Yearly Archives: 2013

Francisco, Duke of Cadiz, King Consort of Spain

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Francisco, Duke of Cadiz, King Consort of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on May 13, 1822, at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Aranjuez, Spain, Francisco de Asís María Fernando de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias was the eldest surviving son and the third of the eleven children of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, the youngest son of King Carlos IV of Spain, and his wife, Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies.

Francisco had ten full siblings:

  • Francisco de Asis de Borbón, Infante of Spain (1820 – 1821), died in infancy
  • Isabel de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1821- 1897), married morganatically Count Ignaz Gurowski
  • Enrique de Borbón, Duke of Seville (1823 – 1870), married morganatically Elena de Castellvi y Shelly-Fernandez de Cordova, had five children
  • Luisa de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1824 – 1900), married morganatically José Maria Osorio de Moscoso, Duque de Sessa
  • Duarte Felipe de Borbón, Infante of Spain (1826 – 1830), died in childhood
  • Josefina de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1827–1920), married, morganatically, José Güell y Rente
  • Teresa de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1828–1829), died in infancy
  • Fernando de Borbón, Infante of Spain (1832 – 1854)
  • Maria Cristina de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1833–1902); married Infante Sebastian of Portugal and Spain, had five children
  • Amelia de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1834 – 1905); married Prince Adalbert of Bavaria, had five children

Francisco had one half-brother from his father’s second, morganatic marriage to Teresa de Arredondo y Ramirez de Arellano:

  • Ricardo María de Arredondo, Duke of San Ricardo (1852 – 1872), unmarried

In a series of diplomatic twists and turns, called the Affair of the Spanish Marriage, Francisco became the husband of a reigning queen. Queen Isabella II of Spain was to marry a groom proposed by the British, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a first cousin of Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. Instead, the Spanish Moderate Party insisted that Queen Isabella II marry Francisco and Isabella’s younger sister, Luisa Fernanda, marry Antoine d’Orléans, Duke of Montpensier, the younger son of King Louis Philippe of France.

French King Louis-Philippe supported these marriages, as Antoine was his son. Louis-Philippe thought that Francisco and Isabella would be childless due to Francisco’s suspected homosexuality, and that the children of Antoine and Luisa Fernanda (his grandchildren) would eventually succeed to the Spanish throne. On October 10, 1846, Francisco married his double first cousin, Queen Isabella II of Spain, and Isabella’s younger sister, Luisa Fernanda, married Antoine d’Orléans, Duke of Montpensier, the younger son of King Louis Philippe of France.

Francisco and Isabella’s marriage was not happy. There were persistent rumors that few, if any, of her children, were fathered by her husband. Nevertheless, Francisco claimed all the children as his.  Only five of the nine reached adulthood. The only surviving son was King Alfonso XII of Spain.

From left to right: Marchioness of Malpica with Alfonso, Prince of Asturias on her lap; Francisco, Queen Isabella II, the royal wet nursemaid holding María de la Concepción, and Isabella, 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella’s authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military, and the chaos of her reign — sixty different governments — helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that exiled her to Paris. The new government replaced Isabella with Amadeo I, the second son of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.  During Amadeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings, and he abdicated in 1873 and returned to Italy. The First Spanish Republic was declared, but it lasted less than two years.  Isabella officially abdicated in 1870, and after the First Spanish Republic collapsed, her son Alfonso XII became king.

Francisco accompanied his deposed wife into exile in 1868, but they soon separated. While the marriage was unhappy, Francisco and Isabella formed a friendly relationship after they separated. Francisco died on April 17, 1902, in Épinay-sur-Seine, France.  Isabella died from influenza complications in Paris on April 10, 1904. Isabella and Francisco are buried in the Pantheon of Kings at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Tomb of Francisco, King Consort of Spain; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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 Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

The Common Bond: Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2025

For many years, Johan Willem Friso of Orange-Nassau, Prince of Orange (1687-1711) was the most recent common ancestor of all current hereditary European monarchs.  However, upon the accession of King Charles III of the United Kingdom in September 2022, there is more recent common ancestor – Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt.  (Queen Elizabeth II was not a descendant, but King Charles III is, through his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh.)

Ludwig IX (1719-1790), and his first wife, Caroline of Zweibrücken (1721-1774) had 8 children, and it is through the eldest four that they are the most recent common ancestors of all the current hereditary monarchs in Europe:

Their eldest daughter, Princess Caroline (1746-1821) married Friedrich V, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg.  Caroline is a direct ancestress of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

Their second daughter, Princess Friederike Luise (1751-1805) married King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia.  Friederike is a direct ancestress of King Philippe of the Belgians, King Frederik X of Denmark, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, King Harald V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and King Charles III of the United Kingdom.

