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Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots; Photo Credit – Wikipedia
July 29, 1565 – Wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland
After the death of her first husband King François II of France and her return to Scotland after spending most of her childhood in France, Mary needed an heir, so a second marriage became necessary. After considering Carlos, Prince of Asturias, eldest son and heir of King Philip II of Spain and Queen Elizabeth I’s candidate Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, Mary became infatuated with her first cousin Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. Both Mary and Darnley were grandchildren of Margaret Tudor, daughter of King Henry VII of England and sister of King Henry VIII of England. The couple had one son, the future James VI, King of Scots, later also King James I of England. Mary soon became disillusioned by Darnley’s uncouth behavior and his insistence upon receiving the Crown Matrimonial which would have made him co-sovereign of Scotland. Mary refused and their relationship became strained. Mary began to be drawn to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell who would become her third husband. Bothwell entered into a conspiracy with Archibald Campbell, 5th Earl of Argyll, and George Gordon, 5th Earl of Huntly to rid Mary of her husband. On February 10, 1567, Darnley was killed when the house he was staying at was blown up.
Unofficial Royalty: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley
Unofficial Royalty: Mary, Queen of Scots
July 29, 1672 – Birth of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duc d’ Aubigny, an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, in London, England
Wikipedia: Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox (Unofficial Royalty article coming soon.)
July 29, 1735 – Death of Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia, third wife of Friedrich I, King in Prussia, at Schwerin Castle in Mecklenburg, Duchy of Mecklenburg Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried in the Schelfkirche St. Nikolai in Schwerin, Duchy of Mecklenburg Schwerin, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Sophie Luise and her husband had no children. Being so much younger than her husband, and close in age to his children, Sophie struggled to find acceptance at the Prussian court. It did not help that her predecessor, Friedrich’s second wife Sophie Charlotte of Hanover, was greatly loved and admired by the Prussian people, and many saw Sophie Luise as a poor replacement. Sophie Luise became deeply religious but as time progressed, her devotion became obsessive and manic. During his final illness, her husband Friedrich awoke to find his wife standing before him, covered in blood and screaming at him. She had crashed through a glass door while running from her apartments to his, apparently to confront him in a fit of hysteria. Sophie Luise had no recollection of the event afterward and soon sent her husband back to Mecklenburg to be with her family. She lived the rest of her life with her widowed mother.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie Luise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen in Prussia
July 29, 1787 – Birth of Sarah Lyttelton, Baroness Lyttelton, Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and Governess to the Royal Children, at Althorp in Althorp, Northamptonshire, England
Born Lady Sarah Spencer, the daughter of George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer, she married Sir William Henry Lyttelton, 3rd Baron Lyttelton.
Unofficial Royalty: Sarah Lyttelton, Baroness Lyttelton
July 29, 1887 – Death of Marianne Skerrett, Head Dresser and Wardrobe-Woman to Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1862, at 41 Beaumont Street in Marylebone, London, England; burial unknown (Note: The depiction of Queen Victoria’s dresser in the series Victoria is completely false and an insult to the real person.)
Marianne Skerrett was born in 1793, so she was 44-years-old when the 18-year-old Victoria became queen. She was very intelligent, extremely well-read, and fluent in Danish, French, and German. Recommended to Queen Victoria by Louisa Petty-FitzMaurice, Marchioness of Lansdowne, a Lady of the Bedchamber, Marianne became one of Queen Victoria’s two dressers in 1837 and eventually became head dresser. As the head dresser, Marianne oversaw the ordering of all the queen’s clothing, shoes, hats, gloves, and undergarments. In addition, Marianne kept the wardrobe accounts and was diligent in checking all the bills to make sure no one tried to cheat Victoria. She was also responsible for supervising the hairdressers, dressmakers, and seamstresses who kept the royal wardrobe in good repair. After 25 years of serving Queen Victoria, Marianne retired in 1862 at the age of 69. She received a pension of £70 and went to live with her sister in the Marylebone section of London. Marianne Skerrett remained in contact with Queen Victoria, visiting her and writing to her, until her death in London, England on July 29, 1887, at the age of 94.
Unofficial Royalty: Marianne Skerrett
July 29, 1900 – Assassination of King Umberto I of Italy by anarchist Gaetano Bresci at Monza, Italy; buried in the Pantheon in Rome, Italy
On July 29, 1900, while visiting Monza, Italy, King Umberto I of Italy was shot and killed by Gaetano Bresci, an Italian anarchist, claiming to avenge the deaths of people in Milan during the riots of May 1898.
Unofficial Royalty: Assassination of Umberto I, King of Italy
Unofficial Royalty: King Umberto I of Italy
July 29, 1981 – Wedding of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England
The Prince of Wales, later King Charles III, and Lady Diana Spencer were married on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. The Prince and Princess of Wales, separated in December 1992 and divorced in August 1996. Exactly a year later, Diana, Princess of Wales tragically died in a car accident in Paris, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer
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