Author Archives: Susan

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman; Credit – Wikipedia

Arabic Naming Conventions

  • Al – family/clan of…
  • bin or ibn – son of…
  • bint – daughter of…

Since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by Abdulaziz “Ibn Saud”, the first King of Saudi Arabia, all six of his successors have come from among his 45 sons. In Saudi Arabia, there is no clear line of succession. All vacancies to the throne have been filled by the Crown Prince. Crown Princes have been appointed according to male line seniority from among the sons of Abdulaziz “Ibn Saud”. If Crown Prince Mohammad, a grandson of Abdulaziz “Ibn Saud”, becomes king, he will be the first king of the next generation.

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on June 21, 2017, when his cousin Prince Muhammad bin Nayef Al Saud, the first grandson of Abdulaziz “Ibn Saud” to be named Crown Prince, was relieved of all his positions by royal decree. Previously Crown Prince Mohammad was Deputy Crown Prince.

Crown Prince Mohammad was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 31, 1985. He is the eldest of the six sons of King Salman of Saudi Arabia and his third wife Princess Fahda bint Falah bin Sultan bin Hathleen.

Crown Prince Mohammad has five younger brothers:

Crown Prince Mohammad has six older half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Princess Sultana bint Turki Al Sudairi (died 2011):

  • Prince Fahd (1955 – 2001), married Princess Nuf bint Khalid bin Abdallah Al Saud, had four children, died of heart failure
  • Prince Sultan (born 1956), married Princess Haifa Bint Saud Al Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, had three children, former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot who flew aboard the American Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985 as a payload specialist – first member of a royal family, first Arab and first Muslim to fly in space
  • Prince Ahmed (1958 – 2002), married Princess Lamia bint Mishaal, had five children, died of heart failure
  • Prince Abdulaziz (born 1960), married Princess Sara bint Khalid bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz, had three children
  • Prince Faisal (born 1970), married Princess Luloh bint Ahmed bin Mousaed bin Ahmed Al Sudairi, had four children
  • Princess Hassa (born 1974)

Crown Prince Mohammad has one younger half-sibling from his father’s second marriage to Princess Sara Bint Faisal Bin Daidan Abu Ateen Al-Subaie (divorced):

  • Prince Saud (born 1986), married Chorouk bint Mohammad Almejfel, had one child

Crown Prince Mohammad received his primary and secondary education at the Princes’ School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He then received a bachelor’s degree in law from King Saud University in Riyadh where he was second in his class.  In 2007, Mohammad became a full-time adviser to the Saudi Bureau of Experts.  He continued in this position until he was appointed a special advisor to his father who was then the governor of Riyadh Province.

In 2008, Crown Prince Mohammad married his first cousin Princess Sara bint Mashhoor bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The couple has five children:

  • Prince Salman
  • Prince Mashhour
  • Princess Fahda
  • Princess Nora
  • Prince Abdulaziz

In 2012, Mohammad’s father Salman was named Crown Prince following the death of his brother Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. On January 23, 2015, King Abdullah died (reigned 2005 – 2015) and 79-year-old Crown Prince Salman became King. Prince Mohammad bin Salman was then appointed Minister of Defense. King Salman’s brother Deputy Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became Crown Prince but he died three months later. Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, the son of the Crown Prince that Salman had replaced in 2012, was named Crown Prince, and Salman’s son Mohammad was named Deputy Crown Prince. On June 21, 2017, Prince Muhammad bin Nayef was replaced as Crown Prince by Prince Mohammad bin Salman in a move, according to the New York Times, that was “upending decades of royal custom and profoundly reordering the kingdom’s inner power structure.”

Crown Prince Mohammad is the power behind the throne. There has been much media speculation as to the state of King Salman’s health. Some media reports have suggested that the King is suffering from some form of dementia, possibly Alzheimer’s Disease. There has been no formal statement from the Royal Court regarding these claims.

Crown Prince Mohammad has instituted several successful reforms including restrictions on the powers of the religious police, allowing women to drive, the first Saudi public concerts by a female singer, the first Saudi sports stadium to admit women, and an increase in women in the workforce.  Despite this, his leadership and his violation of human rights have been criticized internationally.

On November 4, 2017, there was an announcement that at the request of Crown Prince Mohammad, billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a grandson of Abdulaziz “Ibn Saud”, along with over forty Saudi princes and government ministers, was arrested on charges of corruption and money laundering. The New York Times wrote: “The sweeping campaign of arrests appears to be the latest move to consolidate the power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the favorite son and top adviser of King Salman. The king had decreed the creation of a powerful new anti-corruption committee, headed by the crown prince, only hours before the committee ordered the arrests.”

In October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and a critic of the crown prince went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials believe that Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate and many intelligence agencies around the world believe that the crown prince ordered the murder.

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.

