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Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

June 18, 1269 – Birth of Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar, daughter of King Edward I of England, wife of Henri III, Count of Bar, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Eleanor married Henri III, Count of Bar. The Duchy of Bar was a sovereign state located in what is now northeast France. An alliance with Henri against King Philippe IV of France could provide a significant military advantage. Eleanor and Henri had one son and one daughter. Eleanor and Henri’s marriage lasted a little less than five years. On August 29, 1298, 29-year-old Eleanor died in Ghent, County of Flanders, now in Belgium, of unknown causes. Possibly, she died in childbirth (along with the baby), which at the end of the 13th century was a frequent cause of premature death of women.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar

June 18, 1318 – Birth of Eleanor of Woodstock Duchess of Guelders, daughter of King Edward II of England, at Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England
In 1332, 14-year-old Eleanor married 37-year-old Reinald II, then Count of Guelders and later Duke of Guelders. The couple had two sons and Eleanor was stepmother to Reinald’s four daughters from his first marriage. In  1343, 48-year-old Reinald II, Duke of Guelders died after a riding accident. Eleanor was named one of the Regents for her nine-year-old son Reinald III, Duke of Guelders, but the other Regents made the situation so difficult for her that she was forced to resign. In 1350, with encouragement from his mother, Eleanor’s younger son Edward began a civil war against his brother Reinald III for control of the Duchy of Guelders. When Eleanor attempted to reconcile with her son Reinald, he rejected her reconciliation attempts and confiscated her property. Eleanor was then forced to retire to the Cistercian where she died in poverty on April 22, 1355, aged 36.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleanor of Woodstock, Duchess of Guelders

June 18, 1662 – Birth of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland, an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and his mistress Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland (in her own right), in London, England
In 1679, Charles married Mary Wood, the only child and the heiress of Sir Henry Wood, 1st Baronet. A year later, sixteen-year-old Mary died of smallpox. After many legal maneuvers, Mary’s fortune passed to her widower 18-year-old Charles Fitzroy who remained unmarried for fourteen years. In 1694, Charles married Anne Pulteney, daughter of Sir William Pulteney, a Member of Parliament, and the couple had six children. When Charles’ mother Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland died in 1709, he became 2nd Duke of Cleveland. On September 9, 1730, 68-year-old Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland died in London, England. He was succeeded by his eldest son William FitzRoy. However, William was childless and when he died in 1774, all his titles became extinct.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Cleveland

June 18, 1824 – Death of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy; buried in the Medici Chapel at the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence
In 1790, Ferdinando’s father Pietro Leopoldo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany was elected Holy Roman Emperor as Leopold II, and abdicated the throne of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in favor of his second son Ferdinando who officially became Grand Duke of Tuscany. Ferdinando’s elder brother Franz would succeed to the Habsburg hereditary titles and be elected Holy Roman Emperor upon the death of his father in 1792.  In 1790, Ferdinando married his double first cousin Luisa of Naples and Sicily, and they had five children. Luisa died in childbirth delivering a stillborn son in 1802. Twenty years after Luisa’s, death Ferdinando married Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony but the couple had no children. Ferdinando I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, aged 55, died three years later.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany

June 18, 1849 – Birth of Sir Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria and King George V
Lieutenant Colonel The Right Honourable Sir Arthur John Bigge was Private Secretary to Queen Victoria from 1895 until Queen Victoria died in 1901. He then served as Private Secretary to the future King George V from 1901 to 1910, and for twenty-one years of King George V’s reign until he died in 1931.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham

June 18, 1866 – Death of Prince Sigismund of Prussia at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried at Friedenskirche in Potsdam
Prince Sigismund was the son of Victoria, Princess Royal and Friedrich III, German Emperor, and a grandson of Queen Victoria. He was the first grandchild of Queen Victoria to die. He died at age 21 months from meningitis. After Sigismund’s father died in 1888, the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum was added to the Friedenskirche, and Sigismund and his brother Waldemar, who died of diphtheria when he was eleven years old, were re-interred there.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Sigismund of Prussia

June 18, 1901 – Birth of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, daughter of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, at Peterhof near St. Petersburg, Russia
Anastasia, the fourth of four daughters, was named in honor of Princess Anastasia of Montenegro, a close friend of Anastasia’s mother and who married twice, both times to two grandsons of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. There was, once again, disappointment that Empress Alexandra had not given birth to a boy. Anastasia had a close relationship with her younger brother Alexei. If he did not feel well because of his hemophilia, Anastasia was the one who was able to distract him from his pain and cheer him up. It is known from the DNA analysis of the family’s remains, that Anastasia was a hemophilia carrier.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia

