Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, Mistress of King George II of Great Britain

by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth was the mistress of King George II of Great Britain from 1735 until the King’s death in 1760. She was the last British royal mistress to be granted a peerage title.

Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth.source: Wikipedia

Amalie Sophie Marianne von Wendt was born in Hanover on April 1, 1704 to General Johann Franz von Wendt and Friederike Charlotte von dem Bussche-Ippenburg. Her maternal grandmother Catherine had been the first mistress of the future King George I, and her grandmother’s older sister Clara had been the mistress of George I’s father, Duke Ernst August von Braunschweig-Lüneburg.

In 1727, Amalie married Count Adam Gottlieb von Wallmoden, the sound of Count Ludwig von Wallmoden and Anna Elisabeth von Helmberg. The couple had two children:

  • Franz Ernst von Wallmoden (1728-1776)
  • Friederike von Wallmoden (1729-1800)

King George II of Great Britain. source: Wikipedia

Amalie met King George II in 1735 while he was visiting Hanover, and they quickly began an affair that would last for the next twenty-five years. Her husband was quickly paid off by the King to turn a blind eye to the affair, receiving a payment of 1,000 ducats. In 1736, Amalie gave birth to a son with the King, although the child was registered as being her husband’s child:

  • Johann Ludwig von Wallmoden (1736-1811) – married (1) Charlotte von Wangenheim, had issue, widowed; (2) Baroness Luise Christiane von Liechtenstein, had issue

Thoroughly smitten with Amalie, King George II continued to visit to Hanover specifically to see her. Correspondence shows that he discussed the relationship extensively with his wife, Queen Caroline, and his chief minister, Robert Walpole. Meanwhile, his constant absence from London was causing him to lose the support of many in Britain. Sensing this, Walpole encouraged Queen Caroline to suggest to her husband that he return to England and bring Amalie with him. The King, however, felt that it would be inappropriate and chose to continue his journeys back and forth to Hanover.

After the Queen’s death in 1737, George finally called for Amalie to join him in England. Upon her arrival in early 1738, Amalie was given apartments in St. James’s Palace – the King’s primary residence – as well as Kensington Palace. The following year, she was divorced from her husband, who received an annual pension of £4,000 from the King.

In 1740, Amalie became a naturalized citizen of Britain, and on March 24, 1740, she was granted a life peerage as Countess of Yarmouth and Baroness Yarmouth in the County of Norfolk in her own right. This would be the last time that a royal mistress in Britain would be given a peerage title.

Over the next 20 years, Amalie played a very prominent role in the King’s life and his court. Immensely discreet, she supported him unconditionally and as he aged and became frailer, she became a mediator between the King and his ministers. On the morning of October 25, 1760, King George II died at Kensington Palace of a thoracic aortic dissection. Amalie received an annuity of £10,000 and retained her apartments in the palace, but soon returned to her native Hanover. Nearly five years later, on October 19, 1765, Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, died of breast cancer at the age of 61.

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Prince Aribert of Anhalt

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Aribert of Anhalt was the husband of Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom from 1891 until the marriage was dissolved in 1900. Prince Aribert Joseph Alexander of Anhalt was born on June 18, 1864, in Wörlitz, Duchy of Anhalt, now in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. He was the fourth of the four sons and the fifth of the six children of Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt and Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Altenburg.

Aribert had four elder siblings and one younger sibling:

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Aribert met his future wife, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, in 1890, at the wedding of Marie Louise’s first cousin Princess Viktoria of Prussia and Prince Adolph of Schaumberg-Lippe. Marie Louise was the daughter of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Helena of the United Kingdom, a daughter of Queen Victoria. Aribert served in the Prussian military and was close friends with Wilhelm II, German Emperor, King of Prussia, Marie Louise’s first cousin. Wilhelm encouraged the relationship, and it was at a family luncheon at his Neues Palais in Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia that the engagement of Marie Louise and Aribert was announced in December 1890. The couple was married in the presence of Queen Victoria on July 6, 1891, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

The couple settled in Dessau, the capital of the Duchy of Anhalt. However, Marie Louise found life there difficult due to the strict court etiquette. Aribert’s primary focus was his military career and he had little interest in having a life at home. Fortunately for Marie Louise, they spent little time in Anhalt, as Aribert was based primarily in Berlin.

It soon became obvious that Aribert and Marie Louise had little in common, and they would often go days without seeing each other, even while living in the same home. Often suffering from ill-health in the cold weather, Marie Louise traveled extensively. It was while on one of these trips, to the United States and Canada, that her marriage ended without her knowledge. On November 13, 1900, the New York Times reported that “a judicial separation between Prince and Princess Aribert of Anhalt is an accomplished fact. The deeds were signed and the other formalities completed during the stay in Berlin of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, father of the Princess.”

While traveling in Canada, Marie Louise received a cable from her father-in-law, demanding that she return home immediately. Just an hour later, she received another cable, this time from Queen Victoria – “tell my granddaughter to come home to me. V.R.” Upon arriving in England, Marie Louise was told that her marriage had been dissolved by her father-in-law, at her husband’s insistence. It has been speculated that the marriage was never consummated and that Aribert was homosexual, and had been caught in a compromising situation with another man by either his wife or his father. In her memoirs, Marie Louise stated that even though her marriage was annulled, she maintained the vows she had made at her wedding, and would never remarry.

Prince Aribert; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1894, Prince Aribert became the chairman of the German Empire Olympic Committee in preparation for the first modern Olympics in Athens, Greece in 1896. He was once again chairman of the German Empire Olympic Committee for the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

Aribert’s eldest brother had predeceased their father and so upon the death of Friedrich I, Duke of Anhalt in 1904, his second son Friedrich II became Duke of Anhalt. Friedrich II’s marriage was childless and so upon his death in April 1918, the third son Eduard became Duke of Anhalt. Eduard’s reign was only five months long as he died in September 1918. Eduard’s 17-year-old son Joachim Ernst became Duke of Anhalt. As Joachim Ernst was underage, his uncle Aribert served as Regent. With the German Empire crumbling, Aribert abdicated on Joachim Ernst’s behalf on November 12, 1918, and the Duchy of Anhalt became the Free State of Anhalt.

