Princess Lilibet of Sussex

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Princess Lilibet of Sussex, June 2022; Credit – Misan Harriman

Princess Lilibet Diana of Sussex, nicknamed Lili, is the second of the two children and the only daughter of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife The Duchess of Sussex, the former Meghan Markle. Born on June 4, 2021, at 11:40 AM local time at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California, Lilibet weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces. Lilibet is named after her paternal great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and her paternal grandmother Diana, Princess of Wales. Lilibet was Queen Elizabeth II’s family nickname, originating from Queen Elizabeth II’s pronunciation of her name when she was young. Lilibet has dual citizenship from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Lilibet has one elder sibling:

  • Prince Archie of Sussex, born May 6, 2019 at Portland Hospital for Women and Children, a private hospital on Great Portland Street in London, England

Lilibet was seventh in the line of succession to the British throne after her paternal uncle Prince William, The Prince of Wales and his three children, her father Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and her brother Prince Archie. As the daughter of a Duke, Lilibet was entitled to use the courtesy title “Lady” before her given name. However, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided that their children would not use any styles or titles in accordance with their wish that they live their lives as private citizens.

Lilibet being held by her mother with her father and brother, from the 2021 Christmas card of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex; Credit – Alexi Lubomirski/The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

However, at birth, Lilibet was not entitled to the style and title Her Royal Highness Princess. In 1917, King George V issued Letters Patent changing the rights to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. The children of the Sovereign, the children of the sons of the Sovereign, and the eldest living son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales would be entitled to the style Royal Highness and the title Prince/Princess. Exceptions to the rule can be made by the Sovereign. For instance, in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II issued a Letters Patent declaring that all the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales should have the title Prince or Princess and the style Royal Highness. This meant that all the children of Prince William would be HRH Prince/Princess. Under the 1917 Letters Patent, Lilibet would be entitled to the style and title Her Royal Highness Princess, when her paternal grandfather succeeds to the throne. Lilibet would then be a male-line grandchild of the Sovereign.

With the accession of Lilibet’s grandfather as King Charles III on September 8, 2022, Lilibet is a male-line grandchild of the monarch and is entitled to be styled Her Royal Highness Princess Lilibet of Sussex under the 1917 Letters Patent.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had announced on January 8, 2020, that they would step back as senior royals and divide time between the United Kingdom and North America. However, since that time the Duke and Duchess have made a home in Montecito, California in the United States.

On March 8, 2023, it was announced that Lilibet has been christened in a private ceremony at the family home in Montecito, California. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said: “I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.” The Right Reverand John Taylor is the Archbishop of Los Angeles for the Episcopal Church, a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Although Lilibet has technically been a princess since the accession of her grandfather King Charles III, the christening announcement is the first time she has been publicly called a princess.

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Jacques I, Prince of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Jacques I, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Jacques was the husband of Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco and was briefly the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. From a wealthy French noble family, Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon was born at the de Goyon de Matignon family chateau, Château des Matignon, in Torigni-sur-Vire in Normandy, France, on November 21, 1689. He was the elder of the two sons and the second of the three children of first cousins Jacques III Goyon de Matignon, Count of Thorigny, a Lieutenant General in the French army, (1644 – 1725) and Charlotte de Goyon de Matignon, Countess of Thorigny (1657 – 1721).

  • Catherine Elisabeth de Goyon de Matignon (1677 – 1706), married Louis Jean Baptiste de Goyon de Matignon, Count of Gacé and de Montmartin
  • Male, name unknown (1690 – 1694)

In 1641, during the reign of Honoré II, Monaco became a French protectorate, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes.  Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families, so it would not be unusual for Antonio I, Prince of Monaco, to look for a prospective husband for his elder surviving daughter Louise-Hippolyte, among young men from noble French families.

Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise-Hippolyte occupied an unprecedented position in the Princely Family of Monaco. The greatest concern of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco was the future of the House of Grimaldi. Because Antonio’s only legitimate children were all daughters, the heir to the throne was his only brother François Honoré Grimaldi, a Catholic priest with the title Monsieur l’Abbé de Monaco, later Archbishop of Besançon. In 1715, François Honoré renounced his claims to the throne of Monaco and Antonio’s elder surviving daughter Louise Hippolyte became his heir. Antonio decided, with the permission of King Louis XIV of France, that Louise Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her.

However, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco and his wife, born Marie of Lorraine, a daughter of Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac, a member of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine, who held the rank of prince étranger at the French court, butted heads over prospective husbands for their elder daughter. Marie, supported by her family, refused to consent to Antonio’s choice. This resulted in a conflict that lasted for two years and greatly angered King Louis XIV of France. Marie told Louise-Hippolyte to refuse her father’s choice resulting in Antonio confining Louise-Hippolyte in a convent for two years. When Antonio discovered that his marriage plans for his daughter were not favored at the French court, he was forced to release Louise-Hippolyte from her convent confinement and forgo his marriage plans. However, Marie had another trick up her sleeve. She arranged for the Duchess de Lude to suggest the wealthy Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon as a husband for Louise-Hippolyte, and Antonio agreed. When Antonio later found out that Marie had manipulated his choice by having the Duchess de Lude suggest Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon, his already poor relationship with Marie and Antonio further worsened.

On October 20, 1715, 26-year-old Jacques married 18-year-old Louise-Hippolyte, the heir to the throne of Monaco, with the promise that he would jointly reign with her as Jacques I, Prince of Monaco.

The children of Jacques and Louise-Hippolyte; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise-Hippolyte and Jacques had nine children but only four survived to adulthood:

  • Antoine-Charles, Marquis des Baux and Count de Matignon, (1717 – 1718), died in infancy
  • Charlotte Thérèse Nathalie (1719 – 1790), a nun at the Convent of the Visitation in Paris, France
  • Honoré III, Prince of Monaco (1720 – 1795), married Maria Caterina Brignole, had two sons including Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco
  • Charles, Count de Carladés and Count de Matignon (1722 – 1749), unmarried, died from smallpox at the age of 27
  • Jacques (born and died 1723), died in infancy
  • Louise Françoise, Mademoiselle des Baux (1724 – 1729), died in childhood
  • François-Charles, Count of Thorigny (1726 – 1743), died in his teens
  • Charles-Maurice, Count de Valentinois (1727 – 1798), married Marie Christine Chrétienne de Rouvrois, no children
  • Marie Françoise Thérése, Mademoiselle d’Estouteville (1728 – 1743), died in her teens

The Hôtel de Matignon, Jacques’ Paris residence, now the official residence of the Prime Minister of France; Credit – By ScareCriterion12 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62918157

Because of the poor relationship between Louise-Hippolyte’s parents, the couple decided to live in France. They spent their time between Jacques’ mansion in Paris, the Hôtel de Matignon, now the official residence of the Prime Minister of France, and Torigni-sur-Vire in Normandy, France where the de Goyon de Matignon family chateau, Château des Matignon, was located. Highly unusual for the time, Jacques was faithful to his wife and the marriage was happy.

The Château des Matignon, Jacques’ family home in Torigni-sur-Vire in Normandy, France; Credit – Par Selbymay Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62739796

On February 20, 1731, at the age of 70, Jacques’ father-in-law Antonio I, Prince of Monaco died. His wife Louise-Hippolyte was now the Sovereign Princess of Monaco, and Jacques was to co-reign. However, Louise-Hippolyte traveled alone from Paris to Monaco, arriving on April 4, 1731, when the people of Monaco received her enthusiastically. Louise-Hippolyte immediately took the oath of loyalty but there was no mention of her husband Jacques. According to the decision made years earlier by Louise-Hippolyte’s father, her husband would take the surname Grimaldi (which Jacques had done) and jointly rule Monaco with her as Jacques I, Prince of Monaco. However, Louise-Hippolyte decreed that she would be the sole ruler, all documents would be issued in her name only, and her husband and children would stay in France.

While historians have differing opinions about what caused Louise-Hippolyte’s behavior, it appears likely that she was not really happy with her marriage. Jacques and their children came to Monaco a few weeks after Louise-Hippolyte had taken the oath of loyalty but he stayed for a short time before returning to France alone. The rumors at the French court said that Jacques had wished to be named along with his wife in the official proclamation of accession, and when that was denied, the couple separated.

Louise-Hippolyte had a very short reign of ten months. Several weeks before Christmas of 1731, a smallpox epidemic spread through the Mediterranean coastal areas. Louise-Hippolyte died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731. Upon Louise-Hippolyte’s death, Jacques, now the legal guardian of their eldest son Honoré, returned to Monaco with a plan. Jacques should rule as Prince of Monaco until Honoré reached his twenty-fifth birthday. At that time, Honoré would abdicate in favor of his father following the example of sons who gave up their fathers’ land they had inherited through their mothers. Although the plan was initially accepted, it met with increasing opposition. It is possible that Louise-Hippolyte had suspected her husband was power-hungry and that was why she denied him being named as her co-ruler.

Finally, in May 1732, Jacques handed over the rule of Monaco to his brother-in-law Antonio Grimaldi, Chevalier de Grimaldi, an illegitimate son of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. Jacques’ official abdication date was November 7, 1733, but he had long since returned to Paris with his son who was now technically Honoré III, Prince of Monaco. Antonio Grimaldi, Chevalier de Grimaldi became Governor-General of Monaco, was the de facto ruler of Monaco from 1732 until he died in 1784, and ably served as regent for more than fifty years for his nephew Honoré III, even after Honoré returned to Monaco.

Jacques spent the last nineteen years of his life living at his Paris mansion, the Hôtel de Matignon, and the de Goyon de Matignon family chateau, Château des Matignon, in Torigni-sur-Vire in Normandy, France, in addition to spending time at the French court at the Palace of Versailles. In 1740, a second marriage was proposed for Jacques with Louise-Françoise de Bourbon-Maine, a granddaughter of King Louis XIV of France and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise of Montespan. However, the marriage never occurred and Jacques never remarried.

Église Saint-Laurent, the church where Jacques was buried; Credit – Wikipedia

The former Jacques I, Prince of Monaco, died, aged 61, on April 23, 1751, at his Paris home, the Hôtel de Matignon. He was buried at the Église Saint-Laurent, the burial site of Jacques’ birth family, in Torigni-sur-Vire in France, but his remains were lost during the French Revolution.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Jacques I, Prince of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_I,_Prince_of_Monaco> [Accessed 25 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Hippolyte,_Princess_of_Monaco> [Accessed 25 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Unofficial Royalty. [online] Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louise-hippolyte-sovereign-princess-of-monaco/> [Accessed 25 February 2022].
  • geni_family_tree. 2022. Jacques I, V. prince de Monaco. [online] Available at: <https://www.geni.com/people/Jacques-I-V-prince-de-Monaco/5294705825110117665> [Accessed 25 February 2022].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise-Hippolyte av Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise-Hippolyte_av_Monaco> [Accessed 25 February 2022].

Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom) in Berlin, Germany

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Berlin Cathedral; Credit – By Ansgar Koreng / CC BY 3.0 (DE), CC BY 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41469664

Located in Berlin, the capital of Germany, the Berlin Cathedral, known in German as the Berliner Dom, is a member of the Evangelical Church in Germany, a federation of twenty Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist), and United (Prussian Union, for example) Protestant regional churches and denominations in Germany. As with many churches in Europe, the religious affiliation of the Berlin Cathedral has changed over the centuries: Roman Catholic until 1539, Lutheran from 1539–1632, Reformed from 1632–1817, and United (Prussian Union) from 1817 – present. The current church was built from 1894 to 1905 during the reign of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia. Although lesser well known than other royal burial sites, the Hohenzollern Crypt in the Berlin Cathedral is the most important dynastic burial site in Germany and rivals the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria, Westminster Abbey in London, England, the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France, and the Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

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House of Hohenzollern

Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

The Protestant Franconian branch of the House of Hohenzollern ruled as Margraves of Brandenburg, Dukes of Prussia, Electors of Brandenburg, Kings of Prussia from 1415 until 1918. The first King in Prussia succeeded his father as Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg in 1688. The Electorate of Brandenburg was part of the Holy Roman Empire, while the Duchy of Prussia, formerly a fief of the Crown of Poland, lay outside the Empire’s borders. The Duchy had been inherited by the Hohenzollern Prince-Electors of Brandenburg in 1618 and was ruled in personal union.

Friedrich I, the first King in Prussia, formerly Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg; Credit – Wikipedia

In November 1700, in exchange for supporting the Holy Roman Empire in the Spanish War of Succession, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor agreed to allow Friedrich III, Duke of Prussia, Elector of Brandenburg to make Prussia a kingdom and become its first king. Because the Hohenzollerns’ sovereignty over the Duchy of Prussia was dependant upon succession in the male line (and would return to the Polish crown if there were no male heirs to succeed), Friedrich I agreed to style himself King in Prussia and not King of Prussia. In 1772, King Friedrich II (the Great) in Prussia, through several battles and wars, united the various parts of his kingdom, taking the title King of Prussia.

In 1871, the German Empire, consisting of four kingdoms, six grand duchies, five duchies, seven principalities, three free Hanseatic cities, and one imperial territory, was proclaimed. The King of Prussia was also the German Emperor (Kaiser). In the aftermath of World War I, Prussia had a revolution that resulted in the replacement of the monarchy with a republic. Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia abdicated on November 9, 1918. On November 10, 1918, Wilhelm Hohenzollern crossed the border by train and went into exile in the Netherlands, never to return to Germany.

The Kingdom of Prussia had territory that today is part of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. All or parts of the following states of today’s Germany were part of the Kingdom of Prussia: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland, Saxony-Anhalt, and Schleswig-Holstein.

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History of the Berlin Cathedral

The Berlin Cathedral; Credit – By Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64059550

The original church was consecrated in 1454, as the Roman Catholic St. Erasmus Chapel, the chapel of the Berlin Palace, the main residence of the House of Hohenzollern from 1443 – 1918.  St. Erasmus Chapel was used for the services of the family of the Elector of Brandenburg and the court. In 1465, Pope Paul II raised it to the status of a collegiate church. Eventually, the chapel could not meet the growing needs of the Electors of Brandenburg.

The first cathedral, used 1536–1747; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1535, the Dominican monastery church south of the Berlin Palace was converted into the first cathedral. The Gothic brick church was expanded and richly furnished. A burial site for the House of Hohenzollern was established. The new cathedral was consecrated in 1536. A new western façade with two towers was built in 1538. Joachim II Hector, Elector of Brandenburg converted to Lutheranism in 1539 and the Catholic cathedral became a Protestant cathedral.

Model of the Baroque cathedral by Jan Boumann and Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff; Credit – Wikipedia

Over the years, the Gothic brick cathedral became dilapidated. From 1747 – 1750, Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia had a new Baroque cathedral, designed by Dutch architect Jan Boumann and Prussian architect and painter Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, built where the current cathedral stands today. After the coffins of the Hohenzollern family members were transferred to the new cathedral, the old cathedral was demolished to clear space for the Baroque extension of the Berlin Palace. On September 6, 1750, the new Baroque cathedral was consecrated. Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel remodeled the interior in 1817 and the exterior in 1820 – 1822 in the Neoclassicist style.

Model of Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s remodeling of the exterior in the Neoclassicist style; Credit – Wikipedia

After the founding of the German Empire in 1871, there had been calls for a new church that could compete with the major churches in the world and impressively replace the previous churches. In 1885, Prussian architect Julius Carl Raschdorff, professor of architecture at the Technical University of Berlin, presented plans for a new cathedral in an adaptation of the Italian High Renaissance style and influenced by the Baroque style. After dismantling the movable interior decorations (altar, paintings, tombs), the cathedral designed by Boumann and von Knobelsdorff was demolished in 1893. The cornerstone for the new cathedral was laid on June 17, 1894, with the goal of consecrating the cathedral in 1900. However, due to construction delays, the consecration did not take place until February 27, 1905. The state paid the entire construction cost. The new cathedral was much larger than any of the previous churches and was considered a Protestant rival to the Roman Catholic St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Berlin Cathedral in 1905; Credit – Wikipedia

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World War II Destruction and Reconstruction

Berlin Cathedral in May 1945 with much damage, compare it to the photo above; Credit – Wikipedia

The Berlin Cathedral suffered much damage during World War II. Allied air raids destroyed windows and major cracks appeared on the cupolas of the corner towers. On May 24, 1944, the dome and its cupola lantern were hit by a bomb of combustible liquids. The resulting fire was unreachable and could not be extinguished. The entire cupola lantern fell into the interior of the cathedral, smashing through the floor with its enormous weight and damaging large parts of the Hohenzollern Crypt and some of its coffins below. By the end of World War II, twenty-five percent of the Berlin Cathedral had been destroyed.

The damaged sarcophagus of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia; Credit – Von Colin Pelka – Selbst fotografiert, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23256455

After World War II, when Berlin and Germany were divided, the Berlin Cathedral was located in East Berlin in the Communist German Democratic Republic also known as East Germany. The East German government promoted state atheism although some people remained loyal to Christian churches. To protect the interior of the cathedral while the status of the Berlin Cathedral was debated, a temporary roof was built between 1949 – 1953. The Berlin Palace, which had also been damaged, was demolished by the East German government in 1950. Serious consideration was given to also demolishing the Berlin Cathedral. Following lengthy and extensive negotiations, an agreement was finally reached between the government of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), the Federation of Protestant Churches in the GDR, and the churches in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), which provided for the reconstruction.

Memorial Church section of the Berlin Cathedral with the Hohenzollern Crypt access in 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

However, the Communist East German government had two demands. First, it demanded the removal of as many crosses as possible. The second demand dealt with the Memorial Church (Denkmalskirch) section on the north side of the Berlin Cathedral that contained the ceremonial sarcophagi (cenotaphs or empty tombs) of Johann Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg and his wife Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Friedrich I, King in Prussia and his wife Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, and Friedrich III, German Emperor and King of Prussia. In the middle of the Memorial Church was the access to the Hohenzollern Crypt. Although the Memorial Church section of the Berlin Cathedral had survived World War II intact, it was demolished by the Communist East German government in 1975 for ideological reasons due to it being a place of honor for the Hohenzollern dynasty. The ceremonial sarcophagi were moved into the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), the main part of the cathedral.

Rüdiger Hoth, a German civil engineer, was hired as the master builder in 1975. During many meetings with the East German government, Hoth successfully negotiated that the cathedral would be largely reconstructed according to the 1885 designs of Julius Raschdorff.

In 1980, the Baptismal and Matrimonial Church (Tauf- und Traukirche) on the south side of the cathedral was reopened for services. The restoration of the large main part, the Sermon Church (Predigtkirche), in the center, began in 1984. Berlin Cathedral was finally able to be re-consecrated during a celebratory service on June 6, 1993, with the participation of numerous prominent guests in what was now a unified Germany, reunified since October 3, 1990.

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Interior of the Berlin Cathedral

Interior of the Berlin Cathedral; Credit- By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia – Berliner Dom (HDR), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306403

In the center of the large dome is a round window showing the Holy Spirit as a dove in a halo. Around the round window are eight large mosaics depicting the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount created by Prussian painter Anton von Werner.

The dome of the Berlin Cathedral; Credit – Von Svein-Magne Tunli – tunliweb.no – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56131113

The main altar comes from the previous cathedral and was the work of Prussian architect Friedrich August Stüler, and consists of a marble table supported by Corinthian columns with a crucifix, and a gilded wooden stand with the statues of the twelve apostles. On both sides of the altar are two large Baroque candelabras. The three paintings above the altar by Anton von Werner depict scenes from the life of Jesus: the Nativity, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

The main altar: Credit – By Mathew Schwartz – Imported from 500px (archived version) by the Archive Team. (detail page), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75775034

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The Hohenzollern Crypt

The Hohenzollern Crypt: Credit – By Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – Hohenzollerngruft I, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63622648

The Hohenzollern Crypt, which occupies almost the entire basement of the Berlin Cathedral, is the most important dynastic burial site in Germany. A total of 94 members of the House of Hohenzollern have been interred there from 1595 – 1873. The sarcophagi and coffins, some simple and some quite elaborate, represent all artistic styles from late Gothic onwards and were made from stone, metal, or textile-covered wood.

Styles of coffins; Credit – By Steve Collis from Melbourne, Australia – Berliner Dom Crypt, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24306375

With the expansion of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam near Berlin, the Hohenzollern Crypt fell out of favor as a burial site. Some of the Prussian royals were buried in the Friedenskirche (Church of Peace) as well as elsewhere on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace. Several chose to be buried in a mausoleum at Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. The last German Emperor, Wilhelm II, was entombed in a mausoleum built on the grounds of Huis Doorn, his home in exile in the Netherlands, while his two wives were buried at the Antique Temple on the grounds of Sanssouci Palace.

Credit – By Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany – A lot of coffins – Generations.., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63652230

During the reconstruction of the Berlin Cathedral overseen by civil engineer Rüdiger Hoth, who served as the master builder on the project, the Hohenzollern Crypt was refurbished. Hoth said of the crypt, “It was always considered a private family crypt in the time of the kaisers, and commoners were not allowed to come in but today we think it is historically and culturally important to Germans to be in touch with this part of their past.” Refurbished with white marble floors, whitewashed walls, and soft lighting, the Hohenzollern Crypt was opened to the public for the first time ever on November 20, 1999.

