© Unofficial Royalty 2024

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

King Richard III of England, Credit – Wikipedia

October 2, 1452 – Birth of King Richard III of England at Fotheringay Castle in Northamptonshire, England
Richard was the twelfth of the thirteen children of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England. Richard’s father was the Yorkist leader during the Wars of the Roses until he died in battle. Richard was King of England from 1483 until he died in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death occurred at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses.
Unofficial Royalty: King Richard III of England

October 2, 1798 – Birth of Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia at the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy
Carlo Alberto, the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy, became King of Sardinia upon the death of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia when the male line of the House of Savoy became extinct. In 1848, Carlo Alberto attempted to rid the Italian peninsula of Austria-ruled and supported states resulting in the First Italian War of Independence, part of the Italian Unification. After the Austrian forces defeated his forces at the Battle of Novara, Carlo Alberto immediately abdicated in favor of his son Vittorio Emanuele.  He died the following year. His son Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia became a driving force behind the Italian unification and was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

October 2, 1841 – Death of Honoré V, Prince of Monaco in Paris, France; buried at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Honoré V was the elder of the two sons of Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco and Louise d’Aumont, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye in her own right.  In 1819, he succeeded his father as Prince of Monaco. Honoré V never married. With his mistress Félicité de Gamaches, Honoré V had one son Louis Gabriel Oscar Grimaldi, called Oscar, born in 1814. After a reign of twenty-two years, Honoré V, Prince of Monaco died on October 2, 1841, in Paris, France, aged 63, and was succeeded by his brother Florestan.
Unofficial Royalty: Honoré V, Prince of Monaco

October 2, 1921- Death of King Wilhelm II of Württemberg at Schloss Bebenhausen  in Bebenhausen, Germany; buried at the Old Cemetery in Ludwigsburg, Germany
Wilhelm became King of Württemberg in 1891, upon the death of his childless uncle King Karl. Wilhelm’s two marriages were also childless. He was much loved by his people, and respected for his more down-to-earth nature. He was often seen unaccompanied walking his dogs in the streets of Stuttgart and greeting all those he met along the way. Wilhelm was the last King of Württemberg, abdicating on November 30, 1918, after the fall of the German Empire. Wilhelm negotiated with the new government to receive an annual income and retain Schloss Bebenhausen in Bebenhausen, Germany where he and his wife lived for the remainder of their lives. On October 2, 1921, 73-year-old Wilhelm died.
Unofficial Royalty: King Wilhelm II of Württemberg

October 2, 2007 – Death of The Lady Katherine Brandram in London, England; born Princess Katherine of Greece, daughter of King Constantine I of Greece, buried at the Royal Cemetery, Tatoi Palace, Greece
Because of the ups and downs of the Greek monarchy, Katherine spent much of her early life in exile. While in the United Kingdom, she met Major Richard Campbell Andrew Brandram, an officer in the British Royal Artillery. The couple married on April 21, 1947, in two ceremonies, Church of England and Greek Orthodox, in the ballroom of the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece. King George VI of the United Kingdom issued a decree on August 25, 1947, granting Katherine the “style, title, place and pre-eminence as the daughter of a Duke”, and she became styled as Lady Katherine Brandram. The couple settled in England and had one son. Katherine retained close ties to her Greek and British relatives and often joined them for family functions such as christenings and memorial services. One of her last public appearances was at a Service of Thanksgiving at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 80th birthday in 2001. Katherine was 94 when she died.  She was buried with her husband in the Royal Cemetery at the Tatoi Palace in Greece. From 2002 until her death, she was the last surviving great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram

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

Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, Credit – Wikipedia

October 1, 959 – Death of Eadwig, King of the English at Gloucester, England, buried in Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England
Fifteen-year-old Eadwig became king in 955 upon the death of his uncle Eadred. During his short reign, he had many disputes with nobles and men of the church, including Dunstan, a future Archbishop of Canterbury and saint, who was then Abbot of Glastonbury. Eadwig died at the age of nineteen in Gloucester in what some consider suspicious but unknown circumstances. He was buried in the New Minster in Winchester but nothing is known about the later fate of his remains. As Eadwig did not have children, his brother Edgar succeeded him and reunified England.
Unofficial Royalty: King Eadwig of the English

October 1, 1207 – Birth of King Henry III of England at Winchester Castle in Winchester, England
King Henry III became king on October 18, 1216, at the age of nine, and reigned 56 years, 29 days, until he died in 1272. Only King George III, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II reigned longer. He was the first child of King John and his second wife Isabella, Countess of Angoulême, and named after King John’s father, King Henry II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Henry III of England

October 1, 1361 – Death of Margaret of Windsor, daughter of King Edward III of England, buried at Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, 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

October 1, 1685 – Birth of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Carolus Franciscus Josephus Wenceslaus Balthasar Johannes Antonius Ignatius
In 1708, Karl married Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. They had one son who died in infancy and three daughters, with one dying in childhood. Karl’s brother Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I died during the smallpox epidemic of 1711. Joseph had no sons so Karl automatically succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands and was elected Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor. On October 20, 1740, Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor died after a ten-day illness. His daughter Maria Theresa succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands as the Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, Queen of Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria in her own right, the only female to hold those sovereign positions.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor

October 1, 1754 – Birth of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia at the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth in St. Petersburg, Russia
Paul was the son of Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeievna (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, later Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia), and was recognized by Catherine’s husband, Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, later Peter III, Emperor of All Russia, as his son although he may be was Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov. His first wife Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt (Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna) died in childbirth with her only child. Paul’s second wife was Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg (Maria Feodorovna) with whom he had ten children. Paul became Emperor of All Russia upon the death of his mother Catherine II (the Great) in 1796. Paul agreed with the practices of autocracy and did not tolerate freedom of thought or resistance against autocracy. Because he overly taxed the nobility and limited their rights, the Russian nobles, by increasing numbers, were against him. Paul’s reign was becoming increasingly despotic. Eventually, the nobility reached their breaking point. On the night of March 23, 1801, at the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, Russia, a group of conspirators charged into the bedroom of 46-year-old Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, forced him to abdicate, and then strangled and trampled him to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Paul I, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia

October 1, 1794 – Birth of Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Leopold Friedrich became heir-apparent to the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau upon his father’s death in 1814 and became the reigning Duke of Anhalt-Dessau upon his grandfather’s death in 1817. In 1847, Leopold Friedrich inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen upon the death of a distant cousin. After nearly six years as the reigning Duke of two separate duchies, they were united in 1853 as the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen. Ten years later, he also inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg from another distant cousin. Now, with all of the Anhalt duchies back under one ruler, they were united as the Duchy of Anhalt in 1863.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt

October 1, 1833 – Birth of Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe, wife of Leopold III, Prince of Lippe, in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia
Elisabeth married Leopold III, Prince of Lippe in 1852 but their marriage was childless. Elisabeth used all the means at her disposal for charitable causes. She published a booklet with Bible verses for every day of the year and designed wall decorations with Bible verses. The booklet and wall decorations were mass-produced and the proceeds went to Elisabeth’s charitable causes. Devoted to children, Elisabeth founded a school, the Elisabeth-Anstalt in the town of Blomberg. She also promoted the establishment and maintenance of the Augustineum Secondary School a school and teacher training center in Otjimbingwe, then in a settlement of the Herero people, now in the country of Namibia. After Leopold’s death in 1875, Elisabeth moved into her widow’s residence at the New Palais in Detmold and continued her charitable work. In autumn of 1896, Elisabeth became ill with pneumonia, and died on November 27, 1896, at the age of sixty-three.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe

October 1, 1919 – Death of Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, at Baden-Baden, Germany; buried at Schloss Altenstein, the summer residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Bad Liebenstein in the German state of Thuringia.
Charlotte was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and the daughter of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor.  She married her second cousin Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and they had one daughter Feodora, the first great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. Charlotte was a chain smoker and had suffered ill health her entire life, and died at the age of 59.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

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

Princess Charlotte of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

September 30, 1658 – Birth of Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, second wife of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
In 1675, Elisabeth Eleonore married Johann Georg of Mecklenburg-Mirow. The marriage was short-lived as Johann Georg died just five months later. In 1681, Elisabeth Eleonore married Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, who had been widowed the previous year. Elisabeth Eleonore and Bernhard had five children. The Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen was completed in 1692 and named for Elisabeth Eleonore who lived there with her husband, and their children for the duration of Bernhard’s reign. Following her husband’s death in 1706, Elisabeth Eleonore was drawn into the family battles over who would reign over the duchy. The in-fighting within the family took its toll on Elisabeth Eleonore, and she retired from public life. She died on March 15, 1729, at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

September 30, 1796 – Birth of Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau, wife of Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friederike Luise Wilhelmine Amalie
In 1818, Friederike married Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau. The Prussian court had arranged the marriage, and they had been formally engaged since May 1816. Friederike and Leopold had four children. Friederike also became Duchess of Anhalt-Köthen in 1847 when her husband inherited that duchy. Three years after Friederike’s death, the Dessau and Köthen duchies were joined as one, the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen, and in 1863, was merged with the last remaining Anhalt duchy, the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg, becoming the unified Duchy of Anhalt, with her husband becoming the first reigning Duke.
Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt

September 30, 1811 – Birth of Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress and Queen of Prussia, wife of Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia, in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Augusta Marie Luise Katharina
In 1828, Augusta married the future Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia. The couple had two children including Wilhelm’s (brief) successor Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia who married Victoria, Princess Royal, Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter. In 1861, Wilhelm became King of Prussia. Augusta was much more interested in politics than many of her predecessors and did not hesitate to voice her opinion. She despised Otto von Bismarck, statesman, diplomat, and the mastermind behind the unification of Germany in 1871, and the feeling was mutual. In 1871, Wilhelm was named the first German Emperor (Kaiser), with Augusta as his Empress (Kaiserin). Augusta founded the National Women’s Association and numerous hospitals and schools throughout Prussia to help those in need.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

September 30, 1898 – Birth of Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois, daughter of Prince Louis II of Monaco and his mistress Marie Juliette Louvet, mother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, in Constantine, French Algeria, now in Algeria
Birth name: Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet
Charlotte began life as Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet, the illegitimate daughter of the future Prince Louis II of Monaco and Marie Juliette Louvet. Her parents had met the previous year in Paris, where Marie worked as a hostess in a nightclub. Because Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monegasque throne was likely to pass to his first cousin once removed Wilhelm, the Duke of Urach, a German nobleman, the son of his father’s aunt Princess Florestine of Monaco. In 1918, a law was passed allowing for the adoption of an heir with succession rights. In 1919, Louis legally adopted Charlotte, giving her the Grimaldi surname. Her grandfather Prince Albert I created her HSH Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois. Upon Louis’ accession in 1922, Charlotte became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco. In 1920, Charlotte married Count Pierre de Polignac, and the couple had two children including the future Prince Rainer III. By 1925, Charlotte and Pierre lived separate lives and formally divorced in 1933. Born illegitimate and now divorced, Charlotte knew the very Catholic Monaco would never fully accept her.  Charlotte renounced her rights to the Monegasque throne in 1944 in favor of her son Rainier. She died in 1977 at the age of 79.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois

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.