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Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

November 21, 1689 – Birth of Jacques I, Prince of Monaco Torigni-sur-Vire, Normandy, France
Full name: Jacques François Léonor
Born Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon to a wealthy French noble family, Jacques was the husband of Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco. He was briefly the Sovereign Prince of Monaco.
Unofficial Royalty: Jacques I, Prince of Monaco

November 21, 1761 – Birth of Dorothea Jordan, mistress of King William IV of the United Kingdom and mother of his ten illegitimate children, near Waterford, Ireland
Actress Dorothea Jordan had a 21-year affair with the future King William IV of the United Kingdom. Dorothea and William had ten children together, all of whom were given the surname FitzClarence They married into the British aristocracy and their many descendants include many notable people. Upon the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, William and the other unmarried sons of King George III were pressured to marry to provide heirs to the throne. William ended his relationship with Dorothea and made a childless marriage with Adelaide of Saxe-Meinigen. He made sure Dorothea would continue to receive an allowance.  Dorothea had one condition to continue receiving her allowance from William: she could not return to the theater.  When she did return to the theater to help pay the debts of her daughter and son-in-law, her allowance was canceled. Greatly in debt, she sold her house and moved to France to escape her creditors and settled in Saint-Cloud, just outside of Paris where she died virtually penniless.
Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea Jordan

November 21, 1840 – Birth of Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia, Queen Victoria’s eldest child, at Buckingham Palace in London, England
Full name: Victoria Adelaide Mary
In 1858, Vicky, as she was known, married the future Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia, known as Fritz. The couple had eight children including Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria ardently hoped that this marriage would make the ties between London and Berlin closer, and lead to a unified and liberal Germany. However, Vicky and Fritz were politically isolated and their liberal and Anglophile views clashed with the authoritarian ideas of the Minister-President of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. Despite their efforts to educate their eldest son Wilhelm about the benefits of democracy, he favored his German tutors’ views of autocratic rule and became alienated from his parents. The year 1888 is called “The Year of Three Emperors” in German history. Fritz’s father Wilhelm I died on March 9, 1888, and Fritz succeeded him as Friedrich III. However, Fritz was already gravely ill with cancer of the larynx and lived only three months more, dying at the age of 56. After her husband’s death, Vicky lived at Schloss Friedrichshof, a castle she built in memory of her husband near Kronberg, close to Frankfurt, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Victoria, Princess Royal, German Empress, Queen of Prussia

November 21, 1860 – Death of Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe at Bückeburg Castle in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony; buried in the Princely Mausoleum at St. Martini Church in Stadthagen, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in the German state of Lower Saxony
In 1787, two months after his second birthday, Georg Wilhelm became the reigning Count of Schaumberg-Lippe upon the death of his 64-year-old father. In 1807, after joining the Confederation of the Rhine, sixteen German states joined together in a confederation formed by Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, the County of Schaumberg-Lippe was raised to the Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe and Georg Wilhelm became its first reigning prince. In 1816, Georg Wilhelm married Princess Ida of Waldeck and Pyrmont and the couple had nine children. During the Revolutions of 1848, when there were demands for more participation in government and democracy, Georg Wilhelm gave in to some liberal demands but then changed to a more reactionary course in 1849 by abolishing the new constitution without restoring the old one. George Wilhelm died at the age of 75.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg Wilhelm, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

November 21, 1868 – Birth of Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg, first husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, at Oldenburg Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia
Peter was the only child of Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg and Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg. Alexander Petrovich’s grandfather had married Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, and their children and grandchildren were raised in Russia. Despite his German title, Alexander Petrovich, like his father, had grown up entirely in Russia, served in the Russian military, and was considered part of the Russian Imperial Family. Peter and Olga’s marriage, arranged by their mothers, was a marriage in name only. Two years after their marriage, Olga met Nikolai Kulikovsky, an army officer her own age. Over the years, Olga continued to ask her brother Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia for permission to marry Nikolai. In 1916, Nicholas II had a change of heart and he officially annulled her marriage to Peter, and Olga and Nikolai were married. After the October Revolution in 1917, Peter, his father, and his mother emigrated to France, where he lived in Paris and on a farm near Bayonne, France. In 1922, Peter married Olga Vladimirovna Ratkova-Rognova. Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg died at the age of 55.
Unofficial Royalty: Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

