© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Josephine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French;  Credit – Wikipedia

May 29, 1630 – Birth of King Charles II of England at St. James’s Palace in London, England
The execution of Charles II’s father King Charles I on January 30, 1649, during the English Civil War, made Charles the de jure King. Charles escaped England and fled to France. Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. England remained a Commonwealth and then a Protectorate until 1659. In 1660, Parliament formally invited Charles, as King Charles II, to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration. In 1662, Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of King João IV of Portugal, but their marriage was childless. Although King Charles II had no legitimate children, he has many descendants through his many illegitimate children.  Among his descendants are Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York, and their children Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; Queen Camilla; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and her son Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. On February 2, 1685, King Charles II suffered an apparent stroke and died four days later at the age of 54. Modern analysis of his symptoms seems to indicate he may have died from uremia, a symptom of kidney failure.
Unofficial Royalty: King Charles II of England

May 29, 1814 – Death of Josephine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French, Napoleon’s first wife, at the Château de Malmaison, near Paris, France; buried at St. Pierre and St. Paul Church in Rueil, France
Joséphine was unable to give Napoleon an heir. Without a son, Napoleon had named Joséphine’s grandson (and his own nephew), Napoleon Charles Bonaparte, as his heir. After the young Napoleon died in 1807, Emperor Napoleon began to consider finding another wife who could provide him with a son. In November 1809, he told Joséphine that he planned to divorce her and find a new wife. She agreed to a divorce, and an elaborate divorce ceremony was held. Joséphine retained her title as Empress and her rank at court, and received a pension of 5 million francs per year.
Unofficial Royalty: Josephine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French

May 29, 1873 – Death of Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine, grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; buried at the Mausoleum of Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt
Frittie, as he was called in his family, and his brother Ernst Ludwig were playing in their mother’s bedroom. Ernst went into another room to look through the window which was at an angle to the window in Alice’s bedroom. While Alice was out of the room to get Ernst, Frittie climbed up to the window in the bedroom to see Ernst. The chair he climbed on tipped over and Frittie fell from the window to the ground below. Due to his hemophilia, Prince Friedrich died from his injuries.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine
Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants

May 29, 1881 – Birth of The Honorable Sir Alexander Ramsay, son of John William Maule Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie and husband of Princess Patricia of Connaught, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, in London, England
Full name: Alexander Robert Maule
Ramsay had a long career in the Royal Navy. During World War I, Ramsay took part in several important naval operations. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1933 and commanded the aircraft carriers in the Atlantic Fleet for the next five years. He became Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Services, posts he held until the outbreak of World War II. He was promoted to Admiral in 1939 and retired from the Royal Navy in 1942.
Unofficial Royalty: The Honorable Sir Alexander Ramsay

May 29, 1890 – Birth of Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, second wife of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, in Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Feodora Karola Charlotte Marie Adelheid Auguste Mathilde
Feodora was the great-granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. In 1910, she married 1910, Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and they had four children. Her marriage was unhappy, and Feodora struggled to cope with the strict etiquette and protocol of the Weimar court. She soon began to throw herself into charity work, working with organizations that helped the poor. After World War I, her husband abdicated in November 1918 and the family went into exile in Heinrichau, Silesia (now Henryków, Poland), where her husband died several years later. When the area fell under Soviet occupation in World War II, the family was again forced to flee, losing their estates and many of their assets. As a means of negotiating with the authorities, Feodora agreed to sign over the Goethe and Schiller Archive, on the condition that it would be converted into a private foundation, and the family’s assets would be returned. Despite the written agreement, the government did not return many of the family’s assets, and the dispute continues to this day. Feodora settled in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where she died on March 12, 1972 at the age of 82.
Unofficial Royalty: Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King George I of Great Britain; Credit – Wikipedia

May 28, 1656 – Birth of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein in Wilfersdorf, Austria
In 1679, Anton Florian married Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein and the couple had eleven children including Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1712, Anton Florian’s nephew Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, died without a male heir. Anton Florian was the heir according to primogeniture however he was not very popular with the family, and so Hans-Adam I had named his second cousin once removed Josef Wenzel as his heir. In 1718, after negotiations, Anton Florian became Prince of Liechtenstein and Josef Wenzel concentrated on his military career.
Unofficial Royalty: Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein

May 28, 1660 – Birth of King George I of Great Britain at Leineschloss in Osnabruck, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower, Saxony, Germany
Full name: Georg Ludwig
Georg Ludwig was the eldest of the seven children of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate (commonly referred to as Electress Sophia of Hanover). Sophia’s mother was Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. At the time of his birth, it was expected that Georg Ludwig would only succeed to his father’s titles. However, his destiny changed when the British House of Stuart failed to provide a legitimate Protestant heir.
Unofficial Royalty: King George I of Great Britain

May 28, 1767 – Death of Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress. the second of the two wives of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
Maria Josepha of Bavaria was the second of the two wives of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor who also was the ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands. Joseph never loved Maria Josepha, and the marriage was probably never consummated. Joseph avoided sharing a bedroom and even had their shared balcony in Schönbrunn Palace partitioned off so he would not have to see Maria Josepha. A severe smallpox epidemic broke out in 1767, and Maria Josepha came down with the disease. Although Joseph, who had survived smallpox at an earlier time, had nursed his first wife as she was dying from smallpox, he did not visit Maria Josepha while she was ill. Maria Josepha, aged 28, died from smallpox at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress

May 28, 1832 – Birth of Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
In 1858, Heinrich XIV married Duchess Agnes of Württemberg and had one son and one daughter. Upon the death of his father Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera on July 11, 1867, Heinrich XIV became the 4th Prince Reuss of Gera. After Agnes’ death in 1886. Heinrich XIV made a morgantic marriage to Friederike Graetz with whom he had one son. In 1902, Heinrich XIV became the Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz. Heinrich XXIV, 6th and last Prince Reuss of Greiz, succeeded his father in 1902 but was unable to rule because of his physical and mental disabilities as a result of an accident in his childhood. Heinrich XIV was the Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz until his death. Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera died on March 29, 1913, aged 80.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera

May 28, 1872 – Death of Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria, wife of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
The daughter of the first King of Bavaria, Maximilian I Joseph, Sophie was the mother of two emperors: Franz Joseph I of Austria and Maximilian I of Mexico, the grandmother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination sparked World War I, and the great-grandmother of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria.  Sophie never recovered from the 1867 execution of her son Maximilian and she withdrew from public life. In May 1872, ill with pneumonia, she took to her bed, fell into a coma, and died at age 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria

May 28, 1940 – Death of Prince Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse, husband of Princess Margaret of Prussia, in Kassel, Germany; buried at the family cemetery of the House of Hesse at the Schloss Kronberg (formerly Schloss Friedrichshof) in Taunus, Hesse, Germany
Known as Fischy, he married Princess Margaret of Prussia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria and daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia, and Victoria, Princess Royal. They had six sons including two sets of twins. Two of their sons were killed in action during World War I and one was killed in action during World War II.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse

May 28, 1944 – Death of Maria Josepha of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria, mother of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, at Wildenwart Castle in Chiemgau, Bavaria, Germany; buried in the New Vault of the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
Maria Josepha, the daughter of King Georg of Saxony, married her second cousin Archduke Otto Franz of Austria. Maria Josepha’s father-in-law Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria was the younger brother of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the executed Emperor of Mexico. Her new husband Otto Franz was the brother of the ill-fated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination in 1914 was one of the causes of World War I. Maria Josepha and Otto Franz had two sons including Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. After World War I, when Karl tried twice to regain his throne, Karl and his family were exiled to the Portuguese island of Madeira, Maria Josepha settled in Bavaria, Germany. Because of Allied bombings during World War II, Maria Josepha moved to the safety of Wildenwart Castle in Chiemgau, Bavaria, Germany, a castle that belonged to the former Bavarian royal family. Maria Josepha died at Wildenwart Castle on May 28, 1944, at the age of 76, and was buried in the New Vault of the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, beside her husband.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josepha of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria

May 28, 1972 – Death of The Duke of Windsor, former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, at Villa Windsor in Bois de Boulogne, Paris, France; buried at Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England
In late 1971, the Duke of Windsor was diagnosed with throat cancer. On May 18, 1972, Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh, and The Prince of Wales visited the Duke at his Paris home while on a state visit to France. The Duke was too ill to come downstairs to tea, but the Queen spent 15 minutes talking alone with her Uncle David in his sitting room after the Duchess of Windsor hosted tea in the downstairs drawing room. Ten days later, a statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is announced with deep regret that His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, has died at his home in Paris at 2:25 A.M., Sunday, May 28, 1972.” The Duke of Windsor died a month before his 78th birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Willem II, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

May 27, 1541- Execution of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, at the Tower of London; buried at St. Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London
Margaret was the niece of King Edward IV of England and one of the few survivors of the Plantagenets after the Wars of the Roses.  She was executed during the reign of King Henry VIII.  Beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 1886, she is known as Blessed Margaret Pole.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury

May 27, 1626 – Birth of Willem II, Prince of Orange in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands
Willem married Mary, Princess Royal, the daughter of King Charles I of England. In 1650, Mary was pregnant with her first child when her husband Willem II fell ill with smallpox. He died on November 6, 1650, at the age of 24. Eight days later, Mary gave birth to her only child Willem III, Prince of Orange who went on to marry his first cousin Mary, the eldest surviving child of the future King James II of England. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which James II was deposed, they jointly reigned as King William III and Queen Mary II.
Unofficial Royalty: Willem II, Prince of Orange

May 27, 1652 – Birth of Elizabeth Charlotte (Liselotte) of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans, second wife of Philippe, Duke of Orléans, at Heidelberg Castle in Heidelberg, then in the Electorate of the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
In 1671, Liselotte became the second wife of Philippe, Duke of Orléans, brother of King Louis XIV of France, and the couple had three children. Liselotte was well-connected genetically. Her paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Stuart, the daughter of King James I of England and the granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots. Liselotte’s paternal aunt Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover was the heiress presumptive to Queen Anne of Great Britain in accordance with the Act of Settlement 1701 but Sophia died two months before Queen Anne died. Upon Queen Anne’s death, Liselotte’s first cousin succeeded to the British throne as King George I of Great Britain.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans

May 27, 1690 – Birth of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria
Josef Johann Adam became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein on October 11, 1721.  He married four times and had a total of eight children but only two children, including his successor Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, survived childhood. Josef Johann Adam died, aged 42, on December 17, 1732.
Unofficial Royalty: Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

May 27, 1707 – Death of Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan, better known as Madame de Montespan, mistress of King Louis XIV of France, in Bourbon-l’Archambault, France; buried in the Chapel of the Cordeliers convent in Poitiers, France
A prominent figure in the French court, Madame de Montespan soon set out to become the primary mistress of King Louis XIV, and replace mistress, Louise de La Vallière. Before long, she developed an intimate relationship with the King, and pushed Louise out of his life. By 1669, she had become his primary mistress and they would have seven children together. By 1691, Madame de Montespan was no longer in favor with King Louis XIV and left the French court for a convent in Paris. Louis XIV gave her a generous pension and she spent the remainder of her life supporting numerous hospitals and charities. On May 27, 1707, Madame de Montespan died at Bourbon-l’Archambault, France and was buried in the chapel of the Cordeliers convent in Poitiers, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan

May 27, 1723 – Death of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox, 1er Duc d’ Aubigny, the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, in Sussex, England; buried in Westminster Abbey
Wikipedia: Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox (Unofficial Royalty article coming soon.)

