Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was one-half of the couple who secured the future of the Belgian royal dynasty.  Marie Luise Alexandrine Karoline was born on November 17, 1845, at Schloss Sigmaringen, the seat of the Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen now located in Sigmaringen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.  She was the younger of the two daughters and the youngest of the six children of Sovereign Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, head of the Princely House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Prime Minister of Prussia, and Princess Josephine of Baden, daughter of Grand Duke Karl of Baden.  In 1869, the Sovereign Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen also became the Sovereign Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and assumed the title Prince of Hohenzollern.

Marie had five older siblings:

Marie, seated on the left, and her sister Stephanie, standing, 1858: Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Unlike the Hohenzollerns who ruled in Prussia, Marie’s family was Roman Catholic. She was considered as a wife for the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom but her religion barred any possibility of marriage as she would not convert to the Church of England.  On April 25, 1867, at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg, Marie married Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders,  the third son but second surviving son of Leopold I of the Belgians and Marie-Louise of Orléans.

Marie on her wedding day; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Philippe and Marie had five children:

Philippe and Marie settled in the Palace of the Count of Flanders in Brussels, which Philippe bought and renovated. During the first several years of the couple’s married life, there were several family tragedies. In 1867, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the husband of Philippe’s sister Charlotte, was deposed and executed by a firing squad. Charlotte descended into a mental illness that would plague her for the rest of her life. In 1869, ten-year-old Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the only son and heir of Philippe’s brother King Leopold II, fell into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Leopold II and his wife had another child, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl.

It was Philippe and Marie who secured the future of the Belgian dynasty. Philippe was the heir presumptive to the Belgian throne until he died in 1905. Philippe’s elder son Baudouin was second in line to the throne until he died in 1891 from influenza. Then Marie and Philippe’s younger son Albert became second in line to the throne. Eventually, Albert succeeded his uncle King Leopold II upon his death in 1909 as King Albert I.

Marie and Philippe, 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie was an accomplished artist and her artwork was exhibited at the Brussels Fair and the World Exhibition of 1893 in Chicago. Her literary salon attracted many authors and was a popular part of Brussels’ social life for forty years.  She was also well known for her charitable work.  Marie gradually took on the role of the first lady of the court after her sister-in-law Queen Marie-Henriette left the court due to marriage problems and her sisters-in-law married. Her husband Philippe died on November 17, 1905, at the age of 68. He was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium

Marie lived to see her son become King Albert I of Belgium in 1909.  She died in Brussels, Belgium on November 26, 1912, from pneumonia and was buried with her husband at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.

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.

Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Philippe of Belgium (Philippe Eugène Ferdinand Marie Clément Baudouin Léopold Georges) was born on March 24, 1837, at the Royal Castle of Laeken near Brussels, Belgium. He was the third of the three sons and the third of the four children of Leopold I, King of the Belgians and his second wife Louise-Marie of Orléans. Prince Philippe is the ancestor of the current Belgian royal family as his son succeeded to the Belgian throne as King Albert I.

Philippe had two elder brothers and one younger sister:

Philippe (in the middle) with his brother Leopold and his sister Charlotte; Credit – Wikipedia

Philippe’s father was born Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and first married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom and the second in the line of succession to the British throne. Sadly, 21-year-old Princess Charlotte of Wales died in childbirth along with her son. In 1831, Leopold became King of the Belgians after Belgium became independent from the Netherlands. King Leopold I was the uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, and therefore his son Philippe, Victoria, and Albert were first cousins. Philippe’s mother was the daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies.

Philippe in 1863; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

When he was three-years-old, Philippe was created Count of Flanders and on his 18th birthday, he received the Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold. In 1866, Philippe refused the offer of the throne of Romania which was later accepted by his future brother-in-law Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen who reigned as King Carol I of Romania.

Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen on her wedding day; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 25, 1867, at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin, Philippe married Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, daughter of Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, head of the Princely House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Prime Minister of Prussia, and his wife Princess Josephine of Baden.

Philippe and Marie had five children:

Philippe and Marie settled in the Palace of the Count of Flanders in Brussels, which Philippe bought and renovated. During the first several years of the couple’s married life, there were several family tragedies. In 1867, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, the husband of Philippe’s sister Charlotte, was deposed and executed by a firing squad. Charlotte descended into the mental illness which would plague her for the rest of her life. In 1869, ten-year-old Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the only son and heir of Philippe’s brother King Leopold II, fell into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Leopold II and his wife had another child, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl.

It was Philippe and Marie who secured the future of the Belgian dynasty. Philippe was the heir presumptive to the Belgian throne until he died in 1905. Philippe’s elder son Baudouin was second in line to the throne until he died in 1891 from influenza. Then Philippe’s younger son Albert became second in line to the throne. Eventually, Albert succeeded his uncle, King Leopold II, upon his death in 1909 as King Albert I.

