Author Archives: Susan

Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom; Credit – By Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament from Wales – Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=128562390

Her Majesty Queen Camilla is the second wife of King Charles III of the United Kingdom. Camilla Rosemary Shand was born at King’s College Hospital in London, England on July 17, 1947. She is the oldest of three children of Major Bruce Shand, a former British Army officer and later a wine merchant (1917-2006) and The Honorable Rosalind Cubitt (1921-1994).

Camilla_parents

Camilla’s parents on their wedding day; Photo Credit – www.telegraph.co.uk

Camilla was christened on November 1, 1947, at Firle Church in Lewes, Sussex, England. Her godparents were:

  • The Honourable Harry Cubitt (her maternal uncle, later the 4th Baron Ashcombe)
  • Major Neil Speke
  • Mrs. Lombard Hobson
  • Mrs. Heathcoat Amory
  • Miss Vivien Mosley
Camilla_Alice Keppel

Alice Keppel; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Camilla’s maternal grandparents were Roland Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe and Sonia Keppel. Sonia Keppel was the daughter of The Honorable George Keppel (son of William Keppel, 7th Earl of Albemarle) and Alice Keppel (née Edmonstone, daughter of Sir William Edmonstone, 4th Baronet). Alice Keppel, Camilla’s great-grandmother, was the mistress of King Edward VII, Prince Charles’ great-great-grandfather, from 1898 until King Edward died in 1910.

Camilla, along with Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah, Duchess of York, is a descendant of King Charles II of England through one of his illegitimate children, Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, son of Charles II and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth. In addition, Camilla is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Sir Allan MacNab, who was Premier of the Province of Canada before Confederation in 1867.

Camilla has two younger siblings:

CAMILLA PARKER BOWLES - 1952

Camilla on left with her siblings, Mark in the middle and Annabel on the right; Credit – www.dailymail.co.uk

The Shand family had two homes, The Laines, a former rectory, their country home in East Sussex and a three-story Victorian house in South Kensington, London. Camilla grew up as an avid reader, loved pets, learned to ride at an early age, and also learned to hunt. When she was five years old, Camilla started to attend Dumbrells School in Ditchling, a village in East Sussex. At the age of 10, Camilla went to Queen’s Gate School, an independent day school for girls in South Kensington, London, England, and stayed there until 1964. She then attended Mon Fertile finishing school in Tolochenaz, Switzerland. Camilla then decided to study French and French literature at the University of London Institute in Paris. In 1965, Camilla was a debutante at a party with 150 guests hosted by her parents to mark her coming out in society.

Camilla_mother

Camilla and her mother at her coming-out party; Credit – http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Camilla moved to her own flat in Belgravia, London, and worked as a secretary in the West End and then at Colefax & Fowler, a decorating in Mayfair, London

In 1971, Camilla and Prince Charles were introduced by Lucia Santa Cruz, their mutual friend, considered to be Charles’ first serious girlfriend. The two became friends and began dating, and eventually, Charles met Camilla’s family and Charles introduced her to some of his family. Their relationship was put on hold when Charles was serving aboard Royal Navy ships, and then it ended abruptly in 1973. Various reasons have been suggested for the breakup, but the exact reason has never been revealed.

Camilla_Charles

Charles and Camilla in the 1970s; Photo Credit – http://www.hellomagazine.com

Camilla had met Andrew Parker Bowles, a lieutenant in the Blues and Royals in the late 1960s. The two had an on-again, off-again relationship for a few years. When it broke up in 1970, Parker Bowles dated Princess Anne for a while and played on Prince Charles’ polo team. After the break-up with Prince Charles, Camilla and Andrew started dating again and their engagement was announced in 1973. They married on July 4, 1973, at the Guards Chapel at the Wellington Barracks in London. The wedding was the society wedding of the year and Princess Anne, The Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret attended. In 1995, Camilla and her husband decided to divorce, stating their divorce was amicable, and claimed it was due to different interests, which eventually led to separate lives.

Camilla and Andrew had two children:

Camilla_family

Andrew and Camilla Parker Bowles with their children; Photo Credit – http://www.dailymail.co.uk

In 1981, Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer and their marriage was not the fairy tale marriage it was expected to be. Within five years, the couple’s incompatibility and age difference of almost 13 years, as well as Diana’s concern about Charles’s previous girlfriend, Camilla Parker Bowles, became visible and was damaging to their marriage. Diana exposed Charles’s affair with Camilla in a book by Andrew Morton, Diana, Her True Story. Audiotapes showing evidence of her own extramarital affairs also surfaced. In December 1992, British Prime Minister John Major announced the formal separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales in Parliament. Charles and Diana divorced on August 28, 1996. Tragically, Diana died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.

In 1994, two years after the Prince and Princess of Wales had separated, Charles finally spoke about his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles in a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby. He told Dimbleby, “Mrs. Parker Bowles is a great friend of mine…a friend for a very long time. She will continue to be a friend for a long time.” The same year Charles admitted in The Prince of Wales: A Biography written by Dimbleby that his relationship with Camilla rekindled after his marriage had irretrievably broken down in 1986.

Following both Charles and Camilla’s divorces, Charles let it be known that his relationship with Camilla was “non-negotiable.” Charles knew that the relationship was causing much negative publicity and he had Mark Bolland, his Deputy Private Secretary, work on the rehabilitation of Camilla’s image which occurred from 1999 until 2005. Camilla was occasionally seen with Charles at unofficial events, then at some public events, and then Camilla accompanied Charles on some public engagements. Camilla met the Queen at the 60th birthday party for former King Constantine II of Greece in 2000 and this meeting was seen as the Queen’s approval of the relationship. Camilla attended events related to the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. In 2003, she moved into Clarence House which had become Charles’ official residence that same year. By 2004, Camilla accompanied Charles on almost all of his official engagements.

On February 10, 2005, the couple’s engagement was announced and polls conducted in the United Kingdom showed support for the marriage. Charles and Camilla married on April 9, 2005, in a civil ceremony held at the Guildhall in Windsor. Prince William and Tom Parker Bowles, Camilla’s son, served as the witnesses to the civil wedding ceremony. Later that afternoon, a Service of Prayer and Dedication was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, presided over by The Archbishop of Canterbury.

charles-camilla-wedding

Photo Credit – Hugo Burnand, Pool/Getty Images

After her second marriage, Camilla automatically received the female counterparts of her husband’s titles, including Princess of Wales. However, because the title Princess of Wales is so strongly associated with the previous holder of that title, Diana, Princess of Wales, Camilla adopted the feminine form of her husband’s highest-ranking subsidiary title, Duke of Cornwall, so she was styled Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall. When in Scotland, she is known as The Duchess of Rothesay.  Queen Elizabeth II granted the Duchess of Cornwall a Royal Coat of Arms soon after her marriage. In 2012, The Queen appointed the Duchess of Cornwall to the Royal Victorian Order, an honor made by the Sovereign in recognition of personal service. In 2022, The Duchess was made a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter – the most senior Order within the British Honours, given solely at the gift of the Sovereign.