Works Cited

  • Aljazeera.com. (2017). Profile: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. [online] Available at: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/06/profile-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-170621130040539.html [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Mohammad bin Salman. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_bin_Salman [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
  • Kirkpatrick, D. (2017). Saudi Arabia Arrests 11 Princes, Including Billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-waleed-bin-talal.html [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017].
  • Ar.wikipedia.org. (2017). محمد بن سلمان آل سعود. [online] Available at: https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%86_%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86_%D8%A2%D9%84_%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF [Accessed 8 Nov. 2017]

November 1917: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Captain The Right Honorable Neil James Archibald Primrose
  • Timeline: November 1, 1917 – November 30, 1917
  • A Note About German Titles
  • November 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

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Captain The Right Honorable Neil James Archibald Primrose

Photo Credit – Wikipedia

One of the 25 Members of Parliament who lost their lives during World War I and a peer’s son, Captain The Right Honorable Neil James Archibald Primrose was the younger son and the youngest of the four children of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery and Hannah de Rothschild, granddaughter of Baron Nathan Mayer Rothschild, who had founded N M Rothschild & Sons, the English branch of the Rothschilds’ banking empire.

Neil was born on December 14, 1882 at the family home Dalmeny House in Midlothian, Scotland. He was educated at Eton and Oxford where he played with the Oxford University Polo Club.

Neil Primrose, 1910; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Neil had three older siblings:

Lady Victoria Stanley and The Honorable Neil Primrose; Photo Credit – Daily Mail Historical Archive, 1915

On April 7, 1915, Neil married Lady Victoria Stanley, daughter of Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby and Lady Alice Montagu. Neil and Victoria had one daughter:

Caricature of Neil Primrose by unknown artist, pen and ink, early 20th century, NPG D9908 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Neil followed his father into politics and was elected in 1910 as a Member of Parliament for Wisbech.  He served as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury. In June 1917, he became a member of the Privy Council. (Note: Neil had the courtesy style “The Honorable” as the son of an Earl.  Members of the Privy Council use the style “The Right Honorable.”)

When the United Kingdom declared war on Germany in August 1914, Neil joined the Royal Buckinghamshire Yeomanry as a Lieutenant. He was promoted to Captain in 1915 and was awarded the Military Cross in 1916. Neil died at the age of 34 on November 15, 1917 from wounds received in action at Gezer, Palestine while leading his squadron against Turkish positions on the Abu Shusha Ridge during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the Third Battle of Gaza. He was buried in the Ramleh Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Ramla, Israel.

 

Grave of Captain The Right Honorable Neil Primrose; Photo Credit – By Zev Gross – Self-photographed, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53298425

On November 19, 1917, Prime Minister David Lloyd George addressed the House of Commons regarding Neil’s death:

“May I be permitted before I sit down to utter one word of another who held an inconspicuous position in the Army but who was well known to all Members of this House. I refer to Captain Neil Primrose. The House knew his bright and radiant spirit well. To his intimates, he was one of the most lovable men we ever met. He had ability far above the average, and, in spite of the reserve and shyness which held him back, his future was full of hope. He had already rendered distinguished service in the field, and for that service he had been recognised at the suggestion of his commanding officer; and he might well, for he had many offers, have occupied positions where he could have rendered services to the public, positions honourable to him, but positions of personal safety and the fact that he had been chosen by his constituents to serve in this House would have rendered his acceptance of these positions honourable to himself. He chose deliberately the path of danger. He fell charging at the head of his troops, at the very moment of victory, and Members of the House will, I feel certain, join me in an expression of deepest sympathy with those whom he has left behind to mourn him.”

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Timeline: November 1, 1917 – November 30, 1917

Mud, water, and barbed wire illustrate the horrible terrain at the Battle of Passchendaele; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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November 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website or to The Peerage website. If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

Captain The Honorable Elidyr John Bernard Herbert

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Captain The Right Honorable Neil James Archibald Primrose (see above)

Memorial in St. Gile’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland; Photo Credit – By Andrewrabbott – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48508210

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Photo Credit – http://www.surreyinthegreatwar.org.uk

Lieutenant The Honorable Alick George Cubitt

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Lieutenant The Honorable Arthur Middleton Kinnaird

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Major The Honorable Robert Nathaniel Dudley Ryder

Prince Valdemar of Denmark

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Prince Valdemar of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Valdemar of Denmark was born on October 27, 1858, at Bernstorff Palace in Gentofte, Denmark. Valdemar was the youngest of the six children of King Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel.

Valdemar had five siblings. Four of Valdemar’s five siblings became a monarch or a consort of a monarch.

Christian IX, King of Denmark and his family by Georg Emil Hansen, albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862, NPG x74402 © National Portrait Gallery, London

In 1863, when Valdemar was five years old, his father succeeded to the Danish throne. Earlier that year, Valdemar had accompanied his family to England where his sister Alexandra had married Edward, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Victoria. Valdemar was educated at home by governesses and tutors. In the summer of 1874, Valdemar accompanied his father to Iceland to celebrate 1,000 years since Iceland’s first settlement in 874.

Valdemar with his father, circa 1863-1865; Credit – Wikipedia

After his confirmation in 1874, Valdemar enrolled at the Royal Danish Naval Academy.  As a younger son, it was expected that he would have a career in the military. Valdemar participated in several naval expeditions in the 1870s and became Lieutenant in 1880. In 1883, Valdemar’s 14-year-old nephew Prince George of Greece,  the second son of his brother King George I of Greece, was enrolled at the Royal Danish Naval Academy. George lived with Valdemar at Bernstorff Palace while he attended the naval academy. Having felt abandoned by his father at that time, George would later tell his fiancée the profound attachment he developed for his uncle Valdemar.