Marie and Philippe, 1880; Credit – Wikipedia

Philippe led a comfortable life in the intimacy of his Brussels palace surrounded by his objets d’art, his superb horses, and his precious library of 30,000 books. Philippe, age 68, died on November 17, 1905, at his palace in Brussels. He was buried at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium

Church of Our Lady of Laeken; Photo 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. (2017). Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Philippe,_Count_of_Flanders [Accessed 15 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Philippe de Belgique (1837-1905). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_de_Belgique_(1837-1905) [Accessed 15 Sep. 2017].
  • It.wikipedia.org. (2017). Filippo del Belgio (1837-1905). [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_del_Belgio_(1837-1905) [Accessed 15 Sep. 2017].

Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Clémentine of Belgium, Princess Napoléon; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Clémentine of Belgium (Clémentine Albertine Marie Léopoldine) was born at the Royal Castle of Laeken in Belgium on July 30, 1872. She was the third of the three daughters and the youngest of the four children of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria. In 1869, when Leopold and Marie-Henriette’s only son Leopold died, King Leopold blamed Queen Marie-Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Queen Marie-Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl, Clémentine. Clémentine’s parents completely separated after her birth.

Clémentine had three older siblings:

Even before the death of their brother, Clémentine’s siblings had a difficult childhood. The marriage of their parents started unhappy, remained unhappy, and the couple lived mostly separate lives. King Leopold had many mistresses and he made no real attempt to have a successful marriage. Queen Marie-Henriette was cold and inaccessible. Their mother showed no interest in the children and their father, who was only interested in his business in the Belgian Congo, did not spend time with his daughters.

By the time Clémentine was eight years old, both her sisters had married and she was the only child left at home. She grew up alone under the guidance of governesses who taught her French, German, music, history, and literature. Clémentine had a close relationship with her sister Stéphanie. The two sisters maintained a faithful correspondence and considered each other their best friend. Clémentine’s relationship with her father improved. In 1894, she got her own coach and could come and go without her mother’s permission. By 1895, Queen Marie-Henriette moved to Spa, Belgium where she lived out the rest of her life at Hôtel du Midi, the home she had bought there. Clémentine replaced her as the first lady of the Belgian court.

Clémentine fell in love with her first cousin Prince Baudouin of Belgium. Baudouin was the elder son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, brother of King Leopold II who had become heir to the Belgian throne after the death of Leopold’s only son. Therefore, Baudouin was second in the line of succession. It appears that Clémentine and Baudouin were informally betrothed. Although accounts differ as to whether or not Baudouin was in favor of this arrangement, it was generally seen as the best way of uniting the cadet and main branches of the Belgian Royal Family. However, Baudouin died of influenza in January 1891 at the age of 21.

Clémentine first met Prince Victor Bonaparte in 1888, when the prince visited Brussels. The prince had become head of the House of Bonaparte upon the death in 1879 of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, the only child of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. Clémentine confided to one of her sisters that she was attracted to Victor but her father opposed the match because it could compromise the relations between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Republic of France. King Leopold’s refusal caused many arguments between father and daughter. In 1903, Clémentine once again asked permission to marry Victor and her father again refused. Clémentine persisted but was threatened with disinheritance by her father.

In 1909, after her father had died, Clémentine received permission to marry Victor from the new Belgian monarch King Albert I, her first cousin and Prince Baudouin’s younger brother. On November 14, 1910, at the Castle of Moncalieri in the Kingdom of Italy, 38-year-old Clémentine married 48-year-old Victor. Clémentine later wrote to her sister Stephanie: “My good husband, gentle, adoring, tender, loving, intelligent, connoisseur of people and things. He is beautiful, this Prince. Napoleon is a love, I adore him.”

Victor and Clementine; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Clémentine and Victor had two children:

Clémentine and Victor initially settled in Brussels because the Republic of France did not allow pretenders to the throne to live in France. During World War I, Clémentine, Victor, and their children lived with the former Empress of the French, Eugenie, the widow of Emperor Napoleon III, at her home Farnborough Hill in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. Following the end of the war, the family returned to Brussels. Prince Victor died on May 3, 1926, in Brussels, Belgium.

Clémentine initially remained in Belgium after her husband’s death. She was greatly saddened by a major political crisis in Belgium, The Royal Question, and lived the majority of the rest of her life in France. The Royal Question (1945 to 1951) concerned whether King Leopold III could resume his royal powers and duties as King of the Belgians despite allegations that his actions during World War II were contrary to the Belgian Constitution. The crisis was eventually resolved in 1951 by the abdication of Leopold in favor of his elder son King Baudouin I.

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The last ten years of Clémentine’s life were happy and peaceful. She enjoyed her many grandchildren and received the Legion of Honor for her 80th birthday. On March 8, 1955, Clémentine died at the age of 82, at her home in Nice, France, the Villa Clairvallou. She was buried with her husband at the Imperial Chapel of Ajaccio in Ajaccio, Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. The Imperial Chapel was built by Cardinal Joseph Fesch, the half-brother of Napoleon Bonaparte’s mother Letizia, so that Letizia and any other members of the Bonaparte who desired so, could be buried there.

