Monthly Archives: May 2013

Louise of Baden, Elizabeth Alexeievna, Empress of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo: Wikipedia

The Romanov Emperors of Russia often married princesses of German principalities and grand duchies and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia was no different.  Princess Louise Maria Auguste of Baden was born in Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on January 24, 1779.  She was the third of the six daughters and the third of the eight children of Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden and Amelia Frederica of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Louise, herself an empress, had seven siblings which included two queens, a grand duchess, a duchess, and a grand duke. Collectively, Louise’s siblings are ancestors of a number of royal families.

Catherine II (the Great, Empress of All Russia) was considering candidates for the bride of her eldest grandson Alexander and was favorably impressed by Louise, who was 12 years old at the time.  Louise, along with her younger sister Frederica, went to St. Petersburg, Russia in the fall of 1792.  Empress Catherine was enchanted with the young princess and Louise was attracted to the tall, handsome Alexander.   Louise stayed in Russia so that she could learn the Russian language and convert to Russian Orthodoxy.  She exchanged her birth name for Elizabeth Alexeievna and became a Grand Duchess of Russia.  The couple was formally betrothed in May 1793 and the wedding occurred on September 28, 1793. Elizabeth Alexeievna looked resplendent with the diamond-studded Order of St. Andrei on her silver brocade gown. The bride was fourteen and the groom was fifteen.

Alexander I circa 1801; Credit – Wikipedia

Elizabeth Alexeievna and Alexander’s young age and lack of experience caused them to become overwhelmed with expectations that they could not fulfill.  Court intrigues confused and frightened Elizabeth Alexeievna and Empress Catherine’s own lover attempted to seduce the young Grand Duchess.  She felt alone in a strange world, especially after her sister Frederica returned to Baden and felt comfort only with her husband.  Less than six months after her marriage, Elizabeth Alexeievna wrote to her mother, “Without my husband, who alone makes me happy, I should have died a thousand deaths.”

Empress Catherine II  died in 1796, disappointed that her eldest grandson and his wife had not produced a son,  and Alexander’s father Paul became Emperor.  Elizabeth Alexeievna did not like her father-in-law or his policies and avoided his court as much as possible.  Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna’s marriage started to falter and she sought affection from her husband’s friend Polish Prince Adam Czartoryski, a Polish noble.  In 1799, Elizabeth Alexeievna gave birth to a daughter Maria Alexandrovna, who had dark eyes and dark hair like Prince Adam Czartoryski and unlike the blond-haired and blue-eyed Elizabeth Alexeievna and her husband.  Sadly, the child died when she was 13 months old.

Prince Adam Czartoryski; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1801, the behavior and policies of Emperor Paul led to a conspiracy to overthrow him.  Paul was assassinated and his eldest son became Emperor Alexander I.  Elizabeth Alexeievna fulfilled her duties as Empress, but by this time their marriage was really one in name only.  Alexander started a long-term affair in 1803 and Elizabeth Alexeievna resumed her affair with  Prince Adam Czartoryski.  This affair lasted until Elizabeth Alexeievna began a new affair with Captain Alexis Okhotnikov.  In 1806, Elizabeth Alexeievna gave birth to another daughter, Elizabeth Alexandrovna, who died of an infection when she was 17 months old.  Rumors circulated that Elizabeth Alexandrovna was really the daughter of Alexis Okhotnikov.  In 1807, Alexis Okhotnikov was killed and suspicions arose that either Emperor Alexander I or his brother Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich had ordered him killed.

Elizabeth Alexeievna in 1807; Credit – Wikipedia

Although the death of Elizabeth Alexandrovna brought Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna temporarily closer, they had no more children.  In 1819, Alexander became very involved in religious mysticism, ended his long-term affair, and somewhat reconciled with his wife.  By 1825, Elizabeth Alexeievna’s health was suffering due to lung problems and the doctors recommended getting away from the harsh climate of St. Petersburg.  Alexander and  Elizabeth Alexeievna relocated to the city of Taganrog, Russia by the Sea of Azov where they stayed in a modest house.  In November of 1825, Alexander returned to Taganrog after visiting Crimea.  He had a cold, which developed into typhus. On December 1, 1825, he died in Elizabeth Alexeievna’s arms in their home in Taganrog.  Elizabeth Alexeievna survived him by five months.   While traveling back to St. Petersburg for her husband’s funeral, she felt so sick that had to stop at Belev in Tula Province, Russia.  On the morning of May 16, 1826, Elizabeth Alexeievna’s maid went to check on her and found her dead in her bed of heart failure at the age of 47.  Elizabeth Alexeievna and her husband were buried at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Tombs of Emperor Alexander I and Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna, Photo: Wikipedia