May 27, 1756 – Birth of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria in Schwetzingen, Electorate of the Palatine, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Full name: Maximilian Maria Michael Johann Baptist Franz de Paula Joseph Kaspar Ignatius Nepomuk
Maximilian IV Joseph, Prince-Elector of Bavaria allied his electorate with Napoleon and adopted many of the French beliefs of the Enlightenment. It was this loyal service to Napoleon through which Maximilian’s electorate was created the Kingdom of Bavaria with Maximilian as its king. He officially became the Maximilian I Joseph, the first King of Bavaria on January 1, 1806.
Unofficial Royalty: King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria

May 27, 1770 – Death of Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Queen of Denmark and Norway, wife of King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried in Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Sophia Magdalene survived her husband by twenty-four years. She lived for the entire reign of her son King Frederik V and was alive for the first four years of the reign of her grandson King Christian VII. Her summers were spent at Hirschholm Palace and the winters at Christiansborg Palace. At her request, Sophia Magdalene was buried in a simple ceremony in Frederik V’s Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Queen of Denmark and Norway

May 27, 1819 – Birth of King George V of Hanover, born Prince George of Cumberland, son of King George III’s fifth son Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (later King Ernst August of Hanover) in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus
George was born three days after the eventual heir, Alexandrina Victoria (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her first cousin in the succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son.  After Queen Victoria acceded to the throne in 1837, Prince George remained second in the line of succession after his father until Queen Victoria’s first child was born.  Today his descendant Prince Ernst August of Hanover is the senior male-line descendant of King George III and the Head of the House of Hanover.
Unofficial Royalty: King George V of Hanover

May 27, 1848 – Death of Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Vicarage Place in Kensington, London, England; buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London, England
Known for giving birth to an illegitimate son, Sophia was one of the daughters of King George III who never married.  When her niece Victoria became Queen, Sophia wrote to Victoria, “My dear Victoria, The awful day is arrived which calls you to fill the most exalted and important station in our country.” Sophia remained close to her niece for the remainder of her life. Two days after her death, Sophia’s banker brought a letter to Queen Victoria in which Sophia stated she wished to be buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in Kensal Green, London close to where her brother Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex had been buried, and that she wished her funeral to be as private as possible. Her funeral was private and she was temporarily laid to rest in the cemetery’s vault while a tomb was built. A year later, Sophia’s remains were transferred to the tomb.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Victoria Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

May 26, 946 – Assassination of Edmund I, King of the English in Pucklechurch, South Gloucestershire, England; buried at Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, England
Edmund I, King of the English was stabbed to death at a royal hunting lodge in Pucklechurch, north of Bath, England while celebrating the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury. Recent research indicates that Edmund may have been the victim of political assassination.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Edmund I, King of the English
Unofficial Royalty: Edmund I, King of the English

May 26, 1583 – Death of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, favorite of James VI, King of Scots (later also King James I of England), in Paris, France
Esmé Stewart was a French nobleman of Scottish ancestry who moved to Scotland to try to acquire the title Earl of Lennox because the current Earl of Lennox Robert Stewart, Esmé’s uncle, was in his 50s and childless.  Esmé first came to Scotland in 1579, the homeland of his family, and was introduced to his first cousin once removed, thirteen-year-old James VI, King of Scots. Esmé, having been raised in France and being a member of the Stewart family, fascinated James, and Esmé quickly became a favorite.
Unofficial Royalty: Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, favorite of King James I of England

May 26, 1768 – Birth of Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg, Countess of Hochberg, morganatic second wife of Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden; born in Karlsruhe, Margraviate of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Luise Karoline was the second, and morganatic, wife of the future Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden. Luise Karoline and Grand Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden had five children. At the time of the marriage, Karl Friedrich created Luise Karoline Baroness of Hochberg, and their children were not included in the line of succession. In 1817, Karl Friedrich and Luise Karoline’s children were elevated to Prince/Princess of Baden, and in the following year, the Baden Congress formally confirmed their succession rights.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise Karoline Geyer von Geyersberg, Countess of Hochberg

May 26, 1796 – Birth of Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Alois Maria Josef Johann Baptista Joachim Philipp Nerius
In 1831, Alois married Countess Franziska Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau, and the couple had eleven children including two sovereign Princes of Liechtenstein. Upon the death of his father Johann I Josef, Prince of Liechtenstein in 1836, Alois became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1837, Alois went to the United Kingdom on a diplomatic mission and attended the coronation of Queen Victoria. Like his father and grandfather, Alois continued modernizing his estates and reorganizing their administration. Prince Alois II was the first reigning prince to visit the Principality of Liechtenstein, as we know it today, but he did not live there.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alois II, Prince of Liechtenstein

