Alice Perrers, Mistress of Edward III, King of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Detail of Ford Madox Brown’s painting depicting Alice Perrers and King Edward III (see full painting below); Credit – Wikipedia

Alice Perrers is the most famous English royal mistress between King Henry II’s Rosamund de Clifford and King Edward IV’s Jane Shore. Biographical information about Alice Perrers is sketchy but recent research by historians Mark Ormrod and Laura Tompkins has revealed new details about her early life.

Alice Perrers was born around 1340 in London, England. Her family’s surname was Salisbury and they worked as goldsmiths. Janyn Perrers, who would become Alice’s first husband, became an apprentice to the Salisbury family in 1342. Goldsmiths would have been somewhat well-to-do and Alice most likely received an education at home and attended a local girls school.

Janyn Perrers eventually became a full member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths of London. It appears that around 1359, he did some work for the royal court because in a royal writ he is described as “our beloved Janyn Perrers, our jeweler”. There is a possibility that he met King Edward III in his capacity as a goldsmith and jeweler and that Alice may have accompanied him. Around this same time, Alice and Janyn were married. The research shows that Janyn Perrers died sometime between May 19, 1361 and May 18, 1362.

Coronation of Philippa of Hainault; Credit – Wikipedia

Shortly after her husband’s death, Alice became a lady-in-waiting to Philippa of Hainault, the wife of King Edward III. Even if Alice had not previously met Edward III, they certainly became acquainted while she served as a lady-in-waiting. Alice, who was about 24-years-old, gave birth to the first of her three children by Edward III in 1364, when the king was 56-years old.

Alice and Edward III’s children:

Edward III’s relationship with Alice was kept mostly secret until the death of his wife in 1369. After Queen Philippa’s death, Edward III became increasingly dependent upon Alice. While the government was at Westminster Palace and his household was at Windsor Castle, Edward spent much of his time isolated at Havering Palace, Sheen Palace, and Eltham Palace. Alice became his chief advisor. She made sure she put in good words for her ambitious friends. Eventually, Alice and her relationship with the King of England caused much gossip at Westminster and Windsor.

Alice acquired numerous gifts from Edward III, including some of Queen Philippa’s jewelry, and she soon became an extremely wealthy woman. Her fortune was worth more than £20,000, equal to £6,000,000 in today’s money. On Edward’s command, Alice dressed in golden garments and was paraded around London as “The Lady of the Sun”. Courtiers were expected to behave respectfully toward her. This caused great criticism from those at court and eventually from the public. Alice was seen as an ambitious, grasping, calculating, and cold-hearted opportunist who manipulated the elderly, aging King Edward III.

Although Alice had received gifts from the king, her financial success cannot be totally attributed to that. Perhaps it was from having a father and a husband who were successful goldsmiths, but Alice did possess business acumen and did have useful business connections through the court. At the height of her power, Alice controlled 56 manors and castles in England and only fifteen were royal gifts.

Worried about Edward III’s advancing age and that after his death she would no longer have his protection, in November 1375, Alice made a secret marriage to Sir William Windsor, 1st Baron Windsor who was 26 years older than Alice. Because William was the Royal Lieutenant in Ireland, he was often away and this lessened the chance that Edward III would find out about the secret marriage. William and Alice had no children and remained married until William died in 1384.

King Edward III and his eldest son Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Because the English court was perceived by much of the English population to be corrupt, the English Parliament met from April 28 to July 10, 1376, in an effort to reform the Royal Council. The Good Parliament was the name history has assigned to this meeting. Meanwhile, King Edward III’s eldest son and heir, Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, was dying. He summoned to his bedside, his father King Edward III and John of Gaunt, Edward III’s third but second surviving son, and made them swear to recognize his nine-year-old son, the future King Richard II, as Edward III’s successor. Both Edward III and John of Gaunt swore to recognize Richard, and soon after Parliament summoned Richard and acknowledged him as heir to the throne. Edward the Black Prince died on June 8, 1376.

As a result of the Good Parliament’s actions, Richard Lyons, Warden of the Mint, and William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer, Chamberlain of the Household, who were believed to be robbing the treasury, were called before Parliament, impeached, and then imprisoned. Also, King Edward III’s mistress, Alice Perrers, was called to Parliament where she was tried for corruption, banished from England, and her lands were forfeited. Parliament then imposed a new set of councilors on King Edward III. However, by the autumn of 1376, John of Gaunt was working on undoing the Good Parliament’s work. He dismissed the new council and recalled Lyons and Latimer to the Royal Council and Alice Perrers was recalled to court and regained some of her lands.

King Edward III suffered a stroke in May 1377. He died at Sheen Palace in Richmond, England on June 21, 1377, at the age of 64 with his mistress Alice Perrers at his side.

Geoffrey Chaucer reading  at the court of Edward III by Ford Madox Brown, painted 1847–1851;  Alice and Edward III are in the upper right; Credit – Wikipedia

Alice had a great influence on the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and supported him financially. She is thought to be the model for the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Alice Perrers died in Gaynes Park, Upminster, England during the winter of 1400/1401 at around the age of 60. She was buried in either the church or the churchyard of the Church of St Laurence, Upminster but there is no memorial to mark her grave. Her property was left to her surviving children, her daughters Jane and Joan.

Church of St Laurence, Upminster; Credit – Wikipedia

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

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Alice Perrers. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Perrers> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. King Edward III Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iii-of-england/> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Alice Perrers. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Perrers> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Medievalists.net. 2016. Alice Perrers – The Story Of A King’s Mistress. [online] Available at: <https://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/the-medieval-magazine-no51.pdf> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Mortimer, Ian, 2014. Edward III: The Perfect King. New York: Rosetta Books LLC.

Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Kuwait is located in western Asia on the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf. It shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Originally a sheikhdom ruled by local sheikhs, Kuwait became a British Protectorate in 1899. The sheikhs still had power during the British Protectorate. Kuwait was granted independence in 1961 and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, 11th Ruler of Kuwait became the first Emir of Kuwait. The rulers of Kuwait belong to the House of Al-Sabah.

The Emir of Kuwait is nominated by a family council headed by prominent members of the family. The Crown Prince of Kuwait is also nominated by the family council and must be a senior member of the House of Al-Sabah. Both the Emir and the Crown Prince must be approved by the Kuwaiti parliament.

Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait; Credit – Wikipedia

Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait was born on September 27, 1940 in Kuwait. He is the son of Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 10th Ruler of Kuwait from 1944 – 1950, and Maryam Marit Al-Huwaila. Mishal’s father had ten wives and 24 children.

Mishal has two full sisters: Sheikha Mashael Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. His prominent half-siblings include:

Mishal grew up at Dasman Palace in Kuwait City with the sons and grandsons of his father. He was educated at the Al Mubarakiyya School which was established in 1911 as one of Kuwait’s first modern educational institutions. Afterward, he attended the Kuwait Police College in Kuwait City, Kuwait, and then the Hendon Police College in London, England, the principal training center for London’s Metropolitan Police Service, graduating in 1960.

Mishal married twice and has twelve children, five sons and seven daughters:

Wife 1: Sheikha Nuria bint Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, daughter of Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, 12th Ruler of Kuwait and 2nd Emir of the State of Kuwait and Munira Fahd Al-Adwani, had six daughters and one son:

  • Sheikha Mahasi bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Makarem bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Fiten bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Shekha bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Hala bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Nouf bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikh Ahmed bin Mishal Al-Sabah

Wife 2: Munira Badah Al-Mutairi, had four sons and one daughter:

  • Sheikh Talal bin Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Bibi bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikh Fahd bin Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikh Jaber bin Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikh Ali bin Mishal Al-Sabah

Throughout his governmental career, Mishal had stayed out of the political scene and away from disputes within the royal family. He held the following government positions:

  • Head of State Security (1967 – 1980)
  • Ministry of Interior (1980 – 2004)
  • Deputy Chief of the National Guard with the rank of Minister (2004 – 2020)
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Kuwait’s National Assembly as Mishal takes the oath as Crown Prince

After the death of Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 15th Ruler and 5th Emir of Kuwait on September 29, 2020, his successor Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait nominated his half-brother Mishal as Crown Prince of Kuwait on October 7, 2020. The next day, Kuwait’s National Assembly unanimously approved Mishal as the Crown Prince. He then took the constitutional oath of office and pledged his commitment to democracy and peace. Mishal was 80-years-old and the oldest Crown Prince in the world at that time.

Upon the death of his half-brother Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait on November 16, 2023, Mishal succeeded as Emir of Kuwait.

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. مشعل الأحمد الجابر الصباح. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B9%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AD> [Accessed 11 October 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishal_Al-Ahmad_Al-Jaber_Al-Sabah> [Accessed 11 October 2020].
  • Royalark.net. 2020. Genealogy Of Kuwait – Al-Sabah Dynasty. [online] Available at: <https://www.royalark.net/Kuwait/kuwait14.htm> [Accessed 11 October 2020].

King George Tupou V of Tonga

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Kingdom of Tonga: Tonga consists of 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited, in the south Pacific Ocean, about 1,100 miles/1,800 kilometers northeast of New Zealand’s North Island.

Tonga has long been a monarchy and by the 12th century, Tonga and its Paramount Chiefs had a strong reputation throughout the central Pacific Ocean. Tonga became a kingdom in 1845 and has been ruled by the House of Tupou. From 1900 to 1970, Tonga had a protected state status with the United Kingdom which looked after its foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship.

The order of succession to the throne of Tonga was established in the 1875 constitution. The crown descends according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture – a female can succeed if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers who left surviving legitimate descendants.

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King George Tupou V of Tonga; Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest of the four children of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga and Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, King George Tupou V of Tonga was born on May 4, 1948, in Tongatapu, Tonga. George Tupou’s father became King of Tonga upon the death of his mother Queen Sālote Tupou III in 1965, and George Tupou was appointed Crown Prince of Tonga on May 4, 1966, his 18th birthday.

George Tupou had three younger siblings:

  • Princess Royal Salote Mafileʻo Pilolevu Tuita (born 1951), married Siosaʻia Maʻulupekotofa, Lord Tuita of ʻUtungake, had four daughters
  • Prince Fatafehi ʻAlaivahamamaʻo Tukuʻaho (1953 – 2004), married (1) Heimataura Seiloni, a commoner so he was stripped of his royal titles, his wife died in 1985 (2) Alaile’ula Poutasi Jungblut, had four children
  • King Tupou VI (born 1959), married Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, daughter of Baron Vaea, a former Prime Minister of Tonga, had one daughter and two sons
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Studying in England in 1967

George Tupou attended King’s School, a primary school for boys in Auckland, New Zealand, and then King’s College, an independent secondary boarding and day school also is Auckland. He then attended The Leys School, a co-educational independent school in Cambridge, England before beginning his studies at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. When George Tupou graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England in 1968, his parents attended his passing out parade.

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King Taufa’Ahau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu Mata’Aho ‘Ahome’E with their son Prince George Tupou at the prince’s passing-out parade from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, December 9, 1968

After he completed his education, Geoge Tupou returned to Tonga and began a career in public service. In 1979, his father appointed him Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense, a position he held until 1998. George Tupou never married, however, he had an illegitimate daughter ʻIlima Lei Fifita Tohi, born in 1974.

On September 10, 2006, 88-year-old King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga died and his son George Tupou became the King of Tonga. King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV had been an absolute monarch and resisted ceding any power during his forty-one-year reign. After his death, rioters, unhappy with the lack of a path toward democracy, took to the streets and destroyed the center of the capital, Nuku’alofa. George Tupou’s coronation was postponed until mid-2008 to allow for the rebuilding of Nuku’alofa.

