© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Lady Margaret Beaufort; Credit – Wikipedia

May 31, 1246 – Death of Isabella of Angouleme, Queen of England, second wife of King John of England, at Fontevrault Abbey in Maine-et-Loire, France; buried at Fontevrault Abbey
After King John died, Isabella, Duchess of Angoulême in her own right,  returned to France to assume control of her inheritance, the County of Angoulême. There, she once again met her former fiancé, Hugh de Lusignan, now the 10th Count of La Marche. He had never married, and previously, a betrothal between him and Isabella’s 10-year-old daughter Joan had been arranged. Upon seeing Isabella once again, he decided he preferred Joan’s still beautiful mother. Isabella and Hugh were married, and they had nine children.
Unofficial Royalty: Isabella of Angouleme, Queen of England

May 31, 1443 – Birth of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII of England, at Bletsoe Castle in Bedfordshire, England
Margaret was a great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III. She was 13 years old when her only child, the future King Henry VII, was born. It was through Margaret that her son had his tenuous connection to the House of Lancaster. She lived long enough to see her grandson succeed to the English throne as King Henry VIII.
Unofficial Royalty: Lady Margaret Beaufort

May 31, 1495 – Death of Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, mother of King Edward IV and King Richard III of England, at Berkhamsted Castle in Hertfordshire, England; buried at St Mary and All Saints Church in Fotheringhay, England
A great-granddaughter of King Edward III of England, Cecily Neville was the wife of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, also a great-grandchild of King Edward III, who was a claimant to the English throne and the leader of the Yorkist faction during the Wars of the Roses. She was also the mother of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England, the grandmother of the ill-fated King Edward V of England, and the great-grandmother of King Henry VIII of England. Cecily outlived all but two of her twelve children. She was alive when her granddaughter Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV, married Henry Tudor, who defeated her son King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and then succeeded to the English throne by right of conquest as King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch. Cecily was alive when her granddaughter, Elizabeth of York, gave birth to her first three children, Cecily’s great-grandchildren, Arthur, Prince of Wales, Margaret Tudor, and King Henry VIII. Through Margaret Tudor, who married James IV, King of Scots, Cecily is an ancestor of the British royal family and many other European royal families.
Unofficial Royalty: Cecily Neville, Duchess of York

May 31, 1740 – Death of King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia, in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in the German state of Brandenburg; buried at the Church of Peace at Sanssouci in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Friedrich Wilhelm I was first interred at the Garrison Church in Potsdam. During World War I, his coffin was moved for safekeeping, first to Berlin and then to a salt mine near Berterode. After being recovered by American forces, he was re-interred at St. Elisabeth’s Church in Marburg, Germany, in 1946. His coffin was moved again in 1953 to Hohenzollern Castle, and in 1991, his coffin was placed on the steps of the altar in the Kaiser Friedrich Mausoleum at the Church of Peace in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam, Germany.
Unofficial Royalty: King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia

May 31, 1785 – Birth of Heinrich LXII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Gera in Schleiz, County of Reuss-Schleiz, later in the Principality of Reuss-Gera, now in Thuringia, Germany
Heinrich LXII also did much to beautify Reuss-Gera, especially along the roads leading to Schleiz. In 1837, Schleiz Castle was badly damaged in a fire, and Heinrich LXII oversaw the renovations. However, in 1945, American bombing during World War II destroyed Schleiz Castle. The ruins were removed in 1950, leaving only the two damaged towers.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich LXII, 2nd Prince Reuss of Gera

May 31, 1867 – Birth of Maria Josepha of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria, mother of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, in Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony
Maria Josepha, the daughter of King Georg of Saxony, married her second cousin, Archduke Otto Franz of Austria. Maria Josepha’s father-in-law, Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, was the younger brother of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the executed Emperor of Mexico. Her new husband, Otto Franz, was the brother of the ill-fated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination in 1914 was one of the causes of World War I. Maria Josepha and Otto Franz had two sons, including Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. After World War I, when Karl tried twice to regain his throne, Karl and his family were exiled to the Portuguese island of Madeira, Maria Josepha settled in Bavaria, Germany. Because of Allied bombings during World War II, Maria Josepha moved to the safety of Wildenwart Castle in Chiemgau, Bavaria, Germany, a castle that belonged to the former Bavarian royal family. Maria Josepha died at Wildenwart Castle on May 28, 1944, at the age of 76, and was buried in the New Vault of the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, beside her husband.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josepha of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria 

