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Queen Mary II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

April 30, 1553 – Birth of Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont, Queen of France, wife of King Henri III of France, in Nomeny, France
Shortly after her marriage to King Henri III, Louise suffered a miscarriage with complications and she never had children. However, Louise and Henri did not give up on the idea of ​​having children. They went on many pilgrimages and took thermal cures in the hope of having an heir. Despite Henri’s affairs, Louise and Henri both loved each other and Louise did an admirable job with her duties as Queen of France. Their marriage lasted fourteen years until King Henri III was assassinated. After the assassination, Louise became permanently depressed, always dressed in white, the traditional mourning color of French queens, and was nicknamed the “White Queen.” The walls of her bed-chamber were all black and the décor was all symbols of mourning. On January 29, 1601, Louise died at the Château de Moulins at the age of 47.
Unofficial Royalty: Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont, Queen of France

April 30, 1587 – Birth of Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé, Princess of Orange, wife of Filips Willem, Prince of Orange, in St-Jean-d’Angély, Saintonge, France
Éléonore was the elder of the two children of Henri I, Prince de Condé and his second wife Charlotte Catherine de La Tremoille. The House of Condé was a French princely house and a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. The title of Prince of Condé was originally assumed around 1557 by Éléonore’s grandfather Louis de Bourbon,  a prominent Huguenot (French Protestant) leader and general, and first cousin of King Henri IV of France. The title was held by his male-line descendants. In 1606, 19-year-old Éléonore married 51-year-old Filips Willem, Prince of Orange, son of Willem I (the Silent), Prince of Orange, and his first wife Anna van Egmont. Éléonore and Filips Willem had a happy marriage despite their age difference and the absence of children.
Unofficial Royalty: Éléonore de Bourbon-Condé, Princess of Orange

April 30, 1632 – Death of King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden at Warsaw, Poland; buried at Wawel Cathedral in Kraków, Poland
Sigismund was the son of Johan III, King of Sweden, and his first wife Katarina Jagellonica of Poland. He was not only King of Sweden but also King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania through his mother. Sigismund, who was Catholic, was deposed in 1599 as King of Sweden by his Protestant uncle, who reigned as King Karl IX of Sweden. He lived the remainder of his life in Poland.
Unofficial Royalty: King Sigismund III Vasa of Sweden

April 30, 1662 – Birth of Queen Mary II of England at St. James’ Palace in London, England
Mary was the elder of the two surviving children (the other was Queen Anne) of King James II of England and his first wife Anne Hyde.  Mary married her first cousin Willem III, Prince of Orange, who followed Mary and her sister Anne in the line of succession to the English throne. In 1688, Mary’s father King James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution, and Mary and her husband William became joint sovereigns as King William III and Queen Mary II.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Mary II of England

April 30, 1837 – Death of Luise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Ducal Crypt Chapel in the Meiningen municipal cemetery until 1977 when her remains were removed from the chapel, cremated, and buried elsewhere in the cemetery
Luise Eleonore and her husband were the parents of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the wife of King William IV of the United Kingdom. When her husband died and their three-year-old son became the reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, Luise Eleonore became Regent and is credited with steering the duchy through some very difficult times.
Unofficial Royalty: Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

April 30, 1857 – Death of Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Gloucester House in Piccadilly, London, England; buried at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Princess Mary was one of three of the six daughters of King George III who eventually married.  At the age of 48, she married her paternal first cousin, Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, the son of King George III’s brother, Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh. Mary was a great favorite with all the members of the royal family, particularly with her niece, Queen Victoria. She died at age 81, the longest-lived and the last survivor of her parents’ fifteen children. Mary also has the distinction of being the only child of King George III to be photographed, a photo with her niece Queen Victoria and two of Victoria’s children, Princess Alice and the Prince of Wales (future Edward VII) , which can be seen in the article linked below.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester

April 30, 1881- Birth of Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein, wife of Ernst Gunther, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, in Vienna, Austria
Full name: Dorothea Maria Henriette Auguste Louise
Through her mother, Dorothea was a granddaughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians. Dorothea and her husband had no children of their own, but they adopted Princess Marie Luise and Prince Johann Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the children of Prince Albrecht of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and his first wife, Countess Ortrud of Ysenburg and Büdingen.
Unofficial Royalty: Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein

April 30, 1882 – Death of Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Princess of Württemberg,  first wife of King Wilhelm II of Württemberg, at Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Kingdom of Württemberg, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany; buried at the Old Cemetery on the grounds of Ludwigsburg Palace
Marie was the sister of Emma, who married King Willem III of the Netherlands and Helena, who married Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany.  On April 24, 1882, Marie gave birth to her third child, a stillborn daughter, and suffered serious complications. She died six days later.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie of Waldeck-Pyrmont, Princess of Württemberg

April 30, 1909 – Birth of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands
April 30, 1980 – Abdication of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands; her daughter Beatrix becomes queen
Full name: Juliana Emma Louise Wilhelmina
Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her husband, Prince Hendrik of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.  After a reign of nearly 58 years, Queen Wilhelmina abdicated in favor of her daughter, and Juliana became Queen of the Netherlands. Juliana was a much more relaxed monarch than her mother had been, and this lessened the distance between the royal family and the Dutch people. She often appeared in public dressed like any ordinary Dutch woman, and preferred to be addressed as “Mevrouw” (Dutch for “Mrs.”) rather than her formal “Majesty”. Juliana’s love of bicycling for exercise gave rise to the royal family’s nickname, “the cycling family.”
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Juliana of the Netherlands

April 30, 1946 – Birth of King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden at Haga Palace in Solna, Sweden
Full name: Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus
Carl Gustaf is a descendant of Queen Victoria through both of his parents.  His paternal grandmother was Princess Margaret of Connaught, daughter of Queen Victoria’s son Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.  His maternal grandfather was Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the posthumous son of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, Queen Victoria’s youngest son.  On April 26, 2018, King Carl  XVI Gustaf became the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history, surpassing King Magnus IV, who reigned for 44 years and 222 days from July 8, 1319 to February 15, 1364.
Unofficial Royalty: King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden

April 30, 1991 – Death of Ghislaine Dommanget, Princess of Monaco, wife of Prince Louis II of Monaco; buried at the Cimetiere de Passy in Paris, France
Ghislaine was an actress working at the famed Comédie-Française in Paris before meeting Prince Louis II. She had been married twice before. Members of the royal family questioned her motives, and viewed her as an opportunist and golddigger. Prince Louis died less than three years after their marriage and was succeeded by his grandson, Prince Rainier III. In his will, Louis had left half of his estate to Ghislaine, but Rainier and his sister Antoinette contested this, and the will was overturned.  Ghislaine lived the rest of her life in Paris but developed a close relationship with Prince Rainier III’s wife Princess Grace.
Unofficial Royalty: Ghislaine Marie Francoise Dommanget, Princess of Monaco

April 30, 2013 – Abdication of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands; her son Willem-Alexander becomes King
Following in the footsteps of her mother, Queen Juliana, and grandmother, Queen Wilhelmina, Queen Beatrix also abdicated in favor of her heir. Her official title after her abdication is Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess of Lippe-Biesterfeld.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

April 30, 2019 – Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicates in favor of his son Naruhito
In 2016, Emperor Akihito gave a televised speech emphasizing his advanced age and declining health that was interpreted as a desire to abdicate.  In 2017, the National Diet, the Japanese legislature, passed a bill allowing Akihito to abdicate. On December 1, 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that Emperor Akihito would abdicate on April 30, 2019, in favor of his elder son, Crown Prince Naruhito. The last abdication occurred 200 years ago when Emperor Kōkaku abdicated in 1817.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Akihito of Japan
Unofficial Royalty: Ceremonies: Abdication of Emperor Akihito and Accession and Enthronement of Emperor Naruhito

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Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia; Credit – Wikipedia

April 29, 1763 – Birth of Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in Hildburghausen, Duchy of  Saxe-Hildburghausen, now in Thuringia, Germany
Originally Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen, Friedrich became Duke of Saxe-Altenburg in 1826. After Friedrich IV, the last Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, died in 1825 without heirs, the Ernestine duchies were reorganized. Gotha passed to Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (becoming the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), and Altenburg passed to Friedrich. In exchange, the two Dukes ceded Saalfeld and Hildburghausen, respectively, to Bernard II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. In 1785, Friedrich married Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The marriage was happy at first, but soon Friedrich realized that his wife was far more intelligent than he was, and began to ignore her. Despite this, the couple had 12 children.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg

April 29, 1818 – Birth of Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia
Alexander II is known as “The Liberator” for emancipating the Russian serfs and was one of five of the twenty Romanov rulers (Ivan VI, Peter III, Paul I, Alexander II, and Nicholas II) to die a violent death. He was assassinated by a bomb on March 13, 1881, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Alexander II was the most reforming emperor since Peter the Great.  Besides his emancipation of the serfs, Alexander II reorganized the judicial system, established local self-government called Zemstvo, instituted universal military service in which sons of the rich and the poor were required to serve, ended some of the privileges of the nobility, and promoted higher education in the universities.
Unofficial Royalty: Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Emperor Alexander II of Russia