November 21, 1895 – Death of Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, at Osborne Cottage in the Isle of Wight, England; buried in the churchyard at St. Mildred’s Church in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, England
Henry served as Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary from 1870 – 1895. In 1857, Henry was appointed Equerry to Prince Albert, beginning his service in the Royal Household until just months before his death in 1895. In 1870, Henry was appointed Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, following the death of his wife’s grandfather Sir Charles Grey. After suffering a stroke several months earlier, Henry formally retired from his position on May 9, 1895, and died six months later.
Unofficial Royalty: Sir Henry Ponsonby

November 21, 1916 – Death of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Franz Joseph is one of Europe’s longest-reigning monarchs. In 1848, Emperor Ferdinand of Austria abdicated the throne in favor of his 18-year-old nephew. Franz Joseph was now Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Croatia, and King of Bohemia. Franz Joseph married Elisabeth, Duchess in Bavaria (Sisi) in 1854. The couple had four children. In 1889, Franz Joseph’s only son Rudolf died in a suicide pact with his mistress. Just nine years, later, Franz Joseph’s wife was assassinated.  In 1914, Franz Joseph’s heir, his nephew Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were victims of an assassination that was one of the causes of World War I. Upon Franz Ferdinand’s death, Archduke Karl, who would be the last Emperor of Austria, became the heir. Karl’s father was Archduke Otto Franz, the second son of Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, Emperor Franz Joseph’s younger brother. Franz Joseph died in the middle of World War I, at the age of 86.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria

November 21, 1928 – Death of Heinrich XXVII, the 5th Prince Reuss of Gera at Schloss Osterstein in Gera, Germany; buried in the family cemetery in the park of Schloss Ebersdorf in Saalburg-Ebersdorf in Thuringia, Germany
Heinrich XXVII was the last reigning Prince Reuss of Gera, abdicating after the German defeat in World War I, on November 11, 1918. In 1884, Heinrich XXVII married Princess Elise of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, the daughter of Hermann, 6th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Leopoldine of Baden. Elise’s paternal grandmother was Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Heinrich XXVII and Elise had five children. After Heinrich XXVII abdicated, the new government of Reuss-Gera made an agreement with Heinrich XXVII that granted him some castles and land. Heinrich died at the age of 70.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XXVII, the 5th Prince Reuss of Gera

November 21, 2002 – Death of Prince Takamado of Japan at the Keio University Hospital in Tokyo, Japan; buried at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery in Tokyo, Japan
Takamado was the youngest of the five children of Prince Mikasa of Japan. Takamado’s father Prince Mikasa was the youngest son of Emperor Taishō and the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito (Shōwa). Takamado worked from 1981 until he died in 2002 as the administrator of the Japan Foundation which promotes Japanese arts, culture, and language exchange around the world. In 1984, he married Hisako Tottori, the daughter of a Japanese industrialist. The couple had three daughters. On November 21, 2002, while playing squash with the Canadian ambassador Robert Wright at the Canadian Embassy, Takamado collapsed due to ventricular fibrillation. He was immediately taken to Keio University Hospital but was already in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. He was resuscitated but his condition then worsened and soon there was no hope that he would survive. With the consent of his wife, Takamado was removed from life support and died at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Takamado of Japan

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Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

November 20, 1559 – Death of Lady Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, daughter of Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Duchess of Suffolk and niece of King Henry VIII, at her residence Charterhouse in London; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Frances was the daughter of Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England, and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. She married Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset and they were the parents of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey. After the executions of her husband Henry, her daughter Jane and Jane’s husband Lord Guildford Dudley, Frances’ life was in ruins. Because her husband was a traitor, all his possessions reverted to the Crown. Frances managed to plead with her first cousin Queen Mary I to show mercy. Mary agreed that some of the Duke of Suffolk’s property could remain with the family. Frances married her Master of the Horse Adrian Stokes in 1555. They had two stillborn children and a daughter who died in infancy. Frances, aged 42, died with her daughters Catherine and Mary at her side. The cost of her funeral was paid by her first cousin Queen Elizabeth I. With her daughter Catherine acting as chief mourner, Frances was buried at Westminster Abbey. Four years later, her widower Adrian Stokes had a beautiful tomb and effigy placed over her grave.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk

November 20, 1727 – Birth of Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, Princess of Liechtenstein, wife of her first cousin Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Vienna, then in the Archduchy of Austria, now in Austria
In 1744, seventeen-year-old Maria Josefa married her first cousin, twenty-year-old Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, the son of her maternal uncle Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein. Maria Josefa and Johann Nepomuk Karl had three children but only one daughter survived childhood. After four years of marriage,  Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein died at the age of 24. In 1752, Maria Josefa made a second marriage to Prince Joseph Maria von Lobkowicz, a Field Marshal in the Imperial Austrian Army. The couple had four children. Maria Josefa predeceased her second husband and survived her first husband by forty years, dying at the age of 61 on February 15, 1788.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josefa von Harrach-Rohrau, Princess of Liechtenstein

