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Henry, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

February 19, 1594 – Birth of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of King James I of England, at Stirling Castle, Scotland
Full name: Henry Frederick
The heir to the thrones of England and Scotland, by the time he was 18 years old, Henry was physically mature, well-educated, an independent thinker, and ready to assume some government responsibility. Negotiations began for a bride for Henry and princesses from Spain, France, and Savoy were in the running. He was on his way to making an excellent and popular king. Henry died of typhoid fever at age 18. His brother Charles (later King Charles I) became heir to the throne.  Henry’s death was considered a national tragedy. Henry’s brother, the future King Charles I, who was now the heir to the throne, felt the loss deeply and insisted until the end of his life that Henry had been poisoned. We can only wonder how different English history might have been if Henry Frederick had been King instead of his brother King Charles I, who was deposed and beheaded.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry, Prince of Wales

February 19, 1817 – Birth of King Willem III of the Netherlands in the Palace of the Nation (now the building that houses the Belgian legislature) in Brussels, which was then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium
Full name: Willem Alexander Paul Frederik Lodewijk
In 1839, Willem married his first cousin Sophie of Württemberg. Willem and Sophie had three sons, but they all predeceased their father. When his father died in 1849, Willem succeeded as King of the Netherlands. After Sophie died in 1877, Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. In 1879, 61-year-old Willem married 20-year-old Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and the marriage was extremely happy. The last decade of Willem’s life was the best years of his reign. Willem and Emma had one daughter, Wilhelmina, who succeeded her father. In 1888, King Willem III’s health began to decline., Emma was sworn in as Regent when it became apparent that Willem could no longer reign. On November 23, 1890, 73-year-old King Willem III died and his ten-year-old daughter Wilhelmina became Queen. Emma took over as Regent for her daughter until Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday in 1898.
Unofficial Royalty: King Willem III of the Netherlands

February 19, 1919 – Death of Bertha Louise of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, Princess of Lippe, the first of the two wives of Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe, in Detmold, then in the Weimar Republic, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia; buried at the Christ Church in Detmold
In 1901, Bertha Louise married the future Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe. The couple had five children. Alexander, Prince of Lippe, the last of the Lippe-Detmold line, died in 1905. With the extinction of the Lippe-Detmold line, the throne of the Principality of Lippe went to Bertha Louise’s husband who reigned as Leopold IV and would be the last reigning Prince of Lippe. Following the German Empire’s defeat in World War I and the German Revolution of 1918-1919, Leopold IV was forced to renounce the throne. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government allowing his family to remain in Lippe. Three months later, Bertha Louise died, aged 44.
Unofficial Royalty: Bertha Louise of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, Princess of Lippe

 February 19, 1960 – Birth of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Andrew Albert Christian Edward
In 1979, Andrew began a career in the Royal Navy that lasted until 2001. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986 and the couple had two daughters. Andrew’s obligations as a naval helicopter pilot and the negative attention Sarah received from the media contributed to the couple’s estrangement. Andrew and Sarah separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. The Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York (her style upon her divorce) are on amicable terms with each other and are both devoted parents to their daughters. Andrew was accused of child sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, who alleges that as a minor she was sex trafficked to him by American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was the defendant in a civil lawsuit over sexual assault filed by Giuffre in New York State which was settled out of court in February 2022. Following negative reactions to his connections to Epstein, Andrew permanently resigned from public roles and his honorary military affiliations and his royal charitable patronages were returned to Queen Elizabeth II in January 2022.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Andrew, Duke of York

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Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

February 18, 1478 – Execution of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, who opposed his brother King Edward IV of England, in the Tower of London; buried at Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucester, England
In 1478, George was tried for treason against his brother King Edward IV and privately executed in the Tower of London.
Unofficial Royalty: George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence 