Prince Aribert of Anhalt died on December 24, 1933, aged 69, in Munich, Germany. He was buried in the Ducal Mausoleum (link in German) in Dessau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. In 1958, the remains of members of the House of Anhalt were removed from the Ducal Mausoleum secretly by night for political reasons (Dessau was then in Communist East Germany) and reburied in the Ziebigker Cemetery in Dessau in a common grave, marked only by a simple wooden cross. In 2019, Aribert’s remains were moved a second time and reinterred in the Marienkirche (link in German) in Dessau, the traditional burial site of the Dukes of Anhalt-Dessau dating back to the 15th century. The Marienkirche was destroyed during World War II and has since been rebuilt.

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Aribert Von Anhalt. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aribert_von_Anhalt> [Accessed 16 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Prince Aribert Of Anhalt. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Aribert_of_Anhalt> [Accessed 16 September 2020].
  • Findagrave.com. 2020. Aribert Joseph Alexander Von Anhalt (1866-1933) -…. [online] Available at: <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/209620112/aribert-joseph_alexander-von_anhalt> [Accessed 16 September 2020].
  • Mehl, Scott, 2015. Princess Marie Louise Of Schleswig-Holstein. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/princess-marie-louise-of-schleswig-holstein/> [Accessed 16 September 2020].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. 1900. Royal Couple Separated. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1900/11/14/102621268.pdf> [Accessed 16 September 2020].

Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala 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- By LeliseliTongaFollow – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41421546

Siaosi (George) Manumataongo ʻAlaivahamamaʻo ʻAhoʻeitu Konstantin Tukuʻaho, known as Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala of Tonga, was born September 17, 1985, in Nukuʻalofa, capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. He is the second of the three children and the elder of the two sons of King Tupou VI of Tonga and Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho.

Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala has an elder sister and a younger brother:

  • Angelika Lātūfuipeka Halaevalu Mataʻaho Napua-o-kalani Tukuʻaho, known as Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho (born 1983)
  • Viliami ‘Unaki-‘o-‘Tonga Lalaka moe ‘Eiki Tuku’aho, known as Prince Ata (born 1988)

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala (left) with his father (center) and brother (right) at the funeral of his grandfather King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, September 28, 2006; Credit – Wikipedia

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala was educated at Tupou College, a Methodist boys’ secondary school in Toloa, Tonga. He attended the Australian Defence College and the Australian National University, studying Military and Defense Studies, graduating with a Master of Military and Defence Studies in 2018 and a Master of Diplomacy in 2021.

On March 18, 2012, Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala’s father became King of Tonga upon the death of his unmarried brother King George Tupou V. Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala became Crown Prince of Tonga, and his official investiture as Crown Prince took place at the Liukava Royal Residence on March 30, 2012.

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Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala and Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho on their wedding day

On July 12, 2012, after the one-hundred-day mourning period marking the death of King George Tupou V, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala married his double second cousin Sinaitakala Fakafauna at the Centenary Church in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho is the daughter of Kinikinilau Tūtoatasi, 7th Lord Fakafānua and Princess Sinaitakala ‘Ofeina-‘e-he-Langi Fakafānua. Through her mother, she is a member of the Tongan royal family and, in her own right, in the line of succession to the throne of Tonga. Both Sinaitakala’s parents are first cousins of King Tupou VI. It is the tradition in Tonga that all royal marriages are arranged and that members of the royal family may only marry members of the Tongan nobility to maintain the royal bloodline.

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Sinaitakala escorted by her brother enters the Centenary Church in Nuku’alofa to marry Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala

However, the marriage caused much controversy over the practice of marrying closely related cousins and was openly criticized by members of Tongan political and royal circles. The Crown Prince’s parents were also second cousins, but despite this, King Tupou VI opposed the marriage and made his disapproval known to members of the royal family. His wife Queen Nanasipau’u had arranged the marriage. Two prominent members of the Tongan royal family, Queen Mother Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe and Princess Royal Pilolevu, King Tupou VI’s mother and sister, refused to attend the wedding ceremony.

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala and Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho have four children:

  • Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo (born 2013)
  • Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho (born July 2014)
  • Princess Nanasipauʻu Eliana (born 2018)
  • Princess Salote Mafileʻo Pilolevu (born 2021)

Tongan royal family in 2018 (L-R): unidentified, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa, Princess Halaevalu, King Tupou VI, Prince Taufaʻahau, Queen Nanasipau’u, Crown Princess Sinaitakala holding Princess Nanasipauʻu; Credit – http://www.tonga-broadcasting.net/

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. Tupoutoʻa ʻulukalala. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupouto%CA%BBa_%CA%BBUlukalala> [Accessed 10 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Sinaitakala Fakafanua. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinaitakala_Fakafanua> [Accessed 10 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Wedding Of Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻulukalala And Sinaitakala Fakafanua. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Crown_Prince_Tupouto%CA%BBa_%CA%BBUlukalala_and_Sinaitakala_Fakafanua> [Accessed 10 September 2020].
  • Latu, Sydney, 2018. HRH Crown Prince Graduated From The Australian National University – TBC. [online] Tonga-broadcasting.net. Available at: <http://www.tonga-broadcasting.net/?p=13815> [Accessed 10 September 2020].

