Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on October 7, 1471, in Hadersleben, Duchy of Schleswig, now Haderslev, Denmark, Frederik I, King of Denmark and Norway was the youngest of the four sons and the youngest of the five children of Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and Dorothea of Brandenburg.

Frederik had four elder siblings but his eldest two siblings died young. He was fifteen years younger than his closest sibling Margaret.

Frederik’s father Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and also Duke of Schleswig and Holstein, died in 1481 when Frederik was ten-years-old. During King Christian I’s life, his wife Queen Dorothea had asked her husband to leave the Duchy of Schleswig and the Duchy of  Holstein to Frederik. However, upon the death of King Christian I, his son and successor King Hans I instead insisted on German inheritance law, which meant both brothers would be co-rulers of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.

Until Frederik reached his majority in 1490, his mother Queen Dorothea was co-ruler as regent of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein with her son King Hans. Frederik grew up at Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig, now in Schleswig in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. He was educated at Bordesholm Monastery (link in German) in the Duchy of Schleswig. Although the duchies could not be divided, Queen Dorothea arranged for the income from both duchies to be divided equally between the two brothers, who both held the title Duke of Schleswig and Holstein.

The double wedding in Stendal in 1502; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 10, 1502, in Stendal, Electorate of Brandenburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, thirty-one-year-old Frederik married fifteen-year-old Anna of Brandenburg, daughter of Johann II, Elector of Brandenburg and Margaret of Thuringia. Their marriage was a double ceremony as Anna’s brother Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg and Frederik’s niece Elisabeth of Denmark, daughter of King Hans of Denmark, were also married.

Frederik and his first wife Anna of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik and Anna had two children:

Having two children during her teenage years weakened Anna’s health. She contracted tuberculosis and died on May 3, 1514, aged 26, while six months pregnant. Anna was buried in the Bordesholm Monastery Church in the Duchy of Schleswig. After Anna’s death, Frederik I ordered a magnificent tomb with bronze effigies of Anna and himself which still stands in Bordesholm Monastery Church. Frederik planned to be buried there but he was buried elsewhere.

Sophie of Pomerania, Frederik’s second wife; Credit – Wikipedia

Four years after Anna’s death, forty-seven-year-old Frederik married twenty-year-old Sophie of Pomerania on October 9, 1518, in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Sophia was the daughter of Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania and Princess Anna Jagiellon of Poland.

Sophie and Frederik had six children:

Frederik’s nephew King Christian II; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik’s nephew Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden had been deposed in Sweden in 1521 and replaced by Gustav Vasa, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa. By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian II was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein was offered the crown on January 20, 1523. Frederik’s army gained control over most of Denmark during the spring, and in April 1523, Christian II and his family left Denmark to live in exile. In November 1531, Christian II attempted to reclaim Norway but was unsuccessful. He accepted a promise of safe-conduct from his uncle Frederik I but Frederik had enough of his nephew Christian. He did not keep his promise, and instead, Christian was imprisoned in castles, albeit in comfortable circumstances, for the last twenty-seven years of his life.

Although Frederik was King of Norway, he never visited the country and was never crowned as King of Norway. He did visit Denmark but he kept his main residence at Gottorp Castle in the Duchy of Schleswig. It is not certain if Frederik ever learned to speak Danish. Frederik was the last Roman Catholic Danish monarch. All subsequent Danish monarchs have been Lutheran. Although Frederik remained Catholic, he was somewhat tolerant of the new Protestant Lutheran religion. He ordered  Lutherans and Roman Catholics share the same churches and encouraged the first publication of the Bible in the Danish language. When Lutheran reformer Hans Tausen was threatened with arrest and trial for heresy, Frederick appointed him his personal chaplain to give him immunity. Frederik’s attitude toward religion postponed the all-out warfare between Protestants and Roman Catholics that occurred during the reign of his son King Christian III, ultimately turning Denmark into a Protestant nation.

After a reign of ten years, King Frederik I died on April 10, 1533, aged 61, at Gottrop Castle in Gottorp, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Instead of being buried with his first wife Anna at the Bordesholm Monastery Church where a tomb was awaiting him, Frederik was buried in Schleswig Cathedral in Schleswig, Duchy of Schleswig, now in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. His second wife Sophie survived him by thirty-five years, dying on May 13, 1568, at about the age of 70. Sophie was buried with Frederik at Schleswig Cathedral.

Tomb of Frederik I; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Frederik 1. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_1.> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Frederick I Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I_of_Denmark> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Friedrich I. (Dänemark Und Norwegen). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_I._(D%C3%A4nemark_und_Norwegen)> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian I, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.  [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-i-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-ii-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 26 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Hans, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/hans-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 26 December 2020].

Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner, Lady-in-Waiting and Confidante of Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Anne as a debutante – Credit – Anne Veronica (née Coke), Baroness Glenconner by Navana Vandyk, whole-plate film negative, 8 May 1950, NPG x97522 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1971, Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner became a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and remained a lady-in-waiting until Princess Margaret’s death in 2002. In 2020, Anne Tennant’s memoir Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown was published. Her reason for writing the memoir was because she “was so fed up with people writing such horrible things about Princess Margaret.”

Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner was born Anne Veronica Coke (pronounced “Cook”) on July 16, 1932, in London, England, the eldest of the three daughters of Thomas Coke, the future 5th Earl of Leicester (1908 – 1976) and Lady Elizabeth Mary Yorke (1912 – 1985), daughter of Charles Yorke, 8th Earl of Hardwicke. Anne’s father, who became the 5th Earl of Leicester in 1949, served as Equerry to the Duke of York (the future King George VI) from 1934-1937. When the Duke of York became King George VI, he became Extra Equerry to the king from 1937-1952, and then continued as Extra Equerry to Queen Elizabeth II. Anne’s mother served as Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II from 1953 – 1973.

Anne had two younger siblings:

  • Lady Carey Elizabeth Coke (1934 – 2018), married Bryan Ronald Basset, had three sons
  • Lady Sarah Marion Coke (born 1944), married Major David Finlayson Wylie-Hill Walter, had two sons

Holkham Hall, Anne’s childhood home; Credit – By Holkham.j.lewis – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77267021

Anne spent her childhood at Holkham Hall, the 18th century Coke family country estate in Holkham, Norfolk, England. Sandringham House, the British monarch’s personally-owned country estate, was only 18 miles from Holkham Hall, and so Anne was a regular playmate of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth were friends with Anne’s parents. They saw each other socially and the Coke family always attended the annual Christmas party at Buckingham Palace.

During World War II, Anne and her sister Carey stayed with their paternal great-aunt the Countess of Airlie, born Lady Bridget Coke and her husband David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie, and the six Ogilvy children. Their playmates were the three youngest Ogilvy children: David Ogilvy, the future 13th Earl of Airlie, The Honorable Angus Ogilvy who married Princess Alexandra of Kent, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, and The Honorable James Ogilvy.

