Leopold III, Prince of Lippe

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Principality of Lippe: Originally called Lippe-Detmold, the Principality of Lippe came into existence in 1789 when it was raised from a County within the Holy Roman Empire to a Principality. Leopold I, Count of Lippe-Detmold became the first Prince of Lippe.

At the end of World War I, Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe, was forced to abdicate on November 12, 1918. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Lippe is located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Leopold III, Prince of Lippe; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold III, Prince of Lippe (Paul Friedrich Emil Leopold) was born on September 1, 1821, in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. He was the eldest of the six sons and the eldest of the nine children of Leopold II, Prince of Lippe and Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Leopold III had eight younger siblings. It appears that Leopold and his brother Woldemar were the only ones who married and neither had any children. This would eventually create a succession crisis. After the death of Leopold’s brother Alexander and the extinction of the Lippe-Detmold line, the throne of the Principality of Lippe went to Count Leopold of Lippe-Biesterfeld who would be the last Prince of Lippe.

Leopold, left, with his parents and sister Luise; Credit – www.findagrave.com

  • Princess Luise of Lippe (1822 – 1887)
  • Woldemar, Prince of Lippe (1824 – 1895), married Princess Sophie of Baden, no children
  • Princess Friederike of Lippe (1825 – 1897)
  • Prince Friedrich of Lippe (1827 – 1854)
  • Prince Hermann of Lippe (1829 – 1884)
  • Alexander, Prince of Lippe (1831 – 1905), unmarried, a regency was established due to his mental illness
  • Prince Karl of Lippe (1832 – 1834), died in childhood
  • Princess Pauline of Lippe (1834 – 1906)

Leopold studied at the University of Bonn and served as an officer in the Prussian Gardes du Corps, the personal bodyguard of the King of Prussia. Upon the death of his father on January 1, 1851, Leopold became Leopold III, Prince of Lippe. A year later, on April 17, 1852, Leopold married Princess Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt in Rudolstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, now in the German state of Thuringia. Elisabeth was the daughter of Albrecht, the sovereign Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and Princess Augusta Luise of Solms-Braunfel. The marriage of Leopold and Elisabeth was childless.

Leopold opposed the liberal reforms, more participation in government and democracy, that resulted from the German revolutions of 1848–49. He dissolved the state parliament, repealed the constitution of 1849, and reintroduced the constitution of 1836. He then replaced his cabinet councilors with conservatives. Leopold’s position was that he had neither initiated nor approved, let alone sworn to, the constitution forced by the revolution. The constitutional dispute continued and the rift between conservatives and liberals, between town and country, deepened. This certainly hurt Leopold who was considered affable and friendly.

In 1854, Leopold did institute some religious reform when he issued edicts that gave the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church the same legal status as the Calvinist State Church of Lippe. When Leopold became Prince of Lippe, the principality was a member of the German Confederation, and Leopold supported Prussia during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866. After the war, when the North German Confederation was formed, the Principality of Lippe became a member and would remain a member until the creation of the German Empire in 1871 following the Franco-Prussian War.

The Mausoleum on the Büchenberg in Detmold that Leopold III had built; Credit – Von Tsungam – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18903057

On December 8, 1875, Leopold III, Prince of Lippe, aged 54, died in Detmold after suffering a stroke and was succeeded by his brother Woldemar. He was buried at the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg (link in German) in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For many years, the Church of the Redeemer (link in German) in Detmold served as the burial site for the House of Lippe. However, by the time Leopold III came to the throne in 1851, there was no room left, and some coffins were being stacked while others were being stored in the basement of the church. This led to Leopold III having the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg built. The remains of several members of the princely family were moved from the Church of the Redeemer to the new Mausoleum after its completion in 1855. Leopold III’s wife Elisabeth survived him by twenty-one years, dying in 1896 at the age of 63, and was buried with her husband.

Crypt in the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg; Credit – Von unbekannt / Tsungam – Foto: Eigenes Werk; Infotafel: Freunde der Residenz Detmold, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20182639

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.

Lippe Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leopold III. (Lippe). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_III._(Lippe)> [Accessed 6 October 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leopold III, Prince Of Lippe. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_III,_Prince_of_Lippe> [Accessed 6 October 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Leopold II, Prince Of Lippe. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/leopold-ii-prince-of-lippe/> [Accessed 6 October 2020].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2018. Lippe Royal Burial Sites. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/former-monarchies/german-royals/principality-of-lippe/lippe-royal-burial-sites/> [Accessed 6 October 2020].

Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Elizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness Conyngham was the last mistress of King George IV of the United Kingdom, from 1820 until the King’s death in 1830.

source: Wikipedia

Elizabeth Denison was born on July 31, 1769, the eldest child of Joseph Denison, a wealthy banker, and his wife Elizabeth Butler. She had two younger siblings:

On July 5, 1794 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church in Covent Garden, London, Elizabeth married Henry Burton Conyngham, Viscount Conyngham (later the 1st Marquess Conyngham). Viscount Conyngham was created Earl Conyngham and Viscount Mount Charles in the Irish peerage in 1797. In 1800, he was one of the original Irish representative peers to sit in the British House of Lords, and was installed in the Order of St. Patrick in 1801. He served as Governor of County Donegal from 1803 until 1831, and in 1816 was created Marquess of Conyngham, Earl of Mount Charles and Viscount Slane in the Irish peerage. In 1821, he was created Baron Minster of Minster Abbey in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, became a member of the Privy Council and was appointed Lord Steward. In 1829, he was named Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle and served until his death in 1832. Elizabeth and her husband had five children:

According to the Duke of Wellington (to whom Elizabeth had become mistress in 1817), Elizabeth had expressed the desire to become the mistress of the Prince of Wales as early as 1806. Through the Duke of Wellington, she was introduced to the British court and caught the attention of the future King. By 1820, she had become his primary mistress, having replaced her friend, the Marchioness of Hertford. The aging king was besotted with Elizabeth, going so far as to ensure that she was nearby at his Coronation, and reportedly winking and smiling at her during most of the ceremony. Quickly she began to hold great influence over the new King, however, she avoided political matters, instead, she focused on the personal and financial gain of herself and her family. Her husband benefited greatly from the relationship – he was elevated to Marquess and received several positions within the royal household. One of her sons was made a Groom of the Bedchamber and Master of the Robes to the King, and of course, Elizabeth herself received lavish and expensive gifts as well, including some priceless jewelry from the royal vaults.

