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Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia
June 20, 1389 – Birth of John, Duke of Bedford, son of King Henry IV of England
In 1399, John’s father declared himself King Henry IV and imprisoned his cousin King Richard II, who died in 1400 under mysterious circumstances. In 1403, John was made Constable of England and in 1410 he was confirmed in that position for life. His father King Henry IV died in 1413 and his brother became King Henry V. In 1414, John’s brother created him Duke of Bedford, Earl of Kendal, and Earl of Richmond. When King Henry V died at the early age of 35 in 1422, he left his nine-month-old son to succeed him as King Henry VI. John served as Regent for his young nephew and fought many battles against the French. It was John who tried and executed Joan of Arc.
Unofficial Royalty: John, Duke of Bedford
June 20, 1566 – Birth of Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden and Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, at Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred, Sweden
Sigismund was the son of Johan III, King of Sweden and his first wife Katarina Jagellonica of Poland. He was not only King of Sweden but also King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania through his mother. Sigismund, who was Catholic, was deposed in 1599 as King of Sweden by his Protestant uncle who reigned as King Karl IX of Sweden and lived the remainder of his life in Poland.
Unofficial Royalty: Sigismund III Vasa, King of Sweden and Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania
June 20, 1667 – Death of James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge, son of King James II of England, at Richmond Palace; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
James, the second son of James, Duke of York (later James II) and his first wife Anne Hyde was born on July 11, 1663. Little James fell ill in April 1667 and died on June 20, 1667.
Unofficial Royalty: James Stuart, Duke of Cambridge
June 20, 1793 – Birth of Marianne Skerrett, Head Dresser and Wardrobe-Woman to Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1862, in London, England (Note: The depiction of Queen Victoria’s dresser in the series Victoria is completely false and an insult to the real person.)
Marianne Skerrett was born in 1793, so she was 44 years old when the 18-year-old Victoria became queen. She was intelligent, extremely well-read, and fluent in Danish, French, and German. Recommended to Queen Victoria by Louisa Petty-FitzMaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne, a Lady of the Bedchamber, Marianne became one of Queen Victoria’s two dressers in 1837 and eventually became head dresser. As the head dresser, Marianne oversaw the ordering of Queen Victoria’s clothing, shoes, hats, gloves, and undergarments. Marianne kept the wardrobe accounts and was diligent in checking all the bills to make sure no one tried to cheat Victoria. She was also responsible for supervising the hairdressers, dressmakers, and seamstresses who kept the royal wardrobe in good repair. After 25 years of serving Queen Victoria, Marianne retired in 1862 at the age of 69. She received a pension of £70 and went to live with her sister in the Marylebone section of London. Marianne Skerrett remained in contact with Queen Victoria, visiting her and writing to her, until she died in London, England on July 29, 1887, at the age of 94.
Unofficial Royalty: Marianne Skerrett
June 20, 1810 – Death by a lynch mob of Axel von Fersen the Younger, favorite of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, in Stockholm, Sweden; initially buried at the Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden, later buried with his family at Ljungs Church in Ljung, Östergötland, Sweden
In May 1810, the new Crown Prince of Sweden died suddenly after falling from his horse. Rumors quickly spread that he had been poisoned by the former King’s supporters – more specifically, at the hands of Axel von Fersen. On June 20, 1810, the funeral was held for the Crown Prince. As Marshal of the Realm, von Fersen was one of the leaders of the procession through Stockholm. Despite the heavy presence of guards, several people broke free from the crowd in attempts to get to von Fersen, while the guards mostly just looked on with disinterest. Fleeing the crowds, he tried to find safety in a nearby house but was quickly pursued and overtaken. He was dragged back into the street where he was quickly attacked and killed by the angry mob who blamed him for the Crown Prince’s death. Several months later, he was cleared of having any part in the Crown Prince’s death.
Unofficial Royalty: Axel von Fersen the Younger
June 20, 1818 – Death of Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden and Norway, wife of King Carl XIII of Sweden/King Karl II of Norway, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Riddarholm Church in Stockholm, Sweden
In 1774, Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte married the future King Carl XIII of Sweden. Their marriage was distant and both Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte and Carl had extramarital affairs. Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte had two children – one stillborn and one who lived only six days. Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte was known for her invaluable diary which described the Swedish royal court from 1775 to 1817. It was written in the form of unsent letters to her friend Countess Sophie von Fersen. The letters are an important source for historical research. Besides dealing with gossip and social events of the court, Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte also wrote about the French Revolution, the assassination of her husband’s brother King Gustav III, the Napoleonic Wars, and the deposing of her husband’s nephew Gustav IV Adolf which caused her husband to become King of Sweden. After her husband’s death in February 1818, Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte said she would not be able to survive without him. On June 20, 1818, after a private dinner with the new King Carl XIV Johan, she went to her room to write, fainted, and died at the age of 59.
