Mary Robinson, Mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Mary Robinson was a noted English poet and actress who became the first mistress of the future King George IV, while he was still Prince of Wales. Their relationship lasted just two years.

source: Wikipedia

Mary Darby was born in Bristol on November 27, 1757 to Naval Captain Nicholas Darby and Hester Vanacott. While Mary was very young, her father left the family, leaving her mother to support herself and five children. She did this by opening a school for young girls, where Mary also taught before she was even 14 years old. After the school closed, she attended a school in London run by Hanna More, and there she caught the attention of famed actor David Garrick, who encouraged her to get involved in the theater.

However, her mother encouraged her instead to accept a proposal from Thomas Robinson – a clerk who claimed to have a large inheritance. Initially against the idea, Mary relented after Robinson had helped take care of her and her younger brother while both were quite ill. The couple married in April 1774 and Mary soon discovered that her husband did not have any inheritance, nor was he much of a devoted husband. The couple had one child – a daughter named Mary Elizabeth Robinson – who was born in November 1774.

When her husband was put into Debtor’s Prison in 1775, Mary went with him, living there with their six-month-old daughter for nearly 15 months until he was released. While there, Mary discovered that she could publish some of her poetry to make a living. Her first book of poetry – Poems By Mrs. Robinson – was published in 1775. She soon caught the attention of Georgina Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who became somewhat of a patron to Mary, sponsoring the publication of Mary’s second book of poetry — Captivity.

Mary Robinson as Perdita, 1782, portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. source: Wikipedia

In 1776, following her husband’s release, Mary decided to return to the theater, appearing in several roles at the Drury Lane Theater. While performing as Perdita in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Winter Tale in 1779, Mary caught the attention of The Prince of Wales who attended a performance and was instantly smitten. The Prince pursued her relentlessly, but Mary refused his advances for some time. She was a married woman (although mostly estranged from her husband), and she was an actress. A relationship with the Prince would mean giving up what was becoming a financially successful career. The Prince promised her £20,000 – in writing – to compensate for giving up her livelihood to become his mistress. Maria eventually relented, and following her final performance in May 1780, she gave in to the Prince’s advances.

The Prince of Wales, c1781, portrait by Richard Cosway. source: Wikipedia

The relationship was relatively short-lived. In December 1780, she received a message from the Prince, telling her that they must end their relationship.  Unbeknownst to Mary, the Prince had moved on to a new mistress – something he would continue to do quite often for the rest of his life.  Despite a brief meeting a few days later, the relationship came to an abrupt end.  Mary now found herself without any means of support – emotionally or financially.  She decided that publishing her correspondence with the Prince would provide her with a significant income. When King George III was made aware of this, he quickly dispatched the Prince’s treasurer to arrange a settlement. Eventually, she received a payment of £5,000 in exchange for the letters. But Mary had another ace up her sleeve. Finding that the settlement barely covered her debts, she decided to pursue the Prince’s promise of £20,000. The King’s representative argued that the document from the Prince was invalid as he was underage, but Mary was unwilling to accept that as final. She asked for an annual annuity in exchange for the document, and eventually, she was successful. The matter was settled in August 1781, when it was agreed that she would receive £500 annually and that upon her death, her daughter would continue to receive half that amount.

Banastre Tarleton, portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds. source: Wikipedia

Mary Robinson, by now living separately from her husband, had several more affairs, including a long-term liaison with Banastre Tarleton, a distinguished soldier. She became mysteriously ill in 1783, and although she recovered, she was left partially paralyzed and frail. She turned her attention back to her writing – publishing several books of poetry, eight novels, three plays, and her memoirs. She became a champion of women’s rights and an outspoken supporter of the French Revolution.

Despite her financial settlements with the Crown, Mary Robinson died in relative poverty in Englefield Green, Surrey, England on December 26, 1800 at just 44 years old. She was buried at St. Peter and St. Andrew Churchyard in Windsor, Berkshire, England. Her estranged husband was granted administration of her estate, and Mary had instructed her daughter to publish the rest of her works after her death.  And although her brief affair with the Prince of Wales was long in the past, she left a request upon her death that a lock of her hair be cut off and sent to the Prince.  It is said that upon the future King George IV’s death in 1830, he requested that a lock of hair be buried with him.

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.

Mathilde Feliksovna Kschessinskaya, Ballerina, Mistress of the future Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, Mistress of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, Mistress and Wife of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Mathilde Feliksovna Kschessinskaya; 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”.

Mathilde Feliksovna Kschessinskaya was one of the most famous ballerinas of the Maryinsky Ballet (now the Kirov Ballet) in St. Petersburg, Russia. She was awarded the title prima ballerina assoluta, traditionally reserved only for the most exceptional ballerinas of their generation. Mathilde was born on August 31, 1872, in Ligovo, Peterhof, Russia near St. Petersburg. She was the youngest of the four children and the second of the two daughters of Feliks Krzesiński (1821 – 1905) and Julia Dymiński (1830 – 1912) who were both dancers born in Warsaw, Poland. Her father was a dancer with the Maryinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg from 1853-1898, specializing in character dance, particularly the mazurka. Her mother was a former ballet dancer and the widow of the French dancer Théodore Ledé with whom she had nine children but only five survived infancy. Mathilde was baptized Maria Mathilde on November 20, 1872, at St. Stanisłav Roman Catholic Church in St. Petersburg but used her middle name professionally. There are several versions of her surname in Russian and Polish.

