Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen of Spain, Duchess of Aosta

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, Queen of Spain, Duchess of Aosta; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo (Maria Vittoria Carlotta Enrichetta) was born in Paris, France on August 9, 1847, the elder of the two daughters of Italian noble Carlo Emmanuele dal Pozzo, 5th Prince of Cisterna and his wife Countess Louise de Merode. Maria Vittoria’s father’s family was one of the few aristocratic families in the Kingdom of Sardinia to bear the title of “prince” as a noble title. Her father was a politician in the Kingdom of Sardinia. Her mother was a member of the de Merode family, an important Belgian noble family. Her mother’s younger sister, Antoinette de Merode, was the wife of Charles III, Prince of Monaco.

Maria Vittoria had one younger sister who died at the age of 13:

  • Beatrice Giuseppa Antonia Luisa dal Pozzo (1851–1864)

Maria Vittoria spent most of her childhood at the Palazzo della Cisterna in Turin in the Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy. Upon her father’s death in 1864, Maria Vittoria inherited her father’s noble titles and became Princess della Cisterna, Princess di Belriguardo, Marchioness di Voghera, and Countess di Ponderano in her own right. Maria Vittoria’s sister died from typhus one month after her father’s death.

On May 30, 1867, Maria Vittoria married Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta at the chapel of the Royal Palace of Turin. Amedeo was the second son of King Vittorio Emanuele II of Italy (formerly King of Piedmont, Savoy, and Sardinia) and Archduchess Adelheid of Austria.

Maria Vittoria and Amedeo; Credit – Wikipedia

Amedeo and Maria Vittoria had three children. Their descendants through their eldest son have been the disputed claimants to the headship of the House of Savoy along with descendants of Amedeo’s brother King Umberto I of Italy.

After Queen Isabella II of Spain was deposed, Amedeo was elected King of Spain and Maria Vittoria was Queen Consort. In Madrid, she suffered a great deal because of her poor health and difficulties with Spanish politics. Maria Vittoria stayed away from politics and devoted her time to charitable works. One of the charities she founded was a nursery where children of washerwomen who worked on the banks of the Manzanares River in Madrid could be cared for by nuns while their mothers worked. Attached to the nursery was a hospital for the washerwomen.

During Amedeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings. Without popular support, Amedeo abdicated the Spanish throne on February 11, 1873, and left Spain. Maria Vittoria had given birth to her last child only two weeks before the abdication. The recent childbirth, the stress of the abdication, and the exile from Spain exacerbated her physical condition. On November 8, 1876, at the Villa Dufour in San Remo, Italy, 29-year-old Maria Vittoria died from tuberculosis. She was buried in the Basilica of Superga near Turin. The Spanish and American Enlightenment newspaper wrote of her: “Madrid cannot forget that angel of virtue and charity, to whom the people granted the simple title of Mother of the Poor.”

Basilica of Superga; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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King Amedeo I of Spain, Duke of Aosta

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2018

King Amedeo I of Spain, Duke of Aosta; Credit – Wikipedia

Born an Italian prince, Amedeo briefly reigned Spain as the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy. Born on May 30, 1845, at the Royal Palace in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy, he was the second of the three surviving sons and the third of the eight children of King Vittorio Emanuele II (King of Piedmont-Sardinia and later first King of Italy) and Archduchess Adelheid of Austria. Soon after his birth, Amedeo was given the title Duke of Aosta, which he was known as for most of his life.

Amedeo had seven siblings but only four survived to adulthood:

Amedeo with his parents and siblings, 1854; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1859, Amedeo entered the Royal Italian Army with the rank of captain. By 1866, he had risen to the rank of major-general and took part in the Third Italian War of Independence of 1866 and was wounded at the Battle of Custoza.

On May 30, 1867, Amedeo married Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo, the elder of the two daughters of Italian noble Carlo Emmanuele dal Pozzo, 5th Prince of Cisterna and his wife Countess Louise de Merode. Upon her father’s death in 1864, Maria Vittoria inherited her father’s titles in her own right.

