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King Ludwig I of Bavaria; Credit – Wikipedia

February 29, 1868 – Death of King Ludwig I of Bavaria in Nice, France; buried at St. Boniface’s Abbey in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
In 1810, Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The wedding took place in a large outdoor space in Munich called the Theresienwiese. Named for his bride, Theresienwiese is the site for the annual Oktoberfest, held to commemorate the wedding. Ludwig became King of Bavaria upon his father’s death in 1825. However, in 1848, Ludwig’s reign came to an abrupt end. Facing protests and demonstrations by students and the middle classes, the King had ordered the university closed. Shortly after, crowds raided the armory on their way to storm the Munich Residenz. Ludwig’s brother Karl appeased the protesters, but the damage was done. The King’s family and advisors turned against him, forcing him to sign the March Proclamation, giving substantial concessions toward a constitutional monarchy. Unwilling to rule this way, King Ludwig I abdicated on March 20, 1848.  Ludwig spent the rest of his life in Bavaria, devoting his time to supporting and fostering the arts. He published several books of poems and translated several plays. On February 29, 1868, Ludwig died in Nice, France, aged 81, having survived his wife and five of his children.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ludwig I of Bavaria
Unofficial Royalty: Oktoberfest’s Royal Connection

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Mary, Princess Royal and Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles (later 6th Earl of Harewood); Credit – Wikipedia

February 28, 1155 – Birth of Henry the Young King, son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine, at Bermondsey Abbey in London, England
Henry’s elder brother died in 1156 at the age of two, leaving Henry as the eldest child of King Henry II. In 1160, five-year-old Henry was married to two-year-old Marguerite of France, the daughter of King Louis VII of France (who happened to be the first husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine) and his second wife Constance of Castile. The reason for the early marriage was political. Marguerite’s dowry included the disputed territory of the Vexin and King Henry II wanted to possess it. Marguerite and Henry had one son, who survived for only three days. When Henry was 15, his father adopted the French practice of ensuring the succession by declaring his heir the junior king and he was crowned at Westminster Abbey. Despite his rank of junior king, King Henry II refused to grant Henry land or allow him to participate in the government. With his mother and his brothers Richard (the future King Richard I of England) and Geoffrey, he nearly overthrew King Henry II in 1173. In 1182–83, Henry had a falling out with his brother Richard when Richard refused to pay homage to him on the orders of King Henry II. As he was preparing to fight Richard, Henry became ill with dysentery (also called the bloody flux), the scourge of armies for centuries, and died at the age of 28.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry the Young King

February 28, 1648 – Death of King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway at Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Having reigned for 59 years, Christian IV, King of Denmark and Norway is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark and one of the most beloved. In 1588, Christian IV succeeded to the throne at the age of eleven. He married Anna Katharina of Brandenburg in 1597 and the couple had six children. Christian had affairs and illegitimate children. After his wife’s death, he married 18-year-old Kirsten Munk, from a wealthy, untitled noble Danish family in 1615.  Kirsten was not the Queen due to the morganatic marriage and was given the title Countess of Schleswig-Holstein. Their ten children married into the Danish nobility, were styled Count and Countess of Schleswig-Holstein, and did not have succession rights. Christian IV and Kirsten’s stormy marriage ended in divorce in 1630, amid mutual allegations of infidelity and much bitterness. During his long reign, Christian IV, repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempted by military means to make the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway into a great power, especially during the Thirty Years War. However, his legacy would be his building projects and his cipher C 4 can be seen on many buildings in Denmark. Sensing he did not have a long time to live, Christian IV requested to be brought to his beloved Copenhagen. On February 21, 1648, he was carried in a litter from Frederiksborg Palace to Copenhagen. He died a week later, on February 28, 1648, at Rosenborg Castle, at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway

February 28, 1690 – Birth of Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, son of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia and his first wife Eudoxia Feodorovna Lopukhina, at Preobrazhensky, Russia
Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia, heir to the Russian throne, was the elder of the two sons of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia and his first wife Eudoxia Feodorovna Lopukhina. In 1711, 21-year-old Alexei married 17-year-old Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Alexei and Charlotte Christine had two children, Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna who died of tuberculosis at age 14, and Peter II, Emperor of All Russia who died of smallpox at age 14. Three days after giving birth to her son Peter, 21-year-old Charlotte Christine died from puerperal fever (childbed fever). In 1718, Alexei confessed to being involved in a plot to overthrow his father and implicated most of his friends. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to be executed. The sentence could be carried out only with Peter the Great’s signed authorization, but Peter hesitated in making the decision.  28-year-old Alexei died at the Fortress of St. Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg. His death most likely resulted from injuries suffered during his torture.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia

February 28, 1823 – Birth of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Ludwigslust Palace in Ludwigslust, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
At the age of 21, Friedrich Franz succeeded his father Paul Friedrich as Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He married three times: to Princess Auguste of Reuss-Köstritz (six children), Princess Anna of Hesse and by Rhine (one daughter), and Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt (four children including Heinrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin who married Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands). During his reign, which lasted over 40 years, Friedrich Franz II oversaw numerous reforms in the Grand Duchy, including improving the national hospital system, reforming the judicial system and the state church. Against the interests of his relatives in neighboring Mecklenburg-Strelitz, he issued a liberal constitution in 1849. While the constitution was repealed the following year, his efforts made him immensely popular amongst his people. Friedrich Franz II died in 1883 at the age of 61.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

February 28, 1912 – Birth of Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland, son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Full name: Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén
Bertil was the son of King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Margaret of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who died before her husband became King of Sweden. Bertil served as an active naval officer. While serving as a naval attaché at the Swedish Embassy in London, Bertil met Welsh-born Lilian Craig (born May Lillian Davies) who was married to Scottish actor Ivan Craig. Bertil and Lilian soon became a couple, but their relationship remained a secret from the public for a long time. Craig was serving in World War II and when he returned home in 1945, the couple had an amicable divorce. At that time Bertil was third in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. By the time his father came to the throne in 1950, Bertil was now second in the line of succession. His elder brother Gustaf Adolf had been killed in a plane crash in 1947, leaving an infant son, Carl Gustaf, the future King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the heir to the throne. With the likelihood of Bertil being called to serve as Regent for his young nephew, he and Lilian chose not to marry so that he could retain his position in the Royal Family. Bertil’s father died in 1973, and Bertil’s nephew became King Carl XVI Gustaf. The rules, as well as the times, were beginning to change. In 1976, King Carl Gustaf married a commoner, Sylvia Sommerlath, and soon after, he granted his formal permission for Bertil and Lilian to marry. The couple married on December 7, 1976, at the Drottningholm Palace Chapel in the presence of the king and the queen. Bertil and Lilian had no children. Prince Bertil, aged 84, died after several years of declining health. Princess Lilian survived her husband for sixteen years, dying in 2013, at the age of 97.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland

February 28, 1922 – Wedding of Mary, Princess Royal, daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom, and Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles (later 6th Earl of Harewood) at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Mary’s eldest brother, The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII), knew Henry from World War I and greatly admired him. After meeting at the Grand National, an annual horse race, and a house party in 1921, Mary and Henry were continuously seen together, despite their fifteen-year age difference. They both loved horse riding and frequently attended hunts together. When Henry was invited to Balmoral and Sandringham, it was noted that there could be an engagement announcement soon. On November 20, 1921, Henry proposed to Mary at York Cottage, where he was staying while at Sandringham. The wedding of Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles was the first time a child of a monarch had married at Westminster Abbey since 1290 when Margaret of England, daughter of King Edward I, married John II, Duke of Brabant.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Mary, Princess Royal and Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood

February 28, 1941 – Death of King Alfonso XIII of Spain in exile at the Grand Hotel in Rome, Italy; buried first at the Church of Santa Maria di Monserrato in Rome, Italy; reburied in 1980 at the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
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. Ena’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 they married, 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 coming to an end, 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

February 28, 1991 – Death of Prince Wenzel of Liechtenstein, son of Prince Franz Joseph II, brother of Prince Hans-Adam II, in Vaduz, Liechtenstein; buried in the Princely Crypt at St. Florian Cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein
The brother of Hans-Adam II, the current Prince of Liechtenstein, Wenzel was the youngest of the five children of Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein. He studied to become a doctor and worked in a hospital as an intern. On February 28, 1991, Wenzel, aged 28, died under unclear circumstances. The Princely Family of Liechtenstein kept silent and remains silent about the cause of death.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Wenzel of Liechtenstein