February 18, 1516 – Birth of Queen Mary I of England at the Palace of Placentia (Greenwich Palace), in Greenwich (London), England
Excluding the disputed reigns of Empress Matilda in the 12th century and Lady Jane Grey, Mary’s predecessor, Queen Mary I was the first queen regnant of England. Mary was the only child of King Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon to survive infancy. Upon the death of her half-brother King Edward VI of England in 1553, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and Lord Protector of the Realm arranged for his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of King Henry VII of England, to be proclaimed Queen of England instead of Mary. Mary quickly assembled a force and deposed Jane, who was ultimately beheaded. Mary was 37 and needed to marry and produce an heir to supplant her Protestant sister, the future Queen Elizabeth I of England. In 1554, Mary married the future King Philip II of Spain but the couple had no children. Throughout her reign, Mary was steadfast in her determination to restore the Roman Catholic religion to England. During her reign, Edward VI’s religious laws were abolished and nearly 300 Protestants were burned at the stake for heresy.  Mary had become weak and ill in May 1558, possibly from ovarian cysts or uterine cancer. In November 1558, she fell ill during an influenza outbreak and died at the age of 42. Mary wanted to be buried with her mother at Peterborough Cathedral but was buried in Westminster Abbey in a vault she would eventually share with her Protestant sister Elizabeth.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Mary I of England

February 18, 1712 – Death of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, son of Louis, Le Grande Dauphin and grandson of King Louis XIV of France, at the Château de Marly in France; buried at the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris
Louis, Duke of Burgundy was the eldest of the three sons of Louis, Dauphin of France and Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria. At the time of his birth, Louis’ grandfather Louis XIV was King of France and his father was the heir apparent to the French throne. After Louis’ birth, his father was called Le Grand Dauphin and his son Louis, who was second in the line of succession, was called Le Petit Dauphin. However, King Louis XIV outlived his son and his grandson and was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson King Louis XV when he died in 1715.
Unofficial Royalty: Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin

February 18, 1790 – Death of Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria, first wife of the future Emperor Franz I of Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Elisabeth was the first of the four wives of Emperor Franz I of Austria. At the age of 15, Elisabeth went to Vienna, Austria to prepare to become the bride of Archduke Franz, the nephew of the then Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II. The Protestant princess was educated by nuns at the Church and Monastery of the Visitation and converted to Roman Catholicism. Elisabeth married Archduke Franz (the future emperor) in 1788 but died at the age of 22 two years later in childbirth after giving birth to a daughter who lived only four months.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Württemberg, Archduchess of Austria

February 18, 1802 – Birth of Lord Adolphus FitzClarence at Bushy House in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
Adolphus was the fifth of the ten children and the third of the five sons of the future King William IV of the United Kingdom and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. He joined the Royal Navy when he was twelve, had a naval career, and attained the rank of Rear Admiral. Fifty-four-year-old Adolphus suffered a paralytic seizure on or a few days before May 17, 1856, and died unmarried on May 18, 1856.
Unofficial Royalty Lord Adolphus FitzClarence

February 18, 1840 – Death of Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia, first wife of the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, in Stettin, Kingdom of Prussia, now Szczecin in Poland; buried in the Chapel of the Ducal Castle of Stettin
In 1765, Elisabeth Christine married her first cousin, Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (the future King Friedrich Wilhelm II), in a marriage arranged by their mutual uncle, King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia. The couple had one daughter Frederica Charlotte who married Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second son of King George III of the United Kingdom. Elisabeth Christine’s marriage was never happy, as Friedrich Wilhelm had constant affairs and completely ignored his wife. Elisabeth Christine soon began her own affair and found herself pregnant. Her lover, a musician, was arrested and reportedly beheaded, and Elisabeth Christine took some drugs to end her pregnancy. Her marriage ended in divorce and she spent the rest of her life under house arrest. She never saw her daughter Frederica again. Elisabeth Christine died on February 18, 1840, at the age of 93, after spending 71 years under house arrest.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Christine Ulrike of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Crown Princess of Prussia

February 18, 1932 – Death of former King Friedrich August III of Saxony at Sibyllenort Castle in Sibyllenort, Germany, now Szczodre, Poland; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Friedrich August began his military career at age 12, entering the Saxony Army as a second lieutenant, and serving with various regiments over the next 27 years before his accession to the throne in 1904. In 1891, he married Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, and they had seven children. However, the marriage was not happy. The marriage quickly broke down, as Luise was unwilling to conform to the strict protocols of the Saxony court, and Friedrich August failed to stand up for her or support her. She began an affair with their children’s tutor and caused quite a scandal. Friedrich August’s father threatened to have her interned at a mental asylum in 1902, which led to Luise fleeing the country while pregnant with their youngest child. The marriage ended in divorce, by royal decree of King Georg in 1903. Friedrich August III was the last King of Saxony, abdicating on November 13, 1918, at the end of World War I. Friedrich August retired to Sibyllenort Castle in Lower Silesia (now Poland) where he lived the rest of his life. He died there on February 18, 1932, after suffering a stroke.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich August III of Saxony

