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King Henri III of France;  Credit – Wikipedia

August 2, 1100 – Suspicious death of King William II Rufus of England in the New Forest in Hampshire and Wiltshire, England; buried at Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England
On August 2, 1100, William II Rufus, King of England rode out from Winchester Castle on a hunting expedition to the New Forest, accompanied by his brother Henry, who succeeded William II Rufus as King Henry I of England, and several nobles. During the hunt, an arrow hit William Rufus in his chest, puncturing his lungs, and killing him. Was there a conspiracy? Read more at the link below.
Unofficial Royalty: Suspicious Death of William II Rufus, King of England
Unofficial Royalty: King William II Rufus of England

August 2, 1589 – Assassination of King Henri III of France by Jacques Clement at the Château de Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, France; buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis, near Paris, France
Jacques Clément was a fanatic Dominican monk who sided with the Catholic League. He planned to kill King Henri III of France who he believed to be the enemy of Catholicism because he gave some rights to the Protestant Huguenots. On August 1, 1589, Henri III of France was with his army at Saint-Cloud, preparing to attack Paris. Jacques Clément, carrying false papers, was granted access to deliver important documents to Henri III. After giving Henri III some documents, Clément told Henri that he had a secret message for him. Henri III asked his attendants to step back to give him privacy. Clément whispered in Henri’s ear while stabbing him in the abdomen. Henri’s guards immediately killed Clément.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Henri III, King of France
Unofficial Royalty: King Henri III of France

August 2, 1849 – Birth of Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duchess of Parma, first wife of Roberto I, Duke of Parma, in Gaeta, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in 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

August 2, 1858 – Birth of Queen Emma of the Netherlands, second wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands, born Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont at Arolsen Castle in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Adelheid Emma Wilhelmina Theresia
In 1877, Queen Sophie, the first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands died, and Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. One of his three children (all sons) had died and neither of the other two sons was married. At the suggestion of his only sister, he got in touch with the royal couple of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who had several marriageable daughters. In July 1878, Willem visited the family at their summer home where he met 23-year-old Princess Pauline and 20-year-old Princess Emma. His eyes first fell on Pauline, but soon he chose Emma and proposed to her. Willem was 61 years old, 41 years older than Emma. Emma had lessons in the Dutch language and history before her marriage because she wanted to come to her new country Dutch. The couple was married on January 7, 1879. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and their marriage was happy. Their only child Wilhelmina succeeded her father as Queen of the Netherlands.
Unofficial Royalty: Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Queen of the Netherlands

August 2, 1868 – Birth of King Constantine I of Greece in Athens, Greece
Constantine married a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Sophie of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal. In 1913, Constantine’s father King George I of Greece was assassinated and he acceded to the Greek throne as King Constantine I. Due to much political turmoil, Constantine was forced to abdicate in 1917, restored to the throne in 1920, and then forced to abdicate a second time. He lived the rest of his life in exile.
Unofficial Royalty: King Constantine I of Greece

August 2, 1878 – Birth of Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, Princess of Sweden, daughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark at Charlottenlund Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Ingeborg Charlotta Carolina Frederikke Louise
Ingeborg married Prince Carl of Sweden, son of King Oscar II of Sweden, and they were the parents of Queen Astrid of Belgium and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway. Belgian Kings Baudouin and Albert II, Norwegian King Harald V, and the late Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, the wife of the late Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg are all grandchildren of Carl and Ingeborg. The royal families of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Norway descend from Carl and Ingeborg.
Unofficial Royalty: Ingeborg of Denmark, Princess of Sweden

August 2, 1906 – Birth of Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at Callenberg Castle in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Johann Leopold Wilhelm Albrecht Ferdinand Viktor
Johann Leopold was the eldest of the five children of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a grandson of Queen Victoria. Although the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha no longer existed, Johann lost his succession rights when he made an unequal marriage in 1932. His younger brother Friedrich Josias became Head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha upon the death of their father in 1954.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