April 29, 1831- Birth of Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt in Dessau, Duchy of Anhalt, now in  Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Full name: Leopold Friedrich Franz Nikolaus
Before he became Duke of Anhalt, Friedrich had a military career. He served on the staff of his brother-in-law, Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, during the Second Schleswig War and the Franco-Prussian War, taking part in the Siege of Toul and battles at Beaumont and Sedan. In January 1871, he was present at the Palace of Versailles for the proclamation of King Wilhelm I of Prussia as the German Emperor. In 1854, Friedrich married Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg. The couple had six children, including two reigning Dukes of Anhalt.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt

April 29, 1868 – Birth of Alice Keppel, mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, in Woolwich Dockyard, Kent, England
Alice Keppel was the mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom from 1898 until he died in 1910. Through her daughter Sonia, she is the great-grandmother of Queen Camilla, the wife of King Charles III.
Unofficial Royalty: Alice Keppel, mistress of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom

April 29, 1901 – Birth of Emperor Shōwa of Japan (Hirohito) at the Aoyama Palace in Tokyo, Japan
Emperor of Japan for 62 years, Hirohito, now known in Japan by his posthumous name Emperor Shōwa, was born during the reign of his grandfather, Emperor Meiji.  After World War II, some believed that Hirohito was chiefly responsible for Japan’s role in the war, and others said that he was just a powerless puppet under the influence of Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō, who was eventually executed for war crimes. The view promoted by both the Japanese Imperial Palace and the American occupation forces immediately after World War II portrayed Emperor Hirohito as a powerless figurehead behaving strictly according to protocol. However, since he died in 1989, a debate began to surface over the extent of his involvement and his culpability in World War II. In 1924, Hirohito married Princess Nagako Kuni. They had two sons and seven daughters, including Hirohito’s successor, Emperor Akihito. Hirohito was very interested in marine biology, and the Imperial Palace contained a laboratory where he worked. He published several scientific papers on the subject and was considered one of the most respected jellyfish experts in the world.
Unofficial Royalty: Emperor Shōwa of Japan

April 29, 1911 – Death of Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe in Bückeburg, Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe, now in Lower Saxony, Germany; buried in the Mausoleum in the park of Schloss Bückeburg
In 1882,  Georg married Marie Anna of Saxe-Altenburg. The couple had nine children, including Adolf II, the last Prince of Schaumberg-Lippe. Four years before Georg’s death, on the occasion of his 25th wedding anniversary, Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, presented Schaumberg Castle, the Schaumberg-Lippe ancestral home, in Rinteln, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Lower Saxony, to Georg and his wife Maria Anna. The castle had become the property of the Prussian royal family when the Principality of Schaumberg-Lippe sided with the Austrians, the losers in the 1866 Austro-Prussian War. The gift was also meant to be in recognition of Georg’s support of Prussia in the dispute over the succession to the Principality of Lippe’s throne.
Unofficial Royalty: Georg, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe

April 29, 1944 – Birth of Princess Benedikte of Denmark, daughter of King Frederik IX of Denmark, sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, at the Frederick VIII Palace in Amalienborg complex in Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Benedikte Astrid Ingeborg Ingrid
Princess Benedikte has been an active member of the Danish Royal House. She is the patron of several organizations in Denmark, appears at most official functions, and has represented the Danish crown at various events.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Benedikte of Denmark

April 29, 2005 – Birth of Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand, son of King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, at the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand
Prince Dipangkorn is the only officially recognized son of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and the heir presumptive. He is eligible to be the heir to the throne of Thailand, but so are his much older half-sisters. His status is uncertain because of his parents’ divorce and because a 1974 constitutional amendment allows princesses to succeed the throne in the absence of an appointed successor. The king can exclude any member of the royalty from the line of succession.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti of Thailand

April 29, 2007 – Birth of Infanta Sofia of Spain, daughter of King Felipe VI of Spain, at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, Spain
Full name: Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz
Sofia is the younger of the two daughters of King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife, Queen Letizia (born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano). She was named after her paternal grandmother, Queen Sofía of Spain (born Princess Sophia of Greece), and was given the additional name of de Todos los Santos (of All the Saints), a Bourbon tradition.
Unofficial Royalty: Infanta Sofia of Spain

