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Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scots, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

December 12, 1212 – Death of Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, the illegitimate son of King Henry II of England; died and buried at the Priory of Saint Michael in Grandmont, Duchy of Normandy, now in France
The identity of Geoffrey’s mother is uncertain. Henry II’s plan was for Geoffrey to enter the Church and so Geoffrey was sent to schools in Northhampton, England and Tours, County of Torraine, one of Henry’s possessions, now in France. Before 1170, the teenage Geoffrey took minor orders, lower ranks of Roman Catholic Church ministry. In 1170, when he was about eighteen years old, Geoffrey was appointed Archdeacon of Lincoln. In May 1173, Henry arranged for Geoffrey to be elected Bishop of Lincoln and in 1181, he was appointed him Chancellor of England in 1181. In 1189, at odds with his legitimate sons and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, King Henry II retreated to his favorite residence, the Château de Chinon in Anjou, now in France. Only Henry II’s illegitimate son Geoffrey was at his deathbed when he died on July 6, 1189. Henry II had made a deathbed wish that Geoffrey be named Archbishop of York, and his half-brother King Richard I did nominate Geoffrey as Archbishop of York.
Unofficial Royalty: Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, Illegitimate Son of King Henry II of England

December 12, 1296 – Death of Isabella of Mar, Countess of Carrick, first wife of Robert I, King of Scots (Robert the Bruce), due to childbirth complications at the Manor of Cardross in Dunbartonshire, Scotland; buried at Paisley Abbey in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, her tomb has not survived
Isabella of Mar was the first wife of Robert I (the Bruce), King of Scots, but she died before her husband became king. She was the daughter of Domhnall (Donald), 6th Earl of Mar and Elen the Younger ferch Llywelyn, an illegitimate daughter of the de facto Prince of Wales, Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great). In 1295, Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick and Isabella of Mar married. Shortly after the wedding, Isabella became pregnant. Nineteen-year-old Isabella had a healthy pregnancy but died soon after giving birth to a daughter named Marjorie on December 12, 1296. Marjorie Bruce married Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland. Marjorie was 19-years-old at the time of her death, like her mother, who was the same age when she died in childbirth. Marjorie’s son became Robert II, King of Scots, the first monarch of the House of Stewart. Marjorie’s descendants include the House of Stuart, all their successors on the thrones of Scotland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom, and many other European royal families.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella of Mar, Countess of Carrick

December 12, 1574 – Birth of Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scots, Queen of England, wife of James VI, King of Scots/James I, King of England and daughter of King Frederik II of Denmark, at Skanderborg Castle in Skanderborg, Denmark
In 1589, Anne married James VI, King of Scots, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1603, James succeeded to the English throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I of England as King James I of England. Anne and James had seven children but only three survived childhood: Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales who died of typhoid fever, aged 18; Elizabeth who married Frederick V, Elector Palatine, and whose daughter Sophia of Hanover became heiress presumptive to the British throne under the Act of Settlement 1701 (Sophia’s son was King George I) and King Charles I of England who was beheaded during the English Civil War. When Anne’s son Henry Frederick died, it was a great tragedy for Anne and the entire nation. Anne could not bear to have Henry’s death mentioned and people were advised not to give her condolences. After her son’s death, Anne’s health began to deteriorate and she withdrew from social activities. By 1617, Anne’s condition became debilitating. Her surviving son Charles was often with her and was at her bedside when Anne died at the age of 44 from dropsy (edema).
Unofficial Royalty: Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scots, Queen of England

December 12, 1785 – Death of Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, second wife of the future Grand Duke Carl II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the New Crypt of the Johanniterkirche in Mirow, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg- Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
In 1784, Charlotte married the future Grand Duke Carl II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Carl had previously been married to her older sister Friederike who had died after giving birth to her tenth child two years earlier. Charlotte and Carl had one son, however, twelve days after giving birth to her son, Charlotte died of complications from childbirth.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte of Hesse-Darmstadt, Duchess of Mecklenburg- Strelitz

