so all of the doctors of the royal court were called. Elisabeth begged Philip to look after their two daughters and to help her brother Henri III to reign in France. Elisabeth also told him that she had known that she would not live a long life and had prayed constantly for her soul. She asked Philip to pray for her soul and immediately he fell to his knees. After much suffering, Elisabeth gave birth to a daughter of five months of gestation. The daughter was baptized Juana but only lived for ninety minutes. An hour later, 23-year-old Elisabeth died. It was said that Philip II was only seen crying once in his life, during the funeral of his wife Elisabeth.
Unofficial Royalty: Élisabeth de Valois, Queen of Spain

October 3, 1611 – Death of Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal, wife of Felipe III, King of Spain, at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain; buried at the Pantheon of Kings at the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
The daughter of Karl II, Archduke of Austria-Styria and his niece Maria Anna of Bavaria, Margaret married Felipe III, King of Spain in 1599. Felipe and Margaret, both children of parents who were an uncle and niece, were first cousins once removed and also second cousins, adding to more inbreeding in the House of Habsburg.  Margaret and Felipe III had eight children, including King Felipe III’s successor King Felipe IV and Ana María Mauricia (better known as Queen Anne of France) who married King Louis XIII of France. They were the parents of King Louis XIV of France. In 1611, Margaret died at the age of twenty-six from childbirth complications eleven days after giving birth to her eighth child Alonso who lived for only one year.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain, Queen of Portugal

October 3, 1784 – Birth of Baroness Louise Lehzen, governess, adviser, and companion to Queen Victoria, in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
Full name: Johanna Clara Louise Lehzen
From 1824 – 1842, Baroness Louise Lehzen was the governess, and then adviser and companion to Queen Victoria who called her Lehzen.
Unofficial Royalty: Baroness Louise Lehzen

October 3, 1797 – Birth of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany 
Upon his father’s death on June 18, 1824, Leopoldo became Grand Duke of Tuscany. In 1859, the Grand Ducal family was forced to flee Florence because of the wars caused by the Italian unification movement, and the family took refuge in Austria. On July 21, 1859, Leopoldo II abdicated in favor of his son Ferdinand IV who was Grand Duke of Tuscany in name but never really reigned. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1860, as a part of the unification of Italy. In 1861, Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany

October 3, 1860 – Birth of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, at the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo near St. Petersburg, Russia
The paternal uncle of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, Paul was only eight years older than his nephew Nicholas and the two had a close relationship. Paul was one of the four Grand Dukes executed by a firing squad at the Peter and Paul Fortress on January 28, 1919. His son from his first marriage, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, was one of the conspirators involved in the murder of Grigori Rasputin. Paul’s son from his second morganatic marriage, Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley, was one of the five Romanovs executed on July 18, 1918, with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, the sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia

October 3, 1891 – Birth of Prince Maurice of Battenberg, son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and grandson of Queen Victoria, at Balmoral Castle, Scotland
Full name: Maurice Victor Donald
In 1910, Maurice joined the 60th King’s Royal Rifles. Eight days after the United Kingdom entered World War I, on August 12, 1914, Maurice left for the front. On October 27, 1914,  Maurice was leading an attack on the German frontline at Zonnebeke near Ypres in the Belgian province of West Flanders when he was mortally wounded by shrapnel. The platoon sergeant tried to offer help to the wounded prince, but Maurice, aged 23, died before his men could bring him to a safer place. Upon hearing the news, King George V, Prince Maurice’s first cousin, and Queen Mary drove to Kensington Palace to console Princess Beatrice. Lord Kitchener, Secretary of State for War, offered to bring Prince Maurice’s body back to England, but Princess Beatrice replied, “No, let him lie with his comrades.” Prince Maurice was buried in the Ypres Town Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Ypres, Belgium.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Maurice of Battenberg

October 3, 1898 – Birth of Zizi Lambrino, mistress and morganatic 1st wife of King Carol II of Romania, born Ioana Maria Valentina Lambrino in Roman, Romania
Zizi Lambrino was the first wife of the future King Carol II of Romania. The couple married in 1918, but the Romanian government deemed the marriage unconstitutional and it was annulled. On August 8, 1920, in Bucharest, Zizi gave birth to the couple’s only child – a son named Mircea Gregor Carol Lambrino. As Zizi and Carol’s marriage had been legally annulled, the child was considered illegitimate and was given his mother’s surname. Soon after the birth, the future King ended his relationship with Zizi, choosing instead to remain in line for the Romanian throne. Zizi and her son were forced to leave the country and were financially supported by the Romanian government.
Unofficial Royalty: Zizi Lambrino, mistress and morganatic 1st wife of King Carol II of Romania

October 3, 1941 – Birth of Infante Alfonso of Spain, son of Infante Juan, Duke of Barcelona and brother of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, in Rome, Italy
Full name: Alfonso Cristino Teresa Ángelo Francisco de Asís y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón Dos-Sicilias
Alfonso was the younger brother of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. Fourteen-year-old Infante Alfonso was killed by a gun on March 29, 1956, while in a bedroom with his elder brother, the future King Juan Carlos I of Spain. What happened in that bedroom, who pulled the trigger, and whether or not it was an accident are still unclear.
Unofficial Royalty; Infante Alfonso of Spain

October 3, 1970 – Death of Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wife of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, at Schloss Greinburg in Grein, Austria; buried in the family cemetery in the forest of Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Germany
In 1905, Viktoria Adelheid married Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the only son of Queen Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. The couple had five children including Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the mother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. After World War I, Charles Edward abdicated from the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. During the period between the two World Wars, Charles Edward became active in the Nazi Party. After World War II, in 1949, a denazification appeals court classified Charles Edward as a Nazi Follower, Category IV. He was heavily fined and almost bankrupted. After World War II, some of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha properties in East Germany were seized. The family was left with Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Bavaria, Germany and Schloss Greinburg an der Donau in Grein, Austria. After her husband died in 1954, Viktoria Adelheid spent time traveling, often with her sister-in-law, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.
Unofficial Royalty: Viktoria Adelheid of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

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