© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor as a boy (center) with his sisters Eleanor (left, future Queen of Portugal and France) and Isabella (right, future Queen of Denmark)

February 24, 1500 – Birth of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy at the Prinsenhof in Ghent, County of Flanders, Burgundian State, now in Belgium
Best known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles was one of the most powerful ever monarchs and had a large number of titles due to his vast inheritance of the Burgundian, Spanish, and Austrian realms. He was the second of the six children and the elder of the two sons of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State from the House of Habsburg, and Juana I, Queen of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy

February 24, 1557 – Birth of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria
Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor (reigned 1612 – 1619) was also King of Bohemia (reigned 1611 – 1617), Archduke of Austria (reigned 1608 – 1619), Archduke of Further Austria, (1608 – 1619), King of Hungary and Croatia (reigned 1608 – 1618). In 1611, Matthias married his first cousin Anna of Tyrol. Although Matthias was 54 years old, he hoped to have children with his 26-year-old wife but their marriage was childless. Although Matthias and his wife Anna did not leave any children, they left the future Habsburgs a burial site. Matthias and Anna founded the Capuchin Church (German: Kapuzinerkirche) in Vienna, Austria, where the Imperial Crypt (German: Kaisergruft), the traditional burial site of the Habsburgs, is located.
Unofficial Royalty: Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia

February 24, 1729 – Death of Ernst Ludwig II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen
Although Ernst Ludwig was the third son, both of his elder brothers died before their father, making him heir to the ducal throne. He became Duke of Saxe-Meiningen upon his father’s death in November 1724. Just fifteen years old, his brief reign was overseen by his two uncles, Friedrich Wilhelm and Anton Ulrich. Ernst Ludwig died just five years later.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Ludwig II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

February 24, 1774 – Birth of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at the Queen’s House, now Buckingham Palace, in London, England
Full name: Adolphus Frederick
Through his granddaughter, born Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, wife of King George V of the United Kingdom, Prince Adolphus is an ancestor of the British Royal Family. In 1818, Adolphus married Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, a great-granddaughter of King George II of Great Britain. They had three children including Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, the mother of  Princess Victoria Mary of Teck.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge

February 24, 1777 – Birth of King José I of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
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 

February 24, 1906 – Birth of Berthold, Margrave of Baden, Head of the House of Zähringen and pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Baden from 1929 until his death in 1963, in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
In 1931 in Baden-Baden, Berthold married Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, the second daughter of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg (as well as the elder sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh). The couple was second cousins through their mutual great-grandfather, King Christian IX of Denmark. Berthold and Theodora had three children.
Unofficial Royalty: Berthold, Margrave of Baden

February 24, 1931 – Death of Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg at Schloss Rastede in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg
Friedrich August was the last Grand Duke of Oldenburg, abdicating on November 11, 1918. In 1878, he married Princess Elisabeth Anna of Prussia, and the couple had one surviving daughter. After his first wife died in 1895, Friedrich August, needing a male heir and a mother for his surviving daughter, married Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. They had five children. Friedrich August became Grand Duke of Oldenburg upon his father’s death in 1900. After his abdication, Friedrich August retired to Schloss Rastede where he took up farming. Claiming an “extremely precarious” financial situation, he petitioned the Oldenburg government for an annual allowance the year after his abdication. Friedrich August, aged 78, died at his home Schloss Rastede on February 24, 1931.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

February 24, 1963 – Birth of Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro in Saint-Raphaël, Var, France
Prince Carlo is one of the current claimants to the headship of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, and a pretender to the throne of the former kingdom. He succeeded his father in 2008.
Full name: Carlo Maria Bernardo Gennaro
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Carlo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro

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Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke; Credit – Wikipedia

February 23, 1447 – Death of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, son of King Henry IV of England, at Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England; buried at the Abbey Church of St. Albans in Hertfordshire, England
Humphrey received an excellent education and it is thought he was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He had a great love of learning, was a collector of books and manuscripts and commissioned translations of classical works from Greek into Latin. When Humphrey died, he donated his collection of 281 manuscripts to the University of Oxford. The university built Duke Humfrey’s Library as a second story to the Divinity School to house his collection in 1450-80. Duke Humfrey’s Library still exists and it is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. During the early reign of his nephew King Henry VI,  Humphrey had become the heir presumptive to the throne after the death of his older brother John, Duke of Bedford and it was feared that if Henry VI left England, Humphrey could exercise his claim to be regent. Humphrey was hostile to the French while the English powers that be wanted peace. Humphrey was arrested and it appeared there would be a trial that would result in Humphrey’s disgrace or even a worse fate. However, there was no trial as five days later, Humphrey died. There is some suspicion that some kind of foul play was involved, but most likely Humphrey had a stroke because he was in a coma for three days before he died.
Unofficial Royalty: Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester

February 23, 1648 – Birth of Arabella Churchill, mistress of King James II of England, probably born at Ash, the family home of Arabella’s mother in Musbury, Devonshire, England
Arabella was the sister of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough who gained fame as a military leader and courtier during the reign of Queen Anne. His wife Sarah was Queen Anne’s Mistress of the Robes and confidante. Fifteen-year-old Arabella was sent to court to be a Maid of Honor to the Duchess of York. The Duchess of York, born Anne Hyde, was the wife of King Charles II’s brother James, Duke of York, the future King James II. Arabella captured James’ eye and became his mistress. Arabella and James had four children who were given the surname FitzJames, “son of James”. From their children, Arabella and James are the ancestors of the Earls Spencer and Diana, Princess of Wales as well as of the Dukes of Berwick, the later Dukes of Alba and Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba.
Unofficial Royalty: Arabella Churchill,  mistress of King James II of England

February 23, 1716 – Death of Countess Marianne von Thun-Hohenstein, the second of the four wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein
On February 3, 1716, seventeen-year-old Marianne married the widowed Prince Josef Johann Adam. The marriage did not even last a month. Three weeks after the marriage, on February 23, 1716, Marianne died in Vienna and was buried in the Old Crypt at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Vranov, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic.
Unofficial Royalty: The Four Wives of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

February 23, 1769 – Birth of Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess of Lippe, Regent of Lippe, wife of Leopold I, Prince of Lippe, in Ballenstedt, Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Full name: Pauline Christine Wilhelmine
Pauline’s husband Leopold I, Prince of Lippe had mental disorders and he was deemed incapacitated for some time. Because of Leopold’s tenuous mental condition, Pauline became his governmental adviser and colleague, staying mostly in the background and avoiding anything that could be interpreted as exceeding her duties. Pauline was not only Princess Consort of Lippe, she ably served as Regent of the Principality of Lippe for eighteen years during the minority of her son Leopold II, Prince of Lippe who succeeded his father when he was five years old. The social work that she started in Detmold, then in the Principality of Lippe, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, continues today with the charity she founded, the Princess Pauline Foundation. Pauline is considered one of the most important rulers of Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess of Lippe, Regent of Lippe

