Yearly Archives: 2014

King Juan Carlos of Spain’s message to Spain, 2 June 2014

Photo Credit – www.reuters.com

BBC Mundo: Vea el mensaje de abdicación del rey Juan Carlos (Video of King Juan Carlos of Spain’s message to Spain)

English text of King Juan Carlos of Spain’s message to Spain, 2 June 2014

Today, when I look back, I can only feel pride and gratitude to you.

Pride for the many good things we have achieved together over the years.

And gratitude for the support you have given me to make my reign, begun in full youth at a time of great uncertainties and difficulties, a long period of peace, stability and progress.

Faithful to the political desire of my father, the Count of Barcelona, from whom I inherited the historic legacy of the Spanish monarchy, I wanted to be king for all Spaniards. I have identified with and engaged with your hopes, I have enjoyed your successes and suffered when pain or frustration overwhelmed you.

The long and deep economic crisis we are suffering from has left serious scars in the social fabric but it is also showing us the way to a future full of hope.

These difficult years have allowed us to take self-critical stock of our errors and our limitations as a society.

And, as a counterweight, it has also revived the proud awareness of what we have been and are capable of; and of what we have been and are: a great nation.

All this has awakened in us an urge for renewal, to overcome, to correct mistakes and open the way to a decidedly better future.

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In forging this future, a new generation is rightly claiming its role as protagonist, just as happened in a crucial moment of the history of the generation to which I belong.

My only ambition has been and will continue to be to contribute always to achieve the well-being and progress in freedom of all Spaniards.

I want the best for Spain, to which I have dedicated my entire life and to whose service I have placed all my abilities, my hope and my work.

My son Felipe, heir to the Crown, embodies the stability that is the distinguishing mark of the monarchical institution.

When last January I turned 76, I thought it was time to prepare the handover in a few months so as to leave the way to someone who is in excellent condition to assure that stability.

The Prince of Asturias has the maturity, the readiness and the sense of responsibility needed to take on with full guarantees the leadership of the state and open a new phase of hope combining experience and the drive of a new generation. For that, I know he will count on the support that he will always have from Princess Letizia.

For all these reasons, guided by the conviction of having given my best service to the Spanish people and having recovered physically and resumed my institutional activities, I decided to put an end to my reign and abdicate the Crown of Spain so that the government and parliament can give effect to the succession in line with the constitution.

I have just officially informed the president of the government of this, this morning.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Spanish people, to all who have embodied the powers and institutions of the state during my reign and to all those who have generously and loyally helped me to fulfill my duties.

And my gratitude to the Queen, whose help and generous support have never failed me.

I hold and will always hold Spain deep in my heart.

Princess Désirée of Sweden, Baroness Silfverschiöld

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Désirée of Sweden, Baroness Silfverschiöld – photo: Wikipedia

Princess Désirée Elisabeth Sibylla of Sweden was born June 2, 1938, at Haga Palace, the third child and third daughter of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten (son of King Gustaf VI Adolf), and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She is the third of the four elder sisters of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Through both of her parents, she is a great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. She was named for her ancestress, Queen Desideria, born Désirée Clary.

Désirée has four siblings:

Along with her siblings, Princess Désirée spent much of her youth at Haga Palace. Her father was killed in a plane crash in 1947, and in 1950, her great-grandfather died, and her grandfather ascended to the Swedish throne.  The family moved to the Royal Palace of Stockholm. She was initially educated at home, and later attended a French school and studied languages in Switzerland. She and her sisters were often known as ‘Haga Princesses’ and were considered some of the most glamorous, and most eligible, princesses in Europe.

photo: Wikipedia

On June 5, 1964, she married Baron Nils-August Otto Carl Niclas Silfverschiöld, from a Swedish noble family, at the Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral). Due to her husband’s non-royal position, Désirée lost her royal status and any right of succession to the Swedish throne. She became simply Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld.  The couple lived at Koberg Castle in Västergötland, Sweden and at Gåsevadholm Castle in Halland, Sweden.  Baron Silfverschiöld died on April 11, 2017, at the age of 82.

The couple had three children:

  • Carl Otto Edmund Silfverschiöld (born 1965), married Gunilla Maria Fredriksson, had one daughter, divorced
  • Christina Louise Ewa Madelaine Silfverschiöld (born 1966), married to Hans Louis Gerard De Geer of Finspång, had one daughter and two sons
  • Hélène Ingeborg Sibylla Silfverschiöld (born 1968)

While no longer a member of the official Swedish Royal Court, Princess Désirée is occasionally in attendance at state and official functions along with private family events.