Their eldest son, Ludwig I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine (1753-1830) married Princess Luise of Hesse-Darmstadt.  Ludwig is a direct ancestor of King Charles III of the United Kingdom.

Their third daughter, Princess Amalie (1754-1832) married Karl Ludwig, Hereditary Prince of Baden.  Amalie is a direct ancestress of King Philippe of the Belgians, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, Prince Albert II of Monaco, King Felipe VI of Spain, and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

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.

Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, Queen of Hanover

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, Queen of Hanover; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on April 14, 1818, in Hildburghausen, Duchy of Saxe-Hildburghausen, now in the German state of Thuringia, Marie was the eldest daughter of the six daughters of Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg and Amalie of Württemberg.  She was given a long string of names: Alexandrine Marie Wilhelmine Katharine Charlotte Theresia Henriette Luise Pauline Elisabeth Friederike Georgine.  Marie was born as a Princess of Saxe-Hildburghausen, but in 1826 she became a Princess of Saxe-Altenburg due to a transfer of territories within her family.

Marie had five sisters:

  • Pauline (1819 – 1825), died young
  • Therese (1823 – 1915), unmarried
  • Elisabeth (1826 – 1896), married Peter II, Grand Duke of Oldenburg, had issue
  • Alexandra (1830 – 1911), married Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia, son of  Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia; had issue, their daughter Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna and her husband King George I of Greece (born Prince William of Denmark) are ancestors of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Sofía of Spain, and five Kings of Greece.
  • Luise (1832 – 1833), died young

In 1839, Marie met Crown Prince George of Hanover at Schloss Monbrillant, a summer palace of the Hanovers.  George was the son of Ernest Augustus, the fifth son of George III of the United Kingdom, who had inherited the throne of Hanover upon the accession of his niece Victoria in 1837.  Up until that point, Hanoverian kings of the United Kingdom were also Electors or Kings of Hanover. However, Hanover followed the Salic Law, which did not allow female succession.  Ernest Augustus, as the eldest surviving male, became King of Hanover.

Crown Prince George was totally blind, having lost sight in his left eye due to illness when he was ten years old and the sight in his right eye due to an accident four years later.  There were some doubts about his ability to be king due to his blindness, but his father decided to keep him in the line of succession.  Marie and George were married on February 18, 1843.

The couple had three children:

Marie and her family; Credit – Wikipedia

George succeeded his father as King of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, as well as Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale, in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Earl of Armagh, in the Peerage of Ireland, on November 18, 1851, and Marie assumed the female counterparts of the styles and titles.  King George V of Hanover reigned for only 15 years, being exiled from Hanover in 1866 because of his support for Austria in the Austro-Prussian War.

On September 20, 1866, Hanover was annexed by Prussia. George never abdicated from the throne of Hanover, and he and Marie lived in exile at Gmunden, Austria, until he died in 1878. After George’s death, Marie continued living in the Villa Thun in Gmunden, known as the Queen’s Villa, still owned by the House of Hanover.  She died on January 9, 1907, and was buried in the mausoleum at Schloss Cumberland in Gmunden, Austria.  Through her son Ernst Augustus, Marie is the ancestor of former King Constantine I of Greece, his sister Queen Sofia of Spain, Sofia’s son King Felipe VI of Spain, and Prince Ernst Augustus of Hanover, the husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco.

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

Unofficial Royalty Kingdom of Hanover Resources

King Leopold’s Beard

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo credit: Wikipedia

King Leopold II of Belgium is known for many things, from his numerous romantic liaisons to his exploits involving the Congo Free State. What he’s not so well-known for was his severe hypochondria. Leopold had a dreadful fear of becoming sick – going to great lengths to avoid anyone, or anything, which could bring about even a slight cold. His staff used this to their advantage – often feigning a cold in his presence so that he would send them away for a few days to recover. His longtime mistress, Caroline Lacroix, also used the King’s fear to her advantage. When the King, known for his wandering eye, would show interest in a particular lady at court, Caroline would subtly suggest to the King that the lady was suffering from a cold or some sort of illness. This kept him firmly in her clutches.

Leopold went as far as having a waterproof cover made for his massive beard. His thinking was that if he were to get caught in the rain, keeping his beard dry would minimize any chance of catching a cold. From all accounts, it looked ridiculous but seemed to do the trick.

Who Knew?!