May 31, 1906 – Wedding of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg at San Jerónimo el Real in Madrid, Spain
In 1905, Ena met her future husband, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, while he was on a State Visit to the United Kingdom. The two soon began corresponding and quickly became smitten with each other. However, several issues needed to be resolved before they could consider marriage. First was the looming threat of hemophilia. Ena’s brother Leopold had hemophilia, so there was a very good chance that she might bring it to the Spanish royal family. However, with little known about the disease at the time, Alfonso did not seem too concerned. The bigger obstacles were Ena’s religion and (as far as Alfonso’s mother was concerned), less than royal bloodline. However, Ena willingly agreed to convert to Catholicism, and her uncle, King Edward VII, elevated her rank to Royal Highness so there could be no question of an unequal marriage. These seem to have appeased the Dowager Queen, and the engagement was announced. The couple married on May 31, 1906, at the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Madrid, in a wedding attended by many royals from around the world. The marriage was not, however, without incident. While the wedding procession was returning to the Royal Palace, an assassination attempt was made on the King and his new Queen. Both Alfonso and Ena were unharmed, however, several guards and bystanders were killed or injured.
Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg

May 31, 1923 – Birth of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in Monaco
Full name: Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand
Rainier was the second child, and only son, of Princess Charlotte of Monaco, the illegitimate and adopted daughter of Prince Louis II of Monaco, and Count Pierre de Polignac. In May 1944, he became the heir-presumptive to his grandfather, Prince Louis II, following his mother’s renunciation of her succession rights in his favor. Rainier became Prince of Monaco in 1949 upon the death of his grandfather. In 1956, Rainier married American film star Grace Kelly, and they had three children. In 1982, Rainier’s wife Grace died following a car accident. By 2000, Rainier’s health was declining. In January 2005, he made one of his last public appearances at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo. After several weeks in the hospital, Prince Rainier III passed away at 81 years old. He was succeeded by his son, Prince Albert II, who had been serving as Regent since the prior week. His funeral was held on April 15 at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral, and he was buried beside his late wife, Princess Grace.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Rainier III of Monaco

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2025

King Charles IX of France; Credit – Wikipedia

May 30, 1574 – Death of King Charles IX of France at the Château de Vincennes; buried at the Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
Charles became King of France at the age of ten. The horrific St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, in which 5,000 to 30,000 French Protestants, called Huguenots, were killed, occurred during his reign. Although Charles publicly approved of the results of the St. Bartholomew Day’s Massacre, it left him with a psychological trauma that lasted for the remaining two years of his life. He became increasingly depressed, and his already weak constitution could no longer resist the tuberculosis that ravaged his body, and he died at the age of 23.
Unofficial Royalty: King Charles IX of France

May 30, 1653 – Birth of Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, the second of the three wives and the second cousin of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, in Innsbruck, then in the County of Tyrol, now in Austria
Claudia Felicitas married her second cousin, the future Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor. Claudia Felicitas and Leopold I combined for a gene pool that was also problematic. They were second cousins four times over. Leopold’s parents and Claudia Felicitas’ parents were all double first cousins with each other. All four had the same pair of grandparents, Karl II, Archduke of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. Perhaps that is why their two daughters died in infancy. Six months after giving birth to her last daughter, 22-year-old Claudia Felicitas died from tuberculosis on April 8, 1676, less than two-and-a-half years after her marriage.
Unofficial Royalty: Claudia Felicitas of Austria, Holy Roman Empress

