© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King Carl XV of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

May 3, 1152 – Death of Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England, wife of King Stephen of England, at Hedingham Castle in Essex, England; buried at Faversham Abbey in Kent, England
When Stephen’s uncle King Henry I of England died, Stephen quickly crossed from Boulogne to England, seized power in England, and was crowned King of England. Empress Matilda, Henry I’s only surviving child did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153. During the civil war, Matilda of Boulogne was her husband’s strongest supporter. Matilda of Boulogne was as strong and resourceful as Stephen was weak and indecisive. Perhaps if she had not died in 1152 and her husband had not lost his strongest supporter, the result of the civil war would have turned out differently.
Unofficial Royalty: Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England

May 3, 1257 – Death of Katherine of England, daughter of King Henry III of England at Windsor Castle; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
The description by 13th-century chronicler Matthew Paris that Katherine was “‘mute and useless
though with a most beautiful face” has often been interpreted that she had an intellectual disability or degenerative disease. However, it may indicate that Katherine had a stammer or some other speech impediment. There is much disagreement on what disease or disability Katherine may have had, or if she had one at all. Contemporary evidence suggests that the reaction of Katherine’s parents to her illnesses followed a similar reaction to the illnesses of her siblings and that Katherine was treated no differently than her siblings, suggesting that there were no serious or long-term health concerns. Katherine did have some kind of illness during the spring of 1257, that resulted in her death on May 3, 1257, when she was three and a half years old. Her parents King Henry III and Queen Eleanor deeply mourned her death and were emotionally distraught.
Unofficial Royalty: Katherine of England

May 3, 1415 – Birth of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III of England, at Raby Castle in Durham, England
A great-granddaughter of King Edward III of England, Cecily Neville was the wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, also a great-grandchild of King Edward III, who was a claimant to the English throne and the leader of the Yorkist faction during the Wars of the Roses. She was also the mother of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England, the grandmother of the ill-fated King Edward V of England, and the great-grandmother of King Henry VIII of England. Cecily outlived all but two of her twelve children. She was alive when her granddaughter Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV, married Henry Tudor who had defeated her son King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and then succeeded to the English throne by right of conquest as King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch. Cecily was alive when her granddaughter Elizabeth of York gave birth to her first three children, Cecily’s great-grandchildren Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret Tudor, and King Henry VIII. Through Margaret Tudor, who married James IV, King of Scots, Cecily is an ancestor of the British royal family and many other European royal families.
Unofficial Royalty: Cecily Neville, Duchess of York

May 3, 1446 – Birth of Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy, sister of King Edward IV and King Richard III of England, wife of Charles I, Duke of Burgundy, at Fotheringay Castle in Fotheringay, England
The daughter of Cecily Neville (above) and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, Margaret married Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy after the death of his second wife Isabella of Bourbon. Margaret and Charles were half-second cousins. They were both great-grandchildren of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the third surviving son of King Edward III but from different wives of John. Margaret and Charles had no children but Margaret was the stepmother to Charles’s daughter and successor Mary, Duchess of Burgundy. After the death of Charles the Bold, Margaret proved to be invaluable to Burgundy. Regarded as skillful and intelligent, Margaret provided guidance and advice to her stepdaughter Mary, using her own experiences in the court of her brother King Edward IV of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy

May 3, 1514 – Death of Anna of Brandenburg, Duchess of Schleswig and Holstein, first wife of King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway, in Kiel, Duchy of Schleswig and Holstein, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein; buried at the Convent Church in Bordesholm, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Anna died before her husband became King of Denmark and Norway but she was the mother of his heir. She often accompanied her husband on his travels and she was very popular with the people of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Apparently having two children during her teenage years weakened Anna’s health. She contracted tuberculosis and died, aged 26, while six months pregnant with her third child.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Brandenburg, Duchess of Schleswig and Holstein

May 3, 1764 – Birth of Madame Elisabeth of France, sister of King Louis XVI of France, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
Full name: Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène
Elisabeth was devoted to her brother King Louis XVI, and with his permission, declined all marriage offers so that she could remain in France. She accompanied her brother and his family to imprisonment in the notorious Temple. On May 9, 1794, Elisabeth was transferred to the Conciergerie where she was tried and condemned to be executed the next day.  She was executed by the guillotine at the Place de la Révolution in Paris (now called Place de la Concorde) with 23 other people.  A very religious person, Elisabeth comforted and prayed with several others awaiting execution.
Unofficial Royalty: Madame Elisabeth of France

May 3, 1783 – Death of Prince Octavius, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Kew Palace in Surrey, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Smallpox was a leading cause of death in the 18th century. By having their children inoculated against smallpox, King George III and Queen Charlotte were trying to protect them and starting down the long road that would eventually lead to the eradication of this terrible disease.  Before Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine that contained the cowpox virus, variolation, first seen in China in the fifteenth century, was another way to provide protection against smallpox. Live smallpox virus in the liquid taken from a smallpox blister in a mild case of the disease was put into a cut of a healthy person who developed a very mild case of smallpox.  About 3% of those inoculated developed a severe case of smallpox and died but that was preferable to catching smallpox with its mortality rate of 20–40% and scarred survivors. In April 1783, Octavius and his sister Sophia had their smallpox inoculations. Sophia recovered without incident, but four-year-old Octavius became ill and died several days later, on May 3, 1783.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Octavius of Great Britain
Unofficial Royalty: Smallpox Knew No Class Boundaries

May 3, 1826 – Birth of King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Full name: Carl Ludwig Eugen
Upon his father’s death in 1859, Carl ascended to the thrones of Sweden – as King Karl XV – and Norway – as King Karl IV. He was crowned in Sweden on May 3, 1860, and in Norway on August 5, 1860. Despite his abrupt manner, he is noted as one of the most successful  Swedish sovereigns. During his reign, he oversaw the enactment of communal law, ecclesiastical law, and criminal law, and in 1858, passed the law of legal majority for unmarried women
Unofficial Royalty: King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway

May 3, 1870 – Birth of Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Frogmore House in Windsor, England
Full name: Victoria Louise Sophia Augusta Amelia Helena
Helena Victoria, known as Thora, was the daughter of Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Thora never married and remained at home. Following her mother’s example, Thora was involved in many charities and organizations. These included the YMCA, YWCA, and Princess Christian’s Nursing Home in Windsor (established by her mother). She was also, with her sister Marie Louise, an avid supporter of the arts, and often held small concerts and performances at their various homes. Like her mother, Thora also assisted her aunt Beatrice in serving as an unofficial secretary to Queen Victoria. In the last few months of the Queen’s life, she often dictated her journal to Helena Victoria.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein

May 3, 1905 – Birth of Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria, Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until his death in 1996, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria was Head of the House of Wittelsbach and pretender to the former Bavarian throne from 1955 until he died in 1996. He was the eldest surviving grandson of the last reigning King of Bavaria, Ludwig III, and also the heir to the Jacobite succession.
Unofficial Royalty: Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

May 3, 1918 – Death of Princess Marie Anna of Saxe-Altenburg, wife of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony; buried at the Bückeburg Mausoleum in the park surrounding Bückeburg Castle
In 1882, Maria Anna married the future Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and the couple had nine children. Upon the death of his father in 1893, Maria Anna’s husband Georg became the reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. As Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Maria Anna supported churches and schools. Maria Anna’s husband died in 1911, and Marie Anna survived her husband by seven years, dying on May 3, 1918, at age 54.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Anna of Saxe-Altenburg, Princess of Schaumberg-Lippe