December 12, 1791 – Birth of Marie Louise of Austria, Empress of France, second wife of Napoléon Bonaparte and daughter of Franz II, Holy Roman Emperor (later Emperor Franz I of Austria), at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Therese Josepha Lucia
Archduchess Maria Ludovica of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla in her own right. Because his wife Josephine had not provided him with an heir, French Emperor Napoleon was searching for a new bride who could bear him an heir and set his sights on the leading royal families of Europe. After Napoleon divorced his first wife, Maria Ludovica married him in 1810, became Empress of the French and Queen of Italy, and took the French version of her name, Marie Louise. The couple did have one child, a son, who died at the age of 23. After Napoleon’s final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his exile to Saint Helena in 1815, Marie Louise had no further contact with him. Marie Louise married two more times and had three children with her second husband. As Duchess of Parma, Marie Louise supported many causes, with much of her efforts going toward improving medical care and treatment. She established a childbirth hospital and a training school for nurses, as well as a hospital for those with mental illness.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Louise of Austria, Empress of France

December 12, 1801 – Birth of King Johann of Saxony in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Full name: Johann Nepomuk Maria Joseph Anton Vincenz Aloys Franz de Paula Stanislaus Bernhard Paul Felix Damasus
In 1822, Johann married Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria. They had nine children including two kings of Saxony. Johann became King of Saxony upon the death of his childless brother King Friedrich August II in 1854. His reign saw much progress within Saxony, including extending the railroad network, introducing free trade – including a commercial treaty with France – and establishing the Judiciary Organization. Under King Johann’s oversight, Saxony became one of the most modern and progressive of the German states.
Unofficial Royalty: King Johann of Saxony

December 12, 1843 – Death of King Willem I of the Netherlands in exile in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany; buried at Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, the Netherlands
Willem was the eldest surviving son of Willem V, Prince of Orange, the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic. The Napoleonic Wars disrupted Willem’s life. The French invaded the Dutch Republic in 1795 and the family went into exile first in England and then in 1796 in Prussia where they lived until 1813. In 1806, Willem’s father died and he inherited the title Prince of Orange.  After the defeat of Napoleon, the Dutch Republic was proclaimed the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Willem became its first king. King Willem I abdicated in 1840 due to constitutional changes he disagreed with, his anger over the loss of Belgium, and his desire to make a morganatic second marriage with Henriëtte d’Oultremont after the death of his first wife Wilhelmine of Prussia in 1837.  His eldest son succeeded him as Willem II.  After his abdication, Willem was styled King Willem Frederick, Count of Nassau. Willem died at the age of 71.
Unofficial Royalty: King Willem I of the Netherlands

December 12, 1912 – Death of Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried at the Theatine Church St. Cajetan in Munich
Luitpold was regent and the real ruler of Bavaria from 1886 to 1912, due to the mental incompetency of his nephews, King Ludwig II and King Otto. He was the third son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. In 1844, Luitpold married Archduchess Auguste Ferdinande of Austria and they had four children including Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria. On June 10, 1886, Luitpold became Prince Regent after his nephew King Ludwig II was declared mentally incompetent. Ludwig II died three days later under mysterious circumstances, and the throne passed to Ludwig’s brother Otto. However, by this time, Otto had also been declared mentally ill, and Luitpold continued as Prince Regent. Luitpold died at the age of 91, after having developed bronchitis. He was succeeded as Regent by his eldest son, who became King Ludwig III the following year, after deposing his cousin King Otto.
Unofficial Royalty: Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria

December 12, 1992 – Wedding of Anne, Princess Royal, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and Timothy Laurence at Crathie Church in Ballater, Scotland
Timothy Laurence first met his future wife, Anne, Princess Royal when he was Equerry to Queen Elizabeth II. As the Queen’s Equerry for three years, Timothy learned the ways of the Royal Family. He often ate with the family, accompanied them on outings, cruised on the royal yacht, and made formal introductions when important guests visited. Anne’s marriage to Mark Phillips was in trouble and Timothy caught her eye. However, it was not until 1989, when four of Timothy’s love letters were stolen from Anne’s briefcase at Buckingham Palace that the romance came to light. In the same year, Anne separated from her first husband, but her courtship with Timothy remained discreet. The couple was seldom seen together until Anne’s divorce became final in April 1992. The couple’s intention to marry was announced by Buckingham Palace on December 5, 1992, just a week before the wedding.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence

December 12, 1995 – Death of Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark, wife of her first cousin Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark, at Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Caroline-Mathilde was the granddaughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark. In 1933, Caroline-Mathilde married her first cousin Prince Knud of Denmark. Knud was the younger son of King Christian X of Denmark, the brother of Caroline-Mathilde’s father Prince Harald. Caroline-Mathilde and Knud had one daughter and two sons. From 1947 to 1953, Knud was the heir presumptive of his older brother King Frederick IX. Knud would have become king and Caroline Mathilde queen, but a 1953 change in the succession law caused Knud to lose his place in the succession to his niece, who became Queen Margrethe II upon her father’s death in 1972. After the change, Prince Knud was given the title of Hereditary Prince and Caroline Mathilde became Hereditary Princess.  Prince Knud died in 1976, and Caroline-Mathilde survived him by 19 years, dying at the age of 83.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

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Kamehameha V, King of the Hawaiian Islands; Credit – Wikipedia

December 11, 1282 – Death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales at the Battle of Orewin Bridge near Builth Wells, Wales
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was the native Prince of Wales from 1258 until he died in 1282. Llywelyn was the son of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn Fawr and grandson of Llywelyn the Great (Llywelyn I), and he was one of the last native and independent princes of Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England and English rule in Wales that followed.
Unofficial Royalty: Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales

December 11, 1718 – Death of King Karl XII of Sweden during a siege at Fredriksten Fortress in Halden, Norway; buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
Karl XII became King of Sweden at the age of fifteen in 1697 upon the death of his father Karl XI, King of Sweden, and reigned for twenty-one years.  Karl never married. For almost all of his reign, Karl XII led Sweden in the Great Northern War (1700 – 1721). He acted as the army’s general and achieved significant success for several years. After losing a decisive battle in which he was wounded and lost one-third of his forces, Karl fled to the Ottoman Empire and remained there for five years. Upon his return to Sweden, he started an offensive military campaign and ultimately lost his life in battle. In 1718, Karl again invaded Norway by laying siege to Fredriksten Fortress. On December 11, 1718, while in the trenches close to the perimeter of Fredriksten Fortress, 36-year-old Karl was hit in the head by a projectile that entered the left side of his skull and exited on the right side of his skull, instantly killing him. The invasion was abandoned and Karl’s body was returned to Sweden where he was buried at Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm.
Unofficial Royalty: King Karl XII of Sweden

December 11, 1756 – Death of Archduchess Maria Amalie of Austria, wife of Karl VII, Holy Roman Emperor who was also Karl I, Elector of Bavaria, at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich, Electorate of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria; buried in the Theatinerkirche in Munich
The daughter of Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Maria Amalie married Karl of Bavaria, the heir to the Electorate of Bavaria. They had seven children but only four survived to adulthood. During the War of the Austrian Succession, Karl, now Elector of Bavaria was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII in 1742, and his wife Maria Amalie was now Holy Roman Empress. The War of Austrian Succession greatly overshadowed Karl VII’s three-year reign as Holy Roman Emperor. After the death of her husband in 1745, Maria Amalie lived at the home her husband had given her, Fürstenried Palace, for the rest of her life. She died at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich on December 11, 1756, aged 55. Like her husband, she was buried in the Theatinerkirche in Munich.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Amalie of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, Electress of Bavaria

December 11, 1817 – Death of Countess Maria Walewska, mistress of Emperor Napoleon I of France, born Countess Maria Łączyńska, Countess d’Ornano via her second marriage, in Paris, France; her heart was interred in the Ornano family crypt at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France, and her body was buried with her birth family in Kiernozia, Poland
Maria Walewska was a member of the Polish nobility, and from 1807 – 1810, was the mistress of the French Emperor Napoleon I, with whom she had one son. The end of her relationship with Napoleon was very amicable, and Napoleon ensured that Marie and their son were very well provided for financially. In 1812, Marie divorced her husband and received half of his estates, which in addition to the money provided by Napoleon, made Marie a very wealthy woman. In 1816, she married for a second time, to Philippe Antoine, Count d’Ornano, a prominent military leader and a second cousin of Napoleon. In January 1817, while on a visit to Poland, she was diagnosed with a kidney disease, which became worse during her pregnancy and resulted in the birth of a son. Marie’s health continued to deteriorate and she died at just 31 years old.
Unofficial Royalty: Countess Maria Walewska, Mistress of Emperor Napoleon I of France