In 1885, Valdemar became engaged to Princess Marie of Orléans, the eldest child of Robert, Duke of Chartres and his wife, Françoise of Orléans, both grandchildren of King Louis Philippe of France, who was forced to abdicate after the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1848. Louis Philippe lived out his life in exile in England where his great-granddaughter Marie had been born. Marie lived the first years of her life in England. After the fall of Napoleon III in 1871, her family’s rival, Marie’s family moved back to France.

Princess Marie of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

Valdemar and Marie were first married in a civil ceremony in Paris, France on October 20, 1885. Two days later, an extravagant religious ceremony and reception were held at the Chateau d ‘ Eu in Normandy, France, the home of Louis Philippe of Orléans, Count of Paris, a cousin of both Marie’s parents. More than 1,000 guests attended including members of the royal families of Denmark, Greece, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Valdemar remained Lutheran and Marie remained Roman Catholic. When Pope Leo XIII gave his permission for the marriage, he agreed to the provision that any daughters would be raised Roman Catholic and any sons would be raised Lutheran. After their marriage, the couple lived at the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen and Valdemar’s birthplace, Bernstorff Castle in Gentofte, nearby Copenhagen.

Valdemar and Marie had four sons and one daughter. Three of their sons made unequal marriages and relinquished their position within the Danish Royal Family upon marrying without official consent from the monarch. For more information, see Unofficial Royalty: The Danish Counts of Rosenborg.

Valdemar, Marie, and their children; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Prince Valdemar and King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Thailand), during Valdemar’s visit to Siam in 1900; Credit – Wikipedia

Valdemar had a lifelong naval career which frequently caused him to be away from home. He was appointed Vice-Admiral in 1911 and Admiral in 1918. Valdemar was offered two European thrones, Bulgaria and Norway, but he rejected both offers. His wife Marie died on December 4, 1909, in the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark at the age of 44 after a long illness. Unfortunately, at the time of Marie’s death, Valdemar was on a long naval voyage. Prince Valdemar survived Marie by thirty years, dying on January 14, 1939, at the age of 80 in the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen. Both Marie and Valdemar were buried in Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.

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.

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2017). Prins Valdemar. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prins_Valdemar [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2017). Prinsesse Marie af Orléans. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prinsesse_Marie_af_Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). Waldemar von Dänemark. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldemar_von_D%C3%A4nemark [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Prince Valdemar of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Valdemar_of_Denmark [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Princess Marie of Orléans (1865–1909). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Marie_of_Orl%C3%A9ans_(1865%E2%80%931909) [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Marie d’Orléans (1865-1909). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_(1865-1909) [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on September 4, 1729, Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was the youngest of the six daughters and the eleventh of the thirteen children of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Juliana Maria and her siblings were first cousins of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia and brothers-in-law/sisters-in-law of King Friedrich (the Great) II of Prussia.

Juliana Maria had twelve siblings:

Juliana Maria’s father died when she was six-years-old, having had only a six-month reign as Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. The House of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was one of the smaller German princely families and Juliana Maria had a simple, strict upbringing.

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 19, 1751, Louisa of Great Britain, the wife of King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway died while pregnant with her sixth child. Despite having parents with very strict religious beliefs, Frederik V had a very sensual nature and loved wine and women. He spent so much time visiting Copenhagen’s taverns and brothels that his father King Christian VI considered disinheriting him from the throne. When Frederik’s marriage to the youngest daughter of King George II of Great Britain was proposed, the Danish government hoped (incorrectly) that marriage would put a damper on Frederik’s affairs and drunkenness.

However, that strategy did not work as during the early years of his marriage to Louisa, Frederik had an affair with Else Hansen, known as Madame Hansen and they had five children. After Frederik became king in 1746, he took part in the government by attending council meetings, but he was afflicted with alcoholism and most of his reign was dominated by very able ministers such as Count Adam Gottlob Moltke, Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, and Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann.

King Frederik V of Denmark; Credit – Wikipedia

Count Moltke thought it would be a good idea if Frederik married again as soon as possible in hopes of stabilizing his behavior. Frederik preferred another British wife, but there was no British princess at an appropriate age. Count Moltke drew Frederik’s attention to Juliana Maria. Her portrait was sent to Denmark and it pleased Frederik. 29-year-old Frederik and 22-year-old Juliana Maria were married at Frederiksborg Palace on July 8, 1752. However, many Danish people felt the marriage occurred too quickly after the death of the beloved Queen Louisa.

The couple had one child:

Hereditary Prince Frederik by Vigilius Eriksen, 1777; Credit – Wikipedia

Her marriage to Frederik V also brought Juliana Maria four stepchildren, but she had no influence in their upbringing:

Despite her efforts, Juliana Maria found it difficult to replace Queen Louisa in the hearts of the Danish people. While Louisa had learned Danish and had insisted that her children learn Danish, a rarity in an almost German-language Danish court, Juliana Maria never fully mastered the Danish language but she did try to speak and write it. She appointed Danish tutors for her son so that he could master Danish. King Frederik V continued his affairs and his drinking and as Louisa had done, Juliana Maria pretended not to notice the problems. Juliana Maria led a quiet life and had no influence in government affairs despite the expectation of her brother-in-law King Friedrich II (the Great) of Prussia that she act as his agent.

In 1760, King Frederik V broke his leg in a drunken accident, affecting his health for the rest of his life. Frederik V died on January 14, 1766, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark at the age of 42. He was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel.