Picture 007

Photo Credit © Susan Flantzer, outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  January 27, 2007

As The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla traveled widely with The Prince of Wales and on her own solo engagements, meeting people from all over the world and all walks of life. Unofficial Royalty’s Susan Flantzer met the future Queen while on her first official visit to the United States with the Prince of Wales in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States in January 2007.

On February 5, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II released a Platinum Jubilee message to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. The highlight of the message was her statement that when her son Charles becomes king, “Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her loyal service.” Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, Charles succeeded to the throne as King Charles III and Camilla automatically became Queen Consort in accordance with English common law. However, after the coronation of Charles and Camilla, she was known as Queen Camilla.

On October 11, 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla would be held on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation lasted nearly three hours and had 8,000 guests. King Charles III’s coronation was shorter, more diverse, and had fewer guests.

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury crowns Queen Camilla

Camilla works with many charities as Patron or President. The links shown below are the official websites of each organization.

House of Windsor 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.

Prince Daniel of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Prince_Daniel

Prince Daniel of Sweden, Duke of Västergötland; Credit – Wikipedia

Olof Daniel Westling was born at Örebro University Hospital in Örebro, Sweden on September 15, 1973, the same day his future father-in-law King Carl XVI Gustaf became King of Sweden. He is the youngest of two children of Olle Gunnar Westling, a social services manager, and Anna Ewa Kristina Westring, a post office employee. Daniel has one older sister, Anna Westling Söderström.

Prince Daniel_christenting

Daniel at his christening; Photo: Swedish Royal Court

Daniel grew up in Ockelbo, Sweden, and attended Rabo Primary School and Pers Lunda School there. He then attended Hammar Upper Secondary School in Sandviken, Sweden, and graduated in 1991. Daniel then served in the Swedish Army as part of the national conscription in the Hälsingland Regiment in Gävle, Sweden.

In 1994, Daniel moved to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, to study at the Lillsved Sports Folk High School.  He studied in the youth recreation leader program from 1994-1996. While studying and for a period of time after graduating, Daniel worked as a personal fitness trainer at a nearby gym.

Daniel started his own company in 1997 and worked as a consultant in the fitness industry. He then went on to run his own gym, Master Training, together with his business partner Benny Johansson. Master Training’s keyword was “discretion” because Daniel and his business partner created a place where wealthy, well-known people could work out in privacy.  Many of Stockholm’s more prominent businessmen, politicians, and artists started coming, as did many close to Crown Princess Victoria, including her sister Princess Madeleine and her friend Caroline Kreuger. When the Crown Princess herself began working out there, Daniel became her personal trainer. The couple certainly had many opportunities to chat, while working out a training program for Victoria. So when their professional relationship developed into something more personal, first friendship and then love, their closest friends were probably not too surprised.

Daniel_Victoria working out

Daniel and Victoria working out; Photo source: Expressen

It was at a friend’s birthday party in 2002 that photographers caught a kiss between the two, fueling the interest in Victoria and Daniel’s personal life. Despite some public opinion against Daniel as a potential spouse for the princess due to his “common” background, Victoria made it clear that one’s background was not the deciding factor in marriage, but rather the happiness shared by the couple. Speculation increased in July 2008 when Daniel moved to a rental apartment in a wing of Drottningholm Palace. Many believed this was to allow him to be groomed for the role of consort to the Crown Princess. The engagement of Crown Princess Victoria to Mr. Daniel Westling was announced by the Royal Palace on February 24, 2009. The announcement indicated that after the wedding Daniel Westling would be known as Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, duke being the male counterpart of Victoria’s title Duchess of Västergötland. Another announcement in May 2010 said that Westling would be granted the style His Royal Highness upon marriage.

 

The wedding was held at Stockholm Cathedral also known as Storkyrkan on June 19, 2010. One Canadian reporter said it was “Europe’s biggest royal wedding since the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.” There were 1,200 invited guests and 500,000 people lined Stockholm’s streets. It was the biggest event that has ever been covered on television in Stockholm, according to Sveriges Television, the Swedish national public TV broadcaster.

Victoria_wedding

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel greeting people in the streets of Stockholm; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Victoria and Daniel have a daughter and a son. Their daughter Estelle is second in line to the Swedish throne after her mother and remained in that position after the birth of her brother.

Crown Princess Victoria and her family, 2021; Photo: Linda Broström King. Hovstaterna / Linda Broström, The Royal Court of Sweden

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

Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Embed from Getty Images 

Countess Stéphanie Marie Claudine Christine de Lannoy was born February 18, 1984, in Ronse, East Flanders, Belgium. She is the youngest of eight children of Count Philippe de Lannoy (1922 – 2019) and Alix della Faille de Leverghem (1941–2012). Both of Stéphanie’s parents come from noble Belgian families. Stéphanie grew up on the family estate, Anvaing Castle (Château d’Anvaing), in Anvaing, Hainaut, Belgium.

Stephanie_Lux_home

Anvaing Castle; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Stéphanie has seven siblings, who, along with Stéphanie, all have the title of Count and Countess in Belgium, as sons and daughters of a Count:

  • Count Jehan de Lannoy (born 1966), married Béatrice Spates, had four children
  • Count Christian de Lannoy (born 1968), married Luisa Moreno de Porras-Isla-Fernández, had three children
  • Countess Nathalie de Lannoy (born 1969), married John Hamilton, had five children
  • Countess Gaëlle de Lannoy (born 1970), a Roman Catholic nun
  • Count Amaury de Lannoy (born 1971), married Countess Astrid d’ Harcourt, had one child
  • Count Olivier de Lannoy (born 1974), married Alice van Havre. had three children
  • Countess Isabelle de Lannoy (born 1976), married Baron Jean-Charles de le Court, had six children

Stéphanie received her primary education at Sancta Maria, a Dutch-speaking school in Ronse, Belgium. She started her secondary education at the Collège Sainte-Odile in northern France and completed her schooling at the Institut de la Vierge Fidèle in Brussels, Belgium where she obtained her school-leaving certificate in 2002. Stéphanie then spent a year in Moscow, Russia where she studied Russian language and literature and further developed her violin-playing skills. She received a degree in German philology at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Stéphanie continued her education in Berlin, Germany where she completed her Masters Degree by writing her thesis on the influence of German Romanticism on Russian Romanticism. She extended her stay in Berlin with an internship with the Walloon Export and Foreign Investment Agency under the sponsorship of the Belgian Embassy. When she returned to Belgium, she worked for an investment fund company. Stéphanie is fluent in French, German, and English and has a knowledge of Russian, Dutch, and Luxembourgish.

Guillaume_civil wedding

The couple exiting Town Hall after the civil marriage; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Guillaume_religious wedding

Photo Credit – Zimbio

Stéphanie first met Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg when they were introduced by friends in Germany eight years before they married. They did not see each other until they met again about five years later and that was when they fell in love. Guillaume proposed to Stéphanie three weeks before their engagement was announced. Unfortunately, Stéphanie’s mother died from a stroke two months before the wedding.