February 18, 1947 – Death of Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt at the Soviet NKVD Special Camp No. 2, the former Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, East Germany, now in the German state of Thuringia; his remains were thrown into a mass grave
Joachim Ernst was the last Duke of Anhalt. He came to the throne in September 1918 when he was 17 years old. As he was underage, his father’s brother Prince Aribert of Anhalt served as Regent. With the German Empire crumbling at the end of World War I, Aribert abdicated on Joachim Ernst’s behalf on November 12, 1918. Joachim Ernst married twice. His first marriage was to actress Elisabeth Strickrodt at Ballenstedt Castle in 1927. The marriage was morganatic and lasted only two years. In 1929, Joachim Ernst married Edda-Charlotte von Stephani-Marwitz. They had five children. Joachim Ernst spent his post-abdication life at Ballenstedt Castle, where he raised his family and became a trained agricultural and forestry farmer. Always at odds with the Nazis, he was arrested in 1944 and imprisoned at the Dachau Concentration Camp for three months. He was arrested again in September 1945, this time by the Soviets, and was sent to the NKVD Special Camp No. 2 at the former Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The former Duke of Anhalt died at the camp on February 18, 1947, and his remains were thrown into a mass grave.
Unofficial Royalty: Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt

February 18, 1947 – Birth of Princess Christina of the Netherlands, daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, at Soestdijk Palace in the Netherlands
Full Name: Maria Christina
Because her mother contracted German measles while pregnant, Christina was born nearly blind. Medical treatment and glasses improved her vision. In 1975, Christina married Jorge Pérez y Guillermo. Having not received the government’s consent, Princess Christina relinquished her rights to the Dutch throne (as well as for her descendants) and her position as a member of The Royal House. The couple had three children and divorced in 1996. Princess Christina was an accomplished musician, recorded several CDs, and sang at several family events, including the funeral of her mother Queen Juliana. In June 2018 it was announced that Princess Christina was suffering from bone cancer. Princess Christina died at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands on August 16, 2019, at the age of 72 from bone cancer.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Christina of the Netherlands

February 18, 1984 – Birth of  Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, wife of Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, born Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy in Ronse, Flanders, Belgium
Full name: Stéphanie Marie Claudine Christine
Both of Stéphanie’s parents come from noble Belgian families. Stéphanie and her siblings all have the rank of Count and Countess in Belgium, as sons and daughters of a Count. Stéphanie first met Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg when they were introduced by friends in Germany eight years before they married. They did not see each other until they met again about five years later and that was when they fell in love. Guillaume proposed to Stéphanie three weeks before their engagement was announced. Unfortunately, Stéphanie’s mother died from a stroke two months before the wedding on October 20, 2012.  The couple has two sons. In his Christmas Eve speech on December 24, 2024, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg announced that he would abdicate in favor of his eldest son Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg on October 3, 2025. Guillaume and Stéphanie will then become the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg,
Unofficial Royalty: Stephanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

February 18, 2000 – Wedding of Letsie III, King of Lesotho and Anna Karabo Motsoeneng at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, Lesotho
Anna and King Letsie III were married on February 18, 2000, at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho The national sports stadium was filled to its capacity of 40,000 people, with thousands turned away.  Bernard Mohlalisi, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Maseru conducted the marriage ceremony. Guests included The Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), King Mswati III of Swaziland, and Nelson Mandela. King Letsie said Anna would be his only wife, going against the tradition in an area where polygamy is relatively common. After the ceremony, the bride and the groom left for a luncheon amid deafening cheers, singing, and ululation from the crowd. The couple hosted an evening banquet for their guests. After her marriage, Anna was known as Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso.
Unofficial Royalty: Letsie III, King of Lesotho
Unofficial Royalty: Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso (Anna Karabo Mots’oeneng)

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King Albert I of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