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Queen Elizabeth II with her maids of honor: (left to right) Lady Moyra Hamilton, Lady Anne Coke, Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart

In 1950, at the age of 18, Anne was formally presented at court and was named “debutante of the year” by Tatler which then was “an illustrated journal of society”. In 1953, Anne was selected to be one of the six maids of honor at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.

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Colin Tennant and Lady Anne Coke pictured as they announce their engagement

In the summer of 1955, Anne met Colin Tennant, the son and heir of Christopher Tennant, 2nd Baron Glenconner at a debutante party at the Ritz Hotel in London. Their engagement was announced on December 16, 1955. On April 21, 1956, at St. Withburga’s Church in Holkham, Norfolk, England, Anne married Colin Tennant, the future 3rd Baron Glenconner. The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret attended the wedding. Antony Armstrong-Jones, Princess Margaret’s future husband, was the wedding photographer.

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Anne and Colin with their first child Charles

Anne and her husband had three sons and twin daughters:

  • The Honorable Charles Tennant (1957 – 1996), married Sheilagh Scott, had one son, Cody Tennant who became the 4th Baron Glenconner upon the death of his grandfather in 2010
  • The Honorable Henry Tennant (1960 – 1990), married Teresa Cormack (died 2018), had one son
  • The Honorable Christopher Tennant (born 1968), married (1) Anastasia Papadakos, had two daughters, divorced (2) Johanna Lissack Hurn
  • The Honorable May Tennant (born 1970), married Anton Creasy, had one daughter
  • The Honorable Amy Tennant (born 1970), unmarried
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Anne and Colin’s twin daughters with their nanny Barbara Barnes who later became Prince William’s nanny

Sadly, all three sons had major medical issues. The eldest son Charles died in 1996 from Hepatitis C due to his long-term heroin use. Henry, the second son, died from AIDS in 1990. Henry and his wife Tessa had a son Euan shortly before Henry told Tessa that he was gay. The couple separated but remained close. Their son Euan Tennant manages The Glen, the Tennant family estate in Traquair, Scotland. The youngest son Christopher suffered severe brain damage in a motorcycle accident in 1987 in Belize. He was found by a passing motorist and taken to the hospital, where he spent the next three months in a coma.

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Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by Princess Margaret, Anne, and Colin as they arrive on Mustique during their 1977 Silver Jubilee Tour

Two years after Anne and Colin married, Colin bought the Caribbean island of Mustique £45,000. He built a new village for its inhabitants, planted coconut palms, vegetables, and fruit, and developed the fisheries. In 1960, Princess Margaret and her new husband Antony Armstrong-Jones visited Mustique while on their honeymoon cruise to accept a wedding gift from Colin, a plot of land on which Princess Margaret built a villa called Les Jolies Eaux, French for “the pretty waters.” Due to financial issues, by 1987, Colin had sold, by 1987, all of his financial interest in Mustique. After that Anne and Colin lived in England and in the Caribbean island country of St. Lucia.

In early 1971, shortly after the christening of Anne’s twin daughters, at which Princess Margaret was May’s godmother, the princess asked Anne to become one of her ladies-in-waiting. Anne accompanied Princess Margaret on many engagements and tours and she once stood in for Princess Margaret on a trip to the Philippines to meet with Imelda Marcos when Margaret became ill. For her service to the royal family, Anne received the Royal Victorian Order on June 14, 1991.

The Glen, the Tennant family country estate; Credit – By Jim Barton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13581551

Prior to a dinner party during the summer of 1973 at The Glen, the Tennant family home, where Princess Margaret would be a guest, another guest canceled at the last minute. At the suggestion of Colin’s aunt, Anne called Roddy Llewellyn, the younger son of Sir Harry Llewellyn, 3rd Baronet, an Olympic gold medallist in show jumping. At that dinner party, the 43-year-old still-married Princess Margaret first met 25-year-old Roddy Llewellyn. Their much-publicized eight-year relationship was a factor in the end of Princess Margaret’s marriage. After Princess Margaret’s funeral in 2002, the Queen Mother discussed Roddy Llewellyn with Anne and thanked her for having introduced her daughter to Roddy, because “he made her really happy.”

In 1994, Princess Margaret, Anne, and Colin attended a dinner at mutual friends’ home in Mustique. During that dinner, Princess Margaret suffered her first stroke. Over the following year, Anne noticed Margaret becoming gradually slower and moments where she would suddenly lose her place. In 1999, while in Mustique, Margaret scalded her feet in the bath. Although Anne was not in Mustique, she rushed there to be with Margaret. When Margaret refused to go home to England for treatment, Anne called Queen Elizabeth who persuaded her sister to come home. After that, Princess Margaret was wheelchair-bound. She had two more strokes and her eyesight began to fail. When Anne was not on duty, she visited Margaret as much as possible. Margaret spent Christmas 2001 at Sandringham with her family but Anne, who was also in Norfolk, had to be called in because Margaret refused to eat and seemed to have given up on life. Anne managed to get Margaret to eat a jam tart, watch her favorite television programs, and settle down.

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Princess Margaret making one of her rare public appearances shortly after she scalded her feet, accompanied by her lady-in-waiting Anne Tennant, March 20, 2000

After the Christmas holidays, Princess Margaret returned to her London home at Kensington Palace. Anne visited her, read to her, and listened to the radio with her. On the evening of February 8, 2002, Anne received a phone call from Princess Margaret’s Private Secretary saying that Margaret had suffered another stroke and that the prognosis was not good. Princess Margaret died early the next morning. After Princess Margaret’s funeral service, Queen Elizabeth thanked Anne for all that she had done for Margaret. She acknowledged Roddy Llewllyn’s positive impact on her sister and was glad that her home on Mustique had made Margaret happy.

In 2009, Anne’s husband Colin was diagnosed with prostate cancer but was determined that no one should find out. He died on August 27, 2010, from a heart attack, at the age of 83, and was buried in the Traquair Kirkyard, near The Glen, the Tennant family home. Colin’s grandson Cody Tennant, the only child of Colin’s eldest son Charles succeeded as the 4th Baron Glenconner and received all property and funds connected to the Baron of Glenconnner title.

However, Colin left his family an unpleasant surprise. Colin had made a new will seven months before his death and had left everything not connected to the Baron of Glenconner title to Kent Adonai, a St. Lucia citizen, and his valet for 26 years who was with him when he had his fatal heart attack. The Tennant family contested the will and after an eight-year legal battle, the estate was divided more or less equally between Kent Adonai and Cody Tennant, 4th Baron Glenconner.

Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner; Credit – https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/anne-glenconner

The family remains bitter over what Colin did but as Anne wrote in her memoir, “Obsessing about this would have driven me mad so, instead, I made a decision to move on.” Anne moved on with her life, living in the farmhouse in Norfolk, England that she had bought for herself years before, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Anne Tennant, Baroness Glenconner. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Tennant,_Baroness_Glenconner> [Accessed 18 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Tennant,_3rd_Baron_Glenconner> [Accessed 18 February 2021].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Thomas Coke, 5th Earl of Leicester. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Coke,_5th_Earl_of_Leicester> [Accessed 18 February 2021].
  • Glenconner, Anne, 2020. Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown. New York: Hachette Book Group, Inc.
  • Thefreelibrary.com. 2000. FAITH HEALER SAVED MY THIRD SON FROM DEATH; Tennant matriarch finds peace in India. – Free Online Library. [online] Available at: <https://www.thefreelibrary.com/FAITH+HEALER+SAVED+MY+THIRD+SON+FROM+DEATH%3B+Tennant+matriarch+finds…-a060956241> [Accessed 18 February 2021].

The Laird o’ Thistle – Special Edition – HRH and Other Royal Monikers

by The Laird o’Thistle
March 8, 2021

There is plenty of uproar in the worldwide media today over the interview of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with Oprah Winfrey, broadcast last night in the U.S. While I have no intention of wading into any issues and allegations involved in the interview, there are some factual bits concerning honorifics and titles that may be helpful in sorting out what was said.

One of the headline grabbers today has been about young Archie not being a “Prince” or an HRH. That is true. But, that is because of some royal streamlining rules put in place as long ago as 1917, during the reign of the Queen’s grandfather, King George V.

According to those rules, the honorific of being “His/Her Royal Highness” by birth, and the title “Prince” or “Princess” (of Wales, Cambridge, York, Kent, etc.), pertains to the children and grandchildren of the sovereign “in the male line.” While a special exception has been granted for three of the Queen’s great-grandchildren – Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis – that is specifically because they are the children of the heir’s heir in direct succession… that is, because their father will one day be King… as someday will Prince George, assuming that the monarchy continues.

The Duke of Sussex is the Queen’s grandson, via Prince Charles, and thus automatically an HRH (though not currently using the honorific) and a Prince. His children are not yet grandchildren of the sovereign, and thus not automatically entitled [sic] to be HRH or Prince/Princess. When Prince Charles eventually becomes King, they too will automatically become HRHs and Prince and Princess of Sussex… unless they choose to not assume the status, as has been the choice of Prince Edward for his family.

In looking at other members of the current royal family, among the Queen’s other grandchildren (besides William and Harry), only Beatrice and Eugenie are titled “HRH” and “Princess” – statuses their father insists they retain. Princess Eugenie’s new son, however, is simply August Brooksbank with no other title. As noted, Prince Edward’s children… though entitled to do so… are more simply James, Viscount Severn (more on courtesy titles in a moment) and Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. Princess Anne’s children, under the old “male-line” rule and at her insistence years ago, have no royal titles. The late Princess Margaret’s children, the Earl of Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto, are not royal either. Their titles derive from the one granted to their late father.

The other “HRH” Princes and Princess by birth are Prince Richard (Duke of Gloucester), Prince Edward (Duke of Kent), Prince Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra (Lady Ogilvy). They are all grandchildren of George V, through their fathers. None of their children or descendants are of “royal” status. The descendants of George V’s daughter, Princess Mary (Countess of Harewood), have no royal status.

The other somewhat confusing issue in play is that of courtesy titles. The custom is that when a Peer holds several titles, their direct line heir can their secondary titles (etc.) as a courtesy title. That is why the son of Prince Edward, who is Earl of Wessex, is called Viscount Severn… Edward’s secondary title. The best known instance is the current Earl of Snowdon, who was known as Viscount Linley from the day of his birth up until his father’s death in 2017. Similarly, the Duke of Gloucester’s son is the Earl of Ulster; and the Duke of Kent’s eldest is the Earl of St. Andrews.

As Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan’s son Archie already has every right to be known as the Earl of Dumbarton, Harry’s secondary title. Every indication has been that it has been their choice to not do so, and for him to simply be known as Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.

So, while there is certainly a case to be made for a revision of the rule concerning who is or isn’t an “HRH” and “Prince” or “Princess” by birth – especially in regard to the restriction to the “male line” – the issue with the Sussexes is not one of being denied something, but of not being granted an exception as was done for Prince William’s children. And, it may be argued that the rationale that exists for the young Cambridges does not exist for the young Sussexes… especially given Prince Charles’s long-expressed intention (well before the Sussex wedding) to “downsize” the working royal family when he succeeds as King.

As for the tangentially related issue of extending official police protection to the Queen’s grandchildren and their families, the rule of thumb is that it applies to “working” members of the Royal Family, and extends to the family of immediate heirs such as the Cambridge children. Until leaving the UK, Harry was covered… unlike his first cousins Beatrice, Eugenie, and so on. (Long-time Royal watchers will recall the vocal protestations raised by Prince Andrew when protection was withdrawn from Beatrice and Eugenie in 2011.) Those to whom government-funded protection does not apply have to make private arrangements, sometimes with the financial assistance of other family members.

Yours aye,

Ken Cuthbertson – The Laird o’ Thistle

March 8, 2021

Postscript: After completing the column, it occurred to me that in 1948 an earlier exception to the “male line” rule had to be made by King George VI, for the children of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, granting the status of “HRH” and the style of “Prince or Princess” to their children, in anticipation of the birth of Prince Charles. It applied for both Prince Charles and Princess Anne at their births. Otherwise they would have been known as the Earl of Merioneth and Lady Anne Mountbatten.

Yes, the children of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are entitled to be HRH Prince/Princess

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Badge of the House of Windsor; Credit – Wikipedia

Yes, the children of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are entitled to be HRH Prince/Princess now that their paternal grandfather is King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Why would they be entitled to be HRH Prince/Princess?

In 1917, King George V issued Letters Patent changing the rights to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. The children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would be entitled to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. Under the 1917 Letters Patent, Prince Harry’s children Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex are entitled to the style and title His/Her Royal Highness Prince/Princess, now that their paternal grandfather has succeeded to the throne. Prince Harry’s children are now male-line grandchildren of the Sovereign. Of course, King Charles III or any other sovereign can change this.

Although Letters Patent, Warrants, and Proclamations are sometimes issued when titles and styles are changed, it is not necessary. Royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases. Exceptions to the rule can be made by the Sovereign. For instance, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent declaring that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness. This meant that all the children of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge would be HRH Prince/Princess not just his eldest son.

Which current members of the British Royal Family are HRH Prince/Princess because they are male-line grandchildren of a Sovereign?

Why are the children of Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, not HRH Prince/Princess?