Maria Vittoria and Amedeo; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Amedeo and Maria Vittoria had three children. Their descendants through their eldest son have been claimants to the disputed headship of the House of Savoy along with descendants of Amedeo’s brother King Umberto I of Italy.

In Spain, Queen Isabella II had reigned since 1833, when she was not quite three years old. Isabella’s authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military, and the chaos of her reign — sixty different governments — helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that eventually exiled her to Paris, France. On November 16, 1870, the Spanish Cortes (Parliament) elected Amedeo the new King of Spain. He swore to uphold the constitution and was proclaimed King in Madrid on January 2, 1871.

King Amedeo I of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

During Amedeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings. After an attempt to assassinate him on July 19, 1872, Amedeo I declared his frustration with the complications of Spanish politics: “I do not understand anything. We’re in a mad cage.” Lacking popular support, Amedeo abdicated the Spanish throne on February 11, 1873. The First Spanish Republic was declared but it lasted a little less than two years. After the First Spanish Republic collapsed, Queen Isabella’s 17-year-old son became King Alfonso XII.

Completely disgusted, Amedeo returned to Turin where he assumed the title Duke of Aosta. On November 8, 1876, Amedeo’s wife Maria Vittoria died from tuberculosis at the age of 29. Amedeo again became active in the Royal Italian Army and held various positions during the reign of his brother who succeeded as King Umberto I of Italy in 1878.

In 1888, twelve years after the death of his first wife, Amedeo married again. His second wife was Princess Maria Letizia Bonaparte, his niece, the daughter of his sister Marie Clotilde and Prince Napoléon Joseph Bonaparte. The betrothal announcement caused a great scandal in the Italian court because Amedeo was twenty-two years older than Maria Letizia and was also her uncle. Nevertheless, the necessary papal dispensation for the marriage was obtained.

Maria Letizia in 1888; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Amedeo and Maria Letizia had one child:

  • Prince Umberto of Savoy-Aosta, Count of Salemi (1889 – 1918), unmarried, served in the Royal Italian Army during World War I; the official court bulletin recorded that he was killed in action, but apparently, he died from influenza

Amedeo was married to his second wife for less than two years. He died from pneumonia in Turin, Italy on January 18, 1890, at the age of 44. He was buried at the Basilica of Superga near Turin, the traditional burial site of the House of Savoy.

Basilica of Superga; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland was the last Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, as the wife of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV. Princess Alexandra Luise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera was born at Schloss Ort in Gmunden, Austria on September 29, 1882, the daughter of Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark.

Alexandra (standing, front-right) with her parents and siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

Alexandra had five siblings:

Alexandra and Franz Friedrich following their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 7, 1904, at Schloss Cumberland (link in German) in Gmunden, Austria, Alexandra married Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. They went on to have five children:

Because of the death of her daughter Olga at just six weeks old, Grand Duchess Alexandra worked to improve medical care for children in the Grand Duchy. She established the Olga Foundation, which raised money for education and training for nurses and midwives.

Following her husband’s abdication on November 14, 1918, the family was forced to leave the Grand Duchy. They traveled to Denmark at the invitation of Queen Alexandrine, Friedrich Franz’s sister, and stayed for a year at Sorgenfri Palace. The following year, they were permitted to return to Mecklenburg and recovered several of their properties. For the next two years, they lived at the Gelbensande hunting lodge (link in German) before returning to Ludwigslust Palace in 1921. They also began spending their summers at the Alexandrinen Cottage (link in German) in Heiligendamm.

Glücksburg Castle. photo: By Wolfgang Pehlemann – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21693722

At the end of World War II, with the Red Army approaching Mecklenburg, the family was again forced to flee in 1945. Intending to return to Denmark, they traveled to Glücksburg Castle, in Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, the home of their youngest daughter. While there, the Grand Duke died. The Dowager Grand Duchess Alexandra also died there, on August 30, 1963, having survived her husband by nearly 18 years. She is buried beside him in the New Cemetery in Glücksburg.