On April 26, 2012, the Luxembourg Court announced the engagement of Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke to Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy. The couple was married in a civil ceremony at the City Hall in Luxembourg City, on October 19, 2012. Their religious wedding took place on October 20, 2012, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City.

Photo Credit: Grand Ducal Court/ Marion Dessard

Stéphanie and Guillaume have two sons:

Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Theresa holding Prince François, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Prince Charles, and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume; Credit – House of the Grand Duke / Sophie Margue

In his Christmas Eve speech on December 24, 2024, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg announced that he would abdicate in favor of his eldest son Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg on October 3, 2025. Guillaume and Stéphanie will then become the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Their elder son Prince Charles will become the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

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

King Charles III of the United Kingdom

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Charles

King Charles III of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

Charles Philip Arthur George was born at Buckingham Palace in London, England on November 14, 1948. He was the first child of the four children of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born a Prince of Greece and Denmark).

The children of a daughter of a British sovereign, in this case, the then Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, would not have been accorded the style Royal Highness or the titles Prince/Princess as in the case of the children of Anne, Princess Royal. However, on October 22, 1948, Charles’ grandfather King George VI issued letters patent allowing the children of his eldest daughter and heiress presumptive, to use the style and title of a royal prince or princess. Therefore, Charles was His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Edinburgh at birth.

Charles was christened on December 15, 1948, in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace in London, England using water from the Jordan River. His grandparents were:

Christening of the future King Charles III with his parents and godparents: Seated left to right: Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven (born Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine), the then Princess Elizabeth holding the infant Charles and Queen Mary. Standing left to right: Patricia Knatchbull, Baroness Brabourne, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (representing godparent Prince George of Greece), King George VI, David Bowes-Lyon, Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone (representing godparent King Haakon of Norway), and Princess Margaret

The infant Charles and his parents lived at Buckingham Palace until he was eight months old. The family then moved to Clarence House, a short distance from the palace. Two nannies, Helen Lightbody and Mabel Anderson, were in charge of the nursery.

Charles has one sister and two brothers:

Charles_birth family

Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth holding Prince Edward, Prince Charles, and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1965; Credit – www.telegraph.co.uk

When King George VI died on February 6, 1952, his elder daughter Princess Elizabeth succeeded him as Queen Elizabeth II and three-year-old Charles became heir to the throne. Upon his mother’s accession to the throne, Charles automatically became Duke of Cornwall and also the Scottish titles Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. The title Prince of Wales is not automatic and must be conferred by the sovereign.

Charles attended his mother’s coronation in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, and he sat between his grandmother The Queen Mother and his aunt Princess Margaret. Along with his sister Anne, Charles later joined his parents and other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Charles_coronation_1

Charles with his grandmother and aunt at his mother’s coronation; Photo Credit – http://www.abc.net.au/

Charles_coronation_2

Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother on the balcony; Credit – www.itv.com

Charles started his early education with a governess, Catherine Peebles. In 1955, Buckingham Palace announced that Charles would go to school, and not be educated by private tutors as had been the case with heirs to the throne in the past. On November 7, 1956, a week before his eighth birthday, Miss Peebles accompanied Charles to Hill House School, a preparatory day school in Knightsbridge, London. Charles then attended two schools his father had also attended: Cheam School in Berkshire, England, and Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland.

In October 1967, Charles was admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge University, where he studied anthropology, archaeology, and history. During his second year, Charles attended the University College of Wales in Aberystwyth, Wales where he studied Welsh history and language for a term. He graduated from Cambridge with a 2:2 Bachelor of Arts in 1970, and was the first heir apparent to earn a university degree.

Charles_Cambridge

Charles at Cambridge University; Photo Credit – britishpathe.tumblr.com

Charles had been created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1958. His formal investiture as Prince of Wales was held on July 1, 1969, at Caernarfon Castle in Wales where Charles gave his replies and speech in both Welsh and English.

Charles_investiture

Queen Elizabeth II formally invests the Prince of Wales with his coronet; Credit – www.dailymail.co.uk

Prince Charles served in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. During his university years, he started training in the air force, and after university, he enrolled at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell to train as a jet pilot. Charles then enrolled at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth and served on the guided-missile destroyer HMS Norfolk (1971–1972) and the frigates HMS Minerva (1972–1973) and HMS Jupiter (1974). He qualified as a helicopter pilot at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in 1974 and joined the 845 Naval Air Squadron aboard the HMS Hermes. On February 9, 1976, Charles took command of the HMS Bronington, a coastal minehunter, for his last ten months of active service in the Royal Navy.

Charles reached the age of 30 without getting married and was considered the world’s most eligible bachelor. Among the women Charles had been linked to include Georgiana Russell, daughter of the British Ambassador to Spain; Lady Jane Wellesley, daughter of the 8th Duke of Wellington; Davina Sheffield; Lady Sarah Spencer; and Camilla Shand, who later became his second wife.  Charles’ great-uncle Lord Mountbatten, encouraged a marriage with his granddaughter Amanda Knatchbull.  Supposedly, Charles did propose to Amanda Knatchbull sometime after the IRA bombing deaths of her maternal grandfather Lord Mountbatten, her paternal grandmother, and youngest brother Nicholas, but after the deaths of her family members, Amanda was reluctant to join the royal family.

Charles first met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977 while visiting her home, Althorp, while dating her elder sister Sarah. During the summer of 1980, Charles first became seriously interested in Diana as a potential bride when they were guests at a country weekend. The relationship continued to develop as Charles invited Diana for a sailing weekend aboard the royal yacht Britannia. Then an invitation to Balmoral followed for Diana to meet Charles’ family during a weekend in November of 1980. Diana was well received by Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Queen Mother. The couple continued to see each other in London. Charles proposed on February 6, 1981, and Lady Diana accepted, but their engagement was kept secret for the next few weeks until it was officially announced on February 24, 1981. The wedding was held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981. 3,500 invited guests attended the ceremony at St. Paul’s, 600,000 people lined the streets of London, and 750 million people watched on television.

Charles_Diana_wedding

Photo Credit – www.bbc.co.uk

Charles and Diana had two sons:

Charles_Diana_family

Photo Credit – www.dailymail.co.uk

Unfortunately, Charles and Diana’s marriage was not the fairy tale marriage it was expected to be. Within five years, the couple’s incompatibility and age difference of almost 13 years, as well as Diana’s concern about Charles’s previous girlfriend, Camilla Parker Bowles, became visible and was damaging to their marriage. Diana exposed Charles’s affair with Camilla in a book by Andrew Morton, Diana, Her True Story. Audiotapes showing evidence of her own extramarital affairs also surfaced. In December of 1992, British Prime Minister John Major announced the formal separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales in Parliament. Charles and Diana divorced on August 28, 1996. Tragically, Diana died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. Charles flew to Paris with Diana’s sisters to accompany her body back to London.

