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Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; Credit – Wikipedia

January 2, 1784 – Birth of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Ernst Anton Karl Ludwig
In 1806, Ernst succeeded his father Franz Friedrich Anton as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. Ernst was long content with bachelorhood until his mother insisted he marry to provide the duchy with heirs. In 1817, Ernst married Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The couple had two sons including Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Ernst and Louise soon grew apart due to Ernst’s infidelities. After discovering Louise’s affair with her chamberlain in 1824, Ernst forced Louise out of the duchy. She was exiled and permanently cut off from her children. The couple was officially divorced in 1826 and Louise died of cancer in 1831. In 1825, while Ernst and Louise’s divorce proceedings were occurring, Friedrich IV, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Louise’s uncle, died without an heir. This necessitated a rearrangement of the Ernestine duchies. Ernst received Gotha and ceded Saalfeld to Saxe-Meiningen. He subsequently became Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1832, Ernst married his niece Marie of Württemberg, the daughter of his sister Antoinette. The couple had no children and had little in common, but Marie had a loving relationship with her stepsons who were also her first cousins.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

January 2, 1836 – Birth of Emma Kalanikaumakaʻamano Kaleleonālani Naʻea Rooke, Queen Emma of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of Kamehameha IV, King of the Hawaiian Islands, in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, then in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, now in the state of Hawaii

Unofficial Royalty: Emma, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands, wife of King Kamehameha IV

January 2, 1819 – Death of Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain, wife of King Carlos IV of Spain, at Barberini Palace, Rome, Italy; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
The daughter of Felipe, Infante of Spain, Duke of Parma (founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma) and Louise Élisabeth of France, Maria Luisa married her first cousin, the future King Carlos IV of Spain in 1765. Maria Luisa had twenty-three pregnancies. Thirteen of the pregnancies resulted in live births, including a set of twins. The other ten pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Of the fourteen children who were born alive, only seven survived childhood. In 1808, after riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII. Less than two months later, Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon I, Emperor of the French where he forced them both to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain. Napoleon kept Carlos and Maria Luisa’s son Fernando VII under guard in France for more than five years until the 1813 Treaty of Valençay provided for the restoration of Fernando VII as King of Spain. After the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815, King Fernando VII refused to allow his parents to return to Spain. Carlos IV and Maria Luisa settled in Rome at the Palazzo Barberini where they both died in 1819.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain

January 2, 1861 – Death of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried at Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam
Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia upon his father’s death in 1840. As his father had done himself, the new King changed many of his father’s policies – including reducing the censorship of the press and promising to provide a new constitution for the Prussian people. In 1849, the King was offered the title Emperor of the Germans but refused as he did not feel it was the right of the Frankfurt Parliament to offer it. His dream was to instead reestablish the Holy Roman Empire, where a College of Electors would hold the authority to name an Emperor. In 1871, his brother and successor, Wilhelm I, became the first German Emperor (Kaiser). In July 1857, Friedrich Wilhelm suffered several strokes from which he never fully recovered. In October 1858, he appointed Wilhelm, his brother and heir, as Regent. A further stroke in November 1859 left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak, and another stroke in November 1860 left him mostly unconscious. Following one last stroke, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV died at the age of 66.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia

January 2, 2000 – Death of Maria de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona, mother of King Juan Carlos of Spain, in La Mareta, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
The daughter of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his second wife Princess Louise of Orléans. Maria Mercedes had a very impressive royal lineage. On her father’s side, she was descended from multiple branches of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies family who ruled in Italy until the late 19th century. On her mother’s side, Maria Mercedes was descended from both recent Spanish and French royalty. In 1935, she married Juan, Count of Barcelona, the heir to the defunct Spanish throne. They had three children including the future King Juan Carlos I of Spain. Maria Mercedes’ adult life was dominated by the actions of Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator. It was Franco who kept the family from living in Spain and was constantly at odds with Maria Mercedes’ husband. In 1969, Franco ultimately decided that the Spanish monarchy should be restored following his death. As suspected, Franco passed over Juan, Count of Barcelona as his successor in favor of Juan Carlos. In 1976, Maria Mercedes and her husband finally returned to live in Spain. Her husband Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, died of laryngeal cancer on April 1, 1993. Maria Mercedes survived him by nearly seven years, dying of a heart attack at the age of 89.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Mercedes Borbón-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona

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King Louis XII of France; Credit – Wikipedia

January 1, 1515 – Death of King Louis XII of France at the Hôtel des Tournelles in Paris, France; buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris, France 
Louis succeeded his father as Duke of Orléans at the age of three. Although his descent from the French ruling line was somewhat distant, Louis was aware of his close proximity to the throne should the main Valois line become extinct. King Charles VIII died unexpectedly in 1498. Although he and his wife had had several children, none survived him, allowing Louis’ succession as King Louis XII of France. Louis XII married three times. His last wife was 18-year-old Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and sister of King Henry VIII of England. The 52-year-old Louis XII was still eager to provide himself with a male heir. However, the marriage lasted only four months due to Louis’s death.
Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XII of France

January 1, 1516 – Birth of Margareta Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Gustav I of Sweden; at Ekeberg Castle in Närke, Sweden
Margareta was selected as the king’s second wife because she belonged to one of the leading Swedish noble families which created an alliance between the king and one of the most powerful factions of the nobility. Although Margareta was twenty years younger than her husband, she felt very comfortable in her role as Queen of Sweden and had a great influence on King Gustav I Vasa. Margareta gave birth to ten children. Her constant pregnancies took a toll on her health and she died from pneumonia at the age of 35.
Unofficial Royalty: Margareta Leijonhufvud, Queen of Sweden

January 1, 1559 – Death of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway at Koldinghus in Kolding, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Christian III lived during the time of the Reformation. After the death of his father, the Catholic Frederik I, the Council of State had a lengthy discussion on whether the Danish throne should go to Christian, Frederik I’s Lutheran son from his first marriage, or Frederik I’s Catholic twelve-year-old son Johann from his second marriage. In 1534, Christian was proclaimed Christian III, King of Denmark at an assembly of Lutheran nobles in Jutland. However, the Council of State, made up of mostly Catholic bishops and nobles, refused to accept Christian III as king. Johann, Frederik’s son from his second marriage, was deemed too young and the council was more amenable to restoring the deposed King Christian II to the throne because he had supported both the Catholics and Protestant Reformers at various times. Christopher, Count of Oldenburg, the grandson of a brother of King Christian I of Denmark and the second cousin of both Christian II and Christian III, led the military alliance to restore King Christian II to the throne. What resulted was a two-year civil war, known as the Count’s Feud, from 1534 – 1536, between Protestant and Catholic forces, that led to King Frederik I’s son from his first marriage ascending the Danish throne as King Christian III. In 1537, Christian III was also recognized as King of Norway. He died on January 1, 1559, aged 55.
Unofficial Royalty: King Christian III of Denmark