At the time of the wedding of Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest child, and Sophie Rhys-Jones, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II had decided, in agreement with the wishes of Prince Edward and Miss Rhys-Jones, that any children of their marriage would not be given the style Royal Highness and the title Prince or Princess. Instead, any children would have courtesy titles of sons or daughters of an Earl. No Letters Patent was issued. However, royal styles and titles are a matter of royal prerogative. At the Sovereign’s will and pleasure, styles and titles can be changed as the Sovereign pleases. Prince Edward’s son James is styled Viscount Severn (one of his father’s subsidiary titles) and his daughter is styled Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could make a similar decision regarding their children.

Are the children of Prince Harry entitled to any other titles?

Archie is the heir apparent to his father’s Dukedom of Sussex, Earldom of Dumbarton, and Barony of Kilkeel. It is customary that a peer’s heir apparent use one of their parent’s subsidiary titles as a courtesy title. In this case, the courtesy title would be Earl of Dumbarton. Although Archie was entitled to use one of Prince Harry’s subsidiary titles, and their daughter Lilibet was entitled to be styled in the manner of a daughter of a Duke: Lady <first name> Mountbatten-Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided not to do so. As of March 2023, their children use the styles and titles HRH Prince Archie of Sussex and HRH Princess Lilibet of Sussex.

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.

Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle, Favorite of Henrietta Maria of France, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle; Credit – Wikipedia

Favorite: a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, queen, or another royal person

Probably the inspiration for the character of Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, Lady Lucy Percy was born in 1599, the second of the four children and the younger of the two daughters of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland and Lady Dorothy Devereux. Lucy’s mother was the sister of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, the favorite of Queen Elizabeth I of England who was executed for his part in an unsuccessful rebellion against Elizabeth. Lucy’s father spent sixteen years in the Tower of London, albeit in a comfortable situation due to his wealth, due to the suspicion that he was complicit in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to assassinate King James I.

Lucy had three siblings:

Lucy’s husband John Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1617, Lucy married James Hay (circa 1580 – 1636), who was created 1st Earl of Carlisle in 1622. James was a Scotsman who had come to England with James VI, King of Scots when he succeeded Queen Elizabeth I of England as King James I of England in 1603. James Hay was an important courtier of King James I and King Charles I and represented the English Crown in many diplomatic missions abroad including the negotiations in 1624 for the wedding Charles, Prince of Wales, the future King Charles I, and Henrietta Maria of France. Lucy and James Hay had no children. Upon his death in 1636, he was succeeded by his son from his first marriage, James Hay, 2nd Earl of Carlisle.

Queen Henrietta Maria; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1626, Lucy was appointed Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, who had succeeded to the throne the previous year. Lucy soon became a favorite of the queen, was a popular figure at the court, and started to engage in court intrigues. She was the subject of Sir John Suckling‘s risqué poem Upon My Lady Carlisle’s Walking in Hampton Court Garden.

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham; Credit – Wikipedia

Lucy may have been the inspiration for the character of Milady de Winter in The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. She had an affair with George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a favorite of both King James I and King Charles I. The 17th-century French diarist François de La Rochefoucauld mentioned in his memoirs that Lucy stole diamond studs that King Louis XIII of France (the brother of Queen Henrietta Maria of England) had given his wife Anne of Austria, Queen of France. Supposedly, Queen Anne had given the diamond studs to her admirer George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Lucy stole them in a vengeful act because she was jealous of Buckingham’s love for Queen Anne. King Louis XIII wanted to see the studs and Queen Anne was able to recover them. Alexandre Dumas later used this entire story, and therefore he probably based Milady de Winter on Lucy Carlisle in The Three Musketeers.

Lucy was the mistress of political opponents Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and then John Pym, serving them both as a secret informant. In 1642, Lucy informed her cousin Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex of King Charles I’s intention to arrest five members of the Long Parliament which enabled Essex and the others to escape. During the Second English Civil War between the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and the Royalists (Cavaliers), Lucy sided with the Royalists. She helped fund the Royalist Army by selling her pearl necklace for £1500. Lucy maintained communication with Charles, Prince of Wales (the future King Charles II) during his blockade of the Thames, and served as an intermediary between the scattered bands of royalists and Queen Henrietta Maria. Less than two months after the beheading of King Charles I on January 30, 1649, Lucy was arrested due to her actions and imprisoned in the Tower of London. While in the Tower, she communicated in code with the new king in exile, Charles II, through her brother Algernon and was threatened with torture on the rack to gain information. Lucy was released on bail on September 25, 1650.

Lucy never regained her influence in royal circles. She died of a stroke at Little Salisbury House in London, England on November 5, 1660, at the age of 61, soon after the monarchy was restored. Lucy was buried in the Percy family vault at St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Petworth, Chichester District, West Sussex, England.

The statue above the Percy vault at St. Mary the Virgin Churchyard in Petworth; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Henry Percy, 9Th Earl Of Northumberland. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Percy,_9th_Earl_of_Northumberland> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. James Hay, 1St Earl Of Carlisle. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hay,_1st_Earl_of_Carlisle> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Lucy Hay, Countess Of Carlisle. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_Hay,_Countess_of_Carlisle> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • Englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com. 2017. The Infamous Countess Of Carlisle. [online] Available at: <https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-infamous-countess-of-carlisle.html> [Accessed 25 December 2020].
  • Find a Grave. 2020. Lucy “Countess Of Carlisle” Percy Hay (1599-1660)…. [online] Findagrave.com. Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55392135/lucy-hay> [Accessed 25 December 2020].

Isabella, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile and Aragon, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Isabella of Austria, Queen of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella of Austria was the wife of Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. She was born an Archduchess of Austria and an Infanta of Castile and Aragon, on July 18, 1501, in Brussels, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Isabella was the second of the four daughters and the third of the six children of Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Juana I, Queen of Castile and Aragon. Isabella’s maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Isabella’s brother was the powerful Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain. Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII of England, was her maternal aunt, and Catherine and Henry VIII’s only surviving child, Queen Mary I of England was her first cousin.

Isabella on the right with her sister Eleanor and her brother Charles; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella had five siblings:

Isabella’s father died in 1506 when she was five years old. In 1507, her paternal aunt Margaret of Austria became the guardian of Isabella and her siblings Eleanor, Charles, and Mary. Isabella’s mother Queen Juana I of Castile and Aragon was nicknamed “La Loca” due to a mental disability alleged by her father King Ferdinand II of Aragon and then her son Charles. In 1509, her father confined her in the Royal Palace in Tordesillas, Castile, now in Spain, until she died in 1555. Whether Juana suffered from a mental disability or whether she was the victim of a conspiracy plotted by her father and then by her son is still debated by historians.