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Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland; Credit – Wikipedia

February 27, 1666 – Death of Luisa de Guzmán, Queen of Portugal, wife of King João IV of Portugal, in Lisbon, Portugal; buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
From a noble Spanish family, Luisa de Guzmán was the wife of João IV, the first King of Portugal from the Portuguese House of Braganza, and the mother of Catherine of Braganza, the wife of King Charles II of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Luisa de Guzmán, Queen of Portugal

February 27, 1752 – Birth of Heinrich XLII, 1st Prince Reuss of Gera in Löhma, County of Reuss-Schleiz, now in Thuringia, Germany
In 1779, Heinrich XLII married Princess Caroline of Hohenlohe-Kirchberg in Kirchberg an der Jagst. The couple had eight children but only three survived to adulthood. When Heinrich XLII’s father died in 1784, he became Count Reuss of Schleiz. In 1802, when Heinrich XXX, Count Reuss of Gera died without an heir, Heinrich XLII also became Count Reuss of Gera. In 1806, Heinrich XLII received the title of Prince from Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, and his two counties were raised to the Principality of Reuss-Gera or Reuss Younger Line and Heinrich XLII was then titled 1st Prince Reuss of Gera. Heinrich XLII, 1st Prince of Reuss of Gera died on April 17, 1818, aged 66.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XLII, 1st Prince Reuss of Gera

February 27, 1853 – Death of August I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg
In 1817, August married Princess Adelheid of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym. They had two daughters including Amalie who married Prince Otto of Bavaria, later King of Greece. After his first wife died, August married two more times. August became Grand Duke of Oldenburg upon his father’s death in 1829 and was the first ruler to formally use the title of Grand Duke. His reign saw the development of Oldenburg into one of the cultural centers of Germany, with August also promoting social causes along with the arts and sciences. However, he was unwilling to establish a Constitution, despite being obligated by the rules of the German Confederation. It was only in 1849, after the Revolutions of 1848, that he relented. August I died on February 27, 1853, at the age of 70, and was succeeded by his son Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg from his second marriage.
Unofficial Royalty: August I, Grand Duke of Oldenburg

February 27, 1861 – Birth of Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, son of King Oscar II of Sweden, at Arvfurstens Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Full name: Oscar Carl Wilhelm
In 1897, Carl married Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, a daughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark. Carl and Ingeborg were the parents of Queen Astrid of Belgium and Crown Princess Märtha of Norway. They are the ancestors of the Belgian, Norwegian, and Luxembourg royal families. Both Carl and Ingeborg lived long lives. Carl died on October 24, 1951, at the age of 90. Ingeborg survived him by seven years, dying in 1958 at age 79.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland

February 27, 1998 – Death of The Honourable Gerald David Lascelles, younger son of Mary, Princess Royal and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, in Bergerac, France; buried at All Saint’s Church in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England where his parents and brother are also buried.
Gerald was the younger son of Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood and Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom. Gerald married twice. He first married actress Angela Dowding in 1952. The couple had one son and divorced in 1978. Their marriage collapsed when Gerald left Angela to live with another former actress, Elizabeth Collingwood, whom he had known for 20 years and with whom he already had a son. Gerald was a race car driver, a director of the Silverstone Circuit, a car race track in Northamptonshire, England, and served as president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club from 1964 to 1991. He died on February 27, 1998, in Bergerac, France at the age of 73.
Unofficial Royalty: The Honourable Gerald Lascelles

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King Eric XIV of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