Maria Antonovna Naryshkina, Mistress of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – Wikipedia

  • Patronymics: In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Born Princess Maria Czetwertyński-Światopełk (name often shortened and Russified to Chetvertinskaya) on February 2, 1779, in Warsaw, Poland, Maria was the second of the two daughters and the second of the three children of Polish nobleman Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk and his first wife Tekla von Kampenhausen.

Maria had two siblings:

  • Princess Zhanetta Antonovna Chetvertinskaya (1777 – 1854), married Count Severin Vyshkovsky, no children,
  • Prince Boris Antonovich Chetvertinsky (1784 – 1865), married Princess Nadezhda Fedorovna Gagarina, had nine children

Maria’s mother died when she was five years old. Her father married again to Coletta Adamovna Kholonevskaya.

Maria had two half-brothers from her father’s second marriage:

  • Prince Konstantin Antonovich Chetvertinsky (1792 – 1850)
  • Prince Gustav Antonovich Chetvertinsky (1794 – 1851)

The urn with the ashes of  Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk surrounded by his widow Coletta Adamovna Kholonevskaya with her two young sons, Konstantin and Gustav. On the right side are the children of Prince Chetvertinsky from his first marriage: son Boris and daughters Maria and Zhanetta; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria’s father Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk was a member of the parliament of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and took the side of the Russian Empire in many matters that came before the parliament. During the Kościuszko Uprising, he was imprisoned by the Polish revolutionaries. On June 28, 1794, an angry mob stormed the prison, and Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk was hanged with other people declared traitors.

Catherine II (the Great), Empress of All Russia ordered Prince Antoni Stanisław Czetwertyński-Światopełk’s widow and children brought to St. Petersburg and provided for them. As adults, all of Maria’s brothers had positions at the Russian court and/or in the government. Her sister was the mistress of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, the brother of Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia.

Maria’s husband, Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria was fifteen years old when she arrived in St. Petersburg and was made a maid-of-honor at the Russian court. Catherine the Great arranged a marriage for her, and in 1795, she married 31-year-old Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin, from a rich noble family, and a courtier at the Russian court where he held several high positions over the years.

Naryshkin-Shuvalov Palace; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria and her husband lived a life of extravagant luxury. They were famous for hosting balls at their St. Petersburg palace, now known as the Naryshkin-Shuvalov Palace on the Fontanka River Embankment. Today, it is the site of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg. Maria was known for her dazzling beauty and she attracted the attention of Tsesarevich Alexander Pavlovich, the future Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia.

Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia: Credit – Wikipedia

Tsesarevich Alexander Pavlovich was the eldest son and heir of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia, who had succeeded his mother Catherine II (the Great) upon her death in 1796. In 1793, Catherine the Great arranged a marriage between her grandson Alexander and Louise of Baden, known as Elizabeth Alexeievna after her marriage. Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna’s marriage started to falter. With the approval of Maria’s husband, Alexander started a long-term affair with Maria in 1799 and Elizabeth Alexeievna sought affection with her husband’s friend Prince Adam Czartoryski, a Polish noble. In 1799, Elizabeth Alexeievna gave birth to a daughter Maria Alexandrovna, who had dark eyes and dark hair like Prince Adam Czartoryski, unlike the blond hair and blue eyes of both Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna. Elizabeth Alexeievna had one more daughter but both daughters died in early childhood.

Maria and Alexander’s affair lasted for nearly nineteen years. After Alexander became Emperor of All Russia after the assassination of his father in 1801, his marriage was one in name only. Both Alexander and Elizabeth Alexeievna fulfilled their duties as Emperor and Empress. However, Alexander continued his long-term affair with Maria, and Elizabeth Alexeievna continued her affair with Prince Adam Czartoryski.

Maria Antonovna Naryshkina with her daughter Marina; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria had six children. All of them were officially considered the children of Maria’s husband Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin but their paternity is uncertain. The eldest, Marina, was the child of Dmitry as Maria’s affair with Alexander I started in 1799, after Marina’s birth. Sophie was the only child officially recognized by Alexander I. There are suspicions that Maria had an affair with Prince Grigory Ivanovich Gagarin, a diplomat and a poet, in 1813-1816, and that Maria’s son Emmanuel may have been Gagarin’s.

  • Marina Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1798 – 1871), married Count Nikolai Dmitrievich Guryev, had four children
  • Elizabeth Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1802 – 1803), died in infancy
  • Elena Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1803 – 1804), died in infancy
  • Sophia Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1805 – 1824), died from tuberculosis at age 18
  • Zinaida Dmitrievna Naryshkina (1807 – 1810), died in early childhood
  • Emanuel Dmitrievich Naryshkin (1813 – 1901), married (1) Ekaterina Nikolaevna Novosiltseva, no children (2) Alexandra Nikolaevna Chicherina, no children

In 1815, Maria accompanied Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia to the Congress of Vienna, which caused a scandal. Eventually, Maria began to worry about her position and the gossip that surrounded her and Alexander began to have pangs of guilt about the long-term affair. In 1818, the affair ended and Alexander went back to his wife Elizabeth Alexeievna but he continued to talk about Maria as his family.

Maria in 1838; Credit – Wikipedia

Maria returned to her husband Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin and they lived in Odessa, Russia on the Black Sea. On December 1, 1825, 47-year-old Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia died in Elizabeth Alexeievna’s arms from typhus. He was succeeded by his brother, Nicholas I, Emperor of All Russia. Dmitry Lvovich Naryshkin died on March 31, 1838, aged 73, and was buried in the Annunciation Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. In 1842, Maria left Russia and moved to Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria, where she lived with the family of Count von Rechberg.

Maria Antonovna Naryshkina, aged 75, died on September 6, 1854, in Starnberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, now in the German state of Bavaria. She was buried in the Alter Südfriedhof (Old South Cemetery) in Munich.