Isabella, circa 1515; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 11, 1514, one week short of her 13th birthday, Isabella was married by proxy to 23-year-old Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Isabella’s grandfather, standing in for Christian. Isabella remained in the Spanish Netherlands until the summer of 1515 when Erik Axelsson Valkendorf, Archbishop of Nidaros (in Norway) was sent to escort her to Copenhagen where Christian and Isabella were married in person on August 12, 1515. Around 1508, while on a visit to Norway, Christian II fell in love with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter and she became his mistress. Christian’s brother-in-law, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, demanded that Dyveke Sigbritsdatter be sent away, but only to get a refusal from Christian. This created tension between Christian and Charles. Dyveke Sigbritsdatter remained Christian’s mistress until she died in 1517.

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit- Wikipedia

Christian II and Isabella had five children but only three survived infancy and only their two daughters reached adulthood:

Three children of Christian II and Isabella: Dorothea, Hans, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

When Christian II’s mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter died in 1517, Christian believed she had been poisoned by Torben Oxe, a Danish nobleman. Torben Oxe was tried and acquitted by the Danish State Council. However, Christian did not accept the verdict and had Oxe indicted by a lower justice-of-the-peace court. The verdict, as directed by King Christian II, was guilty and Torben Oxe was executed. Members of the Danish State Council strongly disapproved of what Christian had done. This act precipitated the division between the king and aristocracy that ultimately led to Christian being deposed.

In Sweden, with Christian’s permission, 82 people were either hanged or beheaded for heresy from November 9 – 10, 1520, in an incident called the Stockholm Bloodbath. Instead of cementing Christian’s control of the Swedish throne, the Stockholm Bloodbath led to him losing the Swedish throne. The remaining Swedish nobility, disgusted by the bloodbath, rose against Christian. On August 23, 1521, Christian was deposed as King of Sweden with the election of Gustav Vasa as Regent of Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa.

By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein became King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway. Christian would have to go into exile but King Frederik I offered Isabella a dowager queen’s pension and an offer to stay in Denmark under his protection. Isabella wrote back to Frederik in Latin, saying “ubi rex meus, ibi regnum meum” – “where my king is, there is my kingdom”. On April 13, 1523, Christian, his wife Isabella, and their children left Denmark for the Spanish Netherlands, the territory of Isabella’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Christian, Isabella, and their children leaving Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

In the following years, Isabella and Christian tried, without success, to gain the support of their royal relatives to help recover their lost kingdom. Isabella and Christian stayed for a long time in Wittenberg with Christian’s maternal uncle Friedrich III, Elector of Saxony. Friedrich was an early defender of Martin Luther. He successfully protected Luther from the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope, and other hostile figures. Friedrich did this not because of religious conviction but because he believed in a fair trial for any of his subjects and the rule of law. Both Christian and Isabella were interested in the teachings of Martin Luther. Isabella never converted but it appears Christian did convert for a while before reverting to Catholicism.

At the end of 1524, Isabella, Christian, and their children settled in Lier, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. Isabella’s aunt Margaret of Austria provided them with a home and financial support. Even with the support, they had a difficult time, with many worries, and a lack of money. In the spring of 1525, Isabella became seriously ill. Isabella traveled with her husband to Zwijnaarde Castle outside Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium, in late 1525. Isabella died there on January 19, 1526, at the age of 24.

Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans, who died when he was fourteen-years-old, were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral in Odense, Denmark where they were reburied next to the remains of King Christian II.

Grave of Isabella of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Af Habsburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_af_Habsburg> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabella Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Austria> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Joanna Of Castile. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_of_Castile> [Accessed 24 December 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan. 2020. Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/christian-ii-king-of-denmark-norway-and-sweden/> [Accessed 24 December 2020].

Margaret “Bobo” MacDonald, Nanny, Dresser, and Confidante of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Margaret MacDonald served Queen Elizabeth II for sixty-seven years, first as a nursemaid beginning in Elizabeth’s infancy and then as her dresser who looked after her clothes and jewelry and helped style her appearance. A constant presence in Elizabeth’s life from an early age, Margaret was also Elizabeth’s confidante and friend. Born in 1904, Margaret MacDonald was the Scots-born daughter of a railway worker. She grew up in a three-room railway company cottage in Black Isle, a peninsula north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Margaret first worked as an apprentice chambermaid in a modest hotel. In 1926, when Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) was born, she joined the household of the Duke and Duchess of York (the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later The Queen Mother) as a nursemaid.

Baby Elizabeth’s staff also included Clara Cooper Knight known as Allah, a traditional English nanny. Margaret, as nursemaid, would often play hide and seek with the toddler Elizabeth in the gardens calling, “Boo!” Elizabeth would clap her hands and answer “Boo! Boo!” and that is how Margaret got the name Bobo. She was called Bobo for the rest of her life and she was the only person outside the immediate royal family permitted to call Elizabeth by her childhood name Lilibet.

When Princess Margaret was born in 1930, Allah and Bobo’s younger sister Ruby MacDonald, who later became Princess Margaret’s dresser, took care of the new princess. Bobo took charge of Elizabeth and moved into her room to give her a stronger sense of security. Elizabeth would share a room with Bobo until she was thirteen-years-old and Bobo developed a devotion to Elizabeth that would last until she died in 1993. From 1930 onward, Bobo was closer to Elizabeth than anyone outside her family.

When Princess Elizabeth got older, Bobo was, officially, her dresser. She looked after Elizabeth’s clothes and jewelry and dealt with the royal dressmakers Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies, and Ian Thomas. Unofficially, Bobo looked after Elizabeth. For sixty-seven years, Bobo loved, protected, and respected Elizabeth. She accompanied Elizabeth on her honeymoon and all her tours and lived in style at Buckingham Palace. Into her 80s, Bobo would still wake Elizabeth with a cup of tea, run her bath, and lay out her clothes for the day. In 1986, Queen Elizabeth II made Bobo a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.

In her later years, Bobo held a unique position in Buckingham Palace. She had her own suite, no duties, and enjoyed a closer personal friendship with Queen Elizabeth II than nearly anyone else, including some of the members of the royal family.

On September 22, 1993, Margaret MacDonald, Queen Elizabeth’s dear Bobo, died in her suite at Buckingham Palace at the age of 89. Bobo, who never married, was survived by her sister Ruby, who had been a member of the royal household since 1930. Bobo’s funeral was held on September 30, 1993, at The Queen’s Chapel at St. James’ Palace in London, England, on Marlborough Road, across from St. James’ Palace. The Queen’s Chapel was originally built as a Roman Catholic chapel for Queen Henrietta Maria, the French Catholic wife of King Charles I.

