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Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

December 4, 1214 – Death of William I “the Lion”, King of Scots at Stirling Castle in Scotland; buried at Arbroath Abbey, in Arbroath, Scotland
William I, King of Scots, nicknamed “the Lion,” had the second-longest reign in Scottish history before the Act of Union with England in 1707. He reigned for 49 years, from 1165 – 1214, and was a contemporary of King Henry II of England and his sons King Richard I and King John. His standard, a red lion rampant with a forked tail on a yellow background became the Royal Standard of Scotland and is used today on the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, quartered with the royal standards of England and Ireland. William became King of Scots upon the death of his brother in 1165. He married Ermengarde de Beaumont, a great-granddaughter of King Henry I of England (through an illegitimate child of Henry I), and the couple had four children. William died at about the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: William I, King of Scots

December 4, 1655 – Birth of King Karl XI of Sweden at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden
Karl XI, King of Sweden was the only child of Karl X Gustav, King of Sweden. Karl X died at the age of 37 in 1660, from influenza and pneumonia and his four-year-old son Karl became King of Sweden. Karl XI’s mother Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp served as Regent of Sweden until her son reached his majority. In 1680, Karl married Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark. The couple had seven children but only three survived childhood, including two Swedish monarchs, King Karl XII and Queen Ulrika Eleonora.
Unofficial Royalty: King Karl XI of Sweden

December 4, 1711 – Birth of Bárbara of Portugal, Queen of Spain, wife of King Fernando VI of Spain, at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Full name: Maria Madalena Bárbara Xavier Leonor Teresa Antónia Josefa
The daughter of João V, King of Portugal, Bárbara married King Fernando VI of Spain but the couple had no children except a stillborn son. Benevolent but weak, Fernando VI left the government mostly to others. Bárbara was the conduit through which the government ministers worked with Fernando VI. She was presented with all documents of state before they were given to Fernando VI because only she knew what should be said or hidden from him. Bárbara suffered from severe asthma for most of her life and became obese in the years before her death. Bárbara’s death at the age of 46,  broke Fernando’s heart. During the last year of his reign, probably at least partially caused by his wife’s death, Fernando VI rapidly lost his mental capacity and was held at the Castle of Villaviciosa de Odón, near Madrid, where he died less than a year after Barbara’s death, on August 10, 1759, as the age of 45.
Unofficial Royalty: Bárbara of Portugal, Queen of Spain

December 4, 1727 – Death of Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the first wife of Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt; in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.; first buried at the Schlosskirche Schwarzburg, the castle church at Schwarzburg Castle in Schwarzburg, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia, reburied in the 1940s in the Stadtkirche St. Andreas in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, Germany
On February 8, 1720, in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in the German state of Thuringia, 26-year-old Sophia Wilhelmina married 28-year-old Friedrich Anton, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Sophia Wilhelmina and Friedrich Anton had three children but only two survived childhood. The marriage of Friedrich Anton and Sophia Wilhelmina lasted only seven years as Sophia Wilhelmina died on December 4, 1727, aged 34, in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Wilhelmina of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (article coming soon)

December 4, 1784 – Birth of Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark, first wife of the future King Christian VIII, at Ludwiglust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Charlotte Frederica was divorced from her husband after an alleged affair.  She was sent into exile and never again saw her son, the future King Frederik VII of Denmark. She finally settled in Rome where she converted to Roman Catholicism.  She died in Rome in 1840, at the age of 55. Charlotte Frederica was buried in a tomb paid for by her son and created by the Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau at the Teutonic Cemetery, a burial site adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City that had been dedicated to the German-speaking residents of Rome. On July 11, 2019, the tomb of Charlotte Frederica and the adjacent tomb of Princess Sophia of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein were opened to search for the remains of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old who disappeared in 1983. Not only was there no sign of Emanuela’s remains, but the remains of Princess Sophia and Duchess Charlotte Frederica were missing. Vatican officials said they would research the burial records to try to discover what happened to their remains. It is possible that their remains were moved due to renovations at the end of the 1800s and again in the 1960s and 1970s.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark
Unofficial Royalty: The Strange Case of the Tombs of Two 19th Century Princesses and a 20th Century 15-Year-Old Missing Girl.