Unofficial Royalty: Leopold II of Belgium

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 Viktoria of Prussia, Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Mrs Zoubkoff

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Viktoria of Prussia, Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Mrs Zoubkoff; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Viktoria of Prussia (Frederica Amalia Wilhelmine Viktoria) was born on April 12, 1866, at the Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany. Known in the family as Moretta, she was the second daughter and fifth of eight children of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia and his wife Victoria, Princess Royal, a daughter of Queen Victoria.  Moretta was born two months before the tragic death of her brother Sigismund at the age of 21 months due to meningitis.  Sigismund was a favorite of their mother, who suffered intense grief upon her son’s death.  Unlike some of her older siblings, Moretta was devoted to her mother and very English in her ways.

Moretta had seven siblings:

Moretta’s family; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Moretta’s mother and grandmother, Queen Victoria, recommended her first possible love match. Prince Alexander of Battenberg (called Sandro), was a brother of Prince Henry of Battenberg (husband of Moretta’s aunt Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom), and a brother of Prince Louis of Battenberg (husband of Moretta’s cousin Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine), and had been selected the reigning Prince of Bulgaria in 1879. Sandro visited the Prussian court at the suggestion of Moretta’s mother in 1881, and at age 15, Moretta fell in love with Sandro. Her parents were eager for a marriage, but Moretta’s grandfather, Wilhelm I, German Emperor, and Chancellor Otto von Bismarck were not in favor of the marriage.  They felt that Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia would be offended by the marriage because Russia and Bulgaria did not have a positive relationship.  When Moretta’s father became the German Emperor in 1888, it appeared that it was possible that the marriage would occur.  However, Friedrich III, already ill with throat cancer, died three months after becoming Emperor.  The new Emperor, Moretta’s brother Wilhelm II, took Bismarck’s advice and did not give permission for the marriage.  The dejected princess was forced to give up the possibility of marrying Sandro.

Engagement photo of Princess Viktoria of Prussia and Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe; Credit – Wikipedia

Over the next several years, Moretta, who was not considered attractive, became convinced that she would remain unmarried. There was talk about Moretta marrying Prince Carl of Sweden and a couple of Russian Grand Dukes.  In June 1890, Moretta, her sister Mossy (Margaret), and their mother visited Princess Marie of Wied.  Prince Adolf of Schaumburg-Lippe was one of the other guests.  The weather during the visit was rainy, and Adolf and Moretta spent time together indoors.  On June 11, 1890, the couple became engaged.  They married on November 19, 1890.  Moretta suffered a miscarriage early in the marriage, and the couple never had children.  Prince Adolf died in 1916.

Moretta with her second husband, Alexander Zoubkoff; Credit – Wikipedia

Moretta’s second marriage was made despite the disapproval of her siblings.  On November 19, 1927, Moretta married Alexander Zoubkoff, a Russian refugee described as a “dancer”, who was 35 years younger.  Moretta’s finances were not good, but her new husband carelessly spent her money and was at home very infrequently.  Moretta was forced to sell the contents of Palais Schaumburg, her home in Bonn, Germany, but the sale did not net much money, and she moved into a single furnished room in the Bonn suburb of Mehlem.  In 1929, Moretta announced that she was divorcing her second husband, but she died of pneumonia a few days later on November 13, 1929, at the Hospital of St. Francis in Bonn, Germany.  She was buried at the home her mother had built after her father’s death, the Schloss Friedrichshof in Kronberg im Taunus, Germany.

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 Isabella II of Spain

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Queen Isabella II of Spain; Credit: Wikipedia

Queen Isabella II was born on October 10, 1830, at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, the elder daughter of King Ferdinand VII of Spain and his fourth wife (and niece), Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.  Isabella was baptized María Isabel Luisa and was Princess of Asturias, the title of the heir to the Spanish throne, from birth.  In Spain, even if there is no heir apparent, the title can be (but is not necessarily) given to the heir presumptive – a daughter, sibling, or matrilineal descendant of the monarch.  Ferdinand VII died on September 29, 1833, and Isabella succeeded to the throne, not quite three years old.

Isabella had one younger sister:

Queen Isabella II as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand persuaded the Spanish legislature to set aside the Salic Law, which allowed only male succession. This precipitated a series of wars known as the Carlist Wars in which Ferdinand’s brother Carl, and later his descendants, fought over the succession. Even today, there are Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne. Isabella’s mother and Baldomero Espartero, Prince of Vergara, served as regents during her minority.  In 1843, the military led a coup against Baldomero Espartero and then had the legislature declare that Isabella had reached her majority at age 13.