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Queen Elizabeth II after the funeral service for Margaret (Bobo) MacDonald

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

  • Brandreth, Gyles, 2004. Philip and Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.
  • Brough, James, 1978. Margaret – The Tragic Princess. New York: Avon Books.
  • Edwards, Anne, 1990. Royal Sisters. New York: Jove Books.
  • Lacey, Robert, 1977. Majesty. New York: Avon Books.
  • Lacey, Robert, 2002. Monarch. New York: Free Press.
  • MacLeod, John, 1993. Margaret MacDonald – Obituary. [online] Scottish Daily Mail. Available at: <https://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20180915/282389810384190> [Accessed 17 February 2021].
  • Nytimes.com. 1993. Margaret MacDonald, Queen’s Servant, 89. [online] Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/25/obituaries/margaret-macdonald-queen-s-servant-89.html?ref=oembed> [Accessed 17 February 2021].

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, Favorite of King James I of England and King Charles I of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham; Credit – Wikipedia

Favorite: a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, queen, or another royal person

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a courtier and favorite of King James I of England and his son King Charles I until a disgruntled army officer assassinated him, was born on August 28, 1592, in Brooksby, Leicestershire, England. George was the second of the three sons and the second of the four children of Sir George Villiers (circa 1544 – 1606) and his second wife Mary Beaumont (circa 1570 – 1632).

George had three siblings:

George had five half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Audrey Saunders who died in 1588:

  • Sir William Villiers, 1st Baronet (circa 1575 – 1629), married (1) Anne Griffin, no children (2) Anne Fiennes, had one child (3) Rebecca Roper, had three children
  • Sir Edward Villiers (circa 1585 – 1626) married Barbara St. John, had ten children, grandparents of Barbara Villiers,1st Duchess of Cleveland, mistress of King Charles II
  • Elizabeth Villiers (died 1654), married John Boteler, 1st Baron Boteler of Brantfield, had eight children
  • Frances Villiers, unmarried
  • Anne Villiers (born 1588), married Sir William Washington (elder brother of Lawrence Washington, the great-great-grandfather of George Washington), had two children

Sir George Villiers, George’s father, was a well-to-do sheep farmer. He was High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1591, knighted in 1593, and a Member of Parliament from 1604 until he died in 1606. George’s mother Mary Beaumont was a poor cousin of her husband but she had ambitions for her second son George. She recognized that he had potential and found the funds to send George to the French court where he learned courtly skills and improved his French. When George returned from France, Mary provided him with a suitable wardrobe and sent him to the English court in 1614 where he quickly became the new favorite of King James I. As George rose, his mother, his siblings, and his half-siblings rose along with him. In 1618, King James I retorted that he lived to no other end but to advance the Villiers family.

King James I of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1615, George was knighted and became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber. He became Master of the Horse in 1616, was raised to the peerage as Baron Whaddon, Viscount Villiers, and was made a Knight of the Garter. In 1619, George was made Lord High Admiral of England. In 1617, George was created Earl of Buckingham and climbed the steps of peerage when he was created Marquess of Buckingham in 1618, and Duke of Buckingham in 1623.

George’s mother Mary chose Katherine Manners, the only surviving child of Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland, and the richest woman in England, to marry George. However, because Katherine was Catholic, King James I refused to allow the marriage, and Katherine’s father refused to accept the demands for an extremely lucrative dowry. Katherine did convert to the Church of England which greatly upset her father. George’s mother Mary entrapped Katherine into the marriage by arranging for her to spend the night under the same roof as George, ruining her reputation, and leaving her family with no choice but to allow her to marry George. George and Katherine married on May 16, 1620.

George and Katherine with their daughter Mary and son George; Credit – Wikipedia

George and Katherine had four children:

Whether the personal relationship between King James I and his male favorites was a sexual one is still debated by historians. Some historians think that James I’s need for a close male favorite came from a lack of family while growing up in Scotland where he became King of Scots when he was one year old. James I did not know his parents Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots and he had no siblings. His maternal grandparents died before he was born. His paternal grandfather died while James was still a boy and his paternal grandmother lived in England. James I compared his love for George to Jesus’ love of his apostle John when he spoke to his Privy Council about rumors in 1617: “You may be sure that I love the Earl of Buckingham more than anyone else, and more than you who are here assembled. I wish to speak in my own behalf and not to have it thought to be a defect, for Jesus Christ did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had John, and I have George.”

King Charles I of England; Credit – Wikipedia

George was King James I’s constant companion and closest advisor until the king died. George greatly influenced James I’s son and successor, the future King Charles I, while he was Prince of Wales. By 1624, an increasingly ill James I was finding it difficult to control Parliament. Before King James I died in March 1625, Charles and George had already assumed de facto control of England. At the end of King James I’s reign and the beginning of King Charles I’s reign, George had a number of diplomatic and military failures that caused Parliament to refuse to fund any more of his endeavors. Parliament then attempted to impeach George twice but King Charles I rescued him by dissolving Parliament both times. George was widely considered a public enemy by the English people. George’s physician Dr. Lambe, popularly supposed to have an evil influence on him, was killed by a mob in the street. A pamphlet published after Dr. Lambe’s death said:

Let Charles and George do what they can
The Duke shall die like Doctor Lambe

 John Felton (1595 – 1628) had been an army officer and had submitted petitions to the Privy Council over two matters, back pay he believed he was owed, and his promotion to captain, which he believed he had been unfairly denied. He was unsuccessful in resolving these matters and believed George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham was responsible. Felton further believed that his grievances against George were part of George’s treacherous and wicked influence on the English government. He decided to kill George and traveled to Portsmouth where he knew George was staying.

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Assassination of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham

On August 23, 1628, George was staying at the Greyhound Inn in Portsmouth, England while planning another military campaign. After having breakfast, George left the inn. John Felton made his way through the crowd that surrounded George and stabbed the 35-year-old Duke of Buckingham in the chest with a dagger, killing him. Felton could have escaped in the resulting chaos but instead, expecting to be well received, he confessed to the gathering crowd. He was immediately arrested, and taken before a judge who sent him to London for interrogation. Because of the unpopularity of the Duke of Buckingham, Felton’s deed received widespread approval and was celebrated in poems and pamphlets. After being tried and found guilty, John Felton was hanged on November 29, 1628, at Tyburn, the principal place for execution in London.

Embed from Getty Images
The Chapel of St. Nicholas at Westminster Abbey where George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham is buried

King Charles I ordered George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham to be buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England in the Chapel of St. Nicholas which had previously been reserved for those only of royal descent.  A lavish tomb of black and white marble and bronze was constructed by his widow in 1634 with an effigy of George and his wife Katherine although she is not buried there. Katherine succeeded to one of her father’s titles Baron de Ros of Helmsley upon his death in 1632, becoming the 18th Baroness de Ros of Helmsley in her own right. She married for a second time to Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim in 1635, and went to live at Dunluce Castle in County Antrim, Ireland. Katherine survived her first husband by twenty-one years, dying in Waterford, Ireland, probably of the plague. She was buried in Waterford but there is a memorial to her in Westminster Abbey.