A child’s coffin; Credit – By Pudelek (Marcin Szala) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17789259

There had been discussion concerning whether Hohenzollerns buried elsewhere should be moved to the refurbished Hohenzollern Crypt. However, historians and descendants of the Hohenzollerns rejected the idea of moving the remains of Hohenzollerns whose express wishes were to be buried elsewhere. Prince Wilhelm-Karl of Prussia (born 1955), a great-grandson of Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor and King of Prussia said, “I believe the wishes of the deceased should be respected.” He did find the public gawking at his family’s burial crypt “a little unsettling.” However, he agreed with the head of the Prussian branch of the House of Hohenzollern Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia (born 1976), the great-great-grandson and heir of Wilhelm II, that the burial site belongs to German history and, therefore, to the general public.

Credit – By Jorge Láscar from Australia – Crypt and intricate sarcophagi – Berliner Dom, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31952300

Those buried in the Hohenzollern Crypt at the Berlin Cathedral:

  • Elisabeth Magdalene of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1537 – 1595), daughter of Joachim II, Elector of Brandenburg and wife of Franz Otto, Duke of of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg (1525 – 1598)
  • Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg (1582 – 1600), son Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim of Brandenburg (1583 – 1600), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Augustus of Brandenburg (1580 – 1601), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Catherine of Brandenburg-Küstrin, Electress of Brandenbueg (1549 – 1602), first wife of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Elisabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst, Electress of Brandenburg (1563 – 1607), wife of Elector Johann Georg, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Eleonore of Prussia, Electress of Brandenburg (1583–1607), second wife Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg (1546 – 1608)
  • Albrecht Christian of Brandenburg (born and died 1609), son of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Ernst of Brandenburg (1583 – 1613), son of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1613 – 1614), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg (1572 – 1620)
  • Albrecht of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1614 – 1620), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Catharina Sibylla of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (born and died 1615), daughter of of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, granddaughter of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Johann Sigismund of Brandenburg (born and died 1624), son of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Joachim Sigismund of Brandenburg (1603 -1625), son of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Ernst of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf (1617–1642), son of Johann Georg of Brandenburg-Jägerndorf, grandson of Joachim Friedrich, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Wilhelm Heinrich of Brandenburg (1648 – 1649), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Anna Sophia of Brandenburg (1598 – 1659), daughter of Johann Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, wife of Friedrich Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg (1597 – 1660), wife of Georg Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Heinrich of Brandenburg (born and died 1664), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Amalia of Brandenburg (1664 – 1665), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Katharina Sofie of the Palatinate (1594 – 1665), daughter of Friedrich IV, Elector Palatine, sister of Elisabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Electress of Brandenburg
  • Luise Henriette of Nassau, Electress of Brandenburg (1627–1667), first wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Karl Emil, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg (1655 – 1674), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Dorothea of Brandenburg (1675 – 1676), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Elisabeth Henriette of Hesse-Kassel, Electoral Princess of Brandenburg (1661 – 1683), first wife of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Friedrich August of Brandenbrg (1685 – 1686), son of the future Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Ludwig of Brandenburg (1666 – 1687), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg (1620 – 1688)
  • Dorothea Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Electress of Brandenburg (1636 – 1689), second wife of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Karl Philipp of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1673 – 1695), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friederike of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1700 – 1701), daughter of Philipp Wilhelm, Margarve of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Georg Wilhelm von Brandenburg-Schwedt (born and died 1704), son of Philipp Wilhelm, Margarve of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, Queen in Prussia (1668 – 1705), second wife of Friedrich I, King in Prussia
  • Friedrich of of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1704 – 1707), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia (1707 – 1708), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia (1710 – 1711), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Philipp Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1669 – 1711), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich I, King in Prussia (1657 – 1713)
  • Charlotte Albertine of Prussia (1713 – 1714), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig of Prussia (1717 – 1719), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Luise Wilhelmine of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1709 – 1726), daughter of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1672 – 1731), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1677 – 1734), son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1710 – 1741), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1715 – 1744), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Sophie Dorothea of Hanover, Queen of Prussia (1687 – 1757), wife of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, daughter of King George I of Great Britain
  • August Wilhelm of Prussia (1722 – 1758), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Emil of Prussia (1758 – 1759), son of August Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Karl Friedrich Albrecht of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1705 – 1762), son of Albrecht Friedrich of Brandenburg-Schwedt, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm, Elector of Brandenburg
  • Heinrich of Prussia (1747 – 1767), son of August Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Christine of Prussia (1772 – 1773), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Friederike Elisabeth of Prussia (1761 – 1773), daughter of August Ferdinand of Prussia, granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Heinrich of Prussia (1769 – 1773), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Paul of Prussia (born and died 1776), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Luise Amalie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Princess of Prussia (1722 – 1780), wife of August Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Anna Amalia of Prussia, Abbess of Quedlinburg (1723 – 1787), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig of Prussia (1771 – 1790), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Unnamed Princess of Prussia (born and died 1794), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia (1773 – 1796), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia (1744 – 1797)
  • Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Bevern, Queen of Prussia (1715 – 1797), wife of Friedrich II (the Great), King of Prussia
  • Karl Georg of Prussia (1795 – 1798), son of Friedrich Ludwig Karl of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Philippine of Brandenburg-Schwedt, Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel (1745 – 1800), wife of Landgrave Friedrich II of Hesse-Kassel, daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt
  • Friederike of Prussia (1799 – 1800), daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Friederike Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt, Queen of Prussia (1751 – 1805), second wife of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia (1772 – 1806), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Ferdinand of Prussia (1804 – 1806), son of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Ferdinand of Hesse-Kassel (born and died 1806), son of Wilhelm of Landgrave Hesse-Kassel, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Unnamed Prince (born and died 1806), son of Prince Willem of Orange-Nassau (later King Willem I of the Netherlands) and Wilhelmine of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelmine of Hesse-Kassel, Princess of Prussia (1726 – 1808), wife of Heinrich of Prussia
  • August Ferdinand of Prussia (1730 – 1813), son of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelm of Prussia (1811 – 1813), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Tassilo of Prussia (1813 – 1814), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Anna Elisabeth Luise of Brandenburg-Schwedt (1738 – 1820), wife August Ferdinand of Prussia
  • Unnamed Prince (born and died 1832), son of Prince Albrecht of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Augustus of Prussia (1779 – 1843), son of August Ferdinand of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm I, King of Prussia
  • Heinrich Karl of Prussia (1781 – 1846), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Maria Anna Amalie of Hesse-Homburg, Princess of Prussia (1785 – 1846), wife of Wilhelm of Prussia
  • Waldemar of Prussia (1817 – 1849), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Wilhelm of Prussia (1783 – 1851), son of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia
  • Anna of Prussia (born and died 1858), daughter of Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, great-granddaughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia
  • Adalbert of Prussia (1811–1873), son of Wilhelm of Prussia, grandson of Friedrich Wilhelm II, King of Prussia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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Works Cited

  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. GDR period and reconstruction | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/gdr-period-and-reconstruction/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Berlinerdom.de. 2022. The ‘Hohenzollern’ crypt | Berliner Dom. [online] Available at: <https://www.berlinerdom.de/en/visiting/about-the-cathedral/the-hohenzollern-crypt/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berliner Dom – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berliner Dom – Hohenzollerngruft – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Dom#Hohenzollerngruft> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Berlin Cathedral – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Cathedral> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2012. Royal Burial Sites of the Kingdom of Prussia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/german-royal-burial-sites/royal-burial-sites-of-the-kingdom-of-prussia/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Unofficial Royalty. 2015. Kingdom of Prussia Index. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/current-monarchies-article-index/german-royals-index/prussian-index/> [Accessed 5 March 2022].
  • Williams, Carol, 1999. Germany’s Royals Getting Belated Respect. [online] Los Angeles Times. Available at: <https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-24-mn-47041-story.html> [Accessed 5 March 2022].

Louise-Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Louise-Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on November 10, 1697, at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco, Louise-Hippolyte was the second but the eldest surviving of the six daughters of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco and Marie of Lorraine. Louise-Hippolyte’s paternal grandparents were Louis I, Prince of Monaco and Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, who was from a French noble family. Her maternal grandparents were Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac and Catherine de Neufvill. Her maternal grandfather was a member of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine, and held the rank of prince étranger at the French court.

Louise-Hippolyte as a child

Louise-Hippolyte had five sisters but only one survived to adulthood:

  • Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco (1691 – 1696), died in childhood
  • Elisabetta Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Valentinois (1698 – 1702), died in childhood
  • Margherita Camilla, Mademoiselle de Carlades (1700 – 1758), married Louis de Gand de Mérode de Montmorency, Prince of Isenghien (his third marriage), no children
  • Maria Devota, Mademoiselle des Baux (1702 – 1703), died in childhood
  • Maria Paolina Theresa Devota, Mademoiselle de Chabreuil (1708 – 1726), unmarried, died at age 18

Louise-Hippolyte’s father Antonio I, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

The greatest concern of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco was the future of the House of Grimaldi. Because Antonio’s only legitimate children were all daughters, the heir to the throne was his only brother François Honoré Grimaldi, a Catholic priest with the title Monsieur l’Abbé de Monaco, later Archbishop of Besançon. In 1715, François Honoré renounced his claims to the throne of Monaco and Antonio’s elder surviving daughter Louise Hippolyte became his heir. Antonio decided, with the permission of King Louis XIV of France, that Louise Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her.

In 1641, during the reign of Honoré II, Monaco became a French protectorate, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families.

Marie of Lorraine, Louise-Hippolyte’s mother; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Louise-Hippolyte’s parents Antonio and Marie was not happy, and they butted heads over prospective husbands for their elder daughter. Marie, supported by her family, refused to consent to Antonio’s choice. This resulted in a conflict that lasted for two years and greatly angered King Louis XIV of France. Marie told Louise-Hippolyte to refuse her father’s choice resulting in Antonio confining Louise-Hippolyte in a convent for two years. When Antonio discovered that his marriage plans for his daughter were not favored at the French court, he was forced to release Louise-Hippolyte from her convent confinement and forgo his marriage plans. However, Marie had another trick up her sleeve. She arranged for the Duchess de Lude to suggest the wealthy Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon as a husband for Louise-Hippolyte, and Antonio agreed. When he later found out that Marie had manipulated his choice by having the Duchess de Lude suggest Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon, the relationship between Marie and Antonio worsened.

Louise-Hippolyte’s husband Jacques Goyon de Matignon; Credit – Wikipedia

On October 20, 1715, 18-year-old Louise-Hippolyte married 26-year-old French noble Jacques François Leonor Goyon de Matignon, the son of first cousins Jacques III Goyon de Matignon, Count of Thorigny (1644 – 1725) and Charlotte de Goyon de Matignon, Countess of Thorigny (1657 – 1721).