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Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: The Duchy of Mecklenburg was divided and partitioned a number of times over the centuries.  In 1701, the last division created the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna recognized both Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz as grand duchies. Friedrich Franz I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin became the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. On November 14, 1918, at the end of World War I, Friedrich Franz IV was forced to abdicate as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Today the territory encompassing the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin is in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

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Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duke Friedrich Franz IV was the last reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He was born in Palermo, Italy, on April 9, 1882, the only son of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia.

He had two sisters:

Friedrich Franz also had a half-brother, Alexis Louis de Wenden, his mother’s illegitimate son, born in 1902.

Friedrich Franz with his mother and sisters, circa 1890; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Franz attended the Vitzthum Gymnasium in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, and then studied law at the University of Bonn. He became Grand Duke upon his father’s death in April 1897. Because he was still a minor, his uncle Duke Johann Albrecht served as regent until Friedrich Franz came of age in 1901. Once he had taken control of his government, the young Grand Duke attempted to reform the Mecklenburg constitution. However, his efforts failed when the government of Mecklenburg-Strelitz refused to agree to his ideas.

Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland; Credit – Wikipedia

Encouraged to marry young by his mother, Friedrich Franz married Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland in Gmunden, Austria, on June 7, 1904. She was the daughter of Ernst August, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark. The couple had five children:

In February 1918, Friedrich Franz IV began to serve as Regent for the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The reigning Grand Duke, Adolf Friedrich VI, had died by suicide, and the heir presumptive was serving with the Russian military and had made it known that he wished to renounce his rights of succession. The regency lasted only nine months because in 1918, after the end of World War I, Friedrich Franz IV was forced to abdicate as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and as the Regent in Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Forced to leave Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Friedrich Franz and his family traveled to Denmark at the invitation of his sister, Queen Alexandrine. There, they lived at Sorgenfri Palace for a year before being permitted to return to Mecklenburg, Germany, and recovering several of the family’s properties. They lived for two years at the Gelbensande hunting lodge (link in German), and then in 1921, took up residence at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Germany. They also spent their summers at the Alexandrine Cottage (link in German) in Heiligendamm, Germany.

At the end of World War II, with the advance of the Soviet Union’s Red Army, Friedrich Franz, his wife, and son Christian Ludwig fled to Glücksburg Castle, in Glücksburg, Germany, the home of his youngest daughter and her husband, with the intention of returning to Denmark. However, Friedrich Franz became ill, and while under house arrest at the Castle, he died there on November 17, 1945. He is buried in the New Cemetery in Glücksburg, Germany.

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Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Royalty and the Olympics

Prince Albert II of Monaco participated in bobsled events in five Winter Olympics and is currently a Member of the International Olympic Committee; Photo Credit – zimbio.com

Many people around the world will be watching the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea over the next couple of weeks.  Did you know that the first royal to win an Olympic medal was killed five years later in World War I?  Check out the royal Olympic connections at our links below.

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Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia was the wife of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was born at the Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 28, 1860, the second child and only daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia, son of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and Princess Cecilie Auguste of Baden. Anastasia had six brothers. Her brother Sergei was among the five other Romanovs murdered by the Bolsheviks along with Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna on July 18, 1918. Two of her brothers, Nicholas and George, were among the four Grand Dukes murdered by the Bolsheviks on January 28, 1919.

When Anastasia was just two years old, her father was appointed Viceroy of the Caucasus and the family moved to Georgia where she was raised. The favorite of her father and doted on by her brothers, Anastasia grew to become a very strong-willed and intelligent young woman. Educated privately at home, she developed a love of languages, becoming fluent in French, German, and English at a very young age.

