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Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg ; Credit – Wikipedia

May 22, 1409 – Death of Blanche of England, Countess Palatine, daughter of King Henry IV of England, in Haguenau (now in France), buried at the Church of St. Aegidius in Neustadt, Electorate of the Palatinate, now in Germany
After King Henry IV deposed his first cousin King Richard II, it was important for him to legitimize his rule. Ruprecht III, Elector Palatine and King of the Romans was a needed ally. A marriage between Ruprecht’s eldest surviving son and heir Ludwig, Count Palatine, the future Ludwig III, Elector Palatine, and Henry IV’s eldest daughter Blanche was arranged. Blanche and Ludwig had one child, Ruprecht, Count Palatine, nicknamed Ruprecht the Englishman. On May 22, 1409, Blanche, aged seventeen, died while pregnant with her second child, possibly from the plague.
Unofficial Royalty: Blanche of England, Countess Palatine

May 22, 1770 – Birth of Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Buckingham Palace
Elizabeth was considered to be the most attractive of King George III’s daughters. She was known for her humor, intelligence, and artistic ability. Starting by copying drawings (some are in the Royal Collection), Elizabeth later published lithographs and etchings, mostly of mythological scenes. Some of the interior decorations of the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) were designed and made by Elizabeth. At Frogmore House, she helped design the garden buildings and she painted the flower murals at the Queen’s Cottage at Kew. Elizabeth also was one of George III’s daughters who managed to get married. In 1818, at the age of 48, she married the future Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg

May 22, 1782 – Death of Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, first wife of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the New Crypt at the Johanniterkirche in Mirow, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Three days after giving birth to the last child of her ten children, Friederike died from complications of childbirth. Her tenth child Auguste Albertine died in infancy. Two years later, her husband married her younger sister Charlotte who also died in childbirth.
Unofficial Royalty: Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

May 22, 1832 – Death of Maria Karoline of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony, first wife of the future King Friedrich August II of Saxony, at Schloss Pillnitz in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral
Marie Karoline suffered from epilepsy, often plagued with seizures that more or less left her incapacitated for long periods. She became Crown Princess of Saxony in 1830 when her father-in-law relinquished his rights to the throne in favor of his son Friedrich August, who was also proclaimed Prince Co-Regent with his uncle, King Anton. Marie Karoline died at the age of 31 due to complications of epilepsy.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Karoline of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony

May 22, 1859 – Death of Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies in Caserta, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now In Italy, and was buried at the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples
In 1759, upon the death of his childless half-brother King Ferdinand VI of Spain, Ferdinando’s father King Carlos IV of Naples and Sicily succeeded him as King Carlos III of Spain. Because of treaties, Carlos could not be the sovereign of all three kingdoms. His eldest son Felipe was excluded from the succession because of intellectual disability and his second son Carlos was the heir apparent to the Spanish throne. That left the third son Ferdinando to become King of Naples and King of Sicily. In 1768, Ferdinando married Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. As part of the marriage contract, Maria Carolina was to have a place on the council of state after the birth of her first son. From 1777 on, Maria Carolina was the de facto ruler of the Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily. Ferdinando was deposed twice: once by the revolutionary Parthenopean Republic for six months in 1799 and again by Napoleon in 1805, before being restored in 1816. In 1820, after riots in Sicily, Ferdinando was forced to sign a constitution and appoint his son Francesco as regent of Sicily. This only lasted until 1821, when Austrian troops friendly to Ferdinando occupied Naples. Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies died on May 22, 1859, aged 49 from a strangulated hernia after hesitating for months to have surgery.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinando II, King of the Two Sicilies

May 22, 1871 – Death of Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany; buried in the Marienkirche in Dessau, after the church was destroyed by bombing during World War II, the Duke’s remains were moved to the Berenhorst crypt in the Historical Cemetery in Dessau
In 1817, Leopold Friedrich became the reigning Duke of Anhalt-Dessau upon his grandfather’s death. In 1847, he inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Köthen upon the death of a distant cousin. After nearly six years as the reigning Duke of two separate duchies, they were united in 1853 as the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau-Köthen. Ten years later, he also inherited the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg from another distant cousin. With all of the Anhalt duchies back under one ruler, they were united as the Duchy of Anhalt in 1863.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold IV Friedrich, Duke of Anhalt