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Romanov Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza

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May 15, 1945 – Birth of Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza

Duarte Pio’s Wikipedia page

Born in Bern, Switzerland, Duarte Pio is the eldest of three sons of Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza and Francisca of Orléans-Braganza, a Brazilian princess. Duarte Nuno was the head of the Miguelist Braganza family, descendants of Miguel I of Portugal and claimants to the defunct Portuguese throne. Although his family long claimed he was born at the Portuguese Embassy in Switzerland, embassy records do not support this.

Duarte Pio lived in Switzerland until 1952, when the family was permitted to return to Portugal. He later served in the Portuguese Air Force in Angola. The Duke inherited his father’s claim to the Portuguese throne upon the latter’s death in 1976.

In the 1990s, Duarte Pio worked extensively in the independence movement of former colony Timor-Leste (East Timor). This work endeared the Timorese residents to the Duke, who honored him as a citizen of the country in 2012.

Duarte Pio now serves in a semi-official capacity as an economic and cultural representative within Portugal and in promoting relations with former Portuguese colonies. Although not officially a head of state, Duarte Pio has occasionally been received as such by various governments.

Duarte Pio married Isabel Inês de Castro Curvelo de Herédia (a descendant of the Portuguese nobility) in 1995. The wedding was the first of a Portuguese royal within Portugal in over 100 years. Duarte Pio and Isabel are well-acquainted with the current ruling families of Europe and are often seen at weddings and other events. The couple has three children and resides primarily in Lisbon.

Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton, Hereditary Princess of Monaco

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit – Wikipedia

Besides having an American mother, Prince Albert II of Monaco has a Scottish great-grandmother, and not on his mother’s side, but on his father’s side.  Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton was born on December 11, 1850, at Hamilton Palace in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.  Her father was William Alexander Anthony Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton.  The Duke of Hamilton is the Premier Peer of Scotland and head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas.  Her mother was Princess Marie Amelie of Baden.  Through her mother, Lady Mary Victoria was a third cousin of Emperor Napoléon III of France and first cousin of Queen Carola of Saxony, Queen Stephanie of Portugal, King Carol I of Romania, and Countess Marie of Flanders (mother of King Albert I of the Belgians).

Lady Mary Victoria had two elder brothers:

Mary Victoria and Albert shortly after their wedding; Credit – Wikipedia

Lady Mary Victoria and the future Prince Albert I of Monaco first met in August 1869 at a ball in Paris given by Emperor Napoléon III and Empress Eugénie.   Emperor Napoléon III suggested a match between Prince Albert and Lady Mary Victoria to Albert’s grandmother Caroline, the wife of Prince Florestan I of Monaco.  Lady Mary Victoria’s family was old, noble, and wealthy, and connected to a number of European royal families through Lady Mary Victoria’s mother.  Although Monaco was no larger in area than the lands held by the Duke of Hamilton, the Hamiltons were impressed by Monaco’s status as an independent country.  The couple was married on September 21, 1869, a month after their first meeting, at the Château de Marchais in Champagne, France.  The château is still owned by the Princely Family of Monaco.

Having been more or less forced into marriage, Mary Victoria and Albert were less than compatible.   Albert thought that his new wife was empty-headed and although Mary Victoria thought her husband to be handsome, she did not particularly like him.  Additionally, Mary Victoria did not like Monaco and the Mediterranean, which was so unlike her native Scotland.  19-year-old, pregnant Mary Victoria left Monaco with her mother and headed to her mother’s family home in the Grand Duchy of Baden, now in Germany.   It was in Baden that Mary Victoria gave birth to the future Prince Louis II of Monaco on July 12, 1870.