Engagement photo of Anastasia and Friedrich Franz; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 4, 1878, the engagement of Grand Duchess Anastasia and the future Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was announced. The marriage was arranged by Anastasia’s future sister-in-law Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia. Anastasia and her fiancé were second cousins, both great-grandchildren of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. They were married at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on January 24, 1879, in both Orthodox and Protestant services. Following their marriage, the couple settled in the Marienpalais in Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, and had three children:

Anastasia with her children, circa 1894; Credit – Wikipedia

Due to her husband’s health, Anastasia’s family traveled frequently to warmer climates. They were staying in Palermo, Italy when her husband became Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on April 15, 1883. When they eventually returned to Schwerin, they took up residence at Schwerin Castle. The Grand Duke reached an agreement with the government that he would stay in Schwerin for five months each year but would travel elsewhere the rest of the year due to his health. They spent six months each year at Villa Wenden, their private home in Cannes, France, and preferred to stay at the Gelbensande hunting lodge when in the Grand Duchy.

Anastasia was an avid tennis player and tennis courts were built at Villa Wenden where she played quite often. She was also a frequent visitor to Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco, often gambling away large amounts of her fortune.

Following her husband’s death in April 1897, Anastasia inherited Villa Wenden and the hunting lodge in Gelbensande, along with most of his personal property. She spent as little time in Schwerin as possible, preferring Gelbensande and Cannes, and traveled often to St. Petersburg, Paris, and London.

A scandal erupted in 1902 when Anastasia became pregnant from an affair with her personal secretary Vladimir Alexandrovitch Paltov. She gave birth to a son Alexis Louis de Wenden in Nice, France on December 23, 1902. The surname ‘de Wenden’ was granted by King Christian IX of Denmark. Anastasia, who first hid the fact that she was pregnant, raised the child herself. When news of the scandal spread through the royal houses of Europe,  Anastasia was shunned by several royal houses, particularly the Prussian court. When her younger daughter Cecilie married the son of the German Emperor, who was particularly outspoken in his disdain for Anastasia, she was only permitted to come to Berlin twice – for Cecilie’s wedding in 1905, and the birth of Cecilie’s first child the following year.

World War I saw Anastasia’s family divided. Her son was a reigning German Grand Duke and her daughter was the daughter-in-law of the German Emperor, while her Russian brothers were on the opposing side. As the Dowager Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Anastasia was unable to remain in France. Because she placed her loyalty with the Russians, she was unable to return to Schwerin. Instead, she settled in Switzerland, living at the Savoy Hotel in Lausanne. The toll of the war was particularly devastating for Anastasia. She saw her son lose his throne and the murders of three of her brothers in Russia.

Following World War I, Anastasia returned to France. Unwelcome as a German, she used her Russian passport to sneak into the country as part of her entourage of her cousin Princess Ekaterina Yourievskaya. She settled at Villa Fantasia in Èze, near Cannes, France, where she returned to her hectic social schedule and frequent trips to the Monte Carlo Casino.

Dowager Grand Duchess Anastasia in her later years: Credit – Wikipedia

Dowager Grand Duchess Anastasia died in Èze, France on March 11, 1922, after suffering a stroke. Her remains were returned to Schwerin where she was buried in the Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum (link in German) on the grounds of Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Her funeral would be the first time her three legitimate children were together since the beginning of World War I.

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Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Wedding of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

On February 7, 1901, in The Hague, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands married Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. A civil ceremony was held at the Palace of Justice followed by a religious ceremony at the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk in The Hague. At the time of the wedding, Heinrich took the Dutch version of his name, Hendrik, and was given the title Prince of the Netherlands.

Wilhelmina’s Early Life

Queen Wilhelmina was born on August 31, 1880, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the youngest child of King Willem III of the Netherlands, with his second wife, Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont. She became heiress-presumptive to the Dutch throne when the last of her elder half-brothers died in 1884. She became Queen upon her father’s death in 1890, with her mother serving as Regent until Wilhelmina reached the age of 18. She went on to reign for nearly 58 years – the longest reign of any Dutch monarch – before abdicating in favor of her only child, Juliana, in 1948.