May 22, 1897 – Death 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, in Dunkeld, Scotland; buried alongside her husband in the family’s cemetery beside the ruins of St. Bride’s Church in Old Blair, a village adjacent to Blair Castle
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

May 22, 2004 – Wedding of King Felipe VI of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano at the Cathedral Santa María la Real de la Almudena in Madrid, Spain
Letizia was the anchor for the daily evening news program Telediario 2, the most-watched newscast in Spain. In November 2002 while covering the Prestige oil tanker disaster, Spain’s largest environmental disaster, Letizia’s life would change forever. Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir to the Spanish throne, flew to the area offering his support to the communities worst affected by the oil spill. Although the couple had met the year before at a mutual friend’s dinner party, it was during this terrible disaster that they fell in love. Their relationship was kept a closely guarded secret until the engagement was announced on November 1, 2003,
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Felipe VI of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano

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King Henry VI of England; Credit – Wikipedia

May 21, 1471 – Death (murder? starvation?) of King Henry VI of England in the Tower of London in London, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
After the final decisive Yorkist victory at the Battle of Tewkesbury on May 4, 1471, where King Henry VI’s son Edward, Prince of Wales was killed, Henry IV was taken to the Tower of London and died on May 21, 1471, probably murdered on orders from King Edward IV.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Henry VI, King of England
Unofficial Royalty: King Henry VI of England

May 21, 1481 – Death of King Christian I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Christian I, the first Danish monarch of the House of Oldenburg, that would reign in Denmark for over 400 years, was buried in the Chapel of the Magi, which he had built as a family burial chapel for the House of Oldenburg, at Roskilde Cathedral, the traditional burial site for the Danish royal family in Roskilde, Denmark. While the tombs of King Christian III, King Frederik II, and their queen consorts are in the Chapel of the Magi, the graves of King Christian I and his wife Queen Dorothea are marked with simple stones because the chapel itself was to be considered their memorial monument.
Unofficial Royalty: King Christian I of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

May 21, 1527 – Birth of King Felipe II of Spain at Palacio de Pimentel in Valladolid, Spain
Besides being King of Spain, Philp (Felipe in Spanish) was also King of Portugal, King of Naples and Sicily, Duke of Milan, Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands, and jure uxoris (by right of his wife) King of England and Ireland during his marriage to Queen Mary I of England (the second of his four wives) from 1554 until Mary died in 1558.  Philip married four times, was a widower four times, and had children with three of his wives. He built The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (known as El Escorial) near Madrid, which served as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, burial pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital. Today, it is still the traditional burial site of the Spanish royal family.
Unofficial Royalty: King Felipe II of Spain

May 21, 1801 – Birth of Sofia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Baden, daughter of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden and wife of Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden, in Stockholm, Sweden
Full name: Sofia Vilhelmina Katarina Maria Lovisa Charlotta Anna
Sofia married Leopold of Baden, her grandfather’s half-brother. The marriage was arranged by her great-grandfather Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden to help strengthen Leopold’s right to the throne of Baden. Leopold had been born of Karl Friedrich’s second, and morganatic marriage, and had only recently been elevated to Prince and Margrave of Baden, and formally acknowledged as having succession rights. Sofia and Leopold had eight children, including two Grand Dukes of Baden.
Unofficial Royalty: Sofia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Baden

May 21, 1806 – Birth of Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes 1837–1841, 1846–1852, 1853–1858, and 1859–1861
Born The Honourable Harriet Howard, daughter of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle, Harriet did not have an affair with Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as depicted in the television series Victoria. The real Harriet was twelve years older than Ernst and her husband George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland did not die until 1861. Harriet and her husband had a successful, loving marriage and had eleven children.
Unofficial Royalty: Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland

May 21, 1806 – Death of Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias, first of the four wives of King Ferdinand VII of Spain at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
Maria Antonia married her first cousin Ferdinand, Prince of Asturias, heir to the Spanish throne. Her two pregnancies in 1804 and 1805 ended in miscarriages. After four years of marriage, Maria Antonia, aged 21, died from tuberculosis.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias

May 21, 1829 – Death of Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg in Wiesbaden, Duchy of Nassau, now in Hesse, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
The Duchy of Oldenburg was elevated to a Grand Duchy at the Congress of Vienna. Peter established a new government for the Grand Duchy, introduced general conscription, and established the Oldenburg Infantry Regiment. Just short of six years after assuming the throne, Peter suffered a stroke and died
Unofficial Royalty: Peter I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

May 21, 1864 – Birth of Stéphanie of Belgium, Crown Princess of Austria, wife of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium
Full name: Stéphanie Clotilde Louise Herminie Marie Charlotte
The wife of the heir to the Austrian throne who died in a suicide pact with his mistress, Stéphanie of Belgium was the daughter of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Archduchess Marie-Henriette of Austria. Stéphanie’s marriage with Crown Prince Rudolf was happy at first, but shortly after the birth of their only child, a daughter, the relationship began to deteriorate. Rudolf likely infected Stéphanie with a sexually transmitted disease, causing her to be infertile and unable to provide a male heir for the Austrian throne. Both Stéphanie and Rudolf began affairs with other people in the following years and intermittently spoke of divorce.
Unofficial Royalty: Stéphanie of Belgium, Crown Princess of Austria

May 21, 1873 – Birth of Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Friedrich, the last reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont, in Ratibořice, then in the Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic
Bathildis was the wife of Friedrich, the last reigning Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. The couple married in 1895 and had four children. After the defeat of the German Empire in World War I, Friedrich abdicated and negotiated an agreement with the new government that gave him and his descendants the ownership of the family home Arolsen Castle and the Arolsen Forest. Both Bathildis and her husband Friedrich lived through World War II. While neither joined the Nazi Party, their eldest son Josias, his wife Altburg, and their eldest child Margarethe were members of the Nazi Party. Josias was a convicted Nazi war criminal and was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes in connection to the Buchenwald concentration camp. His sentence was eventually reduced and he was released early due to health reasons. Bathildis’ husband Friedrich died in 1946. She survived her husband by sixteen years, dying on April 6, 1962, aged 88.
Unofficial Royalty: Bathildis of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

May 21, 1889 – Birth of Prince Leopold of Battenberg, after 1917 Lord Leopold Mountbatten, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Full name: Leopold Arthur Louis
Leopold was the son of Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom and Prince Henry of Battenberg.  His mother was a hemophilia carrier and he inherited the disease from her.  Leopold never married and died following emergency surgery.
Unofficial Royalty: Lord Leopold Mountbatten
Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Family

May 21, 2013 – Death of Count Christian of Rosenborg, grandson of King Christian X of Denmark and first cousin of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, at Gentofte Hospital in Gentofte, Denmark; buried at Lyngby Church in Lyngby, Denmark
Christian was born Prince Christian of Denmark, the younger son of Hereditary Prince Knud. In 1971, he lost his royal title and style upon marriage to a commoner without the permission of the monarch.
Unofficial Royalty: Count Christian of Rosenborg

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Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

May 20, 1802 – Birth of Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont, wife of Georg II, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, at Schaumburg Castle in the Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, now in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Through her mother, Emma was a descendant of King George II of Great Britain and Willem IV, Prince of Orange.  In 1845, Emma’s husband died and she served as Regent of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont until her son Georg Viktor reached his majority in 1852. Emma was the grandmother of Princess Emma of Waldeck-Pyrmont who became Queen of the Netherlands when she married King Willem III of the Netherlands, and therefore she is an ancestor of the Dutch royal family.
Unofficial Royalty: Emma of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym, Princess of Waldeck and Pyrmont

May 20, 1875 – Death of Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece, wife of King Otto of Greece, at the Neue Residenz in Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Germany; buried at the Theatine Church in Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Amalia’s husband, born a Prince of Bavaria, had been appointed king of the newly created Kingdom of Greece in 1833. In 1862, after a coup deposed Otto, Amalia and Otto left for the Kingdom of Bavaria where they lived out the rest of their lives.
Unofficial Royalty: Amalia of Oldenburg, Queen of Greece

May 20, 1967 – Birth of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, son of the late former King Constantine II of Greece and Head of the House of Glücksburg-Greece, at Tatoi Palace, north of Athens, Greece
Pavlos is the eldest son of former King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark. Just seven months after Pavlos’ birth, a coup forced the royal family to flee the country. They settled in Rome for several years before moving to England in 1974. In 1995, Pavlos married Marie-Chantal Miller, the daughter of billionaire entrepreneur Robert Warren Miller. The couple had five children. Pavlos’ father, the former King Constantine II of the Hellenes, died on January 10, 2023, aged 82, and Pavlos succeeded him as Head of the House of Glücksburg-Greece.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece

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Anne Boleyn, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

May 19, 1536 – Execution of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII of England, at the Tower of London in London, England; buried at St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London
Henry VIII wanted a male heir. After giving birth to a daughter and then miscarrying a male, Anne’s fate was sealed. Henry was determined to be rid of her, and her fall and execution were engineered by Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s chief minister. Many historians believe that the case charging Anne with adultery with her brother George Boleyn and four other men (Francis Weston, Henry Norris, William Brereton, and Mark Smeaton) was completely fabricated. Anne was found guilty of adultery, incest, and high treason.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne Boleyn, Queen of England

May 19, 1568 – Birth of Leonora Dori Galigaï, favorite of Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France, in Florence, then in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
Leonora Dori Galigai and later, her husband Concino Concini, were favorites of Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France, the second wife of Henri IV, King of France. Neither Leonora nor Concino had a happy ending. In 1588, Ferdinando I de’Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany appointed twenty-year-old Leonora to be the maid to his thirteen-year-old niece Marie de’ Medici. In late 1600, when Marie traveled to France to become the second wife of Henri IV, King of France, Leonora was included in her retinue as lady-in-waiting and wardrobe attendant. In 1610, when King Henri IV was assassinated and his wife Queen Marie was appointed Regent for their eldest son, the eight-year-old King Louis XIII of France. Leonora exploited her friendship with Queen Marie, encouraging the rapid rise of her husband’s career. In April 1617, Concino organized an unsuccessful coup d’état, resulting in the execution of Leonora and Concino.
Unofficial Royalty: Leonora Dori Galigaï, favorite of Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France

May 19, 1744 – Birth of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King George III of the United Kingdom, in Mirow, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Charlotte Sophia
George and Charlotte’s marriage was a very happy one and George remained faithful to Charlotte. Between 1762 – 1783, Charlotte gave birth to 15 children, all of who survived childbirth. Only two of the children, who died from smallpox, did not survive childhood. The only disruption in the family’s domestic lives was George’s attacks of illness. We now know that he probably suffered from porphyria and his attacks severely worried Charlotte. Charlotte is the second longest-serving consort in British history. Only her descendant, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, served longer as a consort.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom

May 19, 1797 – Birth of Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain, second of the four wives of King Ferdinand VII of Spain at the Palace of Queluz in Portugal
Full name: Maria Isabel Francisca
Maria Isabel married her maternal uncle Ferdinand VII of Spain, who was 13 years older than her. Ferdinand’s first wife had died childless ten years earlier. The marriage was made with the aim of strengthening relations between Spain and Portugal, and of course, with the goal of providing heirs to the throne. Maria Isabel gave birth to a daughter who only lived for five months.  There were terrible complications when 21-year-old Maria Isabel went into labor with her second child, a daughter who was in breech position and died in utero. Maria Isabel had lost consciousness and appeared to have stopped breathing, so the doctors believed she had died. When they began to cut her open to remove the dead child, she let out a cry of pain, fainted, and bled to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain

May 19, 1896 – Death of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
Karl Ludwig was the father of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, whose assassination in 1914 sparked World War I.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria

May 19, 2018 – Wedding of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s personal relationship started in June 2016 when they were introduced by a mutual friend. The engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was announced on November 27, 2017. Meghan was the second American and the first person of mixed-race heritage to marry into the British royal family. The couple has one son and one daughter.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle

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Nicholas II of Russia with his mother; Credit – Wikipedia

May 18, 1797 – Birth of King Friedrich August II of Saxony in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Full name: Friedrich August Albrecht Maria Clemens Joseph Vincenz Aloys Nepomuk Johann Baptista Nikolaus Raphael Peter Xavier Franz de Paula Venantius Felix
Friedrich August’s reign was relatively uneventful. He typically deferred to his ministers to make any decisions. Friedrich August preferred to spend his time developing his collection of fossils and other items, establishing a vast natural history collection. In this quest, he traveled extensively, including a visit to the United Kingdom in 1844 where he was a guest of Queen Victoria.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich August II of Saxony