Mary Victoria and Albert never reconciled.  Their marriage was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church in 1880 and civilly dissolved the same year by Prince Charles III of Monaco.  Their son Prince Louis was raised in Baden by his maternal grandmother and did not see his father until he was 11-years-old.  At that point in time, Louis returned to Monaco to be trained for his future royal duties.  He succeeded his father as Prince Louis II in 1922 and is the grandfather of Prince Rainier III of Monaco and the great-grandfather of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Mary Victoria’s second husband Count Tassilo Festetics de Tolna; Credit – Wikipedia

Mary Victoria married a second time in 1880 to Count Tassilo Festetics de Tolna, a Hungarian noble. The couple had four children.  Through this marriage, Mary Victoria is the great-grandmother of fashion designer Prince Egon von Fürstenberg, socialite and actress Princess Ira von Fürstenberg, and the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Karel Schwarzenberg.

  • Countess Mária Matild Georgina Festetics de Tolna (1881 – 1953, married Prince Karl Emil von Fürstenberg
  • Prince György Tasziló József Festetics de Tolna (1882 – 1941), married Countess Marie Franziska von Haugwitz.
  • Countess Alexandra Olga Eugénia Festetics de Tolna (1884 – 1963), married  (1) Prince Karl von Windisch-Grätz  (2) Prince Erwin zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst
  • Countess Karola Friderika Mária Festetics de Tolna (1888 – 1951), married Baron Oskar Gautsch von Frankenthurn

Mary Victoria’s second marriage was a happy one and lasted over 40 years.  During that time, she busied herself with the enlargement and improvement of her husband’s ancestral home, Festetics Palace and its gardens, in Keszthely, Hungary.  In 1911, Count Tasziló Festetics de Tolna was made a Prince with the style Serene Highness by Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. Mary Victoria died on May 14, 1922, at the age of 71 in Budapest, Hungary, and was buried with her second husband in the family mausoleum on the grounds of the Festetics Palace.

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.

Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Austria, and Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Theresa was the sovereign ruler of the Habsburg territories from 1740 until her death in 1780 and was the only female to hold the position. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Lodomeria and Galicia, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. By marriage, she was Duchess of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, and Holy Roman Empress.

Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina, Archduchess of Austria was born at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria on May 13, 1717, the second and eldest surviving child of Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI and Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

Maria Theresa’s siblings:

  • Leopold Johann, Archduke of Austria (born and died 1716), died aged seven months
  • Maria Anna, Archduchess of Austria (1718 – 1744), married Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, no children, died in childbirth
  • Maria Amalia, Archduchess of Austria (1724 – 1730), died aged six-years-old

Maria Theresa’s only brother died several weeks before she was born and her two younger siblings were sisters. The fact that Maria Theresa’s father did not have a male heir caused many problems. Maria Theresa’s grandfather Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I devised the Mutual Pact of Succession, a succession device secretly signed by his elder son, the future Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I, and his younger son, Maria Theresa’s father the future Holy Roman Emperor  Karl VI in 1703. The Mutual Pact of Succession stated that the Habsburg hereditary lands would be inherited by both the brothers’ respective male heirs. However, if one should fail to have a son, the other one would succeed him in all the Habsburg hereditary lands. If both brothers died without sons, the daughters of Joseph, the elder brother, would have absolute precedence over the daughters of Karl, the younger brother, and the eldest daughter of Joseph would ascend to the thrones of all the Habsburg hereditary lands.

When Joseph died on April 17, 1711, his brother, Maria Thersa’s father Karl succeeded him as the ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands and was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI. However, Karl’s only son died in infancy and upon his death, the Habsburg hereditary lands should have gone to Joseph’s daughter Archduchess Maria Josepha of Austria. However, Karl VI’s Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 annulled the Mutual Pact of Succession and made his future daughters the heirs to the Habsburg hereditary lands instead of Maria Josepha. When Karl died in 1740, Maria Theresa’s succession to the Habsburg hereditary lands led to the War of Austrian Succession (1740 – 1748) which resulted in the confirmation of Maria Theresa’s Habsburg titles.

Maria Theresa married Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine on February 12, 1736, in the Augustinian Church in Vienna. Throughout his reign, Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI expected to have a male heir and never really prepared Maria Theresa for her future role as sovereign.  Upon her father’s death in 1740, Maria Theresa became Queen of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia in her own right. She was unable to become the sovereign of the Holy Roman Empire because she was female. The Habsburgs had been elected Holy Roman Emperors since 1438, but in 1742 Karl Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria and Prince-Elector of Bavaria from the Bavarian House of Wittelsbach was elected Holy Roman Emperor Karl VII. He died in 1745 and via a treaty Maria Theresa arranged for her husband Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine to be elected Holy Roman Emperor. Despite the snub, Maria Theresa wielded the real power.

Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen at their wedding breakfast, by Martin van Meytens; Credit – Wikipedia

On February 12, 1736, in the Augustinian Church in Vienna, Francis Stephen married Maria Theresa. The couple had sixteen children but eight of them died in childhood and four of the eight died from smallpox:

Maria Theresa with her family; Credit – Wikipedia

Even though he had 16 children with his wife, Francis was not faithful during his marriage and had a number of affairs.  Despite being the nominal Holy Roman Emperor, he was content to leave the act of reigning to his wife.  Francis died suddenly in 1765 at the age of 56 in his carriage while returning from the opera.  His son Joseph succeeded him as Holy Roman Emperor although Maria Theresa continued to wield the real power.

In 1767, Maria Theresa had smallpox and after that, her health deteriorated.  She died on November 29, 1780, at Hofburg Palace, after a reign of 40 years and surrounded by her surviving children.  Maria Theresa was the last of the House of Habsburg.  The Imperial House thereafter was the House of Habsburg-Lorraine.  Her son Joseph, Holy Roman Emperor since his father’s death, succeeded his mother as King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia.  Maria Theresa was buried alongside her husband in a magnificent tomb in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna.

Tomb of Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Franz I; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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.

Madame Élisabeth of France, sister of King Louis XVI of France

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Madame Élisabeth of France, Credit – Wikipedia

Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène, the youngest of the eight children of Louis, Dauphin of France and his second wife Maria Josepha of Saxony, was born on May 3, 1764, at the Palace of Versailles.  Her father was the only surviving son of King Louis XV of France and his wife Marie Leszczyńska, but he predeceased his father.  Upon King Louis XV’s death, his grandson (Elisabeth’s brother) succeeded him as King Louis XVI.  When Elisabeth was just two years old, her mother died of tuberculosis.  Elisabeth was raised by her governess Marie Louise de Rohan.

Elisabeth as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Elisabeth had seven siblings:

Elisabeth was devoted to her brother King Louis XVI and with his permission declined all marriage offers so that she could remain in France.  Several times during the French Revolution, Elisabeth refused to leave France when she had the opportunity, choosing to remain with her brother and his family.  She accompanied her brother and his family on their unsuccessful attempt to flee Paris.  Elisabeth was present during the siege of the Tuileries Palace and accompanied her brother and his family to imprisonment in the notorious Temple. After the execution of Louis XVI on January 21, 1793, Elisabeth remained imprisoned in the Temple with her sister-in-law Marie Antoinette and niece Marie-Thérèse Charlotte.  In August of 1793, Marie Antoinette was taken to the Conciergerie where she was tried and then taken to her execution on October 16, 1793.  On the day of her execution, Marie Antoinette wrote her last letter, addressed to Elisabeth, but it was never delivered.

On May 9, 1794, Elisabeth was transferred to the Conciergerie where she was tried and condemned to be executed the next day.  She was executed by the guillotine at the Place de la Révolution in Paris (now called Place de la Concorde) with 23 other people on May 10, 1794.  A very religious person, Elisabeth comforted and prayed with several others awaiting execution.  She was originally buried in a common grave at the Errancis Cemetery in Paris.  At a later date, Elisabeth’s remains along with the remains of other guillotine victims were buried in the Catacombs of Paris.  The Roman Catholic Church views Elisabeth as a martyr and a Servant of God. The Cause of Beatification of Élisabeth was introduced in 1924 but has not yet been completed.

The photo below is a memorial to Madame Elisabeth at the Conciergerie, a former palace and prison in Paris where hundreds of guillotine victims including Madame Elisabeth and Marie Antoinette were tried and imprisoned before their executions.

Memorial to Madame Elisabeth at the Conciergerie; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

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Louis II, Prince of Monaco

Louis II, Prince of Monaco. Photo credit: Mad for Monaco blog

May 9, 1949 – Death of Louis II, Prince of Monaco

Louis’ Wikipedia page
Louis’ biography of Mad for Monaco

Louis was the only child of Albert I of Monaco by his Scottish-born first wife Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton. Through his mother Louis was a descendant of Stephanie de Beauharnais, the adopted daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. Louis’ parents separated when he was an infant; he resided in Germany with his mother, stepfather, and half-siblings until the age of 11.
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Louis attended the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in France. He followed up his education with service in the French Foreign Legion in Africa. Louis met singer Juliette Louvet in Algeria, whom he was forbidden to marry. The couple’s daughter Charlotte was born in 1898. Louis later served with distinction with the French Army in World War I, rising to the rank of Brigadier General.