Frederik V was succeeded by his 17-year-old son from his first marriage, King Christian VII. Christian had been only two-years-old when his mother died. He had a nervous disposition and had been poorly educated and terrorized by a brutal governor, Christian Ditlev Reventlow, Count of Reventlow.  A few months after he became king, Christian married his first cousin Princess Caroline Matilda of Wales, the daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales (who predeceased his father King George II) and the sister of King George III.

It was soon clear that Christian VII was not quite normal. He publicly declared that he could not love Caroline Matilda because it was “unfashionable to love one’s wife”. His symptoms included paranoia, self-mutilation, and hallucinations. Christian wandered the streets of Copenhagen visiting the city’s taverns and brothels. It became clearer and clearer that Christian could not fulfill his role as king. During a trip that had been arranged because it was believed that new environments could change Christian’s behavior, Christian became acquainted with the physician Johann Friedrich Struensee. Struensee was the first person who understood that Christian was seriously ill. When Christian came home from the trip, Struensee accompanied him and was employed as Christian’s personal physician. Struensee could handle Christian’s instability, which was a great relief to the king’s advisers, and Christian developed confidence in him.

King Christian VII; Credit – Wikipedia

Because of Christian’s confidence in him, Struensee gained political power. In 1770, Struensee became Master of Requests and Minister of the Royal Cabinet. He also became the lover of the ill-treated Caroline Matilda, whose marriage was less than satisfactory. When Caroline Matilda gave birth to her daughter Louise, no one doubted that Struensee was the father of the princess. Eventually, Queen Dowager Juliana Maria maneuvered a coup that would bring about the fall of Struensee and discredit Caroline Matilda. Juliana Maria arranged for King Christian VII to sign the arrest warrant of Struensee after she had already made the arrest in the name of the king. In 1772, Struensee was executed and Caroline Matilda was exiled.

After the fall of Struensee, Juliana Maria and her son Christian VII’s half-brother Hereditary Prince Frederik took charge of the Council of State. Christian VII was only nominally king from 1772 onward. Between 1772 and 1784, Denmark was ruled by Queen Dowager Juliana Maria, Hereditary Prince Frederik, and Cabinet Secretary Ove Høegh-Guldberg. Juliana Maria was given the responsibility of the upbringing of Christian VII’s eldest son Crown Prince Frederik, the future King Frederik VI. From 1784, Crown Prince Frederik ruled permanently as a prince regent. Crown Prince Frederik had no intention of allowing Juliana Maria and her son Frederik to continue their rule. He somehow managed to get his insane father to sign an order dismissing the supporters of Juliana Maria from the council and declaring that no royal order was legal unless co-signed by the Crown Prince, thereby deposing Queen Dowager Juliana Maria and Hereditary Prince Frederik.

Juliana Maria showing the portrait of her only child Hereditary Prince Frederik by Johann Georg Ziesenis, 1766-1767; Credit – Wikipedia

Juliana Maria lived the rest of her life quietly at court. She survived her husband by 30 years, dying on October 10, 1796, at Fredensborg Palace at the age of 67 and was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel.

Tomb of Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel – Photo by Susan Flantzer

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

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2017). Juliane Marie af Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_Marie_af_Braunschweig-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliana_Maria_of_Brunswick-Wolfenb%C3%BCttel [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). King Christian VII of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-christian-vii-of-denmark/ [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). King Frederik V of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-frederik-v-of-denmark/ [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].

King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017

King Frederik V of Denmark and Norway; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik V, King of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein was born at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark on March 31, 1723. His birthplace was demolished in 1731 to make room for the first Christiansborg Palace.  The present Christiansborg Palace stands on the site and is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Danish Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Frederik was the only son and the eldest of the three children of King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.

Frederik had two younger sisters, but only one survived infancy:

Frederik as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Frederik’s education was inadequate, and he was far from an exemplary student. His teachers complained that he was more interested in hunting and other pleasurable activities. Frederik was taught the basics of reading, writing, German, French, Latin, and history, but he never wanted to extend his learning. Curiously, Danish was not a subject. Frederik’s teachers were all German except for a Frenchman who taught him French. He was never really proficient in Danish. Ironically, his mother called him “Der Dänische Prinz” (The Danish Prince in German) because he spoke Danish only occasionally.

Frederik’s parents were both adherents to Pietism, a movement in Lutheranism emphasizing Biblical doctrine, individual piety, and living a vigorous Christian life. Pietism considered frugality, humility, restraint, and a sense of duty important virtues. However, Frederik had a very sensual nature and loved wine and women. He spent so much time visiting Copenhagen’s pubs and brothels that his father considered disinheriting him from the throne.

Frederik (on the left) and Louisa (on the right), then Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark, with King Christian VI and Queen Sophie Magdalene sitting, by Marcus Tuscher circa 1744; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 11, 1743, in Altona, Duchy of Holstein, now in Germany, 20-year-old Frederik married 19-year-old Princess Louisa of Great Britain, the fifth daughter and the youngest of the nine children of King George II of Great Britain and Caroline of Ansbach. Frederik’s father, King Christian VI, hoped that this marriage would cause the British government to support his or his son’s claim to the Swedish throne.  Furthermore, the Danish government hoped (incorrectly) that marriage would put an end to Crown Prince Frederik’s affairs and drunkenness. From 1745 – 1752, Frederik had an affair with Else Hansen, known as Madame Hansen, and they had five children. Nevertheless, Frederik and Louisa got along reasonably well, and although Frederik continued his affairs, Louisa pretended not to notice them.