King George IV. source: Wikipedia

Such was the King’s devotion to her, that he bequeathed her all of his plate and jewels (although she refused them when he died). He also provided housing at Windsor Castle and at the Brighton Pavilion for Elizabeth and her family and ensured that they traveled with him when he moved from one residence to the other. She was given full use of the King’s horses and carriages, and most of the large dinners held at her London townhouse were prepared in the kitchens of St. James’s Palace. To King George IV, nothing was ‘off limits’ for his beloved Elizabeth.

However, it would all come to a quick end on the morning of June 26, 1830, when the King died at Windsor Castle. By the following day, Elizabeth had packed her belongings and left Windsor for her brother’s home before traveling to Paris, reportedly expelled from the country by the new King William IV.

St. Mary’s Church, Patrixbourne. photo: By John Salmon, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2747370

Widowed in 1832, Elizabeth remained in Paris until the death of William IV in 1837. She returned to the family’s Bifrons estate in the village of Patrixbourne, near Canterbury, where she lived the remainder of her life. The Dowager Marchioness Conyngham died at Bifrons on October 11, 1861, at the age of 92, having survived all but one of her children. She is buried alongside her husband at St. Mary’s Church in Patrixbourne.

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.

Jane Shore, Mistress of Edward IV, King of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Unknown woman engraved as Jane Shore by Francesco Bartolozzi, published by Edward Harding, after Silvester (Sylvester) Harding, stipple engraving, published 1 May 1790 NPG D24103 © National Portrait Gallery, London

Edward IV, King of England had numerous mistresses but the most famous was Jane Shore. Born in London, England circa 1445 as Elizabeth Lambert, she was the daughter of John Lambert, a wealthy merchant, and his wife Amy Marshall. Some sources say she later took the name Jane for unknown reasons. Other sources say she was never called Jane during her lifetime and that the name was an invention of Thomas Heywood, 17th-century playwright and author because her real first name was omitted and then forgotten by authors. Regardless of the truth, she has come to be known as Jane Shore, Shore being her married name. Sir Thomas More, lawyer, social philosopher, author, and statesman, wrote about Jane in his History of Richard III. According to More, Jane had been fair of body though not tall. She was attractive to men more through her personality than her physical beauty, being intelligent, literate, merry, and playful.

As a young girl, Jane attracted many admirers, both for her beauty and intellect. Jane married William Shore (died 1494), a goldsmith and banker, who had been a frequent visitor to Jane’s home. Shore was fifteen years older than Jane, and although he was handsome and successful in business, he never could fully claim Jane’s affections. In 1476,  Jane received an annulment of her marriage due to Shore’s impotence which had prevented the couple from having children.

King Edward IV, the first monarch of the House of York, by Unknown English artist, oil on panel, circa 1540, NPG 3542 © National Portrait Gallery, London

According to the Patent Rolls for December 4, 1476, Jane and King Edward IV began their relationship in 1476. Edward was particularly devoted to Jane and Jane had a great influence on Edward. Jane did not use her relationship with the king for her personal gain and official documents show that Edward IV  did not bestow gifts upon her. In his History of Richard III, Sir Thomas More wrote of Jane, “Where the king took displeasure, she would mitigate and appease his mind; where men were out of favour, she would bring them in his grace; for many that highly offended, she obtained pardon.” Their relationship lasted until King Edward IV’s early death on April 9, 1483, a few weeks before his 41st birthday. His cause of death is not known for certain. Pneumonia, typhoid fever, malaria, poison, and an unhealthy lifestyle are some possibilities.

It appears that Jane was also the mistress of William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, a close friend of King Edward IV, whom he served as Lord Chamberlain, and Thomas Grey, 1st Marquess of Dorset, the eldest son of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of King Edward IV, and her first husband Sir John Grey of Groby.

Richard III, King of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Jane played a role in creating an alliance between William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and Elizabeth Woodville’s family during the time Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future King Richard III), King Edward IV’s brother, served as Lord Protector of his young nephew King Edward V, the son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. The Duke of Gloucester moved to keep the Woodville family from exercising any power. Jane Shore was accused of carrying messages between Hastings and Edward IV’s widow Elizabeth Woodville. It was because of her role in this alliance that Jane was charged with conspiracy, along with Hastings and the Woodvilles, against the Lord Protector’s government. William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings eventually lost his head as did Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, Elizabeth Woodville’s brother, and Sir Richard Grey, Elizabeth Woodville’s son from her first marriage.

Richard, Duke of Gloucester had his young nephews, King Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, taken to the Tower of London, declared illegitimate, and then, he succeeded to the throne as King Richard III. At the end of the summer of 1483, the two boys, known as The Princes in the Tower, disappeared from public view altogether. Their fate is unknown and remains one of history’s greatest mysteries.

Jane’s punishment for her conspiracy included a public penance at Paul’s Cross, a preaching cross and open-air pulpit on the grounds of Old St Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. Jane proceeded through the streets of London with a candle in her hand, dressed only in her kirtle, a one-piece undergarment similar to a slip, attracting a lot of male attention along the way. Jane’s public penance is widely believed to be the inspiration behind Queen Cersei’s walk of atonement in the novel series and television series Game of Thrones.

The Penance of Jane Shore in St Paul’s Church, c.1793 by William Blake; Credit – Wikipedia

After her public penance, Jane was sent to Ludgate Prison in London, England. While at Ludgate Prison, Jane captivated Thomas Lynom, Solicitor-General of England. Lynom decided to marry, Jane believing that he would be able to free her from prison and Richard III did pardon Jane at the request of Lynom. The two married and had a daughter. In August 1485, when Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field and succeeded to the throne as King Henry VII, Lynom lost his position as Solicitor-General of England. However, under King Henry VII, Lynom served on the Council of Wales and the Marches and was the controller of the household of Henry VII’s eldest son Arthur, Prince of Wales at Ludlow Castle.

