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The future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia
March 10, 1452 – Birth of King Ferdinand II of Aragon at Palacio de los Sada in Sos del Rey Católico, Kingdom of Aragon, now in Spain
Ferdinand was the husband of Queen Isabella I of Castile and the father of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England. He was the king of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband of Queen Isabella I of Castile, he was also the king of Castile from 1475 to 1504 (as Ferdinand V). He reigned jointly with Isabella over a dynastically unified Spain and together they are known as the Catholic Monarchs.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ferdinand II of Aragon
March 10, 1746 – Death of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen
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, aged 67. 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
March 10, 1776 – Birth of Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia, in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie
Luise married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. She was wildly popular in Prussia from the start, and descriptions of her from this time speak of her grace, goodness, and beauty. The marriage was a happy one, and the couple raised their nine children rather quietly at Paretz Palace west of Berlin. Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia in 1797. As queen, Luise traveled around Prussia with her husband, becoming more well-known and well-liked. On July 19, 1810, while visiting her father, 34-year-old Luise died in her husband’s arms from an unidentified illness. Her grieving husband later instituted the Order of Louise in her name and her family mourned her death each year on July 19.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia
March 10, 1804 – Birth of Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, second wife of the future Grand Duke August I of Oldenburg, at Schaumburg Castle in the Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Ida married the then Hereditary Prince August of Oldenburg, the widower of her elder sister Adelheid, and the couple had one son Peter, who succeeded his father. Sadly, Ida died just three years after her marriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Ida of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Hereditary Princess of Oldenburg
March 10, 1826 – Death of King João VI of Portugal in Lisbon, Portugal; buried at Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
João VI was the son of Maria I, Queen of Portugal and her husband and paternal uncle Pedro III, King of Portugal. Because Maria I’s father José I, King of Portugal had no sons, it was inevitable that Maria would become the reigning Queen of Portugal. However, since female succession to the throne of Portugal had never happened before, her father decided that Maria would marry his younger brother Infante Pedro of Portugal, then the first male in the line of succession. In 1792, because of his mother’s mental instability, João took over the government on his mother’s behalf but he did not assume the title of Prince Regent until 1799. In 1816, Maria I, Queen of Portugal died, and her son succeeded her as João VI, King of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves.
Unofficial Royalty: King João VI of Portugal
March 10, 1845 – Birth of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
In 1866, Alexander III married Princess Dagmar of Denmark, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. They had six children including the ill-fated Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Alexander III became Emperor of All Russia in 1881 upon the assassination of his father Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. Because of his father’s assassination, Alexander III’s reign was reactionary, and it started as soon as he became Emperor. On the day of his assassination, Alexander II signed a proclamation creating a consulting group to advise the Emperor, which some considered a step toward constitutional monarchy. The new emperor, Alexander III, canceled the new policy before it was published. In 1894, Alexander became ill with nephritis, a kidney disorder. His condition rapidly deteriorated and he died on November 1, 1894, at the age of 49.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia
March 10, 1863 – Wedding of the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England
By 1860, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were already searching for an appropriate bride for their eldest son, known in the family as Bertie. With the help of Bertie’s older sister Vicky, by then the Crown Princess of Prussia, Queen Victoria developed a list of prospective brides. Princess Alexandra of Denmark was fifth on the list, but Vicky found her to be the perfect match for Bertie. Prince Albert agreed that Alexandra was “the only one to be chosen.” The couple first met at Speyer Cathedral in Prussia, on September 24, 1861, in a meeting arranged by Vicky. The following year, on September 9, 1862, Bertie and Alexandra became engaged at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Belgium, the home of Bertie’s great-uncle, King Leopold I of the Belgians. Bertie presented Alexandra with a ring featuring six precious stones – purposely selected so that their names would spell out ‘Bertie’ — Beryl, Emerald, Ruby, Turquoise, Jacynth, and Emerald.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom and Princess Alexandra of Denmark
March 10, 1864 – Death of King Maximilian II of Bavaria in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried at the Theatinerkirche in Munich
Maximilian studied history and constitutional law at the University of Göttingen and the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin (now Humboldt University) and reportedly said that had he not been born into his position, he would have liked to be a professor. In 1842, Maximilian married Marie Friederike of Prussia. The couple had two sons, King Ludwig II of Bavaria and,
King Otto of Bavaria. Both sons suffered from mental illness that severely hampered their abilities to rule Bavaria. Maximilian came to the throne suddenly in 1848, when his father abdicated, and quickly introduced reforms to the constitution to establish a more constitutional monarchy. King Maximilian II died suddenly on March 10, 1864, after a very brief illness, aged 54.
