Yearly Archives: 2014

Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner; Credit – The Royal House of Norway

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

Astrid had an elder sister and a younger brother:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

King Hussein I of Jordan

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

King Hussein of Jordan. Credit : Wikipedia

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

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

Hussein had five siblings, but only three survived childhood:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The couple had four children:

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

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

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Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Frederick, Prince of Wales

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Frederick, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederick, Prince of Wales was one of the seven Princes of Wales who never became King.  Six Princes of Wales, including Frederick, predeceased their fathers:

When Frederick was born in Hanover, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany, on February 1, 1709, Queen Anne, the last Stuart monarch, sat upon the British throne, but there was a succession crisis.  Despite having 18 pregnancies, Queen Anne did not have a Protestant heir as decreed by the 1689 Bill of Rights.  Queen Mary II, the wife, first cousin, and co-ruler of King William III, and Anne’s elder sister, had died childless in 1694. In 1701, Parliament enacted the Act of Settlement to prevent a succession crisis and a Catholic restoration.  If neither King William III nor the future Queen Anne failed to provide an heir, the crown would go to the senior Protestant heir, Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and her Protestant descendants.  Over fifty Catholics with better claims to the British throne than Sophia, Electress of Hanover were excluded from the line of succession.  Sophia was the daughter of Elizabeth Stuart, the daughter of King James I of England.  Sophia was Frederick’s great-grandmother, so at the time of his birth, His Serene Highness Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Hanover was fourth in line to the British throne after his great-grandmother, grandfather, and father.

Sophia, Electress of Hanover died on June 8, 1714, less than two months before the death of Queen Anne on August 1, 1714.  Upon Queen Anne’s death, Frederick’s grandfather George, ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) in the Holy Roman Empire, became King George I of Great Britain. George I’s son, the future King George II of Great Britain, was created Prince of Wales and, along with his wife Caroline of Ansbach, now the Princess of Wales, went to live in Great Britain.  They left seven-year-old Frederick, now second in the line of succession to the British throne, in Hanover in the care of his great-uncle Ernst August, Prince-Bishop of Osnabrück, and they did not see their son again for 14 years.  Certainly, this long separation during childhood was a factor in the negative relationship Frederick had with his parents as an adult.

Frederick had seven siblings, six of whom survived childhood:

In 1727, Frederick’s grandfather King George I died, and Frederick’s father acceded to the throne as King George II.  The following year, Frederick, who automatically became Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay at his father’s accession, was summoned to London.  There was more evidence of the feud between Frederick and his parents.  He was the heir to the throne but was not even met by any officials when he first arrived in London and had to take a hackney carriage to St. James’ Palace. In addition, King George II was reluctant to create Frederick Prince of Wales, but finally did so in January 1729 at the government’s urging. During his first years in England, Frederick was not given much to do by his father, and occupied himself with drinking, gambling, and womanizing.  Frederick had several mistresses before he settled down in marriage.

Marriage possibilities to Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia (Frederick’s first cousin) and Lady Diana Spencer (see Unofficial Royalty: The Other Lady Diana Spencers), daughter of Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, and Lady Anne Churchill, were vetoed by King George II. Finally, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg was chosen as Frederick’s bride.  Sixteen-year-old Augusta arrived in England, barely speaking English, to marry the 29-year-old Frederick.  Frederick and Augusta married at the Chapel Royal in St. James’ Palace in London, England, on May 8, 1736.

The couple had nine children:

Family of Frederick, Prince of Wales painted in 1751 after his death;  Credit – Wikipedia
Front row: Henry, William, Frederick; Back row: Edward, George, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales holding Caroline Matilda, Elizabeth, Louisa

Frederick made a point of opposing his parents in nearly everything.  He annoyed them when he and Augusta appeared in public together because the couple was popular with the public. When Augusta went into labor with her first child at Hampton Court Palace, where the King and Queen were in residence, Frederick insisted that Augusta endure a bumpy carriage ride back to St. James’ Palace in London to prevent his hated parents from being present at the birth. This event created an even larger rift between Frederick and his parents.