February 23, 1779 – Birth of Prince Octavius of Great Britain, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at the Queen’s House, now Buckingham Palace, in London, England
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 protect 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. Sadly, four-year-old Octavius was one of those who died after inoculation.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Octavius of Great Britain
Unofficial Royalty: Smallpox knew no class boundaries

February 23, 1800 – Birth of Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, first wife of Grand Duke August I of Oldenburg, at Schaumburg Castle in the Principality of  Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
In 1817, Adelheid married the then-Duke August of Oldenburg. The couple had two daughters including Amalia who married Prince Otto of Bavaria, later King of Greece. Adelheid died suddenly at the age of 20. Five years after her death, her husband married her youngest sister Ida.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Duchess of Oldenburg

February 23, 1803 – Birth of Alexandrine of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia and wife of Grand Duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friederike Wilhelmine Alexandrine Marie Helene
In 1822, Alexandrine married the future Grand Duke Paul Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and although the marriage was not a happy one, they had three children. Her husband became Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1837, died five years later, and was succeeded by the couple’s son Friedrich Franz II. At the time of her death in 1892, Alexandrine had been widowed for fifty years, lived through the reign of her son, and saw her grandson succeed to the Grand Ducal throne of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandrine of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

February 23, 1883 – Birth of Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe in Stadthagen, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany
Upon his father’s death in 1911, Adolf became the reigning Prince of Schaumberg-Lippe. After the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, Adolf II was forced to abdicate on November 15, 1918, and the Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe became the Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe. Adolf was exiled from the Free State of Schaumburg-Lippe and lived in the Brionian Islands, then Italy, now in Croatia. In 1920, Adolf married actress Elisabeth Franziska (Ellen) von Bischoff-Korthaus. The marriage was childless. On March 26, 1936, Adolf and his wife were killed in an airplane crash in Zumpango, Mexico, along with eight other passengers and four crew members.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

February 23, 1918 – Death of Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz at Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried on Love Island, a small island off Castle Island in Mirow, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Adolf Friedrich developed a strong love for the United Kingdom, likely influenced by his grandmother, who was born Princess Augusta of Cambridge, a granddaughter of King George III of the United Kingdom.  He took every opportunity to visit the United Kingdom and often represented his father and grandfather at official functions, such as the funerals of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, and the coronations of King Edward VII and King George V. Adolf Friedrich left his home on the evening of February 23, 1918, to take his dog for a walk. The following morning, his body was found in a nearby canal with a gunshot wound to his head. He left behind a suicide note which suggested that a woman was attempting to smear his name. However, his close friend, Princess Daisy of Pless suggested that he had developed severe depression over the war and the loss of his beloved grandmother.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

February 23, 1960 – Death of Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Kensington Palace in London, England; cremated and ashes buried at St. Mildred’s Church, Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England
Alexander was the son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg.  When World War I started in August of 1914, Alexander’s regiment was under deployment orders, as was the 60th Rifles, the regiment of his brothers Leopold and Maurice. A little more than two months after the war started, Maurice was killed in action. During World War I, his surname was changed to Mountbatten and he was created 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke. In 1917, he married Lady Irene Denison, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Londesbrough and they had one daughter. After World War I, Alexander began a business career and started work as a clerk in the offices of the bank Lazard Brothers. Alexander also worked for the Metropolitan Housing Corporation which controlled many housing estates for artisans, and Alexander eventually took full charge of the social work connected with the estates. Later he became a director of Lever Brothers and several other companies. Alexander died from a cerebral hemorrhage at Kensington Palace in London, England on February 23, 1960, at the age of 73.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander Mountbatten, Marquess of Carisbrooke

February 23, 1960 – Birth of Emperor Naruhito of Japan at the Imperial Household Agency Hospital at the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan
Naruhito, the current Emperor of Japan, is the elder of the two sons and the eldest of the three children of former Emperor Akihito and Michiko Shōda. In 1993, he married Masako Owada and the couple had one daughter. On May 1, 2019, Naruhito ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne as Emperor of Japan upon the abdication of his father Emperor Akihito. There is male-line, male-only succession in Japan which means that Emperor Naruhito’s daughter cannot inherit the throne nor can any of her potential sons inherit the throne. There has been discussion about changing the succession but no action has been taken. Currently, there are only three people in the line of succession: Crown Prince Akishino (born in 1965, brother of Emperor Naruhito), Prince Hisahito, (born in 2005, son of Crown Prince Akishino), and Prince Hitachi (born in 1935, uncle of Emperor Naruhito). Probably, there will not be another person in the line of succession until Prince Hisahito marries and has a son.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Naruhito of Japan
Unofficial Royalty: Japanese Succession Crisis

February 23, 1969 – Death of King Saud of Saudi Arabia in exile at Athens, Greece; buried at the Alaoud Cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
In 1953, upon the death of his father Abdulaziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, also known as Ibn Saud, the founder and the first king of Saudi Arabia, Saud became the second King of Saudi Arabia. Saud had a long-standing power struggle with his half-brother Faisal who deposed Saud in 1964. Saud was forced into exile but lived quite comfortably with a retinue of forty people. He first settled in Geneva, Switzerland, then lived in palaces in Paris, France, and on the French Riviera. Saud then settled in Egypt in a magnificent palace in Heliopolis, and then in Greece at a large estate in Athens. On February 23, 1969, former King Saud died in Athens at the age of 67 after suffering a heart attack in his sleep.
Unofficial Royalty: King Saud of Saudi Arabia

February 23, 2012 – Birth of Princess Estelle of Sweden, daughter of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, at the Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Sweden
Full name: Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary
Princess Estelle is second in the line of succession to the Swedish throne as the eldest child of Crown Princess Victoria who is the eldest child and the heir of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Estelle of Sweden

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David II, King of Scots; Credit – Wikipedia

February 22, 1371 – Death of David II, King of Scots at Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland; buried at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, now in ruins
The second and last monarch of the House of Bruce, David II, King of Scots is one of the longest-reigning monarchs of Scotland, having reigned for 41 years, 260 days. He was the only surviving son of Robert I, King of Scots (also known as Robert the Bruce) and his second wife Elizabeth de Brugh. In 1328, four-year-old David married seven-year-old Joan of the Tower, the youngest daughter of King Edward II of England and Isabella of France. David’s mother had died in 1327 and upon the death of his father on June 7, 1329, five-year-old David succeeded to the Scottish throne. Joan died in 1362, at the age of 41, without giving her husband an heir. David married his mistress Margaret Drummond in 1364. He divorced her in 1370 on the grounds of infertility. However, Margaret successfully petitioned Pope Urban V to reverse the divorce because it seemed likely that David was infertile as his 34-year marriage to his first wife produced no issue. In the later years of his reign, David continued to pursue peace with England and worked to make Scotland a stronger kingdom with a more prosperous economy. David, aged 46, died unexpectedly in 1371. As both his marriages were childless, David was succeeded by his nephew, the son of his half-sister Marjorie, who became Robert II, King of Scots, the first monarch of the House of Stewart.
Unofficial Royalty: David II, King of Scots