During this time, Louis did not show interest in marrying or fathering legitimate children. The lack of other heirs meant that control of Monaco would be passed to Louis’ German cousin Wilhelm of Urach, who had naturally fought against the French during World War I. A law was passed in 1911 (later declared invalid) to allow Charlotte to inherit the Monagesque throne, while a second law allowed Louis to adopt Charlotte as his legal heir. Charlotte officially became her father’s heir in 1919.

Louis succeeded Albert as Sovereign Prince of Monaco in 1922, where cultural life continued to thrive as it had under his predecessors. The principality was occupied during World War II, first by the Italians and later by the Germans. Louis’ offered his support to the French Vichy government headed by his former colleague. Charlotte passed her claim to the principality to her son, the future Rainier III, in 1944.

Following World War II, the aging Louis spent most of his time in France. He married actress Ghislaine Dommanget in 1946 and lived with her near Paris, allowing Monaco’s prosperity to decline. Louis died in Monaco and is buried at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monte Carlo.

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

King Edward VII, Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest son and second of nine children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, King Edward VII was born on November 9, 1841, at Buckingham Palace in London, England.  He was given the names Albert Edward in honor of his father and his maternal grandfather Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and was called Bertie by his family. The infant prince was christened at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on January 25, 1842, by William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury.

His godparents were:

The Prince of Wales in a sailor suit, watercolor, painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1846

Bertie had eight siblings:

Albert, Victoria and their nine children, 1857. Left to right: Alice, Arthur, Albert, Edward, Leopold, Louise, Victoria with Beatrice, Alfred, Victoria, and Helena

As the eldest son of the British monarch, he was automatically Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at birth. Through his father Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, he also was Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Duke of Saxony. When Bertie was one month old, he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.  Bertie’s parents were determined to give him an education that would prepare him for his future role, but he did not have the aptitude for studies.  Instead, his strengths were his social skills.

 Bertie in 1860

Bertie’s father, Prince Albert, died on December 14, 1861.  The month before, Prince Albert had been informed of rumors that Bertie was having an affair with an Irish actress while doing army service in Ireland.  Already feeling ill, Prince Albert went to Ireland to discuss the affair with his son. For the rest of her life, Queen Victoria blamed Bertie for his father’s death.

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert had been seeking a bride for their eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, known in the family as Bertie. Victoria and Albert’s eldest daughter Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia, known as Vicky in the family, was enlisted to help with the search. Princess Alexandra of Denmark, the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel, had originally been fifth on the list of potential brides, but Vicky thought Alix, as she was called in her family, would be the perfect match for Bertie and she sent back glowing reports of her to Victoria and Albert. Prince Albert came to the conclusion that Alix was “the only one to be chosen. Vicky then arranged the first meeting between Alix and Bertie in Speyer Cathedral on September 24, 1861. On September 9, 1862, after the death of his father in December 1861, Bertie proposed to Alix at the Royal Palace of Laeken, the home of his great-uncle, King Leopold I of the Belgians.  The couple was married at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on March 10, 1863. Queen Victoria, in perpetual mourning for Prince Albert, watched the ceremony from Catherine of Aragon’s Closet overlooking the left side of the altar. 

Bertie and Alix on their wedding day, photographed by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, March 10, 1863; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Bertie and Alix six children:

 

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Bertie and Alix, made their homes at Marlborough House near Buckingham Palace in London and at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England.  Sandringham House had been purchased by Queen Victoria for Bertie and Alix, and is still a privately-owned residence of the British monarch.

Sandringham House; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

During his marriage, Bertie had quite a number of mistresses. Apparently, Alix knew about many of them and accepted them. Among the women, Bertie socialized with were: the actress Lillie Langtry; Lady Randolph Churchill (born Jennie Jerome in the USA, was the mother of Winston Churchill); Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick; actress Sarah Bernhardt; and Alice Keppel who was his last mistress.  Alice Keppel is the great-grandmother of Queen Consort Camilla.

