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King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, Credit – Wikipedia

December 16, 1485 – Birth of Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England, daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, first wife of King Henry VIII of England, mother of Queen Mary I of England, at the Archbishop’s Palace in Alcalá de Henares in the Kingdom of Castile, now in Spain
In 1501, Catherine married Arthur, Prince of Wales, the heir of King Henry VII of England. Less than five months later, Arthur died, probably of the sweating sickness, and 16-year-old Catherine was left a widow. Catherine was kept in England, never to return to Spain. King Henry VII died in 1509, and his 17-year-old Henry succeeded him as King Henry VIII. Two months later, King Henry VIII married 23-year-old Catherine. Catherine had six pregnancies, however, only one child, the future Queen Mary I, survived. By 1525, Henry VIII was infatuated with Anne Boleyn and dissatisfied that his marriage to Catherine had produced no surviving sons. He sought to have their marriage annulled, setting in motion events that led to the Reformation in England and the establishment of the Church of England. In 1533, Catherine and Henry’s marriage was declared invalid and Henry married Anne Boleyn. Catherine was banished from the court and Henry refused her the right to any title but “Dowager Princess of Wales” in recognition of her position as his brother’s widow. She was forbidden to see her daughter Mary. Catherine suffered these indignities with patience and told her women not to curse the new queen, Anne Boleyn. She spent most of her time doing needlework and praying.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England

December 16, 1702 – Death of Henry FitzJames, 1st Duke of Albemarle, Illegitimate son of King James II of England in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France, his burial site is unknown.
Henry FitzJames, 1st Duke of Albemarle was the illegitimate son of King James II of England and his mistress Arabella Churchill. Like his full brother James FitzJames, Henry was raised in France. In 1688, the Glorious Revolution forced James’ father King James II of England to vacate the throne in favor of his daughter (and James’ half-sister) Queen Mary II and her husband and first cousin (also James’ first cousin) King William III. Unlike his full brother James, Henry was not created a duke while his father was still King of England. In 1696, Henry was created Duke of Albemarle, with the subsidiary titles of Earl of Rochford and Baron Romney but the title was only recognized by Jacobites. In 1700, Henry married Marie Gabrielle d’Audibert de Lussan, from a French noble family. The couple had one daughter who died five months after Henry’s death, Lady Christine Marie Jacqueline Henriette FitzJames, who became a nun. On December 16, 1702, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France, 29-year-old Henry suddenly died. His burial site is unknown.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry FitzJames, 1st Duke of Albemarle

December 16, 1790 – Birth of King Leopold I of the Belgians at Ehrenburg Palace in Coburg, Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany
Birth name: Prince Leopold Georg Christian Friedrich of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Born Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, King Leopold was the uncle of both Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. Leopold’s first marriage in 1816 to Princess Charlotte of Wales, the heir and the only child of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom, tragically ended when Charlotte delivered a stillborn son and died of postpartum hemorrhage. In 1831, the southern provinces of the Netherlands rebelled against Dutch rule and became a new country, Belgium. Leopold agreed to become the first King of the Belgians. Leopold had to marry to provide for the Belgian succession, and so in 1832, he married Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans, daughter of Louis-Philippe I, King of the French. The couple had four children. Leopold again became a widower when Louise-Marie died in 1850, at the age of 38 from tuberculosis. Leopold helped arrange the marriage of his niece Queen Victoria, the daughter of his sister, to his nephew Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, son of his brother. Even before she succeeded to the throne, Leopold had been advising Victoria by letter, and after her accession continued to influence her. Leopold had a twenty-year relationship with Arcadie Claret with whom he had two sons.
Unofficial Royalty: King Leopold I of the Belgians

December 16, 1888 – Birth of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia in Cetinje, Principality of Montenegro, now in Montenegro
Alexander became King of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes upon the death of his father King Peter I in 1921. The following year, he married Princess Maria of Romania, the daughter of King Ferdinand of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh. The couple had three sons including the future King Peter II of Yugoslavia. In 1929, King Alexander abolished the constitution and changed the country’s name to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He later ordered a new constitution that gave more power to the King and allowed him to appoint the government’s upper house. On October 9, 1934, while driving through the streets of Marseilles, France with the French Foreign Minister, King Alexander was killed when a gunman approached the car and shot him twice. The assassin was a member of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization.
Unofficial Royalty: King Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Alexander I, King of Yugoslavia

