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King Willem III of the Netherlands, Credit – Wikipedia

November 23, 955 – Death of Eadred, King of the English in Frome, Somerset, England; initially buried at the Old Minster in Winchester, England, his remains are now in Winchester Cathedral
Eadred was the son of Edward the Elder, King of the Anglo-Saxons and a grandson of Alfred the Great. In 946, Eadred’s elder brother King Edmund I was murdered while celebrating the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury at a royal hunting lodge in Pucklechurch, north of Bath, England. Because Edmund’s two sons were very young, he was succeeded by his 23-year-old brother Eadred. Eadred suffered from ill health all his life. He had symptoms similar to the symptoms Alfred the Great, his grandfather also had. Alfred’s contemporary biographer, the Welsh monk Asser, gave a detailed description of his symptoms and modern doctors suspect that he had Crohn’s disease. However, a genetic disease such as porphyria, which Alfred’s descendant King George III may have had, is also possible. Eadred’s ill health is often given as the reason he never married. Towards the end of his life, Eadred’s health deteriorated drastically. He had physical difficulties eating and suffered from some kind of physical disability, possibly paralysis. He delegated most of his royal powers to Dunstan, Abbot of Glastonbury and other counselors. Eadred died at the age of 32.
Unofficial Royalty: Eadred, King of the English

November 23, 1503 – Death of Margaret of York, third wife of Charles I, Duke of Burgundy and sister of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England, at Mechelen Palace, in Mechelen, then in the County of Flanders, part of the Burgundian State, now in Belgium; buried in the Church of the Cordeliers, the church of the Grey Friars in Mechelen, Margaret’s tomb was destroyed at the end of the 16th century
Margaret was the daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, the leader of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses until he died in battle, and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England, and the sister of two Kings of England, Edward IV and Richard III. In 1468, she married Charles I (the Bold), Duke of Burgundy but the couple had no children. Charles was killed at the Battle of Nancy in 1477. Margaret remained an influential matriarch in the family and devoted the last years of her life to the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of her husband. Margaret survived her husband Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy by twenty-six years, dying on November 23, 1503, at the age of 57.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy

November 23, 1511 – Death of Anne of York, Lady Howard, daughter of King Edward IV of England; buried at Church of St. Michael the Archangel, in Framlingham, Suffolk, England
Anne married Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey (later 3rd Duke of Norfolk) and they had four children but none survived childhood.  Anne’s husband was the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard. After Anne’s death, her widower married Anne Stafford, daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne of York, Lady Howard

November 23, 1709 – Death of  William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, favorite of King William III of England, at Bulstrode Park in Gerrard’s Cross, Buckinghamshire, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Bentinck and his first wife Anne Villiers are ancestors of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom through her mother’s family, specifically through her maternal grandmother, born Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck. In 1664, fifteen-year-old Bentinck came to the court of fourteen-year-old Willem III, Prince of Orange, the future King William III of England as a page. In 1672, Bentinck became Willem III’s chamberlain. Along with his role at the court where he was an important advisor for Willem III, Bentinck also had a military career. Bentinck played a key role in the planning and execution of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which resulted in the deposing of Willem’s uncle and father-in-law King James II of England and Willem and his wife and first cousin becoming King William III and Queen Mary II of England. Bentinck went to England with William and Mary and was generously rewarded for his service with titles and estates. He remained William III’s closest advisor until William III’s death.  When William III’s wife Mary II died from smallpox, it was Bentinck who carried the nearly insensible William from the room. When William III was on his deathbed, he beckoned Bentinck to his bedside. Bentinck bent down and put his ear to William’s mouth but could only distinguish a few words of William’s incoherent speech. William then took Bentinck’s hand and placed it against his heart. Then William’s head fell back, he closed his eyes, took two or three breaths, and died.
Unofficial Royalty: William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, favorite of King William III of England