December 11, 1826 – Death of Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal, first wife of Pedro I of Brazil/Pedro IV of Portugal, in childbirth at the Palacio de São Cristovão in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; buried first in the Ajuda Abbey in Rio de Janeiro, since 1954 in the Ipiranga monument in São Paulo, Brazil
Maria Leopoldina was the daughter of Emperor Franz I of Austria and the second of his four wives, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily. In 1817, Maria Leopoldina married Pedro, Crown Prince of Portugal and Prince of Brazil.  At that time, Brazil was ruled as a kingdom united with Portugal.  In 1807, the Portuguese royal family had moved to Brazil to escape the Napoleonic invasion and had remained in Brazil where Rio de Janeiro became the de facto capital of the Portuguese Empire. Maria Leopoldina and Pedro had seven children including Queen Maria II of Portugal. Pedro was quite uneducated and the intelligent and well-educated Leopoldina quickly gained influence over her husband. Pedro discussed all government affairs with her and usually followed her advice. In August 1822, Pedro appointed Leopoldina Regent while he went on a political trip. While Pedro was away, Leopoldina received news that Portugal was about to take action, and without waiting for Pedro’s return, met with the Council of State and signed the Decree of Independence, declaring Brazil independent from Portugal. Pedro I was declared Emperor of Brazil. 29-year-old Leopoldina died at the Palacio de São Cristovão on December 11, 1826, from puerperal fever (childbed fever) after a miscarriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal

December 11, 1830 – Birth of Kamehameha V, King of the Hawaiian Islands in Honolulu on the island of Oahu in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, now in the state of Hawaii
December 11, 1872 – Death of Kamehameha V, King of the Hawaiian Islands in Honolulu on the island of Oahu in the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, now in the state of Hawaii
Kamehameha V, King of the Hawaiian Islands was the son of High Chief Mataio Kekūanaōʻa, Royal Governor of Oʻahu, and Princess Elizabeth Kīnaʻu, daughter of Kamehameha I, King of the Hawaiian Islands. Both parents of Kamehameha IV were converts to Christianity so Kamehameha V was given the name Lot Kapuāiwa. From 1849 to 1852, Lot traveled around the world with his brother Alexander, the future King Kamehameha IV, and their guardian Gerrit P. Judd, an American physician and missionary. On November 30, 1863, Lot’s brother, 29-year-old brother King Kamehameha IV died, and Lot succeeded him as Kamehameha V, King of the Hawaiian Islands. Travel to the Hawaiian Islands increased during Lot’s reign. The American author Mark Twain came in March 1866 and stayed for four months. In 1869, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom sent her second son Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh on a state visit. Lot never married. As he lay dying on December 11, 1872, his forty-second birthday, he told those who came to visit him, “It is hard to die on my birthday, but God’s will be done.” Lot was interred in the Royal Mausoleum, Mauna ʻAla (Fragrant Hills) in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. In 1887, after the Royal Mausoleum became too crowded, the caskets of the members of the House of Kamehameha were moved to the newly built Kamehameha Tomb, an underground vault, under the Kamehameha Dynasty Tomb.
Unofficial Royalty: Kamehameha V, King of the Hawaiian Islands