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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. (2017). Clementine von Belgien. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clementine_von_Belgien [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Princess Clémentine of Belgium. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Cl%C3%A9mentine_of_Belgium [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Clémentine de Belgique. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9mentine_de_Belgique [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. (2017). Clementine van België. [online] Available at: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clementine_van_Belgi%C3%AB [Accessed 14 Sep. 2017].

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, Crown Princess of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, Crown Princess of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of the heir to the Austrian throne who died in a suicide pact with his mistress, Princess Stéphanie of Belgium was born on May 21, 1864, at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Belgium.  Stéphanie Clotilde Louise Herminie Marie Charlotte was the second of the three daughters and the third of the four children of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria.

Stéphanie had three siblings:

The marriage of Stéphanie’s parents started out unhappy, remained unhappy, and the couple lived mostly separate lives. King Leopold had many mistresses and made no real attempt to have a successful marriage. Queen Marie-Henriette was cold and inaccessible. Stéphanie and her siblings had a difficult childhood. Their mother showed no interest in the children and their father, who was only interested in his business in the Belgian Congo, did not spend time with his daughters. In 1869, when Stéphanie’s only brother Leopold died, King Leopold blamed Queen Marie-Henriette for their son’s death. Little Leopold had fallen into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Queen Marie-Henriette became pregnant again, but the long-awaited crown prince did not materialize as the child was a girl, Clémentine. Stéphanie’s parents completely separated after the birth of Clémentine.

Rudolf and Stéphanie  – official engagement photograph, 1881; Credit – Wikipedia

Stéphanie’s marriage was planned by the royal courts of Belgium and Austria. Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, the only son of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth (Sissi), was under pressure to marry. Stéphanie who was still a teenager and Roman Catholic, met the criteria of the Emperor although the Empress did not think Stéphanie was good enough for her son because the Belgian monarchy had existed only since 1830. Nevertheless, during a trip to Belgium in March 1880 at the invitation of King Leopold II, Rudolf proposed to Stéphanie to the great joy of her parents. Stéphanie was sent to Vienna to learn the etiquette of the imperial court, but within the month, her ladies-in-waiting realized that she had not yet reached puberty. Stéphanie suffered great humiliation as the wedding was postponed and she was sent back to Belgium. Eventually, the couple married on May 10, 1881, at the Augustinerkirche, the parish church of the Imperial Court of the Habsburgs, a short walk from Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Stéphanie was not quite 17-years-old and Rudolf was 22-years-old.

Augustinerkirche in Vienna; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

Stéphanie and Rudolf had one child:

Stéphanie and her daughter Elisabeth Marie; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage was happy at first, but shortly after the birth of their daughter, the relationship between Stéphanie and Rudolf began to deteriorate. Rudolf likely infected Stéphanie with a sexually transmitted disease, causing her to be infertile and unable to provide a male heir for the Austrian throne. Both Stéphanie and Rudolf began affairs with other people in the following years and intermittently spoke of divorce.

On January 30, 1889, at Mayerling, a hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods Rudolf had purchased, Rudolf shot his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera, and then shot himself in an apparent suicide plot. Stéphanie was widowed at the age of 24. Rudolf wrote in his farewell letter to Stéphanie: Dear Stéphanie! You are free from my presence and plague; be happy in your way. Be good for the poor little one, who is the only thing left of me. The custody of Stéphanie’s daughter Elisabeth Marie was taken over by her grandfather, Emperor Franz Joseph. Elisabeth Marie remained close to her grandfather until he died in 1916.

Stéphanie in 1890; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

After the shock of Rudolf’s death, Stéphanie traveled and spent a great deal of time with her sisters Louise and Clémentine. She avoided Vienna as much as possible and when at court, she was unable to completely fulfill her duties. Stéphanie’s father and Emperor Franz Joseph tried in vain to marry Stéphanie to Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Emperor’s nephew and the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne, to disrupt Franz Ferdinand’s relationship with Countess Sophie Chotek von Chotkow und Wognin. Because Sophie was not a member of a reigning or formerly reigning family, she could not marry a member of the Imperial Family. Franz Ferdinand refused to give Sophie up and eventually, the Emperor allowed the morganatic marriage. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie in June 1914 was one of the causes of World War I.

Stéphanie and Count Elemér Lónyay, her second husband; Credit – www.findagrave.com

After an unhappy first marriage, Stéphanie married for love. On March 22, 1900, she married Hungarian Count Elemér Lónyay de Nagy-Lónya et Vásáros-Namény. Following the marriage, Stéphanie’s daughter Elisabeth broke off all contact with her mother. Stéphanie lost her imperial and royal titles because the marriage was unequal and incurred the wrath of her father.