May 3, 1974 – Birth of Princess Haya bint Hussein, daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife Queen Alia al-Hussein, in Amman, Jordan
A skilled equestrian, Princess Haya was the first female to represent Jordan internationally in show jumping. She won individual bronze at the 1992 Pan Arab Games (becoming the first female ever to have won a Pan-Arab medal in equestrian sports). She was named Equestrian Personality of the Year in 1996, by the Spanish Equestrian Federation. In 2000, she competed in the Sydney Olympic Games and was the flag-bearer for the Jordanian athletes. In 2004, Haya became the junior wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. The couple had two children. Sheikh Mohammed divorced Princess Haya under Sharia Law in February 2019 but he did not inform Haya. In the early summer of 2019, Princess Haya took her two children and fled to London where she sought political asylum. In 2021, Princess Haya was granted full custody of her children by a British court. In March 2022, the British High Court declared that Princess Haya had been a victim of “domestic abuse”, and she was announced as the sole person in charge of the children’s schooling and medical care.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Haya bint Hussein

May 3, 1986 – Birth of Jack Brooksbank, husband of Princess Eugenie of York, born at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, Lambeth, England
Full name: Jack Christopher Stamp
Jack and Eugenie are third cousins twice removed via their mutual descent from Thomas Coke, 2nd Earl of Leicester. They were married on October 12, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. The couple has two sons.
Unofficial Royalty: Jack Brooksbank

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

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania Credit – Wikipedia

May 2, 1729 – Birth of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, born Princess Sophie  of Anhalt-Zerbst, in Stettin, Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia, now Szczecin, Poland
Never destined at birth to be a monarch or even married to a monarch, Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst achieved both. She married Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (born Carl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp), the grandson of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia, and the successor of his unmarried aunt Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia as Peter III, Emperor of All Russia. A conspiracy to overthrow Peter was planned and centered around the five Orlov brothers. After a reign of five months, Peter III was deposed, died under circumstances that remain unclear, and his wife became Catherine II, Empress of All Russia, now known as Catherine the Great. During Catherine’s reign, Russia grew larger and stronger and was recognized as one of the great powers of Europe.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

May 2, 1816 – Wedding of Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, later Leopold I, King of the Belgians, at Carlton House in London, England
In 1814, the handsome Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saafeld (after 1826, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha) visited London and met Charlotte. It was love at first sight. The newlywed couple settled at Claremont House which the British nation had purchased by an Act of Parliament as a wedding gift for Charlotte and Leopold. Charlotte was second in the line of succession to the British throne and would have succeeded her father, the future George IV, as Queen but on November 6, 1817, a great tragedy struck the British Royal Family.  After a labor of over 50 hours, Charlotte delivered a stillborn son. Several hours later, twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte, the only child of George, Prince of Wales and King George III’s only legitimate grandchild, died of postpartum hemorrhage.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Wales
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, King of the Belgians

May 2, 1896 – Birth of Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania, wife of King Carol II of Romania, in Athens, Greece
Helen’s marriage to Carol was unsuccessful and the couple divorced. She was the Queen Mother of Romania during the reign of her son King Michael. Helen was noted for her humanitarian efforts to save Romanian Jews during World War II, which led to her being named Righteous Among the Nations by Israel.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helen of Greece, Queen Mother of Romania

May 2, 1914 – Death of John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, husband of Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria, at Kent House in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England; buried at St. Munn’s Parish Church in Kilmun, Scotland
In 1878, Lorne, as he was called, was appointed Governor-General of Canada, where he served for five years. Lorne and his wife Princess Louise traveled extensively throughout Canada, bringing a royal touch to the country. From 1892 until his death, he was the Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle, appointed by his mother-in-law Queen Victoria. Although more of a title than an actual job, Lorne took the position very seriously. He wrote an extensive history of the castle – The Governor’s Guide to Windsor Castle.
Unofficial Royalty: John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll

May 2, 1938 – Birth of King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho in Morija, Basutoland, now in Lesotho
Moshoeshoe II was Paramount Chief of Basutoland (the former name of Lesotho) from 1960 – 1965 and King of Lesotho from 1965 – 1990. The Kingdom of Lesotho is a country completely within the borders of South Africa. In December 1990, he was deposed and his elder son became king, reigning as King Letsie III. Letsie III was embarrassed at being king while his father was still alive, and tried to persuade the government to reinstate his father as king. In August 1994 he enacted a new coup d’état with the army. Having obtained power, Letsie promised to return power to the previous government on the condition that Moshoeshoe II would return to being King of Lesotho. Moshoeshoe II’s second reign was brief. In the Maloti Mountains in Lesotho, Moshoeshoe’s car plunged off a mountain road during the early hours of January 15, 1996, killing him and his chauffeur.
Unofficial Royalty: King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho

May 2, 2015 – Birth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter of Prince William, The Prince of Wales, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, England
Full name: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana
Regardless of the gender of any younger siblings, Princess Charlotte will retain her place in the line of succession to the British throne until her older brother has children. The Succession to The Crown Act 2013, which formally went into effect on March 26, 2015, put in place absolute primogeniture, which means that for those born after October 28, 2011, the eldest child becomes the heir to his or her parent, regardless of gender. With the birth of her younger brother Prince Louis in 2018, Charlotte became the first British princess not to be overtaken in the line of succession by her younger brother.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Wales

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

Isabel of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress; Credit – Wikipedia

May 1, 1118 – Death of Matilda of Scotland, Queen of England, first wife of King Henry I of England, at the Palace of Westminster in London, England; probably buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
In 1100, Matilda, the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and his second wife Saint Margaret of Scotland, married King Henry I of England. Matilda and Henry had four children, but only two survived childhood. Matilda accompanied her husband in his travels throughout England and Normandy. She was a patron of music and poetry and commissioned a biography of her mother, The Life of Saint Margaret, attributed to Turgot of Durham. Influenced by her abbey upbringing and her mother Saint Margaret of Scotland, Matilda was pious and generous to the poor. She died when she was about the age of 38 on May 1, 1118, at the Palace of Westminster in London. Matilda’s place of her burial is uncertain. One tradition says that she was buried at Winchester Cathedral in the old monastery and that around 1158 Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester had her remains placed in a mortuary chest that is now lost. Another tradition says Matilda was buried in Westminster Abbey at the entrance of the chapter house and then later reburied to the south of Edward the Confessor’s shrine by King Henry III.
Unofficial Royalty: Matilda of Scotland, Queen of England

May 1, 1539 – Death of Isabel of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Spain wife of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor/Carlos I, King of Spain and mother of King Felipe II of Spain, in Toledo, Spain; originally buried in the Royal Chapel of Granada in Spain, later her remains were moved to buried to the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
Isabella, Infanta of Portugal was the wife of her first cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy, among many other titles. Charles and Isabella had five children but only three survived to adulthood. Their son Felipe would become King of Spain (1555 – 1598), King of Portugal (1581 – 1598), King of Naples and Sicily (1554 – 1598), Duke of Milan (1540 – 1598), Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands (1555 – 1598) and jure uxoris (by right of his wife) King of England and Ireland during his marriage to his second wife Queen Mary I of England from 1554 until Mary’s death in 1558. Isabella and Charles’ happy marriage lasted for thirteen years. In 1539, during the third month of Isabella’s seventh pregnancy, she developed a fever causing her to miscarry. The fever caused her condition to worsen and Isabella died two weeks later in Toledo, Spain, on May 1, 1539, aged thirty-five.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella of Portugal, Queen of Spain, Holy Roman Empress