December 11, 1850 – Birth of Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, Hereditary Princess of Monaco, first wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, daughter of William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton, at Hamilton Palace in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland
Besides having an American mother, Prince Albert II of Monaco has a Scottish great-grandmother, and not on his mother’s side, but on his father’s side. Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton was the daughter of William Alexander Anthony Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and Princess Marie Amelie of Baden. French Emperor Napoléon III suggested a match between the future Prince Albert I of Monaco and Lady Mary Victoria. The couple married in 1869 but the marriage was unsuccessful. Mary Victoria did not like her husband and did not like Monaco and the Mediterranean, which was so unlike her native Scotland. 19-year-old, pregnant Mary Victoria left Monaco with her mother and headed to her mother’s family home in the Grand Duchy of Baden where she gave birth to the future Prince Louis II of Monaco in 1870. Mary Victoria and Albert never reconciled. Their marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church in 1880 and civilly dissolved the same year by Prince Charles III of Monaco. Their son Prince Louis was raised in Baden by his maternal grandmother and did not see his father until he was 11-years-old. Mary Victoria married a second time in 1880 to Count Tassilo Festetics de Tolna, a Hungarian noble, and the couple had four children. Mary Victoria’s second marriage was a happy one and lasted over 40 years until the death of her second husband.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, Hereditary Princess of Monaco

December 11, 1898 – Death of Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet, Queen Victoria’s Physician-in-Ordinary from 1861 – 1890, at his estate Greenwood in Durley, Hampshire, England; buried at Holy Cross Churchyard in Durley, Hampshire, England
Jenner took an interest in pathology, particularly in typhus and typhoid fever. Through his work, Jenner confirmed in 1849 that typhus and typhoid fever were two distinct diseases with very different causes. His work on the subject earned him an international reputation and made a huge impact on public health. With the importance of Jenner’s pathology work, his career quickly progressed. He taught pathological anatomy at the University College of London and became a staff doctor at University College Hospital. In 1861, his fame reached Queen Victoria who appointed him her Physician-Extraordinary. Jenner was one of the doctors who treated Prince Albert during his final illness. Despite his failure to save Albert, Jenner made a favorable impression on Queen Victoria, who appointed him her Physician-In-Ordinary in 1862. Queen Victoria and Jenner became lifelong friends, and in 1868, she created Jenner a Baronet. In December 1878, Jenner went to Darmstadt to attend Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, Queen Victoria’s daughter who had become ill with diphtheria while nursing her family, also ill with the disease. Sadly, Alice died seventeen years to the day of her father’s death. In 1890, Jenner was forced to retire from his position as Physician-In-Ordinary due to ill health. He went to live at his estate, Greenwood in Durley, Hampshire, England, where he died at the age of 83.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir William Jenner, 1st Baronet

December 11, 1936 – Abdication of King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom; his brother becomes King George VI of the United Kingdom
On December 11, 1936, King Edward VIII performed the last act of his reign, the royal assent to His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, necessary because only Parliament can change the succession to the throne. On the evening of December 11, 1936, once again His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the former king gave his famous radio speech in which he said, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.” On December 12, 1936, at the accession meeting of the Privy Council, the new King George VI announced he was going to give his brother the title Duke of Windsor with the style of Royal Highness. Letters Patent dated May 27, 1937 re-conferred the “title, style, or attribute of Royal Highness” upon the Duke of Windsor, but specifically stated that “his wife and descendants, if any, shall not hold said title or attribute”.
Unofficial Royalty: Duke of Windsor, former King Edward VIII

December 11, 1950 – Death of Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in Langenburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried in the family cemetery at Schloss Langenburg in Langenburg
In 1896, Ernst married Alexandra of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The couple was second cousins. Their grandmothers, Queen Victoria and Princess Feodora of Leiningen were half-sisters. Ernst and Alexandra had five children including Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg who married Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark, a sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In 1900, Ernst’s father-in-law Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha died, and the ducal throne of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha passed to Alexandra’s cousin, Charles Edward, Duke of Albany. Because Charles Edward was just sixteen, Ernst was appointed as Regent until the new Duke reached his majority in 1905. During World War I, Ernst served the German Empire as General Delegate to the Eastern Front and also served as a special envoy to Constantinople and the Balkans in 1915. In 1936, Ernst joined the Nazi Party. Following World War II, Ernst retired from official service and lived a quiet and more private life. Ernst died at the age of 87, having survived his wife by eight years.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst II, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

