King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia; Credit – Wikipedia

Norodom Sihanouk reigned as King of Cambodia during two periods, 1941 – 1955 and 1993 – 2004. During his lifetime, Cambodia was the French Protectorate of Cambodia (until 1953), the Kingdom of Cambodia (1953 – 1970), the Khmer Republic (1970 – 1975), Democratic Kampuchea (1975 – 1979), the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (1979 -1993), and again the Kingdom of Cambodia (from 1993). Norodom Sihanouk also served as Prime Minister of Cambodia eight times between 1945 – 1962, Chief of State of Cambodia (1960 – 1970 and in 1993), and as President of the State Presidium of Democratic Kampuchea (1975 – 1976).

Note: In Cambodian naming practices, the surname comes first. The king’s surname is Norodom and his first name is Sihanouk, so he will be referred to as Sihanouk for the rest of the article.

Norodom Sihanouk was born on October 31, 1922, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, then in French Indochina. He was the only child of Norodom Suramarit, King of Cambodia from 1955 – 1960 and Princess Sisowath Kossamak of Cambodia, daughter of King Sisowath Monivong of Cambodia and his wife Prince Norodom Kanviman Norleak Tevi.

Sihanouk had three half-siblings from his father’s third marriage to Kim-An Yeap (Khun Devi Kanha Subiya Yeap):

  • Princess Norodom Vichara (1946 – 2013), married (1) Tep Sombana, no children, divorced (2) Yves Dumont, had one son
  • Prince Norodom Sirivudh (born 1951), married (1) Keo Kosey, had one son, divorced (2) Christine Angèle Alfsen, one son and two daughters, divorced (3) Princess Norodom Norodom Veasna Diva of Cambodia
  • Prince Norodom Preyasophon (born 1954), married Princess Vinayika Sisowath Vinak of Cambodia, had one son and one daughter

Sihanouk received his primary education at François Baudoin School and Nuon Moniram School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In 1936, Sihanouk was sent to Saigon, French Indochina, now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for his secondary education at Lycée Chasseloup Laubat.

King Norodom Sihanouk in his coronation regalia; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 23, 1941, King Sisowath Monivong of Cambodia, Sihanouk’s maternal grandfather died. At the time, Cambodia was still a French protectorate and the French originally wanted Sihanouk’s father Norodom Suramarit to succeed him. However, Sisowath Monil, the son of King Sisowath Monivong, believed that he was the legal heir to the throne. The two royal families of Cambodia, the House of Norodom and the House of Sisowath, quarreled over the right to the throne. Finally, Jean Decoux, Governor-General of French Indochina, chose Suramarit’s 18-year-old son Norodom Sihanouk to be King of Cambodia because he was descended from both royal families. Sihanouk’s appointment as king was formalized by the Cambodian Crown Council and his coronation ceremony took place on May 13, 1941.

During World War II, Japan occupied Cambodia. After the end of the war, Sihanouk worked to gain Cambodia’s independence from France which was achieved in 1953. Sihanouk decided to abdicate in 1955 so he could directly participate in politics. He reverted to the title of Prince and was succeeded by his father Norodom Suramarit as King of Cambodia. Sihanouk’s political party Sangkum won the general elections in 1955 and he became Prime Minister of Cambodia.

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Sihanouk was ousted by the Cambodian Coup of 1970. He fled to China and North Korea and formed a government-in-exile and resistance movement. He encouraged Cambodians to fight the new government and backed the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian Civil War. Khmer Rouge was the name given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea. Kampuchea was the name Cambodia was known as from 1975 – 1990. The Khmer Rouge regime was highly autocratic, totalitarian, xenophobic, paranoid, and repressive. During the regime, hundreds of thousands of political opponents of the Khmer Rouge were murdered and its racist emphasis on national purity resulted in the genocide of Cambodian minorities. In 1975, after the Khmer Rouge’s victory, Sihanouk returned to Cambodia as a figurehead head of state. His relations with the new government declined and in 1976 he resigned. Sihanouk was placed under house arrest until the Vietnamese forces overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979 and the People’s Republic of Kampuchea was formed.

Sihanouk once again went into exile and founded the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia, a royalist political party in Cambodia. After a long period of work and negotiations, the 1991 Paris Peace Accords were signed and the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) was established the following year. The UNTAC organized the 1993 Cambodian general elections, and a coalition government, jointly led by Sihanouk’s son Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen, was formed. A new constitution came into effect on September 24, 1993, and Sihanouk was reinstated as the King of Cambodia.

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Norodom Sihanouk and his sixth wife Princess Monique in 1973

Sihanouk was married six times and had fourteen children. During the Khmer Rouge years, one of his wives, five of his children, and fourteen of his grandchildren disappeared. It is believed they were killed by the Khmer Rouge.

Wife 1: Phat Kanhol (1920 – 1969): A performer with the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, she married Sihanouk in 1941 and had one son and one daughter. Because of her background, the marriage was not recognized by the royal family. Under pressure from his grandfather, Sihanouk divorced Phat Kanhol in 1943. She remarried in 1944.

Wife 2: Princess Sisowath Pongsanmoni (1929 – 1974): The daughter of King Monivong, she married Sihanouk in 1941 and had four sons and three daughters. The marriage ended in divorce in 1951 and she remarried a lieutenant colonel.

  • Prince Norodom Yuvaneath (1943 – 2021), had two wives and six children
  • Norodom Ravivong (1944 – 1973), died from malaria
  • Prince Norodom Chakrapong (born 1945), had seven wives and thirteen children
  • Norodom Sorya Roeungsi (1947 – 1976), disappeared under Khmer Rouge regime
  • Norodom Kantha Bopha (1948 – 1952), died from leukemia
  • Norodom Khemanourak (1949 – 1975), disappeared under Khmer Rouge regime
  • Norodom Botum Bopha (1951 – 1975), disappeared under Khmer Rouge regime

Wife 3: Princess Sisowath Monikessan (1929 – 1946): The daughter of King Monivong, she married Sihanouk in 1944. After giving birth to a son in 1946, she died from childbirth complications

Wife 4: Mam Manivan Phanivong (1934 -1975): She met Sihanouk at a dance party in Vientiane, Laos and they married in 1949 and had two daughters. After the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh in 1975, Mam and her elder daughter disappeared and were most likely killed by the Khmer Rouge.

  • Princess Norodom Sujata (1953 – 1975), disappeared under Khmer Rouge regime
  • Princess Norodom Arunrasmy (born 1955), had two husbands and five children

Wife 5: Princess Norodom Thavet Norleak (1927 – 2019): Sihanouk’s aunt and cousin, she married him in 1955 and became the official First Lady of Cambodia. They had no children and divorced in 1968.

Queen Mother Norodom Monineath and her son King Norodom Sihamoni in 2013; Credit – Wikipedia

Wife: Norodom Monineath  (born 1936): She was born Paule-Monique Izzi, the daughter of a French banker and a Cambodian woman. Sihanouk privately married her in 1952 and an official marriage took place in 1955. First known as Princess Monique, she took the name Monineath after Sihanouk divorced Norodom Thavet Norleak in 1968. After the abdication of her husband in 2012 and the accession of her son as King of Cambodia, she was styled Queen Mother of Cambodia.