Frederik and Louisa had five children:

Louisa was popular with the Danish people and was interested in music, dance, and theater. The Danish people greatly appreciated Louisa’s efforts to learn and speak Danish and her insistence that her children learn Danish, a rarity in an almost German-language Danish court.

On August 6, 1746, King Christian VI died, and Frederik became King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. Although Frederik took part in the government by attending council meetings, he was afflicted with alcoholism, and most of his reign was dominated by his very able ministers Count Adam Gottlob Moltke, a favorite of King Frederik V, Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff, and Heinrich Carl von Schimmelmann.

Queen Louisa by court painter C.G. Pilo, 1751; Credit – Wikipedia

While pregnant with her sixth child, 27-year-old Louisa died on December 19, 1751, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark due to complications from a miscarriage. She was buried in Roskilde Cathedral, the burial place of the kings and queens of Denmark, in Roskilde, Denmark.

Queen Juliana Maria; Credit – Wikipedia

Count Moltke wanted Frederik to marry again, hoping to stabilize his behavior. Moltke arranged a marriage with 22-year-old Princess Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, the youngest of the six daughters and the eleventh of the thirteen children of Ferdinand Albert II, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Antoinette of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. Frederik and Juliana Maria were married at Frederiksborg Palace on July 8, 1752.

The couple had one child:

In 1760, Frederik broke his leg in a drunken accident, which affected his health for the rest of his life. King Frederik V died on January 14, 1766, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark, aged 42. He was buried at Roskilde Cathedral in the Frederik V Chapel.

Tomb of King Frederik V – Photo © Susan Flantzer

Kingdom of Denmark Resources at Unofficial Royalty

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.

Works Cited

  • Da.wikipedia.org. (2017). Frederik 5.. [online] Available at: https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_5. [Accessed 5 Aug. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Frederick V of Denmark. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_V_of_Denmark [Accessed 5 Aug. 2017].

October 1917: Royalty and World War I

by Susan Flantzer

  • Captain The Honorable Patrick Julian Harry Stanley Ogilvy
  • Timeline: October 1, 1917 – October 31, 1917
  • A Note About German Titles
  • October 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

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Captain The Honorable Patrick Julian Harry Stanley Ogilvy

Grave of Captain The Honorable Patrick Julian Harry Stanley Ogilvy on the right; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

Captain The Honourable Patrick Julian Harry Stanley Ogilvy was born June 26, 1896, at Cortachy Castle in Kirriemuir, Scotland. He was the third of the three sons and the youngest of the six children of David Ogilvy, 11th Earl of Airlie and Lady Mabell Gore,  daughter of Arthur Gore, 5th Earl of Arran  Some royalty aficionados may recognize the name Ogilvy. Patrick was the paternal uncle of The Honourable Sir Agnus Ogilvy who married Princess Alexandra of Kent, the granddaughter of King George V and the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

Patrick had three elder sisters and two elder brothers:

  • Lady Kitty Ogilvy (1887 – 1969), married (1) Brig.-Gen. Sir Berkeley Vincent, had two children who both died young in 1914, divorced 1925 (2) Lt.-Col. Ralph Gerald Ritson, no children
  • Lady Helen Ogilvy (1890 – 1973), married (1) Major Hon. Clement Ogilvy Freeman-Mitford, had two daughters (2) Lt.-Col. Henry Brocklehurst, had one son, divorced 1931 (3) Lt.-Col. Harold Nutting, no children
  • Lady Mabell Ogilvy (1892 – 1918), unmarried
  • David Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie (1893 – 1968), married Lady Alexandra Coke, had six children including The Honourable Sir Agnus Ogilvy who married Princess Alexandra of Kent
  • The Honorable Bruce Arthur Ashley Ogilvy (1895 – 1976), married Primrose O’Brien, no children

When Patrick was four-years-old, his father 44-year-old David Ogilvy, 11th Earl of Airlie was killed in action at the Battle of Diamond Hill in Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa on June 11, 1900, during the Second Boer War. The 11th Ear of Airlie was succeeded by his seven-year-old son David who became the 12th Earl of Airlie.

Patrick was educated at Wellington College, a boarding and day independent school located in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Many former Wellington students fought in the trenches during World War I right after finishing school, volunteering for military action. 707 of them, including Patrick, lost their lives. After Patrick finished Wellington, he matriculated in 1914 at Christ Church, Oxford.  However, on October 6, 1914, two months after the start of World War I, 18-year-old Patrick enlisted and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Irish Guards.

The Irish Guards going up a communication trench. Elverdinghe, July 30, 1917; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Patrick fought in the Battle of the Somme in Belgium, one of the bloodiest battles in human history. On September 25, 1916, he was awarded the Military Cross which is awarded for “an act or acts of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land to all members, of any rank in Our Armed Forces”. Patrick’s commendation read: “For conspicuous gallantry in action. He led his company with great dash, and, on reaching the final objective, was the senior officer in the front line. He dealt with a difficult situation with great skill and determination, consolidating his position, and getting into touch with the battalions on his flanks. All this was carried out under heavy shellfire.” On July 22, 1917, Patrick was promoted to the rank of Captain.