November 23, 1729 – Death of Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, favorite of Peter I, Emperor of All Russia, in banishment in Beryozovo, Siberia, Russia
Alexander Danilovich Menshikov was a Russian statesman, a military leader, and a boyhood friend and favorite of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. In 1697, Peter I traveled incognito to Western Europe on an 18-month tour called the Grand Embassy and Alexander accompanied him. A number of times, in his various positions and situations, Alexander abused his power even though he was well aware of the principles on which Peter I’s reforms were conducted and was Peter I’s right hand in all his endeavors. Alexander’s corrupt practices frequently brought him to the verge of ruin. After Peter I’s death and the two-year reign of Peter’s wife Catherine I, Peter I’s 11-year-old grandson Peter II came to the throne. Alexander Menshikov took the young emperor into his home and had full control over all his actions. The old nobility, represented by the Dolgorukovs and the Galitzines, united to overthrow Alexander. He was deprived of all his dignities, offices, and wealth, expelled from St. Petersburg, and banished to Siberia with his wife and children. During a smallpox epidemic in Siberia, Alexander died at the age of 56.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, favorite of Peter I, Emperor of All Russia

November 23, 1886 – Birth of Prince Alexander of Battenberg, later Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Full name: Alexander Albert Victor
Alexander was the son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg.  When World War I started in August of 1914, Alexander’s regiment was under deployment orders, as was the 60th Rifles, the regiment of his brothers Leopold and Maurice. A little more than two months after the war started, Maurice was killed in action. During World War I, his surname was changed to Mountbatten and he was created 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke. In 1917, he married Lady Irene Denison, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Londesbrough and they had one daughter. After World War I, Alexander began a business career and started work as a clerk in the offices of the bank Lazard Brothers. Alexander also worked for the Metropolitan Housing Corporation which controlled many housing estates for artisans, and Alexander eventually took full charge of the social work connected with the estates. Later he became a director of Lever Brothers and several other companies.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke

November 23, 1886 – Death of Marguerite Bellanger, mistress of Emperor Napoleon III, in Villeneuve-sous-Dammartin, France; buried at Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris, France
Using the stage name Marguerite Bellanger, she had a brief career on the Paris stage before she was noticed by Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. She was the mistress of Napoleon III from 1863 until 1870 when he was deposed and exiled. In February 1864, Marguerite gave birth to a son Charles Jules Auguste François Marie Leboeuf, who was in all likelihood, the Emperor’s son. With the Emperor’s exile in 1870, his affair with Marguerite ended. In 1872, she married William Kulbach, Baronet, a Captain in the British Army and the couple lived in England and France.
Unofficial Royalty: Marguerite Bellanger, mistress of Emperor Napoleon III

November 23, 1890 – Death of King Willem III of the Netherlands at Het Loo, near Apeldoorn, the Netherlands; buried at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, The Netherlands
In 1839, Willem married his first cousin Sophie of Württemberg. Willem and Sophie had three sons, but they all predeceased their father. When his father died in 1849, Willem succeeded as King of the Netherlands. After Sophie died in 1877, Willem was eager to marry again to ensure the future of the House of Orange. In 1879, 61-year-old Willem married 20-year-old Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Emma had a positive influence on Willem and the marriage was extremely happy. The last decade of Willem’s life was definitely the best years of his reign. Willem and Emma had one daughter, Wilhelmina, who succeeded her father. In 1888, King Willem III’s health began to decline. When it became apparent that Willem could no longer reign, Emma was sworn in as Regent. On November 23, 1890, 73-year-old King Willem III died and ten-year-old Wilhelmina became Queen. Emma took over as Regent for her daughter until Wilhelmina’s eighteenth birthday in 1898.
Unofficial Royalty: King Willem III of the Netherlands

November 23, 1965 – Death of Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians, wife of King Albert I of the Belgians, at Stuyvenberg Castle in Laeken, in Brussels, Belgium; buried at the Royal Crypt in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Elisabeth was the daughter of Karl-Theodor, Duke in Bavaria (a grandson of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria), and his second wife, Infanta Maria Josepha of Portugal (a daughter of King Miguel I of Portugal). She was named after her father’s sister Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria. In 1900, Elisabeth married the future Albert I, King of the Belgians, and had three children. In 1909, Albert and Elisabeth became King and Queen of the Belgians, following the death of Albert’s uncle, King Leopold II. Elisabeth took on a much more public role than her predecessors, getting involved with many charities and organizations, particularly those in the arts and social welfare.  In 1934, Elisabeth’s husband was killed in a mountain climbing accident and was succeeded by their elder son King Leopold III. Elisabeth withdrew from public life, so as not to hinder the efforts of her daughter-in-law, now Queen Astrid. However, in August 1935, Astrid was killed in an automobile accident. Elisabeth returned to public life, doing her best to support her son and his young family, and resuming her position as the first lady of the land. Elisabeth died at the age of 89.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of the Belgians

