© Unofficial Royalty 2023

Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy; Credit – Wikipedia

December 27, 1663 – Death of Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy, daughter of King Henri IV of France and wife of Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy, at the Palazzo Madama in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy; buried at Basilica of Sant’Andrea in Vercelli, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy, in 1802, her remains were transferred to the nearby Church of Saint Teresa of Avila
Christine was the daughter of King Henri IV of France and his second wife Marie de’ Medici. In 1619, on her 13th birthday, she married the future Vittorio Amadeo I, Duke of Savoy and they had seven children. Christine introduced French culture to the Savoy court and was quite active in the renovations of Savoy palaces and castles. Her sister Henrietta Maria had married King Charles I of England and the two sisters had a rivalry to see who had the more splendid court. Upon the death of her husband in 1637, Christine became Regent for her five-year-old son Francesco Giacinto, Duke of Savoy and when he died in 1638, she became Regent for her other son Carlo Emanuele II, Duke of Savoy. In later years, Christine had a religious conversion that radically transformed her from a life of pleasure to a life of extreme penitential practices. She died at the age of 57 and requested to be buried in the habit of a Discalced Carmelite nun.
Unofficial Royalty: Christine Marie of France, Duchess of Savoy

December 27, 1683 – Death of Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Afonso VI of Portugal and King Pedro II of Portugal, at the palace of the Count of Sarzedas in Palhavã, Portugal; first buried at the Convent of the Francesinhas, moved in 1912 to the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal
Maria Francisca of Savoy was Queen of Portugal twice, once as the wife of Afonso VI, King of Portugal, and then as the wife of his brother Pedro II, King of Portugal. In 1666, she married King Afonso VI who was debilitated mentally and physically due to the effects of a disease he contracted in childhood. Maria Francisca cooperated with her brother-in-law Pedro in a coup that led to Pedro assuming the role of Prince Regent in 1668. While Pedro never formally usurped the throne, Afonso VI was king in name only for the rest of his life. After Maria Francisca’s marriage to Afonso VI was annulled on the grounds of non-consummation, she married Pedro. In 1683, Afonso VI died and his brother succeeded him as Pedro II, King of Portugal, and Maria Francisca was Queen of Portugal for a second time. She died on December 27, 1683.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Francisca of Savoy, Queen of Portugal

December 27, 1755 – Birth of King Anton of Saxony in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Full name: Anton Clemens Theodor Maria Josef Johann Evangelista Johann Nepomuk Franz Xavier Aloys Januar
In 1827, Anton became King of Saxony, upon the death of his elder brother King Friedrich August I, who had only one surviving child, a daughter. Anton also had no male heirs. His first marriage was childless and the one son and three daughters from his second marriage either died at birth or died in infancy. By 1830, following the July Revolution in France, Saxony began to see some small uprisings, usually directed at the Constitution. In order to maintain peace, several changes took place. In September 1830, Anton appointed his nephew and heir, Friedrich August, as Co-Regent. And the following year, a new Constitution was put into place, establishing Saxony as a true constitutional monarchy. Anton was succeeded by his nephew King Friedrich August II.
Unofficial Royalty: King Anton of Saxony

December 27, 1849 – Birth of Alicia of Bourbon-Parma, Titular Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Ferdinando IV, then the titular Grand Duke of Tuscany in Parma, Duchy of Parma, now in Italy
Full name: Alicia Maria Carolina Ferdinanda Rachael Giovanna Filomena
Alicia was the daughter of Carlo III, Duke of Parma and Princess Louise Marie Thérèse of France, who was a granddaughter of King Charles X of France. Alice’s father was assassinated in 1854 and her six-year-old brother Roberto became Duke of Parma. Roberto lost his throne in 1859 during the Italian unification movement. In 1868, Alicia became the second wife of the former Ferdinando IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Ferdinando lost his throne due to the Italian unification and was in exile like Alicia’s family. Alicia and Ferdinando had ten children. Ferdinando and Alicia lived at the Villa Tuscany in Lindau, Austria during the summer, and during the winter they lived in a wing of the Salzburg Residenz, formerly the residence of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg. Both residences were provided by Ferdinando’s second cousin Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Alicia of Bourbon-Parma, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