Mathilde’s father and mother; Credit- Wikipedia

Mathilde had three older siblings:

  • Stanislav Feliksovich Kschessinsky (1864 – 1868), died in childhood
  • Julia Feliksovna Kschessinskaya (1866 – 1969), married Baron Alexander Zeddeler, an officer in the Preobrazhensky Guards, friend and adjutant of Emperor Nicholas II, no children
  • Josef Feliksovich Kschessinsky (1868 – 1942), married (1) Serafina Alexandrovna Astafieva, a fellow dancer, and later a ballet teacher in London, England, had one son, divorced (2) Celina Sprechinska, a fellow dancer, had one son and one daughter (3) Marie-Antoinette, surname unknown, died in 1942

Mathilde’s sister Julia and her brother Josef both graduated from the Imperial Ballet School School in St. Petersburg, Russia, (now the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet), the school of the Maryinsky Ballet. Both danced with the Maryinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia where they were both character dancers like their father. Julia and her husband fled from Russia during the Russian Revolution, and she died in France at the age of 103. Josef remained in Russia as it became the Communist Soviet Union and like his father, had a long career. In 1927, he received the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic, and the following year, Josef gave his farewell performance. However, he did not retire but choreographed and staged ballets. In August 1942, Josef and his third wife both died during the Siege of Leningrad during World War II. Leningrad was the Soviet name for St. Petersburg.

When Mathilde was three-years-old, her father began teaching her dance and she often accompanied him to the theater. In 1880, eight-year-old Mathilde was accepted to the Imperial Ballet School. She studied and trained at the Imperial Ballet School for ten years, graduating in 1890.

The Imperial Family always attended the graduation performances of the Imperial Ballet School and so in the audience was Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and his family including his son and heir the future Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. The Imperial Family watched as Mathilde performed a pas de deux from La Fille Mal Gardée with a male graduating student. Afterward, the graduates were presented to the Imperial Family and Emperor Alexander III told Mathilde to “be the glory and adornment of our ballet.” At the post-performance supper, Emperor Alexander III insisted that Mathilde sit next to him and then motioned his son and heir Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich to sit on her other side – and so the seventeen-year-old Mathilde met the twenty-two-year-old Nicholas for the first time.

Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich in 1902, during his affair with Mathilde; Credit – Wikipedia

According to Mathilde’s later recollections, she had a relationship with Nicholas from 1890 – 1894. To facilitate their meetings, the imperial court rented a villa in St. Petersburg. The relationship ended when Nicholas became engaged to Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine in April 1894. Mathilde was generously compensated with the villa that had served as their meeting place and a sum of money. Nicholas II never met her in private after that, but he often watched her performances and always supported her discreetly whenever she needed it.

Credit – Wikipedia

Mathilde dancing the mazurka with her father; Credit – Wikipedia

After her graduation in 1890, Mathilde had a career with the Maryinsky Ballet until the Russian Revolution occurred in 1917. She appeared in solo roles in many ballets, including Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Nikia in La Bayadere, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, the dual role of Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, and Giselle in Giselle, often partnered by Nikolai Legat or the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky. Mathilde also danced character roles with her father, most often they danced the mazurka as they did in the St. Petersburg premiere of Swan Lake.

Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, circa 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

When Tsesarevich Nicholas broke off his relationship with Mathilde, he asked his twenty-five-year-old first cousin once removed, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich (1869 – 1918), to take care of her. From 1894 until the 1917 Russian Revolution, Grand Duke Sergei was Mathilde’s protector and lover and he provided generously for her. Mathilde, who was ambitious, used her connections to the Romanovs to promote her career. Grand Duke Sergei was president of the Imperial Theatres Society and used his influence to help promote Mathilde’s career with the Maryinsky Ballet. Sergei was devoted to Mathilde but she was not in love with him. He never married but he found that Mathilde provided him with a substitute for family life. Sadly, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich was one of the five Romanovs executed by the Bolsheviks with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, the sister of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Emperor Nicholas II’s wife.

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich in 1900, the year he met Mathilde; Credit – Wikipedia

At the same time, Mathilde was involved in a relationship with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, she was also involved with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich (1879 – 1956), a first cousin of Emperor Nicholas II. Grand Duke Andrei was the youngest of the four sons and the fourth of the five children of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the second surviving son of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia, and Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna).

In February 1900, Grand Duke Andrei was invited by his brothers Grand Duke Kirill and Grand Duke Boris, to a dinner party at Mathilde’s home. Mathilde was attracted to the good-looking Grand Duke Andrei. As she was not in love with Grand Sergei, Mathilde pursued a relationship with Grand Duke Andrei. Mathilde and Andrei were lovers by July 1900. Grand Duke Sergei tolerated their affair, remaining a close and loyal friend to Mathilde but the relationship between the two grand dukes grew tense. They tried to avoid each other and remain civil while sharing the same woman for almost two decades.

Andrei, Mathilde, and her son Vladimir, circa 1905; Credit – Wikipedia

The relationship between the three became more complicated when Mathilde became pregnant. On June 18, 1902, Mathilde gave birth to a son. Both grand dukes were convinced that they were the infant’s father. The newborn was named Vladimir and was known as Vova in the family. A decree issued on October 15, 1911, gave nine-year-old Vladimir the patronymic Sergeevich (meaning son of Sergei) and the surname Krasinsky (according to family tradition, Mathilde’s family descended from Counts Krasinsky). Grand Duke Sergei took on the role of father and looked after Vladimir and Mathilde until his circumstances during the Russian Revolution no longer permitted him to do so. Meanwhile, Mathilde and Andrei continued their affair.

From left to right seated: Baron Alexander Zeddeler (Julia’s husband); Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich; Mathilde’s son Vladimir with his aunt Julia (Mathilde’s sister) behind him; Mathilde with two unidentified children; Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich,1909; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1916, Grand Duke Andrei had been one of the Romanov family members who objected to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna being in charge of the government while her husband Emperor Nicholas II was away at military headquarters during World War I. In December 1916, the murder of the controversial Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin who had befriended the family of Emperor Nicholas II, by Andrei’s first cousin Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich and Prince Felix Yusupov, the husband of his first cousin Princess Irina Alexandrovna, further fractured the Romanov family. When Andrei’s ambitious mother intrigued against Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Emperor Nicholas II ordered the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna to temporarily leave Saint Petersburg. In early 1917, Grand Duke Andrei and his mother Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna left for Kislovodsk, a spa resort town in the Caucasus, an area in Russia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Meanwhile, Nicholas II, Emperor of all Russia abdicated in March 1917 and the Russian Revolution was in its beginnings. In July 1917, Mathilde and her son escaped from the turmoil in Saint Petersburg and joined Andrei in Kislovodsk.