January 1, 1728 – Death of Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany; first buried at the Stadt-Kirche Bad Wildungen in Bad Wildungen now in the German state of Hesse; in 1962, his remains were transferred to the Princely Burial Chapel at the Church of St. Mary in Netze, a district of Waldeck, now in the German state of Hesse
Friedrich Anton Ulrich was the Count of Waldeck-Pyrmont from 1706 – 1712 and then the first Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont from 1712 – 1728. In 1700, Friedrich Anton Ulrich married Luise of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and the couple had eleven children. Friedrich Anton Ulrich’s most notable accomplishment was his building program which resulted in considerable indebtedness for the small principality. With the building of the Residenzschloss Arolsen, the town of Arolsen became the main town of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Friedrich Anton Ulrich died on January 1, 1728, aged 51.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

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

January 1, 1808 – Death of Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of the future Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, then in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried in the Luise Mausoleum at Ludwigslust Palace
In 1775, Luise married Friedrich Franz, then the Hereditary Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The couple had six children including Luise Charlotte who married Emil Leopold, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, and had one daughter Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, mother of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Queen Victoria’s husband. Luise became the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin upon her husband’s accession in 1785. She died at the age of 52.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

January 1, 1850 – Death of Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany; buried in the Marienkirche in Dessau, after the church was destroyed by bombing during World War II, the Duchess’s remains were moved to the Berenhorst crypt in the Historical Cemetery in Dessau
In 1818, Friederike married Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau. The marriage had been arranged by the Prussian court, and they had been formally engaged since May 1816. Friederike and Leopold had four children. Friederike also became Duchess of Anhalt-Köthen in 1847 when that duchy was inherited by her husband. She died in 1850 at the age of  54. Three years after Friederike’s death, the Dessau and Köthen duchies were joined as one – the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen, and in 1863, were merged with the last remaining Anhalt duchy – Anhalt-Bernburg – becoming the unified Duchy of Anhalt, with her husband becoming the first reigning Duke.
Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt

January 1, 1851 – Death of Leopold II, Prince of Lippe in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; first buried at the Church of the Redeemer in Detmold, later his remains were moved to the Mausoleum at the Büchenberg in Detmold
When Leopold II was just five-years-old, his father Leopold I, Prince of Lippe died at the age of 34. Leopold II’s mother Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg very capably acted as Regent of the Principality of Lippe until 1820. In 1820, Leopold II married Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. They had nine children including three reigning Princes of Lippe. Leopold, shy by nature, lived a restrained life. He had two passions: hunting and the theater. The Lippe Princely Court Theater (Hochfürstliches Lippisches Hoftheater) he established in Detmold was among the best in the German monarchies. The theater established by Leopold II is still in existence today. Now called the Landestheater Detmold, it is a theater for operas, operettas, musicals, ballets, and stage plays in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. In 1851, Leopold died at the age of 54.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold II, Prince of Lippe

January 1, 1888 – Death of Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of Bernhard II, 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
Marie Friederike married Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in 1825 and the couple had two children. Marie Friederike was the Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen until her husband was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, in 1866 following the defeat of Austria, who he supported, in the Austro-Prussian War. The couple took up residence at the Great Palace in Meiningen, where they would live for the rest of their lives. Marie Friederike died in 1888 at the age of 84.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

January 1, 1952 – Birth of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar in Doha, Qatar
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was Emir of Qatar from 1995 until 2013. Sheikh Hamad traveled extensively, promoting diplomatic ties with countries both within the region and elsewhere. He spent a significant amount of time in the United Kingdom, having several private properties there. He was typically accompanied by his second wife Sheikha Mozah who took on a much more public role than his other two wives who, in keeping with tradition, were seldom seen in public. On June 25, 2013, after eighteen years as Emir, Sheikh Hamad announced his abdication in favor of his son Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa.
Unofficial Royalty:  Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar

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Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Young Pretender; Credit – Wikipedia

December 31, 1510 – Death of Bianca Maria Sforza, Holy Roman Empress, Archduchess of Austria, third wife of the three wives of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria; buried at the Abbey Church in the Crypt of the Princes of Tyrol at Stams Abbey in Stams, County of Tyrol, now in Austria
Bianca Maria Sforza was the third wife of the three wives of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Archduke of Austria. Bianca Maria had a miscarriage shortly after her marriage and it seems that she was never able to conceive again. She was a stepmother to the two surviving children of Maximilian and his first wife Mary of Burgundy. They were relatively close in age to Bianca Maria and she very much liked them. After 1500, Maximilian lost all interest in Bianca Maria. She lived with her own court of 150 – 200 people from Milan, traveling to various castles. In the last years of her life, Bianca Maria suffered from a debilitating illness, and died on December 31, 1510, aged 38, in Innsbruck, County of Tyrol, now in Austria. Maximilian was not in Innsbruck at the time of her death and did not return to attend her funeral.
Unofficial Royalty: Bianca Maria Sforza, Holy Roman Empress, Archduchess of Austria

December 31, 1705 – Death of Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England, wife of King Charles II of England, at the Palace of Bemposta in Lisbon, Portugal; originally buried at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal; re-interred at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
The daughter of King João IV of Portugal, in 1662, Catherine married King Charles II of England in two ceremonies, a private Catholic one, and a public Anglican one.  Catherine’s Roman Catholicism made her an unpopular queen. Despite fathering at least 16 illegitimate children with his mistresses, Charles had no children with Catherine.  It is thought that Catherine did have at least three miscarriages.  Despite having many mistresses, Charles insisted that Catherine be treated with respect, and sided with her over his mistresses when he felt she was not receiving the respect she was due. After the death of King Charles II in 1685 and the accession of Charles’ brother King James II, Catherine continued to live in England. Catherine remained in England after King James II was overthrown in 1688 by the Glorious Revolution and his daughter and her husband and first cousin took the throne as King William III and Queen Mary II. However, Catherine found that her position with the new monarchs deteriorated and she decided to return to Portugal in 1693. She was an important female figure to her nephew, the future King João V of Portugal after his mother died. When her brother King Pedro II grew tired of government, Catherine served as his regent. Catherine died at her Palace of Bemposta in Lisbon, Portugal at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine of Braganza, Queen of England