May 30, 1718 – Death of Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle, a favorite of King William III of England, in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands, buried in The Hague
An ancestor of Queen Camilla, Arnold became a page of honor to Willem III, Prince of Orange. Willem III was the only child of Willem II, Prince of Orange and Mary, Princess Royal, the eldest daughter of King Charles I of England. Willem III married his first cousin, the future Queen Mary II of England, the elder of the two surviving daughters of King James II of England. After King James II was deposed during the Glorious Revolution, Arnold accompanied Willem and Mary to England, where they jointly reigned as William III and Mary II. Arnold became a trusted advisor to William III. Both Queen Anne and King George I held Arnold in high esteem.
Unofficial Royalty: Arnold van Keppel, 1st Earl of Albemarle, favorite of King William III of England

May 30, 1730 – Death of Arabella Churchill, mistress of King James II of England, buried in the grave of her brother Admiral George Churchill at Westminster Abbey in London, England
Arabella was the sister of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who gained fame as a military leader and courtier during the reign of Queen Anne. His wife Sarah was Queen Anne’s Mistress of the Robes and confidante. Fifteen-year-old Arabella was sent to court to be a Maid of Honor to the Duchess of York. The Duchess of York, born Anne Hyde, was the wife of King Charles II’s brother James, Duke of York, the future King James II. Arabella captured James’s eye and became his mistress. Arabella and James had four children who were given the surname FitzJames, “son of James”. From their children, Arabella and James are the ancestors of the Earls Spencer and Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as of the Dukes of Berwick, the later Dukes of Alba and Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba.
Unofficial Royalty: Arabella Churchill,  mistress of King James II of England

May 30, 1824 – Birth of Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, Queen Victoria’s Mistress of the Robes 1868–1870, in London, England
Born Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, daughter of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland, she married George Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll. Their eldest son, John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, married Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll

May 30, 1826 – Birth of Arcadie Claret, mistress of Leopold I, King of the Belgians in Brussels, Belgium
Arcadie Claret was the mistress of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, the uncle of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, from around 1842 until he died in 1865. Because their relationship became publicly known and widely discussed in the press, Leopold arranged a marriage between Arcadie and Ferdinand Meyer, his Master of the Stable and friend. This marriage of convenience provided some relief from the intense speculation about Arcadie and her relationship with Leopold. Arcadie and Leopold had two sons together, although both were registered as her husband’s children and given the surname Meyer.
Unofficial Royalty: Arcadie Claret, Mistress of Leopold I, King of the Belgians

May 30, 1839 – Birth of Ellen Franz, Baroness von Heldburg, morganatic third wife of Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, in Naumberg, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Ellen was an actress who came to the Meiningen Court Theatre in 1867 and appeared in numerous roles over the next six years. Within a year of arriving in Meiningen, Ellen became romantically involved with Georg II, who was still married to his second wife, Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who would die in 1872. In 1873, Ellen and Georg were married, but they had no children. Sharing a love of the theatre with her husband, Ellen worked with him to reform and redevelop the Meiningen Theater. Much of their efforts became known as the Meininger Principles, which are still taught in theater schools today. Ellen died on March 24, 1923, at the age of 83. She is buried beside her husband in the Park Cemetery in Meiningen, now in the German state of Thuringia.
Unofficial Royalty: Ellen Franz, Baroness von Heldburg

May 30, 1845 – Birth of King Amadeo I of Spain, born Prince Amadeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta, at the Royal Palace in Turin, Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, now in Italy
Born: Amedeo Ferdinando Maria
Born the son of King Vittorio Emanuele II (King of Piedmont-Sardinia and later the first King of Italy), Amedeo briefly reigned as the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy. After the exile of Queen Isabella II of Spain, the Spanish Cortes (Parliament) elected Amedeo the new King of Spain. After an attempt to assassinate him, Amedeo I declared his frustration with the complications of Spanish politics: “I do not understand anything. We’re in a mad cage.” Without popular support, Amedeo abdicated the Spanish throne.
Unofficial Royalty: King Amadeo I of Spain

May 30, 1871 – Birth of Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe in Oberkassel, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Bonn, Germany
Full name: Leopold Julius Bernhard Adalbert Otto Karl Gustav
During Leopold IV’s reign, there was much economic and cultural advancement. The major building projects provided much-needed employment for the people of Lippe. Christ Church in Detmold was built in 1908 to accommodate the growing Protestant community, which had outgrown the small Church of the Redeemer. It is the burial site of Leopold IV, his two wives, and most of their children. Leopold was the last reigning Prince of Lippe, abdicating on November 12, 1918.  He negotiated a treaty with the new government allowing his family to remain in Lippe.
Unofficial Royalty: Leopold IV, Prince of Lippe