May 26, 1822 – Birth of Auguste Reuss of Köstritz, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1st wife of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in Klipphausen, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Full name: Auguste Mathilde Wilhelmine
In 1849, Auguste married Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II, and the couple had six children including Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Marie who married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia. Three years after giving birth to her youngest child, Auguste, aged 39, died on March 3, 1862. The cause of Auguste’s death is unclear. At that time, there were mentions of “heart disease associated with a bronchial ailment” and “fever.” It is quite possible that she died from tuberculosis which was widespread at the time.
Unofficial Royalty: Auguste Reuss of Köstritz, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

May 26, 1826 – Birth of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau, first wife of Adolphe, Duke of Nassau, the future Grand Duke Adolphe I of Luxembourg, in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia
In 1844, 17-year-old Elizabeth married 26-year-old Adolphe, Duke of Nassau in St. Petersburg, Russia. The newlyweds remained in Russia for a while before traveling to the Duchy of Nassau where they lived at Biebrich Castle in Wiesbaden, now in the German state of Hesse. Elizabeth died at age 18 in childbirth along with her baby daughter. Her husband built an Orthodox church for her remains in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in the German state of Hesse.  The church was built on a hill and was visible from Adolphe’s residence so he could always see where Elizabeth was buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau

May 26, 1867 – Birth of Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, wife of King George V of the United Kingdom, at Kensington Palace in London, England
Full name: Victoria Mary Augusta Louisa Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes
Mary was a great-granddaughter of King George III and a first cousin once removed of Queen Victoria.  She was first engaged to Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence (known as Prince Eddy), the oldest son and eldest child of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra of Denmark. After his death from pneumonia, Mary married his brother, the future King George V. Mary and George had five sons and one daughter. Queen Mary lived long enough to see her granddaughter Elizabeth become Queen of the United Kingdom. She died on March 24, 1953, at age 85 of lung cancer (although her illness was referred to as “gastric problems”) just ten weeks before the coronation. Before her death, Queen Mary had insisted that the coronation go ahead as scheduled.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom

May 26, 1934 – Death of Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta, Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and pretender to the former throne, in Cannes, France; buried in the Cimetière du Grand Jas in Cannes, France
Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta, was a younger half-brother of King Francesco II, the last reigning King of the Two Sicilies. Upon Francesco’s death in 1894, Alfonso became Head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and pretender to the former throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Count of Caserta

May 26, 1946 – Death of Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont in Arolsen, Hesse, Germany
Friedrich was the last reigning Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, abdicating on November 13, 1918. He was the only son of Georg Viktor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and Helena of Nassau. Friedrich had six sisters, through his sister Emma, he was the uncle of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and through his sister Helena, he was the uncle of Charles Edward, the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Upon the death of his father in 1893, Friedrich became the last reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. In 1895, Friedrich married Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe and they had four children. Friedrich abdicated on November 13, 1918, and negotiated an agreement with the government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and the Arolsen Forest. Both Friedrich and his wife Bathildis lived through World War II. While neither Friedrich nor Bathildis joined the Nazi Party, their eldest son Josias did and after World War II, Josias was a convicted Nazi war criminal for crimes in connection to the Buchenwald concentration camp. Friedrich, the last Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont, died on May 26, 1946, at the age of 81 in Arolsen, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont

May 26, 1962 – Birth of Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, Consort and 2nd wife of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, born Yuvadhida Polpraserth in Bangkok, Thailand
Sujarinee Vivacharawongse, as she is now known, was a consort and the second of the four wives of King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, then the Crown Prince. Originally an actress, she became the Crown Prince’s consort in 1977, during his marriage to his first cousin. Sujarinee and Vajiralongkorn had four sons and one daughter. After a very long ordeal, Vajiralongkorn divorced his first wife and married Sujarinee in 1994. In 1996, Sujarinee fled to the United Kingdom with her five children. Vajiralongkorn accused her of adultery and managed to retrieve their daughter and bring her back to Thailand. Sujarinee and the couple’s four sons were stripped of their royal titles and the couple’s marriage was dissolved. After the end of her marriage, Sujarinee and her sons used the royal surname Vivacharawongse and lived in the United States. Her only daughter, Princess Busyanambejra (later changed to HRH Princess Sirivannavari) returned to Thailand to live with her father.
Unofficial Royalty: Sujarinee Vivacharawongse

May 26, 1968 – Birth of King Frederik X of Denmark at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Frederik André Henrik Christian
Frederik is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. At the time of his birth, his mother was heiress-presumptive to her father, King Frederik IX. In 2004, Frederik married Australian Mary Donaldson, four years after meeting her at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The couple has four children.  In her New Year’s Speech on December 31, 2023, Queen Margrethe II announced that she would step down as Queen of Denmark on January 14, 2024 – the 52nd anniversary of her accession. On that day her elder son became King Frederik X of Denmark.
Unofficial Royalty: King Frederik X of Denmark

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

May 25, 1690 – Birth of Johann Josef Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria
Johann Josef Adam succeeded his father Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein in 1721. He married four times. His first two wives died at a young age without any surviving children. His fourth wife survived him but their children died in infancy. With his third wife, Countess Maria Anna Katharina of Oettingen-Spielberg, Johann Josef Adam had two surviving children including his successor. Eventually, Josef Johann Adam retired from active politics to devote himself to the administration of his vast estates and the Principality of Liechtenstein which had been devastated by the debts left by his father. Despite pressure from within Liechtenstein, Josef Johann Adam refused to establish a more liberal government and continued with the absolutism of his father’s reign.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Josef Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

May 25, 1786 – Death of King Pedro III of Portugal, husband and uncle of Queen Maria I of Portugal, co-reigned alongside her until his death, at the Queluz Royal Palace in Queluz, Portugal; buried at the Pantheon of the Royal House of Braganza in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal.
Pedro III, King of Portugal was co-monarch with his wife and niece Maria I, Queen of Portugal. However, the regal authority was vested entirely in Maria, the rightful heir to the throne. Since female succession to the throne of Portugal had never happened before, Maria’s father King José I of Portugal decided that she would marry his younger brother Pedro, the first male in the line of succession. Despite the 17-year age gap, the couple had a happy marriage and had six children.
Unofficial Royalty: Pedro III, King of Portugal

May 25, 1846 – Birth of Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Helena Augusta Victoria
Helena took a very active role in royal duties and engagements when this was not nearly as common as it is today. In addition, she was very involved in charity work, particularly in the area of nursing. Helena served as president of the Royal British Nurses Association and was one of the founding members of the British Red Cross.  She was also the founding president of the Royal School of Needlework. Helena and her husband Christian of Schleswig-Holstein celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1916, the first in the family since King George III and Queen Charlotte in 1811.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Helena of the United Kingdom

May 25, 1843 – Birth of Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 2nd wife of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in Bessungen, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Maria Anna Wilhelmine Elisabeth Mathilde
Anna was the sister of Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine who married Princess Alice of the United Kingdom.  Sadly, just a week after giving birth to her only child, 21-year-old Anna died of puerperal fever (childbed fever).
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

May 25, 1862 – Death of Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, first wife of Grand Duke Ludwig III of Hesse and by Rhine, in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; buried at St. Ludwig’s Catholic Church in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse
The eldest daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Mathilde Karoline married the future Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine but the couple had no children. Mathilde Karoline died of cancer at the age of 48 in 1862. Because she had remained Catholic after her marriage – the Grand Ducal family was Lutheran – she is buried at St. Ludwig’s Catholic Church in Darmstadt.
Unofficial Royalty: Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