August 2, 1916 – Birth of Queen Zein of Jordan, wife of King Talal of Jordan and mother of King Hussein I of Jordan, born Zein al-Sharaf Bint Jamal in Alexandria, Egypt
Born Zein al-Sharaf bint Jamal, she married her first cousin Prince Talal bin Abdullah, the eldest son of the future King Abdullah I of Jordan. The couple had six children including King Hussein I of Jordan. In 1951, her husband became King of Jordan upon the assassination of his father King Abdullah I of Jordan. At the time of his father’s death, Talal was in a sanatorium in Switzerland being treated for a nervous breakdown. Zein held the power while the newly proclaimed King Talal was treated outside the country. The Jordanian Parliament declared Talal mentally unfit a year later and proclaimed his eldest son Hussein King of Jordan. Zein again took the reins of power when her son Hussein was proclaimed king, until May 1953, when he turned eighteen and assumed full constitutional duties. During the reign of her son, Zein was an influential figure behind the scenes.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Zein of Jordan

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King Alexander of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

August 1, 1402 – Death of Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, son of King Edward III of England, at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England; buried at the Church of the Mendicant Friars in Kings Langley, England
As a son of King Edward III, Edmund participated in many military campaigns in France with his brothers. Edmund’s nephew succeeded his grandfather as King Richard II of England. At Richard’s coronation, Edmund carried the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove, also called the Rod of Equity and Mercy. In 1381, Edmund served as chief commissioner in his nephew’s marriage negotiations to marry Anne of Bohemia. In 1399, Edmund was acting as regent while his nephew King Richard II was in Ireland. Henry of Bolingbroke (King Henry IV), another nephew, the son of Edmund’s brother John of Gaunt, was planning to depose his cousin Richard. Edmund was prepared to oppose Henry but instead decided to make peace with him.  Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, age 61, died on August 1, 1402, at his birthplace and was buried with his first wife at the Church of the Dominicans at Kings Langley, England. Edmund’s tomb was moved to the Church of All Saints in Kings Langley in 1575, and can still be seen there.
Unofficial Royalty:  Edmund of Langley, Duke of York

August  1, 1691 – Death of Marie de Hautefort, favorite of King Louis XIII of France
Marie de Hautefort was a close confidante and favorite of King Louis XIII of France. She was also a close friend and prominent member of the household of his wife Queen Anne, the former Anne of Austria. Marie first met King Louis XIII through her grandmother’s position as a lady-in-waiting to Louis XIII’s mother and wife.  Marie had an on-again, off-again relationship with Louis XIII and his wife Anne, shortly before and then after the death of Louis XIII.  She left the French court permanently in 1644 and married Charles de Schomberg, Duke d’Halluin, a military leader. After her husband’s death, Marie returned permanently to Paris and resumed contact with the Dowager Queen Anne. The two continued to correspond until Queen Anne died in 1666.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie de Hautefort, favorite of King Louis XIII of France

August 1, 1714 – Death of Queen Anne of Great Britain at Kensington Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Queen Anne suffered a stroke on July 30, 1714. She died at Kensington Palace on August 1, 1714, at the age of 49 after suffering another stroke. Her remains were buried at Westminster Abbey in a vault under the monument to George Monck, Duke of Albemarle in the Henry VII Chapel. Charles II, William III, Anne’s sister Mary II, and Anne’s husband George of Denmark were also buried in this vault. Anne had become so obese that her coffin was much larger than the other coffins in the vault. Electress Sophia of Hanover, the heir to the throne according to the Act of Settlement, had died on June 8, 1714, just six weeks before the death of Queen Anne, and so Sophia’s son became King George I and started the Hanover dynasty.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Anne of Great Britain

August 1, 1817 – Birth of Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany
Full name: Adolf Georg
Adolf married his maternal first cousin Princess Hermine of Waldeck and Pyrmont. The couple had eight children including Adolf’s successor Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe who married Princess Viktoria of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor and Victoria, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. On November 21, 1860, upon the death of his father Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumberg-Lippe, Adolf became the reigning Prince of Schaumberg-Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf I, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