Tomb of Maria Antonovna Naryshkina; Credit – Von HubertSt – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50916498

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Marija Antonowna Naryschkina. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marija_Antonowna_Naryschkina> [Accessed 3 July 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Maria Naryshkina. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Naryshkina> [Accessed 3 July 2020].
  • Flantzer, Susan, 2018. Alexander I, Emperor Of All Russia. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/emperor-alexander-i-of-russia/> [Accessed 3 July 2020].
  • Lincoln, W. Bruce. (1981). The Romanovs: Autocrats of  All the Russias. New York, NY.: Doubleday
  • Massie, R. (2016). Catherine the Great. London: Head of Zeus.
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Святополк-Четвертинский, Антоний Станислав. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B2%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BA-%D0%A7%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9,_%D0%90%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B2> [Accessed 3 July 2020].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Нарышкин, Дмитрий Львович. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%88%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BD,_%D0%94%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%9B%D1%8C%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87> [Accessed 3 July 2020].
  • Ru.wikipedia.org. 2020. Нарышкина, Мария Антоновна. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%88%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0,_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%90%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BD%D0%B0> [Accessed 3 July 2020].

Prince Lerotholi Seeiso of Lesotho

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

The heir apparent to the throne of Lesotho, Prince Lerotholi Mohato Bereng Seeiso is the third child and the only son of King Letsie III of Lesotho and Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso, born Anna Karabo Motsoeneng. Born on April 18, 2007, in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, he was named in honor of Lerotholi Letsie, the Paramount Chief of the Basotho from 1891 to 1905, during the time the country was a British protectorate.

The Lesotho Royal Family; Credit – https://face2faceafrica.com/

Prince Lerotholi has two elder sisters:

Prince Lerotholi’s mother holding him at his baptism: Credit – Credit – Baptism of Prince Lerotholi

On June 2, 2007, at the Saint Louis Church in Matsieng, Lesotho, Prince Lerotholi was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church as David by Bernard Mohlalisi, Archbishop of Maseru and Head of the Roman Catholic Church in Lesotho. His godfather was Principal Chief of Likhoele Lerotholi Seeiso.

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. Prince Lerotholi Seeiso. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Lerotholi_Seeiso> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • Web.archive.org. 2007. Baptism Of Prince Lerotholi. [online] Available at: <https://web.archive.org/web/20070805041609/http://www.lesotho.gov.ls/articles/2007/Baptism_Prince_Lerotholi.php> [Accessed 25 August 2020].

Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Credit – By National Assembly For Wales / Cynulliad Cymru profile – Flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16250190

Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho is the wife of King Letsie III of Lesotho. Born Anna Karabo Motšoeneng on June 2, 1976, at the Maloti Adventist Hospital in Mapoteng, Lesotho, she is the eldest of the five children of Thekiso and Makarabo Motšoeneng and was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church.

From 1990 – 1996, Anna spent her secondary school years at Machabeng International College in Maseru, Lesotho where she completed her International General Certificate for Secondary Education and the International Baccalaureate Diploma. In 1997, Anna enrolled at the National University of Lesotho to pursue her Bachelor of Science degree. Her studies were interrupted by her engagement to King Letsie III in October 1999.

Embed from Getty Images 

Anna and King Letsie III were married on February 18, 2000, at Setsoto Stadium in Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho The national sports stadium was filled to its capacity of 40,000 people, with thousands turned away. The marriage ceremony was conducted by Bernard Mohlalisi, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Maseru. Guests included The Prince of Wales, King Mswati III of Swaziland, and Nelson Mandela. The bride wore a white wedding gown with a long train and the groom was dressed in a suit. King Letsie said Anna would be his only wife, going against the tradition in an area where polygamy is relatively common. After the ceremony, the bride and the groom left for a luncheon amid deafening cheers, singing, and ululating from the crowd. The couple hosted an evening banquet for their guests. After her marriage, Anna was known as Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso.

The Lesotho Royal Family; Credit – https://face2faceafrica.com/

King Letsie and Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso had three children:

As a commoner marrying into the royal family, Queen Masenate was especially grateful for the support she received from her mother-in-law Queen Mamohato. She was deeply saddened by the death of Queen Mamohato in 2003 and regretted losing her tutor and maternal figure.

Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso with King Letsie III in 2013; Credit – By IAEA Imagebank – https://www.flickr.com/photos/iaea_imagebank/8680655840, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37933098

Queen Masenate is Patron to a number of organizations including the Lesotho Red Cross Society, SOS Children’s Village, People with Disabilities, and her alma mater, Machabeng International College. She is especially interested in projects that are aimed at helping people with disabilities to be better heard in their communities. During her schooling at Machabeng College, Queen Masenate was involved in community service at Angela School for the Disabled and Centre for the Blind. She also strongly supports the work undertaken with HIV/AIDS patients and has been involved in several awareness programs in Lesotho. As the Queen of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Queen Masenate becomes the Regent whenever King Letsie is absent from the country.

King Letsie and Queen Masenate spend time managing their agricultural operations. Both husband and wife are interested in crop and livestock farming and the family boasts of bumper harvests every year and many highly productive cattle, goats, and sheep in the mountains.

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. Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_%27Masenate_Mohato_Seeiso> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • Government of Lesotho. 2020. THE MONARCHY. [online] Available at: <https://www.gov.ls/the-monarchy/> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • Iol.co.za. 2000. King Letsie Takes First And Last Bride. [online] Available at: <https://www.iol.co.za/sport/soccer/africa/king-letsie-takes-first-and-last-bride-28664> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • News.bbc.co.uk. 2000. BBC News | AFRICA | Lesotho’s Batchelor King Weds. [online] Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/647779.stm> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • Pt.wikipedia.org. 2020. Masenate Mohato Seeiso. [online] Available at: <https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masenate_Mohato_Seeiso> [Accessed 25 August 2020]

King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho; Credit – Wikipedia

Moshoeshoe II was Paramount Chief of Basutoland from 1960 – 1965 and King of Lesotho from 1965 – 1990. The Kingdom of Lesotho is a country completely within the borders of South Africa. From 1822 – 1868, Lesotho was called Basutoland and was ruled by King Moshoeshoe I, the son of a minor tribal chief. In 1868, Basutoland became a British Crown Colony.  Kings and then Paramount Chiefs still held power in Basutoland during the period of British colonization.  During British colonization, the native rulers were known as Paramount Chiefs. Basutoland gained independence from the United Kingdom and became the Kingdom of Lesotho in 1966. King Moshoeshoe II was the first King of the independent country of Lesotho.