December 16, 1909 – Death of Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, wife of King Miguel of Portugal (after he was deposed); at St. Cecilia’s Abbey in Ryde, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Adelaide married King Miguel I of Portugal after he was deposed and lived with him in exile in the Grand Duchy of Baden. Miguel died leaving 35-year-old Adelaide with seven young children. She arranged prominent marriages for her children and is the ancestor of the current royal families of Belgium, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg, as well as the former royal families of Austria, Bavaria, Portugal, and Romania. In 1895, Adelaide retired to the Abbey of Sainte-Cécile in Solesmes, France, and two years later, she professed as a nun. The cloister later moved to the Isle of Wight in England, first in Cowes and then settling at Saint Cecilia’s Abbey in Ryde.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg

December 16, 1955 – Birth of Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria Este, at the Belvedere Clinic in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Full name: Lorenz Otto Carl Amadeus Thadeus Maria Pius Andreas Marcus d’Aviano
Lorenz is the husband of Princess Astrid of Belgium. In 1995, Lorenz was created Prince of Belgium in his own right. His father Archduke Robert of Austria-Este was the second son of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. Since 1996, Lorenz has been the head of the House of Austria-Este, a cadet branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Archduke of Austria Este

December 16, 1965 – Death of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga at Auckland City Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand; buried at the Malaʻekula Royal Burial Grounds in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga 
Famed for her stature (6 feet 3 inches, 270 pounds) and her appearance at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga was the first Queen Regnant of the Kingdom of Tonga and its longest-reigning monarch. In 1918, her father King George Tupou II died at the age of 43 and 18-year-old Sālote became Queen of Tonga. During her reign, Sālote sought to improve the quality of life of the people of Tonga through the expansion of women’s rights and the construction of roads and health facilities. In December 1953, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip visited Queen Sālote in Tonga during their world tour of Commonwealth nations. Since then, the British royal family has remained close to the Tongan royal family. In November 1965, Queen Sālote flew to Auckland, New Zealand for treatment of diabetes and cancer. She was admitted to the hospital on December 12, 1965, with pleurisy and her condition steadily worsened, and she died at the age of 65.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga

December 16, 2023 – Death of Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait
Upon the death of his half-brother Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait on September 29, 2020, 83-year-old Crown Prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was named by the Kuwaiti Council of Ministers as his successor. During a special session of the National Assembly on September 30, 2020, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait, took the constitutional oath as Emir of Kuwait.
Unofficial Royalty: Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

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Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

December 15, 1618 – Death of Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress, wife of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, in Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria; first buried at the Poor Clares Convent of St. Maria, Queen of the Angels in Vienna, on Easter 1633, the remains of Anna and her husband Matthias were transferred to the Capuchin Church in Vienna and placed in the Founders Vault in the Imperial Crypt
Anna of Tyrol and her husband and first cousin of Matthias, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, Archduke of Further Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia are the founders of the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, the site of the Imperial Crypt, the traditional burial site of the Habsburgs.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Tyrol, Holy Roman Empress

December 15, 1621 – Death of Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, favorite of King Louis XIII of France, at Château de Longueville in Guienne, France
Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes, was a close advisor and favorite of King Louis XIII of France from childhood until his death. He held numerous top positions within the French court and died at the age of 43 from scarlet fever.
Unofficial Royalty: Charles d’Albert, Duke of Luynes

December 15, 1854 – Death of Kamehameha III, King of the Hawaiian Islands at the ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu, Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands; buried at Mauna ʻAla (Fragrant Hills), the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii in Honolulu
Kamehameha III, King of the Hawaiian Islands reigned from 1825 to 1854. He was the longest-reigning monarch of the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, reigning ruling for 29 years and 192 days. In 1837, Kamehameha III married Kalama Hakaleleponi Kapakuhaili, the only child of High Chief Naihekukui, who was commander of the native Hawaiian fleet at Honolulu. The couple had two sons, but they both died in infancy. During his reign, Kamehameha III’s goal was a careful balancing of modernization by adopting Western ways while keeping his nation intact. On December 15, 1854, at the ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu, Kamehameha III suddenly died, aged 40, after a brief illness, possibly related to a stroke.
Unofficial Royalty: Kamehameha III, King of the Hawaiian Islands