For more information about Queen Wilhelmina see:

Unofficial Royalty: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Heinrich’s Early Life

Duke Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was born on April 18, 1876, in Schwerin, the youngest son of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, with his third wife, Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. His siblings and half-siblings included Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia and Grand Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Oldenburg.

For more information about Prince Hendrik see:
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

The Engagement

Wilhelmina and Heinrich first met in October 1892, when both attended the golden anniversary celebrations of Grand Duke Karl Alexander and Grand Duchess Sophie of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Sophie was Wilhelmina’s paternal aunt, and Heinrich’s half-brother was married to one of Sophie’s daughters. Wilhelmina and Heinrich were second cousins once removed, through their mutual descent from Tsar Paul I of Russia. They met again in May 1900, when Wilhelmina and her mother traveled to Schloss Schwarzburg in Rudolstadt to meet three prospective grooms for the young Queen. Wilhelmina chose Heinrich, and within a few months, their engagement was announced on October 16, 1900. Plans for the wedding, scheduled for February 7, 1901, in The Hague, were overshadowed by the deaths of Wilhelmina’s uncle, Grand Duke Karl Alexander of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach on January 5th, and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom on January 22nd.

Pre-Wedding Festivities

Foreign royal guests arrived in The Hague several days before the wedding, and the festivities began to take place. Numerous choral societies performed in front of the palace of the bride and groom and their guests, and the couple made several trips around the city to greet the crowds. A state banquet was held on February 5th for all foreign guests, followed by a gala performance at the theatre.

Wedding Guests

Royal guests at the wedding included:

  • Queen Emma of the Netherlands
  • Dowager Grand Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Duke Johann Albrecht of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Duke Adolf-Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • Prince and Princess Heinrich XVIII Reuss of Köstritz
  • Prince Ulrich of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  • Prince Hermann of Schönburg-Waldenburg
  • The Hereditary Count of Erbach
  • Prince Albrecht of Prussia
  • The Prince and Princess of Bentheim-Steinfurt
  • The Prince and Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Princess Tekla of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Prince and Princess Heinrich of Schönburg
  • The Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
  • The Prince and Princess of Wied
  • The Hereditary Prince and Princess of Wied
  • Princess Luise of Wied
  • Duke Paul Friedrich and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
  • The Prince and Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont
  • Grand Duke Vladimir and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia
  • Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia
  • Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia
  • The Duchess of Albany
  • Princess Alice of Albany
  • Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
  • Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg

The Wedding Attire

The Queen wore a gown designed by Mme. Nicaud of Paris. Made of white silk and satin, the gown was embellished with embroidery of “the finest silver tissue” with silver threaded seed pearls and a design of orange blossoms. The embroidery work was done at the School of Needlework in Amsterdam. The low-cut bodice was trimmed with antique lace, and extended out to a train of over seven feet in length, trailed with more embroidery. Her antique lace veil was held in place by the smaller version of the Stuart Tiara, which the bride complemented with a large diamond collet necklace and the large diamond bow brooch at the center of her bodice. Wilhelmina carried a large bouquet of lilies of the valley, adorned with green, red, and long white satin ribbons.

The groom wore the uniform of a Dutch Admiral, adorned with the sash and star of the Dutch Military Order of Willem – the highest order of chivalry in the Netherlands, and the collar and star of the House Order of the Wendish Crown – the highest order of Mecklenburg.

The Civil Ceremony

The wedding day began with the Civil Ceremony. At 11:00 am, Wilhelmina and Heinrich departed Noordeinde Palace in the gilded coach which had been presented to the Queen by the people of Amsterdam. They arrived at the Palace of Justice, where the civil ceremony took place in the White Hall. In attendance were the couple’s mothers and six witnesses – the Speakers of the two houses of Parliament; Adjutant General Van Bergambacht, The Grand Chamberlain, General Count du Monceau; Vice President of the Council of State, Mynheer Van Schorer, and The Chief Justice. After the brief ceremony, conducted by the Minister of Justice, Dr. van der Linden, the couple, their mothers, and the witnesses signed the official marriage document. The couple then made their procession to the church for the religious ceremony.