Church of St. Nicholas in Hinxworth, Hertfordshire, England; Credit – By Rodney Burton, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9165187

Jane and Thomas Lynom lived the rest of their lives in comfort and Jane even became friends with Sir Thomas More who admired her wit.  Jane died, aged around 82, in 1527, during the reign of King Henry VIII. She was buried in the churchyard at the Church of St. Nicholas in Hinxworth, Hertfordshire, England.

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.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Jane Shore. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Shore> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King Edward IV Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iv-of-england/> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Шор, Джейн. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A8%D0%BE%D1%80,_%D0%94%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%BD> [Accessed 24 July 2020].
  • Sparkes, Abagail, n.d. Jane Shore – Historic UK. [online] Historic UK. Available at: <https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Jane-Shore/> [Accessed 24 July 2020].

Leopold II, Prince of Lippe

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Principality of Lippe: Originally called Lippe-Detmold, the Principality of Lippe came into existence in 1789 when it was raised from a County within the Holy Roman Empire to a Principality. Leopold I, Count of Lippe-Detmold became the first Prince of Lippe.

At the end of World War I, Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe, was forced to abdicate on November 12, 1918. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Lippe is located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Leopold II, Prince of Lippe; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold II, Prince of Lippe (Paul Alexander Leopold) was born on November 6, 1796, in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was the elder of the two sons of Leopold I, Prince of Lippe and Princess Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg.

Leopold with his mother and younger brother; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold had one younger brother and one sister who survived for only one day:

  • Prince Friedrich (1797 – 1854), unmarried, served in the Imperial and Royal Army in the Austrian Empire
  • Princess Luise (born and died 1800)

In 1790, Leopold I’s mental disorders interfered with his role as reigning prince and he was deemed incapacitated by the Reichskammergericht (Imperial Chamber Court), one of two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, and placed under guardianship. In 1795, the guardianship was conditionally lifted after Leopold I’s condition improved and that is when Princess Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg agreed to marry him.

Because of Leopold I’s mental condition, his wife Pauline became his governmental adviser and colleague, staying mostly in the background and avoiding anything that could be interpreted as exceeding her duties. Within the next few years, Leopold I developed intestinal tuberculosis and his mental disorders returned with memory loss. Leopold I, Prince of Lippe died on April 4, 1802, at the age of 34. As his son and successor Leopold II, Prince of Lippe was just five-years-old, his mother Pauline very capably acted as Regent of the Principality of Lippe until 1820.

Malwida von Meysenbug, a German writer who was also active politically and as a promoter of writers and artists. a German writer who was active politically and a promoter of writers and artists, wrote in her Memoirs of an Idealist: “The only thing that Princess Pauline could not do was bring up her two sons, her only children. In order to teach them the principles of strict morality, she had tyrannized the two of them and treated them like children for so long that the oldest had become shy and reserved by nature, half a savage.”

As Regent of the Principality of Lippe, Pauline postponed the transfer of power to her son Leopold II, Prince of Lippe several times because of her disappointment in him and her belief that she could not turn over the government to him with a clear conscience. Finally, she announced her resignation as Regent on July 3, 1820. Leopold II needed her assistance at first and Pauline ensured that her assistance was not overt. Once her son was settled in his position as Prince of Lippe, Pauline planned to retire. However, before she could retire, Pauline died on December 29, 1820, aged 51.

On April 23, 1820, in Arnstadt, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, now in the German state of Thuringia, Leopold II married Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. Emilie was the elder of the two children and the only daughter of Günther Friedrich Carl I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Princess Karoline of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, the daughter of reigning Prince Friedrich Karl of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Emilie’s brother succeeded their father as Günther Friedrich Carl II, Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.

Leopold and his wife Emilie with two of their children; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Leopold and Emilie had nine children including three reigning Princes of Lippe:

  • Leopold III, Prince of Lippe (1821 – 1875), married Princess Elisabeth of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, no children
  • Princess Luise of Lippe (1822 – 1887)
  • Woldemar, Prince of Lippe (1824 – 1895), married Princess Sophie of Baden, no children
  • Princess Friederike of Lippe (1825 – 1897)
  • Prince Friedrich of Lippe (1827 – 1854)
  • Prince Hermann of Lippe (1829 – 1884)
  • Alexander, Prince of Lippe (1831 – 1905), unmarried, a regency was established due to his mental illness
  • Prince Karl of Lippe (1832 – 1834), died in childhood
  • Princess Pauline of Lippe (1834 – 1906)

The court theater (Hochfürstliches Lippisches Hoftheater), photo from 1910; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold, shy by nature, lived a restrained life. He had two passions: hunting and the theater. The Lippe Princely Court Theater (Hochfürstliches Lippisches Hoftheater) he established in Detmold was among the best in the German monarchies but the cost was disproportionately high compared to the principality’s income. The architect Johann Theodor von Natorp was commissioned to design the theater building and the groundbreaking ceremony took place on April 18, 1825. On November 8, 1825, the curtain of the Hochfürstliches Lippisches Hoftheater went up for the first time for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s opera La Clemenza di Tito. The schedule for the theater included both opera and plays. In 1912, the original theater burned to the ground because of a damaged chimney. However, the theater was rebuilt, financed with donations from the Detmold citizens and funds from the Princely House. The rebuilt theater and the theater company established by Leopold II are still in existence today. Now called the Landestheater Detmold, it is a theater for operas, operettas, musicals, ballets, and stage plays in Detmold, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

On January 1, 1851, Leopold II, Prince of Lippe died in Detmold at the age of 54. Initially buried at the Church of the Redeemer (link in German) in Detmold, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Leopold’s remains were later moved to the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg (link in German) in Detmold after the mausoleum’s completion in 1855. His wife Emilie survived him by sixteen years, dying in 1867. She was buried with her husband at the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg.

Crypt in the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg; Credit – Von unbekannt / Tsungam – Foto: Eigenes Werk; Infotafel: Freunde der Residenz Detmold, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20182639

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.

