by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2012
Revised 2021
Republished 2024

The following royalty or royalty-related people participated in the Olympics but did not win medals. Royal medal winners can be seen at  Royal Olympic Medal Winners.

• Name: Prince Ernst zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst
• Country: Austria
• Olympics: 1912/Stockholm
• Sport: Fencing, Men’s Sabre, 25th place
• Born: August 5, 1891 in Racibórz, Śląskie, Poland
• Parents: Prince Egon zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst and Princess Leopoldine von Lobkowicz
• Died: June 17, 1947 in Lisbon, Portugal
• Wikipedia: Prince Ernst zu Hohenlohe

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• Name: Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia (first cousin of Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia, he was later involved with the death of Rasputin)
• Country: Russia
• Olympics: 1912/Stockholm
• Sport: Equestrian Individual and Team Jumping
• Result: 9th place in Individual Jumping, 5th place in Team Jumping
• Born: September 18, 1891 at Ilinskoe near Moscow, Russia
• Parents: Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and Princess Alexandra of Greece, who died after giving birth to Dmitri
• Died: March 5, 1941 in Davos, Switzerland
• Unofficial Royalty: Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia

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• Name: Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein
• Country: Liechtenstein
• Olympics: 1948/St. Moritz
• Sport: Alpine Skiing, Downhill
• Result: 99th place
• Born: December 23, 1911 in Vienna, Austria
• Parents: Prince Johannes of Liechtenstein and Gräfin Marie Andrássy de Csik-Szent-Király
  and Kraszna-Horka
• Died: March 28, 2001 in Grabs, Switzerland
• Wikipedia: Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein

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• Name: Prince Max of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
• Country: Liechtenstein
• Olympics: 1956/Cortina d’Ampezzo
• Sport: Alpine Skiing, Downhill
• Result: 45th place
• Born: October 6, 1931 in Vienna, Austria
• Parents: Prince Egon of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Doña Maria de la Piedad Iturbe y Scholtz, Marquesa de Belvis de las Navas
• Died: December 1, 1994 in Marbella, Málaga, Spain
• Wikipedia: Prince Max of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

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• Name: Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh of Thailand (Prince Bira, as he was called, was more famous as a race car driver.)
• Country: Thailand
• Olympics: 1956/Melbourne, 1960/Rome, 1964/Tokyo Olympics, 1972/Munich
• Sport: Sailing
• Result: Mixed Two Person Keelboat – 12th place (1956), Mixed Two Person Keelboat – 19th place (1960), Mixed Three Person Keelboat – 22nd place (1964), Mixed Two Person Keelboat – 21st place (1972)
• Born: July 15, 1914
• Parents: Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse of Thailand and Mom Lek Bhanubandh na Ayudhya, his paternal grandfather was King Mongkut, loosely portrayed in the Hollywood movies The King and I and Anna and the King of Siam.
• Died: December 24, 1985, of a heart attack at the Barons Court tube station in London, England
• Wikipedia: Prince Birabongse Bhanudej of Thailand

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• Name: Princess Sophia of Greece (Queen Sofía of Spain, wife of King Juan Carlos of Spain)
• Country: Greece
• Olympics: 1960/Rome
• Sport: Sailing
• Result: Reserve on team
• Born: November 2, 1938
• Parents: King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederika of Hanover
• Unofficial Royalty: Queen Sofía of Spain

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• Name: Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini (49th Imam of the Nizari Ismailis and Aga Khan IV)
• Country: Iran
• Olympics: 1964/Innsbruck
• Sport: Alpine Skiing
• Result: Downhill: 59th place, Giant Slalom: 53rd place, Slalom: did not qualify for final
• Born: December 13, 1936 in Geneva, Switzerland
• Parents: Prince Aly Khan and Princess Tajuddawlah Aly Khan, formerly The Honorable Joan Yarde-Buller, daughter of the 3rd Baron Churston
• Wikipedia: Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV

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• Name: Crown Prince Harald of Norway (King Harald V of Norway)
• Country: Norway
• Olympics: 1964/Tokyo, 1968/Mexico City, 1972/Munich
• Sport: Sailing
• Result: 1964 Mixed 5.5 meters – 8th place, 1968 Mixed 5.5 meters – 11th place, 1972 Mixed Three Person Keelboat – 10th place
• Born: February 21, 1937 at the Skaugum Estate in Asker, Norway
• Parents: King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden
• Unofficial Royalty: King Harald V of Norway