June 18, 1926 – Death of Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of Greece, wife of King George I of Greece, either in Rome, Italy or in Pau, Béarn, France; first buried in Italy, reburied at Tatoi Royal Cemetery in Greece
Olga was the elder daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg, a granddaughter of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and the paternal grandmother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Unofficial Royalty: Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of Greece

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Sophia of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

June 17, 1239 – Birth of King Edward I of England at the Palace of Westminster in London, England
Edward I’s relentless, but unsuccessful campaign to assert his overlordship over Scotland was resisted by William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, (later King Robert I of Scotland) but it gave him one of his nicknames, “Hammer of the Scots,” which was inscribed on his tomb. In 1296, Edward I captured the Stone of Scone, an oblong block of red sandstone that was used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. Edward had the Stone of Scone taken to Westminster Abbey, where it was fitted into a wooden chair, known as King Edward’s Chair, on which most subsequent English monarchs have been crowned. In 1996, 700 years after it was taken, the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland. It is kept at Edinburgh Castle in the Crown Room alongside the crown jewels of Scotland (the Honours of Scotland) when not being used at coronations.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward I of England

June 17, 1682 – Birth of King Karl XII of Sweden at Tre Kronor Castle which was on the site of the present Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Karl XII became King of Sweden at the age of fifteen in 1697 upon the death of his father Karl XI, King of Sweden and reigned for twenty-one years.  Karl never married. For almost all of his reign, Karl XII led Sweden in the Great Northern War (1700 – 1721). He acted as the general of the army and achieved significant success for several years. In 1718, Karl once again invaded Norway by laying siege to Fredriksten Fortress. On December 11, 1718, while in the trenches close to the perimeter of Fredriksten Fortress, 36-year-old Karl was hit in the head by a projectile that entered the left side of his skull and exited on the right side of his skull, instantly killing him.
Unofficial Royalty: King Karl XII of Sweden

June 17, 1814 – Birth of Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes 1852–1853, Acting Mistress of the Robes 1892–1895, and Lady of the Bedchamber 1854–1897, at the family home on Princes Street in Edinburgh, Scotland
Born Anne Home-Drummond, the daughter of Henry Home-Drummond, a Scottish politician, she married George Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne Murray, Duchess of Atholl

June 17, 1818 – Birth of Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands, first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands, at Ludwigsburg Palace in Stuttgart, Kingdom of  Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Sophie was the first wife of King Willem III of the Netherlands. They had three sons, all of whom had no children and predeceased their father. The marriage of Sophie and Willem was ultimately unsuccessful. Willem had numerous extramarital affairs and had numerous illegitimate children. Sophie let him know that she thought him inferior to her and unfit to serve as king. She was convinced that she could do better ruling the country as regent. Sophie tried to divorce her husband, but because of national interests, this was impossible. In 1855, an agreement was made that Sophie would have her own quarters at Noordeinde Palace and that she would spend the summers at Huis ten Bosch Palace without her husband. After Sophie’s death, Willem III married the much younger Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont and they had one child, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.
Full name: Sophia Frederika Mathilde
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands

June 17, 1882 – Birth of Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Adolf Friedrich Georg Ernst Albert Eduard
Before becoming Grand Duke, Adolf Friedrich spent several summers living in the United Kingdom, and developed a strong love for the country, likely influenced by his grandmother, who was born Princess Augusta of Cambridge and was a granddaughter of King George III of the United Kingdom.  Adolf Friedrich took every opportunity to visit the United Kingdom and often represented his father and grandfather at official functions, such as the funerals of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, and the coronations of King Edward VII and King George V. Adolf Friedrich VI left his home on the evening of February 23, 1918, to take his dog for a walk. The following morning, his body was found in a nearby canal with a gunshot wound to his head. He left behind a suicide note which suggested that a woman was attempting to smear his name. However, his close friend, Princess Daisy of Pless suggested that he had developed severe depression over the war and the loss of his beloved grandmother.
Unofficial Royalty: Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

