Category Archives: Today in Royal History

June 11: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King George I of Great Britain; Credit – Wikipedia

June 11, 1183 – Death of Henry the Young King, son of King Henry II of England, at Martel Castle in Turenne, France; buried at Rouen Cathedral in Rouen, France
When Henry was 15, his father adopted the French practice of ensuring the succession by declaring his heir the junior king and he was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Despite his rank of junior king, King Henry II refused to grant Henry land or allow him to participate in the government. With his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine and his brothers Richard (the future King Richard I of England) and Geoffrey, he nearly overthrew King Henry II in 1173. In 1182–83, Henry had a falling out with his brother Richard when Richard refused to pay homage to him on the orders of King Henry II. As he was preparing to fight Richard, Henry became ill with dysentery (also called the bloody flux), the scourge of armies for centuries. It was clear that Henry was dying and he repented his sins by prostrating himself naked on the floor before a crucifix. Henry the Young King died holding a ring his father had sent as a sign of his forgiveness for rebelling against him. Henry was so popular that the people of Le Mans and Rouen almost went to war for the custody of his body. He had requested to be buried in Rouen Cathedral, but as his body traveled through Le Mans, the bishop ordered his body to be buried at the cathedral there. The Dean of Rouen Cathedral had to resort to legal means to bury Henry according to his wishes.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry the Young King

June 11, 1456 – Birth of Anne Neville, Queen of England, daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, wife of King Richard III of England, at Warwick Castle in Warwick, England
Anne was the wife of Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales (son of King Henry VI) and the wife of King Richard III. Born Lady Anne Neville, she was the younger of the two daughters of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick and Lady Anne Beauchamp. Anne’s father, known as “the Kingmaker,” was one of the major players in the Wars of the Roses, originally on the Yorkist side but later switching to the Lancastrian side. Both Anne’s parents were descendants of King Edward III of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne Neville, Queen of England

June 11, 1488 – Death of James III, King of Scots, killed in the Battle of Sauchieburn in Scotland; buried at Cambuskenneth Abbey in Stirlingshire, Scotland
James was killed in the Battle of Sauchieburn. The circumstances of James III’s death were greatly exaggerated and romanticized by the 16th-century chroniclers. Supposedly, he was murdered when he went to seek refuge in a cottage shortly after the battle in Milltown near Bannockburn. Most likely, James III, King of Scots had already died on the battlefield.
Unofficial Royalty: James III, King of Scots

June 11, 1560 – Death of Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots, second wife of James V, King of Scots and mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland; buried at the church in the Convent of Saint-Pierre in Reims, France
On August 7, 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband François, Dauphin of France. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years. Mary’s mother Marie of Guise remained in Scotland as the principal member of the Council of Regency. 1560, 44-year-old Marie died of dropsy (edema). Marie’s body was embalmed and placed in a lead coffin. It lay in St. Margaret’s Chapel in Edinburgh Castle until March 18, 1561. On that day, the coffin was secretly carried from the castle at midnight and taken to Leith where the coffin was placed onboard a ship bound for France. Mary, Queen of Scots attended her mother’s funeral in France in July 1561.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots

June 11, 1726 – Birth of Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France, 1st wife of Louis, Dauphin of France, the son of Louis XV, King of France, at the Royal Alcazar in Madrid, Spain
In 1744, Maria Teresa married Louis, Dauphin of France, the son of Louis XV, King of France. Maria Teresa Rafaela soon became pregnant. On July 19, 1746, she gave birth to a daughter, named Marie-Thérèse by her husband in honor of his adored wife. Maria Teresa Rafaela initially recovered from childbirth but then her condition deteriorated quickly and she died on July 22, 1746, aged 20, at the Palace of Versailles. Maria Teresa’s husband Louis never succeeded to the French throne. He died of tuberculosis on December 20, 1765, at the age of 36.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain, Dauphine of France

June 11, 1727 – Death of King George I of Great Britain at the Prince-Bishop’s Palace in the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; originally buried at the chapel of Leine Castle in the Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; in 1957, his remains were re-interred at the Berggarten Mausoleum at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, Germany
On June 3, 1727, King George I, also Elector of Hanover, set out for another visit to Hanover. During the journey, George became ill and lost consciousness. It was noticed that his face had become distorted and his right hand hung limply at his side, a sign that he had suffered a stroke. The courtiers decided to continue with the journey to Hanover, where George died in the Prince-Bishop’s Palace in the Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück. Following the instructions of George’s son, now King George II, George was buried in the chapel at Leineschloss in the Electorate of Hanover. He was the first British monarch since King Richard I in 1199 to be buried outside England. The castle and the chapel were severely damaged during World War II, and in 1957, King George I’s remains were re-interred at the Berggarten Mausoleum at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, Germany, near his mother’s burial site.
Unofficial Royalty: King George I of Great Britain

June 11, 1903 – Assassination of King Alexander I of Serbia and his wife Queen Draga by a military coup d’etat at the Stari Dvor (Old Palace) in Belgrade, Serbia; buried at St. Mark’s Church in Belgrade, Serbia
On June 11, 1903, 26-year-old Alexander I, King of Serbia and his 38-year-old wife Queen Draga were brutally shot, mutilated, and thrown out a window at the Stari Dvor (Old Palace) in Belgrade, Kingdom of Serbia.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of King Alexander I and Queen Draga of Serbia
Unofficial Royalty: King Alexander I of Serbia
Unofficial Royalty: Draga Mašin, Queen of Serbia

June 11, 1914 – Death of Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Berlin, Kingdom of  Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried in the New Crypt at the Johanniterkirche in Mirow, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
A great-grandson of King George III of the United Kingdom, Adolf Friedrich was 14th in line of succession to the British throne at the time of his birth. He was the highest-ranking person in the British succession who did not hold any British titles. Adolf Friedrich was the heir apparent to the throne of Mecklenburg-Strelitz for 43 years and succeeded to the Grand Ducal throne on May 30, 1904, following his father’s death. His reign lasted for only ten years. In March 1914, the Grand Duke fell ill and underwent an operation in a private hospital in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg. He never fully recovered and died at the hospital.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf Friedrich V, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

June 11, 1928 – Birth of Queen Fabiola of Belgium, wife of King Baudouin of the Belgians, born Fabiola de Mora y Aragón in Madrid, Spain
Full name: Fabiola Fernanda Maria de las Victorias Antonia Adelaida
Born to a Spanish aristocratic family, Fabiola was the fifth of the six children of Gonzalo de Mora y Fernández, Riera y del Olmo, 4th Marquess of Casa Riera, 2nd Count of Mora and his wife Blanca de Aragón y Carrillo de Albornoz, Barroeta-Aldamar y Elío. Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was her godmother. In 1960, Fabiola married King Baudouin of the Belgians, who had been king since his father King Leopold III abdicated in 1951. Unfortunately, King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola lost five children to miscarriages and never had children. On December 5, 2014, Queen Fabiola died and was buried with her husband at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Fabiola of Belgium

June 11, 1934 – Birth of Prince Henrik of Denmark, husband of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, born Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat in Talence, Gironde, France
Full name: Henri Marie Jean André
Prince Henrik’s parents were members of the French nobility. After a brief stint in the military, Henrik entered the French foreign services. At the time he met Princess Margrethe of Denmark, the eldest of the three daughters of King Frederik IX of Denmark in 1965, Henri was working as the third secretary at the French embassy in the Department of Oriental Affairs in London. On June 10, 1967, Princess Margrethe married Henrik at the Holmens Kirke in Copenhagen,  Denmark. The couple had two sons. Later in life, Henrik suffered from dementia. he died peacefully in his sleep on February 13, 2018, at the age of 83.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henrik of Denmark

June 11, 1968 – Birth of Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, son of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, in Zurich, Switzerland
Full name: Alois Philipp Maria
Alois is the eldest son of Prince Hans-Adam II. At the time of his father’s accession in 1989, he became The Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1993, Alois married Duchess Sophie in Bavaria and the couple had four children. Alois works for the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation, which oversees and manages the various assets of the Princely Family. In 2004, Prince Hans-Adam II appointed Alois as his “permanent representative for exercising the sovereign powers due to him, in preparation for his succession to the throne.” Alois now performs all his father’s duties both within the principality and internationally, however, Hans-Adam remains Head-of-State.
Unofficial Royalty: Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein

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.