February 22, 1921 – Death of Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein at Castle Primkenau in Primkenau, Germany, now in Przemków, Poland; buried in the Ducal Graveyard at Castle Primkenau
In 1864, following the Second Schleswig War, the Duchy of Holstein and the Duchy of Schleswig became occupied territories of the German Confederation and two years later, following the Austro-Prussian War, part of the new Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein. Just as with his father, Prussia recognized Ernst Gunter as the mediatized duke of these two duchies, with the rank and all the titles. (mediatize – to annex to another state, while allowing certain rights to its former sovereign) In 1898, Ernst Günther married Princess Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the daughter of Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Princess Louise of Belgium. They had no children. However, in 1920, 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. Ernst Günther, aged 58, died in 1921. As he had no legal heir, his titles were inherited by his cousin, Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, son of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, and a grandson of Queen Victoria.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

February 22, 1933 – Birth of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, born Katharine Worsley at Hovingham Hall in Yorkshire, England
Full name: Katharine Lucy Mary
In 1956, Katharine met her future husband, Prince Edward, The Duke of Kent, while he was stationed with the British Army at Catterick Garrison, near Richmond, England. They were married in 1961 and had two sons and one daughter. The Duchess of Kent was known for handing out the trophies for the women’s singles final at the annual Wimbledon Championships from the 1970s to 2001. In 1994, Katharine converted to Catholicism, the first senior member of the royal family to convert publicly since the enactment of the Act of Settlement in 1701. In the years following, one of her children and several of her grandchildren have also become Catholic. In 2002, Katharine chose to reduce her public role and asked to be known as Katherine, Duchess of Kent (a style typically used for one widowed or divorced). However, formally she remains HRH The Duchess of Kent. She began teaching music at Wansbeck Primary School in Kingston upon Hull and also purchased an apartment in Notting Hill, London which she used to teach music lessons. The Duchess has not been seen in public recently. She did not attend the 2021 funeral of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, the 2022 funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, or the 1923 coronation of King Charles III although her husband did attend all three.
Unofficial Royalty: Katharine, Duchess of Kent

February 22, 1968 – Birth of Princess Delphine of Belgium, formerly known as Delphine Boël, the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium and his longtime mistress Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, born in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium
In June 2013, Delphine filed a lawsuit to prove, through DNA testing, that she was King Albert II’s biological child. After a long legal process, in January 2020, the former King Albert II finally acknowledged that he was Delphine’s biological father, as proven by DNA testing. On October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg. In addition, she is legally entitled to inherit one-quarter of the former King’s estate – a share equal to that of his three legitimate children. She is still considered illegitimate (born out of wedlock) and as such, Delphine and her descendants are not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Delphine of Belgium

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Peter III, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

February 21, 1728 – Birth of Peter III, Emperor of All Russia in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, now in Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany
Born: Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, grandson of Peter the Great via his eldest daughter Anna Petrovna
Peter III, Emperor of All Russia was born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp. His father was Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. His mother was Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, daughter of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. Peter III’s life dramatically changed when his unmarried maternal aunt, his mother’s younger sister, Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia, declared him her heir and brought him to St. Petersburg, Russia. He married his second cousin, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst (later Catherine II the Great). Peter succeeded his aunt in 1762. A conspiracy to overthrow Peter was planned and centered around the five Orlov brothers with Grigory, Catherine’s favorite, and Alexei being the main conspirators. Peter III, Emperor of All Russia died at the age of 34 on July 17, 1762, at Ropsha Palace, a country estate outside of St. Petersburg, Russia. He was probably murdered but the circumstances of his death remain unclear. His wife became the Empress of All Russia and is known as Catherine the Great.
Unofficial Royalty: Peter III, Emperor of All Russia

February 21, 1937 – Birth of King Harald V of Norway at Skaugum, the residence of the Crown Prince Residence in Asker, Norway
King Harald V is the only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. His paternal grandparents were King Haakon VII of Norway (born Prince Carl of Denmark, son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark) and Queen Maud (born Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom). King Harald is closely related to several European monarchs: King Philippe of Belgium and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg are his first cousins once removed, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is his second cousin, and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and King Charles III of the United Kingdom are his second cousin once removed. In 1968, Harald married Sonja Haraldsen and the couple has two children.  Harald succeeded to the throne in 1991 upon the death of his father.
Unofficial Royalty: King Harald V of Norway

February 21, 1960 – Death of Edwina Ashley, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in Jesselton, British North Borneo (now Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia), as per her wishes, she buried at sea off the coast of Portsmouth, England
As the wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Edwina was a member of the extended British Royal Family. Her grandfather was Sir Ernest Cassel, a successful financier and capitalist who had become one of the richest men in Europe. He had been a close friend and advisor of King Edward VII who had bestowed several honors on him during his reign. Upon his death, Sir Ernest left an estate valued at over £6 million (approx. £240 million today), a large portion of which went to Edwina. Edwina and her husband had two daughters, Lady Patricia Mountbatten and Lady Pamela Mountbatten who were first cousins of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Unofficial Royalty: Edwina Ashley, Countess Mountbatten of Burma

February 21, 1980 – Birth of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Dragon King of Bhutan, at Dechencholing Palace in Thimphu, Bhutan
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the current Dragon King of Bhutan. After beginning his education in Bhutan, Jigme Khesar attended boarding school in Massachusetts, first at the Phillips Academy and then graduating from the Cushing Academy. He attended Wheaton College, also in Massachusetts, before enrolling in the Foreign Services Program and earning his Master’s Degree in Politics at Magdalen College, Oxford in the United Kingdom. In 2006, his father King Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated and Jigme Khesar became the 5th Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo) of the Kingdom of Bhutan. At the time, he was the world’s youngest monarch, at just 24 years old. In 2011, King Jigme Khesan married Jetsun Pema in a traditional Buddhist ceremony. As part of the ceremony, he also crowned her as Queen of Bhutan. The couple has two sons and one daughter.
Unofficial Royalty: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan

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Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Queen of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

February 20, 1437 – James I, King of Scots was assassinated at the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland; buried at the Carthusian Charterhouse in Perth, Scotland which was destroyed in 1559 by a mob of Protestant reformers
Robert III, King of Scots, the father of James I, feared for the safety of his only surviving son because of the machinations of his half-brother and decided to send him to France. However, the ship 12-year-old James was sailing on was captured by English pirates who delivered James to King Henry IV of England. Robert III, King of Scots, aged 68, died soon after hearing of his son’s captivity. 12-year-old James was now the uncrowned King of Scots and would remain in captivity in England for eighteen years where he was more of a guest than a hostage. While in England, James met his future wife Lady Joan Beaufort, the daughter of John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset who was the eldest of the four children of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and his mistress Katherine Swynford.  The English considered marriage to a Beaufort gave the Scots an alliance with the English instead of the French. The couple was married in 1424 and traveled to Scotland, and had eight children. Plotters supporting the claim to the throne of Walter Stewart, Earl of Atholl, a son of Robert II, King of Scot’s second marriage, broke into the Blackfriars Priory in Perth, Scotland where 42-year-old James I, King of Scots and his wife Joan Beaufort were staying. The conspirators reached the couple’s bedroom where Joan tried to protect James but was wounded. James then tried to escape via an underground passage but was cornered and hacked to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of James I, King of Scots
Unofficial Royalty: James I, King of Scots