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

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Villiers (Died 1606). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Villiers_(died_1606)> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Villiers, 1St Duke Of Buckingham. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Villiers,_1st_Duke_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. John Felton (Assassin). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Felton_(assassin)> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Katherine Villiers, Duchess Of Buckingham. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Villiers,_Duchess_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mary Villiers, Countess Of Buckingham. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Villiers,_Countess_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 10 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Personal Relationships Of James VI And I. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_relationships_of_James_VI_and_I#George_Villiers.2C_1st_Duke_of_Buckingham> [Accessed 10 December 2020].

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

Nicknamed Christian the Tyrant, Christian II was King of Denmark and Norway from 1513 until 1523 and also King of Sweden from 1520 until 1521. From 1513 to 1523, he was the joint ruler of the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein with his paternal uncle Frederik, the future King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway. In 1523, Christian II was forced to abdicate and was exiled. After trying to reclaim the throne in 1531, Christian was imprisoned for the last twenty-seven years of his life.

Born in Nyborg Castle in Denmark on July 1, 1481, Christian was the third but the eldest surviving of the five sons and the third of the six children of Hans, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden and Christina of Saxony.

Christian had four brothers and one sister:

As a sixteen-year-old, Christian took part in his father’s conquest of Sweden in 1497 and four years later, he took part in attempting to quell an uprising in Sweden that caused his father to lose the Swedish throne. After his father lost the Swedish throne in 1501, a succession of regents ruled in Sweden. In 1508, a rebellion in Norway was crushed by Christian who ruled Norway as viceroy. At this time, the monarchies of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden elected their kings. Upon his father’s death in 1513, Denmark and Norway quickly confirmed Christian as their king and Sweden remained under the rule of regents.

Christian and his mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter; Credit – Wikipedia

Around 1508, while visiting Norway, Christian fell in love with Dyveke Sigbritsdatter. She remained his mistress until she died in 1517. Christian needed to marry to provide for the succession and the choice of a wife fell upon Isabella of Austria, Archduchess of Austria, Infanta of Castile and Aragon from the House of Habsburg. Isabella was the daughter of Queen Juana I of Castile and Aragon and Philip, Duke of Burgundy. Isabella’s maternal grandparents were King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Her paternal grandparents were Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right. Isabella’s brother was the powerful Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor who was also King of Spain.

Isabella of Austria, circa 1515; Credit- Wikipedia

On July 11, 1514, one week short of her 13th birthday, Isabella was married by proxy to 23-year-old Christian II with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Isabella’s grandfather, standing in for Christian. Isabella remained in the Spanish Netherlands until the summer of 1515 when Erik Axelsson Valkendorf, Archbishop of Nidaros (in Norway) was sent to escort her to Copenhagen where Christian and Isabella were married in person on August 12, 1515. Christian refused to end his relationship with his mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter. This created tension between Christian and his brother-in-law, the future Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who demanded that Dyveke Sigbritsdatter be sent away, only to get a refusal from Christian.

Three children of Christian II, Dorothea, Hans, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

Christian II and Isabella had five children but only three survived infancy and then only two daughters reached adulthood:

Christian II signing the death warrant of Torben Oxe; Credit – Wikipedia

When Christian II’s mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter died in 1517, Christian believed she had been poisoned by Torben Oxe, a Danish nobleman. Torben Oxe was tried and acquitted by the Danish State Council. However, Christian did not accept the verdict and had Oxe indicted by a lower justice-of-the-peace court. The verdict, as directed by King Christian II, was guilty and Torben Oxe was executed. Members of the Danish State Council strongly disapproved of what Christian had done. This act precipitated the division between the king and aristocracy that ultimately led to Christian being deposed.

King Christian II reviewing accounts with Sigbrit Willoms; Credit – Wikipedia

To make matters worse for Christian II and his relationship with the aristocracy, his chief advisor was Dyveke Sigbritsdatter’s mother Sigbrit Willoms who was his de facto minister of finance. Sigbrit was from the middle class and wanted to extend the influence of the working classes. She formed her own council that competed with the Danish State Council for power. Her influence was resented by the aristocracy who blamed her for Christian favoring the working classes.

Christian II still wanted to regain the Swedish crown. In Sweden, the anti-Danish faction was headed by the Regent of Sweden Sten Sture the Younger, and the pro-Danish party was led by Archbishop Gustav Trolle. After two unsuccessful attempts in 1517 and 1518 resulting in military victories for Sweden, Christian’s army with forces of French, German, and Scottish mercenaries was successful in 1520. On November 4, 1520, Christian was crowned King of Sweden in Storkyrkan Cathedral in Stockholm.

The Stockholm Bloodbath; Credit – Wikipedia

Three days after the coronation, Archbishop Trolle accused the followers of Sten Sture of heresy for their part in the rising against him and his support of Christian. What followed is known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. It is estimated that from November 9 – 10, 1520, 82 people were either hanged or beheaded in the square outside Stockholm Palace. Instead of cementing Christian’s control of the Swedish throne, the Stockholm Bloodbath led to him losing the Swedish throne. The remaining Swedish nobility, disgusted by the bloodbath, rose against Christian. On August 23, 1521, Christian was deposed with the election Gustav Vasa as Regent of Sweden. On June 6, 1523, Gustav Vasa was elected King of Sweden, the first monarch of the Swedish House of Vasa.

Christian leaving Copenhagen, Denmark in 1523 with his wife Isabella and their children Hans, Dorothea, and Christina; Credit – Wikipedia

By 1523, the Danes also had enough of Christian II and a rebellion started. Christian was forced to abdicate by the Danish nobles and his paternal uncle Frederik, Duke of Schleswig and Holstein was offered the crown on January 20, 1523. Frederik’s army gained control over most of Denmark during the spring. On  April 13, 1523, Christian, his wife Isabella, and their children left Denmark to live in the Spanish Netherlands, a territory of Isabella’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Both Christian and Isabella were interested in the teachings of Martin Luther. Isabella never converted but it appears that Christian did convert for a while. On January 19, 1526, Isabella died after a long illness at the age of 24.

Eventually, Christian reverted to Catholicism and reconciled with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. In November 1531, Christian took a fleet of ships to try to reclaim Norway but was unsuccessful. He accepted a promise of safe conduct from his uncle Fredrick I, King of Denmark and Norway. However, Frederik did not keep his promise. Instead, Christian was imprisoned for the last twenty-seven years of his life, first in Sønderborg Castle and then at Kalundborg Castle (link Danish). While in captivity, Christian was treated like a nobleman. He was allowed to host parties, go hunting, and wander freely as long as he did not go beyond the town boundaries.