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Wedding of Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau and Marilène van den Broek

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Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène of Orange-Nassau were married on May 29, 1998, in a civil ceremony held at Het Loo Palace, in Apeldoorn. The marriage was blessed the following day in an ecumenical service held at the Grote Kerk, in Apeldoorn, followed by a reception at Het Loo Palace.

Prince Maurits Willem Pieter Hendrik of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven was born April 17, 1968 in Utrecht, the eldest son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven. Following his secondary education, he served in the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Netherlands Navy, before gaining a degree in economics at Groningen University in 1995. He worked for several years at the Schiphol Airport Authority, and then from 2001 to 2006 at Philips DAP BV (Domestic Appliances and Personal Care) as a business manager. In 2006, he began his own business, The Source, “which helps other companies firm up and implement growth projects.” (source: Dutch Royal House)

Marie-Hélène Angela “Marilène” van den Broek was born February 4, 1970, in Dieren, Rheden, the youngest daughter of Hans van den Broek and Josee van Schendel. Following her pre-university education, she gained her degree in Business Administration, focused on Marketing, from Groningen University in 1994. She worked for some years in various marketing positions at Koninklijke Ahold NV. Since 2006, the Princess has worked in the Development Department at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where she oversees the Friends of the Rijksmuseum. (source: Dutch Royal House)

At the time of their marriage, a royal decree was issued granting any children of the marriage the surname van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven, a nod to Prince Maurits paternal grandfather, the former Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. Maurits and Marilène had three children, none of whom hold any royal titles or status:

– Anastasia (Anna) van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (2001)
– Lucas van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (2002)
– Felicia van Lippe-Biesterfeld van Vollenhoven (2005)

Until 2013, Prince Maurits was in the line of succession to the Dutch throne, and a member of the Royal House. However, upon the accession of his cousin, King Willem-Alexander, this is no longer the case. The succession laws in the Netherlands limit eligibility to those within three degrees of kinship to the monarch. While Maurits’ mother remains in the succession, he and his younger brother, Prince Bernhard, no longer remain. (His other two brothers had lost their positions upon marrying without formal consent.)

Prince Maurits continues to run his own business, The Source, while Princess Marilène works in the Department of Development at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. They continue to be active members of the Dutch Royal Family, typically seen at most royal functions. The day following King Willem Alexander’s accession, he appointed Prince Maurits as a personal aide-de-camp, with an elevation to the rank of Commander in the Dutch Navy. This role allows Maurits to assist, or represent, the King in ceremonial military matters. The King himself previously held this role to his mother, the former Queen Beatrix, and Maurits’ father held this role for his grandmother, the former Queen Juliana.

Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Portrait of unknown sitter thought to be Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury; Credit – Wikipedia

One of the few surviving members of the Plantagenet dynasty after the Wars of the Roses, Margaret was born on August 14, 1473, at Farleigh Hungerford Castle in Somerset, England. Her father was George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York who was the York claimant during the Wars of Roses until his death at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460.  Margaret’s paternal uncles were the Yorkist monarchs King Edward IV and King Richard III.  Margaret’s mother was Lady Isabel Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (the Kingmaker of the Wars of the Roses) who was also killed at the Battle of Wakefield. Margaret’s maternal aunt was Anne Neville who was married to King Henry VI‘s only child, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales until his death at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Later, Anne married King Richard III.

Margaret had three siblings but only one sibling survived early childhood:

Margaret’s mother Isabel died when Margaret was three years old. Now it is thought that Isabel died of either tuberculosis or childbed fever, but George, Duke of Clarence thought his wife had been poisoned by a servant who was subsequently tried and hanged. When Margaret was four-years-old, her father was tried for treason against his brother King Edward IV and privately executed in the Tower of London. Margaret and her younger brother Edward were placed in the care of their maternal aunt Anne Neville. In 1485, the last Yorkist king, Richard III, was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth and the Lancaster claimant Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond assumed the throne as King Henry VII. Henry VII then married Margaret’s first cousin Elizabeth of York, the eldest daughter of King Edward IV.

After the rise of the Tudors, the remaining members of the House of York were systematically dealt with through marriage, imprisonment, and eventually, execution. Margaret’s brother Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick, the next male Yorkist claimant to the throne, was held at the Tower of London until he was executed in 1499. It was thought at the time that Edward was executed in response to pressure from King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile to ensure there would be no potential heirs who could jeopardize the eventual accession to the throne of King Henry VII’s heir Arthur who was to marry Ferdinand and Isabella’s daughter Catherine of Aragon.