February 20, 1513 – Death of King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden at Aalborghus Castle in Denmark; buried first in the Gråbrødre Church at the Franciscan monastery in Odense, Denmark, later his remains were moved to St. Canute’s Cathedral in Odense, Denmark
King Hans held four royal titles: King of Denmark (1481 – 1513), King of Norway (1483 – 1513), King of Sweden (1497 – 1501), and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig (1482–1513 jointly with his younger brother, the future King Frederik I). In 1478, Hans married Christina of Saxony and they had six children. In 1501, Hans began a long-term affair with Edel Jernskjæg, one of Christina’s ladies-in-waiting. The affair caused a scandal and a de facto termination of his marriage. From that time on, the marriage of Hans and Christina was one in name only. In January 1513, King Hans was on his way to Aalborghus Castle when he was thrown by his horse and was injured. He became increasingly weaker and died from his injuries at his birthplace Aalborghus Castle.
Unofficial Royalty: King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

February 20, 1618 – Death of Filips Willem, Prince of Orange at the Palace of Nassau in Brussels; buried at the Catholic parish church of Saint Sulpice in Diest, now in Belgium
Filips Willem was the only son of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange and the first of his four wives Anna van Egmont. In 1568, Willem I, Filips Willem’s father, became the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs who held the land that we now know as the Netherlands and Belgium. That set off the Eighty Years’ War and resulted in the formal independence of the Dutch Republic in 1581. Angered by Willem I’s revolt, King Philip II of Spain arranged for 13-year-old Filips Willem to be kidnapped and taken to Spain, partly as a hostage, but also to be raised as a Catholic and a loyal subject to Spain. Filips Willem never saw his father again. In 1584, Balthasar Gérard, a subject and supporter of Philip II, assassinated Willem I. Filips Willem became Prince of Orange, however, he was not allowed to return to his homeland because he was not trusted and was considered an agent of Spain. In 1596, 28 years after he was kidnapped, Filips Willem returned to the Netherlands and lived at the Palace of Nassau in Brussels. At the request of the States-General (the legislature), he did not engage in political affairs. Filips Willem died on February 20, 1618, at the age of 63 after a botched medical procedure. In his will, he requested to be buried in one of his cities (Breda, Orange, Lons-le-Saunier, or Diest) whichever would be closest to his place of death. He had a Catholic funeral and was buried at the Catholic parish church Saint Sulpice in Diest, now in Belgium.
Unofficial Royalty: Filips Willem, Prince of Orange

February 20, 1685 – Death of Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Queen of Denmark and Norway, wife of Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway, in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
In 1643, Sophie Amalie married the future Frederik III, King of Denmark and Norway. Sophie Amalie and Frederik had eight children including Jørgen who married Queen Anne of Great Britain and had his name anglicized to George and Ulrika Eleonora married King Karl XI of Sweden. In 1647, Frederik’s 44-year-old childless elder brother Christian died and when his father died in 1648, Frederik became King of Denmark and Norway. As Queen, Sophie Amalie became the center of court life. She replaced the old medieval court entertainments with opera and ballet. She enjoyed fashion, parties, theatre, and masquerades, and made the French taste fashionable in Denmark. Sophie Amalie was ambitious, participated in state affairs, with the blessing of her husband, and influenced policy as his adviser. Sophie Amalie survived her husband King Frederik II by fifteen years, dying on February 20, 1685, aged 56.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Queen of Denmark

February 20, 1731 – Death of Prince Antonio I of Monaco in Monaco, buried at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Antonio I, Prince of Monaco was the elder of the two sons and the eldest of the six children of Louis I, Prince of Monaco. In 1688, Antonio married Marie of Lorraine, the daughter of Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac. Antonio and Marie had six daughters but only two survived to adulthood.  In 1701, upon the death of his father, Antonio became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. He reigned for thirty years until he died on February 20, 1731, at the age of 70. Antonio I was succeeded by his eldest daughter Louise Hippolyte who had a very short reign of ten months. She died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Antonio I of Monaco

February 20, 1790 – Death of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna
The fourth of the sixteen children and the eldest of the five sons of Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II reigned from 1765 to 1790 as Holy Roman Emperor after being elected Holy Roman Emperor following the death of his father Franz I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1765. He was co-regent with his mother from 1765 – 1780 of Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, and several other Habsburg hereditary lands and was the sole ruler from 1780 to 1790, following the death in 1780 of his mother Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, the only woman to be ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands in her own right. Joseph married twice. His first wife was Princess Isabella of Parma. Joseph and Isabella had two daughters but neither survived childhood, and Isabella died from smallpox in 1763. Joseph married again to his second cousin Maria Josepha of Bavaria. The couple had no children and Maria Josepha died of smallpox, as had her predecessor Isabella. Joseph died from tuberculosis, aged 48, on February 20, 1790, in Vienna, Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor

February 20, 1773 – Death of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia at the Royal Palace in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy; buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin
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 and Duke of Savoy

February 20, 1867 – Birth of Louise, Princess Royal, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, at Marlborough House in London, England
Full name: Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar
Louise was the eldest daughter of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Alexandra of Denmark. In 1889, Louise followed the example of her paternal aunt Princess Louise and married a husband from the British nobility.  Seventeen years older than his bride, Alexander William George Duff was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay, daughter of the 18th Earl of Erroll and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence who was an illegitimate daughter of King William IV.  Known as Duff, Alexander had become 6th Earl Fife upon the death of his father in 1879.  Two days after the wedding, Queen Victoria created the groom Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.  The couple had a stillborn son and two daughters. Despite their age difference, the couple was well-matched and settled down to a life of country pursuits with Duff managing his Scottish estates and Louise becoming an expert at salmon fishing.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise, Princess Royal

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Henry, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

February 19, 1594 – Birth of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King James I of England, at Stirling Castle, Scotland
Full name: Henry Frederick
The heir to the thrones of England and Scotland, by the time he was 18 years old, Henry was physically mature, well-educated, an independent thinker, and ready to assume some government responsibility. Negotiations began for a bride for Henry and princesses from Spain, France, and Savoy were in the running. He was on his way to making an excellent and popular king. Henry died of typhoid fever at age 18. His brother Charles (later King Charles I) became heir to the throne.  Henry’s death was considered a national tragedy. Henry’s brother, the future King Charles I, who was now the heir to the throne, felt the loss deeply and insisted until the end of his life that Henry had been poisoned. We can only wonder how different English history might have been if Henry Frederick had been King instead of his brother King Charles I, who was deposed and beheaded.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry, Prince of Wales