Alice Keppel; Credit – Wikipedia

After waiting 59 years, Bertie became king upon the death of his mother on January 22, 1901. The coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra was held at Westminster Abbey on August 9, 1902.  Originally scheduled for June 26, it had to be postponed because the new king developed appendicitis.  Bertie and Alix had begun the idea of the royal family’s public appearances as we now know them during Queen Victoria’s withdrawal after her husband’s death, and they continued this during Bertie’s reign.  The king had royal palaces repaired and reintroduced traditional ceremonies, such as the State Opening of Parliament, that Queen Victoria had ceased to participate in.

 Alix and Bertie on their Coronation Day

King Edward VII was known as “the Uncle of Europe” because he was related to many other royals:

 Alix and Bertie in 1909

Bertie’s habits did not keep him in the best of health.  He ate too much and usually smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day.  He began to suffer from chronic bronchitis.  In March 1910 while vacationing in Biarritz, France, Bertie collapsed and remained in Biarritz to recuperate. On April 27, 1910, he returned to Buckingham Palace.  Queen Alexandra had also been away but started her return trip home as soon as she knew about her husband’s condition and arrived in London on May 5.

On May 6, 1910, Bertie insisted that his valet dress him in his frock coat and formal clothes before he received his private secretary Francis Knollys and his good friend Ernest Cassel.  During the afternoon, the king suffered a series of heart attacks, but he refused to be put into bed, sitting instead in a chair.  Alix sent for Alice Keppel, Bertie’s mistress, and arranged for her to see the king during one of his periods of consciousness.  His son George, soon to be king, told him that his horse, Witch of the Air, had won at Kempton Park that afternoon. The king replied, “I am very glad,” which were his last words. After waiting 59 years to become king and reigning for nine years, King Edward VII lapsed into a coma and died peaceably just before midnight on May 6, 1910, at the age of 68.

King Edward VII was buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on May 20, 1910.  Barbara Tuchman opens The Guns of August, her great book about World War I, a war that would cause the extinction of many European monarchies, with a description of Edward VII’s funeral:

“So gorgeous was the spectacle in the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration.  In scarlet and blue and green and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun.  After them came five heirs apparent, seven queens – four dowagers and three regnant – and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries.  Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last.”

Tomb of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor; Photo Credit – https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/collection/606282/tomb-of-king-edward-vii-and-queen-alexandra

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

  • Edward and Alexandra: Their Private and Public Lives – Richard Alexander Hough
  • Edward VII: The Last Victorian King – Christopher Hibbert
  • King Edward VII – Philip Magnus
  • Queen Alexandra – Georgina Battiscombe
  • The Heir Apparent: A Life of Edward VII, The Playboy Prince – Jane Ridley
  • The Marlborough Set – Anita Leslie

Queen Victoria Resources at Unofficial Royalty

House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Resources at Unofficial Royalty

A British Abdication?

by The Laird o’Thistle
May 05 2013

After a hiatus of nearly a year I am back to Unofficial Royalty, probably more as an “occasional” columnist henceforth than as a regular monthly contributor. But, for the moment, here I be.

The reason I disappeared for so long was that, after eight years of monthly columns, I really felt I had run out of worthwhile things to say, and I was finding no new topics of sufficient interest to me to delve into the rather arcane research involved. But then, this week, along came the abdication of Queen Beatrix, and the investiture of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands….

At lunch with friends on the first of May, I heard a table of older men talking of the Dutch transition, and one of them said: “Prince Charles was surely looking glum! The old lady just keeps hanging in there.” And, suddenly, there was my topic: “What if” Queen Elizabeth II were, after all these many years, to suddenly change her mind about abdicating the throne and handing it over to the Prince of Wales? At this point I do not really expect that to happen; but, “What if…?”

The thing that most impressed me in the transition from Queen Beatrix to King Willem-Alexander was the affection and esteem that flowed between them. The words each spoke of the other on the palace balcony, and the looks exchanged between them, were priceless. The photo shots of the now Princess Beatrix matriarchal brooding and beaming over her young granddaughters during the investiture ceremony were heartwarming. There was no death, no funeral, no shadow of grief over a late Majesty “of happy memory” such as has long haunted Elizabeth II’s accession anniversary. It was simply a proud mother handing over the helm to her son, and stepping gracefully back into a well-earned retirement.

So, what if Queen Elizabeth were to follow suit? How might it be conceivable?