Lippe Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leopold II. (Lippe). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II._(Lippe)> [Accessed 5 October 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Landestheater Detmold. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landestheater_Detmold> [Accessed 5 October 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leopold II, Prince Of Lippe. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_II,_Prince_of_Lippe> [Accessed 5 October 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Leopold I, Prince Of Lippe. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/leopold-i-prince-of-lippe/> [Accessed 5 October 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Pauline Of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess Of Lippe, Regent Of Lippe. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/pauline-of-anhalt-bernburg-princess-of-lippe-regent-of-lippe/> [Accessed 5 October 2020].

Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg, Princess of Lippe, Regent of Lippe

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Principality of Lippe: Originally called Lippe-Detmold, the Principality of Lippe came into existence in 1789 when it was raised from a County within the Holy Roman Empire to a Principality. Leopold I, Count of Lippe-Detmold became the first Prince of Lippe.

At the end of World War I, Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe, was forced to abdicate on November 12, 1918. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Lippe is located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg was not only Princess Consort of Lippe, she ably served as Regent of the Principality of Lippe for eighteen years during the minority of her son Leopold II, Prince of Lippe. The social work that she started in Detmold, then in the Principality of Lippe, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, continues today with the charity she founded, the Princess Pauline Foundation (Fürstin-Pauline-Stiftung in German). Pauline is considered one of the most important rulers of Lippe.

Ballenstedt Castle, Pauline’s birthplace; Credit – Wikipedia

Princess Pauline Christine Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Bernburg was born at Ballenstedt Castle in Ballenstedt, Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, on February 23, 1769. She was the youngest of the two children of Friedrich Albrecht, the reigning Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg and Princess Louise Albertine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön. Sadly, Pauline’s twenty-year-old mother died from measles on March 2, 1769, one week after Pauline’s birth.

Pauline had one elder brother:

Pauline and her brother Alexius were educated together, supervised by their father. Receiving the same education as a brother was unusual at that time but Pauline’s father recognized her intellect and the education she received would prove useful during the eighteen years she served as the Regent of the Principality of Lippe. Pauline excelled at her studies, learning French, Latin, history, and political science. Her education was strongly influenced by Christian ethics and Enlightenment ideas including the writings of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. By the time she was thirteen-year-old, Pauline was assisting her father in his government affairs. First, she took over the French correspondence and then all correspondence between her father’s residence at Ballenstedt Castle and the government offices in Bernburg.

In 1795, Pauline agreed to marry Leopold I, Prince of Lippe. Throughout Leopold’s upbringing and education, he exhibited a lack of strength of character, a lack of interest, a lack of concentration, and a tendency to mental disorders. Leopold had succeeded his father when he was fourteen years old and took over the reins of government on his 21st birthday in 1789. However, by the next year, Leopold’s mental disorders interfered in his role as reigning prince and he was deemed incapacitated by the Reichskammergericht (Imperial Chamber Court), one of the two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, and placed under guardianship. In 1795, the guardianship was conditionally lifted after Leopold’s condition improved and that is when Pauline agreed to marry him. On January 2, 1796, at Ballenstadt Castle in Ballenstedt, Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, Pauline and Leopold I, Prince of Lippe were married.

Pauline and her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Pauline had two sons and a daughter who survived for only one day:

  • Leopold II, Prince of Lippe (1796 – 1851), married Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, had six sons and three daughters including three reigning Princes of Lippe
  • Prince Friedrich (1797 – 1854), unmarried, served in the Imperial and Royal Army in the Austrian Empire
  • Princess Luise (born and died 1800)

Because of Leopold’s tenuous mental condition, Pauline became his governmental adviser and colleague, staying mostly in the background and avoiding anything that could be interpreted as exceeding her duties. Within the next few years, Leopold developed intestinal tuberculosis and his mental disorders returned with memory loss. Leopold I, Prince of Lippe died on April 4, 1802, at the age of 34. As Leopold I’s son and successor Leopold II, Prince of Lippe was just five-years-old, his mother Pauline very capably acted as Regent of the Principality of Lippe until 1820.

Pauline, circa 1801; Credit – Wikipedia

Among Pauline’s many accomplishments during the eighteen years she served as the Regent of the Principality of Lippe were:

  • A vocational school for poor children and orphans (1799)
  • A hospital with a first aid center (1801)
  • A voluntary workhouse for adult charity recipients (1802)
  • The first daycare center in all of the German monarchies (1802)
  • The abolishment of serfdom (1808)
  • Maintaining the independence of the Principality of Lippe during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)
  • A new constitution was adopted (1819)

Pauline was most proud of her social accomplishments. An orphanage had existed since 1720 and a teacher training college had been founded in 1781. She grouped the orphanage and the teacher training college with the institutions she had founded: the vocational school, the daycare center, the hospital, and the voluntary workhouse under the term “nursing homes” and housed them in a former convent, providing assistance from cradle to grave. These six institutions formed the basis of the Princess Pauline Foundation (Fürstin-Pauline-Stiftung in German), still in existence in Detmold, now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is an independent Lutheran foundation devoted to charitable purposes and to childcare, youth work, and care of the elderly.

Pauline postponed the transfer of power to her son Leopold II, Prince of Lippe several times because of her disappointment in him and her belief that she could not turn over the government to him with a clear conscience. Finally, she announced her resignation as Regent on July 3, 1820. Leopold needed her assistance at first and Pauline ensured that her assistance was not overt. Once her son was settled in his position as Prince of Lippe, Pauline planned to retire to the Lippehof, a baroque palace built in Lemgo in 1734. However, before she could move from Detmold, Pauline died on December 29, 1820, aged 51, from a lung ulceration. Initially buried at the Church of the Redeemer (link in German) in Detmold, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Pauline’s remains were later moved to the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg (link in German) in Detmold after the mausoleum’s completion in 1855.

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.

Lippe Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Friedrich Albrecht (Anhalt-Bernburg). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Albrecht_(Anhalt-Bernburg)> [Accessed 5 October 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Pauline (Lippe). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_(Lippe)> [Accessed 5 October 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Princess Pauline Of Anhalt-Bernburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Pauline_of_Anhalt-Bernburg> [Accessed 5 October 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2020. Leopold I, Prince Of Lippe. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/leopold-i-prince-of-lippe/> [Accessed 5 October 2020].
  • Fürstin-Pauline-Stiftung – Die Diakonische Einrichtung Fuer Jugendhilfe Und Altenhilfe In Detmold. [online] Fuerstin-pauline-stiftung.de. Available at: <https://www.fuerstin-pauline-stiftung.de/de/welcome> [Accessed 5 October 2020].