Military Cross from 1916; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

The Battle of Passchendaele,  also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was a campaign of World War I, fought by the Allies against the German Empire on the Western Front in Belgium from July to November 1917. To commemorate the centenary, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, The Prince of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence (husband of The Princess Royal) attended commemorations for the bloody battle on July 30-31, 2017 in Ypres, Belgium. An estimated half a million soldiers from both sides were killed or wounded.

Embed from Getty Images 

During the Battle of Passchendaele, on October 9, 1917, 21-year-old Captain The Honourable Patrick Ogilvy was commanding No.1 Company of the 1st Irish Guard. During the previous night, Patrick and his men had marched through rain, mud, and crossed a river through three feet of water. Their objective was to reach the edge of the Houthulst Forest. There were some casualties from snipers in shell holes and enemy aircraft soared above them. The sniping got worse as the officers tried to form a flank on the right. Casualties among the officers were particularly heavy as they were conspicuous in organizing their men. Help from a counterattack never came. Eventually, a battalion of the Hampshires came up on the right. The Hampshires and the Irish Guards dug in as best they could and spent the night in the open among the shell holes, under constant artillery and sniper attack.  Every company commander was killed or wounded. Patrick was one of those who was killed.

Captain The Honorable Patrick Ogilvy was buried at the Cement House Cemetery, a British military cemetery in the Belgian village of Langemark.

Cement House Cemetery; Photo Credit – Door Wernervc – Eigen werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30314761

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Timeline: October 1, 1917 – October 31, 1917

The morning after the First Battle of Passchendaele, a sunburst through the clouds is shown against a landscape of destroyed land with a shell hole in the foreground; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

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A Note About German Titles

Many German royals and nobles died in World War I. The German Empire consisted of 27 constituent states, most of them ruled by royal families. Scroll down to German Empire here to see what constituent states made up the German Empire.  The constituent states retained their own governments, but had limited sovereignty. Some had their own armies, but the military forces of the smaller ones were put under Prussian control. In wartime, armies of all the constituent states would be controlled by the Prussian Army and the combined forces were known as the Imperial German Army.  German titles may be used in Royals Who Died In Action below. Refer to Unofficial Royalty: Glossary of German Noble and Royal Titles.

24 British peers were also killed in World War I and they will be included in the list of those who died in action. In addition, more than 100 sons of peers also lost their lives, and those that can be verified will also be included.

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October 1917 – Royals/Nobles/Peers/Sons of Peers Who Died In Action

The list is in chronological order and does contain some who would be considered noble instead of royal. The links in the last bullet for each person is that person’s genealogical information from Leo’s Genealogics Website. http://www.genealogics.org/index.php or to The Peerage website http://www.thepeerage.com If a person has a Wikipedia page or a website page with biographical information, their name will be linked to that page.

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Photo Credit – https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org

2nd Lieutenant The Honourable Denis Bertram Sydney Buxton

Note: Denis Bertram Sydney Buxton, was the third, but the only surviving, son of Viscount Buxton, later 1st Earl Buxton. Because the Earl’s three sons predeceased him, his titles became extinct upon his death.

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Captain The Honourable Patrick Julian Harry Stanley Ogilvy
(see article above)

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Private The Honorable Michael Francis Stafford Howard

Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing; Photo Credit – http://www.cwgc.org

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Captain The Honorable Henry Simon Feilding

Note: His elder brother Lieutenant Commander The Honorable Hugh Cecil Robert Feilding was killed in action on May 31, 1916, age 29, when the HMS Defence sunk during the Battle of Jutland in the North Sea with the loss of all men on board.

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Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, Marquis of Baux

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

2023

Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, Marquis of Baux is the younger of the twin children of Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene (born Charlene Wittstock). Jacques was born on December 10, 2014, two minutes after his twin sister Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès at The Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco. Jacques is first in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco. Because the succession to the throne is male-preference cognatic primogeniture, Jacques is ahead of his sister Gabriella in the line of succession even though she was born first.

 

Jacques has an elder half-sister and an elder half-brother from Prince Albert’s previous relationships. Prince Albert said his two children born out of wedlock would not be in line to the Monegasque throne but would be taken care of financially.

 

Jacques was baptized along with his twin sister Gabriella at the Cathedral of Monaco in Monaco by Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco on May 10, 2015. He was given the names Jacques Honoré Rainier:

  • Jacques: in honor of Prince Jacques I of Monaco and it is a common name in Princess Charlene’s homeland Zimbabwe
  • Honoré: the name of five Sovereign Princes of Monaco
  • Rainier: in honor of his paternal grandfather Prince Rainier III of Monaco

Jacques’ godparents were Christopher Le Vine Jr., a maternal first cousin of Prince Albert and Diane de Polignac Nigra, a paternal first cousin once removed of Prince Albert. Jacques and Gabriella wore Baby Dior cotton christening gowns embellished with Calais lace, floral embroidery, pleated detailing, and each baby’s own monogram.

In 2018, Prince Jacques and his twin sister Princess Gabriella began to attend La Petite Ecole, a private preschool in Port Hercule, Monaco. From 2019 – 2021, they attended Stella School, a public school in the district of Condamine in Monaco. In the fall of 2021, they began to attend L’Institution François d’Assise-Nicolas Barré (link in French) a private Catholic school.