December 31, 1720 – Birth of Charles Edward Stuart, known as Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Young Pretender, at Palazzo Muti in Rome, Italy
Charles Edward Stuart was the elder of the two sons of James Francis Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender, who was the son of the exiled King James II of England/VII of Scotland. As the first-born son of the titular King James III of England/VIII of Scotland, Charles was styled as Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall from birth. Charles Edward Stuart was the instigator of the Jacobite rising of 1745 which culminated in the Battle of Culloden. The superior British forces needed just 25 minutes to defeat the Jacobite forces in the Battle of Culloden. Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded while the British losses were much lighter, with 50 dead and 259 wounded. After the Battle of Culloden, there were no further Jacobite uprisings. In 1766, when Charles’s father James Francis Edward died, Charles was still unmarried and his only sibling was a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, so Charles decided to find himself a bride so the Stuart line could be continued. In 1772, 52-year-old Charles married 20-year-old Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern. The marriage was unsuccessful and produced no children. With the deaths of Charles Edward Stuart in 1788, and his younger brother Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart in 1807, the male line of the British Royal House of Stuart became extinct. The Jacobite line of succession to the British throne passed to King Carlo Emanuele IV of Sardinia through the line of Henrietta of England, Duchess of Orléans, the youngest child of King Charles I of England. The Jacobite line of succession has proceeded over the years to the House of Savoy, House of Austria-Este, and to the House of Wittelsbach. It appears in the future, that it will proceed to the House of Liechtenstein.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles Edward Stuart, The Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

December 31, 1741 – Birth of Princess Isabella of Parma, Infanta of Spain, first wife of the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, at Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, Kingdom of Spain
Princess Isabella of Parma, Infanta of Spain was the first wife of the future Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor who was also the ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands. Isabella died before Joseph became Holy Roman Emperor. Joseph and Isabella had two daughters but neither survived childhood. While pregnant with her second child, Isabella developed smallpox. Isabella’s high fever induced labor three months early, and on November 22, 1763, she gave birth to a premature second daughter. The baby was baptized Maria Christina, as Isabella requested, but died the same day. Following the birth, Isabella was rarely conscious but during her moments of consciousness, she displayed extraordinary courage. Joseph, who had already had smallpox, stayed by her side and took care of her without a break. On November 27, 1763, one month and three days before her 22nd birthday, Isabella died from smallpox.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella of Parma, Archduchess of Austria

December 31, 1834 – Birth of Kapiʻolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands was the wife of Kalākaua, King of the Hawaiian Islands, born Kapiʻolani Napelakapuokakaʻe in Hilo on the island of Hawaii, then in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, now in the state of Hawaii

Unofficial Royalty: Kapiʻolani, Queen Consort of the Hawaiian Islands

December 31, 1885 – Birth of Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, wife of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, at the Gut Grünholz in Thumby, Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Full name: Viktoria Adelheid Helene Luise Marie Friederike
In 1905, Viktoria Adelheid married Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the only son of Queen Victoria’s youngest son Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont. The couple had five children including Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the mother of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. After World War I, Charles Edward abdicated from the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. During the period between the two World Wars, Charles Edward became active in the Nazi Party. After World War II, in 1949, a denazification appeals court classified Charles Edward as a Nazi Follower, Category IV. He was heavily fined and almost bankrupted. After World War II, some of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha properties that were now in East Germany were seized. The family was left with Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Bavaria, Germany and Schloss Greinburg an der Donau in Grein, Austria. After her husband’s death in 1954, Viktoria Adelheid spent time traveling, often with her sister-in-law, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone.
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

December 31, 1893 – Birth of Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen, pretender to the former throne of Saxony, and head of the House of Saxony, from 1932 until his death in 1968, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony
Full name: Friedrich Christian Albert Leopold Anno Sylvester Macarius of Saxony
Friedrich Christian was the second son of the last King of Saxony, King Friedrich August III who lost his throne after World War I. In 1932, Friedrich Christian became heir apparent to the former throne of Saxony when his elder brother Georg renounced his rights to the throne and entered the priesthood. Nine years later, his father died and Friedrich Christian became Head of the House of Saxony and pretender to the former throne. At that time, he took on the historic title Margrave of Meissen.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friedrich Christian of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen

December 31, 1935 – Birth of King Salman of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
King Salman is the current King of Saudi Arabia having succeeded his half-brother King Abdullah in 2015. King Salman initially named his younger half-brother Muqrin as Crown Prince. However, in April 2015, he removed Muqrin and instead named his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef as Crown Prince.  In June 2017, King Salman removed his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef from all positions and named his son Mohammad bin Salman as Crown Prince. King Salman has made headlines for his extravagant trips to the United States and the southern coast of France, traveling with an entourage numbering in the hundreds. He has also been the source of much media speculation as to his health. Some media reports have suggested that the King is suffering from some form of dementia, possibly Alzheimer’s Disease. There has been no formal statement from the Royal Court regarding these claims. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and has led many reforms within the country, as well as creating a number of controversies,
Unofficial Royalty: King Salman of Saudi Arabia

December 31, 2016 – Death of Prince Dmitri Romanov in a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Vedbæk Cemetery in Rudersdal, Denmark
Prince Dmitri Romanov, a great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, was one of the disputed pretenders to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family from 2014 – 2016.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Dmitri Romanov

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Sofia of Nassau, Queen of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

December 30, 1460 – Death of Richard, 3rd Duke of York at the Battle of Wakefield during the Wars of the Roses; initially buried at Pontefract Castle in Pontefract, Yorkshire, England, in 1476, during the reign of Richard’s son King Edward IV, his remains were reinterred at the Church of Saint Mary and All Saints in Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire, England
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York was a claimant to the English throne, the leader of the Yorkist faction during the Wars of the Roses, and the father of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York

December 30, 1880 – Death of Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of Grand Duke Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Střelice Stoda, Czech Republic; buried in the New Crypt at the Johanniterkirche in Mirow, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
In 1817, Marie married Grand Duke Georg of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. They had four children including Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who married Queen Victoria’s husband Princess Augusta of Cambridge. A talented painter, Marie often painted copies of famous paintings. Many were used as altarpieces in churches in the grand duchy, including the town churches in Schönberg and Neustrelitz, both of which still exist. Marie died at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Hesse-Kassel, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

December 30, 1913 – Death of Sofia of Nassau, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Oscar II of Sweden, at the Royal Palace of Stockholm; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
In 1857, Sofia married the future King Oscar II of Sweden and the couple had four sons. Queen Sofia was instrumental in establishing organized nursing schools in Sweden. A follower of Florence Nightingale, she learned much from a visit to the United Kingdom in 1881 and began her project upon returning to Sweden. In 1882, she arranged formal classes for nurses at the Sabbatsberg hospital. Two years later, she opened the Sophiahemmet University College, and in 1889 it became the Sophiahemmet, a combined school for nurses and hospitals. When Queen Sofia died in 1913 at the age of 77, she was the longest-serving Queen Consort of Sweden, until surpassed in 2011 by Queen Silvia, wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf, and is the last to hold the title of Dowager Queen. Queen Sofia is the ancestor of the current sovereigns of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.
Unofficial Royalty: Sofia of Nassau, Queen of Sweden

December 30, 1949 – Death of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; buried at Christ Church in Detmold
During Leopold IV’s reign, there was much economic and cultural advancement. The major building projects provided much-needed employment for the people of Lippe. Christ Church in Detmold was built in 1908 to accommodate the growing Protestant community which had outgrown the small Church of the Redeemer. It is the burial site of Leopold IV, his two wives, and most of their children. Leopold was the last reigning Prince of Lippe, abdicating on November 12, 1918.  He negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Leopold died at the age of 78.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe

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Elizabeth I, Empress of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

December 29, 1709 – Birth of Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia, daughter of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of all Russia and Catherine I, Empress of All Russia, at Kolomenskoye near Moscow, Russia
During the ten-year reign of her cousin Anna, Empress of All Russia, Elizabeth had been gathering support in the background. After the infant Ivan VI succeeded Anna, a conspiracy soon arose with the aim of obtaining the Russian throne for Elizabeth Petrovna, the only surviving child of Peter I the Great, Emperor of All Russia. A coup took place during the night of December 5-6, 1741 with financial support from France and military support from the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Empress Elizabeth never married but she did have a long-term relationship with and was possibly morganatically married to Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky, born Alexei Rozum to a Ukrainian-born Cossack. Elizabeth was responsible for having three of the most important Romanov palaces – the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, and Peterhof near St. Petersburg – renovated and refurbished. Elizabeth’s court was very lavish and her 21-year reign is remembered as a period of luxury and excess.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia

December 29, 1721 – Birth of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour,  mistress and confidante of King Louis XV of France,  in Paris, France
Madame de Pompadour was the official mistress of King Louis XV of France from 1745 until 1750 and continued to serve as one of the King’s closest confidantes until her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Madame de Pompadour

December 29, 1731 – Death of Princess Louise-Hippolyte of Monaco at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco; buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco
Louise-Hippolyte was the second but the eldest surviving of the six daughters of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. Her father decided, with the permission of King Louis XIV of France, that Louise Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her. In 1715, Louise-Hippolyte married French noble Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon. They had nine children but only four survived to adulthood, including Honoré III, Prince of Monaco. When her father died, Louise-Hippolyte decreed that she would be the sole ruler, all documents would be issued in her name only, and her husband and children would stay in France. Louise-Hippolyte had a very short reign of ten months. Several weeks before Christmas of 1731, a smallpox epidemic spread through the Mediterranean coastal areas. Louise-Hippolyte died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Louise-Hippolyte of Monaco

December 29, 1790 – Death of Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa and Carrara, Duchess of Modena and Reggio, wife of Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio, at the Ducal Palace in Reggio Emilia, Duchy of Modena and Reggio, now in Italy; buried at the Basilica of the Madonna della Ghiara in Reggio Emilia in Duchy of Modena and Reggio, now in Italy
Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina was the reigning Duchess of Massa and Carrara in her own right from 1731 until her death in 1790, and the wife of Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio. The marriage was not a happy one. After Maria Teresa gave birth to two children, Ercole humiliated her with his open relationships with his mistresses. Eventually, the couple began to live apart. Maria Teresa and Ercole’s only surviving child Maria Beatrice d’Este married Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, son of Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Theresa, in her own right Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. Maria Beatrice and Ferdinand’s marriage created the House of Austria-Este, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. As far as ruling her Duchy of Massa and Carrara, now in Italy, Maria Teresa was an enlightened ruler and demonstrated excellent administrative skills.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, Duchess of Massa and Carrara, Duchess of Modena and Reggio

December 29, 1820 – Death of Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess of Lippe, Regent of Lippe, wife of Leopold I, Prince of Lippe, in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; first buried at the Church of the Redeemer in Detmold, later her remains were moved to the Mausoleum at the Büchenberg in Detmold
Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg 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. 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 (Fürstin-Pauline-Stiftung in German). Pauline is considered one of the most important rulers of Lippe. She died, aged 51, from a lung ulceration.
Unofficial Royalty: Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess of Lippe

December 29, 1843 – Birth of Elisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania, wife of King Carol I of Romania, at Schloss Monrepos in Neuwied, Principality of Wied, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Full name: Pauline Elisabeth Ottilie Luise
In 1869, Elisabeth married Prince Carol I, born Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, who had been elected Ruling Prince of the United Principalities of Romania. They had one daughter,  Maria, born in September 1870. Maria died of scarlet fever in 1874, and Elisabeth never fully recovered from the loss of her only child. In 1881, the Romanian parliament declared Romania a Kingdom, and Elisabeth’s husband became King Carol I. A  patron of the arts, Elisabeth often hosted writers, composers, and musicians, and helped promote their works. Her true passion was writing. Under the pseudonym Carmen Sylva, she wrote hundreds of poems, plays, novels, short stories, and essays, and thanks to her fluency in several languages, published numerous translations of other works.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Wied, Queen of Romania

December 29, 1916 – Murder of Grigori Efimovich Rasputin at Moika Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, home of Prince Felix Yusupov; buried at Tsarskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia; after the abdication of Nicholas II, Rasputin’s body was exhumed and burned to prevent his burial site from becoming a site of pilgrimage
After working with many physicians to help her hemophiliac son Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaevich,  Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, turned to mystics and faith healers. This led to her close, and disastrous, relationship with Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin. Several times he appeared to have brought the Tsarevich back from the brink of death, which further cemented Alexandra’s reliance. To many historians and experts, this relationship would contribute greatly to the fall of the Russian monarchy. The belief of Nicholas II’s family in Rasputin’s healing powers brought him considerable status and power at court. He was suspected of exerting political influence over Nicholas II and was even rumored to be having an affair with Alexandra. Opposition to Rasputin’s influence grew within the Russian Orthodox Church. Even Imperial Family members became concerned with Rasputin’s influence when Nicholas II left St. Petersburg to take supreme command of the Russian armies fighting in World War I, leaving Alexandra in charge as Regent. Eventually, a group of conspirators plotted to murder Rasputin in hopes of ending his influence over Nicholas II’s family.  Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia’s first cousin Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and his niece’s husband Prince Felix Yusupov were among the conspirators.
Unofficial Royalty: Murder of Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin
Unofficial Royalty: Grigori Efimovich Rasputin

December 29, 1954 – Birth of Prince Takamado of Japan in Tokyo, Japan
Prince Takamado was the son of Prince Mikasa of Japan and Yuriko Takagi (Princess Mikasa). Takamado’s father Prince Mikasa was the youngest son of Emperor Taishō, the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa), and the uncle of Emperor Akihito. Takamado worked from 1981 until his death in 2002 as the administrator of the Japan Foundation which promotes Japanese arts, culture, and language exchange around the world. In 1984, he married Hisako Tottori, the eldest daughter of a Japanese industrialist and the couple had three daughters. In 2002, while playing squash with the Canadian ambassador Robert Wright at the Canadian Embassy, Prince Takamado collapsed due to ventricular fibrillation. He was immediately taken to the hospital but was already in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. He was resuscitated but his condition then worsened and soon there was no hope that he would survive. With the consent of his wife, Prince Takamado was removed from life support and died at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Takamado of Japan