Citing his poor health, Sihanouk announced his second abdication in October 2004. Unlike most monarchies, the succession to the Cambodian throne is not hereditary. The monarch is elected for life by the Royal Council of the Throne, made up of members of the royal family, government officials, and religious figures. Upon Sihanouk’s abdication, his son Norodom Sihamoni was unanimously elected as the next King of Cambodia on October 14, 2004. After his second abdication, Sihanouk became known as the King Father of Cambodia.

In August 2009, Sihanouk stated that he would stop posting messages on his website as he was getting old, making it difficult for him to keep up with his duties. From 2009 – 2011, Sihanouk spent most of his time in Beijing, China for treatment of colon cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. He returned to Cambodia in 2011 and made his last public appearance on October 30, 2011, celebrating his 89th birthday and the 20th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords. Although Sihanouk intended to remain in Cambodia, he returned to Beijing in January 2012 on the advice of his Chinese doctors. A few months, later Sihanouk said he would not return to Cambodia for his 90th birthday. On October 15, 2012, Sihanouk died of a heart attack in Beijing, sixteen days before his 90th birthday.

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King Norodom Sihamoni son of the late former King Norodom Sihanouk, and his mother, Queen Norodom Monineath grieve during the cremation ceremony on February 4, 2013

Sihanouk’s body was transported back to Cambodia on an Air China flight. 1.2 million people lined the streets of Phnom Penh between the airport and the palace. Sihanouk’s funeral and cremation were scheduled for February 2013. His body lay in state at the royal palace until February 1, 2013, when it was taken to the royal crematorium. Many foreign dignitaries gathered in Phnom Penh for the funeral and the cremation. On February 4, 2013, Sihanouk’s body was cremated. The next day, the royal family scattered some of Sihanouk’s ashes into the Tonlé Sap, a freshwater lake and an attached river that connects the lake to the Mekong River. The remainder of the ashes were kept in the palace’s throne room until July 2014, when Sihanouk’s ashes were interred in a stupa at the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, next to the ashes of his daughter Princess Kantha Bopha who had died in 1952 when she was four-years-old from leukemia.

Stupa of Princess Kantha Bopha where the ashes of her father King Norodom Sihanouk were interred; Credit – By Engsamnang – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7582446

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. Death And State Funeral Of Norodom Sihanouk. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Norodom_Sihanouk> [Accessed 16 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Norodom Sihanouk. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norodom_Sihanouk> [Accessed 16 August 2020].
  • Royalark.net. 2020. Cambodian Royal Genealogy. [online] Available at: <https://www.royalark.net/Cambodia/camboa18.htm> [Accessed 16 August 2020].
  • Zh.wikipedia.org. 2020. 诺罗敦·西哈努克. [online] Available at: <https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%AF%BA%E7%BD%97%E6%95%A6%C2%B7%E8%A5%BF%E5%93%88%E5%8A%AA%E5%85%8B#%E5%AE%B6%E5%BA%AD> [Accessed 16 August 2020].

Arcadie Claret, Mistress of King Leopold I of the Belgians

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Arcadie Claret was the mistress of King Leopold I of the Belgians from around 1842 until the King’s death in 1865.

Arcadie Claret, Baroness von Eppinghoven. source: Wikipedia

Marie Anne Arcadie Eugénie Claret was born in Brussels on May 30, 1826, one of thirteen children of Major Charles-Joseph Claret and Henriette Neetesonne. Her father was a veteran of Napoleon’s army and the treasurer of the Ministry of War’s Fund for Widows and Orphans of the Belgian Army.

Leopold I of the Belgians. source: Wikipedia

Arcadie was just in her late teens when she became the mistress of King Leopold I. The King moved her into a grand house in Saint-Josse-ten-Node near Brussels, where he visited often. Because their relationship became publicly known and widely discussed in the press, Leopold arranged a marriage between Arcadie and Ferdinand Meyer, his Master of the Stable and friend. This marriage of convenience took place in 1845 and provided some relief from the intense speculation about Arcadie and her relationship with Leopold. Arcadie and Leopold had two sons together. Both were registered as the children of her husband, and given the surname Meyer:

Georg Meyer, Baron von Eppinghoven. source: Wikipedia

  • Georg Meyer, Baron von Eppinghoven (November 14, 1849-February 3, 1904) – born at the monastery of Saint-Joseph des Filles de la Croix in Liège, served as an officer in the Prussian Army. He and his wife, Anna Brust (a former chambermaid of his mother’s), had three children. They lived primarily at the family farm in Langenfeld before his death in Monheim in 1904.

Arthur Meyer, Baron von Eppinghoven. source: Wikipedia

  • Arthur Meyer, Baron von Eppinghoven (September 25, 1852 – November 9, 1940) – born at the Château de Stuyvenberg Laken, served as Grand Marshal of the Grand Ducal Court of Coburg. He and his wife, Anna Harris, had one daughter. After the fall of the German monarchies in 1918, he returned to Belgium, formally changing his surname to von Eppinghoven, and took Belgian citizenship. He received some financial support from his half-nephew, King Albert I of the Belgians, and is buried near the Royal Crypt in the cemetery of Laeken.

The subject of intense criticism following the birth of her first child, Arcadie left Belgium in late 1850, just days before King Leopold’s wife Queen Louise Marie, died. After living for a year in Germany, Arcadie returned to Belgium in the fall of 1851, determined to maintain a discreet profile. With financial help from Leopold, she purchased the Château de Stuyvenberg for 80,000 francs, just steps from the Palace of Laeken. Over the next few years, she had the Château enlarged to provide a home for her own family, her mother, and several siblings. Here, the King would often visit every day, enjoying a quiet family life with Arcadie and their sons.

In addition to purchasing Stuyvenberg, Arcadie received a farmhouse in Monheim, Germany, from the King in 1851. A modest residence – originally an abbey farm named Eppinghoven – Arcadie soon had a more substantial castle built and following the King’s death, she would spend the remainder of her life there.

Château de Stuyvenberg. source: Wikipedia

In 1862, a year after Arcadie and her husband formally separated, King Leopold I sought to secure the future of their sons. He attempted to have them elevated to the Belgian nobility but  the government denied his request. Instead, he asked his nephew, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, to establish noble titles within the Coburg nobility. Both George and Arthur were created Baron von Eppinghoven in 1862, and the following year, Arcadie was also elevated to Baroness von Eppinghoven. I 1870, Arcadie purchased a farm – the Langfort Domain – in Langenfeld for her sons – once again with the help of King Leopold and his generosity.

During the relationship, which lasted over 20 years, Arcadie and King Leopold were devoted to each other. She often accompanied him on his travels and visits abroad and maintained a  peaceful and quiet home for the King in Belgium. Stuyvenberg became a refuge for him from the stresses of his role.

Following the King’s death in December 1865, Arcadie was no longer welcome within the Belgian royal family. Within days of his death, Arcadie and her sons left Brussels and settled at her castle in Monheim. Despite leaving, she maintained ownership of Stuyvenberg for the next 24 years before finally selling it – through an intermediary – to King Leopold II who later transferred it to the Royal Trust.

Arcadie Claret Meyer, Baroness von Eppinghoven, lived a quiet and private life in Monheim for the next 31 years before passing away there on January 13, 1897.

