Monthly Archives: January 2014

Frederick, Prince of Wales

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Frederick, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederick, Prince of Wales was one of the seven Princes of Wales who never became King.  Six Princes of Wales, including Frederick, predeceased their fathers:

When Frederick was born in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany on February 1, 1709, Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch, sat upon the British throne, but there was a succession crisis.  Despite having 18 pregnancies, Queen Anne did not have a Protestant heir as decreed by the 1689 Bill of RightsQueen Mary II, the wife, first cousin, and co-ruler of King William III, and the elder sister of the future Queen Anne’s sister, had died childless in 1694. In 1701, Parliament enacted the Act of Settlement to prevent a succession crisis and a Catholic restoration.  If neither King William III nor the future Queen Anne failed to provide an heir, the crown would go to the senior Protestant heir, Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and her Protestant descendants.  Over fifty Catholics with better claims to the British throne than Sophia, Electress of Hanover were excluded from the line of succession.  Sophia was the daughter of Elizabeth Stuart who was the daughter of King James I of England.  Sophia was Frederick’s great-grandmother, so at the time of his birth, His Serene Highness Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Hanover was fourth in line to the British throne after his great-grandmother, grandfather, and father.

Sophia, Electress of Hanover died on June 8, 1714, less than two months before the death of Queen Anne on August 1, 1714.  Upon Queen Anne’s death, Frederick’s grandfather George, ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) in the Holy Roman Empire, became King George I of Great Britain.  George’s son, the future King George II of Great Britain, was created Prince of Wales and along with his wife Caroline of Ansbach, now the Princess of Wales, went to live in Great Britain.  They left seven-year-old Frederick, now second in the line of succession to the British throne, in Hanover in the care of his great-uncle Ernst August, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück, and they did not see their son again for 14 years.  Certainly, this long separation during childhood was a factor in the negative relationship Frederick had with his parents as an adult.

Frederick had seven siblings, six of whom survived childhood:

In 1727, Frederick’s grandfather King George I died and Frederick’s father acceded to the throne as King George II.  The following year, Frederick, who automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at his father’s accession, was summoned to London.  There was more evidence of the feud between Frederick and his parents.  He was the heir to the throne but was not even met by any officials when he first arrived in London and had to take a hackney carriage to St. James’ Palace. In addition, King George II was reluctant to create Frederick Prince of Wales but finally did so in January 1729 at the urging of the government.  During his first years in England, with not given much to do by his father, Frederick occupied himself with drinking, gambling, and womanizing.  Frederick had several mistresses before he settled down in marriage.

Marriage possibilities to Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia (Frederick’s first cousin) and Lady Diana Spencer (see Unofficial Royalty: The Other Lady Diana Spencers), daughter of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, and Lady Anne Churchill, were vetoed by King George II. Finally, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was chosen as Frederick’s bride.  Sixteen-year-old Augusta arrived in England, barely speaking any English, to marry the 29-year old Frederick.  Frederick and Augusta married at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England on May 8, 1736.

The couple had nine children:

Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales painted in 1751 after the prince’s death; Photo Credit – Wikipedia
Front row: Henry, William, Frederick; Back row: Edward, George, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales holding Caroline Matilda, Elizabeth, Louisa

Frederick made a point of opposing his parents in nearly everything.  He annoyed them when he and Augusta appeared in public together because the couple was popular with the public. When Augusta went into labor with her first child at Hampton Court Palace where the King and Queen were in residence, Frederick insisted that Augusta endure a bumpy carriage ride back to St. James’ Palace in London just to prevent his hated parents from being present at the birth.  This event created an even larger rift between Frederick and his parents.

Frederick was a great patron of the arts, most notably music and painting.  He loved taking part in amateur theatricals with his children.  He also enjoyed sports and was seriously involved in cricket, both as a patron and a player. Frederick looked forward to succeeding to the throne and becoming “a patriot king.”  He delighted in opposing the government and lent his support to the opposition.  After the Jacobite rising in 1745, Frederick opposed the severe treatment of the Jacobites that his father and brother supported.

Frederick became ill in March 1751 after he caught “a chill” while gardening at his home Kew.  He became feverish and was bled and blistered, the medical treatment of the time. After a brief recovery, Frederick suffered a relapse and was again bled.  After eating a light supper on the evening of March 31, 1751, at Leicester House in London, Frederick suffered a coughing fit and died suddenly at the age of 44.  An autopsy found the cause of death to be a burst abscess in the lung.  It was popularly believed that his death was caused by a blow from a cricket ball in his chest, but there is no proof of that. King George II was playing cards with his mistress when he was told of Frederick’s death.  He continued playing cards and later said, “I have lost my eldest son, but I am glad,” so the feud between father and son did not even end with death.  Frederick was buried in the royal vault in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey.