December 29, 1994 – Birth of Princess Kako of Akishino, daughter of Crown Prince Akishino, at the Imperial Household Agency Hospital in Tokyo, Japan
Kako is the younger of the two daughters of Crown Prince Akishino. In 2021, her elder sister Mako married Kei Komuro, lost her title, and become a commoner upon marriage as required by Imperial Household Law. Her brother Hisahito is the only nephew of the current Emperor Naruhito and is currently second in the line of succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne after his father. In March 2019, Kako graduated from the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan with a degree in psychology. Since May 2021, Princess Kako has been employed part-time at the Japanese Federation of the Deaf.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Kako of Akishino

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Queen Mary II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

December 28, 1635 – Birth of Princess Elizabeth of England, daughter of King Charles I of England, at St. James’s Palace in London, England

Unofficial Royalty: Princess Elizabeth of England

December 28, 1694 – Death of Queen Mary II of England at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey 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. She 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. William and Mary had no children. 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. Queen Mary II died of smallpox at the age of 32.  Sadly, William’s father died of smallpox 8 days before his birth and his mother died of smallpox when he was just 10.  William continued his reign until his death in 1702 when he was succeeded by Mary’s younger sister Anne.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Mary II of England

December 28, 1728 – Death of Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, wife of Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in Thuringia, Germany; first buried at at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg (link in German), the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle (link in German), in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, reburied in the 1940s at Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia

Unofficial Royalty: Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

December 28, 1757 – Death of Princess Caroline of Great Britain, daughter of King George II of Great Britain, at St. James Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Full name: Caroline Elizabeth
Princess Caroline, the daughter of the future King George II of Great Britain and his wife Caroline of Ansbach, was not only her mother’s namesake but her favorite child. She was known in the family for telling the truth and was always consulted when there were disagreements between the royal siblings because she could be counted on telling exactly what happened.  After the marriage of her eldest sister Anne to Willem IV, Prince of Orange, Caroline became her mother’s main confidant and she remained so for the rest of her mother’s life. Princess Caroline never married. When her mother died in 1737, Queen Caroline expressly left her three youngest children, all teenagers, in the care of her daughter Caroline. Princess Caroline had been a hypochondriac for most of her life and she apparently lost the will to live. As she lay dying, she refused to see any of her family. On December 28, 1757, she died at the age of 44,
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Caroline of Great Britain

December 28, 1782 – Death of Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony, 1st wife of the future Anton, King of Saxony, at the Royal Palace of Turin in the Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy, buried in the Great Crypt of the Catholic Church of the Royal Court of Saxony (in German: Katholische Hofkirche) in Dresden, now known as Dresden Cathedral.
Full name: Maria Carolina Antonietta Adelaide
The daughter of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy and Infanta Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain, Maria Carolina was the first wife of the future Anton, King of Saxony.  She married Anton on October 24, 1781. Around December 14, 1782, Maria Carolina became ill with smallpox, and died on December 28, 1782, at the age of 18.
Unofficial Royalty; Maria Carolina of Savoy, Electoral Princess of Saxony

December 28, 1920 – Birth of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, sister of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, in Paris, France
Full name: Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne
Antoinette was the elder of the two children of Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois and Count Pierre de Polignac.  Antoinette had one younger brother Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Princess Antoinette had a long-term affair with Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, a tennis player. The couple had three illegitimate children who were later legitimized when their parents married in 1951. The couple divorced three years later. Princess Antoinette married Dr. Jean-Charles Rey, President of the Conseil National, Monaco’s legislature, in 1961. Before they married, Antoinette and Rey had a long-term affair. Antoinette and Rey had no children and divorced in 1974. In 1983, Princess Antoinette married a former British ballet dancer John Gilpin. Gilpin died from a heart attack six weeks after marrying Antoinette.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Antoinette of Monaco

December 28, 1947 – Death of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy, in exile at Alexandria, Egypt; first buried in the Cathedral of St. Catherine in Alexandria, Egypt, in December 2017, his remains were moved to the San Bernardo Chapel in the Sanctuary of Vicoforte in Italy
The only child of King Umberto I of Italy and Princess Margherita of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele III became King of Italy in 1900 upon the assassination of his father and reigned until his abdication in 1946. In 1896, Vittorio Emanuele III married Princess Elena of Montenegro. The couple had five children. After World War I, the Fascist movement, led by Benito Mussolini gained power. In 1922, all sense of democracy was pushed aside and Mussolini established himself as a dictator with Vittorio Emanuele III merely his puppet. After Italy’s defeat in World War II, a referendum was held to decide whether to retain the monarchy or become a republic. Hoping to save the monarchy, Vittorio Emanuele III abdicated in 1946, in favor of his son. However, his hopes were not realized, and the Italian monarchy was formally abolished just weeks later. The royal family was sent into exile. Vittorio Emanuele settled in Alexandria, Egypt, where he died on December 28, 1947.
Unofficial Royalty: King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy

December 28, 1952 – Death of Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Christian X of Denmark, at a hospice, Saint Lukas Foundation in Hellerup, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Alexandrine was the eldest of the three children of Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. In 1898, she married the future King Christian X of Denmark. The couple had two sons including King Frederik IX of Denmark. Christian and Alexandrine were devoted to one another and enjoyed a happy marriage. The couple became king and queen of Denmark in 1912. While their popularity waxed and waned throughout Christian’s rule, he and Alexandrine are generally viewed as successful as king and queen. Alexandrine was widowed in 1947. During her time as dowager queen, she devoted most of her time to charitable causes, particularly those dedicated to children. Alexandrine died in her sleep four days after her 73rd birthday, at a hospice where she had undergone an intestinal operation a week and a half before her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen of Denmark

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Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

December 27, 1663 – Death of Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy, daughter of King Henri IV of France and wife of Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy, at the Palazzo Madama in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy; buried at Basilica of Sant’Andrea in Vercelli, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, in 1802, her remains were transferred to the nearby Church of Saint Teresa of Avila
Christine was the daughter of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. In 1619, on her 13th birthday, she married the future Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy and they had seven children. Christine introduced French culture to the Savoy court and was quite active in the renovations of Savoy palaces and castles. Her sister Henrietta Maria had married King Charles I of England and the two sisters had a rivalry to see who had the more splendid court. Upon the death of her husband in 1637, Christine became Regent for her five-year-old son Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy and when he died in 1638, she became Regent for her other son Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy. In later years, Christine had a religious conversion that radically transformed her from a life of pleasure to a life of extreme penitential practices. She died at the age of 57 and requested to be buried in the habit of a Discalced Carmelite nun.
Unofficial Royalty: Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy

December 27, 1683 – Death of Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Afonso VI of Portugal and King Pedro II of Portugal, at the palace of the Count of Sarzedas in Palhavã, Portugal; first buried at the Convent of the Francesinhas, moved in 1912 to the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Maria Francisca of Savoy was Queen of Portugal twice, once as the wife of Afonso VI, King of Portugal, and then as the wife of his brother Pedro II, King of Portugal. In 1666, she married King Afonso VI who was debilitated mentally and physically due to the effects of a disease he contracted in childhood. Maria Francisca cooperated with her brother-in-law Pedro in a coup that led to Pedro assuming the role of Prince Regent in 1668. While Pedro never formally usurped the throne, Afonso VI was king in name only for the rest of his life. After Maria Francisca’s marriage to Afonso VI was annulled on the grounds of non-consummation, she married Pedro. In 1683, Afonso VI died and his brother succeeded him as Pedro II, King of Portugal, and Maria Francisca was Queen of Portugal for a second time. She died on December 27, 1683.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal

December 27, 1755 – Birth of King Anton of Saxony in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Full name: Anton Clemens Theodor Maria Josef Johann Evangelista Johann Nepomuk Franz Xavier Aloys Januar
In 1827, Anton became King of Saxony, upon the death of his elder brother King Friedrich August I, who had only one surviving child, a daughter. Anton also had no male heirs. His first marriage was childless and the one son and three daughters from his second marriage either died at birth or died in infancy. By 1830, following the July Revolution in France, Saxony began to see some small uprisings, usually directed at the Constitution. In order to maintain peace, several changes took place. In September 1830, Anton appointed his nephew and heir, Friedrich August, as Co-Regent. And the following year, a new Constitution was put into place, establishing Saxony as a true constitutional monarchy. Anton was succeeded by his nephew King Friedrich August II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Anton of Saxony

December 27, 1849 – Birth of Alicia of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Ferdinando IV, then the titular Grand Duke of Tuscany in Parma, Duchy of Parma, now in Italy
Full name: Alicia Maria Carolina Ferdinanda Rachael Giovanna Filomena
Alicia was the daughter of Carlo III, Duke of Parma and Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France, who was a granddaughter of King Charles X of France. Alice’s father was assassinated in 1854 and her six-year-old brother Roberto became Duke of Parma. Roberto lost his throne in 1859 during the Italian unification movement. In 1868, Alicia became the second wife of the former Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Ferdinando lost his throne due to the Italian unification and was in exile like Alicia’s family. Alicia and Ferdinando had ten children. Ferdinando and Alicia lived at the Villa Tuscany in Lindau, Austria during the summer, and during the winter they lived in a wing of the Salzburg Residenz, formerly the residence of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg. Both residences were provided by Ferdinando’s second cousin Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Alicia of Bourbon-Parma, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

December 27, 1894 – Death of the former Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies in Arco, Austria-Hungary, now in Italy; originally buried at the Church of the Holy Spirit of the Neapolitans in Rome, in 1984, his remains were transferred to the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, Italy
Francesco II was the last King of the Two Sicilies. In 1859, he married Maria Sophie of Bavaria. The couple had one daughter. Three months after his marriage Francesco’s father died and he became King of the Two Sicilies. During the reign of Francesco II, Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860-1861 invasion called the Expedition of the Thousand led to the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which then was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861. After losing his throne, Francesco lived in Rome but in 1870, the annexation of the Papal States to Italy, including Rome, forced Francesco and Maria Sophie to find refuge in Austria, France, and Bavaria. Maria Sophie purchased Garatshausen Castle on Lake Starnberg in the Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria from her brother Ludwig, and the castle became their home. Francesco died at the age of 58 in Arco, where he spent winters, then in Austria-Hungary, now in Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies

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Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

December 26, 1771 – Birth of Julie Clary, wife of King Joseph Bonaparte of Naples and Sicily, Spain and the Indies, in Marseilles, France
Full name: Marie Julie
Marie Julie Clary was the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Joseph Bonaparte who was King of Naples from 1806 – 1808, and King of Spain from 1808 – 1813. Julie and Joseph had two daughters. In 1808, King Carlos IV of Spain and his son King Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon where they forced them both to abdicate their rights to the Spanish throne. Napoleon declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed and installed his brother Joseph as King of Spain. Julie never lived in or even traveled to Spain, preferring to live in France. In 1813, Due to the defeats in the Peninsular War, Napoleon was forced to reinstate Ferdinand VII as King of Spain. Joseph went into exile in Switzerland and Julie remained in France.  Joseph eventually went to the United States where he lived for seventeen years before returning to Europe. In 1840, Joseph joined Julie in Florence, where she had settled. Julie accepted him back despite his adultery In the United States which resulted in two American daughters. In 1844, Joseph died in Florence. Julie survived him by eight months dying in Florence on April 7, 1845, aged seventy-three.
Unofficial Royalty: Julie Clary Bonaparte, Queen of Spain, Queen of Naples

December 26, 1777 – Birth of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse Germany
In 1804, Ludwig married his first cousin, Princess Wilhelmine of Baden. The couple had five children including Ludwig’s successor Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Prince Alexander whose morganatic marriage to Countess Julia Hauke started the Battenberg/Mountbatten family, and Princess Maria who married Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. Ludwig became Grand Duke upon his father’s death in March 1830 and continued his father’s policies. Soon after his accession, he demanded that the state assume all of his personal debts. This led to a growing dislike for Ludwig among the Hessian people. He also stood strongly against calls for a more liberal government which was sweeping through Europe. Following the beginning of the March Revolution of 1848, Grand Duke Ludwig II abdicated on March 5, 1848, in favor of his eldest son.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

December 26, 1800 – Death of Mary Robinson, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, in Englefield Green, Surrey, England; buried at St. Peter and St. Andrew Churchyard in Windsor, Berkshire, England
Mary Robinson was a noted English poet and actress who became the first mistress of the future King George IV, while he was still Prince of Wales. Their relationship lasted just two years. Her first book of poetry, Poems By Mrs. Robinson,  was published in 1775. She soon caught the attention of Georgina Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who became somewhat of a patron to Mary, sponsoring the publication of Mary’s second book of poetry, Captivity. While performing as Perdita in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Winter Tale in 1779 at the Drury Lane Theater in London, Mary caught the attention of The Prince of Wales who attended a performance and was instantly smitten.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary Robinson, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

December 26, 1818 – Death of Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain, second of the four wives of King Ferdinand VII of Spain at the Palace of Aranjuez in Spain; buried at the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in Spain
Maria Isabel was the daughter of King João VI of Portugal and Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain. She married her maternal uncle Ferdinand VII of Spain, who was 13 years older than her. Ferdinand’s first wife had died childless ten years earlier. The marriage was made with the aim of strengthening relations between Spain and Portugal, and of course, with the goal of providing heirs to the throne. Maria Isabel gave birth to a daughter who only lived for five months.  There were terrible complications when 21-year-old Maria Isabel went into labor with her second child, a daughter who was in breech position and died in utero. Maria Isabel had lost consciousness and appeared to have stopped breathing, so the doctors believed she had died. When they began to cut her open to remove the dead child, she let out a cry of pain, fainted, and bled to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain

December 26, 2004 – Death of Sir Angus Ogilvy, husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, at Kingston Hospital in London, England; buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England
Angus Ogilvy was the second son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie. Angus’s grandmother, Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie was a close lifelong friend of Queen Mary and served as one of her ladies-in-waiting for over 50 years. His father served as a Lord-in-Waiting to King George V and then as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1937-1965. An uncle served as an equerry to the future King Edward VIII while he was Prince of Wales. His elder brother served as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth II from 1984-1997 and his sister-in-law, Virginia, has been a lady-in-waiting to The Queen since 1973.  In 1963, Angus married Princess Alexandra of Kent and the couple had two children. Angus was offered an Earldom by The Queen but graciously declined. He died from throat cancer in 2004.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Angus Ogilvy

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Emperor Taisho of Japan; Credit – Wikipedia

December 25, 1461 – Birth of Christina of Saxony, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, wife of King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, in Torgau, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
In 1478, Christina married the future King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Christina and Hans 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 their marriage. From that time on, the marriage of Hans and Christina was one in name only. Christina was a devout Catholic (the Reformation had not yet occurred in Denmark) and she founded convents for the nuns of the Poor Clares in Copenhagen and Odense. In 1513, King Hans died from injuries after he was thrown from his horse. Christina survived her husband by eight years, dying aged 59, and was buried wearing the habit of a Poor Clares nun.
Unofficial Royalty: Christina of Saxony, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden

December 25, 1584 – Birth of Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain, wife of King Felipe III of Spain, in Graz, Austria
The daughter of Karl II, Archduke of Austria-Styria and his niece Maria Anna of Bavaria, Margaret married Felipe III, King of Spain in 1599. Felipe and Margaret, both children of parents who were an uncle and his niece, were first cousins once removed and also second cousins, adding to more inbreeding in the House of Habsburg.  Margaret and Felipe III had eight children, including King Felipe III’s successor King Felipe IV and Ana María Mauricia (better known as Queen Anne of France) who married King Louis XIII of France. They were the parents of King Louis XIV of France. In 1611, Margaret died at the age of twenty-six from childbirth complications eleven days after giving birth to her eighth child.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain

December 25, 1667 – Birth of Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal, mistress of King George I of Great Britain, in Emden, Electorate of Brandenburg, now part of Altenhausen in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
In 1691, Melusine became the mistress of George, Electoral Prince of Hanover, the future Elector of Hanover and King George I of Great Britain. Despite the fact that the future King George I had affairs while he lived in Hanover, when his wife had one, she was divorced, sent off to a German castle for the rest of her life, and her lover disappeared, supposedly murdered. Melusine was more like a wife to George. She accompanied him to London when he became King of Great Britain and became a naturalized British citizen. After George I’s death, Melusine lived out the remainder of her life at her London home in the companionship of a large bird, probably a raven, in which she believed that George’s soul had been reincarnated.
Unofficial Royalty: Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal 

December 25, 1833 – Birth of Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, 2nd wife of Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg, in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Through their mothers who were sisters, Adelheid-Marie was the first cousin of King Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, Crown Thyra Princess of Hanover, and Prince Valdemar of Denmark. Adelheid-Marie married the future Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg in 1851. The couple had two surviving children including Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Adelheid-Marie died at the age of 82.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

December 25, 1901 – Birth of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, born Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Duchess of Gloucester at Montagu House in London, England
Full name: Alice Christabel
Alice was the widow of King George V’s son Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, aunt of Queen Elizabeth II, and mother of Prince Richard, the current Duke of Gloucester. She was born Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott, the daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry and Lady Margaret Bridgeman. In 1935, Alice married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and the couple had two sons. During the early reign of Henry’s niece Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester carried out royal engagements including some overseas tours. Princess Alice died peacefully in her sleep at Kensington Palace in London at the age of 102, the longest-lived member of the British Royal Family so far.
 Unofficial Royalty: Birth of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

December 25, 1902 – Birth of Princess Françoise of Greece and Denmark, second wife of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark, born Princess Françoise of Orléans in Paris, France
Full name: Françoise Isabelle Louise Marie
Françoise was the daughter of Prince Jean of Orléans, Duke of Guise, an Orléanist pretender to the throne of France, and Princess Isabelle of Orléans. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Louis Philippe I, King of the French, four times over and a great-granddaughter of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil and King Ferdinand VII of Spain. In 1929, she married the widowed Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and the couple had one son. Christopher died in 1940, at the age of 51, after suffering from a lung abscess. After her husband’s death, Françoise’s financial situation was tenuous. After living in several different places, she finally settled with her sister in Paris, France. Françoise became very introverted and greatly limited her social interactions. Suffering from depression, her health quickly declined. She died in Paris, France in 1953, just two months after her 50th birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Françoise of Orléans, Princess Françoise of Greece and Denmark

December 25, 1926 – Death of Emperor Taishō of Japan at the Imperial Palace at Hayama, in Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, Japan; buried at the Musashino Imperial Mausoleum in Tokyo, Japan
Emperor Taishō’s mother Lady Naruko Yanagihara was a concubine to his father Emperor Meiji, was the last concubine to give birth to a Japanese emperor. Three weeks after his birth, Taishō suffered from cerebral meningitis and this affected his health and his mental capacity, including a speech disorder and difficulty walking, for the rest of his life. In 1900, Taishō married Lady Sadako Kujō (Empress Teimei). Because of Taishō’s diminished mental capacity, Emperor Meiji wanted an intelligent, articulate, and dignified wife for his son, and he found those qualities in Sadako. The couple had four sons including Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa. In 1912, Taishō succeeded his father as Emperor of Japan. He was kept out of public view as much as possible because of his mental incapacity.  It soon became apparent that he could not carry out any public functions, participate in daily government matters, or make decisions. This was all left to his ministers and his son Crown Prince Hirohito. Finally, Crown Prince Hirohito was named Prince Regent in 1921. Taishō died of a heart attack at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Taishō of Japan

December 25, 1936 – Birth of Princess Alexandra of Kent, daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent, at 3 Belgrave Square in London, England
The only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece, Alexandra was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, and through her mother, she is a first cousin once removed of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Along with her brothers Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent, she grew up at Coppins, the family’s country home in Iver in Buckinghamshire, England. In 1942, her father was killed in a plane crash, just weeks after the birth of her younger brother. In the late 1950s, Princess Alexandra began to take on royal duties, supporting her cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. In 1963, Alexandra married The Honorable Angus Ogilvy, second son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie. The couple had one son and one daughter.
Full name: Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexandra of Kent