Unofficial Royalty: King Maximilian II of Bavaria
March 10, 1873 – Death of Pauline of Württemberg, Queen of Württemberg, third wife of King Wilhelm I Württemberg, in Stuttgart, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried at the Royal Crypt in the Schlosskirche at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Kingdom of Württemberg now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
In 1820, Pauline became the third wife of her first cousin King Wilhelm I of Württemberg. The couple had three children including Wilhelm I’s successor. The couple seemed happy at first, but within a few years, Wilhelm had returned to his mistresses and the marriage became very strained. While not getting the respect she deserved from her husband, Pauline did receive much respect from the people of Württemberg, both for her devotion to helping the poor, and the fact that she had provided an heir to the throne. After King Wilhelm’s death in 1864, Pauline lived much of her remaining years in Switzerland.
Unofficial Royalty: Pauline of Württemberg, Queen of Württemberg
March 10, 1964 – Birth of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Edward Antony Richard Louis
Edward is the youngest of the four children of Queen Elizabeth II and the youngest brother of King Charles III. He studied history at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986. In 1999, Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones and the couple had a daughter and a son. On his wedding day, Edward was created Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn, breaking with the tradition of a dukedom granted to the son of the Sovereign upon marriage. Edward has a busy schedule of engagements in the United Kingdom and overseas both in support of his brother King Charles III and for the charities and organizations with which he is involved. King Charles III granted his younger brother Prince Edward the title Duke of Edinburgh on his 59th birthday, March 10, 2023. His ducal title is not hereditary, so it will become extinct on his death.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
March 10, 1966 – Wedding of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg, civilly at the City Hall, religiously at the Westerkerk both in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Beatrix and Claus initially met at the wedding of Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse in the summer of 1964. They met again in January 1965 at a ski resort in Gstaad, Switzerland, as guests of Prince Moritz of Hesse. The release of a photograph of Claus and Beatrix together on Juliana’s birthday in April 1965 piqued public interest in the couple. A second photo of the couple walking hand in hand was released in May, appearing in British, then Dutch newspapers. Although Beatrix and Claus had hoped to keep their romance a secret for a bit longer, they released that speculation about the nature of their relationship would only increase following the release of the photos. Beatrix’s mother Queen Juliana announced the engagement to the Dutch public via television on June 28, 1965.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg
March 10, 2013 – Death of Princess Lilian of Sweden, wife of Prince Bertil of Sweden, at Villa Solbacken in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at the Royal Cemetery at Haga Park in Solna, Sweden
Born Lilian May Davies, in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom, she met Prince Bertil, son of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught, who was serving as a naval attaché at the Swedish Embassy in London, at a cocktail party in 1943. At that time Bertil was third in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. By the time his father came to the throne in 1950, Bertil was now second in the line of succession. His elder brother Gustaf Adolf had been killed in a plane crash in 1947, leaving an infant son, Carl Gustaf, the future King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the heir to the throne. With the likelihood of Bertil being called to serve as Regent for his young nephew, he and Lilian chose not to marry so that he could retain his position in the Royal Family. Bertil’s father died in 1973, and Bertil’s nephew became King Carl XVI Gustaf. The rules, as well as the times, were beginning to change. In June 1976, King Carl Gustaf XVI married a commoner, Sylvia Sommerlath, and soon after, he granted his formal permission for Bertil and Lilian to marry. Prince Bertil died in 1997. Lilian survived him by sixteen years, dying at the age of 97, on March 10, 2013.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Lilian of Sweden
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