May 30, 1891 – Death of Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, daughter of King Frederik VI of Denmark, at Schloss Glücksburg in Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia, German Empire, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany; buried in the Ducal Mausoleum in the Neuer Friedhof Glücksburg (New Cemetery Glücksburg)
Vilhelmine Marie’s first marriage to the future King Frederik VII of Denmark was unhappy, and the couple divorced. She made a second marriage to Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, elder brother of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the future King Christian IX of Denmark, who would succeed King Frederik VII, Vilhelmine Marie’s thrice-married but childless first husband. Vilhelmine Marie’s second marriage was a happy one, but it was childless. In 1864, after the Second Schleswig War, which Denmark lost, Karl’s duchy was annexed by Prussia, and Karl lost his ducal title. Vilhelmine Marie and Karl were able to live at the family ancestral home, Schloss Glücksburg, and Karl died there in 1878. Vilhelmine Marie’s charitable work made her popular in Glücksburg. She was sad about Denmark’s loss of the Schleswig-Holstein duchies, but the new Danish dynasty founded by her brother-in-law, King Christian IX, gave her much joy. Eventually, she became more and more isolated as her hearing loss made it difficult to communicate. Vilhelmine Marie survived her husband Karl for thirteen years, dying on May 30, 1891, at the age of 83
Unofficial Royalty: Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark, Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg

May 30, 1904 – Death of Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz at Schloss Neustrelitz in Neustrelitz, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany; buried at the New Crypt at the Johanniterkirche in Mirow, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Friedrich Wilhelm married Princess Augusta of Cambridge. She was the daughter of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (a son of King George III of the United Kingdom) and Friedrich Wilhelm’s maternal aunt, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. Friedrich Wilhelm and Augusta were first cousins through their mothers and second cousins through their fathers.
Unofficial Royalty: Friedrich Wilhelm, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

May 30, 1906 – Birth of Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, Margravine of Baden, sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Tatoi Palace in Greece
Theodora married Berthold, Margrave of Baden, the son of Maximilian, Margrave of Baden and Princess Marie Luise of Hanover. The couple was second cousins through their mutual descent from King Christian IX of Denmark.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, Margravine of Baden

May 30, 1968 – Death of Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine, Head of the House of Hesse 1937 – 1968, son of Ernst Ludwig, the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and his second wife Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, in Frankfurt, Germany; buried at Rosenhohe in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany
Ludwig was a godparent of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was Ludwig’s first cousin once removed.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Ludwig of Hesse and by Rhine

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Josephine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French;  Credit – Wikipedia

May 29, 1259 – Death of King Christopher I of Denmark

May 29, 1630 – Birth of King Charles II of England at St. James’s Palace in London, England
The execution of Charles II’s father, King Charles I, on January 30, 1649, during the English Civil War, made Charles the de jure King. Charles escaped England and fled to France. Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. England remained a Commonwealth and then a Protectorate until 1659. In 1660, Parliament formally invited Charles, as King Charles II, to be the English monarch in what has become known as the Restoration. In 1662, Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, the daughter of King João IV of Portugal, but their marriage was childless. Although King Charles II had no legitimate children, he has many descendants through his many illegitimate children.  Among his descendants are Diana, Princess of Wales, and Sarah, Duchess of York, and their children Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; Queen Camilla; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and her son Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. On February 2, 1685, King Charles II suffered an apparent stroke and died four days later at the age of 54. Modern analysis of his symptoms seems to indicate he may have died from uremia, a symptom of kidney failure.
Unofficial Royalty: King Charles II of England

May 29, 1814 – Death of Josephine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French, Napoleon’s first wife, at the Château de Malmaison, near Paris, France; buried at St. Pierre and St. Paul Church in Rueil, France
Joséphine was unable to give Napoleon an heir. Without a son, Napoleon had named Joséphine’s grandson (and his nephew), Napoleon Charles Bonaparte, as his heir. After the young Napoleon died in 1807, Emperor Napoleon considered finding another wife who could provide him with a son. In November 1809, he told Joséphine that he planned to divorce her and find a new wife. She agreed to a divorce, and an elaborate divorce ceremony was held. Joséphine retained her title as Empress and her rank at court, and received a pension of 5 million francs per year.
Unofficial Royalty: Josephine de Beauharnais, Empress of the French