When her mother Queen Marie-Henriette died in 1902, Stéphanie traveled to Brussels to attend the funeral, but when she tried to say goodbye to the coffin, her father King Leopold II had her removed from the chapel. After the death of her father King Leopold II in 1909, Stéphanie and her sister Louise tried to claim their share of the billions their father had earned in the Belgian Congo, initially his private property, but they lost their case in court. In 1934, Stéphanie disinherited her daughter, who had divorced Prince Otto zu Windisch-Graetz and was living with (and later married) a Socialist, Leopold Petznek. Stéphanie published her memoirs “I was to be an Empress” in 1937.

Stéphanie in 1911; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Until the end of World War II, Stéphanie and her second husband lived peacefully at Oroszvar Castle now in present-day Slovakia. After the arrival of the Soviet Army in 1945, the couple left their castle to take refuge in the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma in Hungary, where on August 23, 1945, Stéphanie died at the age of 81. Her husband Count Elemér Lónyay died in Budapest, Hungary on July 20, 1946. The couple was buried together at the Abbey of Pannonhalma.

Stéphanie’s tomb; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). Stephanie von Belgien. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_von_Belgien [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Princess Stéphanie of Belgium. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_St%C3%A9phanie_of_Belgium [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Stéphanie de Belgique. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%A9phanie_de_Belgique [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].

Wedding of Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Timothy Laurence

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence on their wedding day; Credit – www.dailymail.co.uk

Princess Anne married Timothy Laurence on December 12, 1992, at Crathie Kirk in Crathie, Scotland near Balmoral Castle.

Princess Anne’s Early Life

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Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise was born at Clarence House in London, England on August 15, 1950. She was the second child of the four children and the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born a Prince of Greece and Denmark). Anne had one elder brother Charles and two younger brothers, Andrew and Edward.

At the time of Anne’s birth, her mother was Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh and the sovereign was her grandfather, King George VI. The children of a daughter of a British sovereign would not usually have been accorded the style Royal Highness or the titles Prince/Princess as in the case of Anne’s own children. However, on October 22, 1948, Anne’s grandfather King George VI issued letters patent allowing the children of his eldest daughter and heiress presumptive, to use the style and title of a royal prince or princess. Therefore, Anne was Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of Edinburgh at birth.

King George VI died on February 6, 1952, and his elder daughter Princess Elizabeth became Queen. Upon her mother’s accession to the throne, Anne was styled Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne. Anne was too young to attend her mother’s coronation, but she did make an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as seen in the above photo.

Catherine Peebles, the governess of Prince Charles was also Anne’s governess and was responsible for Anne’s early education. In 1959, a Girl Guides company, 1st Buckingham Palace Company was formed at the palace to allow Anne to socialize with other girls. Similar Girl Guide companies had been formed at Buckingham Palace for Anne’s mother and her aunt Princess Margaret. From 1963-1968, Anne attended Benenden School, an independent boarding school for girls in Kent, England.

From a young age, Princess Anne was passionate about riding and soon became an excellent equestrienne. In 1971, Anne won the European Eventing Championship and was voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. For more than five years Anne competed with the British eventing team, winning a silver medal in both individual and team disciplines in the 1975 European Eventing Championship. In the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, Anne competed as a member of the British equestrian team.

Princess Anne married Captain Mark Phillips, a fellow equestrian, on November 14, 1973, at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The couple had two children: Peter (born 1977) and Zara (born 1981). Anne and her first husband separated in 1989 and their divorce was finalized on April 23, 1992.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: Princess Anne, The Princess Royal

Timothy Laurence’s Early Life

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Timothy James Hamilton Laurence was born on March 1, 1955, in Camberwell, South London, England, the son of Guy Laurence and Barbara Symonds. His father was a Commander in the Royal Navy and then a salesman for a marine engine manufacturer. Timothy grew up in Kent, England along with his older brother Jonathan.

Timothy began his education at The New Beacon Preparatory School in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. He then attended Sevenoaks School also in Sevenoaks, Kent, England, founded in 1432. Timothy attended University College, Durham on a Naval Scholarship where he was the editor of the student newspaper and captain of the cricket team. He graduated with a Bachelors degree in geography and then completed his naval training at the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth.

Timothy served on several Royal Navy ships as a navigating officer and then as a commander. From 1986-1989, he had his first staff appointment as Equerry to Queen Elizabeth II. An equerry must be a senior officer in the British Armed Services. Timothy also served in various posts in the Ministry of Defence. He retired from the Royal Navy in 2010 with the rank of Vice Admiral.

For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence

The Couple

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Timothy Laurence smiling at Princess Anne at the 1989 Royal Ascot Races. Anne is in the white outfit. The little girl is Anne’s daughter Zara.

Timothy first met his future wife, Anne, Princess Royal when he was Equerry to Queen Elizabeth II. As the Queen’s Equerry for three years, Timothy learned the ways of the Royal Family. He often ate with the family, accompanied them on outings, cruised with them on the royal yacht, and made the formal introductions when important guests visited. Anne’s marriage to Mark Phillips was in trouble and Timothy caught her eye. However, it was not until 1989, when four of Timothy’s love letters were stolen from Anne’s briefcase at Buckingham Palace that the romance came to light. In the same year, Anne separated from her first husband, but the courtship with Timothy remained discreet. The couple was seldom seen together until Anne’s divorce became final in April 1992.