August 1, 1858 – Death of Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Georg II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, in Pyrmont, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Princely Mausoleum at Schloss Rhoden in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse
Emma married Georg II, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Emma survived her husband by thirteen years and was buried with her husband in the Princely Mausoleum at Schloss Rhoden in Rhoden, Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont, now in the German state of Hesse. Emma was the grandmother of Princess Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont who became Queen of the Netherlands when she married King Willem III of the Netherlands. Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont was born the day after her grandmother died and was named in her honor.
Unofficial Royalty: Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

August 1, 1893 – Birth of King Alexander I of Greece at the Tatoi Palace near Athens, Greece
Alexander was the second of the three sons of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. All three sons were Kings of Greece. Alexander was king for only three years. On October 25, 1920, King Alexander died after contracting septicemia from a monkey bite several weeks earlier.
Unofficial Royalty: King Alexander I of Greece

August 1, 1924 – Birth of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, then in the Sultanate of Nejd, now in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was proclaimed the sixth King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on August 1, 2005, upon the death of his half-brother King Fahd bin Abdulaziz. Throughout his life, King Abdullah had a love of the desert and a love of horsemanship. He was a breeder of pure Arabian horses and the founder of the equestrian club in Riyadh. Another lifelong passion was reading which he considered very important. He established two libraries, the King Abdulaziz Library in Riyadh, and one in Casablanca, Morocco. King Abdullah died on January 23, 2015, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the age of 90, three weeks after being hospitalized for pneumonia. He was succeeded by his 79-year-old half-brother Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the current King of Saudi Arabia.
Unofficial Royalty: King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

August 1, 2005 – Death of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; buried at the Al-Oud Cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Upon the death of his half-brother King Khalid on June 13, 1982, Fahd became King of Saudi Arabia. In 1986, King Fahd adopted the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques replacing His Majesty, to signify an Islamic rather than a secular authority. In 1990, Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, placing the Iraqi army on the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. King Fahd agreed to host American-led coalition troops in Saudi Arabia and later allowed American troops to be based there. This decision brought him considerable criticism and opposition from many Saudis and his full brothers, the Sudairi Seven, who objected to the presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil. Many foreign dignitaries attended King Fahd’s funeral on August 2, 2005, including American Vice President Dick Cheney, French President Jacques Chirac, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Prince Charles of the United Kingdom, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Unofficial Royalty: King Fahd of Saudi Arabia

August 1, 2016 – Death of Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of Romania, wife of former King Michael of Romania, at a hospital in Morges, Switzerland; buried at the Curtea de Argeș Cathedral in Curtea de Argeș, Romania
Anne was the wife of King Michael I of Romania, whom she married after he abdicated the throne. She was the daughter of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and  Princess Margrethe of Denmark. On her father’s side, she was the niece of Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma (husband of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg) and Empress Zita of Austria (wife of Karl, the last Emperor of Austria). On her mother’s side, she was the great-granddaughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and therefore closely related to the royal families of Denmark, Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom. It was not until 1992 that Anne first set foot on Romanian soil. Her husband was banned from the country, but Anne made several visits on his behalf. In 1997, the ban restrictions were lifted and some royal properties were returned to the royal family, including the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest, which served as their primary residence when in Romania.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne of Bourbon-Parma, Queen of  Romania

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Maria Ana of Portugal, wife of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg, with her six daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