The former Christian II, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden died at Kalundborg Castle on January 25, 1559, aged 77. Christian’s first cousin, King Christian III who had succeeded his father King Frederik I, had died earlier in January. The new king, Frederik II, Christian III’s son, ordered the former king to be buried with royal honors. Christian was buried with his parents in the Gråbrødre Church of the Franciscan monastery in Odense, Denmark. In 1807, the former Franciscan church was demolished, and the remains of King Christian II and his parents were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral, also in Odense, Denmark.  Christian’s wife Isabella was originally buried in St. Peter’s Abbey in Ghent, Spanish Netherlands, now in Belgium. In 1883, thanks to the efforts of the Danish government, Isabella’s remains and those of her son Hans were transferred to St. Canute’s Cathedral.

Grave of Christian II; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian 2.. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_2.> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. 2020. Elisabeth Af Habsburg. [online] Available at: <https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_af_Habsburg> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Christian II Of Denmark. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_II_of_Denmark> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Isabella Of Austria. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_of_Austria> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Stockholm Bloodbath. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_Bloodbath> [Accessed 21 December 2020].

Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle, Favorite of King William III of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle; Credit – Wikipedia

Favorite: a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, queen, or another royal person

An ancestor of Queen Camilla, Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle was born in Zutphen, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands. He was christened on January 30, 1670, so it can be assumed he was probably born shortly before his christening. His parents were Osewolt van Keppel, Lord of Voorst (1630 – 1685) and Reinira Anna Geertruida van Lintelo (1638 – 1700). The van Keppel family is of old Gelderland nobility.

Arnold had at least one brother:

  • Jan Rabo van Keppel (circa 1665-1733), married Cornelia Mechteld Van Lynden, had at least one son

King William III of England, also Willem III, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

Sometime in his teens, possibly as early as 1685, Arnold became a page of honor to Willem III, Prince of Orange. Willem III was the only child of Willem II, Prince of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal, who was the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. In 1677, Willem III married his first cousin the future Queen Mary II of England, the elder of the two surviving children, both daughters, of the future King James II of England and his first wife Anne Hyde. Being the grandson of King Charles I of England, Willem III was also in the line of succession to the English throne and eventually co-reigned as King William III of England with his wife and first cousin Queen Mary II of England. William and Mary came to power in England during the Glorious Revolution of 1688, following the birth of a Catholic heir James Francis Edward Stuart to Maria Beatrice of Modena, the second wife of King James II of England, Mary’s father and Willem III’s uncle. When the new King William III of England, with his name anglicized as William, came to England, Arnold accompanied him as a member of his household. King William III remained Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic.

Arnold rose in royal favor and became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber (1690 – 1695) in William III’s household. He copied William’s letters and spent many hours with the king, resulting in jealousy among some courtiers, particularly William’s long-time friend and favorite, and a fellow Dutchman, William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland.  William found Arnold to be better company because Bentinck, who had governmental duties, was always preoccupied with the affairs of state. In 1691, William returned to the Dutch Republic where a military meeting with his allies was planned in The Hague and Arnold accompanied him. During a hunting holiday with some of the meeting participants at Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands, Arnold was thrown from his horse and broke his leg. William was impressed that Arnold never complained about his pain and often visited him during his recovery.

Arnold began to receive favors and honors, both English and Dutch. In 1692, Arnold received from William, in his capacity as Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, the titles of Knight of Zutphen, Knight of Holland and West Friesland, and Lord van der Voorst. From 1695 – 1701, he served as William III’s Master of the Robes. Arnold was created an English peer by William in 1697 receiving the titles Earl of Albemarle, Viscount Bury, and Baron Ashford. He served as Captain and Colonel of His Majesty’s Own Troop of Horse Guards from 1699 – 1710 and in 1700, he was created a Knight of the Order of the Garter.

William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, who was Groom of the Stole, Keeper of the Privy Purse, and a Privy Councilor, continued to be jealous of Arnold, and because of this, in 1700, he resigned all his offices in the royal household. However, he never lost the esteem of King William III who continued to trust him and use him as an advisor, and it was in the arms of Bentinck that William III took his last breath in 1702.

Gertrude van Keppel, Countess of Albemarle; Credit – www.thepeerage.com

On July 10, 1701, Arnold married Geertruida van der Duyn (1674 – 1741) in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands. Her father Adam van der Duyn, Lord of ‘s-Gravenmoer (1639 – 1693) was a Major-General in the Dutch Army and Master of the Buckhounds to King William III. King William III gave the couple his blessing and provided the bride with a dowry and jewels.

Arnold and his wife, whose name was anglicized to Gertrude, had two children:

On February 20, 1702, King William III went riding at Hampton Court Palace. The horse stumbled on a molehill and fell. William tried to pull the horse up by the reins, but the horse’s movements caused William to fall on his right shoulder. His collarbone was broken and was set by a surgeon, but instead of resting, William insisted on returning to Kensington Palace that evening by coach. A week after the fall, the fracture was not healing well and William’s right hand and arm were puffy and did not look right which probably meant an infection developed. His condition continued to worsen and by March 3, William had a high fever and had difficulty breathing. By March 7, the doctors knew that William was dying and he began to say goodbye to his friends and advisors. In early February 1702, William III had sent Arnold to the Dutch Republic to plan for the upcoming military campaign, and he only returned in time to receive William’s farewell. William gave Arnold the keys to his cabinet and private drawers, and said, “You know what to do with them.” On March 8, 1702, William III died. William bequeathed to Arnold the huge sum of 200,000 guilders and the Dutch Lordship of Breevorst.

After William’s death, Arnold returned to the Dutch Republic and took his seat as a member of the nobility in the States-General, the legislature of the Dutch Republic. He was one of the two commanders of the Dutch forces in the Grand Alliance’s campaigns during the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714). John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, the Grand Alliance commander, who had been on good terms with Arnold, expressed pleasure at his rejoining the allied army. In 1705, Arnold visited England and attended Queen Anne on a visit to Cambridge University, where he received the honorary degree of doctor of laws. On the death of Queen Anne in 1714, Arnold was sent to the Electorate of Hanover by the States-General to congratulate the new King George I on his accession to the British throne. Both Queen Anne and King George I held Arnold in high esteem.

Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle, aged 48, died on May 30, 1718, in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands, and was buried in The Hague.

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Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_van_Keppel,_1st_Earl_of_Albemarle> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • En.wikisource.org. 2021. Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Keppel, Arnold Joost van – Wikisource, the free online library. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Keppel,_Arnold_Joost_van> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • Genealogics.org. 2021. Arnold Joost van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle : Genealogics. [online] Available at: <https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00005350&tree=LEO> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Arnold Joost van Keppel. [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Joost_van_Keppel> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • Thepeerage.com. 2021. Person Page – Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle. [online] Available at: <https://www.thepeerage.com/p1684.htm#i16835> [Accessed 1 February 2021].
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 2003. William and Mary. Phoenix Hill: Sutton Publishing.