Leopold I, Prince of Lippe

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Principality of Lippe: Originally called Lippe-Detmold, the Principality of Lippe came into existence in 1789 when it was raised from a County within the Holy Roman Empire to a Principality. Leopold I, Count of Lippe-Detmold became the first Prince of Lippe.

At the end of World War I, Leopold IV, the last Prince of Lippe, was forced to abdicate on November 12, 1918. However, Leopold negotiated a treaty with the new government that allowed his family to remain in Lippe. Today the territory that encompassed the Principality of Lippe is located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold I, Prince of Lippe (Friedrich Wilhelm Leopold) was born in Detmold, County of Lippe-Detmold, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on December 2, 1767. He was the only child of Simon August, Count of Lippe-Detmold (1727 – 1782) and his second wife Princess Maria Leopoldine of Anhalt-Dessau (1746 – 1769).

Leopold’s father Simon August, Count of Lippe-Detmold married four times and had a child from each marriage except his fourth marriage to Princess Christine of Solms-Braunfels (1744 – 1823). Therefore, Leopold had two half-siblings:

From his father’s first marriage to Princess Polyxena Louise of Nassau-Weilburg (1733 – 1764):

  • Princess Wilhelmine Caroline of Lippe-Detmold (1751 – 1753), died in childhood

From his father’s third marriage to Princess Casimire of Anhalt-Dessau (1749 – 1778), sister of Leopold’s mother:

  • Prince Casimir August of Lippe-Detmold (1777 – 1809), unmarried

Leopold’s mother died when he was only two years old and his father married two more times. His father’s third wife Princess Casimire of Anhalt-Dessau, who was his mother’s sister and therefore his maternal aunt, was important in his childhood but died when Leopold was eleven-year-old. Two years after Casimire’s death, Leopold’s father married for a fourth time to Princess Christine of Solms-Braunfels who survived her stepson Leopold by 21 years. Leopold’s father Simon August, Count of Lippe died on May 1, 1782, and fourteen-year-old Leopold succeeded him as Count of Lippe-Detmold.

Leopold was seen as a difficult child. He had difficulty learning, rebelled against his upbringing, and was stubborn. Because of this, he was sent to his maternal uncle Leopold III, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, the brother of his mother Marie Leopoldine and his stepmother and aunt Casimire. In 1785, Leopold was sent to the University of Leipzig in the Electorate of Saxony, now in the German state of Saxony. However, in both Dessau and Leipzig, the opinion about Leopold was the same: lack of strength of character, lack of interest, lack of concentration, and a tendency to mental disorders.

In 1789, the County of Lippe-Detmold within the Holy Roman Empire was raised to the Principality of Lippe and Leopold became the first Prince of Lippe. When Leopold reached his 21st birthday in 1789, he took over the reins of government of the Principality of Lippe. However, by the next year, Leopold’s mental disorders interfered in his role as reigning prince and he was deemed incapacitated by the Reichskammergericht (Imperial Chamber Court), one of the two highest judicial institutions in the Holy Roman Empire, and placed under guardianship.

In 1795, the guardianship was conditionally lifted after Leopold’s condition improved. Leopold had proposed marriage repeatedly to Princess Pauline of Anhalt-Bernburg, daughter of Friedrich Albrecht, the reigning Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg and Princess Louise Albertine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Plön and Pauline had rejected him. Finally, after the improvement in his mental condition, Pauline agreed to marry Leopold. On January 2, 1796, at Ballenstadt Castle in Ballenstedt, Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, Leopold and Pauline were married.

Pauline with her two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Leopold and Pauline had two sons and a daughter who survived for only one day:

  • Leopold II, Prince of Lippe (1796 – 1851), married Princess Emilie of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, had six sons and three daughters including three reigning Princes of Lippe
  • Prince Friedrich (1797 – 1854), unmarried, served in the Imperial and Royal Army in the Austrian Empire
  • Princess Luise (born and died 1800)

Because of Leopold’s tenuous mental condition, Pauline became his governmental adviser and colleague, staying mostly in the background and avoiding anything that could be interpreted as exceeding her duties. Within the next few years, Leopold developed intestinal tuberculosis and his mental disorders returned with memory loss. Leopold I, Prince of Lippe died on November 5, 1802, aged 34, in Detmold, Principality of Lippe, now in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. He was initially buried at the Church of the Redeemer (link in German) in Detmold. His remains were later moved to the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg (link in German) in Detmold after the mausoleum’s completion in 1855. As Leopold I’s son and successor Leopold II, Prince of Lippe was just five-years-old, his mother Pauline very capably acted as Regent of the Principality of Lippe until 1820.

Crypt in the Mausoleum on the Büchenberg; Credit – Von unbekannt / Tsungam – Foto: Eigenes Werk; Infotafel: Freunde der Residenz Detmold, Gemeinfrei, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20182639

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.

Lippe Resources at Unofficial Royalty

Works Cited

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leopold I. (Lippe). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I._(Lippe)> [Accessed 4 October 2020].
  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Simon August (Lippe). [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_August_(Lippe)> [Accessed 4 October 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Princess Pauline Of Anhalt-Bernburg. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Pauline_of_Anhalt-Bernburg> [Accessed 4 October 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Leopold I, Prince Of Lippe. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_I,_Prince_of_Lippe> [Accessed 4 October 2020].

Isabella Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford, Mistress of King George IV of The United Kingdom

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Isabella Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford was the mistress of the future King George IV of the United Kingdom from 1807-1819.

Isabella Ingram-Seymour-Conway, Marchioness of Hertford source: Wikipedia

Isabella Anne Ingram was born in London on July 7, 1759, the eldest of five daughters of Charles Ingram, 9th Viscount of Irvine and Frances Shepherd. Charles Ingram was a prominent landowner and politician and served as a Groom of the Bedchamber to King George III from 1756 until 1763. Isabella had four younger sisters:

On May 20, 1776, she married Francis Seymour-Conway, Viscount Beauchamp, the eldest son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, and Lady Isabella Fitzroy, a daughter of the 2nd Duke of Grafton. Beauchamp would later succeed his father as 2nd Marquess of Hertford in 1794.