Diana_funeral

8th Earl Spencer, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Prince Charles watch as the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales is placed into a hearse at Westminster Abbey following her funeral service; Credit – www.emirates247.com

In 1994, two years after the Prince and Princess of Wales had separated, Charles finally spoke about his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles in a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby. He told Dimbleby, “Mrs. Parker Bowles is a great friend of mine…a friend for a very long time. She will continue to be a friend for a long time.” The same year Charles admitted in The Prince of Wales: A Biography written by Dimbleby that his relationship with Camilla rekindled after his marriage had irretrievably broken down in 1986. In 1995, Andrew Parker-Bowles and Camilla, who had been living apart for quite a while, announced their divorce.

Following both Charles and Camilla’s divorces, Charles let it be known that his relationship with Camilla was “non-negotiable.” Charles knew that the relationship was causing much negative publicity and he had Mark Bolland, his Deputy Private Secretary, work on the rehabilitation of Camilla’s image which occurred from 1999 until 2005. Camilla was occasionally seen with Charles at unofficial events, then at some public events, and then Camilla accompanied Charles on some public engagements. Camilla socialized with Queen Elizabeth II at the 60th birthday party for former King Constantine II of Greece in 2000 and this meeting was seen as the Queen’s approval of the relationship. Camilla attended events related to Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. In 2003, she moved into Clarence House which had become Charles’ official residence that same year. By 2004, Camilla was accompanying Charles on almost all of his official engagements.

On February 10, 2005, the couple’s engagement was announced and polls conducted in the United Kingdom showed support for the marriage. Charles and Camilla married on April 9, 2005, in a civil ceremony held at the Guildhall in Windsor. Prince William and Tom Parker Bowles, Camilla’s son, served as the witnesses to the civil wedding ceremony. Later that afternoon, a Service of Prayer and Dedication was held at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, presided over by The Archbishop of Canterbury.

charles-camilla-wedding

Photo Credit – Hugo Burnand, Pool/Getty Images

While Prince of Wales, Charles had no constitutional role. With the support of his wife Camilla, he strived to make a positive difference in his country and internationally. To do this, he undertook royal duties in support of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, worked as a charitable entrepreneur, and promoted and protected national traditions, virtues, and excellence.

Charles_Camilla

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall; Credit – www.princeofwales.gov.uk

As Prince of Wales, Charles was the Patron or President of over 400 charitable organizations. Two organizations supported a number of areas:

  • The Prince’s Trust: provided training programs, mentoring support and financial grants to build the confidence and motivation of disadvantaged young people
  • The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation: uses the profits from the sale of Duchy Originals from Waitrose and Highgrove Enterprises to support the environment, responsible business and enterprise, young people and education, and global sustainability

King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Presentation Of Addresses by both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall, London on September 12, 2022

Upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, Charles succeeded to the throne as King Charles III of the United Kingdom. King Charles III is the first British monarch to be descended from two children of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. All monarchs after Queen Victoria have been descendants of her eldest son and heir King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. Through his father, Charles is also a descendant of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, the second daughter and third child of Queen Victoria. Prince Philip’s royal pedigree also brings a good deal more royal heritage into the British royal family because both of Prince Philip’s parents were royal while only one parent of Queen Elizabeth II was royal.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their coronation; Credit – By HM Government – https://coronation.gov.uk/, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133959751

The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla was held on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation lasted nearly three hours and had 8,000 guests. King Charles III’s coronation was shorter, more diverse, and had fewer guests.

On February 5, 2024, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had been diagnosed with “a form of cancer.” The statement from Buckingham Palace said:

During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer. His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties. Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual. The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.

King Charles made his first major public appearance since his cancer diagnosis at the Easter service held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, on March 31, 2024. In April 2024, it was announced that he would resume public duties after making progress in his cancer treatment.

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.

House of Windsor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Infanta Leonor, Princess of Asturias

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

2023

Infanta Leonor, Princess of Asturias and heir presumptive to the Spanish throne was born on October 31, 2005, at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, Spain. She is the elder of two daughters of King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia (born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano).

Currently, Spain’s succession law is male-preference cognatic primogeniture. This means that Leonor, as the elder of King Felipe’s two daughters, is first in line to inherit the throne, and she is the heir presumptive. However, if her parents have a son, which seems unlikely at this point, he would be the heir apparent and Leonor would forfeit the title of Princess of Asturias and the other titles to her brother. There have been discussions of changing the succession law to absolute primogeniture, where the eldest child, regardless of gender, inherits the throne, but no legislation has been forthcoming.  If Leonor ascends to the throne, she will be Spain’s first queen regnant since Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 to 1868.

Embed from Getty Images

Infanta Leonor was christened at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid, Spain on January 14, 2006, with water from the Jordan River, a royal custom. She was also given the additional names of de Todos los Santos (of All the Saints), a Bourbon tradition. Her godparents were:

Leonor has one sister:

Leonor in her military uniform when she entered the General Military Academy; Credit – https://www.casareal.es/

From 2008 – 2021, Leonor attended Santa María de los Rosales School (link in Spanish) in Madrid, Spain, where her father attended until he was 16. Starting in the fall of 2021, Leonor began attending the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales, graduating in May 2023. On August 17, 2023, Leonor began a three-year military training education program at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain. Leonor is fluent in both Spanish and English, which she learned from her British nanny and also from her grandmother Queen Sofía, and has studied Mandarin.

Leonor_proclamation

Leonor, 2nd from the right, attends her father’s proclamation ceremony; Credit – ceruleanchronicle.com

On June 2, 2014, King Juan Carlos, Infanta Leonor’s grandfather, announced his intention to abdicate the throne in favor of his son. On June 18, 2014, King Juan Carlos signed the formal instrument of abdication and Felipe ascended the throne at midnight. At the same time, Leonor automatically became Princess of Asturias, a title given to the heir to the Spanish throne. King Felipe VI was sworn in and proclaimed as king on June 19, 2014, in a ceremony in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish legislature.

Besides holding the Princess of Asturias title, Leonor is also The Princess of Girona (Aragon), The Princess of Viana (Navarre) and holds the historical titles of Duchess of Montblanc, Countess of Cervera and Lady of Balaguer.  When she turned eighteen, Leonor was formally invested as the Princess of Asturias and swore loyalty to the King, before the Spanish Parliament, taking an oath to discharge her duties faithfully, to abide by the Constitution and the law, ensure that they are abided by, and to respect the rights of citizens and the Autonomous Communities, fully undertook her role as successor to the Crown.

On January 30, 2018, her father’s 50th birthday, Leonor was invested with the Order of the Golden Fleece.  The Order is the highest award in Spain and is considered one of the most prestigious orders in Europe.  The King had awarded her with the order by Royal Decree in October 2015.

Embed from Getty Images

On October 31, 2018,  Leonor gave her first-ever public speech at the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid, where she read the first article of the Constitution of Spain. The speech coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Constitution of Spain and her 13th birthday.