 July 31, 1527 – Birth of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, Archduke of Austria in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria
Maximilian married his first cousin Infanta Maria of Spain, the daughter of his uncle Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who was also King Carlos I of Spain and Isabella of Portugal. The couple had fifteen children including two Holy Roman Emperors and two Queen Consorts (France and Spain).  Upon the death of his father Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, who was also King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia and Archduke of Austria, Maximilian succeeded as ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands and was elected Holy Roman Emperor. During his reign, Maximilian had to deal with the ongoing Ottoman-Habsburg wars, conflicts with his Spanish Habsburg cousins, and the effects of the 1555 Peace of Augsburg. The Peace of Augsburg officially ended the religious struggle between Lutherans and Catholics, and made the legal division of Christianity permanent within the Holy Roman Empire, allowing the rulers of the constituent monarchies of the Holy Roman Empire to choose either Lutheranism or Roman Catholicism as the official religion of their state.
Unofficial Royalty: Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary and Croatia, Archduke of Austria

July 31, 1750 – Death of King João V of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal; buried at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon.
When João was nearly ten years old, his 32-year-old mother Maria Sophia of Neuburg died. His mother’s death caused changes in João’s behavior. He became withdrawn and depressed. His paternal aunt Catherine of Braganza, the widow of King Charles II of England, had returned to Portugal to live in 1693. Catherine took over caring for João and remained his main female role model until she died in 1705. In 1706, João’s father Pedro II, King of Portugal died and his 17-year-old son  João became King of Portugal. In 1708,  João married Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, the daughter of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. The couple had six children. In 1742, 52-year-old João had a stroke and became partially paralyzed. He recovered somewhat but was left diminished and much less energetic. His wife Maria Anna served as regent for the rest of his life. After a reign of forty-three years, João V, King of Portugal, aged 60, died on July 31, 1750.
Unofficial Royalty: King João V of Portugal

 July 31, 1737 – Birth of Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales at St. James’ Palace in London, England
Augusta was the elder sister of King George III of the United Kingdom. She married Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, the future Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The couple had seven children including Caroline who married her first cousin, the future King George IV of the United Kingdom. (The marriage was a disaster.) Augusta never fully adapted to life in Brunswick nor was she well-liked. Any popularity she had was damaged by the fact that her three eldest sons were born with handicaps. Although Augusta reported to her brother King George III that her marriage was happy, it was actually unhappy. Karl found Augusta dull and preferred to spend time with his mistresses. After her husband was killed during the Napoleonic Wars and Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was occupied by the French, Augusta escaped to Sweden. Her brother King George III sent a British naval ship to transport his sister back home to England. Augusta lived in London with her daughter Caroline, Princess of Wales. Augusta got to know her granddaughter Princess Charlotte of Wales, who told her grandmother upon their first meeting “that she was the merriest old woman she ever saw.” Augusta died on March 23, 1813, at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Augusta of Wales, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel

July 31, 1769 – Birth of Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham, Mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, born Elizabeth Denison
Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham was the last mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, from 1820 until he died in 1830. George IV was so devoted to her that he bequeathed her his plate and jewels, although she refused them when he died. He also provided housing at Windsor Castle and the Brighton Pavilion for Elizabeth and her family. He ensured that they traveled with him when he moved from one residence to the other. She was given full use of the King’s horses and carriages, and most of the large dinners held at her London townhouse were prepared in the kitchens of St. James’s Palace. To King George IV, nothing was ‘off limits’ for his beloved Elizabeth. However, it would all come to a quick end on the morning of June 26, 1830, when King George IV died at Windsor Castle. By the following day, Elizabeth had packed her belongings and left Windsor for her brother’s home before traveling to Paris, reportedly expelled from the country by the new King William IV.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham, Mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

July 31, 1812 – Birth of Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil, second wife of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (King Pedro IV of Portugal), in Milan, Lombardy-Venetia, now in Italy
Full name: Amélie Auguste Eugénie
Amélie was the daughter of Eugène de Beauharnais (son of Empress Jospéhine, the first wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, from her first marriage) and Princess Augusta of Bavaria. Because of a political and economic crisis, her husband Emperor Pedro I of Brazil abdicated his throne in favor of a daughter from his first marriage. Pedro, Amélie, and their daughter Maria Amélie returned to Portugal. Both Pedro and his daughter Maria Amélie died from tuberculosis.  Amélie financed the construction of a hospital to treat patients with lung diseases in Funchal on the island of Madeira in Portugal called the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélie which is still in existence. When Amélie died, the Hospício da Princesa Dona Maria Amélia was handed over to her sister Queen Joséphine of Sweden, and according to the terms of Amélie’s will, it is owned and administered by the Swedish Royal Family. King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden have visited the hospital.
Unofficial Royalty: Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil

July 31, 1816 – Birth of Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of the Two Sicilies, second wife of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies, at Weilburg Castle near Vienna, Austria 
Full name: Maria Theresia Isabella
In 1836, Maria Cristina of Savoy, Queen of the Two Sicilies, wife of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies died at the age of 23 from childbirth complications after giving birth to a son. The widowed king met Maria Theresa during his stay in Vienna, Austria later in 1836, and they became engaged to strengthen the relations between Austria and the Two Sicilies and married in 1837. Maria Cristina and Ferdinando had twelve children. Ferdinando died in 1859 at the age of 49 after hesitating to have surgery for a strangulated hernia. During Ferdinando II’s reign, the Italian unification movement led by Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia, later Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Italy, and Giuseppe Garibaldi, a noted general and politician, began. During the reign of Ferdinando’s son Francesco II, Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860-1861 invasion called the Expedition of the Thousand led to the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which then was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Maria Theresa and her children left Naples and settled in Rome. In the summer of 1867, a cholera epidemic broke out in Rome.  Both Maria Theresa and her youngest son, ten-year-old Gennaro developed cholera and died from the disease.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of the Two Sicilies

July 31, 1924 – Death of Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg, son of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, in Territet, Switzerland; buried in the Schaffhausen Forest Cemetery in Schaffhausen, Switzerland
The Battenberg/Mountbatten family descends from Franz Joseph’s parents Prince Alexander of Hesse and by the Rhine and his morganatic wife Countess Julia von Hauke. Franz Joseph married Princess Anna of Montenegro but the couple did not have children. During World War I, they found their financial situation more and more precarious and sometimes struggled to make ends meet. After 1920, they began to receive some financial support from Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of Franz Joseph’s nephew Louis Mountbatten, the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Until her death in 1960, Edwina continued to send money to Princess Anna. Prince Franz Joseph outlived all of his siblings.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Franz Joseph of Battenberg

July 31, 1942 – Death of Maria Ana of Portugal, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, wife of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg, in exile during World War II in New York City; temporarily interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens in New York City and then buried at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg after World War II
Maria Ana married Guillaume, the future Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The couple had six daughters including two reigning Grand Duchesses of Luxembourg. Maria Ana fled Luxembourg with her family when the German Army invaded in 1940. She died in New York City on July 31, 1942, of a stomach ailment and was temporarily interred at Calvary Cemetery in Queens in New York City. Her remains were later returned to Luxembourg and buried at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Ana of Portugal, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

July 31, 1993 – Death of Baudouin I, King of the Belgians in the Villa Astrida in Motril, Spain; buried at the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
On July 31, 1993, King Bauduin died at Villa Astrida, his private retreat in Motril, Spain. Although King Baudouin had heart surgery in March 1992, his death from heart failure still came unexpectedly and sent Belgium into a period of deep mourning. He was succeeded by his brother King Albert II, who would reign for the next 20 years until he abdicated in favor of his son Philippe. Baudouin’s funeral was held at the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula in Brussels, Belgium, and attended by many royals from around the world. One notable guest was Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, who rarely attended royal funerals. Following the funeral, King Baudouin’s remains were entombed in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, the traditional burial site of the Belgian monarchs.
Unofficial Royalty: King Baudouin I of the Belgians

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Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