Francis spent much of his life in politics and public service. He served in the Irish House of Commons from 1761-1776 and held the position of Chief Secretary for Ireland under his father, who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1765-1766. He was a Lord of the Treasury from 1774-1780, and then Cofferer of the Household until 1782. A member of the Privy Council, he was appointed Master of the Horse in 1804, and Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1812-1821.

Isabella and her husband had one son:

Ragley Hall. photo: By DeFacto – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57719761

The Seymour-Conways were one of the wealthiest families in Britain, with an extensive portfolio of land and properties throughout England, Ireland and Wales. Future generations would amass an extensive art collection that would later be left to the nation. Known as the Wallace Collection, it is housed at the former Hertford House, the family’s townhouse in London. In addition to their London home, Isabella and her husband also inherited Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, which would later become one of the first stately homes in Britain to be opened to the public, and Sudbourne Hall in Suffolk.

It was around 1806 when The Prince of Wales began to notice and pursue Isabella. At the time, the Prince was engaged in a legal battle over the guardianship of Minney Seymour, a ward of his mistress (and wife) Maria Fitzherbert. Using his influence, he had Isabella and her husband named as guardians to the young girl, with the assurance that Maria Fitzherbert would continue to raise her. It was then that he began to notice Lady Hertford. Despite her initial refusal, she soon replaced Mrs. Fitzherbert as the Prince’s mistress. Their relationship lasted for 12 years, during which time the Prince often visited Isabella at Ragley Hall and Hertford House. He had also visited her at Temple Newsam, in Leeds, where he gifted Isabella with some Chinese wallpaper and some tapestries.

Temple Newsam. source: Wikipedia

Temple Newsam had been the ancestral home of the Viscounts of Irvine. Following her father’s death, the property went to Isabella’s mother, and then passed to Isabella in 1807 upon her mother’s death. It was at that point that Isabella and her husband added ‘Ingram’ to their surname, becoming Ingram-Seymour-Conway. Temple Newsam had a rich history of royal connections. Perhaps the most widely known is that it was the birthplace of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and father of King James IV of Scotland/James I of England.

In 1819, Isabella’s relationship with the Prince ended, as she was replaced by the Marchioness of Conyngham, who would become his last official mistress. Following her husband’s death in 1822, Isabella retreated to the family’s homes, spending much of her time at Temple Newsam and Ragley Hall, and living a relatively quiet life. She died at Ragley Hall on April 12, 1834, having lived through the entire reign of her former lover as King George IV and the succession of his younger brother, King William IV. She is buried at the Holy Trinity Church in Arrow, Warwickshire, near Ragley Hall.

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.

Alice Perrers, Mistress of Edward III, King of England

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Detail of Ford Madox Brown’s painting depicting Alice Perrers and King Edward III (see full painting below); Credit – Wikipedia

Alice Perrers is the most famous English royal mistress between King Henry II’s Rosamund de Clifford and King Edward IV’s Jane Shore. Biographical information about Alice Perrers is sketchy but recent research by historians Mark Ormrod and Laura Tompkins has revealed new details about her early life.

Alice Perrers was born around 1340 in London, England. Her family’s surname was Salisbury and they worked as goldsmiths. Janyn Perrers, who would become Alice’s first husband, became an apprentice to the Salisbury family in 1342. Goldsmiths would have been somewhat well-to-do and Alice most likely received an education at home and attended a local girls school.

Janyn Perrers eventually became a full member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths of London. It appears that around 1359, he did some work for the royal court because in a royal writ he is described as “our beloved Janyn Perrers, our jeweler”. There is a possibility that he met King Edward III in his capacity as a goldsmith and jeweler and that Alice may have accompanied him. Around this same time, Alice and Janyn were married. The research shows that Janyn Perrers died sometime between May 19, 1361 and May 18, 1362.

Coronation of Philippa of Hainault; Credit – Wikipedia

Shortly after her husband’s death, Alice became a lady-in-waiting to Philippa of Hainault, the wife of King Edward III. Even if Alice had not previously met Edward III, they certainly became acquainted while she served as a lady-in-waiting. Alice, who was about 24-years-old, gave birth to the first of her three children by Edward III in 1364, when the king was 56-years old.

Alice and Edward III’s children:

Edward III’s relationship with Alice was kept mostly secret until the death of his wife in 1369. After Queen Philippa’s death, Edward III became increasingly dependent upon Alice. While the government was at Westminster Palace and his household was at Windsor Castle, Edward spent much of his time isolated at Havering Palace, Sheen Palace, and Eltham Palace. Alice became his chief advisor. She made sure she put in good words for her ambitious friends. Eventually, Alice and her relationship with the King of England caused much gossip at Westminster and Windsor.

Alice acquired numerous gifts from Edward III, including some of Queen Philippa’s jewelry, and she soon became an extremely wealthy woman. Her fortune was worth more than £20,000, equal to £6,000,000 in today’s money. On Edward’s command, Alice dressed in golden garments and was paraded around London as “The Lady of the Sun”. Courtiers were expected to behave respectfully toward her. This caused great criticism from those at court and eventually from the public. Alice was seen as an ambitious, grasping, calculating, and cold-hearted opportunist who manipulated the elderly, aging King Edward III.

Although Alice had received gifts from the king, her financial success cannot be totally attributed to that. Perhaps it was from having a father and a husband who were successful goldsmiths, but Alice did possess business acumen and did have useful business connections through the court. At the height of her power, Alice controlled 56 manors and castles in England and only fifteen were royal gifts.

Worried about Edward III’s advancing age and that after his death she would no longer have his protection, in November 1375, Alice made a secret marriage to Sir William Windsor, 1st Baron Windsor who was 26 years older than Alice. Because William was the Royal Lieutenant in Ireland, he was often away and this lessened the chance that Edward III would find out about the secret marriage. William and Alice had no children and remained married until William died in 1384.