April 29, 2011 – Wedding of Prince William, The Prince of Wales and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London, England
In 2001, Prince William and Catherine Middleton first met while they were students at the University of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. During their first year, they both lived at St. Salvator’s Hall, a residence hall at the university. For their final two years, they shared housing in the town. They started dating in 2003 and remained together for eight years, except for a brief separation in 2007. The couple became engaged in October 2010 while on a private vacation in Kenya. The official engagement announcement came from Clarence House on November 16, 2010: “The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton.”
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince William, The Prince of Wales and Catherine Middleton

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King Edward IV of England; Credit – Wikipedia

April 28, 1076 – Death of Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark at his estate in Søderup, Southern Jutland, Denmark; buried at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Sweyn II Estridsson reigned as King of Denmark from 1047 to 1076. He was the son of Ulf Thorgilsson, a Danish nobleman with the title of Jarl, a Viking chieftain, governor, and regent of Denmark under Cnut the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway. Sweyn II’s mother was Estrid Svendsdatter, the sister of Cnut the Great and the daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, Norway, and England. Sweyn II had many mistresses and fathered at least 20 children. His son from his second marriage, who died in the First Crusade, was his only legitimate child. Five of his illegitimate sons were later Kings of Denmark. Perhaps King Sweyn II’s greatest accomplishment was giving the Danish Church, Roman Catholic at that time, a firm and lasting organization by creating a framework for the bishops’ rule. Sweyn brought scholars to Denmark to teach him and his people Latin so they could converse with the rest of Europe on equal terms.
Unofficial Royalty: Sweyn II Estridsson, King of Denmark

April 28, 1442 – Birth of King Edward IV of England in Rouen, France
The first Yorkist King of England, King Edward IV was the son of Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York and Cecily Neville, both great-grandchildren of King Edward III of England.  Edward’s father could claim descent from Edward III’s second and fourth surviving sons, Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence and Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York. Edward’s father was the Yorkist leader during the Wars of the Roses until he died in battle, when his son Edward became the leader of the Yorkist faction. Edward’s victory over the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton on March 29, 1461, cemented his status as King of England. He was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 29, 1461. In 1464, King Edward IV married the widowed Elizabeth Woodville, and they had ten children. Perhaps if King Edward IV lived longer, he would have become one of England’s most powerful kings. He died a few weeks before his 41st birthday. His cause of death is not known for certain. Pneumonia, typhoid, malaria, poison, and an unhealthy lifestyle are some possibilities. King Edward IV was buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, close by his rival King Henry VI.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward IV of England

April 28, 1676 – Birth of King Fredrik I of Sweden, born Prince Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel at Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany
Fredrik I was King of Sweden from 1720 until he died in 1751. However, he was also Prince Consort of Sweden from 1718 to 1720 and Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1730 until his death. In 1700, Fredrik married his first cousin, Luise Dorothea of Brandenburg, but she was sickly and died childless in 1705. In 1715, Fredrik married Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, but their marriage was childless. In 1718, after the death of her brother Karl XII, King of Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora succeeded him. Ulrika Eleonora wrote a letter to the Riksdag in 1720, informing its members of her desire to abdicate in favor of her husband on the condition that she should succeed him if he should die before her. Her husband acceded to the Swedish throne as Fredrik I, King of Sweden, and Ulrika Eleonora became Queen Consort. Fredrik I reigned for 31 years and survived his wife by ten years. After suffering several strokes, he died on March 25, 1751, aged 74.
Unofficial Royalty: King Fredrik I of Sweden

April 28, 1772 – Execution of Johann Friedrich Struensee, favorite of King Christian VII of Denmark and lover of his wife, Queen Caroline Matilda, in Copenhagen, Denmark
The scandalous story of King Christian VII of Denmark, his wife Queen Caroline Matilda, and Johann Friedrich Struensee has been told in several novels including Norah Loft’s The Lost Queen (1969) and Per Olov Enquist’s The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999) and also in the Danish film A Royal Affair (2012) which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Because he was known for a new kind of therapy for mental illness, Struensee was called to treat King Christian VII of Denmark. Struensee could handle Christian’s instability, a great relief to the king’s advisers. Because of Christian VII’s confidence in him, Struensee gained political power, and he also became the lover of Christian VII’s ill-treated wife, Caroline Matilda of Wales, the sister of King George III, whose marriage was less than satisfactory. Eventually, Queen Dowager Juliana Maria, Christian VII’s stepmother, maneuvered a coup that brought about the fall of Struensee and discredited Caroline Matilda.
Unofficial Royalty: Johann Friedrich Struensee, favorite of King Christian VII and lover of Queen Caroline Matilda