Andrei’s mother Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna still hoped that her eldest son Kirill, would one day be Emperor of All Russia. When other Romanovs were leaving Russia, including her son Kirill and his family, Maria Pavlovna spent 1917-1918 with her son Boris, her son Andrei, and Mathilde along with her son Vladimir in the war-torn Caucasus. With the advance of the Bolsheviks, they fled to Anapa, Russia on the Black Sea, where they spent another fourteen months. When the Commander of the White Army told Maria Pavlovna that the Bolsheviks were going to win the Russian Civil War, she finally agreed to go into exile. On February 13, 1920, Maria Pavlovna, her son Andrei, his mistress Matilde, and her son Vladimir boarded an Italian ship headed to Venice. They made their way from Venice to Switzerland and then to France. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna did not live long in exile, dying in Contrexéville, France on September 6, 1920.

Russian Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Cannes, France where Mathilde and Andrei were finally married; Credit – By Иерей Максим Массалитин – originally posted to Flickr as Завтра зима, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9099069

After the death of his mother, Andrei felt that he would finally be able to marry Mathilde. Andrei asked for and received permission to marry Mathilde from his brother Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, the Head of the Romanov Family since the murders of Emperor Nicholas II and his family, and from Empress Maria Feodorovna, the mother of Nicholas II. Mathilde and Andrei were married in a simple ceremony in the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Cannes, France on January 30, 1921.

After the Russian Revolution, Mathilde and Grand Duke Andrei maintained that Andrei was the father of Mathilde’s son. In 1921, shortly after Mathilde and Andrei’s wedding, Vladimir was adopted by Grand Duke Andrei, and his patronymic was changed to Andreievich, son of Andrei. However, the question of Vladimir’s paternity remains unresolved but most historians believe that Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, whom Vladimir resembled, was his father. On November 30, 1926, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, Head of the Romanov Family, gave Mathilde, who had converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and her son Vladimir, the title and surname of the Prince/Princess of Krasinsky. On July 28, 1935, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich gave Mathilde and her son the surname Romanovsky-Krasinsky, and they were formally styled Princess Maria Romanovsky-Krasinsky and Prince Vladimir Andreievich Romanovsky-Krasinsky.

Cap-d’Ail, France where Mathilde and Andrei lived in exile for a while; Credit – Par Gilbert Bochenek — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18109477

Andrei and Mathilde were able to live more comfortably than some of the other exiled Romanovs. Before the Russian Revolution, Andrei had bought the Villa Alam in Cap-d’Ail, France, bordering Monaco, in Mathilde’s name, and so it did not have to be sold when Nicholas II had ordered all Romanov foreign property to be sold during World War I. To have a cash flow and maintain his standard of living, Andrei sold the jewel collection he inherited from his mother and he mortgaged Villa Alam. However, their standard of living did not last long. Both Mathilde and Andrei liked to gamble and lost huge sums of money at the gambling tables in Monte Carlo and the rest of their money was lost in the stock market crash of 1929. Mathilde and Andrei were forced to sell the Villa Alam. They moved to Paris where they lived in the 16th arrondissement.

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Mathilde, on the right, at her dance school in Paris

In 1929, Mathilde opened a ballet school to provide income for the family. During the 1930s, Mathilde’s ballet school prospered, allowing her family to live a modest, yet comfortable life. Her students included some of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century including Dame Margot Fonteyn of Britain’s Royal Ballet, Dame Alicia Markova of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (Fonteyn and Markova are the only two British ballerinas to be recognized as a prima ballerina assoluta), André Eglevsky who danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, the American Ballet Theatre and the New York City Ballet, Tatiana Riabouchinska who danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and Tamara Toumanova who also danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (Riabouchinska and Toumanova were two members of the famous trio called the Baby Ballerinas).

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich between his wife Mathilde and his first cousin Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna in Paris. 1953; Credit – Wikipedia

As Andrei aged, his health worsened as did the family finances. Andrei and Mathilde were forced to sell their home in Paris and rent instead. They relied on financial aid from Andrei’s nephew Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, the Head of the Romanov Family, and some of Mathilde’s friends and former students, such as British ballerina Margot Fonteyn. On October 31, 1956, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich died at the age of 77 in Paris, France. Mathilde survived him by fifteen years, dying in Paris on December 6, 1971, at the age of 99. Mathilde and Andrei’s son Vladimir never married. He died in Paris, France on April 23, 1974, aged 71. Vladimir was buried with his parents at the Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery in Paris, France.

Grave of Andrei, Mathilde and their son Vladimir; Credit – Автор: Muumi – собственная работа, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62393803

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. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Of Russia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_Andrei_Vladimirovich_of_Russia> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
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  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Кшесинская, Матильда Феликсовна. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D1%88%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F,_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%B4%D0%B0_%D0%A4%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 9 July 2020].
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Crown Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Embed from Getty Images 

Morocco Naming Conventions

  • Lalla: meaning Lady is used by the royal family of Morocco for the wife, daughters, and sisters of the king and some other female relatives
  • Moulay: meaning Lord is used by the royal family of Morocco for the sons and brothers of the king and some other male relatives
  • Sharif/Sharifa(h): a traditional Arabic title meaning noble or highborn
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The newborn Crown Prince and his parents

Crown Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco is the heir apparent to the throne of Morocco. Born on May 8, 2003, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, Morocco, he is the eldest child and the only son of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Salma Bennani, now known as Princess Lalla Salma. The Crown Prince was named after his paternal grandfather King Hassan II of Morocco.

Crown Prince Hassan has one younger sister:

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King Mohammed VI and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan pray at the tomb of King Hassan II in 2010

After his primary education, Crown Prince Hassan attended the Royal Academy, a school located at the Royal Palace in Rabat, Morocco. This school was founded in 1942 by his great-grandfather King Mohammed V who wanted to send his son, the future King Hassan II, to the Ecole des Roches in France but was unable to do so because of World War II. Since then, the school has opened a class for each senior prince or princess of the royal family of Morocco with other students of a similar age also attending.

