June 22: Today in Royal History

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King George V of the United Kingdom; Credit – Wikipedia

June 22, 1807 – Birth of Cecilia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg, daughter of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden and third wife of Grand Duke August I of Oldenburg, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
Cecilia was not yet two years old when her father was deposed as King of Sweden in 1809. The family moved to Baden, and her parents divorced three years later. Cecilia met her future husband. Grand Duke August stopped in Baden during his travels, and within just an hour of conversation, he asked for her hand in marriage. Cecilia then moved to Vienna, where her brother was serving in the court of the Austrian Emperor Franz I. There, on May 5, 1831, Cecilia and August were married.
Unofficial Royalty: Cecilia of Sweden, Grand Duchess of Oldenburg

June 22, 1911 – Coronation of King George V of the United Kingdom at Westminster Abbey in London, England
George V’s wife Queen Mary was crowned with him. Following the traditional Coronation ceremony, including the homage of their eldest son, The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII, and Duke of Windsor), the newly crowned King and Queen returned to Buckingham Palace, where they appeared on the balcony several times throughout the day.
Unofficial Royalty: Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary

June 22, 1911 – Birth of Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Tatoi Palace in Greece
Cecilie married her first cousin once removed, Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. He was the son of Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Princess Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. Cecilie’s life came to a tragic end on November 16, 1937. A very pregnant Cecilie, her husband, their two sons, and her mother-in-law, were traveling by plane to London to attend the wedding of Don’s brother, Prince Ludwig and Margaret Geddes four days later. Facing bad weather, the plane was unable to land in Brussels, Belgium as scheduled and was instead diverted to Ostend, Belgium. While attempting to land, the plane clipped a chimney on a factory near the airport and then crashed leaving no survivors.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse

June 22, 1912 – Birth of Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen, daughter of Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, at Schloss Callenberg in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
Full name: Caroline Matilda Helen Louise Augusta Beatrice
Known as Calma, she had an unhappy marriage with her first husband Count Friedrich Wolfgang of Castell-Rüdenhausen and they divorced. During World War II, Friedrich Wolfgang was killed in action while flying over England. Calma’s second husband was Captain Max Schnirring, a famous pilot whose aviation career began during World War I. Max was one of the first pilots for Deutsche Luft Hansa, a precursor to today’s Lufthansa. He died during a test flight when his plane crashed into a field.
Unofficial Royalty: Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Countess of Castell-Rüdenhausen

June 22, 1961 – Death of Maria of Romania, Queen of Yugoslavia, wife of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia, in London, England; first buried at the Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England; reburied at the Royal Family Mausoleum at Oplenac in Topola, Serbia
Marie’s husband King Alexander was assassinated in 1934. The couple’s eldest son Peter became King of Yugoslavia at the age of 11, and a regency was established, led by King Alexander’s cousin, Prince Paul of Yugoslavia. In 1941, the family was forced into exile following the Axis invasion, and Queen Marie settled at a cottage in the countryside of England, where she remained for the rest of her life. In 1947, the Communist government of Yugoslavia formally revoked her Yugoslavian citizenship and confiscated all of her property and assets. Marie who was a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, lived a rather quiet life in England, pursuing her interests in painting and sculpting. When she died, was buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore in Windsor, England. In 2013, her remains were exhumed and repatriated to Serbia where they were reburied at the Royal Family Mausoleum at Oplenac, along with those of her sons, Prince Andrej and King Peter II and King Peter’s wife, Queen Alexandra.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria of Romania, Queen of Yugoslavia

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