 April 28, 1936 – Death of King Fuad I of Egypt at the Koubbeh Palace in Cairo, Egypt; buried at the Al Rifa’i Mosque in Cairo, Egypt
Born Ahmed Fuad on March 26, 1868, at the Giza Palace in Cairo, Egypt, he was Sultan of Egypt from 1917 until 1922, when Egypt gained its independence from the United Kingdom. He became King Fuad I of Egypt on March 15, 1922, and reigned until his death in April 1936. Fuad was instrumental in establishing the Egyptian University, now Cairo University,  and served as rector from 1908 until 1913.
Unofficial Royalty: King Fuad I of Egypt

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Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

April 27, 1650 – Birth of Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark and Norway, wife of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway, in Kassel, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, now in Hesse, Germany
In 1667, Charlotte Amalie married the future King Christian V of Denmark and Norway, and they had seven children. Charlotte Amalie’s husband succeeded his father in 1670 as Christian V, King of Denmark and Norway. During King Christian V’s reign, colonies were established in the Caribbean. The islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island were originally a Danish colony called the Danish West Indies.  The city of Charlotte Amalie, on the island of St. Thomas, was named after Christian V’s wife. Denmark sold the islands to the United States in 1917, and now they are known as the United States Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie is now the capital of the US Virgin Islands. King Christian V died in 1699 and was succeeded by his son, King Frederik IV. On March 27, 1714, Charlotte Amalie, Queen of Denmark and Norway, aged 63, died of scarlet fever after being ill for six days.
Unofficial Royalty: Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Queen of Denmark and Norway

April 27, 1701 – Birth of Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia in Turin, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy
In 1715, Carlo Emanuele’s fifteen-year-old elder brother Vittorio Amedeo died from smallpox, and Carlo Emanuele became the heir to the throne and the Prince of Piedmont. He married three times, but all three wives died young. Carlo Emanuele had one child with his first wife, Anna Christine of Sulzbach. He had six children with his second wife, Polyxena of Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg, and three children with his third wife, Elisabeth Therese of Lorraine. In 1731, two years after Carlo Emanuele’s mother died, his father, Vittorio Amedeo II, King of Sardinia, married his mistress and abdicated the throne. Carlo Emanuele was a soldier-king who gained territory for his kingdom by fighting on the French side in the War of the Polish Succession and then on the Austrian side in the War of the Austrian Succession. His ancestors were avid art collectors, and Carlo Emanuele was no different. He added many new paintings to the collection of the House of Savoy. On February 20, 1773, Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia died at the age of 71. He survived his three wives, his five siblings, and six of his ten children.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Emanuele III, King of Sardinia

April 27, 1706 – Death of Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany; buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen
When Bernhard’s father died in 1675, instead of passing everything to his eldest son, he divided his territory among his living sons. Each received part of the duchy and was expected to rule jointly, but under the authority of the eldest one. Bernhard received Meiningen and the surrounding area, including the former principality of Henneberg. By 1680, the brothers had formally divided their lands, each becoming the ruler of the newly established duchies. Bernhard became the first reigning Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. He moved to Meiningen and, taking up residence at the Meiningen Castle, Bernhard soon made plans to build a new official residence in the city. The Elisabethenburg Palace was built between 1682 and 1692 and was named for his second wife. Bernhard established a court orchestra in 1690 and the Schlosspark in 1692. Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen died in Meiningen, Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, now in Thuringia, Germany, on April 27, 1706. He is buried in the Castle Church at Elisabethenburg Palace in Meiningen.
Unofficial Royalty: Bernhard I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen

April 27, 1796 – Birth of Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Ferdinando III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, at the Royal Palace in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony
Maria Ferdinanda’s younger sister Maria Anna was to marry the future Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, son of Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany. However, Maria Anna was so terrified at the idea of meeting her bridegroom that she refused to leave Saxony unless her sister Maria Ferdinanda accompanied her. During the wedding celebrations, Maria Ferdinanda caught the eye of the groom’s father, Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, twenty-seven years older than Maria Ferdinanda. Four years later, when his son Leopoldo and his wife Maria Anna had not produced any children, Ferdinando decided to marry twenty years after the death of his first wife. He chose Maria Ferdinanda as his second wife, and they were married in 1821, but their marriage remained childless. Maria Ferdinanda became a widow at the age of twenty-eight, but she never remarried. In 1859, the Grand Ducal family was forced to flee Tuscany because of the wars caused by the Italian unification movement. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany became part of the new, united Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Maria Ferdinanda lived partly in the Kingdom of Bohemia, part of the Austrian Empire, and also in Dresden at the court of her brother, King Johann of Saxony. She survived her husband by forty-one years, dying at the age of 68.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Ferdinanda of Saxony, Grand Duchess of Tuscany