February 19, 1817 – Birth of King Willem III of the Netherlands in the Palace of the Nation (now the building that houses the Belgian legislature) in Brussels, which was then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium
Full name: Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk
In 1839, Willem married his first cousin Sophie of Württemberg. Willem and Sophie had three sons, but they all predeceased their father. On the death of his father in 1849, Willem succeeded as King of the Netherlands. After Sophie’s death in 1877, Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. In 1879, 61-year-old Willem married 20-year-old Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and the marriage was extremely happy. The last decade of Willem’s life was the best years of his reign. Willem and Emma had one daughter, Wilhelmina, who succeeded her father. In 1888, King Willem III’s health began to decline. When it became apparent that Willem could no longer reign, Emma was sworn in as Regent. On November 23, 1890, 73-year-old King Willem III died and ten-year-old Wilhelmina became Queen. Emma took over as Regent for her daughter until Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday in 1898.
Unofficial Royalty: King Willem III of the Netherlands

February 19, 1919 – Death of Bertha Louise of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, Princess of Lippe, the first of the two wives of Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe, in Detmold, then in the Weimar Republic, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia; buried at the Christ Church in Detmold
In 1901, Bertha Louise married the future Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe. The couple had five children. Alexander, Prince of Lippe, the last of the Lippe-Detmold line, died in 1905. With the extinction of the Lippe-Detmold line, the throne of the Principality of Lippe went to Bertha Louise’s husband who reigned as Leopold IV and would be the last reigning Prince of Lippe. Following the German Empire’s defeat in World War I and the German Revolution of 1918-1919, Leopold IV was forced to renounce the throne. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Three months later, Bertha Louise died, aged 44.
Unofficial Royalty: Bertha Louise of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, Princess of Lippe

 February 19, 1960 – Birth of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Andrew Albert Christian Edward
In 1979, Andrew began a career in the Royal Navy that lasted until 2001. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 and the couple had two daughters. Andrew’s obligations as a naval helicopter pilot and the negative attention Sarah received from the media contributed to the couple’s estrangement. Andrew and Sarah separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York (her style upon her divorce) are on amicable terms with each other and are both devoted parents to their daughters. Andrew was accused of child sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, who alleges that as a minor she was sex trafficked to him by American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was the defendant in a civil lawsuit over sexual assault filed by Giuffre in New York State which was settled out of court in February 2022. Following negative reactions to his connections to Epstein, Andrew permanently resigned from public roles in May 2020 and his honorary military affiliations and royal charitable patronages were returned to Queen Elizabeth II in January 2022.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Andrew, Duke of York

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Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

February 18, 1478 – Execution of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, who opposed his brother King Edward IV of England, in the Tower of London; buried at Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucester, England
In 1478, George was tried for treason against his brother King Edward IV and privately executed in the Tower of London.
Unofficial Royalty: George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence 

February 18, 1516 – Birth of Queen Mary I of England at the Palace of Placentia (Greenwich Palace), in Greenwich (London), England
Excluding the disputed reigns of Empress Matilda in the 12th century and Lady Jane Grey, Mary’s predecessor, Queen Mary I was the first queen regnant of England. Mary was the only child of King Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon to survive infancy. Upon the death of her half-brother King Edward VI of England in 1553, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and Lord Protector of the Realm arranged for his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of King Henry VII of England, to be proclaimed Queen of England instead of Mary. Mary quickly assembled a force and deposed Jane, who was ultimately beheaded. Mary was 37, and she needed to marry and produce an heir to supplant her Protestant sister, the future Queen Elizabeth I of England. In 1554, Mary married the future King Philip II of Spain but the couple had no children. Throughout her reign, Mary was steadfast in her determination to restore the Roman Catholic religion to England. During the first Parliament of her reign, Edward VI’s religious laws were abolished. During Mary’s reign, nearly 300 Protestants were burned at the stake for heresy.  Mary had become weak and ill in May 1558, possibly from ovarian cysts or uterine cancer. In November 1558, Mary fell ill during an influenza outbreak and died at the age of 42. Mary had wanted to be buried with her mother at Peterborough Cathedral but was buried in Westminster Abbey in a vault she would eventually share with her Protestant sister Elizabeth.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Mary I of England

February 18, 1712 – Death of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, son of Louis, Le Grande Dauphin and grandson of King Louis XIV of France, at the Château de Marly in France; buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris
Louis, Duke of Burgundy was the eldest of the three sons of Louis, Dauphin of France and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. At the time of his birth, Louis’ grandfather Louis XIV was King of France and his father was the heir apparent to the French throne. After Louis’ birth, his father was called Le Grand Dauphin and his son Louis, who was second in the line of succession, was called Le Petit Dauphin. However, King Louis XIV outlived both his son and his grandson and was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson King Louis XV when he died in 1715.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin

February 18, 1790 – Death of Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria, first wife of the future Emperor Franz I of Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Elisabeth was the first of the four wives of Emperor Franz I of Austria. At the age of 15, Elisabeth went to Vienna, Austria to prepare to become the bride of Archduke Franz, the nephew of the then Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II. The Protestant princess was educated by nuns at the Church and Monastery of the Visitation and she converted to Roman Catholicism. Elisabeth married Archduke Franz (the future emperor) in 1788 but died at the age of 22 two years later in childbirth after giving birth to a daughter who lived only four months.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria

Lord Adolphus FitzClarence was born on February 18, 1802, at Bushy House in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. He was the fifth of the ten children and the third of the five sons of the future King William IV of the United Kingdom and his mistress Dorothea Jordan.

February 18, 1840 – Death of Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia, first wife of the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, in Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia, now Szczecin in Poland; buried in the Chapel of the Ducal Castle of Stettin
In 1765, Elisabeth Christine married her first cousin, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II), in a marriage arranged by their mutual uncle, King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia. The couple had one daughter Frederica Charlotte who married Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second son of King George III of the United Kingdom. Elisabeth Christine’s marriage was never a happy one, as Friedrich Wilhelm had constant affairs and completely ignored and neglected his wife. Elisabeth Christine soon began her own affair and found herself pregnant. Her lover, a musician, was arrested and reportedly beheaded, and Elisabeth Christine took some drugs to end her pregnancy. Her marriage ended in divorce and she spent the rest of her life under house arrest. She never saw her daughter Frederica again. Elisabeth Christine died on February 18, 1840, at the age of 93, after spending 71 years under house arrest.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia

February 18, 1932 – Death of former King Friedrich August III of Saxony at Sibyllenort Castle in Sibyllenort, Germany, now Szczodre, Poland; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Friedrich August began his military career at age 12, entering the Saxony Army as a second lieutenant, and serving with various regiments over the next 27 years before his accession to the throne in 1904. In 1891, he married Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, and they had seven children. However, the marriage was not happy. The marriage quickly broke down, as Luise was unwilling to conform to the strict protocols of the Saxony court, and Friedrich August failed to stand up for her or support her. She began an affair with their children’s tutor and caused quite a scandal. Friedrich August’s father threatened to have her interned at a mental asylum in 1902, which led to Luise fleeing the country while pregnant with their youngest child. The marriage ended in divorce, by royal decree of King Georg in 1903. Friedrich August III was the last King of Saxony, abdicating on November 13, 1918, at the end of World War I. Friedrich August retired to Sibyllenort Castle in Lower Silesia (now Poland) where he would live out the rest of his life. He died there on February 18, 1932, after suffering a stroke.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich August III of Saxony

February 18, 1947 – Death of Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt at the Soviet NKVD Special Camp No. 2, the former Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, East Germany, now in the German state of Thuringia; his remains were thrown into a mass grave
Joachim Ernst was the last Duke of Anhalt. He came to the throne in September 1918 when he was 17 years old. As he was underage, his father’s brother Prince Aribert of Anhalt served as Regent. With the German Empire crumbling at the end of World War I, Aribert abdicated on Joachim Ernst’s behalf on November 12, 1918. Joachim Ernst married twice. His first marriage was to actress Elisabeth Strickrodt at Ballenstedt Castle in 1927. The marriage was morganatic and lasted only two years. In 1929, Joachim Ernst married Edda-Charlotte von Stephani-Marwitz. They had five children. Joachim Ernst spent his post-abdication life at Ballenstedt Castle, where he raised his family and became a trained agricultural and forestry farmer. Always at odds with the Nazis, he was arrested in 1944 and imprisoned at the Dachau Concentration Camp for three months. He was arrested again in September 1945, this time by the Soviets, and was sent to the NKVD Special Camp No. 2 at the former Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The former Duke of Anhalt died at the camp on February 18, 1947, and his remains were thrown into a mass grave.
Unofficial Royalty: Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt

February 18, 1947 – Birth of Princess Christina of the Netherlands, daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, at Soestdijk Palace in the Netherlands
Full Name: Maria Christina
Because her mother contracted German measles while pregnant, Christina was born nearly blind. Medical treatment and glasses improved her vision. In 1975, Christina married Jorge Pérez y Guillermo. Having not received the consent of the government, Princess Christina relinquished her rights to the Dutch throne (as well as for her descendants) and her position as a member of The Royal House. The couple had three children and divorced in 1996. Princess Christina was an accomplished musician, recorded several CDs, and sang at several family events, including the funeral of her mother Queen Juliana. In June 2018 it was announced that Princess Christina was suffering from bone cancer. Princess Christina died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands on August 16, 2019, at the age of 72 from bone cancer.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Christina of the Netherlands

February 18, 1984 – Birth of  Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, wife of Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, born Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy in Ronse, Flanders, Belgium
Full name: Stéphanie Marie Claudine Christine
Both of Stéphanie’s parents come from noble Belgian families. Stéphanie and her siblings all have the rank of Count and Countess in Belgium, as sons and daughters of a Count. Stéphanie first met Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg when they were introduced by friends in Germany eight years before they married. They did not see each other until they met again about five years later and that was when they fell in love. Guillaume proposed to Stéphanie three weeks before their engagement was announced. Unfortunately, Stéphanie’s mother died from a stroke two months before the wedding on October 20, 2012.  The couple has two sons.
Unofficial Royalty: Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

February 18, 2000 – Wedding of Letsie III, King of Lesotho and Anna Karabo Motsoeneng at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, 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. Guests included The Prince of Wales, King Mswati III of Swaziland, and Nelson Mandela. The bride wore a white wedding gown with a long train and the groom was dressed in a suit. King Letsie said Anna would be his only wife, going against the tradition in an area where polygamy is relatively common. After the ceremony, the bride and the groom left for a luncheon amid deafening cheers, singing, and ululation from the crowd. The couple hosted an evening banquet for their guests. After her marriage, Anna was known as Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso.
Unofficial Royalty: Letsie III, King of Lesotho
Unofficial Royalty: Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso (Anna Karabo Mots’oeneng)

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King Albert I of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

February 17, 1718 – Death of Lady Charlotte FitzRoy, an illegitimate daughter of Charles II by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland (aka Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine); buried in All Saints Churchyard in Spelsbury, Oxfordshire, England
Wikipedia: Lady Charlotte FitzRoy (Unofficial Royalty article coming soon.)

February 17, 1718 – Death of Prince George William of Great Britain, son of the future King George II, at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Little Prince George William lived from November 13, 1717 – February 17, 1718, three months and four days, but an event in his short life caused a huge family argument. The principals in the argument were George William’s grandfather King George I of Great Britain and his father The Prince of Wales, the future King George II of Great Britain. It was the beginning of the battles between fathers and sons that would plague the House of Hanover.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George William of Great Britain

February 17, 1729 – Death of Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in Saafeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the crypt at the Johanneskirche in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany
Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the founder of the House of Saxe-Saalfeld-Coburg which was the precursor to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the ancestor of all British monarchs since Queen Victoria. His father Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg had seven sons and disliked primogeniture in which the eldest son is the sole heir. When he died all seven brothers governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. Johann Ernst IV became Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld. Joann Ernst’s elder brothers Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg and Heinrich of Saxe-Römhild died without male heirs. Upon their deaths, Johann Ernest took possession of Coburg and Römhild, and then became Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

February 17, 1821 – Birth of Lola Montez, mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert in Grange, County Sligo, Connacht, Ireland
Lola Montez was a dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. She was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert on February 17, 1821, in Ireland. Starting in 1842, using the stage name Maria de los Dolores Porrys y Montez, also known as Lola Montez, she pretended to be a Spanish dancer from Seville, Spain. She also accepted favors from wealthy men in return for sex and was widely regarded as a courtesan. Lola became famous for her Spider Dance, which involved her shaking imaginary tarantulas out of her clothes and stamping on them. She then raised her skirt so high that the audience could see that she wore no underwear. In 1846, 25-year-old Lola became the mistress of the 60-year-old King Ludwig I of Bavaria. At the start of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, Lola was forced to flee, living in Austria, Switzerland, France, and London, working as an entertainer and lecturer. In 1851, Lola went to the United States where she was surprisingly successful. In 1852, on Broadway, she played herself in a theater revue, Lola Montez in Bavaria. She toured the east coast until 1853 when she went to San Francisco where her performances created a sensation. By 1860, Lola was exhibiting third-stage effects of syphilis. She died on January 17, 1861, aged 39, in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.
Unofficial Royalty: Lola Montez, mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria

February 17, 1861 – Birth of Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany, wife of Prince Leopold of the United Kingdom, Duke of Albany, at Arolsen Castle in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Helena Frederica Augusta
In 1882, Helena married Queen Victoria’s hemophiliac son Prince Leopold. The couple had one child and Helena was pregnant with their second child when Leopold slipped and fell on a staircase, injuring his knee and his head. He died apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. Helena continued to live with her children at Claremont House near Esher in Surrey, England, which Queen Victoria had bought for Leopold upon his marriage. Helena devoted the rest of her life to her children, grandchildren, and charitable work. She died of a heart attack at the age of 61 in Hinterriss, Austria where she was visiting her son.  At her request, Helena was buried in the beautiful countryside of Hinteriss.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany

February 17, 1909 – Death of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, at the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; buried in Grand Ducal Mausoleum, adjacent to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
As the third son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, Vladimir was considered distant from the throne but in 1865, the death of his eldest brother Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich at the age of 21 changed that. Vladimir was then the second in the line of succession after his elder brother Alexander, the future Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia. In 1874, Vladimir married Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and they had four sons and one daughter. On February 17, 1909, 61-year-old Vladimir died suddenly after suffering a major cerebral hemorrhage. Today, the most recognized claimant as the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia is through Vladimir’s line. Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousins, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and his sister and brother Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael, are Vladimir’s great-grandchildren through his daughter Elena who married into the Greek royal family.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia

February 17, 1905 – Assassination of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, in Moscow, Russia; first buried in a crypt at the Chudov Monastery within the Moscow Kremlin, in 1995 his remains were exhumed and reburied in a crypt at the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow, Russia
Sergei married  Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria but their marriage was childless. The couple was very close with Sergei’s brother Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna, and were often asked to represent them at royal events elsewhere in the world.  In 1891, Alexander III appointed his brother Serge Governor-General of Moscow. In 1905 in Moscow, Sergei was killed when an assassin threw a nitroglycerin bomb into his carriage. The bomb landed in Sergei’s lap and exploded.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia

February 17, 1934 – Death of King Albert I of the Belgians in a mountain climbing accident at Marche-les-Dames in Ardennes, Belgium; buried in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
In 1900, Albert married Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. They had three children including Leopold III, King of the Belgians and  Marie-José who married King Umberto II of Italy. Albert, who had become heir-presumptive upon his father’s death in 1905, succeeded his uncle as King Albert I of the Belgians in 1909. Albert was an avid mountain climber. Sadly, this would bring about his early death. On February 17, 1934, while climbing alone on the Roche de Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, King Albert I fell to his death.
Unofficial Royalty: King Albert I of the Belgians

February 17, 1940 – Birth of Prince Ingolf of Denmark, later Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark
Full name: Ingolf Christian Frederik Knud Harald Gorm Gustav Viggo Valdemar Aage
Ingolf, the son of Prince Knud of Denmark (son of King Christian X), was born a Prince of Denmark. He is a first cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. In 1968, Ingolf decided to marry Inge Terney, an untitled commoner. He did not seek the permission of his uncle King Frederik IX to marry, and therefore forfeited his succession rights and lost his royal title. After his first wife died, Ingolf married lawyer Sussie Hjorhøy Pedersen in 1998. Ingolf and his wife attend major events of the Danish Royal Family.
Unofficial Royalty: Count Ingolf of Rosenborg

February 17, 1954 – Birth of Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, sister of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, at Castle Betzdorf in Luxembourg
Full name: Marie-Astrid Charlotte Léopoldine Wilhelmine Ingeborg Antoinette Elisabeth Anna Alberta
Marie-Astrid is the eldest child of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium and the sister of Henri, the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In 1982, she married her second cousin Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, a grandson of the last Austrian Emperor Karl I and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Marie-Astrid and Carl Christian had five children. Marie-Astrid is typically in attendance at family functions in Luxembourg, as well as the occasional official events.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria

February 17, 1974 – Birth of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei, son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, born in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
On August 10, 1998, Al-Muhtadee Billah was proclaimed Crown Prince of Brunei. As Crown Prince, Al-Muhtadee Billah acts as Deputy Sultan when his father is out of the country and holds several positions. In 2004, Al-Muhtadee Billah married Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman. The couple has four children.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei

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Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach; Credit – Wikipedia

February 16, 1679 – Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Ichtershausen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Never expected to be Duke of Saxe-Meinigen, Friedrich Wilhelm was the fifth of the six sons of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. When his father died in 1706, he was succeeded by his eldest son Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Following the death of his brother, Ernst Ludwig I, in 1724, Friedrich Wilhelm served as one of the guardians for his two young nephews – Ernst Ludwig II and Karl Friedrich – during their reigns. Following the death of his nephew Karl Friedrich in 1743, he became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen as all his elder brothers had died in childhood. After reigning for just three years, Friedrich Wilhelm died in 1746. As he was unmarried and had no heirs, the ducal throne passed to his younger half-brother Anton Ulrich.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

February 16, 1747 – Birth of Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss-Greiz in Greiz in the County of Reuss-Untergreiz, later the County of Reuss-Greiz, and in 1778, the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, now in Thuringia, Germany
Heinrich was the son of Heinrich XI, 1st Prince Reuss of Greiz and his first wife Countess Conradine Reuss of Köstritz. In 1786, he married Princess Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg and the couple had three sons. Upon the death of his father in 1800, Heinrich XIII succeeded as 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz. In 1802, a large fire destroyed much of Greiz, the capital of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz. Approximately 430 buildings were destroyed. Many other buildings were demolished to prevent the fire from spreading. Heinrich XIII oversaw the rebuilding of Greiz in the neoclassical style. Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz died in 1817, aged 69.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss-Greiz

February 16, 1786 – Birth of Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, at Pavlovsk Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
Maria Pavlovna of Russia was the daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. In 1804, she married the future Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. They had four children including Augusta who married Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany. Maria strongly supported and promoted the arts in Weimar, and her patronages included the noted composer Franz Liszt who was appointed to her court. She maintained lifelong correspondences with several prominent writers, poets, and musicians including Vasily Zhukovsky, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Schiller. Following her husband’s death in 1853, Maria retired from public life. Two years later, she returned to Russia for the last time, for the coronation of her nephew Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

February 16, 1819 – Death of Prince Honoré IV of Monaco; buried at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Honoré IV was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 1814 to 1819. By the time Honoré IV became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, his physical condition had worsened and he was paralyzed on one side of his body. Because of his condition, a regency was established to rule in his name. Honoré IV’s brother Joseph was regent from 1814 -1815 and then Honoré IV’s son served as regent until his father’s death in 1819 when he succeeded him as Honoré V, Prince of Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Honoré IV of Monaco

February 16, 1910 – Death of Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, at Bückeburg Castle in Bückeburg Castle, then in the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony; buried in Princely Mausoleum at  St. Martini Church in Stadthagen, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
In 1844, Hermine married her first cousin, the future Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, and the couple had eight children. Upon the death of his father in 1860, Hermine’s husband Adolf became the reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. While Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Hermine was a supporter of the Schaumburg Costume, the traditional form of clothing for Schaumburg women noted by a red skirt, usually worn at festivals. Before he died in 1893, Adolf arranged for the building of the Palais Bückeburg, also known as the Hermine Palais, which would serve as Hermine’s home while Princess Dowager.
Unofficial Royalty: Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess of Schaumberg-Lippe