Gabriella and Jacques with their parents, 2022

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.

Principality of Monaco Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • Beauty, H., Film, T., Kate, W. and Beauty, H. (2017). Princess Charlene and Prince Albert’s twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques are baptised. [online] HOLA. Available at: http://us.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2015051025113/princess-charlene-prince-albert-twins-baptism/ [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Jacques, Hereditary Prince of Monaco. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques,_Hereditary_Prince_of_Monaco [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Jacques de Monaco. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Monaco [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • Orderofsplendor.blogspot.com. (2017). Royal Fashion Awards: Monaco’s Twin Christening. [online] Available at: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2015/05/royal-fashion-awards-monacos-twin.html [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].

Princess Gabriella of Monaco, Countess of Carladès

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2017

2023

Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès is the elder of the twin children of Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene (born Charlene Wittstock). Gabriella was born on December 10, 2014, two minutes before her twin brother Hereditary Prince Jacques of Monaco, Marquis of Baux at The Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco. Gabriella is second in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco. Because the succession to the throne is male-preference cognatic primogeniture, Gabriella’s brother Jacques is ahead of her in the line of succession even though she was born first.

 

Gabriella has an elder half-sister and an elder half-brother from Prince Albert’s previous relationships. Prince Albert said his two children born out of wedlock would not be in line to the Monegasque throne, but that they would be taken care of financially.

 

Gabriella was baptized along with her twin brother Jacques at the Cathedral of Monaco in Monaco by Bernard Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco on May 10, 2015. She was given the names Gabriella Thérèse Marie:

Gabriella’s godparents were Gareth Wittstock, her maternal uncle, and Nerine Pienaar, the wife of retired South African rugby player Francois Pienaar, a longtime friend of Princess Charlene. Gabriella and Jacques wore Baby Dior cotton christening gowns embellished with Calais lace, floral embroidery, pleated detailing, and each baby’s own monogram.

Gabriella and Jacques with their parents, 2022

In 2018, Princess Gabriella and her twin brother began to attend La Petite Ecole, a private preschool institution in Port Hercule, Monaco. From 2019 – 2021, they attended Stella School, a public school in the district of Condamine in Monaco. In the fall of 2021, they began to attend L’Institution François d’Assise-Nicolas Barré (link in French) a private Catholic school.

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.

Works Cited

  • Beauty, H., Film, T., Kate, W. and Beauty, H. (2017). Princess Charlene and Prince Albert’s twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques are baptised. [online] HOLA. Available at: http://us.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2015051025113/princess-charlene-prince-albert-twins-baptism/ [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Gabriella,_Countess_of_Carlad%C3%A8s [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Gabriella de Monaco. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriella_de_Monaco [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • Orderofsplendor.blogspot.com. (2017). Royal Fashion Awards: Monaco’s Twin Christening. [online] Available at: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2015/05/royal-fashion-awards-monacos-twin.html [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].

Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy; Photo Credit – AFP

Born on December 28, 1920, in Paris, France, Princess Antoinette of Monaco, Baroness de Massy (Antoinette Louise Alberte Suzanne), was the elder of the two children of Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois and Count Pierre de Polignac.  Antoinette had one younger brother:

 

Antoinette’s mother Charlotte was the illegitimate daughter of the future Prince Louis II of Monaco and his mistress Marie Juliette Louvet. Her parents had met the previous year in Paris, where Marie worked as a hostess in a nightclub. Because Louis was unmarried and without an heir, the Monegasque throne was likely to pass to a distant cousin, the German Duke of Urach. To avoid this, Louis’ father Prince Albert I of Monaco had a law passed recognizing Charlotte as Louis’ heir and part of the princely family. Her grandfather created her HSH Princess Charlotte of Monaco and Duchess of Valentinois. Upon Louis’ accession in 1922, Charlotte became the Hereditary Princess of Monaco. Charlotte and her husband Pierre divorced in 1933. Having been born illegitimate, and now divorced, Charlotte knew that she would never be fully accepted by the very Catholic Monaco, so she renounced her rights to the Monegasque throne in May 1944 in favor of her son Rainer.

Antoinette married three times:

(1) Princess Antoinette had a long-term affair with Alexandre-Athenase Noghès, a tennis player. The couple had three illegitimate children, later legitimized when their parents married in 1951. The couple divorced three years later. In 1951, Antoinette was created Baroness de Massy. Her children’s original surname was Grimaldi, the surname of the Princely Family of Monaco. The children changed their surname to de Massy and began to use the titles Baron and Baroness although not entitled to do so. After they were legitimized, Antoinette’s children were in the line of succession to the throne of Monaco until the death of Prince Rainier II in 2005.