December 27, 1894 – Death of the former Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies in Arco, Austria-Hungary, now in Italy; originally buried at the Church of the Holy Spirit of the Neapolitans in Rome, in 1984, his remains were transferred to the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Naples, Italy
Francesco II was the last King of the Two Sicilies. In 1859, he married Maria Sophie of Bavaria. The couple had one daughter. Three months after his marriage Francesco’s father died and he became King of the Two Sicilies. During the reign of Francesco II, Giuseppe Garibaldi’s 1860-1861 invasion called the Expedition of the Thousand led to the fall of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which then was annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861. After losing his throne, Francesco lived in Rome but in 1870, the annexation of the Papal States to Italy, including Rome, forced Francesco and Maria Sophie to find refuge in Austria, France, and Bavaria. Maria Sophie purchased Garatshausen Castle on Lake Starnberg in the Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria from her brother Ludwig, and the castle became their home. Francesco died at the age of 58 in Arco, where he spent winters, then in Austria-Hungary, now in Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Francesco II, King of the Two Sicilies

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Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

December 26, 1771 – Birth of Julie Clary, wife of King Joseph Bonaparte of Naples and Sicily, Spain and the Indies, in Marseilles, France
Full name: Marie Julie
Marie Julie Clary was the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Joseph Bonaparte who was King of Naples from 1806 – 1808, and King of Spain from 1808 – 1813. Julie and Joseph had two daughters. In 1808, King Carlos IV of Spain and his son King Fernando VII were summoned to a meeting with Napoleon where they forced them both to abdicate their rights to the Spanish throne. Napoleon declared the Bourbon dynasty of Spain deposed and installed his brother Joseph as King of Spain. Julie never lived in or even traveled to Spain, preferring to live in France. In 1813, Due to the defeats in the Peninsular War, Napoleon was forced to reinstate Ferdinand VII as King of Spain. Joseph went into exile in Switzerland and Julie remained in France.  Joseph eventually went to the United States where he lived for seventeen years before returning to Europe. In 1840, Joseph joined Julie in Florence, where she had settled. Julie accepted him back despite his adultery In the United States which resulted in two American daughters. In 1844, Joseph died in Florence. Julie survived him by eight months dying in Florence on April 7, 1845, aged seventy-three.
Unofficial Royalty: Julie Clary Bonaparte, Queen of Spain, Queen of Naples

December 26, 1777 – Birth of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, in Darmstadt, Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt, now in Hesse Germany
In 1804, Ludwig married his first cousin, Princess Wilhelmine of Baden. The couple had five children including Ludwig’s successor Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Prince Alexander whose morganatic marriage to Countess Julia Hauke started the Battenberg/Mountbatten family, and Princess Maria who married Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia. Ludwig became Grand Duke upon his father’s death in March 1830 and continued his father’s policies. Soon after his accession, he demanded that the state assume all of his personal debts. This led to a growing dislike for Ludwig among the Hessian people. He also stood strongly against calls for a more liberal government which was sweeping through Europe. Following the beginning of the March Revolution of 1848, Grand Duke Ludwig II abdicated on March 5, 1848, in favor of his eldest son.
Unofficial Royalty: Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine

December 26, 1800 – Death of Mary Robinson, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, in Englefield Green, Surrey, England; buried at St. Peter and St. Andrew Churchyard in Windsor, Berkshire, England
Mary Robinson was a noted English poet and actress who became the first mistress of the future King George IV, while he was still Prince of Wales. Their relationship lasted just two years. Her first book of poetry, Poems By Mrs. Robinson,  was published in 1775. She soon caught the attention of Georgina Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who became somewhat of a patron to Mary, sponsoring the publication of Mary’s second book of poetry, Captivity. While performing as Perdita in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Winter Tale in 1779 at the Drury Lane Theater in London, Mary caught the attention of The Prince of Wales who attended a performance and was instantly smitten.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary Robinson, mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom

December 26, 1818 – Death of Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain, second of the four wives of King Ferdinand VII of Spain at the Palace of Aranjuez in Spain; buried at the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in Spain
Maria Isabel was the daughter of King João VI of Portugal and Infanta Carlota Joaquina of Spain. She married her maternal uncle Ferdinand VII of Spain, who was 13 years older than her. Ferdinand’s first wife had died childless ten years earlier. The marriage was made with the aim of strengthening relations between Spain and Portugal, and of course, with the goal of providing heirs to the throne. Maria Isabel gave birth to a daughter who only lived for five months.  There were terrible complications when 21-year-old Maria Isabel went into labor with her second child, a daughter who was in breech position and died in utero. Maria Isabel had lost consciousness and appeared to have stopped breathing, so the doctors believed she had died. When they began to cut her open to remove the dead child, she let out a cry of pain, fainted, and bled to death.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Isabel of Portugal, Queen of Spain