A famous epigram was written upon Frederick’s death:

Here lies poor Fred who was alive and is dead,
Had it been his father I had much rather,
Had it been his sister nobody would have missed her,
Had it been his brother, still better than another,
Had it been the whole generation, so much better for the nation,
But since it is Fred who was alive and is dead,
There is no more to be said!

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.

Alexandra of Greece, Queen of Yugoslavia

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia was born on March 25, 1921, in Athens Greece, the posthumous child of King Alexander of Greece and Aspasia Manos. King Alexander had died five months earlier from septicemia caused by an infected monkey bite. Alexandra’s grandfather King Constantine I returned to the throne following the death of his son King Alexander and deemed his son’s reign to be simply a regency and therefore invalidating Alexander’s marriage. Alexandra was then considered to be illegitimate. However, the following year, thanks to the effort of Alexander’s mother, Queen Sophia, a law was passed allowing the King to recognize the validity of the marriage. In September 1922, King Constantine did just that, making Alexandra legitimate again, and making her HRH Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark. However, she remained without any succession rights to the Greek throne.

The following year a coup brought about the abdication of King Constantine I and the exile of the Greek royal family. Alexandra and her mother were permitted to remain in Greece and did so until 1924 when they settled in Florence with the dowager Queen Sophia. During this time in Florence, Alexandra spent time with many of her Greek relatives, including two of her first cousins, Prince Michael of Greece and Prince Philip of Greece, later the Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1927, Alexandra and her mother moved to England, settling near Ascot where the young Princess was enrolled in a boarding school which proved to be very unpleasant for her. Unhappy being separated from her mother, Alexandra stopped eating and became ill, eventually contracting tuberculosis. Her mother took her to Switzerland to recuperate. They then settled in Venice, and after the restoration of the Greek monarchy in 1935, Alexandra made several visits to her homeland. At the onset of the war in 1940, Alexandra and Aspasia returned to live in Greece, however, this was short-lived. In 1941, along with the rest of the Greek royal family, they were forced to flee, settling briefly in Egypt and South Africa before King George VI of the United Kingdom gave them permission to settle in England.

Peter and Alexandra on their wedding day with King George VI of the United Kingdom (l) and King George II of the Hellenes (r). source: Royal Family of Serbia

It was in London, in 1942, that Alexandra met her future husband, King Peter II of Yugoslavia who had been living in exile in London since the previous year. The couple married on March 20, 1944, at the Yugoslav Embassy in London, with guests including King George VI of the UK, King George II of Greece, King Haakon VII of Norway, and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

 

Peter and Alexandra had one son:

Alexandra gave birth to her son in a suite at Claridge’s Hotel in London. To ensure that the child would be born in Yugoslav territory, the British government ceded sovereignty of the suite for the day.

Just four months after Alexander’s birth, the Yugoslavian monarchy was overthrown. The couple moved several times, to France and Switzerland, before settling in the United States in 1949. The marriage was increasingly strained, with constant struggles to find sources of income and the King’s numerous affairs. During the next few years, Queen Alexandra made several attempts at suicide, and their son was sent to live with friends. Despite several attempts at reconciliation, Queen Alexandra and King Peter eventually went their separate ways. He settled permanently in the United States while she returned to her mother’s home in Venice.

1970 saw the death of her husband, King Peter II, followed shortly by the death of her mother in 1972, and the marriage of her son (which she did not attend). She remained in Venice for several years before selling her mother’s property and returning to the United Kingdom in 1979. She would live there until her death, from cancer, on January 30, 1993.

Queen Alexandra was initially buried in the Royal Burial Grounds at Tatoi Palace in Greece along with her parents. However, in 2013, her remains were returned to Serbia where they were re-buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Oplenac, along with her late husband, King Peter II, and mother-in-law, Queen Marie, born a Princess of Romania.

Serbia/Yugoslavia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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.

The Danish Counts of Rosenborg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg with his wife, Countess Sussie (ctr) and sister Princess Elisabeth of Denmark. Photo: BilledBladet.dk

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg with his wife, Countess Sussie (ctr) and sister Princess Elisabeth of Denmark. Photo: BilledBladet.dk

To date, the title Count of Rosenborg has been granted to seven Danish princes, all of whom relinquished their position within the Royal Family upon marrying without official consent from the monarch.  The first three, Aage, Erik and Viggo, retained some of their royal status, however, the others lost all of their official connection to royalty, being delegated to the highest level of the Danish aristocracy.  