The couple’s intention to marry was announced by Buckingham Palace on December 5, 1992, just a week before the wedding. A Palace spokesperson said, “Due to the level of speculation about the matter, we decided to confirm that The Princess Royal and Commander Laurence are planning to marry, but I cannot say where and when.”

Timothy gave Anne a ring with a cabochon sapphire surrounded by three small diamonds on either side.

The Wedding

Photo Credit – http://www.hellomagazine.com

The small, private wedding was held on December 12, 1992, at the tiny Crathie Kirk in Crathie, Scotland where the British Royal Family worships when they are at Balmoral Castle. The couple chose to marry in Scotland as the Church of England did not at that time allow divorced persons whose former spouses were still living to remarry in its churches. The Church of Scotland does not consider marriage to be a sacrament and has no objection to the remarriage of divorced persons.

Princess Anne arrived at Crathie Kirk accompanied by her father Prince Philip and her 11-year-old daughter Zara who acted as her bridesmaid. Anne was dressed in a simple white suit with white blossoms in her hair and Timothy was wearing his Royal Navy uniform. Before about 30 guests, the bride and groom exchanged vows to stay together “until God shall separate us by death.” After the ceremony, the newlyweds emerged from the church to the cheers of about 500 well-wishers. Press and photographers were barred from the church but they lined the road from Balmoral Castle to Crathie Kirk.

Among the guests were Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Anne’s three brothers: Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward, and Anne’s two children Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips. Two prominent members of the Royal Family were absent: The Princess of Wales, whose formal separation from her husband had been announced a few days earlier, and The Duchess of York who was separated from her husband Prince Andrew. The Princess of Wales sent her best wishes to Anne. Aides indicated she did not attend because she did not want Anne’s wedding to become a media circus.

After the wedding, the newlyweds and their guests had a short celebration at Craigowan Lodge on the Balmoral Estate.

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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

  • latimes. (2017). Britain’s Princess Anne Remarries: Wedding: Scottish ceremony brings a tiny bit of joy to a year that saw more than one royal marriage fail.. [online] Available at: http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-13/news/mn-4165_1_princess-anne [Accessed 31 Aug. 2017].
  • Nytimes.com. (2017). In Quiet Scottish Ceremony, Anne Marries Naval Officer. [online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/13/world/in-quiet-scottish-ceremony-anne-marries-naval-officer.html?mcubz=3 [Accessed 31 Aug. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). Anne, Princess Royal. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/anne-the-princess-royal/ [Accessed 26 Aug. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/timothy-laurence-husband-of-anne-the-princess-royal/ [Accessed 31 Aug. 2017].
  • UPI. (2017). Princess Anne to marry former royal attendant. [online] Available at: https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/12/05/Princess-Anne-to-marry-former-royal-attendant/4441723531600/ [Accessed 31 Aug. 2017].

Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlota of Mexico

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlota of Mexico; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Charlotte of Belgium (Marie Charlotte Amélie Augustine Victoire Clémentine Léopoldine), who later became Empress of Mexico as the wife of the ill-fated Archduke Maximilian of Austria, Emperor of Mexico, was born at the Castle of Laeken in Belgium on June 7, 1840. She was the only daughter and the youngest of the four children of Leopold I, King of Belgians and his second wife Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans.

Princess Charlotte at age two by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1842; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte’s father was born Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and first married Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom and the second in the line of succession to the British throne. Sadly, 21-year-old Princess Charlotte of Wales died in childbirth along with her son. Leopold named his daughter Charlotte after his first wife. In 1831, Leopold became King of the Belgians after Belgium became independent from the Netherlands. King Leopold I was the uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, and therefore his daughter Charlotte, Victoria, and Albert were first cousins. Charlotte’s mother was the daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, and Maria Amalia of the Two Sicilies.

Charlotte’s family; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte had three older brothers:

When Charlotte was ten years old, her mother died from tuberculosis and a close family friend, Countess Denise d’Hulst, became Charlotte’s governess. Charlotte received religious instruction from Father Victor-Auguste-Isidor Deschamps, brother of the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, and later Cardinal-Bishop of Mechelen. Before her sixteenth birthday, Charlotte had two suitors for her hand in marriage: Prince George of Saxony, the future King of Saxony, and Queen Victoria’s candidate King Pedro V of Portugal. However, in May 1856, Charlotte met Archduke Maximilian of Austria, a younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, and fell in love with him. The couple married at the Royal Palace of Brussels in Belgium on July 27, 1857. Unfortunately, Charlotte and Maximilian had no children.

Charlotte and Maximilian during their first year of marriage; Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Franz Joseph appointed his brother Maximilian Viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, now part of Italy, but then part of the Austrian Empire. There the couple built Miramare Castle in Trieste.  In 1859, Emperor Franz Joseph, angered by his brother’s liberal policies, dismissed him as Viceroy. Shortly afterward, Austria lost control of most of its Italian possessions, and Maximilian and Charlotte retired to Miramare Castle.