The children of Louise-Hippolyte and Jacques; Credit – Wikipedia

Louise-Hippolyte and Jacques had nine children but only four survived to adulthood:

  • Antoine-Charles, Marquis des Baux and Count de Matignon, (1717 – 1718), died in infancy
  • Charlotte Thérèse Nathalie (1719 – 1790), a nun at the Convent of the Visitation in Paris, France
  • Honoré III, Prince of Monaco (1720 – 1795), married Maria Caterina Brignole, had two sons including Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco
  • Charles, Count de Carladés and Count de Matignon (1722 – 1749), unmarried, died from smallpox at the age of 27
  • Jacques (born and died 1723), died in infancy
  • Louise Françoise, Mademoiselle des Baux (1724 – 1729), died in childhood
  • François-Charles, Count of Thorigny (1726 – 1743), died in his teens
  • Charles-Maurice, Count de Valentinois (1727 – 1798), married Marie Christine Chrétienne de Rouvrois, no children
  • Marie Françoise Thérése, Mademoiselle d’Estouteville (1728 – 1743), died in her teens

Jacques’ mansion in Paris, the Hôtel de Matignon; Credit – By ScareCriterion12 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62918157

Because of her parents’ poor relationship, Louise-Hippolyte and her husband Jacques decided to live in France. They spent their time between Jacques’ mansion in Paris, the Hôtel de Matignon, now the official residence of the Prime Minister of France, and Torigni-sur-Vire in Normandy, France where the de Goyon de Matignon family chateau, Château des Matignon, was located. Highly unusual for the time, Jacques was faithful to his wife and the marriage was happy.

When Louise-Hippolyte’s mother Marie died in 1724, she left her possessions and a sizable monetary inheritance to her elder daughter Louise-Hippolyte. Antonio I, Prince of Monaco, always in financial difficulties, contested his deceased wife’s will. Naturally, this caused a strained relationship between Antonio and his daughter and her husband. By 1730, the lawsuit still was not settled and Antonio’s health was failing. Louise-Hippolyte and her second surviving son eight-year-old Charles, Count of Carlades traveled from France to visit Antonio. During a six-week visit, Antonio and Louise Hippolyte reconciled.

On February 20, 1731, at the age of 70, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco died. Louise-Hippolyte was now the Sovereign Princess of Monaco. She traveled alone from Paris to Monaco, arriving on April 4, 1731, when the people of Monaco received her enthusiastically. Louise-Hippolyte immediately took the oath of loyalty but there was no mention of her husband Jacques. According to the decision made years earlier by Louise-Hippolyte’s father, her husband would take the surname Grimaldi (which Jacques had done) and jointly rule Monaco with her as Jacques I, Prince of Monaco. However, Louise-Hippolyte decreed that she would be the sole ruler, all documents would be issued in her name only, and her husband and children would stay in France.

While historians have differing opinions about what caused Louise-Hippolyte’s behavior, it appears likely that she was not happy with her marriage. Jacques and their children came to Monaco a few weeks after Louise-Hippolyte had taken the oath of loyalty but he stayed for a short time before returning to France alone. The rumors at the French court said that Jacques had wished to be named along with his wife in the official proclamation of accession, and when that was denied, the couple separated.

Entrance to the common vault where the Grimaldi family members originally buried at the Church of St. Nicholas are buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Louise-Hippolyte had a very short reign of ten months. Several weeks before Christmas 1731, a smallpox epidemic spread through the Mediterranean coastal areas. Louise-Hippolyte died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731, and was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874 but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco.

Upon Louise-Hippolyte’s death, her husband Jacques, now the legal guardian of their eldest son Honoré, returned to Monaco with a plan. Jacques would rule as Prince of Monaco until Honoré reached his twenty-fifth birthday. At that time, Honoré would abdicate in favor of his father following the example of sons who gave up to their fathers land they had inherited through their mothers. Although the plan was initially accepted, it met with increasing opposition. It is possible that Louise-Hippolyte suspected her husband was power-hungry and that was why she denied him being named as her co-ruler.

Finally, in May 1732, Jacques handed over the rule of Monaco to his brother-in-law Antonio Grimaldi, Chevalier de Grimaldi, an illegitimate son of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. Jacques’ official abdication date was November 7, 1733, but he had long since returned to Paris with his son who was now technically Honoré III, Prince of Monaco. Antonio Grimaldi, Chevalier de Grimaldi became Governor-General of Monaco, was the de facto ruler of Monaco from 1732 until he died in 1784, and ably served as regent for more than fifty years for his nephew Honoré III, even after Honoré returned to Monaco.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Jacques I, Prince of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_I,_Prince_of_Monaco> [Accessed 25 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Hippolyte,_Princess_of_Monaco> [Accessed 25 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/antonio-i-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 24 February 2022].
  • Sv.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise-Hippolyte av Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise-Hippolyte_av_Monaco> [Accessed 25 February 2022].

Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, the church can be seen on the left; Credit – By Deensel – Lisbon, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69227699

The Roman Catholic Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal contains the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, the burial site for members of the House of Braganza that reigned in Portugal from 1640 until the monarchy was abolished in 1910. In 1640, the Braganzas came to rule the Kingdom of Portugal when the Portuguese Restoration War ended the sixty-year rule of Portugal by the Spanish Habsburgs. João II, Duke of Braganza became King João IV of Portugal. From 1640 – 1822, the Braganzas ruled Portugal and the Portuguese Empire. In 1822, Brazil, part of the Portuguese Empire, became independent and the Braganzas also reigned as rulers of the Empire of Brazil. The Braganzas lost their power when Emperor Pedro II of Brazil was deposed in Brazil in 1889 and when King Manuel II of Portugal was deposed Portugal in 1910.

The Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal was founded in 1147 as an Augustinian monastery by Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal (reigned 1139 – 1185). It was dedicated to São Vicente de Fora (Saint Vincent of Saragossa), patron saint of Lisbon, who was martyred by the Romans around 304. The monastery we see today is the result of a reconstruction project started by King Felipe II of Spain from the House of Habsburg, who also became King of Portugal (as Felipe I) after the Portuguese succession crisis of 1580.

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The Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora

The Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora; Credit – By Andreas Manessinger – Arriving at São Vicente, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46171873

The construction of the monastery church began in 1582 under the supervision of the Italian architect and engineer Filippo Terzi using designs by the Spanish architect Juan de Herrera. After they both died in 1597, Portuguese architect Baltasar Álvares (link in Portuguese) supervised the work on the monastery church until he was replaced by Pedro Nunes Tinoco in 1624. The monastery church was completed in 1627, however, the entire monastery reconstruction project was not completed until the 1700s.

The façade of the monastery church designed by Portuguese architect Baltasar Álvares in the Late Renaissance style known as Mannerism is simple and yet majestic. Below the two towers are several niches with statues of saints. The lower part of the façade has three arched doorways that lead to the entrance hall.

The nave looking toward the altar. The barrel-vaulted ceiling and the dome can also be seen; Credit – By © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24603843

The interior of the monastery church is a Latin cross building with a one-aisled nave with several side chapels. The ceiling is covered by barrel vaulting and has a large dome over the crossing.

The main altar; Credit – © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24603847

Joaquim Machado de Castro, one of Portugal’s most famous sculptors, is responsible for the main altar in the Baroque style. It is in the shape of a baldachin, the canopy of state placed over an altar or throne, and is decorated with several statues.

King Carlos I of Portugal and his elder son and heir Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal laying in state at the Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1908, after the assassination of King Carlos I of Portugal and his elder son and heir Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, called the Lisbon Regicide, their bodies lay in state in front of the main altar at the Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora.

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Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza

Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza Credit – Wikipedia Commons

After the nationalization of the property of monasteries in 1834, the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora became the palace for the Archbishops of Lisbon. Fernando II, King Consort of Portugal (born Fernando of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), second husband of Queen Maria II of Portugal, had the monks’ old refectory, the dining room of a monastery, transformed into the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza, a burial site for members of the House of Braganza. Originally, members of the House of Braganza had been interred in the Church of the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. Their remains were transferred to the new pantheon in 1855.

Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza; Credit – Wikipedia

The majority of the tombs are located on the sides of the pantheon. Those tombs are simple marble boxes in groups of four tombs. If the tomb belongs to a monarch, a crown has been engraved in gold on the side of the tomb and a crown placed on top of the entire group of tombs. This can be seen in the photos above.

Tombs of Carlos I, King of Portugal and his son and heir Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal; Credit – Wikipedia

Two tombs of the four in the center aisle of the pantheon belong to King Carlos I of Portugal and his son and heir Luís Filipe, Prince Royal of Portugal, who were shot to death in 1908 by assassins sympathetic to republican interests. In 1933, a statue of a crying woman symbolizing the country crying for its martyrs was erected next to the tombs. The two other tombs in the center aisle belong to Amélie of Orléans, the last Queen Consort of Portugal, wife of King Carlos I, and her son Manuel II, the last King of Portugal.

Statue of a crying woman symbolizing the country crying for its martyrs was erected next to the tombs of Carlos I and his son; Credit – Wikipedia

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Burials at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza

Sign over the entrance to the Pantheon of the House of Braganza; Credit – By Bobo Boom – Igreja de São VincenteUploaded by tm, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78979281

Note: Unofficial Royalty articles for kings and queens from 1640 – 1826 will be published in the upcoming months and the links will be added below. Until then, their Wikipedia article links will be listed. Also note, that some listed below do not have Wikipedia articles.

The following members of the royal family of Portugal are buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza:

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Former Burials at the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza

The Pantheon of the House of Braganza in the early 20th century, before the Lisbon Regicide of 1908; Credit – By Charles Chusseau-Flaviens – George Eastman Museum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38249250

Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal (1798 – 1834) died in 1834, at the age of 35, from tuberculosis at his birthplace, the Royal Palace of Queluz in Lisbon, Portugal. He was first buried at the Pantheon of the House of Braganza at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1972, Pedro’s remains were transferred to the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil.

Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress of Brazil (1812 – 1873) was the second wife of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal. When her husband died, Amélie was left a widow at the age of twenty-two with a three-year-old daughter. Amélie remained in Portugal, never remarried, and devoted herself to the care and education of her daughter Princess Maria Amélia of Brazil (1831 – 1853). Sadly, Maria Amélia became ill with tuberculosis, the same disease that had killed her father, and died in 1853, at the age of twenty-one. She was first buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza. In 1982, Maria Amélia’s remains were transferred to Brazil and buried in the Convento de Santo Antônio (Convent of Saint Anthony) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where some other Brazilian royals are also interred. When Amélie died at the age of 60 in 1873, she was first buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza. In 1982, her remains were transferred to Brazil and placed in the Brazilian Imperial Crypt and Chapel under the Monument of the Ipiranga (Monument to the Independence of Brazil) in São Paulo, Brazil next to her husband Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal and his first wife Maria Leopoldina of Austria, Empress of Brazil, Queen of Portugal (1797 – 1826).

Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (1825 – 1891), the son of Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil/Pedro IV, King of Portugal, reigned for 58 years before he was deposed in 1889. He lived in exile in Paris, France for the last two years of his life. When he died, he was buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza. His wife Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies, Empress of Brazil (1822 – 1889) had predeceased her husband and was also initially buried in the Royal Pantheon. In 1920, the decree banning the former Brazilian Imperial Family was rescinded and in 1921 the remains of Emperor Pedro II and his wife were brought from the Royal Pantheon in Lisbon, Portugal to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where they were temporarily housed in the old Metropolitan Cathedral. In 1925, their remains were transferred to the Imperial Crypt of the Imperial Crypt at the newly completed Cathedral of St. Pedro of Alcantara in Petrópolis, Brazil

King Carol II of Romania (1893 – 1953), who had been deposed in 1940, died while in exile in Portugal. He was first buried in the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza. His former mistress and third wife Magda Lupescu (1899 – 1977) was also buried there when she died 24 years later. In 2003, their remains were brought back to Romania and buried in a chapel outside the Curtea de Argeş Monastery in Argeş, Romania.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

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Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Panteão da Casa de Bragança – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pante%C3%A3o_da_Casa_de_Bragan%C3%A7a> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Monastery of São Vicente de Fora – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monastery_of_S%C3%A3o_Vicente_de_Fora> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Pantheon of the House of Braganza – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon_of_the_House_of_Braganza> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Portuguese Royal Burial Sites – House of Braganza. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/portuguese-royal-burial-sites/> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Igreja de São Vicente de Fora – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igreja_de_S%C3%A3o_Vicente_de_Fora> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2022. Panteão da Dinastia de Bragança – Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pante%C3%A3o_da_Dinastia_de_Bragan%C3%A7a> [Accessed 23 February 2022].

Marie of Lorraine, Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Marie of Lorraine, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Born in Paris, France, on August 12, 1674, Marie of Lorraine was the wife of Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. She was the ninth of the fourteen children and the fifth of the seven daughters of Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac and Catherine de Neufville. Marie’s father was a member of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine, and held the rank of prince étranger at the French court. He was the Grand Squire of France, one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France, and a member of the Household of King Louis XIV of France. Marie’s grandparents were all members of the French nobility. Her paternal grandparents were Henri of Lorraine, Count of Harcourt and Marguerite Philippe du Cambout. Her maternal grandparents were Nicolas de Neufville, Duke of Villeroy, a Marshal of France and the governor of King Louis XIV of France during his childhood, and Madeleine de Blanchefort de Créquy.

Marie had thirteen siblings:

  • Henri of Lorraine, Count of Brionne (1661 – 1713), married Marie Madeleine d’Épinay, had two children
  • Marguerite of Lorraine (1662 – 1730) married (third wife) Nuno Álvares Pereira de Melo, 1st Duke of Cadaval, had ten children
  • Françoise of Lorraine (born and died 1664), died in infancy
  • François Armand of Lorraine, Abbot of Royaumont. Bishop of Bayeux (1665 – 1728), Catholic priest
  • Camille of Lorraine, Count of Chamilly (1666 – 1715), unmarried
  • Armande of Lorraine (1668 – 1681), died at age 13
  • Isabelle of Lorraine (born and died 1671), died in infancy
  • Philippe of Lorraine (1673 – 1677), died in childhood
  • Louis Alphonse of Lorraine (1675 – 1704), unmarried, French naval officer died at the naval Battle of Vélez-Málaga during the War of the Spanish Succession
  • Charlotte of Lorraine, Mademoiselle d’Armagnac (1678 – 1757), unmarried
  • François of Lorraine, Abbot of the Abbey of La Chaise Dieu (1680 – 1712)
  • Marguerite of Lorraine (born and died 1681), died in infancy
  • Charles of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac, Lieutenant General of the King’s Armies (1684 – 1751), married Françoise Adélaide de Noailles, daughter of Adrien Maurice de Noailles, duc de Noailles, no children

Marie and her sister Charlotte; Credit – Wikipedia

Monaco became a French protectorate in 1641, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families.

Marie’s husband, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 13, 1688, in the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France 14-year-old Marie married 27-year-old Antonio, the future Prince of Monaco, the son of Louis I, Prince of Monaco and Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, from a French noble family. Both King Louis XIV and his morganatic second wife Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon approved of the marriage. Louis XIV gave the couple a chateau outside of Paris as a wedding gift.

Antonio and Marie had six daughters but only two survived to adulthood. The elder surviving daughter Louise-Hippolyte succeeded her father as the reigning Princess of Monaco.

  • Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco (1691 – 1696), died in childhood
  • Louise-Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco (1697 – 1731), married Jacques François Goyon, Count de Matignon, later Jacques I, Prince of Monaco, had nine children including Honoré II, Prince of Monaco
  • Elisabetta Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Valentinois (1698 – 1702), died in childhood
  • Margherita Camilla, Mademoiselle de Carlades (1700 – 1758), married Louis de Gand de Mérode de Montmorency, Prince of Isenghien (his third marriage), no children
  • Maria Devota, Mademoiselle des Baux (1702 – 1703), died in childhood
  • Maria Paolina Theresa Devota, Mademoiselle de Chabreuil (1708 – 1726), unmarried, died at age 18

The marriage was not happy. In what seems to have become a Grimaldi tradition, Antonio had several illegitimate children from different affairs. Marie responded by finding lovers of her own. Louis de Rouvroy, Duke of Saint-Simon, a soldier, diplomat, and memoirist, said of Marie, that she “was a charming young thing… spoilt by her parents’ fondness for her and by the attentions of the courtiers who frequented the Lorraine household…Her husband, very sensibly, realized he hadn’t the upper hand.”

In 1692, while Antonio served in the French military, Marie was sent to Monaco. When Antonio was discharged from the military, Marie insisted upon returning to France. She caused a great scandal when she claimed her father-in-law Louis I, Prince of Monaco had made unwanted sexual advances to her. Whether this was true or not, Marie and Antonio returned to the French court. Marie and Antonio’s relationship did not improve. They did reconcile in 1696, when their only child, five-year-old Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco, died. Marie’s mother and King Louis XIV insisted that Marie and Antonio reunite to provide Monaco with an heir. From 1697 – 1712, Marie and Antonio lived in Monaco, but Antonio spent most of his time in the Giardinetto, the cottage he had built for his mistress, and Marie lived in a summer house that she jokingly called Mon Desert (my desert). The couple had five daughters, but no sons, between 1697 and 1708 but only two survived to adulthood. During this period, on January 3, 1701, Antonio became Prince of Monaco upon the death of his father Louis I, Prince of Monaco.

Louise-Hippolyte, Marie and Antonio’s eldest surviving daughter and Antonio’s successor; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie and Antonio butted heads over the marriage of their elder surviving daughter and Antonio’s heir, Louise-Hippolyte. There was no disagreement over Antonio’s decision, with the permission of King Louis XIV, that Louise-Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her. However, there was a heated disagreement over prospective husbands. Marie, supported by her family, refused to consent to Antonio’s choice. This resulted in a conflict that lasted for two years and greatly angered King Louis XIV. Marie told Louise-Hippolyte to refuse her father’s choice, resulting in Antonio confining Louise-Hippolyte in a convent. When Antonio discovered that his marriage plans for his daughter were not favored at the French court, he was forced to release Louise-Hippolyte from her convent confinement and forgo his marriage plans. However, Marie had another trick up her sleeve. She arranged for the Duchess de Lude to suggest Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon as a husband for Louise-Hippolyte, and Antonio agreed. When he later found out that Marie had manipulated his choice by having the Duchess de Lude suggest Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon, the relationship between Marie and Antonio further worsened.

The Cathedral of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Marie spent the last years of her life quietly, frequently returning to the French court. She died at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco on October 30, 1724, at the age of 50, and was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874 but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco.

Marie’s husband Antonio did not mourn her death at all. Marie left her possessions and a large monetary inheritance to her elder daughter Louise-Hippolyte. Antonio, who was always in financial difficulties, contested her will. Naturally, this caused a strained relationship between Antonio and his daughter and her husband. Antonio survived his wife by a little more than six years, dying on February 20, 1731, at the age of 70. He was succeeded by Louise-Hippolyte who had a very short reign of ten months. She died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Christies.com. 1997. Portrait of Marie de Lorraine (1674-1724), Duchesse de Valentinois and her younger sister Charlotte de Lorraine (1678-1757), Mademoiselle d’Armagnac by Nicolas Fouché (1653-1733). [online] Available at: <https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-314260/?intObjectID=314260> [Accessed 20 February 2022].
  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie of Lorraine – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_of_Lorraine> [Accessed 20 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Antonio I, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/antonio-i-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 20 February 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie de Lorraine — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_de_Lorraine> [Accessed 20 February 2022].

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation; Credit – By George E. Koronaios – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78384160

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation, located in central Athens near the Acropolis, is a three-aisled, domed basilica designed in a mixed Romanesque–Renaissance–Byzantine style.

Some Greek History

King Otto in traditional Greek dress; Credit – Wikipedia

Greece’s monarchy came late and lasted for a total of 130 years. Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th century until 1821 when Greece declared its independence. The Greeks and the Ottoman Empire fought the Greek War of Independence (1821 – 1832), and with the help of the three Great Powers – France, Russia, and the United Kingdom – the Ottoman Empire was finally defeated. In 1832, the Convention of London established Greece as a kingdom, and the Great Powers appointed 17-year-old Prince Otto of Bavaria, the second son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, to be the new kingdom’s first king. Having dismissed his regency council in 1835 when he came of age, Otto ruled as an absolute monarch for a few years, until uprisings by the Greek people occurred, demanding a constitution. Otto had no recourse but to give in to the demands and allow for a constitution and the establishment of a Greek National Assembly. In 1862, while Otto was away from Athens, a coup d’état led to the formation of a provisional government, and Otto was deposed.

King George I in 1864; Credit – Wikipedia

Still wanting a monarchy, Greece began searching for a new king. While several European princes were put forward as possible kings, the Greek people and the Great Powers soon chose Prince Vilhelm of Denmark, the second son of King Christian IX of Denmark, as their king. On March 30, 1863, the 17-year old Vilhelm was unanimously elected by the Greek National Assembly and took the name King George I of the Hellenes. In 1924, the Second Hellenic Republic was declared and the monarchy was abolished. The monarchy was restored in 1935. On April 21, 1967, a coup d’état led by a group of army colonels took over Greece. King Constantine II remained the head of state in exile until June 1, 1973, when the monarchy was officially abolished.

