Breaking News: Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi expecting second child

Photo Credit – https://www.instagram.com/p/CC05fTMH_HJ/ Photograph by Benjamin Wheeler

It was announced today that Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are expecting their second child early in the new year. His Majesty The King has been informed and both families are delighted with the news.

On September 26, 2019, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of  Princess Beatrice to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Beatrice and Edoardo’s wedding, scheduled for May 29, 2020, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Beatrice and Edoardo were married in a private ceremony at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, on the grounds of Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, on July 17, 2020. They have one daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi, born 2021. Edoardo has one son from a prior relationship, Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, born in 2016.

October 1: Today in Royal History

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Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, Credit – Wikipedia

October 1, 959 – Death of Eadwig, King of the English at Gloucester, England, buried in Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England
Fifteen-year-old Eadwig became king in 955 upon the death of his uncle Eadred. During his short reign, he had many disputes with nobles and men of the church, including Dunstan, a future Archbishop of Canterbury and saint, who was then Abbot of Glastonbury. Eadwig died at the age of nineteen in Gloucester in what some consider suspicious but unknown circumstances. He was buried in the New Minster in Winchester but nothing is known about the later fate of his remains. As Eadwig did not have children, his brother Edgar succeeded him and reunified England.
Unofficial Royalty: King Eadwig of the English

October 1, 1207 – Birth of King Henry III of England at Winchester Castle in Winchester, England
King Henry III became king on October 18, 1216, at the age of nine, and reigned 56 years, 29 days, until he died in 1272. Only King George III, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II reigned longer. He was the first child of King John and his second wife Isabella, Countess of Angoulême, and named after King John’s father, King Henry II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Henry III of England

October 1, 1361 – Death of Margaret of Windsor, daughter of King Edward III of England, buried at Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
In 1359, 11-year-old Margaret married 12-year-old John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. After their marriage, Margaret and her husband John remained at the royal court. Sadly, 15-year-old Margaret, Countess of Pembroke died unexpectedly, sometime after October 1, 1361, the last date there is a record that she was living. John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was in royal service for the rest of his short life, mostly as a military commander. He died in 1375 at the age of 27.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke

October 1, 1685 – Birth of Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor, at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Carolus Franciscus Josephus Wenceslaus Balthasar Johannes Antonius Ignatius
In 1708, Karl married Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. They had one son who died in infancy and three daughters, with one dying in childhood. Karl’s brother Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I died during the smallpox epidemic of 1711. Joseph had no sons so Karl automatically succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands and was elected Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor. On October 20, 1740, Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor died after a ten-day illness. His daughter Maria Theresa succeeded to the Habsburg hereditary lands as the Queen of Hungary, Queen of Croatia, Queen of Bohemia, Archduchess of Austria in her own right, the only female to hold those sovereign positions.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl VI, Holy Roman Emperor

October 1, 1754 – Birth of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia at the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth in St. Petersburg, Russia
Paul was the son of Grand Duchess Catherine Alexeievna (born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, later Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia), and was recognized by Catherine’s husband, Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, later Peter III, Emperor of All Russia, as his son although he may be was Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov. His first wife Wilhelmine of Hesse-Darmstadt (Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna) died in childbirth with her only child. Paul’s second wife was Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg (Maria Feodorovna) with whom he had ten children. Paul became Emperor of All Russia upon the death of his mother Catherine II (the Great) in 1796. Paul agreed with the practices of autocracy and did not tolerate freedom of thought or resistance against autocracy. Because he overly taxed the nobility and limited their rights, the Russian nobles, by increasing numbers, were against him. Paul’s reign was becoming increasingly despotic. Eventually, the nobility reached their breaking point. On the night of March 23, 1801, at the Mikhailovsky Castle in St. Petersburg, Russia, a group of conspirators charged into the bedroom of 46-year-old Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, forced him to abdicate, and then strangled and trampled him to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Paul I, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia

October 1, 1794 – Birth of Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Leopold Friedrich became heir-apparent to the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau upon his father’s death in 1814 and became the reigning Duke of Anhalt-Dessau upon his grandfather’s death in 1817. In 1847, Leopold Friedrich inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen upon the death of a distant cousin. After nearly six years as the reigning Duke of two separate duchies, they were united in 1853 as the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen. Ten years later, he also inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg from another distant cousin. Now, with all of the Anhalt duchies back under one ruler, they were united as the Duchy of Anhalt in 1863.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt

October 1, 1833 – Birth of Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe, wife of Leopold III, Prince of Lippe, in Rudolstadt, then in the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia
Elisabeth married Leopold III, Prince of Lippe in 1852 but their marriage was childless. Elisabeth used all the means at her disposal for charitable causes. She published a booklet with Bible verses for every day of the year and designed wall decorations with Bible verses. The booklet and wall decorations were mass-produced and the proceeds went to Elisabeth’s charitable causes. Devoted to children, Elisabeth founded a school, the Elisabeth-Anstalt in the town of Blomberg. She also promoted the establishment and maintenance of the Augustineum Secondary School a school and teacher training center in Otjimbingwe, then in a settlement of the Herero people, now in the country of Namibia. After Leopold’s death in 1875, Elisabeth moved into her widow’s residence at the New Palais in Detmold and continued her charitable work. In autumn of 1896, Elisabeth became ill with pneumonia, and died on November 27, 1896, at the age of sixty-three.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Princess of Lippe

October 1, 1919 – Death of Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, at Baden-Baden, Germany; buried at Schloss Altenstein, the summer residence of the Dukes of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Bad Liebenstein in the German state of Thuringia.
Charlotte was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and the daughter of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor.  She married her second cousin Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen and they had one daughter Feodora, the first great-grandchild of Queen Victoria. Charlotte was a chain smoker and had suffered ill health her entire life, and died at the age of 59.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

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September 30: Today in Royal History

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Princess Charlotte of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