December 15, 1885 – Death of Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal, husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal, at Pena National Palace in Sintra, Portugal; buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Ferdinand was a first cousin of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband, Prince Albert, as well as Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Empress Carlota of Mexico, born Princess Charlotte of Belgium. In 1836, Ferdinand married Queen Maria II of Portugal and the couple had eleven children. In keeping with tradition, Ferdinand was elevated to King Consort following the birth of their eldest son, the future King Pedro V. Although titled as King, Ferdinand preferred to stay out of politics and left state affairs to his wife. In 1853, Queen Maria II died after giving birth to their last child. Ferdinand served as Regent for his eldest son King Pedro V until he came of age. In 1869, in Lisbon, Ferdinand married Elise Hensler, a Swiss-born American actress.  The couple had no children. Ferdinand died at the age of 69.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Consort of Portugal

December 15, 1888 – Death of Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine, son of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, in Seeheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; first buried in the Altes Mausoleum in the Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; in 1894 his remains were moved to the mausoleum at Heiligenberg Castle in Seeheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by the Rhine, in 1902, the mausoleum was converted to a memorial chapel and his remains were moved to a gravesite just outside of the mausoleum.
The Battenberg /Mountbatten family descends from Alexander and his morganatic wife Countess Julia von Hauke. Alexander had fallen in love with Julia Hauke, a lady-in-waiting to his sister Marie who had married the future Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. Although forbidden by Nicholas I, the current Emperor of All Russia, to marry, the couple married anyway as Julia was already pregnant with their first child. The marriage forced the couple to leave Russia, but the two were allowed to settle in the Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine. The marriage was viewed as morganatic (unequal) which removed any future children from the Hesse and by Rhine line of succession. Julia was granted the title of Countess of Battenberg, a castle in Hesse and by Rhine. Eventually, the two regained some of their favor in Russia and Hesse and Hesse and by Rhine. Alexander and Julia had five children.  Through their son Louis, they are the ancestors of the British Royal Family and through their son Henry, they are ancestors of the Spanish Royal Family. Alexander died of cancer at the age of 65.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine

December 15, 1907 – Death of Carola of Vasa, Queen of Saxony, wife of King Albert of Saxony, at her villa in Strehlen, Kingdom of Saxony, now Strzelin, Poland; buried in the Wettin Crypt at the Dresden Cathedral in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Carola married the future King Albert of Saxony but the couple never had children. Between 1853 – 1860, Carola had ten miscarriages. Carola was very active in charity work. In addition to supporting organizations that provided medical care, she was also instrumental in establishing several organizations to provide training for a growing workforce due to increased industrialization. Through her efforts, homes were built for families who needed housing, nurses received more proper training, and advances were made in the care and treatment of tuberculosis within Saxony. Schools and nursing homes were established, along with several women’s organizations that provided vocational training. Carola was widowed in 1902 and retired to her country home in Strehlen, Kingdom of Saxony, now Strzelin, Poland, appearing in public only occasionally. Her health began to decline, as a result of diabetes, which she had suffered from for several years and she died at the age of 74.
Unofficial Royalty: Carola of Vasa, Queen of Saxony

December 15, 1929 – Birth of Dina bint Abdul-Hamid, Princess Dina Abdul-Hamid of Jordan, the former Queen Dina of Jordan, in Cairo, Egypt
In 1955, Dina became the first of four wives of the late King Hussein I of Jordan. The marriage was full of discord from the beginning. A daughter Princess Alia was born in 1956, but the marriage was beyond saving and the couple divorced the following year. At that time, Dina lost her title of Queen and became HRH Princess Dina Abdul-Hamid of Jordan. Dina later returned to her birthplace Egypt, and in 1970, she married Asad Sulayman Abd al-Qadir, a high-ranking official in the Palestine Liberation Organization. In 1983, a year after al-Qadir was imprisoned by the Israelis, Dina negotiated his release, along with 8,000 other prisoners. Dina died in 2019 at the age of 89.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Dina of Jordan