The Greek government did not permit former King Constantine II to return to Greece until 1981 when he and his family were allowed to enter Greece for several hours to attend the burial of his mother Queen Frederica in the Royal Cemetery at Tatoi Palace. Constantine and his family made a private visit to Greece in 1993. After 2003, when a property dispute between Constantine and the Greek government was resolved, Constantine and his family were able to make visits to Greece and purchase a summer home there. In 2013, former King Constantine II permanently returned to reside in Greece.

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History of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation in Athens, Greece

1918 postcard of the Metropolitan Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Like the modern Greek monarchy, the major cathedral in Athens is also not old. In 1833, with the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece, the new government decided to form its own national church and broke away from the Patriarch of the Orthodox Churches in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, now Istanbul, Turkey. Known as the Church of Greece, it is part of the worldwide Greek Orthodox Church. Authority of the Church of Greece is vested in the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, comprised of diocesan bishops who have metropolitan status.  The head of the Church of Greece is the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.

A new cathedral in the capital city of Athens was part of a comprehensive building program that King Otto carried out. The cornerstone of the new cathedral was laid in the presence of King Otto on Christmas Day 1842. The relationship of the new Church of Greece with King Otto and his wife Amalia of Oldenburg, who he married in 1836, was strained. Although King Otto agreed that his children would be raised in the Greek Orthodox religion, he refused to convert from Roman Catholicism. Likewise, Queen Amalia refused to convert from Lutheranism. Otto and Amalia never had children and their refusal to convert to the Greek Orthodox religion led to them being greatly disliked by the Greek people and were contributing factors to King Otto being deposed in 1862.

King Otto and Queen Amalia in the Metropolitan Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation was built in several stages, and four architects worked on its construction: Danish architect Theophilus von Hansen (1842 – 1843), Greek architect Dimitrios Zezos (1846 – 1857), French architect Francois Boulanger, and Greek architect Panagiotis Kalkos (1857 – 1862). Marble from 72 demolished churches was used to build the cathedral. Work was stopped on the cathedral for three years, 1843 – 1846, due to financial problems. On May 21, 1862, the completed cathedral was dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in the presence of King Otto and Queen Amalia.

The Metropolitan Cathedral in 2008 while it was still being repaired due to the damage caused by the 1999 earthquake: Credit – Από Badseed – Own work CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4309396

The cathedral was damaged by an earthquake on September 7, 1999. Renovations and repairs were extensive and the scaffolding was not removed until 2016.

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The Exterior of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation

Exterior of the Metropolitan Cathedral in 2016 after the end of the repair work caused by the 1999  earthquake; Credit – Από C messier – Έργο αυτού που το ανεβάζει, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51359657

The exterior of the cathedral is in a simple Byzantine-modern style with two bell towers. Above the main doors is a mosaic representing the Annunciation, the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son through a virgin birth and become the mother of the Son of God.

The mosaic of the Annunciation above the main doors; Credit – By Κυριάκος Κ. – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=84743057

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The Interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation

The layout of the traditional interior of an Orthodox church; Credit – By Phiddipus at en.wikipedia – self-made, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13396583

Orthodox churches are set up differently than other Christian churches. They are divided into three main parts: the narthex, the nave, and the sanctuary.

The narthex is the connection between the church and the outside world. It used to be the practice that non-Orthodox people had to remain in the narthex but this practice has mostly fallen into disuse.

The nave looking toward the iconostasis; Credit – By George E. Koronaios – https://www.flickr.com/photos/140911325@N02/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99501816

The congregation stands in the nave during services. Traditionally there is no sitting during Orthodox services and so Orthodox churches usually do not have pews or chairs. The Metropolitan Cathedral has no pews but chairs are sometimes used.

The iconostasis; Credit – © Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83302715

In Orthodox Christianity, an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings that divides the sanctuary from the nave. The sanctuary is where the Eucharist or Divine Liturgy is performed behind the iconostasis. The iconostasis usually has three doors, one in the middle and one on either side. The middle door is traditionally called the Beautiful Gate and is only used by the clergy. The doors on either side are called the Deacons’ Doors or Angel Doors as they often have depicted on them the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. These doors are used by deacons and servers to enter the sanctuary. Traditionally, only males may enter the sanctuary, however, no one may enter the sanctuary without a blessing from the priest or bishop.

Decorations of the interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral; Credit – By C messier – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73200702

The interior of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation is richly decorated with frescoes, icons, and stone carvings.

Icon of the Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus; Credit- By Tzim78 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37693059

The cathedral has the tombs of Saint Philothei of Athens (1522 – 1589) and Saint Georgios V, Patriarch of Constantinople (1746 – 1821), who were killed by the Ottoman Turks while Greece was part of the Ottoman Empire. They are revered as martyrs for the freedom of Greece and the Orthodox faith.

Shrine of Saint Georgios V, Patriarch of Constantinople; Credit – By Χρήστης Templar52 – Transferred from el.wikipedia to Commons by Alaniaris using CommonsHelper.(Original text: Φωτογράφηση ρξ ιδίων), Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4313193

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Royal Events at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation

Wedding of Prince Philippos and Nina Nastassja Flohr in 2021

The Metropolitan Cathedral has been the site of important ceremonies including weddings and funerals of notable personalities including Greek royalty. It is likely that there would have been more royal events at the Metropolitan Cathedral had the Greek royals not been in exile from 1924 – 1935 during the Second Hellenic Republic and from 1967 – 2003, after the monarchy was abolished and until former King Constantine II was allowed to once again to enter Greece. Most recently, the religious wedding of Prince Philippos, the youngest child of former King Constantine II, and Nina Nastassja Flohr was held at the Metropolitan Cathedral on October 23, 2021.

Christening of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece in 1967; Credit – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/385761524301918610/

Royal christenings held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation include:

Embed from Getty Images
Wedding of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark in 1964

Royal weddings held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation include:

The coffin of Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, wife of Prince Nicholas of Greece, is carried by members of the Royal Guard at her funeral in 1957, followed by King Paul of Greece

Royal funerals held at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation include:

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Kathedrale Mariä Verkündigung (Athen) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathedrale_Mari%C3%A4_Verk%C3%BCndigung_(Athen)> [Accessed 14 February 2022].
  • El.wikipedia.org. 2022. Μητροπολιτικός Ναός Αθηνών – Βικιπαίδεια. [online] Available at: <https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9C%CE%B7%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C%CF%82_%CE%9D%CE%B1%CF%8C%CF%82_%CE%91%CE%B8%CE%B7%CE%BD%CF%8E%CE%BD> [Accessed 14 February 2022]. (Greek Wikipedia)
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Eastern Orthodox church architecture – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_church_architecture> [Accessed 14 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Iconostasis – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconostasis> [Accessed 14 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Cathedral_of_Athens> [Accessed 14 February 2022].
  • The Royal Watcher. 2022. The Royal Watcher. [online] Available at: <https://royalwatcherblog.com/> [Accessed 14 February 2022]. (for event dates)
  • Van Der Kiste, John, 1999. Kings of the Hellenes: The Greek Kings 1863 – 1974. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.

Antonio I, Prince of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Antonio I, Prince of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on January 25, 1661, in Paris, France, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco was the elder of the two sons and the eldest of the six children of Louis I, Prince of Monaco and Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont. Hercule Grimaldi, Marquis of Baux, who predeceased his father Honoré II, Prince of Monaco, and Maria Aurelia Spinola from the House of Spinola, a powerful and influential family from the Republic of Genoa, were his paternal grandparents. His maternal grandparents were Antoine III de Gramont, Duke of Gramont, a French military commander, diplomat, and a Marshal of France, and Françoise Marguerite du Plessis, a niece of powerful Cardinal Richelieu (Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu), who served as the First Minister of State to King Louis XIII of France from 1624 until his death in 1642.

Antonio had five younger siblings:

  • Maria Teresa Carlotta Grimaldi (1662 – 1738), twin of Jeanne Maria, a Visitandine nun in Monaco, later Abbess of the Visitandine convent in Monaco
  • Jeanne Maria Grimaldi (1662 – 1741) twin of Maria Teresa, a Visitandine nun in Monaco, later Abbess of the Abbey of Royallieu near Compiègne, France
  • Teresa Maria Aurelia Grimaldi (1663 – 1675), died in childhood
  • Anna Hippolyte Grimaldi (1664 – 1700), married Jacques de Crussol, Duc d’Uzès, no children
  • François Honoré Grimaldi, Archbishop of Besançon (1669 – 1748 – link in French)

In 1641, during the reign of Antonio’s great grandfather Honoré II, Monaco had become a French protectorate, and the Princes of Monaco became vassals of the Kings of France while remaining sovereign princes. Many successive Princes of Monaco and their families spent most of their lives in France and intermarried with French and Italian noble families, including Antonio’s father Louis. King Louis XIV of France was four years older than Louis and was his contemporary.

Marie of Lorraine, Princess of Monaco; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 13, 1688, in the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France, Antonio married Marie of Lorraine, the daughter of Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac and Catherine de Neufville. Marie’s father was a member of the House of Guise, a cadet branch of the House of Lorraine, and held the rank of prince étranger at the French court. Her mother was the daughter of Nicolas de Neufville, Duke of Villeroy, a Marshal of France and the governor of King Louis XIV during his childhood. Both King Louis XIV and his morganatic second wife Françoise d’Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon approved of the marriage. Louis XIV gave the couple a chateau just outside of Paris as a wedding gift. The marriage was not happy. Antonio had affairs and illegitimate children and Marie responded by finding lovers of her own.

Louise Hippolyte, Antonio’s eldest surviving daughter and successor; Credit – Wikipedia

Antonio and Marie had six daughters but only two survived to adulthood. The elder surviving daughter Louise Hippolyte succeeded her father as the reigning Princess of Monaco.

  • Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco (1691 – 1696), died in childhood
  • Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco (1697 – 1731), married Jacques François Goyon, Count de Matignon, later Jacques I, Prince of Monaco, had nine children, died from smallpox
  • Elisabetta Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Valentinois (1698 – 1702), died in childhood
  • Margherita Camilla, Mademoiselle de Carlades (1700 – 1758), married Louis de Gand de Mérode de Montmorency, Prince of Isenghien (his third marriage), no children
  • Maria Devota, Mademoiselle des Baux (1702 – 1703), died in childhood
  • Maria Paolina Theresa Devota, Mademoiselle de Chabreuil (1708 – 1726), unmarried, died at age 18

In addition, in what seems to have become a Grimaldi tradition, Antonio had several illegitimate children from different affairs. He acknowledged the following three:

with Elisabeth Dufort-Babé, a dancer at the Paris Opera:

with Victoire Vertu, a dancer at the Paris Opera:

  • Antoinette Grimaldi, Mademoiselle de Saint-Rémy

with an unidentified Provençal woman:

  • Louise Marie Therese Grimaldi (1705 – 1723)

In 1692, when Antonio was serving in the French military, his wife Marie was sent to Monaco. Upon Antonio’s discharge from the military, Marie insisted upon returning to France. She caused a great scandal when she claimed her father-in-law Louis I, Prince of Monaco made unwanted sexual advances to her. Whether this was true or not, Marie and Antonio returned to the French court. Marie and Antonio’s relationship did not improve. They did reconcile in 1696, when their only child, five-year-old Caterina Charlotte, Mademoiselle de Monaco, died. Marie’s mother and King Louis XIV insisted that Marie and Antonio reunite to provide Monaco with an heir. In 1697, Marie and Antonio returned to Monaco. For the most part, Antonio remained in Monaco for the rest of his life. The couple did have more children between 1697 and 1708, five daughters, but no sons, and only two of the daughters survived to adulthood.