September 30, 1658 – Birth of Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, second wife of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Wolfenbüttel, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
In 1675, Elisabeth Eleonore married Johann Georg of Mecklenburg-Mirow. The marriage was short-lived as Johann Georg died just five months later. In 1681, Elisabeth Eleonore married Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, who had been widowed the previous year. Elisabeth Eleonore and Bernhard had five children. The Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen was completed in 1692 and named for Elisabeth Eleonore who lived there with her husband, and their children for the duration of Bernhard’s reign. Following her husband’s death in 1706, Elisabeth Eleonore was drawn into the family battles over who would reign over the duchy. The in-fighting within the family took its toll on Elisabeth Eleonore, and she retired from public life. She died on March 15, 1729, at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Eleonore of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

September 30, 1796 – Birth of Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt-Dessau, wife of Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friederike Luise Wilhelmine Amalie
In 1818, Friederike married Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau. The Prussian court had arranged the marriage, and they had been formally engaged since May 1816. Friederike and Leopold had four children. Friederike also became Duchess of Anhalt-Köthen in 1847 when her husband inherited that duchy. Three years after Friederike’s death, the Dessau and Köthen duchies were joined as one, the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen, and in 1863, was merged with the last remaining Anhalt duchy, the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg, becoming the unified Duchy of Anhalt, with her husband becoming the first reigning Duke.
Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Prussia, Duchess of Anhalt

September 30, 1811 – Birth of Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress and Queen of Prussia, wife of Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia, in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Augusta Marie Luise Katharina
In 1828, Augusta married the future Wilhelm I, German Emperor and King of Prussia. The couple had two children including Wilhelm’s (brief) successor Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia who married Victoria, Princess Royal, Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter. In 1861, Wilhelm became King of Prussia. Augusta was much more interested in politics than many of her predecessors and did not hesitate to voice her opinion. She despised Otto von Bismarck, statesman, diplomat, and the mastermind behind the unification of Germany in 1871, and the feeling was mutual. In 1871, Wilhelm was named the first German Emperor (Kaiser), with Augusta as his Empress (Kaiserin). Augusta founded the National Women’s Association and numerous hospitals and schools throughout Prussia to help those in need.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

September 30, 1898 – Birth of Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois, daughter of Prince Louis II of Monaco and his mistress Marie Juliette Louvet, mother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, in Constantine, French Algeria, now in Algeria
Birth name: Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet
Charlotte began life as Charlotte Louise Juliette Louvet, the illegitimate daughter of the future Prince Louis II of Monaco and Marie Juliette Louvet. Her parents had met the previous year in Paris, where Marie worked as a hostess in a nightclub. Because Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monegasque throne was likely to pass to his first cousin once removed Wilhelm, the Duke of Urach, a German nobleman, the son of his father’s aunt Princess Florestine of Monaco. In 1918, a law was passed allowing for the adoption of an heir with succession rights. In 1919, Louis legally adopted Charlotte, giving her the Grimaldi surname. Her grandfather Prince Albert I created her HSH Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois. Upon Louis’ accession in 1922, Charlotte became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco. In 1920, Charlotte married Count Pierre de Polignac, and the couple had two children including the future Prince Rainer III. By 1925, Charlotte and Pierre lived separate lives and formally divorced in 1933. Born illegitimate and now divorced, Charlotte knew the very Catholic Monaco would never fully accept her.  Charlotte renounced her rights to the Monegasque throne in 1944 in favor of her son Rainier. She died in 1977 at the age of 79.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois

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September 29: Today in Royal History

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Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia

September 29, 1240 – Birth of Margaret of England, daughter of King Henry III of England, and wife of Alexander III, King of Scots, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
The betrothal of Margaret and the future Alexander III, King of Scots was part of a peace negotiation arranged by their fathers. Four years after the betrothal, Alexander became King of Scots at the age of seven. In 1251, at York Minster in York, England, 11-year-old Margaret became Queen of Scots when she married 10-year-old King Alexander III. The wedding celebrations were festive and attended by many people including 1,000 English and 600 Scottish knights. The couple had three children but the death of their only surviving son caused a succession issue.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of England, Queen of Scots

September 29, 1328 – Birth of Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales at Woodstock Palace near Oxford in Oxfordshire, England
Joan’s father was Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, the younger of the two sons of King Edward I of England and his second wife, Margaret of France, and was, therefore, a half-brother of King Edward II. Joan and her first husband Thomas Holland are the ancestors of many prominent figures in the Wars of the Roses, including Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York (father of King Edward IV and King Richard III), Henry Tudor (later King Henry VII) and his wife Elizabeth of York (daughter of King Edward IV), Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the Kingmaker) and his daughter Anne Neville (wife of King Richard III). They were also ancestors of Catherine Parr, the sixth and last wife of King Henry VIII. After the death of her first husband, Joan married Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), her first cousin once removed and the son and heir of King Edward III of England, and became the very first Princess of Wales. Her husband predeceased his father Edward III and their son succeeded his grandfather as King Richard II.
Unofficial Royalty: Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales

September 29, 1388 – Birth of Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, son of King Henry IV of England, either in London, England, or at Kenilworth Castle in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England
During the reign of his father King Henry IV, Thomas was second in the line of succession after his elder brother, the future King Henry V. During his brother’s reign, Thomas was the heir presumptive to the throne until he died in 1421 at the Battle of Baugé in Anjou, France. In 1411, Thomas married Margaret Holland, the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent and Alice FitzAlan but the couple had no children. Thomas accompanied his brother King Henry V on his campaigns in France during the Hundred Years’ War. He commanded the English army at the Siege of Rouen in 1418 which ended in Rouen’s capture by the English.
Unofficial Royalty: Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence

September 29, 1560 – Death of King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden at Tre Kronor Castle in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden
Gustav Vasa I, the first king of the House of Vasa, is considered the founding father of the modern Swedish state. He ranks among Sweden’s greatest monarchs and some argue that he was the most significant ruler in Swedish history. He ended foreign domination in Sweden, centralized and reorganized the government, cut religious ties to Rome, established the Church of Sweden, and founded Sweden’s hereditary monarchy. In the late 1550s, Gustav I’s health declined. He died, aged 64, at Tre Kronor Castle (Three Crowns Castle) which stood on the site of the present Stockholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. The official cause of death was cholera but it may have been dysentery or typhoid.
Unofficial Royalty: King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden

September 29, 1766 – Birth of Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, second wife of Friedrich I, King of Württemberg, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Charlotte Augusta Matilda
The living conditions of King George III’s six daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters were allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Charlotte was one of the three who eventually did marry. At the age of 31, Charlotte married 49-year-old Friedrich, Hereditary Prince of Württemberg, the future King of Württemberg.  He was a widower with three children. His first wife was Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, niece of King George III, and some issues with this marriage concerned King George III. Only after persistent requests and pleadings from Russian and Brunswick royals and British officials did the king consent to the marriage. After Charlotte delivered a stillborn daughter, the marriage remained childless.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte, Princess Royal, Queen of Württemberg

September 29, 1827 – Birth of Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse
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

September 29, 1833 – Death of King Ferdinand VII of Spain in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
Ferdinand married four times, was a widower three times, and had only two surviving daughters from his fourth marriage to his niece Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. As Ferdinand had no sons, he persuaded the Spanish legislature to set aside the Salic Law, which allowed only male succession. María Isabel Luisa, Ferdinand’s elder daughter by his fourth wife was Princess of Asturias, the title of the heir to the Spanish throne, from birth. In Spain, even if there is no heir apparent, the title can be (but is not necessarily) given to the heir presumptive – a daughter, sibling, or matrilineal descendant of the monarch. King Ferdinand VII died on September 29, 1833, and his daughter, not quite three years old, succeeded to the throne as Queen Isabella II. This precipitated a series of wars known as the Carlist Wars in which Ferdinand’s brother Carlos, and later his descendants, fought over the succession. Even today, there are Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ferdinand VII of Spain

September 29, 1834 – Death of Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg at the Hummelshain Hunting Lodge in Hummerlshain, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Altenburg Cemetery in Altenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany, in 1974, having fallen into disrepair, the tombs were removed from the mausoleum. The coffins were sold, and the remains were buried in an unmarked grave elsewhere in the cemetery.
Friedrich was born as the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Hildburghausen and became Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen upon his father’s death in 1780. Friedrich then became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1826. After Friedrich IV, the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg died in 1825 without heirs, the Ernestine duchies were reorganized. Gotha passed to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (becoming the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and Altenburg passed to Friedrich. In exchange, the two Dukes ceded Saalfeld and Hildburghausen, respectively, to Bernard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Leaving Hildburghausen after living there for 63 years was very difficult for Friedrich, but he moved to Altenburg in November 1826. Keeping his promise to the people of his new duchy, Friedrich enacted a constitution in April 1831, worked to improve the infrastructure, streamline the government, and reinforce trade with the other German states.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

September 29, 1853 – Birth of Princess Thyra of Denmark, Crown Princess of Hanover, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Thyra Amalia Caroline Charlotte Anna
Thyra was the sister of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. She married Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover. Although she never officially became a queen like her sisters, Thyra was the titular queen consort of Hanover as her husband had never renounced his rights to the throne. She also counts among her descendants the late King Constantine II of Greece, his sister Queen Sofia of Spain, and Queen Sofia’s son King Felipe VI of Spain, and future Spanish monarchs.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Thyra of Denmark, Crown Princess of Hanover

September 29, 1882 – Birth of Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, at Schloss Ort in Gmunden, Austria
Full name: Alexandra Luise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera
Alexandra was the daughter of Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark. In 1904, she married Friedrich Franz IV, the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Because of the death of her daughter Olga at just six weeks old, Alexandra worked to improve medical care for children in the Grand Duchy. She established the Olga Foundation, which raised money for education and training for nurses and midwives. Following her husband’s abdication on November 14, 1918, the family was forced to leave the Mecklenburg-Schwerin. They traveled to Denmark at the invitation of Queen Alexandrine, Friedrich Franz’s sister, and stayed for a year. The following year, they were permitted to return to Mecklenburg and recovered several of their properties.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

September 29, 1882 – Death of Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Parma, first wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma, in childbirth in Biarritz, France; buried at the Chapel of the Villa Borbone in Viareggio, Italy
Maria Pia was the daughter of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies and his second wife Maria Theresa of Austria. She was the first wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma from 1854 – 1859 and titular Duke of Parma from 1859 until he died in 1907. As a not-quite-six-year-old, Roberto succeeded his father who was assassinated and then lost his throne five years later due to the Italian unification movement. Maria Pia and Roberto had twelve children. Six of the children were mentally disabled, two died in infancy, and one was stillborn. Their eldest child Marie Louise married Ferdinand I, Prince of Bulgaria (later Tsar). The dangerous practice of close pregnancies and births – twelve children in thirteen years of marriage – made Maria Pia weak and sickly. At the age of 33, Maria Pia died of puerperal fever (childbed fever), a week after giving birth to her last child, a stillborn son.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Parma

September 29, 1898 – Death of Queen Louise of Denmark, born Louise of Hesse-Kassel, wife of King Christian IX of Denmark, at Bernstorff Castle in Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Louise was as much the “Grandmother of Europe” as Queen Victoria was. Louise had 39 grandchildren and her grandsons included Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, and King Haakon VII of Norway. Louise is the ancestor of six of the ten current European monarchs (King Philippe of Belgium, King Frederik X of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain, King Charles III of the United Kingdom) and two former monarchs (the late King Michael of Romania and King Constantine II of Greece).
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark

September 29, 2020 – Death of Sabah IV bin Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, United States; buried at the Sulaibikhat Cemetery in Kuwait City, Kuwait
Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was Emir of Kuwait from 2006 – 2020. He was the Foreign Minister of Kuwait between 1963 and 2003. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and afterward, the Gulf War was fought. Sabah was involved in restoring the country after the Iraqi invasion. In 2003, Sabah became the Prime Minister of Kuwait. He was a respected regional and international mediator due in part to his leadership in the Gulf Cooperation Council and his forty years of service as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister. Sabah died at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at the age of 91, due to long-term health issues.
Unofficial Royalty: Sabah IV bin Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

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Royal Birthdays & Anniversaries: September 29 – October 5

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Below is a select list of birthdays and wedding anniversaries for current monarchies. It does not purport to be a complete list. Please see the Current Monarchies Index in the heading above for more information on current monarchies.