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• Name: Prince Juan Carlos of Spain (King Juan Carlos I of Spain)
• Country: Spain
  
• Olympics:1972/Munich
  
• Sport: Sailing Mixed Three Person Keelboat
• Result: 15th place
• Born: January 5, 1938 in Rome, Italy
• Parents: Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and Princess María Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
• Unofficial Royalty: King Juan Carlos I of Spain

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• Name:  Princess Anne of the United Kingdom
• Country: Great Britain
• Olympics: 1976/Montreal
• Sport: Equestrian Three Day Event Team and Individual
• Result: Three Day Event Team – did not finish, Individual Three Day Event – 24th place
• Born: August 15, 1950 at Clarence House, Westminster in London, United Kingdom
• Parents: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
• Unofficial Royalty: Anne, The Princess Royal

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• Name: Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
• Country: Mexico
• Olympics: 1984/Sarajevo, 1988/Calgary, 1992/Albertville, 1994/Lillehammer, 2010/Vancouver, 2014/Sochi
• Sport: Alpine Skiing
• Result: Downhill – 38th place (1984), Giant Slalom – 48th place (1984), Slalom – 26th place (1984), Downhill – 43rd place (1988), Super G – 42nd place (1988), Giant Slalom – 52nd place (1988), Slalom – 30th place (1988), Combined – did not finish (1988), Downhill – 38th place (1992), Super G – 70th place (1992), Combined – 36th place (1992), Downhill – 48th place (1994), Giant Slalom – 78th place (2010), Slalom – 46th place (2010), Slalom – did not finish due to a fall (2014)
• Born: February 2, 1959 in Mexico City, Mexico
• Parents: Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Ira of Fürstenberg
• Wikipedia: Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

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• Name: Prince Albert of Monaco (Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco)
• Country: Monaco
• Olympics: 1988/Calgary, 1992/Albertville, 1994/Lillehammer, 1998/Nagano, 2002/Salt Lake City
• Sport: Bobsled, Men’s Two and Men’s Four
• Result: Men’s Two – 25th place (1988), Men’s Two – 43rd place (1992), Men’s Four – 27th place (1992), Men’s Two – 31st place (1994), Men’s Four – 26th place (1994), Men’s Four – 28th place (1998), Men’s Four – 28th place (2002)
• Born: March 14, 1958 at the Prince’s Palace, Monaco
• Parents: Prince Rainier III of Monaco and Grace Kelly
• Unofficial Royalty: Albert II, Prince of Monaco

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• Name: Infanta Cristina of Spain
• Country: Spain
• Olympics: 1988/Seoul
• Sport: Sailing Mixed Multihull
• Result: 20th place
• Born: June 13, 1965 in Madrid, Spain
• Parents: King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece
• Unofficial Royalty: Infanta Cristina of Spain

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• Name: Felipe, Prince of Asturias (King Felipe VI of Spain)
• Country: Spain
• Olympics: 1992/Barcelona
• Sport: Sailing Mixed Three Person Keelboat
• Result: 6th place
• Born: January 30, 1968 in Madrid, Spain
• Parents: King Juan Carlos I of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece
• Unofficial Royalty: King Felipe VI of Spain

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• Name: Sheikh Saeed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum of Dubai
• Country: United Arab Emirates
• Olympics: 2000/Sydney, 2004/Athens, 2008/Beijing
• Sport: Shooting, Men’s Skeet
• Result: 9th place (2000), 37th place (2004), 22nd place (2008)
• Born: October 1, 1976
• Parents: Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum
• Wikipedia: Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum

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• Name: Princess Haya of Jordan
• Country: Jordan
• Olympics: 2000/Sydney
• Sport: Equestrian Individual Mixed Jumping
• Result: 70th place
• Born: May 3, 1974 in Amman, Jordan
• Parents: King Hussein I of Jordan and Alia Baha Ad-Din Touqan
• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Haya bint Al Hussein