Frederick was a great patron of the arts, most notably music and painting.  He loved taking part in amateur theatricals with his children.  He also enjoyed sports and was seriously involved in cricket, both as a patron and a player. Frederick looked forward to succeeding to the throne and becoming “a patriot king.”  He delighted in opposing the government and lent his support to the opposition.  After the Jacobite rising in 1745, Frederick opposed the severe treatment of the Jacobites that his father and brother supported.

Frederick became ill in March 1751 after he “caught a chill” while gardening at his home.  He became feverish and was bled and blistered, the medical treatment of the time. After a brief recovery, Frederick suffered a relapse and was again bled. After eating a light supper on the evening of March 31, 1751, at Leicester House in London, Frederick suffered a coughing fit and died suddenly at the age of 44.  An autopsy found the cause of death to be a burst abscess in the lung.  It was popularly believed that his death was caused by a blow from a cricket ball to his chest, but there is no proof of that. King George II was playing cards with his mistress when he was told of Frederick’s death.  He continued playing cards and later said, “I have lost my eldest son, but I am glad,” so the feud between father and son did not even end with death.  Frederick was buried in the royal vault in the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey.

A famous epigram was written upon Frederick’s death:

Here lies poor Fred who was alive and is dead,
Had it been his father I had much rather,
Had it been his sister nobody would have missed her,
Had it been his brother, still better than another,
Had it been the whole generation, so much better for the nation,
But since it is Fred who was alive and is dead,
There is no more to be said!

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Alexandra of Greece, Queen of Yugoslavia

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2014

photo: The Royal Family of Serbia

Alexandra of Greece, Queen of Yugoslavia; photo: The Royal Family of Serbia

Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia was born on March 25, 1921, in Athens Greece, the posthumous child of King Alexander of Greece and Aspasia Manos. King Alexander had died five months earlier from septicemia caused by an infected monkey bite. Alexandra’s grandfather King Constantine I returned to the throne following the death of his son King Alexander and deemed his son’s reign to be simply a regency and therefore invalidating Alexander’s marriage. Alexandra was then considered to be illegitimate. However, the following year, thanks to the effort of Alexander’s mother, Queen Sophia of Greece, a law was passed allowing the King to recognize the validity of the marriage. In September 1922, King Constantine I did just that, making Alexandra legitimate again and entitled Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark. However, she remained without any succession rights to the Greek throne.

The following year a coup brought about the abdication of King Constantine I and the exile of the Greek royal family. Alexandra and her mother were permitted to remain in Greece and did so until 1924 when they settled in Florence with the dowager Queen Sophia. During this time in Florence, Alexandra spent time with Greek relatives, including two of her first cousins, Prince Michael of Greece and Prince Philip of Greece, later the Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1927, Alexandra and her mother moved to England, settling near Ascot where the young Princess was enrolled in a boarding school which proved to be very unpleasant for her. Unhappy being separated from her mother, Alexandra stopped eating and became ill, eventually contracting tuberculosis. Her mother took her to Switzerland to recuperate. They then settled in Venice, and after the restoration of the Greek monarchy in 1935, Alexandra made several visits to her homeland. At the onset of the war in 1940, Alexandra and Aspasia returned to live in Greece, however, this was short-lived. In 1941, along with the rest of the Greek royal family, they were forced to flee, settling briefly in Egypt and South Africa before King George VI of the United Kingdom permitted them to settle in England.

Peter and Alexandra on their wedding day with King George VI of the United Kingdom (l) and King George II of the Hellenes (r). source: Royal Family of Serbia

In London, in 1942, Alexandra met her future husband King Peter II of Yugoslavia who had been living in exile in London since the previous year. The couple married on March 20, 1944, at the Yugoslav Embassy in London, with guests including King George VI of the UK, King George II of Greece, King Haakon VII of Norway, and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

 

Peter and Alexandra had one son:

Alexandra gave birth to her son in a suite at Claridge’s Hotel in London. To ensure that the child would be born in Yugoslav territory, the British government ceded sovereignty of the suite for the day.