November 20, 1737 – Death of Caroline of Ansbach, Queen of Great Britain, wife of King George II of Great Britain, at St. James Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
In 1705, Caroline married George, Electoral Prince of Hanover, the future King George II of Great Britain. The couple had eight children and through their children’s marriages, George and Caroline are the ancestors of many European royal families including the British, Danish, Dutch, Greek, Norwegian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish Royal Families. Caroline’s father-in-law succeeded to the British throne as King George I in 1714 upon the death of Queen Anne and Caroline’s husband became heir to the throne. In 1727, King George I died and his son succeeded him as King George II. Queen Caroline played a greater role in governmental affairs than any queen consort since the Middle Ages. In 1724, during the birth of her youngest child, Caroline sustained an umbilical hernia. She ignored the condition until it became acute in November 1737. Then she was bled, purged, and operated on, without anesthetic, but there was no improvement in her condition. Gangrene set in and she died at the age of 54.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline of Ansbach, Queen of Great Britain

November 20, 1851 – Birth of Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy, wife of King Umberto I of Italy, at Palazzo Chiablese in Turin, Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, now in Italy
Full name: Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna
In 1868, Margherita married the future King Umberto I of Italy. They had one child, the future King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy. Margherita became Queen of Italy when her husband ascended to the throne following his father’s death in 1878. Immensely popular with the Italian people, Margherita was active with many cultural organizations, promoting the arts, and working with the Red Cross. In 1900, Margherita’s husband was assassinated. The throne passed to the couple’s son, Vittorio Emanuele III, and Margherita settled into her new role as Queen Mother. She devoted herself to her charity work and the advancement of the arts in Italy.
Unofficial Royalty: Margherita of Savoy, Queen of Italy

November 20, 1875 – Death of Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Reggio, in Vienna, Austria; buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
Francesco V was the last Duke of Modena and Reggio. He was also the Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England and Scotland from 1840 – 1875. In 1842, Francesco married Princess Adelgunde of Bavaria. The couple had one daughter who died in infancy. Francesco became Duke of Modena and Reggio when his father died in 1846. King Vittorio Emanuele II of Sardinia and Giuseppe Garibaldi, a noted general and politician, led the drive toward a unified Italian kingdom. During the Second Italian War of Independence, Francesco V and his wife were forced to permanently flee the Duchy of Modena and Reggio. In 1860, the Duchy of Modena and Reggio was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Thereafter, Francesco and his wife mostly lived at the Palais Modena in Vienna, Austria, where his second cousin once removed Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria reigned over the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Francesco died at the age of 56. Francesco was the Jacobite pretender to the British throne from September 15, 1840 – November 20, 1875.
Unofficial Royalty: Francesco V, Duke of Modena and Reggio
Unofficial Royalty: The Jacobite Succession – Pretenders to the British Throne

November 20, 1908 – Birth of Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, Head of the House of Hesse from 1937 – 1968, son of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: Ludwig Hermann Alexander Chlodwig
In 1938, Ludwig married The Honorable Margaret Geddes, daughter of British diplomat Auckland Campbell Geddes,1st Baron Geddes. Sadly, his mother, brother, sister-in-law, and his two nephews died in a plane crash on the way to the wedding. (See Unofficial Royalty: November 16, 1937 – Deaths of the Grand Ducal Family of Hesse and by Rhine) Ludwig and his wife did not have any children. After World War II, Ludwig and his wife devoted themselves to rebuilding Darmstadt. They worked to restore museums, hospitals, and charitable institutions. Ludwig was a godparent of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who was Ludwig’s first cousin once removed.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine

November 20, 1912 – Birth of Crown Prince Otto of Austria, last Crown Prince of Austria, later known as Otto von Habsburg, son of Emperor Karl I of Austria, the last Emperor of Austria, at Wartholz Castle in Reichenau an der Rax, Austria
Full name: Franz Joseph Otto Robert Maria Anton Karl Max Heinrich Sixtus Xavier Felix Renatus Ludwig Gaetan Pius Ignatius
The last Crown Prince of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia and later in his long life, a member of the European Parliament, Otto von Habsburg was the eldest and the longest surviving of the eight children of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria and his wife Zita of Bourbon-Parma. After World War I and the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the family lived in exile. Otto’s mother made him learn the main languages of the Austro-Hungarian Empire – German, Hungarian, and Croatian – in case the empire was ever restored. In addition, Otto also spoke English, Spanish, French, and Latin fluently. While living in Belgium, Otto attended the Catholic University of Leuven and in 1935, he received a doctorate in social and political sciences. In 1951, Otto married Princess Regina of Saxe-Meiningen and the couple had seven children. Otto was an early supporter of a unified Europe and was president of the International Pan-European Union from 1973 to 2004. He served from 1979 until 1999 as a Member of the European Parliament for the conservative party, Christian Social Union in Bavaria, and eventually became the senior member of the European Parliament.
Unofficial Royalty: Otto von Habsburg