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Queen Elizabeth II greets King George Tupou V of Tonga during a private meeting at Buckingham Palace, December 18, 2007

King George Tupou V is known for introducing democracy to Tonga. During his accession to the throne and his coronation, George Tupou and his advisors put together a framework for sweeping political reforms. Three days before the coronation ceremony, King George Tupou V announced he was ceding most of his executive powers to a democratically elected parliament. The parliament would be responsible for much of the day-to-day running of the country and the king would remain the head of state and retain the right to veto laws, decree martial law, and dissolve parliament. In November 2010, the citizens of Tonga voted for their first democratically elected parliament, making Tonga a constitutional monarchy. On the eve of the election, King George Tupou V said that “in the future, the sovereign shall act only on the advice of his prime minister.”

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The traditional Tongan ceremony held on July 30, 2008

After a traditional Tongan ceremony on July 30, 2008, a second, European-style coronation ceremony took place on August 1, 2008, in the Centennial Chapel in Nuku’alofa, Tonga’s capital, attended by 1,000 guests including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester representing Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan, Prince and Princess Hitachi of Japan, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindom of Thailand, Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.

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The Anglican Archbishop of Polynesia Jabez Bryce invested George Tupou V with the Tongan regalia – the ring, scepter, and sword – and placed the Tongan Crown on the monarch’s head. Interestingly, one of the Coronation Anthems, George Friedrich Handel composed for the coronation of King George II of Great Britain, the rousing Zadok the Priest which has been played at every British coronation ever since, was performed at King George Tupou V’s coronation by the Royal Maopa Choir in the Tongan language. The video below shows the performance and has some views of the king and the church.

On March 18, 2012, King George Tupou V, aged 63, died at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong. He was succeeded by his brother King Tupou VI. King George Tupou V had undergone surgery in September 2011 to remove a kidney following the discovery of a tumor and it is believed his death was caused by cancer.

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The royal standard draped casket of King George Tupou V is carried from the Royal Palace to Malaʻekula, the royal burial grounds

On March 27, 2012, the state funeral and burial were held at Malaʻekula, the royal burial grounds in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. Guests at the funeral included the Duke of Gloucester representing Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Prince and Princess Hitachi of Japan representing Emperor Akihito, President of Fiji Epeli Nailatikau, Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, and the Governor-General of New Zealand, Jerry Mateparae.

The Kings Road from the Royal Palace to Malaʻekula, with the tombs in the background; Credit – By Tauʻolunga – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2088528

Works Cited

  • Bangkok Post. 2012. Tongans Bid Farewell To Their Visionary Late King. [online] https://www.bangkokpost.com. Available at: <https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/286191/elaborate-funeral-bids-farewell-to-late-tongan-king> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • BBC News. 2012. Tonga’s King Tupou V Dies At 63. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17420114> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Tupou V. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tupou_V> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Tupou V. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tupou_V> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • Nytimes.com. 2012. King George Tupou V, Political Reformer Of Tonga, Dies At 63. [online] Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/world/asia/king-george-tupou-v-leader-of-tonga-dies-at-63.html?ref=oembed> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • The Guardian. 2012. King George Tupou V Of Tonga Obituary. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/26/king-george-tupou-v-of-tonga> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • The Independent. 2012. King George Tupou V: Reformer Who Brought Democracy To Tonga. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/king-george-tupou-v-reformer-who-brought-democracy-to-tonga-7582576.html> [Accessed 8 September 2020].

Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Kingdom of Tonga: Tonga consists of 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited, in the south Pacific Ocean, about 1,100 miles/1,800 kilometers northeast of New Zealand’s North Island.

Tonga has long been a monarchy and by the 12th century, Tonga and its Paramount Chiefs had a strong reputation throughout the central Pacific Ocean. Tonga became a kingdom in 1845 and has been ruled by the House of Tupou. From 1900 to 1970, Tonga had a protected state status with the United Kingdom which looked after its foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship.

The order of succession to the throne of Tonga was established in the 1875 constitution. The crown descends according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture – a female can succeed if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers who left surviving legitimate descendants.

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Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga; Credit – Wikipedia

Famed for her stature (6 feet 3 inches, 270 pounds) and her appearance at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga, the first Queen Regnant of the Kingdom of Tonga and its longest-reigning monarch, was born on March 13, 1900, at the Royal Palace in Nukuʻalofa, the capital of Tonga. She was the only child of King George Tupou II of Tonga and his first wife Lavinia Veiongo. Sālote’s mother died from tuberculosis at the age of 23 on April 24, 1902.

Sālote ’s parents King George Tupou II of Tonga and his first wife Lavinia Veiongo; Credit – Wikipedia

Sālote had two half-sisters from her father’s second marriage to ‘Anaseini Takipō Afuha’amango:

  • Princess ʻOnelua (born and died 1911), died from convulsions at five months
  • Princess Fusipala (1912 – 1933), unmarried

As a child, Sālote was not popular in Tonga. Her unpopularity stemmed from her parents’ marriage. King George Tupou II was expected to marry Princess ʻOfakivavaʻu. However, the king wanted to marry Lavinia Veiongo who was not from the upper class, and he asked the Council of Chiefs to choose between the two women. When the majority of chiefs chose Princess ʻOfakivavaʻu, the king threatened to remain a bachelor unless he was allowed to marry Lavinia. The chiefs allowed the marriage to Lavinia to take place. However, the relationship between King George Tupou II and the rest of the country remained strained because of the rejection of Princess ʻOfakivavaʻu. Supporters of both women rioted in the streets of the capital of Nukuʻalofa, attacking each other with axes, clubs, and broken bottles. During her childhood, it was unsafe for Sālote to go outside the palace grounds.