February 26, 1275 – Death of Margaret of England, daughter of King Henry III of England, wife of Alexander III, King of Scots, at Cupar Castle in Fife, Scotland; buried at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland
The betrothal of Margaret and the future Alexander III, King of Scots was part of a peace negotiation arranged by their fathers. Four years after the betrothal, 7-year-old Alexander became King of Scots. In 1251, at York Minster in York, England, 11-year-old Margaret became Queen of Scots when she married 10-year-old King Alexander III. The wedding celebrations were festive and attended by many people including 1,000 English and 600 Scottish knights. The couple had three children but the death of their only surviving son caused a succession issue. Margaret and her husband attended the coronation of her brother King Edward I of England on August 19, 1274, at Westminster Abbey, but Margaret only lived for six more months. At the age of 34, she died on February 26, 1275, at Cupar Castle in Fife, Scotland, and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey in Fife, Scotland where many Scottish royals were buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of England, Queen of Scots

February 26, 1416 – Birth of Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, born Christopher of Bavaria in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, then in Palatinate-Neumarkt, now in the administrative region of the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany.
Christopher was King of Denmark (1440 – 1448), Sweden (1441 – 1448), and Norway (1442 – 1448) during the era of the Kalmar Union, a personal union from 1397 to 1523 of the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. In 1445,  29-year-old Christopher III married 15-year-old Dorothea of Brandenburg. The marriage was childless and lasted less than three years. On January 5, 1448, 31-year-old Christopher suddenly died at Kärnan Fortress in Helsingborg, Sweden. He is buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.
Unofficial Royalty: Christopher III, King of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

February 26, 1577 – Death of King Eric XIV of Sweden at Örbyhus Castle in Sweden; buried at Västerås Cathedral in 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. Erik, having been deposed and imprisoned, was most likely murdered. An examination of his remains in 1958 confirmed that Erik probably died of arsenic poisoning.
Unofficial Royalty: King Eric XIV of Sweden

February 26, 1603 – Death of Maria of Spain and Austria, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary and Croatia, Archduchess of Austria, at Monastery of Santa Clara de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid, Spain where she was also buried
Maria, Infanta of Spain, Archduchess of Austria was the wife of her first cousin Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. She was the daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also Carlos I, King of Spain; Karl I, Archduke of Austria; Charles II, Lord of the Netherlands, Duke of Burgundy, among many other titles) and Isabella of Portugal. Maria and Maximilian had fifteen children. After Maximilian’s death, Maria remained in Vienna for six years and had great influence over her sons Rudolf and Matthias, both Holy Roman Emperors. She then retired to the Monastery of Santa Clara de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid, Spain, founded in 1559 by her younger sister Juana, where she died in 1603 and was buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria of Spain and Austria, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Bohemia, Queen of Hungary and Croatia, Archduchess of Austria

February 26, 1861 – Birth of Ferdinand I, Tsar of Bulgaria, born Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry at the Palais Coburg  in Vienna, Austria
Born Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry, he was elected Knyaz (Prince) of Bulgaria in 1887. In 1908, Ferdinand elevated Bulgaria to a kingdom and became Tsar Ferdinand I. The Balkan War and World War I consumed much of the next ten years. On October 3, 1918, taking full responsibility for Bulgaria’s loss in World War I, Ferdinand abdicated in favor of his son Boris. Ferdinand settled in Coburg, Germany where he devoted his time to his favorite pastimes, art, gardening, travel, and history. In 1943, his son Tsar Boris III died, and then in 1945, Ferdinand’s other son Kyril was executed. His young grandson Simeon was deposed in 1946, and the Bulgarian monarchy was abolished. Heartbroken at the loss of his family and his kingdom, Ferdinand died in Coburg. Unable to be buried in Bulgaria at the time, his remains were temporarily placed in the crypt of St. Augustine’s Church in Coburg, Germany next to those of his parents. On May 29, 2024, the remains of Ferdinand I were transported from Coburg to Sofia, Bulgaria where they were interred in the Palace Crypt at Vrana Palace on the outskirts of Sofia.
Unofficial Royalty: Tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria

February 26, 1869 – Birth of Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, grandson of Queen Victoria, at Frogmore House in Windsor, England
Full name: Albert John Charles Frederick Alfred George
Prince Albert was the son of Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria, and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. He never married but succeeded his childless first cousin, Ernst Günther, as titular Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenberg.  Shortly before his death, he recognized an illegitimate daughter, Valerie Marie.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