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Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov, Lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov; Credit – Wikipedia

Patronymics

  • In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov and his four brothers organized the coup d’etat that overthrew the husband of Catherine II the Great, Empress of All Russia, and gave her the throne of the Russian Empire.

Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov was the second of the five surviving sons of Grigory Ivanovich Orlov and Lukerya Ivanovna Zinovieva. He was born on October 17, 1734, at his father’s estate in the village of Lyutkino of the Bezhetsky Uyezd in the Tver Governorate in the European part of the Russian Empire. His father Grigory Ivanovich Orlov served in the Russian army and attained the rank of Major-General. After he retired from the army, Grigory Ivanovich was appointed Governor of Novgorod with the rank of State Councilor.

Grigory Grigoryevich had one older brother and four younger brothers, Collectively, they were known as the Orlov Brothers:

  • Ivan Grigorievich Orlov (1733-1791), married Elizaveta Fyodorovna Rtishcheva, no children
  • Alexei Grigorievich Orlov (1737-1808), married Evdokia Nikolaevna Lopukhina, had one son and one daughter
  • Fedor Grigorievich Orlov (1741-1796), unmarried, had six illegitimate six sons and two illegitimate daughters, later legitimized by Empress Catherine II
  • Mikhail Grigorievich Orlov (born1742), died in infancy
  • Vladimir Grigorievich Orlov (1743-1831), married Elizaveta Ivanovna Stackelberg, had two sons and four daughters

Grigory Grigoryevich was raised in Moscow where he was educated at home. In 1749, as a 15-year-old, he enlisted in the Semyonovsky Lifeguard Regiment. By 1757, he was an officer and took part in the Seven Years’ War. He refused to leave the battlefield at the Battle of Zorndorf after being wounded three times which gained much respect from his fellow soldiers. In 1759, he was transferred to St. Petersburg where he joined the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Grigory’s transfer to the Preobrazhensky Regiment increased his popularity in St. Petersburg society. His good looks and physical qualities attracted the attention of Grand Duchess Ekaterina (Catherine) Alexeievna.

Grand Duchess Ekaterina (Catherine) Alexeievna, born Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Ekaterina (Catherine) Alexeievna, born Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst, was the wife of Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (the future Peter III, Emperor of All Russia), the heir to the Russian throne. Peter’s maternal aunt Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia, the daughter of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia, was unmarried. Peter had been born Prince Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, the son of Karl Friedrich, reigning Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, the elder of the two surviving daughters of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. Peter’s mother died at the age of 20, three months after his birth. His father died when Peter was eleven-years-old and he became the reigning Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Three years later, in 1742, Peter’s life dramatically changed when his unmarried maternal aunt, his mother’s younger sister, Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia, declared him her heir and brought him to St. Petersburg, Russia.

Peter and Catherine’s marriage was not happy, and both had lovers. In 1754, Catherine had given birth to a son, the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. However, it is quite possible that Paul’s father was not Peter but Catherine’s lover Sergei Saltykov. By 1759, Catherine and Grigory had become lovers but no one told Catherine’s husband Peter. In the summer of 1761, Catherine became pregnant with Grigory’s child and concealed her pregnancy from her husband.

Grigory and Catherine’s son Alexei Grigoryevich Bobrinsky; Credit – Wikipedia

During Catherine’s pregnancy, Empress Elizabeth suffered a massive stroke and died on January 5, 1762. Her nephew and Catherine’s husband became Peter III, Emperor of All Russia, and Catherine became the Empress Consort. Catherine gave birth to a son on April 22, 1762, at the Summer Palace in St. Petersburg. Immediately after the birth, the child, named Alexei Grigoryevich Bobrinsky was given to Catherine’s wardrobe master Vasily Grigorievich Shkurin to be raised with his family.

Catherine and Peter; Credit – Wikipedia

Peter was unpopular and few were looking forward to his reign. After he became Emperor of All Russia, Peter did little to win the support of Empress Elizabeth’s friends and courtiers. His foreign policy also did little to win supporters. The last straw for Peter may have been how he treated the Russian army. Peter abolished “the guard within the guard”, a group within the Preobrazhensky Regiment, created by Empress Elizabeth as her personal guard in remembrance for their support in the coup which brought her to the throne. He replaced “the guard within the guard” with his own Holstein guard and often spoke about their superiority over the Russian army.

A conspiracy to overthrow Peter and place Catherine on the throne was planned and centered around the five Orlov brothers, with Grigory, Catherine’s lover, and Alexei being the main conspirators. On July 9, 1762 (June 29 in Old Style, the feast day of St. Peter and Paul), at Peterhof, a celebration on the occasion of Peter’s name day was planned. It was no coincidence that the conspirators chose this time for their attack. The day before, Peter was to travel from Oranienbaum to Peterhof. The brothers Alexei Orlov and Grigory Orlov made preparations during the weeks before the planned celebration. With threats and bribes of vodka and money, the Orlov brothers set up the guards against Peter.

Alexei and Grigory Orlov in the 1770s; Credit – Wikipedia

Peter was late leaving Oranienbaum due to a hangover and his daily habit of reviewing his Holstein troops. He was to meet Catherine at Peterhof but she was not there when he arrived. Eventually, Peter and the few advisers he had with him began to suspect what was happening. Peter sent members of his entourage to St. Petersburg to find out what was happening but none returned. He learned that Catherine had proclaimed herself Catherine II, Empress of All Russia, and that the senior government officials, the clergy, and all the Guards supported her.

Peter ordered his Holstein guards to take up defensive positions at Peterhof. They did so but were afraid to tell Peter they had no cannonballs to fire. Peter thought about fleeing but was told no horses were available because his entourage had all arrived in carriages. Learning that Catherine and the Guards were approaching Peterhof, Peter made a desperate decision to sail to Kronstadt, a fortress on an island. Upon arrival, Peter was refused admittance because all those in the fortress had sworn allegiance to Catherine. Peter rejected the advice of his advisors to go to the Prussian army and returned to Oranienbaum.

Peter and his Holstein guards were behind the gates at Oranienbaum when Alexei Orlov and his men surrounded Oranienbaum. Peter sent a message that he would renounce the throne if he, his mistress, and his favorite Russian general were allowed to go to Holstein. Catherine sent Grigori Orlov and a Russian general to Oranienbaum insisting that Peter must write out a formal announcement of abdication in his own handwriting. Grigori Orlov was to deal with the abdication and the general was to lure Peter out of Oranienbaum and back to Peterhof to prevent any bloodshed. Grigori Orlov rode back to Peterhof with the signed abdication announcement and the general convinced Peter to go to Peterhof and beg Catherine for mercy. Upon arrival at Peterhof, Peter was arrested and taken by Alexei Orlov to Ropsha Palace, a country estate outside of St. Petersburg.

Catherine had to deal with the same dilemma that Empress Elizabeth had to deal with regarding Ivan VI who she had deposed – keeping a former emperor around was a threat to her throne. Catherine intended to send Peter to Shlisselburg Fortress where Ivan VI, who had been deposed in 1741 as an infant, was still imprisoned. However, Catherine did not have to deal with a living deposed emperor for long.