December 11, 1980 – Death of Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, Princess of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick, daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, in Hanover, Germany; buried in the Royal Mausoleum in the Berggarten at Herrenhausen Gardens in Hanover, Germany
Viktoria Luise was the youngest child of the seven children and the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia. Through her father, she was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria. In 1913, Viktoria Luise married Ernst August III, Duke of Brunswick. Viktoria Luise and Ernst August had five children. Viktoria Luise’s husband was forced to abdicate on November 8, 1918, when the monarchies in Germany were abolished. The following year, he also lost his British title as a Prince of the United Kingdom under the Titles Deprivation Act. Viktoria Luise was widowed in 1953. After living many years in Brunswick, her health began to fail in the fall of 1980, and she moved to the Friederikestift, a hospital in Hanover, where she died at the age of 88.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, Princess of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick

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Leopold I, King of the Belgians, Credit – Wikipedia

Royal Events Today

• Unofficial Royalty: Nobel Peace Prize – Norway – December 10
• Unofficial Royalty: Nobel Prizes – Sweden – December 10

Today in Royal History

December 10, 1756 – Birth of Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in Schwerin, then in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
In 1775, Friedrich Franz married Princess Luise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg and had six children. He also had numerous mistresses and fathered at least 15 illegitimate children. He maintained close contact with all of them, providing financial support and arranging for the best education possible for his sons. Friedrich Franz became the reigning Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1785, following the death of his childless uncle Friedrich II. After Napoleon’s defeat, Friedrich Franz was raised to Grand Duke in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna. The remaining years of his reign were focused on strengthening the education system in the Grand Duchy, as well as pushing for legal reforms and the abolishment of serfdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

December 10, 1825 – Birth of Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, in Corfu, Greece, where his father was stationed with the British Army
In 1857, Henry was appointed Equerry to Prince Albert, beginning his service in the Royal Household which would continue until just months before his death in 1895. He was Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary from 1870-1895 as well as Keeper of the Privy Purse from 1878-1895.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Henry Ponsonby

December 10, 1861 – Birth of Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, born Frances Evelyn Maynard at 27 Berkeley Square in London, England
Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, was the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from 1889 until 1898, while he was The Prince of Wales. A renowned social hostess, she later put much of her time and effort, and fortune into helping those less fortunate. Interestingly, Daisy was descended from King Charles II of England in several different ways, through his mistresses Nell Gwyn, Barbara Palmer, and Louise de Kéroualle.
Unofficial Royalty: Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick, mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

December 10, 1865 – Death of Leopold I, King of the Belgians at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium; buried in the  Royal Vault at the Church of Our Lady in Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
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. Leopold died at the age of 74. Among his last words were “Charlotte…Charlotte.” Was he calling to his daughter Charlotte or to his beloved first wife Princess Charlotte of Wales?
Unofficial Royalty: King Leopold I of the Belgians

December 10, 1936 – King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom signs the Instrument of Abdication
King Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication at Fort Belvedere, his home in Windsor Great Park, in the presence of his brothers: Prince Albert, Duke of York, the heir to the throne; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince George, Duke of Kent. The next day, the last act of his reign was the royal assent to His Majesty’s Declaration of Abdication Act 1936, necessary because only Parliament can change the succession to the throne. On the evening of December 11, 1936, once again His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the former king gave his famous radio speech in which he said, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, Duke of Windsor

December 10, 2014 – Birth of Princess Gabriella of Monaco, Countess of Carladès and Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, Marquis of Baux, children of Prince Albert II of Monaco, at the Princess Grace Hospital Center in Monaco
Full names: Gabriella Thérèse Marie and Jacques Honoré Rainier
Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès and Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, Marquis of Baux are the twin children of Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene (born Charlene Wittstock). Gabriella was born two minutes before her twin brother, however, she is second in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco. Because the succession to the throne is male-preference cognatic primogeniture, Gabriella’s brother Jacques is ahead of her in the line of succession even though she was born first.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Gabriella of Monaco
Unofficial Royalty: Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco

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Pedro II, King of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