December 15, 1948 – Birth of Alia Baha Ad-Din Touqan, Queen Alia of Jordan, in Cairo, Egypt
Queen Alia was the third of the four wives of King Hussein I of Jordan. Her father Baha Ad-Din Touqan served as Jordan’s first ambassador to the United Nations and as Jordanian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, and Egypt. In 1972, Alia married King Hussein I of Jordan. The couple had two children (Princess Haya and Prince Ali) and one adopted daughter Abir Muhaisen. On February 9, 1977, Queen Alia was killed in a helicopter crash in Amman. She was returning from a trip to Tafileh, about 140 miles south of Amman, where she was inspecting a hospital after reading negative reports about it in the media. Flying in a violent rainstorm, the military helicopter crashed and all aboard were killed.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Alia of Jordan

December 15, 1960 – Wedding of King Baudouin of the Belgians and Fabiola de Mora y Aragon at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, Belgium
Baudouin and Fabiola’s engagement was announced on September 16, 1960, by Prime Minister Gaston Eyskens. The news was quite a surprise in Belgium, as there had been no public indication that Baudouin was involved with anyone. The couple had first met through mutual friends and continued to see each other very privately. They had become engaged many weeks earlier, but the announcement had been delayed because of the recent events in the Belgian Congo.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Baudouin of the Belgians and Fabiola de Mora y Aragon

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© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

December 14, 1542 – Death of James V, King of Scots at Falkland Palace in Fife, Scotland; buried at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland; his six-day-old daughter Mary becomes Queen of Scots
James V was the son of James IV, King of Scots and Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and sister of King Henry VIII of England. In 1513, 30-year-old James IV was killed in the Battle of Flodden and 17-month-old James V succeeded his father. In 1537, James married Madeleine of Valois, daughter of King François I of France. Already ill with tuberculosis, Madeleine died six months after the wedding. Less than a year later, James married another French bride, Marie of Guise, the eldest daughter of Claude of Lorraine, Duke of Guise. The couple had two sons who died in infancy, and one daughter, the future Mary, Queen of Scots. When Henry VIII of England broke from the Roman Catholic Church, he asked James V, his nephew, to do the same. James ignored his uncle’s request and further insulted him by refusing to meet with Henry VIII in York. Furious, Henry VIII sent troops against Scotland. In retaliation for the English raid into Scotland, James raised an army and attacked England. On November 24, 1542, the Battle of Solway Moss resulted in a decisive English victory. After the battle,  James V fled to Falkland Palace where he became ill and took to his bed. Overcome with grief and shame about the Battle of Solway Moss, James V lost the will to live. The news that his wife Marie of Guise had given birth to a daughter did nothing to raise his spirits, and he died at the age of 30 and was succeeded by his only surviving legitimate child, six-day-old Mary, Queen of Scots.
Unofficial Royalty: James V, King of Scots

December 14, 1784 – Birth 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 Caserta in Caserta, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily, now in Italy; buried in the Pantheon of Infantes in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial in Spain
Full name: Maria Antonietta Teresa Amelia Giovanna Battista Francesca Gaetana Maria Anna Lucia
Maria Antonia was the daughter of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria. She was named after her mother’s favorite sister Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, born Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria. In 1802, Maria Antonia married her first cousin, the future King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Her two pregnancies in 1804 and 1805 ended in miscarriages. Maria Antonia died, aged 21, in 1806, from tuberculosis. Rumors at the time said she had been poisoned but there is no evidence that this is true.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias

December 14, 1787 – Birth of Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria, the third of the four wives of Emperor Franz I of Austria, at the Royal Villa of Monza, in Lombardy, Austrian Empire, now in Italy; buried at the Capuchin Church in the Imperial Crypt in the Franzensgruft (Franz’s Vault) in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Maria Ludovika Beatrix
Maria Ludovika was the daughter of the heiress Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d’Este and Archduke Ferdinand Karl of Austria-Este. Her father was the son of Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and (in her own right) Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia and Franz Stefan, Duke of Lorraine, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1807, Maria Ludovika’s first cousin, Franz I, Emperor of Austria, became a widower for the second time when his second wife Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily (his double first cousin, also a first cousin of Maria Ludovika) died after childbirth along with her 12th child. The 39-year-old Emperor consoled his grief with visits to his aunt (by marriage) Maria Beatrice Ricciarda and fell in love with the beautiful and literate Maria Ludovika who was 19 years old. Maria Ludovika and Franz were married on January 6, 1808, but they had no children. Maria Ludovika died eight years later from tuberculosis.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Ludovika of Austria-Este, Empress of Austria