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• Name: Charlene Wittstock (Princess Charlene of Monaco, wife of Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco)
• Country: South Africa
• Olympics: 2000/Sydney
• Sport: Swimming
• Result: 100 meters Backstroke – 17th place, 200 meters Backstroke – 14th place, 4 × 100 meters Medley Relay – 5th place
• Born: January 25, 1978
• Parents: Michael and Lynette Wittstock
• Unofficial Royalty: Princess Charlene of Monaco

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• Name: Sheikha Latifa bint Ahmed Al-Maktoum of Dubai
• Country: United Arab Emirates
• Olympics: 2008/Beijing
• Sport: Equestrian Individual Mixed Jumping
• Result: 54th place
• Born: September 27, 1985
• Parents: Sheikh Ahmed Al-Maktoum

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• Name: Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai (on the right in the photo)
• Country: United Arab Emirates
• Olympics: 2008/Beijing
• Sport: Taekwondo Women’s Welterweight
• Result: 7th place
• Born: March 5, 1980 in Dubai
• Parents: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and a junior wife
• Wikipedia: Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

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• Name: Prince Faisal Al-Shalan of Saudi Arabia
• Country: Saudi Arabia
• Olympics: 2008/Beijing, 2016 Rio de Janeiro
• Sport: Equestrian Individual and Team Mixed Jumping
• Result: Individual Mixed Jumping – did not qualify for finals (2008), Team Mixed Jumping – 11th place (2008)
• Born: January 5, 1987
• Wikipedia: Prince Faisal Al-Shalan of Saudi Arabia

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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.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2012
Revised 2021
Republished 2024

The following royalty or royalty-related people won medals in the Olympics. Other royal Olympic participants can be seen at Royal Olympic Participants.

• Name: Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia
• Country: Germany
• Olympics: 1912 Stockholm
• Sport: Equestrian Team and Individual Jumping
• Result: Team Jumping – Bronze Medal, Individual Jumping – 18th place
• Born: April 6, 1893 in Schloss Klein-Glienicke in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Germany
• Parents: Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia and Princess Louise Sophie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg
• Died: April 6, 1917 from injuries suffered during World War I
• Unofficial Royalty: Royalty and World War I – Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia

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• Name: Crown Prince Olav of Norway (King Olav V of Norway from 1957-1991)
• Country: Norway
• Olympics: 1928 Amsterdam
• Sport: Sailing Mixed 6 Meters
• Result: Gold Medal
• Born: July 2, 1903 at Appleton House on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, United Kingdom
• Parents: Prince Carl of Denmark (King Haakon VII of Norway) and Princess Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
• Died: January 17, 1991 at the Royal Lodge Kongsseteren in Oslo, Norway
• Unofficial Royalty: King Olav V of Norway

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• Name: Crown Prince Constantine of Greece (King Constantine II of Greece from 1964-1974, deposed)
• Country: Greece
  
• Olympics:1960 Rome
  
• Sport: Sailing Mixed Three Person Keel
  
• Result: Gold Medal
• Born: June 2, 1940 in Psychiko, Athens, Greece
• Parents: King Paul of Greece and Princess Frederika of Hanover
• Died: January 10, 2023 at Hygeia Hospital in Athens, Greece
• Unofficial Royalty: King Constantine II of Greece

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• Name: Mark Phillips (first husband of Princess Anne of the United Kingdom)
• Country: Great Britain
• Olympics: 1972/Munich, 1988 Seoul
• Sport: Equestrian Three-Day Event Team and Individual
• Result: Three Day Event Team – Gold Medal (1972), Three Day Event Team – Silver Medal (1988), Three Day Event Individual – 35th place (1972), Three Day Event Individual – did not finish (1988)
• Born: September 22, 1948 in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom
• Parents: Major Peter Phillips and Anne Tiarks
• Unofficial Royalty: Mark Phillips

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• Name: Iñaki Urdangarín (former husband of Infanta Cristina of Spain, divorced 2024)
• Country: Spain
• Olympics: 1992/Barcelona, 1996/Atlanta, 2000/Sydney
• Sport: Handball
• Result: 5th place (1992), Bronze Medal (1996), Bronze Medal (2000)
• Born: January 15, 1968 in Zumárraga, Basque Country, Spain
• Parents: Juan María Urdangarín Berriochoa and Claire Liebaert Courtain
• Unofficial Royalty: Iñaki Urdangarin