  • 1914 – HRH Prince Aage of Denmark – eldest son of Prince Valdemar (son of King Christian IX) became His Highness Prince Aage, Count of Rosenborg
  • 1924 – HRH Prince Erik of Denmark – third son of Prince Valdemar (son of King Christian IX) became His Highness Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg
  • 1924 – HRH Prince Viggo of Denmark – fourth son of Prince Valdemar (son of King Christian IX) became His Highness Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg
  • 1948 – HH Prince Oluf of Denmark– younger son of Prince Harald (son of King Frederik VIII) became His Excellency Count Oluf of Rosenborg
  • 1949 – HH Prince Flemming of Denmark – son of Prince Axel (son of Prince Valdemar – son of King Christian IX) became His Excellency Count Flemming of Rosenborg
  • 1968 – HH Prince Ingolf of Denmark – elder son of Prince Knud (son of King Christian X) became His Excellency Count Ingolf of Rosenborg
  • 1971 – HH Prince Christian of Denmark – younger son of Prince Knud (son of King Christian X) became His Excellency Count Christian of Rosenborg

The first three all gave up their status during the reign of King Christian X, their first cousin.  He allowed them to retain the title of Prince (without the “of Denmark” designation), with the lesser style of His Highness.  This was limited to them and their wives only and did not pass to their children.  However, the Rosenborg title was granted to them with the provision that it would pass down through male-line descendants.  Sons continue to carry the title, while daughters retain it until such time as they marry.  

However, by 1948 when Prince Oluf relinquished his status, there was a new King on the throne -Frederik IX.  Privately, the King was more accepting of ‘unequal’ marriages, however, he feared that giving his consent would encourage previous royals who had lost their titles to re-claim their royal status and succession rights.  So Princes Oluf, Flemming, Ingolf, and Christian all gave up their royal status completely and became simply His Excellency Count XX of Rosenborg.  No longer considered part of the Royal House or Royal Family, they were relegated to the top level of the Danish aristocracy.  

The last surviving (of the seven initially granted the title) is Count Ingolf of Rosenborg.  Count Ingolf and his wife Countess Sussie undertake no official duties but are usually seen at family functions and occasionally at State events.  Despite his non-royal status, Ingolf continues to receive an appanage from the State. His brother Christian did not receive this, nor did his sister Princess Elisabeth who remained in the line of succession.  

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.

Become a member and like us on Facebook

If you like what you see on the Unofficial Royalty website or on our Facebook page, please like us on Facebook and register as a member on our website.  Did you know that registered members of Unofficial Royalty get access to all the latest royal news and articles the second they’re published?  Members also get full access to the discussions in our Forums.

Guests and visitors don’t always see the new posts right away, so we hope that you’ll take a moment to become a member. It’s quick and easy, and best of all, it’s completely free!
Reasons for immobile joints and weak bones include excessive acid level in blood, poor circulatory system, tadalafil viagra poor diet, dysfunctional liver and kidney, lack of vitamins and minerals, higher toxicity level in our body and poor digestion. It gets melt within the mouth & makes it eligible to consume. buy tadalafil no prescription It prevents neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia buy levitra and Alzheimer’s from developing. But the patent protection is now open for all the companies to discount cialis canada make the same drug in the rest of the world.
Just scroll all the way down to ‘Register’ in the menu on our homepage. Then catch up on all the latest news, or join the conversations in the Forums.  We look forward to seeing you!

Princess Caroline of Monaco

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco was born January 23, 1957, at the Prince’s Palace, the eldest of the three children and the elder of the two daughters of Rainier II, Prince of Monaco and Grace Kelly.  Caroline was christened on March 5, 1957, at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco.  Her godparents were:

  • Margaret Davis, her maternal first cousin
  • Prince George Festetics de Tolna, grandson of Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton and her second husband Prince Tassilo Festetics de Tolna. Mary Victoria’s first husband was Prince Albert I of Monaco. They were the parents of Prince Louis II, Princess Caroline’s great-grandfather.

Caroline was titled the Hereditary Princess of Monaco from her birth until the birth of her brother Albert the following year.  From 2005, when her brother Albert succeeded to the throne of Monaco, until December 2014, when Albert’s twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques were born, Caroline was the heir presumptive to the throne of Monaco.

Caroline has two younger siblings:

Princess Caroline (center) with her parents and younger siblings photo source: Daily Mail

Princess Caroline (center) with her parents and younger siblings
photo source: Daily Mail

Caroline was raised in Monaco, attending school in France and England, after which she attended the Sorbonne in Paris, earning a degree in Philosophy with minors in Psychology and Biology. She also studied ballet and music in Monte Carlo.