Just four months after Alexander’s birth, the Yugoslavian monarchy was overthrown. The couple moved several times, living in France and Switzerland, before settling in the United States in 1949. The marriage was increasingly strained, with constant struggles to find sources of income and Peter’s numerous affairs. During the next few years, Queen Alexandra made several suicide attempts, and their son was sent to live with friends. Despite several attempts at reconciliation, Queen Alexandra and King Peter eventually went their separate ways. He settled permanently in the United States while she returned to her mother’s home in Venice.

1970 saw the death of Alexandra’s husband King Peter II followed shortly by the death of her mother in 1972, and the marriage of her son which she did not attend. Alexandra remained in Venice for several years before selling her mother’s property and returning to the United Kingdom in 1979. She would live there until her death from cancer on January 30, 1993.

Queen Alexandra was initially buried in the Royal Burial Grounds at Tatoi Palace in Greece along with her parents. However, in 2013, her remains were returned to Serbia where they were re-buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Oplenac, along with her late husband, King Peter II, and mother-in-law, Queen Marie, born a Princess of Romania.

Serbia/Yugoslavia Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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The Danish Counts of Rosenborg

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg with his wife, Countess Sussie (ctr) and sister Princess Elisabeth of Denmark. Photo: BilledBladet.dk

Count Ingolf of Rosenborg with his wife, Countess Sussie (ctr) and sister Princess Elisabeth of Denmark. Photo: BilledBladet.dk

To date, the title Count of Rosenborg has been granted to seven Danish princes, all of whom relinquished their position within the Royal Family upon marrying without official consent from the monarch.  The first three, Aage, Erik and Viggo, retained some of their royal status, however, the others lost all of their official connection to royalty, being delegated to the highest level of the Danish aristocracy.  

  • 1914 – HRH Prince Aage of Denmark – eldest son of Prince Valdemar (son of King Christian IX) became His Highness Prince Aage, Count of Rosenborg
  • 1924 – HRH Prince Erik of Denmark – third son of Prince Valdemar (son of King Christian IX) became His Highness Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg
  • 1924 – HRH Prince Viggo of Denmark – fourth son of Prince Valdemar (son of King Christian IX) became His Highness Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg
  • 1948 – HH Prince Oluf of Denmark– younger son of Prince Harald (son of King Frederik VIII) became His Excellency Count Oluf of Rosenborg
  • 1949 – HH Prince Flemming of Denmark – son of Prince Axel (son of Prince Valdemar – son of King Christian IX) became His Excellency Count Flemming of Rosenborg
  • 1968 – HH Prince Ingolf of Denmark – elder son of Prince Knud (son of King Christian X) became His Excellency Count Ingolf of Rosenborg
  • 1971 – HH Prince Christian of Denmark – younger son of Prince Knud (son of King Christian X) became His Excellency Count Christian of Rosenborg

The first three all gave up their status during the reign of King Christian X, their first cousin.  He allowed them to retain the title of Prince (without the “of Denmark” designation), with the lesser style of His Highness.  This was limited to them and their wives only and did not pass to their children.  However, the Rosenborg title was granted to them with the provision that it would pass down through male-line descendants.  Sons continue to carry the title, while daughters retain it until such time as they marry.  

However, by 1948 when Prince Oluf relinquished his status, there was a new King on the throne -Frederik IX.  Privately, the King was more accepting of ‘unequal’ marriages, however, he feared that giving his consent would encourage previous royals who had lost their titles to re-claim their royal status and succession rights.  So Princes Oluf, Flemming, Ingolf, and Christian all gave up their royal status completely and became simply His Excellency Count XX of Rosenborg.  No longer considered part of the Royal House or Royal Family, they were relegated to the top level of the Danish aristocracy.  

The last surviving (of the seven initially granted the title) is Count Ingolf of Rosenborg.  Count Ingolf and his wife Countess Sussie undertake no official duties but are usually seen at family functions and occasionally at State events.  Despite his non-royal status, Ingolf continues to receive an appanage from the State. His brother Christian did not receive this, nor did his sister Princess Elisabeth who remained in the line of succession.  