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.

      Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

      by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

      W_HKH+Kronprinsessan+Victoria.+HRH+Crown+Princess+Victoria+Foto+Kate+Gabor+kungahuset.se

      Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Credit – Kate Gabor/Royal Court, Sweden

      Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée) was born July 14, 1977, at Karolinska University Hospital in Solna, Sweden. She is the eldest of the three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and his wife Queen Silvia (née Silvia Sommerlath). Victoria is descended from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom from two lines. Victoria’s paternal grandfather, Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, was the son of Princess Margaret of Connaught, the daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria’s seventh child and third son.  Additionally, her paternal grandmother, born Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was the daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the posthumous child of Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, Queen Victoria’s eighth child and youngest son.

      Embed from Getty Images 

      Crown Princess Victoria was christened Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée on September 27, 1977, at the Storkyrkan (Great Church) in Stockholm, Sweden. Her godparents were:

      Victoria_birth family

      Victoria in the pink hat with her parents and siblings; Photo Credit: Hello

      Crown Princess Victoria has two younger siblings:

      In 1979, the Riksdag, the Swedish legislature, introduced an Act of Succession changing the succession to absolute primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is first in the line of succession. This Act of Succession became law on January 1, 1980, making Sweden the first monarchy to adopt absolute primogeniture. The previous 1810 Act of Succession allowed for only males to inherit the throne. Victoria’s brother Carl Philip was born as Crown Prince in May 1979 and retained his title and first place in the succession for seven months until January 1, 1980, when his elder sister became Crown Princess and heir apparent. Since 1980, two other princesses have joined Crown Princess Victoria as the heir apparent: Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange, the heir apparent to the Dutch throne, and Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, the heir apparent to the Belgian throne. Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, the eldest child of Crown Prince Haakon of Noway, is also in a position to be an heir apparent as Norway’s succession is also absolute primogeniture.

      Crown Princess Victoria’s education was well-planned and covered many aspects.

      • Västerled Parish Preschool in Stockholm, Sweden from 1982-84, a municipal elementary school in Smedslätten, Bromma, Stockholm,  completed junior level, 1984-1986 (link translated from Swedish)
      • Ålstenskolan, a municipal elementary school in Ålsten, Bromma, Stockholm, completed intermediate level, 1986-1989 (link translated from Swedish)
      • Enskilda Gymnasiet, a prestigious independent secondary school in Tegnérlunden, in central Stockholm, followed a science and social studies program, 1989-1996
      • Centre International D’Études Françaises at the Université Catholique de L’Ouest in Angers, France, studied French, 1996-1997
      • Specially designed program to gain a general insight into the workings of the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament) and the Swedish Government, 1997
      • Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA: studied Political Science and History, 1998-2000
      • Worked at the Swedish Embassy in Washington DC, May 1999
      • Studied conflict resolution and international peace-building, 2000
      • Studied the Presidency of the European Union, 2001
      • Followed a study program at the offices of the Swedish Government, 2001
      • Completed a study program at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and spent time in Uganda and Ethiopia, Spring 2002
      • Worked at the United Nations in New York, June – September 2002
      • Completed an internship with the Swedish Trade Council in Berlin and Paris, Autumn 2002
      • Study and work experience program in Swedish agriculture and forestry, 2003
      • Completed basic military training at the Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, 2003
      • Studied at the Swedish National Defense College in Stockholm focusing on political science, international relations, and conflict resolution, 2004
      • Traveled to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to study international aid efforts in these countries, 2005
      • Followed the work of the Swedish Embassy in China and traveled to gain insights in the Chinese community, Autumn 2005
      • Diplomatic program at the Swedish Foreign Ministry which lasted for one academic year and included lectures, seminars, and group work, 2006-2007
      • Internship at the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union, 2007-2008
      • Uppsala University, received a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2009

      Victoria_basic training

      Crown Princess Victoria during her basic military training in 2003; Photo: Swedish Royal Court, Jan Collsioo/Scanpix

      Crown Princess Victoria’s Fund was established in 1997 to provide support for recreational activities for children and young people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Radiohjälpen, the fund-raising branch of Sveriges Television, the Swedish national TV and radio stations, runs an annual fund-raising drive supporting Crown Princess Victoria’s Fund.  The work this fund does is very important to the Crown Princess. Each year Victoria visits several clubs or projects that have been granted money. These visits are not announced in the official royal diary but are kept private. Sveriges Television accompanies her and airs short programs from these visits at some time during the year.

      In November 1997, the Swedish Royal Court announced that Victoria had an eating disorder after a period of much speculation in the press. Victoria had intended to attend Uppsala University in Sweden, but those plans were changed. Instead, she spent two years studying at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. This allowed Victoria to lead an anonymous life while getting professional help and to recover without worrying about media speculations or being recognized on the streets.

      In 2002, the Swedish media began to report that Crown Princess Victoria was in a relationship with Daniel Westling, a personal trainer and gym owner, which she refused to confirm. Victoria first met Daniel Westling in 2001 when he became her personal trainer at the gym he owned in Stockholm. It was at a friend’s birthday party in 2002 that photographers caught a kiss between the two, fueling the interest in Victoria’s personal life.

      Despite some public opinion against Daniel as a potential spouse for the princess due to his “common” background, Victoria made it clear that one’s background was not the deciding factor in marriage, but rather the happiness shared by the couple. Speculation increased in July 2008 when Daniel moved to a rental apartment in a wing of Drottningholm Palace. Many believed this was to allow him to be groomed for the role of consort to the Crown Princess. The Royal Palace announced the engagement of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling on February 24, 2009. The announcement indicated that after the wedding Daniel Westling would be known as Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland, the male counterpart of Victoria’s title Duchess of Västergötland. Another announcement in May 2010 said that Westling would be granted the style His Royal Highness upon marriage.

       

      The wedding was held at Stockholm Cathedral also known as Storkyrkan on June 19, 2010. One Canadian reporter said it was “Europe’s biggest royal wedding since the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.” There were 1,200 invited guests and 500,000 people lined Stockholm’s streets. According to Sveriges Television, the Swedish national public TV broadcaster, the wedding was the biggest event ever covered on television in Sweden.

      Victoria_wedding

      Victoria and Daniel greeting people in the streets of Stockholm; Credit – Wikipedia

      Victoria and Daniel have a daughter and a son. Their daughter Estelle is second in line to the Swedish throne after her mother and remained in that position after the birth of her brother.

      July 2023

      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 Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty

      Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant

      by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

      Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant; Credit – Wikipedia (2023)

      The heir apparent to the Belgian throne, Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant (Elisabeth Therese Maria Helena), was born on October 25, 2001, at Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium. She is the oldest of four children of Philippe King of the Belgians and Queen Mathilde (née Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz).