June 10: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; Credit – Wikipedia

June 10, 1437 – Death of Joan of Navarre, Queen of England, second wife of King Henry IV of England, at Havering Palace in London, England; buried at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, England
At the time of their marriage, a second marriage for both, Henry IV was about 37 and Joan was about 35, but they had no children together. Joan got along well with her stepchildren especially Henry of Monmouth, Prince of Wales, the future King Henry V of England.  Henry IV died in 1413 and King Henry V held his stepmother in the highest regard as shown by his appointing “his dearest mother” as regent several times. Joan lived quietly through the reign of King Henry V and into the reign of his son King Henry VI. She died at her favorite residence, Havering Palace in the village of Havering-atte-Bower in what is now the London Borough of Havering, and was buried with King Henry IV at Canterbury Cathedral.
Unofficial Royalty: Joan of Navarre, Queen of England

June 10, 1688 – Birth of James Francis Edward Stuart, “The Old Pretender”, son of King James II of England, at St. James Palace in London, England
Upon the death of his exiled father in 1701, James was recognized by King Louis XIV of France as the rightful heir to the English and Scottish thrones. Spain, the Vatican, and Modena recognized him as King James III of England and VIII of Scotland and refused to recognize William III, Mary II, or Anne as legitimate sovereigns. As a result of James claiming his father’s lost thrones, he was attainted for treason in 1702 and his titles were forfeited under English law. After James II lost his throne, the Jacobite (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) movement formed. The goal of the Jacobites was to restore the Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/VII of Scotland and his heirs to the thrones of England and Scotland. 1719, James Francis Edward Stuart married Maria Clementina Sobieska. The couple had two sons: Charles Edward Stuart, The Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Henry Benedict Stuart, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. After James’ failures to regain the throne, attention fell upon his son Charles Edward, The Young Pretender, whose Jacobite Rising of 1745 culminated in the final devastating loss for the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden. James Francis Edward Stuart died at his home, the Palazzo Muti in Rome, on January 1, 1766, aged 77.
Unofficial Royalty: James Francis Edward Stuart
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

June 10, 1711 – Birth of Princess Amelia of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain, at Herrenhausen Palace in Hanover, Kingdon of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Amelia Sophia Eleanora
Amelia never married. After the death of her mother in 1737, Amelia became the constant companion to her father. She also acted as hostess for her unmarried brother Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, who had a career in the Royal Army. Amelia followed her brother’s military campaigns and was always quite worried about him when he was at the front. Amelia was the last surviving child of her parents and lived for the first twenty-six years of the reign of her nephew King George III whose father Frederick, Prince of Wales had predeceased his father King George II.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Amelia of Great Britain

June 10, 1713 – Birth of Princess Caroline of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain, at Herrenhausen Palace in Hanover, Kingdon of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Caroline Elizabeth
Princess Caroline was not only her mother’s namesake but her favorite child. She was known in the family for telling the truth and was always consulted when there were disagreements between the royal siblings because she could be counted on telling exactly what happened.  After the marriage of her eldest sister Anne to Willem IV, Prince of Orange, Caroline became her mother’s main confidant and she remained so for the rest of her mother’s life. Princess Caroline never married. When her mother died in 1737, Queen Caroline expressly left her three youngest children, all teenagers, in the care of her daughter Caroline.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Caroline of Great Britain

June 10, 1811 – Death of Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in St. Michael’s Church in Pforzheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Originally, Margrave of Baden, Karl Friedrich was the first Grand Duke of Baden. In 1805, he fought on the side of the French, gaining territories from the Austrian Empire. In 1806, he joined the Confederation of the Rhine, and upon the end of the Holy Roman Empire, Karl Friedrich declared himself sovereign, as Grand Duke of the newly created Grand Duchy of Baden. He continued to support the French, and in the Peace of Vienna in 1809, and gained more territory from the Kingdom of Württemberg. Through his efforts, Karl Friedrich had quadrupled the size of the Grand Duchy of Baden by the end of his reign.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden

June 10, 1835 – Birth of Ferdinando IV, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
Full name: Ferdinando Salvatore Maria Giuseppe Giovan Battista Francesco Luigi Gonzaga Raffaello Ranieri Gennaro
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 Ferdinando IV who was Grand Duke of Tuscany in name but never really reigned. Ferdinando was unable to return to Florence to claim his throne, and an elected Tuscan National Assembly formally deposed him on August 16, 1859. Ferdinando hoped to recover his throne because France and Austria had promised to recognize his rights. However, neither France nor Austria was willing to take any steps to bring about his restoration. 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, and Ferdinando’s hopes to reclaim the throne were ended. Ferdinando spent the rest of his life in exile in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany

June 10, 1838 – Birth of Marguerite Bellanger, mistress of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, born Julie Justine Marine Leboeuf on June 10, 1838, in Saint-Lambert-des-Levées, Maine-et-Loire, France
Using the stage name Marguerite Bellanger, she had a brief career on the Paris stage before she was noticed by Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. She was the mistress of Napoleon III from 1863 until 1870 when he was deposed and exiled. In February 1864, Marguerite gave birth to a son Charles Jules Auguste François Marie Leboeuf, who was in all likelihood, the Emperor’s son. With the Emperor’s exile in 1870, his affair with Marguerite ended. In 1872, she married William Kulbach, Baronet, a Captain in the British Army and the couple lived in England and France. Marguerite Bellanger, aged 48, died on November 23, 1886, at the Château de Villeneuve-sous-Dammartin, near Meaux, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Marguerite Bellanger, Mistress of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French

June 10, 1876 – Birth of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Wilhelm Ernst Karl Alexander Friedrich Heinrich Bernhard Albert Georg Hermann
From 1897 until 1909, Wilhelm Ernst was also the heir presumptive to the Dutch throne. King Willem III of the Netherlands died in 1890, leaving the throne to his ten-year-old daughter Wilhelmina. As a grandson of Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, the younger sister of King Willem III, Wilhelm Ernst was the next person in the line of succession. This caused great panic in the Netherlands, where the people feared German influence or the potential of being annexed by Germany. Several attempts were made to change the succession, or limit Wilhelm Ernst to holding only one throne should he succeed in the Netherlands. The succession crisis was lessened in 1909 when Wilhelmina gave birth to her daughter, the future Queen Juliana. Wilhelm Ernst was the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, abdicating on November 9, 1918.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

June 10, 1897 – Birth of Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia, daughter of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, at Peterhof near St. Petersburg, Russia
Tatiana, like her sister Olga, was a good student but worked harder and was more dedicated. She had a great talent for sewing, embroidery, and crocheting. Tatiana was practical, had a natural talent for leadership and so she was nicknamed “The Governess” by her sisters. She was closer to her mother than any of her sisters and was considered by many to be Empress Alexandra’s favorite daughter. Therefore, Tatiana was the one sent as the sisters’ representative when they wanted something from their parents.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia

June 10, 1921 – Birth of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, born Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark at Villa Mon Repos in Corfu, Greece
In 1939, during Philip’s first year at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth, the British Royal Family: King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth, and their daughters Princess Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret, made a visit. Because of his family relationship (Elizabeth and Philip are second cousins once removed through their descent from King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousins through their descent from Queen Victoria), Philip was asked to join the party to entertain the two young princesses. Elizabeth and Philip had already met in 1934 when she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her uncle, The Duke of Kent, to Philip’s first cousin, Princess Marina of Greece. However, it was at Dartmouth that the 13-year-old Elizabeth truly took notice of her nearly 18-year-old cousin. It is said that Elizabeth was instantly smitten with the dashing Philip and the two began a correspondence that quickly blossomed into a romance.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