Sālote in 1911; Credit – Wikipedia

In December 1909, Sālote was sent to Auckland, New Zealand, to start five years of education at the Diocesan High School for Girls, returning to Tonga every Christmas holiday. The month before Sālote left for New Zealand, her father married for a second time to ʻAnaseini Takipō Afuha’amango, a half-sister of the rejected Princess ʻOfakivava’u. The chiefs were jubilant and hoped for a son to displace Sālote from her place in the line of succession.

Sālote ’s half-sister Princess Fusipala; Credit – Wikipedia

After King George Tupou II’s second wife gave birth to a surviving daughter Princess Fusipala in 1912, a rival court centered around Princess Fusipala’s claim to the throne was set up by her maternal relatives against her half-sister Sālote, reviving the old rivalries between the family of Sālote’s mother Lavinia Veiongo and the family of Fusipala’s mother. After December 1914, the king ordered Sālote to stay home in Tonga as hopes for a male heir had diminished so that she could begin a course of instruction in Tongan history and customs in preparation for her future role as Queen of Tonga.

Sālote and her husband, circa 1917; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1916, King George Tupou II selected Viliami Tungī Mailefihi (known as Tungī), a Tongan high chieftain, as Sālote ’s husband. He was the son of Siaosi Tukuʻaho who had served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 1890 to 1893. On September 19, 1916, 16-year-old Sālote married 28-year-old Tungī in a Christian wedding ceremony. The traditional Tongan wedding ceremony, known as the Tu’uvala, was celebrated on September 21, 1916.

The royal family of Tonga. Front (L to R): Prince Uiliami Tukuʻaho, Prince Sione Ngū Manumataong;  Seated (L to R): Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi, Queen Sālote Tupou III; Back (L to R): Prince Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Tupoulahi (later King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV), Princess Fusipala, circa 1930; Credit – By Unknown author – Wood-Ellem, Elizabeth (1999) Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965, Auckland, N.Z: Auckland University Press, pp. 144–145 ISBN: 978-0-8248-2529-4. OCLC: 262293605., CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1211166

Sālote and Tungī had three sons:

  • King Tāufa‘āhau Tupou IV (1918 – 2006), married Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, had three sons and one daughter
  • Prince Uiliami Tuku‘aho (1920 – 1936), died as a teenager
  • Prince Sione Ngū Manumataongo (1922 – 1999), married Melenaite Tupoumoheofo Veikune, had four daughters and two sons

Coronation of Queen Sālote; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 5, 1918, King George Tupou II died at the age of 43 and his 18-year-old daughter Sālote became Queen of Tonga. Her coronation was held on October 11, 1918, in the Royal Chapel on the grounds of the Royal Palace in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga.  In November 1918, after the death of ‘Anaseini Takipō Afuha’amango, King George Tupou II’s second wife, during the influenza pandemic, Sālote assumed the guardianship of her six-year-old half-sister Princess Fusipala. Princess Fusipala died in 1933 at the age of 20 from tubercular peritonitis, a type of tuberculosis located in a part of the body other than the lungs.

Queen Sālote faced political difficulties in the early years of her reign. First, there was an unsuccessful republican movement that threatened to unseat the young queen. Then there was a schism between the two branches of the Methodist Church that resulted in the formation of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, the largest Christian denomination in Tonga, often mistaken to be its state church. Sālote overcame these difficulties with the support of her husband Prince Tungī. During her reign, Sālote sought to improve the quality of life of the people of Tonga by the expansion of women’s rights and the construction of roads and health facilities. Prince Tungī served as his wife’s Prime Minister from 1923 until he died in 1941. His own experience helped him facilitate Sālote ’s role as Queen of Tonga. Tungī’s death in 1941 during World War II was a devastating blow to Queen Sālote.

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Queen Salote Tupou III of Tonga and Sultan Ibrahim IV of Kelantan riding a horse-drawn carriage during the coronation procession of Queen Elizabeth II

In 1953, Queen Sālote brought international attention to Tonga when she attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. During the coronation procession, it began to rain and coverings were placed on the carriages in the procession. Tongan custom dictates that one should not imitate the actions of the person one is honoring, and so Queen Sālote, dressed in traditional Tongan dress, a cocoanut fiber skirt and a satin rose-colored mantle, refused a covering for her carriage and rode through the rain in an open carriage with Sultan Ibrahim IV of Kelantan, endearing herself to crowds along the procession route. In December 1953, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip visited Queen Sālote in Tonga during their world tour of Commonwealth nations. Since then, the British royal family has remained close to the Tongan royal family.

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Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by Queen Sālote walks over a carpet of tapa cloth to the feast house as selected women seated on the ground form a guard of honor

On November 4, 1965, Queen Sālote flew to Auckland, New Zealand for treatment of diabetes and cancer. She was admitted to the hospital on December 12, 1965, with pleurisy and her condition steadily worsened. Queen Sālote of Tonga died on December 16, 1965, at the age of 65. Her funeral was held on December 23, 1965, and over 50,000 Tongans dressed in black mourning attended the impressive funeral (see highlights below). Queen Sālote was buried at Malaʻekula, the royal burial grounds in Nukuʻalofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tongan Royal Tombs, Queen Sālote’s tomb is the second from the right; Credit – Around the Globe with the Rosens

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Tupou II. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tupou_II> [Accessed 7 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Lavinia Veiongo. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavinia_Veiongo> [Accessed 7 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sālote Tupou III. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C4%81lote_Tupou_III> [Accessed 7 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Viliami Tungī Mailefihi. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viliami_Tung%C4%AB_Mailefihi> [Accessed 7 September 2020].
  • Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL). 2018. From The Archives: Queen Salote Of Tonga. [online] Available at: <https://www.rosl.org.uk/rosl_news/517-from-the-archives-queen-Salote -of-tonga> [Accessed 7 September 2020].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. 1965. Salote, Queen Of Tonga, Is Dead At 65. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/12/16/95920444.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0> [Accessed 7 September 2020].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. 1965. TONGANS PAY SALOTE THEIR LAST TRIBUTE. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/12/24/96726736.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0> [Accessed 7 September 2020].