December 14, 1788 – Death of King Carlos III of Spain at the Royal Alcazar of Madrid in Spain; buried at the Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain
Carlos III, King of Spain was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Carlo I (1731 – 1735), King of Naples, as Carlo VII (1735 – 1759), and King of Sicily, as Carlo V (1734 – 1759). In 1738, Carlos’ mother Elisabeth Farnese arranged a marriage for him to fourteen-year-old Maria Amalia of Saxony. Carlos III and Maria Amalia had thirteen children but only seven survived childhood. In in 1759, Carlos’ childless elder surviving half-brother Fernando VI, King of Spain died and Carlos succeeded him as King of Spain. When Carlos became King of Spain, he was 43 years old and had ruled Naples and Sicily for twenty-five years, so he had far more experience than his predecessors. Carlos III was responsible for some of Spain’s national symbols. In 1770, he declared the Marcha Granadera to be used during official ceremonies. Since that time, it has been Spain’s national anthem except under the Second Republic ( 1931 – 1939 ). Carlos III also chose the colors and design of the Spanish flag as we see it today.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlos III, King of Spain

December 14, 1788 – Birth of Sir James Clark, 1st Baronet, Queen Victoria’s Physician-in-Ordinary from 1837 – 1860, at Cullen House in Cullen, Banffshire, Scotland
During the summers, Clark acted as physician to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (King Leopold I of the Belgians from 1831) as he traveled through the spa towns of Germany. Through this connection, in 1835, Clark was appointed physician to Leopold’s sister the Duchess of Kent (born Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld), the widow of King George III’s son Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. The Duchess’ only child Princess Victoria of Kent was the heir to the British throne. Several months after her accession to the throne in June 1837, Queen Victoria appointed Clark her Physician-in-Ordinary. In 1839, Clark’s misdiagnosis and a desire to please Queen Victoria led the court into the Lady Flora Hastings scandal in which pregnancy was intimated as the cause of her swollen abdomen. After Lady Flora’s death, an autopsy showed that she had a cancerous liver tumor. In 1842, Clark prescribed calomel, a laxative and common medicine at the time, to 14-month-old Victoria, Princess Royal. Unknown at that time, calomel contained toxic mercury chloride. Vicky did not become better but rather became seriously ill. Albert confronted Victoria with a furious note to his wife, “Dr. Clark has mismanaged the child and poisoned her with calomel and you have starved her. I shall have nothing more to do with it, take the child away and do as you like and if she dies you will have it on your conscience.” Vicky survived and Clark still remained in royal service. Although Clark was considered incompetent, he remained in royal service until 1860.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir James Clark, 1st Baronet

December 14, 1861 – Death of Prince Albert, The Prince Consort, husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England; buried at the Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore in Windsor, England
In November 1861, Albert complained of shoulder, leg, back, and stomach pain and could not eat or sleep. He was examined by doctors who assured Victoria that Albert would be better in two or three days. Even while Albert was feeling ill, he was still working. When the Trent Affair, the forcible removal of Confederate diplomats from a British ship by Union forces during the American Civil War, threatened war between the United States and the United Kingdom, Albert intervened on November 30, 1861, to soften the British diplomatic response. His action probably prevented war between the United States and the United Kingdom. However, Albert’s condition continued to worsen. Victoria continued to hope for a recovery, but finally, on December 11, the doctors told her the dismal prognosis. At 10:50 PM on December 14, 1861, Albert died in the presence of his wife and five of their nine children. Sir William Jenner, one of Prince Albert’s doctors, diagnosed his final illness as typhoid fever, but Albert’s modern biographers have argued that the diagnosis is incorrect. Albert had been complaining of stomach pains for two years and this may indicate that he died of some chronic disease, perhaps Crohn’s disease, kidney failure, or cancer.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, The Prince Consort
Unofficial Royalty: December 14 – Queen Victoria’s Dire Day