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• Name: Sheikh Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Hasher Al Maktoum of Dubai
• Country: United Arab Emirates
• Olympics: 2000/Sydney, 2004/Athens, 2008/Bejing
• Sport: Trap Shooting, Double Trap Shooting
• Results: Trap – 18th place (2000), Double Trap – 23rd place (2000), Trap – 4th place (2004), Double Trap – Gold Medal (2004), Trap – 30th place (2008), Double Trap – 7th place (2008)
• Born: December 31, 1963 in Dubai
• Wikipedia: Ahmad bin Mohammad bin Hasher Al Maktoum

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• Name: Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (niece of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark)
• Country: Denmark
• Olympics: 2008/Bejing, 2012/London
• Sport: Equestrian Team and Individual Dressage
• Result: Team Dressage – Bronze Medal (2008), Individual Dressage – 14th place (2008), Team Dressage – 4th place (2012), Individual Dressage – 12th place (2012)
• Born: May 2, 1975, in Copenhagen, Denmark
• Parents: Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and Princess Benedikte of Denmark
• Wikipedia: Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg

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• Name: Zara Phillips
• Country: Great Britain
• Olympics: 2012/London
• Sport: Equestrian Three Day Event Team and Individual
• Result: Three Day Event Team – Silver Medal, Three Day Event Individual – 8th place
• Born: May 15, 1981 in London, United Kingdom
• Parents: Anne, Princess Royal and Mark Phillips
• Unofficial Royalty: Zara Phillips

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• Name: Prince Abdullah bin Mutaib Al Saud of Saudi Arabia (grandson of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia)
• Country: Saudi Arabia
• Olympics: 2008/Beijing, 2012/London
• Sport: Equestrian Individual and Team Show Jumping
• Result: Individual Show Jumping – 60th place (2008), Team Show Jumping – 13th place (2008), Team Show Jumping – Bronze Medal (2012), Individual Show Jumping – 26th place (2012)
• Born: October 13, 1984
• Parents: Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Princess Jawahir bint Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Saud
• Wikipedia: Prince Abdullah bin Mutaib

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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.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2018
Revised 2021

Anne, Princess Royal, a member of the International Committee and a former Olympian, and her husband Timothy Laurence at the 2012 London Summer Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is the international, non-governmental, non-profit organization and the supreme authority of the worldwide Olympic movement. Members of royal families have served on the International Olympic Committee throughout the years and continue to serve.

• Wikipedia: International Olympic Committee

*Current Member of the International Olympic Committee as of January 2024

#Honorary Members of the International Olympic Committee as of January 2024 (Most honorary members are former members who, after finishing their terms of office, are made honorary members.)

@Past Members or Past Honorary Members of the International Olympic Committee

Years in parentheses indicate the years served as a Member of the International Olympic Committee.

Belgium

@King Albert II of Belgium (1958-1964) as Prince Albert, Prince of Liège

Bhutan

*Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck of Bhutan (elected 2018)

Denmark

@Prince Axel of Denmark (1932-1958), honorary member 1958-1964
#King Frederik X of Denmark (2009-2021), honorary member 2021

Germany

@Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1926-1956)
@Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanover (1966-1971)

Greece

#King Constantine II of Greece (1963-1974), honorary member 1974, Gold Medal in sailing in the 1960 Summer Olympics

Jordan

*Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan (elected 2010)

Kuwait

*Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al Sabah of Kuwait (elected 1992, suspended)

Liechtenstein

@Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1936-1980)
*Princess Nora of Liechtenstein (elected 1980)

Luxembourg

#Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg (1946-1998), honorary member 1998-2019
*Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg (elected 1998)

Malaysia

#Prince Tunku Imran of Negeri Sembilan, one of the thirteen states of Malaysia (2006-2019,  honorary member 2019

Monaco

@Prince Rainier III of Monaco (1949-1950)
@Prince Pierre of Monaco, Duke of Valentinois (1950-1964)
*Prince Albert II of Monaco (elected 1985), Winter Olympics participant in bobsled 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002

Netherlands

#King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands (1998-2013), honorary member 2013

Oman

@Sheikh Khalid Muhammad Alzubair of Oman (2017-2018)

Qatar

*Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar (elected 2002)

Saudi Arabia

@Prince Faisal bin Fahd of Saudi Arabia (1984-1999)
#Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal of Saudi Arabia (2002-2014), honorary member 2014
*Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud of Saudi Arabia (elected 2020)

Spain

@Infanta Pilar of Spain (1996-2006), honorary member 2006-2020

United Arab Emirates

@Princess Haya bint Hussein of Jordan/United Arab Emirates (2007-2014), Summer Olympic participant in equestrian events 2000

United Kingdom

*Anne, Princess Royal (elected 1988), Summer Olympic participant in equestrian events 1976

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.