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Crown Prince Moulay Hassan in 2013

At the end of his second year at the Royal Academy, Hassan decided he wanted to become a pilot. He then switched schools and began attending the Preparatory College in Aeronautical Techniques in Marrakech, Morocco where he pursued his academic studies and pilot training. King Mohammed VI had no objections to his son’s decision to become a pilot as long as he continued his training to become King of Morocco. That training includes learning about dress code and table manners when receiving foreign delegations, public speechmaking, presiding over official events, managing business portfolios, and initiating political and diplomatic debates behind closed doors.

The Crown Prince completed his secondary education in the spring of 2020. In July 2020, it was announced that Hassan has passed the 2020 baccalaureate exams with honors and received his international baccalaureate in the field of economics and social sciences. During the 2020 – 2021 academic year, Hassan studied humanities and social sciences at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. The Crown Prince is fluent in Arabic, French, English, and Spanish.

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French President Emmanuel Macron meets with King Mohammed and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan at the Royal Palace in Rabat on June 14, 2017

Crown Prince Hassan made his first official public appearance in 2014 and since then has attended high-level meetings with his father King Mohammed VI. He was the youngest participant at the One Planet Summit in France in December 2017, earning him international admiration. Hassan represents King Mohammed VI at national events and also represents Morocco at international diplomatic events such as funerals.

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Crown Prince Moulay Hassan and Prince Jean D’Orleans, Duke of Vendôme attend the funeral of Prince Henri Of Orleans, Count Of Paris at the Chapelle Royale in Dreux, France, February 2, 2019

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. الحسن بن محمد. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Moulay Hassan, Crown Prince Of Morocco. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulay_Hassan,_Crown_Prince_of_Morocco> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • Middle East Eye. 2020. Morocco’s Mohammed VI: Is His Son Ready For The Crown?. [online] Available at: <https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/morocco-mohammed-vi-son-succession-crown> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • Morocco World News. 2018. Morocco’s Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Prepares For Aeronautics Exams. [online] Available at: <https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/04/244796/moroccos-crown-prince-moulay-el-hassan-prepares-for-aeronautics-exams/> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • Morocco World News. 2020. Morocco’s Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Passes Baccalaureate Exams. [online] Available at: <https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2020/07/308223/moroccos-crown-prince-moulay-el-hassan-passes-baccalaureate-exams/> [Accessed 26 August 2020].

King Hassan II of Morocco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

King Hassan II of Morocco; Credit – Wikipedia

Morocco Naming Conventions

  • Lalla: meaning Lady is used by the royal family of Morocco for the wife, daughters, and sisters of the king and some other female relatives
  • Moulay: meaning Lord is used by the royal family of Morocco for the sons and brothers of the king and some other male relatives
  • Sharif/Sharifa(h): a traditional Arabic title meaning noble or highborn

King Hassan II of Morocco was born on July 9, 1929, at the Royal Palace in Rabat, then in the French Protectorate of Morocco. He was the eldest child of Mohammed V, then Sultan of Morocco (1909–1961), and his second wife Lalla Abla bint Tahar (1909–1992).

Hassan had four younger siblings:

Hassan had one half-sister from his father’s marriage to Lalla Hanila bint Mamoun:

Hassan had one half-sister from his father’s third marriage to Lalla Bahia bint Antar:

Hassan was educated at the Royal Academy, a school located at the Royal Palace in Rabat, Morocco. This school was founded in 1942 by Hassan’s father who wanted to send his son to the Ecole des Roches in France but was unable to do so because of World War II. Since then, the school has opened a class for each senior prince or princess of the royal family of Morocco with other students of a similar age also attending. After completing his studies at the Royal Academy, Hassan earned a law degree from the University of Bordeaux in France. When he was thirteen years old, Hassan attended the historic Casablanca Conference between his father, President Franklin Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Casablanca, Morocco in 1943.

Hassan, fourth from left in the back row, behind Sultan Muhammad V, President Franklin Roosevelt, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the Casablanca Conference of 1943; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1953, the French colonial authorities forced Hassan’s father Sultan Mohammed V, an important national symbol in the growing Moroccan independence movement, into exile in Corsica, France along with his family. Mohammed V and his family were moved to Madagascar in January 1954. Mohammed V returned from exile in November 1955 and was again recognized as Sultan. Hassan participated in the February 1956 negotiations for Morocco’s independence with his father. In March 1956, the French protectorate was ended and Morocco gained its independence from France as the Kingdom of Morocco. Mohammed V changed the title of the Moroccan sovereign from Sultan to King the following year, and Hassan was proclaimed Crown Prince on July 19, 1957.

In 1961, Hassan married Lalla Latifa Hammou Amahzoune (born 1946,) a member of the Zayane tribe. Also in 1961, Hassan married, Lalla Fatima bint Qaid Ould Hassan Amhourak, a cousin of Latifa Hammou, but they had no children.  After the death of Hassan II, Lalla Latifa married Mohamed Mediouri, Hassan’s bodyguard and former security chief of the Royal Palace.

Hassan and Lalla Latifa had five children:

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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh pose with King Hassan ll and his family onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia on October 30, 1980, in Casablanca, Morocco

Upon the death of King Mohammed V on March 3, 1961, his son became Hassan II, King of Morocco. Morocco held its first general elections in 1963. However, Hassan declared a state of emergency and suspended parliament in 1965. In 1971, there was a failed assassination and coup attempt against Hassan. The brother of Hassan’s wife Lalla Latifa, General Medbouh Hammou Amahzoune, was executed along with nine other high-ranking military officers for having participated in the failed coup attempt. In 1972, Hassan survived another assassination attempt.