May 29, 1873 – Death of Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine, grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, at Neues Palais in Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine, now in Hesse, Germany; buried at the Mausoleum of Rosenhöhe in Darmstadt
Frittie, as he was called in his family, and his brother Ernst Ludwig were playing in their mother’s bedroom. Ernst went into another room to look through the window, which was at an angle to the window in Alice’s bedroom. While Alice was out of the room to get Ernst, Frittie climbed up to the window in the bedroom to see Ernst. The chair he climbed on tipped over, and Frittie fell from the window to the ground below. Due to his hemophilia, Prince Friedrich died from his injuries.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friedrich of Hesse and by Rhine
Unofficial Royalty: Hemophilia in Queen Victoria’s Descendants

May 29, 1881 – Birth of The Honorable Sir Alexander Ramsay, son of John William Maule Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie and husband of Princess Patricia of Connaught, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, in London, England
Full name: Alexander Robert Maule
Ramsay had a long career in the Royal Navy. During World War I, Ramsay participated in several important naval operations. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1933 and commanded the aircraft carriers in the Atlantic Fleet for the next five years. He became Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Air Services, posts he held until the outbreak of World War II. He was promoted to Admiral in 1939 and retired from the Royal Navy in 1942.
Unofficial Royalty: The Honorable Sir Alexander Ramsay

May 29, 1890 – Birth of Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, second wife of Wilhelm Ernst, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, in Hanover, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Feodora Karola Charlotte Marie Adelheid Auguste Mathilde
Feodora was the great-granddaughter of Princess Feodora of Leiningen, the half-sister of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. In 1910, she married Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, and they had four children. Her marriage was unhappy, and Feodora struggled to cope with the strict etiquette and protocol of the Weimar court. She soon began charity work, working with organizations that helped the poor. After World War I, her husband abdicated in November 1918, and the family went into exile in Heinrichau, Silesia (now Henryków, Poland), where her husband died several years later. When the area fell under Soviet occupation in World War II, the family was again forced to flee, losing their estates and many of their assets. As a means of negotiating with the authorities, Feodora agreed to sign over the Goethe and Schiller Archive, on the condition that it would be converted into a private foundation, and the family’s assets would be returned. Despite the written agreement, the government did not return many of the family’s assets, and the dispute continues to this day. Feodora settled in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where she died on March 12, 1972, at the age of 82.
Unofficial Royalty: Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen, Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach

May 29, 1978 – Death of Mary-Elizabeth Sabri, the former Queen Nazli of Egypt, second wife of King Fuad I of Egypt, in Los Angeles, California; buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California
Nazli married, as his second wife, Sultan Fuad I of Egypt,  later King Fuad I of Egypt, and the couple had five children. Her activities as Queen were heavily restricted, only permitted to attend events such as the opera and women-only events. This was very frustrating to Nazli, as she had lived a very different lifestyle before her marriage. In 1936, King Fuad died and was succeeded by their son Farouk. Nazli eventually settled in California with her youngest daughters, Faika and Fathia. Nazli converted to Catholicism and changed her name to Mary-Elizabeth Sabri. She died in Los Angeles, California, on May 29, 1978, and is buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Unofficial Royalty: Nazli Sabri, second wife of King Fuad I of Egypt

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King George I of Great Britain; Credit – Wikipedia

May 28, 1656 – Birth of Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein in Wilfersdorf, Austria
In 1679, Anton Florian married Countess Eleonore Barbara von Thun-Hohenstein, and the couple had eleven children, including Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1712, Anton Florian’s nephew, Hans-Adam I, Prince of Liechtenstein, died without a male heir. Anton Florian was the heir according to primogeniture however, he was not very popular with the family, and so Hans-Adam I had named Josef Wenzel, his second cousin once removed, as his heir. In 1718, after negotiations, Anton Florian became Prince of Liechtenstein, and Josef Wenzel concentrated on his military career.
Unofficial Royalty: Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein

May 28, 1660 – Birth of King George I of Great Britain at Leineschloss in Osnabruck, Electorate of Hanover, now in Lower Saxony, Germany
Full name: Georg Ludwig
Georg Ludwig was the eldest of the seven children of Ernst August, Elector of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Sophia of the Palatinate (commonly referred to as Electress Sophia of Hanover). Sophia’s mother was Elizabeth Stuart, the second child and eldest daughter of King James VI of Scotland/King James I of England. At the time of his birth, it was expected that Georg Ludwig would only succeed to his father’s titles. However, his destiny changed when the British House of Stuart failed to provide a legitimate Protestant heir.
Unofficial Royalty: King George I of Great Britain

May 28, 1767 – Death of Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress. the second of the two wives of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
Maria Josepha of Bavaria was the second of the two wives of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, who also was the ruler of the Habsburg hereditary lands. Joseph never loved Maria Josepha, and the marriage was probably never consummated. Joseph avoided sharing a bedroom and even had their shared balcony in Schönbrunn Palace partitioned off so he would not have to see Maria Josepha. A severe smallpox epidemic broke out in 1767, and Maria Josepha came down with the disease. Although Joseph, who had survived smallpox at an earlier time, had nursed his first wife as she was dying from smallpox, he did not visit Maria Josepha while she was ill. Maria Josepha, aged 28, died from smallpox at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josepha of Bavaria, Holy Roman Empress

May 28, 1832 – Birth of Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera in Coburg, Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, now in Bavaria, Germany
In 1858, Heinrich XIV married Duchess Agnes of Württemberg and had one son and one daughter. When his father Heinrich LXVII, 3rd Prince Reuss of Gera died on July 11, 1867, Heinrich XIV became the 4th Prince Reuss of Gera. After Agnes died in 1886, Heinrich XIV made a morganatic marriage to Friederike Graetz, with whom he had one son. In 1902, Heinrich XIV became the Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz. Heinrich XXIV, 6th and last Prince Reuss of Greiz, succeeded his father in 1902 but was unable to rule because of his physical and mental disabilities as a result of an accident in his childhood. Heinrich XIV was the Regent of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz until his death. Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera died on March 29, 1913, aged 80.
Unofficial Royalty: Heinrich XIV, 4th Prince Reuss of Gera

May 28, 1872 – Death of Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria, wife of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria, in Vienna, Austria; buried at the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria
The daughter of the first King of Bavaria, Maximilian I Joseph, Sophie was the mother of two emperors: Franz Joseph I of Austria and Maximilian I of Mexico, the grandmother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination sparked World War I, and the great-grandmother of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria.  Sophie never recovered from the 1867 execution of her son Maximilian, and she withdrew from public life. In May 1872, ill with pneumonia, she took to her bed, fell into a coma, and died at age 67.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophie Friederike of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria

May 28, 1940 – Death of Prince Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse, husband of Princess Margaret of Prussia, in Kassel, Germany; buried at the family cemetery of the House of Hesse at the Schloss Kronberg (formerly Schloss Friedrichshof) in Taunus, Hesse, Germany
Known as Fischy, he married Princess Margaret of Prussia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria and daughter of Friedrich III, German Emperor, King of Prussia, and Victoria, Princess Royal. They had six sons, including two sets of twins. Two of their sons were killed in action during World War I, and one was killed in action during World War II.
Unofficial Royalty: Prince Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse

May 28, 1944 – Death of Maria Josepha of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria, mother of Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria, at Wildenwart Castle in Chiemgau, Bavaria, Germany; buried in the New Vault of the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
Maria Josepha, the daughter of King Georg of Saxony, married her second cousin, Archduke Otto Franz of Austria. Maria Josepha’s father-in-law, Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria, was the younger brother of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the executed Emperor of Mexico. Her new husband, Otto Franz, was the brother of the ill-fated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination in 1914 was one of the causes of World War I. Maria Josepha and Otto Franz had two sons, including Karl I, the last Emperor of Austria. After World War I, when Karl tried twice to regain his throne, Karl and his family were exiled to the Portuguese island of Madeira, Maria Josepha settled in Bavaria, Germany. Because of Allied bombings during World War II, Maria Josepha moved to the safety of Wildenwart Castle in Chiemgau, Bavaria, Germany, a castle that belonged to the former Bavarian royal family. Maria Josepha died at Wildenwart Castle on May 28, 1944, at the age of 76, and was buried in the New Vault of the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, beside her husband.
Unofficial Royalty: Maria Josepha of Saxony, Archduchess of Austria

