March 29: Today in Royal History

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King Gustav III of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

March 29, 1792 – Death of King Gustav III of Sweden at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
On March 16, 1792, King Gustav III was shot at a masked ball at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. King Gustav had not been killed as the conspirators had hoped and continued functioning as the head of state while he recovered. However, suddenly he weakened, and, as often happened in the days before antibiotics, his wound became infected, and sepsis, a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs, developed. Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball) is based on King Gustav III’s assassination and death.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Gustav III, King of Sweden
Unofficial Royalty: King Gustav III of Sweden

March 29, 1832 – Death of Maria Teresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Sardinia, wife of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia, in Geneva, Switzerland; buried at the Basilica of Superga in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy
In 1789, Maria Theresa married the future Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia. They had six daughters and one son who died in early childhood from smallpox. Their five surviving daughters all married reigning monarchs. In 1802, Maria Theresa’s husband Vittorio Emanuele became King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his brother Carlo Emanuele. In March 1821, liberal revolutions were occurring throughout Italy. However, Vittorio Emanuele I was not willing to grant a liberal constitution so he abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of his brother Carlo Felice. Vittorio Emanuele died in 1824, aged 64. Maria Theresa survived her husband by eight years. She died unexpectedly, aged 58, on March 29, 1832.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Queen of Sardinia

March 29, 1913 – Death of Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera in Schleiz, Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried at the Bergkirche St. Marien, now in Schleiz, Thuringia, Germany
In 1858, Heinrich XIV married Duchess Agnes of Württemberg and had one son and one daughter. Upon the death of his father Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera on July 11, 1867, Heinrich XIV became the 4th Prince Reuss of Gera. After Agnes died in 1886, Heinrich XIV made a morganatic marriage to Friederike Graetz with whom he had one son. In 1902, Heinrich XIV became the Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz. Heinrich XXIV, 6th and last Prince Reuss of Greiz, succeeded his father in 1902 but was unable to rule because of his physical and mental disabilities as a result of an accident in his childhood. Heinrich XIV was the Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz until his death. Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera died on March 29, 1913, aged 80.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera

March 29, 1956 – Death of Infante Alfonso of Spain at the Villa Giralda in Estoril, Portugal; first buried at the Municipal Cemetery in Cascais, Portugal, in 1992 his remains were transferred to the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial in Spain
Fourteen-year-old Infante Alfonso was killed by a gun while in a bedroom with his elder brother, the future King Juan Carlos I of Spain. What happened in that bedroom, who pulled the trigger, and whether or not it was an accident is still unclear.
Unofficial Royalty: Infante Alfonso of Spain

March 29, 1980 – Birth of Hamzah bin Al Hussein, formerly Prince Hamzah of Jordan, son of King Hussein of Jordan and his fourth wife Queen Noor, in Amman, Jordan
Hamzah is the eldest son of King Hussein of Jordan and his fourth wife Queen Noor (the former Lisa Halaby). Upon their father’s death in 1999, Hamzah was named Crown Prince by his elder half-brother, the new King Abdullah II, in accordance with their father’s wishes. However, on November 28, 2004, King Abdullah removed the title of Crown Prince. In a public letter, he said that … “Your holding this symbolic position has restrained your freedom and hindered our entrusting you with certain responsibilities that you are fully qualified to undertake.”  A few years later, King Abdullah II named his son Hussein Crown Prince of Jordan. In April 2021, Hamzah was accused of trying to mobilize tribal leaders against the government.  He was placed under house arrest and was ordered to stop actions that could be used to target the country’s “security and stability”. On April 3, 2022, Hamzah renounced his title of Prince of Jordan.
Unofficial Royalty: Hamzah bin Al Hussein

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