One thing was certain – Peter was dead. He died at the age of 34 on July 17, 1762, at Ropsha Palace. What is uncertain is how he died. In the early afternoon of July 17, 1762, Peter was invited to dine with Alexei Orlov and Prince Feodor Baryatinsky, one of the officers of his guards. At 6:00 PM, a rider from Ropsha Palace reached St. Petersburg with a letter from Alexei Orlov for Catherine. Orlov wrote: “At dinner he [Peter] started quarreling and struggling with Prince Baryatinsky at the table. Before we could separate them, he was dead. We ourselves know not what we did. But we are equally guilty and deserve to die.”

Whether Peter’s death was planned or the result of an accidental drunken altercation is unknown. Catherine certainly benefitted from Peter’s death, which happened in the presence of Grigory Orlov, one of her key allies, and his men. The Orlov brothers and the officers guarding Peter hated him. They would have known that they were doing the new empress a favor. The official cause of Peter’s death was “a severe attack of hemorrhoidal colic.”

On the day of Catherine II’s accession to the throne, Captain Grigory Orlov was promoted to Major General, given the title of Acting Chamberlain, and received the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and a sword richly decorated with diamonds. On October 3, 1762, the day of Catherine’s coronation, Major General Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed Catherine’s Adjutant General. In addition, Grigori and all his brothers and their descendants were given the title of Count of the Russian Empire.

Gatchina Palace; Credit – By Usadboved – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62884978

In 1765, Catherine purchased a small manor south of Saint Petersburg from Gatchina Manor and presented it to Grigory as gratitude for his role in the coup d’etat that brought Catherine to the throne. Catherine and Orlov commissioned a new palace to be designed by Antonio Rinaldi. Gatchina Palace was finally completed in 1781, almost 15 years after construction began, and Grigory died two years later in 1783. Catherine had taken a great liking to Gatchina Palace and bought it from Grigory’s heirs and presented it to her son Grand Duke Paul Petrovich, the future Emperor Paul I. Thereafter, Gatchina Palace remained popular with the Russian Imperial Family.

Grigory never distinguished himself as a statesman but acted as a private adviser during the early years of Catherine’s reign. He was particularly interested in improving the conditions of serfs and their partial emancipation. Meanwhile, Orlov’s enemies, led by Nikita Panin, a statesman and political mentor to Catherine, attempted to break up the relationship between Orlov and Catherine. They informed Catherine that Grigory had been unfaithful to her.  A handsome young officer, Alexander Vasilchikov, was installed as Catherine’s new lover and Grigory was made to leave the court.

The Orlov Diamond in the Imperial Sceptre of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

In an attempt to restore himself to Catherine’s affections, Grigory presented her with one of the greatest diamonds in the world, known ever since as the Orlov Diamond.  Catherine accepted the magnificent diamond and had it encrusted into the Imperial Sceptre of Russia. However, when Grigory returned to court and went, without permission, to his Marble Palace in Saint Petersburg, Orlov found another favorite, the younger Grigory Potemkin, had replaced him. Lacking a role at court, Grigori went to Switzerland for several years. In 1777, at the age of 43, Grigory married his 18-year-old second cousin Catherine Zinovyeva but they had no children. His young wife died of tuberculosis in 1781, at the age of 23, in Lausanne, Switzerland where she was buried.

Orthodox Church of St. George Monastery, the burial site of Grigory Orlov; Credit – Par Mysquarehead — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43159066

Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov died at Neskuchnoe, his estate near Moscow, on April 24, 1783, at the age of 48. He was buried at the Orthodox Church of St. George Monastery (link in French) in Velikiy Novgorod, Russia. Grigory’s immense fortune was left to his son with Catherine, Count Alexei Grigoryevich Bobrinsky, who had been created a Count by his half-brother Emperor Paul I.

In 1796, Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia died and her son succeeded to the throne as Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. Now as the Emperor of All Russia, Paul sought revenge for the deposed and disgraced Peter III and the coup d’etat of his mother Catherine II and the Orlov brothers.  On July 19, 1762, Peter had been buried without honors in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg. In 1796, immediately after the death of Catherine II, on the orders of her son and successor Paul I, Peter’s remains were transferred first to the church in the Winter Palace and then to the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the burial site of the Romanovs. 60-year-old Alexei Orlov was made to walk in the funeral cortege, holding the Imperial Crown as he walked in front of the coffin. Peter III was reburied in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg at the same time as the burial of his wife Catherine II. Peter III had never been crowned so at the time of his reburial, Paul I personally performed the ritual of coronation of his Peter’s remains.

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. Grigory Orlov. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigory_Orlov> [Accessed 10 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Catherine II (The Great), Empress Of All Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/empress-catherine-ii-the-great-of-russia/> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Peter III, Emperor Of All Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emperor-peter-iii-of-russia/> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
  • Lincoln, W. Bruce. (1981). The Romanovs: Autocrats of  All the Russias. New York, NY.: Doubleday
  • Massie, Robert, (2016). Catherine the Great. London: Head of Zeus.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Орлов, Григорий Григорьевич. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9E%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%93%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%93%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%8C%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87> [Accessed 10 July 2020].

Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei; Credit – Wikipedia

Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah of Bahrain was born on February 17, 1974, at the Darul Hana Palace in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. He is the elder of the two sons and the third of the six children of first cousins Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei and his first wife Princess Saleha of Bahrain.

Al-Muhtadee Billah has one brother and four sisters:

  • Princess Rashidah (born 1969), married Prince Haji ‘Abdul Rahim
  • Princess Muta-Wakkilah (born 1971), unmarried
  • Princess Majeedah (born 1976), married Prince Khairul Khalil
  • Princess Hafizah (born 1980), married Prince Haji Mohammad Ruzaini
  • Prince Abdul Malik (born 1983), married Princess Raabi’atul A’dawiyyah Binti Pengiran Haji Bolkiah

Al-Muhtadee Billah has four half-siblings from his father’s marriage (divorced 2003) to Mariam Abdul Aziz, a former flight attendant for Royal Brunei Airlines:

Al-Muhtadee Billah has two half-siblings from his father’s marriage (divorced 2010) to Azrinaz Mazhar Hakim, a former Malaysian TV3 presenter:

  • Prince Abdul Wakeel (born 2006)
  • Princess Ameerah Wardatul (born 2008)

Al-Muhtadee Billah received his early education at the Darul Hana Palace. He completed his primary education at St. Andrew’s School, a private school in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. He then attended the Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College, a selective government secondary school in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. He completed his secondary education at Emanuel School, an independent, coeducational day school in Battersea, London, England. Al-Muhtadee Billah began his university studies with tutorials at the University of Brunei Darussalam and then studied at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies in Oxford, England. He remained in Oxford and attended the University of Oxford‘s Foreign Service Programme at Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating in 1997 with a Diploma in Diplomatics Studies.

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Crown Prince’s Proclamation: The Sultan of Brunei inserts the Keris Si Naga into his son’s waistband

On August 10, 1998, Al-Muhtadee Billah was proclaimed Crown Prince of Brunei. His father Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei presented his eldest son with the Keris Si Naga, a golden dagger gold in the shape of a cobra (naga) with ruby ​​eyes on the handle. It is also known as the Dragon’s Dagger and symbolizes the authority of the Sultans of Brunei. Its possession is necessary for a successor to claim the throne and for his coronation. As Crown Prince, Al-Muhtadee Billah acts as Deputy Sultan when his father is out of the country and holds several positions:

  • Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office
  • General in the Brunei Armed Forces
  • Deputy Inspector General of the Royal Brunei Police Force
  • Head of the National Disaster Management Committee

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On September 9, 2004, at the Nurul Iman Palace, the largest residential palace in the world and the largest single-family residence ever built, in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, 30-year-old Crown Prince, Al-Muhtadee Billah married 17-year-old Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman. Two weeks of pre-nuptial celebrations preceded the three days of ceremonies concluding with a traditional Islamic wedding ceremony. After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds were driven through the streets of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, in a golden Rolls-Royce followed by 103 limousines, with a marching band leading the procession. The price tag for the wedding festivities was five million dollars.