Miramare Castle; Photo Credit – By Valleo61 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22924475

In 1859, Mexican monarchists approached Maximilian with a proposal to become Emperor of Mexico which Maximilian did not accept. After the French intervention in Mexico in 1861, Maximilian changed his mind. At the invitation of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, after the French capture of Mexico City and a French-staged referendum that supposedly confirmed the will of the people, Maximilian agreed to accept the crown. On April 10, 1864, in the great salon of Miramare Castle, a Mexican delegation officially informed Maximilian of the referendum results, without telling him that the French army had intimidated the voters. Maximilian declared to the Mexican delegation that he accepted the crown from the hands of the Mexican nation and swore to ensure the well-being, prosperity, independence, and integrity of the Mexican nation.

The Mexican Delegation appoints Maximilian of Austria Emperor of Mexico by Cesare-Dell’Acqua, 1864; Credit – Wikipedia

Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota, as Charlotte was now called, landed at Veracruz, Mexico on May 21, 1864, and received a cold reception from the townspeople. Veracruz was a liberal town and the liberal voters were opposed to having Maximilian being their Emperor. He had the backing of Mexican conservatives and Napoleon III, but from the very beginning, Maximilian found himself in serious difficulties. The liberal forces led by Benito Juárez, the former president deposed by the French, refused to recognize his rule. There was continuous warfare between the French troops and the forces of Juárez who wanted a republic.

After the end of the American Civil War, the French withdrew their troops from Mexico under pressure from the United States. After that, Maximilian could not hold out against the popular Juárez as his request for help from Europe remained unanswered. Charlotte traveled to Europe to ask for help from Napoleon III and Pope Pius IX, but the only hope she got was a promise from the Pope to pray for her and her husband. Maximilian then wanted to leave Mexico but changed his mind after receiving a letter from his mother, which prompted him to stay.

Maximilian and his last troops barricaded themselves in Queretaro, which fell after a siege on May 14, 1867. Maximilian was condemned to death by a court of war and on June 19, 1867, he was executed by a firing squad. Before the shooting, Maximilian assured the soldiers that they were only doing their duty, gave them gold coins, and asked them to aim precisely and spare his face, so that his mother could identify his body.

Édouard Manet’s Execution of Emperor Maximilian (1868–1869); Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Eventually, Maximilian’s remains were returned to Austria, where seven months after his execution, on January 18, 1868, they were buried in the Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt) in the Capuchin Church in Vienna.

Tomb of Maximilian; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

After Charlotte’s unsuccessful visit to the Pope in 1866, her brother Philippe, Count of Flanders took her to Miramare Castle. There Charlotte began to have suspicions that everyone wanted to poison her and she was kept in the guest house at Miramare guarded by Austrian security agents. When Charlotte’s sister-in-law Queen Marie-Henriette of Belgium arrived at Miramare Castle, she found Charlotte in such a state that she decided to bring her back to Belgium. Charlotte was examined by doctors who declared her insane. Today, it is impossible to determine the exact nature of her mental illness.

Charlotte in mourning, 1867; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte spent the rest of her life at Bouchout Castle in Meise, Belgium where her brother King Leopold II oversaw her care. Over the years, her mental illness seemed to lessen and Charlotte developed a passion for collecting objects that had belonged to her husband. Charlotte died from pneumonia at Bouchout Castle on January 19, 1927, at the age of 86, and was buried in the Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, the burial place of the Belgian Royal Family.

Charlotte’s grave marker; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). Charlotte von Belgien. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_von_Belgien [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Carlota of Mexico. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlota_of_Mexico [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Maximilian I of Mexico. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_I_of_Mexico [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Charlotte de Belgique. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_de_Belgique [Accessed 12 Sep. 2017].

Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach; source: Wikipedia

Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen was the last Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, as the second wife of Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst. She was born Princess Feodora Karola Charlotte Marie Adelheid Auguste Mathilde on May 29, 1890, in Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, the eldest child of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen and Countess Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She was named for both her paternal grandmother and great-grandmother, the latter being Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Feodora had five younger siblings:

Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst. source: Wikipedia

On January 14, 1910, in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in the German state of Thuringia, Feodora married Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. The marriage was encouraged by Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia, as he was a close friend of Wilhelm Ernst, who had been widowed several years earlier. Feodora and Wilhelm Ernst had four children:

Feodora’s arrival in Weimar, 1910. source: Wikipedia

The marriage was unhappy, and Feodora struggled to cope with the strict etiquette and protocol of the Weimar court. She soon began to throw herself into charity work, working with organizations that helped the poor. She founded several asylums and hospitals and served as Patroness of the Patriotic Institute of Women’s Associations. She also served as head of the central directorate of the Women’s Club of the Red Cross. Her efforts in these areas brought her great respect from the people of the Grand Duchy.