  • Baroness Elisabeth-Anne de Massy (1947 – 2020), married  (1) Baron Bernard Alexandre Taubert-Natta, had one son, divorced (2) Nicolai Vladimir Costello, had one daughter
  • Baron Christian Louis de Massy (born 1949), married  (1) María Marta Quintana y del Carril, had one daughter, divorced  (2)  Anne Michelle Lütken, no children  (3)  Julia Lakschin, no children, divorced  (4)  Cécile Irène Gelabale, had two sons
  • Baroness Christine Alix de Massy (1951 – 1989), married  (1) Charles Wayne Knecht, had one son, divorced  (2)  Leon Leroy, no children

(2) Princess Antoinette married Dr. Jean-Charles Rey, President of the Conseil National, Monaco’s legislature, in 1961. Before they married, Antoinette and Rey had a long-term affair. During the 1950s, Antoinette and Rey sought to obtain the throne of Monaco for Antoinette’s son Christian. They spread malicious rumors that Prince Rainier’s fiancée, actress Gisèle Pascal, was unable to have children. This resulted in the cancellation of Rainier and Gisèle’s engagement and Antoinette’s estrangement from the princely family for years.  She did not fully reconcile with her family until after the death of Princess Grace in 1982. Antoinette and Rey had no children and divorced in 1974.

(3) In 1983, Princess Antoinette married a former British ballet dancer John Gilpin. Gilpin died from a heart attack six weeks after marrying Antoinette.

After her estrangement from her family, Antoinette lived in her villa Le Bout de Monde in Èze-sur-Mer on the French Riviera with her many dogs and cats. She was the president of Monaco’s Society for the Protection of Animals.

Princess Antoinette and her third husband John Gilpin

 

Princess Antoinette died at The Princess Grace Hospital Centre on March 18, 2011, at age 90. She was buried at the Chapelle de la Paix in Monaco beside her parents, her daughter Christine who died in 1989, and her last husband John Gilpin. Stefano Casiraghi, second husband of her niece Princess Caroline, who died in a boating accident in 1990, and Princess Antoinette’s daughter Elisabeth who died in 2020 are also buried at the Chapelle de la Paix.

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.

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. (2017). Antoinette Grimaldi. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoinette_Grimaldi [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Princess Antoinette, Baroness of Massy. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Antoinette,_Baroness_of_Massy [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. (2017). Antoinette de Monaco. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoinette_de_Monaco [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). Princess Charlotte of Monaco, Duchess of Valentinois. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/september-30-1898-birth-of-princess-charlotte-of-monaco-duchess-of-valentinois/ [Accessed 27 Jul. 2017].

Queen Zein of Jordan

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2017

Queen Zein of Jordan; Credit – Wikipedia

The wife of King Talal of Jordan and the mother of King Hussein I of Jordan, Zein al-Sharaf bint Jamal was born on August 2, 1916, in Alexandria, Egypt. She was the eldest of the two children of Sharif Jamal bin Nasser, Governor of Hauran and Wijdan Hanim. Her father was the nephew of Sharif Hussein bin Ali of Mecca  (the father of King Abdullah I of Jordan), and her mother was the daughter of Shakir Pasha, Governor of Cyprus.

Zein had one brother and one sister:

  • Sharif Nasser bin Jamal (1927 – 1979), Commander-in-Chief of the Jordanian Armed Forces
  • Sharifa Nafea bint Jamal

On November 27, 1934, Zein married her first cousin, Prince Talal bin Abdullah, the eldest son of the future King Abdullah I of Jordan.

The couple had six children:

Zein’s four surviving children: Hassan, Hussein, Basma, and Muhammad; Credit – Wikipedia

On July 20, 1951, Talal’s father, King Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated as he entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem, probably because of his moderate attitude towards Israel. The assassin was Mustapha Shukri Usho, a 21-year-old tailor from Jerusalem who belonged to a group that wanted to prevent a permanent division of Palestine by Jordan and Israel. King Abdullah had been accompanied by Zein’s 15-year-old eldest son, the future King Hussein I of Jordan.  Hussein was at his grandfather’s side 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.

At the time of his father’s death, Talal was in a sanatorium in Switzerland being treated for a nervous breakdown. At first, it was unclear whether Talal would succeed his father due to his mental condition, but on September 5, 1951, he was proclaimed King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Zein became Queen Zein al-Sharaf Talal. On June 4, 1952, the Jordanian Cabinet announced that it was necessary to form a Regency Council because Talal’s condition had worsened despite the treatment he was receiving in Switzerland. The Jordanian Parliament declared Talal mentally unfit on August 11, 1952, and proclaimed his eldest son, Hussein, King of 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.

Queen Zein died on April 26, 1994, at the age of 86 in a hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she was being treated for a heart ailment. She was buried the next day at the Royal Cemetery, near Raghadan Palace within the Royal Compound (Al-Maquar).

Princess Basma, Queen Zein’s daughter, visits her mother’s tomb on the anniversary of her death;  Credit – http://www.jordantimes.com

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

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited:

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. (2017). زين الشرف بنت جميل. [online] Available at: https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%81_%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%AA_%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%84 [Accessed 26 Jul. 2017].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Zein Al-Sharaf Talal. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zein_Al-Sharaf_Talal [Accessed 26 Jul. 2017].
  • PACE, E. (2017). Mother of King Of Jordan Is Dead at 86. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/27/obituaries/mother-of-king-of-jordan-is-dead-at-86.html [Accessed 26 Jul. 2017].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. (2017). Зейн аш-Шараф Талал. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%97%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%BD_%D0%B0%D1%88-%D0%A8%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84_%D0%A2%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BB [Accessed 26 Jul. 2017].
  • Unofficial Royalty. (2017). King Talal of Jordan. [online] Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-talal-of-jordan/ [Accessed 26 Jul. 2017].