July 30, 1126 – Death of Cecilia of Normandy, Abbess of Holy Trinity Abbey, daughter of King William I of England, at the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Caen, Normandy, now in France; buried at the Abbey of Holy Trinity in Caen, Normandy
In early childhood, Cecilia was promised as a nun to the abbey her mother Matilda of Flanders founded, the Abbey of the Holy Trinity (also called the Abbaye-aux-Dames, Abbey of the Women), in Caen, Duchy of Normandy. Cecilia had a successful career at the abbey. In 1112, Cecilia became the Abbess of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity. Cecilia died on July 30, 1126, at the Abbey of the Holy Trinity and was buried at the abbey in the choir of the nuns, on the main axis of the church, opposite the choir of the laypeople where her mother Matilda of Flanders was buried. However, Cecilia’s grave is no longer accessible.
Unofficial Royalty: Cecilia of Normandy, Abbess of Holy Trinity Abbey

July 30, 1569 – Birth of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein at Valtice Castle in Valtice, Moravia, now in the Czech Republic
Karl I was the first Prince of Liechtenstein and the founder of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. In 1590, Karl married Baroness Anna Maria von Boskowitz and Černahora. They had four children including Karl I’s successor Karl Eusebius. In 1592, Karl became the treasurer of Archduke Matthias of Austria, a future Holy Roman Emperor. Karl and his younger brothers were raised in the Evangelical Lutheran faith but they all converted to Catholicism in 1599. Karl’s younger brother Maximilian and his wife founded a Pauline monastery, and had the Chuch of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary built on the monastery grounds in the village of Vranov, then in Moravia, now in the Czech Republic. A crypt in the church served as the burial site for members of the House of Liechtenstein until the burial property was seized after World War II by the Communist government of Czechoslovakia. Since then, both Czechoslovakia and the current Czech Republic have refused to return the property to the Princely Family of Liechtenstein.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein

July 30, 1683 – Death of Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of France, wife of King Louis XIV of France, at the Palace of Versailles in France; buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
Maria Theresa was the daughter of King Felipe IV of Spain and his first wife Elisabeth of France. As the Spanish monarchs at the time were part of the House of Habsburg, she was styled as Archduchess of Austria, as well as Infanta of Spain and Portugal. She was the first wife of King Louis XIV of France and gave birth to six children but only one, Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, survived childhood but he predeceased his father. At the end of July 1683, Maria Theresa fell ill, the result of an abscess in her left arm which was not treated correctly. Septicemia quickly set in causing her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of France

July 30, 1700 – Death of William, Duke of Gloucester, son of Queen Anne of Great Britain, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Queen Anne had 17 pregnancies with only five children being born alive. Two died on the day of their birth, two died at less than two years old within six days of each from smallpox, and William, Duke of Gloucester died at age 11. Some modern medical experts feel that William had hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is an excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain. William celebrated his eleventh birthday at a party held at Windsor Castle. Jenkin Lewis, his servant, reported, “He complained a little the next day, but we imputed that to the fatigues of a birthday so that he was much neglected.” In the evening, William complained of a sore throat and chills. Two days later, he was no better and had developed a fever and was delirious. The doctors suspected smallpox, but no rash appeared, so they used the usual treatments of the time, bleeding and blistering, which no doubt, made William’s condition worse. The 11-year-old duke’s death was the major reason for the passage of the Act of Settlement in 1701 which gave the throne to Sophie, Electress of Hanover and her Protestant descendants. Upon the death of Queen Anne, William’s mother, Sophia of Hanover’s son ascended to the British throne as King George I.
Unofficial Royalty: William, Duke of Gloucester

July 30, 1769 – Birth of Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, husband of Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Friedrich Joseph Ludwig Carl August
While Friedrich was in the military, he showed no inclination to marry. In 1814, 45-year-old Friedrich met 44-year-old Princess Elizabeth, the third daughter and seventh of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom at a ball held at the British court. None of George III’s six daughters had been allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Eventually, three of the six daughters managed to get married. In 1818, Elizabeth read a letter from 48-year-old Friedrich, then Hereditary Prince of Hesse-Homburg to her mother asking to marry Elizabeth. Queen Charlotte was not easily persuaded to agree to the marriage and after heated discussions and interventions from several of Elizabeth’s siblings, the Queen agreed to the marriage. Using Elizabeth’s dowry and annual allowance, the couple built new roads in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, restored the castles in Bad Homburg and Meisenheim, and became involved in the care of the poor. Using seeds and seedlings from England, they created an English garden at Bad Homburg Castle.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg

July 30, 1833 – Birth of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria
Karl Ludwig was the father of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I. In 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf died by suicide at his hunting lodge Mayerling. Rudolf, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph, had no sons, so the succession passed to Emperor Franz Joseph’s brother Karl Ludwig and his eldest son Franz Ferdinand. There have been suggestions that Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights in favor of his son Franz Ferdinand. However, an act of renunciation was never formally signed and Karl Ludwig was never officially designated heir to the throne. He was only three years younger than Franz Joseph and not a realistic choice. When Karl Ludwig died in 1896, his son Ferdinand became the heir to his uncle’s throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria

July 30, 1872 – Birth of Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon, daughter of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and wife of Prince Victor Bonaparte, the Bonapartist pretender to the French throne, at the Royal Castle of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Clémentine Albertine Marie Léopoldine
Clémentine was the third of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria. In 1869, when Leopold and Marie-Henriette’s only son Leopold died, King Leopold II blamed Queen Marie-Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Queen Marie-Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl, Clémentine. Clémentine’s parents completely separated after her birth. In 1910, she married Prince Victor Bonaparte, the Bonapartist pretender to the French throne, and the couple had two children. On March 8, 1955, Clémentine died at the age of 82, at her home in Nice, France, the Villa Clairvallou.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Clémentine, Princess Napoléon

July 30, 1900 – Death of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Schloss Rosenau in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried in the Ducal Family’s mausoleum in Coburg Cemetery
Alfred’s father Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and elder brother, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom had both renounced their rights of succession to the throne of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, leaving Alfred as heir to childless his uncle Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The transition to his new position was not easy. The people were mostly against the idea of a British prince being their Duke even though his father was born a Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. However, Alfred was able to build up the people’s confidence in him and soon became quite popular.
Unofficial Royalty: Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha

July 30, 1912 – Death of Emperor Meiji of Japan, at the Meiji Palace in Tokyo, Japan; buried in the Fushimi Momoyama Ryo (Graveyard) in Kyoto, Japan; his soul is enshrined in Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan
Since 1185, a shogun, a military dictator appointed by the Emperor had been the de facto ruler of Japan. In 1868, the last shogun lost power, and in the name and with the support of the young Emperor Meiji, a new, more Western-oriented upper class initiated the modernization of Japan known as the Meiji Restoration. Under Emperor Meiji’s reign, Japan started to become an industrial and naval power. The old feudal system was abolished and public state schools were introduced along with the Gregorian calendar. In 1890, the Emperor made the greatest contribution to the modernization of Japan with the enactment of a constitution. Emperor Meiji moved the capital of Japan from Kyoto to Edo (later Tokyo). Although he had little political power during his 45-year reign, he was an important symbol of the country’s unity. Emperor Meiji suffered from diabetes, nephritis, and gastroenteritis, and died of uremia at the age of 59.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Meiji of Japan

July 30, 1936 – Birth of Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz, daughter of Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona, sister of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, in Cannes, France
Full name: María del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos
In 1967, Infanta Pilar married Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada. The marriage was controversial because Luis was not royal and Pilar had to renounce her succession rights to the Spanish throne. Infanta Pilar was President of the International Equestrian Federation from 1994 – 2005. She was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1996 to 2006 and was then an Honorary member. She was also a member of the executive board of the Spanish Olympic Committee. Infanta Pilar died on January 8, 2020, at the age of 83 from colon cancer.
Unofficial Royalty: Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz

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King Umberto I of Italy; Credit – Wikipedia