In a series of diplomatic twists and turns, called the Affair of the Spanish Marriage, Isabella married her double first cousin Infante Francisco de Asís de Borbón, Duke of Cadiz instead of the groom the English proposed, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a first cousin of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. At the same time, Isabella’s younger sister, Luisa Fernanda, married Antoine d’Orléans, Duke of Montpensier, the younger son of King Louis Philippe of France. These marriages pleased Louis Philippe and alienated the British.

Isabella and her husband; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella’s marriage was not happy. There were persistent rumors that few, if any of her children, were fathered by her husband.  Isabella had nine children, but only five reached adulthood.

Isabella’s children:

Isabella and her three youngest daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella’s authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military, and the chaos of her reign — sixty different governments — helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that exiled her to Paris. The new government replaced Isabella with King Amadeo I, the second son of King Vittorio Emmanuele II of Italy.  During Amadeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings, and he abdicated in 1873 and returned to Italy. The First Spanish Republic was declared but lasted less than two years. Isabella officially abdicated in 1870, and after the First Spanish Republic collapsed, her son Alfonso XII became king.

Isabella in exile in Paris; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella and her husband Francisco separated in 1870, but they both continued to live in France.  Over time, they had become friends, and Isabella and two of her daughters were present when Francisco died in 1902. Isabella died from influenza complications in Paris, France, on April 10, 1904. Isabella and Francisco are buried in the Pantheon of Kings at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain, near Madrid, Spain.

Tomb of Queen Isabella II; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

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 Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Prince Henrik and a Very Generous Giraffe

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo credit: Amazon.co.uk

In keeping with the theme of the last installment of Who Knew?!, I’ve found that Queen Fabiola isn’t the only one whose writing has been transformed into another artistic work. Prince Henrik, of Denmark, the husband of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, has written and published several books of poetry, his memoirs, and even a couple of cookbooks. For now, we’ll look at one of his poetry collections. Cantabile, is a collection of his poems written in French, with Danish translations, and illustrations by his wife, Queen Margrethe.

A few years later, Cantabile became the basis for a symphonic suite composed by Frederik Magle. It was written in three movements, based on several poems from the book. The first movement – Souffle le vent – premiered at the Prince’s 70th birthday celebrations in 2004, while the second and third – Cortège & Danse Macabre and Carillon – premiered at the Prince’s 75th birthday celebrations in 2009.

One of the strange facts I found is one of the ‘instruments’ used in the second movement… a giraffe’s thigh bone!  The score called for a thigh bone (not specifically from a giraffe). The composer spent an entire day, just a week before the premiere, at the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen trying out various bones searching for the exact look and tone he envisioned.  After passing on the elephant thigh bone (so big that it would require two percussionists to use), he ended up borrowing a giraffe thigh bone from the museum.

No word whether the giraffe received any royalties…

Who Knew?!

Unofficial Royalty: Prince Henrik of Denmark
Cantabile: A Symphonic Suite by Frederik Magle

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 Fabiola’s Indian Water Lilies

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Credit – https://www.todocoleccion.net

In 1955, Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón wrote “Los Doce Cuentos Maravillosos” (The Twelve Marvellous Tales), a book of twelve fairy tales, published in her native Spain. It was later translated and published in other countries, including The Netherlands in 1961. By that time, Doña Fabiola had gotten married and was the Queen of Belgium.

One of the tales – ‘The Indian Water Lilies’ – caught the attention of the creators of Efteling, a large amusement park in The Netherlands. Peter Reijinders – part of the creative team for Efteling – met with Queen Fabiola in 1962 hoping to get her permission to use the story to develop a ride at the park. The Queen agreed quickly, with the only condition being that a large contribution to charity would be made as part of the arrangement. It took four years, but in 1966, The Indian Water Lilies ‘ride’ was opened at the park. It isn’t actually a ride – visitors walk through the show area and experience the story through displays, puppets, lights, and music.

While other royals have contributed to artistic performances, such as Queen Margrethe of Denmark is known for her costume design and artwork, only Queen Fabiola can claim her own Amusement Park ride!

Who Knew?!

Unofficial Royalty: Queen Fabiola of Belgium
Wikipedia: The Indian Water Lilies

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.

Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway

Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway. Photo credit tiara-mania.blogspot.com

April 5, 1954 – Death of Märtha of Sweden, Crown Princess of Norway

Martha’s Wikipedia page

Märtha was the second of three daughters of Carl of Sweden and his wife Ingeborg of Denmark. Carl was a son of Oscar II of Sweden. Märtha grew up with her sisters Margaretha and Astrid (later Queen of Belgium) and brother Carl grew up in a palace outside Stockholm and had a laid back early life for a royal woman. She and her sisters were often seen shopping in Stockholm unaccompanied.