Embed from Getty Images

In May 1978, she married Philippe Junot, a Frenchman seventeen years her elder. The marriage ended in divorce in 1980. Having married in both civil and religious ceremonies, the Princess petitioned the Vatican for an annulment. After much wrangling back and forth, a formal annulment was finally granted by Pope John Paul II in 1992.

Princess Caroline is very active in charities and organizations in the Principality, and upon the sudden death of her mother in 1982, Caroline took on the role of First Lady of Monaco. She also assumed many of the patronages held by the late Princess Grace. Some of these organizations are the Guides of Monaco (now The Association of Guides and Scouts of Monaco), UNICEF, The Garden Club of Monaco, The Monte Carlo Arts Festival, The Prince-Pierre Foundation. In later years, she helped to establish the Monte Carlo Ballet, a cause that her mother had been championing for many years. She was also named Chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation in 1984, at the express wish of her father.

Caroline regularly attends important social events in Monaco related to the Monégasque Princely Family. Due to her commitment to philanthropy and arts, Caroline was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2003.

Embed from Getty Images
The christening of Pierre Casiraghi, the third child of Caroline and Stefano Casiraghi

In December 1983, Princess Caroline married Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi in a civil ceremony held at the Prince’s Palace. Tragically, Stefano was killed in a speedboat accident in 1990 just off the coast of Monaco. The couple had three children:

 

In January 1999, on her birthday, Caroline married HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover, becoming HRH The Princess of Hanover. Ernst August is the pretender to the throne of the former Kingdom of Hanover. While initially very happy, the couple now leads separate lives. Caroline and their daughter live primarily in Monte Carlo, while her husband remains at his homes in Germany.

The couple had one daughter:

Embed from Getty Images
Princess Caroline with her daughter Princess Alexandra of Hanover, 2020

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.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

By Michael Thaidigsmann – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27426118

On July 21, 2013, the annual Belgian National Day, Belgium got its first native-born queen.  King Albert II of the Belgians abdicated in favor of his son Philippe, and Philippe’s wife became Queen Consort of the Belgians.  Belgium’s previous queen consorts were French, Austrian, German, Swedish, Spanish, and Italian.

Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d’Udekem d’Acoz was born on January 20, 1973, in Uccle, one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.  Her parents were  Jonkheer Patrick d’Udekem d’Acoz (1936 – 2008) and Countess Anna Maria Komorowska (born 1946).  Through her mother, Mathilde has Polish noble and Polish–Lithuanian princely ancestry.  Her father descends from Walloon (a French-speaking people who live in Belgium) nobles and was titled Jonkheer, the lowest title within the Belgian nobility system.  Upon the marriage of Mathilde to Prince Philippe in 1999, Mathilde’s father was created Count d’Udekem d’Acoz by King Albert II.

Mathilde, the eldest of five siblings, has three sisters and one brother:

  • Jonkvrouw Marie-Alix d’Udekem d’Acoz (1974 – 1997), died in a car accident at the age of 22 along with her maternal grandmother.
  • Countess Elisabeth d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1977), married Margrave Alfonso Pallavicini, had three children
  • Countess Hélène d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1979), married Baron Nicolas Janssen, had three children:
  • Count Charles-Henri d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1985)

Mathilde attended primary school in Bastogne, a Walloon municipality of Belgium.  She then attended secondary school at the Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Brussels, Belgium.  From 1991-1994, Mathilde attended the Institut Libre Marie Haps in Brussels, Belgium where she studied speech therapy and graduated magna cum laude.  Mathilde then began to study psychology at the Université Catholique de Louvain and had her own speech therapy practice in Brussels from 1995 until her marriage in 1999. She continued her studies after her marriage and received a Master’s degree in psychology in 2002. Besides Dutch and French, Mathilde speaks English, Italian, and some Spanish.

 

Mathilde met Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant and the heir to the Belgian throne in 1996 playing tennis. Unbelievably, their romance went undetected by the press and their engagement was a surprise.  The couple married on December 4, 1999, civilly at the Brussels City Hall and religiously at the Cathedral of Saint Michel and Saint Gudula in Brussels.

 

Mathilde and Philippe had four children. Their eldest child Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant will become the first female monarch of Belgian due to changes in the succession law in 1991.

Embed from Getty Images

Mathilde is concerned with a range of social issues including education, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, the position of women in society, and literacy. She has been very active in charity work, particularly with UNICEF and her own charity which focuses on vulnerable people.

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.

Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Queen of the Netherlands

by Emily McMahon
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Credit – Wikipedia

Born on January 18, 1795, at the sumptuous Gatchina Palace just south of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna was the eighth of the ten children and youngest daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife, Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.

Anna had nine siblings:

Like her siblings, Anna received an excellent education in the arts, mathematics, foreign languages, and sciences. Once Anna hit adolescence, stiff competition began for her hand in marriage. She was considered as a possible wife for both Napoleon I of France and of the future William IV of the United Kingdom, but Anna’s family rejected them as being unsuitable. Anna was instead engaged to the future King Willem II of the Netherlands, then Prince of Orange. The marriage had been arranged by Anna’s brother and sister, Emperor Alexander I and Catherine, Queen of Württemberg.  Willem and Anna married at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on February 21, 1816. With no pressing need to immediately return to the Netherlands, the couple spent about a year living in Russia after their marriage.

Anna and Willem had five children:

Willem II and Anna Pavlovna with their family. From left to right: the future Willem III, Alexander, Willem II, Anna Pavlovna, Sophie, and Hendrik; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna and Willem moved to the Netherlands shortly before the birth of their first child. She became known in the Netherlands (which at that time included present-day Belgium) by the Dutch version of her name, Anna Paulownia. Although she took an interest in Dutch history and learned to speak the language quite well, Anna was very homesick for her family and for Russia. She compensated by remaining in constant contact with her family and recreating bits of Russia in the Netherlands.

Anna became especially dismayed when in 1840 the family was forced to leave Brussels due to the revolution and formation of Belgium. Always very observant and proud of her impressive position, Anna found the more relaxed social constraints in Amsterdam very tough to weather. Anna and Willem also separated around this time due to differences in personalities and his affairs with both men and women.

Anna became Queen of the Netherlands in October of 1840 after her father-in-law’s abdication. She and Willem II came to something of an understanding in their relationship early in his reign and lived together after that time. However, Anna never really connected with the Dutch public and was not a popular queen. She founded several orphanages in the Netherlands and did not meddle in politics. Anna is remembered particularly for her association with a genus of plants named in her honor by a Dutch botanist. Paulownia, which is native to Southeast Asia, is a fast-growing plant; its wood is used in making musical instruments and some furniture. Charcoal made from Paulownia wood is used in fireworks, cosmetics, and by artists for sketching.

Queen Anna Pavlovna as a widow, next to the bust of her husband King Willem II; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem II died in 1849 and was succeeded by his son, Willem III. Anna had already disliked court life for years and during her son’s reign, she left it completely. Although she discussed returning to her native Russia, Anna stayed in the Netherlands. She died on March 1, 1865, in The Hague and was buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

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.

Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Accession of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014, updated 2024

King Frederik IX with the future Queen Margrethe II and Crown Prince Frederik photo source: www.statesnet.dk; photo credit: Polfoto

King Frederik IX with the future Queen Margrethe II and the future King Frederik X
photo source: www.statensnet.dk; photo credit: Polfoto

January 14, 1972 – Accession of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

January 14 marks the anniversary of the death of King Frederik IX of Denmark, and the accession of his eldest daughter as Queen Margrethe II. King Frederik had come to the throne in 1947, upon the death of his father, King Christian X. He and his wife, the former Princess Ingrid of Sweden had three daughters, and at the time, only men were permitted to succeed to the Danish throne. Frederik’s brother, Prince Knud was the heir presumptive. However, shortly after coming to the throne in 1947, King Frederik IX began the process of having the constitution changed to allow the succession to pass to his daughters. It would take six years, but in 1953, the Danish Constitution was changed. A new Act of Succession allowed for the throne to pass to his daughters, should there not be any sons. The young Princess Margrethe became the heiress presumptive, with her younger sisters next in line.

The King’s brother, Prince Knud, was given the title Hereditary Prince Knud which he held for the remainder of his life. Prince Knud had three children, Elisabeth, Ingolf, and Christian. Princess Elisabeth remains in the line of succession (being eligible because of the new Act of Succession in 1953), holding the last position in the list. Both Ingolf and Christian relinquished their succession rights, as well as their royal titles and status, upon marriage. Both were created Counts of Rosenborg by their uncle.

On the evening of January 14, 1972, after a brief illness and a heart attack, King Frederick IX died, surrounded by his family. His remains were taken to Amalienborg Palace for several days, before being moved to the chapel at Christiansborg Palace where he would lay in state for several days leading up to his funeral, held on January 24th.