February 16, 1991 – Birth of Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, daughter of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Full name: Alexandra Joséphine Teresa Charlotte Marie Wilhelmine
Alexandra is the fourth child and only daughter of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. Until 2011, Luxembourg followed Semi-Salic law regarding the succession to the throne. This meant that females could only inherit the throne in the absence of any other male descendants. However, Grand Duke Henri issued a decree on June 20, 2011, establishing absolute primogeniture beginning with his descendants. Now succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign regardless of gender with males and females having equal succession rights. Alexandra is now in the line of succession. Now Alexandra is in the line of succession behind her elder siblings and their children. Alexandra married Nicolas Bagory in a civil ceremony in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg on April 22, 2023, followed by a religious ceremony at Saint Trophy in Bormes-les-Mimosas, Var, France on April 29, 2023.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg

February 16, 1999 – Death of Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, lover and first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, in Los Angeles, California
Alexandre-Athenase Noghès was a tennis player, playing in tournaments around Europe and representing Monaco in the Davis Cup. He was married three times. His first wife was Marie Angèle Bastel, whom he married in Monaco. The couple had one son before divorcing. In the 1940s, he became the lover and then the first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, with whom he had three children. The couple married three months after their last child was born, but divorced three years later. Alexandre spent several years living on his yacht in Monaco before moving to the United States. There, he met his third wife Margaret “Margot” James. They married in 1970 and eventually settled in California. Alexandre Athenase Noghès died in Los Angeles, California on February 16, 1999, just three months before his 83rd birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, lover and first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco

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Princess Catherine Dolgorukova, morganatic second wife of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

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

February 15, 1710 – Birth of King Louis XV of France at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
When he was five years old, Louis XV succeeded his great-grandfather King Louis XIV and reigned as King of France for 59 years. He is the second-longest reigning King of France after his great-grandfather King Louis XIV who reigned for 72 years. In 1725, Louis XV married Maria Leszczyńska, daughter of the deposed King Stanisław I of Poland. The couple had ten children but all their sons predeceased Louis XV and so he was succeeded by his grandson, the ill-fated King Louis XVI. King Louis XV’s reign saw France’s entry into The War of the Austrian Succession in 1740, with France gaining significant amounts of territory.  However, at the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748, Louis returned the lands to their rightful owners.  For this, he was greatly praised throughout Europe but became very unpopular within his own country.  A few years later, Louis would find France at war with Great Britain in the French and Indian War and soon pulled into the Seven Years’ War. King Louis XV died of smallpox at the Palace of Versailles on May 10, 1774.
Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XV of France

February 15, 1761 – Birth of Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, wife of Grand Duke Ludwig I of Hesse and by Rhine, in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Luise Henriette Karoline
In 1777, Luise married her first cousin, the future Grand Duke Ludwig I of Hesse and by Rhine. The couple had six children. Luise’s husband Ludwig succeeded his father in April 1790 as Ludwig X, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Hesse-Darmstadt was raised to the Grand Duchy of Hesse, with Ludwig becoming its first Grand Duke, Ludwig I. In 1816, at the Congress of Vienna, he was forced to cede his Westphalian territories, but in return was given the Rheinhessen region which included the city of Mainz. It was then that the Grand Duchy of Hesse became the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine. Luise died at her summer residence at the age of 68.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

February 15, 1788 – Death of Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, Princess of Liechtenstein, wife of her first cousin Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Roudnice nad Laberm, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic; buried in the Lobkowicz family crypt of her second husband at the Capuchin Church of St. Wenceslas in Roudnice nad Laberm in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic
In 1744, seventeen-year-old Maria Josefa married her first cousin, twenty-year-old Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, the son of her maternal uncle Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein. Maria Josefa and Johann Nepomuk Karl had three children but only one daughter survived childhood. After four years of marriage,  Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 24. In 1752, Maria Josefa made a second marriage to Prince Joseph Maria von Lobkowicz, a Field Marshal in the Imperial Austrian Army. The couple had four children. Maria Josefa predeceased her second husband and survived her first husband by forty years, dying at the age of 61 on February 15, 1788.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, Princess of Liechtenstein

February 15, 1852 – Birth of Marie of Battenberg, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg, daughter of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, in Strasbourg, France
Full name: Marie Karoline
The Battenberg / Mountbatten family descends from Marie’s parents Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and his morganatic wife Countess Julia von Hauke. In 1871, Marie married Gustaf Ernst, Count of Erbach-Schönberg and they had four children. An avid writer, Marie published translations of several prominent works and wrote My Trip to Bulgaria, a memoir of her visit to her brother Alexander who was reigning Prince of Bulgaria from 1879 to 1886. In her later years, several more memoirs were published, one of which detailed the relationship she had with her son Maximilian who was mentally unstable. Marie died in Schönberg, Hesse, Germany on June 20, 1923, at the age of 71.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Battenberg, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg

February 15, 1855 – Birth of Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim, Queen Victoria’s Acting Mistress of the Robes 1894, Lady of the Bedchamber 1890–1901, and Queen Alexandra’s Lady of the Bedchamber 1901-1910, at St. James’s Palace in London, England
Born Louisa Jane Grey, she was the daughter of The Honorable Charles Grey, who served as the Private Secretary to Prince Albert from 1849 until the Prince’s death in 1861 and then as Private Secretary to Queen Victoria until his death in 1870. Louisa’s early life was spent very close to the royal circles because of her father’s position. The family had apartments at St. James’s Palace in London and lived in the Norman Tower at Windsor Castle and Osborne Cottage on the grounds of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. In 1875, Louisa married William McDonnell, 6th Earl of Antrim and the couple had three children. After Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, Louisa served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Alexandra, the wife of King Edward VII. After retiring from royal service, Louisa still kept in touch with many of her royal friends, and occasionally went on holiday with Princess Victoria, King Edward VII’s daughter. She was widowed in 1918 and survived her husband by 31 years dying in 1949 at the age of 94.
Unofficial Royalty: Louisa McDonnell, Countess of Antrim

February 15, 1922 – Death of Catherine Dolgorukova, Princess Yurievskaya, morganatic second wife of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, in Nice, France; buried at the Cimetière Russe de Caucade in Nice, France
Princess Yekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova, Princess Catherine Dolgorukov in English, was first the mistress and then the second and morganatic wife of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. In 1880, six weeks after the death of his wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna from tuberculosis, Alexander II made a morganatic marriage with Catherine. This marriage caused a scandal in the Imperial Family and violated Russian Orthodox rules regarding the waiting period for remarriage following the death of a spouse. Alexander granted his new wife the title of Princess Yurievskaya and legitimized their four children who were then styled Prince/Princess. On March 13, 1881, Emperor Alexander was assassinated when a bomb was thrown into his carriage. Shortly after Alexander’s funeral, Catherine left Russia forever. She moved to France and, in 1888, settled in Nice on the French Riviera where she died on February 15, 1922, at the age of 74, forgotten and ignored, her obituary only three lines long.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine Dolgorukova, Princess Yurievskaya

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