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19th birthday of Prince Emmanuel of Belgium, son of King Philippe of the Belgians; born at Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, Belgium on October 4, 2005
Full name: Emmanuel Leopold Guillaume François Marie
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Emmanuel of Belgium

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George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster, Illegitimate Son of King William IV of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster; Credit – https://artuk.org/

The first of ten children of King William IV of the United Kingdom and his mistress Dorothea Jordan, George Augustus Frederick FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster, was born on January 29, 1794, on Somerset Street, Portman Square in London, England. His paternal grandparents were King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Francis Bland and his mistress Grace Phillips were his maternal grandparents.

From 1790 until 1811, before he became king, King William IV of the United Kingdom had a long-term relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan. Their relationship resulted in ten children who were given the surname FitzClarence. The surname comes from the Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning “son of” and Clarence, from King William IV’s title before he became king, Duke of Clarence.

Dorothea Jordan was born Dorothea Bland in County Waterford, Ireland, the daughter of Francis Bland, a stagehand, and his mistress Grace Phillips, an actress. Her mother encouraged Dorothea to enter the theater, and within a few years, she began to draw large crowds for her performances. She left Ireland in 1782 and moved to Leeds, England. It was at this point that she took the name Jordan. She performed for three years with the York Company, before being lured away in 1785 to move to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. By then, Dorothea was becoming a very popular performer and could be counted on to bring large crowds every night. It was at Drury Lane that her life would come to the attention of The Duke of Clarence several years later.


George’s parents The Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) and Dorothea Jordan

In 1790, Dorothea was first noticed by The Duke of Clarence (later King William IV) while she was performing at Drury Lane. They quickly began an affair that would last for the next 21 years. Dorothea moved in with the Duke at his home, Clarence Lodge in Roehampton, London, England and later they moved to Bushy House in Bushy Park, Richmond upon Thames, London, England. In 1797, King George III of the United Kingdom appointed his third son William, then Duke of Clarence, the ranger of Bushy Park. The position came with the residence Bushy House in Bushy Park. William and Dorothea lived there with their ten children until their relationship ended in 1811. William continued living there with his children and later with his wife Adelaide Saxe-Meinigen after they married in 1818.

The children of King William IV and Dorothea Jordan had an elder half-brother, William Henry Courtney, born around 1788 to an unknown mother, and named after his father whose given names were William Henry. Dorothea Jordan cared for William, and she was fond of him and he was fond of her. William served in the Royal Navy from 1803 until 1807 when his ship HMS Blenheim was lost in a gale off Madagascar. Despite an extensive search, no trace of the ship was ever found. 590 men were lost aboard HMS Blenheim, including King William IV’s eldest illegitimate son nineteen-year-old William Henry Courtney.

George’s siblings:

William and Dorothea’s children married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include a number of notable people including sisters Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife and Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk (granddaughters of King Edward VII and daughters of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, a descendant of Dorothea Jordan and King William IV), Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich (British diplomat, Cabinet member, author), John Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute (also known as Johnny Dumfries, racing driver), and David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

By 1811, William was pressured by his family to find a suitable wife. At the time he was fourth in line for the throne following his elder brother The Prince of Wales, the future King George IV, George’s only child Princess Charlotte of Wales, and George’s next oldest brother who was childless Prince Frederick, Duke of York. William gave in to the pressure and ended his relationship with Dorothea but ensured she was well provided for. William became closer to the throne when his niece Princess Charlotte died in 1817 giving birth to a stillborn son. When King George IV died in 1830, William succeeded to the throne. Although William had ten children with Dorothea Jordan, his marriage with Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen produced no surviving children. King William IV was succeeded by his niece Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria had relationships with her first cousins, King William IV’s illegitimate children. They are mentioned in Queen Victoria’s diaries when visiting Windsor Castle.

As the Duke of Clarence’s son, George received a comprehensive education and attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England. On October 18, 1819. George married Mary Wyndham (1792 – 1842), the daughter of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont and his mistress Elizabeth Fox.

George and Mary had seven children:

  • Lady Adelaide Georgiana FitzClarence (1820 – 1883), unmarried.
  • Lady Augusta Margaret FitzClarence (1822 – 1846), married Baron Knut Philip Bonde, died in childbirth delivering a daughter
  • William George FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster (1824 – 1901), married his first cousin Wilhelmina Kennedy-Erskine, had nine children
  • The Honorable Frederick Charles George FitzClarence (1826 – 1878); married his first cousin Adelaide Augusta Wilhelmine Sidney, no children
  • Lady Mary Gertrude FitzClarence (1832 – 1834), died in early childhood
  • Captain The Honorable George FitzClarence (1836 – 1894); married Maria Henrietta Scott, had five children
  • Lieutenant The Honorable Edward FitzClarence (1837 – 1855); unmarried, died in battle at the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War

George and his siblings had little contact with their mother Dorothea Jordan after 1811 when their father ended his relationship with her. After losing much of her savings when her daughter Augusta and her husband ran up large debts in her name, Dorothea’s health quickly began to decline. Virtually penniless, Dorothea Jordan died in Saint-Cloud, France on July 5, 1816, at the age of 54. She is buried in the local cemetery in Saint-Cloud.

George served as an army officer during the Peninsular War (1807–1814) and then served in India. He attained the rank of Major-General in the British Army. His father was proud of George’s military record but was very concerned with his drinking and gambling, issues which also affected some of William’s brothers.

In 1831, the year after his father became king, 37-year-old George was created Earl of Munster, Viscount FitzClarence, and Baron Tewkesbury.

He also held several other positions:

However, George was disappointed that he had not received a dukedom. Despite already receiving several important positions, George spent his later life pursuing fame, fortune, and honors. He constantly asked his father King William IV and later his first cousin Queen Victoria for financial help and lucrative appointments for himself and his children. A series of quarrels with his father and George’s increasing mental instability caused a complete breach in relations between King William IV and his son George. In 1839, George wrote to William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister about the possibility of becoming the Governor of Malta and to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington about money or the lack of it on December 15, 1841.