November 20, 1925 – Death of Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, born Alexandra of Denmark, wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
The daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, Alexandra, known as Alix, married the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (Bertie) in 1863. The couple had six children including King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Maud of Norway. In 1901, Alix’s husband succeeded to the British throne upon the death of his mother Queen Victoria. Alix and her husband had begun the idea of the royal family’s public appearances as we now know them during Queen Victoria’s withdrawal after her husband’s death, and they continued this during Bertie’s reign. During his marriage, Bertie had several mistresses. Apparently, Alix knew about many of them and accepted them. When Bertie died in 1910, Alix quipped, “Now at least I know where he is.” Toward the end of her life, Alix became almost completely deaf and suffered from mild senile dementia. She died of a heart attack at her beloved Sandringham House, just eleven days short of her 81st birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom

November 20, 1938 – Death of Queen Maud of Norway, born Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, wife of King Haakon VII of Norway, in London, England; buried at the Royal Mausoleum in Akershus Fortress, Norway
In 1896, Maud married her first cousin Prince Carl of Denmark, the son of Maud’s maternal uncle King Frederik VIII of Denmark. Maud and Carl had one child, Prince Alexander of Denmark, later King Olav V of Norway. In 1905, upon the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, the Norwegian government began searching for candidates to become King of Norway. Because of his descent from prior Norwegian monarchs, as well as his wife’s British connections, Carl was the overwhelming favorite. In 1905, Carl officially became King of Norway. He took the name Haakon VII and his son two-year-old son was renamed Olav and became Crown Prince of Norway. Maud never gave up her love for her native country and visited often. However, she fulfilled her duties as Queen of Norway. Maud became active in women’s rights and the welfare of unmarried women. In October 1938, Maud came to England for a visit. While staying at a London hotel, Maud became ill and was taken to a nursing home where abdominal surgery was performed. She survived the surgery, but died six days before her 69th birthday, from heart failure.
Unofficial Royalty: Maud of Wales, Queen of Norway

November 20, 1947 – Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Lt. Philip Mountbatten, born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Always looking to make connections for his family, Philip’s maternal uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten (the future 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma), arranged for his nephew to be the escort of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret when the Royal Family toured Dartmouth Naval College in July 1939, where Philip was a cadet. 13-year-old Elizabeth fell in love with Philip and the two began exchanging letters. Philip and Elizabeth saw each other during World War II whenever possible, but it was not until the war was over that the courtship started in earnest. By the summer of 1946, the press was beginning to speculate about an engagement. Philip proposed at Balmoral and Elizabeth said yes without consulting her parents. Although George VI approved of Philip, he resented that the “Royal Firm” of “Us Four” would be no more. The Royal Family was due to visit the Union of South Africa in early 1947 and the king did not want the engagement announced until their return. On June 8, 1947, the engagement was announced.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Lt. Philip Mountbatten

November 20, 1992 – Fire seriously damages Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
On November 20, 1992, at 11:33 AM, a fire began in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle when a painter left a spotlight too close to the curtains. The location of the fire was shown on a map of the castle by an indicator light and the chief officer of the castle’s fire brigade immediately sounded the public fire alarm. The fire was initially in the Brunswick Tower, but soon many other indicator bulbs lit up, as the fire spread to neighboring rooms, including the State Apartments which are the rooms the public is allowed to visit.
Unofficial Royalty: Private Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Unofficial Royalty: Fired seriously damages Windsor Castle

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King Charles I of England, Credit – Wikipedia

November 19, 1600 – Birth of King Charles I of England at Dunfermline Palace in Fife, Scotland
Charles was the second son and fourth of the seven children of James VI, King of Scots (later also King James I of England) and Anne of Denmark. He was not expected to be King as he had an elder brother Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales. However, Henry Frederick died unmarried at the age of 18 from typhoid fever. On March 27, 1625, King James I died and Charles succeeded him. Three months later Charles married Henrietta Maria of France, daughter of King Henri IV of France. The couple had nine children but only three survived childhood. Charles had the same issues with Parliament as his father had, clashing with its members over financial, political, and religious issues. On January 4, 1642, a point of no return was reached. On that day, Charles committed the unprecedented act of entering the House of Commons with an armed guard and demanding the arrest of five Members of Parliament. This eventually led to the English Civil War, the execution of Charles II, and England being a republic (Commonwealth of England) for 11 years until the monarchy was restored and Charles I’s eldest son Charles II became king in 1660.
Unofficial Royalty: King Charles I of England