June 17, 1884 – Birth of Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland, the second of the three sons of King Gustaf V of Sweden, at Tullgarn Palace in Södermanland, Sweden
Full name: Carl Wilhelm Ludvig
Wilhelm had an unsuccessful marriage to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia and the only daughter and the eldest of the two children of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.  When Maria Pavlovna was only seventeen months old, her mother died shortly after giving premature birth to her second child. After her marriage, Maria was homesick in a strange country where the royal court was even more formal than the Russian court. Maria left her husband and son and returned to Russia which caused a great scandal in Sweden. Her marriage was officially dissolved and then confirmed by an edict issued by Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland

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King Gustav V of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

June 16, 1332 – Birth of Isabella of England, Countess of Bedford, daughter of King Edward III of England, at Woodstock Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England
Isabella married the French nobleman Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy. Her father Edward III granted him the titles Earl of Albemarle and Earl of Bedford. Isabella and Enguerrand had two daughters. Throughout her married life, Isabella never felt quite at home at the Château de Coucy in Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, Lordship of Coucy, now in France. Whenever Enguerrand had to be away for extended periods, she would return to England. Isabella was at her father’s deathbed in 1377. Because her elder brother Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince had died in 1376, his ten-year-old son succeeded as King Richard II. After the coronation of Richard II, Enguerrand decided to cut all ties to England and only serve the French king, effectively ending his marriage with Isabella. Enguerrand returned to France, never to see Isabella again. Isabella remained in England with her younger daughter Philippa while her older daughter Marie continued living in France. Isabella died either in April 1379 or sometime between June 17 and October 5, 1382, aged 47 or 50. She was buried in Christ Church Greyfriars in London, England.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella of England, Countess of Bedford

June 16, 1644 – Birth of Princess Henrietta-Anne of England, daughter of King Charles I of England, at Bedford House in Exeter, England
Henrietta-Anne married her first cousin Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of Louis XIV, King of France. She is an ancestor of the royal families of Belgium, Luxembourg, and Spain.  When the line of Henriette-Anne’s brother King James II of England died out, the Jacobite claims to the British throne descended from her daughter Anne d’Orléans, Queen of Sardinia. The Orléanist pretenders to the French throne and the Savoy pretenders to the Italian throne descend from Henrietta-Anne.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Henrietta-Anne of England, Duchess of Orléans

June 16, 1712 – Death of Prince Hans-Adam I of Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria; buried at  Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Brno, Moravia, now Vranov, Czech Republic
Twenty-two-year-old Hans-Adam became Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father Karl Eusebius, Prince of Liechtenstein on April 5, 1684. Karl Eusebius left his son a rich inheritance and an extensive collection of artworks which were added to by his son and other descendants. Hans-Adam II, the current Prince of Liechtenstein, is the richest European monarch. In 1681, Hans-Adam married Princess Erdmuthe Maria Theresia of Dietrichstein-Nikolsburg. Hans-Adam and Erdmuthe had eleven children but all their sons predeceased Hans-Adam. Because Hans-Adam had no sons, he had chosen his distant cousin Prince Joseph Wenzel, the great-grandnephew of Karl I, Prince of Liechtenstein, even though he was not next in line. The actual heir was his uncle Anton Florian but he was not very popular with the family.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Hans-Adam I of Liechtenstein

June 16, 1742 – Death of Louise-Élisabeth of Orléans, Queen of Spain, wife of King Luis I of Spain, at the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, France; buried at the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, France
Louise-Élisabeth was the daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and Françoise Marie de Bourbon, the legitimized daughter of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan. In 1721, eleven-year-old Louise Élisabeth married the future King Luis I of Spain. The marriage was unsuccessful and resulted in no children due to the young age of Louise Élisabeth. In 1724, King Luis I died from smallpox. Louise Élisabeth was a widow at the age of fourteen. Because the marriage of Luis I and Louise Élisabeth had not been consummated, Louise Élisabeth was sent back to France. She lived at the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris, away from the court of King Louis XV, her first cousin once removed. Louise Élisabeth, lonely and forgotten, died seventeen years later, on June 16, 1742,  She was buried in the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris but her tomb was desecrated and destroyed during the French Revolution.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise-Élisabeth of Orléans, Queen of Spain

June 16, 1848 – Death of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; buried in the Altes Mausoleum in the Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt
Ludwig became Grand Duke upon his father’s death in March 1830 and continued his father’s policies. Soon after his accession, he demanded that the state assume his personal debts. This led to a growing dislike for Ludwig amongst the Hessian people. He also stood strongly against calls for a more liberal government that was sweeping through Europe. Following the beginning of the March Revolution, Grand Duke Ludwig II abdicated on March 5, 1848, in favor of his eldest son.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