St. Mary’s Church where George is buried; By Dnwinterburn – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10454062

Three months after writing to the Duke of Wellington, on March 20, 1842, at his home in Belgravia, London, 48-year-old George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster killed himself with a pistol given to him by his uncle King George IV when he was Prince of Wales. His suicide came as no surprise to his family, who had long been concerned about his mental condition. George was buried at St. Mary’s Church in Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, where he regularly worshipped.

Below are some suicide prevention resources.

In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. Anyone in the United States can text or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to reach trained counselors who can help them cope with a mental health emergency. National Institute of Mental Health: Suicide Prevention is also a United States resource.

Other countries also have similar resources. Please check the resources below.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
  • Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King William IV of the United Kingdom. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-william-iv-of-the-united-kingdom/
  • George Augustus Frederick FitzClarence 1st Earl… (2019). Findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198712444/george-augustus_frederick-fitzclarence_1st_earl_of_munster
  • Mehl, Scott. (2020). Dorothea Jordan, Mistress of King William IV of the United Kingdom. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/dorothea-jordan-mistress-of-king-william-iv-of-the-united-kingdom/
  • Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
  • Wikipedia Contributors. (2024, June 16). George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_FitzClarence

September 28: Today in Royal History

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Amélie of Orléans, Queen of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

September 28, 1663 – Birth of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England by Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland
In 1679, Henry married Isabella Bennet, daughter and heiress of Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington and Elisabeth of Nassau, a granddaughter of Maurits of Nassau, Prince of Orange, and a great-granddaughter of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange. When her father died, Isabella became the 2nd Countess of Arlington in her own right. Henry and Isabella had one son Charles FitzRoy, who succeeded his parents as 2nd Duke of Grafton and 3rd Earl of Arlington. Henry was raised as a sailor and was well-suited to military life. He was appointed Colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 1681 and served as Vice-Admiral of England from 1682 to 1689. On October 9, 1690, in Cork, Ireland, 27-year-old Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton died from wounds received two weeks earlier at the Siege of Cork, during the Williamite War in Ireland when supporters of the former King James II attempted to retake the English throne from King William III and Queen Mary II.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton

September 28, 1765 – Birth of Princess Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg, Princess Reuss of Greiz, wife of Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz, in The Hague, then in the Dutch Republic, now in The Netherlands
The daughter of Karl Christian, Duke of Nassau-Weilburg and Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau, twenty-year-old Wilhelmine Luise married thirty-eight-year-old Heinrich XIII, the heir to the throne of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz in 1786. Wilhelmine Luise and Heinrich XIII had four sons. When his father died in 1800, Heinrich XIII succeeded as Prince Reuss of Greiz. Heinrich XIII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Greiz died on January 29, 1817, aged 69. Wilhelmine Luise survived her husband by twenty years, dying on October 10, 1837, aged 72.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmine Luise of Nassau-Weilburg, Princess Reuss of Greiz

September 28, 1828 – Birth of Antoinette de Mérode-Westerloo, Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Charles III of Monaco, in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Antoinette Ghislaine
Antoinette was the daughter of daughters of Werner Jean-Baptiste Merode, Count of Merode, a Belgian politician from a Belgian noble family, and Countess Victoire de Spangen Uyterness. In 1846, on her 18th birthday, Antoinette married the 27-year-old future Charles III, Prince of Monaco, then the Hereditary Prince of Monaco and Marquis of Baux. Charles and Antoinette had one child, Albert I, Prince of Monaco. Charles began to lose his eyesight during his early reign. He depended greatly on his wife Antoinette as his condition continued to worsen. In 1862, Antoinette was diagnosed with cancer, and she died on February 10, 1864, at the age of 35.
Unofficial Royalty: Antoinette de Mérode-Westerloo, Princess of Monaco

September 28, 1863 – Birth of King Carlos I of Portugal at the Ajuda Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Full name: Carlos Fernando Luís Maria Victor Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Xavier Francisco de Assis José Simão
In 1886, Carlos married Princess Amélie of Orléans, the daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, a pretender to the French throne, and the couple had two sons. Carlos became King of Portugal upon his father’s death in 1889. In June 1892, Portugal faced the first of two bankruptcies which further strengthened the Republican movement that placed the blame for the bankruptcy solely on the monarchy. As the King’s reign continued, the political landscape became more volatile. In 1906, Carlos appointed João Franco as Prime Minister, despite the misgivings of many of his family and advisers. Franco asked Carlos to dissolve parliament, causing a huge campaign in Portugal claiming that the country was now a dictatorship. Public support for King Carlos quickly diminished, particularly as he strongly supported Franco. It would lead to his tragic death. On February 1, 1908, King Carlos I and his elder son Luís Filipe, Prince Royal were shot and killed by two gunmen while riding in an open carriage in Lisbon, Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carlos I of Portugal

September 28, 1865 – Birth of Amélie of Orléans, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Carlos I of Portugal, in Twickenham, United Kingdom
Full name: Marie Amélie Louise Hélène
Amélie was born in Twickenham, London, England where her family had been living in exile since the French monarchy of the House of Orléans had fallen in 1848. In 1886, Amélie married the future King Carlos of Portugal and they had two sons. As Queen, Amélie took great interest in the well-being of the Portuguese people, establishing hospitals, sanatoriums, pharmacies, kitchens, and nurseries. She founded the Royal Institute of Aid to the Shipwrecked in 1892. the National Coach Museum in 1905, the Pasteur Institute in Portugal, and the National Assistance for Tuberculosis in 1899. However, along with her philanthropic efforts, she was also greatly criticized for her lavish spending, particularly in the midst of Portugal’s two bankruptcies. Amélie was in the open carriage when her husband King Carlos and son Luís Filipe, Prince Royal were shot and killed by two gunmen. Amazingly, Queen Amélie was unharmed, and her younger son Prince Manuel only suffered a gunshot to his arm.
Unofficial Royalty: Amélie of Orléans, Queen of Portugal