December 25, 2019 – Death of Ari Behn, the former husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway; buried at the Cemetery of Our Saviour in Olso, Norway
Ari’s work career was diverse. He was an author, the owner of a fashion design company, the designer of a successful collection of glasses and dishes, made documentaries for television, and worked as a writer for various publications. In 2002, Ari married Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, the daughter of King Harald V of Norway. Ari and Princess Märtha Louise had three daughters. In August 2016, it was announced that the couple separated. They divorced in 2017. Sadly, Ari Behn died by suicide at his home in Lommedalen, Norway. He was 47 years old.
Unofficial Royalty: Ari Behn
Unofficial Royalty: Funeral of Ari Behn

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Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

December 24, 1167 – Birth of King John of England at Beaumont Palace in Oxford, England
John was the youngest of the eight children of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. In 1199, John succeeded his childless brother King Richard I as King of England. During his reign, John lost the French territories of Normandy, Maine, Touraine, Anjou, and Poitou, all ancestral territories of his Norman or Angevin ancestors. While John was trying to save his French territories, his discontented English barons led by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, were protesting John’s continued misgovernment of England. The result of this discontent was the best-known event of John’s reign, the Magna Carta, the “great charter” of English liberties. Among the liberties were the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown.
Unofficial Royalty: King John of England

December 24, 1597 – Birth of Honoré II, Prince of Monaco in Monaco
When Honoré  II was two years old, his mother died due to childbirth complications. In 1604, his father Hercule, Lord of Monaco was stabbed to death while walking through the streets of Monaco at night. A month short of his seventh birthday, Honoré succeeded his father as Lord of Monaco. In 1612, Honoré II started using the title of Prince, becoming the first Prince of Monaco. Honoré II became a vassal of King Louis XIII of France in 1633. Many Princes of Monaco were vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes of Monaco. The Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families. In 1616, Honoré married Ippolita Trivulzio, the daughter of the Italian nobles. Honoré and Ippolita had one son who died before his father. During his reign, Honoré II did much to extend, rebuild, and transform what was originally the 1191 fortress of his Grimaldi ancestors into what is today’s Prince’s Palace of Monaco. After a reign of fifty-eight years, Honoré II, Prince of Monaco died in Monaco on January 10, 1662, at the age of 64.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Honoré II of Monaco

December 24, 1634 – Birth of Mariana of Austria, Queen of Spain, second wife of her maternal uncle King Philip IV of Spain, in Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Mariana was the daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria and his first wife Maria Anna of Spain. She was betrothed to Balthasar Carlos, Prince of Asturias, the son and heir of King Felipe IV of Spain, Mariana’s uncle, the brother of her mother. However, Balthasar Carlos died three months after the betrothal from smallpox, leaving his father with no male heir. 44-year-old King Felipe IV arranged to marry his son’s former fiancée, his 14-year-old niece Mariana. Mariana and Felipe IV had five children but only two survived childhood, including Felipe IV’s heir, the physically and mentally disabled King Carlos II of Spain. While a person in the fifth generation normally has thirty-two different ancestors, Carlos II had only ten different ancestors in the fifth generation. After the death of her husband, Mariana served as Regent for her four-year-old son, and remained an influential figure during his reign, until her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Mariana of Austria, Queen of Spain

December 24, 1660 – Death of Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange, daughter of King Charles I of England, wife of Willem II, Prince of Orange, mother of King William III of England, at Whitehall Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Mary was created the first Princess Royal. Her mother Queen Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henri IV of France, wanted to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the King of France was styled Madame Royale. In 1641, Mary married the future Willem II, Prince of Orange. Mary and Willem had one child, Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England. Mary died from smallpox at the age of 29. Her son Willem III, Prince of Orange, the future King William III of England, was just ten years old and had lost both parents to smallpox. William’s wife and co-ruler Queen Mary II would also die of smallpox at the age of 32.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange

December 24, 1803 – Death 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 his remains were removed from the chapel, cremated, and buried elsewhere in the cemetery.
Georg became Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in July 1782, upon the death of his childless brother Karl Wilhelm. Four months later, he married Princess Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. The couple had three children including Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen who married King William IV of the United Kingdom. One of the first things Georg did upon becoming Duke was to open the Ducal library and art collections to the public. He also oversaw the design of the new English Garden in Meiningen on the site of the former municipal cemetery and began to transform Meiningen into a prestigious royal city. Having always been in poor health, Georg I died at the age of 42, after developing a fever.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

December 24, 1837 – Birth of Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, at the Herzog-Max-Palais (Duke Max Palace) in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie
In 1854, Sisi, as she was known, married Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The couple had four children including their only son Crown Prince Rudolf who died in a suicide pact with his mistress. The marriage was not a happy one for Sisi. Although her husband loved her, Sisi had difficulties adjusting to the Austrian court and did not get along with Imperial family members, especially her mother-in-law. Sisi felt emotionally distant from her husband and fled from him as well as her duties at court, by frequent traveling. On September 10, 1898, while walking to a ferry landing on Lake Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland with her lady-in-waiting, was stabbed to death by twenty-five-year-old Luigi Lucheni.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria

December 24, 1845 – Birth of King George I of Greece, born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Christian Vilhelm Ferdinand Adolf Georg
George was the son of King Christian IX of Denmark and the brother of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. In 1863, he was unanimously elected King by the Greek National Assembly. In 1867, George married Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. They had eight children including Prince Andreas of Greece, the father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. George quickly learned Greek and was often seen informally strolling through the streets of Athens. His reign of nearly 50 years was characterized by territorial gains as Greece established its place in pre-World War I Europe. In 1913, while walking in Thessaloniki, Greece, George was killed when an assassin shot him at close range in the back.
Unofficial Royalty: King George I of Greece

December 24, 1879 – Birth of Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Christian X of Denmark, in Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Alexandrine Auguste
Alexandrine was the eldest of the three children of Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. In 1898, she married the future King Christian X of Denmark. The couple had two sons including King Frederik IX of Denmark. Christian and Alexandrine were devoted to one another and enjoyed a happy marriage. The couple became king and queen of Denmark in 1912. While their popularity waxed and waned throughout Christian’s rule, he and Alexandrine are generally viewed as successful as king and queen.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen of Denmark

December 24, 1900 – Death of Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and was the longest-serving member of Queen Victoria’s household
Born Lady Jane Conyngham in 1826, she was the eldest daughter of Francis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham. She married Francis Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill. Widowed in 1886, Jane remained at Queen Victoria’s side for the rest of her life. On Christmas Eve 1900, Jane died in her sleep in her room at Osborne House, after over 45 years of service, companionship, and friendship to Queen Victoria. She was buried several days later in Finstock, Oxfordshire, England. Queen Victoria was not told of her death immediately, as her doctors felt the news would be devastating to her already weakened health. Once told, she was heartbroken, and sent a wreath for Jane’s funeral with a handwritten note – “A mark of most loving affection and grateful remembrance from her devoted friend, Victoria, R.I.” Less than a month later, Queen Victoria also passed away at Osborne House.
Unofficial Royalty: Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill

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