The Religious Ceremony

As the bride and groom made their procession from the Palace of Justice, guests had already arrived and were seated in the Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk. The several hundred guests included members of the Dutch Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives of nearly every town and city in the Netherlands, members of the court, and other personal friends. The procession into the church began with the foreign royal guests and family members, with the bride and groom the last to arrive. Despite the glitter of jewels and the numerous prominent guests, the service was the very simple and traditional marriage service of the Dutch Reformed Church, described as a service of “puritanical simplicity”, with no bridesmaids or groomsmen. The couple exchanged their vows and rings, followed by an address by the Chaplain. Following a final blessing, they made their way out of the church, to process back to Noordeinde Palace.

The Wedding Banquet and Honeymoon

When they arrived back at the palace, Wilhelmina and her husband received numerous guests before hosting a luncheon for their families, royal guests, and Ministers of State. At 4:00 that afternoon, they departed for the railway station to travel to Het Loo Palace, where they spent their honeymoon.

Children

Wilhelmina with her daughter in 1914; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelmina and Heinrich had one child:

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Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: The Duchy of Mecklenburg was divided and partitioned a number of times over the centuries.  In 1701, the last division created the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna recognized both Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz as grand duchies. Friedrich Franz I, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin became the first Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. On November 14, 1918, at the end of World War I, Friedrich Franz IV was forced to abdicate as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Today the territory encompassing the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin is in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

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Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duke Friedrich Franz III (Friedrich Franz Paul Nikolaus Ernst Heinrich) was born on March 19, 1851, at Ludwigslust Palace, in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Friedrich Franz was the eldest son of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II and his first wife, Princess Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz. He had ten siblings from his father’s three marriages:

A rather sickly child, Friedrich Franz suffered from severe bronchial asthma and a weak heart that would plague him his entire life. Following several years of private education at home, he attended the Vitzhumsche High School in Dresden. He later studied law at the University of Bonn. Despite his health, Friedrich Franz also undertook a military career. He was first created an officer in Mecklenburg’s Grenadier Guards by his father in 1863, followed by an appointment in the Prussian army. At the onset of the Franco-Prussian War, he served in the headquarters of King Wilhelm I of Prussia and later represented Mecklenburg-Schwerin at the Imperial Proclamation in Versailles in 1871. Due to his health, he was forced to step down from his military role in 1877.

Friedrich Franz and his fiancé, Anastasia Mikhailovna, 1878; Credit – Wikipedia

On May 4, 1878, it was announced that Friedrich Franz was engaged to Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, the daughter of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia and Princess Cecilie of Baden. Friedrich Franz and Anastasia were second cousins, both great-grandchildren of King Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. They married at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on January 24, 1879, in Russian Orthodox and Protestant services. The couple settled at the Marienpalais in Schwerin (link in German), and had three children:

Friedrich Franz III’s wife and children, c1895;  Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Franz became Grand Duke upon his father’s death on April 15, 1883. At the time, he and his family were living in the south of France, taking advantage of the milder climate. Unable to return to Schwerin for his father’s funeral, he entrusted his ministers with the management of the Grand Duchy. Friedrich Franz eventually returned to Schwerin and took up residence at Schwerin Palace, but the climate was not good for his health. An agreement was reached, by which he would reside in Schwerin for five months of the year, and was free to live elsewhere the rest of the year provided that any further children would be born in Schwerin. Friedrich Franz III and his family spent the summers at their home in Gelbensande, a hunting lodge built in 1886 near Rostock and the Baltic Sea. They then moved on to Cannes from November until May, living at Villa Wenden which he had built there. They also spent time in Palermo and in Baden-Baden.

