Monthly Archives: February 2014

Henry the Young King

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Henry the Young King, son of King Henry II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Henry the Young King was born at Bermondsey Abbey in London, England on February 28, 1155, where his parents who had been recently crowned were holding court.  He was the second child of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Henry’s elder brother, William, Count of Poitiers, died in 1156 at the age of two, leaving Henry as the eldest child of King Henry II.

Henry had seven siblings:

13th-century depiction of Henry and his legitimate children: (l to r) William, Young Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John; Credit – Wikipedia 

On November 2, 1160, five-year-old Henry was married to two-year-old Marguerite of France.  Marguerite was the daughter of King Louis VII of France (who happened to be the first husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine) and his second wife Constance of Castile.  The reason for the early marriage was political. Marguerite’s dowry included the disputed territory of the Vexin and King Henry II wanted to possess it.

Henry was educated under the guidance of his father’s chancellor Thomas Becket.   In 1170, William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke was appointed his tutor and was also his tournament team leader until 1182 when Henry and Marshal had a falling out.  Henry participated in many tournaments in northern and central France and became one of the major patrons of the sport.

When Henry was 15, his father decided to adopt the French practice of ensuring the succession by declaring his heir the junior king.  Henry was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 14, 1170, by Roger of Pont L’Évêque, Archbishop of York.  Marguerite was not crowned at this time and this greatly infuriated her father King Louis VII.  To appease the French king, another coronation which included Marguerite was held on August 27, 1172, at Winchester Cathedral.  Marguerite and Henry had only one son, William, who was born prematurely on June 19, 1177, and died three days later.

Despite his rank of junior king,  King Henry II refused to grant Henry land or allow him to participate in the government.  With his mother and his brothers Richard (the future King Richard I of England) and Geoffrey, he nearly overthrew King Henry II in 1173.  In 1182–83, Henry had a falling out with his brother Richard when Richard refused to pay homage to him on the orders of King Henry II.  As he was preparing to fight Richard, Henry became ill with dysentery (also called the bloody flux), the scourge of armies for centuries.  It was clear that Henry was dying and he repented for his sins by prostrating himself naked on the floor before a crucifix.  Henry the Young King died on June 11, 1183, in Martel, France holding a ring his father had sent as a sign of his forgiveness.  Henry was so popular that the people of Le Mans and Rouen almost went to war for the custody of his body.  He had requested to be buried in Rouen Cathedral, but as his body traveled through Le Mans, the bishop ordered his body to be buried at the cathedral there.  The Dean of Rouen Cathedral had to resort to legal means to bury Henry according to his wishes.  Ironically, the tombs of the perpetually fighting brothers, Henry and Richard, lie on opposite sides of the altar of Rouen Cathedral.

Henry the Young King in literature:

  • Henry is an important character in Sharon Kay Penman‘s novels Time and Chance and The Devil’s Brood.
  • Henry is an important secondary character in Elizabeth Chadwick‘s novel The Greatest Knight about William Marshal.
  • The consequences of Henry’s death plays an important role in the events of James Goldman’s play The Lion in Winter (also a film) which features Henry’s parents and three younger brothers, the future King Richard II of England; Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany; and the future King John of England.

Tomb of Henry the Young King in Rouen Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

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HRH Princess Leonore Lilian Maria of Sweden

 

Princess Leonore Lilian Mary of Sweden photo: Chris O’Neill; source: Swedish Royal Court

Welcome to the newest member of the Swedish Royal Family – Her Royal Highness Princess Leonore Lilian Maria, Duchess of Gotland.  

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The names and titles were announced today by King Carl Gustaf at a Cabinet meeting held at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.  The announcement was made on the Swedish Royal Court website as well as their Facebook page.

Swedish Royal Court Announcement

 

Princess Louise, Princess Royal, Duchess of Fife

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Louise, Princess Royal; Photo: Wikipedia

Late in her third pregnancy 22-year old Alexandra, Princess of Wales became ill with rheumatic fever.  She safely gave birth to her first daughter without the use of the painkiller chloroform which her doctors thought would worsen her condition.  The bout of rheumatic fever continued after the baby’s birth and the Princess of Wales was in such pain that she had to be constantly comforted by her lady-in-waiting, Lady Macclesfield. The rheumatic fever threatened Alexandra’s life and left her with a permanent limp.  Thus, the future Princess Royal entered the world on February 20, 1867, at Marlborough House in London, England.

