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Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of Greece; Credit – Wikipedia

September 3, 1467 – Death of Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress, wife of Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor in Wiener Neustadt, Duchy of Styria, now in Austria; buried at the Neukloster Abbey in Wiener Neustadt
In 1452, Eleanor married Friedrich III, Holy Roman Emperor, who was also Duke of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola and then Duke of Austria, later Archduke of Austria. Friedrich and Eleanor had five children but only two survived childhood. Eleanor and Friedrich were very different and their marriage was not happy. Eleanor loved dancing, gambling, and hunting while Friedrich was more serious. After fifteen years of marriage, Eleanor, aged 32, died on September 3, 1467, from dysentery in Wiener Neustadt, Duchy of Styria, now in Austria. She was buried at the Neukloster Abbey in Wiener Neustadt which was founded by her husband and where her three children who died in childhood were buried.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress

September 3, 1499 – Birth of Diane de Poitiers, mistress of King Henri II of France at the Château de Saint-Vallier, in Saint-Vallier, France
Diane de Poitiers was the royal mistress of King Henri II of France from around 1534 until Henri died in 1559. During that time, she was considered by most to be the most powerful and influential woman in France, far surpassing the King’s wife Catherine de’ Medici.
Unofficial Royalty: Diane de Poitiers

September 3, 1757 – Birth of Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in Weimar, Duchy of Saxe-Weimar, now in Thuringia, Germany
When his father died in May 1758, Karl August became Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Duke of Saxe-Eisenach at just nine months old. His mother served as regent and is recognized for having built up the resources and strength of the duchies during her son’s youth. In 1809, the two duchies were united and Karl August became Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Six years later, following the Congress of Vienna, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was elevated to a Grand Duchy with Karl August as its first Grand Duke. Much more liberal than many of his contemporaries, Karl August was the first German prince to grant a liberal constitution and to promote the freedom of the press.
Unofficial Royalty: Karl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

September 3, 1783 – Birth of Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria
Born Anna Maria Stanhope, she was the eldest daughter of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington. She married Francis Russell, 7th Duke of Bedford.
Unofficial Royalty: Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford

September 3, 1792 – Death of Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe in Paris, France, favorite of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, by a mob during the September Massacres of 1792 (French Revolution); her remains were lost or destroyed
On September 3, 1792, Marie Thérèse went before a tribunal that insisted she swear “hatred to the King and the Queen and the monarchy”. Refusing to do so, she was released to the streets where she was quickly killed by an angry mob. Her head was placed on a pike, and numerous reports claim it was paraded below the windows where Queen Marie Antoinette was being held. Most historians agree that the Queen never saw this but she was made aware of the Princess’s death. Her body was turned over to the authorities, but their whereabouts are unknown.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Thérèse Louise of Savoy, Princesse de Lamballe in Paris, France, favorite of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France

September 3, 1810 – Birth of Ferdinand-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, Prince Royal, Prince of Orléans, eldest son of King Louis Philippe I of the French, at the Royal Palace in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
In 1830, Ferdinand-Philippe’s father became King of the French, and he became the heir apparent to the French throne and received the title Prince Royal as well as the titles of Duke of Orléans and Prince of Orléans. Twelve years later, Ferdinand-Philippe died from injuries received in a carriage accident.
Unofficial Royalty: Ferdinand-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, Prince Royal, Prince of Orléans

September 3, 1851 – Birth of Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of Greece, wife of King George I of Greece, at Pavlovsk Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia
Olga was the daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia, a son of Nicholas I, Emperor of all Russia. In 1867, she married King George I of the Hellenes. born Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, son of King Christian IX of Denmark. The couple had eight children including the father of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Unofficial Royalty: Olga Konstantinovna of Russia, Queen of the Hellenes

September 3, 1955 – Death of Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg, second wife of Friedrich August II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, at Schloss Schaumberg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany; buried at the Ducal Mausoleum in St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany
Elisabeth Alexandrine was the last Grand Duchess of Oldenburg through her marriage to Grand Duke Friedrich August II. After her husband was forced to abdicate on November 11, 1918, when the German Empire fell, the couple took up residence at Rastede Castle in Rastede near Oldenburg, Germany. Elisabeth Alexandrine remained close to her large family, often spending time in the Netherlands with her brother Heinrich who had married Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Friedrich August died in 1931, and Elisabeth Alexandrine survived him by 24 years, dying at Schloss Schaumburg in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, the home of her son-in-law Josias, Hereditary Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont and her daughter Altburg Marie.
Unofficial Royalty: Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg

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Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, Countess of Provence; Credit – Wikipedia

September 2, 1348 – Death of Joan of England from the plague, daughter of King Edward III of England, in Loremo, Bordeaux, Duchy of Gascony, now in France; buried in Loremo or in Bayonne Cathedral
One of the early English victims of the bubonic plague, dying from it on her way to her wedding, Joan was the daughter of King Edward III of England. In 1345, Joan was betrothed to the future King Pedro of Castile and León. In the summer of 1348, thirteen-year-old Joan left England for Bayonne, Duchy of Gascony, now in France, where her wedding was to take place on November 1, 1348. Joan’s retinue settled in a family castle in Bordeaux to take a planned break in their travels. Despite a serious outbreak of the plague in Bordeaux, it did not occur to Joan and the officials to leave the city. However, they soon watched in horror as members of Joan’s retinue fell ill and began to die. Robert Bauchier, the leader of Joan’s retinue, died on August 20, 1338. After the death of Robert Bauchier, Joan feared for her life and was moved to a small village called Loremo. However, Joan did not escape the plague and died on September 2, 1348.
Unofficial Royalty: Joan of England

September 2, 1753 – Birth of Maria Giuseppina of Savoy, Countess of Provence, wife of King Louis XVIII of France, at the Royal Palace of Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy
Full name: Maria Giuseppina Luigia
Maria Giuseppina Luigia of Savoy was the wife of King Louis XVIII of France, although he did not become King until after her death. The couple married in 1771 but had no children. In June 1795, Marie Joséphine’s husband became the titular King of France following the death of the only surviving son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. However, as the French monarchy had been abolished years earlier, the two remained in exile as Count and Countess of Provence. They continued living in different parts of Europe before moving to England in 1808, taking up residence at Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, England.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie Josephine Louise of Savoy, Countess of Provence

September 2, 1838 – Birth of Liliuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands, the only queen regnant and the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, born Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha in Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu in the Kingdom of Hawaii, now in the state of Hawaii
Liliuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands was the only queen regnant and the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, reigning from 1891 until she was deposed in 1893. She composed Aloha ʻOe or Farewell to Thee, one of the most recognizable Hawaiian songs.
Unofficial Royalty: Liliuokalani, Queen of the Hawaiian Islands

September 2, 1870 – Birth of Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony, wife of the future King Friedrich August III of Saxony, in Salzburg, Austria
Full name: Luise Antoinette Maria Theresia Josepha Johanna Leopoldine Caroline Ferdinande Alice Ernestine
In 1891, Luise married the future King Friedrich August III, the last King of Saxony, and the couple had six children. From the beginning of her marriage, Luise was unhappy. She was unwilling to conform to the strict Saxon court which often caused conflicts with her father-in-law and others in the royal family. She sought refuge in several affairs, including her children’s French tutor, André Giron. Her affair with Giron was discovered when a telegram she sent him was intercepted.  With the help of two of her maids, Luise – pregnant with her youngest child – fled Dresden and headed toward Lake Geneva where she met up with her brother, Leopold Ferdinand, before reconnecting with Giron. Luise and Giron stayed in Geneva, often being seen in public. Their relationship ended just a few days before her divorce was announced on February 11, 1903. In 1907, Luise married for a second time to Enrico Toselli, an Italian musician 12 years younger, and the couple had one son. After World War I, Luise found herself virtually penniless. She had lost all of her Austrian titles and assets upon her second marriage, and with the end of the Austrian Empire, lost the little financial support that she had continued to receive from a few relatives. She spent some time living in Spain with an uncle before moving to Belgium where she spent the remainder of her life. Luise, aged 77, died on March 23, 1947. At the time, she was working as a flower seller to survive.
Unofficial Royalty: Luise of Austria, Crown Princess of Saxony