From the 1960s to the late 1980s, Morocco’s human rights record was extremely poor. In Morocco, those years are known as the Years of Lead.  Thousands of dissidents were jailed, exiled, or disappeared. During this time, Morocco was one of the most repressive and undemocratic countries in the world. Due to pressure from other countries and human rights groups and the threat of international isolation, Hassan began to gradually democratize Morocco. Political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a two-house legislature in 1997 and Morocco’s first opposition-led government came to power in 1998.

For the remainder of Hassan’s reign, Morocco’s human rights record improved modestly. It improved significantly following the death of Hassan II in 1999 when he was succeeded by his son as King Mohammed VI who reigned as a cautious modernizer and introduced economic and social liberalization measures. The Equity and Reconciliation Commission was set up in 2004 to investigate human rights abuses during Hassan’s reign. The commission confirmed nearly 10,000 cases of human rights abuses and concluded that 742 disappeared individuals had died.

Despite the human rights abuses in Morocco, Hassan fostered some of the earliest contacts between Israel and its Arab enemies, including meetings that were key to the normalization of relations between Israel and Egypt that led to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem in 1977 and the Camp David Accords of 1978.

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World leaders follow the funeral procession of King Hassan II of Morocco, July 25, 1999

On July 23, 1999, King Hassan II of Morocco died, aged 70, from pneumonia in Rabat, Morocco. Over forty heads of state and other dignitaries attended his funeral including United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, American President Bill Clinton, former American President George H.W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan, King Juan Carlos of Spain, and Prince Charles representing his mother Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The funeral became a diplomatic opportunity with many of the leaders holding informal meetings before and after the funeral.

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The funeral procession passing through Rabat

About 2 million Moroccans gathered along the three-mile route of the funeral procession as King Hassan’s casket draped with a black covering embroidered with verses from the Koran and borne by a military gun carriage made its way to the burial site followed by the large turnout of world leaders walking behind the casket.

Mausoleum of Mohammed V; By Jorge Lascar – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75666661

King Hassan II was buried near the tomb of his father King Mohammed V in a massive mausoleum known as the Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco. Hassan’s coffin was carried into the mausoleum by his son King Mohammed VI, his brother Prince Moulay Rachid, and his cousin Prince Moulay Hicham. Only a small group of male family members, courtiers, and Muslim foreigners, including Yasser Arafat, attended the burial but it was broadcast on Moroccan television.

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King Mohammed VI and his brother Prince Moulay Rachid pray at the tomb of their father 40 days after the funeral

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. الحسن الثاني بن محمد. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • Archive.nytimes.com. 1999. Moroccan Mourners, World Leaders Throng King Hassan’s Funeral. [online] Available at: <https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/072599hassan-funeral.html> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Hassan II Of Morocco. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_II_of_Morocco> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Morocco. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morocco> [Accessed 26 August 2020].
  • Los Angeles Times. 1999. World Leaders Join 2 Million At King’s Funeral. [online] Available at: <https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-26-mn-59692-story.html> [Accessed 26 August 2020].

Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, Mistress of King George II of Great Britain

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth was the mistress of King George II of Great Britain from 1735 until the King’s death in 1760. She was the last British royal mistress to be granted a peerage title.

Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth.source: Wikipedia

Amalie Sophie Marianne von Wendt was born in Hanover on April 1, 1704 to General Johann Franz von Wendt and Friederike Charlotte von dem Bussche-Ippenburg. Her maternal grandmother Catherine had been the first mistress of the future King George I, and her grandmother’s older sister Clara had been the mistress of George I’s father, Duke Ernst August von Braunschweig-Lüneburg.

In 1727, Amalie married Count Adam Gottlieb von Wallmoden, the son of Count Ludwig von Wallmoden and Anna Elisabeth von Helmberg. The couple had two children:

  • Franz Ernst von Wallmoden (1728 – 1776)
  • Friederike von Wallmoden (1729 – 1800)

King George II of Great Britain. source: Wikipedia

Amalie met King George II in 1735 while he was visiting Hanover, and they quickly began an affair that would last for the next twenty-five years. Her husband was quickly paid off by the King to turn a blind eye to the affair, receiving a payment of 1,000 ducats. In 1736, Amalie gave birth to a son with the King, although the child was registered as being her husband’s child:

  • Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden (1736-1811) – married (1) Charlotte von Wangenheim, had issue, widowed; (2) Baroness Luise Christiane von Liechtenstein, had issue

Thoroughly smitten with Amalie, King George II continued to visit to Hanover specifically to see her. Correspondence shows that he discussed the relationship extensively with his wife, Queen Caroline, and his chief minister, Robert Walpole. Meanwhile, his constant absence from London was causing him to lose the support of many in Britain. Sensing this, Walpole encouraged Queen Caroline to suggest to her husband that he return to England and bring Amalie with him. The King, however, felt that it would be inappropriate and chose to continue his journeys back and forth to Hanover.

After the Queen died in 1737, George finally called for Amalie to join him in England. Upon her arrival in early 1738, Amalie was given apartments in St. James’s Palace – the King’s primary residence – as well as Kensington Palace. The following year, she was divorced from her husband, who received an annual pension of £4,000 from the King.

In 1740, Amalie became a naturalized citizen of Britain, and on March 24, 1740, she was granted a life peerage as Countess of Yarmouth and Baroness Yarmouth in the County of Norfolk in her own right. This would be the last time that a royal mistress in Britain would be given a peerage title.

Over the next 20 years, Amalie played a very prominent role in the King’s life and his court. Immensely discreet, she supported him unconditionally and as he aged and became frailer, she became a mediator between the King and his ministers. On the morning of October 25, 1760, King George II died at Kensington Palace of a thoracic aortic dissection. Amalie received an annuity of £10,000 and retained her apartments in the palace, but soon returned to her native Hanover. Nearly five years later, on October 19, 1765, Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, died of breast cancer at the age of 61.

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Prince Aribert of Anhalt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Aribert of Anhalt was the husband of Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom from 1891 until the marriage was dissolved in 1900. Prince Aribert Joseph Alexander of Anhalt was born on June 18, 1864, in Wörlitz, Duchy of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. He was the fourth of the four sons and the fifth of the six children of Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg.