June 10, 1967 – Wedding of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat at the Church of Holmen in Copenhagen, Denmark
While studying at the London School of Economics in 1965, Margrethe was invited to a dinner at the French embassy. As an employee of the embassy at the time, Henri was expected to attend but was ambivalent about meeting the Danish princess by whom he was to be seated. Henri later said that to his surprise he found Margrethe interesting from their first meeting, but was a bit intimidated by her and said little during the dinner as a result. Margrethe said she had no real impression of Henri from their first meeting. Margrethe and Henri were both guests at a wedding shortly after the first dinner. The two chatted at the wedding reception and on the plane ride back to London, as they were seated together once again. Upon their return to London, Margrethe and Henri gradually began seeing more and more – and growing mutually fonder – of one another. The couple kept a low profile for more than a year, made easier by the fact that Margrethe’s anonymity in Britain. The couple was so private that upon the news that an engagement announcement was imminent, most Danes had no idea their princess had been exclusively dating anyone.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Henri de Laborde de Monpezat

June 10, 1974 – Death of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester at Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire, England; buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England
In 1965, while driving back to his home Barnwell Manor after attending the funeral of Winston Churchill, the Duke suffered a stroke causing a car accident. The Duchess suffered injuries to the face which required 57 stitches. Three years later, the Duke suffered another stroke which left him incapacitated. The Duchess continued to talk and read to her husband hoping he could hear and understand. She never did tell him about the death of their son in a plane crash, but she thought he understood from watching television.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester

June 10, 1976 – Birth of Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, current pretender to the Prussian throne, and head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern
Full name: Georg Friedrich Ferdinand
Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia is the current pretender to the Prussian throne and head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. He is the direct male-line descendent of Prussia’s last King (and German Emperor), Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia

June 10, 1982 – Birth of Princess Madeleine of Sweden, daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at Drottningholm Palace in Drottningholm, Sweden
Full name: Madeleine Thérèse Amelie Josephine
Madeleine is the youngest of the three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. In 2013, she married Christopher O’Neill, a British-American businessman. The couple has three children. Madeleine has a very active role in the World Childhood Foundation, founded by her mother Queen Silvia in 1999 to reach and support children at risk around the world. After their marriage, Madeline and Christopher lived in New York City, and their first child was born there. In early 2015, they returned to Sweden. In August 2018, it was announced that Madeleine and her family would be moving to Florida, in the United States, where Madeleine has continued her work with the World Childhood Foundation. In March 2023, it was announced that the family would move back to Sweden in August 2023 but the move was postponed until 2024.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Madeleine of Sweden

June 10, 1993 – Wedding of King Abdullah II of Jordan and Rania al-Yasin at the Zahran Palace in Amman, Jordan
In January 1993, a friend of Rania took her to a dinner party hosted by Prince Abdullah’s sister. “The minute Rania walked in, I knew it right there and then,” said Abdullah in a 2005 interview with People magazine. “It was love at first sight.” A whirlwind courtship began. Abdullah took Rania on motorbike rides across the desert, waterskiing on the Red Sea, and flying in helicopters. After a courtship of just two months, King Hussein reportedly drove his son to the home of Rania’s parents so Abdullah could propose. With King Hussein and her family looking on, Rania accepted.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Abdullah II of Jordan and Rania al-Yasin

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.

June 9: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

June 9, 1661 – Birth of Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia in Moscow, Russia
When Feodor’s father Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia died in 1676, he was succeeded by 15-year-old Feodor. Even though Feodor had been well educated and had a fine intellect, he had a debilitating physical condition that prevented him from fully participating in reigning. In 1682, at the age of 20, Feodor died childless and without making an order concerning the succession to the throne. This was eventually resolved by the decision to have two tsars at the same time – Feodor’s brother Ivan V and his half-brother Peter I (the Great) under the regency of Sofia Alexeevna, Feodor’s eldest sister.
Unofficial Royalty: Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia

June 9, 1640 – Birth of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna, then in the Archduchy of Austria
Full name: Leopold Ignaz Joseph Balthasar Franz Felician
A contemporary and first cousin of King Louis XIV of France, Leopold was not expected to be the heir of his father’s heir, but his elder brother died from smallpox at the age of twenty-one. When his father died in 1657, seventeen-year-old Leopold succeeded to his father’s Habsburg hereditary lands but was not elected as Holy Roman Emperor until July 18, 1658. Leopold’s reign was dominated by the defense against French expansion under his first cousin King Louis XIV of France.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor

June 9, 1672 – Birth of Peter I “the Great”, Emperor of All Russia at the Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, Russia
After the death of their elder half-brother Feodor III, Tsar of All Russia, who was disabled by an unknown disease that left him disfigured and partially paralyzed, Peter and his older half-brother Ivan, who had serious physical and mental disabilities, were co-rulers of Russia. Peter married twice to Eudoxia Feodorovna Lopukhina and then to Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya, later Catherine I, Empress of All Russia. Peter had fourteen children but only three survived to adulthood including Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia. Upon his half-brother’s death in 1696, Peter assumed complete authority. Peter is perhaps the greatest Romanov ruler. He is known for his modernization reforms and founding the city of St. Petersburg. Peter was interested in seafaring and maritime affairs, and he wanted Russia to have a seaport to be able to trade with other maritime nations. He needed a better seaport than Arkhangelsk on the White Sea to the north and closed to shipping during the winter. Previously titled Tsar of All Russia, Peter was officially proclaimed Emperor of All Russia in 1721.
Unofficial Royalty: Peter I, Emperor of All Russia (the Great)

June 9, 1701 – Death of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, son of King Louis XIII of France and brother of King Louis XIV of France, at the Château de Saint-Cloud in France; buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris
The only sibling of King Louis XIV, Philippe’s careful investment and management of his various estates made him a wealthy man. His wealth was greatly increased when he inherited the fortune of his extremely wealthy paternal first cousin Anne Marie Louise of Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier upon her death. Philippe is acknowledged as the biological and financial founder of the House of Orléans. His descendants include King Felipe VI of Spain, King Philippe of the Belgians, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Henri, Count of Paris, the Orléanist pretender to the French throne, and Victor Emmanuel of Savoy, the pretender to the Italian throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

June 9, 1806 – Birth of Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Ludwig was the brother of Prince Alexander, the founder of the Battenberg/Mountbatten dynasty and Marie who married Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. His marriage to Mathilde Caroline of Bavaria was childless and he was succeeded by his nephew Ludwig IV who married Queen Victoria’s daughter Alice.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

June 9, 1820 – Death of Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange, wife of Willem V, Prince of Orange, at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands; first buried at Het Loo Palace, reinterred in 1831 at the new crypt at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
Wilhelmina married Willem V, Prince of Orange. In 1795, her husband lost power when the Dutch Republic was threatened by invading French armies. Revolutionary Dutch patriots, now supported by the French Army, replaced the Dutch Republic with the Batavian Republic which remained in power until 1806. Wilhelmina’s family fled to England where they lived in exile until in London in the part of Kew Palace known as the Dutch House with the permission of Willem V’s first cousin King George III. In 1806, Napoleon created the Kingdom of Holland for his brother Louis and the Batavian Republic ended. In 1813, with the help of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, the House of Orange was restored and Wilhelmina’s son became Willem I, the first King of the Netherlands.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmina of Prussia, Princess of Orange