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Sarah’s father was descended in the male line of a Sultan of Brunei and used the title Pengiran. Sarah’s title Dayangku is used for unmarried daughters of a Pengiran and retained after marriage if the husband is a commoner. Sarah is the only daughter of Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman Pengiran Damit and Dayang Rinawaty Abdullah. Her father worked as a laboratory assistant and her mother, born in Switzerland as Suzanne Aeby, worked as a nurse. They met while attending school in the United Kingdom. Sarah attended St. Andrew’s School in Bandar Seri Begawan and Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College, schools her husband has also attended. At the time of her marriage, Sarah was still a student at Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Science College and she completed her studies after her marriage. After her marriage, Sarah was referred to by state media and English language publications in Brunei as the wife of the Crown Prince, but not Crown Princess. The style Pengiran Anak Isteri is given to wives of princes.

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The Duke of Gloucester was among the many guests at the wedding

Guests at the wedding included Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester representing his cousin Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Prince Bandar and Prince Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia, King Hamad of Bahrain and other Malaysian sultans. The wedding was also attended by heads of state and government from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Al-Muhtadee Billah and Sarah with their two eldest children; Credit – https://www.bn.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/20161024.html

Al-Muhtadee Billah and his wife Sarah have four children:

  • Prince Abdul Muntaqim (born 2007)
  • Princess Muneerah Madhul Bolkiah (born 2011)
  • Prince Muhammad Aiman (born 2015)
  • Princess Faathimah Az-Zahraa’ Raihaanul Bolkiah (born 2017)
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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, now King and Queen of the United Kingdom, are accompanied by the Crown Prince of Brunei and his wife Sarah upon arriving in Brunei in 2017

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. Al-Muhtadee Billah. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Muhtadee_Billah> [Accessed 13 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sarah, Crown Princess Of Brunei. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah,_Crown_Princess_of_Brunei> [Accessed 13 August 2020].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2014. Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan And Yang Di-Pertuan Of Brunei. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/hassanal-bolkiah-sultan-and-yang-di-pertuan-of-brunei/> [Accessed 13 August 2020].
  • Ms.wikipedia.org. 2020. Pengiran Muda Mahkota Al-Muhtadee Billah. [online] Available at: <https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pengiran_Muda_Mahkota_Al-Muhtadee_Billah> [Accessed 13 August 2020].
  • The Independent. 2004. The $5M Royal Wedding. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-5m-royal-wedding-5351560.html> [Accessed 13 August 2020].

Omar Ali Saifuddien III, Sultan of Brunei

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Omar Ali Saifuddien III, Sultan of Brunei; Credit – Wikipedia

Omar Ali Saifuddien III, Sultan of Brunei was born at the Istana Kota in Kampong Sultan Lama, Brunei Town (now Bandar Seri Begawan), Brunei on September 23, 1914, one of the ten children of Muhammad Jamalul Alam II, Sultan of Brunei and his two wives, Fatimah binti Pengiran Tua Omar Ali (died 1947) and Tengah (died 1924). For some of Omar’s siblings, it is unclear which wife is their mother, and when they were born and died. It is thought that Omar’s mother was Fatimah.

Omar’s five brothers:

  • Bongsu (1908 – 1910)
  • Ahmad Tajuddin, Sultan of Brunei, son of Fatimah (1913 – 1950)
  • Anum, son of Tengah (? – 1924)
  • Gambar, son of Tengah (? – 1924)
  • Bagol (? – 1945) died during the Japanese occupation of Brunei

Omar’s four sisters:

  • Besar, daughter of Fatimah (1902 – 1993)
  • Tengah (1910 – 1969)
  • Damit (1911 – ?)
  • Tinggal

Omar’s father Muhammad Jamalul Alam II, Sultan of Brunei died on September 11, 1924, at the age of 35 during a malaria outbreak along with his wife Tengah and two of his sons. Omar’s surviving elder brother eleven-year-old Ahmad Tajuddin became the Sultan of Brunei. Brunei was part of the British protectorate North Borneo and Sir Roland Evelyn Turnbull, a British colonial official and Governor of British North Borneo, was a mentor to Omar while he was growing up. Omar came to regard Sir Roland as a replacement for his father who had died when Omar was ten-years-old. It was Sir Roland who suggested that Omar enroll at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar in Perak, British Malaya (now in Malaysia) which Omar attended from 1932 – 1936. Omar was the first Sultan of Brunei to attend a foreign educational institution.

After graduating from college, Omar had several jobs that gave him valuable experience. In his position in the Forestry Department in Kuala Belait, he closely worked with people in villages and remote areas and was able to better understand their problems and their needs. When he worked in the Judiciary Department, also in Kuala Belait, he was able to learn about the Criminal and Civil Procedure Code. When working as an administrator in the British Resident’s Office, he studied and perfected his English language skills. After World War II, Omar was appointed a member of the Brunei State Council and chairman of the Shariah Court which deals with Islamic religious law.

Omar married three times:

  • Amin binti Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma, married in 1937, divorced in 1944, no children
  • Princess Damit binti Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara (1924 – 1979), married in 1941 his second cousin, the mother of his ten children (see below)
  • Princess Salhah binti Pengiran Bendahara Seri Maharaja Permaisuara (? – 2011), married in 1980 his second cousin, the sister of his deceased second wife, no children

Sultan Omar and his wife Sultana Damit visiting a British navy ship in the 1960s; Credit – Wikipedia

Omar had four sons and six daughters with his second wife Damit:

Sons:

  • Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei (born 1946), married (1) married 1965 his paternal first cousin Princess Saleha binti Al-Marhum , Sultanah of Brunei (born 1946), had six children (2) married 1982 Mariam Abdul Aziz, had three children, divorced in 2003 (3) married 2005 Azrinaz Mazhar, had two children, divorced 2010
  • Prince Mohammed (born 1948), married his first cousin Princess Zariah binti Al-Marhum, had ten children
  • Prince Sufri (born 1951), married (1) Princess Salma binti Pengiran Anak Muhammad Salleh, had three children, divorced (2) Ruhaizah binti Ibrahim, had one child (3) Mazuin binti Hamzah, had two children, divorced (4) Princess Faizah binti Dato Haji Nasir, had four children, divorced
  • Prince Jefri (born 1954), married (1) Princess Norhayati binti Pengiran Jaya Negara, had three children (2) Fatimah binti Abdullah, no children (3) Ayen Munji, one child, divorced (4) Jefrida binti Mohammed, one child (4) Salma binti Abdullah, one child

Daughters:

  • Princess Masna (born 1948), married (1) Prince ‘Abdu’l Rahman, no children, divorced (2) Prince Laila Cheteria Sahib ul-Najabah, had five children
  • Princess Nor’ain (born 1950), married Pangiran Maharaja Laila Sahib ul-Kahar Pangiran Anak Haji Muhammad Yusuf, had eight children
  • Princess ‘Umi Kalthum al-Islam (born 1956), married Prince Indira Setia di-Raja Sahib ul-Karib Pangiran Anak Haji Idris, had five children
  • Princess Rakiah (born 1957), married PrincIndira Negara Pangiran Anak Tahir ud-din, had two children
  • Princess Nasibah (born 1960), married Prince Negara Indira Pangiran Dato Laila Utama Haji Kamar ul-Zaman, had two sons
    Princess Jefriah (born 1963), married Prince Muhammad Bey Muntassir, had five children
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Omar Ali Saifuddien III, Sultan of Brunei, arriving for an audience with Queen Elizabeth II in London, November 6, 1957

Omar’s brother, Ahmad Tajuddin, Sultan of Brunei died on June 3, 1950. Because his brother had no male heirs, Omar succeeded to the throne of Brunei. In 1959, a constitution went into effect that gave Brunei self-government with the power to rule the domestic affairs of the country in the hands of the Sultan of Brunei, an important step toward complete independence from the United Kingdom, which would come in 1984.

On October 4, 1967, Omar voluntarily abdicated in favor of his eldest son Hassanal Bolkiah but he still wielded most of the power in Brunei for a number of years. At the coronation of his son, Omar placed the crown upon Hassanal Bolkiah’s head. Omar became his son’s personal adviser and guided him in carrying out the duties as the Sultan in preparation for the time Brunei would eventually become an independent and sovereign country.

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Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, now King of the United Kingdom, visits Brunei to officially confer independence on the nation, speaking to Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the former Sultan of Brunei, 1984

At the stroke of midnight on December 31, 1983, Brunei became an independent country. Omar was appointed by his son Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah to be Minister of Defence in Brunei’s first cabinet and received the rank of Field Marshal in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

Omar Ali Saifuddien III, the former Sultan of Brunei died at the Istana Darussalam in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei on September 7, 1986, two weeks before his 72nd birthday. A state funeral was held on September 8, 1986, attended by many world leaders. His body lay in state at the Lapau, the ceremonial hall where the royal ceremonies of Brunei are traditionally held, in the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan before being moved to nearby Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque for the funeral. His casket draped with his royal standard flag was placed on a carriage for the funeral procession around the capital city. Sultan Omar was buried in the Kubah Makam Diraja Brunei, the Royal Mausoleum in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei in the main dome alongside the three previous Sultans of Brunei: his grandfather Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin, his father Muhammad Jamalul Alam II and his eldest brother and predecessor Ahmad Tajuddin.

Tomb of Omar Ali Saifuddien III, Sultan of Brunei; 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. Omar Ali Saifuddien III. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omar_Ali_Saifuddien_III> [Accessed 10 August 2020].
  • Ms.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien. [online] Available at: <https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Haji_Omar_%27Ali_Saifuddien_Sa%27adul_Khairi_Waddien> [Accessed 10 August 2020].
  • Royalark.net. 2020. Brunei Royal Genealogy. [online] Available at: <https://www.royalark.net/Brunei/brunei12.htm> [Accessed 10 August 2020].

Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Oman

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

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Born on August 13, 1910, in Muscat, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, now in the Sultanate of Oman, Said bin Taimur, Sultan of Oman was the eldest child of Taimur bin Feisal, Sultan of Muscat and Oman (1886 – 1965) and the first of his six wives, Sheikha Fatima bint ‘Ali Al-Sa’id (1891 – 1967).

Said’s father Taimur was married to six women and had five sons and one daughter, therefore Said had five half-siblings:

Wife 2: Unknown woman from Yemen:

  • Prince Majid bin Taimur al-Said (1912 – ?)

Wife 3: Unknown slave from the Dhofar

  • Prince Fahr bin Taimur al-Said (1920 – 1996)

Wife 4: Kamila Khanum, later took the name Madame Kamile lgiray, divorced

Prince Tarik bin Taimur al-Said (1921 – ?)

Wife 5: Kiyoko Oyama (1916 – 1939, divorced

  • Princess Buthainah bint Taimur Al Said (1937 – ?)

Wife 6: Sayyida Nafisa Bundukji, divorced

  • Prince Shabib bin Taimur al-Said (1943 – ?)

Said was first educated at home. However, his father was strongly against his children learning the ways of the Western world and speaking English. When Said and his brother Majid were found with an English primer, a first textbook for teaching reading, their father ordered all their books to be burned. At the age of twelve, Said was sent to Ajmer, Rajputana, India to attend Mayo College, a boys-only independent boarding school. Said became proficient in both Urdu and English despite his father’s feelings about English. After Said finished his education at Mayo College, advisers suggested to his father that Said continue his education in Beirut, Lebanon. His father feared Said would be influenced by the Christian element in Lebanon. Instead, he was sent to Baghdad, Iraq to study Arabic literature and history for a year.

In 1932, Said’s father, Taimur bin Feisal, abdicated. He had little desire for life in Muscat, or anywhere else in Oman. Afterward, the former Sultan lived in exile in India where he died in Bombay in 1965. The new 21-year-old Sultan of Oman inherited a country heavily in debt to the United Kingdom and India. To break away from the United Kingdom (Oman had become a British protectorate in 1891) and maintain autonomy, Oman needed to regain economic independence. During his reign, Said maintained close oversight of Oman’s budget.

Sheikha Mazoon Said’s second wife; Credit – https://alchetron.com/Mazoon-al-Mashani

Said had two wives who were cousins, his first wife Sheikha Fatima bint Ali al-Mashani and his second wife (married 1936) Sheikha Mazoon bint Ahmed al-Mashani (1925 – 1992). Some serious issues arose during Said’s second marriage. The wedding was interrupted because the bride’s Al-Mashani tribe thought that the bride price was not high enough so they kidnapped Sheikha Mazoon and brought her into the mountains. Another tribe, the Tabook tribe, rode after the kidnappers in pursuit. They succeeded in stopping the kidnappers and forced them to return the kidnapped Sheikha Mazoon.

Sultan Said with his son, the future Sultan Qaboos; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/544794886157722438/

Said had no children with his first wife but he had one son and two daughters with his second wife:

Oil wealth would have allowed Said to modernize his country. However, his policies were extremely conservative and he opposed any modernization so Oman was isolated from the outside world. He achieved Oman’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1951.

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Sultan Said with British Lord Privy Seal Edward Heath at the Foreign Office, London, August 1961

During the 1950s, there were several confrontations between Said’s regime and religious leader Ibadi Imam Ghalib bin Ali, whose revolt in Jebel Akhdar was suppressed in 1955 with British help. In 1964, when Said’s son Qaboos returned from his educational studies in the United Kingdom at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and a year of service in the British Army, Said placed Qaboos under house arrest. In 1965, the Dhofar Rebellion broke out resulting in an assassination attempt on Said in 1966 by Dhofari rebels. On July 23, 1970, Said was overthrown in a coup d’etat led by the supporters of his son Qaboos who became the Sultan of Qaboos.

Said bin Taimur, former Sultan of Oman lived out the rest of his life in exile in the United Kingdom. He lived the last two years at the Dorchester Hotel in London, where he died on October 19, 1972, at the age of 62. Said was originally buried at Brookwood Cemetery in Woking, Surrey, England. His remains were eventually transported back to Oman, and he was buried in the Royal Cemetery in Muscat, Oman.