May 18, 1829 – Death of Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain, third wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Spain; buried at the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in Spain
Full name: Maria Josepha Amalia Beatrix Xaveria Vincentia Aloysia Franziska de Paula Franziska de Chantal Anna Apollonia Johanna Nepomucena Walburga Theresia Ambrosia
Because he had no surviving children from his first two marriages, Ferdinand VII was under pressure to produce an heir. He married the nearly 16-year-old Maria Josepha Amalia on October 20, 1819. There were rumors that Maria Josepha Amalia’s devout Roman Catholicism caused her to believe that sexual relations between spouses were wrong and that it took Pope Pius VII to convince her that such relations were permissible.  Nevertheless, the marriage remained childless and Maria Josepha Amalia died of a fever at the age of 25.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony, Queen of Spain

May 18, 1868 – Birth of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, Russia
Nicholas was raised with his brother George who was three years younger. They were raised in a relatively simple manner considering their status. George and Nicholas slept in cots, woke up at 6:00 AM, took cold baths, and ate simple, plain meals. Their rooms were furnished with simple furniture. Both brothers were fluent in Russian, English, French, German, and Danish. The boys enjoyed shooting and fly fishing with their English tutor. Nicholas succeeded his father in 1894 and married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine shortly afterward. Nicholas and Alexandra, as she known after her marriage, had four daughters and a son who was afflicted with hemophilia. Nicholas and his entire family were murdered during the Russian Revolution.
Unofficial Royalty: Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia

May 18, 1869 – Birth of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria
Full name: Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand
Rupprecht was Crown Prince of Bavaria from 1913 until the end of the Bavarian monarchy in 1918. From his father’s death in 1921, he became the pretender to the former Bavarian throne and Head of the House of Wittelsbach. Through his direct descent from King Charles I of England, he also became heir to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland in the Jacobite Succession.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

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King Alfonso XIII of Spain;  Credit – Wikipedia

May 17, 1727 – Death of Catherine I, Empress of All Russia, at the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, Russia; buried at Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Born Marta Helena Skowrońska, Catherine was the daughter of Samuil Skowroński, an ethnic Polish Roman Catholic peasant. She was the second wife of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia. Catherine and Peter had Catherine and Peter had twelve children, all of whom died in childhood except Anna, who died in childbirth at age 20, and Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia. Catherine became Empress in her own right after Peter’s death in 1725. During her short reign, Catherine was happy to leave the job of governing to her advisers. She was interested only in issues regarding the navy as Peter’s love for the sea had also touched her. Catherine’s health was adversely affected by living a difficult life, giving birth to twelve children, having a venereal disease that she contracted from Peter, and her heavy drinking after Peter’s death. 43-year-old Catherine died of tuberculosis in 1727.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine I, Empress of All Russia

May 17, 1758 – Birth of Prince Honoré IV of Monaco in Paris, France
In 1777, Honoré IV married the wealthy heiress Louise d’Aumont, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, and Duchess of Meilleraye in her own right. The couple had two sons, both sovereign Princes of Monaco. The French Revolution had dire consequences for the Grimaldi family. Honoré IV and other members of his family were imprisoned. Honoré IV, whose chronic ill health had been worsened by imprisonment, would have become Prince of Monaco but Monaco was no longer a sovereign monarchy as France had annexed it. After Honoré IV’s release from prison, Louise and Honoré IV’s marriage became unhappy and the couple divorced. separated. Eventually, the right to rule Monaco was returned to the Grimaldis. By the time Honoré IV became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco in 1814, his physical condition had worsened and he was now paralyzed on one side of his body. Because of his condition, a regency was established to rule in his name. Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco died in Paris, France on February 16, 1819, aged 60.
Unofficial Royalty: Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco

May 17, 1768 – Birth of Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King George IV of the United Kingdom, in Brunswick, Duchy of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Caroline Amelia Elizabeth
Caroline was chosen as the bride of her first cousin, the future King George IV.  Great Britain was at war with revolutionary France and eager to obtain allies on the European mainland.  This marriage is one of the worst ever royal marriages. Upon first seeing Caroline, George said to his valet, “Harris, I am not well; pray get me a glass of brandy.” Caroline said George was fat and not as handsome as his portrait. It is doubtful that the couple spent more than a few nights together as husband and wife. Their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, was born nine months later. Caroline and George both found each other equally unattractive and never lived together nor appeared in public together.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline of Brunswick, Queen of the United Kingdom