      Princess Elisabeth’s family in 2022: Princess Eléonore, Prince Gabriel, Queen Mathilde, King Philippe, Princess Elisabeth, and Prince Emmanuel

      Elisabeth has two brothers and a sister:

      Elisabeth was baptized on December 9, 2001, at Ciergnon Castle by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. Her godparents were:

      Embed from Getty Images

      In 2011, nine-year-old Princess Elisabeth gave her first public speech (in Dutch) at the opening of a children’s hospital named after her, the Princess Elisabeth Children’s Hospital in Ghent, Belgium. Her speech was short, and even giving a speech was very unconventional for young royals. Princess Elisabeth said: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very happy that I can give my name to this new children’s hospital today. Together with you, I hope that many children will find help here. I know they can count on your daily commitment. The Princess Elisabeth Children’s Hospital now gets a special place in my heart.”

      Embed from Getty Images

      On July 21, 2013, Elisabeth’s grandfather King Albert II abdicated in favor of her father who became King Philippe of the Belgians. Belgium had changed its succession law in 1991 to absolute primogeniture where the succession passes to the eldest child of the sovereign regardless of gender. Males and females have equal succession rights. This means that Elisabeth is the heir apparent and comes first in the line of succession as the eldest child. She is expected to become the first Belgian Queen Regnant.  Elisabeth automatically became Duchess of Brabant, the title used by the female heirs to the Belgian throne and the wives of male heirs.

      Embed from Getty Images
      July 21, 2013 – King Philippe’s accession to the throne, Elisabeth becomes the Duchess of Brabant, the traditional title for the heir apparent

      Princess Elisabeth attended Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege in the Marolles district of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The children of Elisabeth’s aunt Princess Astrid attended this school. Instruction is in Dutch. This is the first time that a future Belgian monarch’s education began in a language other than French. Elisabeth is fluent in Dutch, French, German, and English.

      On July 5, 2014, Princess Elisabeth along with her cousin Princess Louise, daughter of Prince Laurent of Belgium, were bridesmaids at the wedding of their cousin Prince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este in Rome, Italy.  Prince Amedeo is the son of the princesses’ aunt, Princess Astrid.

      In 2018, Princess Elisabeth enrolled at the United World College of the Atlantic College, a private residential school at St Donat’s Castle in Llantwit Major, Wales, the United Kingdom, completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in May 2020.  In August 2020, Elisabeth began her one-year studies in Social and Military Sciences at the Royal Military Academy, the military university of Belgium, in Brussels, Belgium.

      In 2021, Elisabeth began a three-year program studying History and Politics at Lincoln College, University of Oxford in Oxford, England. In May 2024, the Belgian Royal Court announced that Elisabeth was admitted to the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to study for a two-year master’s degree in public policy. She was also selected for an Honorary Award from the prestigious Fulbright Program.

      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 Belgium Resources at Unofficial Royalty

      Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg

      by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

      Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg; Credit – Maison du Grand-Duc / Sophie Margue

      Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg (Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie) was born on November 11, 1981, at the Grand Duchess Charlotte Maternity Hospital in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. He is the eldest of five children of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Cuban-born María Teresa Mestre y Batista-Falla.

      Guillaume has four younger siblings:

      Henri_family

      The Princely Family in 2009; Photo Credit – Zimbio

      Guillaume was christened on December 2, 1981, at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. His godparents were:

      Prince Guillaume attended Lorentzweiler Primary School in Lorentzweiler, a small town in Luxembourg. He then completed his lower secondary education at Lycée Robert-Schumann Luxembourg in Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Guillaume completed his secondary education at Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland where he passed his French Baccalaureate in 2001.

      From September 2001 until August 2002, Guillaume underwent officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. He was commissioned as an officer in the Luxembourg Army in December 2002 and currently holds the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. In June 2009, Guillaume was awarded a Bachelor’s degree with distinction in Humanities and Languages with a specialization in Political Science at the University of Angers in France. He is fluent in Luxembourgish, French, English, German, and Spanish.

      Prince Guillaume is interested in politics, economics, and philosophy. His favorite books
      include biographies and historical novels. He enjoys music, both classical and modern,
      and plays piano and guitar. As a child, he sang in a boys’ choir, the Pueri Cantores Choir of Luxembourg. While in school in Switzerland, he was a singer in the school rock band and participated in several school plays. Guillaume loves sports, particularly football (soccer), tennis, skiing, swimming, and water sports.

      Guillaume became Hereditary Grand Duke in 2000 when his father acceded to the throne upon the abdication of his grandfather, Grand Duke Jean (born 1921).  The Hereditary Grand Duke is a member of the State Council (Conseil d’Etat), composed of twenty-one citizens who advise the Chamber of Deputies, the legislature of Luxembourg, in the drafting of legislation.

      Prince Guillaume participates in the administration and fundraising of the following organizations:

      Guillaume_civil wedding

      The couple exiting Town Hall after the civil marriage; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

      Guillaume_religious wedding

      Photo Credit – Zimbio

      Prince Guillaume first met Countess Stéphanie de Lanoy, (born 1984 in Ronse, East Flanders, Belgium to a Belgian noble family) when they were introduced by friends in Germany eight years before they married. They did not see each other until they met again about five years later and that was when they fell in love. Guillaume proposed to Stéphanie three weeks prior to the announcement of their engagement on April 26, 2012.  The couple was married in a civil ceremony at the City Hall in Luxembourg City, on October 19, 2012. Their religious wedding took place on October 20, 2012, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City.

      Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Theresa holding Prince François, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Prince Charles, and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume; Credit – House of the Grand Duke / Sophie Margue

      Guillaume and Stéphanie have two sons:

      Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume being sworn as Lieutenant Representative of Luxembourg on October 8, 2024

      On October 8, 2024, Guillaume was appointed as Lieutenant Representative, assuming a number of his father’s constitutional powers such as the swearing in of ambassadors and the signing of Grand Ducal Decrees. This is traditionally the first step in the abdication process in Luxembourg.

      In his Christmas Eve speech on December 24, 2024, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg announced that he would abdicate in favor of his eldest son Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg on October 3, 2025. Prince Guillaume’s elder of two sons Prince Charles of Luxembourg, born  May 10, 2020, will become the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

      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.

      Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Resources at Unofficial Royalty

      Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

      by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

      Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; Credit – Wikipedia

      Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born at Mon Repos, formerly the summer residence of the Greek Royal Family, on the Greek island of Corfu on June 10, 1921. His parents were Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. His paternal grandparents were King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. Prince Ludwig (Louis) of Battenberg, later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, a grandchild of Queen Victoria, were his maternal grandparents.

      Prince Phillip was christened on an unknown date at St. George’s Church in the Old Fortress in Corfu, Greece, according to the rites of the Greek Orthodox Church.