In 1701, upon the death of his father, Antonio became the Sovereign Prince of Monaco. With the help of André Cardinal Destouches, a French composer and manager of the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera), Antonio brought singers, dancers, and musicians from Paris to Monaco. He had a large room in the Prince’s Palace in Monaco converted into a concert hall with a stage where he conducted musical programs.

Antonio’s greatest concern was the future of the House of Grimaldi. Because Antonio’s only legitimate children were all daughters, the heir to the throne was his only brother François Honoré Grimaldi, a Catholic priest with the title Monsieur l’Abbé de Monaco, later Archbishop of Besançon. In 1715, François Honoré renounced his claims to the throne of Monaco and Antonio’s elder daughter Louise Hippolyte became his heir. Antonio decided, with the permission of Louis XIV, that Louise Hippolyte’s husband would take the surname Grimaldi and jointly rule Monaco with her. After heated disagreements with his wife Marie and his father-in-law Louis of Lorraine, Count of Armagnac over prospective husbands for Louise Hippolyte, Antonio finally chose Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon. When he later found out that his wife had manipulated his choice by having the Duchess de Lude suggest Jacques Goyon, Count of Matignon, the relationship between Marie and Antonio further worsened. However, Louise Hippolyte and her husband replenished the House of Grimaldi. They had nine children and five survived to adulthood.

Louise Hippolyte’s children, the grandchildren of Antonio, circa 1730; Credit – Wikipedia

When Antonio’s wife Marie died at the age of fifty on October 30, 1724, he did not mourn her death at all. Marie left her possessions and a sizable monetary inheritance to her elder daughter Louise Hippolyte. Antonio, who was always in financial difficulties, contested her will. Naturally, this caused a strained relationship between Antonio and his daughter and her husband.

Entrance to the common vault where the Grimaldi family members originally buried at the Church of St. Nicholas are buried; Credit – www.findagrave.com

By 1730, the lawsuit still had not been settled and Antonio’s health was failing. Louise Hippolyte and her second surviving son eight-year-old Charles, Count of Carlades traveled from France to visit Antonio. During a six-week visit, Antonio and Louise Hippolyte reconciled. On February 20, 1731, at the age of 70, Antonio I, Prince of Monaco died at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. He was buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Monaco. During the late 19th century, a new and larger church, the Cathedral of Monaco, was built on the site of the Church of Saint Nicholas. The original church was demolished in 1874 but the current cathedral was built over the areas of the previous church and the old burial site so that the sovereign princes and consorts originally buried at the Church of Saint Nicholas are now buried in the Cathedral of Monaco. Antonio was succeeded by his daughter Louise Hippolyte who had a very short reign of ten months. She died from smallpox at the age of 34, on December 29, 1731.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • Edwards, Anne, 2017. The Grimaldis of Monaco. Blue Ridge Summit: Lyons Press.
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antonio I, Prince of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_I,_Prince_of_Monaco> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Hippolyte,_Princess_of_Monaco> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie of Lorraine – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_of_Lorraine> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Catherine-Charlotte de Gramont, Princess of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/catherine-charlotte-de-gramont-princess-of-monaco/> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2022. Louis I, Prince of Monaco. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louis-i-prince-of-monaco/> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Antoine (prince de Monaco) — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_(prince_de_Monaco)> [Accessed 4 February 2022].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Marie de Lorraine — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_de_Lorraine> [Accessed 4 February 2022].

Service of Thanksgiving for Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Prince Philip accompanying Queen Elizabeth II at the 2015 Trooping the Colour; Credit – Wikipedia

On March 29, 2022, a Service of Thanksgiving for His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was held at Westminster Abbey in London, England. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99, just two months short of his 100th birthday. The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh took place on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor England. The Thanksgiving Service was organized because due to COVID-19 restrictions, there could be only 30 guests at the funeral.

Westminster Abbey; Photo Credit – By Σπάρτακος – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26334184

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Guests

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Westminster Abbey with their two eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte

1,800 invited guests attended the Service of Thanksgiving including members of the British Royal Family, representatives from current and former royal families, representatives from Prince Philip’s birth family, political leaders, and representatives of many of Prince Philip’s charities.

Many guests wore Edinburgh green, a color closely associated with Prince Philip. The color was used in many official capacities relating to his position, including the uniforms of his staff and his cars. The Land Rover which was used to carry his coffin to his funeral in 2021 was Edinburgh green and the Order of Service for the Service of Thanksgiving was printed in Edinburgh green.

British royal family in the front rows, followed by foreign royalty and other important guests

Guests included:

British Royal Family

Some members of the British royal family

Relatives of Prince Philip 

Prince Philip’s great-nephew Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Prince Philip’s four sisters were represented by members of the House of Baden, the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and the House of Hesse, all former monarchies. The Mountbatten family was represented by Penelope Knatchbull, the wife of the current Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and India Hicks, the granddaughter of Prince Philip’s maternal uncle Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

  • Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, a close friend of Prince Philip and the wife of Norton Louis Philip Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma, son of Prince Philip’s first cousin Patricia Mountbatten, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma and grandson of Prince Philip’s uncle Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma
  • India Hicks, daughter of Prince Philip’s first cousin Lady Pamela Mountbatten and granddaughter of Prince Philip’s uncle Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and her husband David Flint Wood
  • Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden: Heir to the Head of the House of Baden, great-nephew of Prince Philip, son of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden who is the son of Prince Philip’s sister Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark and Berthold, Margrave of Baden
  • Stephanie Anne Kaul, Hereditary Princess of Baden, wife of Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden
  • Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg: Head of the House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, great-nephew of Prince Philip, son of Kraft, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg who is the son of Prince Philip’s sister Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark and Gottfried, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • Saskia Binder, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, wife of Philipp, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
  • Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse: Head of the House of Hesse, into which Prince Philip’s sisters Princess Cecile of Greece and Denmark and Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark married.
  • Countess Floria Franziska Marie-Luisa Erika von Faber-Castell, Princess of Hesse, wife of Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse

Foreign Royalty

Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Felipe VI of Spain, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Prince Albert II of Monaco, and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Prince Philip was born a Prince of Greece and Denmark and his Greek and Danish family background was represented by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes (born a Princess of Denmark, Queen Margrethe II’s sister), Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, and Prince Philippos and Princess Nina of Greece

King Harald V of Norway, the closest current monarch relative of Queen Elizabeth II (they are both great-grandchildren of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom), and his wife Queen Sonja were invited but were unable to attend because King Harald was recovering from COVID-19.

Current Monarchies

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (formerly Queen Beatrix) leave Westminster Abbey after the Service of Thanksgiving

Former Monarchies

Prince Philip’s granddaughter Zara Tindall has a word with Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, the wife of former King Constantine II of Greece, Prince Philip’s first cousin once removed

Government Officials

Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks to clergy at Westminster Abbey as he arrives for the Service of Thanksgiving

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The Service of Thanksgiving

 

The arrangements for Prince Philip’s funeral had been planned over many years, with his involvement and The Queen signing off on the funeral plans. However, when Prince Philip died, last-minute changes were necessary to ensure compliance with COVID-19 restrictions. Some of the original arrangements that had to be omitted from the funeral on April 17, 2021, were included in the Service of Thanksgiving. The Queen was also actively involved in the planning of the Service of Thanksgiving.

It was Prince Philip’s wish that clergy from Crathie Kirk near Balmoral in Scotland, St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England, and the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor, England should play a role in his funeral. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, this was impossible and so they were included in the Service of Thanksgiving. In line with COVID-19 government guidelines at the time of Prince Philip’s funeral, there was no congregational singing. Some of the hymns used during the Service of Thanksgiving had been chosen by Prince Philip for his funeral.

Queen Elizabeth II during the Service of Thanksgiving

Because of the recent mobility issues of the nearly 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, she entered Westminster Abbey by a side door which allowed her to walk a shorter distance from Poets’ Corner to her seat. For her comfort, the length of the service was limited to forty-five minutes.

The service was led by David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, James Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dame Sarah Mullally, Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, Kenneth MacKenzie, Minister of Crathie Kirk, Jonathan Riviere, Rector of Sandringham, Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park, Paul Wright, Sub-Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, and James Hawkey, Canon in Residence also participated in the Service of Thanksgiving.

The choir and congregation sang the hymn He Who Would Valiant Be, adapted from an English folk song, arranged by James O’Donnell (born 1961), words from The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (1628 – 1688).

David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster said The Bidding.

Doyin Sonibare gives her tribute to Prince Philip

Doyin Sonibare, who holds the Gold Level of a Duke of Edinburgh Award, gave a tribute, speaking of her experience working towards the award when she was 18-years-old.

James Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland read The First Lesson, Isaiah 40:25-31 and Dame Sarah Mullally, Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal read The Second Lesson, Philippians 4:4-9.

The choir and the congregation sang the hymn All Creatures of Our God and King, music by Ralph Vaughan Williams after a melody in 1623 Geistliche Kirchengesäng Cologne, arranged by James O’Donnell, words by St Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226), translated by William Draper (1855 – 1933).

David Conner, Dean of Windsor gives The Address

David Conner, Dean of Windsor, gave The Address, paying tribute to Prince Philip.

The choir sang Te Deum in C by Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976)

Prayers were offered giving thanks for Prince Philip’s service as Consort, for his devotion to Family, to Nation, and to Commonwealth, for his energy and spirit of adventure, for his work with the young to discover new skills and serve their communities, for his work in conservation and the good stewardship of the environment, for his gifts of character, for his humor and resilience, and for his fortitude and devotion to duty by Mark Birch, Minor Canon and Precentor, Kenneth MacKenzie, Minister of Crathie Church, Jonathan Riviere, Rector of Sandringham, Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, Paul Wright, Sub-Dean of Her Majesty’s Chapels Royal, and James Hawkey, Canon in Residence.