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Princess Caroline of Monaco

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco was born January 23, 1957, at the Prince’s Palace, the eldest of the three children and the elder of the two daughters of Rainier II, Prince of Monaco and Grace Kelly.  Caroline was christened on March 5, 1957, at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco.  Her godparents were:

  • Margaret Davis, her maternal first cousin
  • Prince George Festetics de Tolna, grandson of Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton and her second husband Prince Tassilo Festetics de Tolna. Mary Victoria’s first husband was Prince Albert I of Monaco. They were the parents of Prince Louis II, Princess Caroline’s great-grandfather.

Caroline was titled the Hereditary Princess of Monaco from her birth until the birth of her brother Albert the following year.  From 2005, when her brother Albert succeeded to the throne of Monaco, until December 2014, when Albert’s twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques were born, Caroline was the heir presumptive to the throne of Monaco.

Caroline has two younger siblings:

Princess Caroline (center) with her parents and younger siblings photo source: Daily Mail

Princess Caroline (center) with her parents and younger siblings
photo source: Daily Mail

Caroline was raised in Monaco, attending school in France and England, after which she attended the Sorbonne in Paris, earning a degree in Philosophy with minors in Psychology and Biology. She also studied ballet and music in Monte Carlo.

Embed from Getty Images

In May 1978, she married Philippe Junot, a Frenchman seventeen years her elder. The marriage ended in divorce in 1980. Having married in both civil and religious ceremonies, the Princess petitioned the Vatican for an annulment. After much wrangling back and forth, a formal annulment was finally granted by Pope John Paul II in 1992.

Princess Caroline is very active in charities and organizations in the Principality, and upon the sudden death of her mother in 1982, Caroline took on the role of First Lady of Monaco. She also assumed many of the patronages held by the late Princess Grace. Some of these organizations are the Guides of Monaco (now The Association of Guides and Scouts of Monaco), UNICEF, The Garden Club of Monaco, The Monte Carlo Arts Festival, The Prince-Pierre Foundation. In later years, she helped to establish the Monte Carlo Ballet, a cause that her mother had been championing for many years. She was also named Chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation in 1984, at the express wish of her father.

Caroline regularly attends important social events in Monaco related to the Monégasque Princely Family. Due to her commitment to philanthropy and arts, Caroline was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2003.

Embed from Getty Images
The christening of Pierre Casiraghi, the third child of Caroline and Stefano Casiraghi

In December 1983, Princess Caroline married Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi in a civil ceremony held at the Prince’s Palace. Tragically, Stefano was killed in a speedboat accident in 1990 just off the coast of Monaco. The couple had three children:

 

In January 1999, on her birthday, Caroline married HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover, becoming HRH The Princess of Hanover. Ernst August is the pretender to the throne of the former Kingdom of Hanover. While initially very happy, the couple now leads separate lives. Caroline and their daughter live primarily in Monte Carlo, while her husband remains at his homes in Germany.

The couple had one daughter:

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Princess Caroline with her daughter Princess Alexandra of Hanover, 2020

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Queen Mathilde of Belgium

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

By Michael Thaidigsmann – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27426118

On July 21, 2013, the annual Belgian National Day, Belgium got its first native-born queen.  King Albert II of the Belgians abdicated in favor of his son Philippe, and Philippe’s wife became Queen Consort of the Belgians.  Belgium’s previous queen consorts were French, Austrian, German, Swedish, Spanish, and Italian.

Mathilde Marie Christine Ghislaine d’Udekem d’Acoz was born on January 20, 1973, in Uccle, one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.  Her parents were  Jonkheer Patrick d’Udekem d’Acoz (1936 – 2008) and Countess Anna Maria Komorowska (born 1946).  Through her mother, Mathilde has Polish noble and Polish–Lithuanian princely ancestry.  Her father descends from Walloon (a French-speaking people who live in Belgium) nobles and was titled Jonkheer, the lowest title within the Belgian nobility system.  Upon the marriage of Mathilde to Prince Philippe in 1999, Mathilde’s father was created Count d’Udekem d’Acoz by King Albert II.