February 26, 1909 – Birth of King Talal of Jordan in Mecca in the Hejaz, then part of the Ottoman Empire, now part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
At the time of the death of his father, the first King of Jordan, Abdullah I, Talal was in a sanatorium in Switzerland being treated for a nervous breakdown. At first, it was unsure whether Talal would succeed his father due to his mental condition, but on September 5, 1951, he was proclaimed King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. On June 4, 1952, the Jordanian Cabinet announced that it was necessary to form a Regency Council because Talal’s condition had worsened. The Jordanian Parliament declared Talal mentally unfit on August 11, 1952, and proclaimed his eldest son Hussein King of Jordan. Talal died on July 7, 1972, in Istanbul, Turkey where he had spent the last years of his life in a sanatorium reportedly being treated for schizophrenia.
Unofficial Royalty: King Talal of Jordan

February 26, 1933 – Death of Thyra of Denmark, Crown Princess of Hanover, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and wife of Ernst Augustus, Crown Prince of the defunct throne of Hanover, at Schloss Cumberland in Gmunden, Austria, buried with her husband in the family mausoleum in Gmunden
Thyra was the sister of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. She married Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover. Although she never officially became a queen like her sisters, Thyra was the titular queen consort of Hanover as her husband had never renounced his rights to the throne. She also counts among her descendants King Constantine II of Greece, his sister Queen Sofia of Spain, Queen Sofia’s son King Felipe VI of Spain, and future Spanish monarchs. Thyra died at the age of 80 and is buried with her husband in the family mausoleum in Gmunden, Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Thyra of Denmark, Crown Princess of Hanover

February 26, 1933 – Death of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia, husband of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (daughter of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia), at Villa St Thérèse in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France; buried at the Cimetière de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in France
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia, known as Sandro, was the son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia (son of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia). In 1894, Sandro married Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia, the sister of Sandro’s friend, Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, and the daughter of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Dagmar of Denmark (Empress Maria Feodorovna). The couple had one daughter and six sons and they are the ancestors of most of the current Romanov descendants. Sandro and Xenia escaped during the Russian Revolution. Sadly, Sandro was the only one of four surviving brothers to escape Russia. In July 1918, his brother Sergei was killed by the Bolsheviks with Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna and four other Romanovs. His brothers Nicholas and George along with two other Grand Dukes were shot in January 1919 at the Fortress of St. Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg. Sandro died on February 26, 1933, at Villa St Thérèse in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France at the age of 66.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia

February 26, 1954 – Birth of Prince Ernst August of Hanover in Hanover, Lower Saxony, West Germany, now in Germany
Full name: Ernst August Albert Paul Otto Rupprecht Oskar Berthold Friedrich-Ferdinand Christian Ludwig
Ernst is the senior direct male-to-male descendant of King George III of the United Kingdom.  He is descended from George III’s son, Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, who became King of Hanover (due to the Salic Law which did not allow female succession) following King William IV’s death and the accession of Queen Victoria’s accession. He is the current pretender to the thrones of the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst August, Prince of Hanover

February 26, 1959 – Death of Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, daughter of Alexander Duff, Duke of Fife and Louise, Princess Royal (daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom) at Avenue Road, London, England; buried at Mar Lodge Chapel in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
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. Alexandra died at her home in London on February 26, 1959, at the age of 67. She is buried in the private chapel in the mausoleum of Mar Lodge in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland where her parents are buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife

February 26, 2000 – Death of Giovanna of Savoy, Tsaritsa of Bulgaria, wife of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria, in Estoril, Portugal; buried at the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi in Assisi, Italy
Giovanna was the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy and Princess Elena of Montenegro. In 1930, she married Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria. The couple had two children including Tsar Simeon III who succeeded his father. As Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski (Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), the former Tsar Simeon served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005 and as party leader until 2009. After the Soviet invasion and the abolition of the monarchy in the 1940s, the family lived in exile. In 1993, following the fall of the communist regime, Giovanna made a memorable visit to Bulgaria, on the 50th anniversary of her husband’s death. She died in Estoril, Portugal on February 26, 2000. Following her wishes to be buried in Italy, she was buried at the Chapel of the Friars at the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Giovanna of Savoy, Tsaritsa of Bulgaria

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