June 16, 1858 – Birth of King Gustaf V of Sweden at Drottningholm Palace in Drottningholm, Sweden
Full name: Oscar Gustaf Adolf
In 1881, Gustaf married Princess Viktoria of Baden, the daughter of Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden and Princess Luise of Prussia. As Viktoria was a great-granddaughter of King Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden, the marriage joined the current Bernadotte dynasty with the former ruling House of Holstein-Gottorp. The couple had three sons. Gustaf V’s reign saw the rise of parliamentary rule and the establishment of a government that stripped the monarchy of its power, although this would not formally change until the 1974 Constitution. In 1948, King Gustaf celebrated his 90th birthday, but his health soon began to decline. Already spending the spring months on the French Riviera, he began to have the Crown Prince represent him at official functions. He made his last official appearance at a Cabinet meeting held on October 27, 1950. Two days later, as a result of complications from influenza, King Gustaf V died at Drottningholm Palace.
Unofficial Royalty: King Gustav V of Sweden

June 16, 1929 – Birth of Sabah IV bin Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait in Kuwait City, Kuwait
Sabah was a respected regional and international mediator due in part to his leadership in the Gulf Cooperation Council and his forty years of service as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter called Sabah a “global humanitarian leader”, saying, “His support of disaster relief, peace efforts, and advancing public health are an inspiration. Other world leaders can learn from the wise example set by my friend, His Highness the Emir.” Sabah IV died on September 29, 2020, at the age of 91, due to long-term health issues.  His 83-year-old half-brother Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed was named by the cabinet as his successor.
Unofficial Royalty: Sabah IV bin Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

June 16, 1937 – Birth of Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski, former Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria in Sofia, Bulgaria
In 1943, Simeon’s father Tsar Boris III died and six-year-old Simeon became Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria. A Council of Regency was established, led by his uncle Prince Kyril. The following year, the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria, and the regents were deposed and replaced. They would all be killed a year later. The monarchy was overthrown in 1946 and the family was forced to leave the country. Following the fall of the Communist regime, Simeon was finally able to return to Bulgaria. In 1996, fifty years after he had been forced out of the country, Simeon returned to Bulgaria. He was the prime minister of Bulgaria from 2001-2005. He uses the name Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha).
Unofficial Royalty: Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria

June 16, 2000 – Death of Empress Kōjun (Nagako) of Japan, wife of Emperor Shōwa of Japan, at the Fukiage Ōmiya Palace in Tokyo, Japan; buried at the Musashi Imperial Mausoleum in Tokyo, Japan
Born Princess Nagako Kuni, she was the eldest daughter of Prince Kuniyoshi Kuni and a member of one of the branch houses of the imperial dynasty entitled to provide a successor to the throne of Japan by adoption. In 1924, she married the future Emperor Hirohito of Japan, now known by his posthumous name Emperor Shōwa. The couple had five daughters and two sons including Emperor Akihito. In 1926, when Hirohito’s father Emperor Taishō died of a heart attack at the age of 47, Hirohito began his 62-year reign as Emperor of Japan and Nagako became Empress of Japan. Empress Nagako performed her duties according to tradition. After her husband died in 1989, Nagako assumed the title of Empress Dowager and she remained in seclusion for the rest of her life due to her ill health. In 1995, she became the longest-living Dowager Empress of Japan, breaking the record of Empress Kanshi, who died in 1102. On June 16, 2000, at her home, the Fukiage Ōmiya Palace in Tokyo, Japan, Dowager Empress Nagako died at the age of 97. She is now known by her posthumous name Empress Kōjun.
Unofficial Royalty: Empress Kōjun of Japan

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Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

June 15, 1330 – Birth of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince), son of King Edward III of England, father of King Richard II of England, at Woodstock Palace in Oxfordshire, England
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales was born at Woodstock Palace near Oxford in Oxfordshire, England, hence the “of Woodstock” in his name. He was the eldest of the fourteen children of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault. Today, Edward of Woodstock is commonly referred to as “The Black Prince” although he was not called that in his lifetime. The first appearance of the reference occurred more than 150 years after his death. It may refer to Edward’s black shield, and/or his black armor or his brutal reputation, particularly towards the French in Aquitaine. Edward of Woodstock was one of the seven Princes of Wales who never became King.
Unofficial Royalty: Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince)