King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho was born as Constantine Bereng Seeiso on May 2, 1938, in Morija, Basutoland now in Lesotho. Known as Bereng, his father was Simon Seeiso Griffith (1905 – 1940), Paramount Chief of Basutoland, and his mother was his father’s second wife Mabereng, a woman from the Batlokoa tribe. Bereng had one younger full brother Mathealia, one half-sister Ntšebo from his father’s first marriage to Mantšebo, and one younger half-brother Leshoboro from his father’s third marriage to Maleshoboro. His father Simon Seeiso Griffith died on December 26, 1940, at the age of 35. Although the official medical records say he died of gangrene, it is commonly believed that he was poisoned.

After Simon Seeiso Griffith died in 1940, his first and senior wife Mantšebo (1902 – 1964) became the ruler of Basutoland from 1941 – 1960, as the regent for her two-year-old stepson Bereng, the future Moshoeshoe II. Mantšebo was also made the guardian of Bereng. Mantšebo and Bereng’s mother Mabereng hated each other. Mabereng and her supporters kept Bereng away from the direct control of the regent Mantšebo because they feared she might have him killed.

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British Commonwealth delegates Kghari Seghela (Chief of the Bakwena Tribe), King Sobhuza II  of Swaziland and the future King Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho arrive in London to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

As Bereng grew older, his mother began to have more of a say in his affairs. She arranged to have him raised in her Roman Catholic faith and rejected a plan to have him taught at a non-denominational government school. Instead, from 1948 – 1954, Bereng attended the Roman Catholic Roma Primary School in Roma, founded around 1860 as the first Catholic mission station in what is now Lesotho. Further conflict over schooling resulted in a full-scale war between the royal widows which only ended when Bereng left Lesotho to continue his education in the United Kingdom. There he attended Ampleforth College, run by the Benedictine monks, in North Yorkshire, England for his secondary education from 1954 – 1957. Bereng then studied Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University until 1960.

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King Moshoeshoe II, circa 1970

Initially, it was planned that Bereng would take on his role as Paramount Chief of Basutoland at the age of 25. However, a dispute with Mantšebo, the regent, led him to take over the office three years earlier than planned with the support of most of the other tribal chiefs. On March 12, 1960, Bereng took the name of his great-great-grandfather Moshoeshoe I and was sworn in as Moshoeshoe II, Paramount Chief of Basutoland, still a British protectorate. On April 30, 1965, Basotholand became an autonomous kingdom and Moshoeshoe II became king. Basutoland became an independent kingdom under the name of Lesotho on October 4, 1966.

In August 1962, Moshoeshoe II married Tabitha ‘Masentle Lerotholi Mojela (1941 – 2003), daughter of Lerotholi Mojela, Chief of Tsakholo. After her marriage, she was known as Queen Mamohato. The couple had three children:

In 1970, a conflict arose between King Moshoeshoe II and Prime Minister Joseph Leabua Jonathan. The opposition and the king disagreed with Prime Minister Jonathan’s decision to suspend parliament and invalidate the election results, which had been unfavorable for the prime minister. In February 1970, Moshoeshoe II fled to the Netherlands and his wife Mamohato took over as regent. It was not until December 5, 1970, that the king, after promising not to interfere in politics again, was allowed to return to Lesotho.

In January 1986, Prime Minister Jonathan was overthrown in a military coup. The new leader, Major General Justin Metsing Lekhanya, gave the king some legislative and executive duties. However, the king came into conflict with Lekhanya when he admitted that he had single-handedly shot a student and expelled African National Congress (ANC) members from Lesotho.

In February 1990, Moshoeshoe fled to the United Kingdom, and in December 1990, he was deposed and his elder son became king, taking the name Letsie in honor of Letsie I, the eldest son of King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basotho nation. In 1991, Lekhanya lost power and the new army chief, Colonel Elias Phisoana Ramaema, allowed Moshoeshoe to return to Lesotho as a citizen. King Letsie III, who was embarrassed at being king while his father was still alive, tried in vain to persuade the government to reinstate his father as king, and in August 1994 he enacted a new coup d’état with the army. Having obtained power, Letsie promised to return it to the previous government on the condition that Moshoeshoe II would return to being King of Lesotho, achieving this result in 1995.

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President Nelson Mandela of South Africa (left) appears with King Moshoeshoe II (right) during his state visit to Lesotho, July 12, 1995

King Moshoeshoe II’s second reign was brief. In the Maloti Mountains in Lesotho, 57-year-old Moshoeshoe’s car plunged off a mountain road during the early hours of January 15, 1996. The accident also killed his chauffeur. King Moshoeshoe had left at 1:00 AM for a late-night visit to his cattle herds in the royal village at Matsieng. In rural southern Africa, cattle are the prime measure of wealth, so a government statement that the king set out at 1:00 AM to visit his cattle was not a surprise.

Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral ceremony. The procession stretched for miles along the road from the king’s favorite farm in Matsieng to Thaba Bosiu, the birthplace of the Basotho nation, and the burial place of its kings. Behind the king’s coffin, wrapped in the royal standard and borne on a gun carriage, came the limousines of diplomats and dignitaries. Among those attending were Presidents Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Frederick Chiluba of Zambia, and Ketumile Masire of Botswana – the leaders of southern Africa’s big powers. King Moshoeshoe II was buried at Thaba Bosiu, the stronghold of King Moshoeshoe I (reigned 1822 – 1870) and once the capital of Basutoland.