December 26, 2004 – Death of Sir Angus Ogilvy, husband of Princess Alexandra of Kent, at Kingston Hospital in London, England; buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England
Angus Ogilvy was the second son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie. Angus’s grandmother, Mabell Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie was a close lifelong friend of Queen Mary and served as one of her ladies-in-waiting for over 50 years. His father served as a Lord-in-Waiting to King George V and then as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother from 1937-1965. An uncle served as an equerry to the future King Edward VIII while he was Prince of Wales. His elder brother served as Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth II from 1984-1997 and his sister-in-law, Virginia, has been a lady-in-waiting to The Queen since 1973.  In 1963, Angus married Princess Alexandra of Kent and the couple had two children. Angus was offered an Earldom by The Queen but graciously declined. He died from throat cancer in 2004.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Angus Ogilvy

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Emperor Taisho of Japan; Credit – Wikipedia

December 25, 1461 – Birth of Christina of Saxony, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, wife of King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, in Torgau, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
In 1478, Christina married the future King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Christina and Hans had six children. In 1501, Hans began a long-term affair with Edel Jernskjæg, one of Christina’s ladies-in-waiting. The affair caused a scandal and a de facto termination of their marriage. From that time on, the marriage of Hans and Christina was one in name only. Christina was a devout Catholic (the Reformation had not yet occurred in Denmark) and she founded convents for the nuns of the Poor Clares in Copenhagen and Odense. In 1513, King Hans died from injuries after he was thrown from his horse. Christina survived her husband by eight years, dying aged 59, and was buried wearing the habit of a Poor Clares nun.
Unofficial Royalty: Christina of Saxony, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden

December 25, 1584 – Birth of Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain, wife of King Felipe III of Spain, in Graz, Austria
The daughter of Karl II, Archduke of Austria-Styria and his niece Maria Anna of Bavaria, Margaret married Felipe III, King of Spain in 1599. Felipe and Margaret, both children of parents who were an uncle and his niece, were first cousins once removed and also second cousins, adding to more inbreeding in the House of Habsburg.  Margaret and Felipe III had eight children, including King Felipe III’s successor King Felipe IV and Ana María Mauricia (better known as Queen Anne of France) who married King Louis XIII of France. They were the parents of King Louis XIV of France. In 1611, Margaret died at the age of twenty-six from childbirth complications eleven days after giving birth to her eighth child.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain

December 25, 1667 – Birth of Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal, mistress of King George I of Great Britain, in Emden, Electorate of Brandenburg, now part of Altenhausen in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
In 1691, Melusine became the mistress of George, Electoral Prince of Hanover, the future Elector of Hanover and King George I of Great Britain. Despite the fact that the future King George I had affairs while he lived in Hanover, when his wife had one, she was divorced, sent off to a German castle for the rest of her life, and her lover disappeared, supposedly murdered. Melusine was more like a wife to George. She accompanied him to London when he became King of Great Britain and became a naturalized British citizen. After George I’s death, Melusine lived out the remainder of her life at her London home in the companionship of a large bird, probably a raven, in which she believed that George’s soul had been reincarnated.
Unofficial Royalty: Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal 

December 25, 1833 – Birth of Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, 2nd wife of Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg, in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Through their mothers who were sisters, Adelheid-Marie was the first cousin of King Frederick VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, Crown Thyra Princess of Hanover, and Prince Valdemar of Denmark. Adelheid-Marie married the future Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg in 1851. The couple had two surviving children including Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Adelheid-Marie died at the age of 82.
Unofficial Royalty: Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

December 25, 1901 – Birth of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, born Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Duchess of Gloucester at Montagu House in London, England
Full name: Alice Christabel
Alice was the widow of King George V’s son Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, aunt of Queen Elizabeth II, and mother of Prince Richard, the current Duke of Gloucester. She was born Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott, the daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch and 9th Duke of Queensberry and Lady Margaret Bridgeman. In 1935, Alice married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and the couple had two sons. During the early reign of Henry’s niece Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester carried out royal engagements including some overseas tours. Princess Alice died peacefully in her sleep at Kensington Palace in London at the age of 102, the longest-lived member of the British Royal Family so far.
 Unofficial Royalty: Birth of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