May 25, 1865 – Birth of King Friedrich August III of Saxony in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Full name: Friedrich August Johann Ludwig Karl Gustav Gregor Philipp
Friedrich August began his military career at age 12, entering the Saxony Army as a second lieutenant, and serving with various regiments over the next 27 years before his accession to the throne in 1904. In 1891, he married Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany, and they had seven children. However, the marriage was not happy. The marriage quickly broke down, as Luise was unwilling to conform to the strict protocols of the Saxony court, and Friedrich August failed to stand up for her or support her. She began an affair with their children’s tutor and caused quite a scandal. Friedrich August’s father threatened to have her interned at a mental asylum in 1902, which led to Luise fleeing the country while pregnant with their youngest child. The marriage ended in divorce, by royal decree of King Georg in 1903. Friedrich August III was the last King of Saxony, abdicating on November 13, 1918, at the end of World War I. Friedrich August retired to Sibyllenort Castle in Lower Silesia (now Poland) where he would live the rest of his life. He died there on February 18, 1932, after suffering a stroke.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich August III of Saxony

May 25, 1878 – Death of Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes 1868 – 1870, in London, England; buried in the Argyll Mausoleum at the Kilmun Parish Church in Kilmun, Scotland
Born Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, daughter of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland, she married George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll. Their eldest son John Campbell 9th Duke of Argyll married Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll

May 25, 1966 – Birth of Princess Laurentian of the Netherlands, wife of Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands, born Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst in Leiden, the Netherlands
Laurentien is the wife of Prince Constantijn, the youngest son of former Queen Beatrix, and the younger brother of King Willem-Alexander. She married Prince Constantijn in 2001 and the couple has three children. Laurentian is very involved in the fight against illiteracy in the Netherlands. In 2004, she founded the Stichting Lezen & Schrijven (Reading & Writing Foundation), to prevent and reduce functional illiteracy in the Netherlands and worldwide.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Laurentian of the Netherlands

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Queen Victoria with her mother; Credit – Wikipedia

May 24, 1751 – Birth of Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia at the Royal Palace of Turin in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy
Carlo Emanuele IV abdicated the throne of Sardinia, was the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland, although he never claimed the title, and ended his life as a novice in the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). Carlo Emanuele IV married Marie Clotilde of France, the sister of King Louis XVI of France, but they had no children. Carlo Emanuele IV succeeded to the throne of Sardinia upon the death of his father Vittorio Amedeo III in 1796. In 1798, the French occupied Turin, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, and forced Carlo Emanuele to give up all his territories on the Italian mainland. He withdrew to the island of Sardinia in 1799. When Marie Clotilde died from typhoid fever in 1802, Carlo Emanuele was so upset by her death that he decided to abdicate. He left the throne of Sardinia to his brother who reigned as Vittorio Emanuele I. Carlo Emanuele settled in Rome and the nearby town of Frascati, both now in Italy. In 1815, he took simple vows in the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). He was never ordained as a priest but lived as a novice until his death at the age of 68.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Emanuele IV, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

May 24, 1819 – Birth of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom at Kensington Palace in London, England
Full name: Alexandrina Victoria
Victoria’s children and grandchildren married into other European royal families giving Victoria the unofficial title of “Grandmother of Europe.” Her grandchildren sat upon the thrones of Germany/Prussia, Greece, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom as monarchs or consorts. Victoria’s descendants currently sit upon the thrones of Denmark, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. On September 23, 1896, Victoria surpassed her grandfather King George III as the longest-reigning British monarch. On September 9, 2015, her great-great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II surpassed Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning British monarch.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

May 24, 1834 – Death of Luise of Stolberg-Goldern, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of Karl Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Carlsruhe, Silesia, now Pokój, Poland, and was buried in the cemetery there
Luise and Karl Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen had no children, and just two years after their marriage, Karl Wilhelm died. Luise then married Duke Eugen of Württemberg and they had five children.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Stolberg-Goldern, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