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

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. سعيد بن تيمور. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%AA%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B1> [Accessed 12 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mazoon Al-Mashani. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazoon_al-Mashani> [Accessed 12 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Said Bin Taimur. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Said_bin_Taimur> [Accessed 12 August 2020].
  • Royalark.net. 2020. Oman Genealogy. [online] Available at: <https://www.royalark.net/Oman/oman9.htm> [Accessed 12 August 2020].

Count Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov, Lover of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

  • Patronymics: In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Count Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov was the first lover of the future Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia, and possibly the father of her son Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. Born in 1726, Sergei was the son of Vasily Fedorovich Saltykov and Princess Marya Alexeievna Golitsyna. The Saltykovs were an old Boyar (noble) family as were the Romanovs originally. The later Saltykovs were descended from Tatiana Feodorovna Romanova, a sister of Michael, the first Romanov Tsar. The mother of Anna I, Empress of All Russia (reigned 1730 – 1740) was Praskovia Feodorovna Saltykova, the wife of Ivan V, Tsar of All Russia (reigned 1682 – 1696). During the reign of Anna I, she depended on her Saltykov relatives and Sergei’s father Vasily Fedorovich Saltykov served in various positions. In 1741, Vasily Fedorovich took part in the coup that put the only surviving child of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of all Russia (reigned 1682 – 1725), Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia (reigned 1741 – 1762), on the throne.

Sergei had seven siblings:

  • Agrafena Vasilievna Saltykova (1709 – 1762), married Prince Alexei Dmitrievich Golitsyn, had four children
  • Alexei Vasilievich Saltykov (?), died young
  • Peter Vasilievich Saltykov (1724 – after 1796), married Princess Maria Fedorovna Solntseva-Zasekina
  • Maria Vasilievna Saltykova (1728 – 1792), married Adam Vasilievich Olsufiev, had seven children
  • Anna Vasilievna Saltykova (1729 – 1799), married Prince Matvey Alekseevich Gagarin, no children
  • Alexander Vasilievich Saltykov (died 1803)
  • Ekaterina Vasilievna Saltykova (1732 – 1774), married Peter Ivanovich Izmailov, had two children

Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth, Empress of Russia had never married and now that she was Empress of Russia, she needed an heir. On November 18, 1742, Empress Elizabeth named Karl Peter Ulrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (the future Peter III, Emperor of All Russia), the 14-year-old son of her deceased younger sister Anna Petrovna, as her successor. Elizabeth’s nephew converted to Russian Orthodoxy and was given the name and title Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich. It was important to Elizabeth that Peter marry so that the Romanov dynasty could be continued. Elizabeth arranged for Peter to marry his second cousin, Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, later Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia. Sophie converted to Russian Orthodoxy, was given the title Grand Duchess and the name Ekaterina (Catherine) Alexeievna, and married Peter on August 21, 1745. Later in the evening of their wedding day, Catherine and Peter were taken to their bedchamber and put to bed. The marriage was not consummated that night and many historians doubt that the marriage was ever consummated.

Peter and Catherine’s marriage was not a happy one. Peter took Elizabeth Romanovna Vorontsova as his mistress and Catherine had affairs. Catherine’s first affair was with Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov. Because Sergei’s father was a supporter of Empress Elizabeth, and because of Sergei’s personal qualities, he had a prominent place in court life as Peter’s Chamberlain. Sergei became the person closest to both Peter and Catherine.

Peter and Catherine; Credit – Wikipedia

Sergei had observed how Catherine was ignored by Peter and how bored she was with the court. The rumors that Catherine was still a virgin encouraged him even more to pursue a relationship, and so he did. Sergei made sure he saw Catherine every day and that he was constantly by her side. Sometime in August or September 1752, the affair between Sergei and Catherine started. However, once their affair, Sergei worried that Catherine could become pregnant when she was thought to be a virgin.

Around the same time, Empress Elizabeth realized that the marriage of Peter and Catherine had never been consummated. It was suggested to her that Peter become acquainted with an attractive sexually experienced woman who was his social inferior. Madame Groot, the widow of a court painter was given the assignment and was successful in acquainting Peter with the mechanisms of sex. Thereafter, if Catherine became pregnant, no one could say for sure that Sergei was the father.

The future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Catherine did become pregnant and on October 1, 1754, a son was born, the future Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. Empress Elizabeth was overjoyed that there was an heir. Of course, Empress Elizabeth knew that Sergei could be Paul’s father but she did not care. To get Sergei out of the way, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Swedish court to deliver the official announcement of Paul’s birth. Catherine wrote: “This meant that I was immediately going to be separated from the one person I cared about the most.”

Sergei was away in Sweden for five months. Soon after he returned to St. Petersburg, Sergei learned that he was to be sent to Hamburg as the resident Russian minister and so his separation from Catherine would be permanent. He was glad the affair was over and that he was no longer engaged in a dangerous liaison. Sergei spent the subsequent years of his known life at various European courts. After 1764, there is no mention of Sergei Saltykov, who would have been 38, in official records. Some sources have his death occurring in 1765. Other sources say that he left for France and went missing there during the French Revolution. Another story says he lived until the reign of Paul and then he died in 1807.

In her memoirs, Catherine strongly implied that Sergei Saltykov was the biological father of her son Paul and that her marriage with Peter had never been consummated. However, Paul greatly resembled Peter in both character and appearance. Catherine, in her memoirs, countered with the well-known “ugliness” of Sergei’s brother Peter. If Paul I, Emperor of All Russias was the son of Sergei Saltykov, then all subsequent Romanovs were not genetically Romanovs.

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

  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Catherine II (The Great), Empress Of All Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/empress-catherine-ii-the-great-of-russia/> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Peter III, Emperor Of All Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emperor-peter-iii-of-russia/> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
  • Lincoln, W. Bruce. (1981). The Romanovs: Autocrats of  All the Russias. New York, NY.: Doubleday
  • Massie, Robert, (2016). Catherine the Great. London: Head of Zeus.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Салтыков, Сергей Васильевич. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%82%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2,_%D0%A1%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%B9_%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87> [Accessed 9 July 2020].

Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, Dragon Prince of Bhutan

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, on the left, with his family; Credit – Facebook page of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, Druk Gyalsey (Dragon Prince) of Bhutan was born on February 5, 2016, at the Lingkana Palace in Thimphu, Bhutan. He is the elder of the two sons of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan and Jetsun Pema, Queen of Bhutan. Jigme Namgyel is the heir apparent to the throne of Bhutan. Before his birth, his paternal uncle Prince Jigyel Ugyen of Bhutan was the heir presumptive.

In honor of Jigme Namgyel’s birth, all 82,000 households in Bhutan planted a tree and volunteers planted another 26,000 in various districts around the country, for a total of 108,000 trees.

Volunteers plant trees in honor of the new prince’s birth; Credit – EcoWatch

As is customary in Bhutan, the Crown Prince’s name was not announced until a special Buddhist naming ceremony was held. The naming ceremony was held on April 16, 2016, Zhabdrung Kuchoe, Bhutan’s national day of celebration, at the Punakha Dzong, a 17th-century palace housing the relics of a famous Buddhist master in Punakha, the administrative capital of the Punakha district, one of the 20 districts within Bhutan. The national day marks the anniversary of the death in 1651 of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the unifier of Bhutan as a nation. On this day, the people of Bhutan visit local temples and offer gifts to the gods.