Sometime between 1491 and 1494, King Henry VII arranged for Margaret to marry Sir Richard Pole. It is thought that this marriage was arranged because Sir Richard’s mother was a half-sister of the king’s mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort and this would make it more difficult to use her in a plot to overthrow the Tudors. Margaret and Richard had five children:

  • Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu (c. 1492 – 1539) married Jane Neville, daughter of George Neville, 4th Baron Bergavenny; had issue; was one of the peers in the trial of Anne Boleyn; beheaded for treason during the reign of King Henry VIII
  • Reginald Pole (c. 1500 – 1558) Cardinal, Papal Legate, and last Roman Catholic Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Queen Mary I.
  • Sir Geoffrey Pole of Lordington (c. 1501 – 1558) married Constance Pakenham, granddaughter and heiress of Sir John Pakenham; had issue; suspected of treason by King Henry VIII by conspiring with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, lived in exile in Europe
  • Sir Arthur Pole of Broadhurst (c. 1502 – 1535) married Jane Lewknor, daughter of Roger Lewknor; no issue
  • Lady Ursula Pole (c. 1504 – 1570), married Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford; had issue

After the accession of King Henry VIII in 1509, Margaret was initially in favor at court. She was created Countess of Salisbury in her own right in 1513, and was godmother and later governess of Mary Tudor (later Queen Mary I), daughter of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Some of the lands the family lost when George, Duke of Clarence was attainted were restored and Margaret became the fifth richest English peer.

Margaret had a strong and independent personality and eventually angered the king. In 1539, Margaret was accused of conducting treasonable correspondence with her son Cardinal Pole, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Parliament passed an Act of Attainder and Margaret lost all her land and her title. It is suspected that the charges and the evidence were fabricated by Thomas Cromwell who fell out of favor himself and was executed in 1540.

On May 27, 1541, Margaret was told that she would be executed that day. She argued that there was no proof that she had committed a crime. The 67-year-old Margaret was dragged to the block at Tower Green where she refused to place her head saying, “So should traitors do, and I am none.” The inexperienced executioner proceeded to “hack her head and shoulders to pieces” with ten blows of the ax. Margaret was buried in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London. Pope Leo XIII beatified her as a martyr of the Roman Catholic Church on December 29, 1886, and she is known as Blessed Margaret Pole. Her feast day should coincide with the day of her martyrdom, however, May 27 was already in use as the feast of Saint Augustine of Canterbury, so Margaret’s feast day is May 28.

Tower Green, the site of the scaffold where Margaret Pole and others were executed inside the Tower of London; Credit – Wikipedia

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Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was born at the Untere Schloss (Lower Castle) in Mirow, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,  on May 19, 1744. Charlotte was the youngest daughter and the eighth of ten children of Duke Carl Ludwig Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen.  Charlotte’s father died when she was eight years old, and her mother died when she was 17, shortly before Charlotte married.

Charlotte had nine siblings:

At the time of Charlotte’s birth, Great Britain was ruled by King George II, and his heir was his eldest son, Frederick, Prince of Wales.  Frederick predeceased his father in 1751, and his eldest son George became heir to the throne. When King George II died in 1760, his 22-year-old grandson succeeded him as King George III.  Before George became king, two attempts to marry him had failed. Now that he had succeeded to the throne, the search for a wife intensified. The choice fell upon George’s mother and Charlotte’s aunt Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, who chose her niece Charlotte.

Charlotte’s journey to London took ten days and included a very stormy crossing of the British Channel. While most of her attendants were seasick, Charlotte practiced playing “God Save the King” on the harpsichord. On September 8, 1761, at 10 PM, George and Charlotte married in the Chapel Royal of St. James’ Palace in London, England. On September 22, 1761, their coronation was held at Westminster Abbey in London, England.

Coronation Portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte by Allan Ramsey; Credit -http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

George and Charlotte’s marriage was a very happy and George remained faithful to Charlotte. Between 1762 and 1783, Charlotte gave birth to fifteen children, and all survived childbirth. Only two of the children did not survive childhood. It is remarkable that in 1817 at the time of the death in childbirth of Princess Charlotte of Wales, who was second in line to the throne after her father the Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), Princess Charlotte was the only legitimate grandchild of King George III, even though eleven of his fifteen children were still living.