December 25, 1902 – Birth of Princess Françoise of Greece and Denmark, second wife of Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark, born Princess Françoise of Orléans in Paris, France
Full name: Françoise Isabelle Louise Marie
Françoise was the daughter of Prince Jean of Orléans, Duke of Guise, an Orléanist pretender to the throne of France, and Princess Isabelle of Orléans. She was a great-great-granddaughter of Louis Philippe I, King of the French, four times over and a great-granddaughter of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil and King Ferdinand VII of Spain. In 1929, she married the widowed Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark and the couple had one son. Christopher died in 1940, at the age of 51, after suffering from a lung abscess. After her husband’s death, Françoise’s financial situation was tenuous. After living in several different places, she finally settled with her sister in Paris, France. Françoise became very introverted and greatly limited her social interactions. Suffering from depression, her health quickly declined. She died in Paris, France in 1953, just two months after her 50th birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Françoise of Orléans, Princess Françoise of Greece and Denmark

December 25, 1926 – Death of Emperor Taishō of Japan at the Imperial Palace at Hayama, in Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, Japan; buried at the Musashino Imperial Mausoleum in Tokyo, Japan
Emperor Taishō’s mother Lady Naruko Yanagihara was a concubine to his father Emperor Meiji, was the last concubine to give birth to a Japanese emperor. Three weeks after his birth, Taishō suffered from cerebral meningitis and this affected his health and his mental capacity, including a speech disorder and difficulty walking, for the rest of his life. In 1900, Taishō married Lady Sadako Kujō (Empress Teimei). Because of Taishō’s diminished mental capacity, Emperor Meiji wanted an intelligent, articulate, and dignified wife for his son, and he found those qualities in Sadako. The couple had four sons including Hirohito, Emperor Shōwa. In 1912, Taishō succeeded his father as Emperor of Japan. He was kept out of public view as much as possible because of his mental incapacity.  It soon became apparent that he could not carry out any public functions, participate in daily government matters, or make decisions. This was all left to his ministers and his son Crown Prince Hirohito. Finally, Crown Prince Hirohito was named Prince Regent in 1921. Taishō died of a heart attack at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Taishō of Japan

December 25, 1936 – Birth of Princess Alexandra of Kent, daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent, at 3 Belgrave Square in London, England
The only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece, Alexandra was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, and through her mother, she is a first cousin once removed of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Along with her brothers Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent, she grew up at Coppins, the family’s country home in Iver in Buckinghamshire, England. In 1942, her father was killed in a plane crash, just weeks after the birth of her younger brother. In the late 1950s, Princess Alexandra began to take on royal duties, supporting her cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. In 1963, Alexandra married The Honorable Angus Ogilvy, second son of David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie. The couple had one son and one daughter.
Full name: Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Alexandra of Kent

December 25, 2019 – Death of Ari Behn, the former husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway; buried at the Cemetery of Our Saviour in Olso, Norway
Ari’s work career was diverse. He was an author, the owner of a fashion design company, the designer of a successful collection of glasses and dishes, made documentaries for television, and worked as a writer for various publications. In 2002, Ari married Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, the daughter of King Harald V of Norway. Ari and Princess Märtha Louise had three daughters. In August 2016, it was announced that the couple separated. They divorced in 2017. Sadly, Ari Behn died by suicide at his home in Lommedalen, Norway. He was 47 years old.
Unofficial Royalty: Ari Behn
Unofficial Royalty: Funeral of Ari Behn

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Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

December 24, 1167 – Birth of King John of England at Beaumont Palace in Oxford, England
John was the youngest of the eight children of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. In 1199, John succeeded his childless brother King Richard I as King of England. During his reign, John lost the French territories of Normandy, Maine, Touraine, Anjou, and Poitou, all ancestral territories of his Norman or Angevin ancestors. While John was trying to save his French territories, his discontented English barons led by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, were protesting John’s continued misgovernment of England. The result of this discontent was the best-known event of John’s reign, the Magna Carta, the “great charter” of English liberties. Among the liberties were the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown.
Unofficial Royalty: King John of England

December 24, 1597 – Birth of Honoré II, Prince of Monaco in Monaco
When Honoré  II was two years old, his mother died due to childbirth complications. In 1604, his father Hercule, Lord of Monaco was stabbed to death while walking through the streets of Monaco at night. A month short of his seventh birthday, Honoré succeeded his father as Lord of Monaco. In 1612, Honoré II started using the title of Prince, becoming the first Prince of Monaco. Honoré II became a vassal of King Louis XIII of France in 1633. Many Princes of Monaco were vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes of Monaco. The Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families. In 1616, Honoré married Ippolita Trivulzio, the daughter of the Italian nobles. Honoré and Ippolita had one son who died before his father. During his reign, Honoré II did much to extend, rebuild, and transform what was originally the 1191 fortress of his Grimaldi ancestors into what is today’s Prince’s Palace of Monaco. After a reign of fifty-eight years, Honoré II, Prince of Monaco died in Monaco on January 10, 1662, at the age of 64.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Honoré II of Monaco