Mathilde, the eldest of five siblings, has three sisters and one brother:

  • Jonkvrouw Marie-Alix d’Udekem d’Acoz (1974 – 1997), died in a car accident at the age of 22 along with her maternal grandmother.
  • Countess Elisabeth d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1977), married Margrave Alfonso Pallavicini, had three children
  • Countess Hélène d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1979), married Baron Nicolas Janssen, had three children:
  • Count Charles-Henri d’Udekem d’Acoz (born 1985)

Mathilde attended primary school in Bastogne, a Walloon municipality of Belgium.  She then attended secondary school at the Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Brussels, Belgium.  From 1991-1994, Mathilde attended the Institut Libre Marie Haps in Brussels, Belgium where she studied speech therapy and graduated magna cum laude.  Mathilde then began to study psychology at the Université Catholique de Louvain and had her own speech therapy practice in Brussels from 1995 until her marriage in 1999. She continued her studies after her marriage and received a Master’s degree in psychology in 2002. Besides Dutch and French, Mathilde speaks English, Italian, and some Spanish.

 

Mathilde met Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant and the heir to the Belgian throne in 1996 playing tennis. Unbelievably, their romance went undetected by the press and their engagement was a surprise.  The couple married on December 4, 1999, civilly at the Brussels City Hall and religiously at the Cathedral of Saint Michel and Saint Gudula in Brussels.

 

Mathilde and Philippe had four children. Their eldest child Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant will become the first female monarch of Belgian due to changes in the succession law in 1991.

Embed from Getty Images

Mathilde is concerned with a range of social issues including education, child poverty, intergenerational poverty, the position of women in society, and literacy. She has been very active in charity work, particularly with UNICEF and her own charity which focuses on vulnerable people.

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Kingdom of Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Queen of the Netherlands

by Emily McMahon
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Anna Pavlovna of Russia, Queen of the Netherlands; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on January 18, 1795, at the sumptuous Gatchina Palace just south of St. Petersburg, Russia, Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna was the eighth of the ten children and youngest daughter of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.

Anna had nine siblings:

Like her siblings, Anna received an excellent education in the arts, mathematics, foreign languages, and sciences. Once Anna hit adolescence, stiff competition began for her hand in marriage. She was considered a possible wife for both Napoleon I of France and the future William IV of the United Kingdom, but Anna’s family rejected them as being unsuitable. Anna was instead engaged to the future King Willem II of the Netherlands, then Prince of Orange. The marriage had been arranged by Anna’s brother and sister, Emperor Alexander I and Catherine, Queen of Württemberg.  Willem and Anna married at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on February 21, 1816. With no pressing need to immediately return to the Netherlands, the couple spent about a year living in Russia after their marriage.

Anna and Willem had five children:

Willem II and Anna Pavlovna with their family. From left to right: the future Willem III, Alexander, Willem II, Anna Pavlovna, Sophie, and Hendrik; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna and Willem moved to the Netherlands shortly before the birth of their first child. She became known in the Netherlands (which included present-day Belgium at that time) by the Dutch version of her name, Anna Paulownia. Although she was interested in Dutch history and learned to speak the language quite well, Anna was very homesick for her family and Russia. She compensated by remaining in constant contact with her family and recreating bits of Russia in the Netherlands.

Anna became especially dismayed in 1840 when the family was forced to leave Brussels for Amsterdam due to the revolution and formation of the Kingdom of Belgium. Always very observant and proud of her impressive position, Anna found Amsterdam’s more relaxed social life very difficult. Anna and Willem separated around this time due to differences in personalities and his affairs with both men and women.