The fifteen children of King George III and Queen Charlotte:

In the same year as his marriage, King George III purchased Buckingham House, originally built for John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby in 1703. Originally purchased as a getaway home for Charlotte, who gave birth to fourteen of her fifteen children there, the house became known as the Queen’s House and was the architectural core of the present Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham House around 1710; Credit – Wikipedia

George and Charlotte led a simple life with their children, residing at the Queen’s House, Windsor Castle, and Kew Palace.  The family took summer holidays at Weymouth in Dorset, England, making Weymouth one of the first seaside resorts in England. The simplicity of the royal family’s life dismayed some of the courtiers. Upon hearing that the King, Queen, and the Queen’s brother went for a walk by themselves in Richmond, Lady Mary Coke said, “I am not satisfied in my mind about the propriety of a Queen walking in town unattended.”

Charlotte played no part in politics and was content in dealing with family affairs. She had some charities, including the silk weavers of Spitalfields, but she spent most of her time dealing with her growing family. George and Charlotte were possessive parents and often made unwise decisions regarding their family. Charlotte thought the Prince of Wales could do no wrong and encouraged him in the cruel treatment of his wife, Caroline.  Charlotte and George’s six daughters were well brought up, kind and considerate, but all attempts by young, eligible men to marry them were stymied.

Queen Charlotte by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1789; Credit – Wikipedia

The only disruption in the family’s domestic lives was George’s attacks of illness. We now know that King George possibly suffered from porphyria, and his attacks severely worried Charlotte. The stress caused by her husband’s illness caused Charlotte’s personality to change. She became bad-tempered and depressed, and her relationships with her children were strained. In 1810, George became so ill that Parliament needed to pass the Regency Act of 1811.  The Prince of Wales acted as Regent until his father died in 1820. Charlotte was her husband’s legal guardian, but could not bring herself to visit him due to his violent outbursts and erratic behavior.

Charlotte was extremely upset at the death of her granddaughter and namesake, Princess Charlotte of Wales, in 1817. She had been in Bath at the time of her granddaughter’s death and was criticized for not being present. During the last year of her life, Charlotte presided over the weddings of her aging sons, who were marrying to provide heirs to the throne after the death of Princess Charlotte of Wales.

Queen Charlotte died on November 17, 1818, at Kew Palace, seated in a small armchair holding the hand of her eldest son. She was buried in the Royal Tomb House at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. Charlotte is the second longest-serving consort in British history. Only her descendant, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, served as a consort longer. King George III was unaware of his wife’s death. He died at Windsor Castle on January 29, 1820, six days after the death of his fourth son, Edward, Duke of Kent. The Duke of Kent’s only child, a daughter, was only eight months old when her father died, but seventeen years later, she succeeded to the throne as Queen Victoria.

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Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

credit: Dutch Royal House, © RVD, photo by Rineke Dijkstra

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands – Credit: Dutch Royal House, © RVD, photo by Rineke Dijkstra

Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 17, 1971, the daughter of Jorge Zorreguieta, an Argentine politician, and María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart. She has two brothers, one deceased sister, and three half-sisters from her father’s first marriage. Through her father’s family, she is a direct descendant of King Alfonso III of Portugal.

Following her secondary education at the Northlands School in Buenos Aires, Máxima earned her degree in Economics from the Universidad Católica Argentina. During this time, she worked for two different financial firms in Buenos Aires and tutored students and adults in English and math. Following her degree, Máxima worked for HSBC James Capel, Inc. In New York, serving as Vice President of Latin American Institutional Sales. In early 1998, she began working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson as Vice President of the Emerging Markets Division until mid-1999. She then moved to Deutsche Bank, working first in New York and then in the EU Representative Office in Brussels, Belgium.

While working for Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in New York, Máxima first met her future husband, the future King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The couple met in Spain, during the Seville Spring Fair. At first, she was unaware of his royal status, having simply introduced himself as ‘Alexander’. When he eventually told her who he was, she thought he was joking. They met again a few weeks later in New York, and their romance blossomed.

However, their relationship was controversial to many in the Netherlands, due to her father having served as a cabinet member in the Argentine regime of President Jorge Rafael Videla. A formal inquiry into the situation and her father’s role in the Dirty War found that he was not directly involved with the mass deaths that took place. However, it was determined very unlikely that someone in his position would not have known what was going on.

photo: Hello

photo: Hello

Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus announced the couple’s engagement in March 2001. The couple was married in Amsterdam on February 2, 2002, in both civil and religious ceremonies. The civil ceremony was held at the Beurs van Berlage, followed that afternoon by the religious ceremony held at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. Máxima’s parents did not attend the wedding.

Máxima and Willem-Alexander have three daughters:

 

Having been announced a few months earlier, Queen Beatrix formally abdicated on April 30, 2013, and Willem-Alexander became the new King of the Netherlands. With Máxima by his side, his investiture was held that same afternoon at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam,  attended by the entire Dutch royal family, many foreign royals, and most of the Dutch government.

photo: Hello

photo: Hello

Queen Máxima holds numerous public posts and represents the Royal House at official occasions. She is a member of the Council of State, which provides the government and Parliament with advice on legislation and governance, and is also the country’s highest administrative court.