December 24, 1634 – Birth of Mariana of Austria, Queen of Spain, second wife of her maternal uncle King Philip IV of Spain, in Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Mariana was the daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria and his first wife Maria Anna of Spain. She was betrothed to Balthasar Carlos, Prince of Asturias, the son and heir of King Felipe IV of Spain, Mariana’s uncle, the brother of her mother. However, Balthasar Carlos died three months after the betrothal from smallpox, leaving his father with no male heir. 44-year-old King Felipe IV arranged to marry his son’s former fiancée, his 14-year-old niece Mariana. Mariana and Felipe IV had five children but only two survived childhood, including Felipe IV’s heir, the physically and mentally disabled King Carlos II of Spain. While a person in the fifth generation normally has thirty-two different ancestors, Carlos II had only ten different ancestors in the fifth generation. After the death of her husband, Mariana served as Regent for her four-year-old son, and remained an influential figure during his reign, until her death.
Unofficial Royalty: Mariana of Austria, Queen of Spain

December 24, 1660 – Death of Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange, daughter of King Charles I of England, wife of Willem II, Prince of Orange, mother of King William III of England, at Whitehall Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Mary was created the first Princess Royal. Her mother Queen Henrietta Maria, daughter of King Henri IV of France, wanted to imitate the way the eldest daughter of the King of France was styled Madame Royale. In 1641, Mary married the future Willem II, Prince of Orange. Mary and Willem had one child, Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England. Mary died from smallpox at the age of 29. Her son Willem III, Prince of Orange, the future King William III of England, was just ten years old and had lost both parents to smallpox. William’s wife and co-ruler Queen Mary II would also die of smallpox at the age of 32.
Unofficial Royalty: Mary, Princess Royal, Princess of Orange

December 24, 1803 – Death of Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Crypt Chapel in the Meiningen municipal cemetery until 1977 when his remains were removed from the chapel, cremated, and buried elsewhere in the cemetery.
Georg became Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in July 1782, upon the death of his childless brother Karl Wilhelm. Four months later, he married Princess Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. The couple had three children including Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen who married King William IV of the United Kingdom. One of the first things Georg did upon becoming Duke was to open the Ducal library and art collections to the public. He also oversaw the design of the new English Garden in Meiningen on the site of the former municipal cemetery and began to transform Meiningen into a prestigious royal city. Having always been in poor health, Georg I died at the age of 42, after developing a fever.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

December 24, 1837 – Birth of Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria, wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, at the Herzog-Max-Palais (Duke Max Palace) in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie
In 1854, Sisi, as she was known, married Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. The couple had four children including their only son Crown Prince Rudolf who died in a suicide pact with his mistress. The marriage was not a happy one for Sisi. Although her husband loved her, Sisi had difficulties adjusting to the Austrian court and did not get along with Imperial family members, especially her mother-in-law. Sisi felt emotionally distant from her husband and fled from him as well as her duties at court, by frequent traveling. On September 10, 1898, while walking to a ferry landing on Lake Geneva in Geneva, Switzerland with her lady-in-waiting, was stabbed to death by twenty-five-year-old Luigi Lucheni.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria

December 24, 1845 – Birth of King George I of Greece, born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Christian Vilhelm Ferdinand Adolf Georg
George was the son of King Christian IX of Denmark and the brother of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. In 1863, he was unanimously elected King by the Greek National Assembly. In 1867, George married Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. They had eight children including Prince Andreas of Greece, the father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. George quickly learned Greek and was often seen informally strolling through the streets of Athens. His reign of nearly 50 years was characterized by territorial gains as Greece established its place in pre-World War I Europe. In 1913, while walking in Thessaloniki, Greece, George was killed when an assassin shot him at close range in the back.
Unofficial Royalty: King George I of Greece

December 24, 1879 – Birth of Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen of Denmark, wife of King Christian X of Denmark, in Schwerin, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Full name: Alexandrine Auguste
Alexandrine was the eldest of the three children of Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. In 1898, she married the future King Christian X of Denmark. The couple had two sons including King Frederik IX of Denmark. Christian and Alexandrine were devoted to one another and enjoyed a happy marriage. The couple became king and queen of Denmark in 1912. While their popularity waxed and waned throughout Christian’s rule, he and Alexandrine are generally viewed as successful as king and queen.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen of Denmark