Anna became Queen of the Netherlands in October 1840 after her father-in-law’s abdication. Anna and her husband, now King Willem II of the Netherlands. Amma and Willem came to an understanding early in his reign and lived together after that time. However, Anna never connected with the Dutch public and was never popular. She founded several orphanages in the Netherlands and did not meddle in politics. Anna is remembered particularly for her association with a genus of plants named in her honor by a Dutch botanist. Paulownia, which is native to Southeast Asia, is a fast-growing plant; its wood is used in making musical instruments and some furniture. Charcoal made from Paulownia wood is used in fireworks, cosmetics, and by artists for sketching.

Queen Anna Pavlovna as a widow, next to the bust of her husband King Willem II; Credit – Wikipedia

Willem II died in 1849 and was succeeded by his son Willem III. Anna had disliked court life for years and during her son’s reign, she left it completely. Although she discussed returning to her native Russia, Anna stayed in the Netherlands. She died on March 1, 1865, in The Hague and was buried in the crypt at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.

The access to the royal crypt in the foreground; Credit – By Sander van der Wel from Netherlands – Royal grave tomb and the grave of Willem van Oranje, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28146859

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Kingdom of the Netherlands Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Accession of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014, updated 2024

King Frederik IX with the future Queen Margrethe II and Crown Prince Frederik photo source: www.statesnet.dk; photo credit: Polfoto

King Frederik IX with the future Queen Margrethe II and the future King Frederik X
photo source: www.statensnet.dk; photo credit: Polfoto

January 14, 1972 – Accession of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

January 14 marks the anniversary of the death of King Frederik IX of Denmark, and the accession of his eldest daughter as Queen Margrethe II. King Frederik had come to the throne in 1947, upon the death of his father, King Christian X. He and his wife, the former Princess Ingrid of Sweden had three daughters, and at the time, only men were permitted to succeed to the Danish throne. Frederik’s brother, Prince Knud was the heir presumptive. However, shortly after coming to the throne in 1947, King Frederik IX began the process of having the constitution changed to allow the succession to pass to his daughters. It would take six years, but in 1953, the Danish Constitution was changed. A new Act of Succession allowed for the throne to pass to his daughters, should there not be any sons. The young Princess Margrethe became the heiress presumptive, with her younger sisters next in line.

The King’s brother, Prince Knud, was given the title Hereditary Prince Knud which he held for the remainder of his life. Prince Knud had three children, Elisabeth, Ingolf, and Christian. Princess Elisabeth remains in the line of succession (being eligible because of the new Act of Succession in 1953), holding the last position in the list. Both Ingolf and Christian relinquished their succession rights, as well as their royal titles and status, upon marriage. Both were created Counts of Rosenborg by their uncle.

On the evening of January 14, 1972, after a brief illness and a heart attack, King Frederick IX died, surrounded by his family. His remains were taken to Amalienborg Palace for several days, before being moved to the chapel at Christiansborg Palace where he would lay in state for several days leading up to his funeral, held on January 24th.

Proclamation of the Queen by the Prince Minister; Credit: Order of Sartorial Splendor

Meanwhile, the young Princess Margrethe had become Queen. On the morning of January 15th, following tradition, the new Queen was proclaimed by the Prime Minister from the balcony at Christiansborg Palace. To the crowds gathered below, she gave a brief speech, expressing the nation’s grief at the loss of their King and the warm feelings held by all for her mother, Queen Ingrid in this time of loss. She asked for God’s help in assuming the duties that had been her father’s for nearly 25 years, as well as the confidence and support of the Danish people.

Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik with their sons

Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik with their sons

The new Queen was then joined on the balcony by her husband, Prince Henrik before the couple returned by carriage to Amalienborg Palace. There, they again appeared on the balcony, along with their two young sons, the new Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2022, Queen Margrethe II had been the longest-serving monarch in Europe and the second longest-serving monarch in the world following  Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei.

Although Queen Margrethe stated several times that she had no intention of abdicating and that she viewed her position as a job for life and recognized Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as a source of inspiration for her devotion to duty, in her New Year’s Speech on December 31, 2023, Queen Margrethe announced that she will step down as Queen of Denmark on January 14, 2024 – the 52nd anniversary of her accession. Her elder son, Crown Prince Frederik, and his wife, Crown Princess Mary, will become the new King and Queen of Denmark.

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