December 4, 1878 – Birth of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, at the Anichkov Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
A younger brother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, Michael was the first of the eighteen Romanovs executed during the Russian Revolution. Michael fell in love with  Natalia Sergeyevna Wulfert (called Natasha), the wife of an officer from his army regiment. In 1910, Natasha gave birth to Michael’s son named George after Michael’s deceased brother. Michael knew that his brother would not grant permission to marry Natasha. Michael feared that his hemophiliac nephew Alexei would not survive and that he would become the heir which would make the possibility of his marriage to Natalia even more remote. By marrying Natasha before Alexei died, Michael would be removed from the line of succession early which would prevent him from losing Natasha and so the couple was married in 1912. Michael was banished from Russia but in 1914, he reconciled with his brother Nicholas and was allowed to return to Russia.  In reality, it might have been better if Michael had remained in exile. On June 13, 1918, Michael and his British secretary Nicholas Johnson were executed by the Bolsheviks. Their remains have never been found.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia

December 4, 1999 – Wedding of King Philippe of the Belgians and Mathilde d’Udekem d’ Acoz, civilly at the Brussels City Hall and religiously at the Cathedral of Saint Michel and Saint Gudula in Brussels, Belgium
When the engagement of Philippe and Mathilde was announced in September 1999, it came as a huge surprise to the Belgian people. The couple had first met in 1996 and had been involved ever since, but it was not until the announcement that anyone knew anything about the relationship.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Philippe of the Belgians and Mathilde d’Udekem d’ Acoz

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Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, Duchess of Argyll; Credit – Wikipedia

December 3, 1764 – Birth of Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess Friedrich of Württemberg, first wife of the future King Friedrich I of Württemberg, in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Augusta Caroline Friederike Luise
Augusta was the daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Augusta of Great Britain, a sister of King George III. In 1780, Augusta married Prince Friedrich of Württemberg, later King Friedrich I of Württemberg. Despite a very unhappy marriage, Augusta and Friedrich had four children. Augusta wanted to leave her husband as early as her first pregnancy.  In 1782, Friedrich had impressed Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia while visiting Russia, and she made him Governor-General of Eastern Finland. Four years later, while they were visiting Catherine II in St. Petersburg, Augusta asked Catherine for protection from her husband. She claimed that Friedrich was abusive to her, and was having affairs with several men. Catherine took Augusta in and told Friedrich to leave the country. Augusta hoped to obtain a divorce, but her father would not permit it. So Catherine provided Augusta with a home at Koluvere Castle in Estonia, along with a custodian, Wilhelm von Pohlmann. Soon, Augusta and von Pohlmann began an affair and she became pregnant. On September 27, 1788, Augusta went into premature labor. Fearing that their affair would become known, von Pohlmann refused to call for a doctor and Augusta died of blood loss.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

December 3, 1821 – Birth of Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria
Born Jane Hope-Vere, the daughter of  James Hope-Vere and Lady Elizabeth Hay, a daughter of the 7th Marquess of Tweeddale. She married John Loftus, 3rd Marquess of Ely.
Unofficial Royalty: Jane Loftus, Marchioness of Ely

December 3, 1838 – Birth of Luise of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Baden, wife of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Luise Marie Elisabeth
Luise was the daughter of Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. She had one older brother Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia. In 1856, Luise married the future Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden. The couple had three children including Friedrich II, Grand Duke of Baden and Victoria who married King Gustav V of Sweden. Luise became involved in charitable causes in Baden, particularly those that helped and promoted women. Luise’s husband died in 1907. At the end of World War I, Luise along with her daughter Queen Victoria of Sweden, who was visiting, fled to Zwingenberg Palace in Zwingenberg, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The new Baden government then granted Luise permission to stay at Langenstein Castle, owned by the Swedish Count Douglas, who was related to the Baden Grand Ducal family through marriage. The Baden government ordered that Luise and her family be protected, primarily because her daughter was Queen of Sweden, and they did not want to cause any sort of diplomatic problems.  In 1919, Luise was given permission to return to Neues Schloss (New Castle) in Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany where she died at the age of 85.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Baden