Embed from Getty Images 

Queen Máxima holds a number of other positions in the Netherlands and abroad including:

  •  UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development: Queen Máxima has served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA) since 2009.  As Special Advocate she is a leading global voice advancing universal access to affordable, effective, and safe financial services.
  • Orange Fund: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are patrons of the Orange Fund, which was a gift from the Dutch people on the occasion of their wedding. The Orange Fund works for social welfare and cohesion in the Netherlands and is largely run by volunteers.
  • Prince Claus Chair: Queen Máxima is the chairperson Board of Trustees of the Prince Claus Chair. Prince Claus Chair promotes education and research in the field of development issues and is occupied in turn by a young, outstanding academics from Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Caribbean who is associated with either Utrecht University or the Institute of Social Studies (part of Erasmus University Rotterdam).
  • Money Wise Platform: Queen Máxima is the honorary chair of the Money Wise Platform which focuses attention on the importance of financial education and managing money sensibly, especially where children and young people are concerned.
  • Committee for Enterprise and Finance: Queen Máxima is a member of the Committee for Enterprise and Finance, whose aim is to improve access to funding opportunities and coaching for start-ups and existing businesses and to encourage entrepreneurship in the Netherlands.
  • Ambassadors for Music at School Platform: Queen Máxima is the honorary chair of the Ambassadors for Music at School Platform, which is working to achieve its goal of music lessons for all children in primary school.

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Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Anne of Bohemia with her husband King Richard II of England; Credit: Wikipedia

Born on May 11, 1366, in Prague, Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic), Anne of Bohemia was the eldest child of Karl IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, and his fourth wife, Elizabeth of Pomerania.

Anne had five siblings:

Anne had three half-siblings from her father’s first marriage to Blanche of Valois:

Anne had one half-sibling from her father’s second marriage to Anna of Bavaria:

  • Wenceslaus (1350–51)

Anne had three half-siblings from her father’s third marriage to Anna von Schweidnitz:

In 1377, King Edward III of England died after a 50-year reign and because his eldest son Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince) had died the previous year, he was succeeded by his grandson King Richard II who was ten years old.  When Richard was 15, a bride was sought for him, and Anne of Bohemia seemed a logical choice as Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire were seen as potential allies against France in the ongoing Hundred Years’ War.  However, the potential marriage was unpopular with the nobility and members of Parliament because Anne brought no dowry.

Richard’s tutor and his father’s close friend Sir Simon de Burley went to negotiate the marriage contract and then escort the 15-year-old bride-to-be to England.  After Anne arrived in Dover, England, a huge wave wrecked her ship and this was seen as a bad omen.  The young couple was married at Westminster Abbey on January 20, 1382, the fifth royal wedding at the Abbey.  It was not until the wedding of Princess Patricia of Connaught, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, and Alexander Ramsay in 1919, 537 years later, that another royal wedding was held at Westminster Abbey.

Anne is credited with introducing two fashion items in England.  Women had ridden horses astride, or pillion, seated sideways on a cushion behind the male rider’s saddle.  It is said that Anne introduced the earliest sidesaddle in England, which was chair-like with the woman sitting sideways on the horse with her feet on a small footrest. Anne also introduced the horned headdress, two feet tall and wide, shaped like a crescent moon, and draped with gauze or net.

14th-century fashion; Photo: Wikipedia

Although Anne was initially unpopular, she became known as “Good Queen Anne” because of her kind-hearted ways.  She was known to intercede on behalf of numerous people to obtain pardons.  Shortly after her marriage, she obtained pardons for participants in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381.  In 1388, she unsuccessfully pleaded for the life of Sir Simon de Burley, who had escorted her to England.  In 1392, she mediated a reconciliation between the city of London and her husband, resulting in a spectacular royal progress through the city with the King and Queen on horseback wearing their crowns. However, Anne of Bohemia failed to fulfill a queen’s most important duty.  During the twelve years of her marriage, she failed to produce an heir to the throne.

In June of 1394, Anne became ill with the plague while at Sheen Palace with her husband.  She died three days later on June 7, 1394, at the age of 28.  King Richard II was so devastated by Anne’s death that he ordered Sheen Palace to be destroyed. For almost 20 years it lay in ruins until King Henry V started a rebuilding project in 1414.  King Richard gave Anne a magnificent funeral.  The funeral procession made its way from Sheen Palace to Westminster Abbey lit by candles and torches made from wax specially imported from Flanders.  Those in the procession were dressed all in black and wore black hoods.  King Richard was angered when Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel arrived late for the funeral.  The king struck the earl in the face with his scepter.