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey was one of the mistresses of King George IV of the United Kingdom from 1793 until 1807.

Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey – source: Wikipedia

Frances Twysden was born in London on February 25, 1753, the daughter of the late Rt. Rev. Dr. Philip Twysden, Lord Bishop of Raphoe, and his second wife, Frances Carter. Rev. Twysden was a younger son of Sir William Twysden, 5th Baronet of Roydon Hall. He died in November 1752, before Frances’s birth, after allegedly being shot while trying to rob a stagecoach. She had one older sister, Mary (born 1751), who died in infancy.

On March 26, 1770, Frances married George Bussy Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, who was more than twice her age. Villers had served in the House of Commons from 1756 until 1769 when he inherited the Earldom and took his seat in the House of Lords. He was a Lord of the Admiralty from 1761-1763, became a member of the Privy Council in 1765, and served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 1765-1770. After becoming the 4th Earl in 1769, he served as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King George III from 1769-1777, Master of the Buckhounds from 1782-1783, and several other positions at court over the next 30 years. He would later be appointed Master of the Horse to the Prince of Wales in 1795. Frances and Villiers had ten children:

The Prince of Wales, circa 1798. source: Wikipedia

Frances began her affair with the Prince of Wales in 1793, following a string of other discreet affairs she had had with others, including Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, and William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire – the husband of her close friend Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. By that time, George was secretly married to Maria Fitzherbert, but his wandering eye could not be kept in check. By the following year, Frances had convinced the Prince to end his relationship with Mrs. Fitzherbert and encouraged him to marry his future wife, Caroline of Brunswick. George and Caroline married in 1795, and Frances was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Princess of Wales. Frances and George continued their affair and before long, he brought Mrs. Fitzherbert back into his life as well. The two disliked each other greatly, but the Prince continued his affairs with both. Then, a new mistress made her appearance, The Marchioness of Hertford soon replaced Frances as the Prince of Wales’s mistress. By 1807, Frances lost her royal household position and left the court completely.

Having been widowed in 1805 and left with little financial means, Frances struggled to maintain the lifestyle expected of someone of her rank. She benefited only from the generosity of her son who increased her annual income and often paid off her debts.

The Dowager Countess of Jersey died in Cheltenham on July 25, 1821, at the age of 68. She is buried in the Villiers Family vault in Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire.

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.

Rosamund de Clifford, Mistress of Henry II, King of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Fair Rosamund by John William Waterhouse, 1916; Credit – Wikipedia

Known as “The Fair Rosamund”, Rosamund de Clifford was probably born in Herefordshire, West Midlands, England as that was where her family home Clifford Castle was located. Her birth date is unknown but she was the youngest of her parents’ six children. Rosamund’s father was born Walter Fitz Richard (1113–1190) and he married Margaret de Tosny. Margaret’s father Ralph de Tosny was granted the castle by King William I (the Conquerer) of England in 1075 after it was forfeited by a traitor. After the marriage of Ralph’s daughter, Margaret de Tosny to Walter Fitz Richard, Walter became steward of the castle and later claimed it for himself via his marriage. In 1162, he changed his name to Walter de Clifford and the castle came to be known as Clifford Castle.

There is incomplete and conflicting genealogical information but Rosamund probably had five siblings:

  • Gilbert de Clifford
  • Richard de Clifford
  • Amicia de Clifford, married (1) Osbern Fitz Hugh of Richard’s Castle (2) Bartholomew de Mortimer
  • Lucy de Clifford, married Hugh de Say of Stokesay
  • Walter de Clifford (died 1221) married Agnes de Cuni, had four children

Ruins of Clifford Castle; Credit – By Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4097700

Rosamund grew up at Clifford Castle before going to Godstow Abbey near Oxford, England to be educated by the nuns. Likely Rosamund first met King Henry II of England in 1163 when he was staying at Clifford Castle during the military campaign against the Welsh ruler Rhys ap Gruffudd. In 1166, Rosamund and Henry II began their affair. However, until 1174, almost no one knew about Rosamund’s relationship with Henry II.

Woodstock Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry had Rosamund housed at Woodstock Palace, a royal residence near Oxford, England. Woodstock Palace was mostly destroyed during the English Civil War. In the early 1700s, Blenheim Palace, the principal residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, was built on the site, and stones from Woodstock Palace were used in its construction.

Henry II, King of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1174, the relationship between Henry II and Rosamund became public. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of England, Henry II’s wife had joined the uprising of their sons against her husband. Henry II eventually defeated the revolt and had Eleanor comfortably imprisoned for her part in inciting their sons. From that moment, Henry II began to live openly with Rosamund. Henry II had many mistresses and had treated earlier affairs discreetly, but he flaunted Rosamund. He may have done so to provoke Eleanor into seeking an annulment, but if so, Eleanor disappointed him as did the Pope who refused to consider a divorce. Nevertheless, rumors persisted, perhaps encouraged by Henry’s supporters, that Eleanor had Rosamund poisoned. In 1176, Rosamund became seriously ill and retired to Godstow Abbey near Oxford, where she died in the same year.

Godstow Abbey ruins; By Chris Gunns, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14569666

Rosamund was buried at Godstow Abbey. King Henry II paid for her tomb in the choir of the abbey church and gave an endowment for the tomb to be tended by the nuns. Rosamund’s tomb became a popular local shrine until 1191, two years after Henry II’s death. Hugh of Lincoln, Bishop of Lincoln, while visiting Godstow Abbey, noticed Rosamund’s tomb right in front of the high altar. The tomb was covered with flowers and candles, evidence that the local people were praying there. Calling Rosamund a harlot, the bishop ordered her remains removed from the church. Her tomb was moved to the cemetery next to the nuns’ chapter house. Local people still prayed at Rosamund’s tomb but it was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the reign of King Henry VIII.