September 28, 1891- Death of Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess Reuss of Greiz, wife of  Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz, due to childbirth complications, in Schleiz, Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany; first buried in the Waldhaus Mausoleum in Greiz, Principality of Reuss-Greiz, 1969 remains cremated and buried at the Neue Friedhof (New Cemetery) in Greiz, Thuringia, Germany; 1997, remains moved to Stadtkirche St. Marien in Greiz, Thuringia, Germany
In 1872, Ida married Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz and they had one son and five daughters. Heinrich XXII built Jagdschloss Ida-Waldhaus, a hunting lodge in the forest near Greiz named after his beloved wife Ida. Heinrich XXII loved the tranquility of that forest so much that he decided to be buried there. He commissioned the building of the Waldhaus Mausoleum, a Gothic-style chapel with a crypt. Sadly, Ida died, aged 39, from complications that occurred during the birth of her sixth child, a daughter, named Ida after her.  When Ida’s husband Heinrich XXII died in 1902 and when their son Heinrich XXIV died in 1927, they were also buried in the Waldhaus Mausoleum. In 1969, the Waldhaus Mausoleum had fallen into disrepair and the remains of Heinrich XXII, Ida, and their son Heinrich XXIV were cremated and placed in urns. Their remains have been reinterred twice since then.
Unofficial Royalty: Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess Reuss of Greiz

September 28, 1893 – Birth of Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma, husband of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, at Schwarzau Castle, in Schwarzau am Steinfeld, Austria
Full name: Félix Marie Vincent
Felix was the son of Robert I, Duke of Parma and his second wife, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal, and a brother of Zita who married Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. In 1919, Felix married his first cousin Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and the couple had six children. Felix spent his married life supporting his wife and helping to bring more prominence to the small Grand Duchy. In 1964, Charlotte decided to abdicate, and their son Jean became the new Grand Duke. Felix and Charlotte spent their remaining years at Fischbach Castle, devoted to their grandchildren and extended family.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma

September 28, 1907 – Death of Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden at his summer residence at the island of Mainau, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in the Grand Ducal Chapel in the Pheasant Garden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
In 1856, Friedrich married Princess Luise of Prussia, the daughter of the future King Wilhelm I of Prussia, and had three children. Through their daughter Victoria who married King Gustav V of Sweden, Friedrich and Luise are ancestors of the current Swedish royal family. Friedrich’s father died in 1852 and was succeeded by Friedrich’s elder brother, Ludwig II. However, Ludwig was deemed mentally ill, and Friedrich was appointed regent during his reign. When Ludwig died in 1858, Friedrich succeeded him as Grand Duke Friedrich II. Friedrich sided with Prussia in the wars against Austria and France and represented Baden at the Palace of Versailles when his father-in-law was created German Emperor in 1871.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden

September 28, 1947 – Death of Princess Elsa of Liechtenstein, born Elisabeth von Gutmann, wife of Prince Franz I of Liechtenstein, in Vitznau, Switzerland; originally buried in the Chapel of Our Lady at Dux in Schaan, Liechtenstein, her remains were moved to Vaduz Cathedral in Liechtenstein when the Princely Crypt there was completed
Elsa’s father was a Jewish businessman, the founder of the largest coal company in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Elsa was raised in the Jewish religion but in January 1899, she converted to Roman Catholicism in preparation for her marriage to the Hungarian Baron Géza Erős of Bethlenfalva who died in 1908. In 1914, Elsa met Prince Franz of Liechtenstein at a gala for the Relief Fund for Soldiers. The couple wanted to marry but Franz’s brother Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein refused to give his consent to the marriage. Elsa and Franz secretly married Elsa in 1919, and that same year, Pope Benedict XV received the couple at the Vatican. Johann II died in 1929, and as he was unmarried with no children, his brother succeeded to the throne as Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein. The couple created the Franz and Elsa Foundation for Liechtenstein Children in 1930, which helped impoverished Liechtenstein children receive an education. The foundation is still in existence today.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Elsa of Liechtenstein

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September 27: Today in Royal History

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Sophia Alekseyevna, Regent of Russia, Credit – Wikipedia

September 27, 1601 – Birth of King Louis XIII of France at the Château de Fontainebleau in Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France
Louis XIII became King of France at the age of eight upon the assassination of his father King Henri IV of France. His mother Marie de’ Medici was appointed Regent. In 1615, Louis married Anne of Austria. They had two sons King Louis XIV and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. Although best associated with later generations of French monarchs, the Palace of Versailles originated with Louis XIII. Having gone on several hunting trips in the area, King Louis XIII ordered the construction of a hunting lodge in 1624. Several years later, he acquired the surrounding land and began to enlarge the building. Under his son’s reign, the small hunting lodge was transformed into a grand palace, and became the seat of the French monarchy.
Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XIII of France

September 27, 1657 – Birth of Tsarevna Sophia Alekseyevna, Regent of Russia, daughter of Alexei I, Tsar of All Russia, in Moscow, Russia
Sophia was the Regent of Russia for seven years during the early co-reign of her brother Ivan V and her half-brother Peter I (the Great). During her regency, Sophia continued the military reforms of her father Alexei I and brother Feodor III. However, Russian military defeats led to her downfall. With Peter’s reputation as a military leader, his coming of age, and his marriage, the possibility of Sophia’s dismissal as Regent seemed a very real possibility. Therefore, Sophia and her followers planned to assassinate Peter but he was told of the plot and escaped. Eventually, Sophia had no followers ready to take risks for her interests. She was arrested, forced to give up her position as a member of the royal family, and forced to withdraw to the Novodevichy Convent under guard. During the Streltsy Uprising of 1698, the Streltsy secretly contacted Sophia and asked for her help. After Peter put down the rebellion, Sophia was forced to become a nun. She remained in the strictest seclusion with the other nuns allowed to see her only on Easter.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Alekseyevna, Regent of Russia