September 2, 1883 – Birth of Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria, the only child of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, at the Austrian imperial summer residence of Schloss Laxenburg in Laxenburg, Austria
Full name: Elisabeth Maria Henriette Stephanie Gisela
Elisabeth was the only child of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria and Stéphanie of Belgium. She was only six years old when her father was found shot to death with his mistress Baroness Mary von Vetsera in an apparent suicide pact. Imperial dislike of Elisabeth’s mother Stéphanie had been high, and as a result, her paternal grandfather, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria took Elisabeth into his care. The two were close to the end of the Emperor’s life. Following her mother’s remarriage to a Hungarian count in 1900, Elisabeth broke off all contact with her mother.
Unofficial Royalty: Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria

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Alexandra of Edinburgh, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

September 1, 1651 – Birth of Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, Tsaritsa of All Russia, second wife of Alexei, Tsar of All Russia and the mother of  Peter I “the Great”, Emperor of All Russia, in Moscow, Russia
Natalya was brought up in the Moscow home of her distant relative, the Western-influenced statesman, diplomat, and reformer Artamon Sergeyevich Matveev. Mateev even married a Western woman, Eudoxie Hamilton from Scotland. Because of Mateev’s influence, Natalya Kirillovna’s upbringing was freer and more Western than that of other Russian women of that time period. Natalya’s upbringing certainly had an influence on her son Peter the Great who was greatly influenced by Western advisers and implemented major reforms to modernize Russia.
Unofficial Royalty: Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina, Tsaritsa of All Russia

September 1, 1711 – Birth of Willem IV, Prince of Orange born in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands
Full name: Willem Karel Hendrik Friso
Six weeks before Willem’s birth, his 23-year-old father Johan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange drowned when the ferry he was traveling on across a wide river capsized. From the day of his birth, Willem was Prince of Orange. He also succeeded to his father’s elective offices as Stadtholder of Friesland and as Stadtholder of Groningen under the regency of his mother Marie Luise until he reached his majority in 1731. Willem married Anne, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King George II and the couple had three children.
Unofficial Royalty: Willem IV, Prince of Orange

September 1, 1715 – Death of King Louis XIV of France at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France; buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
King Louis XIV was the longest-reigning French monarch, reigning from 1643 until he died in 1715, 72 years and 100 days. Louis XIV outlived most of his immediate legitimate family. His last surviving legitimate son Louis, Le Grand Dauphin died in 1711. Barely a year later, Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin, the eldest of the Dauphin’s three sons and then heir to Louis XIV, followed his father in death. Burgundy’s elder surviving son Louis, Duke of Brittany joined them a few weeks later. Thus, on his deathbed, Louis XIV’s heir was his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis, Duke of Anjou, Burgundy’s younger son, who succeeded his great-grandfather as King Louis XV.
Unofficial Royalty: King Louis XIV of France

September 1, 1821 – Birth of Leopold III, Prince of Lippe in Detmold in the Principality of Lippe, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Full name: Paul Friedrich Emil Leopold
Leopold III had eight younger siblings. Leopold and his brother Woldemar were the only ones who married and neither had any children. This would eventually create a succession crisis. After the death of Leopold’s brother Alexander and the extinction of the Lippe-Detmold line, the throne of the Principality of Lippe went to Count Leopold of Lippe-Biesterfeld who would be the last Prince of Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold III, Prince of Lippe

September 1, 1878 – Birth of Alexandra of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg,  granddaughter of Queen Victoria, at Edinburgh Palace in Coburg, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Alexandra Louise Olga Victoria
Alexandra was the daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia. In 1896, Alexandra married Prince Ernst of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.  Alexandra and Ernst were second cousins – their grandmothers, Queen Victoria and Princess Feodora of Leiningen were half-sisters.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

September 1, 1922 – Death of Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany, wife of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, at Hinterris, Tyrol, Austria; buried near the Chapel at Hinterriss
In 1882, Helena married Queen Victoria’s hemophiliac son Prince Leopold. The couple had one child and Helena was pregnant with their second child when Leopold slipped and fell on a staircase, injuring his knee and his head. His injuries, exacerbated by his hemophilia, caused Leopold to die from a cerebral hemorrhage. Helena and her children continued to live at Claremont House near Esher in Surrey, England, which Queen Victoria had bought for Leopold upon his marriage. Helena devoted the rest of her life to her children, grandchildren, and charitable work. She died of a heart attack at the age of 61 in Hinterriss, Austria where she was visiting her son.  At her request, Helena was buried in the beautiful countryside of Hinteriss.
Unofficial Royalty: Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany

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Diana, Princess of Wales; Photo Credit – http://www.npg.org.uk/