Funeral Procession of Anne of Bohemia; Credit: Wikipedia

Richard had a tomb built for his wife at Westminster Abbey.  Unusually, he had his effigy made to lie alongside Anne’s on the tomb with their hands clasped, although their hands eventually broke off.  King Richard II married a second time to six-year-old Isabella of Valois in 1396 and that marriage was also childless.  In 1399, King Richard II was deposed and imprisoned by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (who became King Henry IV), son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.  He died in Pontefract Castle on or about February 14, 1400, probably from starvation, although it is possible he was murdered.  Richard was originally buried at Kings Langley Priory in Hertfordshire, England.  When King Henry V came to the throne in 1413, he ordered that the remains of King Richard II be transferred to Westminster Abbey to join Anne in the tomb Richard had built for them in the St. Edward the Confessor Chapel, next to the tomb of Richard’s grandfather King Edward III.

Richard II and Anne of Bohemia tomb from Henry V Chantry

Tomb of King Richard II of England and Anne of Bohemia in Westminster Abbey; Photo Credit – http://www.westminster-abbey.org

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Princess Elisabeth of Denmark

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Her Highness Princess Elisabeth Caroline-Mathilde Alexandrine Helena Olga Thyra Feodora Estrid Margrethe Désirée of Denmark was born May 8, 1935, at Sorgenfri Palace in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark. She was the only daughter and the eldest of the three children of Prince Knud of Denmark, the younger son of King Christian X of Denmark, and Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, the daughter of Prince Harald of Denmark, the third son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark.

King Christian X with his wife and grandchildren – Standing in back, from left to right: Princess Elisabeth, Prince Ingolf, Princess Margrethe (later Queen Margrethe II), Front, from left to right: Prince Christian, Queen Alexandrine holding Princess Anne-Marie (later Queen Consort of Greece), Princess Benedikte, King Christian X

 

Princess Elisabeth had two younger brothers:

  • Count Ingolf of Rosenborg, born Prince Ingolf of Denmark (born 1940), married (1) Inge Terney, no children; Ingolf married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights  (2) Sussie Hjorhøy, no children
  • Count Christian of Rosenborg, born Prince Christian of Denmark (1942 – 2013), married Anne Dorte Maltoft-Nielsen, had three daughters who are not in the line of succession; Christian married without consent and therefore lost his royal style and title and his succession rights

Elisabeth (left) and her family; Credit:  danishroyalmediawatch.blogspot.com

At the time of her birth, her father was second in line to the Danish throne, behind his elder brother, the future King Frederik IX. However, Elisabeth was not in the line of succession as women were barred from the throne. This would all change when Elisabeth was 18. Her uncle, who became King in 1947, had only three daughters. It was expected that the throne would then pass to Elisabeth’s father Knud, and then his eldest son. However, King Frederik had the laws changed in 1953, allowing women to succeed to the throne. This moved Prince Knud down to 4th in line, but it also put Elisabeth in the line of succession following her two elder brothers. Her brothers lost their succession rights and royal status upon marriage to commoners.

Following her secondary education, Princess Elisabeth attended Brillantmont International College in Switzerland and Suhr’s School of Home Economics. She also attended the Scandinavian Academy of International Fashion and Design for two years and took courses at the Tempo Type School in Copenhagen. Not receiving an appanage from the State, she took a job with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1956. Several times she was posted abroad – twice at the Danish Embassy in Washington, DC and once at the Danish United Nations Mission in Geneva, Switzerland. She retired in 2001 after 45 years of employment.

 

Princess Elisabeth never married, perhaps to retain her position within the Danish Royal Family. Until her death, she was the last person in the line of succession to the Danish throne. Elisabeth had a long-term relationship with Claus Hermansen, a videographer, until he died in 1997. The couple lived at the Princess’ villa in Holte, north of Copenhagen. She served as Patron of several organizations in Denmark and was usually seen at most State events.  In 2015, she returned to her childhood home, Sorgenfri Palace, where she took up residence in a detached wing of the palace called Damebygningen.

Princess Elisabeth died on June 19, 2018, after a lengthy illness at the age of 83.  Her funeral service was held at the Lyngby Church in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen, Denmark, where she was laid to rest beside Claus Hermansen.