Current Royal Event – Commemoration for Deceased Members of the Belgian Royal Family – On or around February 17 each year, a Mass commemorating deceased members of the Belgian royal family is celebrated at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium. Albert I, King of the Belgians was an avid mountain climber. On February 17, 1934, while climbing alone on the Roche de Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, 58-year-old Albert I fell to his death. A year later, on February 17, 1935, a Mass was celebrated in commemoration of the death of Albert I. After the death of Queen Astrid in a car accident later in 1935, it was decided to commemorate all deceased members of the Belgian royal family.
Unofficial Royalty Commemoration for Deceased Members of the Belgian Royal Family – On or Around February 17 – Belgium

February 17, 1718 – Death of Lady Charlotte FitzRoy, an illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland (aka Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine); buried in All Saints Churchyard in Spelsbury, Oxfordshire, England
Charlotte was one of the five children of King Charles II and Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland. In 1677, thirteen-year-old Charlotte married fourteen-year-old Edward Lee, the son and heir of Sir Francis Henry Lee, 4th Baronet of Quarendon. Charlotte and Edward had eighteen children and eleven survived childhood.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Charlotte FitzRoy

February 17, 1718 – Death of Prince George William of Great Britain, son of the future King George II, at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Little Prince George William lived from November 13, 1717 – February 17, 1718, three months and four days, but an event in his short life caused a huge family argument. The principals in the argument were George William’s grandfather King George I of Great Britain and his father The Prince of Wales, the future King George II of Great Britain. It was the beginning of the battles between fathers and sons that would plague the House of Hanover.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince George William of Great Britain

February 17, 1729 – Death of Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in Saafeld, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the crypt at the Johanneskirche in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany
Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the founder of the House of Saxe-Saalfeld-Coburg which was the precursor to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the ancestor of all British monarchs since Queen Victoria. His father Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg had seven sons and disliked primogeniture in which the eldest son is the sole heir. When he died all seven brothers governed the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, as set out in their father’s will. In 1680, the seven brothers concluded a treaty of separation, with each brother getting a portion of the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha Altenburg and becoming a Duke. Johann Ernst IV became Duke of Saxe-Saalfeld. Joann Ernst’s elder brothers Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg and Heinrich of Saxe-Römhild died without male heirs. Upon their deaths, Johann Ernest took possession of Coburg and Römhild, and then became Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Ernst IV, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

February 17, 1821 – Birth of Lola Montez, mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert in Grange, County Sligo, Connacht, Ireland
Lola Montez was a dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. She was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert on February 17, 1821, in Ireland. Starting in 1842, using the stage name Maria de los Dolores Porrys y Montez, also known as Lola Montez, she pretended to be a Spanish dancer from Seville, Spain. She also accepted favors from wealthy men in return for sex and was widely regarded as a courtesan. Lola became famous for her Spider Dance, which involved her shaking imaginary tarantulas out of her clothes and stamping on them. She then raised her skirt so high that the audience could see that she wore no underwear. In 1846, 25-year-old Lola became the mistress of the 60-year-old King Ludwig I of Bavaria. At the start of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, Lola was forced to flee, living in Austria, Switzerland, France, and London, working as an entertainer and lecturer. In 1851, Lola went to the United States where she was surprisingly successful. In 1852, on Broadway, she played herself in a theater revue, Lola Montez in Bavaria. She toured the east coast until 1853 when she went to San Francisco where her performances created a sensation. By 1860, Lola was exhibiting third-stage effects of syphilis. She died on January 17, 1861, aged 39, in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.
Unofficial Royalty: Lola Montez, mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria

February 17, 1861 – Birth of Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany, wife of Prince Leopold of the United Kingdom, Duke of Albany, at Arolsen Castle in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Helena Frederica Augusta
In 1882, Helena married Queen Victoria’s hemophiliac son Prince Leopold. The couple had one child and Helena was pregnant with their second child when Leopold slipped and fell on a staircase, injuring his knee and his head. He died apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. Helena continued to live with her children at Claremont House near Esher in Surrey, England, which Queen Victoria had bought for Leopold upon his marriage. Helena devoted the rest of her life to her children, grandchildren, and charitable work. She died of a heart attack at the age of 61 in Hinterriss, Austria where she was visiting her son.  At her request, Helena was buried in the beautiful countryside of Hinteriss.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany

February 17, 1909 – Death of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, at the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; buried in Grand Ducal Mausoleum, adjacent to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia
As the third son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, Vladimir was considered distant from the throne but in 1865, the death of his eldest brother Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich at the age of 21 changed that. Vladimir was then the second in the line of succession after his elder brother Alexander, the future Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia. In 1874, Vladimir married Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and they had four sons and one daughter. On February 17, 1909, 61-year-old Vladimir died suddenly after suffering a major cerebral hemorrhage. Today, the most recognized claimant as the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia is through Vladimir’s line. Queen Elizabeth II’s first cousins, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and his sister and brother Princess Alexandra and Prince Michael, are Vladimir’s great-grandchildren through his daughter Elena who married into the Greek royal family.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia

February 17, 1905 – Assassination of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, in Moscow, Russia; first buried in a crypt at the Chudov Monastery within the Moscow Kremlin, in 1995 his remains were exhumed and reburied in a crypt at the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow, Russia
Sergei married  Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria but their marriage was childless. The couple was very close with Sergei’s brother Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna, and were often asked to represent them at royal events elsewhere in the world.  In 1891, Alexander III appointed his brother Serge Governor-General of Moscow. In 1905 in Moscow, Sergei was killed when an assassin threw a nitroglycerin bomb into his carriage. The bomb landed in Sergei’s lap and exploded.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia

February 17, 1934 – Death of King Albert I of the Belgians in a mountain climbing accident at Marche-les-Dames in Ardennes, Belgium; buried in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
In 1900, Albert married Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. They had three children including Leopold III, King of the Belgians and  Marie-José who married King Umberto II of Italy. Albert, who had become heir-presumptive upon his father’s death in 1905, succeeded his uncle as King Albert I of the Belgians in 1909. Albert was an avid mountain climber. Sadly, this would bring about his early death. On February 17, 1934, while climbing alone on the Roche de Vieux Bon Dieu at Marche-les-Dames, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, King Albert I fell to his death.
Unofficial Royalty: King Albert I of the Belgians

February 17, 1940 – Birth of Prince Ingolf of Denmark, later Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, at Sorgenfri Palace in Lyngby-Taarbæk, Denmark
Full name: Ingolf Christian Frederik Knud Harald Gorm Gustav Viggo Valdemar Aage
Ingolf, the son of Prince Knud of Denmark (son of King Christian X), was born a Prince of Denmark. He is a first cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. In 1968, Ingolf decided to marry Inge Terney, an untitled commoner. He did not seek the permission of his uncle King Frederik IX to marry, and therefore forfeited his succession rights and lost his royal title. After his first wife died, Ingolf married lawyer Sussie Hjorhøy Pedersen in 1998. Ingolf and his wife attend major events of the Danish Royal Family.
Unofficial Royalty: Count Ingolf of Rosenborg

February 17, 1947 – Death of Princess Shivakiar, first wife of King Fuad I of Egypt, at the Kasr al-Aali Palace in Cairo; buried in the Hosh al-Basha mausoleum in Cairo, Egypt

Unofficial Royalty: Princess Shivakiar Ibramin, first wife of King Fuad I of Egypt

February 17, 1954 – Birth of Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria daughter of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, sister of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, at Castle Betzdorf in Luxembourg
Full name: Marie-Astrid Charlotte Léopoldine Wilhelmine Ingeborg Antoinette Elisabeth Anna Alberta
Marie-Astrid is the eldest child of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium and the sister of Henri, the current Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In 1982, she married her second cousin Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, a grandson of the last Austrian Emperor Karl I and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Marie-Astrid and Carl Christian had five children. Marie-Astrid is typically in attendance at family functions in Luxembourg, as well as the occasional official events.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marie-Astrid of Luxembourg, Archduchess of Austria

February 17, 1974 – Birth of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei, son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, born in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
On August 10, 1998, Al-Muhtadee Billah was proclaimed Crown Prince of Brunei. As Crown Prince, Al-Muhtadee Billah acts as Deputy Sultan when his father is out of the country and holds several positions. In 2004, Al-Muhtadee Billah married Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman. The couple has four children.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei

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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. When his father died 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 in Paris, France; 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 died 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 his father’s death 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 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. They have one daughter Victoire Bagory, born in 2024.
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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