Aribert had four elder siblings and one younger sibling:

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Aribert met his future wife, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, in 1890, at the wedding of Marie Louise’s first cousin Princess Viktoria of Prussia and Prince Adolph of Schaumberg-Lippe. Marie Louise was the daughter of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, a daughter of Queen Victoria. Aribert served in the Prussian military and was close friends with Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia, Marie Louise’s first cousin. Wilhelm encouraged the relationship, and it was at a family luncheon at his Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia that the engagement of Marie Louise and Aribert was announced in December 1890. The couple was married in the presence of Queen Victoria on July 6, 1891, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

The couple settled in Dessau, the capital of the Duchy of Anhalt. However, Marie Louise found life there difficult due to the strict court etiquette. Aribert’s primary focus was his military career and he had little interest in having a life at home. Fortunately for Marie Louise, they spent little time in Anhalt, as Aribert was based primarily in Berlin.

It soon became obvious that Aribert and Marie Louise had little in common, and they would often go days without seeing each other, even while living in the same home. Often suffering from ill-health in the cold weather, Marie Louise traveled extensively. It was while on one of these trips, to the United States and Canada, that her marriage ended without her knowledge. On November 13, 1900, the New York Times reported that “a judicial separation between Prince and Princess Aribert of Anhalt is an accomplished fact. The deeds were signed and the other formalities completed during the stay in Berlin of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, father of the Princess.”

While traveling in Canada, Marie Louise received a cable from her father-in-law, demanding that she return home immediately. Just an hour later, she received another cable, this time from Queen Victoria – “tell my granddaughter to come home to me. V.R.” Upon arriving in England, Marie Louise was told that her marriage had been dissolved by her father-in-law, at her husband’s insistence. It has been speculated that the marriage was never consummated and that Aribert was homosexual, and had been caught in a compromising situation with another man by either his wife or his father. In her memoirs, Marie Louise stated that even though her marriage was annulled, she maintained the vows she had made at her wedding, and would never remarry.

Prince Aribert; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1894, Prince Aribert became the chairman of the German Empire Olympic Committee in preparation for the first modern Olympics in Athens, Greece in 1896. He was once again chairman of the German Empire Olympic Committee for the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Aribert’s eldest brother had predeceased their father and so upon the death of Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt in 1904, his second son Friedrich II became Duke of Anhalt. Friedrich II’s marriage was childless and so upon his death in April 1918, the third son Eduard became Duke of Anhalt. Eduard’s reign was only five months long as he died in September 1918. Eduard’s 17-year-old son Joachim Ernst became Duke of Anhalt. As Joachim Ernst was underage, his uncle Aribert served as Regent. With the German Empire crumbling, Aribert abdicated on Joachim Ernst’s behalf on November 12, 1918, and the Duchy of Anhalt became the Free State of Anhalt.

Prince Aribert of Anhalt died on December 24, 1933, aged 69, in Munich, Germany. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum (link in German) in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1958, the remains of members of the House of Anhalt were removed from the Ducal Mausoleum secretly by night for political reasons (Dessau was then in Communist East Germany) and reburied in the Ziebigker Cemetery in Dessau in a common grave, marked only by a simple wooden cross. In 2019, Aribert’s remains were moved a second time and reinterred in the Marienkirche (link in German) in Dessau, the traditional burial site of the Dukes of Anhalt-Dessau dating back to the 15th century. The Marienkirche was destroyed during World War II and has since been rebuilt.

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Aribert Von Anhalt. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aribert_von_Anhalt> [Accessed 16 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Prince Aribert Of Anhalt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Aribert_of_Anhalt> [Accessed 16 September 2020].
  • Findagrave.com. 2020. Aribert Joseph Alexander Von Anhalt (1866-1933) -…. [online] Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/209620112/aribert-joseph_alexander-von_anhalt> [Accessed 16 September 2020].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2015. Princess Marie Louise Of Schleswig-Holstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-marie-louise-of-schleswig-holstein/> [Accessed 16 September 2020].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. 1900. Royal Couple Separated. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1900/11/14/102621268.pdf> [Accessed 16 September 2020].

Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala 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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Credit- By LeliseliTongaFollow – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41421546

Siaosi (George) Manumataongo ʻAlaivahamamaʻo ʻAhoʻeitu Konstantin Tukuʻaho, known as Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala of Tonga, was born September 17, 1985, in Nukuʻalofa, capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. He is the second of the three children and the elder of the two sons of King Tupou VI of Tonga and Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho.

Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala has an elder sister and a younger brother:

  • Angelika Lātūfuipeka Halaevalu Mataʻaho Napua-o-kalani Tukuʻaho, known as Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho (born 1983)
  • Viliami ‘Unaki-‘o-‘Tonga Lalaka moe ‘Eiki Tuku’aho, known as Prince Ata (born 1988)

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala (left) with his father (center) and brother (right) at the funeral of his grandfather King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, September 28, 2006; Credit – Wikipedia

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala was educated at Tupou College, a Methodist boys’ secondary school in Toloa, Tonga. He attended the Australian Defence College and the Australian National University, studying Military and Defense Studies, graduating with a Master of Military and Defence Studies in 2018 and a Master of Diplomacy in 2021.

On March 18, 2012, Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala’s father became King of Tonga upon the death of his unmarried brother King George Tupou V. Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala became Crown Prince of Tonga, and his official investiture as Crown Prince took place at the Liukava Royal Residence on March 30, 2012.

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Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala and Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho on their wedding day

On July 12, 2012, after the one-hundred-day mourning period marking the death of King George Tupou V, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala married his double second cousin Sinaitakala Fakafauna at the Centenary Church in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho is the daughter of Kinikinilau Tūtoatasi, 7th Lord Fakafānua and Princess Sinaitakala ‘Ofeina-‘e-he-Langi Fakafānua. Through her mother, she is a member of the Tongan royal family and, in her own right, in the line of succession to the throne of Tonga. Both Sinaitakala’s parents are first cousins of King Tupou VI. It is the tradition in Tonga that all royal marriages are arranged and that members of the royal family may only marry members of the Tongan nobility to maintain the royal bloodline.