December 14, 1873 – Death of Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia, wife of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany; buried at the Friedenskirche in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Elisabeth Ludovika was the daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria and his second wife Princess Caroline of Baden. She was the twin sister of Amalie Auguste. In 1823, Elisabeth Ludovika married the future King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, after four years of negotiations regarding religion. Friedrich Wilhelm was required to be Lutheran, while Elisabeth Ludovika was Catholic. Eventually, it was agreed that she could retain her religion with the expectation that she would eventually convert. She did convert, but not until 1830. Other than a stillborn child born early in their marriage, the couple had no children. After becoming Queen in 1840, Elisabeth Ludovika welcomed her role and became greatly involved in charity work throughout Prussia. After her husband died in 1861, she continued her charity work, mostly to honor her late husband. Elisabeth Ludovika had a close relationship with the wife of her nephew by marriage, Crown Princess Victoria, born Victoria, Princess Royal. Victoria had been a great comfort to the widowed Elisabeth Ludovika and she bequeathed her jewels to Victoria instead of following the tradition and leaving them to the new Queen Augusta. This act of kindness ended up causing a rift between Victoria and her mother-in-law that would last until Queen Augusta’s death. Elisabeth Ludovika died, aged 72, while visiting her twin sister Queen Amalie of Saxony.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, Queen of Prussia

December 14, 1878 – Death of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, wife of Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of Queen Victoria, at Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; buried at the Mausoleum of Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt
In November 1878, Alice’s family began to fall ill with diphtheria. Alice quickly slipped into her role as caregiver, nursing her husband and children back to health. Sadly, her youngest child, Princess Marie, succumbed to the illness and died on November 16, 1878. Alice tried to keep the news from her husband and other children until they were in better health. Eventually telling her son, Ernst Ludwig (who was quite devoted to the young May), she broke the one rule of nursing this horrible illness – she comforted him with hugs and a kiss. Soon after, Alice herself began to fall ill and was also diagnosed with diphtheria. Her condition quickly deteriorated, and in the early morning of December 14, 1878 — the 17th anniversary of her father’s death – Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine died at the age of 35.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

December 14, 1895 – Birth of King George VI of the United Kingdom at York Cottage at Sandringham in Norfolk, England
Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George was born on the 34th anniversary of the deaths in 1861 of his great-grandfather Prince Albert and his great-aunt Princess Alice in 1878.  Queen Victoria received the news with mixed feelings. Her son, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) wrote to his son (the future King George V), the new baby’s father: “Grandmama was rather distressed that this happy event should have taken place on a darkly sad anniversary for us, but I think – as well as most of us in the family here – that it will break the spell of this unlucky date.” George went on to succeed to the British throne upon the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII.
Unofficial Royalty: King George VI of the United Kingdom

December 14, 1901 – Birth of King Paul I of Greece in Athens, Greece
A Greek great-grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Paul was born on December 14, 1901, 11 months after Queen Victoria’s death and on the 40th anniversary of Prince Albert’s death. The future King Paul I of Greece was the son of King Constantine I of Greece and Princess Sophie of Prussia, the daughter of Queen Victoria’s eldest child Victoria, Princess Royal. Paul married Princess Frederica of Hanover, who was also a great-grandchild of Queen Victoria through Victoria, Princess Royal. They were the parents of Queen Sofia of Spain, the wife of King Juan Carlos of Spain, and Constantine II, the last King of Greece. In 1946, Paul ascended the Greek throne following the sudden death of his brother King George II.  After a state visit to the United Kingdom in July 1963, King Paul fell ill. He was later diagnosed with stomach cancer and died on March 6, 1964.
Unofficial Royalty: King Paul I of Greece

December 14, 1940 – Death of Princess Maria of Greece, Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia, daughter of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, in Athens, Greece; buried at the Royal Cemetery, Tatoi Palace, Greece
In 1900, Maria married a maternal cousin Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia, the son of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich of Russia and the grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. The couple had two daughters. The marriage was never happy. Maria was not in love with her husband, despite his devotion to her. She soon found excuses to leave Russia and spent more time in Greece and elsewhere in Europe. When World War I began, Maria was living in Harrogate, England with her two daughters and chose to remain there and not return to Russia. Her husband, like many in the Russian Imperial Family, was murdered by the Bolsheviks with three other Grand Dukes of Russia in January 1919, leaving Maria a widow. In 1920, Maria was able to return to Greece when her brother King Constantine I was brought back to power. She traveled aboard a Greek destroyer commanded by Admiral Pericles Ioannidis, and a romance developed. The couple married two years later in 1922. Maria, aged 64, died of a heart attack in 1940.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Maria of Greece, Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia

December 14, 1945 – Death of Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk at a nursing home in London, England; buried at the home of the Carnegie family, the Earls of Southesk, Kinnaird Castle in Brechin, Angus, Scotland
Maud was the youngest 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 Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk. After her marriage, Maud stopped using ‘Her Highness Princess Maud’ and was known as Lady Carnegie. In 1941, upon his father’s death, Maud’s husband became the 11th Earl of Southesk. Maud and her husband had one son. On December 14, 1945, Maud, aged 52, died of bronchitis on the 84th anniversary of the death of her great-grandfather Prince Albert.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Maud, Countess of Southesk

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King Henri IV of France, Credit – Wikipedia

December 13, 1533 – Birth of King Erik XIV of Sweden at Stockholm Castle in Stockholm, Sweden
Erik was the only child of King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden and his first wife Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg. Early in his reign, he showed signs of mental instability, a condition that eventually led to insanity. Some scholars claim that his illness began early during his reign, while others believe that it first manifested with the Sture murders in which he and his guards killed six men. Deposed by his half-brother who became King Johan III of Sweden, Erik was imprisoned and likely murdered by arsenic poisoning. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning.
Unofficial Royalty: King Eric XIV of Sweden

December 13, 1553 – Birth of King Henri IV of France in Pau, Kingdom of Navarre, now in France
King Henri IV of France was the first French king of the House of Bourbon. He was the son of Queen Jeanne III of Navarre and Antoine de Bourbon, Duke de Vendôme. Although he was baptized in the Catholic Church, Henri was raised as a Protestant. Upon his mother’s death in 1572, Henri took the throne as King Henri III of Navarre. Two months later, he married Marguerite of Valois, the daughter of King Henri II of France. In 1584, Henri became the heir-presumptive to the French throne, as the last heir to King Henri III of France had died. Henri was King Louis IX’s most senior agnatic descendant, and therefore the rightful heir. When King Henri III of France was assassinated in 1589, King Henri III of Navarre, as the heir-presumptive, became King Henri IV of France. In a loveless and childless marriage, and knowing that he needed an heir, Henri began negotiations to end his first marriage to Marguerite of Valois. Henri married Marie de’ Medici in 1600 and they had six children. In 1610, Henri IV was stabbed to death while his carriage was traveling through Paris.
Unofficial Royalty: King Henri IV of France
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Henri IV, King of France

December 13, 1621 – Death of Katarina Stenbock, Queen of Sweden, third wife of King Gustav I of Sweden at Strömsholm Palace in Sweden; buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden
Katarina’s mother was the sister of King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden’s second wife Margareta Eriksdotter Leijonhufvud. Therefore, Katarina was the first cousin of the ten children of Gustav Vasa and Margareta Leijonhufvud. Katarina’s parents were part of the Kungafränderna (The King’s Relatives). They were given prominent positions and had much influence at court. It is quite probable that Katerina served as a maid of honor to her aunt Margareta Leijonhufvud. When Katerina’s aunt died in 1551, Gustav Vasa decided to marry Katarina despite the king being 56 and Katarina being 17. Gustav Vasa saw this marriage as a way to forgo the costs and the time-consuming negotiations necessary to arrange a marriage with a foreign princess in the complicated political climate in Europe, result of the ongoing conflicts caused by the Protestant Reformation. Katarina’s family saw the marriage as a way to preserve the family connection they had made with Gustav Vasa through his previous marriage with Margareta Leijonhufvud. Katarina and Gustav Vasa had no children but Katarina served as a stepmother to her first cousins, the children of Gustav Vasa and her aunt Margareta Leijonhufvud. King Gustav I Vasa died in 1560, aged 64. Katarina never remarried despite being only 25 years old when King Gustav I died. She dressed in mourning for the rest of her life. Katarina survived her husband by sixty-one years, dying at the age of 86.
Unofficial Royalty: Katarina Stenbock, Queen of Sweden