November 19, 1726 – Birth of Franz Josef I, Prince of Liechtenstein in Milan, Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia, now in Italy
Full name: Franz de Paula Josef Johann Nepomuk Andreas
The nephew of Joseph Wenzel I, Prince of Liechtenstein, Franz Josef I reigned as Prince of Liechtenstein from 1772 – 1781. In 1750, Franz Josef married Countess Leopoldine von Sternberg, the daughter of Count Franz Philipp of Sternberg and Countess Leopoldine of Starhemberg. Franz Josef and Leopoldine had eight children including two sovereign Princes of Liechtenstein.  Before becoming Prince of Liechtenstein, Franz Josef participated in several diplomatic missions on behalf of the Holy Roman Empire.
Unofficial Royalty: Franz Joseph I, Prince of Liechtenstein

November 19, 1754 – Birth of Karl Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in the Free City of Frankfurt, now in Hesse, Germany
Full name: August Friedrich Karl Wilhelm
When he was eight years old, Karl Wilhelm succeeded his father as Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Because of his age, his mother served as Regent and was instrumental in bringing the duchy back from financial and economic disaster. Karl Wilhelm married Princess Luise of Stolberg-Gedern but the couple had no children. Karl Wilhelm died at the age of 27 and was succeeded by his brother Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

November 19, 1962 – Birth of Prince Wenzel of Liechtenstein, son of Franz Josef II, Prince of Liechtenstein, in Zurich, Switzerland
Full Name: Franz Joseph Wenzeslaus (Wenzel) Georg Maria
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 remains silent about the cause of death.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Wenzel of Liechtenstein

November 19, 1983 – Birth of Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, husband of Princess Beatrice of York, at Portland Hospital in London, England
Full name: Edoardo Alessandro
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, a multi-millionaire property tycoon and the son of Alessandro (Alex) Mapelli Mozzi, a former British Olympian in Alpine Skiing, married Princess Beatrice of York at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, on the grounds of Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, on July 17, 2020. The couple has one child Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi was born on Saturday, September 18, 2021. On October 1, 2024, it was announced that Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are expecting their second child early in the new year.
Unofficial Royalty: Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

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Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

November 18, 1630 –  Birth of Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, the third of the three wives of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, in Mantua, Duchy of Mantua, now in Lombardy, Italy
Archduchess Maria Leopoldine of Austria, the second wife and first cousin of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor, died in childbirth in 1649. Ferdinand III’s stepmother, the Dowager Holy Roman Empress, also named Eleonora Gonzaga, was the second wife of his father Ferdinand II and Eleonora’s great aunt. It was Dowager Holy Roman Empress Eleonora who arranged the marriage between her stepson Ferdinand III and grand niece and goddaughter Eleonora. Twenty-year-old Eleonora and forty-two-year-old Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor were married in 1651 and had four children but only two daughters survived childhood. After the death of her husband, Eleonora did all she could to ensure that her seventeen-year-old surviving stepson would be elected Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Eleonora was highly respected by Leopold who consulted with her on many political and personal issues. Eleonora survived her husband by twenty-nine years, dying on December 6, 1686, in Vienna, Austria, at the age of fifty-six.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleonora Gonzaga of Mantua, Holy Roman Empress, 3rd wife of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor

November 18, 1661 – Birth of Elisabeth Henriëtte of Hesse-Kassel, Hereditary Princess of Prussia, first wife of the future King Friedrich I of Prussia, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany
Elisabeth Henriette and Friedrich were first cousins and had known each other for most of their lives. Elisabeth Henriette’s mother encouraged and promoted the marriage, and it proved to be a love match. The couple had one daughter. Elisabeth Henriette, aged 22, contracted smallpox and died just weeks before her fourth wedding anniversary.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Henriëtte of Hesse-Kassel, Hereditary Princess of Prussia

November 18, 1774 – Birth of Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, wife of King Willem I of the Netherlands, in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: Friederike Luise Wilhelmine
Wilhelmine was the daughter of King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia and Frederica Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt. In 1791, she married her first cousin Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau, later King Willem I of the Netherlands, and the couple had four children. Wilhelmine was not successful in her role as Queen. While she contributed generously to charities, the Dutch people thought her cold and distant because she only came in contact with family and her court ladies.
Unofficial Royalty: Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands

November 18, 1851 – Death of King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, son of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Schloss Herrenhausen, Kingdom of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried at the Chapel of Schloss Herrenhausen
In 1815, Ernest married his first cousin Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the couple had one surviving son. Ernest became king of Hanover upon the death of his brother William IV.  Hanover had the Salic Law which forbids female succession.  So while Victoria succeeded her uncle William on the British throne, she could not succeed to the Hanover throne.  William’s next brother, Ernest did. Ernest Augustus died at the age of 80, after a short illness. Of his fifteen siblings, only Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester survived him. 30,000 people passed by his coffin as he lay in state in the throne room of Schloss Herrenhausen.
Unofficial Royalty: King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover

November 18, 1861 – Death of Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria 1842–1855, at Government House in Calcutta, India where her husband was serving as Viceroy of India; buried in a small garden on the grounds of Government House
Born The Honorable Charlotte Stuart, daughter of Charles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay, she married Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning

November 18, 1940 – Birth of Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman in Salalah, Oman
Qaboos was Sultan of Oman from 1970 until his death in 2020.  He staged a coup that overthrew his father Said bin Taimur. Qaboos immediately began efforts to modernize and develop the country, even changing the name to The Sultanate of Oman. In March 1976, he married his first cousin, Nawwal bint Tariq Al-Said. The couple had no children, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1979.
Unofficial Royalty: Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman

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Queen Mary I of England; Credit – Wikipedia

November 17, 1558 – Death of Queen Mary I of England at St. James Palace in London, England; buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Mary was the only child of King Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon to survive infancy. Upon the death of her half-brother King Edward VI of England in 1553, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland and Lord Protector of the Realm arranged for his daughter-in-law Lady Jane Grey, a great-granddaughter of King Henry VII of England, to be proclaimed Queen of England instead of Mary. Mary quickly assembled a force and deposed Jane, who was ultimately beheaded. Mary was 37 and needed to marry to produce an heir to supplant her Protestant sister, the future Queen Elizabeth I of England. In 1554, Mary married the future King Philip II of Spain but the couple had no children. Throughout her reign, Mary was steadfast in her determination to restore the Roman Catholic religion to England. Edward VI’s religious laws were abolished during the first Parliament of her reign. During Mary’s reign, nearly 300 Protestants were burned at the stake for heresy.  Mary had become weak and ill in May 1558, possibly from ovarian cysts or uterine cancer. In November 1558, Mary fell ill during an influenza outbreak and died at the age of 42. Mary had wanted to be buried with her mother at Peterborough Cathedral but was buried in Westminster Abbey in a vault she would eventually share with her Protestant sister Elizabeth.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Mary I of England

November 17, 1592 – Death of King Johan III of Sweden at Stockholm Castle in Stockholm, Sweden; buried at Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Sweden
Johan was the eldest of the ten children of King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden and his second wife Margareta Leijonhufvud. In 1569, he became King of Sweden after a rebellion against his mentally ill half-brother King Eric XIV of Sweden.  Johan married Katarina Jagellonica of Poland and the couple had three children. During his reign, Johan III carried out extensive building projects. He participated personally in the planning of various buildings and provided his own architectural drawings. In 1570, Johan III ended the Nordic Seven Years War with Denmark and Sweden, a war his half-brother Erik had started. During the following years, Johan successfully fought Russia in the Livonian War and made a peace treaty with Russia. After the death of his first wife, Johan married Gunilla Bielke and they had one son. After a reign of twenty-three years, Johan died at the age of 54.
Unofficial Royalty: King Johan III of Sweden

November 17, 1729 – Birth of Maria Antonia of Spain, Queen of Sardinia, wife of Vittorio Amadeo III, King of Sardinia, at the Royal Alcázar in Seville, Spain
Maria Antonia was the daughter of Felipe V, King of Spain and his second wife Elisabeth Farnese of Parma. Her father was born Philippe of France, Duke of Anjou at the Palace of Versailles in France and was the grandson of King Louis XIV of France. In 1700, King Carlos II of Spain died childless with no immediate Habsburg heir. Philippe’s father Louis, Le Grand Dauphin had the strongest genealogical claim to the throne of Spain because his mother Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain had been the half-sister of Carlos II. However, neither Philippe’s father nor his elder brother Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin could be displaced from their place in the succession to the French throne. Therefore, Carlos II, King of Spain, in his will, named 16-year-old Philippe of Anjou, Duke of Anjou as his successor.  In 1750, Maria Antonia married the future Vittorio Amedeo III, King of Sardinia and the couple had twelve children. Upon the death of her father-in-law Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia in 1773, Maria Antonia’s husband succeeded him as Vittorio Amedeo III.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Antonia of Spain, Queen of Sardinia