June 15, 1519 – Birth of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII of England, at the Priory of St Lawrence in Blackmore, Essex, England
Henry Fitzroy was the only illegitimate child King Henry VIII acknowledged. He was the son of Henry VIII’s mistress Elizabeth Blount, a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, better known as Bessie Blount. The surname Fitzroy means “son of the king”.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond

June 15, 1645 – Birth of Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, favorite of King Charles II of England, in Breage, Cornwall, England
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin was first a favorite of King Charles II of England. He also served in several positions during the reigns of Charles II, James II, William III and Mary II, and Anne.
Unofficial Royalty: Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin

June 15, 1832 – Birth of Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes 1852–1853, in Hanover, Kingdom of Hanover, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
Born Luise Friederike Auguste, Countess von Alten, the daughter of Karl Franz Viktor, Count von Alten, Louisa first married William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester. After his death, she married Spencer Cavendish, 8th Duke of Devonshire.
Unofficial Royalty: Louisa Montagu, Duchess of Manchester

June 15, 1888 – Death of Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, husband of Victoria, Princess Royal, at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried at Friedenskirche in Potsdam
Friedrich III was already ill with cancer of the larynx when he succeeded his father but despite this, he did his best to fulfill his obligations as German Emperor. The year 1888 is called “The Year of Three Emperors” in German history. Friedrich’s father Wilhelm I died on March 9, 1888, and Friedrich succeeded him as Friedrich III. In May 1888, Friedrich III lamented, “I cannot die … What would happen to Germany?” He reigned for only 99 days, dying at the age of 56. As for what happened to Germany, Friedrich III was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II, who was impulsive and pompous and brought the German Empire into World War I which eventually caused the collapse of all the German Empire’s constituent states. Wilhelm II was an ineffective war leader, who abdicated in November 1918 and fled to exile in the Netherlands.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia

June 15, 1905 – Wedding of the future King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden (1st marriage) and Princess Margaret of Connaught at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Margaret and her sister, Patricia, were considered two of the most eligible princesses in Europe, and their parents set out to find suitable royal husbands. After visiting the court of King Carlos of Portugal, the family traveled to Cairo, Egypt to attend a birthday banquet for Khedive Abbas Hilmi Pasha of Egypt in January 1905. Also invited was Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. The couple met and were instantly smitten. Ironically, it was Margaret’s sister Patricia who had been rumored as a possible bride for Gustaf Adolf, but he quickly determined that he only had an interest in Margaret. Fully supported by Margaret’s parents, Gustaf Adolf proposed on February 25, 1905, at a dinner at the British Consulate, and Margaret quickly accepted. The news came as a great surprise to the people of Sweden and was received with great joy by the Prince’s grandfather King Oscar II. Margaret died before her husband became King of Sweden.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught

June 15, 1916 – Birth of Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, lover and first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, in Monaco
Alexandre-Athenase Noghès was a tennis player. He played in tournaments around Europe and represented Monaco in the Davis Cup. He was married three times. His first wife was Marie Angèle Bastel, who he married in Monaco. The couple had one son before divorcing. In the 1940s, he became the lover and then the first husband of Princess Antoinette of Monaco, with whom he had three children. The couple married three months after their last child was born, but divorced three years later. Alexandre spent several years living on his yacht in Monaco before moving to the United States. There, he met his third wife Margaret “Margot” James. They married in 1970 and eventually settled in California. Alexandre Athenase Noghès died in Los Angeles on February 16, 1999, just three months before his 83rd birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandre-Athenase Noghès

June 15, 1978 – Wedding of King Hussein I of Jordan and Lisa Halaby (Queen Noor al-Hussein) at Zahran Palace in Amman, Jordan
While 500 guests waited on the lawn of the Zahran Palace, King Hussein and Noor were married in an oriental-style sitting room in the palace. Noor was the only woman allowed, and the witnesses were Noor’s father and brother and the male members of the Jordanian Royal Family. A Muslim wedding ceremony is basically a contract in which the bride and groom agree to the contract and sign it in front of witnesses. Noor and King Hussein sat on a damask settee during the ceremony. They repeated simple marriage vows in Arabic. Noor said: “I have betrothed myself to thee in marriage for the dowry agreed upon.” King Hussein replied: “I have accepted thee as wife, my wife in marriage for the dowry agreed upon.” No rings were exchanged, instead, the vows were sealed by the couple clasping their right hands and looking at each other.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Hussein I of Jordan and Lisa Halaby