May 17, 1802 – Death of Sophie Antonia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, wife of Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld,  in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried in the ducal crypt at the Morizkirche (or Stadtkirche St. Moriz) in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany
Sophia Antonia was the wife of Ernst Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, and the great-grandmother of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. She had connections to many royal families. She was the paternal aunt of Ivan VI, Emperor of All Russia, first cousin of Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia, and first cousin of Peter II, Emperor of All Russia. Because she was related to many royal families, Sophie Antonia was considered as a bride for several princes. However, she was not considered attractive causing the failure of many marriage negotiations. In 1749, she married Ernst Friedrich, the future Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. The couple had seven children but only three survived childhood
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie Antonia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

May 17, 1886 – Birth of King Alfonso XIII of Spain in Madrid, Spain
Full Name: Alfonso Leon Fernando Maria Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio
Alfonso is noteworthy because he became the King of Spain at birth. His father died while his mother was pregnant. In 1906, Alfonso married Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (Ena), the daughter of Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria’s youngest child.  He had decided to marry Ena despite the risk that she was a hemophilia carrier. Victoria Eugenie’s brother Leopold suffered from the disease. Alfonso and Ena’s marriage was strained from the birth of their first son, Alfonso. Shortly after his birth, it was discovered that he was suffering from hemophilia. Of their children, only their oldest and youngest sons had the disease. Despite knowing the possible risk before the marriage, Alfonso blamed Ena for bringing the disease into the royal family and distanced himself from her. He had several mistresses and fathered at least 6 illegitimate children. In 1931, elections were held, resulting in the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic. Alfonso and his family fled Spain, settling in France and then Italy. Soon after going into exile, Alfonso and Ena went their separate ways. He remained in Rome, while Ena settled in Switzerland. On January 15, 1941, feeling that his life was ending, Alfonso formally abdicated in favor of his third son, Juan, Count of Barcelona (the father of the future King Juan Carlos I of Spain). His two older sons had both renounced their claims to the throne in the early 1930s. Just weeks later, on February 28, 1941, King Alfonso XIII died at the Grand Hotel in Rome, Italy at the age of 54.
Unofficial Royalty: King Alfonso XIII of Spain

May 17, 1889 – Death of Marie of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria, wife of King Maximilian II of Bavaria, at Hohenschwangau Castle in Hohenschwangau, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried at the Theatinerkirche in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
In 1842, Marie married the future King Maximilian II of Bavaria. The couple had two sons, King Ludwig II and King Otto. Both of Marie’s sons were thought to have suffered from mental illness that severely hampered their abilities to rule Bavaria. After her husband’s death in 1864, Marie lived in relative seclusion, splitting her time between her country home in Elbigenalp and Hohenschwangau Castle in Füssen, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. In 1883, her elder son, King Ludwig II, was deemed incompetent, and Marie’s brother-in-law, Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, was appointed Prince Regent. Days later, King Ludwig II and his doctor were found dead in a lake, and Marie’s younger son became King Otto I, also under the Regency of Prince Luitpold. Marie died at Hohenschwangau Castle on May 17, 1889, aged 64.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Prussia, Queen of Bavaria

May 17, 1891 – Birth of Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, Princess Arthur of Connaught at East Sheen Lodge in Richmond, London, England
Full name: Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise
Alexandra was the eldest surviving child of Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife, and a grandchild of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. She married her first cousin once removed, Prince Arthur of Connaught, the only son of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. After her father’s death, Alexandra became the Duchess of Fife in her own right.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, Princess Arthur of Connaught

May 17, 1926 – Birth of Prince Dmitri Romanov, at the villa of his grandfather Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia in Antibes, France
Prince Dmitri Romanov, a great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, was one of the disputed pretenders to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family from 2014 – 2016.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Dmitri Romanov