December 13, 1826 – Death of Louise d’Aumont Mazarin, Hereditary Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Honoré IV of Monaco, in Paris, France; buried first at Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, in 1885 her remains were moved to Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Louise d’Aumont, a wealthy heiress, was the wife of Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. However, Louise divorced Honoré before he became Prince of Monaco, and so the title she held during their marriage was Hereditary Princess of Monaco. Louise and Honoré IV had two sons, both Sovereign Princes of Monaco. In 1794, while Honoré IV was in prison during the French Revolution, Louise gave birth to an illegitimate daughter Amélie Céleste Erodore d’Aumont. The  child’s father is believed to be Antoine de Montazet, Archbishop of Lyon. After Honoré IV’s release from prison, Louise and Honoré IV’s marriage became unhappy and the couple separated. In 1798, Louise divorced Honoré IV, giving Louise sole access to her fortune.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise d’Aumont Mazarin, Hereditary Princess of Monaco

December 13, 1906 – Birth of Princess Marina of Greece, Duchess of Kent, wife of Prince George, Duke of Kent, at Nicholas Palace in Athens, Greece
Marina was the youngest of the three daughters of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (a son of King George I of the Hellenes, born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark) and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (a granddaughter of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia). Through her father, Marina was the first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In 1934, she married Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V of the United Kingdom. The two were second cousins, through their mutual descent from King Christian IX of Denmark. This would be the last marriage of a foreign princess into the British Royal Family. Marina and George had three children, the first cousins of Queen Elizabeth II: Prince Edward who succeeded his father as Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Michael. Sadly, just six weeks after the birth of Prince Michael, Prince George was killed when his military plane crashed in Scotland. Marina remained a very active and highly popular member of the Royal Family. She is perhaps best known for serving 26 years as President of the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marina of Greece, Duchess of Kent

December 13, 1946 – Birth of Princess Maria da Glória of Orléans-Bragança, first wife of Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia, in Petrópolis, Brazil
Maria da Glória is the daughter of Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Bragança and Princess Maria de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She is a direct descendant of King Pedro II of Brazil and King Francisco I of the Two Sicilies. Through her mother, she is directly descended from King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, King Ferdinand VII of Spain, and Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor. Through both parents, she is descended from King Louis Philippe I of the French. She is also a first cousin, through her mother, of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. In 1972, Maria da Glória married Crown Prince Alexander, the pretender to the throne of Serbia. The couple had three sons before divorcing in 1985. Later that year, Maria da Glória married Ignacio de Medina y Fernández de Córdoba, 19th Duke of Segorbe and the couple had two daughters.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Maria da Glória of Orléans-Bragança

December 13, 1958 – Death of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, in a hospital in Konstanz, Germany; buried next to her brother Grand Duke Dmitri in a side altar of the Mainau Palace Church at Mainau Castle, the estate of her son Count Lennart Bernadotte of Wisborg on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance in Germany
A first cousin of both Nicholas II, the last Emperor of All Russia and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Maria Pavlovna made an unsuccessful marriage to Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland, son of King Gustav V of Sweden. She left her husband and son and returned to Russia which caused a great scandal in Sweden. The marriage was officially dissolved and Maria’s son Lennart remained in his father’s custody and rarely saw his mother during his childhood. In 1917, Maria Pavlovna married Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Putyatin, the son of the former palace commandant at Tsarkoye Selo, where they had met as children. They had one son who died in infancy. Maria Pavlovna and her husband managed to escape Russia during the Russian Revolution which was disastrous for her family. Maria Pavlovna’s half-brother Prince Vladimir Paley, her aunt and her former guardian Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, and her father Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich were all murdered by the Bolsheviks. Maria and her husband divorced in 1923. Maria led an interesting life. She lived in Paris, London, New York, and Argentina, and worked as an embroiderer for Coco Chanel, a fashion buyer for Bergdorf Goodmans and a photojournalist in New York, and wrote two memoirs. In 1937, Maria Pavlovna was reunited with her son Lennart at his estate on the island of Mainau in Lake Constance, Germany. She lived with her son at his estate during her final years and died in a nearby hospital from pneumonia at the age of 68.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (the Younger) of Russia

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