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Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio; Credit – Wikipedia

November 22, 1392 – Death of Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, 9th Earl of Oxford, favorite of King Richard II of England, in or near Louvain, Duchy of Brabant, now in Belgium, from injuries sustained during a boar hunt; buried at Colne Priory, the burial site of the Earls of Oxford, in Earls Colne, Essex, England
In 1376, Robert married Philippa de Coucy, daughter of Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy and Isabella of England, the eldest daughter of King Edward III of England. Robert was often at court in his role as Lord Great Chamberlain and as the husband of King Richard II’s first cousin. He quickly became a favorite of the young king and a member of the Privy Council. Robert became very unpopular with the other nobles and his close relationship with Richard II was one of the causes for the emergence of organized opposition to Richard called the Lords Appellant. In 1387, the Lords Appellant launched an armed rebellion against King Richard II and defeated an army under Robert de Vere at the Battle of Radcot Bridge on the River Thames, outside Oxford. Robert fled to France and was attainted, found guilty of treason, lost his titles and land, and sentenced to death in absentia. In 1392, in Louvain, Duchy of Brabant, now in Belgium, 30-year-old Robert de Vere died in exile and poverty from the wounds received while hunting a wild boar.
Unofficial Royalty: Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, Marquess of Dublin, 9th Earl of Oxford, favorite of King Richard II of England

November 22, 1515 – Birth of Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots, second wife of James V, King of Scots, mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Bar-le-Duc, Lorraine, France
In 1534, Marie married Louis II d’Orléans, Duke of Longueville in Paris. The marriage was a happy one, but sadly, a short one. Louis died in 1537, leaving Marie a pregnant widow. The couple had two children, but neither survived to adulthood. In 1537, Madeleine of Valois, daughter of King François I of France married James V, King of Scots but Madeleine died six months after the marriage. Madeleine’s father, King François I of France, suggested that Marie marry his widowed son-in-law. Marie and James V married in 1538 and had two sons and a daughter, the future Mary, Queen of Scots, but both sons died in early childhood. Six days after the birth of his daughter Mary, James V died at the age of 30. After Mary’s coronation, Marie was appointed as the principal member of the Council of Regency. In 1548, five-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots set sail for France where she would be raised with her future husband. She would not return to Scotland for thirteen years. Mary’s mother Marie remained in Scotland as the principal member of the Council of Regency.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Guise, Queen of Scots

November 22, 1602 – Birth of Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal, daughter of King Henri IV of France, first wife of King Felipe IV of Spain (also Felipe III of Portugal), at the Palace of Fontainebleau in France
In 1610, when Elisabeth was eight years old, her father King Henri IV of France was assassinated. Five years later, Elisabeth married the future King Felipe IV of Spain. Elisabeth and Felipe had eight children but only their youngest child, Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain who married King Louis XIV of France, survived childhood. Besides having so many children die young, Elisabeth had three miscarriages. Her husband probably transmitted a venereal disease to Elisabeth that he had contracted with one of his mistresses. This would explain the miscarriages and the many dead infants. Throughout her marriage, Elisabeth suffered in silence over the deaths of her children and her miscarriages. The fact that her husband’s mistresses gave him children made her feel even worse.  Weakened by her multiple pregnancies and miscarriages, Elisabeth died at the age of forty-one, after miscarrying a son.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal

November 22, 1727 – Birth of Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio at the Ducal Palace in Modena, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, now in Italy
Ercole III d’Este was the last reigning duke from the House of Este that reigned in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio from 1452 – 1796. In 1741, Ercole married Maria Teresa Cybo-Malaspina, the reigning Duchess of Massa and Carrara, now in Italy. The marriage was made at the insistence of Ercole’s father who wanted the Duchy of Massa and Carrara because of its access to the sea. The marriage was not a happy one, the couple had one surviving daughter and eventually separated. Ercole III was considered an enlightened monarch who continued the reforms started by his father. He improved the infrastructure of his duchy, building bridges and roads. The arts and sciences flourished in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio during Ercole III’s reign. In 1796, Modena was occupied by a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte, who deposed Ercole III, Duke of Modena and Reggio. He was forced to flee to Venice where he died in 1803.
Unofficial Royalty: Ercole III d’Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio

November 22, 1728 – Birth of Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Originally, Margrave of Baden, Karl Friedrich was the first Grand Duke of Baden. In 1805, he fought on the side of the French, gaining territories from the Austrian Empire. In 1806, he joined the Confederation of the Rhine, and upon the end of the Holy Roman Empire, Karl Friedrich declared himself sovereign, as Grand Duke of the newly created Grand Duchy of Baden. He continued supporting the French, gaining more territory from the Kingdom of Württemberg in the Peace of Vienna in 1809. Through his efforts, Karl Friedrich had quadrupled the size of the Grand Duchy of Baden by the end of his reign.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden

November 22, 1748 – Death of Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, second wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, at Schloss Glücksburg in Römhild, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg was the second wife of Ernst Ludwig I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, her third husband whom she married in 1714.  Their marriage was childless. She had previously married her first cousin, Friedrich Casimir Kettler, Duke of Courland (one surviving son), and Christian Ernst, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth (no children). She died at the age of 74.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Sophie of Brandenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

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Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

November 21, 1689 – Birth of Jacques I, Prince of Monaco Torigni-sur-Vire, Normandy, France
Full name: Jacques François Léonor
Born Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon to a wealthy French noble family, Jacques was the husband of Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco. He was briefly the Sovereign Prince of Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Jacques I, Prince of Monaco

November 21, 1761 – Birth of Dorothea Jordan, mistress of King William IV of the United Kingdom and mother of his ten illegitimate children, near Waterford, Ireland
Actress Dorothea Jordan had a 21-year affair with the future King William IV of the United Kingdom. Dorothea and William had ten children together, all of whom were given the surname FitzClarence They married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include many notable people. Upon the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, William and the other unmarried sons of King George III were pressured to marry to provide heirs to the throne. William ended his relationship with Dorothea and made a childless marriage with Adelaide of Saxe-Meinigen. He made sure Dorothea would continue to receive an allowance.  Dorothea had one condition to continue receiving her allowance from William: she could not return to the theater.  When she did return to the theater to help pay the debts of her daughter and son-in-law, her allowance was canceled. Greatly in debt, she sold her house and moved to France to escape her creditors and settled in Saint-Cloud, just outside of Paris where she died virtually penniless.
Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea Jordan

November 21, 1840 – Birth of Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia, Queen Victoria’s eldest child, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Victoria Adelaide Mary
In 1858, Vicky, as she was known, married the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, known as Fritz. The couple had eight children including Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria ardently hoped that this marriage would make the ties between London and Berlin closer, and lead to a unified and liberal Germany. However, Vicky and Fritz were politically isolated and their liberal and Anglophile views clashed with the authoritarian ideas of the Minister-President of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. Despite their efforts to educate their eldest son Wilhelm about the benefits of democracy, he favored his German tutors’ views of autocratic rule and became alienated from his parents. The year 1888 is called “The Year of Three Emperors” in German history. Fritz’s father Wilhelm I died on March 9, 1888, and Fritz succeeded him as Friedrich III. However, Fritz was already gravely ill with cancer of the larynx and lived only three months more, dying at the age of 56. After her husband’s death, Vicky lived at Schloss Friedrichshof, a castle she built in memory of her husband near Kronberg, close to Frankfurt, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

November 21, 1860 – Death of Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe at Bückeburg Castle in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony; buried in the Princely Mausoleum at St. Martini Church in Stadthagen, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
In 1787, two months after his second birthday, Georg Wilhelm became the reigning Count of Schaumberg-Lippe upon the death of his 64-year-old father. In 1807, after joining the Confederation of the Rhine, sixteen German states joined together in a confederation formed by Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, the County of Schaumberg-Lippe was raised to the Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe and Georg Wilhelm became its first reigning prince. In 1816, Georg Wilhelm married Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont and the couple had nine children. During the Revolutions of 1848, when there were demands for more participation in government and democracy, Georg Wilhelm gave in to some liberal demands but then changed to a more reactionary course in 1849 by abolishing the new constitution without restoring the old one. George Wilhelm died at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