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Sinaitakala escorted by her brother enters the Centenary Church in Nuku’alofa to marry Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala

However, the marriage caused much controversy over the practice of marrying closely related cousins and was openly criticized by members of Tongan political and royal circles. The Crown Prince’s parents were also second cousins, but despite this, King Tupou VI opposed the marriage and made his disapproval known to members of the royal family. His wife Queen Nanasipau’u had arranged the marriage. Two prominent members of the Tongan royal family, Queen Mother Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe and Princess Royal Pilolevu, King Tupou VI’s mother and sister, refused to attend the wedding ceremony.

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala and Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho have four children:

  • Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo (born 2013)
  • Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho (born July 2014)
  • Princess Nanasipauʻu Eliana (born 2018)
  • Princess Salote Mafileʻo Pilolevu (born 2021)

Tongan royal family in 2018 (L-R): unidentified, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa, Princess Halaevalu, King Tupou VI, Prince Taufaʻahau, Queen Nanasipau’u, Crown Princess Sinaitakala holding Princess Nanasipauʻu; Credit – http://www.tonga-broadcasting.net/

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. Tupoutoʻa ʻulukalala. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupouto%CA%BBa_%CA%BBUlukalala> [Accessed 10 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sinaitakala Fakafanua. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinaitakala_Fakafanua> [Accessed 10 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Wedding Of Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻulukalala And Sinaitakala Fakafanua. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Crown_Prince_Tupouto%CA%BBa_%CA%BBUlukalala_and_Sinaitakala_Fakafanua> [Accessed 10 September 2020].
  • Latu, Sydney, 2018. HRH Crown Prince Graduated From The Australian National University – TBC. [online] Tonga-broadcasting.net. Available at: <http://www.tonga-broadcasting.net/?p=13815> [Accessed 10 September 2020].

Maria Antonovna Naryshkina, Mistress of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Maria Antonovna Naryshkina; 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”.

Born Princess Maria Czetwertyński-Światopełk (name often shortened and Russified to Chetvertinskaya) on February 2, 1779, in Warsaw, Poland, Maria was the second of the two daughters and the second of the three children of Polish nobleman Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk and his first wife Tekla von Kampenhausen.

Maria had two siblings:

  • Princess Zhanetta Antonovna Chetvertinskaya (1777 – 1854), married Count Severin Vyshkovsky, no children,
  • Prince Boris Antonovich Chetvertinsky (1784 – 1865), married Princess Nadezhda Fedorovna Gagarina, had nine children

Maria’s mother died when she was five years old. Her father married again to Coletta Adamovna Kholonevskaya.

Maria had two half-brothers from her father’s second marriage:

  • Prince Konstantin Antonovich Chetvertinsky (1792 – 1850)
  • Prince Gustav Antonovich Chetvertinsky (1794 – 1851)

The urn with the ashes of  Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk surrounded by his widow Coletta Adamovna Kholonevskaya with her two young sons, Konstantin and Gustav. On the right side are the children of Prince Chetvertinsky from his first marriage: son Boris and daughters Maria and Zhanetta; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria’s father Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk was a member of the parliament of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and took the side of the Russian Empire in many matters that came before the parliament. During the Kościuszko Uprising, he was imprisoned by the Polish revolutionaries. On June 28, 1794, an angry mob stormed the prison, and Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk was hanged with other people declared traitors.

Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia ordered Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk’s widow and children to be brought to St. Petersburg and provided for them. As adults, Maria’s brothers had positions at the Russian court and/or in the government. Her sister was the mistress of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, the brother of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia.

Maria’s husband, Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria was fifteen years old when she arrived in St. Petersburg and was made a maid-of-honor at the Russian court. Catherine the Great arranged a marriage for her, and in 1795, she married 31-year-old Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin, from a rich noble family, and a courtier at the Russian court where he held several high positions over the years.

Naryshkin-Shuvalov Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria and her husband lived a life of extravagant luxury. They were famous for hosting balls at their St. Petersburg palace, now known as the Naryshkin-Shuvalov Palace on the Fontanka River Embankment. Today, it is the site of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg. Maria was known for her dazzling beauty and attracted the attention of Tsesarevich Alexander Pavlovich, the future Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia.

Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia: Credit – Wikipedia

Tsesarevich Alexander Pavlovich was the eldest son and heir of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, who had succeeded his mother Catherine II (the Great) upon her death in 1796. In 1793, Catherine the Great arranged a marriage between her grandson Alexander and Louise of Baden, known as Elizabeth Alexeievna after her marriage. Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna’s marriage started to falter. With the approval of Maria’s husband, Alexander started a long-term affair with Maria in 1799 and Elizabeth Alexeievna sought affection from her husband’s friend Prince Adam Czartoryski, a Polish noble. In 1799, Elizabeth Alexeievna gave birth to a daughter Maria Alexandrovna, who had dark eyes and dark hair like Prince Adam Czartoryski, unlike the blond hair and blue eyes of both Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna. Elizabeth Alexeievna had one more daughter but both daughters died in early childhood.

Maria and Alexander’s affair lasted for nearly nineteen years. After Alexander became Emperor of All Russia following the assassination of his father in 1801, his marriage was one in name only. Both Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna fulfilled their duties as Emperor and Empress. However, Alexander continued his long-term affair with Maria, and Elizabeth Alexeievna continued her affair with Prince Adam Czartoryski.

Maria Antonovna Naryshkina with her daughter Marina; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria had six children who were officially considered the children of Maria’s husband Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin but their paternity is uncertain. The eldest Marina was the child of Dmitry as Maria’s affair with Alexander I started in 1799, after Marina’s birth. Sophie was the only child officially recognized by Alexander I. There are suspicions that Maria had an affair with Prince Grigory Ivanovich Gagarin, a diplomat and a poet, in 1813-1816, and that Maria’s son Emmanuel may have been Gagarin’s.