May 1, 1850 – Birth of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Arthur William Patrick Albert
Prince Arthur’s first two names were given in honor of his two godfathers: Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Commander of the Coalition Army that defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo and a former Prime Minister (the prince was born on the Duke’s 81st birthday) and Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (later Wilhelm I, German Emperor, King of Prussia). Patrick was chosen to show his parents’ gratitude for the hospitality of the Irish people during their visit the previous year, and Albert, as his father Prince Albert wrote, “…Victoria’s love has always insisted on my name to finish up with.” Arthur was very much like his father in looks and was obedient, conscientious, and disciplined. He was Victoria’s favorite son: “This child is dear, dearer than any of the others put together, [after Albert] the dearest and most precious object to me on earth.” In 1879, Arthur married Princess Luise Margarete of Prussia, and the couple had three children. In 1911, in order to strengthen the links between the British monarchy and Canada, Arthur was appointed the first Governor-General of Canada who was a member of the Royal Family.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught

May 1, 1869 – Birth of Prince Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse, husband of Princess Margarete of Prussia, at his family’s estate Gut Panker in Plön, Holstein, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Full name: Friedrich Karl Ludwig Konstantin
Known as Fischy, he married Princess Margarete of Prussia, who was a daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. They had six sons including two sets of twins. Two of their sons were killed in action during World War I and one was killed in action during World War II.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse

May 1, 1920 – Death of Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden, born Princess Margaret of Connaught, wife of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Royal Burial Ground in Haga, Sweden
Margaret was the daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. In 1905, Margaret married the future King Gustaf VI Adolf, then Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Skåne. The couple had four sons and one daughter, and the Danish and Swedish Royal Families are the descendants of Margaret and Gustaf Adolf. Margaret was eager to learn the Swedish language and history, endearing her to the Swedish public. During World War I in neutral Sweden, Margaret organized supply drives and acted as a go-between for her relatives whose Allied and Axis countries were divided by the war. In 1907, when Gustaf Adolf’s grandfather King Oscar II died and his father became King Gustaf V, Gustaf Adolf and Margaret became the Crown Prince and Princess of Sweden. Margaret was eight months pregnant with her sixth child in 1920 when she underwent mastoid surgery. An infection set in, killing Margaret, at the age of 38, and her unborn child on May 1, 1920, her father’s 70th birthday. Her family along with the Swedish and British public mourned her death greatly.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden

May 1, 1963 – Birth of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, son of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, at Betzdorf Castle in Betzdorf,  Luxembourg
Full name: Guillaume Marie Louis Christian
Guillaume is the youngest of the five children of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium. In 1994, he married Sibilla Weiller, a distant cousin. Sibilla is a descendant of Queen Victoria via her youngest child Princess Beatrice. She is a granddaughter of Infanta Beatriz of Spain and a second cousin of King Felipe VI of Spain. Guillaume and his wife have four children. Guillaume and his wife live in Luxembourg and are often attend the major events in the Grand Duchy, as well as most family functions.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg

May 1, 1964 – Birth of Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom, born Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones at Kensington Palace in London, England
Full name: Sarah Frances Elizabeth
Sarah attended Bedales School where she developed an interest in art. This interest led her to attend the Camberwell College of Arts followed by coursework in Printed Textiles at Middlesex Polytechnic, before completing her studies at Royal Academy Schools where she won the Winsor & Newton Prize for emerging artists in painting and drawing in 1988 and the Creswick Landscape Prize in 1990.  Sarah continues to pursue her career as a painter and her work can be seen on the website of the gallery that represents her in the article linked below. In 1994, Sarah married Daniel Chatto, and the couple had two sons. Sarah and her family typically attend all the family functions and often spend the holidays with the Royal Family.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Sarah Chatto

May 1, 2019 – Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan as the 126th Emperor of Japan after the abdication of his father Emperor Akihito
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Akihito of Japan
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Naruhito of Japan
Unofficial Royalty: Ceremonies: Abdication of Emperor Akihito and Accession and Enthronement of Emperor Naruhito

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Queen Mary II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

April 30, 1553 – Birth of Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont, Queen of France, wife of King Henri III of France, in Nomeny, France
Shortly after her marriage to King Henri III, Louise suffered a miscarriage with complications and she never had children. However, Louise and Henri did not give up on the idea of ​​having children.  They went on many pilgrimages and took thermal cures in the hope of having an heir. Despite Henri’s affairs, Louise and Henri both loved each other and Louise did an admirable job with her duties as Queen of France. Their marriage lasted fourteen years until King Henri III was assassinated. After the assassination, Louise became permanently depressed, always dressed in white, the traditional mourning color of French queens, and was nicknamed the “White Queen.” The walls of her bed-chamber were all black and the décor were all symbols of mourning. On January 29, 1601, Louise died at the Château de Moulins at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont, Queen of France

April 30, 1587 – Birth of Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé, Princess of Orange, wife of Filips Willem, Prince of Orange, in St-Jean-d’Angély, Saintonge, France
Éléonore was the elder of the two children of Henri I, Prince de Condé and his second wife Charlotte Catherine de La Tremoille. The House of Condé was a French princely house and a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. The title of Prince of Condé was originally assumed around 1557 by Éléonore’s grandfather Louis de Bourbon,  a prominent Huguenot (French Protestant) leader and general, and first cousin of King Henri IV of France. The title was held by his male-line descendants. In 1606, 19-year-old Éléonore married 51-year-old Filips Willem, Prince of Orange, son of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange and his first wife Anna van Egmont. Éléonore and Filips Willem had a happy marriage despite their age difference and the absence of children.
Unofficial Royalty: Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé, Princess of Orange

April 30, 1632 – Death of King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden at Warsaw, Poland; buried at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland
Sigismund was the son of Johan III, King of Sweden and his first wife Katarina Jagellonica of Poland. He was not only King of Sweden but also King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania through his mother. Sigismund, who was Catholic, was deposed in 1599 as King of Sweden by his Protestant uncle who reigned as King Karl IX of Sweden and lived the remainder of his life in Poland.
Unofficial Royalty: King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden

April 30, 1662 – Birth of Queen Mary II of England at St. James’ Palace in London, England
Mary was the elder of the two surviving children (the other was Queen Anne) of King James II of England and his first wife Anne Hyde.  Mary married her first cousin Willem III, Prince of Orange who followed Mary and her sister Anne in the line of succession to the English throne. In 1688, Mary’s father King James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution and Mary and her husband William became joint sovereigns as King William III and Queen Mary II.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Mary II of England

April 30, 1837 – Death of Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Crypt Chapel in the Meiningen municipal cemetery until 1977 when her remains were removed from the chapel, cremated and buried elsewhere in the cemetery
Luise Eleonore and her husband were the parents of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the wife of King William IV of the United Kingdom. When her husband died and their three-year-old son became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Luise Eleonore became Regent and is credited with steering the duchy through some very difficult times.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

April 30, 1857 – Death of Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Gloucester House in Piccadilly, London, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Princess Mary was one of three of the six daughters of King George III who eventually married.  At the age of 48, she married her paternal first cousin, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the son of King George III’s brother, Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Mary was a great favorite with all the members of the royal family, particularly with her niece Queen Victoria. She died at age 81, the longest-lived and the last survivor of her parents’ fifteen children. Mary also has the distinction of being the only child of King George III to be photographed, – a photo with her niece Queen Victoria and two of Victoria’s children, Princess Alice and the Prince of Wales (future Edward VII) – which can be seen in the article linked below.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester

April 30, 1881- Birth of Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein, wife of Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Dorothea Maria Henriette Auguste Louise
Through her mother, Dorothea was a granddaughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians. Dorothea and her husband had no children of their own, but they adopted Princess Marie Luise and Prince Johann Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the children of Prince Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his first wife, Countess Ortrud of Ysenburg and Büdingen.
Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein

April 30, 1882 – Death of Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Princess of Württemberg,  first wife of King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried at the Old Cemetery on the grounds of Ludwigsburg Palace
Marie was the sister of Emma who married King Willem III of the Netherlands and Helena who married Queen Victoria’s son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.  On April 24, 1882, Marie gave birth to her third child, a stillborn daughter, and suffered serious complications. She died six days later.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Princess of Württemberg

April 30, 1909 – Birth of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands
April 30, 1980 – Abdication of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands; her daughter Beatrix becomes queen
Full name: Juliana Emma Louise Wilhelmina
Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Hendrik of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.  After a reign of nearly 58 years, Queen Wilhelmina abdicated in favor of her daughter and Juliana became Queen of the Netherlands. Juliana was a much more relaxed monarch than her mother had been and this lessened the distance between the royal family and the Dutch people. She often appeared in public dressed like any ordinary Dutch woman, and preferred to be addressed as “Mevrouw” (Dutch for “Mrs.”) rather than her formal “Majesty”. Juliana’s love of bicycling for exercise gave rise to the royal family’s nickname, “the cycling family.”
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Juliana of the Netherlands

April 30, 1946 – Birth of King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden at Haga Palace in Solna, Sweden
Full name: Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus
Carl Gustaf is a descendant of Queen Victoria through both of his parents.  His paternal grandmother was Princess Margaret of Connaught, daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.  His maternal grandfather was Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the posthumous son of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, Queen Victoria’s youngest son.  On April 26, 2018, King Carl  XVI Gustaf became the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history surpassing King Magnus IV who reigned for 44 years and 222 days from July 8, 1319 – to February 15, 1364.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden

April 30, 1991 – Death of Ghislaine Dommanget, Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Louis II of Monaco; buried at the Cimetiere de Passy in Paris, France
Ghislaine was an actress, working at the famed Comédie-Française in Paris, before meeting Prince Louis II. She had been married twice before. Members of the royal family questioned her motives, and viewed her as an opportunist and golddigger. Prince Louis died less than three years after their marriage later and was succeeded by his grandson, Prince Rainier III. In his will, Louis had left half of his estate to Ghislaine, but Rainier and his sister Antoinette contested this, and the will was overturned.  Ghislaine lived the rest of her life in Paris but developed a close relationship with Prince Rainier III’s wife Princess Grace.
Unofficial Royalty: Ghislaine Marie Francoise Dommanget, Princess of Monaco

April 30, 2013 – Abdication of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands; her son Willem-Alexander becomes King
Following in the footsteps of her mother Queen Juliana and grandmother Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Beatrix also abdicated in favor of her heir. Her official title after her abdication is Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

April 30, 2019 – Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicates in favor of his son Naruhito
In 2016, Emperor Akihito gave a televised speech emphasizing his advanced age and declining health that was interpreted as a desire to abdicate.  In 2017, the National Diet, the Japanese legislature, passed a bill allowing Akihito to abdicate. On December 1, 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Emperor Akihito would abdicate on April 30, 2019, in favor of his elder son Crown Prince Naruhito. The last abdication occurred 200 years ago when Emperor Kōkaku abdicated in 1817.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Akihito of Japan
Unofficial Royalty: Ceremonies: Abdication of Emperor Akihito and Accession and Enthronement of Emperor Naruhito

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

Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

April 29, 1763 – Birth of Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in Hildburghausen, Duchy of  Saxe-Hildburghausen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Originally Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Friedrich became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1826. After Friedrich IV, the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died in 1825 without heirs, the Ernestine duchies were reorganized. Gotha passed to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (becoming the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and Altenburg passed to Friedrich. In exchange, the two Dukes ceded Saalfeld and Hildburghausen, respectively, to Bernard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. In 1785, Friedrich married Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The marriage was happy at first, but soon Friedrich realized that his wife was far more intelligent than he was, and began to ignore her. Despite this, the couple had 12 children.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

April 29, 1818 – Birth of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia
Alexander II is known as “The Liberator” for emancipating the Russian serfs and was one of five of the twenty Romanov rulers (Ivan VI, Peter III, Paul I, Alexander II, and Nicholas II) to die a violent death. He was assassinated by a bomb on March 13, 1881, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Alexander II was the most reforming emperor since Peter the Great.  Besides his emancipation of the serfs, Alexander II reorganized the judicial system, established local self-government called Zemstvo, instituted universal military service in which sons of the rich and the poor were required to serve, ended some of the privileges of the nobility, and promoted higher education in the universities.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Emperor Alexander II of Russia

April 29, 1831- Birth of Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in  Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Full name: Leopold Friedrich Franz Nikolaus
Before he became Duke of Anhalt, Friedrich had a military career. He served on the staff of his brother-in-law, Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, during the Second Schleswig War and also served during the Franco-Prussian War, taking part in the Siege of Toul and battles at Beaumont and Sedan. In January 1871, he was present at the Palace of Versailles for the proclamation of King Wilhelm I of Prussia as the German Emperor. In 1854, Friedrich married Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. The couple had six children including two reigning Dukes of Anhalt.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt

April 29, 1868 – Birth of Alice Keppel, mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, in Woolwich Dockyard, Kent, England
Alice Keppel was the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from 1898 until his death in 1910. Through her daughter Sonia, she is the great-grandmother of Queen Camilla, the wife of King Charles III.
Unofficial Royalty: Alice Keppel, mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

April 29, 1901 – Birth of Emperor Shōwa of Japan (Hirohito) at the Aoyama Palace in Tokyo, Japan
Emperor of Japan for 62 years, Hirohito, now known in Japan by his posthumous name Emperor Shōwa, was born during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Meiji.  After World War II, some believed that Hirohito was chiefly responsible for Japan’s role in the war and others said that he was just a powerless puppet under the influence of Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō who was eventually executed for war crimes. The view promoted by both the Japanese Imperial Palace and the American occupation forces immediately after World War II portrayed Emperor Hirohito as a powerless figurehead behaving strictly according to protocol. However, since he died in 1989, a debate began to surface over the extent of his involvement and his culpability in World War II. In 1924, Hirohito married Princess Nagako Kuni. They had two sons and seven daughters including Hirohito’s successor Emperor Akihito. Hirohito was very interested in marine biology and the Imperial Palace contained a laboratory where he worked. He published several scientific papers on the subject and was considered one of the most respected jellyfish experts in the world.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Shōwa of Japan

April 29, 1911 – Death of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Mausoleum in the park of Schloss Bückeburg
In 1882,  Georg married Marie Anna of Saxe-Altenburg. The couple had nine children including Adolf II, the last Prince of Schaumberg-Lippe. Four years before Georg’s death, on the occasion of his 25th wedding anniversary, Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia presented Schaumberg Castle, the Schaumberg-Lippe ancestral home, in Rinteln, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, to Georg and his wife Maria Anna. The castle had become the property of the Prussian royal family when the Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe sided with the Austrians, the losers in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War. The gift was also meant to be in recognition of Georg’s support of Prussia in the dispute over the succession to the Principality of Lippe’s throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

April 29, 1944 – Birth of Princess Benedikte of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik IX of Denmark, sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, at the Frederick VIII Palace in Amalienborg complex in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid
Princess Benedikte remains an active member of the Danish Royal House. She is the patron of several organizations in Denmark and appears at most State and official functions, as well as representing the Danish crown at various events.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Benedikte of Denmark

April 29, 2005 – Birth of Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand, son of King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, at the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand
Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand is the heir presumptive to the throne of Thailand. His status is uncertain because of his parents’ divorce.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand

April 29, 2007 – Birth of Infanta Sofia of Spain, daughter of King Felipe VI of Spain, at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, Spain
Full name: Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz
Sofia is the younger of the two daughters of King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia (born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano). She was named after her paternal grandmother Queen Sofía of Spain (born Princess Sophia of Greece) and awas given the additional name of de Todos los Santos (of All the Saints), a Bourbon tradition.
Unofficial Royalty: Infanta Sofia of Spain