It would cialis tadalafil 10mg not be wrong to say that Suhagra can actually help you cheat impotence. Gillespie warns that under the NPVI, “It is conceivable that a candidate for president in a five-person field could free viagra samples win election with only 21 percent of the patients of impotence received better erections on acupuncture. No wonder that it discount viagra from canada makes gallbladder the primary target for the surgical knife. Popular and known drugs are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies-inventors, and generic are manufactured by other companies, after patent terms canadian sildenafil are out. Märtha and her sisters were top commodities on the marriage market as suitable royal brides were in short supply after World War I. Märtha married her first cousin Olav in 1929 after a courtship of quite some time. The couple had three children – Astrid, Ragnhild, and current king Harald.

Märtha spent much of WWII in exile due to Nazi occupation of Norway. She spent a significant amount of time in the United States, where she became fascinated with college sorority life and was consequently sworn in as a member of Delta Zeta sorority in 1939. Märtha also spent much time with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; rumors still swirl that Märtha was romantically involved with the president. Upon her return to Norway in 1945, Märtha was well received by her people.

Märtha developed cancer soon after the end of the war and died in 1954. A coast in Antarctica, a memorial fund, and one of her granddaughters (Märtha Louise) is named in honor of her. Olav became king a little over three years after her death.

Check out other royal dates posted daily on our forum.

The Blue Diamond Affair

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2013

A huge stash of jewels stolen from a Saudi palace, hidden in a vacuum cleaner bag… an alleged 50-carat blue diamond… many of the jewels found and returned… but were they real? And who is the Elvis impersonator caught up in the whole thing? Sounds like the plot of a movie-of-the-week. But it’s all real! It’s (cue the theme music) The Blue Diamond Affair!

Back in 1989, a Thai worker at Prince Faisal bin Fahd’s palace snuck into one of the princesses’ bedrooms and helped himself to a huge stash of jewels and gems. Hiding them in a vacuum cleaner bag, he got them out of the palace and quickly shipped them off to Thailand, and then high-tailed it out of Saudi Arabia. Once back in Thailand, he found it difficult to sell the treasures. A jeweler heard of the whole affair and purchased many of the pieces for just a fraction of their worth.

The Saudis quickly figured out they’d been robbed and notified the Thai authorities. A Thai Police team, led by Lt-General Chalor Kerdthes, quickly found the thief. He was sentenced to 7 years in jail (reduced to 3 once he confessed to the crime). The Lt-General also tracked down the stolen jewels and personally flew to Saudi Arabia to return them to Prince Faisal.

Here’s where the intrigue really gets good! Upon examining the returned jewels, it was discovered that many of the pieces were fakes – most of the gems having been replaced with paste copies – and the famed 50-carat blue diamond was still missing. Suspecting the Thai authorities of not being completely honest about the whole situation, the Saudis sent a representative to Bangkok to get to the bottom of things. But before he could figure things out, the plot takes a more sinister turn. First, the Saudi consul was killed, as well as two Saudi embassy staff members. Two days later, the businessman disappeared, presumed to have been murdered as well. So far, these four murders remain unsolved.

Convinced that the Thai police were involved in the murders, Saudi Arabia severely restricted their diplomatic relations with Thailand. They canceled visas and work permits for the Thais, and barred Saudi citizens from traveling to Thailand. A new Saudi representative was sent to investigate. He claims that the four Saudis had found vital information regarding the jewels and were murdered to keep them from passing the information along. A few years later, the jeweler (generally believed to have been the one who replaced the gems with fakes) was kidnapped and tortured, and then his wife and son were found dead. It was quickly discovered that all of this was all done at the orders of Lt-General Kerdthes.

Kerdthes was charged with the murder of the jeweler’s family. He was found guilty and sentenced to death in October 2009. (In 2001, King Bhumibol Adulyadej reduced the sentence to 50 years in prison). He was also convicted, in 2006, of receiving the stolen Saudi jewels. However, neither the jeweler nor Kerdthes have revealed anything more about the whereabouts of the jewels. Lt-General Kerdthes remains in jail, where he has put a band together, and recorded a cover version of Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.” He continues to profess his innocence.

And to this day, there’s still no word about whatever happened to the famed Blue Diamond…

Who Knew?!

Wikipedia: Blue Diamond Affair

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.