December 24, 1900 – Death of Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and was the longest-serving member of Queen Victoria’s household
Born Lady Jane Conyngham in 1826, she was the eldest daughter of Francis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham. She married Francis Spencer, 2nd Baron Churchill. Widowed in 1886, Jane remained at Queen Victoria’s side for the rest of her life. On Christmas Eve 1900, Jane died in her sleep in her room at Osborne House, after over 45 years of service, companionship, and friendship to Queen Victoria. She was buried several days later in Finstock, Oxfordshire, England. Queen Victoria was not told of her death immediately, as her doctors felt the news would be devastating to her already weakened health. Once told, she was heartbroken, and sent a wreath for Jane’s funeral with a handwritten note – “A mark of most loving affection and grateful remembrance from her devoted friend, Victoria, R.I.” Less than a month later, Queen Victoria also passed away at Osborne House.
Unofficial Royalty: Jane Spencer, Baroness Churchill

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Friedrich August I, King of Saxony; Credit – Wikipedia

December 23, 1230 – Death of Berengaria of Navarre, Queen of England, wife of King Richard I of England, at L’Epau Abbey in Le Mans, County of Maine, now in France; buried at L’Epau Abbey
Berengaria of Navarre was the only English queen never to set foot in the country. Her husband King Richard I of England spent about only six months of his ten-year reign in England. There is evidence that she may have visited England in the years following his death when she was Queen Dowager. In 1191, King Richard I of England married Berengaria of Navarre at the Chapel of St George in Limassol, Cyprus, and then his fleet, along with Berengaria and Richard’s recently widowed sister Joan, Queen of Sicily, traveled to the Holy Land where Richard participated in the Crusades. Berengaria and Richard’s marriage was childless. In 1199, Richard died from gangrene after being hit by an arrow during a castle siege in France. After Richard’s death, Berengaria received the revenues of the tin mines in Devon and Cornwall in England, and the city of Le Mans, the capital of the County of Maine, was settled on her as dower, the means of support for a widow. In 1228, Berengaria founded the Cistercian Abbey of L’Epau near Le Mans, retired there, and died there at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Berengaria of Navarre, Queen of England

December 23, 1544 – Birth of Anna of Saxony, Princess of Orange, second wife of Willem I, Prince of Orange (the Silent) in Dresden, Duchy of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Three years after the death of his first wife, Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange married Anna of Saxony. The marriage was not happy and Anna and Willem often lived apart. In early 1571, Anna realized she was pregnant. She was accused of adultery, later admitted adultery, and was forced to agree to a divorce. In 1572, Anna was sent to her family in Saxony where they imprisoned her as an adulteress. The windows of her room were walled up and fitted with additional iron bars. A square hole was made in the door through which food and drink were given to her. An iron gate was installed on the outside of the door prohibiting any attempt to escape. Anna died shortly before her 33rd birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna of Saxony, Princess of Orange

December 23, 1750 – Birth of Friedrich August I, King of Saxony, in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, now in Saxony, Germany
Full name: Friedrich August Josef Maria Anton Johann Nepomuk Alois Xavier
Friedrich August I was the first King of Saxony, reigning from 1806 to 1827. His family had been rulers of the Electorate of Saxony of the House of Wettin and had held the title of Elector for several centuries. In 1769, Friedrich August married Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld. The couple had one daughter. As Elector, Friedrich August was not involved in the establishment of Napoleon’s Confederation of the Rhine, which brought about the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Staying out of politics, he was drawn in when Napoleon advanced into German territory, siding with Prussia. The Saxon forces suffered significant losses and Friedrich August soon surrendered. He was forced to join the Confederation of the Rhine and had to cede territory to the Kingdom of Westphalia. However, the trade-off was Saxony’s elevation to a kingdom. So on December 20, 1806, Friedrich August became King Friedrich August I of Saxony. As he had no male heirs, upon his death in 1827, Friedrich August was succeeded by his younger brother Anton.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich August I, King of Saxony