April 27, 1806 – Birth of Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain, fourth wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
Full name: Maria Cristina Ferdinanda
Maria Christina was the daughter of King Francesco I of the Two Sicilies and his second wife, Infanta María Isabella of Spain, sister of King Ferdinand VII of Spain. In 1829, Maria Christina became the fourth wife of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, who had been widowed three times, and the wife who finally gave him an heir. Soon after her marriage, Maria Christina became pregnant. In 1830, Ferdinand VII issued the Pragmatic Sanction, allowing daughters to succeed to the Spanish throne as well as sons. This meant that his younger brother Infante Carlos would be displaced in the line of succession by Ferdinand’s children of both genders. Ferdinand’s daughter succeeded him as Queen Isabella II of Spain.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies, Queen of Spain

April 27, 1831 – Death of Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia at the Palazzo Chablais in Turin, Kingdom of Sardinia, now in Italy; buried at Hautecombe Abbey, now in Saint-Pierre-de-Curtille, France
As the third son, Carlo Felice was not expected to succeed to the throne. In 1802, Carlo Felice’s brother Vittorio Emanuele became King of Sardinia upon the abdication of his brother Carlo Emanuele, who was despondent after the death of his wife. There was a succession crisis in the Kingdom of Sardinia. The abdicated Carlo Emanuele was childless. The current king, Vittorio Emanuele, had five surviving daughters who could not succeed to the throne, and his only son died at the age of three from smallpox. The three other brothers of Carlo Felice, Vittorio Emanuele, and Carlo Emanuele, had all died unmarried. In 1807, Carlo Felice married Maria Cristina of Naples and Sicily, but their marriage was also childless. In 1821, liberal revolutions were occurring throughout Italy. However, Vittorio Emanuele I was not willing to grant a liberal constitution, so he abdicated the throne of Sardinia in favor of his brother Carlo Felice. Upon the death of Carlo Felice on April 27, 1831, the main line of the House of Savoy became extinct. He was succeeded by the senior male member of the House of Savoy-Carignano, who reigned as Carlo Alberto I, King of Sardinia.
Unofficial Royalty: Carlo Felice, King of Sardinia

April 27, 1848 – Birth of King Otto I of Bavaria at The Residenz in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Otto Wilhelm Luitpold Adalbert Waldemar
Like his brother King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Otto was also mentally incapacitated. After King Ludwig II and his doctor were found dead in a lake, Otto became King of Bavaria. However, because of his incapacity, Otto probably never understood that he had become king. His uncle, Prince Luitpold, who had been Regent of Bavaria during Ludwig II’s reign, remained Regent during Otto’s reign.
Unofficial Royalty: King Otto I of Bavaria

April 27, 1882 – Wedding of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, son of Queen Victoria, and Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
Leopold was ecstatic when he wrote of the news of his engagement to his brother-in-law, Grand Duke Ludwig IV of Hesse and by Rhine, widower of his sister Alice: “…we became engaged this afternoon…Oh, my dear brother, I am so overjoyed, and you, who have known this happiness, you will be pleased for me, won’t you?… You only know Helena a little as yet – when you really know her, then you will understand why I’m mad with joy today.” Sadly, Leopold and Helena’s marriage lasted only two years. Helena was pregnant with their second child when Leopold died following a fall, apparently of a cerebral hemorrhage, the injuries having been exacerbated by his hemophilia.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Leopold and Princess Helena of Waldeck-Pyrmont

April 27, 1912 – Birth of Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark,  wife of her first cousin Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark, at Jægersborghus, a country house in Gentofte north of Copenhagen, Denmark
Full name: Caroline-Mathilde Louise Dagmar Christine Maud Augusta Ingeborg Thyra Adelheid Caroline-Mathilde was the granddaughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark. In 1933, Caroline-Mathilde married her first cousin, Prince Knud of Denmark. Knud was the younger son of King Christian X of Denmark, who was the brother of Caroline-Mathilde’s father, Prince Harald. Caroline-Mathilde and Knud had one daughter and two sons. From 1947 to 1953, Knud was the heir presumptive of his older brother, King Frederick IX. Knud would have become king and Caroline Mathilde queen, but a 1953 change in the succession law caused Knud to lose his place in the succession to his niece, who became Queen Margrethe II when her father in 1972. After the change, Prince Knud was given the title of Hereditary Prince, and Caroline Mathilde became Hereditary Princess.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