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

This story sounds like a plot from a novel by Dan Brown, the author of the Robert Langdon novels (Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno and Origin).

Emanuela Orlandi was the 15-year-old daughter of Ercole and Maria Orlandi. Her father was an employee of the Institute for the Works of Religion, more commonly known as the Vatican Bank. The Orlandi family were citizens of and lived in Vatican City. On June 22, 1983, Emanuela walked outside of Vatican City to a Rome bus stop for the short ride to the Sant’Apollinare complex in central Rome where she took flute lessons three times a week. She never returned home, and the case remains unsolved.

There are various theories about what happened to Emanuela which include possible links to the Sicilian Mafia, the KGB, and the assassination attempt by Mehmet Ali Ağca on Pope John Paul II. Check out these Wikipedia articles. The Italian article is much more comprehensive.

• Wikipedia (English): Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi
• Wikipedia (Italian): Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi

In January 2023, it was announced that the Vatican opened a new investigation into the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi.

• CNN: Vatican opens new investigation into 1983 disappearance of employee’s daughter

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The New York Times has published several stories about Emanuela’s disappearance over the years. This author is a New York Times subscriber and the links below are gift links so anyone can read them.

• Kidnapped Girl and Ağca in Pope’s Prayers – August 29, 1983
• Vatican Employee Appeals for News of Daughter – September 7, 1983
• Ağca Recalls Prison Visit by Pope – February 5, 1985
• Ağca Says He Altered Story Over Girl’s Abduction – July 5, 1985
• New Allegations Revive an Italian Mystery of the 1980s – June 25, 2008
• Crime Boss’s Tomb Is Exhumed for Clues in Missing Girl’s Case – May 14, 2012
• Bones Are Found in Rome, Renewing Speculation in 1983 Disappearance – October 31, 2018
• In Italy, a Decades-Long Search for a Missing Girl Brings Another Twist – July 11, 2019

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The Teutonic Cemetery is a burial site adjacent to St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City that has been dedicated to the German-speaking residents of Rome. Traditionally, prominent German-speaking people who have served the Roman Catholic Church and died in Rome can be buried there.

In the summer of 2018, the Orlandi family received a letter with a photo in it. The photo was of a marble statue of an angel in the Teutonic Cemetery. The letter instructed to “look where the angel is pointing” and led the Orlandi family to the tombs of Princess Sophia of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein and Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark. Their tombs are next to each other and Princess Sophia’s tomb, known as the Tomb of the Angel, has an angel who is pointing down.

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When the Orlandi family went to see the tombs, they saw evidence that Princess Sophia’s tomb had been opened recently as there was new cement on it but they were given no information regarding a possible recent opening. In February 2019, the Orlandi family petitioned the Vatican Secretary of State to permit the tombs to be opened. A Vatican tribunal granted the request. during the first week of July 2019.

On July 11, 2019, Giovanni Arcudi, a forensics expert and professor at Tor Vergata University in Rome, led the team that opened the tombs. His job was to exhume the remains and verify their identities. It was decided to open both tombs to avoid possible misunderstandings about which grave was the grave indicated in the letter the Orlandi family received. Members of the two princesses’ families, the Orlandi family, and the Vatican police were present when the tombs were opened. However, to much surprise and amazement, there was no work for Arcudi to do. Not only was there no sign of Emanuela’s remains, but the remains of Princess Sophia and Duchess Charlotte Frederica were also missing. Vatican officials said they would research the burial records to try to discover what happened to their remains. It is possible that their remains were moved due to renovations at the end of the 1800s and again in the 1960s and 1970s.