December 3, 1839 – Death of King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Frederik VI was the only son and the eldest of the two children of King Christian VII of Denmark and Norway and his and Caroline Matilda of Wales, sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. Frederik’s father King Christian VII suffered from mental illness. His ill-treated mother Caroline Matilda had an affair with physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. After the affair was discovered Struenss was executed and Caroline Matilda was imprisoned in a castle and never saw her children again. In 1790, Frederik married his cousin Princess Marie of Hesse-Kassel. Frederik and Marie had eight children but unfortunately, six of them, including two boys, died in infancy. Only two daughters survived and both daughters had childless marriages. In 1808, 1808, Frederik became king upon the death of his father. After the French defeat in the Napoleonic Wars in 1814 and the loss of Norway, Frederik became more authoritarian and reactionary, giving up his former liberal ideas. He died at the age of 71.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik VI of Denmark and Norway

December 3, 1882 – Death of Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meinigen, 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
Bernhard was the only son of Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and the younger brother of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen who married King William IV of the United Kingdom.  In 1803, three-year-old Bernhard became Duke of Saxe-Meiningen upon the death of his father. In 1825, Bernhard married Princess Marie Friederike of Hesse-Kassel and the couple had two children. Although he had earlier aligned himself with Prussia, in the mid-1860s, Bernhard instead sided with Austria during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. Following Austria’s defeat, the Prussians forced Bernhard to abdicate on September 20, 1866, in favor of his son, Georg II. Now the former Duke, Bernhard took up residence at the Great Palace in Meiningen, previously built as a dower home for his mother. He died there at the age of 81.
Unofficial Royalty: Bernhard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

December 3, 1935 – Death of Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, at her home Coppins in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England; buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England
Victoria’s mother Alexandra was extremely possessive, demanded complete devotion from her children, and insisted that they call her Motherdear. Victoria’s sisters Louise and Maud escaped into marriage, leaving her at home as her mother’s constant companion. She had several suitors including Prince Adolphus of Teck, Sir Arthur Davidson who was one of her father’s equerries, and Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. Lord Rosebery was a former Prime Minister who had been widowed, and both he and Victoria would have liked to have married. However, Victoria’s mother actively discouraged her from marrying anyone. Instead, she remained a companion to her mother, Queen Alexandra, whom she lived with until the Queen’s death in 1925. Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, Victoria’s first cousin, described her as little more than “a glorified maid.”  When her mother died, Victoria was 57 and was able to live her own life at last. She purchased a country home, Coppins, in Iver, Buckinghamshire, England. Victoria became active in the village life of Iver and was the honorary president of the Iver Horticultural Society. Victoria’s last years were plagued with health issues and she suffered from neuralgia, migraines, indigestion, depression, colds, and influenza. Princess Victoria died at her home Coppins at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom

December 3, 1939 – Death of Princess Louise of the United Kingdom, Duchess of Argyll, daughter of Queen Victoria, at Kensington Palace in London, England; cremated and ashes buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England
Louise developed a strong interest in the arts. Queen Victoria permitted her to enroll at The National Art Training School, to pursue her interests and she became a very skilled painter and sculptress. She sculpted a statue of Queen Victoria which stands today on the grounds of Kensington Palace. In 1871, Louise married John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne and heir to the Dukedom of Argyll. Queen Victoria found this to be a wonderful match, infusing ‘new blood’ into the royal family. Others, including the Prince of Wales, found it appalling that the Princess should marry below her class. Louise and her husband had no children. From 1878 – 1883, Louise’s husband was the Governor-General of Canada and the couple resided at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Louise was widowed in 1914 when her husband passed away after a lengthy illness. She would survive him by more than 25 years. During this time, she remained an active member of the royal family, taking part in official events and maintaining contact with many of her patronages and charities. Louise spent her remaining years at Kensington Palace, where she died at the age of 91.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll

December 3, 1944 – Death of Prince Andreas (Andrew) of Greece, son of King George I of Greece and father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the Metropole Hotel in Monte Carlo, Monaco; first buried at the Russian Orthodox Church in Nice, France; in 1946, his remains were reinterred in the royal cemetery at Tatoi Palace in Greece
The father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Andreas was the son of King George I of Greece (born a Prince of Denmark) and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. In 1903, he married Princess Alice of Battenberg, daughter of Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. The couple had four daughters and one son. Andreas’ life was often interrupted by the political turmoil in Greece. By the early 1930s, Andreas had less and less contact with his family. His wife suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized, his four daughters had all married into former German royal families, and his son was attending school first in Germany and then in the United Kingdom. Somewhat at a loss, having been basically forced into a life of retirement, Andreas moved to the French Riviera. The onset of World War II brought an end to the little contact Andreas had with his wife and children. His wife had returned to Greece, his daughters were all behind German lines, and his son was fighting for the British forces. Prince Andreas died at the Metropole Hotel in Monte Carlo on December 3, 1944, at the age of 62.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Andreas of Greece

December 3, 2005 – Birth of Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway, son of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, at the Rikshospitalet University Hospital in Oslo, Norway
Sverre Magnus is the youngest of the two children of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit (née Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby), and one of the five grandchildren of King Harald V of Norway. The prince is third in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, behind his father and sister Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway

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Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

December 2, 1767 – Birth of Leopold I, Prince of Lippe in Detmold, County of Lippe-Detmold, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Full name: Wilhelm Leopold
As a child, Leopold’s lack of strength of character, lack of interest, lack of concentration, and a tendency to mental disorders became apparent. In 1782, Leopold’s father died and the fourteen-year-old succeeded him. In 1790, Leopold’s mental disorders interfered with his role as reigning prince and he was deemed legally incapacitated and placed under guardianship. In 1795, the guardianship was conditionally lifted after Leopold’s condition improved. Leopold married Princess Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg in 1796 and the couple had two sons. Because of Leopold’s tenuous mental condition, Pauline became his governmental adviser and colleague. Within the next few years, Leopold developed intestinal tuberculosis, and his mental disorders returned with memory loss. He died at the age of 34 and his five-year-old son Leopold II, Prince of Lippe succeeded him with his mother Pauline very capably acting as Regent of the Principality of Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold I, Prince of Lippe

December 2, 1826 – Death of Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal, wife of Pedro I of Brazil/Pedro IV of Portugal, at São Cristóvão Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; first buried at the Church of the Ajuda Convent in Rio de Janeiro, reinterred in 1954 at the Monument to the Independence of Brazil in São Paulo, Brazil
Known as Leopoldina, she was the daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. In 1817, she married Pedro, Crown Prince of Portugal and Prince of Brazil, son of King João VI of Portugal. At that time, Brazil was ruled as a kingdom united with Portugal. The couple had seven children. In 1821, Pedro became the Regent of Brazil. In August 1822, Pedro appointed Leopoldina Regent of Brazil while he was away on a trip. While Pedro was away, Leopoldina received news that Portugal intended to recall Pedro and relegate Brazil to the status of a colony. Leopoldina met with the Council of State and signed the Decree of Independence, declaring Brazil independent from Portugal. Pedro I was declared Emperor of Brazil and Leopoldina became Empress of Brazil. In 1826, 29-year-old Leopoldina died from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after a miscarriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal

December 2, 1849 – Death of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King William IV of the United Kingdom, at Bentley Priory in Stanmore, Middlesex, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England
After twenty-one-year-old Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of George, Prince of Wales, died delivering a stillborn son, the unmarried, aging sons of King George III began a frantic search for brides to provide for the succession. One of the sons was William, Duke of Clarence (the future King William IV). William had never married but had lived for 20 years with actress Dorothea Jordan. Soon after the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, negotiations began for the marriage of William to Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, and the engagement was announced on April 19, 1818. William was 52 and Adelaide was 25. Adelaide loved children but was destined not to have one of her own. Sadly, Adelaide had babies who died in early infancy, a miscarriage, and two stillbirths. A child of William and Adelaide would have succeeded to the throne as William’s two elder brothers (George IV and Frederick, Duke of York) had no surviving children.  Adelaide wrote to her widowed sister-in-law the Duchess of Kent, “My children are dead, but your child lives, and she is mine too.” That child was the future Queen Victoria. In 1830, Adelaide’s husband William became king upon the death of his brother King George IV.  He reigned for only seven years and was succeeded by his niece Victoria. Adelaide survived William by 12 years, dying at the age of 57.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, Queen of the United Kingdom

December 2, 1865 – Birth of Olga Valerianovna Karnovich, the second, morganatic wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, in St. Petersburg, Russia
Olga first married Major General Erich Augustinovich von Pistohlkors, an officer of the Imperial Guard and an aide to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. As a friend of Pistohlkors, Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich often spent his evenings with him and his wife Olga. Paul appreciated Olga’s elegance and lively spirit and an affair began. Pistohlkors turned a blind eye to the affair. Olga gave birth in 1897 to a son who was then known as Vladimir von Pistohlkors because his mother was still married to Pistohlkors. Eventually, Olga divorced her husband and Paul asked for permission to marry Olga from his nephew Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Olga gave birth in 1897 to a son who was then known as Vladimir von Pistohlkors because his mother was still married to Pistohlkors. Eventually, Olga divorced her husband and Paul asked for permission to marry Olga from his nephew Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia but Nicholas II denied permission. Paul made a morganatic marriage to Olga on October 10, 1902. Paul was banished from Russia, dismissed from his military commissions, and all his property was seized. Ten years later, Nicholas II relented and decided to pardon his only surviving paternal uncle. Grand Duke Paul’s titles and properties were returned and Nicholas II recognized Paul’s marriage to Olga. Olga and Paul had one son and two daughters. During the Russian Revolution, her son Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley was one of the five Romanovs executed on July 18, 1918, with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. On January 28, 1919, her husband Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich along with three other Grand Dukes were executed by a firing squad in the courtyard of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Unofficial Royalty: Olga Valerianovna Karnovich, Princess Paley

December 2, 1915 – Birth of Prince Mikasa of Japan, son of Emperor Taishō of Japan, at the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan
Prince Mikasa was the youngest of the four sons of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei, and the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa). He studied archaeology, Middle Eastern studies, and Semitic languages at the University of Tokyo. From 1954 until he died in 2016, he directed the Japanese Society for Middle East Studies. He also held visiting and guest faculty appointments in Middle Eastern studies and archaeology at universities in Japan and abroad. In 1941, Prince Mikasa married Yuriko Takagi, daughter of Japanese noble Viscount Masanari, who was known as Princess Mikasa after her marriage. The couple had three sons and two daughters. All three sons predeceased their parents. Prince Mikasa died of heart failure on October 27, 2016, at the age of 100, a little more than a month before his 101st birthday. At the time of his death, he was the world’s oldest royal, the longest-lived member of the Japanese Imperial Family, and the last of the five Japanese princes in the line of succession. (Today, there are only three princes in the line of succession. See The Japanese Succession Crisis.) Prince Mikasa lived during the reigns of three emperors: his father Emperor Taishō, his brother Emperor Hirohito, and his nephew Emperor Akihito.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Mikasa of Japan

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