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Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Wilhelm, German Crown Prince, Crown Prince of Prussia; Credit – Wikipedia

The last German Crown Prince and Crown Prince of Prussia was born at the Marmorpalais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany, on May 6, 1882, a little over a year after the wedding of his parents, the future Wilhelm II, German Emperor and the former Augusta Victoria (Dona) of Schleswig-Holstein.  Christened Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst but known as Wilhelm, he was born during the reign of his great-grandfather, Wilhelm I.

Wilhelm had five brothers and one sister:

Wilhelm with his parents and siblings; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelm attended school in Plön and later the University of Bonn. During his teen years and young adulthood, he gained a reputation as a ladies’ man and would carry on many notable affairs during his lifetime. Wilhelm’s father looked on his son’s promiscuity with strong dislike, at one point more or less banishing young Wilhelm to Danzig to ease the gossip at court. Among Wilhelm’s alleged mistresses were American opera singer Geraldine Farrar and Mata Hari, a dancer and World War I spy.

Wilhelm in 1901; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelm spent his time in Danzig playing tennis and having affairs with various women. He also developed an interest in football (soccer), a new sport in Europe. As he became bored at Danzig, Wilhelm began to speak out publicly against his father’s political acumen (or lack thereof). This did not improve the relationship between father and son.

Wilhelm and Cecilie’s engagement photo; Credit – Wikipedia

Wilhelm married Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Friedrich Franz III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia, on June 6,  1905, in Berlin. The couple had met at the wedding of Cecilie’s brother the previous year. Cecilie had been selected for Wilhelm by his father due to her close associations with Russia through her mother and her noted beauty. Although he did initially take an interest in his wife, Wilhelm soon resumed his affairs with other women.

Wilhelm and Cecilie had six children:

Wilhelm with his wife and children, circa 1925; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Alexandrine had Down’s Syndrome, but unlike most disabled royal children of the time, she was not separated from the family, nor was her education neglected. Alexandrine appeared in most family photographs and attended a special school for girls with learning difficulties.

Despite his place in the German militaristic culture, Wilhelm had little interest in the military. He was named commander of the 5th Army at the outbreak of World War I in the summer of 1914, a post he held for two years. He was also the commander of the Army Group German Crown Prince until the end of the war. For the most part, Wilhelm remained under the tutelage of more experienced military commanders during his tenure.

Wilhelm went into exile in the Netherlands following the end of the monarchy in 1918. Five years later, Wilhelm and Cecilie returned to Germany after promising to remain out of politics. The family was able to retain much of its wealth and even some former residences, allowing them to live a comfortable life in Germany. By this time, Wilhelm and Cecilie had separated but maintained friendly relations and reunited during family events.

Wilhelm did not entirely remain out of politics despite his promise, as he met with and supported Adolf Hitler in his early days of power. He also joined Stahlhelm, a German paramilitary organization, and considered running for President of Germany until he was discouraged by many people. Following the Night of the Long Knives, in which many political figures were murdered, Wilhelm stayed out of politics permanently.

When his father died in 1941, Wilhelm became head of the House of Hohenzollern. He did not support Hitler’s activities after 1934 and lived a quiet life. After Cecilienhof, the family home, was seized by the Soviets following World War II, Wilhelm moved to a small house in Hechingen, Germany. He died of a heart attack there on July 20, 1951, at the age of 69. Wilhelm is buried with his wife at Hohenzollern Castle in Bisingen, Zollernalbkreis, Germany.

Wilhelm and Cecilie’s graves; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Matilda, Countess of Boulogne, Queen of England

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

During the 12th century, in a period called The Anarchy, two Matildas, daughters of two sisters, Matilda of Scotland and Mary of Scotland, fought each other for control of England. Matilda of Scotland and her sister Mary of Scotland were the daughters of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland. Through their mother, they were descendants of the Saxon kings in England.

Matilda of Scotland married King Henry I of England, and their daughter was Matilda of England, known as Empress Matilda from her first marriage to Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.  Mary of Scotland married Eustace III, Count of Boulogne and their daughter Matilda of Boulogne married Stephen of Blois, the future King Stephen of England.  Stephen of Blois and Empress Matilda were first cousins, both grandchildren of King William I of England (the Conqueror).

A note about names: Matilda-Maud-Maude were interchangeable names. Matilda was the Latin or Norman form, and Maud/Maude was the Saxon form.
About.com: Matilda or Maud?
Appellation Mountain: Name of the Day: Maud
Behind the Name: Matilda
Behind the Name: Maud

Matilda of Boulogne was born circa 1105 and was the only child of Eustace III, Count of Boulogne and Mary of Scotland. Upon her father’s death in 1125, Matilda became Countess of Boulogne in her own right.  Boulogne was a county within the Kingdom of France from 896 – 1501, centered on the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer, a coastal city in Northern France. The same year, King Henry I of England arranged for his nephew, Stephen of Blois, to marry Matilda.