      His godparents were:

        • Queen Olga of Greece (his paternal grandmother, born Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia)
        • The Corfu City Council (represented by Alexander S. Kokotos, Mayor of Corfu and Stylianos I. Maniarizis, Chairman of the City Council)

      Philip_parents

      Prince Philip’s parents in 1903 – Credit – Wikipedia

      Prince Philip has some interesting genealogy and several connections to other royal families. His paternal grandparents were King George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia. King George was born Prince William of Denmark, and was the son of King Christian IX of Denmark and the brother of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. Philip’s paternal grandmother Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna of Russia was the daughter of Grand Duke Konstantine Nikolaevich, the second son of Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia.

      Philip’s paternal aunts and uncles were:

      Philip’s maternal grandparents were Prince Louis of Battenberg and Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine. Through his maternal grandmother Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine, Philip is a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria. Princess Victoria’s mother was Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, the third child of Queen Victoria. Philip’s maternal grandfather, Prince Louis of Battenberg, had a 40-year career in the British Navy and was First Sea Lord.  During World War I, at the request of his wife’s first cousin King George V of the United Kingdom, Prince Louis relinquished his German styles and titles and changed his name to Mountbatten. King George V created him Marquess of Milford Haven.

      Philip’s maternal aunts and uncles were:

      Philip has some interesting first cousins, and his royal pedigree is more royal than the royal pedigree of his wife, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

      Philip’s sisters: Princess Theodora, Princess Cecilia, Princess Margarita, and Princess Sophia

      Philip had four sisters, all quite a bit older than him:

      In 1922, when Philip was a little more than a year old, his uncle King Constantine I was forced to abdicate, and his father Prince Andrew was arrested by the military government and court-martialed. Prince Andrew was found guilty and faced possible death. Through the efforts of King George V of the United Kingdom, arrangements were made for Andrew to be spared and to go into exile with his family in Paris. The family settled in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud in a house lent to them by Andrew’s French-born sister-in-law Princess Marie Bonaparte.

      Prince Philip as a toddler, July 1922

      Prince Philip first attended the MacJannet School for Young Americans in Saint-Cloud, France. In 1928, he was sent to England, where he lived with his maternal grandmother at Kensington Palace and his maternal uncle George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven at Lynden Manor in Bray, Berkshire, England.  He started to attend the Cheam School in Ashford Hill, Hampshire, England in 1930. Over the next three years, all four of Philip’s sisters married German royals, his mother was placed in a sanatorium after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, and his father moved to a small apartment in Monte Carlo. Philip spent most of his childhood in the care of other family members and did not see his mother again until the funeral of his sister Cecilie in 1937. In 1938, Philip’s uncle and primary guardian, the Marquess of Milford Haven, died at age 45 of bone marrow cancer.

      In 1933, Philip was sent to the Schule Schloss Salem in Germany, where money could be saved on his tuition because the family of his brother-in-law, Berthold, Margrave of Baden, owned the school. With the rise of Nazism in Germany, Schule Schloss Salem’s Jewish founder, Kurt Hahn, left Germany and founded Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland. After two terms at Schule Schloss Salem, Philip moved to Gordonstoun School, where he became Head Boy and captain of the hockey and cricket teams.

      Philip_Gordonstoun

      Philip at Gordonstoun School 1938; Credit – http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/

      After finishing Gordonstoun School, Philip joined the British Royal Navy in 1939. He completed his training at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth, where he was the best cadet in his class. Philip was on active duty during World War II and remained in the Royal Navy until 1952.

      Princess Elizabeth (third from left), with King George VI, Lord Louis Mountbatten (standing, third from right) and Queen Elizabeth during a visit to the chapel at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, July 23, 1939. Also present is naval cadet Prince Philip of Greece, standing, second from right)

      In 1939, during Philip’s first year at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth,  the British Royal Family: King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth, and their daughters Princess Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret, made a visit. Because of his family relationship (Elizabeth and Philip were second cousins once removed through their descent from King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousins through their descent from Queen Victoria), Philip was asked to join the party to entertain the two young princesses. Elizabeth and Philip had already met in 1934 when she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her uncle, The Duke of Kent, to Philip’s first cousin, Princess Marina of Greece. However, it was at Dartmouth that the 13-year-old Elizabeth truly took notice of her nearly 18-year-old cousin. It is said that Elizabeth was instantly smitten with the dashing Philip, and the two began a correspondence that quickly blossomed into a romance.

      Eventually, in the summer of 1946, Philip asked King George VI for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. The King consented, with the condition that the announcement would be held off until after Elizabeth’s 21st birthday the following year. In March 1947, Philip relinquished his Greek and Danish royal titles, adopted the surname Mountbatten from his mother’s family, and became a naturalized British subject. The engagement of Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was announced on July 10, 1947. The day before the wedding, King George VI bestowed the style His Royal Highness on Philip, and on the morning of the wedding, he was made the Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.

      Philip and Elizabeth were married at Westminster Abbey in London, England, on November 20, 1947.

       

      Following their honeymoon, spent at Broadlands (the Mountbatten estate in Hampshire) and Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate, the couple took up residence at Windlesham Moor, a country home in Surrey that was leased for them. They remained at Windlesham Moor until July 1949, when they moved into Clarence House in London.

      The couple had four children:

      Royals at Balmoral

      Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh with their family in 1979 at Balmoral Castle with two-year-old Peter Phillips in the background; Credit – www.royal.gov.uk

      On February 6, 1952, while on a visit to Kenya, Philip broke the news to Elizabeth that her father, King George VI, had died, and they immediately returned to London. Queen Elizabeth’s coronation took place on June 2, 1953.

      Elizabeth_and_Philip_1953

      Coronation Photo; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

      With Elizabeth’s accession, it seemed probable that the royal house would become the House of Mountbatten, following the custom of a wife taking her husband’s surname upon marriage. However, both Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Elizabeth’s grandmother, Queen Mary, were in favor of keeping the House of Windsor. On April 9, 1952, Queen Elizabeth issued a declaration that Windsor would continue to be the name of the royal house. Prince Philip supposedly told some friends, “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children.” In 1960, Queen Elizabeth modified the 1952 declaration by declaring that “while I and my children will continue to be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, my descendants, other than descendants enjoying the style, title or attributes of Royal Highness and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess, and female descendants who marry and their descendants, shall bear the name Mountbatten-Windsor.”

      Then there was a situation with Philip’s titles. On the day before his marriage to Elizabeth, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, who had previously relinquished Greek and Danish styles and titles, was created His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. Apparently, King George VI was under the impression that since he had given Philip the style of His Royal Highness, it meant he was also giving him the title of prince, which was not so. It was not until February 22, 1957, that Queen Elizabeth corrected this situation and issued a Letters Patent that made her husband a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

      British_Royal_Family,_June_2012

      British Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, June 2012;  Credit – Wikipedia

      Prince Philip was the patron of over 800 organizations in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth with special interests in scientific and technological research and development, the encouragement of sport, the welfare of young people, and conservation and the environment. His first patronages date back to the late 1940s, soon after his marriage to Queen Elizabeth.