Unofficial Royalty: Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden and Norway
June 20, 1837 – Death of King William IV of the United Kingdom at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Although William IV had ten children with his mistress Dorothea Jordan, he had no surviving children with his wife. Princess Victoria of Kent, the daughter of his deceased brother Prince Edward, Duke of Kent was his heir. Both William and his wife Adelaide were very fond of their niece and wanted to be closer to her. However, Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, did not allow this. In addition, she was rude to Queen Adelaide by refusing to recognize the Queen’s precedence, ignoring her letters, and taking space in royal stables and apartments for her own use. In August 1836 at a dinner in honor of his 71st birthday, William publically insulted the Duchess of Kent, who would have been her daughter’s Regent, in a speech that can be read in William’s article linked below. In the speech, William said, “I trust in God that my life may be spared for nine months longer, after which period, in the event of my death, no regency would take place.” William’s wish that his life would be spared for nine months was granted. Princess Victoria turned 18 on May 24, 1837, and a regency would no longer be required. The king had become ill with asthma or hay fever in May 1837, and pneumonia soon developed. King William IV died peacefully on June 20, 1837, at Windsor Castle and Princess Victoria ascended to the throne.
Unofficial Royalty: King William IV of the United Kingdom
June 20, 1856 – Death of Prince Florestan I of Monaco in Paris, France; buried at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Florestan succeeded his childless brother Honoré V in 1841. Florestan had lived in France his entire life and had never been to Monaco. He was ill-prepared to assume the role of Sovereign Prince. During his reign, the real power lay in the hands of his wife Maria Caroline Gibert de Lametz. She took over Monaco’s finances just as she did with the family finances. Maria Caroline ruled Monaco with an iron fist because her indecisive and politically disinclined husband left all affairs of state to her. Florestan, Prince of Monaco died, aged 70, on June 20, 1856, in Paris, France. He was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Florestan I of Monaco
June 20, 1913 – Birth of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona at the Palace of San Ildefonso in Segovia, Spain
Full name: Juan Carlos Teresa Silverio Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg
Juan was the third surviving son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenburg. He was the father of King Juan Carlos of Spain. In 1933, both of his elder brothers renounced their rights of succession, and Juan became heir apparent to the Spanish throne. However, when dictator Francisco Franco declared a restoration of the monarchy in 1947, he named himself Regent. It would be another 22 years before he named his successor. Feeling that Juan would be too liberal, Franco instead passed over him and chose Juan’s son, Juan Carlos, as heir to the Spanish throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona
June 20, 1923 – Death of Marie of Battenberg, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg, daughter of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, in Schönberg, Germany; buried in the cemetery of St. Mary’s Church in Schönberg, Hesse, Germany
The Battenberg / Mountbatten family descends from Marie’s parents Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine and his morganatic wife Countess Julia von Hauke. In 1871, Marie married Gustaf Ernst, Count of Erbach-Schönberg and had four children. An avid writer, Marie published translations of several prominent works and wrote My Trip to Bulgaria, a memoir of her visit to her brother Alexander who was reigning Prince of Bulgaria from 1879 to 1886. In her later years, several more memoirs were published, one of which detailed the situation of her son Maximilian who was mentally unstable.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Battenberg, Princess of Erbach-Schönberg
June 20, 1923 – Death of Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe, Queen Victoria’s Acting Mistress of the Robes 1883–1885 and 1892–1895 and Lady of the Bedchamber 1897–1901, at her daughter Evelyn’s home on South Audley Street in Mayfair, London, England; buried at Kelso Abbey in Kelso, Scotland, near Floors Castle, the seat of the Dukes of Roxburghe
Born Lady Anne Spencer-Churchill, daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough, she married James Innes-Ker, 7th Duke of Roxburghe.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe
June 20, 1946 – Birth of Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, wife of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, born Birgitte Eva Henriksen in Odense, Isle of Funen, Denmark
The Duchess of Gloucester carried out many public engagements in support of her husband’s first cousin Queen Elizabeth II. She also supported The Queen at official engagements such as state banquets, religious services, garden parties, and receptions. The Duchess of Gloucester also made official overseas visits as a representative of The Queen with and without her husband. She continues to carry out engagements and represents her husband’s first cousin once removed King Charles III.
Unofficial Royalty: Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester
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