Grave of King Moshoeshoe II; Credit – https://sedativegunk.com

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

  • De.wikipedia.org. 2020. Moshoeshoe II.. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshoeshoe_II.> [Accessed 24 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. ‘Mantšebo. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Mant%C5%A1ebo> [Accessed 24 August 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Moshoeshoe II Of Lesotho. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshoeshoe_II_of_Lesotho> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • Nl.wikipedia.org. 2020. Moshoeshoe II Van Lesotho. [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshoeshoe_II_van_Lesotho> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • The Independent. 1996. Lesotho Buries Its Stormy King. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/lesotho-buries-its-stormy-king-1325989.html> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • Timesmachine.nytimes.com. 1996. King Of Tiny Land Circled By South Africa Dies In Car Plunge. [online] Available at: <https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1996/01/16/076350.html?pageNumber=4> [Accessed 25 August 2020].
  • Washington Post. 1996. King Moshoeshoe II Dies At 57. [online] Available at: <https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/01/16/king-moshoeshoe-ii-dies-at-57/8734198f-b7db-4c18-a9c0-ce0efc1cc147/> [Accessed 25 August 2020].

Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, Mistress of King George II of Great Britain

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, became the mistress of the future King George II of Great Britain in 1714 and maintained a relationship with him until 1734.

source: Wikipedia

Henrietta Hobart was born in 1689 at Blickling Hall in Norfolk, the family home of her parents, Sir Henry Hobart, 4th Baronet of Intwood, and Elizabeth Maynard. Sir Henry had been in the household of King William III of England, serving as Gentleman of the Horse, and later found under the King during the Battle of the Boyne. He was later appointed Vice-Admiral of Norfolk, and served in the House of Commons, representing several different constituencies.

Henrietta had two siblings:

In 1698, Her father died from injuries sustained during a duel, and her mother died of illness three years later. Orphaned at just 12 years old, Henrietta became the ward of Henry Howard, the 5th Earl of Suffolk. Five years later, she married the Earl’s younger son, Charles Howard, on March 2, 1706. Charles would eventually become the 9th Earl of Suffolk in 1731. From all reports, the marriage was an unhappy one. Charles was a compulsive gambler and drinker and was often physically abusive to Henrietta. However, the couple did have one son together:

In 1714, Henrietta and her husband traveled to Hanover, with the hope of getting into the circle of the future King George I and securing themselves a better financial future. Their venture was successful, and following George’s accession to the British throne, the couple returned to England and both received positions within the Royal Household. Charles was appointed Groom of the Bedchamber to the new King, and Henrietta was appointed a Woman of the Bedchamber to the new Princess of Wales, Caroline of Ansbach. Through this role, Henrietta met and became the mistress of the Prince of Wales – the future King George II.

The Prince of Wales, c1716. source: Wikipedia

Over the next several years, Henrietta and George’s relationship continued to strengthen. Her husband, however, was not pleased with the situation. He found that his wife was benefiting greatly from the generosity of the Prince of Wales, while he was not seeing any of the same things. Threatening to cause a scandal, he was quickly compensated in exchange for looking the other way. The Prince of Wales arranged for Charles to be given a large annual pension, an appointment as Deputy Lieutenant of Essex, and a high-ranking commission in the Coldstream Guards. The couple maintained their marriage publicly, but for the most part, lived separate lives. They would later officially separate in 1727.

Marble Hill House. photo:By Jim Linwood from London – North Face Of Marble Hill House, Twickenham – London., CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50570204

That same year, in 1723, the Prince of Wales also gave Henrietta a very large gift of about 11,500 in stocks, along with jewelry, furniture, and other furnishings. Careful to be sure that this would benefit Henrietta alone, George made sure that it was stipulated that Henrietta’s husband would have no claim to any of this gift. The following year, through a trustee, Henrietta purchased a large tract of over 25 acres of land along the River Thames in Twickenham. There she had a villa built over the next several years – Marble Hill House. There, Henrietta hosted some of the most influential artists, intellectuals, and politicians of the day, establishing a court that could be said to rival that of Kensington Palace.

In 1727, several major changes happened in Henrietta’s life. King George I died, and the Prince of Wales succeeded as King George II. Continuing with her service to the royal court, she was appointed Mistress of the Robes to the new Queen Caroline. Around the same time, she and her estranged husband Charles officially separated but did not divorce due to the scandal it would have caused. In 1731, Charles succeeded to the Earldom, and Henrietta became the Countess of Suffolk.

Widowed in 1733, the now Dowager Countess of Suffolk left the royal court in 1734 after the end of her relationship with the King. She made Marble Hill House her primary residence and soon married again in 1735. Her second husband was The Honourable George Berkeley, a younger son of the 2nd Earl of Berkeley, and a Member of Parliament. She and her husband raised the children of her brother, who had been widowed several years earlier, and enjoyed a very quiet and happy family life. Henrietta and her husband, from all accounts, were tremendously happy together and spent their time traveling in Europe and enlarging and renovating Marble Hill House and the surrounding park.

George Berkeley died in 1746, and Henrietta spent her remaining years at Marble Hill House with her extended family. She died there on July 26, 1767.

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.

King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV 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 – By The original uploader was Tauʻolunga at Tongan Wikipedia. – Transferred from to.wikipedia to Commons., CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49474153

King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga was born on July 4, 1918, at the Royal Palace in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, the eldest of the three sons of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga and her husband Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi.