September 27, 1760 – Death of Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain, wife of King Carlos III of Spain at Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
Maria Amalia of Saxony was the wife of King Carlos III of Spain who also was King Carlo VII of Naples from 1735 – 1759 and King Carlo V of Sicily from 1734 – 1759. The couple had thirteen children but only seven survived childhood. Maria Amalia’s husband became King of Spain after the death of his childless half-brother Fernando VI, King of Spain in 1759. Maria Amalia had lived in her husband’s Italian kingdoms for twenty-one years and did not like Spain. On September 27, 1760, a year after arriving in Spain, 35-year-old Maria Amalia died from tuberculosis.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain

September 27, 1781 – Birth of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg in Lüben, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Lubin, Poland
Full name: Friedrich Wilhelm Karl
Before he became King of Württemberg, Wilhelm had married twice. His marriage to Princess Karoline Auguste of Bavaria resulted in divorce and no children. His first cousin Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, was his second wife.  The couple had two children but Ekaterina died three years after the marriage. Wilhelm’s third wife was another first cousin Duchess Pauline of Württemberg who gave birth to three children including his heir. Wilhelm’s reign saw the economic boom of the 1830s, the expansion of roads and shipping routes, and a healthy and prosperous economy. But by the mid-1840s, several years of poor harvests had led to a rise in famine and calls for a more democratic government. Protests in 1848, and another revolution in France, led to Wilhelm conceding many of the demands being made – reinstating freedom of the press, and agreeing to form a liberal government.
Unofficial Royalty: King Wilhelm I of Württemberg

September 27, 1788 – Death of Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Württemberg, first wife of the future King Friedrich I of Württemberg, at Koluvere Manor, Kullamaa near Reval, Estonia; buried at the Church of Kullamaa in Lääne County, Estonia
Augusta was the daughter of Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Princess Augusta of Great Britain, a sister of King George III. In 1780, Augusta married Prince Friedrich of Württemberg, later King Friedrich I of Württemberg. Despite an unhappy marriage, Augusta and Friedrich had four children. Augusta wanted to leave her husband as early as her first pregnancy.  In 1782, Friedrich impressed Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia while visiting Russia, and she made him Governor-General of Eastern Finland. Four years later, while they were visiting Catherine II in St. Petersburg, Augusta asked Catherine for protection from her husband. She claimed that Friedrich was abusive to her, and was having affairs with several men. Catherine took Augusta in and told Friedrich to leave the country. Augusta hoped to obtain a divorce, but her father would not permit it. So Catherine provided Augusta with a home at Koluvere Castle in Estonia, along with a custodian, Wilhelm von Pohlmann. Soon, Augusta and von Pohlmann began an affair and she became pregnant. On September 27, 1788, Augusta went into premature labor. Fearing that their affair would become known, von Pohlmann refused to call for a doctor and Augusta died of blood loss.
Unofficial Royalty: Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess Friedrich of Württemberg

September 27, 1820 – Birth of Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington, Queen Victoria’s Lady of the Bedchamber from 1843 until 1858, and then Mistress of the Robes from 1861 to 1868, and 1874 to 1880, at Yester House, in East Lothian, Scotland
Born Lady Elizabeth Hay, daughter of George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale, she married Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington

September 27, 1940 – Birth of Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, in Kuwait
After the death of Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 15th Ruler and 5th Emir of Kuwait on September 29, 2020, his successor Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait nominated his half-brother Mishal as Crown Prince of Kuwait on October 7, 2020.  Upon the death of his half-brother Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait on November 16, 2023, Mishal succeeded as Emir of Kuwait.
Unofficial Royalty: Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

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September 26 – Today in Royal History

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King Christian X of Denmark, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

September 26, 1796 – Birth of Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, in Rhoden, then in the County of Waldeck and Pyrmont, later in the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
The daughter of Georg I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Ida married Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe in 1816. The couple had nine children whose births spanned twenty-four years. As the Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Ida was concerned with social issues, arranging food for the poor, providing debt relief, and other humanitarian initiatives. Ida survived her husband by nine years, dying on April 12, 1869, in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, France at the age of 72. She was buried with her husband in the Princely Mausoleum at St. Martini Church.
Unofficial Royalty: Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Princess of Schaumberg-Lippe

September 26, 1870 – Birth of King Christian X of Denmark at Charlottenlund Palace in Gentofte Municipality near Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Christian Carl Frederik Albert Alexander Vilhelm
Through his paternal aunts and uncles, Christian X was related to many European royals. Among his first cousins were Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, and Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway who married his brother Carl who became King Haakon VII of Norway. In 1898, Christian married Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The couple had two sons including Frederik IX, King of Denmark. In 1940, during World War II, Germany occupied Denmark. Unlike King Haakon VII of Norway (Christian’s brother, born Prince Carl of Denmark) and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, both of whom went into exile during the German occupation of their countries, King Christian remained in Denmark. He is remembered for his daily horse ride without a guard through the streets of Copenhagen during the Nazi occupation of Denmark, a symbol of Danish sovereignty. After a fall from his horse in October 1942, Christian was more or less an invalid for the rest of his life. King Christian X died at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen on April 20, 1947, aged 76.
Unofficial Royalty: King Christian X of Denmark

September 26, 1922 – Birth of Prince Nicholas Romanov at the villa of his grandfather Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia in Cap d’Antibes, France
Prince Nicholas Romanov, a great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, was one of the disputed pretenders to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family from 1992 – 2014.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Nicholas Romanov

September 26, 1994 – Death of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, son of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, in Bremen, Germany; buried in the castle cemetery at Hohenzollern Castle in Bisingen, Zollernalbkreis, Germany
Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, a grandson of Wilhelm II, King of Prussia and German Emperor, was the pretender to the Prussian throne and Head of the House of Hohenzollern from 1951 until he died in 1994.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia

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September 25: Today in Royal History

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Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, King of Castile and León; Credit – Wikipedia