May 28, 1972 – Death of The Duke of Windsor, former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom, at Villa Windsor in Bois de Boulogne, Paris, France; buried at Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore in Windsor, England
In late 1971, the Duke of Windsor was diagnosed with throat cancer. On May 18, 1972, Queen Elizabeth II, The Duke of Edinburgh, and The Prince of Wales visited the Duke at his Paris home while on a state visit to France. The Duke was too ill to come downstairs to tea, but the Queen spent 15 minutes talking alone with her Uncle David in his sitting room after the Duchess of Windsor hosted tea in the downstairs drawing room. Ten days later, a statement from Buckingham Palace said: “It is announced with deep regret that His Royal Highness, the Duke of Windsor, has died at his home in Paris at 2:25 A.M., Sunday, May 28, 1972.” The Duke of Windsor died a month before his 78th birthday.
Unofficial Royalty: King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

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.

© Unofficial Royalty 2025

Willem II, Prince of Orange; Credit – Wikipedia

May 27, 1541- Execution of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, at the Tower of London; buried at St. Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London
Margaret was the niece of King Edward IV of England and one of the few survivors of the Plantagenets after the Wars of the Roses.  She was executed during the reign of King Henry VIII.  Beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 1886, she is known as Blessed Margaret Pole.
Unofficial Royalty: Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury

May 27, 1626 – Birth of Willem II, Prince of Orange in The Hague, Dutch Republic, now in the Netherlands
Willem married Mary, Princess Royal, the daughter of King Charles I of England. In 1650, Mary was pregnant with her first child when her husband Willem II fell ill with smallpox. He died on November 6, 1650, at the age of 24. Eight days later, Mary gave birth to her only child, Willem III, Prince of Orange, who married his first cousin, Mary, the eldest surviving child of the future King James II of England. Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which James II was deposed, they jointly reigned as King William III and Queen Mary II.
Unofficial Royalty: Willem II, Prince of Orange

May 27, 1652 – Birth of Elizabeth Charlotte (Liselotte) of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans, second wife of Philippe, Duke of Orléans, at Heidelberg Castle in Heidelberg, then in the Electorate of the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
In 1671, Liselotte became the second wife of Philippe, Duke of Orléans, brother of King Louis XIV of France, and the couple had three children. Liselotte was well-connected genetically. Her paternal grandmother was Elizabeth Stuart, the daughter of King James I of England and the granddaughter of Mary, Queen of Scots. Liselotte’s paternal aunt, Sophia of the Palatinate, Electress of Hanover, was the heiress presumptive to Queen Anne of Great Britain per the Act of Settlement 1701, but Sophia died two months before Queen Anne died. Upon Queen Anne’s death, Liselotte’s first cousin succeeded to the British throne as King George I of Great Britain.
Unofficial Royalty: Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate, Duchess of Orléans

May 27, 1690 – Birth of Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein in Vienna, Austria
Josef Johann Adam became the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein upon the death of his father, Anton Florian, Prince of Liechtenstein, on October 11, 1721.  He married four times and had eight children, but only two children, including his successor Johann Nepomuk Karl, Prince of Liechtenstein, survived childhood. Josef Johann Adam died, aged 42, on December 17, 1732.
Unofficial Royalty: Josef Johann Adam, Prince of Liechtenstein