Tonga royal family, circa 1930, Front (L to R): Prince Uiliami Tukuʻaho, Prince Sione Ngū Manumataong;  Seated (L to R): Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi, Queen Sālote Tupou III; Back (L to R): Prince Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Tupoulahi (later King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV), Princess Fusipala, half-sister of Queen Salote; Credit – By Unknown author – Wood-Ellem, Elizabeth (1999) Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965, Auckland, N.Z: Auckland University Press, pp. 144–145 ISBN: 978-0-8248-2529-4. OCLC: 262293605., CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1211166

Tāufaʻāhau Tupou had two younger brothers:

  • Prince Uiliami Tuku‘aho (1920 – 1936), died as a teenager
  • Prince Sione Ngū Manumataongo (1922 – 1999), married Melenaite Tupoumoheofo Veikune, had four daughters and two sons

Tāufaʻāhau Tupou in 1928; Credit – Wikipedia

Tāufaʻāhau Tupou began his education at a school run by the Free Wesleyan Church in Tonga and continued at Tupou College, a Methodist boys’ secondary boarding school in Toloa, Tonga. While at Tupou College, Tāufaʻāhau Tupou began competing in the pole vault, and by the age of fourteen, he held the Tonga pole vault record, a record that stood for many years.

Tāufaʻāhau Tupou pole vaulting, circa 1935; Credit – By Unknown author – Kalonikali ʻo Tonga, 2006-9-14Page 10 of His majesty king tafufa’ahau tupou iv of the kingdom of tonga’, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1211150

In 1932, at the age of 14, Tāufaʻāhau Tupou was sent to Newington College, an exclusive boys’ secondary school located in Stanmore, near Sydney, Australia. While at Newington College, Tāufaʻāhau Tupou was a member of the athletic (track) team and competed in the pole vault. After finishing his secondary education at Newington College, Tāufaʻāhau Tupou attended the University of Sydney in Australia from 1938-1942, receiving both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree.

Tāufaʻāhau Tupou is seated on the far right with his fellow athletic team members; Credit – Wikipedia

Upon graduating from university, Tāufaʻāhau Tupou returned to Tonga and began a career in government. His mother Queen Sālote appointed him Minister of Education in 1943, Minister of Health in 1944, and in 1949, he was appointed Prime Minister of Tonga, a position he held until he became King of Tonga in 1965. Tāufaʻāhau Tupou was a lay preacher of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga until his death.

On June 10, 1946, Tāufaʻāhau Tupou married Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe (1926 – 2017) and the couple had four children:

  • King George Tupou V (1948 – 2012), unmarried
  • 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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Coronation of Tongan King Taufa’auhau Tupou IV

Upon the death of his mother Queen Sālote Tupou III in 1965, Tāufaʻāhau Tupou became King of Tonga. Taufa’ahau Tupou IV was crowned King of Tonga in a Methodist ceremony on July 4, 1967, his 49th birthday, at the Royal Chapel on the grounds of the Royal Palace in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga. Tongans from the outer islands had been arriving in the capital Nuku’alofa for a month. Dignitaries who attended included the Duke and Duchess of Kent representing Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Keith Holyoake.

In 1970, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou proclaimed Tonga’s full independence from the United Kingdom, which had held Tonga as a protectorate since 1900. For most of his reign, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou had the respect and loyalty of his subjects and other leaders in the South Pacific but toward the end of his reign, he faced increasing dissent. In 2005, thousands of people took to the streets to demand democracy and public ownership of key assets. Like his mother Queen Sālote, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou‘s stature was notable. He was 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 440 pounds. In the 1990s, he took part in a national fitness campaign, and by his 80th birthday, in 1998, he had lost 286 pounds.

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King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, age 84, relaxing in the Royal Palace, 2002

On September 10, 2006, 88-year-old King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga died at Mercy Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand. His funeral, which blended Christian and ancient Polynesian burial rites, was held on September 19, 2006, in the Tongan capital, Nukuʻalofa. Thousands of Tongans attended the funeral along with many foreign dignitaries, including Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, Vanuatu President Kalkot Mataskelekele, American Samoan Governor Togiola Tulafono, Niue Premier Vivian Young, and the Duke of Gloucester representing his cousin of Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom. King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga was buried his mother Queen Sālote at Malaʻekula, the royal burial grounds in Nukuʻalofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga.

Tongan Royal Tombs, King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou’s tomb is the first statue on the right; Credit – Around the Globe with the Rosens

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

  • Baker, Simon, 2006. King’s Funeral Mixes Tongan, Western Traditions. [online] The Age. Available at: <https://www.theage.com.au/world/kings-funeral-mixes-tongan-western-traditions-20060920-ge364c.html> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • BBC News. 2006. Tongan King Tupou IV Dies At 88. [online] Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5333318.stm> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C4%81ufa%CA%BB%C4%81hau_Tupou_IV> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • NYtimes.com. 2006. King Taufa’Ahau Tupou IV, Ruler Of Tonga, Dies At 88. [online] Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/11/world/asia/11tonga.html?ref=oembed> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • NZ Herald. 2006. King’s Funeral Brings Capital To Halt. [online] Available at: <https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10401988> [Accessed 8 September 2020].
  • The Guardian. 2006. Obituary: King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV Of Tonga. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/sep/20/guardianobituaries.rogercowe> [Accessed 8 September 2020].

Anna Petrovna Lopukhina, Mistress of Paul I, Emperor of All Russia

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2020

Anna Petrovna Lopukhina; Credit – Wikipedia

Patronymics: In Russian, a patronymic is the second name derived from the father’s first name: the suffix -vich means “son of” and the suffixes -eva, -evna, -ova, and -ovna mean “daughter of”.