Stephen and Matilda had three sons and two daughters:

Five years before Matilda and Stephen married, a terrible tragedy caused a succession crisis.  The White Ship carrying King Henry I of England’s only son, William Ætheling, sank as it left France to sail to England, and William Ætheling drowned.  Empress Matilda was King Henry’s only legitimate child. On Christmas Day of 1226, Henry had his barons swear to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heirs she might have as his successors.

After the sinking of the White Ship, Stephen and Matilda stayed close to King Henry I and lived most of the time in England, realizing that Stephen was very close to the throne.  Henry I’s daughter, Empress Matilda, had left England as a child to marry Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.  The marriage was childless, and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V died in 1125.  Empress Matilda went to the royal court in Normandy (the Kings of England were also Dukes of Normandy). Eventually, King Henry I made arrangements for his daughter to marry Geoffrey of Anjou in 1128.  The marriage was not a happy one.  The couple often lived apart and failed to produce a child until 1133.

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died.  His nephew, Stephen of Blois, quickly crossed from Boulogne to England, accompanied by his military household.  With the help of his brother, Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned king on December 22, 1135.  Matilda of Boulogne was unable to accompany her husband because she was pregnant, so she was crowned on Easter Day, March 22, 1136.  Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153.

During the civil war, Matilda of Boulogne proved to be her husband’s strongest supporter.  Matilda was as strong and resourceful as Stephen was weak and indecisive. When England was invaded in 1138, Matilda rallied troops from Boulogne and its ally Flanders, and successfully besieged Dover Castle.  She then went north to Durham, where she made a treaty with King David I of Scotland in 1139.  After Stephen was captured at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, she rallied Stephen’s supporters and raised an army with the help of William of Ypres, Stephen’s chief lieutenant.  It was Matilda who recaptured London for Stephen and forced Empress Matilda to withdraw from the siege of Winchester, leading to Stephen’s release in 1141 in exchange for the Empress’ illegitimate brother and her chief supporter, Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester.

By the mid-1140s, the fighting had slowed down. There was a stalemate and the succession began to be the focus.  Empress Matilda returned to Normandy in 1147.  In the same year, the Empress’ husband and her eldest son, Henry FitzEmpress, the future King Henry II,  mounted a small, unsuccessful mercenary invasion of England.  The Empress remained in Normandy, focused on stabilizing the Duchy of Normandy and promoting her son’s rights to the English throne.

Matilda of Boulogne died of a fever on May 3, 1152, at Hedingham Castle in Essex, England.  She was buried at Faversham Abbey in Kent, England, which she and her husband had established.  Perhaps if she had not died and her husband had not lost his strongest supporter, the result of the civil war would have turned out differently.

King Stephen holding a model of Faversham Abbey; Credit – Wikipedia

On August 17, 1153, Stephen and Matilda’s eldest surviving son Eustace died.  Ironically, this was the same day that the first child of Henry FitzEmpress, the future King Henry II, and Eleanor of Aquitaine was born.  The child, William IX, Count of Poitiers, survived for only two years, but he was followed by seven siblings, two of whom became Kings of England.

Shortly after Eustace died in 1153, Stephen and Henry FitzEmpress reached a formal agreement known as the Treaty of Wallingford (or Winchester or Westminster).  The treaty allowed Stephen to keep the throne until his death but forced him to recognize Empress Matilda’s son, Henry FitzEmpress, as his heir.

The supposed tomb of King Stephen, his wife Matilda, and their son Eustace at St. Mary of Charity Church; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Stephen survived his wife by a little more than two years.  He died apparently of appendicitis at Dover Castle on October 25, 1154, and a line of 14 Plantagenet kings who ruled until 1485 started.  Stephen was buried with his wife Matilda and his son Eustace at Faversham Abbey, which Stephen and Matilda had founded. All three tombs were lost when Faversham Abbey was demolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of King Henry VIII. Their remains were reportedly thrown into the nearby Faversham Creek. Their empty tombs were unearthed in 1964 near what had been the center of the choir. At St. Mary of Charity Church, the parish church in Faversham, there is a tomb where it is said that the remains of King Stephen, his wife Matilda, and his son Eustace were reinterred after the destruction of Faversham Abbey.

Sharon Kay Penman’s excellent historical fiction novel When Christ and His Saints Slept deals with The Anarchy, and most of the historical figures mentioned here are characters.

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England: House of Normandy Resources at Unofficial Royalty