Villa Wenden in Cannes, France; Credit – Wikipedia

With his health rapidly deteriorating in the spring of 1897, the Grand Duke’s family gathered at Villa Wenden, anticipating the worst. On the evening of April 10, 1897, he was found unconscious at the bottom of the villa’s 25-foot retaining wall. He was taken inside but soon died. Officially, the cause of death was an accident. Likely gasping for air, he had gone out onto the balcony and accidentally fell. However, rumors quickly spread that he had died by suicide.

The Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum, following the burial of Friedrich Franz III; Credit – Wikipedia

Friedrich Franz’s remains were brought back to Mecklenburg, where he lay in state in the church at Schwerin Castle. Following his wishes, his funeral was held at the church in Ludwigslust, with the funeral procession led by the German Empress, Viktoria Auguste. Following the service, he was buried in the Helena Pavlovna Mausoleum on the grounds of Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, 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.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2018

Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Marie Karoline Auguste of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt was the third wife of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was born in Raben Steinfeld, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, on January 29, 1850, the daughter of Prince Adolf of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and Princess Mathilde of Schönburg-Waldenburg.

Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 4, 1868, in Rudolstadt, Marie married the widowed Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as his third wife. She was just 18 years old while the Grand Duke was 45. They had four children:

Grand Duchess Marie; Credit – Wikipedia

Grand Duchess Marie died suddenly on April 22, 1922, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, while in the Netherlands for the 46th birthday celebrations of her youngest son. Her body was returned to Schwerin, and she was buried in the Schwerin Cathedral.

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.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Resources at Unofficial Royalty

February 1918: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Tragedy at Sea – Lieutenant The Honorable Hugo William Louis Tyrrell
  • Captain The Honorable Harold Alfred Vyvyan St. George Harmsworth
  • Timeline: February 1, 1918 – February 28, 1918
  • A Note About German Titles
  • February 1918 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

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Tragedy at Sea – Lieutenant The Honorable Hugo William Louis Tyrrell

HMS K-17 Submarine; Photo Credit – www.harwichanddovercourt.co.u

On the evening of January 31 – February 1, 1918, twenty-six-year-old Royal Navy Lieutenant The Honorable Hugo William Louis Tyrell of HMS Submarine K-17 died along with 103 other sailors in a tragic series of accidents in the Firth of Forth in Scotland. The accidents were called the Battle of May Island, named after an island in the Firth of Forth. However, it was no battle but rather an entirely accidental tragedy with no enemy forces present.

The Honorable Hugo William Louis Tyrrell was the elder of the two sons and the third of the four children of William George Tyrrell, 1st Baron Tyrrell of Avon and Margaret Ann Urquhart. Hugo had two elder sisters and one younger brother, 2nd Lieutenant The Honorable Francis Chichester Victor Tyrrell, who also died during World War I on February 15, 1915 from wounds received in action. Therefore, when Hugo’s father died in 1947 at the 80, the barony became extinct as both his sons had died.

Around 40 ships left the port of Rosyth on the Firth of Forth, Scotland bound for fleet exercises in the North Sea. On the night of January 31 to February 1, 1918, five collisions occurred between eight ships. Two submarines were lost and three other submarines and a light cruiser were damaged. The accident was kept secret during the war and a memorial was finally dedicated 84 years later, on January 31, 2002, in the harbor of Anstruther, Scotland opposite the Isle of May.

Battle of May Island Memorial; Photo Credit – http://www.maritimequest.com/misc_pages/monuments_memorials/battle_of_may_island_memorial.htm

Hugo was one of the 59 sailors aboard the HMS K-17, a submarine powered by steam and electricity. K-17 was sailing behind the cruiser HMS Courageous when the Courageous changed course to avoid two trawlers ahead. K-17 turned but two other submarines, K-22 and K-14, were involved in a collision. Meanwhile HMS Fearless, another cruiser, was steaming towards the area, oblivious of the accident. The Fearless plowed into K-17. The order to abandon ship was quickly given but within eight minutes K-17 sank. Any survivors were now in the water and the other submarines attempted to pick them up. Sadly, the destroyers were unaware of the location of the accident and plowed through the survivors.