June 9, 1923 – Death of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Schomberg House, Pall Mall in London, England; buried at Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England
Helena took a very active role in royal duties and engagements at a time when this was not nearly as common as it is today. In addition, she was very involved in charity work, particularly in the area of nursing. She served as president of the Royal British Nurses Association and was one of the founding members of the British Red Cross.  She was also the founding president of the Royal School of Needlework. Upon her death, Helena was first interred in the Royal Crypt at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. In 1928, her remains, along with those of her husband and infant son Harald were moved to the newly established Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helena of the United Kingdom

June 9, 1930 – Birth of Princess Ragnhild of Norway, daughter of King Olav V of Norway, at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway
Full name: Ragnhild Alexandra
Named for another Ragnhild, the wife of Harald Fairhair, the first king of a united Norway who reigned 872 – 930, Ragnhild was the first native Norwegian princess born in Norway in over 600 years. Ragnhild married Erling Lorentzen, a commoner and her former bodyguard. Reportedly, Ragnhild’s grandfather King Haakon VII consented to the marriage only after the intervention of her mother Crown Princess Märtha. Ragnhild lost her style of Royal Highness with the marriage, becoming known instead as Her Highness Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen. The couple settled in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and had three children. Ragnhild died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on September 16, 2012, following a bout with cancer. Her remains were transferred to Norway where her funeral was held and at her request, Ragnhild was buried at Asker Church in Asker, Norway.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Ragnhild of Norway

June 9, 1946 – Shooting death of King Ananda Mahidol, Rama VIII of Thailand, at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand; his ashes are enshrined in the base of the Buddha statue at Wat Suthat in Bangkok, Thailand
20-year-old King Ananda Mahidol was found shot to death in his bed in the Boromphiman Throne Hall, a residential palace located in the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. He was scheduled to return to the University of Lausanne in Switzerland four days later to begin work on his Ph.D. King Ananda Mahidol was succeeded by his 18-year-old brother Bhumibol Adulyadej who reigned for seventy years. Although three people were tried and executed for King Ananda Mahidol’s supposed assassination, the circumstances of his death have never been fully explained and his death is still seen as a mystery.
Unofficial Royalty: The Mysterious of Ananda Mahidol, King of Thailand
Unofficial Royalty: King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand

June 9, 1993 – Wedding of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, then Crown Prince, and Masako Owada, married at the Kashiko-dokoro, the Shinto shrine of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan
800 guests were invited, including Imperial Family members, the bride’s relatives, government officials, lawmakers, judges, and industrial leaders. Very few friends of the bride and groom were invited and no foreigners were invited. The groom’s parents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, were not among the 800 guests. They stayed in their imperial sitting room a few hundred yards from the shrine and waited until midafternoon when the newlyweds visited them to inform them of the morning marriage. Guests did not actually attend the wedding ceremony. They stood in the Imperial Garden for the 10 AM wedding and only saw the bride and groom, accompanied by Shinto ritualists, chamberlains, and ladies-in-waiting, as they slowly walked down a long wooden porch.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and Masako Owada

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.

June 8: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Tomb of Edward the Black Prince at Canterbury Cathedral; Credit – Susan Flantzer

June 8, 1042 – Death of King Harthacnut of England at Lambeth, London, England; buried at Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England
Harthacnut was the son of Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway and his second wife Emma of Normandy, the widow of Æthelred II the Unready, King of the English. He had two half-siblings who were also Kings of England: Harold Harefoot, King of England and Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England who succeeded him. On June 8, 1042, Harthacnut attended a wedding in Lambeth, London, England. As he was drinking to celebrate the wedding, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, “He died while standing with his drink. Suddenly he fell to the ground with violent convulsions.” Harthacnut was only 23-24 years old. There were unproven suspicions that he was poisoned and there were people who would have benefitted from his death. His death also could have been caused by a stroke due to excessive drinking. A 2015 study speculated that perhaps up to fourteen Danish kings, including Harthacnut, who suddenly died at a relatively young age without being ill, possibly died of Brugada Syndrome, a genetic disorder in which the electrical activity in the heart is abnormal. It increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and sudden cardiac death.
Unofficial Royalty: King Harthacnut of England

June 8, 1376 – Death of Edward, Prince of Wales, known as the Black Prince, son and heir of King Edward III of England, at the Palace of Westminster in London, England; buried at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, England
Edward was one of the seven Princes of Wales who never became King. He is best known for his military career in the Hundred Years War. Around 1365, Edward contracted an illness that ailed him until he died in 1376. It was believed that he contracted dysentery, which killed more medieval soldiers than battle, but it is unlikely that he could survive a ten-year battle with dysentery. Other possible diagnoses include edema, nephritis, or cirrhosis. By 1371, Edward could no longer perform his duties and returned to England. In 1372, he forced himself to attempt one final campaign, hoping to save his father’s French possessions, but the prevailing winds off the shores of France prevented the ships from landing and the campaign was aborted. Edward’s health was now completely shattered.  A week before his forty-sixth birthday, Edward died. His father King Edward III died a year later and was succeeded by his ten-year-old grandson King Richard II, the surviving son of Edward the Black Prince.
Unofficial Royalty: Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince)

June 8, 1492 – Death of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England, wife of King Edward IV of England, at St. Saviour’s Abbey in Bermondsey, London, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Elizabeth Woodville was the mother of Elizabeth of York who married King Henry VII of England. In 1487, two years into the reign of King Henry VII, she retired to Bermondsey Abbey in London, England where she lived for the rest of her life. She was present at the birth of her granddaughter Margaret Tudor at Westminster Palace in November 1489 and at the birth of her grandson, the future Henry VIII, King of England, at Greenwich Palace in June 1491. Elizabeth died at Bermondsey Abbey on June 8, 1492, at the age of 55. With the exception of her daughter Elizabeth, who was awaiting the birth of her fourth child, and her daughter Cecily, her other daughters, Anne, Catherine, and Bridget attended her funeral at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where Elizabeth Woodville was buried with her husband King Edward IV of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Woodville, Queen of England

June 8, 1671 – Death of Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, at Richmond Palace in Surrey, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England in a vault under the monument to his great-great-grandmother Mary, Queen of Scots in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel
Born on September 14, 1667, Edgar was the youngest of the four sons of the future King James II of England, who was then Duke of York, and his first wife Anne Hyde. At the time of his birth, his three brothers who had been born before Edgar had all died. His only living siblings were his two elder sisters, the future Queen Mary II of England and the future Queen Anne of England, who turned out to be the only surviving children of their parents’ eight children. Until his early death, Edgar was second in the line of succession to the English throne after his father. Edgartown, Massachusetts on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, established in 1642, was named after Edgar when it was incorporated in 1671
Unofficial Royalty: Edgar Stuart, Duke of Cambridge

June 8, 1714 – Death of Dowager Electress Sophia of Hanover, granddaughter of King James I of England and mother of King George I of Great Britain, at Schloss Herrenhausen in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; initially buried at the Chapel of Leineschloss in Hanover which was destroyed during World War II; in 1957 her remains were moved to the mausoleum of King Ernest Augustus I in the Berggarten of Herrenhausen Gardens.
In 1701, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement, giving the succession to the British throne to Sophia and her Protestant heirs because the Stuarts failed to produce a surviving heir. This act ensured the Protestant succession and bypassed many Catholics who had better claims to the throne.  On  June 5, 1714, 83-year-old Sophia fell ill after receiving an angry letter from Queen Anne of Great Britain. Two days later, while she was walking in the gardens of Schloss Herrenhausen, it began to rain quite heavily and Sophia ran to a shelter where she collapsed. She died the next day. Sophia narrowly missed becoming queen, having died two months before Queen Anne. Sophia’s son George, Elector of Hanover, became King George I of Great Britain, the first monarch of the House of Hanover.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia, Electress of Hanover