What I have noticed over the last few years is how Her Majesty’s age is showing more and more. She seems smaller, and more round-shouldered. She moves and treds more carefully, and concentrates more intently. At times she looks more weary. All, even as she soldiers faithfully on. She does not seem to have quite the zest and energy of her mother at the same age. (Nor did her mother carry anything like a comparable workload.)

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Nothing short of a catastrophe – either the total failure of her own health, or the death of Prince Philip – would, I suspect, cause H.M. to even consider stepping aside before the end of 2017. I choose that date for several reasons. 2015 will mark three major milestones. In May and August of that year the world will mark the 70th anniversaries of the end of World War II, first in Europe and then in the Pacific. The Queen and Prince Philip will, as able, want to be deeply involved in those commemorations. And then in September of that year H.M. will surpass Queen Victoria to become the longest reigning British monarch, ever. In 2016 the Queen will turn 90, and Prince Philip will be 95. 2017 then brings the 65th anniversary of the Queen’s accession, and marks another very significant historical anniversary… the centenary of the House of Windsor on July 17. In 1917 the longterm survival of any monarchy seemed “iffy” at best. Yet the House of Windsor has not just survived, but flourished. As just the fourth monarch, and as only the third generation, of this dynasty, it must be in the Queen’s mind to preside, if possible, over that celebration.

November of 2017 will also see the 70th wedding anniversary of Elizabeth and Philip. Barring unforeseen circumstances it could be an ideal time, right after that, for the “old lady” and her beloved spouse to finally step back, performing in the process yet another great precedent-setting act of service in modernizing the British monarchy. (Charles might also appreciate becoming King before he turns 70!)

Is it conceivable? Contrary to popular opinion I think it might be. Above and beyond anything else, Queen Elizabeth II may be counted on to “serve” the British Crown. That was her pledge at age twenty-one, and her guiding principle over the sixty-one years of her reign thus far. If it were to become clear that what best served the Crown was for her to stand down, she would. The recent example of Pope Benedict XVI points the way, perhaps even better than the Dutch transition, as the Supreme Pontiff of Rome chose act upon his own realization that age and health were preventing him from doing the job as it needs to be done. So he flew off in a helicopter to Castle Gandolfo, to walk in the garden and play the piano.

Do I want the Queen to abdicate? I never thought I would say that I did. But I am beginning to think that it might be a good thing, for her and for all. She absolutely should stay the course until she passes Queen Victoria, for that achievement is just too close now to consider anything else. But then I hope that she will give herself the freedom to consider the possibility… the opportunity. Perhaps some day, before long, she and her friend Princess Beatrix really ought to sit down and have a good chat about it. Eh?

Yours Aye,

Ken Cuthbertson

Maria Anna of Savoy, Empress of Austria

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Maria Anna of Savoy, Empress of Austria, Credit – Wikipedia

Maria Anna of Savoy and her twin sister Maria Teresa were born on September 19, 1803, at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome, Papal States, now in Italy, the daughters of Vittorio Emanuele I, King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy and Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria-Este.  Maria Anna spent part of her childhood on the island of Sardinia, which was the only part of her father’s lands that had not been conquered by Napoleon. In 1814, her father’s conquered land was restored and the family returned to Turin.

Maria Anna had six siblings:

Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia and his family; Credit – Wikipedia

In February 1831, Maria Anna married Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. The marriage was childless and probably never consummated, but the couple remained devoted to each other. Emperor Ferdinand suffered from a number of ailments including epilepsy and hydrocephalus. He was considered incapable of ruling although he kept a coherent diary. His father’s will stipulated that Ferdinand’s uncle Archduke Ludwig be consulted on government matters and during Ferdinand’s reign a council called the Secret State Conference controlled the government. Ferdinand is famous for telling his cook, “I am the Emperor and I want dumplings” when the cook told him that the apricots needed for the traditional apricot dumplings (German: Marillenknödel) were not in season.

Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand abdicated the throne in favor of his nephew Franz Joseph during the Revolutions of 1848 and lived out the rest of his life at Hradčany Palace in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. He died on June 29, 1875, at the age of 82, and was buried in the Ferdinandsgruft (Ferdinand’s Vault) in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria. Maria Anna survived her husband by nine years and died at the age of 80 on May 4, 1884, in Prague, now in the Czech Republic, which was then part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Empress Maria Anna was buried next to her husband in the Imperial Crypt.

Tomb of Maria Anna of Savoy; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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