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

  • Barber, Richard, 1964. Henry Plantagent 1133-1189. New York: Barnes and Noble.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Godstow. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godstow#History_of_Godstow_Abbey> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Rosamund Clifford. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosamund_Clifford> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Walter De Clifford (Died 1190). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_de_Clifford_(died_1190)> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Henry II Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-ii-of-england/> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Клиффорд, Розамунда. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%84%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B4,_%D0%A0%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B0> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Thepeerage.com. 2020. Walter Fitz Richard Fitz Pons. [online] Available at: <http://www.thepeerage.com/p10486.htm#i104860> [Accessed 22 July 2020].

Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Prince Dipangkorn with his half-sister Princess Sirivannavari (on the right) and his half-sister Princess Bajrakitiyabha (on the left), 2019; Credit – By NBT – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKLRF8wE_nI, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88430260

Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand is the only child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand and his third wife Srirasmi Suwadi. He was born on April 29, 2005, at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. The prince’s parents divorced in 2014.

Embed from Getty Images 
Prince Dipangkorn with his parents in 2007

Prince Dipangkorn is the only officially recognized son of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The prince has four much older half-brothers from his father’s second marriage, but they are not officially recognized as the king’s sons, since their mother fled the country with them. The 1924 Palace Law of Succession states that the king has the sole power and the prerogative to designate any descendant of the royal family as heir to the throne. The king also has absolute power to remove an heir apparent from the position. If he does so, his entire lineage is removed from any claim to the throne. The king can also exclude any member of the royalty from the line of succession. Prince Dipangkorn is eligible to be the heir to the throne of Thailand but so are his much older half-sisters listed below. King Maha Vajiralongkorn has not yet named an heir.

Prince Dipangkorn has one half-sister from his father’s first marriage in 1977 to his maternal first cousin Princess Soamsavali Kitiyakara. After her divorce in 1993, Princess Soamsavali Kitiyakara retained her title as princess and remained a member of the Thai royal family.

Prince Dipangkorn has four half-brothers and one half-sister from his father’s second marriage to Thai actress Yuvadhida Polpraserth. Maha Vajiralongkorn began living with Yuvadhida Polpraserth shortly after his first marriage. They eventually married in February 1994, and she took the name Sujarinee Mahidol na Ayudhaya. In 1996, she fled to the United Kingdom with her children. The Crown Prince accused her of adultery and managed to retrieve their daughter and bring her back to Thailand. Sujarinee and the couple’s sons were stripped of their royal titles and the couple’s marriage was dissolved. Known as Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, she moved with her sons to the United States.

  • Juthavachara Vivacharawongse (born 1979)
  • Vacharaesorn Vivacharawongse (born 1981)
  • Chakriwat Vivacharawongse (born 1983)
  • Vatcharawee Vivacharawongse (born 1985)
  • Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana (born 1987)
Embed from Getty Images
Princess Sirivannavari (left) takes a photo as she stands with her half-brother Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti (2nd left), half-sister Princess Bajrakitiyabha (center), father King Maha Vajiralongkorn (2nd right), and Queen Suthida (right) as they wave from the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall of the Grand Palace on the final day of the king’s royal coronation, May 6, 2019

Prince Dipangkorn started his education at Chitralada School in Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, initially founded in 1957 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej for the children of the royal family and palace staff. Today the school accepts general students and has primary and secondary school programs. The prince now attends the Bavarian International School, located at the Schloss Haimhausen, a Rococo mansion located in Haimhausen, a short distance from Munich, Germany. Prince Dipangkorn lives in a villa with a pool in Tutzing, Bavaria, Germany, on Lake Starnberg with two dozen servants. There is speculation that Prince Dipangkorn has learning difficulties and that he is in a development program at the Bavarian International School. Further speculation suggests that after King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s death, Prince Dipangkorn will probably become King of Thailand but his maternal aunt Princess Sirindhorn or his eldest half-sibling Princess Bajrakitiyabha will rule.

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. Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipangkorn_Rasmijoti> [Accessed 5 September 2020].
  • Political Prisoners in Thailand. 2020. Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti – Political Prisoners In Thailand. [online] Available at: <https://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/tag/prince-dipangkorn-rasmijoti/> [Accessed 5 September 2020].
  • South China Morning Post. 2019. 5 Facts About Thailand’S Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. [online] Available at: <https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3038884/5-things-know-about-prince-dipangkorn-rasmijoti-son-thai> [Accessed 5 September 2020].
  • Tanno, S., 2020. Thai King’s Son Lives A Life Of ‘Loneliness’ In German Villa. [online] Mail Online. Available at: <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8348229/Thai-King-Rama-Xs-son-lives-life-loneliness-rejection-German-villa.html> [Accessed 5 September 2020].

Queen Suthida of Thailand

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Queen Suthida of Thailand; Credit – By Tris_T7 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79159558

Queen Suthida of Thailand is the fourth wife of King Maha Vajiralongkorn who succeeded to the throne of the Kingdom of Thailand in 2016 after the 70-year reign of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The first three marriages of King Maha Vajiralongkorn all ended in divorce. Born Suthida Tidjai on June 3, 1978, in Hat Yai, Thailand, she is the daughter of Kham Tidjai and Jangheang Tidjai. She graduated from Hatyaiwittayalai School, a secondary school in Hat Yai, Thailand. Suthida then attended Assumption University, a private Catholic university with four campuses in Thailand, graduating in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts.