May 24, 1854 – Birth of Prince Louis of Battenberg, later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, in Graz, Austria
Full name: Ludwig Alexander
Louis married Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. They are the maternal grandparents of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Despite his German roots, he became a naturalized British subject at the age of 16 when he joined the British Royal Navy, where he would spend his entire career. In 1917, King George V asked his extended family to relinquish their German titles. Louis gave up his Battenberg title and took the surname Mountbatten (the anglicized version of Battenberg). King George V then created him Marquess of Milford Haven in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Louis of Battenberg, Marquess of Milford Haven

May 24, 1872 – Birth of Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria in Salzburg, Austria, pretender to the Grand Ducal Throne of Tuscany
Full name: Joseph Ferdinand Salvator Maria Franz Leopold Anton Albert Johann Baptist Karl Ludwig Rupert Maria Auxilatrix
Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria was the Pretender to the Grand Ducal Throne of Tuscany from 1908 until 1921 when he married unequally and was forced to renounce his rights.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Giuseppe Ferdinando of Austria

May 24, 1874 – Birth of Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, at Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Marie Viktoria Feodore Leopoldine
Known as May, she was the daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine.  She died of diphtheria at age four. Her mother succumbed to the same disease a couple of weeks later.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine

May 24, 1935 – Wedding of King Frederik IX of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden at Storkyrkan in Stockholm, Sweden
Despite an 11-year difference in age, Ingrid and Frederik were said to have been a couple for some time. Frederik’s and Ingrid’s supposed engagement was rumored repeatedly years before it actually occurred. The engagement was formally announced to the public on March 15, 1935. The wedding guests included 66 members of various European royal houses, ruling and defunct. Royal attendees included three kings, two queens, several crown princes and princesses, and a former grand duke and duchess.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Frederik IX of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden

May 24, 1995 – Birth of Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein, eldest son of Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, in London, England
Full name: Joseph Wenzel Maximilian Maria
Prince Joseph Wenzel is second in the line of succession to the throne of Liechtenstein after his father. Through his mother Sophie, born a Princess of Bavaria, and thus a member of the House of Wittelsbach, Prince Wenzel is third in line and the heir of his mother to the Jacobite succession to the British throne. The Jacobites sought to restore the British crown to King James II of England following his deposition in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and subsequently, to his heirs.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Princess of Württemberg; Credit – Wikipedia

May 23, 1482 – Death of Mary of York, daughter of King Edward IV of England, at Greenwich Palace in London, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
In 1481, negotiations began for a marriage between Mary and Frederik, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig (the future King Frederik I of Denmark and Norway), the youngest son of King Christian I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. However, at the end of 1481, Mary became seriously ill with an unknown illness and died, aged fourteen. She was interred on the north side of the altar in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England at the side of her younger brother George, who had died three years earlier at the age of two. Mary’s parents were interred in a tomb nearby – her father in 1483 and her mother in 1492.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary of York

May 23, 1857 – Birth of Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Princess of Württemberg, first wife of the future King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, in Arolsen, Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Georgine Henriette Marie
Marie was the sister of Emma who married King Willem III of the Netherlands and Helena who married Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany. In 1877, Marie married Prince Wilhelm of Württemberg, the future  King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, and the couple had two children. On April 24, 1882, Marie gave birth to a stillborn daughter, her third child, and suffered serious complications from childbirth. She died six days later.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Princess of Württemberg

May 23, 1947 – Death of Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, husband of Mary, Princess Royal, at Harewood House in Leeds, Yorkshire, England; buried at All Saints Church in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England
Henry married Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in London, England on February 28, 1922. Despite their fifteen-year age difference and rumors that the marriage was not happy, their elder son George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood said the marriage was a happy one. He wrote in his memoirs that they “got on well together and had a lot of friends and interests in common.”
Unofficial Royalty: Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood

May 23, 2013 – Death of Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse, Head of the House of Hesse, in Frankfurt, Germany; buried in the family cemetery at the former Schloss Friedrichshof (now Schlosshotel Kronberg) in Kronberg im Taunus, Hesse
Moritz was head of the House of Hesse, and pretender to the former Grand Ducal throne of Hesse and by Rhine from 1980 until his death
Unofficial Royalty: Moritz, Landgrave of Hesse

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.