June 8, 1795 – Death of Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France, Titular King Louis XVII of France, son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, at the Temple Prison in Paris, France; buried in the cemetery of Ste. Marguerite in Paris, France; his heart was interred at Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France on June 8, 2004
Born in splendor at the Palace of Versailles, Louis-Charles died from tuberculosis at the age of ten, imprisoned at the Temple, the remains of a medieval fortress in Paris, after seeing his father Louis XVI, his mother Marie Antoinette, and his aunt Elisabeth led off to be beheaded. Of all the royal prisoners in the Temple, Louis-Charles’ sister Marie-Thérèse was the only one to survive.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France – Titular King Louis XVII of France

June 8, 2013 – Wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O’Neill at the Royal Chapel in the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Following a broken engagement in 2010, Princess Madeleine moved to New York to work for the World Childhood Foundation, a charitable organization founded by her mother, Queen Silvia. It was here that she met Mr. O’Neill and the two quickly became a couple.  The Swedish Royal Court announced their engagement in October 2012. Protocol dictates that members of the Royal Family must be Swedish citizens, and may not be involved in positions of responsibility in business. Mr. O’Neill continued working and did not apply for Swedish citizenship. He requested that he not be granted any royal status or title. Princess Madeleine did not take on Mr. O’Neill’s name and remained HRH Princess Madeleine.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O’Neill

June 8, 2014 – Death of Prince Katsura of Mikasa, son of Prince Mikasa of Japan, grandson of Emperor Taishō of Japan, at the University of Tokyo Hospital in Tokyo, Japan; buried at the Toshimagaoka Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan
Prince Katsura was paralyzed from the waist down after suffering from a series of strokes in 1988 and used a wheelchair. Despite vision loss in his right eye, paralysis, and memory issues, he remained active in public life and was president of various charity organizations. He died from a massive heart attack at the age of 66. Since Prince Katsura never married and his two brothers only had daughters, his death marked the end of his father’s branch of the Japanese Imperial Family.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Katsura of Mikasa

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.

June 7: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Statue of Robert the Bruce in Stirling, Scotland; Credit – By Ally Crockford – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28842870

June 7, 1329 – Death of Robert I, King of Scots (Robert the Bruce) at the Manor of Cardross, near Dumbarton, Scotland; buried at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland
Robert the Bruce is a Scottish national hero and was King of Scots during the First War of Scottish Independence.  The Scots refused to tolerate English rule, resulting in the Wars of Scottish Independence, a series of military campaigns fought between Scotland and England, first led by William Wallace and after his execution, led by Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce as Earl of Carrick and 7th Lord of Annandale, held estates and property in Scotland, a barony and some minor properties in England, and a strong claim to the throne of Scotland. On March 27, 1306, Robert the Bruce was proclaimed Robert I, King of Scots, and the crown was placed on his head by Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan. According to tradition, the ceremony of crowning the monarch was performed by a representative of Clan MacDuff.
Unofficial Royalty: Robert I, King of Scots

June 7, 1394 – Death of Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England, first wife of King Richard II, at Sheen Palace in Surrey, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
In June 1394, Anne became ill with the plague while at Sheen Palace with her husband. She died three days later on June 7, 1394, at the age of 28. King Richard II was so devastated by Anne’s death that he ordered Sheen Palace to be destroyed. For almost 20 years it lay in ruins until King Henry V started a rebuilding project in 1414. Richard II gave Anne a magnificent funeral. The funeral procession made its way from Sheen Palace to Westminster Abbey lit by candles and torches made from wax specially imported from Flanders. Those in the procession were dressed all in black and wore black hoods. King Richard was angered when Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel arrived late for the funeral. The king struck the earl in the face with his scepter.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England

June 7, 1840 – Birth of Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlotta of Mexico, daughter of King Leopold I of the Belgians, wife of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico (born an Archduke of Austria), at the Royal Castle in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Maria Charlotta Amelia Augusta Victoria Clementina Leopoldina
In 1861, Charlotte’s husband Archduke Maximilian of Austria, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, accepted the offer of becoming Emperor of Mexico. The liberal forces led by Benito Juárez, the former president the French had deposed, refused to recognize his rule. There was continuous warfare between the French troops and the forces of Juárez who wanted a republic. Maximilian was condemned to death by a court of war and on June 19, 1867, he was executed by a firing squad. After her return to Belgium, Charlotte developed a mental illness and was declared insane.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlotta of Mexico

June 7, 1840 – Death of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried in the Mausoleum in the garden of Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin
After the early death at the age of 34 of his first wife Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the mother of his nine children, Friedrich Wilhelm III instituted an order that her family should mourn her death each year on July 19, the anniversary of her death. Luise was buried in the garden of Charlottenburg Palace where her husband had a mausoleum built over her grave. Friedrich Wilhelm III survived his first wife by thirty years and was buried by her side. His second wife Countess Auguste von Harrach survived him by 33 years and is also buried in the mausoleum, although she has no stone or marker.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia

June 7, 1876 – Death of Queen Josefina of Sweden, born Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, wife of King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
Queen Josefina was the daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais, the son of Empress Joséphine (Napoleon Bonaparte‘s first wife) from her first marriage to Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, who had been guillotined during the French Revolution. Her mother was Princess Augusta of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. In 1823, Josefina married King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway. The couple had five children including two Kings of Sweden and Norway. Josefina brought to Sweden jewelry that had belonged to her grandmother Empress Josephine, still worn by the Swedish and Norwegian royal families. The Cameo Tiara, originally made for her grandmother Joséphine, Empress of the French, was worn by her descendant Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at her wedding in 2010. Photos of both women wearing the Cameo Tiara are in the article linked below. Josefina survived her husband for 17 years and died in Stockholm on June 7, 1876, at age 69. She remained Roman Catholic, was given a Catholic funeral, and was buried with her husband at Riddarholmen Church.
Unofficial Royalty: Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Queen Josefina of Sweden

June 7, 1907 – Birth of Prince Sigvard of Sweden, later Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, at Drottningholm Palace in Drottningholm, Sweden
Full name: Sigvard Oscar Fredrik
Sigvard lost his style His Royal Highness and his title of Prince of Sweden when he married a commoner. In 1951, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg conferred on him the title of Count of Wisborg. Sigvard died in 2002, in Stockholm, Sweden. He was 94 years old, and for the last eight years of his life, he was the eldest living great-grandchild of Queen Victoria and her longest-lived descendant.
Unofficial Royalty: Sigvard Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg

June 7, 1960 – Birth of Prince Radu of Romania, husband of Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, born Radu Duda in Iaşi, Romania
Radu Duda is the husband of Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, the eldest of the five daughters of the late former King Michael I of Romania who abdicated in 1947 when Romania ceased to be a monarchy. Margareta and Radu live at the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, Romania, and undertake public engagements in Romania and in other countries that help contribute to the successful modernization of Romania, reconcile with the past, and link Romania to other countries.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Radu of Romania

June 7, 1969 – Birth of Prince Joachim of Denmark, son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Joachim Holger Valdemar Christian
Joachim is the younger of the two sons of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. In 1995, he married Alexandra Manley. The couple had two sons and divorced in 2005. Joachim married Marie Cavallier in 2008 and they have one son and one daughter. In September 2020, Prince Joachim started work as the defense attaché at the Danish Embassy in Paris, France. With the appointment, Joachim received the permanent rank of brigadier general. During the summer of 2023, Joachim and his family moved to Washington, DC in the United States where he will become defense attaché at the Danish Embassy.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Joachim of Denmark

June 7, 2002 – Death of Princess Lilian of Belgium, Princess de Réthy, born Lilian Baels, second wife of King Leopold III of the Belgians, at the Château d’Argenteuil, near Waterloo, Belgium; buried at Royal Vault at the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Despite surviving her husband by nearly 20 years, it was at his funeral that Princess Lilian made her last official public appearance. She spent the remaining years of her life pursuing her interests in medicine (having established a Cardiology Foundation in 1958 following her son Alexandre’s heart surgery the previous year in the United States) and editing her husband’s memoirs “Pour l’Histoire” (For History), published in 2001.  Princess Lilian’s funeral was held at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, attended by the entire Belgian royal family except for her elder daughter Marie-Christine, who had completely severed all ties with her family. Princess Lilian was interred in the Royal Crypt, beside her husband and his first wife Queen Astrid, who tragically died at a young age in a car accident.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Lilian, Princess de Réthy

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.