The princess was christened Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar at Marlborough House, her parents’ home in London. Her godparents were:

 

Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar was the third of six children and the eldest of the three daughters of the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.  She was the granddaughter of two monarchs, Queen Victoria and King Christian IX of Denmark.  At the time of her birth, she was styled Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wales.

Louise’s five siblings:

by Alexander Bassano half-plate glass negative, 1875 NPG x104919 © National Portrait Gallery, London

The children of King Edward VII, by Alexander Bassano, half-plate glass negative, 1875.
NPG x104919. © National Portrait Gallery, London

Unlike their beautiful mother, Louise and her sisters were not considered attractive and had the rather unpleasant nickname of “The Hags.”  Their education was minimal although they had been taught music.  In public, the sisters appeared shy and did not want to be noticed or have others talk about them.  In private, they were less inhibited and took part in the family tradition of practical jokes.  Alexandra was extremely possessive of her children and prolonged their childhood far past the norm.  For example, Louise, at age 19, was given a child’s birthday party.  While Louise and Maud married, their sister Victoria was not allowed to marry so that she could serve as a companion to her mother.  Her cousin Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna described her a little more than “a glorified maid.”

On July 27, 1889, Louise followed the example of her aunt, Princess Louise, and married a husband from the British nobility.  Seventeen years older than his bride, Alexander William George Duff was the only son of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife and Lady Agnes Hay, daughter of the 18th Earl of Erroll and Lady Elizabeth FitzClarence who was an illegitimate daughter of King William IV. Louise and Alexander were third cousins via their mutual descent from King George III. Alexander’s descent was via the future King William IV’s long-time relationship with actress Dorothea Jordan by whom he had ten children who married into the British aristocracy.

Alexander had become 6th Earl Fife upon the death of his father in 1879.  Two days after the wedding, Queen Victoria created the groom Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.  Despite their age difference, the couple was well-matched and settled down to a life of country pursuits with the Duke managing his Scottish estates and Louise becoming an expert at salmon fishing.

by William Downey, for W. & D. Downey albumen cabinet card, 27 July 1889 NPG x3805 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife; Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, Duchess of Fife by William Downey, for W. & D. Downey. albumen cabinet card, 27 July 1889,
NPG x3805.  © National Portrait Gallery, London

The couple had three children:

Louise with her daughters Alexandra and Maud, circa 1894; Credit – Wikipedia

As female-line great-granddaughters of the British monarch, (Queen Victoria), Alexandra and Maud were not entitled to the title of Princess or the style Royal Highness. Instead, they were styled Lady Alexandra Duff and Lady Maud Duff, the styles of daughters of a Duke.   In 1900, when it became apparent that the Duke and Duchess of Fife were unlikely to have a son to inherit the title, Queen Victoria issued the Duke of Fife a new Letters Patent as Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom giving the second dukedom of Fife a special remainder in default of male issue to the Duke’s daughters and their agnatic male descendants.

Louise was the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and was created Princess Royal during her father’s reign, in 1905.  At the same time, Louise’s daughters Alexandra and Maud were granted the title of Princess with the style of “Highness” and received precedence immediately after all members of the royal family bearing the style of “Royal Highness.” This act was unprecedented and when the College of Arms told King Edward VII it could not be done, the King simply said, “Do it!” Louise’s brother, the future King George V, was greatly disturbed by this act.

In December of 1911, the Duke and Duchess of Fife and their two daughters set off to spend the winter in Egypt and Sudan where the climate was more beneficial to Louise’s health.  Their ship went aground near Morocco and then their lifeboat sank.  The family was rescued, but the Duke of Fife later developed pneumonia and died in Aswan, Egypt on January 29, 1912.  Alexandra succeeded to the 1900 Dukedom, becoming the Duchess of Fife and Countess of Macduff in her own right and her father’s other titles, including the 1889 Dukedom, became extinct.  Alexandra’s only son predeceased her, so upon her death, Maud’s son James Carnegie became the 3rd Duke of Fife. He also became the 12th Earl of Southesk, a title he inherited from his father.