  • Marina Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1798 – 1871), married Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Guryev, had four children
  • Elizabeth Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1802 – 1803), died in infancy
  • Elena Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1803 – 1804), died in infancy
  • Sophia Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1805 – 1824), died from tuberculosis at age 18
  • Zinaida Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1807 – 1810), died in early childhood
  • Emanuel Dmitrievich Naryshkin (1813 – 1901), married (1) Ekaterina Nikolaevna Novosiltseva, no children (2) Alexandra Nikolaevna Chicherina, no children

In 1815, Maria accompanied Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia to the Congress of Vienna, causing a scandal. Eventually, Maria began to worry about her position and the gossip surrounding her and Alexander began to have pangs of guilt about the long-term affair. In 1818, the affair ended and Alexander went back to his wife Elizabeth Alexeievna but he continued to talk about Maria as his family.

Maria in 1838; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria returned to her husband Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin and they lived in Odessa, Russia on the Black Sea. On December 1, 1825, 47-year-old Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia died in Elizabeth Alexeievna’s arms from typhus. He was succeeded by his brother Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin died on March 31, 1838, aged 73, and was buried in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. In 1842, Maria left Russia and moved to Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, where she lived with the family of Count von Rechberg.

Maria Antonovna Naryshkina, aged 75, died on September 6, 1854, in Starnberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was buried in the Alter Südfriedhof (Old South Cemetery) in Munich.

Tomb of Maria Antonovna Naryshkina; Credit – Von HubertSt – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50916498

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Marija Antonowna Naryschkina. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marija_Antonowna_Naryschkina> [Accessed 3 July 2020].
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Prince Lerotholi Seeiso of Lesotho

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

The heir apparent to the throne of Lesotho, Prince Lerotholi Mohato Bereng Seeiso is the third child and the only son of King Letsie III of Lesotho and Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso, born Anna Karabo Motsoeneng. Born on April 18, 2007, in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, he was named in honor of Lerotholi Letsie, the Paramount Chief of the Basotho from 1891 to 1905, during the time the country was a British protectorate.

The Lesotho Royal Family; Credit – https://face2faceafrica.com/

Prince Lerotholi has two elder sisters:

Prince Lerotholi’s mother holding him at his baptism: Credit – Credit – Baptism of Prince Lerotholi

On June 2, 2007, at the Saint Louis Church in Matsieng, Lesotho, Prince Lerotholi was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church as David by Bernard Mohlalisi, Archbishop of Maseru and Head of the Roman Catholic Church in Lesotho. His godfather was Principal Chief of Likhoele Lerotholi Seeiso.

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. Prince Lerotholi Seeiso. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Lerotholi_Seeiso> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • Web.archive.org. 2007. Baptism Of Prince Lerotholi. [online] Available at: <https://web.archive.org/web/20070805041609/http://www.lesotho.gov.ls/articles/2007/Baptism_Prince_Lerotholi.php> [Accessed 25 August 2020].

Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – By National Assembly For Wales / Cynulliad Cymru profile – Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16250190

Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho is the wife of King Letsie III of Lesotho. Born Anna Karabo Motšoeneng on June 2, 1976, at the Maloti Adventist Hospital in Mapoteng, Lesotho, she is the eldest of the five children of Thekiso and Makarabo Motšoeneng and was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church.

From 1990 – 1996, Anna spent her secondary school years at Machabeng International College in Maseru, Lesotho where she completed her International General Certificate for Secondary Education and the International Baccalaureate Diploma. In 1997, Anna enrolled at the National University of Lesotho to pursue her Bachelor of Science degree. Her studies were interrupted by her engagement to King Letsie III in October 1999.

Embed from Getty Images 

Anna and King Letsie III were married on February 18, 2000, at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho The national sports stadium was filled to its capacity of 40,000 people, with thousands turned away. The marriage ceremony was conducted by Bernard Mohlalisi, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Maseru. Guests included The Prince of Wales, King Mswati III of Swaziland, and Nelson Mandela. The bride wore a white wedding gown with a long train and the groom was dressed in a suit. King Letsie said Anna would be his only wife, going against the tradition in an area where polygamy is relatively common. After the ceremony, the bride and the groom left for a luncheon amid deafening cheers, singing, and ululating from the crowd. The couple hosted an evening banquet for their guests. After her marriage, Anna was known as Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso.

The Lesotho Royal Family; Credit – https://face2faceafrica.com/

King Letsie and Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso had three children:

As a commoner marrying into the royal family, Queen Masenate was especially grateful for the support she received from her mother-in-law Queen Mamohato. She was deeply saddened by the death of Queen Mamohato in 2003 and regretted losing her tutor and maternal figure.

Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso with King Letsie III in 2013; Credit – By IAEA Imagebank – https://www.flickr.com/photos/iaea_imagebank/8680655840, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37933098

Queen Masenate is Patron to a number of organizations including the Lesotho Red Cross Society, SOS Children’s Village, People with Disabilities, and her alma mater, Machabeng International College. She is especially interested in projects that are aimed at helping people with disabilities to be better heard in their communities. During her schooling at Machabeng College, Queen Masenate was involved in community service at Angela School for the Disabled and Centre for the Blind. She also strongly supports the work undertaken with HIV/AIDS patients and has been involved in several awareness programs in Lesotho. As the Queen of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Queen Masenate becomes the Regent whenever King Letsie is absent from the country.

King Letsie and Queen Masenate spend time managing their agricultural operations. Both husband and wife are interested in crop and livestock farming and the family boasts of bumper harvests every year and many highly productive cattle, goats, and sheep in the mountains.

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. Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_%27Masenate_Mohato_Seeiso> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
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  • Iol.co.za. 2000. King Letsie Takes First And Last Bride. [online] Available at: <https://www.iol.co.za/sport/soccer/africa/king-letsie-takes-first-and-last-bride-28664> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • News.bbc.co.uk. 2000. BBC News | AFRICA | Lesotho’s Batchelor King Weds. [online] Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/647779.stm> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
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