June 6: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

June 6, 1625 – Death of Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora, Princess of Liechtenstein, wife of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein in Plumov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic; buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, then in Moravia, now in the Czech Republic
In 1590, Anna Maria married Baron Karl von Liechtenstein, the future first Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein. Anna Maria and Karl had four children including Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein. Anna Maria died, aged 50, on June 6, 1625, in Plumov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. She was buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, founded by Karl’s younger brother Maximilian and his wife Katharina, Anna Maria’s sister.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora, Princess of Liechtenstein

June 6, 1710 – Death of Louise de La Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of  Vaujours, mistress of King Louis XIV of France, at Notre-Dame-des-Champs, a Carmelite convent in the Faubourg Saint-Jacques in Paris, France, as Sister Louise de la Miséricorde; buried in the convent cemetery
Louise was the mistress of King Louis XIV of France from 1661 until 1667. By 1670, having been forced to remain at court and live with Louis XIV’s new mistress Madame de Montespan, Louise became ill and at one point was near death. Upon recovering, she sought solace in religion, and the following year, decided to leave court and enter a convent. However, Louis XIV forced her to return for several years. Finally, in 1674, she was permitted to leave the court and entered the Carmelite convent in Faubourg-Saint-Jacques. She took her vows the following year, becoming Sister Louise de la Miséricorde.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise de La Vallière, Duchess of La Vallière and Duchess of  Vaujours

June 6, 1714 – Birth of King José I of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Full name: José Francisco António Inácio Norberto Agostinho
To strengthen an alliance with Spain, a double marriage between Portugal and Spain was arranged between José and Mariana Victoria of Spain, daughter of Felipe V, King of Spain, and between José’s elder sister Barbara and Felipe V’s son and heir Fernando, Prince of Asturias, later Fernando VI, King of Spain. José and Mariana Victoria had four daughters including his successor Maria I, the first reigning Queen of Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King José I of Portugal

June 6, 1772 – Birth of Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria, second wife of Emperor Franz I of Austria, at the Royal Palace of Naples in the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily
Maria Theresa married her double first cousin Archduke Franz of Austria, later Emperor of Austria. This was Franz’s second marriage and the only one of his four marriages that resulted in surviving children. Seven of their twelve children survived to adulthood. Among the children of Franz and Maria Theresa were: Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte; Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria; and Maria Leopoldina, the wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil. Maria Theresa’s twelfth child lived only three days and Maria Theresa also died, a week later due to birth complications at the age of 34.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, Empress of Austria

June 6, 1836 – Death of King Anton of Saxony in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral
Anton became King of Saxony, upon the death of his elder brother King Friedrich August I, who had only one surviving child, a daughter. Anton also had no male heirs. His first marriage was childless and the one son and three daughters from his second marriage either died at birth or died in infancy. Anton was succeeded by his nephew King Friedrich August II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Anton of Saxony

June 6, 1872 – Birth of Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, at the Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Victoria Alix Helene Luise Beatrice
A grandchild of Queen Victoria, Alix is best remembered as Alexandra Feodorovna, the last Empress of Russia, who transmitted hemophilia to her only son and who was assassinated along with her husband Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, and five children during the Russian Revolution.
Unofficial Royalty: Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia

June 6, 1934 – Birth of King Albert II of Belgium at Stuyvenberg Castle in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Albert Félix Humbert Théodore Chrétien Eugène Marie
In early July 2013, King Albert announced his intention to abdicate, citing health reasons. On July 21, 2013, Belgium’s National Day, he signed the formal document of abdication and was succeeded by his son, King Philippe.
Unofficial Royalty: King Albert II of Belgium

June 6, 2012 – Death of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, son of Prince Mikasa of Japan, at the Sasaki Institute Kyoundo Hospital in Tokyo, Japan; buried at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan
Tomohito was the grandson of Emperor Taishō, the nephew of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa), and the first cousin of Emperor Akihito.  He had serious health issues. In 1991, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer which went into remission. Over the years, Tomohito was treated sixteen times for various forms of cancer including larynx cancer, throat cancer, and recurrences of the cancers. He died from multiple organ failure due to the cancers.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Tomohito of Mikasa

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.

June 5: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

June 5, 1296 – Death of Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster and Leicester, son of King Henry III of England, in London, England; buried in Westminster Abbey in London, England
Edmund was a loyal supporter of his brother King Edward I of England. At the time of his death, he was the Lieutenant of Aquitaine and was conducting a siege of Bordeaux, the capital of Aquitaine, which the French had occupied. Edmund fell ill during the siege and died at the age of 51. He had declared that he would not be buried until his debts were paid.  His body was embalmed at a Franciscan abbey in Bayonne (France) and was not brought back to England until early 1297. Edmund’s remains were kept in a Franciscan convent in London until March 24, 1301, when he was buried in the presence of his brother King Edward I at Westminster Abbey in Edward the Confessor’s Chapel.
Unofficial Royalty: Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster and Leicester

June 5, 1341 – Birth of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, son of King Edward III of England, in King’s Langley, Hertfordshire, England
Edmund married Infanta Isabella of Castile, the younger daughter of King Pedro the Cruel of Castile and the sister of Constance of Castile, the second wife of Edmund’s elder brother John of Gaunt. Isabella had accompanied her sister Constance to England when she married John of Gaunt. Through the marriage of Edmund’s younger son, Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge to Anne de Mortimer, great-granddaughter of Edmund’s elder brother Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence, the House of York made its claim to the English throne in the Wars of the Roses.  Richard of Conisburgh and his wife were the parents of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and the grandparents of King Edward IV and King Richard III.
Unofficial Royalty: Edmund of Langley, Duke of York

June 5, 1660 – Birth of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, favorite of Queen Anne of Great Britain, born Sarah Jennings at Holywell House in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England
Sarah is known for being a favorite of Queen Anne. Sarah and Anne became acquainted in childhood when Sarah was appointed a maid of honor to Anne’s stepmother Maria Beatrice of Modena. Sarah married John Churchill, an upcoming military leader, later 1st Duke of Marlborough. Sarah and her husband John had seven children. Their children and grandchildren married into the British aristocracy. Among their more famous descendants are British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, and of course her son William, a future King of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough

June 5, 1757 – Death of Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, wife of Johann Friedrich, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia; first buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, now in the German state of Thuringia. In the early 1940s, her remains of were transferred to the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt in the German state of Thuringia before the demolition of the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg
In 1744, 20-year-old Bernardina Christina married 23-year-old Johann Friedrich, who had become the reigning Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt just two months earlier. Bernadina Christina and Johann Friedrich had six children but only two daughters survived childhood. Bernadina Christina was active in charitable causes. In 1756, she founded the Bernardina Abbey for noblewomen in Rudolstadt. However, she did not live to see the inauguration of the abbey in 1757. On June 5, 1757, aged 33, Bernadina Christina died in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.
Unofficial Royalty: Bernardina Christina of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

June 5, 1771 – Birth of King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace
Before the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837, the Hanover kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors and later Kings of Hanover in Germany.  Because of Hanover’s Salic Law, which forbade female succession, Victoria could not become the monarch of Hanover.  Her uncle Ernest Augustus became King of Hanover upon the death of his brother William. Ernst August V, Prince of Hanover, the husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, is the senior direct male descendant of Ernest (and George III) and the pretender to the Hanover throne.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, Duke of Cumberland

June 5, 1962 – Birth of Princess Astrid of Belgium, daughter of King Albert II of Belgium, at the Château de Belvédère in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Maria
Astrid is the sister of Philippe, the current King of the Belgians. She often represents her brother King Philippe on foreign visits and gives her services to many organizations. In 1984, Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este. Lorenz is the eldest son of Archduke Robert of Austria-Este, the second son of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, and has been the Head of the House of Austria-Este since 1996. Astrid and Lorenz had five children.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Astrid of Belgium

June 5, 1965 – Death of Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland, son of King Gustaf V of Sweden, at Stenhammar Palace in Flen, Sweden; buried in the parish cemetery in Flen, Sweden
Wilhelm had an unsuccessful marriage to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, and the only daughter and the eldest of the two children of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.  When Maria Pavlovna was only seventeen months old, her mother died shortly after giving premature birth to her second child. After her marriage, Maria was homesick in a strange country where the royal court was even more formal than the Russian court. Maria left her husband and son and returned to Russia which caused a great scandal in Sweden. The marriage was officially dissolved and then confirmed by an edict issued by Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland

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.