All remains of the deceased sailors remain at the wreck site which is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. Lieutenant The Honorable Hugo William Louis Tyrrell is remembered at the Chatham Naval Memorial in Chatham, Kent, England which records the names of 18,500 Royal Navy officers who died or were buried at sea in World War I and World War II.

Chatham Naval Memorial; Photo Credit – By Clem Rutter, Rochester Kent – Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2748208

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Captain The Honorable Harold Alfred Vyvyan St. George Harmsworth

Photo Credit – https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org

Captain The Honorable Harold Vyvyan Alfred St George Harmsworth, known as Vyvyan, was born in London on August 2, 1894. He was the eldest of the three sons of Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, the founder of the newspapers The Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror, and Mary Lilian Share. Lord Rothermore’s second son Lieutenant The Honorable Vere Sidney Tudor Harmsworth killed in action November 13, 1916, so he was succeeded by his third son Esmond Cecil Harmsworth as 2nd Viscount Rothermere.

Vyvyan attended Eton College and then enrolled at Christ Church College at the University of Oxford in 1913. At the start of World War I, he joined the 2nd Battalion the Irish Guards and saw action in France. He described the conditions in the trenches in a letter to his father dated January 13, 1915: “Hell is the only word descriptive of the weather out here and the state of the ground. It rains every day! The trenches are mud and water up to one’s neck, rendering some impassable – but where it is up to the waist we have to make our way along cheerfully. I can tell you – it is no fun getting wet up to the waist and right through, as I did last night. Lots of men have been sent off with slight frost-bite – the foot swells up and gets too big for the boot.”

Vyvyan was wounded two times and each time he returned to the trenches. In December 1917, he was wounded at the Battle of Cambrai and was sent back to England to recuperate. In a letter to his father, he was very positive about his recovery, “My wounds are healing very rapidly – in fact I don’t worry about them now. I have been awfully lucky, no vital or difficult spots, such as knees touched.” However, he did not recover. 23-year-old Vyvyan died of those wounds on February 12, 1918 in the Lady Northcliffe Hospital for Officers in London founded by his aunt, Mary Harmsworth, Viscountess Northcliffe, Lady Hudson.  He was buried at Hampstead Cemetery in West Hampstead, London.

Vyvyan’s grave: Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

Lord Rothermere endowed The Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Visiting Professor of American History Chair at the University of Oxford in Vyvyan’s memory which still continues today. History was his favorite subject. One of the conditions is that the occupant of the Chair be a citizen of the United States.

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Timeline: February 1, 1918 – February 28, 1918

Territories occupied by the Central Powers during and after Operation Faustschlag; Credit – By Soerfm – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28806053

  • February 15-16 – Battle of Rarancza near Rarańcza (Ridkivtsi), Bukovina in present-day Ukraine
  • February 18 – March 3 – Operation Faustschlag in Western Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Baltics, last offensive on Eastern Front
  • February 19 – British begin their assault on Jericho, then part of the Ottoman Empire, now in the Palestinian Territories and is located near the Jordan River in the West Bank
  • February 21 – British capture Jericho
  • February 21 – Germans capture Minsk, then part of Russia, now the capital of Belarus, part of Operation Faustschlag
  • February 24 – Germans capture Zhytomyr, then part of Russia, now in Ukraine, part of Operation Faustschlag
  • February 25 – German troops capture Estonia, then part of Russia, now an independent country, part of Operation Faustschlag
  • February 28 – Germans capture Pskov in Russia and Narva in Estonia part of Operation Faustschlag

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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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February 1918 – 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.

Lieutenant The Honorable Hugo William Louis Tyrrell

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Captain The Honorable Harold Alfred Vyvyan St. George Harmsworth

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Friedrich, Graf von Hohenau