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Sophie of Prussia, Queen of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

June 14, 1753 – Birth of Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine in Prenzlau, Duchy of Zweibrücken, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Ludwig succeeded his father in April 1790 as Ludwig X, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Hesse-Darmstadt was raised to the Grand Duchy of Hesse, with Ludwig becoming its first Grand Duke. In 1816, during the Congress of Vienna, the Grand Duchy of Hesse became the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

June 14, 1828 – Death of Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach at Castle Graditz in Graditz, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Saxony, Germany; buried in the Weimarer Fürstengruft in the Historical Cemetery in Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, now in Thuringia, Germany
When his father died in May 1758, Karl August became Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Duke of Eisenach at just nine months old. His mother served as regent.  In 1809, the two duchies were united as one, and Karl August became Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Six years later, following the Congress of Vienna, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was elevated to a Grand Duchy with Karl August as its first Grand Duke of Saxe-Eisenach.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

June 14, 1870 – Birth of Queen Sophie of Greece, wife of King Constantine I of Greece, born Princess Sophie of Prussia in the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Sophie Dorothea Ulrike Alice
Sophie was the daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia and Victoria, Princess Royal, and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She married the future King Constantine I of Greece. The Greek, Romanian, Serbian, and Spanish Royal Families descended from their marriage. Sophie’s granddaughter via her son King Paul of Greece was named after her. Princess Sophia of Greece married King Juan Carlos of Spain and her name was changed to the Spanish version, Sofia. Sofia’s younger granddaughter via her son King Felipe VI of Spain is named Sofia.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie of Prussia, Queen of Greece

June 14, 1894 – Birth of Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde of Luxembourg in Berg Castle in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg
Full name: Marie-Adélaïde Thérèse Hilda Wilhelmine
Marie-Adélaïde was the eldest of the six daughters of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg and Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal. At the time, female succession was not allowed in Luxembourg but Grand Duke Guillaume IV changed that. In 1912, when her father died,  Marie-Adélaïde became the first reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. In the early days of World War I, Germany violated the neutral stance of Luxembourg and invaded the country. Marie-Adélaïde issued a formal protest, which was not effective in preventing the military occupation by Germany. Marie-Adélaïde developed a rather friendly relationship with the Germans, including hosting Wilhelm II, German Emperor at the palace. This caused her political opponents in Luxembourg to call her pro-German. Members of the parliament began to call for her abdication in January 1919. After consulting with the Prime Minister, Marie-Adélaïde abdicated on January 14, 1919. Her sister Charlotte succeeded her. After her abdication, Marie-Adélaïde entered a Carmelite convent in Modena, Italy. Eventually, she became a nun, joining the Little Sisters of the Poor in Rome, taking the name Sister Marie of the Poor. Her health began to worsen so she left the convent and settled at Hohenburg Castle in Bavaria, Germany where she died of influenza on January 24, 1924, at the age of 29.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde of Luxembourg

June 14, 1976 – Death of Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark, son of King Christian X of Denmark, in Gentofte, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
In 1947 when King Christian X died and his elder son became King Frederik IX, Knud was the heir presumptive. Danish succession law did not allow for female succession, so King Frederik IX’s three daughters, including the current monarch Queen Margrethe II, were not in the line of succession. It was expected that Knud and then his elder son Ingolf would become king. However, the 1953 Danish Act of Succession allowed for a female to become queen if she did not have any brothers. With the passage of that act, Knud and his son Prince Ingolf went from being first and second in the line of succession to being fourth and fifth after the three daughters of King Frederik IX. The 2009 Act of Succession now allows for the eldest child to become monarch regardless of gender. To compensate for the change in the succession, Knud was given the title Hereditary Prince of Denmark, and both Knud and his elder son Ingolf were granted fixed annuities and additional flexible annuities for life.
Unofficial Royalty: Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark

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June 13, 1873 – Birth of Prince Enrico of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Duke of Parma at Wartegg Castle in Rorschach, Switzerland
Prince Enrico of Bourbon-Parma was the titular Duke of Parma from 1907 until he died in 1939. As he was mentally disabled, his younger brother Elia served as regent.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Enrico of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Duke of Parma