April 29, 2011 – Wedding of Prince William, The Prince of Wales and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London, England
In 2001, Prince William and Catherine Middleton first met while they were both students at the University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. During their first year, they both lived at St. Salvator’s Hall, a residence hall at the university. For their final two years, they shared housing in the town. They started dating in 2003 and remained together for eight years except for a brief separation in 2007. The couple became engaged in October 2010 while on a private vacation in Kenya. The official engagement announcement came from Clarence House on November 16, 2010: “The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton.”
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince William, The Prince of Wales and Catherine Middleton

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 Edward IV of England; Credit – Wikipedia

April 28, 1442 – Birth of King Edward IV of England in Rouen, France
The first Yorkist King of England, Edward was the son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England.  Edward’s father could claim descent from Edward III’s second and fourth surviving sons, Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence and Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York. He was the Yorkist leader during the Wars of the Roses until his death in battle when his son Edward became the leader of the Yorkist faction. His decisive victory over the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton on March 29, 1461, cemented his status as King of England. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 29, 1461. In 1464, King Edward IV married the widowed Elizabeth Woodville and they had ten children. Had King Edward IV lived longer, perhaps he would have become one of England’s most powerful kings. He died a few weeks before his 41st birthday. His cause of death is not known for certain. Pneumonia, typhoid, malaria, poison, and an unhealthy lifestyle are some possibilities. King Edward IV was buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle close by his rival King Henry VI.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward IV of England

April 28, 1676 – Birth of King Fredrik I of Sweden, born Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel at Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany
Fredrik I was King of Sweden from 1720 until his death in 1751. However, he was also Prince Consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720 and Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730 until his death. In 1700, Fredrik married his first cousin Luise Dorothea of Brandenburg but she was sickly and died childless in 1705. In 1715, Fredrik married Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden but their marriage was childless. After the death of her brother Karl XII, King of Sweden in 1718, Ulrika Eleonora succeeded him.  Ulrika Eleonora wrote a letter to the Riksdag in 1720, informing its members of her desire to abdicate in favor of her husband on the condition that she should succeed him if he should die before her. Her husband acceded to the Swedish throne as Fredrik I, King of Sweden and Ulrika Eleonora became Queen Consort. Fredrik I reigned for 31 years and survived his wife by ten years. After suffering several strokes, he died on March 25, 1751, aged 74,
Unofficial Royalty: King Fredrik I of Sweden

April 28, 1772 – Execution of Johann Friedrich Struensee, favorite of King Christian VII of Denmark and lover of his wife Queen Caroline Matilda, in Copenhagen, Denmark
Because he was known for a new kind of therapy for mental illness, Struensee was called to treat King Christian VII of Denmark. Struensee could handle Christian’s instability, a great relief to the king’s advisers. Because of Christian VII’s confidence in him, Struensee gained political power and he also became the lover of Christian’s ill-treated wife Caroline Matilda of Wales (the sister of King George III) whose marriage was less than satisfactory. Eventually, Queen Dowager Juliana Maria, Christian’s stepmother, maneuvered a coup that brought about the fall of Struensee and discredited Caroline Matilda.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Friedrich Struensee, favorite of King Christian VII and lover of Queen Caroline Matilda

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 Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

April 27, 1650 – Birth of Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark and Norway, wife of King Christian V of Denmark, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany
In 1667, Charlotte Amalie married the future King Christian V of Denmark and Norway and they had seven children. Charlotte Amalie’s husband succeeded his father in 1670 as Christian V, King of Denmark and Norway. During King Christian V’s reign, colonies were established in the Caribbean. The islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island were originally a Danish colony called the Danish West Indies.  The city of Charlotte Amalie, on the island of St. Thomas, was named after Christian V’s wife. Denmark sold the islands to the United States in 1917 and now they are known as the United States Virgin Islands. The city of Charlotte Amalie is now the capital of the US Virgin Islands. King Christian V died in 1699 and was succeeded by his son King Frederik IV. On March 27, 1714, Charlotte Amalie, Queen of Denmark and Norway, aged 63, died of scarlet fever after being ill for six days.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Queen of Denmark and Norway

April 27, 1701 – Birth of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy
In 1715, Carlo Emanuele’s fifteen-year-old elder brother Vittorio Amedeo died from smallpox and Carlo Emanuele became the heir to the throne and the Prince of Piedmont. He married three times but all three wives died young. With his first wife Anna Christine of Sulzbach, Carlo Emanuele had one child. He had six children with his second wife Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg and three children with his third wife Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine. In 1731, two years after Carlo Emanuele’s mother died, his father Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, married his mistress and abdicated the throne. Carlo Emanuele was a soldier-king who gained territory for his kingdom by fighting on the French side in the War of the Polish Succession and then on the Austrian side in the War of the Austrian Succession. His ancestors were avid art collectors and Carlo Emanuele was no different. He added many new paintings to the collection of the House of Savoy. On February 20, 1773, Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia died at the age of 71. He survived his three wives, his five siblings, and six of his ten children.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia

April 27, 1706 – Death of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen
When Bernhard’s father died in 1675, instead of passing everything to his eldest son, he instead chose to divide his territory among his living sons. Each received part of the duchy and was expected to rule jointly – but under the authority – of the eldest one. Bernhard received Meiningen and the surrounding area, including the former principality of Henneberg. By 1680, the brothers had formally divided their lands, each becoming the ruler of the newly established duchies. Bernhard became the first reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Having moved to Meiningen and taking up residence at the Meiningen Castle, Bernhard soon made plans to build a new official residence in the city. The Elisabethenburg Palace was built between 1682-1692 and was named for his second wife. In addition to the new palace, Bernhard also established a court orchestra in 1690, and the Schlosspark in 1692. Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen died in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, on April 27, 1706. He is buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen.
Unofficial Royalty: Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

April 27, 1796 – Birth of Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany at the Royal Palace in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony
Maria Ferdinanda’s younger sister Maria Anna was to marry the future Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, son of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. However, Maria Anna was so terrified at the idea of meeting her bridegroom that she refused to leave Saxony unless her sister Maria Ferdinanda accompanied her. During the wedding celebrations, Maria Ferdinanda caught the eye of the groom’s father Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany who was twenty-seven years older than Maria Ferdinanda. Four years later, when his son Leopoldo and his wife Maria Anna had not produced any children, Ferdinando decided to marry twenty years after the death of his first wife. He chose Maria Ferdinanda as his second wife and they were married in 1821 but their marriage remained childless. Maria Ferdinanda became a widow at the age of twenty-eight but she never remarried. In 1859, the Grand Ducal family was forced to flee Tuscany because of the wars caused by the Italian unification movement. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany became part of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Maria Ferdinanda lived partly in the Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, and also in Dresden at the court of her brother King Johann of Saxony. She survived her husband by forty-one years, dying at the age of 68.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

April 27, 1806 – Birth of Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain, fourth wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
Full name: Maria Cristina Ferdinanda
Maria Christina was the daughter of King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Infanta María Isabella of Spain, sister of King Ferdinand VII of Spain. In 1829, she became the fourth wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, who had been widowed three times, and the wife who finally gave him an heir. Soon after her marriage, Maria Christina became pregnant. In 1830, Ferdinand VII issued the Pragmatic Sanction, allowing daughters to succeed to the Spanish throne as well as sons. This meant that his younger brother Infante Carlos would be displaced in the line of succession by Ferdinand’s children of both genders. Ferdinand’s daughter succeeded him as Queen Isabella II of Spain.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain

April 27, 1831 – Death of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia at the Palazzo Chablais in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy; buried at Hautecombe Abbey now in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, France
As the third son, Carlo Felice was not expected to succeed to the throne. In 1802, Carlo Felice’s brother Vittorio Emanuele became King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his brother Carlo Emanuele who was despondent after the death of his wife. There was a succession crisis in the Kingdom of Sardinia. The abdicated Carlo Emanuele was childless. The current king Vittorio Emanuele had five surviving daughters who could not succeed to the throne and his only son died at the age of three from smallpox. The three other brothers of Carlo Felice, Vittorio Emanuele, and Carlo Emanuele had all died unmarried. In 1807, Carlo Felice married Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily but their marriage was also childless. In 1821, liberal revolutions were occurring throughout Italy. However, Vittorio Emanuele I was not willing to grant a liberal constitution so he abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of his brother Carlo Felice. Upon the death of Carlo Felice, the main line of the House of Savoy became extinct. Upon the death of Carlo Felice aged 66, on April 27, 1831, he was succeeded by the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano who reigned as Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia

April 27, 1848 – Birth of King Otto I of Bavaria at The Residenz in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Otto Wilhelm Luitpold Adalbert Waldemar
Like his brother King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Otto was also mentally ill. After Ludwig and his doctor were found dead in a lake, Otto became King of Bavaria. However, because of his incapacity, Otto probably never understood that he had become king. His uncle Prince Luitpold who had been Regent of Bavaria during Ludwig II’s reign remained Regent during Otto’s reign.
Unofficial Royalty: King Otto I of Bavaria

April 27, 1882 – Wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria, and Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Leopold was ecstatic when he wrote of the news of his engagement to his brother-in-law Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine, widower of his sister Alice: “…we became engaged this afternoon…Oh, my dear brother, I am so overjoyed, and you, who have known this happiness, you will be pleased for me, won’t you?… You only know Helena a little as yet – when you really know her, then you will understand why I’m mad with joy today.” Sadly, Leopold and Helena’s marriage lasted only two years. Helena was pregnant with their second child when Leopold died following a fall, apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Leopold and Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont

April 27, 1912 – Birth of Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark,  wife of her first cousin Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark, at Jægersborghus, a country house in Gentofte north of Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Caroline-Mathilde Louise Dagmar Christine Maud Augusta Ingeborg Thyra Adelheid Caroline-Mathilde was the granddaughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark. In 1933, Caroline-Mathilde married her first cousin Prince Knud of Denmark. Knud was the younger son of King Christian X of Denmark who was the brother of Caroline-Mathilde’s father Prince Harald. Caroline-Mathilde and Knud had one daughter and two sons. From 1947 to 1953, Knud was the heir presumptive of his older brother King Frederick IX. Knud would have become king and Caroline Mathilde queen, but a 1953 change in the succession law caused Knud to lose his place in the succession to his niece, who became Queen Margrethe II upon the death of her father in 1972. After the change, Prince Knud was given the title of Hereditary Prince and Caroline Mathilde became Hereditary Princess.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

April 27, 1931 – Death of Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, grandson of Queen Victoria, in Primkenau, Germany, now Przemków, Poland;  buried near the church in Primkenau
Prince Albert was the son of Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria, and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. He never married but succeeded his childless first cousin, Ernst Günther, as titular Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenberg.  Shortly before his death, he recognized an illegitimate daughter, Valerie Marie.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

April 27, 1953 – Birth of Prince Alexis Romanoff in San Francisco, California
Known as Alex Romanoff, he is a great-great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and has been one of the disputed pretenders to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family since the death of his father Prince Andrew Romanoff in 2021.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alexis Romanoff

April 27, 1967 – Birth of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands
Full name: Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand
On January 28, 2013, Willem-Alexander’s mother Queen Beatrix announced her intention to abdicate in favor of him. Queen Beatrix signed the Instrument of Abdication at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on April 30, 2013. Afterward, Willem-Alexander was inaugurated as King at the Nieuwe Kerk which is adjacent to the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.
Unofficial Royalty: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

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

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

April 26, 1575 – Birth of Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France, second wife of King Henri IV of France, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
Marie was the daughter of Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Archduchess Joanna of Austria. The House of Medici had come to prominence in the 15th century, as founders of the Medici Bank, the largest bank in Europe, and later as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Along with Marie, other prominent family members included Catherine de’ Medici, consort to King Henri II of France, and Popes Leo X, Clement VII, and Leo XI. Among her children are King Louis XIII of France and Henrietta Maria who married King Charles I of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France

April 26, 1648 – Birth of King Pedro II of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Following the death of his father João IV, King of Portugal, Pedro’s mother Luisa de Guzmán became regent for the new king 13-year-old Afonso VI, Peter’s elder, partially paralyzed, and mentally unstable brother. In 1662 Afonso put his mother away in a convent and assumed control of Portugal as Prince Regent.  He also had his brother’s marriage to Marie Françoise of Savoy annulled and then married her. Pedro officially became King of Portugal when his brother died in 1683. After his first wife died, Pedro married again to Maria Sophia of Neuberg because he had only one daughter with his first wife and wanted sons. On December 5, 1706, he had a seizure that resulted in a stroke and he died four days later.  Pedro was succeeded by was 17-year-old son João V, King of Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King Pedro II of Portugal

April 26, 1721 – Birth of Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II of Great Britain, at Leicester House in London, England
Fans of Diana Gabaldon’s novels of The Outlander series and the television series of the same name know that the Battle of Culloden in 1746 resulted in a decisive defeat of the Jacobite forces that wanted to restore the heirs of Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/ VII of Scotland to the throne. Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland was the commander of the British troops at the Battle of Culloden and is known by the nicknames “The Butcher of Culloden” and “Butcher Cumberland.”
Unofficial Royalty: Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland

April 26, 1782 – Birth of Maria Amalia Teresa of the Two Sicilies, Queen of the French,  wife of Louis-Philippe, King of the French, at Caserta Palace in Caserta, Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy
While still very young, Maria Amalia was engaged to her first cousin, the Dauphin of France. His mother Queen Marie Antoinette was Maria Amalia’s maternal aunt. However, the French Revolution resulting in the deaths of her aunt and her first cousin changed these plans. Her youth was spent in upheaval – the events in France – particularly the execution of her aunt – and subsequent conflict during the First Coalition soon found the family fleeing Sicily for the safety of Naples. After spending two years in Austria, she returned to Naples in 1802.  Four years later, when Napoleon invaded, the family again fled, this time settling in Palermo where British forces protected them. In 1809, Maria Amalia married the future Louis Philippe I, King of the French and they had ten children. In 1830, King Charles X of France was overthrown during the July Revolution and forced to abdicate and Louis Philippe became king.  After her husband was forced to abdicate in 1840, the family left France and was welcomed in England by Queen Victoria, who gave them the use of Claremont House in Surrey, England.  After her husband’s death, Marie Amélie lived a very private life, spending time with her family and enjoying a close relationship with the British Royal Family. At the age of 83, Queen Marie Amélie died at Claremont House on March 24, 1866.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Amalia Teresa of the Two Sicilies, Queen of the French

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

April 26, 1864 – Death of Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria, wife of Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried at the Theatinerkirche in Munich
Auguste was the daughter of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany.  In 1844, she married Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, a younger son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The couple had four children including Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria. Auguste was a devoted mother to her four children, speaking to them only in Italian, and was a strong supporter of her husband and the Bavarian monarchy. In 1848, she publicly criticized her father-in-law King Ludwig I for his relationship with his mistress Lola Montez, and its negative effects on the monarchy.  On April 26, 1864, Princess Auguste died, aged 39, from tuberculosis which she had suffered from for many years.
Unofficial Royalty: Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria

April 26, 1923 – Wedding of King George VI of the United Kingdom and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Although they had met at a tea party in 1916, Bertie, as George VI was known in the family, and Elizabeth had their first significant meeting on July 8, 1920, at the Royal Air Force Ball at the Ritz in London. Bertie had come to the ball with his equerry James Stuart, the youngest son of the Earl of Moray. Elizabeth and James were old friends from Scotland and shared a dance. Bertie questioned James about his dance partner and asked to be introduced. Although the meeting did not make much of an impression on Elizabeth, Bertie fell in love that evening and started courting Elizabeth. He first proposed to her in 1921 and was rejected because Elizabeth feared the changes in her life being a member of the Royal Family would require. Elizabeth served as a bridesmaid in the wedding of Bertie’s sister Mary in February 1922. The following month, Bertie again proposed to her and was turned down once more. On January 2, 1923, after taking Elizabeth to dinner at Claridge’s and the theater, Bertie proposed a third time. After talking to friends and relatives and expressing her feelings in the diary, Elizabeth agreed to marry Bertie on January 14, 1923, although she still had misgivings.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King George VI of the United Kingdom and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

April 26, 1994 – Death of Queen Zein of Jordan, born Zein al-Sharaf Bint Jamal, wife of King Talal of Jordan and mother of King Hussein I of Jordan, in Lausanne, Switzerland; buried at the Royal Cemetery, near Raghadan Palace within the Royal Compound (Al-Maquar) in Amman, Jordan
Queen Zein played a major role in the formation of the Jordanian state. In 1944, Zein founded the first women’s association in Jordan. She established the women’s branch of the Jordanian Red Crescent (affiliated with the Red Cross) in 1948 and organized assistance to Palestinian refugees during the Arab-Israeli war in 1949. She participated in the writing of the Jordan Constitution in 1952, which guaranteed women’s rights. After the assassination of King Abdullah I in 1951, Zein held the power while the newly proclaimed King Talal was treated outside the country. She again took the reins of power in August 1952, when her son Hussein was proclaimed king, until May 1953, when he turned eighteen and assumed full constitutional duties. During the reign of her son, King Hussein I, Zein was an influential figure behind the scenes.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Zein of Jordan

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 Mary of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

April 25, 1284 – Birth of King Edward II of England at Caernarvon Castle in Wales
Edward was the first English Prince of Wales. The tradition of conferring the title Prince of Wales on the heir apparent of the monarch is usually considered to have begun in 1301 when King Edward I of England invested his son Edward of Caernarfon with the title at a Parliament held in Lincoln. Since then, the title has been granted (with a few exceptions) to the heir apparent of the English or British monarch. Edward II succeeded his father King Edward I in 1307. The granting of favors to Edward II’s favorites greatly displeased the English nobility. His wife Isabella of France and her lover Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March decided to depose Edward II resulting in his forced abdication. Edward II and Isabella’s son was crowned King Edward III, and Isabella and Mortimer served as regents for the teenage king. King Edward II was sent to Berkeley Castle where castle records indicate he was well treated. The circumstances of what happened to him are uncertain. One theory is that he died at Berkeley Castle on September 21, 1327, murdered on the orders of Isabella and Mortimer. When King Edward III reached the age of 18, he conducted a coup d’état against Mortimer and Isabella resulting in the execution of Mortimer and the confinement of his mother at Castle Rising in Norfolk.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward II of England

April 25, 1566 – Death of Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henri II of France, at the Château d’Anet near Dreux, Eure-et-Loir, France; buried in the funeral chapel on the grounds of the Château d’Anet
Diane de Poitiers was the royal mistress of King Henri II of France from around 1534 until the King died in 1559. During that time, she was considered to be the most powerful and influential woman in France, far surpassing the King’s wife Catherine de’ Medici.
Unofficial Royalty: Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henri II of France

April 25, 1775 – Birth of Carlota Joaquina of Spain, Queen of Portugal, wife of King João VI of Portugal, at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Spain
Full name: Carlota Joaquina Teresa Cayetana
The daughter of Carlos IV, King of Spain, Carlota Joaquina married the future João VI, King of Portugal in 1785. The couple had nine children including two Kings of Portugal and one Queen Consort of Spain. In 1816, Carlota Joaquina’s husband became King of Portugal. In 1824, Carlota Joaquina plotted with her son Miguel to overthrow her husband and place Miguel on the throne. The plot was discovered and King João VI reprimanded his son Miguel, deposed him from command of the army, and exiled him.  Later in the year, another rebellion organized by Carlota Joaquina was discovered and she was placed under house arrest in the Palace of Queluz. In 1826, João VI died and it was suspected that he was poisoned. In 2000, a team of researchers exhumed the ceramic pot that contained João VI’s heart. An analysis of his heart detected enough arsenic to kill two people, confirming suspicions that João VI had been murdered. For the rest of her life, Carlota Joaquina remained confined in the Palace of Queluz, where she died alone and abandoned by her children on January 7, 1830, at the age of 56
Unofficial Royalty: Carlota Joaquina of Spain, Queen of Portugal

April 25, 1776 – Birth of Princess Mary of the United Kingdom, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Princess Mary was one of three of the six daughters of King George III who eventually married.  At the age of 48, she married her paternal first cousin, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the son of King George III’s brother, Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Mary was a great favorite with all the members of the royal family, particularly with her niece Queen Victoria. She died at age 81, the longest-lived and the last survivor of her parents’ fifteen children. Mary also has the distinction of being the only child of King George III to be photographed, – a photo with her niece Queen Victoria and two of Victoria’s children, Princess Alice and the Prince of Wales (future Edward VII) – which can be seen in the article linked below.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester

April 25, 1805 – Death of Anna Petrovna Lopukhina, mistress of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, in Turin, First French Empire, now in Italy; buried in the St. Lazarus Church at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, Russia
Anna was the mistress of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia for several years before his assassination in 1801. Anna had married Prince Pavel Gavrilovich Gagarin. After the death of Emperor Paul, the benefits that Pavel would reap from being married to Paul’s official mistress were now gone, and Pavel and Anna’s marriage deteriorated. Both Pavel and Anna had affairs. Anna’s affair was with Prince Boris Antonovich Chetvertinsky. On February 5, 1805, Anna gave birth to Boris Antonovich’s daughter. Six weeks later Anna, aged 27, died from tuberculosis. Her infant daughter died a few weeks later.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Petrovna Lopukhina, mistress of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia

April 25, 1806 – Birth of Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick in Brunswick, Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Wilhelm August Ludwig Maximilian Friedrich
Wilhelm was the second Duke of Brunswick, reigning from 1830 until 1884. Under Wilhelm’s regency, the Duchy of Brunswick was granted a new constitution that extended significant fundamental rights to the people. He quickly became much more popular than his brother had ever been. He let his government do much of the ruling, leaving his ministers to handle most of the government business, and spending much of his time at his estates. Wilhelm never married but he had a number of illegitimate children.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick

April 25, 1843 – Birth of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Alice Maud Mary
Alice was known as the family caregiver having nursed both her maternal grandmother and her father through their last days and then supported her widowed mother in her intense grief. Seven months after her father’s death, Alice married the future Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine in a somber marriage ceremony.  Alice was a hemophilia carrier. Her hemophiliac son Friedrich (Frittie) died after a fall. Two of Alice’s daughters were hemophilia carriers – Irene who transmitted the disease to two of her sons, and Alix, who married Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, and transmitted hemophilia to her only son. Alice and her husband are the great-grandparents of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Sadly, Alice died, aged 35, on December 14, 1878, the 17th anniversary of her father’s death, of diphtheria after nursing her family through the disease. Her youngest child May had died from the disease a month earlier.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