Proclamation of the Queen by the Prince Minister; Credit: Order of Sartorial Splendor

Meanwhile, the young Princess Margrethe had become Queen. On the morning of January 15th, following tradition, the new Queen was proclaimed by the Prime Minister from the balcony at Christiansborg Palace. To the crowds gathered below, she gave a brief speech, expressing the nation’s grief at the loss of their King and the warm feelings held by all for her mother, Queen Ingrid in this time of loss. She asked for God’s help in assuming the duties that had been her father’s for nearly 25 years, as well as the confidence and support of the Danish people.

Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik with their sons

Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik with their sons

The new Queen was then joined on the balcony by her husband, Prince Henrik before the couple returned by carriage to Amalienborg Palace. There, they again appeared on the balcony, along with their two young sons, the new Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2022, Queen Margrethe II had been the longest-serving monarch in Europe and the second longest-serving monarch in the world following  Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei.

Although Queen Margrethe stated several times that she had no intention of abdicating and that she viewed her position as a job for life and recognized Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as a source of inspiration for her devotion to duty, in her New Year’s Speech on December 31, 2023, Queen Margrethe announced that she will step down as Queen of Denmark on January 14, 2024 – the 52nd anniversary of her accession. Her elder son, Crown Prince Frederik, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, will become the new King and Queen of Denmark.

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.

Princess Elizabeth, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth was the third daughter and seventh of the fifteen children of King George III of the United Kingdom and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.  She was born on May 22, 1770, at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) in London, England.

Elizabeth had fourteen siblings:

Elizabeth was christened in the Great Council Chamber at St. James’s Palace, on  June 17, 1770, by Frederick Cornwallis, Archbishop of Canterbury. Her godparents were:

Elizabeth was considered to be the most attractive of King George’s daughters.  She was known for her humor, intelligence, and artistic ability.  Starting out by copying drawings (some are in the Royal Collection), Elizabeth later published lithographs and etchings, mostly of mythological scenes.  Some of the interior decorations of the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace) were designed and made by Elizabeth.  At Frogmore House, she helped design the garden buildings and she painted the flower murals at the Queen’s Cottage at Kew.

Thomas Gainsborough portrait of Princess Elizabeth at the age of 12; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth’s childhood was very sheltered and she spent most of her time with her parents and sisters.  The living conditions of King George’s daughters came to be known as “the Nunnery.” None of the daughters was allowed to marry at the age when most princesses would marry. Perhaps this over-protection of King George III’s daughters was due to what happened to his sister Caroline Matilda when she married King Christian VII of Denmark.  Christian’s mental illness led to Caroline Matilda having an affair, being caught, the execution of her lover, and her exile.  The story was told in several novels including Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012).

The sisters longed to escape from “the Nunnery.” Prior to King George’s first bout with what probably was porphyria in 1788, he had told his daughters that he would take them to Hanover to find them husbands.  Further bouts occurred in 1801 and 1804 and prevented talk of marriage for his daughters. Queen Charlotte feared that the subject of marriage, which had always bothered her husband, would push him back into insanity.  She was stressed by her husband’s illness and wanted her daughters to remain close to her.  The sisters – Charlotte, Augusta, Elizabeth, Mary, Sophia, and Amelia – continued to be over-protected and isolated which restricted them from meeting eligible suitors of their own age.

Starved for male companionship, Sophia got pregnant by her father’s 56-year-old equerry and secretly gave birth to a boy who was placed in a foster home. Amelia had an affair with another equerry.  There have been suggestions that both Elizabeth and Augusta also had affairs.  Three of the six daughters would eventually marry, all of them later than was the norm for the time.  Charlotte, Princess Royal married the future King of Württemberg, Frederick I, at the age of 31, and had one stillborn daughter. Mary married her cousin Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester at the age of 40 and had no children. Elizabeth was the last of the daughters to finally escape from “the Nunnery.”

By 1810, King George III was nearly blind from cataracts, constantly in pain from rheumatism, and was in “melancholy beyond description” according to Princess Amelia’s nurse.  Princess Amelia died in 1810 at the age of 27 and her death is partly credited for the final decline in her father’s health.  King George III accepted the need for the Regency Act of 1811 and the Prince of Wales (the future King George IV) acted as Prince Regent until his father died in 1820.

In 1818, Elizabeth read a letter from Hereditary Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Homburg to her mother asking to marry her and Elizabeth finally saw the way to exit “the Nunnery.” 48-year-old Friedrich had been a captain in the Russian cavalry, an Austrian general during the Great French War, and had been created a Commander of the Austrian Military Order of Maria Theresa.   Elizabeth was nearly 48 years old and was hardly likely to provide heirs for Hesse-Homburg, but Friedrich had six brothers to do that.  Elizabeth’s dowry would go a long way in helping tiny Hesse-Homburg out of its debts and also would provide funds for needed building renovations.  Elizabeth would have her own household to administer, a husband, and freedom from her mother. Queen Charlotte was not easily persuaded to agree to the marriage and after heated discussions and interventions from several of Elizabeth’s siblings, the Queen agreed to the marriage.