May 27, 1707 – Death of Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan, better known as Madame de Montespan, mistress of King Louis XIV of France, in Bourbon-l’Archambault, France; buried in the Chapel of the Cordeliers convent in Poitiers, France
A prominent figure in the French court, Madame de Montespan soon set out to become the primary mistress of King Louis XIV, and replace mistress, Louise de La Vallière. Before long, she developed an intimate relationship with the King and pushed Louise out of his life. By 1669, she had become his primary mistress, and they would have seven children together. By 1691, Madame de Montespan was no longer in favor with King Louis XIV and left the French court for a convent in Paris. Louis XIV gave her a generous pension, and she spent the remainder of her life supporting numerous hospitals and charities. On May 27, 1707, Madame de Montespan died at Bourbon-l’Archambault, France and was buried in the chapel of the Cordeliers convent in Poitiers, France.
Unofficial Royalty: Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Marquise de Montespan

May 27, 1723 – Death of Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Duc d’Aubigny, the illegitimate son of King Charles II of England and Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth, in Sussex, England; buried in Westminster Abbey
Charles Lennox was an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom. After King Charles II died, Charles and his mother Louise went to France. Unsatisfied with his position at the French court and sure his position at the English court would be higher and that he would receive more revenue, 20-year-old Charles returned to England in 1692, during the reign of his first cousins, who reigned jointly as King William III and Queen Mary II. In 1692, Charles married Anne Brudenell, the daughter of Francis Brudenell, Lord Brudenell. The couple had two sons and one daughter. In 1683, the English colony of New York was divided into ten counties. Staten Island, now one of the five boroughs of New York City, and several minor neighboring islands, were designated as Richmond County, named after Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. Still today, Staten Island is Richmond County, one of the counties of New York State
Unofficial Royalty: Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Lennox 

May 27, 1756 – Birth of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria in Schwetzingen, Electorate of the Palatinate, now in Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Full name: Maximilian Maria Michael Johann Baptist Franz de Paula Joseph Kaspar Ignatius Nepomuk
Maximilian IV Joseph, Prince-Elector of Bavaria allied his electorate with Napoleon and adopted many of the French beliefs of the Enlightenment. It was this loyal service to Napoleon through which Maximilian’s electorate was elevated to the Kingdom of Bavaria, with Maximilian as its king. He officially became Maximilian I Joseph, the first King of Bavaria, on January 1, 1806.
Unofficial Royalty: King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria

May 27, 1770 – Death of Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Queen of Denmark and Norway, wife of King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway, at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark; buried in Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
Sophia Magdalene survived her husband by twenty-four years. She lived for the entire reign of her son, King Frederik V, and was alive for the first four years of the reign of her grandson, King Christian VII. Her summers were spent at Hirschholm Palace and the winters at Christiansborg Palace. At her request, Sophia Magdalene was buried in a simple ceremony in Frederik V’s Chapel at Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark.
Unofficial Royalty: Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, Queen of Denmark and Norway

May 27, 1819 – Birth of King George V of Hanover, born Prince George of Cumberland, son of King George III’s fifth son, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (later King Ernst August of Hanover) in Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia, now in Brandenburg, Germany
Full name: George Frederick Alexander Charles Ernest Augustus
George was born three days after the eventual heir, Alexandrina Victoria (Queen Victoria), who was ahead of her first cousin in the succession by being the child of King George III’s fourth son.  After Queen Victoria acceded to the throne in 1837, Prince George remained second in the line of succession after his father until Queen Victoria’s first child was born. Today, his descendant Prince Ernst August of Hanover is the senior male-line descendant of King George III and the Head of the House of Hanover.
Unofficial Royalty: King George V of Hanover

May 27, 1848 – Death of Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom, daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom, at Vicarage Place in Kensington, London, England; buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London, England
Known for giving birth to an illegitimate son, Sophia was one of the daughters of King George III, who never married.  When her niece Victoria became Queen, Sophia wrote to Victoria, “My dear Victoria, The awful day is arrived which calls you to fill the most exalted and important station in our country.” Sophia remained close to her niece for the remainder of her life. Two days after her death, Sophia’s banker brought a letter to Queen Victoria in which Sophia stated she wished to be buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in Kensal Green, London close to where her brother Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex had been buried, and that she wished her funeral to be as private as possible. Her funeral was private, and she was temporarily laid to rest in the cemetery’s vault while a tomb was built. A year later, Sophia’s remains were transferred to the tomb.
Unofficial Royalty: Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom

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.