June 4: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of  Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

June 4, 1678 – Death of Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Louis I of Monaco, at the Palais Royal in Paris, France; buried at the now destroyed Couvent des Capucines in Paris, France
Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, the wife of Louis I, Prince of Monaco, had many affairs at the French court including one with King Louis XIV and a long-time affair with her cousin which Catherine-Charlotte continued after her marriage. The couple had five daughters and one son, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. In 1665, Catherine-Charlotte left her husband and children in Monaco and returned to the French court because she found life at the Monaco court boring. At the French court, she continued her scandalous affairs. Catherine-Charlotte became seriously ill, probably with cancer, and died at the Palais Royal in Paris, France on June 4, 1678, at the age of 39. She was buried at the now-destroyed Convent of the Capuchins in Paris, France. Catherine-Charlotte had not seen her husband Louis I during the last six years of her life, and Louis showed no grief over her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco

June 4, 1738 – Birth of King George III of the United Kingdom at Norfolk House, St. James Square in London, England
Full name: George William Frederick
King George III is the longest-reigning British king, having reigned for 59 years, 96 days. His length of reign is surpassed only by two queens, both his descendants, his granddaughter Queen Victoria and his great-great-great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II. George established himself as one of the more popular Hanoverian kings.  He was admired for his respectable private life and gained sympathy for his illness. He inherited the family’s love of music and was a patron of the arts and sciences.  George was very interested in agriculture and his creation of model farms at Windsor earned him the nickname “Farmer George” which he adored.
Unofficial Royalty: King George III of the United Kingdom

June 4, 1923 – Birth of Princess Mikasa of Japan, wife of Prince Mikasa, born Yuriko Takagi at her family home in Tokyo, Japan
Princess Mikasa is the widow of the late Prince Mikasa, the youngest son of Emperor Taishō, the brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito), and the uncle of Emperor Akihito. Prince and Princess Mikasa had three sons and two daughters. All three sons predeceased their parents. Princess Mikasa’s husband died in 2016, at the age of 100, a little more than a month before his 101st birthday. At the time of his death, he was the world’s oldest royal and the longest-lived member of the Japanese Imperial Family. Five days before Prince Mikasa’s death, he and his wife celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in his hospital room.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Mikasa of Japan

June 4, 1941 – Death of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, at Huis Doorn in Doorn, Netherlands; buried in a mausoleum on the grounds of Huis Doorn
A grandson of Queen Victoria, Wilhelm was the last German Emperor and the last King of Prussia. He abdicated on November 9, 1918. A day later, he crossed the border by train and went into exile in the Netherlands, never to return to Germany. Wilhelm purchased Huis Doorn, a small manor house outside of Doorn, a small town near Utrecht in the Netherlands.  As a condition of his exile, Wilhelm was allowed to travel freely within a radius of 15 miles from his house. Traveling further required that advance notice had to be given to local government officials.  Wilhelm did not like to be under the thumb of minor officials, so he rarely traveled further than the 15 miles.  Wilhelm, aged 82, died of a pulmonary embolism at his home.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm II, German Emperor

June 4, 1990 – Birth of Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, wife of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, in Thimphu, Bhutan
On October 13, 2011, 21-year-old Jetsun Pema became the youngest queen in the world when she married King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan. The couple has two sons and a daughter. Queen Jestun Pema has accompanied her husband on foreign official trips and she accompanies him on official visits throughout Bhutan.
Unofficial Royalty: Jetsun Pema, Queen of Bhutan

June 4. 2021 – Birth of Princess Lilibet of Sussex, daughter of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California
Full name: Lilibet Diana
Princess Lilibet of Sussex, nicknamed Lili, is the second of the two children and the only daughter of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife The Duchess of Sussex, the former Meghan Markle. Lili is named after her paternal great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and her paternal grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales. Lilibet was Queen Elizabeth II’s family nickname, which originated from Queen Elizabeth II’s pronunciation of her name when she was young. Lili has dual citizenship from the United States and the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Lilibet of Sussex

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.

June 3: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King George V of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

June 3, 1822 – Birth of Archduchess Adelheid of Austria, Queen of Sardinia, first wife of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Sardinia (the future first King of Italy), at the Royal Palace of Milan in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, now in Italy
Full name: Adelheid Franziska Marie Rainera Elisabeth Clotilde
At the time of her marriage, Adeleheid’s husband Vittorio Emanuele was heir to the Sardinian throne and held the title Duke of Savoy. She became Queen of Sardinia following her father-in-law’s abdication and her husband’s accession to the throne. However, she died before her husband became King of Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduchess Adelheid of Austria, Queen of Sardinia

June 3, 1843 – Birth of King Frederik VIII of Denmark at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Christian Frederik Wilhelm Carl
Frederik VIII and his wife Louise of Sweden are the ancestors of several royal families besides the Danish royal family. Their son Carl was elected King of Norway and reigned as King Haakon VII. Their daughter Ingeborg was the mother of Märtha who married her first cousin King Haakon VII of Norway. However, Märtha died before her husband became king. Ingeborg was also the mother of Astrid, the first wife of Leopold III, King of the Belgians.  Astrid’s daughter Josephine-Charlotte married Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik VIII of Denmark

June 3, 1844 – Death of Louis-Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême (Legitimist pretender as King Louis XIX of France), son of King Charles X of France, in Görz, Austria; buried with his father in the church of the Franciscan monastery of Kostanjevica near Görz, now Nova Gorica, Slovenia
After the storming of the Bastille in 1789, King Louis XVI insisted that Charles-Philippe, his youngest brother and the father of Louis-Antoine, and his family leave France to be sure that one close relative would be free to act as a spokesman for the monarchy. Louis-Antoine was the last Dauphin of France and was technically King of France for less than twenty minutes, after his father abdicated and before he himself abdicated. After his father’s death, he was the Legitimist pretender to the French throne and is sometimes known as King Louis XIX. Louis-Antoine married his first cousin Marie-Thérèse of France, the only surviving child of the executed King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis Antoine of France, Duke of Angoulême

June 3, 1865 – Birth of King George V of the United Kingdom at Marlborough House in London, England
Full name: George Frederick Ernest Albert
During World War I, on July 17, 1917, King George V issued a proclamation changing the name of the British Royal Family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment. All George’s British relatives relinquished their German titles and styles and adopted British-sounding surnames. The king compensated his male relatives by creating them British peers. All this led George’s first cousin Wilhelm II, German Emperor to remark that he would attend a performance of Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg” at the earliest opportunity.
United Kingdom: King George V of the United Kingdom

June 3, 1869 – Birth of Prince Baudouin of Belgium at the Palais de la Régence in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Baudouin Léopold Philippe Marie Charles Antoine Joseph Louis
Baudouin was the son of Philippe, Count of Flanders, the second son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians. He was considered the heir of his uncle Leopold II, King of the Belgians who had no living male heirs. In early 1891, Baudouin became ill with influenza that had made its way through most of the members of his family. He likely caught the illness from his sister Henriette, whom he insisted on visiting during her illness despite warnings from doctors. Although at first, he appeared to be weathering the illness better than his sister, Baudouin’s condition suddenly deteriorated on January 22, 1891. He died early the following morning at the age of 21. The country of Belgium was plunged into mourning for their promising prince. Parliament was adjourned, theaters and libraries were closed, and mourning was ordered until the beginning of the spring. His younger brother later became Albert I, King of the Belgians.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Baudouin of Belgium