The Prince Regent and the Privy Council formally approved the marriage and on April 7, 1818, in the Private Chapel at the Queen’s House (now Buckingham Palace), Princess Elizabeth married her prince and gained her freedom.  The bride wore a dress of silver tissue and Brussels lace with ostrich feathers on her head.   Friedrich was not handsome, but he was very kindhearted and a war hero who had been wounded at the Battle of Leipzig.  The couple spent their honeymoon at the Royal Lodge at Windsor.  The marriage was not a love match, but through mutual understanding and respect, it was a happy marriage that met the needs of both Elizabeth and Friedrich.

Elizabeth

Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom and Friedrich VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg; Credit – royalcollection.org.uk

On January 20, 1820, Friedrich’s father died and he succeeded him as Landgrave of the 85 square mile/ 221 km2 Hesse-Homburg.  Using Elizabeth’s dowry and annual allowance, the couple built new roads, restored the castles in Bad Homburg and Meisenheim, and became involved in the care of the poor. Using seeds and seedlings from England, they created an English garden at Homburg Castle.  Elizabeth continued pursuing her artistic activities.  In 2010, an exhibit, Das graphische Werk der Landgräfin Elizabeth 1770–1840 (The Graphic Works of Landgravine Elizabeth), was held in Bad Homburg, Germany.

Friedrich died at the age of 59 on April 2, 1829, due to influenza and complications from an old leg wound.  Elizabeth wrote, “No woman was ever more happy than I was for eleven years and they will often be lived over again in the memory of the heart.”  During her widowhood, Elizabeth lived in Bad Homburg, Frankfurt, London, and in Hanover where her favorite brother Adolphus served as Viceroy.  Visiting with family and charitable work occupied much of her time.

On January 10, 1840, Elizabeth died at the age of 69 at her home in the Free City of Frankfurt, now in Hesse, Germany.  Elizabeth’s coffin was brought back to Bad Homburg on an immense catafalque pulled by black-plumed horses.  The catafalque was covered in black velvet and on top was the coronet to which she was entitled as a Princess of the United Kingdom.  The countryside roads were lined with mourners.  The funeral was held at the chapel of Homburg Castle.  At Elizabeth’s request, the Anglican burial service was read before she was interred next to her husband in the Mausoleum of the Landgraves in Homburg, Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg, now in Hesse, Germany.  In England, deep court mourning was temporarily suspended for several days the following month for the wedding festivities of her niece Queen Victoria.

Elizabeth was and still is the most popular of the Hesse-Homburg Landgravines. She is remembered for her generosity in spending her dowry and allowance in her new homeland, using it for, among other projects, to improve the castle and the gardens. Hesse-Homburg greatly mourned her death in 1840.

Her great-niece, Victoria, Princess Royal (Empress Friedrich) wanted to erect a monument in her honor but unfortunately did not live to see it done. However, Wilhelm II, German Emperor did fulfill his mother’s wish and, on August 11, 1908, unveiled the monument in the presence of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. It was, very appropriately, placed in front of the English Church on Ferdinandstrasse in Bad Homburg, which was built for the English spa guests in 1868.

Landgravine Elizabeth monument in Bad Homburg; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Recommended books that deal with Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Landgravine of Hesse-Homburg
George III’s Children by John Van Der Kiste (1992)
The Georgian Princesses by John Van Der Kiste (2000)
Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser (2004)

Princess Ileana of Romania, Archduchess of Austria-Tuscany

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Princess Ileana of Romania was born on January 5, 1909, in Bucharest, Romania, the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand I of Romania and Princess Marie of Edinburgh.

Ileana had five siblings:

In her youth and prior to her marriage, Ileana was involved in much charity work, following in the footsteps of her mother, Queen Marie. She founded the Romanian Girl Guides in 1928, and would later be involved with the Austria Girl Guides, serving as the organization’s president. She also organized the Girl Reserves of the Red Cross and the first school of Social Work in Romania.