December 9, 1706 – Death of King Pedro II of Portugal at the Palhavã Palace in Alcântara, Portugal; buried at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Pedro was King of Portugal from 1683 until his death, previously serving as regent for his mentally disabled brother King Afonso VI from 1668 until his accession. Pedro not only inherited his brother’s throne but also married his widow Marie-Françoise of Savoy. After his first wife died, Pedro married again to Maria Sophia of Neuberg because he had only one daughter with his first wife and wanted sons. On December 5, 1706, he had a seizure that resulted in a stroke and he died four days later. Pedro was succeeded by was 17-year-old son João V, King of Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King Pedro II of Portugal

December 9, 1709 – Birth of Louise-Élisabeth of Orléans, Queen of Spain, wife of King Luis I of Spain, at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
Louise-Élisabeth was the daughter of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans and Françoise Marie de Bourbon, the legitimized daughter of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan. In 1721, eleven-year-old Louise Élisabeth married the future King Luis I of Spain. The marriage was unsuccessful and resulted in no children due to Louise Élisabeth’s being young and her increasingly erratic and impulsive behavior. In 1724, King Luis I died from smallpox. Louise Élisabeth was a widow at the age of fourteen. Because the marriage of Luis I and Louise Élisabeth had not been consummated, Louise Élisabeth was to be sent back to France. She lived at the Palais du Luxembourg in Paris, away from the court of King Louis XV, her first cousin once removed. Louise Élisabeth died lonely and forgotten, seventeen years later, on June 16, 1742. She was buried in the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris but her tomb was desecrated and destroyed during the French Revolution.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise-Élisabeth of Orléans, Queen of Spain

December 9, 1751 – Birth of Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain, wife of King Carlos IV of Spain, in the Duchy of Parma, now in Italy
Full name: Luisa María Teresa Ana
The daughter of Felipe, Infante of Spain, Duke of Parma (founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma) and Louise Élisabeth of France, Maria Luisa married her first cousin, the future King Carlos IV of Spain in 1765. Maria Luisa had twenty-three pregnancies. Thirteen of the pregnancies resulted in live births, including a set of twins. The other ten pregnancies ended in miscarriages. Of the fourteen children who were born alive, only seven survived childhood. In 1808, after riots and a revolt, King Carlos IV was forced to abdicate in favor of his son King Fernando VII. Less than two months later, Carlos IV and his son Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon I, Emperor of the French where he forced them both to abdicate, declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed, and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain. Napoleon kept Carlos and Maria Luisa’s son Fernando VII under guard in France for more than five years until the 1813 Treaty of Valençay provided for the restoration of Fernando VII as King of Spain. After Napoleon’s final defeat in 1815, King Fernando VII refused to allow his parents to return to Spain. Carlos IV and Maria Luisa settled in Rome at the Palazzo Barberini where they both died in 1819.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Luisa of Parma, Queen of Spain

December 9, 1793 – Death of Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac, favorite of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, in Vienna, Austria; buried in Vienna, Austria
In 1775, Gabrielle and her husband were invited to visit Versailles by her sister-in-law, Diane de Polignac, who was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Elizabeth of France, the younger sister of King Louis XVI. Gabrielle was formally presented to Queen Marie Antoinette who instantly took a liking to her and soon asked her to move permanently to Versailles. Heavily in debt, this was not a move that Gabrielle and her husband could afford. Despite their aristocratic background, there was little money for extravagance. They lived on Jules’s military salary of just 4,000 livres and were heavily in debt. Becoming aware of this, Marie Antoinette quickly arranged to settle their debts and find a better position for Jules within the royal household. In 1782, Gabrielle was appointed Governess to the children of France. Following the storming of the Bastille in July 1789, Gabrielle and her family fled France, traveling throughout Europe before eventually settling in Vienna, Austria. During this time, she remained in close contact with Marie Antoinette for the next several years. Having developed what is believed to be cancer, her health quickly began to decline. Just two months after the Queen’s execution, Gabrielle died at the age of 44. Gabrielle is an ancestor of Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Gabrielle de Polastron, Duchesse de Polignac