Suthida was a flight attendant for JALways Airlines, now part of Japan Airlines, and then for Thai Airways. She met her future husband, then Crown Prince of Thailand, in 2013, and joined the palace guard later that year. She was promoted to deputy commander of the Crown Prince’s bodyguard unit in 2014. Suthida was linked romantically to the Crown Prince following his divorce from his third wife Srirasmi Suwadee in 2014. In October 2016, international media reports labeled Suthida as the designated King’s Consort, despite the palace never officially declaring their relationship. On December 1, 2016, Suthida was appointed Commander of the Special Operations Unit of the King’s Guard and promoted to the rank of General in the Royal Thai Army.

Embed from Getty Images 
Marriage Ceremony

On May 1, 2019, just days before his coronation, King Vajiralongkorn surprisingly married Suthida at Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall, a mansion on the grounds of Dusit Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. During the ceremony, broadcast on Thai television, Suthida prostrated herself on the ground before the King while offering him incense and flowers, according to royal tradition. The King appointed her Queen and granted her royal powers in front of a gathering of senior politicians and members of the Thai royal family.

Suthida prostrating herself before the King; Credit – https://www.tellerreport.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. Suthida. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suthida> [Accessed 4 September 2020].
  • Global News. 2019. Flight Attendant, General, Royal: Meet Thailand’s New Queen. [online] Available at: <https://globalnews.ca/news/5230848/queen-suthida-thailand/> [Accessed 4 September 2020].
  • Los Angeles Times. 2019. King Vajiralongkorn Of Thailand Marries His Bodyguard, Now Queen Suthida. [online] Available at: <https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-thai-king-bodyguard-queen-20190502-story.html> [Accessed 4 September 2020].

Princess Delphine of Belgium

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

HRH Princess Delphine of Belgium – formerly known as Delphine Boël – is the illegitimate daughter of King Albert II of Belgium and his longtime mistress, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps.

Delphine and her daughter in 2008; photo: By Luc Van Braekel – https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucvanbraekel/2407637011/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26839140

Delphine Boël was born in Uccle, Brussels, Belgium on February 22, 1968, the daughter of Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps and the then-Prince of Liège (the future Albert II, King of the Belgians). Sybille and Albert began an affair around 1964 which reportedly continued until 1982.  At the time of Delphine’s birth, Sybille was married to Jacques Boël, who was listed on the birth certificate as the child’s father. Her parents divorced in 1978, and four years later, her mother remarried. At that time, Delphine and her mother moved to London.

Delphine’s mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, in a television interview in 2013. source: VRT News

Delphine attended the Institut le Rosey, an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland, before enrolling at the Chelsea School of Art and Design in London, graduating with a degree in Fine Arts. She has worked as an artist for many years and has had numerous exhibitions of her work in Europe.

In 2003, Delphine married James O’Hare, an American, and the couple had two children, who are now a Prince and Princess of Belgium:

  • Princess Joséphine of Belgium (born 2003)
  • Prince Oscar of Belgium (born 2008)

Having had several exhibitions of her work in Belgium already, Delphine and her family moved to Brussels in 2003. After the move, her public profile began to rise again because of her art and her alleged relationship to King Albert II.

In 1999, in a biography of Queen Paola, the first public allegation was made of Sybille’s affair with King Albert II and the subsequent birth of their daughter. The Belgian royal court quickly dismissed the report as “gossip”, but King Albert seemed to refer to the situation later that year. In his Christmas message, he spoke of a “crisis” in his marriage some thirty years earlier that they had overcome, but of which they had been recently reminded. That would be the last public statement on the matter for many years.

Albert, Prince of Liege, c1964. source: Wikipedia

In May 2005, Delphine stated in an interview that she was King Albert’s daughter, having been told this by her mother when she reached the age of 18. She said that the future King had continued his relationship with her mother until around 1982 when he abruptly ended things and cut off all contact with them. She also alleged that when she and her mother moved to England, Albert thought about divorcing his wife and joining them, but Sybille was against the idea due to the impact it would have on Albert and his future role in the monarchy.

In June 2013, Delphine filed a lawsuit to prove, through DNA testing, that she was King Albert’s biological child. The King was named in the suit, however, he had complete immunity from prosecution at the time, so she also named two of his legitimate children Philippe and Astrid. When King Albert II abdicated in September of that year, she withdrew the suit against Philippe and Astrid, now being able to file against the former King. In 2017, her claim was initially rejected, but that was overturned in October 2018 by the Court of Appeal. Based on DNA testing, it was proven that Jacques Boël was not her father, thus furthering her claims. The former King was instructed to provide a DNA sample, but he appealed that ruling. Again, the Court of Appeal upheld the order in May 2019 and imposed a fine of €5,000 per day until King Albert complied. Within weeks, a DNA sample was provided for testing, and in January 2020, the former King finally acknowledged that he was Delphine’s biological father, as proven by the DNA testing.

On October 1, 2020, the Belgian Court of Appeal ruled that Delphine and her children are entitled to the style and title of HRH Prince/Princess of Belgium, and can use the former King’s surname of Saxe-Coburg. In addition, she is legally entitled to inherit one-quarter of the former King’s estate, a share equal to that of his three legitimate children. She is still considered illegitimate (born out of wedlock) and as such, Delphine and her descendants are not in the line of succession to the Belgian throne.

Half-siblings Princess Delphine and Philippe, King of the Belgians meet for the first time; Credit – Belgian Monarchy Facebook

On October 9, 2020, Princess Delphine met her half-brother Philippe, King of the Belgians for the first time at Laeken Castle, the king’s residence. A common message from King Philippe and Princess Delphine was posted on Facebook: “This Friday, October 9th, we met for the first time at Laeken Castle. Our meeting was warm. We had the opportunity to get to know each other during a long and rich exchange that allowed us to talk about each other’s lives and shared interests. This bond will now develop in a family setting.”