Updates

• BBC: July 20, 2019 – Emanuela Orlandi case: Vatican attempts new search to solve mystery
• CNN: July 30, 2019 – The bones found in the Vatican’s cemetery are “too old” to belong to the missing teenager Emanuela Orlandi

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So who are these two princesses whose final resting places have become entangled in a long-unsolved missing person case?

Princess Sophia of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein

Not very much is known about Princess Sophia. Sophia was born on December 13, 1758, at Schillingsfürst Castle (in German) in Schillingsfürst, now in Ansbach, in Bavaria, Germany, and was given the names Sophia Carolina Josepha Philippina Maria Anna Lucia. She was the eldest of the seven children of Ludwig Leopold, ruling Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein (in German) and Josepha Friederike Polyxena Alexandrina, Countess of Limburg-Stirum. Her father’s principality was located in present-day northeastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. During the French Revolution, Sophia’s father gave refuge to many French noblemen and their families.

Sophia’s brother Prince Ludwig Aloys of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein was a Lieutenant General in the Austrian Army who fought against Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. After the defeat of Napoleon, Ludwig Aloys became a naturalized a French citizen, a Peer of France and a Marshal of France.

There is no indication that Sophia married. She died on January 20, 1836, in Rome at the age of 78.

Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of Denmark

The first wife of the future King Christian VIII of Denmark, Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was born December 4, 1784, in Ludwigslust Palace in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, now in Germany. She was fifth of the six children and the youngest of the two daughters of Friedrich Franz I, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Charlotte Frederica married the future King Christian VIII of Denmark at Ludwigslust Palace in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (now Germany) on June 21, 1806. The couple only had one surviving child, King Frederik VII of Denmark.

Christian and Charlotte Frederica’s marriage soon became unhappy. Charlotte Frederica had an affair with her singing teacher Édouard Du Puy. In 1809, when Christian found out, Charlotte Frederica was sent into internal exile to the city of Horsens, Denmark while Du Puy was banished from Denmark. The marriage officially ended with a divorce in 1810 and Charlotte Frederica never saw her son again.

While in Horsens and later in Aarhus, both in Denmark, Charlotte Frederica cultivated friendships with the local gentry and allegedly had affairs with army officers. In 1829, she was allowed to travel out of Denmark and moved to Carlsbad, a spa town, then in Germany, now in the Czech Republic. She made one last move in 1830 to Rome, Italy where she lived in the Palazzo Bernini on Rome’s main street and converted to Roman Catholicism.

Charlotte Frederica had been exiled when her son, now King Frederik VII of Denmark, was only one year old. She had hoped to see her son again but she soon became ill. Charlotte Frederica died in Rome on July 13, 1840, at the age of 55. She was buried in a tomb paid for by her son and created by the Danish sculptor Jens Adolf Jerichau at the Teutonic Cemetery.

• Unofficial Royalty: Duchess Charlotte Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Hereditary Princess of 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.

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Works Cited

• Cbsnews.com. (2019). Emanuela Orlandi mystery: Bizarre twist in hunt for missing teen as Vatican tombs unsealed. [online] Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vatican-open-graves-search-missing-teen-girl-emanuela-orlandi-cryptic-clue-cemetery-angel/ [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
• De.wikipedia.org. (2019). Ludwig Carl Franz Leopold zu Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Carl_Franz_Leopold_zu_Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Emanuela_Orlandi [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Louis Aloysius, Prince of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Aloysius,_Prince_of_Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Bartenstein [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
• It.wikipedia.org. (2019). Cimitero Teutonico. [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimitero_Teutonico [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
• It.wikipedia.org. (2019). Sparizione di Emanuela Orlandi. [online] Available at: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparizione_di_Emanuela_Orlandi [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
• Nytimes.com. (2019). In Italy, a Decades-Long Search for a Missing Girl Brings Another Twist. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/world/europe/italy-vatican-emanuela-orlandi.html [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
• Sheena McKenzie, C. (2019). She disappeared at 15. A cryptic tip-off in the Vatican could hold key to her case. [online] CNN. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/europe/vatican-missing-girl-emanuela-orlandi-intl/index.html [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].
• Wooden, C. (2019). Vatican discovers empty tombs in search for missing woman | Catholic Herald. [online] Catholic Herald. Available at: https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/07/12/vatican-discovers-empty-tombs-in-search-for-missing-woman/ [Accessed 13 Jul. 2019].