July 29, 1672 – Birth of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duc d’ Aubigny, an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, in London, England
Charles Lennox was an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom. After King Charles II died, Charles and his mother Louise went to France. Unsatisfied with his position at the French court and sure his position at the English court would be higher and that he would receive more revenue, 20-year-old Charles returned to England in 1692, during the reign of his first cousins, who reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II. In 1692, Charles married Anne Brudenell, the daughter of Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell. The couple had two sons and one daughter. In 1683, the English colony of New York was divided into ten counties. Staten Island, now one of the five boroughs of New York City, and several minor neighboring islands, were designated as Richmond County, named after Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. Still today, Staten Island is Richmond County, one of the counties of New York State.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox

July 29, 1735 – Death of Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia, third wife of Friedrich I, King in Prussia, at Schwerin Castle in Mecklenburg, Duchy of Mecklenburg Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried in the Schelfkirche St. Nikolai in Schwerin, Duchy of Mecklenburg Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Sophie Luise and her husband had no children. Being so much younger than her husband, and close in age to his children, Sophie struggled to find acceptance at the Prussian court. It did not help that her predecessor, Friedrich’s second wife Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, was greatly loved and admired by the Prussian people, and many saw Sophie Luise as a poor replacement. Sophie Luise became deeply religious but as time progressed, her devotion became obsessive and manic. During his final illness, her husband Friedrich awoke to find his wife standing before him, covered in blood and screaming at him. She had crashed through a glass door while running from her apartments to his, apparently to confront him in a fit of hysteria. Sophie Luise had no recollection of the event afterward and soon sent her husband back to Mecklenburg to be with her family. She lived the rest of her life with her widowed mother.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia

July 29, 1787 – Birth of Sarah Lyttelton, Baroness Lyttelton, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and Governess to the Royal Children, at Althorp in Althorp, Northamptonshire, England
 Born Lady Sarah Spencer, the daughter of George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer, she married Sir William Henry Lyttelton, 3rd Baron Lyttelton.
Unofficial Royalty: Sarah Lyttelton, Baroness Lyttelton

July 29, 1887 – Death of Marianne Skerrett, Head Dresser and Wardrobe-Woman to Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1862, at 41 Beaumont Street in Marylebone, London, England; burial unknown (Note: The depiction of Queen Victoria’s dresser in the series Victoria is completely false and an insult to the real person.)
Marianne Skerrett was born in 1793, so she was 44 years old when the 18-year-old Victoria became queen. She was intelligent, extremely well-read, and fluent in Danish, French, and German. Recommended to Queen Victoria by Louisa Petty-FitzMaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne, a Lady of the Bedchamber, Marianne became one of Queen Victoria’s two dressers in 1837 and eventually became head dresser. As the head dresser, Marianne oversaw the ordering of Queen Victoria’s clothing, shoes, hats, gloves, and undergarments. Marianne kept the wardrobe accounts and was diligent in checking all the bills to make sure no one tried to cheat Victoria. She was also responsible for supervising the hairdressers, dressmakers, and seamstresses who kept the royal wardrobe in good repair. After 25 years of serving Queen Victoria, Marianne retired in 1862 at the age of 69. She received a pension of £70 and went to live with her sister in the Marylebone section of London. Marianne Skerrett remained in contact with Queen Victoria, visiting her and writing to her, until she died in London, England on July 29, 1887, at the age of 94.
Unofficial Royalty: Marianne Skerrett

July 29, 1900 – Assassination of King Umberto I of Italy by anarchist Gaetano Bresci at Monza, Italy; buried in the Pantheon in Rome, Italy
On July 29, 1900, while visiting Monza, Italy, King Umberto I of Italy was shot and killed by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian anarchist, claiming to avenge the deaths of people in Milan during the riots of May 1898.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Umberto I, King of Italy
Unofficial Royalty: King Umberto I of Italy

July 29, 1981 – Wedding of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England
The Prince of Wales, later King Charles III, and Lady Diana Spencer were married on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales, separated in December 1992 and divorced in August 1996. Exactly a year later, Diana, Princess of Wales tragically died in a car accident in Paris, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer

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