October 2: Today in Royal History

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King Richard III of England, Credit – Wikipedia

October 2, 1452 – Birth of King Richard III of England at Fotheringay Castle in Northamptonshire, England
Richard was the twelfth of the thirteen children of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England. Richard’s father was the Yorkist leader during the Wars of the Roses until his death in battle. Richard was King of England from 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death was at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses.
Unofficial Royalty: King Richard III of England

October 2, 1798 – Birth of Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia at the Palazzo Carignano in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy
Carlo Alberto, the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, a cadet branch of the House of Savoy, became King of Sardinia upon the death of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia when the male line of the House of Savoy became extinct. In 1848, Carlo Alberto attempted to rid the Italian peninsula of Austria-ruled and supported states resulting in the First Italian War of Independence, part of the Italian Unification. After his forces were defeated by the Austrian forces at the Battle of Novara, Carlo Alberto immediately abdicated in favor of his son Vittorio Emanuele.  He died the following year. His son Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Sardinia became a driving force behind the Italian unification and was proclaimed the first King of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy

October 2, 1841 – Death of Honoré V, Prince of Monaco in Paris, France; buried at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco
Honoré V was the elder of the two sons of Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco and Louise d’Aumont, Duchess of Mazarin, Duchess of Mayenne, Duchess of Meilleraye in her own right.  In 1819, he succeeded his father as Prince of Monaco. Honoré V never married. With his mistress Félicité de Gamaches, Honoré V had one son Louis Gabriel Oscar Grimaldi, called Oscar, who was born on June 9, 1814. After a reign of twenty-two years, Honoré V, Prince of Monaco died on October 2, 1841, in Paris, France, aged 63, and was succeeded by his brother Florestan.
Unofficial Royalty: Honoré V, Prince of Monaco

October 2, 1921- Death of King Wilhelm II of Württemberg at Schloss Bebenhausen  in Bebenhausen, Germany; buried at the Old Cemetery in Ludwigsburg, Germany
Wilhelm became King of Württemberg in 1891, upon the death of his childless uncle King Karl. Wilhelm’s two marriages were also childless. He was much loved by his people, and respected for his more down-to-earth nature. He was often seen walking his dogs in the streets of Stuttgart, unaccompanied, and greeting all those he met along the way. Wilhelm was the last King of Württemberg, abdicating on November 30, 1918, after the fall of the German Empire. Wilhelm negotiated with the new government to receive an annual income for himself and his wife and also retained Schloss Bebenhausen in Bebenhausen, Germany where the couple lived for the remainder of their lives. On October 2, 1921, 73-year-old Wilhelm died.
Unofficial Royalty: King Wilhelm II of Württemberg

October 2, 2007 – Death of The Lady Katherine Brandram in London, England; born Princess Katherine of Greece, daughter of King Constantine I of Greece, buried at the Royal Cemetery, Tatoi Palace, Greece
Because of the ups and downs of the Greek monarchy, Katherine spent much of her early life in exile. While in the United Kingdom, she met Major Richard Campbell Andrew Brandram, an officer in the British Royal Artillery. The couple married on April 21, 1947 in two ceremonies, Church of England and Greek Orthodox, in the ballroom of the Royal Palace in Athens, Greece. King George VI of the United Kingdom issued a decree on August 25, 1947, granting Katherine the “style, title, place and pre-eminence as the daughter of a Duke”, and she became styled as Lady Katherine Brandram. The couple settled in England and had one son. Katherine retained close ties to her Greek and British relatives and often joined them for family functions such as christenings and memorial services. One of her last public appearances was at a Service of Thanksgiving at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, England for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 80th birthday in 2001. Katherine was 94 when she died.  She was buried along with her husband in the Royal Cemetery at the Tatoi Palace in Greece. From 2002 until her death, she was the last surviving great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Katherine of Greece, The Lady Katherine Brandram

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