August 31, 1422 – Death of King Henry V of England at Bois-de-Vincennes, France, buried at Westminster Abbey in London, England
On June 2, 1420, King Henry V married Catherine of Valois. In June 1421, Henry V returned to France to continue his military campaigns. Catherine was already several months pregnant and gave birth to a son, the soon-to-be King Henry VI of England.  Henry V never saw their child. The warrior king, the victor against the French at the Battle of Agincourt, determined to conquer France once and for all, succumbed to dysentery, a disease that killed more soldiers than battle, at the age of 35, leaving a nine-month-old son to inherit his throne.
Unofficial Royalty: King Henry V of England

August 31, 1602 – Birth of Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, Princess of Orange, wife of Frederik Hendrik, Prince of Orange, at Schloss Braunfels in Braunfels, County of Solms-Braunfels now in Hesse, Germany
Amalia was the mother of Willem II, Prince of Orange who married Mary, Princess Royal, eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. They had one son Willem III, Prince of Orange, later King William III of England. Amalia had influence in politics, initially as Frederik Hendrik’s adviser, and then, after 1640, when her husband became ill, she became openly involved in political life and received foreign diplomats and envoys.
Unofficial Royalty: Amalia of Solms-Braunfels, Princess of Orange

August 31, 1724 – Death of King Luis I of Spain in Madrid, Spain; buried at Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real in Spain
After the abdication of his father, Luis I, King of Spain had a very short reign, from January 14, 1724 to August 31, 1724. In 1722, Luis married Princess Louise Élisabeth of Orléans. The marriage was not successful and resulted in no children due to the young age of Louise Élisabeth and because she became increasingly known for her erratic and impulsive behavior. On January 14, 1724, Luis’s father King Felipe V abdicated the Spanish throne in favor of Luis for reasons that are still unclear. Perhaps it was because Felipe suffered from mental instability and did not wish to reign due to his increasing mental decline. King Luis I contracted smallpox in July 1724. His wife Louise Élisabeth was his only company because his parents, fearful of the illness, left the Palacio del Buen Retiro in Madrid, Spain. Luis’s smallpox was complicated by pneumonia. Fourteen-year-old Louise Élisabeth cared for and remained with her seventeen-year-old husband until his death, on August 31, 1724. She also contracted smallpox but recovered from the illness.
Unofficial Royalty: King Luis I of Spain

August 31, 1871 – Birth of Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in Altenburg, Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg, now in Thuringia, Germany
Full name: Ernst Bernhard Georg Johann Karl Friedrich Peter Albrecht
In 1898, Ernst married Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe and the couple had four children. Ernst became Duke following his uncle’s death in 1908. He was a popular ruler who made efforts to be close to his subjects. He would hold audiences for any and all who wanted to meet with him. He also pursued his interests in science and technology, opening an airfield in 1911, and owning one of the first cars in the duchy. Ernst was the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, abdicating on November 13, 1918, following the end of World War I. He was the only former German ruler who was a citizen of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), and the last surviving sovereign from the German Empire. The East German government expropriated his beloved Schloss Fröhliche Wiederkunft in 1946, but Ernst was given the use of the residence for the remainder of his life. At the age of 83, Ernst died at Schloss Fröhliche Wiederkunft on March 22, 1955.
Unofficial Royalty: Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

August 31, 1872 – Birth of Mathilde Feliksovna Kschessinskaya, mistress of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia before his marriage, mistress of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia, and mistress and wife of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia, in Ligovo, Peterhof, Russia
Mathilde Feliksovna Kschessinskaya was one of the most famous ballerinas of the Maryinsky Ballet (now the Kirov Ballet) in St. Petersburg, Russia. She was awarded the title prima ballerina assoluta, traditionally reserved only for the most exceptional ballerinas of their generation.  Mathilde, who was ambitious, used her connections with the Romanovs to promote her career. Mathilde and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich escaped from Russia after the Russian Revolution and married in 1921. Mathilde had previously had one son whose father was either Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich’s or Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich’s. In 1926, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, Head of the Romanov Family, gave Mathilde and her son Vladimir the title and surname of the Prince/Princess of Krasinsky. In 1935, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich gave Mathilde and her son the surname Romanovsky-Krasinsky, and so they were formally styled Princess Maria Romanovsky-Krasinsky and Prince Vladimir Andreievich Romanovsky-Krasinsky. Mathilde opened a ballet studio in Paris and trained some of the most famous ballet dancers of the 20th century. She lived a long life dying in 1971, at the age of 99.
Unofficial Royalty: Mathilde Feliksovna Kschessinskaya