Princess Ileana (right) with Queen Marie and Prince Nicholas, 1926; Photo: Wikipedia

In 1926, Princess Ileana and her brother Prince Nicholas accompanied their mother Queen Marie on a trip to the United States. They arrived in New York and visited several cities across the country, on their way to Washington State, where Queen Marie was to officiate at the dedication of the Maryhill Museum. The Romanian royals were wildly celebrated at every stop they made along the way.  (You can read more about Queen Marie and the Maryhill Museum HERE)

Princess Ileana and Archduke Anton on their wedding day, 1931.  Photo: Wikipedia

Her elder brother, King Carol II, introduced Ileana to Archduke Anton of Austria, Prince of Tuscany, and encouraged the couple to marry. However, his motives were sinister. He was jealous of the popularity that Ileana held with the Romanian people and his goal was to remove her from the country. The couple married on July 26, 1931, in Sinaia, Romania.  Watch a British Pathe film from their wedding HERE.  Soon after, Carol II banished the couple from the country, claiming that the Romanian people would never tolerate a Habsburg living on Romanian soil. They settled at Castle Sonnenburg, just outside of Vienna, Austria. It was here at Castle Sonneburg where Ileana established a hospital for wounded Romanian soldiers during the beginning of World War II.

The couple had six children:

  • Archduke Stefan of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (1932–1998),  married Jerrine Soper, had issue, became a naturalized American citizen
  • Archduchess Maria Ileana of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (1933–1959), married Count Jaroslav Kottulinsky, had issue
  • Archduchess Alexandra of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (born 1935), married  (1) Eugen Eberhard, Duke of Würtenberg, no issue, divorced  (2) Baron Victor von Baillou, no issue
  • Archduke Dominic of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (born 1937), married  (1) Engel von Voss, no issue, divorced  (2) Emmanuella Mlynarski, had issue
  • Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (born 1939), married Baron Hans Ulrich von Holzhausen, had issue
  • Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, Princess of Tuscany (1942 – 2019), married Dr. Friedrich Sandhofer, had issue

In 1938, Ileana’s mother, Queen Marie, passed away, and in 1940, her elder brother, King Carol II, abdicated in favor of his son King Michael. Ileana and her family were now permitted to return to Romania, and in 1944, she and their children returned, taking up residence at Bran Castle which she had inherited from her mother. She was soon joined by her husband, however, he was placed under house arrest by the Red Army. The Princess established a hospital in the village, naming it the Hospital of the Queen’s Heart, in memory of her mother whose heart was interred at Bran Castle in a small chapel Ileana had erected for this purpose. A few years later, when King Michael abdicated, the family was exiled from Romania, and all of their properties and assets were seized by the new communist government. They fled to Vienna,  Austria before moving on to Switzerland and Argentina.

photo: Wikipedia

In 1950, Ileana came to the United States for some medical treatment, and also with a plan to establish a home here for her family. Having lost most of her exquisite jewelry when they fled Romania, Ileana still had one amazing piece of jewelry – a stunning sapphire and diamond tiara which was first created as a gift from Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia to his wife, the former Princess Charlotte of Prussia, in 1825. Eventually finding its way down to Ileana as a wedding gift in 1931, Queen Marie had borrowed it to wear to London in 1935, for the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Due to the unrest on the continent, Marie decided to leave the tiara in her bank in London. Ileana was later able to retrieve the tiara and it moved around the world with her. Having pawned it several times through the years to meet financial obligations, Ileana now decided to sell the tiara in order to support her family. With the tiara wrapped in her nightgown, Ileana arrived in the United States and caused quite a stir amongst the customs agents! Once it was established what it was, and who she was, the tiara was packed off and sent to Boston which was Ileana’s destination. Once she arrived there, it took a few days and much hassle before she was able to retrieve the tiara and make arrangements for it to be sold in New York. Although sold for far less than its true value, it provided the Princess with enough money to pay off her debts in Argentina, bring the rest of the family to the United States, purchase a house in Massachusetts, and allow for proper schooling for the children.

Once settled in Massachusetts, Ileana spent the next several years touring the country, lecturing against communism, working tirelessly with the Romanian Orthodox Church, and writing the first of several books. Ileana and Archduke Anton divorced in May 1954, and Ileana remarried a month later, to Dr. Stefan Issarescu. This marriage would also end in divorce.

Princess Ileana, Mother Alexandra Photo: Associated Press

Princess Ileana, Mother Alexandra.  Photo: Associated Press

In 1961, Illeana entered a French monastery, eventually becoming a nun, and taking on the name Mother Alexandra. Returning to the United States, she founded a monastery in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, and served as abbess.  She retired from her position as abbess in 1981 but remained at the monastery for the remainder of her life.

Princess Ileana, Mother Alexandra, died on January 21, 1991, at the age of 82, after suffering a fall and two major heart attacks at the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration, the monastery she established in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania.  She is buried in the Cemetery of the Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration.

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.