The King and Queen arrive for the naming ceremony with the infant Crown Prince; Credit – His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Facebook Page

On the day of the ceremony, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema prayed at a Buddhist monastery in Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, before driving to Punakha.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel giving his speech; Credit – His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Facebook Page

At the public ceremony, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel explained the meaning behind his son’s names in a special speech. An English translation of the speech was posted on his official Facebook page:

“Jigme means fearless. It symbolizes great courage to overcome any challenge that he may confront in the future as he serves our country.

Namgyel means victorious in all directions and victory over all obstacles. It is a name taken from the revered Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, who enabled the Dharma to flourish in all directions as prophesied by Guru Rinpoche.

Wangchuck is the name of the royal lineage and dynasty. (Note: In Bhutan, only members of the royal family have traditional surnames.)

When the time comes for Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck to serve his country, he must always place the concerns of his country above all else and serve his people justly with great love and dedication. It will be his sacred responsibility to build a harmonious and just society, and thereby, fulfill all the aspirations of his people. He must live such a life as a good human being and serve his country in a manner that it will be exemplary and worthy of emulation.”

Jigme Namgyel has one younger brother and one younger sister:

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

  • DW.COM. 2016. Bhutan Names New Crown Prince Jigme Namgyal Wangchuck | DW | 16.04.2016. [online] Available at: <https://www.dw.com/en/bhutan-names-new-crown-prince-jigme-namgyal-wangchuck/a-19192920> [Accessed 7 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigme_Namgyel_Wangchuck> [Accessed 7 August 2020].
  • HELLO!. 2016. The Newborn Prince Of Bhutan Will Get His Name In April. [online] Available at: <https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2016030968997/prince-of-bhutan-to-be-named-in-april/> [Accessed 7 August 2020].
  • Kuenselonline.com. 2016. His Royal Highness The Gyalsey Is Born – Kuenselonline. [online] Available at: <https://kuenselonline.com/his-royal-highness-the-gyalsey-is-born-2/> [Accessed 7 August 2020].
  • PEOPLE.com. 2016. Bhutan’s Dragon Prince Has A Name, King Jigme And Queen Jetsun Announce. [online] Available at: <https://people.com/royals/bhutans-dragon-prince-has-a-name-king-jigme-and-queen-jetsun-announce/> [Accessed 7 August 2020].

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on October 21, 1969, in Riffa, Bahrain. He is the eldest of the twelve children of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, who has four wives, and the eldest of the four children and the eldest of the three sons of King Hamad and his first wife and his first cousin, Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa.

Salman has two brothers and one sister:

  • Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (born 1975), married
  • Hessa bint Salman al Khalid Al Khalifa, had two sons and two daughters
  • Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1977)
  • Sheikha Najla bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1981)

Salman has two half-brothers from his father’s second wife Sheia bint Hassan Al Khrayyesh Al Ajmi:

  • Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1987), married Shaikha bint Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, daughter of the Emir of Dubai, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, had one daughter and three sons
  • Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1989), married (1) Princess Sahab bint Abdullah Al Saud, daughter of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, had two sons, divorced (2) Sheikha Hessa bint Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalif, had one daughter (3) Nouf Al Ajmi

Salman has one half-brother and two half-sisters from his father’s third wife Hessa bint Faisal Muhammad Shreim Al-Marri:

  • Sheikh Faisal bin Hamad Al Khalifa (1991 – 2006), unmarried, died in a car accident
  • Sheikha Noura bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1993)
  • Sheikha Munira bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 1990)

Salman has one half-brother and two half-sisters from his father’s fourth wife Binh bint Jabr Al-Nuaimi:

  • Sheikh Sultan bin Hamad Al Khalifa
  • Sheikha Hessa bint Hamad Al Khalifa married Sheikh Hashim bin Muhammad bin Salman Al Khalifa, had children
  • Sheikha Rima bint Hamad Al Khalifa (born 2002)

Salman attended the Bahrain School, a United States Department of Defense school located in Juffair, Manama, Bahrain. The student body is primarily the children of the United States Navy stationed in Bahrain. However, about half of the students are children of diplomatic personnel, employees of ARAMCO ( the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabi), and wealthy Bahraini citizens. After graduating from the Bahrain School, Hamad attended American University in Washington D.C. where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1992. He then attended Queens’ College, Cambridge in England, receiving a Master of Arts degree in the Philosophy of History in 1994.

Salman served as vice-chairman of the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research from 1992–1995 and then served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1995–1999. In addition, Salman served as Undersecretary of Defence at the Ministry of Defence from 1995–1999.

On March 6, 1999, Salman’s grandfather Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Emir of Bahrain died and his father became Emir of Bahrain. Three days later, Salman was sworn in as Crown Prince of the Emirate of Bahrain. Following a national referendum, Bahrain was declared a constitutional monarchy in 2002, becoming the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Salman’s father Hamad became King of Bahrain.

Embed from Getty Images 
Crown Prince Salman with The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in 2016

In his role as Crown Prince, Salman was appointed to the following positions:

  • Chairman of the Economic Development Board (appointed 2002): formulates and oversees Bahrain’s economic development strategy
  • Deputy Supreme Commander of the Bahrain Defence Force (appointed 2008)
  • First Deputy Prime Minister (appointed 2013)

Salman married Sheikha Hala bint D’aij Al Khalifa, the youngest daughter of D’aij bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Finance & National Economy. Hala was the Honorary President of the Women and Children Information Center and President of the Bahrain Society for Mental Retardation. She also began the “Be Free” campaign to protect children from abuse. On June 10, 2018, the state-run Bahrain News Agency announced Hala’s death. The press release had no details about Hala’s death but it described Hala as the “former wife” of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa so it can be inferred that the couple had divorced.

Salman and Hala had two sons and two daughters:

  • Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 1990), second in the line of succession after his father, educated at Bahrain School, graduated from American University in Washington DC, married Sheikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, has three sons
  • Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 1991), educated at Bahrain School, graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduated from King’s College in London, England, married, has a son and a daughter
  • Fatima Al Danah bint Salman Al Khalifa, attended Riffa Views International School in Al Mazrowiah, Bahrain
  • Al Joud bint Salman Al Khalifa

Salman attending the graduation ceremony of his daughter Sheikha Fatima Al Danah bint Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa from Riffa Views International School in 2017; Credit Website of HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

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

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. سلمان بن حمد آل خليفة. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9> [Accessed 7 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Salman, Crown Prince Of Bahrain. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman,_Crown_Prince_of_Bahrain> [Accessed 7 August 2020].
  • Office of the First Deputy Prime Minister, K., 2020. About His Royal Highness Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa – Office Of The First Deputy Prime Minister, Kingdom Of Bahrain. [online] Fdpm.gov.bh. Available at: <https://www.fdpm.gov.bh/en/biography.html> [Accessed 7 August 2020].
  • Sheikha Hala, Wife of Bahrain’s Crown Prince, Dies. [online] @businessline. Available at: <https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/world/sheikha-hala-wife-of-bahrains-crown-prince-dies/article24127495.ece> [Accessed 7 August 2020].