November 21, 1868 – Birth of Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg, first husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, at Oldenburg Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
Peter was the only child of Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg and Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg. Alexander Petrovich’s grandfather had married Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, and their children and grandchildren were raised in Russia. Despite his German title, Alexander Petrovich, like his father, had grown up entirely in Russia, served in the Russian military, and was considered part of the Russian Imperial Family. Peter and Olga’s marriage, arranged by their mothers, was a marriage in name only. Two years after their marriage, Olga met Nikolai Kulikovsky, an army officer her own age. Over the years, Olga continued to ask her brother Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia for permission to marry Nikolai. In 1916, Nicholas II had a change of heart and he officially annulled her marriage to Peter, and Olga and Nikolai were married. After the October Revolution in 1917, Peter, his father, and his mother emigrated to France, where he lived in Paris and on a farm near Bayonne, France. In 1922, Peter married Olga Vladimirovna Ratkova-Rognova. Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg died at the age of 55.
Unofficial Royalty: Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

November 21, 1895 – Death of Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, at Osborne Cottage in the Isle of Wight, England; buried in the churchyard at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England
Henry served as Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary from 1870 – 1895. In 1857, Henry was appointed Equerry to Prince Albert, beginning his service in the Royal Household until just months before his death in 1895. In 1870, Henry was appointed Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, following the death of his wife’s grandfather Sir Charles Grey. After suffering a stroke several months earlier, Henry formally retired from his position on May 9, 1895, and died six months later.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Henry Ponsonby

November 21, 1916 – Death of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Franz Joseph is one of Europe’s longest-reigning monarchs. In 1848, Emperor Ferdinand of Austria abdicated the throne in favor of his 18-year-old nephew. Franz Joseph was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia. Franz Joseph married Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria (Sisi) in 1854. The couple had four children. In 1889, Franz Joseph’s only son Rudolf died in a suicide pact with his mistress. Just nine years, later, Franz Joseph’s wife was assassinated.  In 1914, Franz Joseph’s heir, his nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were victims of an assassination that was one of the causes of World War I. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Archduke Karl, who would be the last Emperor of Austria, became the heir. Karl’s father was Archduke Otto Franz, the second son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, Emperor Franz Joseph’s younger brother. Franz Joseph died in the middle of World War I, at the age of 86.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria

November 21, 1928 – Death of Heinrich XXVII, the 5th Prince Reuss of Gera at Schloss Osterstein in Gera, Germany; buried in the family cemetery in the park of Schloss Ebersdorf in Saalburg-Ebersdorf in Thuringia, Germany
Heinrich XXVII was the last reigning Prince Reuss of Gera, abdicating after the German defeat in World War I, on November 11, 1918. In 1884, Heinrich XXVII married Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the daughter of Hermann, 6th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Leopoldine of Baden. Elise’s paternal grandmother was Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Heinrich XXVII and Elise had five children. After Heinrich XXVII abdicated, the new government of Reuss-Gera made an agreement with Heinrich XXVII that granted him some castles and land. Heinrich died at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XXVII, the 5th Prince Reuss of Gera

November 21, 2002 – Death of Prince Takamado of Japan at the Keio University Hospital in Tokyo, Japan; buried at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan
Takamado was the youngest of the five children of Prince Mikasa of Japan. Takamado’s father Prince Mikasa was the youngest son of Emperor Taishō and the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa). Takamado worked from 1981 until he died in 2002 as the administrator of the Japan Foundation which promotes Japanese arts, culture, and language exchange around the world. In 1984, he married Hisako Tottori, the daughter of a Japanese industrialist. The couple had three daughters. On November 21, 2002, while playing squash with the Canadian ambassador Robert Wright at the Canadian Embassy, Takamado collapsed due to ventricular fibrillation. He was immediately taken to Keio University Hospital but was already in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. He was resuscitated but his condition then worsened and soon there was no hope that he would survive. With the consent of his wife, Takamado was removed from life support and died at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Takamado of Japan

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Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

November 20, 1559 – Death of Lady Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, daughter of Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Duchess of Suffolk and niece of King Henry VIII, at her residence Charterhouse in London; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Frances was the daughter of Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. She married Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset and they were the parents of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey. After the executions of her husband Henry, her daughter Jane and Jane’s husband Lord Guildford Dudley, Frances’ life was in ruins. Because her husband was a traitor, all his possessions reverted to the Crown. Frances managed to plead with her first cousin Queen Mary I to show mercy. Mary agreed that some of the Duke of Suffolk’s property could remain with the family. Frances married her Master of the Horse Adrian Stokes in 1555. They had two stillborn children and a daughter who died in infancy. Frances, aged 42, died with her daughters Catherine and Mary at her side. The cost of her funeral was paid by her first cousin Queen Elizabeth I. With her daughter Catherine acting as chief mourner, Frances was buried at Westminster Abbey. Four years later, her widower Adrian Stokes had a beautiful tomb and effigy placed over her grave.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk

November 20, 1727 – Birth of Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, Princess of Liechtenstein, wife of her first cousin Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Vienna, then in the Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria
In 1744, seventeen-year-old Maria Josefa married her first cousin, twenty-year-old Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, the son of her maternal uncle Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein. Maria Josefa and Johann Nepomuk Karl had three children but only one daughter survived childhood. After four years of marriage,  Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 24. In 1752, Maria Josefa made a second marriage to Prince Joseph Maria von Lobkowicz, a Field Marshal in the Imperial Austrian Army. The couple had four children. Maria Josefa predeceased her second husband and survived her first husband by forty years, dying at the age of 61 on February 15, 1788.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, Princess of Liechtenstein

November 20, 1737 – Death of Caroline of Ansbach, Queen of Great Britain, wife of King George II of Great Britain, at St. James Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
In 1705, Caroline married George, Electoral Prince of Hanover, the future King George II of Great Britain. The couple had eight children and through their children’s marriages, George and Caroline are the ancestors of many European royal families including the British, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish Royal Families. Caroline’s father-in-law succeeded to the British throne as King George I in 1714 upon the death of Queen Anne and Caroline’s husband became heir to the throne. In 1727, King George I died and his son succeeded him as King George II. Queen Caroline played a greater role in governmental affairs than any queen consort since the Middle Ages. In 1724, during the birth of her youngest child, Caroline sustained an umbilical hernia. She ignored the condition until it became acute in November 1737. Then she was bled, purged, and operated on, without anesthetic, but there was no improvement in her condition. Gangrene set in and she died at the age of 54.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline of Ansbach, Queen of Great Britain

November 20, 1851 – Birth of Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy, wife of King Umberto I of Italy, at Palazzo Chiablese in Turin, Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, now in Italy
Full name: Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna
In 1868, Margherita married the future King Umberto I of Italy. They had one child, the future King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy. Margherita became Queen of Italy when her husband ascended to the throne following his father’s death in 1878. Immensely popular with the Italian people, Margherita was active with many cultural organizations, promoting the arts, and working with the Red Cross. In 1900, Margherita’s husband was assassinated. The throne passed to the couple’s son, Vittorio Emanuele III, and Margherita settled into her new role as Queen Mother. She devoted herself to her charity work and the advancement of the arts in Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy

November 20, 1875 – Death of Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Reggio, in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Francesco V was the last Duke of Modena and Reggio. He was also the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland from 1840 – 1875. In 1842, Francesco married Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria. The couple had one daughter who died in infancy. Francesco became Duke of Modena and Reggio when his father died in 1846. King Vittorio Emanuele II of Sardinia and Giuseppe Garibaldi, a noted general and politician, led the drive toward a unified Italian kingdom. During the Second Italian War of Independence, Francesco V and his wife were forced to permanently flee the Duchy of Modena and Reggio. In 1860, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Thereafter, Francesco and his wife mostly lived at the Palais Modena in Vienna, Austria, where his second cousin once removed Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria reigned over the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Francesco died at the age of 56. Francesco was the Jacobite pretender to the British throne from September 15, 1840 – November 20, 1875.
Unofficial Royalty: Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Reggio
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

November 20, 1908 – Birth of Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, Head of the House of Hesse from 1937 – 1968, son of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Ludwig Hermann Alexander Chlodwig
In 1938, Ludwig married The Honorable Margaret Geddes, daughter of British diplomat Auckland Campbell Geddes,1st Baron Geddes. Sadly, his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and his two nephews died in a plane crash on the way to the wedding. (See Unofficial Royalty: November 16, 1937 – Deaths of the Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine) Ludwig and his wife did not have any children. After World War II, Ludwig and his wife devoted themselves to rebuilding Darmstadt. They worked to restore museums, hospitals, and charitable institutions. Ludwig was a godparent of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who was Ludwig’s first cousin once removed.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine

November 20, 1912 – Birth of Crown Prince Otto of Austria, last Crown Prince of Austria, later known as Otto von Habsburg, son of Emperor Karl I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria, at Wartholz Castle in Reichenau an der Rax, Austria
Full name: Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius
The last Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia and later in his long life, a member of the European Parliament, Otto von Habsburg was the eldest and the longest surviving of the eight children of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. After World War I and the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the family lived in exile. Otto’s mother made him learn the main languages of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – German, Hungarian, and Croatian – in case the empire was ever restored. In addition, Otto also spoke English, Spanish, French, and Latin fluently. While living in Belgium, Otto attended the Catholic University of Leuven and in 1935, he received a doctorate in social and political sciences. In 1951, Otto married Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen and the couple had seven children. Otto was an early supporter of a unified Europe and was president of the International Pan-European Union from 1973 to 2004. He served from 1979 until 1999 as a Member of the European Parliament for the conservative party, Christian Social Union in Bavaria, and eventually became the senior member of the European Parliament.
Unofficial Royalty: Otto von Habsburg

November 20, 1925 – Death of Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, born Alexandra of Denmark, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
The daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, Alexandra, known as Alix, married the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (Bertie) in 1863. The couple had six children including King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Maud of Norway. In 1901, Alix’s husband succeeded to the British throne upon the death of his mother Queen Victoria. Alix and her husband had begun the idea of the royal family’s public appearances as we now know them during Queen Victoria’s withdrawal after her husband’s death, and they continued this during Bertie’s reign. During his marriage, Bertie had several mistresses. Apparently, Alix knew about many of them and accepted them. When Bertie died in 1910, Alix quipped, “Now at least I know where he is.” Toward the end of her life, Alix became almost completely deaf and suffered from mild senile dementia. She died of a heart attack at her beloved Sandringham House, just eleven days short of her 81st birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom

November 20, 1938 – Death of Queen Maud of Norway, born Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, wife of King Haakon VII of Norway, in London, England; buried at the Royal Mausoleum in Akershus Fortress, Norway
In 1896, Maud married her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark, the son of Maud’s maternal uncle King Frederik VIII of Denmark. Maud and Carl had one child, Prince Alexander of Denmark, later King Olav V of Norway. In 1905, upon the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs, as well as his wife’s British connections, Carl was the overwhelming favorite. In 1905, Carl officially became King of Norway. He took the name Haakon VII and his son two-year-old son was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway. Maud never gave up her love for her native country and visited often. However, she fulfilled her duties as Queen of Norway. Maud became active in women’s rights and the welfare of unmarried women. In October 1938, Maud came to England for a visit. While staying at a London hotel, Maud became ill and was taken to a nursing home where abdominal surgery was performed. She survived the surgery, but died six days before her 69th birthday, from heart failure.
Unofficial Royalty: Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway

November 20, 1947 – Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Lt. Philip Mountbatten, born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Always looking to make connections for his family, Philip’s maternal uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten (the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma), arranged for his nephew to be the escort of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret when the Royal Family toured Dartmouth Naval College in July 1939, where Philip was a cadet. 13-year-old Elizabeth fell in love with Philip and the two began exchanging letters. Philip and Elizabeth saw each other during World War II whenever possible, but it was not until the war was over that the courtship started in earnest. By the summer of 1946, the press was beginning to speculate about an engagement. Philip proposed at Balmoral and Elizabeth said yes without consulting her parents. Although George VI approved of Philip, he resented that the “Royal Firm” of “Us Four” would be no more. The Royal Family was due to visit the Union of South Africa in early 1947 and the king did not want the engagement announced until their return. On June 8, 1947, the engagement was announced.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Lt. Philip Mountbatten

November 20, 1992 – Fire seriously damages Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
On November 20, 1992, at 11:33 AM, a fire began in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle when a painter left a spotlight too close to the curtains. The location of the fire was shown on a map of the castle by an indicator light and the chief officer of the castle’s fire brigade immediately sounded the public fire alarm. The fire was initially in the Brunswick Tower, but soon many other indicator bulbs lit up, as the fire spread to neighboring rooms, including the State Apartments which are the rooms the public is allowed to visit.
Unofficial Royalty: Private Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Unofficial Royalty: Fired seriously damages Windsor Castle

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