April 27, 1931 – Death of Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, grandson of Queen Victoria, in Primkenau, Germany, now Przemków, Poland;  buried near the church in Primkenau
Prince Albert was the son of Princess Helena, daughter of Queen Victoria, and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. He never married but succeeded his childless first cousin, Ernst Günther, as titular Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenberg.  Shortly before his death, he recognized an illegitimate daughter, Valerie Marie.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

April 27, 1953 – Birth of Prince Alexis Romanoff in San Francisco, California
Known as Alex Romanoff, he is a great-great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia, and one of the disputed pretenders to the Headship of the Russian Imperial Family since his father, Prince Andrew Romanoff, died in 2021.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Alexis Romanoff

April 27, 1967 – Birth of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, at the University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands
Full name: Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand
On January 28, 2013, Willem-Alexander’s mother, Queen Beatrix, announced her intention to abdicate in favor of him. Queen Beatrix signed the Instrument of Abdication at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on April 30, 2013. Afterward, Willem-Alexander was inaugurated as King at the Nieuwe Kerk, which is adjacent to the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.
Unofficial Royalty: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands

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Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France; Credit – Wikipedia

April 26, 1575 – Birth of Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France, second wife of King Henri IV of France, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
Marie was the daughter of Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Archduchess Joanna of Austria. The House of Medici had come to prominence in the 15th century, as founders of the Medici Bank, the largest bank in Europe, and later as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Along with Marie, other prominent family members included Catherine de’ Medici, consort to King Henri II of France, and Popes Leo X, Clement VII, and Leo XI. Among her children are King Louis XIII of France and Henrietta Maria, who married King Charles I of England.
Unofficial Royalty: Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France

April 26, 1648 – Birth of King Pedro II of Portugal at Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, Portugal
Following the death of his father João IV, King of Portugal, Pedro’s mother Luisa de Guzmán became regent for the new king 13-year-old Afonso VI, Peter’s elder, partially paralyzed, and mentally unstable brother. In 1662, Afonso put his mother away in a convent and assumed control of Portugal as Prince Regent.  He also had his brother’s marriage to Marie Françoise of Savoy annulled, and then he married her. Pedro officially became King of Portugal when his brother died in 1683. After his first wife died, Pedro married again to Maria Sophia of Neuberg because he had only one daughter with his first wife and wanted sons. On December 5, 1706, he had a seizure that resulted in a stroke, and he died four days later.  Pedro was succeeded by was 17-year-old son João V, King of Portugal.
Unofficial Royalty: King Pedro II of Portugal

April 26, 1721 – Birth of Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II of Great Britain, at Leicester House in London, England
Fans of Diana Gabaldon’s novels of The Outlander series and the television series of the same name know that the Battle of Culloden in 1746 resulted in a decisive defeat of the Jacobite forces that wanted to restore the heirs of Roman Catholic Stuart King James II of England/ VII of Scotland to the throne. Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland was the commander of the British troops at the Battle of Culloden and is known by the nicknames “The Butcher of Culloden” and “Butcher Cumberland.”
Unofficial Royalty: Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland

April 26, 1782 – Birth of Maria Amalia Teresa of the Two Sicilies, Queen of the French,  wife of Louis-Philippe, King of the French, at Caserta Palace in Caserta, Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy
While still very young, Maria Amalia was engaged to her first cousin, the Dauphin of France. His mother, Queen Marie Antoinette, was Maria Amalia’s maternal aunt. However, the French Revolution, resulting in the deaths of her aunt and her first cousin, changed these plans. Her youth was spent in upheaval – the events in France – particularly the execution of her aunt – and subsequent conflict during the First Coalition soon found the family fleeing Sicily for the safety of Naples. After spending two years in Austria, she returned to Naples in 1802.  Four years later, when Napoleon invaded, the family again fled, this time settling in Palermo, where British forces protected them. In 1809, Maria Amalia married the future Louis Philippe I, King of the French, and they had ten children. In 1830, King Charles X of France was overthrown during the July Revolution and forced to abdicate, and Louis Philippe became king.  After her husband was forced to abdicate in 1840, the family left France and was welcomed in England by Queen Victoria, who gave them the use of Claremont House in Surrey, England.  After her husband’s death, Marie Amélie lived a very private life, spending time with her family and enjoying a close relationship with the British Royal Family. At the age of 83, Queen Marie Amélie died at Claremont House on March 24, 1866.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Amalia Teresa of the Two Sicilies, Queen of the French