August 31, 1879 – Birth of Emperor Taishō of Japan at Tōgū Palace in Tokyo, Japan
Birth name: Yoshihito
Emperor Taishō’s mother, Lady Naruko Yanagihara, a concubine to his father Emperor Meiji, and the daughter of imperial chamberlain Mitsunaru Yanagihara, was the last concubine to give birth to a Japanese emperor. Three weeks after his birth, Yoshihito 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), daughter of Prince Michitaka Kujō, the head of the five senior branches of the Fujiwara clan. 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.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Taishō of Japan

August 31, 1880 – Birth of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands at Noordeinde Palace  in The Hague, the Netherlands
Full name: Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Marie
Queen Wilhelmina holds the record for the longest-reigning Dutch monarch, 58 years. Her reign spanned World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. Queen Wilhelmina’s father, King Willem III, was the third monarch of the Netherlands and had married his cousin Sophie of Württemberg in 1839. The couple had three sons,  all of whom predeceased their father without any legitimate children. Queen Sophie died in 1877 and Willem was eager to remarry. After considering some other princesses, the 62-year-old Willem married Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont who was 21 years old. 19 months later, Willem and Emma’s only child Wilhelmina was born on August 31, 1880, at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. At the time of her birth, Wilhelmina was third in the line of succession after her half-brother Alexander and her great-uncle Prince Frederick of the Netherlands. By the time Wilhelmina was four years old, both men had died and Wilhelmina was the heir presumptive.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

August 31, 1970 – Birth of Queen Rania of Jordan, wife of King Abdullah II of Jordan, born  Rania Al-Yasin in Kuwait City, Kuwait
In January 1993, Rania met Prince Abdullah of Jordan, the eldest son of King Hussein I of Jordan and his second wife Princess Muna, at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends. Quickly smitten, he proposed just two months later and the couple was married on June 10, 1993. At the time, neither likely suspected that they would one day become King and Queen of Jordan. Queen Rania and King Abdullah II have four children.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Rania of Jordan

August 31, 1985 – Birth of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, son of King Salman of Saudi Arabia, born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Since the founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 by Abdulaziz “Ibn Saud”, the first King of Saudi Arabia, all six of his successors have come from among his 45 sons. In Saudi Arabia, there is no clear line of succession. Crown Princes have been appointed according to male line seniority from among the sons of Abdulaziz “Ibn Saud”. If Crown Prince Mohammad, a grandson of Abdulaziz “Ibn Saud”, becomes king, he will be the first king of the next generation.
Unofficial Royalty: Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia

August 31, 1997 – Death of Diana, Princess of Wales at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, France; buried at Althorp in Northamptonshire, England
After her divorce, Diana had a relationship with Dr. Hasnat Khan, a British-Pakistani heart surgeon, which ended in June 1997. She then became involved with Dodi Fayed, son of Mohamed Al-Fayed, the owner of Harrods and the Ritz Hotel in London. Diana and her sons joined the Fayed family in the south of France for a vacation that summer where she and Dodi reportedly began their romance. Following a trip to Bosnia, Diana again joined Dodi Fayed on a private cruise aboard the Fayed’s yacht, returning to Paris on August 30. Later that night, hounded by paparazzi, the couple left the Ritz to go to Dodi’s apartment in Paris. Just minutes later, their car crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel, killing Dodi and the car’s driver, Henri Paul, instantly. Diana was critically injured and eventually taken to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. Diana, Princess of Wales was pronounced dead at 4 am.
Unofficial Royalty: Diana, Princess of Wales
Unofficial Royalty: Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Unofficial Royalty: In Memoriam – Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997)
Unofficial Royalty: Tragedy in the British Royal Family at the End of August

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Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine; Credit – Wikipedia

August 30, 1813 – Birth of Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and wife of Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, in Augsburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Mathilde Karoline Friederike Wilhelmine Charlotte
The eldest daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, Mathilde Karoline married the future Ludwig III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine but the couple had no children. Mathilde Karoline died of cancer at the age of 48 in 1862. Because she had remained Catholic after her marriage into the Grand Ducal family who was Lutheran, she is buried at St. Ludwig’s Catholic Church in Darmstadt.
Unofficial Royalty: Mathilde Karoline of Bavaria, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