December 9, 1799 – Birth of Lord Frederick FitzClarence, illegitimate son of King William IV of the United Kingdom, at Bushy House in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
Frederick was one of the ten illegitimate children of the future King William IV of the United Kingdom and his mistress Dorothea Jordan. Frederick married Lady Augusta Boyle, the daughter of George Boyle, 4th Earl of Glasgow, and they had two children. Frederick had a military career. His highest military rank was Lieutenant-General. Frederick, aged fifty-four, died on October 30, 1854, in Pune, Maharashtra, India in active service as Commander-in-Chief of the Bombay Army.
Unofficial Royalty: Frederick FitzClarence, Illegitimate Son of King William IV of the United Kingdom

December 9, 1806 – Death of Franz Friedrich Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried in a mausoleum in the Coburg Court Garden in Coburg
Franz Friedrich Anton was the grandfather of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1777, Franz married Augusta Reuss of Ebersdorf. They had nine children including Franz’s successor and Prince Albert’s father Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Queen Victoria’s mother Victoria, and Leopold who was the first King of the Belgians. In 1775, he began a print collection that ultimately consisted of 300,000 prints. The collection can be visited at the Veste Coburg. Because of Franz, the family’s library had an extensive collection of books. Franz conducted an extensive renovation of the family castles. Walls, ditches, and towers were demolished and replaced by gardens and other green areas. In 1805, Franz bought back Schloss Rosenau which the family had been forced to sell in 1704 due to debts. Franz Frederick Anton died, aged 56.
Unofficial Royalty: Franz Friedrich Anton, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

December 9, 1810 – Birth of Auguste de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg, first husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal, at the Royal Villa of Monza, just outside of Milan, Italy
Full name: Auguste Charles Eugène Napoléon
Auguste was the eldest son of Eugène de Beauharnais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria, a daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria. Auguste’s father Eugène was the son of the French Empress Joséphine from her first marriage, and therefore a stepson of Emperor Napoleon I. on January 26, 1835, Auguste married Queen Maria II of Portugal. Sadly, their marriage was to be very short-lived. On March 20, 1835, Auguste complained of a sore throat but refused to see a doctor. By March 23, 1835, his condition was worse and he finally consented to see a doctor. Within days, his condition became extremely grave, doctors told the family there was no hope, and Auguste was given the last rites. Auguste died on March 28, 1835, at the age of 24, most likely from diphtheria.
Unofficial Royalty: Auguste de Beauharnais, 2nd Duke of Leuchtenberg

December 9, 1963 – Birth of Empress Masako of Japan, wife of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, born Masako Owada at Toranomon Hospital in Tokyo, Japan
Masako’s father Hisashi Owada, was a former Japanese diplomat and served as Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations and as a member of the International Court of Justice, located in the Netherlands. Masako has a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Radcliffe College, part of Harvard University, and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Balliol College, Oxford University. In 1986, Masako met her future husband, Emperor Naruhito of Japan, at a tea held in honor of Infanta Elena of Spain. She finally accepted his third proposal in December 1992.  On June 9, 1993, Naruhito and Masako were married in a traditional ceremony. The couple has one daughter Princess Aiko, born in 2001. In 2004, it was announced that she was suffering from Adjustment Disorder, although many speculate that she was dealing with clinical depression, brought on by the pressures and constraints placed upon her by the strict Imperial Household Agency. It would be many years before she would return to the public eye. In 2019, upon the abdication of his father Emperor Akihito, Masako’s husband became Emperor of Japan and she became Empress.
Unofficial Royalty: Empress Masako of Japan

December 9, 1987 – Death of Ernst August (IV), the former Hereditary Prince of Brunswick and Prince of Hanover, at Calenberg Castle in Schulenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried at Marienburg Castle in Pattensen in Lower Saxony, Germany
Ernst August (IV) was the eldest son of Ernst August (III), Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia. He was the senior male-line descendant of King George III of the United Kingdom, which made him the pretender to the former Kingdom of Hanover. He was also a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria via his mother. In 1951, Ernst August (IV) married Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. They had six children including the present Prince Ernst August (V), the husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco. After his first wife’s death, Ernst August (IV) married Countess Monika zu Solms-Laubach. Ernst August (IV) died at the age of 73.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst August (IV), Hereditary Prince of Brunswick and Prince of Hanover

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