September 25, 1506 – Death of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, King of Castile and León, husband of Queen Juana I of Castile, at Burgos, Kingdom of Castile, now in Spain; buried at the Capilla Real in Granada, Kingdom of Castile, now in Spain
Philip was the son of Maximilian I, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola, and Holy Roman Emperor, and the first of his three wives, Mary, Duchess of Burgundy, the ruler of the Burgundian State in her own right. He was the heir and the eventual ruler of both his father’s and mother’s dominions.  In 1496, Philip married the future Juana I, Queen of Castile and León and Queen of Aragon. Philip and Juana had six children, all were kings or queen consorts.  Philip died on September 25, 1506, aged 28, apparently of typhoid fever, although an assassination by poisoning was rumored at the time.
Unofficial Royalty: Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, King of Castile and León

September 25, 1697 – Birth of Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, in Saalfeld, Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld, now in Thuringia, Germany
Christian Ernst, Franz Josias’s elder half-brother had made a morganatic marriage which meant that any children from the marriage would not be entitled to titles and privileges or be in the line of succession. As the elder son, Christian Ernst was his father’s heir but because of his unequal marriage, Franz Josias claimed the sole inheritance of the duchy. However, his father decided that both his sons should reign jointly, and upon his death in 1729, his will forced the joint reign.  From 1735, with the support of the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Franz Josias effectively ruled in his own right. In 1745, Christian Ernst died and his half-brother Franz Josias became the sole Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. After the death of his brother, Franz Josias introduced primogeniture in the duchy so there would be no question about the succession.
Unofficial Royalty: Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

September 25, 1744 – Birth of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia at the Stadtschloss in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Friedrich Wilhelm became King of Prussia in 1786, upon the death of his uncle, King Friedrich II, better known as Frederick the Great. By that time, he had little respect for his uncle and ignored the late King’s wishes relating to his burial. He moved the Prussian court – for many years based in Potsdam – back to Berlin, and overturned many of his uncle’s policies. Friedrich Wilhelm became quite popular with the Prussian people through his patronage of the arts and his improvement of trade and transportation. However, that popularity soon faded, when he began to impose consumption taxes on items such as sugar, flour, and beer. He also depleted the country’s treasury, from overspending during military ventures and his personal projects, such as the construction of the Marble Palace. When he came to the throne, the treasury had over 50 million dollars. But by the time his reign ended, just 11 years later, the country was in debt of 48 million.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia

September 25, 1792 – Death of Adam Gottlob Moltke, favorite of King Frederik V of Denmark, in Haslev, Sjælland, Denmark; buried at Karise Church in Karise, Denmark
Through the influence of his uncle, twelve-year-old Adam was employed as a page for Crown Prince Christian of Denmark in 1722. When Christian came to the throne in 1730 as Christian VI, King of Denmark, Adam was appointed chamberlain to Christian VI’s 7-year-old son Crown Prince Frederik (later Frederik V). The close relationship between Adam and Frederik was established and lasted until Frederik’s death. In 1746, when King Frederik V became King of Denmark, Adam was appointed Court Marshal of Denmark and was made a Privy Councilor. He was also given the Bregentved estate in Haslev on the Danish island of Zealand, still owned by Adam’s descendants. In 1750, Frederik V created Adam a Count. Although Frederik V took part in the government by attending council meetings, he suffered from alcoholism, and most of his reign was dominated by his very able ministers led by Adam Gottlob Moltke.
Unofficial Royalty: Adam Gottlob Moltke, favorite of King Frederik V of Denmark

September 25, 1826 – Death of Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden, former wife of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, at Lausanne, Switzerland; buried at Schlosskirche St. Michael in Pforzheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
In 1797, Frederica married King Gustav IV Adolph of Sweden and the couple had five children.
After a 17-year reign, Frederica’s husband was deposed in 1809, and the couple and their family went to Frederica’s homeland, the Grand Duchy of Baden. However, the couple became incompatible and divorced in 1812. In the divorce settlement, Gustav Adolf renounced all his assets in favor of his mother and his children. He also renounced the custody and guardianship of his children. Two years later, Frederica placed her children under the guardianship of her brother-in-law, Alexander I, Emperor of Russia. Frederica acquired several residences and spent much time at her brother’s court in Karlsruhe, but she also traveled around Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, using the name Countess Itterburg after a ruin in Hesse she had acquired. During her final years, Frederica was often ill and she died from heart disease at the age of only 45.
Unofficial Royalty: Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden

September 25, 1968 – Birth of Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, The Netherlands
Full name: Johan Friso Bernhard Christiaan David
Prince Friso was the second of the three sons of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and a younger brother of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. In 2004, Friso married Mabel Wisse Smit. Because of some controversy regarding Mabel’s past, Friso did not request formal consent from the Dutch parliament for the marriage. In doing so, Prince Friso relinquished his rights to the Dutch throne and his title of Prince of the Netherlands. However, he retained his personal title of Prince of Orange-Nassau and was granted the hereditary title Count of Orange-Nassau, with the surname Orange-Nassau van Amsberg. The couple had two daughters. On February 17, 2012, while on the royal family’s annual skiing holiday in Lech, Austria, Prince Friso was buried under an avalanche and was in a coma. He passed away on August 12, 2013, after being in a coma for 18 months.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau

September 25, 1983 – Death of former King Leopold III of the Belgians at Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium; buried in the Royal Vault at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium
At the beginning of World War II, Leopold tried to maintain Belgian neutrality, but after the German invasion in May 1940, he surrendered his country, earning him much hostility, both in Belgium and around the world. Leopold and his family found themselves under house arrest at the Royal Palace of Laeken. He attempted to assert his position as King of the Belgians, but the Germans were having no part in that, and his own Belgian government, by now settled in London, had declared his actions unconstitutional. In 1944, Leopold and his family were moved to Germany and then Austria, before being liberated by the Americans. However, Leopold was banned for some years from returning to Belgium, where his brother Prince Charles had been declared regent. Leopold’s eventual return to Belgium in 1950 nearly caused a civil war, and under pressure from the government, he abdicated in favor of his son Prince Baudouin in July 1951. Leopold died at the age of 83, a few hours after undergoing emergency heart surgery. He was buried in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, alongside his first wife, Queen Astrid who died in a car accident, and later his second wife, Princess Lilian, who died in 2002.
Unofficial Royalty: King Leopold III of Belgium

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