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Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach; Credit – Wikipedia
February 16, 1679 – Birth of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Ichtershausen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Never expected to be Duke of Saxe-Meinigen, Friedrich Wilhelm was the fifth of the six sons of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. When his father died in 1706, he was succeeded by his eldest son Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Following the death of his brother, Ernst Ludwig I, in 1724, Friedrich Wilhelm served as one of the guardians for his two young nephews – Ernst Ludwig II and Karl Friedrich – during their reigns. Following the death of his nephew Karl Friedrich in 1743, he became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen as all his elder brothers had died in childhood. After reigning for just three years, Friedrich Wilhelm died in 1746. As he was unmarried and had no heirs, the ducal throne passed to his younger half-brother Anton Ulrich.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
February 16, 1747 – Birth of Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss-Greiz in Greiz in the County of Reuss-Untergreiz, later the County of Reuss-Greiz, and in 1778, the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, now in Thuringia, Germany
Heinrich was the son of Heinrich XI, 1st Prince Reuss of Greiz and his first wife Countess Conradine Reuss of Köstritz. In 1786, he married Princess Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg and the couple had three sons. Upon the death of his father in 1800, Heinrich XIII succeeded as 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz. In 1802, a large fire destroyed much of Greiz, the capital of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz. Approximately 430 buildings were destroyed. Many other buildings were demolished to prevent the fire from spreading. Heinrich XIII oversaw the rebuilding of Greiz in the neoclassical style. Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz died in 1817, aged 69.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss-Greiz
February 16, 1786 – Birth of Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, at Pavlovsk Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
Maria Pavlovna of Russia was the daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. In 1804, she married the future Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. They had four children including Augusta who married Wilhelm I, King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany. Maria strongly supported and promoted the arts in Weimar, and her patronages included the noted composer Franz Liszt who was appointed to her court. She maintained lifelong correspondences with several prominent writers, poets, and musicians including Vasily Zhukovsky, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Schiller. Following her husband’s death in 1853, Maria retired from public life. Two years later, she returned to Russia for the last time, for the coronation of her nephew Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Pavlovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
February 16, 1819 – Death of Prince Honoré IV of Monaco; buried at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Honoré IV was Prince of Monaco and Duke of Valentinois from 1814 to 1819. By the time Honoré IV became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, his physical condition had worsened and he was paralyzed on one side of his body. Because of his condition, a regency was established to rule in his name. Honoré IV’s brother Joseph was regent from 1814 -1815 and then Honoré IV’s son served as regent until his father’s death in 1819 when he succeeded him as Honoré V, Prince of Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Honoré IV of Monaco
February 16, 1910 – Death of Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, at Bückeburg Castle in Bückeburg Castle, then in the Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony; buried in Princely Mausoleum at St. Martini Church in Stadthagen, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
In 1844, Hermine married her first cousin, the future Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, and the couple had eight children. Upon the death of his father in 1860, Hermine’s husband Adolf became the reigning Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe. While Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Hermine was a supporter of the Schaumburg Costume, the traditional form of clothing for Schaumburg women noted by a red skirt, usually worn at festivals. Before he died in 1893, Adolf arranged for the building of the Palais Bückeburg, also known as the Hermine Palais, which would serve as Hermine’s home while Princess Dowager.
Unofficial Royalty: Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess of Schaumberg-Lippe
February 16, 1991 – Birth of Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, daughter of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Full name: Alexandra Joséphine Teresa Charlotte Marie Wilhelmine
Alexandra is the fourth child and only daughter of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. Until 2011, Luxembourg followed Semi-Salic law regarding the succession to the throne. This meant that females could only inherit the throne in the absence of any other male descendants. However, Grand Duke Henri issued a decree on June 20, 2011, establishing absolute primogeniture beginning with his descendants. Now succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign regardless of gender with males and females having equal succession rights. Alexandra is now in the line of succession. Now Alexandra is in the line of succession behind her elder siblings and their children. Alexandra married Nicolas Bagory in a civil ceremony in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg on April 22, 2023, followed by a religious ceremony at Saint Trophy in Bormes-les-Mimosas, Var, France on April 29, 2023.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg
February 16, 1999 – Death of Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, lover and first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, in Los Angeles, California
Alexandre-Athenase Noghès was a tennis player, playing in tournaments around Europe and representing Monaco in the Davis Cup. He was married three times. His first wife was Marie Angèle Bastel, whom he married in Monaco. The couple had one son before divorcing. In the 1940s, he became the lover and then the first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, with whom he had three children. The couple married three months after their last child was born, but divorced three years later. Alexandre spent several years living on his yacht in Monaco before moving to the United States. There, he met his third wife Margaret “Margot” James. They married in 1970 and eventually settled in California. Alexandre Athenase Noghès died in Los Angeles, California on February 16, 1999, just three months before his 83rd birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, lover and first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco
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