Louise died at the age of 63 on January 4, 1931, at her London home at 15 Portman Square in London, England. She was first interred at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, and later was buried with her husband at the private chapel in the mausoleum of Mar Lodge in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Credit – By GentryGraves – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45486868

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Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Duchess of Albany

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Credit – Wikipedia

Her Serene Highness Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont (Helena Frederica Augusta) was born on February 17, 1861, at Arolsen Castle in the town of Arolsen, the capital of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont.  Today the town is known as Bad Arolsen and is located in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district of Hesse, Germany. Her parents were George Victor, Sovereign Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Princess Helena of Nassau. Through both of her parents, Helena was a descendant of Anne, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King George II of Great Britain.

Helena was the fifth of seven children and had five sisters and one brother:

Helena had one half-brother from her father’s second marriage to Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg:

Helena’s family lived mostly at  Arolsen Castle, a Baroque-style home built from 1713-1728.  The Scottish philosopher, historian, and writer Thomas Carlyle was a great friend of Helena’s mother and a frequent visitor to Arolsen Castle.  Carlyle described life at Arolsen Castle as a “pumpernickel court.”  Helena had a Lutheran education from a very liberal-minded pastor.

Arolsen Castle, now a museum and home of Wittekind, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1881, Helena first met her future husband, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in the German state of Hesse, where Leopold was staying with Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, who was the widower of Leopold’s sister Alice.  Leopold was the only son of Queen Victoria to suffer from hemophilia.  He saw marriage as a way to become independent from Queen Victoria, his overbearing mother. Besides having hemophilia, Leopold also had mild epilepsy. (See Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants.)  Although hemophilia had more serious consequences, it was a disease that was not completely understood at the time, and it was Leopold’s epilepsy that caused him problems while seeking a bride. Epilepsy was considered a social stigma and many families hid away their epileptic relatives.

After Leopold was rejected by several potential royal brides, Queen Victoria and her eldest daughter Victoria stepped in and made arrangements for Leopold and Helena to meet.  The couple became engaged on November 17, 1881.  Leopold was ecstatic when he wrote of the news to his brother-in-law Ludwig, widower of his sister Alice: “…we became engaged this afternoon…Oh, my dear brother, I am so overjoyed, and you, who have known this happiness, you will be pleased for me, won’t you?…You only know Helena a little as yet – when you really know her, then you will understand why I’m mad with joy today.”

Leopold and Helena; Credit – Wikipedia

On April 27, 1882, Leopold and Helena were married at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.  Helena was escorted down the aisle by her father George Victor, Sovereign Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont and her brother-in-law King Willem III of the Netherlands.  Her wedding gown of white satin, decorated with traditional orange blossom and myrtle was a gift from her sister Queen Emma of the Netherlands.  Leopold had requested that his friend, the French composer Charles Gounod, compose a wedding march to be played as Helena made her way to the altar.

Leopold and Helena had two children:

Charles Edward became Duke of Albany at birth (his father’s title) and in 1900 succeeded his uncle Alfred as the last reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.  During World War I, he was deprived of his British titles due to his taking up arms against his native country.  After World War II, Charles Edward was imprisoned due to his Nazi sympathies and was heavily fined and almost bankrupted.  Charles Edward’s grandson, King Carl XVI Gustaf, currently sits upon the throne of Sweden.  Leopold’s daughter Alice married a brother of Queen Mary, Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone, and died in 1981, the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria.

Helena, Duchess of Albany with her two children Alice and Charles Edward in 1887; Credit – http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Unfortunately, Leopold and Helena’s marriage was short-lived.  In early 1884, Leopold’s doctors recommended that he spend the winter in Cannes, France, which he had done before.  At the time, Helena was expecting her second child.  On March 27, 1884, Leopold slipped and fell on the staircase at Villa Nevada, the private home where he was staying in Cannes.  He injured his knee and hit his head, and died early on the morning of March 28, 1884, apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia. He was 31 years old.