April 26, 1826 – Death of Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Florida, the morganatic second wife of Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies, in Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, now in Italy; buried at the Church of San Ferdinando in Naples
Lucia was the daughter of Vincenzo Migliaccio, 8th Duke of Floridia, a Sicilian nobleman, and Dorotea Borgia dei Marchesi del Casale from a Spanish noble family. In 1791, Lucia married Benedetto Grifeo, Prince of Partanna, and the couple had seven children. Lucia’s husband died in 1812. In 1814, Maria Carolina, the wife of King Ferdinando I of the Two Sicilies, died. Wanting to remarry, the 63-year-old Ferdinando turned his attention to the 44-year-old Lucia, whom he had met frequently at court. Because Lucia was not royal, the marriage caused a considerable scandal. Lucia did not receive the title of queen, and any children from the marriage would not be in the line of succession. However, the marriage remained childless. Ferdinando died from a stroke in 1825, and Lucia survived her husband by a little more than a year, dying on April 26, 1826, aged 55.
Unofficial Royalty: Lucia Migliaccio, Duchess of Florida

April 26, 1864 – Death of Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria, wife of Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in Bavaria, Germany; buried at the Theatinerkirche in Munich
Auguste was the daughter of Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany.  In 1844, she married Prince Luitpold of Bavaria, a younger son of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. The couple had four children, including Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria. Auguste was a devoted mother to her four children, speaking to them only in Italian, and was a strong supporter of her husband and the Bavarian monarchy. In 1848, she publicly criticized her father-in-law, King Ludwig I, for his relationship with his mistress Lola Montez and its negative effects on the monarchy.  On April 26, 1864, Princess Auguste died, aged 39, from tuberculosis, which she had suffered from for many years.
Unofficial Royalty: Auguste of Austria, Princess of Bavaria

April 26, 1923 – Wedding of King George VI of the United Kingdom and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Although they had met at a tea party in 1916, Bertie, as George VI was known in the family, and Elizabeth had their first significant meeting on July 8, 1920, at the Royal Air Force Ball at the Ritz in London. Bertie had come to the ball with his equerry James Stuart, the youngest son of the Earl of Moray. Elizabeth and James were old friends from Scotland and shared a dance. Bertie questioned James about his dance partner and asked to be introduced. Although the meeting did not make much of an impression on Elizabeth, Bertie fell in love that evening and started courting Elizabeth. He first proposed to her in 1921, but was rejected because Elizabeth feared the changes in her life being a member of the Royal Family required. Elizabeth served as a bridesmaid in the wedding of Bertie’s sister Mary in February 1922. The following month, Bertie again proposed to her and was turned down once more. On January 2, 1923, after taking Elizabeth to dinner at Claridge’s and the theater, Bertie proposed a third time. After talking to friends and relatives and expressing her feelings in the diary, Elizabeth agreed to marry Bertie on January 14, 1923, although she still had misgivings.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King George VI of the United Kingdom and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

April 26, 1994 – Death of Queen Zein of Jordan, born Zein al-Sharaf Bint Jamal, wife of King Talal of Jordan and mother of King Hussein I of Jordan, in Lausanne, Switzerland; buried at the Royal Cemetery, near Raghadan Palace within the Royal Compound (Al-Maquar) in Amman, Jordan
Queen Zein played a major role in the formation of the Jordanian state. In 1944, Zein founded the first women’s association in Jordan. She established the women’s branch of the Jordanian Red Crescent (affiliated with the Red Cross) in 1948 and organized assistance to Palestinian refugees during the Arab-Israeli War in 1949. She participated in the writing of the Jordan Constitution in 1952, which guaranteed women’s rights. After the assassination of King Abdullah I in 1951, Zein held power while the newly proclaimed King Talal was treated outside the country. She again took the reins of power in August 1952, when her son Hussein was proclaimed king, until May 1953, when he turned eighteen and assumed full constitutional duties. During the reign of her son, King Hussein I, Zein was an influential figure behind the scenes.
Unofficial Royalty: Queen Zein of Jordan

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