Anna Petrovna Lopukhina was born on November 8, 1777. She was the eldest of the three daughters and the eldest of the four children of Peter Vasilievich Lopukhin and his first wife Praskovya Ivanovna Levshina. The Lopukhins were an old Russian noble family. Eudoxia Feodorovna Lopukhina, the first wife of Peter I (the Great), Emperor of All Russia was from the family. Peter Vasilievich Lopukhin served in the Russian Army with the Preobrazhensky Guards. He served as Chief of Police of St. Petersburg, Moscow Civil Governor, and Governor-General of Yaroslav and Vologda. When Paul I succeeded to the throne, Peter Vasilievich was appointed to the Privy Council. He served as President of the Council of Ministers, basically the Prime Minister, from 1816 to 1827 during the reigns of Paul’s sons Alexander I and Nicholas I.

Anna’s father Peter Vasilievich Lopukhin; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna’s mother, Praskovya Ivanovna Levshina; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna had three younger siblings:

Anna’s stepmother Ekaterina Nikolaevna Shetneva; Credit – Wikipedia

When Anna was eight-years-old, her mother died. A year later her father married Ekaterina Nikolaevna Shetneva. Anna and her siblings were raised by their stepmother in Moscow, Russia, along with their half-siblings.

Anna had four half-siblings from her father’s second marriage:

  • Alexandra Petrovna Lopukhina (1788 – 1852), married Alexander Alexandrovich Zherebtsov, had one daughter
  • Pavel Petrovich Lopukhin (1790 – 1873), married Anna Ivanovna von Wenkstern
  • Elizaveta Petrovna Lopukhina (1792 -1805), died in childhood
  • Sofia Petrovna Lopukhina (1798 – 1825 ), married Alexei Jakovlevich Lobanov-Rostovsky, had four children

Paul I, Emperor of All Russia’ Credit – Wikipedia

In 1798, Paul I, Emperor of All Russia visited Moscow. At a court ball, he noticed 21-year-old Anna Petrovna Lopukhina and became infatuated. A court faction headed by Count Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov, formerly Paul’s valet and now one of his important advisors, decided to use Paul’s infatuation with Anna against the influence of Paul’s wife Empress Maria Feodorovna, born Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg, and Paul’s official mistress Ekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova, one of his wife’s ladies-in-waiting. The Empress had originally been quite upset about her husband’s infidelities, but eventually, she made her peace with Ekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova and the two women used their combined influence on Paul.

Emperor Paul instructed Kutaisov to negotiate the Lopukhina family’s move to St. Petersburg. After being offered an important position in St. Petersburg, a house, money, and the title His Serene Highness Prince, Peter Vasilievich Lopukhin agreed to move his family to St. Petersburg. Upon hearing of this, Empress Maria Feodorovna sent a letter to Anna strongly advising her to remain in Moscow. The letter was intercepted and came to the attention of Paul I who was angered by his wife’s actions. In the fall of 1798, the Lopukhin family moved to St. Petersburg where they lived at 10 Palace Embankment, a street along the Neva River where the Winter Palace was located.

The brown building in the middle, 10 Palace Embankment, was the Loupkhin family home in St. Petersburg; Credit – Wikipedia

Anna’s stepmother was made a lady-in-waiting at court and Anna was made a maid of honor. She quickly replaced Ekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova as Paul’s official mistress. Praskovya Petrovna Lopukhina, Anna’s sister, married Count Pavel Ivanovich Kutaisov, the son of Count Ivan Pavlovich Kutaisov, the mastermind behind the scheme to move the Lopukhin family to St. Petersburg and make Anna the mistress of Emperor Paul.

Anna had a diplomatic and humble nature and stayed away from court intrigues. She used her influence with Paul only for those who fell out of favor or for those who deserved rewards. However, instead of using persuasion, Anna cried or pouted until she got what she wanted. Anna had a passion for dancing and so Paul often gave balls. She loved the waltz, which had been forbidden at court but it was brought into vogue thanks to Anna. The usual court costume restricted some dance moves and so Paul ordered it abandoned which greatly upset his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Anna’s husband Prince Pavel Gavrilovich Gagarin; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1799, Anna asked Paul’s permission to marry a childhood friend, Prince Pavel Gavrilovich Gagarin, who was then in Italy with the Russian Army. Paul recalled him to St. Petersburg, gave him the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, promoted him to Adjutant General, and transferred him to the St. Petersburg-based Preobrazhensky Guards. Anna and Pavel Gavrilovich were married on February 8, 1799. Upon her marriage, Anna was appointed a lady-in-waiting. Paul’s feelings for Anna did not change after her marriage and she continued to be his official mistress.

Because Emperor Paul overly taxed the nobility and limited their rights, the Russian nobles, by increasing numbers, were against him. Paul’s reign was becoming increasingly despotic. Eventually, the nobility reached their breaking point and rumors began swirling of a coup d’état being prepared by the nobility. On the night of March 23, 1801, a group of conspirators charged into Paul’s bedroom, forced him to abdicate, and then strangled and trampled him to death. Paul’s eldest son, who probably knew about the coup but not the murder plot, succeeded as Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia.

Alexander I appointed Pavel Gavrilovich Gagarin ambassador to Sardinia, now in Italy, and Anna and her husband moved to the city of Turin. Because the benefits that Pavel would reap from being married to Paul’s official mistress were now gone, Pavel and Anna’s marriage deteriorated. Both Pavel and Anna had affairs. Anna’s affair was with Prince Boris Antonovich Chetvertinsky. On February 5, 1805, Anna gave birth to Boris Antonovich’s daughter Alexandra. Anna, aged 27, died on April 25, 1805, in Turin from tuberculosis. Her infant daughter died a few weeks later.

Anna was buried in the St. Lazarus Church at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her husband Prince Pavel Gavrilovich Gagarin ordered the inscription on her tomb to read, “In memory of my wife and benefactress,” a nod to the benefits he had received for being married to a mistress of the Emperor of All Russia.

St. Lazarus Church at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg; Credit – By Екатерина Борисова – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51910633

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Works Cited

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