December 23, 1777 – Birth of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia in Saint Petersburg, Russia
In 1793, fifteen-year-old Alexander married fourteen-year-old Louise of Baden who took the Russian name Elizabeth Alexeievna. Two daughters were born during the marriage but both died in early childhood. It is possible that the daughters were not Alexander’s. Both Alexander and his wife had affairs and their marriage was one in name only. Alexander became Emperor of All Russia in 1801 upon the assassination of his father Paul I, Emperor of All Russia. The most important event during Alexander’s reign was the Napoleonic Wars, a series of major conflicts (1803 – 1815) pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against various coalitions of European powers. In 1812, Napoleon’s army invaded Russia. The French forces eventually were repelled by the brutal Russian winter and retreated to the borders of Russia, pursued by the Russian army. The French Army was almost completely destroyed and it was the motivation for composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, written in 1882 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Russia’s defense against Napoleon’s invading army.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia

December 23, 1864 – Birth of Princess Zorka of Montenegro, first wife of the future King Peter I of Serbia, in Cetinje, Montenegro
Zorka was the daughter of King Nicholas I of Montenegro and the sister of Milicia and Anastasia, who married Russian Grand Dukes and are best known for having introduced Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, to Grigori Rasputin in 1905. In 1883, Zorka married Peter Karađorđević, son and heir of the former Prince of Serbia, Alexander, who had abdicated in 1858. Zorka and Peter had five children including the future King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. On March 16, 1890, 25-year-old Princess Zorka died while giving birth to her youngest child Andrew who also died. Thirteen years after her death, her husband would return the Karađorđević dynasty to the Serbian throne as King Peter I.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Zorka of Montenegro

December 23, 1865 – Birth of Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg in Vienna, Austria
Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg was heir presumptive to the throne of Württemberg for just a year before the monarchy was abolished in 1918. Three years later, upon the death of his distant cousin, King Wilhelm II, he became Head of the House of Württemberg and pretender to the former throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg

December 23, 1910 – Birth of Maria de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona, mother of King Juan Carlos I of Spain, in Madrid, Spain
Full name: María de las Mercedes Cristina Genara Isabel Luisa Carolina Victoria y Todos los Santos
The daughter of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his second wife Princess Louise of Orléans. Maria Mercedes had a very impressive royal lineage. On her father’s side, she was descended from multiple branches of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies family who ruled in Italy until the late 19th century. On her mother’s side, Maria Mercedes was descended from both recent Spanish and French royalty. In 1935, she married Juan, Count of Barcelona, the heir to the defunct Spanish throne. They had three children including the future King Juan Carlos I of Spain. Maria Mercedes’ adult life was dominated by the actions of Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator. It was Franco who kept the family from living in Spain and was constantly at odds with Maria Mercedes’ husband. In 1969, Franco ultimately decided that the Spanish monarchy should be restored following his death. As suspected, Franco passed over Juan, Count of Barcelona as his successor in favor of Juan Carlos. In 1976, Maria Mercedes and her husband finally returned to live in Spain.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria de las Mercedes of the Two Sicilies, Countess of Barcelona

December 23, 1933 – Birth of Emperor Emeritus Akihito of Japan at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan
The eldest son of Emperor Hirohito and Princess Nagako of Kuni, Akihito was the heir-apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne from birth. In 1959, Akihito married Michiko Shōda. It was the first time a commoner married into the Imperial Family. There was much speculation that Akihito’s mother strongly opposed the marriage and that after the marriage she treated her commoner daughter-in-law harshly. Akihito and Michiko had two sons and one daughter. In 1989, upon the death of his father, Akihito became Emperor of Japan. Akihito abdicated in 2019 in favor of his son Naruhito. After Akihito abdicated, he was entitled Jōkō, an abbreviation of Daijō Tennō (Emperor Emeritus).
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Emeritus Akihito of Japan

December 23, 1943 – Birth of Queen Silvia of Sweden, wife of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, born Silvia Renate Sommerlath in Heidelberg, Germany
Silvia studied to be an interpreter and then worked at the Argentinean Consulate in Munich, Germany. She is fluent in six languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, and Portuguese. Silvia put her language skills to use when she worked as a hostess trainer between 1971 and 1973 for the Organizing Committee of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. She then became Deputy Head of Protocol of the Organizing Committee for the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. It was at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, that Silvia met Carl Gustaf, then Crown Prince of Sweden. While the couple was courting, Carl Gustaf’s grandfather  King Gustaf VI Adolf died in 1973, and Carl Gustaf became King of Sweden. Silvia and Carl Gustaf married in 1976 and are the parents of three children, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Silvia of Sweden