Members of the congregation sing a hymn during the Service of Thanksgiving

The choir and congregation sang the hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, music by John Hughes (1873 – 1932), arranged by James O’Donnell, words from Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch by William Williams (1717 – 1791), translated from Welsh by Peter Williams (1727 – 1796) and others

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury gave The Blessing

The Service of Thanksgiving ended with the singing of The National Anthem, God Save The Queen.

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

  • BBC News. 2022. As it happened: Prince Philip Queen joins royals for memorial service – BBC News. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/live/uk-60904990> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • BBC News. 2022. Queen attends Prince Philip memorial service at Westminster Abbey. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60902088> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2021. Funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/funeral-of-prince-philip-duke-of-edinburgh/> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • Howard, Harry, 2022. The day the Queen got to say goodbye to Philip the way she wanted. [online] Mail Online. Available at: <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10663357/The-day-Majesty-finally-got-say-goodbye-Philip-way-wanted.html> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • Pearson-Jones, Bridie, 2022. Prince Philip’s family at Westminster Abbey for memorial service. [online] Mail Online. Available at: <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10663319/Prince-Philips-family-arrive-Westminster-Abbey-Duke-Edinburghs-memorial-service.html> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • Royal.uk. 2022. Order of Service – A Service of Thanksgiving for HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/order_of_service_-_a_service_of_thanksgiving_for_hrh_the_prince_philip_duke_of_edinburgh.pdf> [Accessed 1 April 2022].
  • The Royal Family. 2022. Service of Thanksgiving for the life of The Duke of Edinburgh. [online] Available at: <https://www.royal.uk/service-thanksgiving-life-duke-edinburgh> [Accessed 1 April 2022].

Notre-Dame de Reims in Reims, France (Reims Cathedral)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Reims Cathedral; Credit – Par Tim Hodson — https://www.flickr.com/photos/informationtakesover/6593926237/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18031986

Notre-Dame de Reims, also called Reims Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Reims, France dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the coronation cathedral and most Kings of France from 1027 – 1825 were crowned there. Reims Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Reims. The construction of the present Reims Cathedral began in the 13th century and was completed in the 15th century but there were three other cathedrals on the site.

Saint Remigius, Bishop of Reims baptizing Clovis I, King of the Franks; Credit – Wikipedia

The first Christian church in Reims was founded between 250 and 300. In the 5th century, a new church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary was built on the site. About 496, Saint Remigius, Bishop of Reims baptized Clovis I, the first King of the Franks to be baptized. Although there had been some Christians in the Kingdom of the Franks, Clovis’ baptism led to the conversion of the entire population of the Kingdom of the Franks to Christianity.

In 816, Louis I the Pious, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor was crowned in Reims Cathedral by Pope Stephen IV. The coronation revealed the poor condition and inadequate size of the first cathedral. Beginning in 818, a much larger cathedral was built on the site using stone from the old city ramparts. The interior of the new cathedral was decorated with mosaics, paintings, sculptures, and tapestries. The cathedral was consecrated in 862 and, in 976, it began to be enlarged.

Seal of Reims Cathedral, showing how it appeared in the 12th century; Credit – CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32910537

By the 12th century, the second cathedral was considered too small. The existing nave and transept were preserved but the two ends of the cathedral were enlarged. The west front and its adjoining tower were demolished and replaced by two matching flanking towers. The major additions to the third cathedral were in the Gothic style but much of the original Carolingian style of the second cathedral remained.

On May 6, 1210, the third Carolingian/Gothic cathedral was destroyed by fire. Construction on the fourth and current cathedral in the High Gothic style began exactly a year later and was completed in 1275, which was exceptionally quick.

On July 24, 1481, during a renovation of the roof, two workers in charge of the lead for the roof, forgot to turn off a furnace, located in the attic of the cathedral. In a short time, the frame of the cathedral was on fire. The fire destroyed the roof, the central bell tower and its ten bells, and part of the transept. Molten lead from the roof destroyed several stained glass windows. King Charles VIII and then King Louis XII provided funds for the necessary renovations.

Interior of Reims Cathedral after World War I bombing; Credit – Wikipedia

Reims Cathedral was near the front lines of World War I and was hit by more than three hundred artillery shells. A major restoration project began in 1919 and was completed in 1938.

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The High Altar

The nave looking east toward the high altar; Credit – By Johan Bakker – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28038332

The high altar, made of French and Italian marble, is a copy of the 1747 altar which was destroyed by bombing during World War I.

The High Altar; Credit – By Zairon – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65334623

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The Gallery of Kings

 

On the west facade, above the entrance to the cathedral and the central rose window and continuing on the sides of the cathedral is the Gallery of Kings, statues of French monarchs, each fifteen feet/4.5 meters high. The Gallery of Kings was constructed from 1300 – 1350. At the center is Clovis I, the first King of the Franks to be baptized, with his wife Saint Clotilde on the left and Saint Remigius, Bishop of Reims who baptized him, on the right (see photo below). Saint Clotilde was raised as a Christian and played a role in her husband’s conversion to Christianity and the spreading of Christianity throughout western Europe.

Clovis I, King of the Franks in the center with his wife Saint Clotilde on the left and Saint Remigius, Bishop of Reims on the right; Credit – Wikipedia

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Coronation of Charles VII, King of France and the Impact of Joan of Arc

Coronation of King Charles VII of France at Reims Cathedral. Joan of Arc is standing behind him holding her battle standard. This painting is at the Pantheon in Paris, France; Credit – Wikipedia

Perhaps the most historically symbolic coronation of a French king was the coronation of King Charles VII (reigned 1422 – 1461). He inherited the French throne in desperate times. France was fighting England in the Hundred Years’ War, caused by disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagenet and the French House of Valois. English forces occupied northern France including Paris and Reims. In 1420, King Charles VI of France had disinherited his son and recognized his son-in-law King Henry V of England and his heirs as the legitimate successors to the French crown. Meanwhile, a civil war was occurring in France between the Armagnacs, supporters of the House of Valois, and the Burgundians, supporters of the House of Valois-Burgundy and allies of the English.

Charles VII’s political and military position improved dramatically with the emergence of Joan of Arc as a military and spiritual leader. The teenage Joan of Arc said she had visions of Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Margaret of Antioch, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria instructing her to support Charles VII in his efforts to purge the English from France.

Joan of Arc led French troops to victories at the Siege of Orléans and the Battle of Patay. With the English troops dispersed, the population of Reims switched their allegiance to King Charles VII and opened the city’s gates. This allowed for the coronation of King Charles VII on July 17, 1429, at Reims Cathedral with Joan of Arc standing nearby holding her battle standard. After the coronation, Joan knelt before Charles VII and joyously called him king for the first time.

On May 23, 1430, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundian faction and handed over to the English. She was tried on several charges including heresy by the pro-English Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais, declared guilty, and then burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. In 1456, the Catholic Church ordered a second trial. The first trial and its conclusions were declared “null, void, without value or effect” and Joan and her family were fully rehabilitated.

By the time of her second trial in 1456, Joan of Arc had already become a symbol of France and she remains an important symbol of French identity and unity. On May 16, 1920, Pope Benedict XV canonized Joan of Arc as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. She is remembered at Reims Cathedral with two statues: an equestrian statue outside the cathedral and another statue in the cathedral.

Statue of Joan of Arc in Reims Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

French sculptor Prosper d’Epinay created a polychrome statue of Joan of Arc which he exhibited at the Salon des artistes français of 1902, an art exhibition held every year in early February in Paris. Seven years later, one of his patrons offered the statue to Reims Cathedral, at the time of Joan of Arc’s beatification as Blessed Joan of Arc. It stands in the place where Joan of Arc stood during the coronation of King Charles VII. The helmet and the armor were made from silvered bronze, the face was carved in ivory, and the tunic is yellow marble dotted with fleur-de-lis in lapis lazuli.

The original placement of the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc; Credit – Wikipedia

The bronze equestrian statue of Joan of Arc holding a sword in front of Reims Cathedral was designed by French sculptor Paul Dubois and was inaugurated by French President Félix Faure on Bastille Day, July 14, 1896. Originally the statue stood in front of Reims Cathedral with its back toward the cathedral depicting Joan of Arc riding away after Charles VII’s coronation. Today the statue faces the cathedral on the far end of Place du Cardinal-Luçon, the plaza in front of Reims Cathedral, as shown in the photo below.

 

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Coronations

Coronation of Louis XIII, King of France; Credit – CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35561924

The fact that Clovis I had been baptized at Reims Cathedral and the political power of the Archbishop of Reims led to the cathedral becoming the coronation site of Kings of France. After King Henri I was crowned at Reims Cathedral in 1027, the tradition of holding coronations there was firmly established. Since 987, when the House of Capet began its reign, and continuing through the House of Valois and the House of Bourbon, all but seven of France’s kings were crowned at Reims Cathedral. Hugh Capet, Robert II, Louis VI, and Henri IV were crowned elsewhere, Jean I reigned as the posthumous son and successor of Louis X for the five days he lived, and Louis XVIII and Louis Philippe I chose not to have coronations.

In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Napoleon I, Emperor of France at Notre Dame de Paris. With the Bourbon Restoration in 1814 after the downfall of Napoleon I, the practice of royal coronations at Reims Cathedral was resumed, but only once. The Bourbon Restoration saw two brothers of the beheaded King Louis XVI on the French throne. King Louis XVIII decided not to have a coronation. However, in 1825, his younger brother King Charles X was the last King of France to be crowned and his coronation was at Reims Cathedral. King Charles X was overthrown in the Revolution of 1830 and replaced by a constitutional monarch, Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans I, who reigned as Louis Philippe, King of the French and was sworn in at the Parliament in Paris rather than crowned in Reims.

Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, a nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, became President of France after Louis Philippe, King of the French was deposed in the Revolution of 1848. Not content with being simply President, he arranged for a referendum to decide if he should be declared Emperor. On December 2, 1852, following an overwhelming vote in his favor, the Second French Republic ended and the Second French Empire was declared. Louis-Napoleon took the throne as Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. However, Napoleon III chose not to have a coronation ceremony. In 1870, after France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the Third French Republic was declared, ending, for the last time, the French monarchy.

Coronation of Philippe V and his wife Joan of Burgundy at Reims Cathedral in 1317; Credit – Wikipedia

Several queen consorts were crowned with their husbands at Reims Cathedral. A queen’s coronation could take place years after her marriage or her husband’s accession to the throne. Queen consorts were crowned either together with their husband at Reims Cathedral, alone at Sainte-Chapelle in Paris or the Basilica of Saint-Denis, or not at all.

Coronations at Reims Cathedral

Coronation of King Charles X in 1825 by François Gérard, the last coronation held at Reims Cathedral; Credit – By François Gérard – Web Gallery of Art:   Image  Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15883911

When Saint Louis IX, King of France was crowned in 1226, the current cathedral was still under construction. The coronation of kings before Louis IX took place at the earlier cathedrals in Reims.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

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