When the monarchy ended and her husband abdicated in November 1918, the family went into exile in Heinrichau, Silesia (now Henryków, Poland), where her husband died several years later. When the area fell under Soviet occupation in World War II, the family was again forced to flee, losing their estates and many of their assets. As a means of negotiating with the authorities, Grand Duchess Feodora agreed to sign over the Goethe and Schiller Archive (link in German), on the condition that it would be converted into a private foundation, and the family’s assets would be returned. Despite the written agreement, the government did not return many of the family’s assets, and the dispute continues to this day.

Grand Duchess Feodora settled in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where she died on March 12, 1972. She is buried in Bad Krozingen, Germany.

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.

Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Caroline Reuss of Greiz, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Caroline Reuss of Greiz, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach; source: Wikipedia

Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz was the first wife of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. She was born Caroline Elisabeth Ida on July 13, 1884, in Greiz, the daughter of Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz and Princess Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe. Caroline had five siblings:

Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. source: Wikipedia

On April 30, 1903, Caroline married Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach at Schloss Bückeburg. The wedding was attended by the groom’s second cousin Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia and his wife Augusta Viktoria, as well as his first cousin Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her husband Prince Hendrik. Caroline was against the arranged marriage, and it was only through the insistence of Wilhelm II and his wife that she went through with the ceremony. They had no children.

After a honeymoon in Austria, Caroline and her husband returned to Weimar in June 1903. In Weimar, Caroline found that her court was mostly older women who had worked for years in the Saxe-Weimar household. Caroline wanted to redecorate her apartments in the palace, removing much of the old furniture and bringing in new and more modern pieces. However, her court insisted that it would be inappropriate, and was supported by her husband. This would be the first of several times that her husband refused to support her. After several weeks of this, Caroline left and fled to Switzerland. She was quickly followed by her husband who tried to get her to return to Weimar, but she refused to return until he removed the women from her court and agreed to let her control her own household. After several weeks, the couple returned and silenced the rumors and scandal over her quick departure.

Caroline was a strong supporter of the arts and became much-admired by the people of the grand duchy for her work with charitable and social organizations. Despite this public affection, however, she remained miserable due to the court’s stifling protocol.

Grand Duchess Caroline lying in state, 1905. source: Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Caroline died in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, on January 17, 1905, at just 20 years old. Officially, the cause of death was pneumonia but there were many rumors that she died by suicide. She was buried in the Weimarer Fürstengruft in the Historical Cemetery of Weimar in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany, the last member of the grand ducal family to be interred there.

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.

Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach: The Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was created in 1809 when the Duchy of Saxe-Eisenach and the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar merged. The Congress of Vienna elevated Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach to a Grand Duchy in 1815.  As the German Empire was crumbling at the end of World War I, Wilhelm Ernst, the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was forced to abdicate on November 9, 1918. He was stripped of his throne and his properties and forced into exile. With his family, he took up residence at Schloss Heinrichau, the family’s estate in Heinrichau, Silesia, now Henryków, Poland. Today the territory that encompassed the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach is located in the German state of Thuringia.

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Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach source: Wikipedia

Wilhelm Ernst was the last Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. He was born Prince Wilhelm Ernst Karl Alexander Friedrich Heinrich Bernhard Albert Georg Hermann on June 10, 1876, in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in the German state of Thuringia, the son of Karl August, Hereditary Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and Princess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Wilhelm Ernst had one younger brother:

Wilhelm Ernst became heir to his grandfather, Karl Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, in 1894 when his father died. He received a private education and military training and served in the Prussian army. He became Grand Duke upon his grandfather’s death on January 5, 1901.

Caroline Reuss of Greiz. source: Wikipedia

Wilhelm Ernst married Princess Caroline Reuss of Greiz on April 30, 1903, in Bückeburg, Principality of Reuss-Greiz, now in the German state of Lower Saxony. She was the daughter of Heinrich XXII, 5th Prince Reuss of Greiz and Princess Ida of Schaumburg-Lippe. They had no children, and Caroline died less than two years later.

Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen. source: Wikipedia

Wilhelm Ernst remarried on January 21, 1910, in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in the German state of Thuringia, to Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen. She was the daughter of Prince Friedrich Johann of Saxe-Meiningen and Countess Adelheid of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Wilhelm Ernst and Feodora had four children:

As Grand Duke, Wilhelm Ernst worked to promote the arts and culture. He established the new town center in Weimar, rebuilding the University of Jena and several of the town’s theaters. Despite these efforts, the Grand Duke was not very popular with the people of the Grand Duchy or with many others throughout Europe. He was especially unpopular in the Netherlands, where the people feared he could ascend to the Dutch throne.