June 13, 1877 – Death of Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine at Schloss Heiligenberg in Seeheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; initially buried in the Landgrave’s Crypt in the Stadtkirche Darmstadt in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany, in 1910, his coffin was  transferred to the Altes Mausoleum at Rosenhohe Park in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
After his second marriage to Anna Magdalena Appel, Ludwig III retired from public life, and his eventual successor, his nephew, the future Ludwig IV, largely took over the tasks and business of the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine. Ludwig III and his second wife lived very quietly at Schloss Braunshardt in Weiterstadt for the remainder of his life.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

June 13, 1886 – King Ludwig II of Bavaria is found drowned at Lake Starnberg, south of Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria; buried at St. Michael’s Church in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
On June 13, 1886, Ludwig went for a walk on the grounds of Berg Castle on Lake Starnberg in Berg, Bavaria, accompanied by Dr. von Gudden and several attendants. Ludwig and his doctor went out again that evening, this time without attendants, but never returned. Several hours later, King Ludwig II’s body was found in the water of Lake Starnberg, along with that of Dr. von Gudden. His death remains a mystery. It was ruled a suicide by drowning, but no water was found in his lungs during an autopsy. One belief is that Ludwig was murdered while trying to escape as he was about to be deposed. Another is that he died of natural causes, possibly due to the extremely cold temperature of the water.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ludwig II of Bavaria

June 13, 1882 – Birth of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, daughter of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, at Peterhof Palace near St. Petersburg, Russia
The youngest of the six children of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Dagmar of Denmark (Empress Maria Feodorovna), and the sister of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia. Olga had a very unsuccessful marriage to her second cousin Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. After waiting years, Olga’s brother Nicholas II finally annulled the marriage and allowed Olga to marry the commoner Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky, and the couple had two sons. Olga and Nikolai refused to leave Russia after the Russian Revolution. They finally left in 1919 and lived for a period with Olga’s mother in Copenhagen, Denmark. After World War II, the Soviet Union notified the Danish government that Olga was accused of conspiracy against the Soviet government. Because she was fearful of an assassination or kidnap attempt, Olga decided to move her family across the Atlantic to the relative safety of Canada where Olga lived out the rest of her life.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia

June 13, 1900 – Death of Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg at Rastede Castle in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in Saint Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg
Peter became Grand Duke upon his father’s death in February 1853. He sided with Russia during the Crimean War. Later, during the Second Schleswig-Holstein War, Peter laid claim to part of the territory seized by Prussia. In a treaty with Prussia, signed in February 1867, Peter gave up his claims. In exchange, he received the district of Ahrensbök and the Prussian part of the former Principality of Lübeck. This expanded territory gave Oldenburg direct access to the Baltic Sea. He also fought with Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War.
Unofficial Royalty: Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

June 13, 1918 – Execution of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia, brother of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, in Perm, Russia; his remains have never been found
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich was the first of the eighteen Romanovs who were killed during the Russian Revolution.  Like several other male members of the Romanov family, Michael was arrested by the Bolsheviks. Michael and his British secretary Nicholas Johnson were sent to Perm, 3,000 miles east of St, Petersburg.  On June 13, 1918, they were taken from their room, transported into the woods, and shot. In 1981, Grand Duke Michael and Nicholas Johnson were canonized as New Martyrs of Russia by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. The remains of Michael and his secretary have never been found.
Unofficial Royalty: Execution of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia

June 13, 1965 – Birth of Infanta Cristina of Spain, daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain, at Our Lady of Loreto Clinic in Madrid, Spain
Full name: Cristina Federica Victoria Antonia de la Santísima Trinidad de Borbón y de Grecia
Cristina is the second of the three children the former King Juan Carlos I and Sofía. She was a member of the Spanish Sailing Team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where she was also the Spanish flag-bearer in the opening ceremonies. In 1997, Cristina married Iñaki Urdangarín Liebaert, a former professional and Olympic handball player. The couple had three children and separated in 2022. In 2011, Urdangarín was accused of diverting public funds for his own benefit, through a non-profit organization. Cristina was investigated and later tried for fraud and acquitted of corruption. Despite the acquittal, she was nonetheless stripped of her title of Duchess of Palma de Mallorca by her brother King Felipe VI as a result of the case. Urdangarín was sentenced to six years and three months in prison.  In 2018, the Supreme Court in an appeal reduced Urdangarín’s sentence to a term of five years and ten months.
Unofficial Royalty: Infanta Cristina of Spain