June 3, 1877 – Death of Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands, first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands, at Huis ten Bosch, in The Hague, The Netherlands; buried at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, The Netherlands
The marriage of Sophie and Willem was unsuccessful. Willem had numerous extramarital affairs and had numerous illegitimate children. Sophie thought him inferior to her and unfit to serve as king. She tried to divorce her husband, but because of national interests, this was impossible. In 1855, an agreement was made that Sophie would have her own quarters at Noordeinde Palace and that she would spend the summers at Huis ten Bosch Palace without her husband. In accordance with her wishes, Sophie was buried in her wedding dress because she considered that her life had ended on the day she married Willem.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands

June 3, 1880 – Death of Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, first wife of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
Maria Alexandrovna had a close relationship with her brother Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, who had made a morganatic marriage with Countess Julia Hauke, one of his sister’s ladies-in-waiting. Their children were the start of the Battenberg (and later the Mountbatten) family. Maria’s frequent stays at her brother’s Hessian home Schloss Heiligenberg resulted in the subsequent marriage of Maria’s son Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich with Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, and also the marriage of Maria’s grandson Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia with Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, Maria Alexandrovna, Empress of All Russia

June 3, 1933 – Birth of Sheikh Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, Emir of Bahrain in Al Jasra, Bahrain
Isa became Hakim of Bahrain upon the death of his father in 1961. In 1971, Bahrain declared its independence from the United Kingdom and signed a new treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom. Isa changed the title of the ruler of Bahrain to the Emir of Bahrain and appointed his brother Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa as the first Prime Minister of the newly sovereign country, the Emirate of Bahrain. Despite the fact he had dissolved Parliament in 1975 and took on absolute power, during Isa’s 38 years as Emir, Bahrain was transformed into a modern nation and became an important financial center in the Persian Gulf area. On March 6, 1999, 65-year-old Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, Emir of Bahrain died of a heart attack just minutes after concluding a meeting with the United States Secretary of Defense William Cohen.
Unofficial Royalty: Sheikh Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, Emir of Bahrain

June 3, 1937 – Wedding of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé in Monts, France
The Duke of Windsor had wanted his brothers Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince George, Duke of Kent along with his close friend and second cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten (the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma) to attend the ceremony but his brother King George VI forbade members of the royal family from attending. Instead, the marriage was witnessed by a small group of faithful friends. Major Edward Dudley Metcalfe, known as Fruity Metcalfe, the Duke of Windsor’s close friend and former equerry, served as best man. Wallis Simpson was given away by her friend Herman Rogers. When the Church of England refused to sanction the wedding, Reverend Robert Anderson Jardine, the Vicar of St Paul’s Church in Darlington,  England, offered to perform the ceremony. When Reverend Jardine returned home to Darlington, he soon became aware that he had performed an act that the Church of England could not accept. He was forced to resign his position and under pressure, he left England and settled in California.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson

June 3, 1978 – Birth of Queen Suthida of Thailand, fourth wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, born Suthida Tidjai in Hat Yai, Songkla, Thailand
Queen Suthida is the fourth wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. A former flight attendant, Suthida met her future husband, then Crown Prince of Thailand, in 2013, joined the palace guard later that year, and was promoted to deputy commander of the Crown Prince’s bodyguard unit in 2014. Suthida was linked romantically to the Crown Prince following his divorce from his third wife Srirasmi Suwadee in 2014.  On May 1, 2019, just days before his coronation, King Vajiralongkorn surprisingly married Suthida and appointed her Queen.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Suthida of Thailand

June 3, 1980 – Birth of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar in Doha, Qatar
As Crown Prince, Sheikh Tamim was instrumental in raising the international profile of Qatar, putting much of his focus on various sporting events. He is a member of the International Olympic Committee, as well as the chairman of the Qatar National Olympic Committee. He was a large part of the successful bid to bring the FIFA World Cup to Qatar in 2022.  In 2013, his father Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar announced his abdication and the accession of Sheikh Tamim as the new Emir of Qatar.
Unofficial Royalty: Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar

June 3, 1984 – Birth of Prince Félix of Luxembourg, son of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
Full name: Félix Léopold Marie Guillaume
Félix is the second son of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. In 2013, he married Claire Lademacher, and the couple had two children. The family lives in Lorgues, France, where Félix and Claire manage Château les Crostes, a winery owned by Claire and her father.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Félix of Luxembourg

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.

June 2: Today in Royal History

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Maria Teresa of Savoy, Countess of Artois; Credit – Wikipedia

June 2, 1805 – Death of Maria Teresa of Savoy, Countess of Artois, wife of the future King Charles X of France, in Graz, Austria, buried at the Imperial Mausoleum next to the Graz Cathedral
Maria Teresa was the daughter of King Vittorio Amadeo III of Sardinia and Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain. In 1773, she married Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, a brother of King Louis XVI of France, and the couple had four children. In July 1789, just days after the storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution, Marie Teresa and her family fled France, settling for some time in her native Savoy. They eventually moved to Graz, Austria, where Marie Thérèse died at the age of 33.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Teresa of Savoy, Countess of Artois

June 2, 1913 – Birth of  Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona, son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and father of King Juan Carlos, at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso in Segovia, Spain
Full name: Juan Carlos Teresa Silverio Alfonso
Juan was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria through his mother Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg. In 1935, he married Princess Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. The couple had four children including King Juan Carlos I of Spain. After both of his elder brothers renounced their rights of succession, Juan became heir apparent to the Spanish throne.  After the Spanish monarchy was overthrown and the Second Spanish Republic was declared, the royal family went into exile. In 1947, Francisco Franco, who ruled over Spain from 1939 to 1975, as a dictator, declared that the monarchy would be restored after his death. It would be another 22 years before Franco named his successor. Feeling that Juan would be too liberal, he instead passed over him and chose Juan’s son, Juan Carlos, as heir to the Spanish throne. Despite never being King of Spain, Juan was buried with the honors of a king upon his death in 1993.
Unofficial Royalty: Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona

June 2, 1940 – Birth of King Constantine II of Greece at the Villa Psychiko in Psychiko, Greece
Constantine was the King of Greece from 1964 until the monarchy was abolished in 1973. Both his parents, King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover, were descendants of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal who married Friedrich III, German Emperor.  In 1960, Constantine became one of the royal Olympian medal winners.  In the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics, Constantine won a Gold Medal in Sailing. Constantine died at Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece on January 10, 2023, at the age of 82.
Unofficial Royalty: King Constantine II of Greece

June 2, 1953 – Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Westminster Abbey opened at 6:00 AM on Coronation Day to the approximately 8,000 invited guests including members of the Queen’s family and foreign royalty, the peers of the United Kingdom, heads of state, Members of Parliament from the Queen’s various legislatures, and other guests from the member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. Among the guests were three granddaughters of Queen Victoria. Westminster Abbey was closed for five months prior to the coronation so that the construction needed for 8,000 people to attend could be completed.
Unofficial Royalty: Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

June 2, 1976 – Birth of Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho, wife of King Letsie III of Lesotho, born Anna Karabo Mots’oeneng in Mapoteng, Lesotho
Born Anna Karabo Motšoeneng, Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho is the wife of King Letsie III of Lesotho. Anna and King Letsie III were married on February 18, 2000, at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho The national sports stadium was filled to its capacity of 40,000 people, with thousands turned away. The marriage ceremony was conducted by Bernard Mohlalisi, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Maseru. King Letsie and Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso had three children.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho

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.