May 17, 1951 – Death of Empress Teimei of Japan (born Lady Sadako Kujō), wife of Emperor Taishō of Japan, at Omiya Palace in Tokyo, Japan; buried at the Musashi Imperial Graveyard in Tokyo, Japan
The future Emperor Taishō, had cerebral meningitis when he was three weeks old and this affected his health and his mental capacity, including a speech disorder and difficulty walking, for the rest of his life. Due to his health issues, he was often unable to continue his studies and he was a poor student in areas requiring higher-level thinking. Because of Taishō’s diminished mental capacity, his father Emperor Meiji wanted an intelligent, articulate, and dignified wife for his son, and he found those qualities in Lady Sadako Kujō.
Unofficial Royalty: Empress Teimei of Japan

May 17, 1971 – Birth of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, wife of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, born Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Máxima met her future husband in Spain, during the Seville Spring Fair. At first, she was unaware of his royal status, having introduced himself as ‘Alexander’. When he eventually told her who he was, she thought he was joking. They met again a few weeks later in New York and their romance blossomed. The couple married on February 2, 2002. Máxima and Willem-Alexander have three daughters. Willem-Alexander’s mother Queen Beatrix abdicated on the morning of April 30, 2013, and Willem-Alexander became the new King of the Netherlands and Máxima became Queen. Queen Máxima holds numerous public posts and represents the Royal House at official occasions. She is a member of the Council of State which provides the government and Parliament with advice on legislation and governance and is also the country’s highest administrative court.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

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Louise of Baden, Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

May 16, 1696 – Death of Mariana of Austria, Queen of Spain, second wife of her maternal uncle, King Felipe IV of Spain, at Uceda Palace in Madrid, Spain; buried at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in El Escorial, Spain
The daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria and his first wife Maria Anna of Spain, Mariana was the second wife of her maternal uncle King Felipe IV of Spain. Mariana and Felipe IV had five children but only two survived childhood including King Carlos II of Spain. The Spanish House of Habsburg would end with the reign of Mariana and Felipe IV’s physically and mentally disabled son Carlos II, King of Spain. While a person in the fifth generation normally has thirty-two different ancestors, Carlos II had only ten different ancestors in the fifth generation. Mariana survived her husband by thirty-one years, dying on May 16, 1696, at Uceda Palace in Madrid, Spain, at the age of sixty-one, probably from breast cancer.
Unofficial Royalty: Mariana of Austria, Queen of Spain

May 16, 1721 – Death of Lady Anne FitzRoy, illegitimate daughter of King Charles II of England and his mistress Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland; buried in the churchyard at St. Peter and St. Paul New Church in Lyynsted, Swale Borough, Kent, England
Wikipedia: Lady Anne FitzRoy (Unofficial Royalty article coming soon.)

May 16, 1826 – Death of Louise of Baden, Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna of Russia, wife of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, at Belev, Russia; buried at Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Name after marriage: Elizabeth Alexeievna
Louise was the daughter of Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Amelia Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt. Louise, herself an empress, had seven siblings that included two queens, a grand duchess, a duchess, and a grand duke. Collectively, Louise’s siblings are ancestors of a number of royal families. In 1793, Louise married the future Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia. Both Elizabeth Alexeievna and her husband had affairs and their marriage produced no surviving children. Both Elizabeth Alexeievna and her husband had affairs and their marriage produced no surviving children. By 1825, Elizabeth Alexeievna’s health was suffering due to lung problems and the doctors recommended getting away from the harsh climate of St. Petersburg.  Alexander and  Elizabeth Alexeievna relocated to the city of Taganrog, Russia, by the Sea of Azov. On December 1, 1825, Alexander died from typhus in Elizabeth Alexeievna’s arms in their home in Taganrog.  Elizabeth Alexeievna survived him by five months.   While traveling back to St. Petersburg for her husband’s funeral, she felt so sick that had to stop at Belev in Tula Province, Russia.  On the morning of May 16, 1826, Elizabeth Alexeievna’s maid went to check on her and found her dead in her bed of heart failure at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Baden, Elizabeth Alexeievna, Empress of All Russia

May 16, 1969 – Birth of Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, son of Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, in St. Gallen, Switzerland
Full name: Maximilian Nikolaus Maria
Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein is the second son of the three sons and the second of the four children of Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein. In 2000, Maximilian married Angela Gisella Brown and the couple had one son. Since 2006, Maximilian has served as CEO of the LGT Group, the largest family-owned private wealth management firm in Europe. The LGT Group is part of the Prince of Liechtenstein Foundation.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein

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