Four months after Leopold’s death Helena gave birth to her son.  She continued to live with her children at Claremont House near Esher in Surrey, England, which Queen Victoria had bought for Leopold upon his marriage. Helena devoted the rest of her life to her children, grandchildren, and charitable work.  She was one of the founders of the Deptford Fund, originally founded in 1894 to help the people living by the dockyards in the Deptford section of London.  In 1899,  Helena founded The Albany Institute which is still in existence.  Its website says, “The Albany is a centre for the community that has been responding to the needs of the people of Deptford for over 100 years.”

On September 1, 1922, Helena died of a heart attack at the age of 61 in Hinterriss, Austria where she was visiting her son.  At her request, Helena was buried in the beautiful countryside of Hinteriss.

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Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Astrid Maud Ingeborg was born on February 12, 1932, at Villa Solbakken in Oslo, Norway. She is the second child of Crown Prince Olav (later King Olav V) and his wife, Princess Märtha of Sweden.  Astrid was christened on March 31, 1932, at the Royal Chapel of the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway. Her godparents were:

Astrid had an elder sister and a younger brother:

Her early years were spent at the Skaugum Estate in Asker, just outside of Oslo. The estate had been given to her parents at the time of their marriage. Here, along with her sister and brother, Astrid received a private education.

In 1940, Germany invaded Norway during World War II. The family fled Oslo. Her father and grandfather, King Haakon VII, went on to London, while Crown Princess Märtha and the children returned to her native Sweden. However, their presence was not well received by the Swedish people, and at the invitation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, they sailed to the United States.

The family boarded the USS American Legion on August 15, 1940. The President provided an escort of two US destroyers, and the ship arrived in New York on August 28th. The family settled briefly at the President’s private estate in Hyde Park, NY, before taking up residence at the White House. Soon after, they moved to a house in Bethesda, Maryland, not far from Washington DC. The house was situated on a 105-acre estate known as “Pook’s Hill”. At first, the family leased the estate from the owner, Merle Thorpe, before purchasing it from him. They would remain there for 5 years, until the end of the war in 1945. During this time, Crown Princess Märtha remained active in supporting the Norwegian cause and developed a close relationship with President Roosevelt.

In 1945, the family returned to Norway and was reunited with King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav. Princess Astrid then attended Oxford in the United Kingdom, studying economics and political history. The next few years saw many major events in the Norwegian royal family. Her sister, Ragnhild, married in 1953, and moved to Brazil; their mother, Crown Princess Märtha, died in 1954; their grandfather died in 1957, and their father became King Olav V. As the senior female royal, Princess Astrid served as Norway’s “First Lady”, accompanying her father on most of his official duties.

In 1961, Princess Astrid married Johan Martin Ferner in a small ceremony at the Asker Church. Because of her marriage to a commoner, she lost her style of Royal Highness (becoming just Highness) but remained a very active member of the Norwegian Royal Family. The couple had five children:

  • Cathrine Ferner (born 1962), married Arild Johansen, had two children
  • Benedikte Ferner (born 1963), married (1) Rolf Woods, no children, divorced (2) Mons Einar Stange, no children
  • Alexander Ferner (born 1965), married Margrét Gudmundsdóttir, had two children
  • Elisabeth Ferner (born 1969), married Tom Folke Beckmann, had one son
  • Carl-Christian Ferner (born 1972), married Anna-Stina Slattum Karlsen,had one daughter

Princess Astrid is still very much involved in the activities of the Norwegian Royal Family, attending most State functions, and serving as Royal Patron to many organizations. In addition, she is the Chairperson of the Crown Princess Märtha Memorial Fund, established in memory of her mother, which provides financial support to social and humanitarian initiatives carried out by non-governmental organizations.

Princess Astrid (center), Princess Ragnhild and King Harald Photo: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen / The Royal Court

Princess Ragnhild, Princess Astrid, and King Harald V.    Photo: Sven Gj. Gjeruldsen / The Royal Court

In 2012, Princess Astrid celebrated her 80th birthday with a private gala at the Royal Palace in Oslo with family and close friends. Sadly, it would the last appearance of her elder sister, Princess Ragnhild, who passed away several months later. On January 24, 2015, Johan Martin Ferner, Princess Astrid’s husband of nearly 53 years, passed away at Oslo University Hospital, aged 87.