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. source: Wikipedia

From 1897 until 1909, Wilhelm Ernst was also the heir presumptive to the Dutch throne. King Willem III of the Netherlands died in 1890, leaving the throne to his ten-year-old daughter Wilhelmina. As a grandson of Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, the younger sister of King Willem III, Wilhelm Ernst was the next person in the line of succession. This caused great panic in the Netherlands, where the people feared German influence or the potential of being annexed by Germany. Several attempts were made to change the succession, or limit Wilhelm Ernst to holding only one throne should he succeed in the Netherlands. The succession crisis was lessened in 1909 when Wilhelmina gave birth to her daughter, the future Queen Juliana. Some years later, in 1922, the Dutch constitution was amended to limit the succession to the descendants of Queen Wilhelmina, thus eliminating the Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach family from any claim to the throne.

As the German Empire was crumbling, Wilhelm Ernst was forced to abdicate on November 9, 1918. He was stripped of his throne and his properties and forced into exile. With his family, he took up residence at Schloss Heinrichau, the family’s estate in Heinrichau, Silesia, now Henryków, Poland. He died there less than five years later, on April 24, 1923, and is buried in the park at Schloss Heinrichau.

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.

Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Resources at Unofficial Royalty

December 1917: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Captain The Honorable Cecil Edwardes
  • Timeline: December 1, 1917 – December 31, 1917
  • A Note About German Titles
  • December 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

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Captain The Honorable Cecil Edwardes

Mark IV Tank; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Captain The Honorable Cecil Edwardes was born on May 31, 1876, the third of the four sons and the seventh of the nine children of William Edwardes, 4th Baron Kensington and his wife Grace Johnstone-Douglas. Cecil had eight siblings:

  • William Edwardes, 5th Baron Kensington (1868 – 1900), unmarried, was killed in action during the Boer War
  • Hon. Gwendolen Edwardes (1869 – 1940), married Captain William Stirling-Home-Drummond-Moray, 20th Lord of Abercairny, had five children
  • Hon. Sibyl Edwardes (1871 – 1955), married William Edward de Winton, had five children
  • Hon. Grace Edwardes (1872 – 1957), married John Lane, had seven children
  • Hugh Edwardes, 6th Baron Kensington (1873 – 1938), married Mabel Pilkington, had four children
  • Hon. Winifred Edwardes (1875 – 1962), married Captain Walter Koe, no issue
  • Major Hon. George Edwardes (1877 – 1930), married Olive Kerr, had four children
  • Hon. Isobel Edwardes (1879 – 1934), married Major Frederick Whitfield Barrett, had two children

In 1901, Cecil married Canadian opera singer Marie Louise Lucienne Martin. Born in Montreal, Canada and known professionally as Louise Edvina, she sang at Covent Garden in London, the Montreal Opera Company, the Boston Opera Company, the Chicago Opera Company and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Cecil and Louise had two daughters:

  • Marie Edwardes (1902 – ?)
  • Lumena Edwardes (1903 – 1944), unmarried

Louise Edvina; Photo Credit – https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca

The Edwardes family had a residence at St. Bride’s Hill, Pembrokeshire, Wales and Cecil lived there with his family. Cecil had served with the Royal Navy, but at the beginning of World War I had been commissioned into the Scottish Horse, a regiment of the British Army’s Territorial Army.

In 1916, the Royal Tank Corps was formed and the British first used tanks in September 1916 at the Battle of Flers–Courcelette during the Battle of the Somme. Cecil transferred to the Royal Tank Regiment in 1916 and served with H Battalion.

During the Battle of Cambrai in France (November 20 – December 7, 1917), the Royal Tank Corps saw much action. 476 tanks were used in the battle and 179 were lost, including the tank of Cecil Edwardes. Six tanks from H Battalion took the town Fontaine, four miles from Cambrai, getting into the village 30 minutes before infantry of the Seaforth Highlanders and Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders from the 51st Division followed up and occupied it. However, Cecil was killed when his tank was knocked out during the initial advance.

Captain Joseph Hassell, who served with Cecil, related this story about his death: “Edwardes had a premonition of his death. He told us the day before the action of this – settled up all his affairs. He was immensely popular and eight officers went up the day after his death, got his body out of the tank and carried him back for burial. In the absence of a Padre, I conducted such a burial service as was practicable.”

The exact date of Cecil’s death is unknown and the place of his grave is unknown, so he is remembered on the Cambrai Memorial to the Missing in Louverval, France.

Cambrai Memorial to the Missing; Photo Credit – http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/79300/CAMBRAI%20MEMORIAL,%20LOUVERVAL

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Timeline: December 1, 1917 – December 31, 1917

 

German soldiers recovering a British Mark IV tank, the type of tank Cecil Edwardes was in when he was killed; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

  • November 20 – December 7 – Battle of Cambrai in France
  • December 1 – Battle of El Burj, a phase of the Battle of Jerusalem
  • December 7 – The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary
  • December 16 – Russia signs a preliminary armistice with Germany
  • December 20–21 – Battle of Jaffa near the Auja River in Jaffa, a phase of the Battle of Jerusalem

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire. The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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December 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website. If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

Captain The Honorable Cecil Edwardes

Private Lord Edward Beauchamp Seymour

Grave of Private Lord Edward Seymour; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com