June 13, 1982 – Death of King Khalid of Saudi Arabia in Ta’if, Saudi Arabia; buried at Al Oud Cemetery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Khalid was the son of the future King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and Al Jawhara bint Musaed bin Jiluwi Al Saud, one of Abdulaziz’s many wives. On March 25, 1975, 68-year-old King Faisal, Khalid’s half-brother, was shot and killed by his 30-year-old nephew Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Palace in Riyadh. Khalid, who did not even want to be Crown Prince, succeeded to the throne of Saudi Arabia. Khalid suffered from ill health and was reluctant to take on the role of King of Saudi Arabia. In 1970, while he was Crown Prince, Khalid suffered a massive heart attack and in 1972, he had cardiac surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio in the United States. After he became king, Khalid had a second cardiac surgery in 1978 at the Cleveland Clinic. In 1980, King Khalid had a minor heart attack. Because of King Khalid’s ill health, his half-brother and successor Crown Prince Fahd was often in charge of ruling the country. On June 13, 1982, Khalid suffered a fatal heart attack.
Unofficial Royalty: King Khalid of Saudi Arabia

June 13, 2015 – Wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist at the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace of Stockholm
Carl Philip and Sofia met in the summer of 2009, and by the spring of 2010, the media was beginning to speculate that the two were involved. In August 2010, the Royal Court confirmed the two were in a relationship. Sofia attended many family functions, including the weddings of Carl Philip’s two sisters, although she was not seated with the royal family. They lived together in Stockholm for some time and maintained a private life. On June 25, 2014, the Swedish Royal Court announced that the couple was engaged and that the wedding would take place on June 13, 2015, in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist

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King George V of Hanover; Credit – Wikipedia

June 12, 1734 – Death in battle of James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James, illegitimate son of King James II of England; buried at the Scots College in Paris, France. His tomb was destroyed during the French Revolution and his remains were lost.
James FitzJames, a great military leader who was killed on the battlefield, was the illegitimate son of King James II of England and his mistress Arabella Churchill. James’ military training with the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire proved invaluable. From 1689 – 1691, he served in the Williamite War in Ireland in which the Jacobite supporters of the exiled King James II unsuccessfully fought to restore the House of Stuart to the English throne. After the 1691 Treaty of Limerick, James withdrew permanently to France. He served in the French Army in twenty-nine campaigns. Although the French were victorious at the Siege of Philippsburg, on June 12, 1734, the nearly 64-year-old James was killed when a cannonball decapitated him while he was inspecting the work on trenches.
Unofficial Royalty: James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick, 1st Duke of Liria and Jérica, 1st Duke of Fitz-James (article coming soon)

June 12, 1878 – Death of King George V of Hanover in Paris, France; buried in the Royal Tomb House under St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
George succeeded his father, born Prince Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the fifth son of King George III, as King of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, as well as Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Earl of Armagh, in the Peerage of Ireland, in 1851. King George V of Hanover reigned for only 15 years, being exiled from Hanover in 1866 as a result of his support for Austria in the Austro-Prussian War. On September 20, 1866, Hanover was annexed by Prussia. George never abdicated from the throne of Hanover and he and his wife Marie lived in exile in Gmunden, Austria and Paris, France where George died at the age of 59. A funeral service was held at the Lutheran Church in the Rue Chacat in Paris and then King George’s remains were transported to England and buried in the Royal Tomb House under St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle
Unofficial Royalty: King George V of Hanover

June 12, 1952 – Birth of Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, a disputed pretender to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family and the throne of Russia since 2013, in Amorbach, then in West Germany, now in the German state of Bavaria
Karl Emich, also known by his Orthodox Russian name Nikolai Kirillovich Romanov, is the great-great-grandson of Alexander II, the great-grandson of Kirill Vladimirovich, and disputed pretender to the Russian throne from 2013 – present.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen

June 12, 1968 – Birth of Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, wife of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, born Sibilla Weiller in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Full name: Sibilla Sandra Weiller y Torlonia
Sibilla Weiller is a descendant of Spanish and British monarchs. See descent below:
King Alfonso XIII of Spain m. Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (granddaughter of Queen Victoria) > Infanta Beatriz of Spain m. Prince Alessanadro Torlonia of Civitella-Cesi > Olimpia Torlonia m. Paul Weiller > Sibilla Weiller. She married her distant cousin, Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, the youngest child of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and Princess Josephine-Charlotte of Belgium. The couple have four children.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg

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