April 25, 1885 – Death of Emma, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of King Kamehameha IV, in Honolulu, Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, now in the state of Hawaii; first buried at the Royal Mausoleum, Mauna ʻAla in Honolulu, later moved to the Kamehameha Tomb, an underground vault, under the Kamehameha Dynasty Tomb, on the grounds of the Royal Mausoleum
On June 19, 1856, 20-year-old Emma became Queen of the Hawaiian Islands when she married 22-year-old King Kamehameha IV. Emma and Alexander had one son, Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa a Kamehameha, named in honor of Queen Victoria’s eldest son Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII. Kamehameha IV met Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert on an around-the-world trip from 1849 to 1852. Queen Victoria agreed to become Albert Edward’s godmother by proxy. Queen Emma and Queen Victoria had a long-term friendship via letters. The two Queens met in the United Kingdom in 1865. Sadly, four-year-old Prince Albert Edward died at the age of four. A year later, Kamehameha IV died. In 1883, Emma had the first of several small strokes. On April 25, 1885, Emma died from a series of strokes, aged 49, in Honolulu.
Unofficial Royalty: Emma, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of King Kamehameha IV

April 25, 1897 – Birth of Mary, Princess Royal, daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom, at Marlborough House in London, England
Full name: Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary
Mary was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary and the paternal aunt of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1922, Mary married the future Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood and the couple had two sons. Mary continued to carry out engagements during the reigns of her brother King George VI and her niece Queen Elizabeth II.  After her husband died in 1947, Mary lived at Harewood House with her elder son George, the 7th Earl of Harewood, and his family. On March 28, 1965, Mary went for a walk on the grounds of Harewood House with her elder son George and two of her grandsons. She stumbled and fell and her son helped her to a seat while his sons ran back to the house to get help. Before help arrived, Mary died peacefully in her son’s arms from a heart attack at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood

April 25, 1941 – Birth of Princess Muna al-Hussein of Jordan, second wife of King Hussein I of Jordan and mother of King Abdullah II of Jordan, born Antoinette Avril Gardiner in Chelmondiston, Suffolk, England 
It was in Jordan, while Antoinette was working as a secretary on the production of the film Lawrence of Arabia that she met her future husband, King Hussein I of Jordan. Antoinette converted to Islam and took the name Muna-al Hussein. The couple married in 1961 and had four children including King Abdullah II of Jordan. Unlike King Hussein’s other wives, she was never created Queen of Jordan.  In 1971, King Hussein and Princess Muna divorced but she retained her titles.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Muna al-Hussein

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

Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

April 24, 1533 – Birth of Willem I of Orange-Nassau (the Silent), Prince of Orange, at Dillenburg Castle, then in the County of Nassau-Dillenburg in the Holy Roman Empire, now in Hesse, Germany
In the Netherlands, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange is known as the Vader des Vaderlands (Father of the Fatherland), and the Dutch national anthem, the Wilhelmus, was written in his honor. He got his nickname “the Silent” (in Dutch De Zwijger) not because he was quiet, but because of his habit of holding his tongue in difficult situations. Willem is the founder of the House of Orange-Nassau and the ancestor of the Dutch monarchs, the British monarchs from King George I forward, and other European royal families.
Unofficial Royalty: Willem I, Prince of Orange

April 24, 1608 – Birth of Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans, son of King Henri IV of France, at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France
Gaston, Duke of Orléans could be considered the black sheep of his family. Twice he had to leave France for conspiring against the government of his brother King Louis XIII. When his brother refused to grant permission for Gaston to marry Marguerite of Lorraine after the death of his first wife, Gaston married her anyway and kept the marriage secret. Because of his participation against the government in a series of civil wars, Gaston was exiled to one of his homes for the last seven years of his life.
Unofficial Royalty: Gaston of France, Duke of Orléans

 Birth of April 24, 1777 – Birth of Maria Clementina of Austria, Duchess of Calabria, first wife of the future Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies, at the Villa del Poggio Imperiale in Poggio Imperiale, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
Full name: Maria Clementina Josepha Johanna Fidele
In 1797, Maria Clementina married the future Francesco I, King of the Two Sicilies, and took on the female version of his title at that time, Duchess of Calabria. Maria Clementina and Francesco had two children but she died from tuberculosis on November 15, 1801, aged 24.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Clementina of Austria, Duchess of Calabria

April 24, 1783 – Death of Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, at Neskuchnoe, his estate near Moscow, Russia; buried at  the Orthodox Church of St. George Monastery in Velikiy Novgorod, Russia
Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov and his four brothers organized the coup d’etat that overthrew the husband of Catherine II the Great, Empress of All Russia (born Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst), and gave her the throne of the Russian Empire. He gave Catherine the famous Orlov Diamond, used in the scepter of the Romanov rulers, and was the father of at least one of Catherine’s children, Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky. Catherine and Orlov had a long relationship from 1759 – 1774, spanning the time Catherine was a Grand Duchess and Empress.
Unofficial Royalty: Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov, lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

April 24, 1852 – Death of Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden, in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in the Karlsruhe Stadtkirche, and after World War II, his remains were moved to the Grand Ducal Chapel in the Pheasant Garden in Karlsruhe
In 1819, Leopold married Princess Sofia of Sweden. The couple had eight children including two Grand Dukes of Baden. Leopold became Grand Duke of Baden in 1830, upon the death of his unmarried brother Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Baden, and held the throne for just over 22 years.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden

April 24, 1865 – Death of Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, from cerebrospinal meningitis in Nice, France; buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
Although Nicholas was born to succeed his father as Emperor of All Russia, it was not to be. He died from cerebrospinal meningitis, the same disease that had claimed the life of his elder sister Alexandra Alexandrovna when she was just six years old. Nicholas had been engaged to marry Princess Dagmar of Denmark, who was at his deathbed. There is an uncorroborated story that shortly before he died, Nicholas clasped together the hands of Dagmar and his brother, the future Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, begging them to marry. The couple did marry in 1866 and had six children including Nicholas II, the last Emperor of All Russia, who was named in honor of his deceased uncle.
Unofficial Royalty: Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia

April 24, 1923 – Death of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach at Schloss Heinrichau, the family’s estate in Heinrichau, Silesia, now Henryków, Poland; buried in the park at Schloss Heinrichau
From 1897 until 1909, Wilhelm Ernst was 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. Wilhelm Ernst was the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, abdicating on November 9, 1918. He was stripped of his throne and his properties and forced into exile.  He took up residence at Schloss Heinrichau, the family’s estate in Heinrichau, Silesia, now Henryków, Poland, where he died on April 24, 1923, aged 46.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

April 24, 1981 – Death of Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in Langenburg, Germany; buried in the Hohenlohe-Langenburg family cemetery
Although Margarita and her sisters were not invited to their brother Philip’s wedding due to the strong anti-German sentiment so soon after World War II, she and Philip remained close. In 1950, she was named as one of the godparents of Philip’s daughter, Princess Anne. In 1953, Margarita, her surviving sisters, and their mother were prominent guests at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Margarita’s grandson Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Head of the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, was one of the thirty guests at the funeral of his great-uncle Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

April 24, 1986 – Death of Wallis, Duchess of Windsor, wife of The Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, at Villa Windsor in Bois de Boulogne, Paris, France; buried next to her husband at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England
The Duchess of Windsor survived her husband by fourteen years. Her funeral was held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and was attended by her two surviving sisters-in-law: The Queen Mother and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, and also Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince and Princess of Wales also attended the burial.
Unofficial Royalty: Wallis, The Duchess of Windsor

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.