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King Hussein I of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

King Hussein of Jordan. Photo: Wikipedia

King Hussein of Jordan was one of the most important figures in the Middle Eastern region. His efforts for peace in the region earned him the respect of millions around the world, regardless of religious or political beliefs.

Hussein bin Talal was born November 14, 1935, in Amman, Jordan, the eldest son of the future King Talal bin Abdullah and Zein al-Sharaf Talal. At the time, Hussein’s grandfather Abdullah I was the Emir of Transjordan, becoming the first King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan in 1946. The name was later changed to simply ‘Jordan’.

Hussein had five siblings, but only three survived childhood:

Hussein with his four surviving siblings: Hassan, Hussein, Basma, and Muhammad; Credit – Wikipedia

The young Hussein began his education in Amman, after which he attended Victoria College in Alexandria, Egypt. He then attended the Harrow School in England before enrolling in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

On July 21, 1951, Prince Hussein was accompanying his grandfather, King Abdullah I, to a mosque in Jerusalem when the king was killed by an assassin’s bullet. Hussein was at his side and was hit too, but a medal that had been pinned to Hussein’s chest at his grandfather’s insistence deflected the bullet and saved his life.

With his father now becoming King, Hussein was named Crown Prince in September 1951. His father, King Talal, suffered from mental illness and was forced to abdicate just a year later. The 16-year-old Crown Prince became King Hussein I with a regency council established until he reached the age of 18.

King Hussein’s mother played a major role in the early years of her son’s reign, guiding him in both political and personal matters. She arranged his first marriage when her son was just 19 years old to Sharifa Dina bint ‘Abdu’l-Hamid, a third cousin of his father.  The marriage took place on April 19, 1955. The couple separated and divorced in 1957.  They had one daughter:

  • Princess Alia (born 1956), married (1) Lieutenant-Colonel Nasser Wasfi Mirza, had one child, divorced  (2) Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh, had two children

King Hussein married a second time on May 25, 1961, to Antoinette Avril Gardiner, who took the title HRH Princess Muna al-Hussein. This marriage, too, ended in divorce in 1971.  The couple had  four children including twin daughters:

  • King Abdullah II (born 1962), married Rania al Yassin, had four children
  • Prince Feisal (born 1963), married (1) Alia Tabbaa, had four children, divorced (2) Sara Bassam Qabbani, no children, divorced (3) Zeina Lubbadeh, had two children
  • Princess Aisha (born 1968), married (1) Zeid Saadedine Juma, had two children, divorced  (2) Ashraf Banayoti, divorced
  • Princess Zein (born 1968), married Majdi Farid Al-Saleh, had three children

On December 24, 1972, King Hussein married Alia Baha ad-Din Toukan, the daughter of a Jordanian diplomat. Upon marriage, she became HM Queen Alia al-Hussein. Tragically, Queen Alia was killed in a helicopter crash in 1977.  The couple had two children, as well as an adopted daughter:

King Hussien’s fourth marriage was to Lisa Najeeb Halaby, an American, on June 15, 1978. The couple met when she was working on the development of the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, named for the King’s recently deceased wife. Upon marriage, and her conversion to Islam, she became HM Queen Noor al-Hussein.

The couple had four children:

In July 1998, it was revealed that the King was battling lymphatic cancer, and being treated at the Mayo Clinic in the United States. He returned to Jordan in early January 1999, and somewhat unexpectedly designated his eldest son, Abdullah, as his successor. After a brief return to the Mayo Clinic for more treatment, the King returned to Jordan for a final time, being taken immediately to the King Hussein Medical Center. Having suffered significant organ failure, he lapsed into a coma, on life-support systems. The King died on the morning of February 7, 1999, with Queen Noor and some of his children at his side.

His body was taken to Raghadan Palace in Amman, Jordan where the King lay in state, allowing dignitaries and world leaders to come and pay their respects. His remains were transferred to a mosque within the royal compound where prayers were held. Following this, he was taken to the Royal Cemetery at Raghadan Palace where his body was laid to rest.

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Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Resources at Unofficial Royalty