A photo made available by the Belgian Royal Palace of Queen Paola, King Albert, and Princess Delphine; Credit – Belgium Royal Palace

On October 25, 2020, King Albert and his wife Queen Paola met with Princess Delphine for the first time since she was recognized as a royal at Belvédère Castle in Brussels. A joint statement by all three was released: “On Sunday, October 25, a new chapter began, filled with emotions, appeasement, understanding and also of hope. Our meeting took place at Belvédère Castle, a meeting during which each of us was able to express our feelings and experiences serenely and with empathy. After the turmoil, suffering, and hurt, it is time for forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. Together we decided to take this new path. This will take patience and effort, but we are determined.”

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Maria FItzherbert, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Maria Fitzherbert was the mistress of The Prince of Wales (later King George IV of the United Kingdom) from 1784 until 1794 and again from 1798 until 1807. The couple married secretly in 1785, however, the marriage was not considered legal as it had not received the approval of the Sovereign as required under the Royal Marriages Act.

Maria Fitzherbert. source: Wikipedia

Maria Anne Smythe was born on July 26, 1756, at Tong Castle in Shropshire, England, the eldest child of Walter Smythe, a younger son of Sir John Smythe, 3rd Baronet, and Mary Ann Errington. Her siblings included:

  • John Smythe (born 1758) – married, had issue
  • Frances Smythe (born circa 1760) – married Sir Carnaby Haggerston, 5th Baronet, had issue

Maria’s husband, Edward Weld. source: Wikipedia

In 1774, Maria married Edward Weld, a wealthy widower, twice her age. He was the son of Edward Weld and Mary Theresa Vaughan. Following his father’s death in 1761, Edward became one of the wealthiest men in England, having inherited Lulworth Castle in Dorset along with many other properties and villages. Maria became a very wealthy woman upon her marriage, but it was not to last. Just three months after their marriage, Edward died of injuries he sustained after falling from his horse. He had not yet signed a new will to provide for his wife, and his entire estate passed to his younger brother.

Left without any financial resources, Maria soon sought a new husband as soon as it was acceptable. In 1777, she married Thomas Fitzherbert, the son of Thomas Fitzherbert and Mary Theresa Throckmorton. The couple had one son who died in infancy, and Maria was once again widowed when her husband died on May 7, 1781. However, this time she was provided for, as Fitzherbert left her an annuity of £1,000 per year and a home in Mayfair, London.

The Prince of Wales, c1781. source: Wikipedia

After spending several years traveling throughout Europe, she returned to England in early 1784. One evening in March, she attended the opera with her uncle and was briefly introduced to the Prince of Wales, the future King George IV. Quickly enamored, the Prince pursued Maria relentlessly. Soon she was accepting invitations to visit him at Carlton House, his home in London, next to St. James’s Palace, but made it clear that she had no interest in merely becoming his mistress. The Prince countered with an offer of marriage. Maria argued against it. There was no chance King George III would consent to his son’s marriage to Maria. Even if he did, Maria was Catholic, which would make the Prince ineligible to inherit the throne. But the Prince continued his pursuit, even threatening to kill himself if Maria would not marry him.

In July 1784, the Prince of Wales stabbed himself just enough to make it look like a serious suicide attempt. Maria, accompanied by the couple’s mutual friend, Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, was quickly taken to Carlton House, where they found the Prince again threatening to kill himself if she did not agree to marry him. Maria signed a document agreeing to marry him, knowing that the document would not be considered legal. She left England for France the next day, hoping the situation would cool off. But the Prince continued to pursue her, and Maria eventually agreed to return to England and marry him. When she returned to England in November 1785, the Prince of Wales searched for someone to conduct the marriage ceremony. He found a young curate, Reverand John Burt, who was in debtors’ prison at the time. Burt agreed to perform the ceremony in exchange for £500 to pay off his debts and a position as one of the Prince’s chaplains. Quickly settled, Maria and George married in her Mayfair home on December 15, 1785, with just her uncle and brother present as witnesses.

Maria and the Prince of Wales soon faced rumors, and questions were raised in Parliament, all of which were denied by friends of the prince. For the next several years, the two maintained their relationship very discreetly and seemed to be immensely happy. But by 1793, the marriage was beginning to break down. While Maria was perfectly content with quiet nights at home, the Prince of Wales preferred to be out on the town and continued his philandering ways. Soon, he found a permanent replacement for Maria, after beginning an affair with Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey. Lady Jersey convinced the Prince that he was so unpopular because of his relationship with the Catholic Mrs. Fitzherbert. Convinced that marrying an acceptable Protestant princess would be in his best interest, George informed Maria on June 23, 1794, that their relationship was over. Soon he found a bride, his cousin Caroline of Brunswick whom he married in April 1795. However, it seems Maria was still close to his heart, as the following year, he wrote his will, leaving everything “…to my Maria Fitzherbert, my wife, the wife of my heart.”

Steine House, Brighton. photo: By C.Suthorn / cc-by-sa-4.0 / commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70710474

Within two years, the Prince of Wales began to pursue Maria once again, and by 1799, the two were again in a relationship. In 1804, Maria built Steine House in Brighton, which would become her residence for the rest of her life. By 1807, the Prince’s wandering eye once again turned its attention to someone else. The Marchioness of Hertford soon became his preferred companion, and Maria found herself pushed to the side again by 1809.

The Prince became King George IV in 1820, and during his 10-year reign, the two only saw each other occasionally in social settings, but both remained in each other’s thoughts. When King George IV died in June 1830, he was succeeded by his brother. The new King William IV was always very gracious and welcoming toward Maria and continued to provide her annual pension of £10,000 per year. King William IV reportedly offered her a dukedom, but she declined. She did, however, ask his permission to dress in widow’s weeds and to allow her servants to dress in royal livery, both of which the King quickly agreed to.

Maria outlived George IV by nearly seven years, passing away at Steine House in Brighton on March 27, 1837. She is buried at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Brighton.

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.