King Edward III and his eldest son Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales; Credit – Wikipedia

Because the English court was perceived by much of the English population to be corrupt, the English Parliament met from April 28 to July 10, 1376, in an effort to reform the Royal Council. The Good Parliament was the name history has assigned to this meeting. Meanwhile, King Edward III’s eldest son and heir, Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, was dying. He summoned to his bedside, his father King Edward III and John of Gaunt, Edward III’s third but second surviving son, and made them swear to recognize his nine-year-old son, the future King Richard II, as Edward III’s successor. Both Edward III and John of Gaunt swore to recognize Richard, and soon after Parliament summoned Richard and acknowledged him as heir to the throne. Edward the Black Prince died on June 8, 1376.

As a result of the Good Parliament’s actions, Richard Lyons, Warden of the Mint, and William Latimer, 4th Baron Latimer, Chamberlain of the Household, who were believed to be robbing the treasury, were called before Parliament, impeached, and then imprisoned. Also, King Edward III’s mistress, Alice Perrers, was called to Parliament where she was tried for corruption, banished from England, and her lands were forfeited. Parliament then imposed a new set of councilors on King Edward III. However, by the autumn of 1376, John of Gaunt was working on undoing the Good Parliament’s work. He dismissed the new council and recalled Lyons and Latimer to the Royal Council and Alice Perrers was recalled to court and regained some of her lands.

King Edward III suffered a stroke in May 1377. He died at Sheen Palace in Richmond, England on June 21, 1377, at the age of 64 with his mistress Alice Perrers at his side.

Geoffrey Chaucer reading  at the court of Edward III by Ford Madox Brown, painted 1847–1851;  Alice and Edward III are in the upper right; Credit – Wikipedia

Alice had a great influence on the poet Geoffrey Chaucer and supported him financially. She is thought to be the model for the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Alice Perrers died in Gaynes Park, Upminster, England during the winter of 1400/1401 at around the age of 60. She was buried in either the church or the churchyard of the Church of St Laurence, Upminster but there is no memorial to mark her grave. Her property was left to her surviving children, her daughters Jane and Joan.

Church of St Laurence, Upminster; Credit – Wikipedia

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.

Works Cited

  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Alice Perrers. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Perrers> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2015. King Edward III Of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iii-of-england/> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. Alice Perrers. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Perrers> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Medievalists.net. 2016. Alice Perrers – The Story Of A King’s Mistress. [online] Available at: <https://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/the-medieval-magazine-no51.pdf> [Accessed 22 July 2020].
  • Mortimer, Ian, 2014. Edward III: The Perfect King. New York: Rosetta Books LLC.

Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

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Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah takes the constitutional oath as Crown Prince of Kuwait on October 8, 2020

Kuwait is located in western Asia on the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf. It shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Originally a sheikhdom ruled by local sheikhs, Kuwait became a British Protectorate in 1899. The sheikhs still had power during the British Protectorate. Kuwait was granted independence in 1961 and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, 11th Ruler of Kuwait became the first Emir of Kuwait. The rulers of Kuwait belong to the House of Al-Sabah.

The Emir of Kuwait is nominated by a family council headed by prominent members of the family. The Crown Prince of Kuwait is also nominated by the family council and must be a senior member of the House of Al-Sabah. Both the Emir and the Crown Prince must be approved by the Kuwaiti parliament.

Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait was born in 1940 in Kuwait. He is the son of Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 10th Ruler of Kuwait from 1944 – 1950, and Maryam Marit Al-Huwaila. Mishal’s father had ten wives and 24 children.

Mishal has two full sisters: Sheikha Mashael Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. His prominent half-siblings include:

Mishal grew up at Dasman Palace in Kuwait City with the sons and grandsons of his father. He was educated at the Al Mubarakiyya School which was established in 1911 as one of Kuwait’s first modern educational institutions. Afterward, he attended the Kuwait Police College in Kuwait City, Kuwait, and then the Hendon Police College in London, England, the principal training center for London’s Metropolitan Police Service, graduating in 1960.

Mishal married twice and has twelve children, five sons and seven daughters:

Wife 1: Sheikha Nuria bint Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, daughter of Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, 12th Ruler of Kuwait and 2nd Emir of the State of Kuwait and Munira Fahd Al-Adwani, had six daughters and one son:

  • Sheikha Mahasi bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Makarem bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Fiten bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Shekha bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Hala bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Nouf bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikh Ahmed bin Mishal Al-Sabah

Wife 2: Munira Badah Al-Mutairi, had four sons and one daughter:

  • Sheikh Talal bin Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikha Bibi bint Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikh Fahd bin Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikh Jaber bin Mishal Al-Sabah
  • Sheikh Ali bin Mishal Al-Sabah

Throughout his governmental career, Mishal had stayed out of the political scene and away from disputes within the royal family. He held the following government positions:

  • Head of State Security (1967 – 1980)
  • Ministry of Interior (1980 – 2004)
  • Deputy Chief of the National Guard with the rank of Minister (2004 – 2020)
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Kuwait’s National Assembly as Mishal takes the oath as Crown Prince

After the death of Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 15th Ruler and 5th Emir of Kuwait on September 29, 2020, his successor Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait nominated his half-brother Mishal as Crown Prince of Kuwait on October 7, 2020. The next day, Kuwait’s National Assembly unanimously approved Mishal as the Crown Prince. He then took the constitutional oath of office and pledged his commitment to democracy and peace. Mishal was 80-years-old and the oldest Crown Prince in the world at that time.

Upon the death of his half-brother Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait on November 16, 2023, Mishal succeeded as Emir of Kuwait.

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

Works Cited

  • Ar.wikipedia.org. 2020. مشعل الأحمد الجابر الصباح. [online] Available at: <https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B9%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AD> [Accessed 11 October 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishal_Al-Ahmad_Al-Jaber_Al-Sabah> [Accessed 11 October 2020].
  • Royalark.net. 2020. Genealogy Of Kuwait – Al-Sabah Dynasty. [online] Available at: <https://www.royalark.net/Kuwait/kuwait14.htm> [Accessed 11 October 2020].

King George Tupou V of Tonga

by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Kingdom of Tonga: Tonga consists of 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited, in the south Pacific Ocean, about 1,100 miles/1,800 kilometers northeast of New Zealand’s North Island.