November 17, 1755 – Birth of King Louis XVIII of France at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France
Full name: Louis Stanislas Xavier
King Louis XVIII of France was born in 1755, during the reign of his grandfather King Louis XV of France. He was the son of Louis, Dauphin of France, and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony, and the brother of King Louis XVI of France who was beheaded during the French Revolution.  In 1771, Louis married Princess Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, the daughter of the future King Vittorio Amadeo III of Sardinia and Infanta Maria Antonia of Spain. The marriage was far from loving, with Louis finding his bride ugly and repulsive. The couple had no children. During the French Revolution, Louis escaped France. In April 1814, following Napoleon’s overthrow, the French Senate restored the Bourbons to the French throne and Louis XVIII officially became King of France.
Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XVIII of France

November 17, 1769 – Birth of Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen, wife of the future Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Charlotte Georgine Luise Friederike
Charlotte was the eldest child of Carl II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt. Her paternal aunt was Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George III of the United Kingdom. In 1785, Charlotte married Friedrich, then the Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The marriage was unhappy from the beginning, and Friedrich mostly ignored his wife who was far more intelligent than he was. Despite this, the couple had twelve children. Despite her husband’s disinterest, Charlotte became much loved by the people of Saxe-Hildburghausen. She gave generously to causes and charities that helped the poor and funded numerous programs that provided education and training to the less fortunate.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Duchess of Saxe-Hildburghausen

November 17, 1796 – Death of Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia; buried at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia
Never destined at birth to be a monarch or even married to a monarch, Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike of Anhalt-Zerbst achieved both. She married Grand Duke Peter Feodorovich (born Carl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp), the grandson of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia, and the successor of his unmarried aunt Elizabeth, Empress of All Russia as Peter III, Emperor of All Russia. A conspiracy to overthrow Peter was planned and centered around the five Orlov brothers. After a reign of five months, Peter III was deposed, and died under circumstances that remain unclear, and his wife became Catherine II, Empress of All Russia, now known as Catherine the Great. During Catherine’s reign, Russia grew larger and stronger and was recognized as one of the great powers of Europe. Catherine died from a stroke at the age of 67 after a reign of 34 years.
Unofficial Royalty: Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia

November 17, 1818 – Death of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom, wife of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Kew Palace in Surrey, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
In 1761, Charlotte married George III, then King of Great Britain, later King of the United Kingdom. George and Charlotte’s marriage was a very happy one and George remained faithful to Charlotte. Between 1762 and 1783, Charlotte gave birth to fifteen children, all of whom survived childbirth. Only two of the children, who died from smallpox, did not survive childhood. The only disruption in the family’s domestic lives was George’s attacks of illness. We now know that he probably suffered from porphyria and his attacks severely worried Charlotte. Charlotte is the second longest-serving consort in British history. Only her descendant, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, served as a consort longer. Queen Charlotte died at the age of 74, at Kew Palace seated in a small armchair holding the hand of her eldest son, the future King George IV.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom

November 17, 1845 – Birth of Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, wife of Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, and mother of King Albert I of the Belgians, at Schloss Sigmaringen in the Principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen now in Sigmaringen, Germany
Full name: Marie Luise Alexandrine Karoline
Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was one-half of the couple who secured the future of the Belgian royal dynasty. Marie was the daughter of Sovereign Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and the sister of the future King Carol I of Romania. In 1867, Marie married Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, the second surviving son of Leopold I of the Belgians. In 1869, ten-year-old Leopold, Duke of Brabant, the only son and heir of Philippe’s brother King Leopold II, fell into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died. Hoping for a crown prince because only males could inherit the throne, Leopold II and his wife had another child, but the child was a girl. Marie and Philippe’s elder son Baudouin was second in line to the throne until he died in 1891 from influenza. Then Marie and Philippe’s younger son Albert became second in line to the throne. Marie lived long enough to see her son Albert succeed his uncle King Leopold II as King Albert I in 1909.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders

November 17, 1887 – Birth of Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick in Penzig, Austria
Full name: Ernst August Christian Georg
The son of Ernst August II, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark, Ernst August was the last reigning Duke of Brunswick, abdicating on November 8, 1918. He was also the pretender to the throne of Hanover. In 1913, Ernst August married Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia, the only daughter of Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia. The wedding was one of the last large gatherings of European royalty before World War I began the following year, attended by 1,200 guests. The couple had five children. After his abdication in 1918, Ernst August and his family were able to remain in Hanover. He lived his remaining years at his various properties, including Cumberland Castle in Gmunden, Austria, Marienburg Castle in Hanover, Germany, and Blankenburg Castle in Harz, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst August III of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick

November 17, 1905 – Birth of Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians, first wife of Leopold III, King of the Belgians, at the Hereditary Prince’s Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Full name: Astrid Sofia Lovisa Thyra
Astrid was the daughter of Prince Carl of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland, and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark. Through both of her parents, she was closely related to the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian royal families. Her father was the son of King Oscar II of Sweden and the brother of King Gustav V of Sweden. Her mother was the daughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, and sister to King Christian X of Denmark and King Haakon VII of Norway. In 1926, Astrid married the future Leopold III, King of the Belgians. They were the parents of the two Belgian kings, Baudouin and Albert II, and Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg.  In 1934, Astrid’s husband became King of the Belgians upon the death of his father. Astrid threw herself into her royal duties while continuing to raise her young family. Sadly, just a year later, Astrid was killed in a car crash.
Unofficial Royalty: Astrid of Sweden, Queen of the Belgians

November 17, 1905 – Death of Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, son of King Leopold I and father of King Albert I of the Belgians, at the Palace of the Count of Flanders in Brussels, Belgium; buried at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken near Brussels, Belgium
Philippe was a younger son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, and the ancestor of the current Belgian royal family as his son succeeded to the Belgian throne as King Albert I. In 1867, Philippe married Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and they had five children. It was Philippe and Marie who secured the future of the Belgian dynasty. Philippe was the heir presumptive to the Belgian throne until he died in 1905. Philippe’s elder son Baudouin was second in line to the throne until he died in 1891 from influenza. Then Philippe’s younger son Albert became second in line to the throne. Eventually, Albert succeeded his uncle, King Leopold II, upon his death in 1909 as King Albert I. Philippe led a comfortable life in the intimacy of his Brussels palace surrounded by his objets d’art, his superb horses, and especially his precious library of 30,000 books. He died at the age of 68.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders

November 17, 1905 – Death of Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg at his summer home Schloss Hohenburg in Lenggries, Kingdom of Bavaria, now Bavaria, Germany; buried at the burial chapel of Schloss Weilburg, the former residence of the House of Nassau and Dukes of Nassau-Weilburg, now in the German state of Hesse
Adolph was the son of Wilhelm, Duke of Nassau whom he succeeded in 1839. Adolph’s first wife Grand Duchess Elisabeth Mikhailovna of Russia died in childbirth along with her child. Adolph married again to Princess Adelheid-Marie of Anhalt-Dessau. They had five children, but only two lived to adulthood including his successor Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. In 1890, Adolphe became Grand Duke upon the accession of Queen Wilhelmina to the Dutch throne. The three previous kings of the Netherlands had also been Grand Dukes of Luxembourg. However, because Luxembourg did not allow female succession, Wilhelmina could not succeed to the throne of Luxembourg. 73-year-old Adolphe was a Protestant in a Catholic country and knew little about Luxembourg, so he left the governing to his prime minister. Adolph died at the age of 88.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Adolphe of Luxembourg

November 17, 1945 – Death of Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin at Glücksburg Castle in Germany, the home of his youngest daughter and her husband; buried in the New Cemetery in Glücksburg, Germany
Friedrich Franz became Grand Duke upon his father’s death in April 1897. Because he was still a minor, his uncle Duke Johann Albrecht, served as regent until Friedrich Franz came of age in 1901. Once he had taken control of his government, the young Grand Duke attempted to reform the Mecklenburg constitution. However, his efforts failed when the government of Mecklenburg-Strelitz refused to agree to his ideas. In 1904, he married Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland and they had five children. Friedrich Franz was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, abdicating on November 14, 1918. Forced to leave Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Friedrich Franz and his family traveled to Denmark at the invitation of his sister, Queen Alexandrine where they lived for a year, before being permitted to return to Mecklenburg, Germany, and recovering several of the family’s properties. At the end of World War II, with the advance of the Soviet Union’s Red Army, Friedrich Franz, his wife, and son Christian Ludwig, fled to Glücksburg Castle, in Glücksburg, Germany, the home of his youngest daughter and her husband, intending to return to Denmark. However, he became ill, and while under house arrest at Glücksburg  Castle, died at the age of 63.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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