August 30, 1831 – Death of Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the divorced wife of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in Paris, France; buried at the Ducal Family Mausoleum, Glockenburg Cemetery in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Louise was the mother of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. Although her marriage to Ernst was initially happy, the couple soon grew apart due to Ernst’s infidelities. In 1823, Louise had an affair with Gottfried von Bülow, the court chamberlain, and in 1824, she had an affair with Alexander von Hanstein, one of her husband’s equerries. At midnight on September 2, 1824, Louise was forced into exile and permanently cut off from her children. Louise and von Hanstein married but had no children. In 1831, Louise traveled with her husband to see doctors in Paris, France because of the deterioration of her health. Unfortunately, incurable cervical cancer was diagnosed. Louise died on August 30, 1831, in Paris at the age of 30.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

August 30, 1870 – Birth of Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, born Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia, daughter of King George I of Greece, wife of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia, at the Mon Repos villa on the Greek island of Corfu
Alexandra was the eldest of the three daughters of King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. She was named after her paternal aunt Alexandra of Denmark, the future Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, wife of King Edward VII. Alexandra married Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, the youngest child of Alexander II, Emperor of all Russia. The couple had two children but sadly, Alexandra died after giving premature birth to her second child.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia

August 30, 1915 – Birth of Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland, wife of Prince Bertil of Sweden, Duke of Halland, born Lilian May Davies in Swansea, Wales
Lilian and Prince Bertil, who was serving as a naval attaché at the Swedish Embassy in London, first met at a cocktail party in 1943. At that time Bertil was third in the line of succession to the Swedish throne. By the time his father came to the throne in 1950, Bertil was now second in the line of succession. His elder brother Gustaf Adolf had been killed in a plane crash in 1947, leaving an infant son, Carl Gustaf, the future King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the heir to the throne. With the likelihood of Bertil being called to serve as Regent for his young nephew, he and Lilian chose not to marry so that he could retain his position in the Royal Family. Bertil’s father died in 1973, and Bertil’s nephew became King Carl XVI Gustaf. The rules, as well as the times, were beginning to change. The King married in June 1976 to a commoner, Sylvia Sommerlath, and soon after, he granted his formal permission for Bertil and Lilian to marry.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Lilian of Sweden, Duchess of Halland

August 30, 1917 – Birth of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia, son of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in Porvoo, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire, now in Finland
Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia was the pretender to the throne of Russia from 1938 – 1992.
Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia

August 30, 1946 – Birth of Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, wife of former King Constantine II of Greece, daughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark, born Anne-Marie of Denmark at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid
Six months after his accession to the Greek throne, on September 18, 1964, King Constantine married 18-year-old Anne-Marie.  Upon marriage, she became Queen of the Hellenes and relinquished her place in the line of succession to the Danish throne. Before the wedding, Anne-Marie converted to Greek Orthodoxy. Anne-Marie and Constantine are third cousins twice, sharing both King Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom as common ancestors. The couple had five children. Unfortunately, her tenure as Queen did not last very long. Following a coup in 1967, the Greek royal family went into exile, living in Rome for several years before moving to Denmark and then finally settling in the United Kingdom. While in exile, King Constantine was deposed and the monarchy was formally abolished in 1974. In 2013, Anne-Marie and Constantine were able to return permanently to Greece, where Constantine died in 2023.
Unofficial Royalty: Anne-Marie of Denmark, Queen of Greece

August 30, 1963 – Death of Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, wife of Friedrich Franz IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, at Glücksburg Castle in Glücksburg, Germany; buried at New Cemetery in Glücksburg, Germany
Alexandra’s husband was the last Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. At the end of World War I, following her husband’s abdication on November 14, 1918, the family was forced to leave Mecklenburg. They traveled to Denmark at the invitation of Queen Alexandrine, Friedrich Franz’s sister, and stayed for a year. The following year, they were permitted to return to Mecklenburg and recovered several of their properties. At the end of World War II, with the Soviet Army approaching Mecklenburg, the family was again forced to flee. Intending to return to Denmark, they traveled to Glücksburg Castle, in Glücksburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, the home of their youngest daughter where they both lived the rest of their lives.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

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