December 23, 1975 – Birth of Prince Ali of Jordan, son of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife Queen Alia, in Amman, Jordan
Prince Ali is the brother of Princess Haya of Jordan and the half-brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan. He has served in the Jordanian Special Forces and attended Princeton University in New Jersey, graduating in 1999. In 2004, he married Rym Brahimi, a former CNN journalist and the couple has two children. Prince Ali is President of the Jordan Football Association and has also served as Vice President of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan

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Alice Heine, wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

December 22, 1670 – Birth of Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, wife of Ludwig Friedrich I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, in Gotha, then in the Duchy of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, now in the German state of Thuringia
Anna Sophie was the eldest of the eight children and the eldest of the six daughters of Friedrich I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. In 1691, 21-year-old Anna Sophie married 24-year-old Ludwig Friedrich of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the son and heir of Albrecht Anton, Count of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Ludwig Friedrich and Anna Sophie had thirteen children. Via their daughter, Anna Sophie who married Franz Josias, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Ludwig Friedrich and Anna Sophie are the ancestors of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, and their uncle Leopold I, King of the Belgians. The royal families of Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are their descendants.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt

December 22, 1748 – Death of Prince Johann Nepomuk Karl of Liechtenstein in Wischau, now in the Czech Republic; buried at Liechtenstein Crypt in Vranov nearby Brno, Czech Republic
In 1732, eight-year-old Johann Nepomuk Karl became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein upon the early death of his father. The former reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I served as regent and guardian for Johann Nepomuk Karl until he reached his majority in 1745. He carefully prepared Johann Nepomuk Karl to take over the business of government. However, when Johann Nepomuk Karl reached the age of 21 and took over the government, it appeared as if he had not learned anything. He was soon neglecting his government duties. In 1748, Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 24. Because Johann Nepomuk Karl had no male heir, the former reigning Prince of Liechtenstein Josef Wenzel I once again became the reigning Prince.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein

December 22, 1799 – Birth of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma at Royal Palace of Madrid in Spain
Full name: Carlo Ludovico Ferdinando
Carlo Ludovico was born in Spain because, in 1796, the Duchy of Parma was occupied by French troops. After the fall of Napoleon in 1814, the Duchy of Parma was not returned to the Bourbon-Parma family. Instead, the Congress of Vienna gave it to Napoleon’s second wife Marie-Louise of Austria. In 1820, Carlo Ludovico married Maria Teresa of Savoy, one of the twin daughters of King Vittorio Emanuele I of Sardinia. In 1847, at the death of Napoleon’s second wife Marie-Louise of Austria, Duchess of Parma, Carlo Ludovico succeeded her as the reigning Duke of Parma according to the stipulations of the Congress of Vienna. However, the reign of Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma was short. He was very unpopular with the citizens of Parma, and within a few months, he was ousted by a revolution. Carlo Ludovico regained control of Parma with the help of Austrian troops but finally abdicated in favor of his son Carlo III, Duke of Parma in 1849. After his abdication, Carlo Ludovico lived at Weistropp Castle, a castle he had purchased in Klipphausen, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony. He also spent time in Paris, France, and Nice, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo II Ludovico, Duke of Parma

December 22, 1925 – Death of Alice Heine, Princess of Monaco, second wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, in Paris, France; buried at Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France
Alice Heine was the second wife of Prince Albert I of Monaco, and the first American woman to marry a reigning European sovereign. Her father Michel Heine was a French banker and businessman who came from a prominent German-Jewish banking family and established a bank in New Orleans, Louisiana. The family returned to France in 1875, and Alice married Marie Odet Richard Armand de La Chapelle de Saint-Jean de Jumilhac, 7th Duke of Richelieu. Jewish by birth, Alice converted to Roman Catholicism prior to the marriage. The couple had two children. Upon her husband’s death in 1880, Alice became a wealthy young widow. She became one of the leading hostesses in European society and met the future Prince Albert I of Monaco. However, Albert’s father, Prince Charles III, would not permit them to marry. After the death of his father in 1889, Albert became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco and married Alice. The couple had no children. Eventually, Alice and Albert’s lack of mutual interests drove them apart. Alice had an affair with the composer Isidore de Lara. Although Albert had many affairs, he could not tolerate Alice’s affair. In 1901, at the opening of the opera, Albert publicly accused Alice of her affair and slapped her across the face. Alice left the opera immediately and left Monaco the next morning. Albert banned her from ever returning to Monaco. The couple was granted a legal separation in 1902 but never divorced. Alice settled at Claridge’s in London, England. While in London, she became a close friend of Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Alice died in Paris, France at the age of 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Alice Heine, Princess of Monaco

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