      On May 4, 2017, Buckingham Palace announced Prince Philip decided that he would no longer carry out public engagements. In making this decision, he had the full support of Queen Elizabeth.  From 1952 until 2017, Prince Philip made over 620 solo visits to 143 countries. He also accompanied Queen Elizabeth on all her Commonwealth tours and State visits, as well as on most of her public engagements in the United Kingdom.

      Philip_dday

      Accompanying Queen Elizabeth II to the 60th anniversary of D-Day in Bayeux, France, June 6, 2014; Photo Credit – http://www.royal.gov.uk

      On February 16, 2021, Prince Philip was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in London as a precautionary measure after feeling unwell. It was later confirmed that he was being treated for an infection. Prince Philip was transferred by ambulance to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London on March 1, 2021, to continue treatment for the infection and for testing and observation related to a pre-existing heart condition. After a successful procedure for his heart condition, Prince Philip was transferred back to King Edward VII Hospital on March 5, 2021, and was discharged on March 16, 2021, when he was taken to Windsor Castle.

      Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England on April 9, 2021, at the age of 99, just two months short of his 100th birthday.  Buckingham Palace released the following announcement:

      It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.

       

      The funeral took place on April 17, 2021, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. It was a ceremonial royal funeral, the same as for Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002, rather than a state funeral usually reserved for monarchs. The funeral plans reflected Prince Philip’s wishes for a smaller, no-fuss funeral. The arrangements were planned over the years, with Prince Philip’s involvement, and Queen Elizabeth II signed off on the funeral plans. Last-minute changes were necessary to ensure compliance with COVID-19 restrictions. After The Duke of Edinburgh’s death, his coffin, covered with his personal standard and a wreath of flowers, rested in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle.

      On March 29, 2022, a Service of Thanksgiving for His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was held at Westminster Abbey in London, England. The Thanksgiving Service was organized because due to COVID-19 restrictions, there could be only 30 guests at the funeral.

      On the day of his funeral, Prince Philip’s coffin was placed in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.  On September 19, 2022, when his wife Queen Elizabeth II was buried, the coffin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was moved from the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel to the King George VI Memorial Chapel, located in St. George’s Chapel, where Elizabeth II’s parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the ashes of Princess Margaret, his wife’s sister had been interred. There Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II were interred together.

      King George VI Memorial Chapel; Credit – The Royal Family Facebook page

      Some interesting facts about Prince Philip:

      • Philip is the longest-lived male member of the British royal family.
      • Philip is the longest-serving, oldest-ever spouse of a reigning British monarch, having surpassed Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III.
      • Philip and his wife were third cousins through Queen Victoria and second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark.
      • Philip was the oldest living great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria as well as her oldest living descendant. Other great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria, and therefore third cousins, include Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, King Juan Carlos I of Spain and his wife Sofia, born a Princess of Greece and Denmark; King Harald V of Norway, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, former King Constantine II of Greece and his wife Anne-Marie, born a Princess of Denmark, former King Michael I of Romania, and Queen Elizabeth II’s paternal first cousins: Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester; Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Princess Alexandra of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent.
      • In July 1993, through mitochondrial DNA that is transmitted from mother to child, a sample of Prince Philip’s blood was used to confirm the identity of the remains of several members of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia’s family. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was a daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria’s second daughter, as was Philip’s maternal grandmother Victoria. The female line continued through Philip’s mother, Alice of Battenberg.
      • The inhabitants of some villages on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu worshipped Prince Philip as a god. The villagers had portraits of the prince and held feasts on his birthday.
      • Philip was famous for making remarks that were often interpreted as offensive or stereotypical. Read some of his quotes here.

      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.

      House of Windsor Resources at Unofficial Royalty

      Queen Silvia of Sweden

      by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

      Queen Silvia of Sweden; Credit – Wikipedia

      Silvia Renate Sommerlath was born on December 23, 1943, in Heidelberg, Germany. She is the only daughter and the youngest of four children of Walther Sommerlath (1901-1990) and his Brazilian wife Alice Soares de Toledo (1906-1997).  Silvia had three older brothers: Ralf (born 1929), Walther (1934-2020), and Jörg (1941–2006).

      When Silvia was almost four years old, the Sommerlath family moved from Germany to São Paulo, Brazil where they lived from 1947-1957. Silvia attended Colégio Visconde de Porto Seguro, a private, bilingual (German/Portuguese) founded in 1878 by German immigrants so their children could learn about German culture without losing their connection with Brazil. The family returned to Germany in 1957 and Silvia graduated from high school in Düsseldorf, Germany in 1963. Between 1965 and 1969 she studied at the Munich School of Interpreting, majoring in Spanish. Silvia worked briefly as a flight attendant and then worked at the Argentinean Consulate in Munich, Germany. Silvia is fluent in six languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, and Portuguese.

      Silvia put her language skills to good use when she worked as a hostess trainer between 1971 and 1973 for the Organizing Committee of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. She became Deputy Head of Protocol of the Organizing Committee for the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

      At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, Silvia met Carl Gustaf, then Crown Prince of Sweden. Carl Gustaf has said that the couple immediately “clicked” upon meeting.  While the couple was courting, Carl Gustaf’s grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf, died on September 15, 1973, and Carl Gustaf became King at the age of 27.

      The engagement of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath was announced on March 12, 1976.  The couple was married at Stockholm’s Storkyrkan Cathedral on June 19, 1976. The night before the wedding the Swedish group ABBA performed the first live Swedish television performance of their song Dancing Queen at a gala in honor of Carl Gustaf and his queen-to-be.

      silvia_wedding

      King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia on their wedding day; Credit – http://www.kungahuset.se

      King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia have three children:

      Embed from Getty Images 

      The King and Queen and their family moved to Drottningholm Palace, a short distance from Stockholm, in 1982.  The official offices remain at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

      Drottningholm

      Drottningholm Palace; Photo Credit – Susan Flantzer

      Queen Silvia is involved in numerous charity organizations, especially in the area of disadvantaged children, the handicapped, drug abuse, dementia and elder care, and dyslexia which King Carl Gustaf has. In 1999, Queen Silvia founded the World Childhood Foundation (WCF) which works towards better living conditions for children all over the world. The WCF has offices in Sweden, Brazil, Germany, and the United States, where Princess Madeleine, the Queen’s youngest child, once worked in the New York City office.

      Queen Silvia also is involved with:

      • Mentor Foundation, a leading international organization for drug use and substance abuse prevention.
      • The Queen Silvia Fund, an endowment that enables young handicapped people, all over the world, to benefit through Scouting.
      • The Silvia Home, an organization that strives for the development of good health and care of people with dementia and their families.

      In 2011, Queen Silvia became the longest-serving queen consort of Sweden, a record previously held by Sophia of Nassau, the wife of King Oscar II.  She enjoys participating in outdoor activities with her husband including gardening, hiking, skiing, water skiing, and horseback riding.

      Silvia_hiking

      The King and Queen hiking in the Swedish mountains; Photo: Swedish Royal Court 

      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 Sweden Resources at Unofficial Royalty