Tonga has long been a monarchy and by the 12th century, Tonga and its Paramount Chiefs had a strong reputation throughout the central Pacific Ocean. Tonga became a kingdom in 1845 and has been ruled by the House of Tupou. From 1900 to 1970, Tonga had a protected state status with the United Kingdom which looked after its foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship.

The order of succession to the throne of Tonga was established in the 1875 constitution. The crown descends according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture – a female can succeed if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers who left surviving legitimate descendants.

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Credit – Wikipedia

The eldest of the four children of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga and Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe, King George Tupou V of Tonga was born on May 4, 1948, in Tongatapu, Tonga. George Tupou’s father became King of Tonga upon the death of his mother Queen Sālote Tupou III in 1965, and George Tupou was appointed Crown Prince of Tonga on May 4, 1966, his 18th birthday.

George Tupou had three younger siblings:

  • Princess Royal Salote Mafileʻo Pilolevu Tuita (born 1951), married Siosaʻia Maʻulupekotofa, Lord Tuita of ʻUtungake, had four daughters
  • Prince Fatafehi ʻAlaivahamamaʻo Tukuʻaho (1953 – 2004), married (1) Heimataura Seiloni, a commoner so he was stripped of his royal titles, his wife died in 1985 (2) Alaile’ula Poutasi Jungblut, had four children
  • King Tupou VI (born 1959), married Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, daughter of the Baron Vaea, a former Prime Minister of Tonga, had one daughter and two sons
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Studying in England in 1967

George Tupou attended King’s School, a primary school for boys in Auckland, New Zealand, and then King’s College, an independent secondary boarding and day school also is Auckland. He then attended The Leys School, a co-educational independent school in Cambridge, England before beginning his studies at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. When George Tupou graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England in 1968, his parents attended his passing out parade.

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King Taufa’Ahau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu Mata’Aho ‘Ahome’E with their son Prince George Tupou at the prince’s passing-out parade from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, December 9, 1968

After his education was completed, Geoge Tupou returned to Tonga and began a career in public service. In 1979, his father appointed him Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense, a position he held until 1998. George Tupou never married but he had an illegitimate daughter ʻIlima Lei Fifita Tohi, born in 1974.

On September 10, 2006, 88-year-old King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga died and his son George Tupou became the King of Tonga. King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV had been an absolute monarch and resisted ceding any power during his forty-one-year reign. After his death, rioters, unhappy with the lack of a path toward democracy, took to the streets and destroyed the center of the capital, Nuku’alofa. George Tupou’s coronation was postponed until mid-2008 to allow for the rebuilding of Nuku’alofa.

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Queen Elizabeth II greets King George Tupou V of Tonga during a private meeting at Buckingham Palace, December 18, 2007

King George Tupou V is known for introducing democracy to Tonga. During the period between his accession to the throne and his coronation, George Tupou and his advisors put together a framework for sweeping political reforms. Three days before the coronation ceremony, King George Tupou V announced he was ceding most of his executive powers to a democratically elected parliament. The parliament would be responsible for much of the day-to-day running of the country and the king would remain the head of state and retain the right to veto laws, decree martial law, and dissolve parliament. In November 2010, the citizens of Tonga
voted for their first democratically elected parliament, making Tonga a constitutional monarchy. On the eve of the election, King George Tupou V said that “in future, the sovereign shall act only on the advice of his prime minister.”

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The traditional Tongan ceremony held on July 30, 2008

After a traditional Tongan ceremony on July 30, 2008, a second, European-style coronation ceremony took place on August 1, 2008, in the Centennial Chapel in Nuku’alofa, Tonga’s capital, attended by 1,000 guests including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester representing Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan, Prince and Princess Hitachi of Japan, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindom of Thailand, Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.

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The Anglican Archbishop of Polynesia Jabez Bryce invested George Tupou V with the Tongan regalia – the ring, scepter, and sword – and placed the Tongan Crown on the monarch’s head. Interestingly, one of the Coronation Anthems, George Friedrich Handel composed for the coronation of King George II of Great Britain, the rousing Zadok the Priest which has been played at every British coronation ever since, was performed at King George Tupou V’s coronation by the Royal Maopa Choir in the Tongan language. The video below shows the performance and has some views of the king and the church.

On March 18, 2012, King George Tupou V, aged 63, died at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong. He was succeeded by his brother King Tupou VI. King George Tupou V had undergone surgery in September 2011 to remove a kidney following the discovery of a tumor and it is believed his death was caused by cancer.

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The royal standard draped casket of King George Tupou V is carried from the Royal Palace to Malaʻekula, the royal burial grounds

On March 27, 2012, the state funeral and burial were held at Malaʻekula, the royal burial grounds in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. Guests at the funeral included the Duke of Gloucester representing Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Prince and Princess Hitachi of Japan representing Emperor Akihito, President of Fiji Epeli Nailatikau, Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce, and the Governor-General of New Zealand, Jerry Mateparae.

The Kings Road from the Royal Palace to Malaʻekula, with the tombs in the background; Credit – By Tauʻolunga – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2088528

Works Cited

  • Bangkok Post. 2012. Tongans Bid Farewell To Their Visionary Late King. [online] https://www.bangkokpost.com. Available at: <https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/286191/elaborate-funeral-bids-farewell-to-late-tongan-king> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • BBC News. 2012. Tonga’s King Tupou V Dies At 63. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-17420114> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Tupou V. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tupou_V> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • Fr.wikipedia.org. 2020. George Tupou V. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tupou_V> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • Nytimes.com. 2012. King George Tupou V, Political Reformer Of Tonga, Dies At 63. [online] Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/world/asia/king-george-tupou-v-leader-of-tonga-dies-at-63.html?ref=oembed> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • The Guardian. 2012. King George Tupou V Of Tonga Obituary. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/26/king-george-tupou-v-of-tonga> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • The Independent. 2012. King George Tupou V: Reformer Who Brought Democracy To Tonga. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/king-george-tupou-v-reformer-who-brought-democracy-to-tonga-7582576.html> [Accessed 8 September 2020].